It is hard to track the blue whale, the ocean’s largest creature, which has almost been killed off by commercial whaling and is now listed as an endangered species. Attaching radio devices to it is difficult, and visual sightings are too unreliable to give real insight into its behavior.
So biologists were delighted early this year when, with the help of the Navy, they were able to track a particular blue whale for 43 days, monitoring its sounds. This was possible because of the Navy’s formerly top-secret system of underwater listening devices spanning the oceans.
Tracking whales is but one example of an exciting new world just opening to civilian scientists after the cold war as the Navy starts to share and partly uncover its global network of underwater listening system built over the decades to track the ships of potential enemies.
Earth scientists announced at a news conference recently that they had used the system for closely
monitoring a deep-sea volcanic eruption （爆发） for the first time and that they plan similar studies.
Other scientists have proposed to use the network for tracking ocean currents and measuring changes in ocean and global temperatures.
The speed of sound in water is roughly one mile a second—slower than through land but faster than through air. What is most important, different layers of ocean water can act as channels for sounds, focusing them in the same way a stethoscope （听诊器） does when it carries faint noises from a patient’s chest to a doctor’s ear. This focusing is the main reason that even relatively weak sounds in the ocean, especially low-frequency ones, can often travel thousands of miles.
81. The passage is chiefly about ____ .
A. an effort to protect an endangered marine species
B. the civilian use of a military detection system
C. the exposure of a U.S. Navy top-secret weapon
D. a new way to look into the behavior of blue whales
82. The underwater listening system was originally designed ____ .
A. to trace and locate enemy vessels
B. to monitor deep-sea volcanic eruptions
C. to study the movement of ocean currents
D. to replace the global radio communications network
83. The deep-sea listening system makes use of ____ .
A. the sophisticated technology of focusing sounds under water
B. the capability of sound to travel at high speed
C. the unique property of layers of ocean water in transmitting sound
D. low-frequency sounds travelling across different layers of water____
84. It can be inferred from the passage that____.
A. new radio devices should be developed for tracking the endangered blue whales
B. blue whales are no longer endangered with the use of the new listening system
C. opinions differ as to whether civilian scientists should be allowed to use military technology
D. military technology has great potential in civilian use
85. Which of the following is true about the U.S. Navy underwater listening network?
A. It is now partly accessible to civilian scientists.
B. It has been replaced by a more advanced system.
C. It became useless to the military after the cold war.
D. It is indispensable in protecting endangered species.

“We do look very different; we’re older. Leo’s 38, I’m 37. We were 21 and 22 when we made that film. You know, he’s fatter now -- I’m thinner.” So says Kate Winslet, who is thrilled at the 3-D re-release of Titanic to coincide with the 100th anniversary of the ship’s demise. “It happens every time I get on any boat of any kind." She recalls. There are all the people who want her to walk to the front of the ship and re-create her famous pose, arms flung wide. Most people remember the tragedy: The British passenger ship—said to be unsinkable—hit an iceberg and sank on April 15, 1912, during its maiden voyage from England to New York City. More than 1,500 people died. But little known is what the world learned from the sinking to prevent future incidents.

Probably the greatest deficiency (不足) of the Titanic was that she was built 40 years before the widespread use of the wonderful invention radar (雷达). Her only defense against icebergs and hidden obstacles was to rely on manned lookouts. On that fateful night the eyesight of trained lookouts only provided 37 seconds of warning before the collision.

Traveling at nearly 30 miles an hour, the Titanic was moving far too fast to avoid the huge iceberg. The warning did prevent a head-on collision as the officer on the bridge managed to turn the ship slightly.

The last ship to which it could send an SOS message was the California. She was within ten miles of the Titanic during the disaster, but her radio operator went to bed at midnight and never received any of the SOS messages from the Titanic. That was one of the important lessons learned from the catastrophe, the need for 24-hour radio operators on all passenger liners.

Another lesson learned was the need for more lifeboats. The Titanic remained afloat (漂浮) for almost three hours and most of the passengers could have been saved with enough lifeboats.

1,500 passengers and workers died in the 28 degree waters of the Atlantic. Out of the tragedy, the sinking did produce some important maritime reforms. The winter travel routes were changed to the south and the Coast Guard began to keep an eye on the location of all icebergs. The new rules for lifeboats were obvious to all. There must be enough lifeboats for everybody on board.

The most important lesson learned was that no one would ever again consider a ship unsinkable—no matter how large or how well constructed. Never again would sailors place their faith in a ship above the power of the sea.

1.The text mainly tells us ______.

A．the reason why the Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean

B．how the unsinkable ship of Titanic sank in the Atlantic Ocean

C．the lessons that we could learn from the accident of the Titanic

D．the things we should do to protect the lives on the ship

2.According to the passage, which of the following could we infer?

A．If the captain had been more careful, he could have had the chance to save the Titanic.

B．If radar had existed 40 years ago, the Titanic would have never disappeared from the world.

C．If the lookout had had much more experience, he could have had the time to save the Titanic.

D．If there had been enough lifeboats on the Titanic, the Titanic would not have sunk in the Atlantic.

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

A．Lessons from the Titanic                  B．Technology is Important

C．Demands of Passengers                   D．Power of Sea

4.What’s the sailors’ attitude towards the ships after the tragedy?

A．They think there really exists the unsinkable ship.

B．They think ships could eventually defeat the sea.

C．They think there is no power that could control the sea.

D．They think the bigger the ship is, the safer it is.

Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan. Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait(海峡). In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America.

