Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made．Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon abandoned their pressed flowers and insects．Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages．I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic．
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary．I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys．Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door．But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects．
I am a naturalist, not a scientist．I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm led me into varied investigations．I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil while reading about other people’s observations and discoveries．Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious mind．
Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit together．This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research．
But curiosity, a keen eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the outstanding and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack．A scientist requires not only self-discipline, but hard training, determination and a goal．A scientist, up to a certain point, can be made．A naturalist is born．If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds．
1.The first paragraph tells us the author _____．
A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood
B．lost his hearing when he was a child
C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters
D．was born to a naturalist’s family
2.The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because _____．
A．he didn’t live very long with them
B．the family was extremely large
C．he was too young when he lived with them
D．he was fully occupied with observing nature
3.The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he _____．
A．has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic
B．lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist
C．just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries
D．comes up with solutions in a most natural way
Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars．They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers．Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth．
We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures．These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars．Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there．This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists．
Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth’s plants and animals in the order in which they developed on Earth．But it will take at least 300 years．
Some people think that such a project is too huge for humans to undertake, but there are very good reasons to make the attempt．The earth now contains some 6 billion people, and no one has any idea of how many humans the earth can support．Our very existence and numbers are threatening many other species．We also have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: altering the landscape, the atmosphere and the climate．Currently terraforming Earth has become a wiser activity as we try to control global warming, air and water pollution, and preserve some natural living places．
Small as the possibility of such a project is, it is not impossible．Even if earth-bound societies come and go in the next 300 years, the project can continue through the work of the Mars settlers without the need for constant backing from the earth．
The future existence of all the people in our world may very well depend upon our ability to terraform Mars．
1.What would be the best title for this passage?
A．Terraforming Mars． B．Saving the Earth．
C．Travelling to Mars． D．A Newly-found Place．
2.What does the underlined word “altering” mean in the second paragraph?
A．Warming． B．Changing． C．Planting． D．Building．
3.According to the passage the main purpose of terraforming Mars is to _____．
A．do some scientific research work
B．find out its similarity to Earth
C．avoid the dying away of many other species
D．find on Mars living place for the increasing human beings
4.The main reason for causing many people to consider terraforming Mars is that _____．
A．there are some resemblances between Earth and Mars
B．terraforming Mars is theoretically simple
C．we have had some experience with terraforming our own planet: Earth
D．the development of science and technology is very rapid
Climate change, pollution, overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze, India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile, WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”, the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic life．
“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity will be destroyed on a massive scale, there will be less fresh water and agriculture, resulting in less food security,” said Rayi Singh, secretary-general of WWF-India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today, also cited the Rio Grande in the United States, the Mekong and Indus in Asia, Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray-Darling as in need of greater protection．
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them, the report said．Fish populations, the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened, it found… The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization, damming and huge influxes of sediment from land conversion．
Climate change, including higher temperatures, also means serious consequences for fishery productivity, water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation, WWF said．
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A．Saving fresh water in our life． B．How to protect our rivers．
C．An important discovery． D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk．
2.We can infer from the text that _____．
A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security
B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage
C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries
D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity
3.The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．
A．climate change B．wasting water
C．pollution D．dams
4.WWF is probably a name of _____．
A．an organization B．a newspaper C．a magazine D．a report
A Day of Design
Saturday, April11, 2009
9a．m．—4p．m．
Thomas College Student Center
Join us for a free day of fun, flowers and food! A Day of Design will encourage those interested in flowers and design to get in touch with their creative side and get some tips from the experts—Jeff Karter and Scott O’Brien of Augusta Florist and Waterville Florist．Please see the schedule below for details about this wonderful opportunity!
