About 97% of the world's water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can't drink seawater, how can it be important?
Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe. How important seawater is!
Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. These food chains are delicately balanced.
The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn't matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop.
Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most countries have introduced fishing restrictions to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. Finally, the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important part of the human diet. How important seawater is!

1. 1.

   People used to think that the rubbish thrown into the sea ______.

   1. A.
      wouldn't harm the fish in the sea
   2. B.
      would change the balance of the food chain
   3. C.
      would be broken down in the sea
   4. D.
      wouldn't do much harm to the sea
2. 2.

   From the passage, we learn that ______.

   1. A.
      most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas
   2. B.
      it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain
   3. C.
      excessive fishing has caused the decrease in fish stock
   4. D.
      it won't be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved
3. 3.

   Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?

   1. A.
      The use of international agreements
   2. B.
      Forbidding fishing to protect fish stocks
   3. C.
      The use of new techniques
   4. D.
      Raising people's awareness of the need to protect oceans
4. 4.

   What would be the BEST title of the passage?

   1. A.
      The importance of seawater
   2. B.
      Life in the oceans
   3. C.
      How to protect food chains

The other day at the supermarket, I saw a naughty child of about six crying loudly, falling to the floor and refusing to move. All the while the troubled mother was trying to persuade him to behave well but failed. A little smack(掌击) on his bottom would have done the job, I thought.
Teenagers also cause discipline(纪律)problems. As a teacher I had a 16-year-old student who had fallen in love with a waiter at a fast-food restaurant. In fact, she had left home to stay with him. So we decided to put her in the school hostel. She refused. When she heard her mother begging her to stay in the hostel she turned round and said: “Why don’t you stay in the hostel if you like it so much?”
My palms were itching to slap her for being so rude but the poor mother continued to cajole her, hoping that gentle persuasion would work wonders. It did not. I last heard that she had run away from home again.
The list goes on and on. Could it be that today’s parents are softer and believe that they must not rod (棍棒惩罚)their children for fear of the bad result? Or do they actually believe that the children will get rid of the bad habits and behave well naturally as they grow older? I beg to disagree. I believe it is the parents’ duty to discipline the children even at a young age.
My children who are now adults will prove the fact that I used the rod when I thought it necessary. Later when they went abroad, they related to their British university friends on how they were disciplined. Their friends abroad were filled with horror and told my daughter that I could be charged for child abuse(虐待). However, my daughter showed great respect for me when she told them that she would not be where she was today if not for my strict discipline.
48. According to the passage, the author would probably_______.
A. beat the children every day      B. punish the children when necessary
C. 1eave the children as they are         D. treat the children in a softer way
49. The underlined word “cajole”(in Paragraph 3) probably means________.
A. persuade       B. scold          C. forgive         D. punish
50. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. The naughty boy’s mother hit him on the bottom at last．
B. The teenager’s mother lived together with her daughter in the school then．
C. The author was charged for child abuse by her daughter’s friends abroad．
D. The author’s daughter was very thankful for her parent’s strict discipline．
51. Which of the following can be the best title of this passage?
A. Respect Parents    B. Spoil Kids    C. Value Discipline  D. Protect Kids

On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company’s marketing department gave a nod to the product’s troubled history.
“Finally.” read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple. com.
The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4’s launch（推出） last June. But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say.
As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash（闪光灯） was used. Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor （距离传感器） , which detects when the phone is held next to someone’s head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life.
These problems weren’t present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn’t have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black.
“We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren’t,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s chief marketing executive, said in an interview. “It’s not as simple as making something white. There’s a lot more that goes into both the material science of it —how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors. “
Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple’s phones. He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1. 5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall.
Forty-five people were lined up at Apple’s flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report.
【小题1】
The reason why white-colored iPhone 4 was delayed by 10 months is that _______.

Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.

Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.

Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. The wood of the violin is very important. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremona knew something special about wood for violins.

But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut very carefully. It has to be the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.

Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new violins still do not sound as good as the old one. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish（清漆）, which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.

There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．The Secrets of Cremona Violins

B．The History of Italian Violins

C．Special Musical Instruments

D．How to Make the Best Violins

2.The main purpose of the first paragraph is to_______________

A．list some facts                                  B．raise a question

C．give an opinion                                   D．offer an answer

3.What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?

A．The shape．    B．The size．    C．The wood．  D．The varnish．

4.Which of the following words can best describe Cremona violins?

A．Light．       B．Shining．    C．Valuable．D．Modern

5.What can we learn from this passage?

A．Modem things are always better than ancient ones

B．Ancient things are always better than modem ones

C．Once a cultural relic is lost．it Can never be recovered

D．Varnish for violins will become more and more precious

On the day Apple debuted the often-delayed white-colored iPhone 4, the company’s marketing department gave a nod to the product’s troubled history.

“Finally.” read the big headline Thursday above a picture of the white phone on the homepage of Apple. com.

The white model was supposed to ship alongside the black one at the iPhone 4’s launch（推出） last June. But design and manufacturing complications delayed the process by 10 months, catching Apple off guard, executives say.

As CNN reported last month, earlier test models of the white iPhone 4 produced unclear photos, especially when the flash（闪光灯） was used. Its whiteness confused the proximity sensor （距离传感器） , which detects when the phone is held next to someone’s head and turns off the touch screen to save battery life.

These problems weren’t present in older iPhones that came in white because they didn’t have flash photography; the proximity sensor was unaffected because the front side of previous models was black.

“We thought we were there a year ago, or less than that, when we launched the iPhone 4, and we weren’t,” Philip Schiller, Apple’s chief marketing executive, said in an interview. “It’s not as simple as making something white. There’s a lot more that goes into both the material science of it —how it holds up over time…but also in how it all works with the sensors. “

Ticonderoga Securities analyst Brian White predicts that the white model could help drive sales of Apple’s phones. He says Apple could sell 1 million to 1. 5 million every three months until the next iPhone model is unveiled, which is expected to be this fall.

Forty-five people were lined up at Apple’s flagship New York store Thursday morning to buy white iPhones, according to a CNN Money report.

1.

The reason why white-colored iPhone 4 was delayed by 10 months is that _______.

2.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

3.

What would be the best title for this passage?

4.

What does the underlined word “unveil” in the last paragraph mean?