WEEK 15 自然环境（2）一、阅读理解（共12小题；共24分）AExplorer Robert Falcon Scott died in 1912 while crossing Antarctica, but his story lives on in artifacts(手工艺品) that continue to be discovered on the frozen continent at the bottom of the world. The most recent find: a century-old photographer's notebook at one of Scott's expedition bases in Antarctica. The notebook belonged to George Murray Levick, a surgeon and photographer who was part of Scott's 1910-13 expedition. It contains pencil notes about photos he took in 1911 at Cape Adare."It's an exciting find," said Nigel Watson, director of the Antarctic Heritage Trust. "The notebook is a missing part of the official expedition record. After spending seven years conserving Scott's last expedition building and collection, we are delighted to still be finding new artifacts."The notebook was found in January 2013 at another Scott camp, the Cape Evans base, after the summer snow melt around a building exposed it, said Paula Granger, communications manager for the trust.After so many years, the notebook's binding had dissolved(溶解), and the pages were stuck together. The trust hired Aline Leclercq, a paper conservator, to separate and clean the pages, which were digitally recorded. The remarks in the notebook refer to photos now held by the Scott Polar Research Institute. "You can match what he's written down with the pictures," Granger said.Scott was a British explorer who became famous during what historians call the heroic age of Antarctic exploration. He arrived at the South Pole in January 1912 only to discover that his rival, Norwegian explorer Roald Amundsen, had beaten him to the spot by an estimated 33 days. Scott and several teammates died in March 1912 during the return journey.The trust said Levick was a member of a group of six men called the Northern Party, which spent the summer at Cape Adare but survived the 1912 winter in a snow cave before going to Cape Evans. In December, New Zealand's Antarctic Heritage Trust reported finding 100-year-old negatives in one of Scott's huts(小屋). These photos were taken during Ernest Shackleton's 1914-17 Ross Sea Party, another failed exploration whose members were forced to live in Scott's hut after their ship blew out to sea.1. The photographer's notebook has a history of .A. 50 yearsB. 80 yearsC. 100 yearsD. 150 years2. What was George Murray Levick?A. He was a reporter.B. He was a doctor.C. He was a writer.D. He was a conservator.3. We can infer that the notebook .A. had been buried in the ice before it was discoveredB. was found by Watson at Cape Adare in 2013C. contained a lot of photos and handmade drawingsD. was in good condition when it was discovered4. Who was the earliest person to arrive at the South Pole?A. Robert Falcon Scott.B. Nigel Watson.C. Ernest Shackleton.D. Roald Amundsen.BThere have been thousands of marine species that have become extinct. Currently there are thousands of fish that are endangered and in great need of protection. The following are some.The Arcadian Redfish are found in warm waters, such as the Atlantic and Indian Ocean. These fish can live to be 50 years old. The Arcadian Redfish is endangered due to overfishing, fish pirating, and trawling(拖网捕鱼). These fish started to decrease in population in the early 1900s because of their increased popularity in the food industry.The Bluefin tuna is one animal that is high on the endangered species list. This fish has been named one of the wonders of the ocean. The reason why they are considered to be one of the marvels of the deep-sea is their potential length and weight; they can grow to be 12 feet long and weigh over 1,500 pounds! Why are these fish disappearing at alarming rates? Well, they are at risk of extinction because they are being captured for food. Over 75% of the Bluefin tuna is consumed in Japanese restaurants often by making a popular sushi.The European Eel is found in the Baltic and the Mediterranean Sea. They have a unique metamorphosis process and they change their forms over a long time period. According to , the European Eel is one of the many threatened species that are not only endangered, but critically endangered. They are not able to reproduce as quickly to keep up with their rate of elimination. The European Eel is endangered and disappearing because of parasitic disease.The whale shark is one of many