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Seeds on Ice
Close to the North Pole，remote and rocky Plateau Mountain in the Norwegian archipelago of
Svalbard seems an unlikely spot for any global effort to safeguard agriculture. In this cold and deserted environment，no grains，no gardens，no trees can grow. Yet at the end of a 130-meter-long tunnel cut out of solid stone is a room filled with humanity’s most precious treasure, the largest and most diverse seed collection—more than a half-billion seeds.
A quiet rescue mission is under way. With growing evidence that unchecked climate change-will seriously affect food production and threaten the diversity （多样性） of crops around the world，the Svalbard Global Seed Vault （地窖） represents a major step towards ensuring the preservation （贮藏） of hundreds of thousands of crop varieties. This is a seed collection, but more importantly, it is a collection of the traits found within the seeds：the genes that give one variety resistance to a particular pest and another variety tolerance for hot，dry weather.
Few people will ever see or come into contact with the contents of this vault. In sealed boxes，behind multiple locked doors，monitored by electronic security systems, enveloped in below—zero temperatures, and surrounded by tons of rock, hundreds of millions of seeds are protected in their mountain fortress. Frozen in such conditions inside the mountain, seeds of most major crops will remain viable for hundreds of years, or longer. Seeds of some are capable of retaining （保留） their ability to grow for thousands of years.
Everyone can look back now and say that the Seed Vault was a good and obvious idea, and that of course the Norwegian government should have approved and funded it. But back in 2004, when the Seed Vault was proposed, it was viewed as a crazy，impractical, and expensive idea.
We knew that nothing would provide a definite guarantee. But we were tired，fed up，and frankly scared of the steady, greater losses of crop diversity. The Seed Vault was built by optimists who wanted to do something to preserve options so that humanity and its crops might be better prepared for change. If it simply resupplied seed gene banks with samples those gene banks had lost, this would repay our efforts.
The Seed Vault is about hope and commitrnent - about what can be done if countries come together and work cooperatively to accomplish something significant，long-lasting，and worthy of who we are and wish to be.
1.According to the passage, the Seed Vault is ___________.
A. a tunnel where the collected seeds are displayed
B. a stone room that contains the seeds of endangered crops
C. a seed gene bank that stores diverse seeds for future agriculture
D. a lab where researchers study how to maintain the diversity of crops
2.The underlined word“viable”in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
A. mature B. clean
C. alive D. valuable
3.Paragraph 3 mainly tells us __________.
A. how the seeds are preserved B. where people keep the seeds
C. why the seeds are protected D. what people do to study the seeds
4.We can know from the passage that _________.
A. the Seed Vault offers a solution to climate change
B. most countries took part in rescuing the seed varieties
C. the Seed Vault guarantees to prevent the loss of crop diversity
D. many people originally considered building the Seed Vault unwise
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Welcome to the North Pole Adventure
The North Pole Adventure is a one-of-a-kind interactive Christmas attraction for the entire family. Unlike other Christmas attractions, it is open from November 25 until Christmas Eve. It is not a guided tour. While elves (小精灵) are throughout the adventure to interact with your children, your kids can spend as much time in each area as they wish. The adventure features a replica (复制品) of the North Pole including everything you imagine at Santa’s North Pole.
Santa’s House
Kids will experience what it’s like at the North Pole and see first-hand what it takes for Santa and his elves to get ready for Christmas each year. The memories your children will take away from Santa’s House will be ones they will remember for a life time.
Post Office
All kids will be assisted by Santa’s elves in writing a letter to Santa and then depositing it in Santa’s magical mailbox. A few days before Christmas, they will receive letters at their own homes from Santa.
Elf University
Elf University is the place where elves go to school. It’s also the place where kids enjoy making Christmas presents, coloring Christmas pictures, and even filling out applications to become elves one day.
Admission
Buy your tickets online to avoid waiting in line. If the tickets sell out when you buy them online, there will still be tickets available at the ticket office.
