The African elephant, which is the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and under-bushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Disappearance of African elephants.

B. The effect of African elephants’ search for food.

C. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.

D. The eating habit of African elephants.

2.What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?

A. Fixing the time.

B. Deciding the conditions.

C. Improving the quality.

D. Worsening the state.

3.What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?

A. They result from the destruction of rain forests.

B. They provide food mainly for African elephants.

C. They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds.

D. They are home to many endangered animals.

4.The passage is developed mainly by ______.

A. giving examples

B. pointing out similarities and differences

C. describing the changes in space order

D. showing the effect and then explaining the causes

閱讀下面短文，按照句子結(jié)構(gòu)的語法性和上下文連貫的要求，在空格處填入一個適當(dāng)?shù)脑~或使用括號中詞語的正確形式填空。

One day an elderly teacher took a walk through a forest, with a pupil by his side. Suddenly he 1. （stop）and pointed to four plants close at hand. The first was just beginning to appear slowly above the ground, the second had rooted itself pretty well into the earth, the third was a small short tree, while the fourth was 2. full-sized tree. The tutor said to his young 3. （company）,“Pull up the first plant.” The boy did so eagerly, 4. （use）only his fingers．

“Now pull up the second.” The youth obeyed 5. found that the task was 6. （difficult）.

“Do the same 7. the third, ” he urged．The boy had to use all his strength to uproot it．

“Now, ” said the instructor, “try your hand with the fourth．” The pupil put his arms around the trunk of the tall tree and couldn’t even shake 8. leaves．“This, my son, is just 9. happens with our bad habits．When they are young, we can remove them easily; but when they are old, it’s hard to pull them out of the ground, 10. we pray and struggle ever so sincerely!”

Proudly reading my words, I glanced around the room, only to find my classmates bearing big smiles on their faces and tears in their eyes. Confused, I glanced toward my stone-faced teacher. Having no choice, I slowly raised the report I had slaved over, hoping to hide myself. “What could be causing everyone to act this way?”

Quickly, I flashed back to the day Miss Lancelot gave me the task. This was the first real talk I received in my new school. It seemed simple: go on the Internet and find information about a man named George Washington. Since my idea of history came from an ancient teacher in my home country, I had never heard of that name before. As I searched the name of this fellow, it became evident that there were two people bearing the same name who looked completely different! One invented hundreds of uses for peanuts, while the other led some sort of army across America. I stared at the screen, wondering which one my teacher meant. I called my grandfather for a golden piece of advice; flip (擲) a coin. Heads—the commander, and tails—the peanuts guy. Ah! Tails, my report would be about the great man who invented peanut butter, George Washington Carver.

Weeks later, standing before this unfriendly mass, I was totally lost. Oh well, I lowered the paper and sat down at my desk, burning to find out what I had done wrong. As a classmate began his report, it all became clear, “My report is on George Washington, the man who started the American Revolution.” The whole world became quite! How could I know that she meant that George Washington?

Obviously, my grade was awful. Heartbroken but fearless, I decided to turn this around. I talked to Miss Lancelot, but she insisted: No re-dos; no new grade. I felt that the punishment was not justified, and I believed I deserved a second chance. Consequently, I threw myself heartily into my work for the rest of the school year. Ten months later, that chance unfolded as I found myself sitting in the headmaster’s office with my grandfather, now having an entirely different conversation. I smiled and flashed back to the embarrassing moment at the beginning of the year as the headmaster informed me of my option to skip the sixth grade. Justice is sweet!

1. What did the author’s classmates think about his report?

A. interesting B. ridiculous.

C. boring. D. puzzling.

2.Why was the author confused about the task?

A. He was unfamiliar with American history.

B. He followed the advice and flipped a coin.

C. He forgot his teacher’s instruction.

D. He was new at the school.

3. The underlined word “burning” in Para. 3 probably means _______.

A. annoyed B. ashamed C. ready D. eager

4.In the end, the author turned things around _______.

A. by redoing his task

B. through his own efforts

C. with the help of his grandfather

D. under the guidance of his headmaster

附加題（30分）

When I was a law professor, a student reported that I made an error in grading his exam by giving him too many points. He was _____ and after thanking him for his honesty, I changed the ______ in my records. His beaming (歡笑的) face turned to _____. “You’re lowering my grade?” he said angrily. “I would never have come in ______ ……”. He didn’t finish the _____, but it was obvious that his display of honesty was false. He thought he’d have it all— praise and the ______ grade. Several colleagues thought I should have let the higher grade _____ because all I’d accomplished was to discourage him from being ______ in the future. And every time I tell this _____, some people agree with this remark. But I can’t see how I could give good ______ for worsening my mistake in grading by undermining (損害) the honesty of all my grades by failing to ______ an error. The grade itself would be a dishonest ______ of his knowledge and it would have been _____to other students. How could I possibly give a student a gift of an_____ grade? I know _____ reporting an error in one’s favor is unusual, but, like ______ extra change, it’s clearly the right thing to do. People of character, those with real honesty, hate to give up benefits as ______ as anyone else. The difference is that for them a good conscience and reputation is _____enough to give reason for the cost of doing the right thing. Perhaps lowering the student’s grade did ______ him from being honest in the future, but bribing (賄賂) him to be honest so that he does the right thing when it’s cost-free would have _____him even more. The duty to be honest is about right and wrong, not risks and rewards.

