(08·寧夏、海南C篇)

Do’s and Don’ts in Whale(鯨) Watching

The Department of  Fisheries and Oceans has developed guidelines for whale watching in Johnstone Strait,where killer whales are found on a daily basis each summer．It is strongly recommended that vessel(船只) operators follow these guidelines for all kinds of whales．

●     Approach whales from the side,not from the front or the back．

●     Approach no closer than 100 metres,then stop the boat but keep the engine on．

●     Keep noise levels down—no horns,whistles or racing of engines．

●     Start your boat only after the whales are more than 100 metres from your vessel．

●     Leave the area slowly,gradually moving faster when you are more than 300 metres from the whales．

●     Approach and leave slowly,avoiding sudden changes in speed or direction．

●     Avoid disturbing groups of resting whales．

●     Keep at low speeds and remain in the same direction if travelling side by side with whales．

●     When whales are travelling close to shore,avoid crowding them near the shore or coming between the whales and the shore．

●     Limit the time spent with any group of whales to less than 30 minutes at a time when within 100 to 200 metres of whales．

●     If there is more than one vessel at the same observation spot,be sure to avoid any boat position that would result in surrounding the whales．

●     Work together by communicating with other vessels,and make sure that all operators are aware of the whale watching guidelines．

64．For whom is this text written?

A．Tour guides．                                      B．Whale watchers．

C．Vessel operators．                                D．Government officials．

65．When leaving the observation areas,the vessel should _____．

A．move close to the beach                    B．increase speed gradually

C．keep its engine running slowly            D．remain at the back of the whales

66．When going side by side with whales, the vessel should       ．

A．keep moving in the same direction

B．surround the whales with other boats

C．travel closer and closer to the shore

D．take a good viewing position

67．What is the shortest safe distance from the whales?

A．400 metres．        B．300 metres．        C．200 metres．         D．100 metres．

 (08·寧夏、海南、全國ⅠB篇)

More than 10 years ago, it was difficult to buy a tasty pineapple．The fruits that made it to the UK were green on the outside and, more often than not, hard with an unpleasant taste within．Then in 1996, the Del Monte Gold pineapple produced in Hawaii first hit our shelves．

The new type of pineapple looked more yellowy-gold than green．It was slightly softer on the outside and had a lot of juice inside．But the most important thing about this new type of pineapple was that it was twice as sweet as the hit-and-miss pineapples we had known．In no time,the Del Monte Gold took the market by storm, rapidly becoming the world’s best-selling pineapple variety,and delivering natural levels of sweetness in the mouth,up until then only found in tinned pineapple．

In nutrition (營養(yǎng)) it was all good news too．This nice-tasting pineapple contained four times more vitamin C(維生素C)than the old green variety．Nutritionists said that it was not only full of vitamins,but also good against some diseases．People were understandably eager to be able to buy this wonderful fruit．The new type of pineapple was selling fast,and the Del Monte Gold pineapple rapidly became a fixture in the shopping basket of the healthy eater．

Seeing the growing market for its winning pineapple, Del Monte tried to keep the market to itself．But other fruit companies developed similar pineapples. Del Monte turned to law for help,but failed．Those companies argued successfully that Del Monte’s attempts to keep the golden pineapple for itself were just a way to knock them out of the market．

60．We learn from the text that the new type of pineapple is ________．

A．green outside and sweet inside

B．good-looking outside and soft inside

C．yellowy-gold outside and hard inside

D．a(chǎn) little soft outside and sweet inside

61．Why was the new type of pineapple selling well?

A．It was rich in nutrition and tasted nice．

B．It was less sweet and good for health．

C．It was developed by Del Monte．

D．It was used as medicine．

62．The underlined word“fixture”in Paragraph 3 probably refers to something________．

A．that people enjoy eating                         B．that is always present

C．that is difficult to get                             D．that people use as a gift

63．We learn from the last paragraph that Del Monte________．

A．a(chǎn)llowed other companies to develop pineapples

B．succeeded in keeping the pineapple for itself

C．tried hard to control the pineapple market

D．planned to help the other companies

 (09·全國ⅡC篇)

GUATEMALA CITY （Reuters） – A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（紅樹沼澤）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted（適應(yīng)）to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.