1.The North Pole Adventure________.
A. provides visitors with tour guide service
B. is open to visitors for nearly one month
C. is modeled on other Christmas attractions
D. arranges elves to entertain kids in some areas
2.What can we learn from the passage?
A. Kids can have fun in Santa’s House by dressing up like Santa
B. Elf University offers kids opportunities for becoming elves
C. Kids who visited Post Office would receive letters on Christmas Eve
D. Tickets to the adventure can be bought online if they sell out at the ticket office
3.Where can you probably see the article?
A. a tourist booklet B. a science fiction C. a newspaper D. a story book
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Ben, at the age of 23 ,was the youngest man to ski solo to the North Pole. He dragged a 180-kilogramme sledge (雪橇) over 1,420 miles through the worst Arctic conditions. This year, Ben plans to ski solo from the Antarctic coast to the South Pole and back in the autumn, carrying all his supplies on his sledge.
Ben Saunders was fired after persuading the firm to support his disorganized first adventure. “Everything that could go wrong did go wrong. We didn’t get to the Pole, so we had no media interest. No one heard about it.”
“People said it was impossible for me to get to the Pole. I said, “No, I can get there,” and I did. Self-belief, I see it as being a bit like a muscle — it's my belief that the more you stretch yourself the stronger it gets. If you never do anything that's uncomfortable or risky then your self-belief gets weaker. So that's one of the lessons I’ve figured out along the way.
“My Antarctic adventure is just practicable and that's what is exciting to me. If I knew I could do it without too much bother, I wouldn’t be interested." Why? “Personally I'm attracted by the human performance element to it. Not that long ago, running a marathon was seen as the top point of human attempt, and now I wouldn’t be that surprised if my mum said she was going to run one."
People’s horizons are changing. “I'm not particularly gifted. I’ve just chosen this one goal to achieve and I’ve been working hard to realize it. And that’s the thing that attracts me: with enough training and enough determination, enough focus and preparation, how far can we go? And I don，t think I've found out yet.”
1.What do we know about Ben Saunders’ first adventure?
A. It was ruined by his company.
B. There was no press coverage.
C. It was well planned and organized.
D. He actually reached the North Pole.
2.According to Ben Saunders, if you want to stretch your self-belief, you should______ .
A. often test your confidence
B. try something adventurous
C. aim to reach the North Pole
D. always stretch your muscles
3.Ben Saunders was excited about his Antarctic adventure because_______ .
A. he liked running a marathon
B. he wanted to exercise his body
C. he knew it might be achievable
D. he was sure he could do it easily
4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. We have to change our views about adventure.
B. We can never know our possibilities and energies.
C. We should have a reason for going on an adventure.
D. We have to be especially talented to have an adventure.
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______ you see near the North Pole is nothing but ice and snow.
A. That B. What C. Which D. Who
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３１ｓｔ Ｏｃｔｏｂｅｒ —— A team of British explorers has announced they are going to the North Pole to measure the ice cap’s thickness. The exploration will take ground-based readings (仪表的读数) of an ice formation which most scientists agree is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Explorer Pen Hadow’s three-member team will pull a sled-fixed radar device, which measures ice density every eight centimeters, 2,000 kilometers across the Arctic and will produce millions of readings.
They will leave in February, 2008 and will face temperatures of -50℃ on a journey that will take up to 120 days. They have been testing their equipment in Britain and Canada.
Hadow is excited about the prospects (前景), “For the first time we will be able to transmit video images — webcam film of the expedition — as it unfolds so people can track us, and the whole idea is to engage as many people as we can in what we’re doing.”
New fallen snow on top of the ice makes ground-based measurements more accurate than satellite data.
“It has been in the planning stage for a while,” said Hadow. “We spent the last two years developing impulse radar (冲击雷达), which normally is about 100 kilograms and hangs under an aircraft and so on. We’ve managed to get it down to about 4 kilograms. It’s the size of a briefcase and we are dragging it behind the sled as we go.”