1.A. wise B. right C. rigid D. angry

2.A. file B. note C. name D. grade

3.A. grief B. shock C. happiness D. silence

4.A. whether B. which C. if D. what

5.A. sentence B. word C. exam D. lesson

6.A. higher B. lower C. more D. less

7.A. move B. stand C. change D. drop

8.A. brave B. adventurous C. honest D. dull

9.A. man B. story C. way D. exam

10.A. state B. cause ` C. excuse D. result

11.A. make B. mind C. avoid D. correct

12.A. reaction B. sense C. sign D. reflection

13.A. unfair B. cruel C. tough D. funny

14.A. unfinished B. undone C. unearned D. unquestioned

15.A. actively B. secretly C. voluntarily D. curiously

16.A. receiving B. returning C. earning D. paying

17.A. many B. well C. good D. much

18.A. pleasure B. reward C. content D. honor

19.A. discourage B. influence C. protect D. separate

20.A. improved B. encouraged C. ruined D. blamed

We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells—but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)? Shouldn’t we know who they are?

Joan Mclean thinks so．In fact，Mclean，a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range，feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic．In addition to learning“who”invented“what”，however，Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the“why’’and‘‘how”questions．According to Mclean．“When students learn the answers to these questions，they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try．’’

Her students agree．One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’s statement．“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention，”said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major，“I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive．”Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer．

So，just what is the story behind the windshield wiper Well，Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City．The day was cold and stormy，but Anderson still wanted to see the sights，so she jumped aboard a streetcar．Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield，she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built—in device for cleaning the window．Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham，Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions．One of her ideas，a lever(操作桿)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside，became the first windshield wiper．

Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations．It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A．Morgan’s traffic light．It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J．Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible．Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?

1.By mentioning“traffic light”and“windshield wiper”．the author indicates that countless inventions are__________．

A．beneficial，because their inventors are famous

B．beneficial，though their inventors are less famous

C．not useful，because their inventors are less famous

D．not useful，though their inventors are famous

2.Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to__________.

A．a(chǎn)dd color and variety to students’campus life

B．inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention

C．carry out the requirements by Mountain University

D．prepare students to try their own inventions

3.Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was____．

A．not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer

B．inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper

C．due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm

D．not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures

4.Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?

A．How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers

B．How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window

C．Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper

D．Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities

閱讀下列材料，在空白處填入適當(dāng)?shù)膬?nèi)容(不多于3個單詞)或括號內(nèi)單詞的正確形式。

Do you like travelling? Staying1.________ (health)while 2.________ (travel)can help to ensure your trip is a happy and enjoyable one．When you are travelling abroad，here are the tips you need 3. ________ (make)your trip much 4.________ (easy)．

Make sure you have got a signed passport(護照)and a visas．Also，before you go，fill in the emergency information page of your passport! Make two copies of your passport identification page．This will help a lot if your passport 5. ________ (steal)．Leave one copy at home with friends or relatives．Carry the other 6.________ you in a separate place from your passport．

Read the Public Announcements or Travel Warnings for the countries you plan to visit．Get yourself familiar with local laws and customs of the countries to 7.________you are travelling．

Leave a copy of your itinerary(旅行計劃)with your family or friends at home so that you can be contacted in case of an emergency．

Do not accept packages from strangers．Do not carry too much money or 8.________ (necessary) credit cards．If we make enough9.________ (prepare)，We will succeed．Have 10.________good time !

—David, can you tell me where I will _______ a good second-hand bike at a low price?

—You should turn to George, for he is a well-informed man.

A. make up B. hold up C. pick up D. take up

Tom nearly missed the flight ______doing too much shopping.

A. on top of B. as a result of

C. because D. in need of

A recent study suggests that teenagers who switch off the TV and sit down to family meals are less _______ to suffer eating disorders.

A. likely B. possible C. probable D. sure

—Well, did you miss the early train?

—Yes, but had I hurried, I _______.

A. shouldn’t B. hadn’t have

C. wouldn’t D. wouldn’t have