The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs（圓木），said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.

The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.

The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.

 “We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.

In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.

Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.

Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.

 “These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition（過渡）from water onto land,” Wright said.

49. The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that _______.

A. likes eating nuts

B. prefers living in dry places

C. is the longest living fish on earth

D. can stay alive for two months out of water

50. Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?

A. Patricia Wright                          B. Researchers in Guatemala

C. Scientists from Belize                     D. Scott Taylor

51. According to the text, lungfish can________

A. breathe through its skin

B. move freely on dry land

C. remain alive out of water

D. be as active on land as in water

52. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?

A. It was made quite by accident

B. It was based on a lab test of sea life

C. It was supported by an American magazine

D. It was helped by Patricia Wright

 (09·遼寧C篇)

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.

Grirmsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川） of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer（層）of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava（巖漿） from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.

Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM. one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.

The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object.

64. What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes?

A. It is below ice.

B. It lies under the sea

C. It is the largest volcano

D. It is lava affects the airlines

65. What keeps Grimsvotn still?

A. The slow flow of water

B. The low water temperature

C. The thick glacier

D. The water pressure

66. Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?

A. People stop traveling in Europe

B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes

C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside

D. Farmers have lost many of their animals

67. This text is most probably taken from_

A. a research paper

B. a newspaper report

C. a class presentation

D. a geography textbook.

 (09·江西B篇)

The surprising experiment I am about to describe proves that air is all around you and that it proves down upon you. Air pressure is a wonderful force. When you swim underwater, you can feel water push down your body. The air all around you does the same. However, your body is so used to it that you do not notice this. The pressure is caused by a layer of air called the atmosphere. This layer surrounds the Earth, extending to about five kilometers above the Earth’s surface.

The following experiment is an easy one that you can do at home. But make sure that you are supervised, because you will need to use matches. Now foe the experiment！

What you need

·A hard-boiled egg without the shell

·A bottle with a neck slightly smaller than the egg

·A piece of paper

·A match

Metheod

1） Check that the paper will sit firmly on the neck of the bottle.

2） Tear the paper into strips and put the strips into the bottle.

3） Light the paper by dropping a burning match into the bottle.

4） Quickly sit the egg on the neck of the bottle.

Result

Astonishingly, the egg will be sucked into the bottle. Your friends will be amazed when you show them the experiment. But be careful when you handle matches.

Why it happened

As the paper burns, it needs oxygen and uses up the oxygen （air） in the bottle. The egg acts as a seal in the neck of the bottle, so no more air can get inside. This reduces the air pressure inside the bottle. The air pressure must equalize, so more air from outside must enter the bottle. The outside air pressure against the egg and then the egg is pushed into the bottle! The proves that air is all around and that it is pressing down on it.

60. Why is there the need to take care when you are doing the experiment?

A. The bottle could break.

B. You need to light the paper with a match.

C. The egg needs to be shelled.

D. The egg has to be perfectly placed on the neck of the bottle.

61. In the experiment, the burning inside the bottle can___.

A. equalize the air pressure inside and outside

B. make a seal in the neck of the bottle

C. finish up the oxygen inside the bottle

D. produce more oxygen inside the bottle

62. How did the egg put into the bottle？

A. The oxygen inside the bottle sucked the egg in.

B. It became salt without the shell.

C. The neck of the bottle was wide enough.

D. The outside air pressure forced it into the bottle.

63. The experiment is carried cut to prove ______.

A. water pushes on your body when you swim underwater.

B. the earth is surrounded by a layer of air called the atmosphere.

C. the pressure of air around us has a powerful force.

D. the air pressure is not equalized around us.

 (09·江蘇D篇)

Have you ever noticed the colour of the water in a river or stream after a heavy rainfall? What do you think caused this change in colour? It is soil that has been washed into the river from the riverbank or from t}le nearby fields．