They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines, men were dying of starvation. While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in a battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.

1.The purpose of Magellan’s expedition was to ________.

2.The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ________.

3.Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?

4.The best title for this passage is ________.

Ship tourism to Antarctica is on the rise: More than 35,000 tourists are expected to visit Antarctic this summer. In 1992-1993, 6,750 visited Antarctica, according to the Antarctica Treaty. All of this tourism, however, is putting both tourists and the environment in great danger.

Among the tourist ships that visit the continent, the Explorer, a Canadian ship, was one of the first. Put to use in 1969, it was built to carry tourists to Antarctica. Last week, however, it became the first commercial passenger ship to sink beneath the waters. Fortunately, all of the passengers and crew members were rescued from the ship. However, the sunken ship endangered the Antarctic’s fragile(脆弱的) environment. The ship was estimated to be holding 48,000 gallons of fuel.

The accident was not unexpected. Both the US and UK had warned a conference of the Antarctic Treaty member countries in May that the tourism situation in this area was a potential disaster. The US said in a paper, people “should take a hard look at tourism issues now, especially those related to ship safety.” Although the Antarctic seas are relatively(相对地) calm, floating ice causes a potential threat to ships. The owner of the Explorer blamed the sinking on a fist-like hole in the ship created by ice.

Many of the other large ships now visiting Antarctica are not designed especially against thick ice. Such ships generally can only come to the continent in summer. But the tourist rush is pushing ships into dangerous situations. “The increasing number of ships operating in Antarctic means that the ship are under great pressure to get there in time for the key visiting sites,” the British government wrote in a paper at the meeting of member countries.

As a natural frontier, Antarctica is in a messy legal situation. There are no obvious answers as to who is responsible for dealing with the threat that tourist may cause to human life and the environment.

There is no coast guard for Antarctica. Do we want it to become Disneyland, or do we need some controls?

Which of the following is true according to this passage?

A. Antarctica tourism has a history of about 17 years

B. The number of tourists to the Antarctic is over 5 times as large as that of 17 years ago.

C. The tourism boom has caused holes in the floating ice in the Antarctic.

D. The Antarctica Treaty is responsible for the problem.

The sinking of the Explorer____________.

A. led to a conference about the tourism situation in the Antarctic.

B. was caused by the rough seas

C. had been predicted

D. did harm to the Antarctic.

It can be inferred from the passage that_________.

A. a Disneyland will be built in the Antarctic

B. fewer people are visiting the Antarctic because of the warnings given

C. not all the ships are suitable to go to the Antarctic

D. some ships take risks visiting the Antarctic in other seasons rather than in summer

In this passage, the writer suggests that___________.

A. people had better not make a tour of the Antarctic

B. ships to the Antarctic should be built strong enough

C. there should be legal controls over tourism in the Antarctic

D. the Antarctic’s environment is fragile

What attitude does the writer hold towards Antarctic tourism?

A. Supportive.     B. Positive.       C. Indifferent.        D. Anxious.

A beggar, carrying a shabby(破旧的) old wallet, was begging alone from house to house. As he complained about his 36 , he kept wondering that people who lived in 37 houses should always be unsatisfied, 38 rich they might be, and they should go so far as to 39 all they have.

       “Here, for example,” he said, the former master of this house succeeded in trading, and made himself very rich. By then, instead of stopping, and handing over his 40 to another, and spending the rest of his years 41 peace, he took to(从事) equipping ships. He expected to get mountains of gold; but the ships were 42 , and his treasures were lost. Now they all lie at the bottom of the sea, and he has found his 43 disappeared like those in dreams. In short, examples of this are 44.

       At this moment Fortune suddenly appeared to the beggar and said, “Listen! I have long wished to 45 you. Here are a lot of gold coins I have found. Hold out your wallet, and I will fill it with them; but only on this condition: All shall be gold that falls into the wallet, but if 46 of them falls out of the wallet to the ground, it 47 become dust. Consider this well. I have warned you I shall 48 keep my word. Your wallet is old, don’t fill it 49 its power.” The beggar was almost too overjoyed to breathe. He 50 felt the ground below his feet. A stream of coins were poured 51 it. The wallet soon became rather heavy.

       “Is that 52 ?” “Not yet,” “Isn’t it 53 ?” “Never fear.” “Consider, you are a millionaire.” “Just a little more, just 54 a handful,” But at that moment the wallet broke, the gold coins 55 dust and Fortune disappeared. The beggar had nothing but his empty wallet and remained as poor as before.

A. plan            B. fate                          C. idea                         D. dream

A. dark            B. poor                        C. clean                        D. rich

A. how              B. so                   C. however                   D. whatever

A. win                B. lose                C. throw                       D. forget

A. business         B. debt                 C. money                            D. chance

A. to                     B. on                       C. with                   D. in

A. bought                B. sold                 C. missed                      D. robbed

A. luck              B. riches                       C. trade                        D. future

A. countless        B. wonderful                  C. helpless                    D. funny

A. admire             B. help                  C. encourage                 D. excite

A. little            B. much                       C. any              D. lots

A. must                   B. may                C. shall                        D. can

A. mostly          B. simply               C. possibly             D. strictly

A. beyond          B. within                      C. during             D. by

A. really           B. actually                     C. hardly                      D. nearly

A. for                  B. into                     C. on                     D. from

A. so               B. enough                     C. true                D. right

A. trembling        B. shaking           C. breaking                   D. rolling

A. try              B. put                 C. leave                        D. add

A. cleared up        B. brought up          C. fell into                  D. turned into