The ice cap shrank enough in 2007 so that a pathway through the cap known as the Northwest Passage opened up during the melting of the Arctic summer.
Cambridge University’s Joao Rodrigues explains, “Thickness of the ice cap will determine how much solar radiation will be reflected and the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere and it is thus a vital component (成分) of climate models.”
If warming trends continue, some experts predict that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the summer within a few decades.
1.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Exploration to the North Pole.
B. Arctic ice cap shrinking.
C. Arctic ice survey announced.
D. Ground-based measurements of ice.
2.What is special about the exploration?
A. It will be broadcast live on the Internet.
B. Explorers will use a sled-fixed radar device.
C. Explorers will travel in extremely cold conditions.
D. Ground-based measurements are more accurate.
3.What is the purpose of the exploration?
A. To measure the ice cap’s thickness.
B. To study whether ice will disappear in the Arctic.
C. To make a film about the Arctic exploration.
D. To make people interested in what they are doing.
4.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. ice in the Arctic will disappear in ten years
B. the exploration will last for half a year
C. Hadow spent two years developing a kind of radar, which is about 100 kilograms
D. if there is snow on ice, satellites can’t measure the ice thickness accurately enough
5.From the passage, we learn that ________.
A. the explorers will measure ice density every other centimeter
B. people will be able to follow the explorers and see what they are doing
C. people could go through the Northwest Passage in the 2007 Arctic summer
D. the equipment that Hadow’s team use will be tested in the United States
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31st October —— A team of British explorers has announced they are going to the North Pole to measure the ice cap’s thickness. The exploration will take ground-based readings (仪表的读数) of an ice formation which most scientists agree is shrinking at an alarming rate.
Explorer Pen Hadow’s three-member team will pull a sled-fixed radar device, which measures ice density every eight centimeters, 2,000 kilometers across the Arctic and will produce millions of readings.
They will leave in February, 2008 and will face temperatures of -50℃ on a journey that will take up to 120 days. They have been testing their equipment in Britain and Canada.
Hadow is excited about the prospects (前景), “For the first time we will be able to transmit video images — webcam film of the expedition — as it unfolds so people can track us, and the whole idea is to engage as many people as we can in what we’re doing.”
New fallen snow on top of the ice makes ground-based measurements more accurate than satellite data.
“It has been in the planning stage for a while,” said Hadow. “We spent the last two years developing impulse radar (冲击雷达), which normally is about 100 kilograms and hangs under an aircraft and so on. We’ve managed to get it down to about 4 kilograms. It’s the size of a briefcase and we are dragging it behind the sled as we go.”
The ice cap shrank enough in 2007 so that a pathway through the cap known as the Northwest Passage opened up during the melting of the Arctic summer.
Cambridge University’s Joao Rodrigues explains, “Thickness of the ice cap will determine how much solar radiation will be reflected and the heat exchange between the ocean and the atmosphere and it is thus a vital component (成分) of climate models.”
If warming trends continue, some experts predict that the Arctic Ocean could be ice-free during the summer within a few decades.
１ What would be the best title for the text?
A. Exploration to the North Pole.
B. Arctic ice cap shrinking.
C. Arctic ice survey announced.
D. Ground-based measurements of ice.
２. What is special about the exploration?
A. It will be broadcast live on the Internet.
B. Explorers will use a sled-fixed radar device.
C. Explorers will travel in extremely cold conditions.
D. Ground-based measurements are more accurate.
３. What is the purpose of the exploration?
A. To measure the ice cap’s thickness.
B. To study whether ice will disappear in the Arctic.
C. To make a film about the Arctic exploration.
D. To make people interested in what they are doing.
４. It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. ice in the Arctic will disappear in ten years
B. the exploration will last for half a year
C. Hadow spent two years developing a kind of radar, which is about 100 kilograms
D. if there is snow on ice, satellites can’t measure the ice thickness accurately enough
５. From the passage, we learn that ________.
A. the explorers will measure ice density every other centimeter
B. people will be able to follow the explorers and see what they are doing
C. people could go through the Northwest Passage in the 2007 Arctic summer
D. the equipment that Hadow’s team use will be tested in the United States
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I was working the overnight shift in a remote hospital in the Rocky Mountains. Late in the evening, a young African teenager was brought into the emergency department. He lived at sea level and had never been in the mountains. After skiing all day, he felt really ill. Everyone assumed it was altitude sickness.
