At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than a million lions worldwide. Today there are less than 30,000 in the wild. The remaining lions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, hunting and activities to protect farms and cattle.
For generations, Masai tribesmen on the large African plains in southeastern Kenya have hunted lions — to protect their farms and cattle. Today they celebrate the lions’ life.
Noah is an elder in the Masai community. “We have decided as a community of the Masai to lay down our spears, and there will be no more killing of lions in our community.” He is part of a group of Masai visiting the United States promoting (推廣) the Predator Compensation Program.
Conservation International’s Frank Hawkins explains, “The Masai have been living with wildlife for many generations and it has been a conflicting ( 有沖突的) relationship in many ways. They compete with the animals for food as lions eat their cattle. We’re trying to find ways in which the wildlife will become something useful to them.” They had the Predator Compensation Fund founded in 2003. After much discussion, a group of Masai farmers agreed to protect lions. In turn, if lions or other predators kill their cattle, the Masai owner will be paid market value for the dead animals from the fund.
One man said that in the past, when a lion killed cattle, they killed it immediately. And now, after the start of the program, the Masai see the lion population growing. Since 2003, only four lions have been killed here.
小題1:What is the aim of the Predator Compensation Program?

A．To protect people in the wild.	B．To protect Masai’s farms.
C．To protect lions only.	D．To protect the wildlife.

小題2:According to the passage, why haven’t Masai tribesmen killed many lions since 2003?

A．Because lions don’t eat their cattle any more.

B．Because they will be fined if they kill lions there.

C．Because the fund will pay for dead animals killed by lions

D．Because there are less than 30,000 lions in the wild now.

小題3:What do you think of the Masai ?

A．Wise.

B．Mean.

C．Generous.

D．Stupid.

Some plants get so hungry they eat flies, and even small frogs. What's more amazing is that these plants occur naturally (in special environments) in every state. In fact, they're found on every continent except Antarctica.
You've probably seen a Venus' flytrap -- a small plant, which grows 6 to 8 inches tall in a container. At the end of its stalks (莖) are leaves that act like traps (陷阱). Inside each trap is a lining of tiny hairs. When an insect lands on them, the traps suddenly shut. Over the course of a week or so, the plant feeds on its catch.
The Venus' flytrap is just one of more than 500 species of meat-eating plants, says Barry Meyers-Rice, the editor of the International Carnivorous Plant Society's Newsletter. He states although you might have read some science-fiction stories, no meat-eating plant does any danger to humans.
Barry says a plant is meat-eating, only if it does all four of the following: "attract, kill, digest, and absorb" some form of insects. Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants -- well, most of the time.
All green plants make sugar to produce food. What makes meat-eating plants different is their special leaves, which need insects for one reason: nitrogen (氮). Nitrogen is a nutrient that they can't obtain any other way. Why?
Almost all green plants on our planet get nitrogen from the soil. Meat-eating plants can't. They live in places where nutrients are hard to get from the soil because of its acidity. So they've come to rely on getting nitrogen from insects and small animals. In fact, nutrient-rich soft is poisonous to meat-eating plants. Never fertilize (施肥) them! But don't worry, either, if they never seem to catch any insects. They can survive, but they'll grow very slowly.
小題1:According to the passage, a Venus' flytrap ______.

A．is a small plant which grows in a container

B．is a kind of plant which gets hungry easily

C．can trap and feed on some form of insects

D．can only grow 6-8 inches tall

小題2:From the passage, we can infer that ______.

A．meat-eating plants are found nowhere else except Antarctica

B．a(chǎn)ll green plants get nitrogen from the soil

C．meat-eating plants endanger humans in science-fiction stories

D．the nutrient-poor soil is beneficial to meat-eating plants

小題3:Meat-eating plants grow very slowly, ______.

A．so you'd better fertilize them

B．probably because the supply of nitrogen is cut off

C．simply because they can't absorb nitrogen from the soil

D．a(chǎn)nd then they will die slowly

小題4:Which of the following is true?

A．Meat-eating plants look and act like other green plants.

B．It's hard to get nutrients in the soil when acidity is high.

C．The Venus' flytrap eats flies to get nutrient from them.

D．Green plants make sugar at night.

HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL REPORT Form Teacher: G. Baker            Pupil’s Name:  Simon Watkins Term:        Summer 2012   Form:        Ⅳ B Subject Exam Class work Comments English 59 61 Simon has reached a satisfactory standard but now needs to apply himself with more determination. Mathematics 77 85 Sound work and progress throughout the year. Well done! History 46 53 A disappointing exam result. He is unable to give attention to this subject for long. Chemistry 78 85 His obvious ability in the subject was not fully reflected in his exam work, but I have high hopes for him nevertheless. Physics 86 94 An excellent term’s performance. He goes from strength to strength. A born scientist, I feel. Biology 57 60 This time next year he will be taking the “0” exam. He needs to concentrate on the work, not on class conversation. French 41 46 Clearly he didn’t bother to revise. His general attitude is far too casual. Physical Education / 31 Weak. It’s time he exercised his body more and his voice less. He should try to work with a team. FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS                     HEADMASTER Basically satisfactory work and progress              I shall be keeping an eye on though he will now have realized, I hope, that         his progress in his weaker    in certain subject areas he needs to make               subjects though his speedy progress.                           success in the sciences is improvement.

