DOES the Yangtze River still have baiji（白鰭豚）, the graceful, grey dolphin with tiny eyes and a long narrow beak? Since November 6, a team of scientists from China, Switzerland, the United Kingdom, the United States, Germany and Japan have been searching for any sign of the freshwater dolphin on the middle and lower sections of the river. After six weeks, they came back empty-handed.

Wang Ding, of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, who is the head of the team, said he has seen a sharp decline in the baiji population over the past few decades. However, he is still unwilling to call the species extinct, and adds, “We will try every effort to save them as long as they are not found to be extinct.”

The baiji is shy and nearly blind and is one of the world’s oldest dolphin species. It dates back some 20 million years and is found only in the Yangtze. It's listed as one of the 12 most endangered animal species in the world.

Around 400 baiji were believed to be living in the Yangtze until the 1980s. 1 A 1997 survey spotted 13. Two years later their numbers were down to two.

The rapid disappearance of this dolphin over the past two decades coincided with the rapid expansion of economic development along the river. Research on some dead baiji collected in recent years showed that more than 90 per cent of the deaths were caused by human activities.

One reason is that over-fishing has cut the dolphin's food sources. Dams built along the river and neighbouring waterways have also kept them from swimming into and out of their habitats (居住地). Meanwhile, waste discharge (排放) has seriously polluted the river. And heavy river traffic has greatly reduced their living space.

The disappearance of the baiji would be the first instance of a large aquatic (水生的) mammal being driven to extinction since hunting killed off the monk seal around 1952.

1．Which of the following statements is true?

       A．The baiji is already extinct.

       B．Man is mainly responsible for the sharp decline in the number of baiji.

       C．There are about 12 baijis now in China.

       D．Human activities make the baiji almost blind.

2．What does the underlined sentence mean?

       A．People don’t find out the fact that the baiji is already extinct.

       B．We shouldn’t give up saving the baiji despite its limited number.

       C．Our effort is worthless if we can’t protect the baiji.

       D．Effort will lead to more population growth of the baiji.

3．Monk seal is talked about in the last paragraph in order to show        .

       A．baijis might be faced with the same threat as monk seals

       B．the monk seal is one of the large aquatic mammals

       C．mammals are more likely to be killed off

       D．the number of monk seals was very small

4．According to the passage, all the measures to help save baiji are mentioned except        .

       A．reducing the number of the ships traveling in the river

       B．building fewer dams along the river

       C．limiting and controlling the amount of fishing

       D．conducting more scientific research on the baiji

I heard a story about two workers who were interviewed by a reporter. The reporter asked the first worker, “What are you doing?” His  1  was to   2  that he was almost a slave, an underpaid bricklayer who spent his days   3  his time, placing bricks on the   4  of one another.

The reporter asked the second worker the   5  question. His response,  6  , was quite different. “I’m the   7  person in the world,” he said. “I get to be a part of important and beautiful pieces of   8  ; I help   9  simple pieces of brick into fine and delicate masterpieces.”

They were both   10  The truth is, we see in life what we want to see. If you search for   11  , you’ll find   12  of it. If you want to find   13  with other people, your career, or the world in general, you’ll certainly be able to do so and find life is unfair to you always.

But the   14  is also true. If you look for the extraordinary in the   15 , you can train yourself to see it. The second bricklayer sees a magnificent church   16  pieces of brick. The question is, can you? Can you see extraordinary things that exist in our world, the extraordinary beauty of nature and the incredible miracle of human life? To me, it’s all a(n)  17  of intention. There is so much to be   18  for, so much to respect. Life is precious and extraordinary.  19  your attention on this fact and little, ordinary things will  20  on a whole new meaning.

1．A．reaction                B．thought               C．response             D．opinion

2．A．blame                   B．complain             C．praise                  D．doubt

3．A．taking                   B．enjoying              C．wondering           D．wasting

4．A．point                     B．top                      C．cover                  D．height

5．A．similar                  B．familiar                C．same                   D．popular

6．A．therefore               B．however              C．otherwise            D．moreover

7．A．funniest                B．luckiest               C．best                    D．wisest

8．A．a(chǎn)rt                        B．education             C．a(chǎn)rchitecture         D．society

9．A．tear                      B．break                  C．make                  D．turn

10．A．wrong                 B．right                    C．exact                  D．a(chǎn)ctual

11．A．  beauty               B．ugliness               C．kindness              D．evil

12．A．lot                      B．few                     C．plenty                 D．bit

13．A．fault                    B．favor                   C．hatred                 D．difference

14．A．objection             B．opposite              C．contrary              D．contrast

15．A．ordinary              B．common              C．usual                   D．regular

16．A．under                  B．on                       C．over                    D．within

17．A．a(chǎn)ffair                  B．matter                 C．event                  D．incident

18．A．respectful            B．careful                C．regretful              D．grateful

20．A．look                    B．hold                    C．take                    D．keep

Statistics from         Ministry of Information showed that in 2007, Chinese people sent 429.6 billion short messages through mobile phones,         daily average of up 1.2 billion.

A．the; a                         B．a(chǎn); the                  C．the; the               D．a(chǎn); a

It’s a secret. Why don’t we go and talk about this somewhere quieter?         , you know.

A．Once bitten, twice shy                                B．Walls have ears

C．Money talks                                               D．Like father, like son

My father enjoys a cup of coffee sometimes, but he         drinks tea.

A．mostly                       B．a(chǎn)lmost                 C．yearly                 D．nearly

         his flight is delayed because of heavy fog, I can go to Tahiti in place of him surprised me. I am not that kind of person.

A．If                              B．That                    C．That if                D．When if

Doctors, it seems that I         my breath. It has been like that for weeks.

A．a(chǎn)lways catch                                              B．have always caught

C．will always catch                                        D．a(chǎn)m always catching

—What should I do with such a messy room after the party?

—          the useless stuff on the floor first.

A．Clearing away             B．Cleared away       C．Clear away          D．To clear away

Be tough-minded, but tender-headed,         ?

A．isn’t it                        B．a(chǎn)re you                C．a(chǎn)ren’t you           D．will you

Hundreds of millions of people there gave generously         the starving people’s appeal.

A．in charge of                B．in case of            C．in response to      D．in favor of