WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ---- About 140 pilot whales that stranded(使...搁浅) themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday.
The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years and inspired 80 workers and volunteers to help out.
By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.
He said the workers and volunteers worked throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them during Saturday night's high tide.
"We've had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country," Lamason said.
He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that although hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again.
Lamason said the scale(规模) of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and mentally.
"It's very sad, they're very intelligent animals," he said. "The common view is that it's part of nature."
The focus will now turn to the dead whales, and the enormous task of dealing with the remains, Lamason said, adding that in the past helpers have typically buried them in the sand, but that he's not sure what the approach will be this time.
He said the department had been experimenting with moving the the dead whales into the water, which has the advantage of providing food for other sea creatures.
1.Why did the volunteers have to wait until Saturday before they could refloat the whales?
A. Because they were very busy on Friday.
B. Because they had to wait for the sea water to rise.
C. Because the whales were too intelligent.
D. Because the whales were buried deep in the sand.
2.Which of the following words can be used to describe Lamason's attitude towards the result of refloating the whales?
A. Doubtful. B. Optimistic.
C. Positive. D. Careless.
3.What did Lamason say about the feelings of the workers and volunteers?
A. They were very happy to see so many whales.
B. They thought refloating the whales was not a hard job.
C. They were physically tired and emotionally hurt.
D. They believed that this is very natural.
4.How will the volunteers deal with the dead whales this time according to Lamason?
A. They will bury them in the sand.
B. They will throw them into the ocean.
C. They will feed them to other sea creatures.
D. They do not have any exact idea yet.
Humans have launched themselves into the outer space. They've landed on the moon. They've built habitable space stations that orbit the Earth. The next giant leap for mankind is to reach another planet–specifically, Mars.
The problem is that it's no easy task. The planet is 586 times further away from the Earth than the moon, and it'll take around 180 to 220 days to reach Mars, depending on where each planet is in its orbit. Such long periods in space have suggested many potential health problems, including hormonal changes, skin conditions, and muscle and bone deterioration (损耗).
Here's where some furry friends come in. A wide range of animals have been in space, from fruit flies and spiders to cats, and dogs. Such experiments began as far back as the late 1940s in first tests to see if living things could withstand the extreme g-force (重力) of a rocket launch.
Mice continue to play a very important part in space experiments, mainly because the animals make excellent test subjects. They're small, which makes them inexpensive and easy to care for. In addition, their size and short life span make it possible to do the equivalent of several human years of tests in a much shorter time. Finally, because mice are mammals, they share many common characteristics with humans in terms of genetics, biology and behavior.
Astromice have hit the headlines recently, as a team of scientists led by Betty Nusgens, professor of biology at the University of Liege in Belgium, found that the mice suffered a 15 percent thinning of their skin after 91 days aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
This experiment was part of a wider NASA mission (任务) called the Mice Drawer System (MDS). The Italian Space Agency developed the facility, which allows six mice to be housed, monitored, and automatically fed and watered aboard the ISS, among which three survived during the mission.
The mice have participated in 20 separate experiments, to study such effects as osteoporosis (骨质疏松症), anemia (贫血) and heart health.
Results for the 20 experiments are coming in gradually. But it's clear that mice continue to play an important role in the ongoing quest to conquer the final frontier.
1.We can infer from Paragraphs 2-3 that ______.
A. Mars is the farthest planet away from Earth discovered so far
B. animals that have been sent into space have mostly survived
C. it was in the late 1940s that animals were first sent to the ISS
D. he journey to Mars could put humans' health at risk
2.The underlined word "withstand"in Para.3 means _________.
A. set up B. hold up
C. work out D. come across
3.According to Betty Nusgens and her team, the mice aboard the ISS ______.
A. suffered the loss of part of their skin
B. all survived for the duration of the mission
C. were fed and watered by the astronauts
D. participated in 20 experiments that made great breakthroughs
4.The main purpose of the article is to _____.
A. describe the role mice play in scientific research
B. report on the results of the Mice Drawer System
C. analyze how mice could pave the way to Mars
D. change people's traditional attitudes toward mice
What is the most important day of your life? For many people the answer is your Wedding Day—the day when you marry another person and promise to live together as husband and wife for the rest of your lives.
Wedding celebrations differ from country to country—in China the bride wears red while in India the wedding continues for three days. However, in Britain the bride wears white and wedding usually only lasts for one day.
In the UK it is possible to get married in a religious or civil ceremony. A religious ceremony takes place in a church. A civil ceremony, on the other hand, can be held in an office, in a hotel, or even on a boat.