小題1:According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon_______.

A．is too talkative in the class

B．likes to work with his classmates

C．doesn’t exercise his body at the right time

D．becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all

小題2:Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?

A．Biology and Maths.	B．History and French.
C．English and Chemistry.	D．Physics and Physical Education.

小題3:Which of the following statements best describes Simon?

A．He has made great progress in language classes.

B．His potential has been fully reflected in science classes.

C．His grade in maths makes him a born scientist.

D．He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects.

小題4: Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?

A．Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French.

B．Basically, Simon did a good job in science.

C．Simon is a determined learner in English.

D．Simon is able to pay attention to history for long.

Life on earth depends on water, and there is no substitute for it. The current assumption is that our basic needs for water—whether for drinking, agriculture, industry or the raising of fish—will always have to be met. Given this premise (前提), there are two basic routes we can go; more equal access to water or better engineering solutions.
Look at the engineering solutions first. A lot of my research concentrates on what happens to wetlands when you build dams in river basins, particularly in Africa. The ecology of such areas is almost entirely driven by the seasonal changes of the river—the pulse of the water. And the fact is that if you build a dam, you generally spoil the downstream ecology. In the past, such problems have been hidden by a lack of information. But in the near future, governments will have no excuses for their ignorance.
The engineers’ ability to control water flows has created new kinds of unpredictability, too. Dams in Africa have meant fewer fish, less grazing and less floodplain (洪泛區(qū)) agriculture, none of which were expected. And there average economic life is assumed to be thirty years. Dams don’t exist forever, but what will replace them is not clear.
The challenge for the future is to find new means of controlling water. Although GM technology(轉(zhuǎn)基因) will allow us to breed better dry-land crops, there is no market for companies to develop crops suitable for the micro-climates of the Sahel and elsewhere in Africa. Who is going to pay for research on locally appropriate crops in the Third World?
小題1:What’s the main idea of this passage?

A．The engineering solutions to water resource and their limitation.

B．The challenge for the future.

C．The basic means of controlling water.

D．The challenge for developing crops.

小題2:The author suggests that governments will have no excuse for their careless ignorance in the future because _____.

A．The ecological destruction will be known to the public by researchers

B．The ecological destruction will no longer be a problem in the future

C．The future is an information age

D．Governments will face greater challenge in the future

小題3:Which of the following statements is NOT true for meeting our basic needs for water?

A．Water resource should be used more reasonably.

B．More dams should be built in river basins.

C．More wetlands should be protected from destruction.

D．More dry-land crops could be developed in Africa.

小題4:The last sentence probably implies that _____.

A．No one will invest in developing locally appropriate crops in Africa

B．Researchers have no interest in developing dry-land crops

C．Research on locally appropriate crops in the Third World may be profitable

D．There is less water resource in the Third World

Cats are very smart. They are one of the smartest animals. The brain of a cat is large.  It is highly developed. This may be why cats have good memories. Cats remember kindness and cruelty. It is a good idea to treat a cat well. Cats can “speak” too. They meow for attention. Often they stand by a door. Then they meow. Then they look over their shoulders. They want to see if their owners are coming. Cats make other noises also. They purr(貓發(fā)出的咕嚕聲)when they are happy. They hiss when they are angry.
Cats have a lot of pride. They don’t usually do silly tricks. Almost all cats want to have their own way. They are mostly true to only one person. They don’t switch loyalty easily. Cats were free in the wild. They want to stay that way. They like to be their own masters. When a cat is left alone, it can go back to caring for itself. It can live in the wild again. This is different from dogs. Dogs will switch their loyalty. At one time dogs were loyal to the leaders of their packs. Now, they will transfer allegiance(忠誠)to their owner. They do not like to be alone.
With kindness, a cat can be trained. Cats can learn to do many things. Some cats can learn to open doors. Some can ring doorbells. Some can even turn on water tap. Then they take a drink. Cats are very smart. Before drinking, they put a paw in the water. They test whether the water is hot or cold.
小題1:What is the best title for this passage?

A．The Difference Between Dogs and Cats.	B．The Characteristics of Cats.
C． Loyal Animals.	D． How to Keep Cats?

小題2:It’s interesting to have cats around ourselves because ________.
A.they always switch their loyalty    B. they like to do silly tricks
C. they will hiss when they are happy  D they are smart and have good memories
小題3:The last paragraph mainly shows that ________.

