Imagine living in a city made of glass. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.

The reef you’d be looking at is made up of glass sponges(海绵). But how can animals be made of glass? Well, glass is formed from a substance called silica. The sponges use the silica found in ocean waters to build glass structures that will give them shape and support. Be careful! Some of the fragile creatures are up to 200 years old.

When sponges die, new ones grow on top of the pile of old ones. Over centuries, a massive and complex reef takes shape. Some sponges look like wrinkled trumpets, while others look like overgrown cauliflower or mushrooms.

Dr. Paul Johnson, who discovered the Washington reef in 2007, also found other surprises such as bubbles of methane(甲烷) gas flowing out of the seafloor nearby. The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.

“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.

The reef of yellow and orange glass sponges is crowded with crabs, shrimp, starfish, worms, snails, and rockfish. The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.

Many animals that live in the reef hang around for a long time, just like the sponges. Rockfish, for example, live for more than 100 years. Scientists are just beginning to study all the species that call the reef home.

The Washington coast isn’t the only place where a living glass reef has been found. The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991. Scientists all over the world were stunned to see it.

1.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Man-made cities under the sea     B. The world under the sea

C. Glass “cities” under the sea        D. Creatures under the sea

2.It can be learned that the glass reef _______.

A. is made up of a kind of materials called sponges

B. is a work of art made by some American scientists

C. is a new ecosystem people are not familiar with

D. was first discovered off the coast of Washington State

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The sponges must feel soft.

B. Silica comes from animals’ body fluid.

C. Methane is harmful to glass sponges.

D. Glass sponges depend on the bacteria for a living.

4.Why did scientists call the glass reef a “kindergarten”?

A. Because the babies of many sea creatures grow well there.

B. Because thousands of children visit it every year.

C. Because it is crowded with snails and rockfish, etc.

D. Because all the species call the reef home.

5.What does the underlined word “stunned” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Greatly surprised.       B. Extremely scared.

C. Highly satisfied.        D. Very pleased.

Imagine living in a city made of glass. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.
The reef you’d be looking at is made up of glass sponges(海绵). But how can animals be made of glass? Well, glass is formed from a substance called silica. The sponges use the silica found in ocean waters to build glass structures that will give them shape and support. Be careful! Some of the fragile creatures are up to 200 years old.
When sponges die, new ones grow on top of the pile of old ones. Over centuries, a massive and complex reef takes shape. Some sponges look like wrinkled trumpets, while others look like overgrown cauliflower or mushrooms.
Dr. Paul Johnson, who discovered the Washington reef in 2007, also found other surprises such as bubbles of methane(甲烷) gas flowing out of the seafloor nearby. The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.
“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.
The reef of yellow and orange glass sponges is crowded with crabs, shrimp, starfish, worms, snails, and rockfish. The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.
Many animals that live in the reef hang around for a long time, just like the sponges. Rockfish, for example, live for more than 100 years. Scientists are just beginning to study all the species that call the reef home.
The Washington coast isn’t the only place where a living glass reef has been found. The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991. Scientists all over the world were stunned to see it

1. 1.

   Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

   1. A.
      Man-made cities under the sea
   2. B.
      The world under the sea
   3. C.
      Glass “cities” under the sea
   4. D.
      Creatures under the sea
2. 2.

   It can be learned that the glass reef _______

   1. A.
      is made up of a kind of materials called sponges
   2. B.
      is a work of art made by some American scientists
   3. C.
      is a new ecosystem people are not familiar with
   4. D.
      was first discovered off the coast of Washington State
3. 3.

   Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

   1. A.
      The sponges must feel soft
   2. B.
      Silica comes from animals’ body fluid
   3. C.
      Methane is harmful to glass sponges
   4. D.
      Glass sponges depend on the bacteria for a living
4. 4.

   Why did scientists call the glass reef a “kindergarten”?

   1. A.
      Because the babies of many sea creatures grow well there
   2. B.
      Because thousands of children visit it every year
   3. C.
      Because it is crowded with snails and rockfish, etc
   4. D.
      Because all the species call the reef home
5. 5.

