Far from the land of Antarctica (南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein (蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules (分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein, or AFGP.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A．The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.
B．A special fish living in freezing waters.
C．The ice shelf around Antarctica.
D．Protection of the Antarctic cod.
2.Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A．The seawater has a temperature of - l.88℃
B．It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.
C．A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D．Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A．A type of ice-salt mixture. B．A newly found protein
C．Fish blood. D．Sugar molecule.
4.What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A．sugar B．ice C．blood D．molecule
Which is sillier: denying we ever went to the moon or trying to convince the true non-believers?
Once upon a time—July 20, 1969, to be specific – two men got out of their little spaceship and wandered around on the moon for a while. Ten more men walked on the moon over the next three and a half years. The end.
Unfortunately, not quite. A fair number of Americans think that this whole business of moon landings really is a fairy tale. They believe that the landings were a big hoax (骗局) staged in the Mojave Desert, to convince everyone that U.S. technology was the “best” in the whole wide world.
Which is the harder thing to do: Send men to the moon or make believe we did? The fact is that the physics behind sending people to the moon is simple. You can do it with computers whose entire memory capacities can now fit on chips the size of postage stamps and that cost about as much as, well, a postage stamp. I know you can because we did.
However, last fall NASA considered spending $15,000 on a public-relations campaign to convince the unimpressed that Americans had in fact gone to the moon. That idea was mostly a reaction to a Fox television program, first aired in February 2001, that claimed to expose the hoax. The show’s creator is a publicity hound (猎狗) who has lived up to the name in more ways than one by hounding Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. Mr. X (as I will call him, thereby denying him the joyous sight of his name in print) recently followed Buzz Aldrin around and called him “a thief, liar and coward” until the 72-year-old astronaut finally lost it and hit the 37-year-old Mr. X in the face.
Anyway, NASA’s publicity campaign began to slow down. The nonbelievers took the campaign as NASA’s effort to hide something while the believers said that $15,000 to convince people that the world was round — I mean, that we had gone to the moon — was simply a waste of money. (Actually, the $15,000 was supposed to pay for an article by James E. Oberg, an astronomy writer who, with Aldrin, has contributed to Scientific American.)
If NASA’s not paying Oberg, perhaps it could put the money to good use by hiring two big guys to drag Neil Armstrong out of the house. Armstrong is an extremely private man, but he is also the first man on the moon, so maybe he has a duty to be a bit more outspoken about the experience. Or NASA could just buy Aldrin a commemorate plaque (纪念匾) for his recent touch on the face of Mr. X.
1.We can learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that some Americans believe _______.
A．moon landings were invented
B．U.S. technology was the best
C．moon landing ended successfully
D．the Mojave Desert was the launching base
2.According to the writer, which of the following is to blame for the story about the hoax?
A．NASA’s publicity campaign. B．The Fox television program.
C．Buzz Aldrin. D．James E. Oberg.
3.The believers think that NASA’s publicity campaign is ________.
A．proof to hide the truth
B．stupid and unnecessary
C．needed to convince the non-believers
D．important to develop space technology
4.What is implied in the last paragraph?
A．NASA should not bother with the non-believers.
B．Armstrong was a very private and determined person.
C．Armstrong should be as outspoken as Buzz Aldrin.
D．NASA should send more astronauts to outer space.
In Wiltshire, England, volunteers are being sought to visit a nature protection area to count the butterflies living there and on surrounding fields. The project is promoted by all environmental protection organization, which has contributed to improving the living environment for wild animals. Recently, the organization has issued an appeal to help it observe environmental changes based on the record of butterflies and protect the environment.
In the area, the local people have planted many special flowers with the help of the organization, aiming to see whether these flowers will interest the rare and beautiful butterflies. The project officer Sarah Marshall says,“It will be a suitable habitat (栖息地) for butterflies. They are great‘indicator species’ as they are easily affected by climate changes so they make a brilliant early-warning system for the environment.” She also points out that volunteers are needed to record the number or species of butterflies, and based on the change happening to the butterflies, the hidden environmental problems in the area can be found out in time.
