Conservationists have unveiled plans to preserve and protect the world's most important species of coral, in a response to increasing threats that they say will lead to "functional extinction" within decades．
Led by scientists at the Zoological Society of London, the Edge Coral Reefs project has identified 10 coral species in most urgent risk of becoming extinct．The scientists say that reefs are under pressure from a variety of threats including rising sea temperatures due to climatic instability, increased acidity（酸性）, overfishing and pollution．
The Edge plan, which focuses on the most evolutionarily distinct and globally endangered species , will take a regional approach to conservation．This means focusing on the "coral triangle" around the Philippines, the West Indian Ocean around the Mozambique channel, and in the Caribbean channel．
"Coral reefs are threatened with functional extinction in the next 20-50 years, due predominantly to global climatic instability," said Catherine Head, coordinator of the reefs project．"In these regions, we'll be supporting and training in-country conservationists to carry out research and implement targeted conservation actions," she said．"Their projects will last initially for two years．We provide them with a whole host of tools to carry out their projects including funding and intensive training．" She added．
Coral reefs are the planet's most diverse marine ecosystem（生态系统）, known as the rainforests of the oceans．Despite taking up under 0．2% of the ocean floor, they provide food and shelter for almost a third of all sea life．If we lose the ecosystems, we lose not only the biodiversity （生物多样性）, but we also lose the capability of people to obtain income and food from coral reefs．
Climatic instability, which leads to rising sea temperatures, causes corals to bleach．Bleaching occurs when sea temperatures rise and this causes the coral tissue to expel their symbiotic algae called zooxanthellae - these are what give the coral their colour．Bleached corals often die if the stress continues．Among the 10 species chosen to start the Edge project are the pearl bubble coral, a food source for the hawksbill（玳瑁）turtle, and the Mushroom coral, which supports at least 15 brightly colored fish．

1. 1.

   What does the first paragraph mean in the passage ?

   1. A.
      Conservationists planned to preserve and protect some extinct corals years ago．
   2. B.
      Conservationists have banned plans to protect endangered corals for years．
   3. C.
      Conservationists are going to protect corals that are dying out in several ten years．
   4. D.
      Conservationists have made plans to protect corals from being extinct in ten years．
2. 2.

   What will probably happen to coral species with the increasing threats?

   1. A.
      Decrease．
   2. B.
      Losing functions
   3. C.
      Disappearance．
   4. D.
      Existence
3. 3.

   Which of the following statements about the Edge Plan is TRUE?

   1. A.
      The Edge Coral Reefs project was carried out by American scientists．
   2. B.
      The plan concentrates on the channels to protect the endangered species．
   3. C.
      The Conservationists have carried out the Edge plan for many years to protect the corals．
   4. D.
      Ten coral species chosen by the project are at the greatest risk of becoming extinct．
4. 4.

   Which of the following will be the consequence of coral extinction in the passage?

   1. A.
      We will keep the balance of the marine ecosystems．
   2. B.
      About one third of the marine species can't survive．
   3. C.
      Man can benefit more from corals．
   4. D.
      We will lose the rainforests on our earth．
5. 5.

   What is the best title of the passage?

   1. A.
      Climatic Instability and Coral Extinction
   2. B.
      Reasons for Coral Functional Extinction．
   3. C.
      A Plan to Save Coral from Extinction
   4. D.
      A Research about Endangered Coral Reefs．

A powerful earthquake struck the northeastern coast of Japan at 2:46 p.m. local time on March 11th. Japan's Meteorological Agency released its first tsunami warnings just three minutes later. The country has one of the best earthquake early warning systems in the world. More than 4,000 Seismic Intensity Meters provide information within two minutes of an earthquake happening.

There are also concrete sea walls around much of the Japanese coastline. But these measures proved no match for the powerful earthquake and tsunami.

Costas Synolakis is a tsunami expert in the University of Southern California in Los Angeles. He says, "Japan is one of those most well-prepared countries on earth in terms of tsunami warning. They had a warning. I think what went wrong is that they had not foreseen the size of this event."

He says there are two reasons for this. First, scientists had not expected such a large earthquake. The 9.0 magnitude earthquake was the 4th most powerful earthquake ever recorded worldwide. It was also the worst ever to hit Japan. The tsunami waves reached as high as 13 meters in some areas.

Second, Japan's concrete sea walls were not built to handle such high waves. "In Sendai, they were about three meters. At least in that area they were not expecting such a sizeable wave because they would have built a higher seawall."

