三、阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分，满分40分)

A

Science Daily — World Wildlife Fund scientists have just announced the discovery of 11 new animal and plant species in a remote area in central Vietnam. They say that this discovery proves the importance of conservation efforts in the ancient tropical forests of the region.

Within the ancient tropical forests of a region known as Vietnam’s “Green Corridor”, scientists found a snake, five orchids(兰花), and two butterflies as well as three other plants new to science and exclusive(唯一的) to the Annamites Mountain Range. Ten other plant species, including four orchids, are still under examination but also appear to be new species.

“Discoveries of so many new species are rare and occur only in very special places like the ‘Green Corridor’,” said Dr. Chris Dickinson, WWF’s chief conservation scientist in the “Green Corridor”. “Several large mammal species were discovered in the 1990s in the same forests so these latest discoveries may be just the tip of the iceberg.”

“The rainforests likely existed as continuous un- disturbed forest cover for thousands of years, and, as a result, offer unique habitats for many species,” said WWF experts.

The new snake species, called the white-lipped keel- back, prefers living by streams where it catches frogs and other small animals easily. It can reach 31 inches.

Three of the new orchid species are entirely leafless, a rarity even among orchids. Containing none of the chlorophyll(叶绿素) or green pigment commonly found in plants, these orchids live on decaying matter like many fungal(真菌) species. The other new plants include an aspidistra which produces a nearly black flower and a newly-discovered species of arum with beautiful yellow flowers. Arum plants have funnel-shaped leaves surrounding the flowers.

The two new butterfly species are among eight discovered in the province since 1996. One is a skipper — a butterfly with quick, darting flight habits—from the genus Zela and the other is a new genus in the sub-family of Satyrinae.

36. What’s the main reason for so many new species being in this region?

A. That the forest is located in the tropics.

B. That the rainforests aren’t destroyed for thousands of years.

C. The scientists’ hard work there.

D. That the forest is covered with kinds of green plants.

37. Three of the new orchid species are very particular because _______.

A. they have no chlorophyll

B. they live on decaying matter like fungal species

C. they have no leaves

D. they don’t belong to any plant

38. According to Dr. Chris Dickinson, _______.

A. many more new species will probably be discovered in the region

B. it’s impossible for us to find new species in any other places

C. it’s a pity that they didn’t find new large mammal species this time

D. the mountain is too large for all the new species to be discovered

39. We can infer from the report that _______.

A. the central part of Vietnam is surrounded by mountains

B. Dr. Chris Dickinson has been living in the region since 1990s

C. new orchid species are the most among all the discovered new species since the 1990s

D. scientists have been working to protect the “Green Corridor” in the past years

40. Which is the best title for the passage?

A. A treasure-house of new species

B. “Green Corridor” in Vietnam

C. New animal and plant species found in Vietnam

D. Free kingdom of animals and plants

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B

BUIF 2008 sponsored by Canon and Cameras Underwater

Film and photography entries are now being accepted for the 2008 British Underwater Image Festival (BUIF). Following on from two hugely successful years, the third British Underwater Image Festival returns to the Go Diving show at the Birmingham NEC on 14 to 16 March 2008.

More than ￡12,500 worth of prizes are available to the winners in each of the competition’s nine categories. The finalists of the 2008 Festival will be displayed at the three-day Go Diving show, which is part of the Outdoors Show.

he festival will showcase a range of winning still images(静像) and films from a variety of abilities, from first-time photographers to professional television documentary makers. A presentation of prizes and awards will be held at the festival on Saturday 15 March, followed by a champagne reception.

Leading underwater film-maker Peter Scoones, DIVE editor Simon Rogerson, British Society of Under- water Photographers (BSoUP) founder Colin Doeg, award-winning photographers Alex Mustard and Charles Hood will be among judges. Prize sponsors include Suunto, PADI, Mares and Apeks.

THE JUDGES

The panel of judges for the stills will be Colin Doeg, Alexander Mustard, Simon Rogerson and Charles Hood. The panel of the judges for the films will be Peter Scoones, Colin Doeg and Simon Rogerson.

By entering the competition, entrants declare that they own copyright of the submitted photographs and films. DIVE magazine declares that they reserve the right to publish winning images both in the magazine and on the website. Winning images will also be used in any future promotional(奖励的) material for the show and competition royalty free as well as any other necessary occasions. The finalists will be displayed at the event in March 2008. It will be one of the biggest events during the third British Underwater Image Festival.

ENTRY DEADLINE 31 JANUARY 2008

Send your entries with a completed entry form to:

DIVE Magazine

British Underwater Image Festival

One Victoria Villas,

Richmond,

Surrey,

TW9 2GW.

41. The first British Underwater Image Festival was pro- bably held _______.

A. in 2000    B. in 2002    C. in 2004    D. in 2006

42. How much worth of prize will each winner obtain on average?

A. About ￡694.   B. About ￡750.   C. About ￡1,390     D. About ￡12,500.

43. Which of the statements is NOT true?

A. All the photography entries are shot under the water.

B. Anyone, including new comers, can take part in the festival.

C. All the participants must sign up for the festival before February.

D. An award-presenting ceremony will be held at the end of the festival.

44. During the festival, the following activities are to be held BUT _______.

A. a champagne reception

B. publishing winning images

C. a presentation of prizes

D. display of the finalists’ works

45. We can infer from the passage that DIVE Magazine ________.

A. has sponsored this festival together with some others

B. has bought the copyright of all the winning images

C. is published by British Underwater Image Festival

D. intends to make profits by sponsoring the festival

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C

Uncle Tom’s Cabin was one of the most influential novels of all time, exposing the evils of slavery to a great many people who knew nothing so terrible was happening. Harriet Beecher Stowe, the book’s author, is said to have gotten the idea for her book from reading the autobiography of Josiah Henson.