Schedule of Events
9:00 a．m．—10:30 a．m． Registration/Campus Tour
Registration for the day begins at 9 a．m．in the Student Center．Guests will meet there to register and take a tour of the Thomas College campus before the day’s events．
10:30 a．m．—12:00 p．m． Design and Auction （拍卖）
Jeff and Scott will design more than a dozen arrangements in a variety of sizes and colors．Following the demonstration, an auction will be held and guests will have the opportunity to bid on the flower arrangements．
12:00 p．m．—1:00 p．m． Lunch and Demonstration
A delightful boxed lunch will be served．During the lunch hour, Jeff and Scott will create centerpieces for the holiday table and give tips for creating beautiful centerpieces using items found in the home．
1:00 p．m．—3:00 p．m． Design Class
Guests will learn how to create a centerpiece in a beautiful basket using fresh flowers．Flowers, baskets, supplies and tools will be provided．Jeff and Scott will guide guests through the design process．By the end of the day, guests will have a wonderful centerpiece to take home and use on their table．
3:00 p．m．—4:00 p．m． Wine and Cheese Social
A fitting way to end the day—guests are invited to enjoy a wine and cheese social．Jeff and Scott will be available to answer questions or just talk flowers!
There is no charge for this event．
REGISTER NOW!
Space is limited to 45 guests．
1.What are guests supposed to do from 1:00 p．m．to 3:00 p．m．?
A．To design flower arrangements．
B．To enjoy a wine and cheese social．
C．To learn how to create a centerpiece．
D．To take a tour of the Thomas College campus．
2.According to the text, when will an auction be held?
A．3:00 p．m．—4:00 p．m． B．12:00 p．m．—1:00 p．m．
C．9:00 a．m．—10:30 a．m． D．10:30 a．m．—12:00 p．m．
3.We can learn from the passage that A Day of Design _____．
A．is free of charge B．lasts for eight hours
C．is held annually in April D．is aimed at fashion designers
4.According to the text, a centerpiece is probably _____．
A．a work of art that is the best B．a picture that has been auctioned
C．a flower that is carved out of stone D．a decoration for the center of a table
We always celebrated Dad’s birthday on Thanksgiving Day, even after he entered a nursing home．As years went on, these events took on a 1meaning for me: A traditional birthday party for Dad, and thanking for all that he had been doing to me in my life．When we knew it might be his 2birthday, the whole family decided to 3together for a huge birthday celebration at the nursing home．
Dad was a good story-teller and here was the 4he had had．During a quiet moment, I announced it was now Dad’s 5to listen to stories for a change．I wanted everyone to tell Dad what we loved about him．The room became 6．Then one after another, people told stories from their hearts, while Dad 7with tears in eyes．People 8kinds of stories—stories about when they were little, stories about when Dad was young, and stories that shared family treasures．
The stories 9． Everyone seemed to have more than one story．Even the little grandchildren couldn’t 10to tell Dad why they loved him．For a man who had been kind to so many people in his life, here was our 11to celebrate him．A few months later, at Dad’s memorial service, we more fully realized what we had 12Dad that night．Those are the stories people 13tell at a funeral after a loved one is no longer 14to hear the words．They tell stories, full of 15．But we had given those memories to Dad in his 16, and we had told them through laughter, accompanied by hugs and joys．He had them to 17and roll over in his mind during his last days and months．
Words do 18, and they are enough．We just need to say them or to speak them 19to the ones we love．That’s the way to 20love and our chance to celebrate a person in his or her life．
1.A．special B．valuable C．double D．complex
2.A．another B．last C．important D．gather
3.A．unite B．arrange C．move D．gather
4.A．career B．pride C．happiness D．audience
5.A．choice B．wish C．turn D．right
6.A．lively B．still C．cosy D．noisy
7.A．thought B．nodded C．listened D．accepted
8.A．understood B．invented C．recalled D．discussed
9.A．flowed B．passed C．unfolded D．differed
10.A．stop B．stand C．afford D．wait
11.A．responsibility B．situation C．chance D．desire
12.A．returned B．left C．given D．owed
13.A．sincerely B．gently C．normally D．regularly
14.A．available B．happy C．eager D．alive
15.A．tears B．feelings C．joy D．peace
16.A．mind B．life C．world D．work
17.A．hold B．share C．consider D．continue
18.A． suit B．fail C． survive D．matter
19.A．willingly B． publicly C． actually D．truly
20.A．get back B． call up C．give back D．keep up
_____ you are supposed to do _____ you don’t like a thing is changing it．Don’t complain．
A．That; what B．When; that C．What; since D．What; when
