In the frozen continent of Antarctica scientists fear an alien invasion — not from outer space, but carried in people’s pockets and bags.

Seeds and plants accidentally brought to Antarctica by tourists and scientists may introduce alien plant species which could threaten the survival of native plants in the finely balanced ecosystem.

“The people that were carrying the most had lots and lots of seeds. They really were real threats,” said Dana Bergstrom, from the Australian Antarctic Division.

“When we take things in through hitchhiking(搭车旅行) then we get species which are competitive. The plants and animals there are not necessarily competitive, so we’d start losing various precious biodiversity(生物多样性) on the (Antarctic) continent”, Bergstrom told Reuters.

Amongst the alien species discovered were the Iceland Poppy, and Annual Winter Grass — all from cold climates and capable of growing in Antarctica.

The Antarctic Peninsula, where most tourists travel, is now considered a “hot spot” on the frozen continent and the warmer the climate, the easier for seeds to grow. “The peninsula(半岛) is warming at some of the greatest rates on the planet,” said Bergstrom.

The study, the first continent-wide assessment of invasive species in Antarctica, surveyed about 1,000 passengers during 2007-2008, the first year of the International Polar Year, an international effort to research the polar areas.

Bergstrom said the one alien seed that had gained a foothold is Annual Winter Grass. It is a strong weed in the sub-Antarctic and is on the Antarctic island of King George. It has also made its way to the tail part of the Antarctic continent.

1.What does the passage focus on?

A. The human influence on the native plants.

B. The development of native plants.

C. The discovery of new plants.

D. The promising future of tourism.

2.What is the effect of alien plant seeds to Antarctica?

A. They contribute to the biodiversity.

B. They lead to the warming up of Antarctica.

C. They make the native plants more competitive.

D. They break the balance of the natural environment of plants.

3.What can we learn from the passage?

A. The International Polar Year started in 2007.

B. Visitors to Antarctica are mainly scientists.

C. Visitors to Antarctica bring seeds on purpose.

D. Tall Fescue Velvet grass grows well in warm places.

4.What is the purpose of writing the passage?

A. To introduce the native environment of Antarctica.

B. To warn people of the danger of alien plant seeds to Antarctica.

C. To explain the relationship between plants and climate.

D. To give visitors some tips on how to explore Antarctica.

Jack Ma is the founder and CEO of Alibaba Group. He was one of the 100 global "future leaders" of the 2001 World Economic Forum and the "commercial leader" of 2001 elected by US Commercial Association of Asia.

Born in the city of Hangzhou, Zhejiang Province, Ma graduated from Hangzhou Teachers Institute in 1988 (he failed the entrance exam twice) and became a lecturer in English and International Trade.

In 1985, a one-month visit to see an Australian pen pal he had met in Hangzhou changed his life. "Everything I'd learned in China was that China was the richest country in the world," he said. "When I arrived in Australia, I realized it's totally different. I started to think you have to use your own mind to judge, to think." After his return, Ma became the chairman of the Students' Union of the whole city.

Jack Ma founded Alibaba.com in 1999, a China based business to business marketplace site. In 2003, Alibaba launched Taobao.com, a consumer to consumer auction (消费者拍卖) website similar to eBay.

Ma said that he got most of his ideas while taking very long, hot showers. He likes to spend time walking his four dogs and playing chess and poker. He said, "I've learned a lot of business philosophy by playing poker."

Looking ahead, Ma said that he dreamed of using his group's resources to improve the lives of all Chinese people, especially the 900 million farmers. "There must be some way of using our experience, our know-how, and make their life easier," he said.

1.We can know from this passage that Jack Ma is ________.

A. the number one of the 2001 global future leaders

B. a great success and very influential in economy

C. the chairman of the Students' Union of Hangzhou Teachers Institute

D. the founder and CEO of eBay

2.It was ________ that changed his mind greatly.

A. his pen pal

B. his experience in China

C. his failure in the entrance exam

D. his experience in Australia

3.We can infer from the third paragraph that ________.

A. Ma loves China very much

B. Ma knew about Australia well before his visit

C. Ma didn’t know the differences between China and Australia before the visit

D. Ma used to judge things with his own mind

4.The underlined word launched in paragraph 4 probably means ________.

A. startedB. boughtC. soldD. landed

5.From the last paragraph, we can know that ________.

A. Jack Ma will do what he can to make the farmers life easier

B. Jack Ma will devote a lot of money to help the Chinese farmers

C. they will teach the farmers how to use their resources

D. Alibaba groups resources will be given away to the farmers

When the sand began kicking up and hitting our faces, I started to worry that maybe we had made a mistake.

That afternoon, my dad had stood on the deck (露台) of our home and laughed as our neighbors packed up their cars and headed inland. They left to spend the night in motels or at friends’ homes that were out of range of approaching summer storm.

Challenging the weather that threatened to damping our spirits, we lit a fire on the beach. Dad told jokes and we had a good time. When it was 6:30 p.m., all laughter disappeared. Our eyes were drawn to the sky. A tornado (龙卷风) was headed straight for us! In a flash, we were all on our feet. The wind started screaming and now we were running to the cottage. My mom stopped next to the front door. “Where can we go?” She shouted at my dad.

Most cottages on this part of Lake Michigan had been built without basements. Ours was no exception. The huge windows and the cottage itself wouldn’t offer safety from high wind.

“Follow me!” my dad yelled. We crawled (爬) beneath the deck, pressing ourselves against the foundation of the cottage. Between the deck supports, we watched the approaching storm in silent terror.

My dad shouted, “Hold on!” and something else I couldn’t hear over the screaming wind. I think he was praying. By the time it reached our cottage, it was nothing more than a strong wind. The rest of the storm lasted for an hour and then simply blew away.

“Next time, we’ll stay inland at Grandma’s. Okay?” my dad said.

1.What did the family do before the storm came?

A. The

B. They stayed on the beach.

C. They packed up the cars.

D. They visited their neighbors.

2.What was the family’s immediate action when they saw the tornado approach?

A. Running away at once.

B. Praying in silent terror.

C. Crawling on the ground.

D. Closing their eyes tightly.

3.Where did the family stay in the storm?

A. Inside the car. B. In a basement.

C. Under a deck. D. Behind a door.

4.What can be the best title for the text?

A. Life on the beach B. Surviving a Storm

C. An Unusual Cottage D. My Admirable Family

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