| students, think, outside, people, taught, important, everything |
| 阅读理解。 |
| A prairie is a type of grassland. Prairies are made up of a complete interdependent ecosystem. This means that all kinds of plants and animals in a prairie region depend on one another for survival (生存). The members of a prairie ecosystem include grasses, flowering plants, animals, soil (土壤), sand, and fire. You may look at a prairie and think there"s nothing there but grass, but that" s not true. Most of the prairie"s living things are below the ground. Underneath the prairie" s surface are roots and bulbs (根茎). The roots of the prairie flowers and grasses run deep. Some of them are as deep as 3.5 metres below the ground. It is impmtant for the roots to run deep because fires are a part of the prairie ecosystem. When a fire bums through the prairie, plants with shallow (not deep) roots can not survive. Plants that have deep root systems are able to survive the fires. When fire burns across a prairre, it bums dead plants from the top and returns those nutrients (养料) to the soil. This adds to the richness of the prairie soil. Prairies have some of the richest soil in the United States. This cycle of growth and buming has been going on for thousands of years. Big bluestem is the plant that gives parts of the prairie the name "tallgrass prairie". Big bluestem has very deep roots, and its stems (茎) are often 2 metres tall. The American bison (野牛) or buffalo, is the country" s largest land animal. Its home is on the prairies. In 1830, there were an estimated 30 million to 60 million bison in the United States. By 1889, Americans had made the bison population to fewer than l,000 animals. Through great efforts, bison are being reintroduced to the prairies. They are also kept in zoos. The bison population has grown to several hundred thousand today. Humans have put the prairie ecosystem in danger. Through constant farming, building, fire prevention, and ignorance( not knowing) of how the prairie works, the United States has lost much of its natural prairie. Through education and other work , we can hope to save some of it. |
| 1. A prairie is a type of ________. |
| A. plants B. animals C. grassland D. soil |
| 2. What is the meaning of "interdependent ecosystem" in the first line? |
| A. All things in a prairie region depend on one another. B. Animals live on plants in a prairie region. C. Fire plays an important role in a prairie region. D. Soil has a close relationship with a prairie region. |
| 3. By 1889, the bison population was ________. |
| A. about 30 million B. fewer than a thousand C. about 60 million D. several hundred thousand |
| 4. We can leam from the article that ________. |
| A. fires may destroy a prairie and therefore must be prevented B. the interdependent ecosystem is both below and above ground C. the prairie ecosystem is in danger because of farming and building D. people haven"t realized that they are losing their natural prairie |
| 阅读理解。 |
| Geography is the study of Earth and its climates. Scientists use it to study global (全球的) warming and track (跟踪) the weather. Govemments use it to leam where people live and work and to plan what to do with the land. It is now easier than event. use geography because of a science called space technology. The United States launched its first satellite in 1958. Some space missions (使命) that followed were geographical studies. In fact, earth science is a big part of the work of the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA). Astronauts looked out of the space shuttle (航天飞机). They decided to take photographs of Earth from their vantage point. Over the years, picture quality improved. Shuttle photography now shows land features, such as rivers. It can even show the streets oflarge cities. Photos of the same places at different times show how the land is changing. NASA does not use just photographs, though. In 1958 it launched TIROS (the Television Infrared Observation Satellite). This first use of a satellite to study Earth was effective (有效的) in giving weather forecasts. It led to the creation of new space tools to use in geography. The Landsat Program began in 1972. This satellite sent detailed (细致的) views of Earth from space. The pictures were so precise (精确) that scientists could count the number and kinds of crops in a field. Landsat showed where Earth"s surface had faults along which earthquakes might happen. This information helped in the planning of new cities and factories. Landsat also made discoveries. In Antarctica it located ranges of unknown mountains. It pinpointed small lakes in Virginia that were not on maps. Landsat, now more advanced, still flies today. Another space tool is Earth Observing - 1 (EO - 1). This spacecraft fiies right behind Landsat. It takes pictures of the same sites. The two sets of pictures, viewed together, show how cities grow and how other places, such as rain forests, become smaller over time. This helps scientists learn how people affect (影响) geography. One of the newest space tools is the Geographical Information Systems ( GIS). CIS is computer software that helps scientists to study Earth. CIS is different from ear- lier space tools. Businesses, schools, and even average people-not just the government-can use it to show them how changes in the planet might affect them. |
| 1. Why do govemments study geography according to the passage? |
| A. To improve the environment. B. To make the land use plan. C. To make new discoveries. D. To count the crops in a field. |
| 2. Which of the following is true according to the passage? |
| A. The U. S. satellite program began in 1972. B. Landsat was able to take pictures of other planets. C. TIROS was successful in giving weather forecasts. D. GIS can only be used by the govemment. |
| 3. EO -1 takes photographs of the same places as Landsat because _______. |
| A. the two groups of pictures can show the changes of Earth B. EO - 1 is practicing for future photography missions C. Landsat is out of date and new pictures are needed D. Landsat can"t send detailed views of Earth from space |
