Everyone makes mistakes in life, but for whales and dolphins, the “mistake” of landing on the shore costs the highest price---their lives.

People living along the coast of Australia and New Zealand have been shocked and saddened by the number of whales and dolphins that they have found on their beaches recently. Since November 28^th, 96 whales and dolphins have died in Australia and 53 whales died in New Zealand. Although 20 whales were saved, some of these were not expected to live, as they were too weak to swim with the others back to sea.

Bob Brown, leader of Australia’s Green party, said the mass beaching was caused by the recent “sound bombing” of the ocean floor between the two countries. This is a method of testing for oil and gas reserves (储藏量).

But mass beaching of whales has long puzzled scientists. Typically most members of the stranded (搁浅) group will appear to be perfectly healthy. “Some researchers believe that close relationship within the group causes the problem, if one gets into trouble, the others will not leave” said Shery Gibney, a leading biologist in New Zealand. “Some will come in and try and assist it; if they get trapped on the beach, then more will come.”

Another common theory is that the whales’ navigation (导航) system are thought to break down in some way. It has been said that whales follow electromagnetic (电磁的) patterns in the sea-bed. The whales can get confused because these patterns sometimes change. That would be a bit like a new roundabout (环状交叉路) being built on a road you were used to driving on. You might be confused for a minute when you come to it for the first time, and you might even take a wrong turning before getting back on your route.

A different idea is that when whales chase fish for food they end up in shallow waters because they are not paying attention to where they are going.

And yet, from time to time a group will swim on purpose into shallow waters and end up on the beach, where they die. If returned to the sea, some whales often show great determination in restraining themselves.

1.________ whales and dolphins would probably die in this mass beaching along the coast of Australia and New Zealand.

A. Less than 100      B. Less than 150     C. More than 150      D. 149

2.Which of the following can be used to explain the term “sound bombing”?

A. The terrible sound that is caused in the war between two countries.

B. Human activities that aim to explore the ocean floor.

C. The loud sound that whales and dolphins make.

D. The earthquakes that happen on the ocean floor.

3.Which of the following couldn’t probably lead to the mass beaching of whales?

A. A change in the electromagnetic patterns that whales follow.

B. New roundabout being built on a road.

C. Their full attention to the search for food.

D. Exploiting natural resources in oceans.

4.The passage is mainly about _______.

A. that whales and dolphins may make mistakes as well as human beings

B. how scientists have found the reasons for the mass beaching of whales

C. how human beings make use of the ocean resources

D. why the mass beaching of whales happens

阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。  

“Cheerfulness keeps up a kind of daylight in the mind, and fills it with a steady perpetual（永久的）serenity（平静）．’’—Joseph Addison

       Annually my husband’s family has a reunion．At one of the recent 25 ，the weather was cloudy, and more rain was  26  ．The family members who arrived early were  27 about the possibility of rain and the  28  it would have on attendance．

       It did rain，but as it started，a car  29  and out of the passenger side suddenly appeared Uncle Earl，  30  by the family, who is 96 years old and has been  31  for many years．Just the arrival of Uncle Earl immediately  32  the spirits of the group．

       Ever cheerful and optimistic，Uncle Earl  33  to amaze the family．One by one he 34  each member, held their hands，gave them a piece of candy and made them laugh

         35  l stood back，1 watched how his behavior and  36  brought a smile to everyone’s face He didn’t spend time telling everyone about his illness as others were doing．I  37  that it was his choice to be of good cheer and not focus on the  38  aspects of his life．By doing so, each family member had to respond in the same  39  ．

       Just before we began to feast on the wonderful  40  ，Earl stood up and spoke to the group for a few minutes．He asked everyone to take a lighthearted approach to  41  happened. He said he had prayed for us all to arrive and to return home  42  ，so we need not worry about the rain．Then he gave us all his blessing．I know I felt  43  to be with him.

       What is happening in your life  44  ？Are you taking a cheerful approach to your day? Be of good cheer! Like Uncle Earl!

A．moments       B．reunions   C．meals       D．discussions

A．informed       B．argued      C．predicted  D．demanded

A．happy    B．excited     C．interested  D．concerned

A．danger   B．significance      C．effect       D．consequence

A．pulled up      B．drove off  C．pushed in        D．sped up

A．told       B．called       C．known      D．recognized

A．homeless       B．blind C．silent D．lost

A．changed B．reacted     C．bothered   D．showed

A．continues      B．refuses      C．plans D．tends

A．scratched     B．admired    C．scolded     D．addressed

A．Although     B．As     C．Once D．If

A．cheerfulness B．thankfulness     C．pessimism D．complaint

A．realized       B．explained  C．decided     D．urged

A．violent B．positive    C．meaningful      D．negative

A．order   B．place C．manner     D．direction

A．min     B．food  C．life    D．car

A．whatever     B．whichever C．however   D．wherever

A．early    B．slowly      C．quickly     D．safely

A．beaten  B．disappointed     C．blessed     D．surprised

A．at times       B．in time     C．right now  D．from now

Every year, it costs British students more and more to attend university. Students are graduating with larger and larger debts. So is a college degree really worth it?