Components of Soft

Soil is made up of a number of layers（層），each having its own distinctive colour and texture．The upper layer is known as the litter．It acts like a blanket．limiting temperature changes and reducing water loss．The topsoil layer is made up of small particles of rock mixed with rotten plant and animal matter called humus（腐殖質(zhì)），which is black and gives the topsoil its dark colour．This layer is usually rich in nutrients，oxygen，and water．Below the topsoil is the subsoil，a layer that contains more stones mixed with only small amounts of organic matter．This layer is lighter in colour because of the lack of humus．Beneath the soil lies a layer of bedrock．

Soil forms from the bottom up．Over time bedrock is attacked by rain, wind，frost, and snow．It is gradually broken down into smaller particles in a process called weathering．Plants begin to grow，and rotten materials enrich the topsoil．Most of the soil in Eastern Canada．for example．Was formed from weathered rock that was exposed when the ice disappeared l2．000 years ag0．

Water Beneath the Soil

Surface water collects and flows above the ground in lakes．ponds．a(chǎn)nd rivers．Once in the soil or rock，it is called groundwater．Gravity pulls groundwater through the soil in a process called percolation（滲透）．Eventually the water reaches a layer called the water table．Under this is bedrock through which water cannot percolate．

As water percolates downward，it dissolves organic matter and minerals from the soil and carries them to deeper layers．This causes a serious problem because plants require these nutrients for growth.

Soil pH

Soil can be acidic．neutral．or basic．The pH of the soil is determined by the nature of the rock

from which it was formed．a(chǎn)nd by the nature of t}le plants that grow and rot in it．

The acidity of rain and snow can lower the pH of the groundwater that enters the soil．By burning fossil fuels such as coal，oil and gasoline，humans have been contributing to higher levels of acidity in many soils．When fossil fuels are burned．gases are released into the air and then fall back to earth as acid rain．Acid soil increases出e problem of carrying nutrients to lower soil levels．As nutrients are removed，soil is less fertile．Plants grow more slowly in acidic soil，and also become easily attacked by diseases．

67．The layer of soil that provides necessary nutrients for plant growth is called．

A．1itter            B．topsoil            C．humus          D．subsoil

68．According to the text．which of the following is NOT true?

A．Soil forms from weathered rock on the earth surface．

B．The deeper layer of soil is darker in colour than t}le surface soil．

C．Air pollution is partially responsible for acid soil．

D．Groundwater tends to carry away nutrients for plant growth．

69．We can infer from the passage that the water table lies       ．

A．between the topsoil layer and the subsoil layer

B．in the subsoil layer above bedrock

C．between the subsoil layer and bedrock

D．in the bedrock layer beneath the subsoil

70．The underlined word “dissolve” is used to express the idea that organic matter and minerals from soil are          ．

A．rushed away into the river

B．cleaned and purified by water

C．destroyed and carried away by water

D．mixed with water and become part of it

 (09·江蘇A篇)

When women sit together to watch a movie on TV, they usually talk simultaneously（同時(shí)的）about a variety of subjects, including children, men, careers and what' s happening in their lives. When groups of men and women watch a movie together, the men usually end up telling the women to shut up. Men can either talk or watch the screen -- they can' t do both -- and they don' t understand that women can. Besides, women consider that the point of all getting together is to have a good time and develop relationships -- not just to sit there like couch potatoes staring at the screen.

During the ad breaks, a man often asks a woman to explain the plot and tell him where the relationship between the characters is going. He is unable, unlike women, to read the subtle body language signals that reveal how the characters are feeling emotionally. Since women originally spent their days with the other women and children in the group,  they developed the ability to communicate successfully in order to maintain relationships. For a woman, speech continues to have such a clear purpose: to build relationships and make friends. For men, to talk is to relate the facts.

Men see the telephone as a communication tool for sending facts and information to other people, but a woman sees it as a means of bonding. A woman can spend two weeks on vacation with her girlfriend and, when she returns home, telephone the same girlfriend and talk for another two hours.

