题目内容
By 1990, according to a World Wildlife Fund report, only about 4,500 tigers survived throughout the world — half of them in India. Mr. Foresters, who followed and counted tiger footprints, estimated that in May 1992 only about 1,800 tigers existed in India. Project Tiger supported by W. W. F. was immediately launched. Nine tiger reserves were created, with armed guards protecting them.
The project provided opportunities for researchers from India and abroad to study tigers in the reserves and gather previously unavailable information about their habits. Studies show that a male tiger may control a hunting territory of between 10 and 20 sq. kms, depending on its age, size and strength.
The territory of a male includes the smaller territories of three or four tigresses. A tiger marks the boundaries of its territory by spraying urine(尿)and other bodily liquids on bushes. But it tries to avoid territorial fights, being guided by the distinctive body smell of other tigers. Tigers fight to death only when a tigress is defending her young, or when a tiger is guarding a tigress from the attentions of other males.
The popular image of the tiger is that of a merciless and unconquerable hunter. But studies show that it catches only one of 20 victims it tries to attack.
Fears have recently developed that Project Tiger has been too successful. It has enabled the tiger population to double but India’s human population has also grown out of control. Currently it is 750 million and likely to be 900 million by the end of the century. The land problem is becoming serious and many rural people feel bitter about the fact that some rich forests are reserved for tigers. A growing number of attacks by tigers on man has added to the hostility.(敌意)
68. The ultimate aim of Project Tiger is to .
A. study the growth rate of tigers
B. promote the breeding of young tigers
C. protect tigers from being killed
D. analyze the behavioral patterns of tigers
69. Studies have shown that .
A. a tigress never attacks until attacked
B. the tigress is not as fierce as the tiger
C. a tiger usually fights another tiger to defend its own territory
D. the tiger is not an efficient hunter as is commonly described
70. Some people are afraid that Project Tiger .
A. has been carried too far
B. has failed to achieve its goal
C. hasn’t received enough attention
D. is not worth the money spent on it
71. The author seems .
A. to be enthusiastic about Project Tiger
B. to have a matter — of — fact attitude towards Project Tiger
C. to have a hostile attitude towards Project Tiger
D. to be satisfied with Project Tiger
68. C 由第一段内容可知老虎数量降低有人为猎杀的原因。
69. D 根据第四段内容可知。
70. A 根据最后一段第一句可知。
71. B 作者讲述了保护老虎工程的意义效果以及副面结果(最后一段),说明作者的态度非常客观。
Art theft is an ancient and complicated crime. When you look at some of the most famous cases of art thefts in history, you see thoroughly planned operations that involve art dealers, art fakers, mobsters, ransoms, and millions of dollars. Here you can read about some of the most famous cases of art theft in the history.
The First Theft:
The first documented case of art theft was in 1473, when two panels of altarpiece of the Last Judgment by the Dutch painter Hans Memling were stolen. While the triptych was being transported by ship from the Netherlands to Florence, the ship was attacked by pirates who took it to the Gdansk cathedral in Poland. Nowadays, the piece is shown at the National Museum in Gdansk where it was recently moved from the Basilica of the Assumption.
The Most Famous Theft:
The most famous story of art theft involves one of the most famous paintings in the world and one of the most famous artists in history as a suspect. In the night of August 21, 1911, the Mona Lisa was stolen out of the Louver. Soon after, Pablo Picasso was arrested and questioned by the police, but was released quickly.
It took about two years until the mystery was solved by the Parisian police. It turned out that the 30×21 inch painting was taken by one of the museum employees by the name of Vincenzo Peruggia, who simply carried it hidden under his coat. Nevertheless, Peruggia did not work alone. The crime was carefully conducted by a notorious con man, Eduardo de Valfierno, who was sent by an art faker who intended to make copies and sell them as if they were the original painting.
While Yves Chaudron, the art faker, was busy creating copies for the famous masterpiece, Mona Lisa was still hidden at Peruggias’ apartment. After two years in which Peruggia did not hear from Chaudron, he tried to make the best out of his stolen good. Eventually, Peruggia was caught by the police while trying to sell the painting to an art dealer from Florence, Italy. The Mona Lisa was returned to the Louver in 1913.
