Kiribati covers a massive 3.5 million square kilometers stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but in population terms it is one of the smallest countries in the world, with only 100,000 people. More than half of them live in the capital Tarawa—strip of coral which measures just 450 meters at its widest point. As well as being narrow, Kiribati is extremely low lying, which makes it one of the most easily influenced countries in the world when it comes to climate change.

“We are counting the days rather than the decades…We don't have the time that we thought we had previously,” Kiribati President Anote Tong said.

Pelenise Alofa returned to Kiribati six years ago. The changes she saw led to her becoming one of the islands principal climate change campaigners. "Things began to change when I came here. I realized the king tides were big, and I told them 'have you heard of climate change, have you heard of global wanning, this is part of it, you're in it,'" Ms Alofa told SBS.

Linda Uan and her New Zealand born husband John have been documenting the changing climate in Kiribati for nearly 20 years. They didn't have to travel far to film the effects of a storm three years ago when for the first time it washed through their home. "There's been a lot of changes," Linda said, “When we were little there was a definite dry season and a definite wet season, now you can't feel the difference anymore.”

Kiribati is not just facing one knock-out punch but a whole round of killer blows. Because of its sensibility to the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns, climate scientists say droughts and floods will be more severe than in the past. Warmer seas could affect the migration patterns of fish, taking away vast taxes it gains from selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers, while increased storms are expected to destroy crops and make the limited supply of water in the shallow water pools undrinkable.

It’s a claim the country will take to Copenhagen as it seeks to get the world's big emitters （排放者） to face up to the consequences of their actions. “It's a whole world issue,” President Tong said. “It’s a moral issue…it's almost criminal.”

1.According to the passage, we can infer that         .

    A．Kiribati covers a land area of 3,500,000 km2

    B．the country's average altitude is 450 meters in Kiribati

    C．Kiribati is one of the countries facing the climate change calmly

    D．Over fifty thousand people live in Tarawa

2.President Anote’s words are quoted in order to show          .

    A．the high pressure from time      B．the importance of measuring time

    C．the different timing units       D．the personal attitude towards time

3.Which of the following statements does Ms Alofa probably agree with?

    A．The tides hitting Kiribati used to be bigger than they are now.

    B．Most people in the world have never heard of global warming.

    C．Nobody can keep away from the effects caused by climate changes.

    D．Changes in this country will make you a climate change campaigner.

4.Climate changes have brought about the consequences EXCEPT        .

    A．Severe droughts and floods       B．abundant fresh water

    C．fiercer storm and tide           D．changed living patterns of fish

Kiribati covers a massive 3.5 million square kilometers stretch of the Pacific Ocean, but in population terms it is one of the smallest countries in the world, with only 100,000 people. More than half of them live in the capital Tarawa—strip of coral which measures just 450 meters at its widest point. As well as being narrow, Kiribati is extremely low lying, which makes it one of the most easily influenced countries in the world when it comes to climate change.

“We are counting the days rather than the decades…We don't have the time that we thought we had previously,” Kiribati President Anote Tong said.

Pelenise Alofa returned to Kiribati six years ago. The changes she saw led to her becoming one of the islands principal climate change campaigners. "Things began to change when I came here. I realized the king tides were big, and I told them 'have you heard of climate change, have you heard of global wanning, this is part of it, you're in it,'" Ms Alofa told SBS.

Linda Uan and her New Zealand born husband John have been documenting the changing climate in Kiribati for nearly 20 years. They didn't have to travel far to film the effects of a storm three years ago when for the first time it washed through their home. "There's been a lot of changes," Linda said, “When we were little there was a definite dry season and a definite wet season, now you can't feel the difference anymore.”

Kiribati is not just facing one knock-out punch but a whole round of killer blows. Because of its sensibility to the El Nino and La Nina weather patterns, climate scientists say droughts and floods will be more severe than in the past. Warmer seas could affect the migration patterns of fish, taking away vast taxes it gains from selling fishing licenses to foreign trawlers, while increased storms are expected to destroy crops and make the limited supply of water in the shallow water pools undrinkable.

It’s a claim the country will take to Copenhagen as it seeks to get the world's big emitters （排放者） to face up to the consequences of their actions. “It's a whole world issue,” President Tong said. “It’s a moral issue…it's almost criminal.”

57．According to the passage, we can infer that________.

       A．Kiribati covers a land area of 3,500,000 km2

       B．the country's average altitude is 450 meters in Kiribati

       C．Kiribati is one of the countries facing the climate change calmly

       D．Over fifty thousand people live in Tarawa

58．President Anote’s words are quoted in order to show________ .

       A．the high pressure from time         B．the importance of measuring time

       C．the different timing units          D．the personal attitude towards time

59．Which of the following statements does Ms Alofa probably agree with?

       A．The tides hitting Kiribati used to be bigger than they are now.

       B．Most people in the world have never heard of global warming.

       C．Nobody can keep away from the effects caused by climate changes.

       D．Changes in this country will make you a climate change campaigner.

60．Climate changes have brought about the consequences EXCEPT________ .

      A．Severe droughts and floods         B．abundant fresh water

      C．fiercer storm and tide             D．changed living patterns of fish

People 1iving in Bakersfield, for instance, can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal plain, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the arid Mojave Desert, and the high Sierra Nevada, all within an area of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distances.

Contrast abounds in California. The highest point in the United States (outside A1aska) is in California, and so is the lowest point (including Alaska) Mount Whitney, l4 494 feet above sea 1evel, which is separated from Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in an altitude of almost three miles.