    In 2006, the UK government started to allow universities in England and Wales to charge British students tuition fees. As a result, more than 80 percent of students in England and Wales now take out a student loan in order to go to university.

    They use the loan to pay for tuition fees and living expenses. Although the interest on student loans is quite low, it begins as soon as the student receives the loan.

    The average student in England and Wales now graduates from university with a debt of around ￡12,000 (122,952 yuan). It means graduates have to struggle to pay rent on a flat, because they have to start paying back the student loan when they reach April after graduating. If you start to earn over ￡15,000 (153,630 yuan) a year, the government takes repayments directly from your monthly salary.

    You might think that a person with a degree would find it easy to get a well-paid job. However, most people in “white collar jobs” seem to have a degree, so there is a lot of competition. Also, British companies tend to value work experience over a piece of paper.

    All of the above is beginning to make British people question whether a university degree is really worth the money. Even before the credit crisis started, the BBC stated: “The number of British students at UK universities has fallen for the first time in recent history, from 1.97 million in 2007 to 1.96 million last year.”

    Meanwhile, the British universities offer more and more of the available places to richer international students rather than poorer British students. What does the future hold for British higher education?

What can we infer from the second paragraph?

A. Universities’ charging students fees is quite common all over the world.

B. It’s unfair to charge college students fees in England and Wales.

C. Before 2006 the UK universities didn’t charge students tuition fees in England and Wales.

D. The UK universities are unwilling to carry out the government’s policy.

What might be the reason that the number of British students at UK universities falls?

A. It’s harder and harder for them to get a degree.

B. The credit crisis has great influnce on their families’ income.

C. College education costs them too much.

D. The competition to become a “white collar” is too fiece.

What does the underlined words “a piece of paper” refer to?

A. A written document from the bank.         B. A letter of recommendation.

C. A filled application form.                       D. A diploma.

Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

  A. More Profits for the Banks                        B. College Life in the UK

C. Welcome! International Students                    D. UK Universities Students Become Poorer

Anderson was born in the slums(贫民区) of Odense, Denmark, on April 2,1805. His early life was not easy. His father was a shoemaker and his mother worked as a washerwoman. He received little early education. As a child he was very emotional and was laughed at for being feminine(女性化)and tall.

In l8l6 his father died and Andersen was forced to go out to work. first in a tailor’s shop and then at a tobacco factory. At the age of l4 Anderson moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer and actor. He struggled for three years until he had to leave the theatre when his voice broke in l822.

Anderson went to a grammar school after he left the theatre. Having done well he was admitted to Copenhagen University in 1828.

He began to publish his fairy tales in 1835. They came out in small volumes(量) until his death. Nowadays, children all around the world are familiar with his fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid ”(《美人鱼》)，“The Princess and the Pea” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The colourful characters from the stories made us laugh and cry throughout our childhood. Although Anderson lived a hard life, he tried to make people laugh in all his stories. He wrote because he didn’t want children to have a sad childhood as he did. “Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched(孵化) from a swan’s egg,” he once said．

The work brought Anderson world fame, but he remained a lonely man. He loved three women in his life but none of them loved him back and he never married. His friends were the people that paid for his work and not people he was particularly close to. “Just living is not enough…One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower,’’ he said.

Anderson died on August 4, l 875.

Anderson

Anderson was born in the slums(贫民区) of Odense, Denmark, on April 2,1805. His early life was not easy. His father was a shoemaker and his mother worked as a washerwoman. He received little early education. As a child he was very emotional and was laughed at for being feminine(女性化)and tall.
In l8l6 his father died and Andersen was forced to go out to work. first in a tailor’s shop and then at a tobacco factory. At the age of l4 Anderson moved to Copenhagen to start a career as a singer and actor. He struggled for three years until he had to leave the theatre when his voice broke in l822.
Anderson went to a grammar school after he left the theatre. Having done well he was admitted to Copenhagen University in 1828.
He began to publish his fairy tales in 1835. They came out in small volumes(量) until his death. Nowadays, children all around the world are familiar with his fairy tales such as “The Little Mermaid ”(《美人鱼》)，“The Princess and the Pea” and “The Emperor’s New Clothes”. The colourful characters from the stories made us laugh and cry throughout our childhood. Although Anderson lived a hard life, he tried to make people laugh in all his stories. He wrote because he didn’t want children to have a sad childhood as he did. “Being born in a duck yard does not matter, if only you are hatched(孵化) from a swan’s egg,” he once said．
The work brought Anderson world fame, but he remained a lonely man. He loved three women in his life but none of them loved him back and he never married. His friends were the people that paid for his work and not people he was particularly close to. “Just living is not enough…One must have sunshine, freedom, and a little flower,’’ he said.
Anderson died on August 4, l 875.
Anderson