A tsunami wave can travel as fast as 800 kilometers per hour. To get to higher ground people would often have to travel for many kilometers. This can take more time than a fast traveling tsunami will permit. This is especially true in cases like Japan. The tsunami waves followed almost immediately. Experts say early warning systems will continue to be limited by these facts until earthquakes and tsunamis can be predicted.  

72. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?

A. Better equipment should have been used.                 B. A powerful earthquake hit the coast of Japan.

C. Japan can report an earthquake before it happens.          D. Japan has a good earthquake early warning system.

73. According to Costas Synolakis, ________.

A. the Japanese should have built many higher seawalls

B. the Japanese were not really prepared for such a disaster

C. Japan has experienced the worst earthquake worldwide

D. Japan had the best warning of such a serious earthquake  

74. According to the writer, people hadn’t got to higher ground because ________.

A. didn’t know there would be a tsunami                      B. tsunami didn’t leave people much time

C. they thought the seawalls were reliable                     D. higher ground couldn’t be reached at all

75. What can we learn from the last paragraph?      

A. Early warning systems are basically unreliable.  

B. Earthquakes and tsunamis will soon be predicted.

C. We have to accept the imperfect systems for the moment.

D. New warning systems will be designed to predict disasters.

A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.
【小题1】__________ are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025

A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.

A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.

P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.

Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.

The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.

The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.

The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have.

1.__________ are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025

A．No countries       B．18 countries       C．46 countries       D．28 countries

2.All the following are true except____________.

A．Lack of water may cause conflict between countries

B．Egypt now has enough fresh water

C．There are solutions to the water problem

D．New industries need a lot of water

3.It can be inferred that _____________.

A．There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth

B．Lack of water may also result from international conflict

C．The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water.

D．It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water

4.What is the solution to the water problem for a long time?

A．Not to waste water.                      B．Less developing industries.

C．Less international conflict.                 D．Control the population

5.The best title of the passage would be __________.

A．World Conflict                          B．Diseases and Water

C．World Water Shortage                   D．Population and Water

A new study gives us the warning that about thirty percent of the world's people may not have enough water by the year 2025.
A private American organization called Population Action International did the new study. It says more than three-hundred-thirty-five-million people lack enough water now. The people live in twenty-eight countries. Most of the countries are in Africa or the Middle East.
P-A-I researcher Robert Engelman says by the year 2025, about three-thousand-million people may lack water. At least 18 more countries are expected to have severe water problems. The demand for water keeps increasing. Yet the amount of water on Earth stays the same.
Mr. Engelman says the population in countries that lack water is growing faster than in other parts of the world. He says population growth in these countries will continue to increase.
The report says lack of water in the future may result in several problems. It may increase health problems. Lack of water often means drinking waters not safe. Mr. Engelman says there are problems all over the world because of diseases, such as cholera, which are carried in water. Lack of water may also result in more international conflict. Countries may have to compete for water in the future. Some countries now get sixty percent of their fresh water from other countries. This is true of Egypt, the Netherlands, Cambodia, Syria, Sudan, and Iraq. And the report says lack of water would affect the ability of developing to improve their economies. This is because new industries often need a large amount of water when they are beginning.
The Population Action International study gives several solutions to the water problem. One way, it says, is to find ways to use water for more than one purpose. Another way is to teach people to be careful not to waste water. A third way is to use less water of agriculture.
The report also says long-term solutions to the water problem must include controls on population growth. It says countries cannot provide clean water unless they slow population growth by limiting the number of children people have

1. 1.

   __________ are expected to have severe water problems by the year 2025

   1. A.
      No countries
   2. B.
      18 countries
   3. C.
      46 countries
   4. D.
      28 countries
2. 2.

   All the following are true except____________

   1. A.
      Lack of water may cause conflict between countries
   2. B.
      Egypt now has enough fresh water
   3. C.
      There are solutions to the water problem
   4. D.
      New industries need a lot of water
3. 3.

   It can be inferred that _____________

   1. A.
      There is connection between providing clean water and slowing population growth
   2. B.
      Lack of water may also result from international conflict
   3. C.
      The ability of developing has nothing to do with lack of water
   4. D.
      It is not known whether diseases have something to do with lack of water
4. 4.

   What is the solution to the water problem for a long time?

   1. A.
      Not to waste water
   2. B.
      Less developing industries
   3. C.
      Less international conflict
   4. D.
      Control the population
5. 5.

   The best title of the passage would be __________

   1. A.
      World Conflict
   2. B.
      Diseases and Water
   3. C.
      World Water Shortage
   4. D.
      Population and Water