California has deep, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo, l2 020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the Salton Sea, 236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes, like Owens Lake in Death Valley, are not lakes at all: they are dried up lake beds.

In addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, California has its Pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.

1. Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States?

A. Lake Tulainyo.　　　　    B. Mojave Desert.

C. Death Valley.　　　　　　  D. The Salton Sea.

2. Where is the highest point in the United States located?

A. Lake Tahoe.　　　　    B. Sierra Nevada.

C. Mount Whitney.　　　　 D. Alaska.

3. How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney?

A. About 3 miles.　　　　    B. Only 100 miles.

C. 282 feet.　　　　　　    D. 14 494 feet.

4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within an area of about 100 miles of Bakersfield?

A. The Pacific Ocean.　　　　 B. San Joaquin Valley.

C. Mojave Desert.　　　　    D. Oregon and Washington.

5. Which statement best demonstrates（表明）that California is a land of variety and contrast?

A. The highest lake in California is Lake Tulainyo.

B. It is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of California without having to travel long distances.

C. Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.

D. Owens Lake, in Death Valley, is not really a lake at all.

California is a land of variety and contrast (对比). Almost every type of physical land feature, sort of arctic ice fields and tropical jungles can be found within its borders. Sharply contrasting types of land are often very close to one another.

People 1iving in Bakersfield, for instance, can visit the Pacific Ocean and the coastal plain, the fertile San Joaquin Valley, the arid Mojave Desert, and the high Sierra Nevada, all within an area of about 100 miles. In other areas it is possible to go snow skiing in the morning and surfing in the evening of the same day, without having to travel long distances.

Contrast abounds in California. The highest point in the United States (outside A1aska) is in California, and so is the lowest point (including Alaska) Mount Whitney, l4 494 feet above sea 1evel, which is separated from Death Valley, 282 feet below sea level, by a distance of only 100 miles. The two areas have a difference in an altitude of almost three miles.

California has deep, clear mountain lakes like Lake Tahoe, the deepest in the country, but it also has shallow, salty desert lakes. It has Lake Tulainyo, l2 020 feet above sea level, and the lowest lake in the country, the Salton Sea, 236 feet below sea level. Some of its lakes, like Owens Lake in Death Valley, are not lakes at all: they are dried up lake beds.

In addition to mountains, lakes, valleys, deserts, and plateaus, California has its Pacific coastline, stretching longer than the coastlines of Oregon and Washington combined.

1. Which of the following is the lowest point in the United States?

A. Lake Tulainyo.　　　　    B. Mojave Desert.

C. Death Valley.　　　　　　  D. The Salton Sea.

2. Where is the highest point in the United States located?

A. Lake Tahoe.　　　　    B. Sierra Nevada.

C. Mount Whitney.　　　　 D. Alaska.

3. How far away is Death Valley from Mount Whitney?

A. About 3 miles.　　　　    B. Only 100 miles.

C. 282 feet.　　　　　　    D. 14 494 feet.

4. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage as being within an area of about 100 miles of Bakersfield?

A. The Pacific Ocean.　　　　 B. San Joaquin Valley.

C. Mojave Desert.　　　　    D. Oregon and Washington.

5. Which statement best demonstrates（表明）that California is a land of variety and contrast?

A. The highest lake in California is Lake Tulainyo.

B. It is possible to go surfing and snow skiing in some parts of California without having to travel long distances.

C. Sierra Nevada, San Joaquin Valley, Mojave Desert and the Pacific Ocean all lie within a radius of about 100 miles.

D. Owens Lake, in Death Valley, is not really a lake at all.

Since Shanghai's average altitude is only 3 meters above sea level, Sheshan Hill, with its highest point at only 97 meters, is often jokingly termed a "mountain". If some people in the city say that they are going to climb a mountain in Shanghai, the destination will definitely be Sheshan Hill. As one of the earliest forest parks in Shanghai, Sheshan is a good place to free you from the hustle and bustle(熙熙攘攘) of the concrete forest.

Shanghai Sheshan National Holiday Resort is located at the northwest of Songjiang District, 30 kilometers away from downtown Shanghai. The East Sheshan Hill is 74 meters high and is famous for its bamboo shoots. In spring, there is a bamboo shoot festival. The park will provide tourists with tools to dig out the bamboo shoots, and if you like, you can take them home to cook the typical Shanghai dish --- bamboo shoot stewed(炖) with pork.

According to the records, Emperor Kangxi arrived in Songjiang and he was full of praise for the bamboo shoot for its tenderness, crispy and freshness, especially for its exclusive orchid fragrance, so he baptized Sheshan Hill "Orchid Bamboo Shoot Hill". Thereafter, the bamboo shoot was known all over the country.

Between the East and West Sheshan Hills a mid-air cable is constructed, which enable the tourists to have a hearty appreciation of the sceneries of the hills. Occupying an area of one hectare with a height of 20 meters, Sheshan Catholic Church (officially named China Holy Virgin Cathedral) was built in 1863 and rebuilt in 1935. It is famed as the second grandest church in East Asia. On Holy Virgin's Day every May, pilgrims swarm here from all places in the country to line up in long queues in entering the church for mass(弥撒). It is really a spectacular occasion.

Astronomical observatory(天文台) is the other famous architecture on the hill. It serves as one of the major observatories in the observatory network in the country. The building of observatory library now also serves as an observatory museum.

73. In the author’s opinion, why isn’t Sheshan Hill a real mountain?（回答词数不超过8个）

74. What do you think the underlined part in the first paragraph refer to? （回答词数不超过6个）

75. What in Sheshan is famous all over the country?（回答词数不超过4个）