Ques: Can you imagine traveling to work in a one - man submarine? Some scientists believe that some day one - man submarines will be as many as automobiles are today.A famous French driver says, "One day soon, men will walk on the ocean floor as they do on the street!" Perhaps during your lifetime people will travel, and live in the sea. If human beings want to live in the ocean, many human problems will need to be studied first. Some of these problems, similar to those of living in outer space, are pressure, lack of oxygen and weightlessness. Many questions are still unanswered.For example, can our blood make itself fit for underwater surroundings? What will happen to our muscle if we live in the water very long? Scientists are looking for answers. Perhaps in the future man will live in the sea, away from the crowded and noisy cities on land.Then sea has plenty of space, not only for floating living buildings and parks, but also for storing supplies and for underwater travel. Some scientists believe that ocean living will benefit man in more than physical ways. In the freedom and beauty of the deep sea, man may find new sources of joy. Which of the following is the similar problem as that of living in outer space?  (    ) A) We are short of oxygen. B) We are not familiar with the underwater surrounding. C) We may die of weightlessness. D) We can finds new joys.
Ans: A

Ques: The Baima is a minority group of about 1,400 people. They have lived in Northern Sichuan and Southern Gansu Provinces for centuries. They have long depended on the forests as their main source of income. But since a ban on cutting down forests was introduced in the late 1990s to fight yearly flooding, the villagers have had to look for other means of earning a living. Several are now in the process of developing a small tourism industry as their lands are rich in forests and natural scenery and are the home of the giant pandas. Xiangshujia, in particular, is becoming a popular bed and breakfast centre for tourists heading to Wanglang to see the giant pandas. Visitors are also starting to take notice of the Baima people themselves. As our jeep stopped in the courtyard of a house, we were greeted by the village leader Li Qin and young Baima girls dressed in traditional costumes with white feathers in their hair. As we took our places on wooden benches near an open fire, the girls began to sing traditional songs as they served us. "The number of tourists is growing," said Li Qin. "We realize that to attract visitors we have to show our culture by offering more traditional singing and dancing and ensuring our houses are built in the traditional way." Relations between the Baima people and the reserve were once tense following the ban on cutting down forests. Villagers had to make a new living. They entered the Wanglang Nature Reserve to collect wild mushrooms and herbs  , often at the expense of disturbing the pandas' habitat. But things greatly improved as villagers started receiving training in how to sell things to tourists. "Our aim was to deter the villagers, because they often disturbed the pandas' habitat, and to ensure they could have a long-lasting means of earning a living," emphasized Chen Youping, director of the Wanglang Nature Reserve. "All the money from the reserve goes back into the community and conservation projects," said Chen. "We take into consideration first the animals and then tourism." We can infer that the Baima girls wore their traditional costumes to greet visitors mainly because   _  . A) they wanted to look more beautiful B) their leader Li Qin asked them to do so C) it was a way to show their culture to attract visitors D) it was necessary before they sang traditional songs
Ans: C

Ques: Once we got home, there was barely time to enjoy our presents. We had to go off to our grandparents' house for our annual Christmas dinner. As we drove down the highway through town, I noticed that the family was there, standing outside the closed gas station. My father was driving very slowly down the highway. The closer we got to the turnoff for my grandparents' house, the slower the car went. Suddenly, my father U-turned in the middle of the road and said, "I can't stand it!" "What?" asked my mother. "It's those people back there at the gas station, standing in the rain. They've got children. It's Christmas. " When my father pulled into the service station, I saw that there were five of them: the parents and three children- two girls and a small boy. My father rolled down his window. "Merry Christmas," he said. "Howdy," the man replied. "You're waiting on the bus?" my father asked. The man said that they were. "Well, that bus isn't going to come along for several hours, and you're getting wet standing here. Winborn's just a couple miles up the road. They've got a shed with a cover there, and some benches," my father said. "Why don't y'all get in the car and I'll run you up there." The man thought about it for a moment, and then he beckoned to his family. They climbed into the car. They had no luggage, only the clothes they were wearing. Once they settled in, my father looked back over his shoulder and asked the children if Santa had found them yet. Three glum faces mutely gave him his answer. "Well, I didn't think so," my father said, winking at my mother, "because when I saw Santa this morning, he told me that he was having trouble finding all, and he asked me if he could leave your toys at my house. We'll just go get them before I take you to the bus stop." All at once, the three children's faces lit up, and they began to bounce around in the back seat, laughing and chattering. When we got out of the car at our house, the three children ran through the front door and straight to the toys that were spread... The writer didn't get the Christmas presents, but he/she was happy. The reason was  _  . A) his/her parents taught his/her a good lesson B) they learned the joy of making others happy C) they would get another presents somewhere else D) they were likely to get more presents from others
Ans: B

Ques: Scientists in Israel have discovered a new way to test for water pollution by "listening" to what the plants growing in water have to say. By shining a laser beam   on the tiny pieces of _ floating in the water,the researchers said they hear sound waves that tell them the type and amount of contamination   in the water. "It is a red light,telling us that something is beginning to go wrong with the quality of water," said Zvy Dubinsky,an aquatic biologist at Israel's Bar Ilan University."Algae is the first thing to be affected by a change in water quality.""The secret," he said,"is to measure the rate of photosynthesis   in the algae,meaning the plant's ability to transform light into energy." During photosynthesis,plants also release oxygen into the air. Dubinsky's technique is easy to perform because of the overabundance of algae in the planet's water.Most of the oxygen in the atmosphere comes from algae.A prototype tester that occupies about one square meter of a laboratory desktop,shoots a laser beam at water samples to stimulate photosynthesis in the algae.But not all of the laser's heat is used.Depending on the condition of the algae and the rate of photosynthesis,some of the heat is shot back into the water,creating sound waves,Dubinsky said.With a special underwater microphone,researchers are able to analyze the strength of the sound waves and determine the health of the algae and the condition of the surrounding water. "Algae suffering from lead poisoning,like waste discharged from battery and paint manufacturing plants,will produce a different sound than those suffering from lack of iron or exposure to other toxins," said researcher Yulia Pinchasov.She said that testing algae photosynthesis can determine water quality more accurately and easily than laborintensive methods now used like chemical and radioactive carbon testing. Why is the algae tested? A) Because it floats on the water. B) Because it can have photosynthesis. C) Because it is the first to be polluted. D) Because it can produce different sounds.
Ans:
C