Every human being has a unique(唯一的，独特的)arrangement of the skin on his fingers and this arrangement is unchangeable. Scientists and experts have proved the uniqueness of finger-prints and discovered that no exactly similar pattern is passed on from parents to children, though nobody knows why this is the case.

The ridge structure on a person’s fingers does not change with growth and is not affected by surface injuries. Burns, cuts and other damage to the outer part of the skin will be replaced in time by new one, which bears a reproduction of the original pattern. It is only when the inner skin is injured that the arrangement will be destroyed. Some criminals make use of this fact to remove their own finger-prints but this is a dangerous and rare step to take.

Finger-prints can be made very easily with printer’s ink. They can be recorded easily. With special methods, identification(辩认，鉴定)can be achieved successfully within a short time. Because of the simplicity and economy of this system, finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case. A suspected man may deny a charge but this may be in vain. His finger-prints can prove who he is even if his appearance has been changed by age or accident.

When a suspect leaves finger-prints behind at the scene of a crime, they are difficult to detect with the naked eye. Special techniques are used to “develop” them. Some of the marks found are incomplete but identification is possible if a print of a quarter of an inch square can be obtained.

Scientists and experts have proved that the pattern of a human being’s finger skin ________.

A. is similar to his mother’s

B. is valuable to himself only

C. is like that of others with the same type of blood

D. is different from that of all others

If your fingers are wounded by knife, fire or other means, the structure of skin will ________.

A. be changed partly                                  B. be replaced by a different one

C. be the same when the wound is recovered      D. become ugly

Some criminals remove their own finger-prints by ________.

A. using printer’s ink      B. injuring the inner skin

C. damaging the outer skin   D. damaging the colour

Finger-prints have often been used as a method of solving criminal case because it ________.

A. is complicated but reliable   B. is simple and not expensive

C. is expensive but easy to do   D. can bring a lot of money

Some scientists say that animals in the ocean are increasingly threatened by noise pollution caused by human beings. The noise that affect sea creatures comes from a number of human activities. It is caused mainly by industrial underwater explosions, ocean drilling, and ship engines. Such noises are added to natural sounds. These sounds include the breaking of ice fields, underwater earthquakes, and sounds made by animals themselves.

Decibels（分贝）measured in water are different from those measured on land. A noise of one hundred and twenty decibels on land causes pain to human ears. In water, a decibel level of one hundred and ninety-five would have the same effect.

Some scientists have proposed setting a noise limit of one hundred and twenty decibels in oceans. They have observed that noises at that level can frighten and confuse whales.

A team of American and Canadian scientists discovered that loud noises can seriously injure some animals. The research team found that powerful underwater explosions were causing whales in the area to lose their hearing. This seriously affected the whales’ ability to exchange information and find their way. Some of the whales even died. The explosions had caused their ears to bleed and become infected.

Many researchers whose work depends on ocean sounds object to a limit of one hundred and twenty decibels. They say such a limit would mean an end to important industrial and scientific research.

Scientists do not know how much and what kinds of noises are harmful to ocean animals. However, many scientists suspect that noise is a greater danger than they believed. They want to prevent noises from harming creatures in the ocean.

1.According to the passage, which of the following is increasingly dangerous to sea creatures?

A. The man-made noises.

B. The noises made by themselves.

C. The sound of earthquakes.

D. The sound of the ice-breaking.

2.As to the influence of noises on whales, which of the following statements is true?

A. They are deaf to noises.

B. Noises at a certain level may hurt them.

C. They are easily confused by noises.

D. Noises will limit their ability to reproduce.

3. We can know from the passage that many scientists think that the noise limit of one hundred twenty decibels would______.

A. prevent them from doing their research work

B. benefit them a lot in their research work

C. do good to their health

D. increase the industrial output

4.According to the passage, what will scientists most probably do in the future?

A. They will try their best to decrease noise.

B. They will work hard to cut down noise pollution.

C. They will study the effect of different noises.

D. They will protect animals from harmful noises.

Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占优势) the food chain. Standing no more than three and a half feet tall, these human ancestors hunted giant rats, lumbering lizards（笨拙的蜥蜴), and miniature elephants.  

