In jokes, the chicken only crosses the road. In Australia, cane toads (蔗蟾) use roads to travel.
A new study finds that Cane toads are using roads to spread across the continent. They take shelter overnight close to the open corridors (走廊), and then hit the road each evening in their damaging way.
Cane toads were brought into Australia from Hawaii in 1935 to control the spread of beetles (甲虫) that were destroying Australia's sugar cane crop. They are now moving into new places at the speed of 30 miles a year.
Toads can grow as large as dinner plates and can weigh up to 4.5 pounds. Their heads and backsides are covered with rows of warts (疣). They are known to kill snakes, lizards and other animals, including pet dogs. They have no natural enemy in Australia.
According to a research, toads make slower progress through thick plants than along open spaces and they hop (跳) alongside roads and fences whenever possible. Toads use long corridors that are well-suited for them to travel long distances.
Another study recently found that toads have evolved (进化形成) longer legs in recent years and that this is also helping them in their spread.
Efforts to kill toads have been largely unsuccessful, although scientists tried their best.
Another new finding suggests ways to slow down its population. For example, roadside borders can be changed to make them less attractive to toads, or allowing thick plants to grow along the sides of highways, thus forcing toads onto the road of themselves.
【小题1】 Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A.Ways to kill cane toads in Australia. |
| B.Cane toads have evolved a lot in Australia. |
| C.Australian cane toads hit the road. |
| D.Worse environment forces toads to travel. |
| A.kill snakes, lizards and other animals |
| B.stop pet dogs from spreading |
| C.protect the sugar cane crop |
| D.hate a scientific research |
| A.move slower through thick plants |
| B.have no natural enemy in Australia |
| C.mainly live near the roadside |
| D.like traveling at night |
| A.Beetles | B.Cane toads |
| C.Australia's sugar cane crop | D.New places |
Washington D. C. is a great city to live in and visit – partly because D. C.’s public transportation can get you almost anywhere in the city, D. C.’s subway, the Metro, is great for getting you to the main tourist sites, but the bus is also a great resource and is cheaper. Learn how to conquer the D.C. bus system in a few quick steps will help you to have fun in this city.
* Things You’ll Need, cash or a D. C. Smart Trip card, a transfer (转乘卡) and a map of Washington, D. C.
* To choose a bus line to take from home or your hotel, look at the buses that arrive at the closest Metro stations.
Many bus routes start at a Metro subway terminal and make their way across the greater D.C. area.
*Learn to identify bus stops. They are usually located at the intersections(交叉) of streets. Look for a tall sign with a tall sign with the words of “Metro Bus” that is dark blue at th
e top, white in the middle and red at the bottom. Once you’ve found one of these signs, check the red section at the bottom of the sign. In it, you should see several number or letter combinations written in white. Those are the bus lines that service that stop.
*Be careful of the direction buses are heading for. All buses have an electronic screen on the front, side and back of the bus that let you know which way they are headed and what line the bus is. The signs will list the last stop on the bus route. Know where your bus terminates on each end so you can get on the bus heading in the direction you want to go.
*To board the bus, you'll obviously need some sort of payment. The bus will only accept cash or a SmarTrip card. SmarTrip cards are purchasable at several Metro stations or at Metro headquarters(总部) and cost $5. You can also buy the card online at www.wmata.com.
*If you do order it online, purchase it in adv
ance as it will take time for it to ship. Riding the bus costs $1.35 if you pay in cash and $1.25 if you pay with your SmarTrip card.
*If you pay in cash, ask for a transfer slip. This will allow you to board the bus within a two-hour time period without having to pay again. These machines are located by the escalators that take you to the waiting platforms.
【小题1】To enjoy a wonderful tour in Washington D. C., you won’t need .