The organization is seeking volunteers to help monitor butterflies from April through to September. They will walk a fixed route and record the different butterflies they encounter along the way. Each visit should take no more than two hours, and each volunteer is expected to visit once a month to count the wildlife. “Staff will provide back up, so if the weather is poor on the day you are to visit (butterflies don’t like to fly in the rain, wind or if it’s too cloudy) we can have someone else do your job,” Sarah points out.
No previous experience is necessary as training and support will be provided, but a keen interest is essential. If you are interested please contact Sarah on (01380) 725670, ext 278, email—sarahm @ wiltshirewildlife. org.
1. According to Paragraph 1, what is the purpose of the Project?
A．To appeal to more visitors
B．To protect the environment
C．To control butterfly population
D．To expand the area for wildlife
2.Butterflies are called “indicator species” because _______.
A．they can provide support for visitors
B．they can give information to other species
C．they are not easily found out in their habitats
D．they are very sensitive to environmental changes
3.Volunteers are required to do the things EXCEPT __________.
A．having some special previous experience
B．being interested in protecting the environment
C．walking a regular route and do some recordings
D．visiting the nature protection area once a month
4.What is the text mainly about?
A．Visitors are being trained to identify butterflies.
B．Wildlife areas are being protected by butterflies.
C．Volunteers are being needed to count butterflies.
D．Organizations are being put up to protect butterflies.
I consider myself something of an expert on apologies. A quick temper has 36 me with plenty of opportunities to make them. In one of my earlier 37 , my mother was telling me “Don’t watch the 38 when you say, ‘I’m sorry’. Hold your head up and look at the person in the 39 , so he’ll know you 40 it.”
My mother thus made the key point of a(n) 41 apology: It must be direct. You must never 42 to be doing something else. You do not 43 a pile of letters while apologizing to a person 44 in position after blaming him or her for a mistake that turned out to be your 45 . You do not apologize to a hostess, whose guest of honor you treat 46 , by sending flowers the next day without mentioning your bad 47 .
One of the important things we should do for an 48 apology is a readiness to 49 the responsibility for our careless mistakes. We are used to making excuses, which leaves no 50 for the other person to 51 us. Since most people are open-hearted, the no-excuse apology leaves both parties feeling 52 about themselves. That , after all, is the 53 of every apology. It 54 little whether the apologizer is wholly or only partly at fault. Answering for one’s 55 encourages others to take their share of the blame.
1. A．provided B．mixed C．compared D．treated
2. A．dreams B．courses C．memories D．ideas
3. A．side B．ground C．wall D．bottom
4. A．mind B．soul C．face D．eye
5. A．imagine B．enjoy C．mean D．regret
6. A．useful B．successful C．equal D．basic
7. A．pretend B．forget C．refuse D．expect
8. A．hold on B．put away C．look through D．pick up
9. A．poorer B．weaker C．worse D．lower
10. A．fault B．reason C．result D．duty
11. A．cruelly B．freely C．roughly D．foolishly
12. A．manners B．excuses C．efforts D．roles
13. A．active B．effective C．extra D．easy
14. A．raise B．perform C．admit D．bear
15. A．situation B．need C．sign D．room
16. A．advise B．forgive C．warn D．blame
17. A．wiser B．warmer C．better D．cleverer
18. A．purpose B．method C．end D．advantage
19. A．cares B．matters C．depends D．remains
20. A．facts B．states C．rights D．actions
Much ________ he has a good taste for China’s football matches, he can’t avoid being influenced by the side effects of the football gambling.
A．that he claims B．does he claim
C．is it that he claims D．as he claims
--- Will you do me the honor of dancing with me?
--- _________.
A．That’s a good idea B．I’d love to, but I’m wanted on the phone
C．Oh, it’s very kind of you D．Thank you all the same