endangered sharks out there. According to one source, sharks are revered as our last "living" dinosaurs. They are known as the largest fish with the potential to grow over 60 feet long and weigh over 70,000 pounds. The whale shark also has the potential to live to be over 100 years old.Although various treaties have been signed, to help save the lives of endangered ocean life, it is up to each individual to do their part to aid in saving marine animals in danger.5. Which of the following is the best title of the passage?A. The Last "Living" DinosaursB. The Endangered Ocean FishC. The Most Popular Sea FishD. The Extinct Marine Species6. The Bluefin tuna is considered to be one of the marvels of the deep-sea because of its .A. huge sizeB. strange colorC. sharp sightD. high intelligence7. We can infer that sushi is probably a .A. toyB. snackC. fishD. pill8. The underlined word "metamorphosis" means .A. reduction in populationB. elimination in sightC. change in formD. increase in weightCA few days ago, NASA posted shocking satellite pictures of the Aral Sea in Central Asia, once the fourth biggest lake on the planet, which over the past 50 years has been drained as a result of the Soviet(苏联) effort to create farms in the desert. That once-magnificent body of water, which stretched for 26,300 square miles, is now nearly dried up and disappeared. The lake began to recede(退去) after Soviet engineers began diverting(分流) Amu Darya and the Syr Darya—the region's two major rivers—to irrigate farms created in the desert in the 1950s and 1960s. Most of the water ended up being wasted along the way.But the Aral Sea is just one of several inland bodies of water across the world that are now receding greatly.In China, Poyang Lake, that nation's largest freshwater lake, also is gradually receding due to drought and water being diverted by the Three Gorges Dam. As the waters vanish, wetlands that provide winter grounds for 87 different bird species, including 98 percent of the population of Siberian cranes, face an uncertain future as a result.Meanwhile, in Iran, Lake Oroumieh, which once was among the biggest saltwater lakes on Earth, has shrunk by 80 percent over the past decade due to expanded irrigation for farms. Salt-covered rocks that were once at the bottom of the lake are now exposed on dry desert.The Dead Sea, bordered by Jordan, Israel and Palestine, is in bad shape too. Sink holes are developing around the lake, due to factors including diversion of the Jordan River for drinking water and chemical companies removing valuable minerals from the water, causing surface levels to recede by 30 to 40 percent.In California, Cachuma Lake, a major source of water for people in the Santa Barbara area, also is rapidly shrinking, due to the effects of drought and water demand. And in Hawaii, Lake Waiau has declined to only 2 percent of its normal water level over the past five years.9. Which of the following is the best title?A. Big Lakes Around the World Are Rapidly DisappearingB. The World's Once Fourth Largest Lake Nearly Dried upC. Siberian Cranes in Poyang Lake Face an Uncertain FutureD. Many Lakes in the World Face Many Serious Problems10. We can infer that the Soviet effort to create farms in the desert is a(n) .A. good ideaB. scientific decisionC. ill proposalD. successful practice11. What do you know about Poyang Lake?A. It is the largest freshwater lake in the world.B. It is a habitat of 87 different fish species.C. It has been expanded in the past ten years.D. It is home to many Siberian cranes in winter.12. Lake Oroumieh has shrunk by 80 percent over the past decade because of .A. the effect of serious droughtB. expanded farm irrigationC. dams built on the riversD. salt-covered rocks二、完形填空（共20小题；共30分）As a child, Leela Hazzah would spend her summer nights lying on the rooftop of her home in Egypt. Her father told her 13 of his childhood, when he would sleep on the same rooftop and hear lions roaring. "I used to lie there, 14 for those same sounds. But I didn't hear 15 ," Hazzah said. Hazzah's father finally got the 16 to tell his young daughter that she would not hear lions roaring because they had long gone 17 in Egypt. "That was the moment 18 I knew what I wanted to do," Hazzah said, "I 19 to hear lions roaring."Hazzah, now 35, has since devoted her life to lion 20 . While earning her