A．cats can test whether the water is cold or not

B．cats know how to turn on the water tap

C．cats are smart

D．cats know how to open a door

Although man has known asbestos （石棉） for many hundreds of years, it was not until 160 years ago that it was mined for the first time on the North American continent. H.W.Johns, owner of a New York City Supply Shop for roofers, was responsible for the opening of that first mine．
Mr.Johns was given a piece of asbestos which had been found in Italy． He experimented with the material and then showed its surprising powers to his customers. After putting on a pair of asbestos gloves, which looked much like ordinary work gloves, he took red-hot coals from the fireplace and played with them in his hands.How astonished the customers were to discover that he was not burned at all．You can well imagine that he had increasing business in asbestos roofing materials． However, because it was very expensive to transport them from Italy to the United States, Mr.Johns sent out a young scientist to seek a source nearer home. This young man found great vein（巖脈）, in the province of Quebec in Canada．
Ever since 1881 Quebec has led the world in the production of this unusual mineral, which is made up of magnesium, silicon, iron, and oxygen．When it is mined, the asbestos is heavy, just as you would expect a mineral to be．When it is separated, a strange thing happens: the rock breaks down into fine, soft, soapy fibres．
Scientists do not know why the rock can be separated easily into threads, but they have found thousands of uses of this fireproof material, of the so-called “cloth of stone”．
小題1:Which title best expresses the main idea of this passage?

A．Asbestos mined in Canada	B．Fireproof matter
C．A “wonder” mineral	D．A new roofing material

小題2:Johns proved his ability as a salesman by_______．

A．going into roofing business	B．carrying asbestos from Italy
C．sending a trained scientist	D．showing the use of asbestos gloves

小題3:Which is the most important characteristic of asbestos that the author wants to show us?

A．It is like thread．	B．It feels soapy．
C．It burns easily．	D．It is unusually heavy．

小題4:The author’s main purpose in writing this passage was to _______．

A．show the need for more scientists

B．compare asbestos with other minerals

C．increase the sales of asbestos

D．present facts about asbestos

CORVALIJS. Ore.-- Engineers at Oregon Suite University have made a breakthrough in the performance of microbial (微生物的)fuel cells that can produce electricity directly from wastewater，opening the door to a future in which waste treatment plants not only will power themselves, but will sell extra electricity.
The new technology ,developed at OSU, can now produce 10 to 50 more times the electricity, per volume, than most oilier approaches using microbial fuel cells,and 100 times more electricity than some.
Researchers say this could eventually change the way that wastewater is treated all over the world, replacing the widely used “activated sludge (泥漿) ” process that has been in use for almost a century. The new approach would produce significant amounts of electricity while effectively cleaning the wastewater,
“If this technology works on a commercial scale the way we believe it will ,the treatment of wastewater could be a huge energy producer, not a huge energy cost.” said Hong Liu ，an associate professor in the OSU Department of Biological and Ecological Engineering. “This could have an impact around the world, save a great deal of money, provide better water treatment and promote energy sustainability.”
The biodegradable (能降解的）characteristics of wastewater, if developed to their full potential, could theoretically provide many times the energy that is now being used to process them, with no additional greenhouse emissions.
OSU researchers reported several years ago on the promise of this technology, but at that time the systems in use produced far less electrical power. With new concepts, the technology can now produce more than two kilowatts per cubic meter of liquid reactor volume.
The new system also works better than an alternative approach to creating electricity from wastewater, based on anacrobic (臭氧的）digestion that produces methane (甲烷）.It treats the wastewater more effectively, and doesn’t have any of the environmental drawbacks of that technology, such as production of possible release of methane, a significant greenhouse gas.
小題1:Which of the following best expresses the main idea of the passage?

A．The treatment of wastewater is a huge energy cost.

B．Wastewater is being treated differently over the world.

C．Waste treatment plants have found a new way to power themselves.

D．Microbial fuel cells will produce more electricity from wastewater.

小題2:What can we learn about the new technology from the passage?

A．It can produce 100 times more electricity than any approach used today.

B．Through it more electricity can be created and water can be cleaned better.

C．It has already changed the way that wastewater is treated all over the world

D．It has opened the door to put microbial fuel cells to productive use.

小題3:What attitude does Professor Liu hold towards the new technology?
A. Supportive.      B. Critical.       C Unconcerned.    D. Curious.
小題4:According to the last paragraph, why does the new system work better than the alternative approach?

A．Because it is co-friendly and treats wastewater more effectively.

B．Because it can make full use of anaerobic digestion producing methane.

C．Because it may produce less methane than the alternative approach.

D．Because it can produce 10 times the energy than the alternative approach.

