Dangerous creatures

Some beach creatures are wonderful—like dolphins, but others are dangerous. Find out more about the dangerous ones –puffer fish, blue ringed octopus, and stingrays.

The blue ringed octopus is not a very big creature but it is very dangerous.

These octopuses are found all around the coast of Australia. They often lie in rock pools close to shore.

The blue ringed octopus is usually a dull colour but it shows its bright blue rings when it is in danger. If it is taken out of the water by someone, it is able to bite him and poison him.

If this creature bites someone, he will feel numbness (麻木) around the mouth, face and neck, Puffer Fish

Puffer Fish are found in all Australian seas. They are very easy to catch but must not be eaten because their flesh contains a poison.

Anyone who does eat the flesh can become sick very quickly. They may even stop breathing.

The Blue Bottle is found in most Australian waters. Blue Bottles float lightly on the surface of the water but their tentacles(觸角)can be as long as 10 meters.

Blue Bottles are much less dangerous than some other jellyfish, but they can give a swimmer a bad sting(刺) if the swimmer accidentally touches them.

There are many different kinds of stingrays in Australian waters. They usually swim and feed on the bottom of the sea. Accidents can happen if people stand on them or try to pick them up.

Stingrays have a sting on their tail. These stings have poison on them. If someone is stung, the wound can easily become infected.

1.If you swim in Australian waters, you will probably             .

       A．be bitten by the blue ringed octopus

       B．stop breathing because of Puffer Fish

       C．get a bad sting by the Blue Bottle

       D．become infected by stingrays

2.According to the text, the less aggressive (侵略性)creature is            .

       A．the blue ringed octopus                        B．puffer fish

       C．the blue bottle                                     D．stingrays

3.According to this passage, the correct one of the following is that           .

       A．a(chǎn)ll creatures along the coast of Australia are dangerous

       B．poisonous creatures change the body color when in danger

       C．no accident will happen unless people touch these creatures

       D．if people stand on the beach, accidents can happen because of creatures

4.The main idea of this passage is about             .

      A．dangerous creatures in the sea               B．interesting creatures in the ocean

       C．wild creatures in Australia seas              D．different creatures in Australian waters

 If your idea of a good time is to sleep in a hut, carry your own rubbish, and eat insects and wild animals, then ecotourism may be just for you. But is it also for people who want to fly over a rainforest sky before checking into a comfortable and expensive hotel in the middle of a national park? Whatever ecotourism is, it is hot--perhaps too hot for its own good.

The World Tourism Organization claims that the industry looked after 592 million travelers last year who spent $423 billion, and of all the types of tourism, ecotourism seems to be the fastest growing. By the broadest measure -- a trip with some sort of nature or wilderness element -- ecotourism already accounts for perhaps a third of these travelers. On a stricter definition favored by the Ecotourism Society, it is “responsible travel that preserves natural environments and keeps up the well-being of local people,” which accounts for no more than 5% of tourism.

Ideally, ecotourism helps both people and nature. Before the disastrous civil war, Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project was one such model. Visits to the gorillas were limited, local guides ensured good behavior or on the part of the humans, and the high admission charge - $170 a day -- paid for salaries and presentation of the gorillas’ living areas. As this made the gorillas worth more alive than dead, poaching (偷獵) decreased. As another example, preservation Cooperation, Africa’s largest ecotour operator, uses only local labor, buys products 5om local farmers, and supports building projects: such as clinics and schools. This contribution to social advance is also good business sense. Projects from which local people benefit directly are less likely to be affected by poaching and theft.

Ecotourism’s biggest problem is labeling. Going on an eco-tour is no guarantee of good ecology. So far, only Australia has an official system to grade tour operators and tourist attractions on the basis of their “greenness”. Another issue is how eco-tourists damage the environment. Dolphin-feeding, for instance, is innocent and enjoyable, but after too many free meals, the dolphins forget how to catch their own dinners.

Keeping prices high is one way to limit enthusiasm. But measuring the effect of ecotourism on human environments is trickier. It is common, for villagers to see ecotourism as a source of new income. Hence, the very tourists who venture in search of traditional cultures end up breaking them up. As ecotourism becomes more popular, it will finally threaten the very things that are good for business.

1.According to the passage, ecotourism may _________.

A. harm its own purpose by becoming too popular

B. save the environment by becoming more popular

C. harm its own purpose by becoming less popular

D. save the environment by becoming less popular

2.Within the tourism industry as a whole, ecotourism _____________.

A. has no single, clear definition that would satisfy everybody

B. has expanded less rapidly than other types of tourism

C. claims that no comfortable hotels should be used by tourists

D. most often has a negative effect on local culture

3.Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project is a good example because ___________.

A. tourists were free to visit the gorillas whenever they wanted to

B. local people’s attitudes toward animals were not affected

C. the gorillas were protected from both tourists and local people

D. the gorillas’ living area was modernized because of the high admission

4. _________ most directly benefits the local community.

A. Rwanda’s Mountain Gorilla Project            B. Preservation Corporation

C. Australia’s grading system                            D. Dolphin-feeding

Do you enjoy seeing the stars twinkling at night ? Or do you love the ocean and sea, diving and racing with lovely dolphins? With heavy burdens on their shoulders, teenagers find it hard to pull out. Even if they are free, they prefer to occupy themselves with computer games or watching TV. How to get children away from screens is a great concern for parents. Now there is some good news for those concerned parents and teachers.

A campaign is being launched to encourage children to surrender 30 minutes of screen time a day to head for the great outdoors.

The newly formed Wild Network – a collaboration of nearly 400 organizations – is attempting to attract youngsters away from television and computer screen and into fields, woods and parks.

Organizers say it is the UK's biggest ever campaign to reconnect children with nature and outdoor play, and claim it could help improve fitness, mental alertness and general well–being.

A documentary film, Project Wild Thing, will herald the launch at more than 50 cinemas across the UK from Friday. It looks at the increasingly fragile link between children and nature.

Members of the network include the National Trust, RSPB, Play England and the NHS sustainable development unit.

Andy Simpson, chairman of the Wild Network, said: "The tragic truth is that kids have lost touch with nature and the outdoors in just one generation. Time spent outdoors is down, roaming ranges have fallen drastically, activity levels are declining and the ability to identify common species has been lost."

Suggestions of how to get more time in nature include collecting conkers(板栗), camping or snail racing, and observing autumn colour on trees.

From January, the network will aim to make suggestions to politicians on how government can do more to get children muddy and bright-eyed.

This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up. Children in the 1980s were entreated to do the same by the BBC TV series Why Don't You, which somewhat confusingly called on its viewers to "switch off your TV set, and go do something less boring instead".

1.What is the main purpose of the campaign in UK?

A. To save 30 minutes for watching TV programme each day.

B. To encourage children to play outdoors.

C. To see the documentary film, Project Wild Thing.

D. To teach students how to learn more efficiently in schools.

2.According to the organizers of Wild Network, there will be many advantages from the campaign except _______.

A. improving health conditions

B. keeping touch with nature

C. learning more about wildlife

D. teaching children how to make full use of their spare time

3.The underlined part “ to get children muddy and bright-eyed ” means “_______ ”.

A. to make children covered with mud

B. to urge politicians to do more things for children

C. to encourage children to take part in outdoors activities

D. to help children identify common species

4.Which of the following could be the best title for the passage?

A. A new campaign.                                                          B. Less screen, more play outdoors.

C. A newly formed Wild Network.                                 D. Children get to know wild things.