Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.

Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.

For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks(老鹰), the farmers stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖) quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.

Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1.Animals are important to us mainly because____.

2.What has happened to the animals on the earth?

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

4.What can we infer from the fact that quite a few countries have passed laws protecting animals in danger?

阅读理解

　　Kidnappers(绑架者) are rarely interested in animals, but they recently took considerable interest in Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay's cat . Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay, a very wealthy old lady, has shared a flat with her cat, Rastus, for a great many years. Rastus leads an orderly life. He usually takes a short walk in the evenings and is always home by seven o'clock. One evening, however, he failed to arrive. Mrs . Eleanor Ramsay got very worried . She looked everywhere for him but could not find him.

　　Three days after Rastus' disappearance .Mrs . Eleanor Ramsay received an anonymous( = nameless) letter. The writer stated that Rastus was in safe hands and would be returned immediately if Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay paid a ransom( = sum of money) of ￡1000. Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay was instructed to place the money in a cardboard box and to leave it out side her door. At first, she decided to go to the police, but fearing that she would never see Rastus again, the letter had made that quite clear. She changed her mind. She drew ￡1000 from her bank and followed the kidnapper's instructions. The next morning, the box had disappeared but Mrs. Ramsay was sure that kidnapper would keep his word. Sure enough, Rastus arrived punctually at seven o'clock that evening . He looked very well, though he was rather thirsty, for he drank half a bottle of milk. The police were greatly surprised when Mrs. Ramsay told them what she had done. She explained that Rastus was very dear to her. Considering the amount she said, he was dear in more ways than one!

1．Some kidnappers took considerable interest in Mrs. Ramsay's cat because ________.

[　　]

A．Mrs. Ramsay could and would pay a lot to get her only companion back

B．Mrs. Ramsay clearly loved her cat to have kept him so long

C．Rastus was an orderly cat and would be easy to look after if kidnapped

D．Mrs. Ramsay missed her cat whenever he was not back home on time

2．On what conditions did the kidnapper promise the safe return of Rastus?

[　　]

A．His name was not to be revealed and he wanted a ransom of ￡ 1000.

B．Mrs. Ramsay was not to inform the police and had to pay ￡ 1000.

C．Mrs. Ramsay had to leave her flat until the box with the money had gone.

D．Mrs. Ramsay was to draw ￡ 1000 from her bank and follow his instructions.

3．How was Rastus dear to Mrs. Ramsay in more ways than one?

[　　]

A．She was very fond of him and it had cost her a lot to get him back.

B．Besides the high ransom paid for him he drank a lot of milk

C．He was so dear that she had not dared tell the police of the kidnapping.

D．He was very valuable and she valued him greatly.

4．Mrs. Eleanor Ramsay is a very wealthy lady who ________ a flat with her cat Rastus, for a great many years.

[　　]

5．She searched for him but could not find him ________

[　　]

第二节 完形填空（共20小题；每小题1.5分，共30分）
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
For almost 18 years, my mom has given time from her life to devote her care to my growth. She has ashed  36  clothes. She’s planned doctors’ appointments  37  all parts of the body, cut hair, taken icures, bought presents,  38 vacations and basically kept a small boy’s life  39  smoothly.
When I was 12, I got into  40  arguments with my older and wiser parents. The   41 never led a any achievement for me, but I still took part. Many times strong feeling of anger caused tears  42  to in my eyes by the end of the quarrel with them.   43 , I’d return to my room and stay for as long as my parents allowed. Then I’d  44  a knock and hardly manage a weak, “Come in.” My mom, acting as a peacemaker,   45  slowly enter and sit next to me on the bed. I’d again try to  46  what I had said was true,  47  this time less angrily. Then mom calmly, strictly and lovingly showed to me her voice of   48  . After that she’d hug me and I’d stop crying; all would be  49  in my family again.
Hugs will  50  be her trademark（标志）: warm hugs for goodnights, good-byes and a thousand other such situations. “You’re never too old to  51  your mother.” I’ve heard those eight words since I came to the world. They ring true. For some reason, those words possess the unbelievable  52  to reduce anxiety, cool an angry head,   53  fears and put wrong things right.
Perhaps my mother, now worthy of the title “Mom” can  be an example to mothers everywhere. Being a mother is not so  54  . Any female has the ability to become one. The challenge isn’t in becoming a “mother”, but instead , a “mom”. Mine does that quite  55 .
36．A．Dirty    B．expensive  C．warm       D．old
37．A．on        B．for       C．in      D．about
38．A．prepared   B．taken     C．spent D．enjoyed
39．A．advancing B．changing   C．running    D．developing
40．A．unfit     B．casual       C．unfair       D．silly
41．A．quarrels    B．doubts      C．complaints       D．puzzles
42．A．dry      B．go        C．well  D．take
43．A．Crying     B．Blaming   C．Shaking    D．Whispering
44．A．take     B．make     C．hear  D．get
45．A．might       B．could     C．should      D．would
46．A．admit          B．prove          C．conclude   D．debate
47．A．so        B．or        C．but    D．for
48．A．advice      B．reason      C．demand    D．courage
49．A．active       B．right     C．comfortable     D．friendly
50．A．forever     B．finally      C．even  D．actually
51．A．touch          B．love     C．hug   D．comfort
52．A．ability      B．confidenceC．influence  D．power
53．A．lose      B．share     C．overcome  D．express
54．A．difficult    B．sad       C．boring      D．disappointing
55．A．carefully   B．perfectly   C．formally   D．Normally

It’s true that quite a few most respected scientific authorities have confirmed that the world is becoming hotter and hotter. There’s also strong evidence that humans are contributing to the warming. Countless recent reports have proved the same thing. For instance, a 2010 summary about the climate science by the Royal Society noted that: “The global warming over the last half-century has been caused mainly by human activity.”
You may not believe that humans could change the planet’s climate, but the basic science is well understood. Each year, billions of tons of greenhouse gases are released into the atmosphere because of human activity. As has been known for years, these gases hold heat that would otherwise escape to space, wrapping the planet in an invisible (看不见的) blanket.
Of course, the earth’s climate has always been changing due to “natural” factors such as volcanic eruption or changes in solar, or cycles concerning the Earth’s going around the sun. According to the scientific research, however, the warming observed by now matches the pattern of warming we would expect from a build-up of greenhouse gas in the atmosphere – not the warming we would expect from other possible causes.
Even if scientists did discover another reasonable explanation for the warming recorded so far, that would give birth to a difficult question. As Robert Henson puts it: “If some newly discovered factor is to blame for the climate change, then why aren’t carbon dioxide and the other greenhouse gases producing the warming that basic physics tells us they should be?”
The only way to prove with 100% certainty that humans are responsible for global warming would be to run an experiment with two identical Earths – one with human influence and one without. That obviously isn’t possible, and so most scientists are careful not to state human influence as an absolute certainty.
【小题1】In most scientists’ opinion, the global warming is mainly caused by ________.

Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.
Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.
Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.
Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature (生态平衡). Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.
For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks (老鹰), the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖)quickly.
Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.
Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid (禁止) the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.
【小题1】 Animals are important to us mainly because____ .