master's in biology, Hazzah's 21 led her to Kenya. She lived in a tree house and began seeing firsthand the rapid 22 of African lions due to habitat loss and human-lion conflict.Hazzah spent a year living among the Maasai to 23 their relationship with lions. "Maasai have a 24 attitude towards lions. It's a love-and-hate relationship," Hazzah said, "They 25 lions because they eat their sheep, but they also admire them 26 because they are just beautiful and wonderful animals."Now Hazzah has found one 27 to help the lion population grow. She employs 65 Lion Guardians throughout East Africa. Their 28 goal is to reduce lion killings. Her organization turns lion killers into lion protectors.The guardians are taught a number of methods to 29 human-lion conflicts in their communities. If a guardian hears about a lion hunt, he will 30 . Guardians also help farmers strengthen corrals(畜栏) where they keep their sheep.For Hazzah, watching the 31 of young Maasai lion killers has been one of the most32 parts of her efforts. "I know we're making a difference," Hazzah said, "When I first moved here,I never heard lions roaring. But now I hear lions roaring all the time."13. A. jokes B. secretes C. lies D. stories14. A. hunting B. listening C. going D. heading15. A. anything B. nothing C. everything D. something16. A. intention B. courage C. motivation D. inspiration17. A. crazy B. extinct C. invisible D. hungry18. A. when B. where C. how D. why19. A. pretended B. agreed C. failed D. intended20. A. identification B. adaptionC. collectionD. conservation21. A. hobby B. research C. habit D. desire22. A. boom B. recovery C. decline D. response23. A. carry out B. put out C. give out D. figure out24. A. contradictory B. negative C. positive D. harmonious25. A. appreciate B. raise C. protect D. dislike26. A. tremendously B. slightly C. hardly D. eventually27. A. conflict B. treatment C. solution D. access28. A. original B. unique C. temporary D. ultimate29. A. reduce B. maintain C. spot D. correct30. A. intervenes B. interrupts C. teases D. escapes31. A. translation B. transportationC. transformationD. transplant32. A. confusing B. disappointing C. rewarding D. touching三、短文7选5(5选5等)（共5小题；共10分）Most of us don't like to think too much about rubbish. 33. . However, household waste is a major contributor to our planet's waste problem. Like it or not, it needs to be managed if we are to have a brighter green future.When it comes to being responsible for our own rubbish, the best way to approach it is by following the three golden rules of waste management, or the "3 Rs"—Reduce, Reuse and Recycle."The order is important. 34. ," says Eugene Tay, Director of Green Future Solutions in Singapore, "Recycling still affects the environment and should be done last after reduce and reuse."But, when our efforts to reduce and reuse still result in an overflowing rubbish bin, the advantages of recycling cannot be ignored. "35. ," says Amy Ho, Managing Director of World Wide Fund For Nature in Singapore, "The damage to our environment could then be slowed down as a result."In fact, by recycling just one plastic bottle, you are saving not just the material to make a new one, but you also stop it from getting thrown into a landfill(垃圾掩埋场) for up to 700 years—and that's before it even starts to rot, 36. .Recycling is so important that we really have no excuse not to do the simplest of household tasks that will make a difference."37. ," says Ho, "Starting with recycling grey water for gardening purposes, to recycling materials such as glass, paper and iron—it all reduces the use of raw materials."A. We put it in the bin and don't think too far beyond thatB. The collective action of individuals can make a significant effectC. It's important for every household to make good use of grey waterD. Waste reduction and reuse is usually the best way to decrease wasteE. The three rules of waste management should be followed by every householdF. Recycling reduces the use of raw materials and so protects our natural resourcesG. Recycling just 10% plastic bottles would keep 90 million kilograms of plastic out of landfills答案一、阅读理解1. C2. B3. A4. D5. B6. A7. B8. C9. A 10. C11. D 12. B二、完形填空13. D 14. B 15. A16. B 17. B 18. A 19. D 20. D 21. B 22. C 23. D 24. A 25. D 26. A 27. C 28. D 29. A 30. A31. C 32. C三、短文7选5(5选5等)33. A 34. D 35. F36. G 37. B。
