❋ C ❋

For millions of years, coral reefs (珊瑚礁) have provided homes for thousands of different living things. Fish and sea birds share coral reefs with other sea animals. Now these beautiful things are in danger. So are all the sea plants and animals that depend on them. Scientists have found that people and pollution have harmed more than one-fourth of the Earth’s coral reefs. Unless things change, all of the remaining coral reefs may die within your lifetime.

Some people think that the coral is a kind of plant, but it is an animal! Tiny corals form the coral reefs. They have different colors. These colors come from the algae (海藻) living inside the coral. Lots of corals stick together. New ones grow on the body of dead corals. This happens year after year. Over time, corals build up a reef. The reef rises from the ocean floor until it almost reaches the sea’s surface. It takes corals 500,000 years to build a huge reef. It has taken human beings less than 100 years to start harming coral reefs.

Coral reefs have been harmed in different ways. People have broken off pieces of coral reefs to sell or keep them. To catch more fish, people have dropped dynamite (炸药) into the sea. This has blown up parts of some coral reefs. Water pollution has encouraged overgrowth of the sea plants that grow near coral reefs. They stop algae from getting the sunshine. The worst problem is the heating up of the ocean. Warm water kills algae. When algae dies, corals lose both their food and colors. They turn white and die.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。

(  ) 11. The underlined word “them” in Paragraph 1 refers to ______.

A. scientists                       B. sea plants

C. sea animals                  D. coral reefs

(  ) 12. The colors of coral reefs come from ______.

A. the sunshine                     B. the ocean water

C. animals living in them      D. algae living in them

(  ) 13. Warm ocean ______.

A. kills algae                          B. kills corals

C. helps algae grow faster   D. helps corals grow faster

(  ) 14. The last paragraph mentions ______ ways coral reefs have been harmed.

A. two                             B. three

C. four                              D. five

(  ) 15. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Algae doesn’t like the sunshine.

B. It takes corals a long time to build a huge reef.

C. People have dropped dynamite into the ocean to catch corals.

D. People and pollution have harmed most of the Earth’s coral reefs.

四. 情景交际(每小题1分，共5分)

根据对话内容，在空白处填入恰当的单词、短语或句子，使对话完整、通顺。

A: Some Russian teachers are visiting our school tomorrow, and I’m going to welcome them. How do I do that?

B: You know, in Russia, people usually kiss (1) ________________ — left, right, left.

A: What! No. I didn’t know that. We Chinese often (2) ________________ and smile when we meet visitors, and sometimes we nod (点头) our heads. But we (3) ________________ kiss. Only parents and children do that.

B: That’s because people do different things in (4) ________________.

A: So what do people in the USA and in India usually do when they meet?

B: In the USA, some people shake hands, and some kiss or hug each other. In India people put their hands together and nod their heads.

A: And do you know what Maori (毛利人的) people in New Zealand do when they meet?

B: No. (5) ________________?

A: They touch noses!

B: Sounds strange.