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

   1. A.
      Greatly surprised
   2. B.
      Extremely scared
   3. C.
      Highly satisfied
   4. D.
      Very pleased

Imagine living in a city made of glass. No, this isn’t a fairy tale. If you could grab your diving gear and swim down 650 feet into the Pacific Ocean off the coast of Washington State, you would witness the secret world of glass reefs.

The reef you’d be looking at is made up of glass sponges(海绵). But how can animals be made of glass? Well, glass is formed from a substance called silica. The sponges use the silica found in ocean waters to build glass structures that will give them shape and support. Be careful! Some of the fragile creatures are up to 200 years old.

When sponges die, new ones grow on top of the pile of old ones. Over centuries, a massive and complex reef takes shape. Some sponges look like wrinkled trumpets, while others look like overgrown cauliflower or mushrooms.

Dr. Paul Johnson, who discovered the Washington reef in 2007, also found other surprises such as bubbles of methane(甲烷) gas flowing out of the seafloor nearby. The methane feeds bacteria, and the bacteria feed the glass sponges.

“It’s a new ecosystem we know nothing about,” said Dr. Johnson.

The reef of yellow and orange glass sponges is crowded with crabs, shrimp, starfish, worms, snails, and rockfish. The glass reef is also a nursery for the babies of many of these creatures and was called a “kindergarten” by scientists.

Many animals that live in the reef hang around for a long time, just like the sponges. Rockfish, for example, live for more than 100 years. Scientists are just beginning to study all the species that call the reef home.

The Washington coast isn’t the only place where a living glass reef has been found. The first was discovered in Hecate Strait off the coast of British Columbia in 1991. Scientists all over the world were stunned to see it.

26. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A. Man-made cities under the sea     B. The world under the sea

C. Glass “cities” under the sea        D. Creatures under the sea

27. It can be learned that the glass reef _______.

A. is made up of a kind of materials called sponges

B. is a work of art made by some American scientists

C. is a new ecosystem people are not familiar with

D. was first discovered off the coast of Washington State

28. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. The sponges must feel soft.   B. Silica comes from animals’ body fluid.

C. Methane is harmful to glass sponges. 

D. Glass sponges depend on the bacteria for a living.

29. Why did scientists call the glass reef a “kindergarten”?

A. Because the babies of many sea creatures grow well there.

B. Because thousands of children visit it every year.

C. Because it is crowded with snails and rockfish, etc.

D. Because all the species call the reef home.

30. What does the underlined word “stunned” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Greatly surprised.       B. Extremely scared.  

C. Highly satisfied.        D. Very pleased.

The United States is the world's largest consumer of energy. We use electricity, gas and oil to light and heat our buildings and run our cars. The demand for power is growing. But we may not need to build new power plants or find more oil. The best way to increase our supply of energy is to be more efficient.
Did you know that when you leave your video-game console (游戏机操纵台) on, it consumes more electricity than two refrigerators? Or that those funny-looking, twisty bulbs (灯泡) use 75％ less power than traditional light bulbs? We have the tools to save money, reduce pollution and even help our planet, simply by wasting less energy.
As President, Barack Obama plans to make energy efficiency in American a major goal. He has promised to cut 15% of all energy used by the Federal Government. In a speech, he called for 75% of government office buildings to be updated for better efficiency. He pointed out that energy-efficient buildings and homes will save consumers billions of dollars on energy bills. An “extra benefit”, he added, will be “a cleaner, safer planet.”
Gas, coal and oil are called fossil fuels. Fossil fuels have been the world's main source of energy for hundreds of years. But burning them releases dirty gases, which cause pollution.
There are two main ways to save energy. The first is to use more efficient machines. Hybrid cars use less gas. New appliances are designed to use less electricity. Today's refrigerators are three times more efficient than those before 1973. Laptop computers consume much less energy than desktop computers.
The second is to use machines more productively. According to the US Department of Energy, in the average home, 75％ of the electricity used to power electronic equipment is standby power (备用电源) . That means power flowing to plugged-in appliances whether or not they are being used.
Homeowners can avoid wasting power by pulling the plug on appliances when they are not in use. Efficiency experts argue that today's best techniques could cut US oil and gas use in half, and reduce our electricity use by three-fourths.
【小题1】By referring to Obama's plan, the author mainly intended to say that _______