Martin Lynch, an American businessman, had been going on vacation to a small Mexican fishing village for a number of years. One morning while going for a walk along the beach, he saw his friend Pablo Perez, a local fisherman. Martin watched Pablo unload his boat and pack the fish in a box.

?? Martin noticed Pablo was smiling and looked very happy. He could also see several large fish in the boat. Martin greeted Pablo and asked how long it took to catch the fish. “Just a few hours,” replied Pablo. Martin asked, “Why didn’t you stay longer and catch more fish?” “I have enough for my family,” Pablo said. “And what do you do with the rest of your day?” asked Martin. “I take a nap, play with my children, spend time with my wife, and go into the village to see my friends and play cards, I have a full and busy life.” Martin explained that if Pablo worked longer hours and caught more fish, he could make more money. With the extra money, Pablo could buy more boats and catch money more fish. By selling the fish, Pablo could open his own factory and sell direct to supermarkets.

?? “Then what?” asked Pablo. “Well you would probably have to move to Mexico City to run the business. Finally, you would be able to sell your business and make millions of dollars,” replied Martin. “How long will that take?” asked Pablo.

?? Martin thought for a while and said it would probably take at least 15 years.

?? “And then what” asked Pablo.

?? “Well, that’s the best part,” Martin said. “You will be able to retire, Buy a house near the ocean, sleep longer, play with your children, spend more time with your wife, see your friends, and play cards.”

1.What makes the Mexican fisherman happy is ______________.

A. many friends to visit him????????????? ????????????? ????????????? B. a full and busy life

C. more boats and more fish ????????????? ????????????? ????????????? D. the house near the ocean

2.How can the fisherman make more money in the businessman’s view?

A. By buying a supermarket. ????????????? ????????????? B. To move to Mexico City.

C. By selling his own business. ????????????? ????????????? D. To work longer and catch more fish.

3.The underlined word “unload” in the passage means ____________.

A. put … into?????????????? B. take … away from

C. break down?????????????? D. set off

4.We can infer from the passage that ____________.

A. the fisherman will stay the same with his life

B. the fisherman will leave the village for Mexico City

C. the business man will buy the fisherman’s boat

D. it takes all day for the fisherman to catch large fish

Wild animals are our friends, but many of them are getting fewer and fewer. We should try to protect them. The four animals below are now in danger.

Tibetan Antelopes

Tibetan antelopes (藏羚羊) are medium-sized animals. They mainly feed on grass. They are usually found in groups of about 20. They are killed for their wool, which is warm, soft and fine and can be made into expensive clothes. Although people can get the wool without killing the animals, people simply kill them before taking the wool. The number of them is dropping year by year. There are less than 75,000 Tibetan antelopes left in the world, down from a million 50 years ago.

Golden Monkeys

     Golden monkeys are mainly found in Sichuan, Gansu, Shanxi provinces and Shengnongjia mountainous area of Hubei Province. Golden monkeys have golden-orange fur. They move around in the daytime, usually in groups of as many as 100 to 200 heads, or 20 to 30 heads. They feed on fruits and young leaves of bamboos. But people are destroying the environment where they live. Trees and bamboos are disappearing, so golden monkeys have less and less to eat.

Elephants

Elephants are very big and strong. They are bigger than any other animals on land. They are grey and have long trunks and tusks. They have poor eyesight, but very good hearing and smell. They can lift heavy things and break down branches with their trunks. Elephants are very friendly towards each other and towards their neighbours. Normally, they live in a group for many years. Young male elephants do not leave the group until they are about 12 years old. Now, there are very few elephants in the world. The number of them is becoming smaller and smaller because their living areas are used for farming. Also, people hunt them for their tusks.

Wolves

Wolves are not very big. They have grey fur. Wolves have very good eyesight, hearing and smell. Wolves’ food is various. They eat animals, insects and snails. They are friendly to each other and never attack people. They do not kill for fun. Wolves are in danger, too. They are losing their living areas because people cut down forests. Soon they will have no home or food.

1.Tibetan antelopes usually live in groups of about _______.

   A. 20                B. 30           C. 100          D. 200

2.Which of the following animals are the biggest on land?

   A. Tibetan antelopes.                    B. Golden monkeys. 

C. Elephants.                       D. Wolves

3.Which of the following sentences is right?

   A. There are less than 7,500 Tibetan antelopes left in the world now.

   B. Golden monkeys usually move around during the night.

   C. Elephants have good eyesight, but very poor hearing and smell.

   D. Wolves are friendly to each other and they never attack people.

4.What can be the best title of the passage?

   A. Wild animals in danger           

B. How to hunt wild animals

   C. Animals in the zoo               

D. How to train the animals

— Four dollars a pair? I think it’s a bit too much.
— If you buy three pairs, the price for each will _______ to three fifty.

In some science fiction movies, evil robots refuse to die, no matter how hard people fight back.
Now science fiction has become science fact. For the first time, scientists have made a robot that can take a beating and keep on going. Scientists from Cornell University made the robot, which looks like a spider with four legs.
Until now, even the most advanced (先进的) robot was almost certain to break down when it was damaged (毁坏). That is because its computer inside simply doesn’t know how to make the machine work after its shape has changed. 
To deal with this problem, the scientists put eight motors (发动机) and two sensors (传感器) that read how the machine is working. They all give signals to the machine’s software. Using this information, the computer can then figure out the machine’s shape at any moment.
The new technology is a big advance in robot-making, scientists say, and it’s far from scary. It may someday help scientists create better artificial (假的) arms and legs and give new freedom to people who lose them. It might also help scientists understand how people and animals figure out their own sense of place in space.
“It has been difficult to design robots that can work well when the environment changes or when it’s damaged,” says Olaf Sporns of Indiana University in US. “With this work, we are nearer to solving this problem.”
【小题1】Why do robots easily break down when they are damaged?

将下列各段按照正确的顺序重新排序，使文章通顺。

A． Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them.

B． Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list.” Said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years.” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”

C．And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.

D．Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to sit in my arms on the sofa and talk with me,”said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”

E. Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.