Whenever human populations have lived in forest areas, they have always cut down trees which they used for a number of purposes, for housing and ships and served as a source of heating fuel and timber. Growth of cities often meant expansion into forest areas, while even more trees were removed to provide space for agriculture. With the growing demand for paper, vast quantities of trees have also been cut down for paper production. These factors, along with many others, have been contributing to a dangerous phenomenon known as deforestation.

In the last 5,000 years, humans have reduced forest from roughly 50 percent of the earth’s land surface to less than 20 percent. Most of this original, or old growth, forest cover is concentrated in three large areas: the Canadian and Alaskan boreal forest, the boreal forest of Russia, and the tropical forest of the northwestern Amazon Basin and the Guyana Shield. These areas comprise almost 70 percent of the world’s remaining original forest cover. In most places, the rate of deforestation is increasing, with the alarming result of 16 million hectares disappearing worldwide every year.

Loss of forest does not just mean the decline of natural resources. There are several other factors that make deforestation seriously harmful to both the human and natural worlds. One of them is changes in the global climate. For example, forest clearance is releasing substantial volumes of carbon dioxide (CO2) into the atmosphere as vegetation is burnt or decays. It has been suggested that this is a significant factor in global warming. Moreover, about 10 percent of the world’s tree species are in danger of extinction as a result of deforestation. Deforestation also threatens biological diversity through the destruction of wildlife habitats, which endangers a number of animal species and leads to their potential disappearance. Species are particularly easy to extinction in tropical rainforests because many species have few individuals per unit area, which makes reproduction more difficult. Finally, since forests play an important role in storing water and stabilizing soil, deforestation and the resulting change in land use cause soil erosion (腐蚀) and other forms of land degradation.

The passage discusses all of the following EXCEPT the ________.

    A. causes of deforestation              B. consequences of deforestation

    C. management of deforestation          D. rate of deforestation

   The word “diversity” in the last paragraph probably means “________”.

    A. variety                              B. expansion       

    C. development                      D. advantage

Why does the author mention fuel and timber in Paragraph 1?

    A. To explain the rate of deforestation.

    B. To compare them with housing and ships.

    C. To show the dangers of deforestation.

    D. To illustrate the causes of deforestation.

Which of the following sentences summarizes Paragraph 3 best?

    A. Deforestation threatens biological diversity.

B. Deforestation has many harmful consequences.

    C. Deforestation causes changes in global climate.

    D. Deforestation should be stopped.

Swimming is one of those activities that can be learned early in life. Little children can learn to swim as soon as they walk. In fact, you need the same skills in walking as in swimming. However, I believe that five is the best age to learn. By five or six, a child knows fear of water, a very important thing to know. It's wise to be afraid, to recognize true danger. Young ones understand that the water can sometimes be very dangerous.

To really benefit from swimming, every swimmer should learn, as soon as possible, these four basic strokes; butterfly, backstroke, Breaststroke, and crawl. I feel that one of these-the breaststroke-is different from the others, since some young swimmers use this stroke naturally, without any training.

In swimming there are certain rules every swimmer should follow:

1). Never swim alone! No matter how good you are in the water, don’t risk drowning by swimming alone. If you swim by yourself, with no life guards or friends with you, you may get into trouble.

2). Don't go beyond your abilities. Most swimmers know enough not to swim too far from the bank or the beach, Showing off by doing dangerous tricks is no good. Swim safely and you will continue to swim and alive.

3). Don't smoke. Swimming depends on a healthy body; good lungs are part of it.

4). Work at any activity that builds muscles.

Little children can learn to swim as soon as _____.

A. they can talk                       

B. they start walking

C. they have no fear of the water          

D. they are five or six years old

The author believes that fear of water is_____.

A. stupid        B. sensible      C. dangerous      D. not smart

The stroke that some young swimmers use first is_____.

A. butterfly      B. backstroke    C. breaststroke     D. crawl

According to the passage, you should not swim alone because_____.

A. the water is too cold                   

B. your parents would not be happy

C. something in the water might attack       

D. you might drown

阅读理解(共20题; 每小题2分, 满分40分)

阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C 和D项中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。

They like using the Internet.They have lots of pocket money to spend.And they spend a higher proportion of it online than the rest of us.Teenagers are just the sort of people an online seller is interested in, and the things they want to buy-games, CDs and clothing-are easily sold on the Web.

But paying online is a tricky business for consumers who are too young to own credit cards.Most have to use a parent’s card.They want a facility that allows them to spend money.

That may come sooner than they think: new ways to take pocket money into cyber (网络的) space are coming out rapidly on both sides of the Atlantic.If successful, these products can stimulate online sales.

In general, teenagers spend huge amounts: $153bn (billion) in the US last year and £20bn annually in the UK.Most teenagers have access to the Internet at home or at school-88 percent in the US, 69 percent in the UK.According to the Jupiter Research, one in eight of those with Internet access has bought something online-mainly CDs and books.

In most cases, parents pay for these purchases with credit cards, an arrangement that is often unsatisfactory for them and their children.Pressing parents to spend online is less productive than pressing on the high street.They are more likely to ask “Why?” if you ask to spend some money online.

One way to help teenagers change notes and coins into cybercash is through prepaid cards such as InternetCash in the US and Smart cards in the UK.Similar to those for pay-as-you-go mobile telephones, they are sold in amounts such as £20 or $50 with a concealed 14-digit number that can be used to load the cash into an online account.

What does the word “They” in paragraph 1 refer to?

    A. Sellers.     B. Buyers.      C. Teenagers.      D. Parents.

According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?

    A. More than half of the teenagers in the US and the UK have Internet access.

    B. Teenagers pay for goods online with their own credit cards.

    C. Most teenagers in the US and the UK have bought something online.

    D. Teenagers found it easier to persuade parents to buy online than in a shop.

A new way to help teenagers shop online is to use _________.

    A. a new machine                  B. special coins and notes

    C. prepaid cards                      D. pay-as-you-go mobile phones

What is the passage mainly about?

    A. Online shopping traps.             B. Internet users in the US and the UK.

    C. New credit cards for parents.       D. The arrival of cyber pocket money.

Which of the following words can best describe the writer’s attitude towards the phenomenon?

    A. Proud and satisfied.            B. Worried and anxious.

    C. Objective and informative.          D. Concerned and sad.

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