There is no convincing evidence that social conditioning, the fact that girls' mothers talked them more, is the reason why girls talk more than boys. Psychiatrist Dr Michael Lewis, author Social Behaviour and Language Acquisition, conducted experiments that found mothers talked  to and looked at, baby girls more often than baby boys. Scientific evidence shows parents res the brain bias of their children. Since a girl' s brain is better organized to send and receive speech ,

we therefore talk to them more. Consequently, mothers who try to talk to their sons are usually pointed to receive only short grunts in reply.

56.While watching TV with others, women Usually talk a lot because they

A. are afraid of awkward silence with their families and friends

B. can both talk and watch the screen at the Same time

C. think they can have a good time and develop relationships

D. have to explain the plot and body language to their husbands

57. After a vacation with her girlfriend, a woman would talk to her again on the phone for hours in order to              .

A. experience the happy time again            B. keep a close tie with her

C. recommend her a new scenic spot           D. remind her of something forgotten

58. What does the author want to tell us most?

A. Women' s brains are better organized for language and communication

B. Women love to talk because they are more sociable than men.

C. Men do not like talking because they rely more on facts.

D. Social conditioning is not the reason why women love talking.

59. Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?

A. Women Are Socially Trained to Talk        B. Talking Maintains Relationships

C, Women Love to Talk                     D. Men Talk Differently from Women

 (09·湖南D篇)

Andrew Ritchie, inventor of the Brompton folding bicycle, once said that the perfect portable bike would be “l(fā)ike a magic carpet…You could fold it up and put it into your pocket or handbag”. Then he paused: “But you’ll always be limited by the size of the wheels. And so far no one has invented a folding wheel.”

It was a rare — indeed unique — occasion when I was able to put Ritchie right. A 19th-century inventor, William Henry James Grout, did in fact design a folding wheel. His bike, predictably named the Grout Portable, had a frame that split into two and a larger wheel that could be separated into four pieces. All the bits fitted into Grout’s Wonderful Bag, a leather case.

Grout’s aim: to solve the problems of carrying a bike on a train. Now doesn’t that sound familiar? Grout intended to find a way of making a bike small enough for train travel: his bike was a huge beast. And importantly, the design of early bicycles gave him an advantage: in Grout’s day, tyres were solid, which made the business of splitting a wheel into four separate parts relatively simple. You couldn’t do the same with a wheel fitted with a one-piece inflated （充氣的） tyre.

So, in a 21st-century context, is the idea of the folding wheel dead? It is not. A British design engineer, Duncan Fitzsimons, has developed a wheel that can be squashed into something like a slender ellipse （橢圓）. Throughout, the tyre remains inflated.

Will the young Fitzsimons’s folding wheel make it into production? I haven’t the foggiest idea. But his inventiveness shows two things. First, people have been saying for more than a century that bike design has reached its limit, except for gradual advances. It’s as silly a concept now as it was 100 years ago: there’s plenty still to go for. Second, it is in the field of folding bikes that we are seeing the most interesting inventions. You can buy a folding bike for less than £1,000 that can be knocked down so small that it can be carried on a plane — minus wheels, of course — as hand baggage.

Folding wheels would make all manner of things possible. Have we yet got the magic carpet of Andrew Ritchie’s imagination? No. But it’s progress.

69. We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the Brompton folding bike        .

A. was portable

B. had a folding wheel

C. could be put in a pocket

D. looked like a magic carpet

70. We can learn from the text that the wheels of the Grout Portable        .

A. were difficult to separate

B. could be split into 6 pieces

C. were fitted with solid tyres

D. were hard to carry on a train

71. We can learn from the text that Fitzsimons’s invention        .

A. kept the tyre as a whole piece

B. was made into production soon

C. left little room for improvement

D. changed our views on bag design

72. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Three folding bike inventors

B. The making of a folding bike

C. Progress in folding bike design

D. Ways of separating a bike wheel

 (09·湖南C篇)

People diet to look more attractive. Fish diet to avoid being beaten up, thrown out of their social group, and getting eaten as a result. That is the fascinating conclusion of the latest research into fish behavior by a team of Australian scientists.