The Biggest Theft in the USA:
The biggest art theft in United States took place at the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum. On the night of March 18, 1990, a group of thieves wearing police uniforms broke into the museum and took thirteen paintings whose collective value was estimated at around 300 million dollars. The thieves took two paintings and one print by Rembrandt, and works of Vermeer, Manet, Degas, Govaert Flinck, as well as a French and a Chinese artifact.
As of yet, none of the paintings have been found and the case is still unsolved. According to recent rumors, the FBI are investigating the possibility that the Boston Mob along with French art dealers are connected to the crime.
【小题1】 How long did it take to put back the stolen Mona Lisa in Louver ?___
| A.Thirty six months | B.Thirty months |
| C.Half a year | D.Around two years |
| A.Chaudron wanted to sell the stolen painting. |
| B.Peruggia thought he didn’t need to work for Chaudon any more and wanted to market the painting. |
| C.Valfierno was tired of waiting. |
| D.Peruggia wanted to study the painting carefully. |
| A.Mona Lisa case |
| B.Last Judgment case |
| C.Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum thirteen paintings case |
| D.none |
| A.China | B.France | C.Dutch | D.Vantican |
| A.Picasso was ever considered a art theft suspect. |
| B.Art thieves normally not work alone. |
| C.The first documented case of art theft was conducted by pirates. |
| D.The mastermind of Mona Lisa was an art faker who wanted to sell copies. |
| A.The Economic Value of Art Theft | B.The Loss to Art Lovers |
| C.The Most Sought After Painting | D.Boston Mob and French Art Dealers |
In recent years, the world has made progress in reducing deaths among children under the age of five. A new report says an estimated 6.9 million children worldwide died before their fifth birthday. That compares to about twelve million in1990.
The report says child mortality rates have fallen in all areas. It says the number of deaths is down by at least 50 percent in eastern, western and southeastern Asia. The number also fell in North Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean.
Ties Boerma is head of the WHO’s Department of Health Statistics and Informatics. He says most child deaths happen in just a few areas.
TIES BOERMA: “Sub-Saharan Africa and southern Asia face the greatest challenges in child survival. More than eighty percent of child deaths in the world occur in these two regions. About half of child deaths occur in just five countries—India, which actually takes twenty-four percent of the global total; Nigeria, eleven percent; the Democratic Republic of Congo, seven percent; Pakistan, five percent and China, four percent of under-five deaths in the world.”
Ties Boerma notes that, in developed countries, one child in one hundred fifty-two dies before his or her fifth birthday. But south of the Sahara Desert, one out of nine children dies before the age of five. In Asia, the mortality rate is one in sixteen.
The report lists the top five causes of death among children under five worldwide. They are pneumonia, diarrhea, malaria and problems both before and during birth.
Tessa Wardlaw is with the U-N Children’s Fund. She is pleased with the progress being made in Sub-Saharan Africa. The area has the highest under-five mortality rate in the world. But she says the rate of decline in child deaths has more than doubled in Africa.
TESSA WARDLAW: “We welcome the widespread progress in child survival, but we importantly want to stress that there’s a lot of work that remains to be done. There’s unfinished business and the fact is that today on average, around nineteen thousand children are still dying every day from largely preventable causes.”
The World Health Organization says one way to solve these problems is to make sure health care services are available to women. In this way, medical problems can be avoided or treated when identified.
【小题1】Since 1990, the number of the children who died before 5 in the world has dropped by about__________.
| A.6,900,000 | B.12,000,000 | C.1,200,000 | D.5,100,000 |
| A.illness | B.reduction | C.death | D.problem |
| A.child mortality rates have fallen just in five areas |
| B.Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest under-five mortality rate in the world |
| C.in developed countries, no children die before the age of five |
| D.the world has made little progress in reducing the rates of child mortality |
| A.Global warming | B.Malaria | C.Pneumonia | D.Diarrhea |
| A.Women do not want to have babies. |
| B.How more health care services are available to women. |
| C.Medical problems are completely solved. |
| D.The World Health Organization. |