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, April 11, 2009
9 a．m．—4 p．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 41 meaning 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 42 birthday, the whole family decided to 43 together for a huge birthday celebration at the nursing home．
Dad was a good story-teller and here was the 44 he had had．During a quiet moment, I announced it was now Dad’s 45 to listen to stories for a change．I wanted everyone to tell Dad what we loved about him．The room became 46 ．Then one after another, people told stories from their hearts, while Dad 47 with tears in eyes．People 48 kinds of stories—stories about when they were little, stories about when Dad was young, and stories that shared family treasures．
The stories 49 ． Everyone seemed to have more than one story．Even the little grandchildren couldn’t 50 to tell Dad why they loved him．For a man who had been kind to so many people in his life, here was our 51 to celebrate him．A few months later, at Dad’s memorial service, we more fully realized what we had 52 Dad that night．Those are the stories people 53 tell at a funeral after a loved one is no longer 54 to hear the words．They tell stories, full of 55 ．But we had given those memories to Dad in his 56 , and we had told them through laughter, accompanied by hugs and joys．He had them to 57 and roll over in his mind during his last days and months．
Words do 58 , and they are enough．We just need to say them or to speak them 59 to the ones we love．That’s the way to 60 love 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．responsibilityB．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
He is color-blind and can’t _____ red from green．
A．distinguish B．discover C．forecast D．recognize
_____ I accept that he is not perfect, I do actually like the person．
A．While B．Since C．Before D．Unless
