Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister, says he won’t decide until next year whether the koala should be protected as an endangered species. He was expected to make his decision by the end of October. But that decision has been put off. Burke said he needed more time to go over the latest information about the koala’s population.
In September, an Australian Senate committee reported that there was no question the koala’s population is on the decrease. “But they may not yet be eligible (符合条件) for listing as a threatened species,” said Senator Doug Cameron. “To have such a significant Australian icon(偶像) included on the threatened species list would be a national shame.”
The koala is found only in the eucalyptus (桉树) forests of Australia. And its population is reported to have fallen sharply for many reasons, including the cutting down of forests to make way for human beings’ development, their own illness, climate change and killings by other animals such as wild dogs. And every year many koalas are hit by cars as they are trying to cross the busy roads.
Putting off the decision on protection for the koala “is really bad news,” said Debbie Pointing, the president of the Koala Action Group. “We’ve worked tirelessly for many years to gather data on the populations,” Pointing said. “That data should be enough to make a decision.”
However, Burke pointed out that the Australian government had spent at least $6.3 million on koala conservation efforts since 1996. senators listed efforts that are already underway in Queensland – the construction of special koala bridges as well as fences along roads, to keep the animals out of harm’s way.
Some people say that is not enough. “What we’re doing at the moment is likely to drive this species to extinction,” Queensland University zoologist Bill Ellis said.
“Koalas are an iconic Australian animal,” Burke told Australians. “They hold a special place in the hearts of Australians.”
But it is a fact that if more isn’t done to protect the koala, they might soon hold a place only in Australians’ memories.
【小题1】Tony Burke put off announcing the koala as an endangered species because        .

Susan Sontag (1933 — 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature. For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything — to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing. When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American cultural life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art. With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.
Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords（格言）, but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poor-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasures of pop culture. In ‘‘Notes on Camp”, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. ‘“Notes on Camp”, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’ ,‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.
By conviction（信念）she was a sensualist（感觉论者）, but by nature she was a moralist（伦理论者）, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward. In Illness as Metaphor — published in 1978, after she suffered cancer — she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed personalities （被压抑的个性）, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease. In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.
In America, her story of a 19th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000. But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame. “Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending ... is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.” And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.
58. The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 means Sontag _____ .
A. was a symbol of American cultural life           
B. developed world literature, film and art
C. published many essays about world culture
D. kept pace with the newest development of world culture      
59. She first won her name through _____ .
A. her story of a Polish actress                              
B. her book Illness as Metaphor
C. publishing essays in magazines like Partisan Review
D. her explanation of a set of difficult understandings
60. According to the passage, Susan Sontag ______.
A. was a sensualist as well as a moralist       
B. looked down, upon the pop culture
C. thought content was more important than form      
D. blamed the victim of cancer for being repressed
61. As for Susan Sontag’s lifelong habit, she ______.
A. misunderstood the idea of seriousness             B. re-examined old positions
C. argued for an openness to pop culture       D. preferred morals to beauty
62. Susan Sontag’s lasting fame was made upon _____ .
A. a tireless, all-purpose cultural view     B. her lifelong watchword: seriousness
C. publishing books on morals             D. enjoying books worth reading and movies worth seeing

Susan Sontag (1933 ------ 2004) was one of the most noticeable figures in the world of literature.  For more than 40 years she made it morally necessary to know everything----- to read every book worth reading, to see every movie worth seeing.  When she was still in her early 30s, publishing essays in such important magazines as Partisan Review, she appeared as the symbol of American culture life, trying hard to follow every new development in literature, film and art.  With great effort and serious judgment, Sontag walked at the latest edges of world culture.

Seriousness was one of Sontag’s lifelong watchwords (格言), but at a time when the barriers between the well-educated and the poorly-educated were obvious, she argued for a true openness to the pleasure of pop culture.  In Notes Camp, the 1964 essay that first made her name, she explained what was then a little-known set of difficult understandings, through which she could not have been more famous. Notes on Camp, she wrote, represents “a victory of ‘form’ over ‘content’, ‘beauty’ over ‘morals’”.

By conviction she was a sensualist (感觉论者), but by nature she was a moralist, and in the works she published in the 1970s and 1980s, it was the latter side of her that came forward.  In Illness as Metaphor ------published in 1978, after she suffered cancer ------ she argued against the idea that cancer was somehow a special problem of repressed (被压抑的) personalities, a concept that effectively blamed the victim for the disease.  In fact, re-examining old positions was her lifelong habit.

