Believe it or not, oceans and seas are easy to be harmed by the development of human society. They are also influenced by man-made pollution easily. It is human beings that do great harm to the ocean ecosystems(生态系统).

The coral reefs(珊瑚礁)are fine ecosystems that provide food and protection for many ocean creatures. The coral in almost all of the oceans is in danger from pollution.Chemicals from factories end up in the seas and oceans and destroy coral reefs. If the coral systems die some ocean creatures will be sure to die out.

Protecting the ocean also has something to do with the protection of ocean wildlife like dolphins. The fishing industry depends on modern ways to catch many fish in order to earn more money. But the nets for fishing also seize other sea animals. The fishing boat workers are advised to check their nets and set other ocean animals free. But the boats are in a hurry to make money and often other ocean animals are caught with fish.

Offshore oil spills(近海石油泄露) can destroy the ocean environment because oil kills all ocean life. The world depends on oil and because there is a great amount of oil off the shore of many countries, the need for oil is more important than the risk of the oil spill. However, the fact is that one human mistake can lead to an ocean environmental accident that will cause years of damage to the fine ocean ecosystems. Oil spills will kill all the creatures in the area of the spill. The oil will be washed up on shore and destroy the ecosystems along the shore including birds.

Everyone who cares about the environment should be interested in protecting the ocean, and all of us should do something for the protection of the ocean.

1.According to the passage, the ocean is harmed easily as a result of      .

A．the overuse of the oceans

B．the change of natural conditions

C．the increase of population by the sea

D．the increasing activities of humans

2.What does the second paragraph mainly tell readers?

A．How ocean creatures depend on coral reefs.

B．Coral reefs are home to ocean animals.

C．The great harm caused by factory pollution.

D．The importance of protecting coral systems.

3.The underlined work “seize” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced with“      ”.

A．catch             B．attract            C．place             D．cover

4.Why do people continue to get oil in the sea at the risk of oil spills?

A．Because they believe the oil spill can be stopped.

B．Because there is a large amount of oil in the sea.

C．Because they are in great need of oil.

D．Because getting oil in sea is easier than on land.

It seemed as if the world was ______.

  A. at an end  B. in the end  C. at the end of  D. by the end of

Plastics are considered one of the most serious pollutants causing environmental problems. The garbage containing plastics end up in the waterways that eventually flow into the oceans. Accumulation (聚集)of plastic in the ocean endangers marine life and pollutes the water.
Does a plastic continent exist? Yes, a plastic continent does exist and was discovered by Captain Charles Moore a decade ago. The plastic continent is twice the size of Britain and it is the region between the Hawaii Islands and California in the central Pacific Ocean.
One of the causes of the lack of marine life in this region is due to pollution and pollutants are none other than plastics. Captain Charles Moore believes plastic waste started accumulating in the 1950s.
The plastic continent is the man-made continent of floating plastic waste. The fisher men and the sailors have avoided this region for years. The reasons are:
1. There are no fish here because of the lack of nutrients.
2. The zone also lacks the wind that is essential for sailing.
To do research on the ocean pollution, Captain Moore founded Algalita Marine Research Foundation. Other organizations such as Greenpeace supported his cause. The reports of The United Nations Environment Program show that millions of seabirds and marine animals are dying due to the invasion(入侵)of plastics. The waste plastics can be recycled, but in fact they are being thrown into the oceans. The marine animals mistake these for food and eat them. This leads to their death that affects the marine food chain.
To save the oceans from the plastic continent you need to reduce the use of plastics, reuse plastic bags and recycle plastics.
【小题1】 What can we learn from the first paragraph?

Believe it or not, oceans and seas are easy to be harmed by the development of human society. They are also influenced by man-made pollution easily. It is human beings that do great harm to the ocean ecosystems(生态系统).
The coral reefs(珊瑚礁)are fine ecosystems that provide food and protection for many ocean creatures. The coral in almost all of the oceans is in danger from pollution.Chemicals from factories end up in the seas and oceans and destroy coral reefs. If the coral systems die some ocean creatures will be sure to die out.
Protecting the ocean also has something to do with the protection of ocean wildlife like dolphins. The fishing industry depends on modern ways to catch many fish in order to earn more money. But the nets for fishing also seize other sea animals. The fishing boat workers are advised to check their nets and set other ocean animals free. But the boats are in a hurry to make money and often other ocean animals are caught with fish.
Offshore oil spills(近海石油泄露) can destroy the ocean environment because oil kills all ocean life. The world depends on oil and because there is a great amount of oil off the shore of many countries, the need for oil is more important than the risk of the oil spill. However, the fact is that one human mistake can lead to an ocean environmental accident that will cause years of damage to the fine ocean ecosystems. Oil spills will kill all the creatures in the area of the spill. The oil will be washed up on shore and destroy the ecosystems along the shore including birds.
Everyone who cares about the environment should be interested in protecting the ocean, and all of us should do something for the protection of the ocean.
【小题1】According to the passage, the ocean is harmed easily as a result of      .

Students are being forced to take additional exams to get into leading universities because good A-levels do not always indicate the brightest candidates.

Sixth-formers applying to courses such as medicine and law are being asked to sit American-style aptitude（智能）tests, which are designed to assess（评价）thinking skills, among fears that too many A-level candidates are getting top grades. Last year, almost one in six students applying to universities such as Oxford and Cambridge from independent schools had to sit additional test to secure a place.

Head teachers criticized the move, which they said would pile more pressure on schools and students. But universities insisted that the reforms were unavoidable, because A-level exams were no longer an accurate barometer（标准）of ability.

In 1986, 40 percent of students starting at Oxford achieved straight. As at A-level, Mike Nicholson, its admissions director, said that this year almost every candidate offered a place would get perfect grades. It meant the university had to stage additional test to identify the most able candidates. “The ability to achieve three A grades is no longer the end-point in the admissions process,” he said. “The potential to achieved three A grades will allow them to enter the race for a place.”

Oxford is not the only university turning to aptitude tests. At Cambridge, the number of students taking the university’s Thinking Skills Assessment shot up 26 percent to more than 3,000. A survey of 16,830 sixth formers applying to higher education from private schools last year showed that 2,860 had to sit at least one exam.

Earlier this year, the National Foundation for Educational Research recommended that most sixth formers should sit SAT tests — a standard reasoning exam widely used in American colleges —to make it easier to pick out the best candidates.

5．What is the attitude of head teachers to the reform?

       A. Approving.               B. Doubtful.          C. Opposed.           D. Neutral（中立的）

6．Which British university first started to use aptitude tests to pick out the best candidates?

       A. Harvard.                  B. Oxford.             C. Cambridge.              D. Washington D.C.

7．What can we know about the A-level system?

       A. It can indicate the brightest candidates.

B. It was designed to assess students’ thinking abilities.

C. It is longer an accurate way to assess students’ abilities.

D. It was recommended by the National Foundation for Educational Research.

8．What can we infer from the passage?

       A. The reform is more popular in American colleges than in British ones.

       B. The reform will be applied by all universities in the future.

       C. Universities used to depend on the A-level system to choose the best students.

       D. Passing additional tests will allow the student to enter Oxford, regardless of whether he or she gets As.

9．What is the passage mainly about?

       A. How to get into leading universities.

       B. The disadvantages of the A-level system.

       C. Different ways to identify students’ abilities.

       D. Universities using extra exams to choose students.