Monarch Butterflies

 One of the last West Coast homes of the Monarch butterfly，a type of insect（昆虫），may soon disappear．Strangely，it is in a town that calls itself Butterfly U．S．A，Pacific Grove, California．

 The  town  of Pacific Grove loves the butterflies．Every year they have a parade（游行）and hundreds of children dress up as butterflies．Monarch butterflies are the town mascot．Tourism is very important，and many people come to see the butterflies．The butterflies are good for the development of the town．

 In 1981 there were so many butterflies it looked like it was raining butterflies．Tens of thousands of Monarchs stayed on tree branches near Pacific Grove．Now there are not so many．

The building goes on a little bit at a time，and you don’t notice it day by day．Over time，you can see that there has been a lot of development．As new buildings go up，many trees are cut down．

This reduces the natural homes for the butterflies．

Monarchs travel hundreds of miles each year，returning to the same woods，often to the same trees．The female Monarchs need milkweed to lay their eggs；the males will follow the females．

Millions of Monarchs have traveled regularly along the same path for thousands of years．They start their trip in the mountains of Mexico and travel to the middle part of America．If the woods where the butterflies live are destroyed，the whole species（物种）could be lost．There have been Monarch butterflies along the coast of California for as long as man can remember，but no one is sure how much longer they will last．

36．Why are Monarch butterflies important to Pacific Grove？

A.        They may disappear．            

B.        They come to stay every year．

C.        They help develop the town’s tourism．

D.       They give a name to Pacific Grove．

37．The underlined word  “mascot”in Paragraph 2 probably refers to_________.

A.        a new type of butterfly          

B.        an insect believed to bring good luck

C.        a parade organized by Pacific Grove 

D.       a special dress for children in Pacific Grove

38．What problem do Monarch butterflies face now？

A.        New buildings take up their living space．

B.        There has been too much rain m recent years．

C.        Their natural homes are destroyed by tourism．

D.       They have tot travel a long distance to get home．

39．Where do Monarch butterflies start their trip to Pacific Grove？

A.        From Central America．

B.        From the West Coast．

C.        From California．      

D.       From Mexico．

Monarch Butterflies

One of the last West Coast homes of the Monarch butterfly，a type of insect（昆虫），may soon disappear．Strangely，it is in a town that calls itself Butterfly U．S．A，Pacific Grove, California．

The  town  of Pacific Grove loves the butterflies．Every year they have a parade（游行）and hundreds of children dress up as butterflies．Monarch butterflies are the town mascot．Tourism is very important，and many people come to see the butterflies．The butterflies are good for the development of the town．

In 1981 there were so many butterflies it looked like it was raining butterflies．Tens of thousands of Monarchs stayed on tree branches near Pacific Grove．Now there are not so many．

The building goes on a little bit at a time，and you don’t notice it day by day．Over time，you can see that there has been a lot of development．As new buildings go up，many trees are cut down．

This reduces the natural homes for the butterflies．

Monarchs travel hundreds of miles each year，returning to the same woods，often to the same trees．The female Monarchs need milkweed to lay their eggs；the males will follow the females．

Millions of Monarchs have traveled regularly along the same path for thousands of years．They start their trip in the mountains of Mexico and travel to the middle part of America．If the woods where the butterflies live are destroyed，the whole species（物种）could be lost．There have been Monarch butterflies along the coast of California for as long as man can remember，but no one is sure how much longer they will last．

1．Why are Monarch butterflies important to Pacific Grove？

   A. They may disappear．                B. They come to stay every year．

   C. They help develop the town’s tourism．  D. They give a name to Pacific Grove．

2．The underlined word “mascot” in Paragraph 2 probably refers to_________.

   A. a new type of butterfly                B. an insect believed to bring good luck

   C. a parade organized by Pacific Grove     D. a special dress for children in Pacific Grove

3．What problem do Monarch butterflies face now？

   A. New buildings take up their living space．

   B. There has been too much rain m recent years．

   C. Their natural homes are destroyed by tourism．

   D. They have tot travel a long distance to get home．

4．Where do Monarch butterflies start their trip to Pacific Grove？

   A. From Central America．     B. From the West Coast．

   C. From California．          D. From Mexico．

It came with devastating force,a natural disaster of strange intensity that shocked the world and killed tens of thousands.The waters have now receded,but disease and food and water shortages trouble a number of countries around the Indian Ocean.Millions of survivors face serious problems.

The number of survivors in need of food aid after the Indian Ocean disaster has climbed to 5 million people.They stretch from Somalia to Thailand,and the figure could rise further,the United Nations has said.

