Directions: Translate the following sent...

Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage in no more than 60 words. Use your own words as far as possible.

Lower Oxygen Levels Threaten Marine Life

Oxygen in the oceans is being lost at an alarming rate, with “dead zones” expanding rapidly and hundreds more areas showing oxygen dangerously exhausted, putting sharks, tuna, marlin and other large fish species at particular risk. Dead zones, where oxygen is effectively absent, have quadrupled(翻两番) in extent in the last half-century, and there are also at least 700 areas where oxygen is at dangerously low levels, up from 45 when research was undertaken in the 1960s.

The reasons behind this environmental collapse are multiple. Among all, pollutants generated by the industrial world have been the most destructive force to cause the unbalance, including a rising tide of plastic waste, as well as other pollutants. Seas are about 26% more acidic than in pre-industrial times because of absorbing the excess carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, according to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, with damaging impacts on shellfish in particular.

Low oxygen levels are also associated with global heating, because the warmer water holds less oxygen and the heating causes stratification(分层), so there is less of the vital mixing of oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor layers. Oceans are expected to lose about 3-4% of their oxygen by the end of this century, but the impact will be much greater in the levels closest to the surface, where many species are concentrated, and in the mid to high latitudes.

Another major cause for lower oxygen is intensive farming. When excess artificial fertilizer from crops, or wastes from the meat industry, runs off the land and into rivers and seas, it feeds algae(藻类) which bloom and then cause oxygen consumption as they die and decay.

The problem of dead zones has been known about for decades, but little has been done to tackle it. Now is high time to take actions and help the oceans function better.

Directions: After reading the passage below, choose the best answers from the six statements according to what you have just read.

The price of a piece of history

A fresh lemon can be purchased for less than $1. But in 2008, Cowan's Auctions in Cincinnati sold a lemon blackened with age for $2,350.

What was so special about this lemon? 1. According to a handwritten note in ink attached to a partly sealed bottle containing the lemon, the fruit was picked in May 1842 by Washington's "old gardener" some 43 years after the first president's death

Two thousand dollars is a lot to pay for produce, even from the estate of a founding father. This sale, however, just might be considered a bargain compared with prices paid for other historical collectibles in recent years. 2.

Collecting a piece of history, or an object associated with a famous person, is not brand new. Ordinary objects with extraordinary stories have increasingly been coming to auction and achieving high prices, says Thomas Venning, director of Christie's department of books and manuscripts in London. Prices are being driven up, he says, by collectors in the U.S. and, increasingly, in Asia. The Hawking wheelchair, for example, was purchased by a private museum in China.

3. For one thing, their history of ownership is both crucial and sometimes difficult to prove. Photographs of the famous person with the object, as well as documentation (such as letters, diaries or recollections by acquaintances referring to the object) can also help.  4. To evaluate the value of a Picasso painting, one can look at recent prices paid for other Picasso paintings of the same period, similar size or style. Finding another recent sale of a lemon planted by George Washington is a different matter.

Katie Horstman, head of Cowan's American History department, says she could find no comparable items for the lemon as she prepared the piece for its auction. Ms. Horstman nevertheless eventually arrived at the estimated value at $3,000 to $4,000, she says, by researching auction records for objects somehow associated with Washington that had appeared on the market.

Cowans ended up estimating the value of the lemon at $3,000 to $4,000, according to description on its website. Objects associated with Washington these days, Ms. Horstman says, can sell for anywhere from 1,000 up to tens of thousands of dollars.

A. Stephen Hawking’s wheelchair fetched 296, 750 at a sale at Christie's in London last November.

B. Yet determining potential values of such objects isn't easy.

C. It was said to be from a tree planted by George Washington at Mount Vernon.

D. The auction result surely drew the attention from both the business and economics worlds.

E. The uniqueness of many of these objects further complicates efforts to put a value on them.

F. Therefore the unique value of many objects proved the worth of collection.

    Archaeologists used DNA taken from a broken clay pipe stem found in Maryland to build a picture of an enslaved woman who died around 200 years ago and had origins in modern-day Sierra Leone. One researcher called the work “a mind-blower.”

