A few years after World II finished, Scientists spoke with great eagerness about the use of nuclear(核) as source of energy. Within twenty years, they said, nuclear would take the place of coal, gas and oil as a source of power at home and in industry. This promise has never been carried out and there are serious doubts that it ever will be. Nuclear power plants are used to produce energy in some wealthier countries, but the cost is high.

Although safety measures have been taken, radiation leaks(辐射泄漏) have taken place and workers have been killed or affected. The problem of getting rid of the nuclear waste has proved most difficult. There is a limit to the mount of waste materials which can be buried in the ground or poured in the seabed. These methods may also cause more problems. Waste materials polluted by radiation may remain dangerous for 200 years or more.

It has no surprise that scientists have turned to the sun and the sea as sources of power. The sun shines day after day almost wastefully, providing us with energy far beyond all our earth.

1. The underlined word”source”means_______?

A. place from which something comes.

B. making use of

C. power plant.

D. a form.

2. Nuclear waste must be dealt with carefully, because______.

A. It still gives off energy　　　 　 B. It’s much more expensive than coal, gas and oil.　　 　 C. It’s harmful to people’s health.　 D. It can burn easily.

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A. It’s impossible to get rid of nuclear waste

B. Most of the nuclear water can be stored safely.　　

C. Not all nuclear waste can be got rid of.

D. Nuclear waste can be replaced and reused easily.

4. The writer starts the last paragraph with “It has no surprise----”in order to_____.

A. tell us the danger of nuclear power.　　　　

B. show there is plenty of sunshine.

C. Show that the energy of the sun can be made better use of　　　　 　　

D. tell us why scientists lost interest in nuclear power.

With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save the endangered species. That’s a move similar to what a Texas A & M University researchers have been undertaking for the past five years in a project called “Noah’s Ark.”?

Noah’s Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos（胚胎）, semen （精液）and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen（氮）. If certain species should become extinct（灭绝的）, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A & M’ s College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.?

It is estimated that as many as 2,000 species of mammals, birds reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years.The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.

This week, Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo by introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.?

The entire procedure could take from three to five years to complete.?

“The nuclear transfer（核子移植）of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available (capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes.” They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby). It takes a long time and it’s difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A & M, the first-ever attempt at cloning a dog.?

“They are trying to do something that’s never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah’s Ark. We’re both trying to save animals that face extinciton. I certainly appreciate their effort and there’s a lot we can learn form what they are attempting to do. It’s a research that is very much needed.”?

1. The aim of “Noah’s Ark”project is to_______ .?

       A. make efforts to clone the endangered pandas?

       B. save endangered animals from dying out?

       C. collect DNA of endangered animals to study?

       D. transfer the nuclear of one animal to another

2. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be

   the lack to_______.?

       A. available panda eggs       B.host animals  

3. The best title for the passage may be_______ .?

       A . China’s Success in Pandas Cloning?     

       B. The First Cloned Panda in the World?

       C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas?

       D. China—the Native Place of Pandas Forever

4. From the passage we know that            .?

       A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a dog?

       B. scientists try to implant a panda’s egg into a rabbit?

       C. Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches?

       D. about two thousand of species will probably die out in a century

第三部分阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Barrier Islands
Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.
Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.
Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.
As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.
1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.
A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form
C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important
2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?
A．Keeping plants wherever they are.    B．Going wherever visitors like.
C．Fishing on public beaches.            D．Driving about on roads.
3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.
A．lives on Padre Island and loves it
B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands
C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands
D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands
4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.
A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland
B．bring in much more money than mainland
C．can protect rare plants and animals
D．provide more shelters for people

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Barrier Islands

Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.

Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.

Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.

As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.

1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.

       A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form

       C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important

2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?

       A．Keeping plants wherever they are.     B．Going wherever visitors like.

       C．Fishing on public beaches.             D．Driving about on roads.

3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.

       A．lives on Padre Island and loves it

       B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands

       C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands

       D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands

4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.

       A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland

       B．bring in much more money than mainland

       C．can protect rare plants and animals

       D．provide more shelters for people

第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题；每小题2分，满分40分）

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

Barrier Islands

Texas has an extensive coastline that runs along the Gulf of Mexico. If you look closely at the map, you’ll notice that there are narrow islands located just off the coast of Texas. These are called barrier islands.

Barrier islands stretch along about 15 percent of the world’s coastlines. They are separated from the mainland by a shallow body of water. Some barrier islands spread out for more than 100 miles. In Texas, some of the largest barrier islands include Galveston Island, Mustang Island, and Padre Island.

Barrier islands are fragile (脆弱的) areas that contain an interdependent community of land, plants, and animals. All three need each other to exist. If one is harmed in some way, then the other two can suffer. For example, barrier islands are in constant danger of erosion, or loss of land, from wind, waves, and people. The steady movement of ocean waves and wind moves sand along the beaches. This movement contributes to erosion, which changes the shape and size of a barrier island over time. Plants not only provide animals with food and shelter, but it also helps keep an island’s sand and soil in place. When people pick native plants, it advances the process of erosion. This can harm the environmental balance that keeps an island’s ecosystem healthy. For this reason, visitors to barrier islands are usually warned to leave plants alone and to stay on roads and public beaches so that the land, plants, and animals are not disturbed.

As their name suggests, barrier islands provide a natural barrier that helps block the mainland from very bad weather such as strong windstorms and hurricanes. This protection saves lives, homes, and money every year. Barrier islands are also a major source of income for an area’s economy. Padre Island, for example, is visited every year by hundreds of thousands of tourists who take advantage of its sandy beaches and beautiful waters that are perfect for swimming, boating, and fishing. The dollars that tourists spend on the island help financially support the region and state.

1．Paragraph 3 is mostly about _____________.

       A．what barrier islands are like    B．how barrier islands form

       C．how barrier islands can exist   D．why barrier islands are important

2．Which of the following can do harm to barrier islands?

       A．Keeping plants wherever they are.     B．Going wherever visitors like.

       C．Fishing on public beaches.             D．Driving about on roads.

3．We can tell from the article that the author ___________.

       A．lives on Padre Island and loves it

       B．cares about the ecosystem on barrier islands

       C．wishes less and less travelers would visit barrier islands

       D．is concerned about the beautiful waters around the islands

4．Barrier islands are important because they ___________.

       A．help prevent bad weather damaging mainland

       B．bring in much more money than mainland

       C．can protect rare plants and animals

       D．provide more shelters for people