Relief teams hope to reach all of the estimated 700 000 hungry in Sri Lanka within three more days.It could take longer before enough food aid gets to the nearly 1 million people in need in hard-to-reach parts of Indonesia.Another serious problem is the need for purified water.

Although aid had poured in from all over the world to the disaster areas,“Logistics is the big problem here—just getting the stuff out to people who need it,”said Ron Libby,emergency management specialist at the USA agency for International Development.

Relief efforts are hindered by the difficulty of delivering aid to the more than 1000 islands scattered across hundreds of kilometers of ocean.

For those who survived the tsunami's force,disease is now the No.1 problem.Five million people are short of water,food and basic sanitation across the region.World Health Organization(WHO) crisis chief David Navarro said 50 000 more people could die from disease and other causes,as has been the case in previous humanitarian emergencies.

WHO said it had already received a handful of reports of malaria(疟疾) and dengue fever(登革热) and hundreds of reports of diarrhea(腹泻) and infected wounds.It said millions of water purification tablets had been sent to Asia,along with sanitation engineers to rebuild water sanitation infrastructure.

Psychologists are warning that mental health problems caused by the tsunami could prove harder to resolve than the physical damage.

Some survivors say they are plagued by recurring nightmares about walls of water.Many locals are afraid to return to beachside homes.Officials also warn that suicide rates could rise dramatically as parents struggle with guilt at losing children.

Psychologists estimate that 20 to 30 per cent of people who face traumatic events eventually develop symptoms,such as alcohol abuse,lack of concentration at work and an inability to develop close relationships.

Although the Thai Government has offered to build temporary beachside housing,many refugee families are refusing to come down from the hills.Others are afraid to go back to jobs on the sea.

Over 150 000 people were killed by the tsunami,but hundreds and thousands more have been left with no means to earn a living.

In the village of Akirapettai in India,all that is left is the twisted wreckage of the fishing fleet.Dakshina Murti,a fisherman,not only lost three family members,but also lost his boats,his nets,everything.

“Everything's gone,”he says.With no government aid so far,all he has is a wreck.There are several million people who suffered the same experience.Homes have been destroyed,as well as wharves,docks,and sheds.

For now,rebuilding the economy remains a distant concept.

This passage is mainly about _________that happened around the Indian Oceans.

A.the causes of the tsunami                               B.the result after the tsunami

C.the sign of the tsunami                                   D.the warning of the tsunami

According to what the United Nations has said,the number of survivors in need of food aid after the disaster _________.

A.is not more than 5 million                              B.is less than 5 million

C.has reached 5 million                                     D.won't reach 5 million

From the passage we learn that _________ is the most serious problem for the time being.

A.disease                             B.food                  C.water                 D.house

The passage tells us that such a disaster,as tsunami will cause diseases and _________ as well.

A.Dengue fever             B.diarrhea                    C.Malaria              D.mental health problem

The worst earthquake in 40 years shook South Asia on Sunday, starting with horrible waves that swept entire villages into the sea. At least 20,000 people in six countries were killed in the disaster, and millions were left homeless.

The quake shook deep beneath the Indonesian island of Sumatra. It was felt more than 3000 miles away in East Africa, where heavy tides kept fishermen at home and resorts（度假胜地）closed.

It was as if the sea had struck the land. Residents of Sri Lanka, a small island country off the coast of India, ran to the hills to find safety from the tsunami. Many took their radios, televisions, and other valuables with them. The disaster hit Sri Lanka hardest. Of its 20million people, 1 million lost their homes, and 10000 died.

“The water simply raised itself up and huge waves came ashore,” wrote eye-witness（目击者）Peter Thomas from India. “It was moving very fast. The force broke the glass walls of a restaurant on the beach here and damaged hundreds of boats.”

In some places, the tsunami struck with no warning. “The weather was fine with no clouds,” wrote an eye-witness in Indonesia. “Suddenly the seawater just hit the city. In some parts the water was up to chest level.”

A massive（大众的）effort to help the affected countries is already underway. Leaders from around the world have promised to help, and teams of aid workers and doctors are rushing to the sea. “The United States stands ready to offer all the help to those nations most affected.” Said White House spokesman Trent Duffy. Organizations from the Red Cross to the International Monetary Fund have started fund-raising（筹款）drives to make up the costs of rebuilding.

1. The underlined word “tsunami” in Paragraph 5 can probably be replaced by “__________.”

2. Which of the following is NOT true when this disaster happened?

3.In the last paragraph, the writer mainly states __________.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

5.Where would you probably see this passage?