“In this particular context, and from that time period, I think it's a first,” team member Hannes Schroeder told The Washington Post. “To be able to get DNA from an object like a pipe stem is quite exciting. Also it is exciting for descendant(后裔) communities... Through this technology, they're able to make a connection not only to the site but potentially back to Africa.”

The pipe stem was found at the Belvoir plantation in Crownsville, Maryland, where enslaved people lived until 1864 and where a likely slave cemetery was recently found. DNA taken from the pipe linked back to a woman either directly from or descended from the Mende people, who lived in west Africa, in an area now part of Sierra.

Julie Schablitsky, the chief archaeologist with the Maryland state highway administration, told The Post the discovery, based on saliva(唾液) absorbed into the clay pipe, was a “mind-blower”. She also said records show the existence of a slave trade route Sierra Leone to Annapolis, plied(定期往来) by British and American ships. "As soon as people stepped on those slave ships in Africa," she said, “whether they were from Benin or whether they were from Sierra Leone, wherever they were from, that identity was lost. Their humanity is stripped from. Who they are as a people has gone.”

The new analysis is part of ongoing research around Belvoir that has given descendants of the people enslaved there new insight into the lives of their ancestors. Speaking to The Post, Nancy Daniels, a genealogist from Laurel, Maryland, who thinks she is a descendant of enslaved families from Belvoir but was not linked to the research on the pipe, called the discovery “overwhelming.” “I'm sitting here about ready to cry,” she said. “I'm sorry. I'm so happy ... Thank God for the DNA.”

This year, events and ceremonies are being held to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the first enslaved people in America, at Jamestown, Virginia, in 1619. Slavery was effectively abandoned in the US on 1 January 1863, with the issue by Abraham Lincoln of the Emancipation Proclamation. It formally ended in December 1865, after the civil war, with the approval of the 13th amendment(修正案).

1.What does the phrase “a mind-blower” in paragraphs 1 and 4 refer to?

A.A surprise B.A confusion

C.An excitement D.A fascination

2.According to Hannes Schroeder, the pipe stem was of great significance because________.

A.it was the first direct evidence that slaves living in Maryland were originally from Africa.

B.it helped the archaeologists to draw a portrait of the enslaved woman.

C.it might contribute to identifying the birthplace of the descendant communities.

D.it contained genic clues to the ancestral background of its owner.

3.What can be inferred from the passage?

A.The owner of the pipe once lived in what is now an area in west Africa.

B.The history of slavery in America is an ongoing topic of concern.

C.African slaves lost their identities when they arrived at the Belvoir plantation.

D.Nancy Daniels, a genealogist was sorry for not being involved in the research.

4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?

A.DNA from an old pipe throws lights on the origins of the enslaved

B.A new research reveals the origins of enslaved African woman

C.The descendants of enslaved people seek their identities

D.DNA contributes to the breakthrough of a new research

    As unpleasant emotions go, anxiety is the roughest. It's a vague, pit-of-the-stomach fear that sneaks up to you -- that unease you get when your boss says that she needs to talk to you right away, when the phone rings at 4:00 a.m., or when your dentist looks into your mouth and says "Hmm" for the third time.

Lingering anxiety can keep you up at night, make you irritable, undermine your ability to concentrate, and ruin your appetite. And the constant state of readiness generated by anxiety--- adrenaline pumping, heart racing, palms sweating--may contribute to high blood pressure and heart disease.

How to prevent anxiety then?

Meditate. Maybe you're just high-strung. If so, meditation(冥想) is worth a try. It cultivates a calmness that eases anxious feelings and offers a sense of control. A study at the University of Massachusetts found that volunteers who took an 8-week meditation course were considerably less anxious afterward. People who are high-strung find that they are dramatically calmer with 20 minutes of meditation in the morning and another 20 minutes after dinner.

Jog,walk, swim, or cycle. If you can't make time for meditation, be sure to make time for regular exercise. Exercise can have the same calming effect as meditation, particularly if it's something repetitive like running or swimming laps.