A.a D. C, Smart Trip card B.a transfer
C.a map of Washington D. C D.a tall sign
【小题2】According to the passage, you can identify bus stops by .
| A.looking at the buses that arrive at the closest Metro station from your hotel |
| B.checking the red section at the bottom of the sign with a “metro bus” logo |
| C.checking electronic screens on the front, side and back of the bus |
| D.checking the machines located by the escalators taking you to the platforms |
| A.stops | B.decides | C.starts | D.passes |
| A.At a platform. | B.At a post office. |
| C.At www. wmata. com | D.At a bus station. |
Cyberspace,data superhighway,multimedia,for those who have seen the future,and the linking of computers,televisions and telephones will change our lives for ever.Yet for all the talks of a forthcoming technological utopia,little attention has been given to the implications of these developments for the poor.As for all the new high technology,the West concerns itself with the “how”,while the question of “for whom” is put aside once again.![]()
Economists are only now realizing the full extent to which the communication revolution has affected the world economy.Information technology allows the extension of trade across geographical and industrial boundaries,and transnational corporations take full advantage of it.Terms of trade and exchange,interest rates and money movements are more important than the production of goods.The electronic economy made by information technology allows the haves to increase their control on global markets — with a destructive impact on the havenots.
For them the result is unstable.Developing countries which rely on the production of a small range of goods for export are made to feel like small parts in the international economic machine.As “futures” are traded on computer screens,developing countries simply have less and less control of their destinies.
So what are the options of regaining control?One alternative for developing countries is to buy in the latest computers and telecommunications.Yet this leads to long-term dependency and perhaps permanent constraints on developing countries’ economies.
Communication technology is generally exported from the US,Europe or Japan;the patents,skills and ability remain in the hands of a few industrialized countries.It is also expensive,therefore imported products and services must be bought on credit usually provided by the very countries whose companies stand to gain.
【小题1】From the passage we know that the development of high technology is in the interests of________.
| A.the rich countries | B.scientific development |
| C.the local elites | D.the world economy |
| A.international trade should be expanded |
| B.the interests of the poor countries have not been given enough consideration |
| C.the exports of the poor countries should be increased |
| D.communication technology in developing countries should be modernized |
| A.Because it enables the developed countries to control the international market. |
| B.Because it destroys the economic balance of the poor countries. |
| C.Because it violates the national boundaries of the poor countries. |
| D.Because it inhibits the industrial growth of developing countries. |
| A.hinder their industrial production |
| B.cause them to lose control of their trade |
| C.force them to reduce their share of exports |
| D.cost them their economic independence |
| A.positive | B.critical |
| C.indifferent | D.tolerant |
There are some special traditions in Hawaii .People are very friendly and always welcome visitors. They give visitors a lei,a long necklace made of beautiful fresh flowers. Men wear bright flowered shirts and women often wear long flowered dresses. There are traditional Chinese ,Japanese and Fillipino holidays and all the holidays from the United States. They call Hawaii the Aloha State. Aloha means both hello and good-bye. It also means “I love you”.![]()
Usually when people from different countries,races and traditions live together,there are serious problems. There are a few problems in Hawaii ,but,in general,people have learned to live together in peace.
Hawaiians get most of their money from travelers,and most of the travelers come from the mainland and from Japan. There are so many peole living in Hawaii now that there are residential(居住的) areas where there used to be farms. Some of the big sugar and apple companies have moved to the Philippines,where they don't have to pay workers as much money. The families of the first people who came from the US mainland own the important banks and companies. Japanese are also buying or starting business.
【小题1】What might be the best title for this text?
| A.Hawaii ,the Aloha State | B.Living Hard Together |
| C.The Flower of Hawaii | D.The Problems of Hawaii |
| A.a friendly and welcome way |
| B.a long necklace made of beautiful fresh flowers |
| C.a bright flowered shirt |
| D.a long flowered dress |
| A.we should all go to Hawaii to work |
| B.it is possible to learn to live together in peace |
| C.it is not likely to live together in peace |
| D.Hawaii is the only place where there is peace |