The Ocean Institute welcomes people to the City of Dana Point’s Festival of Whales celebration on both weekends．The event celebrates the migration(迁徙)of the whales off our coast．Respected ocean scientists of the ocean Institute introduce visitors to the world of whales．The speakers are arranged as the following．   
Saturday，March 5，12：30 pm
Dr Gwen Goodmanlowe from Califomia State University is a full-time lecturer in the Department of Biology，and advises students working on degrees in marine(海洋的) biology．She received her doctorate in zoology from the University of Hawaii-Honolulu．   
Sunday，March 6，12：30 pm
Matt Leslie，from Scripps Institute of Oceanography，has studied whales off the coast of Australia．Some of his current research projects include population structure analysis of whales using performance testing．He will lecture on guides for treatment of marine animals.
Saturday，March 12，12：30 pm
Dr Merkens，from Scripps Institute of Oceanography，will present her latest research on how sound or music can be used as a means to identify characteristics of whales and to find out how whales communicate with one another in the environment．
Sunday，March 13, 2 pm
Robert L. Pitman is a marine ecologist working for the National Marine Fishing Service．He began his career 35 years ago，studying seabirds and whales，and spends much of his time at sea on vessels at locations all over the world．His main interest is the ecology of the Antarctic killer whale．
The Festival will allow visitors to know about new discoveries in marine animal research and to explore a variety of information on whales．Visitors will have the opportunity to listen to underwater whale sounds，and enjoy hands-on activities．Guests will tour the tall ship Pilgrim．
Cost：$6.50 adults，$4.50 children(ages 4-12)．For more information, please visit www.ocean-institute.org or call(949) 496-2274．
【小题1】What do we know from the passage?

A．At 12：30 pm on Saturday, March 5．

B．At 12：30 pm on Sunday, March 6．

C．At 12：30 pm on Saturday, March 12．

D．At 2 pm on Sunday, March 13．

Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the ecotourism industry, and it's sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe. Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U.S. from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the "slow travel" movement.

   Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking—the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy. Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place's natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games.

   "Tree climbing is a slow activity," says Kovar. "It's not something you do quickly and then you're on to the next thing or event." There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners. This wasn't a race against the clock or the fellow climbers. In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games. Many climbers refuse competition. There has already been so much competition in the world.

"When you stand below the tree, it can be amazing," Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael's Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree. But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling. Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael's Triumph for permission to climb. "It goes a lot smoother that way, "She says.

And climbing has been included into many educational programs. New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where "we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students," says New Tribe present Sophis Sparks. "We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees. After climbing, people value trees more and are motivated to support preservation. This is not just to preserve their playground."

   Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term "recreational tree climbing," saying, "I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing."

1.What do slow travel and the slow food movement have in common?

A. They take people a long time.   B. They are related to the eco-tourism industry.

C. They advocate protecting nature. D. They cost people little money

2.What do we know about tree climbing from the passage?

A. People compete to see who can climb to the top first.

B. It favors the experience of enjoying nature.

C. It is a kind of extreme sport and needs a lot of effort.

D. People view it as a challenge to climb the tallest tree in a forest.

3.Brumbaugh kneels on the ground before climbing trees to ___________________.

A. beg for the safety of climbing   B. Expect to climb faster than her husband

C. Show respect for the tree        D. ask for permission of her husband

4.Sophia Sparks prefers the term "inspirational tree climbing" because it ____________.

A. provide people with more chances to play outside

B. bring a lot of pleasure to life

C. Deepens personal love between each other

D. Makes people realize they should protect trees

5.What's the best title for the passage?

A. Tree-climbing travelling      B. Slow travel movements

C. Dangers of climbing         D. Respect for nature

第二卷（非选择题，满分35分）

第四部分：写作（共两节；满分35分）

第一节 对话填空（本节共10小题；每小题1分，满分10分）

请认真阅读下面对话，并根据各题所给首字母的提示，在答题卡上标有题号的横线上，写出一个英语单词的完整、正确的形式，使对话通顺。

Jack(J)：Where have you been, Laura?

Laura(L): Oh, I’ve just been to a s   76     made           76. ________

by a famous p  77  from Beijing University                77. ________

J: What is it about?

L: He mentioned something c  78    the concept            78. ________

of “harmonious society” in his speech.

J: Oh, that’s something people keep t  79  about             79. ________

nowadays! Then what did he say about it?

L: He said that we should not only get a  80 well with      80._________

other people, but also live in harmony with n  81 .           81._________

J: I’m in complete a  82 with him. While developing        82._________

the economy, we are interfering(妨碍) with the ecology.

L: Yes. It’s high time we c  83  doing something            83._________

to improve the environment p 84  by human beings.  84._________

J: Hopefully, our government is taking m  85  to           85._________

deal with the consequences.

"It's this time of year when the weather starts warming up and frogs start breeding - but they haven't been breeding," says John Wilkinson, research and monitoring officer at the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC).
Amphibians (两栖动物) are just one of the groups of animals that nature observers fear may have problems reproducing this year, as groundwater levels are even lower now than in the infamously dry summer of 1976, according to the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra). According to the UK's Centre for Hydrology and Ecology the average rainfall so far this winter has been the lowest since 1972.
"If ponds dry up totally," says Mr. Wilkinson, "you could have lots of dead tadpoles." Drier and windier conditions could also make it more difficult for juvenile amphibians to survive their journeys between wet habitats.
But Peter Brotherton, the biodiversity manager for Natural England, says that "drought is part of nature's cycle", and, at present, a lot of animals, plants and insects are still in hibernation. This means that the population picture is unclear. "However, when we get extreme events, we get animals dying," he says. "And what is worrying is that normally at this time of year we expect soil to be near saturation（湿润）after winter."
Charlie Kitchin, the RSPB's site manager of the Nene Washes in Cambridgeshire, says the 2,000-acre wetland and grassland area is now struggling following two winters with relatively little winter rain and no flooding. One species that could suffer, he says, is the black-tailed godwit（黑尾豫）. "There are only 50 breeding pairs in the country, and we have 40 of them, and everything is bone-dry," Mr Kitchin says.
But one bad nesting season, he says, is "not the end of the world". "One of the features of flood plains is that they're volatile anyway," he adds. "But if they fail to breed another year, the population is likely to dip again."
【小题1】According to the passage animals may have problems reproducing this year mainly due to _____.

Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated（驯化）by humans.

Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. “Our analysis of Y-chromosomal（染色体）DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia,” Savolainen says.

The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial（线粒体）DNA. “Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region,” Savolainen says.

Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. “Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked,” he says.

Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.

Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. “This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region,” Savolainen says.

“Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated,” says Savolainen.

In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.

“Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there,” says Savolainen.

In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.

“This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation（混合淡化技术）contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool,” Savolainen explains.

1.What does Dr. Peter Savolainen believe?

A. Dogs’ ancestors came from the Middle East.

B. Wolves were probably first trained to work for humans in the ASY region.

C. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA should be combined with mitochondrial DNA.

D. Samples of the previous studies are enough to support the conclusion.

2.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A．there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication

B．data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from

C．Dr. Savolainen’s research mainly focuses on the Middle East

D．the dog/wolf hybridization makes up most of the dog gene pool

3.What is special about mitochondrial DNA?

A．It is only used in studying evolutionary relationships.

B．It alone can provide hard evidence for Savolainen’s research.

C．It is the most useful in finding out the birth place of dogs.

D．It comes from the mother of most animals and plants.