Josiah Henson was born into slavery on a plantation in Charles County, Maryland on June 15, 1789. From an early age, Josiah experienced the cruelty of slavery. Josiah saw many slaves whipped and beaten. He watched their reactions and concluded that if he was loyal and worked hard, he would stay out of trouble and avoid the same fate. As he grew older and proved his loyalty, he was given the job of caring for the owner’s horse. Before long, he was sent to work in the fields under the hot sun from dawn to dusk.

Josiah learned about God from his mother. While still a young man, he began to preach the gospel. Eventually, he became a minister and gave talks, for which people would pay him money. By 1830, he had saved up $350 to buy his freedom. His master at the time had acknowledged that figure but increased it to $1,000 when Henson gave him the money. Josiah decided to take his family and escape. With the help of a Native American tribe and the Underground Railroad, they made their way to Canada.

Josiah founded The Dawn Institute, a settlement for runaway slaves near Ontario. At this place, former slaves would learn how to be successful farmers. He also began work on the Underground Railroad himself, helping hundreds of slaves to freedom in Canada.

He published his autobiography, Life of Josiah Henson, in 1849. Uncle Tom’s Cabin came out a few years later, and Henson traveled in Canada and England, giving lectures on his life as “Uncle Tom.” In fact, he retiled his autobiography My Life as Uncle Tom. He died on May 5, 1883, in Dresden, Ontario.

46. The Underground Railroad was _______.

A. a shortcut for slaves to run away

B. an organized route to help slaves escape from slavery to freedom

C. an illegal way to save slaves from the north to the south

D. a safe path to transport slaves between the south and the north

47. Which of the following statements about Josiah is NOT true?

A. Josiah and his family succeeded in getting their freedom.

B. The loyalty to his master couldn’t bring good treatment.

C. The Dawn Institute aimed to help the slave to run away.

D. Josiah’s master was cruel and heartless.

48. ________, Josiah Henson would not have escaped.

A. If his master hadn’t broken his promise

B. If he had been more loyal to his master

C. If his master had treated him a little better

D. If he hadn’t been sent to work in the fields

49. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that ________.

A. Josiah Henson and the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin are friends

B. Uncle Tom’s Cabin was a copy of Life of Josiah Henson

C. Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Henson’s autobiography had nothing to do with each other

D. the author of Uncle Tom’s Cabin and Josiah Henson got inspiration from each other

50. Which of the following makes no sense when they are used to describe Josiah?

A. Helpful.    B. Sympathetic     C. Loyal.      D. Brave.

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D

In January 2006, several individuals in Northwest Arkansas watched their friends and loved ones die the quick and horrible death of ALS. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis is a neuromuscular disease(神经肌肉疾病) for which there is no known cure or prevention.

After dealing with the grief of losing her husband, Steve Kressen, to ALS, Sylvia knew she had to act. “I wanted to do something to honor my wonderful husband Steve and to be there for others with ALS,” she says. “I knew well that caring for someone with ALS is a demanding job and yet I recalled the love, support and friendship that helped Steve and our children through to the very end. I had to do something. I knew that they needed all the support they could to maintain a high quality of life as long as they could.”

Sylvia Kressen and a few volunteers she had recruited(征募) tried to establish a Northwest Arkansas ALS chapter. Some of the fledgling(刚开始的) organization’s initial volunteer leaders had to drop out for one reason or another. While Sylvia had good business experience, she had no experience with nonprofits.

Sylvia turned to Northwest Arkansas SCORE. She found encouragement, support and a wealth of knowledge of nonprofit organizations. Sylvia says, “The entire chapter deserves thanks for its willingness to help. But without Bill Powell’s wisdom and in-depth knowledge, we would have floundered and failed.”

Sylvia says, “We have done so much.”  Patients had no one to go to for encourage- ment and answers, but now a support group meets monthly with 30 members. ALS patients often didn’t know how specialized medical equipment could improve their quality of life or how to acquire such equipment. Now, through the generous help of an Arkansas Rotary Club and the Rotary Medical Supply Network in Tulsa, Okla., a free medical equipment loan program has been developed.

51. Sylvia determined to act for people with ALS because the following BUT _____.

A. she once suffered from the disease           B. her husband died of ALS

C. others had helped her through the hard days  D. she’s a woman full of love

52. From the passage we can learn that SCORE is ______.

A. a commercial organization     B. a consultation organization

C. a lawyer                   D. a governmental official

53. The work of starting such an organization was hard at first because _______.

A. she had little profit

B. the initial volunteer leaders had all left

C. caring for people with ALS was a demanding job

D. Sylvia had not any business experience

54. From the last paragraph we can know that ______.

A. no patients went to ask for help in the past

B. now two other clubs has replaced Northwest Arkansas ALS chapter

C. in future patients can get medical equipment for their disease free of charge

D. ALS can only be cured with a medical equipment instead of medicine

55. The underlined word “floundered” is the nearest in meaning to “______”.

A. broken the law       B. pulled through

C. cost too much       D. had a lot of problems