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1、ReadingPassage 1 For hundreds of millions of years, turtles (海龟) have struggled out of the sea to lay their eggs on sandy beaches, long before there were nature documentaries to celebrate them, or GPS satellites and marine biologists to track them, or volunteers to hand-carry the hatchlings (幼龟) dow
2、n to the waters edge lest they become disoriented by headlights and crawl towards a motel parking lot instead. A formidable wall of bureaucracy has been erected to protect their prime nesting sites on the Atlantic coastlines. With all that attention paid to them, youd think these creatures would at
3、least have the gratitude not to go extinct. But Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness, and a report by the Fish and Wildlife Service showed a worrisome drop in the populations of several species of North Atlantic sea turtles, notably loggerheads, which can grow to as much as 400 pounds.
4、 The South Florida nesting population, the largest, has declined by 50% in the last decade, according to Elizabeth Griffin, a marine biologist with the environmental group Oceana. The figures prompted Oceans to petition the government to upgrade the level of protection for the North Atlantic loggerh
5、eads from threatened to endangered-meaning they are in danger of disappearing without additional help. Which raises the obvious question: what else do these turtles want from us, anyway? It turns out, according to Griffin, that while we have done a good job of protecting the turtles for the weeks th
6、ey spend on land (as egg-laying females, as eggs and as hatchlings),we have neglected the years they spend in the ocean. The threat is from commercial fishing, says Griffin. Trawlers (which drag large nets through the water and along the ocean floor) and long-line fishers (which can deploy thousands
7、 of hooks on lines that can stretch for miles) take a heavy toll on turtles. Of course, like every other environmental issue today, this is playing out against the background of global warming and human interference with natural ecosystems. The narrow strips of beach on which the turtles lay their e
8、ggs are being squeezed on one side by development and on the other by the threat of rising sea levels as the oceans warm. Ultimately we must get a handle on those issues as well, or a creature that outlived the dinosaurs (恐龙) will meet its end at the hands of humans, leaving our descendants to wonde
9、r how a creature so ugly could have won so much affection.1, We can learn from the first paragraph that _. Ahuman activities have changed the way turtles survive Befforts have been made to protect turtles from dying out Cgovernment bureaucracy has contributed to turtles extinction Dmarine biologists
10、 are looking for the secret of turtles reproduction2, What does the author mean by Nature is indifferent to human notions of fairness(Line 1,Para. 2)?ANature is quite fair regarding the survival of turtles. BTurtles are by nature indifferent to human activities. CThe course of nature will not be cha
11、nged by human interference. DThe turtle population has decreased in spite of human protection.3, What constitutes a major threat to the survival of turtles according to Elizabeth Griffin?ATheir inadequate food supply. BUnregulated commercial fishing. CTheir lower reproductive ability. DContamination
12、 of sea water.4, How does global warming affect the survival of turtles? AIt threatens the sandy beaches on which they lay eggs. BThe changing climate makes it difficult for their eggs to hatch. CThe rising sea levels make it harder for their hatchlings to grow. DIt takes them longer to adapt to the
13、 high beach temperature.5, The last sentence of the passage is meant to _.Apersuade human beings to show more affection for turtlesBstress that even the most ugly species should be protectedCcall for effective measures to ensure sea turtles survivalDwarn our descendants about the extinction of speci
14、esPassage 2 There are few more sobering online activities than entering data into college-tuition calculators and gasping as the Web spits back a six-figure sum. But economists say families about to go into debt to fund four years of partying, as well as studying, can console themselves with the kno
15、wledge that college is an investment that, unlike many bank stocks, should yield huge dividends. A 2008 study by two Harvard economists notes that the labor-market premium to skill-or the amount college graduates earned thats greater than what high-school graduates earned-decreased for much of the 2
16、0th century, but has come back with a vengeance (报复性地) since the 1980s. In 2005, the typical full-time year-round U.S. worker with a four-year college degree earned $ 50,900,62% more than the $ 31,500 earned by a worker with only a high-school diploma. Theres no question that going to college is a s