He was sweating and had abdominal (腹部的) pain. His heart rate increased. We sent off his lab work, and his blood sugar came back at almost 600 — normal is less than 100. His platelets (血小板), necessary for stopping bleeding, came in at 10,000; they should have been over 150,000. I did an ultrasound of his abdomen, and it looked like his belly was full of blood. This wasn't altitude sickness. And in the short time I'd been trying to figure out what was wrong, he was getting sicker. The friends he was traveling with were terrified, and rightly so.
The mystery was finally solved with an old-fashioned microscope. When we looked at his blood, we saw some sickled (镰形的) red blood cells. That's how we were able to diagnose sickle cell trait. If you have sickle cell trait — which means you got the sickle cell gene from just one parent instead of two — you have no symptoms at low altitude, but high altitude can sometimes cause the red blood cells to turn into sickle shapes and take oxygen from vital organs. This teenager didn't know he had it, but the effect of the altitude on his blood cells was so extreme that after just a short time in the mountains, he suffered great pain.
He needed platelets immediately, but we didn't have enough at the remote hospital. And there was a snowstorm, so the medical helicopters couldn't fly. It was a scary night. Just as we were abandoning all hope, we met an ambulance that drove halfway up from the city with blood products and transferred him to the city hospital for emergency surgery. The story has a happy ending: He recovered fully.
1.What do we know about the African teenager?
A. He only skied for a short while.
B. He lived in the Rocky Mountains.
C. He had never heard of altitude sickness.
D. He was unaware of the danger of high altitude.
2.What was the teenager's condition when rushed to the hospital?
A. He was feeling cold. B. He was bleeding continually.
C. His heart rate was going down. D. His blood contained little sugar.
3.How did the doctor diagnose the teenager's sickle cell trait?
A. By doing an ultrasound. B. By examining his parents.
C. By using a traditional approach. D. By doing a chemical experiment.
4.Which of the following played a part in saving the teenager according to the last paragraph?
A. Luck. B. Money.
C. Fame. D. Belief.
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It's a name that needs no address.Everyone knows Santa Claus lives at the North Pole.
So letters sent to Santa Claus find their way to the small town of the North Pole deep in Alaska，including those simply sent to Santa. Last year，120,000 letters arrived from 26 countries，not including the thousands with no return addresses.
Those who have return addresses usually get a reply and a North Pole postmark（邮戳） that has delighted children all over the world for many years. They feel happy to receive Santa's reply.
Letters arrive all the year around in the town of 1,600，where streets have names such as Santa Claus Lane and Kris Kringle Drive. Around Thanksgiving，they start getting there by the thousands each day as Christmas comes. Even letters without stamps get through，an exception（例外）for the U．S. Postal Service.
“This is special because it has Santa's name on it，”said Debra Cornelius，an officer at the main post office in nearby Fairbanks，where the letters are kept during the holiday.
Gabby Gaborik is among several dozen volunteers who are busy sending off replies to children who sent return addresses.
In his 10 years as a volunteer，Gaborik has seen every kind of wish. There are children who want the latest toys they see on TV. There are children who ask for miracles（奇迹），some wanting their mother back for Christmas or their father back from Iraq，even though he died there.
Replies get a North Pole postmark，including a halfmoon drawing of Santa's face. Even late letters get a reply，Gaborik said，“It says something like ‘Thanks for writing. Santa's been really busy，’anything the children might want to hear，”he said.