In America, her story of a 19^th century Polish actress who set up a perfect society in California, won the National Book Award in 2000.  But it was as a tireless, all-purpose cultural view that she made her lasting fame.

“Sometimes,” she once said, “I feel that, in the end, all I am really defending… is the idea of seriousness, of true seriousness.”  And in the end, she made us take it seriously too.

1.It is implied but not stated in the first paragraph that Sontag _________.

2.She first won her name through _________.

3.From the works Susan published in the 1970s and 1980s, we can learn that ________.

4.According to the passage, Susan Sontag would agree to the ideas except _________.

5.What is the passage mainly about?

Ginny Ruffner is one of the best-known glass artists in the United States. Her one-of-a-kind pieces are colorful, detailed and often humorous. Over the years, she became famous for a method called lamp working, also known as flame working. It involves using a torch to melt and shape the glass instead of blowing on it.

Ginny Ruffner almost died in a three-car accident in 1991. No one thought the Seattle-based artist would ever walk or talk again. An award-winning(优等的) film documentary explores that period of her life. "It's scary when you can't talk, you can't do... all your life." said Ruffner.

Ms. Ruffner was in a coma(昏迷) for five weeks and a wheelchair for five years. But she overcame her injuries. And although she still has difficulty walking and talking, she has willed herself back to work. Now, she has a team that helps bring her dream to life.

Her team recently finished an eight point five meter-high flowerpot made of steel and aluminum. It is now in downtown Seattle. Ms. Ruffner was recently honored in Washington, DC.  The Renwick Gallery presented a special showing of the film, "A Not So Still Life, the Ginny Ruffner Story."

Ms. Ruffner says “it has been a long battle, but the hardest part has not been the physical problems. I hate being taken for granted, being ignored. The way I talk, people assume that I'm either really old, or kind of retarded(智力迟钝的), and that is so frustrating."

But she is firm. She says "Fortunately I've done a lot of stuff in my life, so I know that the best thing is to be open to the mystery, who knows what great things will happen. I'm sure they're many more to come."

Ginny Ruffner's art can be seen in more than forty museums around the world. Her work and her life continue to motivate people of all ages.

1.Within five years after a car accident, Ginny Ruffner _____.

2.From this passage we can learn _____.

3.What was the most difficult to accept for Ginny Ruffner?

4.The best title of this passage is _____.

5.From this passage we can know Ginny Ruffner is _____.

“Dinning out” and “eating out” are phrases people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or pub（小酒馆）. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than it has ever been. In 2006, for the first time ever, British people spent more eating out than cooking for themselves and eating at home. It seems that many British people are becoming increasingly interested in how good their food tastes, and also how healthy it is.

However, eating out can also be expensive. As British people do not eat out every night of the week, eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going on a first date and wanting to impress him/ her , or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant to eat, and people often also eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theater.

As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette(礼仪) surrounding food and eating. The knife and fork should be used in the correct way! It is also impolite to have your elbows(肘部) on the dinning table when you are eating.

Almost all British cities have a vast range of food as well as traditional British food, and all from the very cheap to the very expensive---French, Italian, Indian, Chinese, Greek, Thai, Japan and many, many more. In fact, when asked which was their favorite food, more British people said an Indian curry(咖喱菜肴) than any other dish !

As well as dining in a restaurant, when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “take-away”. This means that they order from a take-out restaurant by telephone, and then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many take-out restaurants also deliver it your house. While you can normally find a take-out restaurant for almost any food, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese and then all of you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat !

1.On which of the following occasions are British people likely to eat in a restaurant ?

   A. After watching a play.             B. Before watching a movie.

   C. When they’re too tired to work.      D. When they want to have natural food.

2.From the passage we can know that_______.

   A. eating out is not expensive in Britain

   B. eating at pubs doesn’t have so many rules in Britain

   C. British people are not aware of nutrition while eating out

   D. the British spent more eating at home more than eating out

3.We can learn from the last two paragraphs that________.

   A. French dishes are very expensive

   B. take-out restaurants only deliver pizza

   C. British people are fond of foreign food

   D. people can eat take-out food first and pay later

4.What is the passage mainly about ?

   A. Restaurant culture in Britain.      B. Table manners.

   C. Traditional British food.          D. Eating and health.