17、mart economic choice. But a look at the strange variations in tuition reveals that the choice about which college to attend doesnt come down merely to dollars and cents. Does going to Columbia University (tuition, room and board $ 49,260 in 2007-08) yield a 40% greater return than attending the Univ
18、ersity of Colorado at Boulder as an out-of-state student ($ 35,542)? Probably not. Does being an out-of-state student at the University of Colorado at Boulder yield twice the amount of income as being an in-state student ($17,380) there? Not likely. No, in this consumerist age, most buyers arent eva
19、luating college as an investment, but rather as a consumer product-like a car or clothes or a house. And with such purchases, price is only one of many crucial factors to consider. As with automobiles, consumers in todays college marketplace have vast choices, and people search for the one that give
20、s them the most comfort and satisfaction in line with their budgets. This accounts for the willingness of people to pay more for different types of experiences (such as attending a private liberal-arts college or going to an out-of-state public school that has a great marine-biology program). And ju
21、st as two auto purchasers might spend an equal amount of money on very different cars, college students (or, more accurately, their parents) often show a willingness to pay essentially the same price for vastly different products. So which is it? Is college an investment product like a stock or a co
22、nsumer product like a car? In keeping with the automotive worlds hottest consumer trend, maybe its best to characterize it as a hybrid (混合动力汽车): an expensive consumer product that, over time, will pay rich dividends.1, Whats the opinion of economists about going to college? AHuge amounts of money is
23、 being wasted on campus socializing.BIt doesnt pay to run into debt to receive a college education.CCollege education is rewarding in spite of the startling costs.DGoing to college doesnt necessarily bring the expected returns.2, The two Harvard economists note in their study that, for much of the 2
24、0th century, _.Aenrollment kept decreasing in virtually all American colleges and universitiesBthe labor market preferred high-school graduates. to college graduatesCcompetition for university admissions was far more fierce than todayDthe gap between the earnings of college and high-school graduates
25、 narrowed3, Students who attend an in-state college or university can _.Asave more on tuition Breceive a better educationCtake more liberal-arts courses Davoid traveling long distances4, In this consumerist age, most parents _.Aregard college education as a wise investmentBplace a premium on the pre
26、stige of the collegeCthink it crucial to send their children to collegeDconsider college education a consumer product5, What is the chief consideration when students choose a college today?ATheir employment prospects after graduation. BA satisfying experience within their budgets. CIts facilities an
27、d learning environment. DIts ranking among similar institutions.Passage 3sustainable development is applied to just about everything from energy to clean water and economic growth, and as a result it has become difficult to question either the basic assumptions behind it or the way the concept is pu
28、t to use. this is especially true in agriculture, where sustainable development is often taken as the sole measure of progress without a proper appreciation of historical and cultural perspectives. To start with, it is important to remember that the nature of agriculture has changed markedly through
29、out history, and will continue to do so .medieval agriculture in northern Europe fed, clothed and shelered a predominantly rural society with a much lower population density than it is today. it had minimal effect on biodiversity ,and any pollution it caused was typically localized. in terms of ener
30、gy use and the nutrients captured in the product it was relatively inefficient. Contrast this with farming since the start of the industrial revolution. competition from overseas led farmers to specialize and increase yields. throughout this period food became cheaper, safe and more reliable. howeve
31、r, these changes have also led to habitat loss and to diminishing biodiversity. Whats more, demand for animal products in developing countries is growing so fast that meeting it will require an extra 300 million tons of grain a year by 2050.yet the growth of cities and industry is reducing the amoun
32、t of water available for agriculture in many regions. All this means that agriculture in the 21st century will have to be very different from how it was in the 20th.this will require radical thinking. for example, we need to move away from the idea that traditional practices are inevitably more sust