1.Letters written to Santa Claus without an address can arrive at the North Pole because ______.
A．all letters without an address are sent there
B．people believe that Santa Claus lives there
C．this kind of letter is sent with a special postmark
D．streets named Santa Claus Lane can be found there
2.The underlined word “delighted” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “______”.
A．excited B．amazed C．confused D．disappointed
3.We can know from the text that ______.
A．letters written to Santa Claus are sent free
B．Santa Claus' replies to children always arrive at Christmas
C．many people write to children for Santa Claus asking for no pay
D．there're thousands of letters sent to Santa Claus every month
4.What's the best title for the text?
A．Letters written to parents
B．All kinds of wishes from children
C．Letters to Santa Claus rush into Alaska
D．North Pole，Alaska，a beautiful place
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Scott and his companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians had 16 them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After 17 the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves 18 they started the 950-mile journey back.
The journey was unexpectedly 19 and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly 20 . The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had21 to mark their way home. To make things 22 , Evans, whom they had all thought of 23 the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having 24 along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.
The four who were 25 pushed on at the best speed they could 26 . Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his 27 feet; at night his feet swelled（肿胀） so large that he could 28 put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great 29 . He knew his slowness was making it less likely that 30 could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him 31 a few more miles, until it was time to put up the 32 for another night.
The following morning, 33 the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said. “I am just going outside and may be 34 some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out 35 into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.
1.A. hit B. fought C. won D. beaten
2. A. growing B. putting C. planting D. laying
3. A. after B. until C. while D. before
4.A. safe B. fast C. short D. slow
5. A. rose B. set C. appeared D. disappeared
6.A. taken up B. cut up C. set up D. picked up
7. A. easier B. better C. bitter D. worse
8.A. to B. upon C. as D. in
9.A. battled B. struggled C. speeded D. waited
10. A. left B. lost C. defeated D. saved
11. A. manage B. try C. employ D. find
12. A. ached B. frozen C. hardened D. harmed
13.A. hardly B. never C. seldom D. nearly
14. A. pain B. fear C. trouble D. danger
15.A. all others B. some others C. others D. the others
16.A. away B. with C. off D. on
17. A. bed B. tent C. blanket D. sleeping-bag
18. A. while B. since C. for D. once
19. A. missed B. separated C. passed D. gone
20.A. patiently B. lonely C. alone D. worriedly
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Scott and his companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians（挪威人）had 31 them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After 32 the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves 33 they started the 950-mile journey back.
The journey was unexpectedly 34 and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly 35. The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had 36 to mark their way home. To make things 37. Evans, whom they had all thought of 38 the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having 39 along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.
The four who were 40 pushed on at the best speed they could 41. Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his 42 fact; at night his feet swelled（肿胀） so large that he could 43 put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great 44 . He knew his slowness was making it less likely that 45 could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him 46 a few more miles, until it was time to put up the 47 for another night.
The following morning, 48 the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said. “I am just going outside and may be 49 some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out 50 into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.
1. A．knocked B．fought C．won D．beaten
2. A．growing B．putting C．planting D．laying
3. A．after B．until C．while D．before
4. A．safe B．fast C．short D．slow
5. A．rose B．set C．appeared D．disappeared
6. A．taken up B．cut up C．set up D．picked up
7. A．easier B．better C．bitter D．worse
8. A．to B．upon C．as D．in
9. A．battled B．struggled C．speeded D．waited
10. A．left B．lost C．defeated D．saved
11. A．manage B．try C．employ D．find
12. A．ached B．frozen C．harden D．harmed
13. A．hardly B．never C．seldom D．nearly
14. A．pain B．fear C．trouble D．danger
15. A．all others B．some others C．others D．the others
16. A．away B．with C．off D．on
17. A．bed B．tent C．blanket D．sleeping-bag
18. A．while B．since C．for D．once
19. A．missed B．separated C．passed D．gone
20. A．patiently B．lonely C．alone D．worriedly