1、1Reading Comprehension Practice 3Passage 1Late in the dry season, Pul Pul Billabong is clear and shady. A meter or so of water covers sand and gravel. There are no salt-water crocodiles, so visitors can strip and cool off.The billabong is also popular with turtles(龟). Exposed tree roots, fallen bran
2、ches and eroded banks give underwater protection. Hanging over the billabong, the broad leaves and sweet fruits of fig trees supply food. There are small sand banks for laying eggs.Pul Pul Billabong is on the South Alligator River in a mineral-exploration zone surrounded by Kakadu National Park. Fou
3、r species of turtles share the billabong: the northern snapper, the saw-shelled snapper, the northern yellow-faced turtle and the pig-nosed turtle.The pig-nosed turtle, the largest fresh-water turtle in Australia, can grow to more than half a meter and 20 kilograms. It is called Warradjan by Aborigi
4、nes(土著居民) and carettochelys insculpta by scientists. The sex of this unusual turtles egg is determined by its environment: if the sand around the nest is warmer than 31.6 degrees Celsius, all the hatchlings are female; if cooler, they are male.The pig-nosed turtle is rare, the sole surviving member
5、of a family whose fossils have been found in Europe, North America and southern Asia. It lives only in the rivers of southern New Guinea and northern Australia. In Australia, it was first recorded by scientists only in 1969. In New Guinea, the turtle is at risk: its habitat(栖息地)is threatened by mini
6、ng, logging and hydroelectric development and adults and eggs form a vital food source for the subsistence of village economies. In northern Australia, the turtles numbers have been reduced by buffalo, which disturb the nesting sites and destroy the vegetation on the river banks, and by overfishing
7、of the Daly River.The humble pig-nosed turtle has become an object of concern, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources listing it in the Red Data Book for amphibians and reptiles. The only haven for the turtle is Kakadu National Park.1. This article focuses
8、on _.A. Pul Pul Billabong B. Kakadu National Park C. four species of turtles D. the pig-nosed turtle2. Judging from the passage, Pul Pul Billabong is most probably _.A. a busy seaport B. a large city C. a small shallow river D. a deep well3. Which of the following best summarizes the second paragrap
9、h?A. Pul Pul Billabong is a beautiful spot. B. Visitors can see turtles in the billabong.C. The billabong is an ideal place for turtles. D. There are many plants along the billabong.4. Which of the following is NOT true about the pig-nosed turtle?A. It only lives in fresh water. B. It is only found
10、in Australia.C. It can weigh as heavy as 20 kilograms. D. It has two other names.5. From the passage we learn that _.A. in Australia, the pig-nosed turtle was first recorded in the nineteenth centuryB. the pig-nosed turtle is also called Warradjan by scientistsC. human beings have done little harm t
11、o the pig-nosed turtleD. the number of the pig-nosed turtles is decreasingPassage 2Most Americans will tell you that character education in schools is a good idea. According to pollsters (做民意测验的人), 90% of us want schools to teach core moral values. But what should “character education“ look like? An
12、d more important, does it work?Take a look at Traut Core Knowledge School in Fort Collins, Colo. Traut Core is a public school with a waiting list of 500 students. A strong focus on 12 core values throughout the school culture has contributed to high academic achievement at Traut Core. The school no
13、w ranks first in reading and in the top five in math out of the 26 schools in the district.Private schools are also on the list. The Montrose School in Natick, Mass. has daily homerooms that focus on character discussions and leadership, and the school provides many opportunities for service to othe
14、rs. At Montrose, moral development is inseparable from academic achievement.Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina is a case study in how to get comprehensive character education programs going in every school. Beginning in 1992, the district appointed a task force with broad representation fr
15、om the community. Public meetings were held, surveys sent out, and other efforts made to ensure that character education in the schools would be built on the shared moral values of the citizens in this large and diverse district.Today, character education is part of the mission of every Wake County
16、school. The district provides in-2service training and resources for teachers, encourages parental involvement and evaluates the results.Higher academic achievement, lower drop-out (辍学) rates, fewer discipline problems, a more positive and caring school environment - who doesnt want schools like the
17、se? And who wouldnt like to see students who are more caring, respectful, honest and responsible?6. Judging from the first paragraph, whats the writers attitude to “character education“?A. Positive. B. Ironical. C. Suggestive. D. Opposite.7. The phrase “a waiting list of 500 students“ in Line 2, Par
18、a. 2 probably means that there are 500 students_.A. studying there B. enrolling there C. graduating there D. waiting for admission8. Among the private schools willing to teach moral values_.A. Traut Core has daily homerooms that focus on character discussions and leadership B. the Montrose School fo
19、cus on 12 core valuesC. Traut Core provides many opportunities for service to othersD. the Montrose School makes progress both academically and morally9. Character education, according to the last paragraph, will result in all of the following except_.A. lower drop-out rates B. higher academic achie
20、vementC. a less positive and caring environment D. fewer discipline problems10. Which is not true according to the passage?A. Academic achievement is closely associated with moral development.B. Higher academic achievement is inseparable from moral development.C. Moral development exerts influence o
21、n academic achievement.D. Moral development has nothing to do with academic achievement.Passage 3As more people live closer together, and as they use machines to produce leisure, they find that their leisure, and even their working hours, becomes spoilt by a by-product (副产品) of their machines - name
22、ly, noise. Noise is nowadays in the news; it has acquired political status, and public opinion is demanding, more and more insistently, that something be done about it.To control noise is to demand much self-discipline (annoyance arises often from lack of common courtesy (礼貌), a sense of proportion
23、(there is usually a conflict of interest if a noise is to be stopped), the expenditure（花费 ) of money (and it is far more economical to do this early rather than late), and finally, technical knowledge.Technical difficulties often arise from the subjective-objective (主客观的) nature of the problem. You
24、can define the excessive speed of a motorcar in terms of a pointer reading on a speedometer (里程计). But can you define excessive noise in the same way? You find that with any existing simple “noisy-meter“, vehicles, which are judged to be equally noisy, may show considerable difference on the meter.T
25、hough the ideal cure for noise is to stop it at its source, this may in many cases be impossible. The next remedy is to absorb it on its way to the ear.Domestic noises may perhaps be controlled by forethought (深谋远虑的) and industrial noises by good planning and technical improvement. But if we are goi
26、ng to allow fast motorcycles (摩托车) and heavy lorries to pass continuously through residential (住宅的) and business districts, the community must decide on the control it needs to exercise, for in the long run it has got to pay for it. And if a nation is to take part in modern air transport, it must en
27、ter into international agreements on the noise control measures it will impose on its airports - and here the cost of any real control is to be measured in millions of dollars.11. According to the first paragraph, noise is_.A. inseparable from leisure B inseparable from by-productC. inseparable from
28、 working hours D. inseparable from the advance of our life12. Noise control demands the following factors except_.A. sense of proportion B. money and technology C. conflict of interest D. self-discipline13. The best way to solve the noise problem is to_.A. stop using machines B. make vehicles soundl
29、essC. put something in your ears D. prevent it from reaching human ears14. Domestic noises may perhaps be controlled by_.A. good planning and technical improvementB. preventing fast motorcycles and heavy lorries from passing through residential districtsC. being considerate and polite D. signing international agreements on the noise control measures15. It is implied that the solution to noise problem may be_.3A. money-consuming B. not existing C. time-consuming D. better planning