   It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, but it's true. Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. Homo floresiensis, as the newly discovered species has been named, apparently could date back to 13,000 years ago. This means they have a lot in common with modern humans.

  So how and why did these people get so small? Scientists suspect that it's due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. Take the miniature elephants for example. When elephants first came to the island either by swimming or by some kind of natural land raft, they were probably close to full size. But since there wasn't much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy.

  Scientists call this the "island role", and it can apply to humans as well as animals. Given the island's sparse(稀少) food supply, it makes sense that the early humans living there would have evolved (进化) a body size requiring less food to survive. So bigger isn't always better.

In the floresiensis, at least, getting smaller was the way to go.

1.According to the passage, the fact Homo floresiensis are very small is based on________.

A. the islanders in the Java Sea B. the human ancestors

C. the unearthed relics      D. a newspaper report

2. The underlined word "miniature" in the first paragraph most probably means______.

A. tiny       B. active    C. rare       D. wild

3.People on the island got so small because____________.

A. they did not have enough food to eat.

B. they gradually developed for lack of food.

C. they shared less food with elephants.

D. they remained alive as the elephants.

4. What might be the most suitable title of the passage?

A. The history of short people

B. Short people from a fairy tale

C. The proofs on short people

D. Short people on an isolated island

5.According to the passage, getting smaller can make people and animals ____

A. run quickly   B. live longer     C. live weaker   D. run slowly

语音知识（共5小题；每小题1分，满分5分）

从A、B、C、D四个选项中，找出其画线部分与所给单词的画线部分读音相同的选项。

1．dress

A．event          B．hotel     C．name    D．react

2．junior           

A．muscle         B．reputation         C．fuel           D．salute

3．stomach          

A．peach         B．psychology       C．chew              D．bench

4．rubbish

A．hungry       B．human       C．capsule       D．building

5．fever 

A．lecture         B．suspect        C．theme           D．respect

Many countries such as Iraq, Uganda, Guatemala, and many others have been known to abduct（诱拐）children and force them to serve in the army. The reason is that the enemy isn’t likely to suspect children as a real threat. Many non-government organizations are also known to abduct and force children into being child soldiers. Below we have some quotes from former child soldiers.

“The army was a nightmare. We suffered greatly from the cruel treatment we received. We were often beaten, mostly for no reason at all, just to keep us in a state of terror. I still have a scar on my lip and sharp pains in my stomach from being violently kicked by the older soldiers. The food was not enough, and they made us walk with heavy loads, much too heavy for our small bodies. They forced me to learn how to fight the enemy.”

——Emilio, 14

They gave me pills that made me crazy. When the craziness got in my head, I beat people on their heads and hurt them until they bled. When the craziness got out of my head, I felt guilty. If I remembered the person, I went to them and apologized. If they did not accept my apology, I felt bad.

­­­——Michael, 13

As seen in the quotes, the army is not very friendly toward children. Forced to act like adults, kill like adults, and carry an adult’s load, these children sometimes die from exhaustion（筋疲力尽）. Below are some facts about child soldiers.

Today, as many as 300,000 children under the age of 18 serve in government forces or armed rebel groups. Some are as young as eight years old. Children are most likely to become child soldiers if they have no money to buy food and clothes. Many children join armed groups because of economic or social pressure, or because children believe that the group will offer food or safety. Child soldiers are used all over the world. Here is a list of where child soldiers are used.

59.Many countries force children to serve in the army because__________.

A.children are brave and strong

B.the enemy doesn’t consider children as a threat

C.there aren’t enough adults to join the army

D.they think children are very easy to control

60.Which of the following words can best describe Emilio’s feeling about his army life?

A.Adventurous              B.Happy                     C.Boring                     D.Terrible

61.When Michael became crazy, he would_____________.

A.try to kill people                                             B.apologize to people

C.beat people violently                                    D.feel guilty about himself

62.According to the passage, many children who become child soldiers_________.

A.are very poor                                                     B.have lost their parents

C.are loyal to their country                       D.are braver than other children