On the day of the wedding the bride and groom are kept separate until the ceremony. It is said to be bad luck if the groom sees the bride in her dress before the wedding. The bride arrives at the ceremony accompanied by her father and bridesmaids. They officially give her away to her new husband. During the ceremony the happy couple exchange vows and give each other wedding rings which they will wear forever. At the end of the ceremony they kiss.
Afterwards they go outside where friends and family throw rice or color papers over them and then they go on to the reception where there is a lot of food and drink. After the meal the father of the bride and the best man make speeches. Then the bride and groom take the first dance. It is a lot of fun. Finally, at the end of the party the newly-weds leave to go on honeymoon, usually to a very romantic destination.
1.What function is the first two paragraphs?
A. To tell us that we have most important day in our life.
B. To tell us Wedding day is the day when you marry another person and promise to live together.
C. To tell us that people hold wedding.
D. To attract reader's attention to the topic weddings in Britain.
2.What does the underlined word ‘newly-weds' (Para 5) mean?
A. The bridegroom. B. The bride.
C. The newly-married couple. D. The best man.
3.What can we infer from the passage?
A. People all over the world pay a great deal attention to Wedding Day.
B. In Britain the bride wears white.
C. Wedding celebrations differ from country to country.
D. In India the wedding can continue for three days.
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. People in Britain usually get married in a religious or civil ceremony.
B. On the wedding day, the bridegroom can't see the bride in a dress.
C. The bride's father will give her away to the bridegroom.
D. The bride and bridegroom will take the first dance.
Qibao Ancient Village
Qibao, located in the center of Minhang District, Shanghai, is a village with a history of one thousand years. In the village, wine and tea are served on old-fashioned square tables together with long benches, long-mouth copper pots and flat-end chopstick used. The most famous snacks in old Shanghai are square pastry, rice wine and steamed salted pork in wine.
Telephone: 021-21087225
Entrance Ticket: 45 yuan per all-in-one ticket (preferable price of 30 yuan is available now), covering almost all tourist attractions inside the village.
Jinshan Village of Farmer Painting
Villagers skillfully make good use of folk arts such as printing and dyeing, embroidery (刺绣), wood carving. They take the various folk customs and the busy scenes of labor of villagers in the lower Changjiang valley as the theme of paintings and create farmer paintings in a simple style.
Telephone: 021-57355555
Entrance Ticket: 30 yuan/person
Merry Countryside Tour in Zhonghua Village
The village provides tourists with accommodations, tours, chess, cards, fitness and entertainment through renting out separate farmhouse and sells tourist products and agricultural by-products related to the merry countryside tour.
Telephone: 021-57395433
Entrance Ticket: Free
Pudong Lingkong Agric Gardening
It is one of Shanghai countryside tour scenic spots, which features art of teapots, crop plantation and export. The Geological Science Popularization Hall stores up tens of thousands of rare stones collected all over the world.
Telephone: 021-33935557
Entrance Ticket: 50 yuan/person
1.Which tour is offering a discount on the entrance ticket now?
A. Qibao Ancient Village.
B. Jinshan Village of Farmer Painting.
C. Merry Countryside Tour in Zhonghua Village.
D. Pudong Lingkong Agric Gardening.
2.Pudong Lingkong Agric Gardening may especially attract people who are interested in______.
A. traditional snacks B. folk arts
C. farming D. rare stones
3.What is the theme shared by the four tours?
A. Countryside life. B. Agricultural achievements.
C. City developments. D. Traditional customs.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What must you do for the English course?
A. Take a test. B. Finish the previous level.
C. Study a specific culture.
2.Why is history open at all levels?
A. Students have different levels.
B. Different teachers teach courses.
C. Cultures and time periods vary.
3.What is included in the optional courses?
A. History. B. Science. C. English.
4.What will the speaker do for the students?
A. Help them arrange their courses.
B. Help them sign up for a course.
C. Help them find room in a course.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What would Joe probably do during the Thanksgiving holiday?
A. Go to a play. B. Visit Kingston. C. See a car show.
2.What is Ariel going to do in Toronto?
A. Attend a party. B. Meet her aunt. C. Stay at home.
3.Why is Ariel in a hurry to leave?
A. To call up Betty. B. To pick up Daniel. C. To buy some DVDs.
4.What might be the relationship between the speakers?
A. Classmates. B. Fellow workers. C. Guide and tourist.