| 4. From the passage, we can infer that _______. |
| A. GIS is the newest computer to study Earth B. NASA only depends on photos to study Earth C. satellite pictures can give more detailed informations D. recent U. S. satellites are as advanced as the old ones |
| 阅读理解。 |
| It seems school children all over the world complain about their school food. Cherie Blair, the wife of Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that she would prepare a packed lunch for her son if school dinners do not improve. So what do students of your age eat for lunch at school? Japan High schools have canteens, which serve everything from noodles to rice, but not burgers and chips. Other children bring food from home such as cold rice balls, meat or fish, pickles and vegetables. Students take home a menu for the coming month containing notes on nutrition (营养) value. Twice a year parents are invited to have a taste of the food. The class with the fewest leftovers (剩饭) at the end of the month receives a prize. The United States A typical menu from a US school is made up of a hamburger with fried potatoes or roast chicken, lettuce and pickles, fruit and cookies. School lunches must also provide at least one-third of the daily dietary allowances (定量) of protein, vitamin A, vitamin C, iron, calcium, and calories (卡路里). Australia Meat pies, sausage rolls and hotdogs are all traditional dishes in Australian school shops. But as the nation pays more attention to children"s health, healthier foods have started to find their way onto school menus. Many schools have used a traffic light system. The sale of red-labelled foods, including pastries, chocolate and soft drinks, is served only twice a week. Healthier green-labelled foods such as sushi, sandwiches, com and watermelon, however, are served every day. In some schools, students have a choice of up t0 89 foods to choose from, including popcorn and rice. South Africa Most of South Africa"s schools do not serve meals at all. Classes end at 1:30 p. m. and students get their own lunches. Many students bring food from home, usually sandwiches. Fast food and fried food sell the best among students, which has led to a rise in obesity among children. But as more people began to realize the fact that being too fat may cause different diseases, some schools in towns have led the way towards better nutrition. Now students at these schools are provided with lunches of porridge with vegetables, such as cabbages, onions, beans, carrots and tomatoes. |
| 1. What does the underlined word "obesity" in the last paragraph probably mean? |
| A. Allowances. B. Sadness. C. Nutrition. D. Overweight. |
| 2. We can infer from the passage that _______. |
| A. a typical menu from a US school is made up of enough nutrition B. most students in South Africa eat their lunches at home C. many schools in Australia have traffic lights outside their schools D. you can have whatever you like in school canteens in Japan |
| 3. What is the main idea of the passage? |
| A. Food served in the US is the best of all. B. Schools should try to satisfy the needs of students. C. Schools serve different foods from country to country. D. School children all over the world dislike their school food. |
| 4. Who is the article meant for? |
| A. School lunch suppliers. B. Headmasters. C. Students. D. Nutritionists. |
| 阅读理解。 |
| A research shows that expressions on our faces have a strong relationship with our genes (基因). According to the study, facial expressions of our feelings are innate and are not achieved in cultural learning. This is the first research to show that blind people have the same facial expressions as the sighted when showing certain feelings-the same facial muscles (肌肉) start working. What"s more, the research gives the new method of how people control their feelings in certain social situations. It states that people do not leam to manage their facial expressions by examining the expressions of others. In his study, David Matsumoto, San Francisco State University Psychology Professor, examined facial expressions of bhnd and sighted judo athletes (柔员) that took part in the Summer Olympics and Paralympics (残奥会). He examined over 4 800 pictures of different athletes who came from 23 countries. Matsumoto found that both blind and sighted sportsmen had the same facial expressions, according to a specific social situation. "This suggests genes decide facial expressions of feelings," he said. One of his findings was the "social smiles" of judo athletes who lost their match and got the second place. It is interesting to find that only mouth muscles are used in social smiles, while during real smiles, shown when a person is really happy, the eyes of a person twinkle and get smaller and the cheeks (脸颊) rise. "Losers pu8hed their lower lip up as if to control the feeling on their face and many produced social smiles," said Matsumoto. "People blind from birth were unable to leam to manage their feelings with the help of examining others" facial expressions." He thought that there must be another system involved. "It"s possible that in order to hide sad feelings, humans have developed a system that closes the mouth so that they are stopped from crying, biting or rudeness," he said. |
| 1. The underlined word "innate" in the first paragraph means _____. |
| A. from birth B. from daily life C. from others D. from teaching |
| 2. According to the passage, real smiles are different from social smiles in _____. |
| A. opening the eyes B. using facial muscles C. closing the mouth D. watching others" expressions |
| 3. How does the writer make us believe the new findings? |
| A. By telling us an interesting story. B. By interviewing some researchers. C. By showing the results of the research. D. By giving the answers to the questions. |
| 4. Which can be the best title for the passage? |
| A. Smiles and Olympics B. Blind and Sighted Athletes C. Social Smiles and Real Smiles D. Genes and Facial Expressions |