Treatment?

Remember to breathe. When you're anxious, you tend to hold your breath or breathe too shallowly. That makes you feel more anxious. Breathing slowly and deeply can have a calming effect. To make sure that you're breathing correctly, place your hand on your diaphragm(横膈膜), just below your rib cage(胸腔). Feel it rise with each inhalation(吸气) and fall with each exhalation.

Let's say you are anxious about your competence on the job. Ask yourself "What, in particular, am I afraid that I'll mess up?" Maybe you’re afraid that you get further behind and miss your deadlines. Or maybe you're worried that you're blowing it whenever you present your ideas in meetings. Are your worries founded? Have you had several near misses with deadlines? Are your suggestions routinely rejected? If not, the anxiety is needless. If there is a real problem, work on a solution: Pace yourself to better meet deadlines, or join a public speaking class.

1.Which of the following symptoms is NOT directly caused by anxiety?

A.Lower in concentration. B.No appetite.

C.Heart racing. D.High blood pressure.

2.According to the passage, what can be done to avoid anxiety?

A.Exercising regularly. B.Keeping breath steady.

C.Breathing with the help of hands. D.Adjusting the pace of life.

3.What is the last paragraph about?

A.Anxiety at work and its solutions. B.People's anxiety about their capabilities.

C.The reason for someone's incompetence. D.The function of public speaking class.

    There was something in the elderly woman's behavior that caught my eye. Although slow and unsure of step, the woman moved with deliberation, and there was no hesitation in her gestures. She was as good as anyone else, her movements suggested. And she had a job to do.

The elderly woman had walked into the store along with a younger woman who I guessed was her daughter. The daughter was displaying a serious case of impatience, rolling her eyes, huffing and sighing, checking her watch every few seconds. If she had possessed a belt, her mother would have been fastened to it as a means of dragging her along to keep step with the rush of other shoppers.

The older woman detached from the younger one and began to glance over the DVDs on the nearest shelf. After the slightest hesitation, I walked over and asked if I could help her find something. The woman smiled up at me and showed me a title scrawled(潦草地写) on a crumpled piece of paper. The title was unusual and a bit unfamiliar. Clearly a person looking for it knew a little about movies, about quality.

Rather than rushing off to locate the DVD for the woman, I asked her to walk with me so I could show her where she could find it. Looking back, I think I wanted to enjoy her company for a moment. Something about her deliberate movements reminded me of my own mother, who'd passed away the previous Christmas.

As we walked along the back of the store, I narrated its floor plan: old television shows, action movies, cartoons, science fiction. The woman seemed glad of the unrushed company and casual conversation.

We found the movie, and I complimented her on her choice. She smiled and told me it was one she'd enjoyed when she was her son's age and that she hoped he would enjoy it as much as she had. Maybe, she said with a hint of eagerness, he could enjoy it with his own young children. Then, reluctantly, I had to return the elderly woman to her keeper, who was still tapping her foot at the front of the store.

I accompanied the older woman to the queue at the cash register and then stepped back and lingered near the younger woman. When the older woman's turn in line came, she paid in cash, counting out the dollars and coins with the same sureness she'd displayed earlier ...

1.What does "she had a job to do" (Para. 1) mean according to the context?

A.She had a regular job in the store. B.She wanted to ask for help.

C.She wanted to buy a DVD. D.She was thinking of what to buy.

2.What does the title of the DVD reveal according to the shop assistant?

A.The elderly woman had some knowledge about movies.

B.The elderly woman liked movies for young children.

C.The elderly woman preferred movies her son liked.

D.The elderly woman liked both old and new movies.

3.While looking for the DVD with the old woman, the shop assistant was ______.

A.hesitant B.casual

C.cautious D.considerate

4.What is the main purpose of this passage?

A.To describe what a movie nut is like

B.To remind readers to spending more time accompanying family

C.To stress the importance of company and understanding.

D.To explore the key aspects of current parental-child relationship