The world's largest solar thermal plant(太阳热能发电站)is set to begin producing power in the United States by the end of the year. Wind and energy from the sun are generally considered clean, unlike energy from coal-burning power stations. However, environmentalists now worry that too much solar power development could harm the local environment.

A California company — BrightSource Energy is building a huge solar power plant in the Mojave desert, about 60 kilometers southwest of Las Vegas, Nevada. The plant is known as the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System. Joe Desmond works for the company. "This is actually one of the highest concentrations of sunlight in the world, out here in Ivanpah." explained Desmond. BrightSource Energy will deploy 170,000 specially de­signed mirrors to direct solar energy towards boilers on top of three power towers. The steam produced in the boilers will drive turbine (涡轮) to make electricity. Joe Desmond says the steam can reach temperatures of more than 260 degrees Celsius. "We can store the sun's thermal energy in the form of molten salt, so we can produce electricity even when the sun goes down. There is a lot of interest in concentrating solar power around the globe in environmnents where you have lots of sun, such as China, South Africa, the Mid­dle East, North Africa, explained Desmond.

Environmentalists generally support the idea of solar power, however, many are concerned about the effect of power plants on sensitive environment. Lisa Belenky is a lawyer with the Center for Biological Diversity, a private group. She says environmentalists are specifically worried about the effect of the Ivanpah Solar Project on the sensitive plant and animal life in that part of Mojave desert. "Even though the desert seems big, when you start cutting it up, it can really affect how the species and the animals and the plants are able to survive in the long run,"said Lisa Belenky. BrightSource Energy has already spent more than $ 50 million to move endangered desert tortoises away from the power plant. but Lisa Belenky says this is not the answer. "We should be reusing areas that have a1ready been disturbed, like old mining sites, for example...either on homes, on businesses, parking lots." said Belenky.

There have also been reports of birds dying at the Ivanpah Plant and others like it.

Some birds die after colliding with solar equipment which the animals mistake for water. Other birds were killed or suffered burns after flying through the intense heat at the solar thermal plant. As solar projects increase, environmentalists and developers are considering what to do to reduce bird death.

1.Why is the Ivanpah Solar Electric Generating System being built in the desert?

A. Because the temperature is extremely high in the desert.??

B. Because there is no life in the desert.

C. Because there is much salt in the desert.?????????????

D. Because sunlight is highly focused in the desert.

2.Why can the plant make electricity at night?

A. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of steam.

B. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the form of molten salt.

C. Because the sun'ss thermal energy can be stored through mirrors

D. Because the sun's thermal energy can be stored in the boilers.

3.According to Lisa Belenky, in order to reduce the effect,_____.

A. we should move all the plants and animals away from the solar plant

B. we should guide the bird not to hit the solar plant

C we should build the solar plant in disturbed areas

D. we should build the solar plant in the desert

4.The author’s attitude towards the solar projects is _____.

A. supportive????????????? B. critical????????????? ??? ??????? C. indifferent????????????? ?????????? D. cautious

Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds.

Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol (海军巡逻队) to put down disturbances.

The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park—which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore—has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador’s national assembly.

“It’s a very tense situation,” said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. “We are watching it with concern.”

The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands’ population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life “in paradise (天堂)”. On top of this, more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year.

Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands* iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises.

These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit (开发利用) the islands’ waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea.

Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George—the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise.

The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions (让步) by increasing fishing quotas (配额), which angered conservationists. “It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos,” said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. “They are killing the golden goose.”

Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months.

This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers (管理员),who run the national park and reserve, rebelled.

More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park’s headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda—with the fishermen’s help- entered the park. “I am in office, i am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension,” he announced.

The Ecuador government took no chances, and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post.

However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily.

“We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm (缩影) for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off,” said Stjepic.

1.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?

A. The island’s swelling population.

B. The law to limit waves of immigrants.

C. A life in paradise.

D. The tourists’ visiting the islands every year.

2.How significant were the islands for Charles Darwin?

A. He based his theory on his studies there.

B. He built the Charles Darwin research center there.

C. He advocated the balance between ecology and people there.

D. He found the last surviving giant tortoise there.

3.What is the primary contributing factor to the conflict between conservationists and fishermen?

A. The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park.

B. The exploitation of the islands.

C. The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust.

D. Cepeda’s close tie with the fishing industry.

4.We can learn from the passage that _______.

A. the projects of Galapagos Conservation Trust on the islands are profitable

B. conservationists get angry when fishermen are killing a goose

C. politicians from the mainland government play football on the islands

D. the government is trying to ease the tension

5.In Paragraph 13, what does the author mean by “The Ecuador government took no chances”?

A. The government did not seize opportunities.

B. The government made no compromises.

C. The government did not run risks.

D. The government shrank from responsibilities.

Pleasant as they made it ______ in Jiuzhaogou, we felt tired after the long journey.

   A. to travel         B. travel      C. travelled        D. travelling

With only about 1,000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone the animal and save these in a dangerous situation. 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(???), semen and DNA of these animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen. If certain species should become extinct, 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 and reptiles will probably 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 of one species to another is not easy, but the lack of available 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 extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. The cooperation between us is very much needed."

67. The final 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

68. According to Professor Kraemer, ___________.

A. the long time lasting cloning research could be successful.

B. the eggs transfers immediately result in having a baby.

C. the lack of nuclear transfer could be a major problem to have new pandas.

D. if species should die out, basic building blocks would heal them.

69. The best title for the passage may be______________.

A. China's Success in Pandas Cloning

B. Helping Ways to Avoid Extinction

C. Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas

D. The Practice in Noah's Ark

70. From the passage we know that______________.

A. Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a panda

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 species are to die out in a century