Since the beginning of history, man has been attracted by the idea of living forever, of winning the fight against death and disease. So far, this has only remained a dream. Many people have wondered whether it would be possible to find a way to preserve human bodies, and what would be the best way.
It has long been known that meat of fruit can be kept fresh for long periods by freezing; in ancient China, for example, food was stored with ice to keep it fresh. This method could also be useful for preserving humans.
However, most living beings that exist under warm conditions die when frozen. This is because of the harmful effects of freezing ice crystals(晶體), which not only are larger than the volume(體積) of the water originally in the cells, but also form sharp cutting shapes that harm the cells.
In the 1940s Dr B.J. Luyet and a group of scientists in England were working on the problem of freezing cells without damaging them. Since the harm caused by ice crystals was the main cause of damage, Luyet suggested removing some or all of the water from the cells before freezing them.
Using living cells form chicken, Luyet and his assistants discovered that they could partly dry the chicken cells, using a mixture of the white part of an egg and glycerin (丙三醇). Some success was obtained. The chicken cells were dried, frozen for a period of time, and then carefully unfrozen. Almost all the cells recovered when they reached normal temperatures.
Since then, the cooling of whole animals to a temperature far below freezing point for later unfreezing has become more of a possibility, and the glycerin method would probably be used to accomplish this. When this can be done completely and successfully, science will have moved much closer to its aim of freezing and storing incurable patients until the day they can be cured.
小題1:What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Easy but practical ways to remove water from living cells.

B．The possibility of preserving human bodies by freezing.

C．The practice of preserving food by freezing.

D．The harmful effects of freezing.

小題2:The idea of freezing human bodies to preserve them ______________.

A．has already been realized

B．was invented in ancient China

C．has its roots in the way of storing food

D．is widely accepted by the scientific world

小題3:According to the text, freezing _________________.

A．is harmful to living cells

B．is the best way of preserving food

C．reduces the volume of water in living cells

D．is a way of removing water from living cells

小題4:What can be inferred from the last paragraph?

A．It is impossible to have whole animals frozen.

B．It remains unknown how to unfreeze frozen animals.

C．Freezing incurable patients for later treatment is still an idea.

D．The glycerin method has already been adopted to treat patients.

Plants have family values, too; it seems, with new research suggesting they can recognize close relatives in order to work together.
An ability to tell family from strangers is well known in animals, allowing them to cooperate and share resources, but plants may possess similar social skills, scientists believe.
Susan Dudley and Amanda File of McMaster University in Ontario, Canada, report they have demonstrated for the first time that plants can recognize their kin.
This suggests that plants, though lacking recognition and memory, are capable of complex social interactions.
“Plants have this kind of hidden but complicated social life，” Dudley said.
The study found plants from the same species of beach­-dwelling wildflower grew aggressively alongside unrelated neighbors but were less competitive when they shared soil with their families.
Sea rocket, a North American species, showed stronger and healthier root growth when planted in pots with strangers than when raised with relatives from the same maternal(母系的) family, the study found.
This is an example of kin selection, a behavior common in animals in which closely related individuals take a group approach to succeeding in their environment, the researchers said.
Kin selection also applies to competition, because if family members compete less with each other, the group will do better overall. “Everywhere you look, plants are growing right up next to other plants，” Dudley said，“ Usually it’s a case of each plant for itself. But sometimes those plants are related, and there are benefits to not wasting resources on being competitive, and there is not really a cost to not being competitive as long as your neighbor is also not being competitive.”
Learning and memory appear to be important for kin recognition in animals, but this isn’t an option for plants, she noted.
Some researchers speculate(猜測) that plants communicate through their roots, identifying themselves using tiny chemical signatures specific to each plant’s family.
小題1:What’s the main idea of the message?

A．Studies find plants can recognize, communicate with relatives.

B．Kin selection is important for plants.

C．Animals can recognize and memorize their relatives.

D．Competition asks plants to recognize their relatives.

小題2:Which of the following is NOT right about animals’ social skill?

A．Animals can recognize and memorize their relatives.

B．Animals’ social skill is to cooperate and share resources.

C．Animals’ social skill can recognize close relatives in order to work together.

D．Animals’ social skill is no use at all.

小題3:Plants’ kin selection is to ________.

A．grow well	B．compete with other kinds of plants
C．strengthen the relationship among siblings	D．find which one is the best

小題4:From the passage，we learn that ________.

A．sea rocket is a South American species

B．sea rocket grows aggressively alongside unrelated neighbors

C．sea rocket grows aggressively alongside its siblings

D．sea rocket is a kind of bush without flowers

小題5:How can the plants communicate with each other according to experts’ suppose?

A．Plants communicate by using tiny chemical signatures specific to each plant’s family.

B．Plants communicate with each other through their roots.

C．Plants communicate with each other by their leaves.

D．Plants communicate with each other with their flowers.