The research team have discovered that subordinate fish voluntarily diet to avoid challenging their larger competitors. “In studying gobies we noticed that only the largest two individuals, a male and female, had breeding （繁殖） rights within the group,” explains Marian Wong. “All other group members are nonbreeding females, each being 5-10% smaller than its next largest competitor. We wanted to find out how they maintain this precise size separation.”

The reason for the size difference was easy to see. Once a subordinate fish grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it causes a fight which usually ends in the smaller goby being driven away from the group. More often than not, the evicted fish is then eaten up.

It appeared that the smaller fish were keeping themselves small in order to avoid challenging the boss fish. Whether they did so voluntarily, by restraining how much they ate, was not clear. The research team decided to do an experiment. They tried to fatten up some of the subordinate gobies to see what happened. To their surprise, the gobies simply refused the extra food they were offered, clearly preferring to remain small and avoid fights, over having a feast.

The discovery challenges the traditional scientific view of how boss individuals keep their position in a group. Previously it was thought that large individuals simply used their weight and size to threaten their subordinates and take more of the food for themselves, so keeping their competitors small.

While the habits of gobies may seem a little mysterious, Dr. Wong explains that understanding the relationships between boss and subordinate animals is important to understanding how hierarchical （等級的） societies remain stable.

The research has proved the fact that voluntary dieting is a habit far from exclusive to humans. “As yet, we lack a complete understanding of how widespread the voluntary reduction of food intake is in nature,” the researchers comment. “Data on human dieting suggests that, while humans generally diet to improve health or increase attractiveness, rarely does it improve long-term health and males regularly prefer females that are fatter than the females’ own ideal.”

65. When a goby grows to within 5-10% of the size of its larger competitor, it        .

A. faces danger                                                B. has breeding rights

C. eats its competitor                                        D. leaves the group itself

66. The underlined words “the evicted fish” in Paragraph 3 refer to        .

A. the fish beaten up                                       B. the fish found out

C. the fish fattened up                                      D. the fish driven away

67. The experiment showed that the smaller fish        .

A. fought over a feast                                                                 B. went on diet willingly

C. preferred some extra food                             D. challenged the boss fish

68. What is the text mainly about?

A. Fish dieting and human dieting.

B. Dieting and health.

C. Human dieting.

D. Fish dieting.

 (09·福建D篇)

Find Which Direction Is South

Do you have a good sense of direction? If not, please take with you a compass. But if you forget to take a compass, you can still find your way.

It’s never a good idea to imagine that the family member who was entrusted（委托）with the job of map-reading actually knows where the family is. You can tell by the slightly confused load on their faces that nothing on the ground seems to match the map. Never mind. The shu is shining and it’s still morning. If you don’t know the exact time, you can still find out where south is, but you’ll need to be patient.

①Find a straight sick and put it in the ground in a place where you can mark its shadow.

②Try to position the stick as vertically（垂直）as you can. You can check this by making a simple plumb line （鉛錘線）with a piece of string and weight. You haven’t got any string? OK, use a thread from your clothes with a button tied at the end to act as a weight.

③Mark the end of the shadow cast by the stick.

④Wait approximately half an hour and mark the end of the shadow again.

⑤Keep doing this until you have made several marks.

⑥The mark nearest the stick will represent the shortest shadow, which is cast at midday, when the sun is highest in the sky and pointing to the exact south.

⑦Pick a point in the distance along the line between the shortest shadow and the stick.

⑧That point is south of where you are.

⑨Now you can turn the map, like you did before, and find which way you should be travelling.

68. To find the direction, we ought to be patient probably because

A. it is not easy to find a proper stick      B. it is not easy to position the stick

C. it takes hours to make the marks        D. it takes about half an hour to make the marks

69. The passage would probably be most helpful to       .

A. those who draw maps           B. those who get lost

C. those who make compasses       D. those who do experiments

70. Which of the following pictures best shows the way of finding the direction of south?

71. The author presents this passage by       .

A. telling an interesting story                B. describing an activity in a lively way

C. testing an idea by reasoning               D. introducing a practical method