33、ainable than new ones. we also need to abandon the notion that agriculture can be “zero impact”. The key will be to abandon the rather simple and static measures of sustainability, which centre on the need to maintain production without increasing damage. instead we need a more dynamic interpretatio
34、n, one that looks at the pros and cons of all the various way land is used. there are many different ways to measure agricultural performance besides food yield: energy use, environmental costs, water purity, carbon footprint and biodiversity. It is clear, for example, that the carbon of transportin
35、g tomatoes from Spain to the UK Is less than that of producing them in the UK with additional heating and lighting. but we do not know Passage 4 After two decades of growing student enrollments and economic prosperity, business schools in United States have started to face hard times. Only Harvards
36、MBA School has shown a substantial increase in enrollment in recent years. Both Princeton and Stanford have seen decreases in their enrollments. Since 1990, the number of people receiving Masters in Business Administration(MBA) degrees, has dropped about 3 percent to 75,000, and the trend of lower e
37、nrollment rates is expected to continue. There are two factors causing the decrease in student seeking an MBA degree. The first one is that many graduates of four-year colleges are finding that an MBA degree does not guarantee a plush job on Wall Street or in other financial districts of major Ameri
38、can cities. Many of the entry-level management jobs are going to students graduating with Master of Arts degrees in English and the humanities as well as those holding MBA degrees. Students have asked the question, “Is an MBA degree really what I need to be best prepared for getting a good job?” The
39、 second major factor has been the cutting of American payrolls and the lower number of entry-level jobs being offered. Business needs are changing, and MBA schools are struggling to meet the new demands. Questions 1 to 10 are based on the following passage:1. What is the main focus of this passage?(
40、A)Jobs on Wall Street (B)Types of graduate degrees(C)Changes in enrollment for MBA schools (D) How schools are changing to reflect the economy2. The phrase “two decades” in line 1 refers to a period of :(A)10years (B)20 years (C)50 years (D)100 years3. The word “prosperity” in line 2 could best be r
41、eplaced by which of the following? (A)Success (B)Surplus (C)Nurturing (D)Education4. Which of the following business schools has NOT shown a decrease in enrollment? (A)Princeton (B)Harvard (C)Stanford (D)Yale5. As used in line 12, the word “seeking” could best be replaced by which of the following?
42、(A)Examining (B)Avoiding (C)Seizing (D)Pursuing6. Which of the following descriptions most likely applies to Wall Street? (A) A center for international affairs (B)A major financial center(C)A shopping district (D)A neighbour in New York7. The word “plush” in line 14 most probably means: (A)Legal (B
43、)Satisfactory (C)Fancy (D)Dependable8. According to the passage, what are two causes of declining business school enrollments? (A)Lack of necessity for an MBA and an economic recession (B)Low salary and foreign competition(C)Fewer MBA schools and fewer entry-level jobs(D)Declining population and eco
44、nomic prosperity9. The first paragraph(lines 1-10) is mainly concerned with which of the following? (A)Factors contributing to the decline in MBA students(B)A current trend affecting the nations business schools(C)The difference between Harvard, Princeton, and Stanford(D)Two decades of hard times fo
45、r business schools10. Which of the following might be the topic of the next paragraph? (A)MBA schools efforts to change (B)Future economic predictions(C)A history of the recent economic changes (D)Descriptions of non-MBA graduate programsPassage 5A pilot cannot fly a plane by sight alone. In many co
46、nditions such as flying at night and landing in dense fog, a pilot must use radar, an alternative way of navigating. Because human eyes are not very good at determining speeds of approaching objects, radar can show a pilot how fast nearby planes are moving. The basic principle of radar is exemplifie
47、d by what happens when one shouts in a cave. The echo of the sounds against the walls helps a person determine the size of the cave. With radar, however, the waves are radio waves instead of sound waves. Radio waves travel at the speed of light, about 300,000kilometers in one second. A radar set sen
48、ds out a short burst of radio waves. Then it receives the echoes produced when the waves bounce off objects. By determining the time it takes for the echoes to return to the radar set, a trained technician can determine the distance between the radar set and other objects. The word “radar”, in fact, gets its name from the term “radio detection and r
