以下信息由双博士网校授权本网站发布，未经允许，不得转载

Passage One

　　The planet's wild creatures face a new threat - from yuppies, empty nesters, singletons and one parent families.Biologists studying the pressure on the planet's dwindling biodiversity today report on a new reason for alarm. Although the rate of growth in the human population is decreasing, the number of individual households is exploding.

　　Even where populations have actually dwindled - in some regions of New Zealand, for instance - the numbers of individual households had increased, because of divorce, career choice, smaller families and longer lifespans.

　　Jianguo Liu of MichiganStateUniversity and colleagues from StanfordUniversity in California report in Nature, in a paper published online in advance, that a greater number of individual households, each containing on average fewer people, meant more pressure on natural resources.

　　Towns and cities began to sprawl as new homes were built. Each household needed fuel to heat and light it; each household required its own plumbing, cooking and refrigeration.

　　"Had the average household size remained at the 1985 level, " the scientists report, "there would have been 155m fewer households in hotspot countries in 2000. By 2015 233m more households are likely to be added to hotspot countries as a result of continued reduction in average household size alone."

　　Paradoxically, smaller households do not mean smaller homes. In Indian River county, Florida, the average area of a one-storey, single family house increased 33% in the past three decades, from about 1,800 sq ft before 1970 to an average 2,400 sq ft for built since 1970.Dr Liu's work grew from the alarming discovery that the giantpandas living in Chinese Wolong reserve were more at risk now than they were when the reserve was first established. The local population had grown, but the total number of homes had increased more swiftly, to make greater inroads into the bamboo forests.

　　Only around 1.75m species on the planet have been named and described. Biologists estimate that there could be 7m, or even 17m, as yet to be identified. But human numbers have grown more than sixfold in the past 200 years, and humans and their livestock are now the greatest single consumer group on the planet. The world population will continue to soar, perhaps levelling off around 9 billion in the next century. Environmental campaigners have claimed that between a quarter and a half of all the species on earth could become extinct in the next century.

　　Gretchen Daily of Stanford, one of the authors, said ："We all depend on open space and wild places, not just for peace of mind but for vital services such as crop pollination, water purification and climate stabilization. The alarming thing about this study is the finding that, if family groups continue to become smaller and smaller, we might continue losing biodiversity-even if we get the aggregate human population size stabilized."

1.The author focuses mainly on .

A.the decreasing rate of growth in human population affects the nature.

B.smaller households do not mean smaller homes.

C.increasing individual households threaten planet's wildlife.

D.a great number of the species on earth has extincted.

2.Which of the following statements can NOT be true?

A.the planet's biodiversity is in danger.

B.individual households increase because of divorce,smaller families.

C.in Indian River county the average area of a single family house expanded in the last three decades of 20th century.

D.more households will be added as a result of increasing in average household size.

3.Jianguo Liu of Michigan state university and his colleagues pointed out that .

A.the number of individual households is exploding though the rate of growth in the human population is decreasing.

B.expansion of individual households will bring more pressure on natural resource.

C.the annual growth rate in the number of households was far higher than the population growth rate.

D.about 1.75 million species exist on the planet.

4.The word "paradoxically" most probably means .

A.seem to be contradict but is true

B.on the contrary

C.to be confused

D.hard to believe.

5.It can be inferred from the last two paragraphs that .

A.the majority of species on the planet have been identified.

B.at most half of all the species on earth could still exist as the world population reach to 9 billion.

C.rise in individual households bodes ill for biodiversity.

D.Wedepend on open space and wild places for vital services but not for peace of mind.

Passage Two

　　Having conquered the hearts of millions of Japanese with their electronic chirps and digital doo-doos, “Tamagotchi” virtual pets are poised to migrate to the West.  The maker, Bandai, has announced plans for a launch in May of the toy in Britain, France and the United States. Within Japan, too, the Tamagotchi—literally “egg watches”—are migrating. Clever marketing has seen the craze spread by word of mouth from Japan’s trend-setting high-school girls to office workers and beyond. It has now reached the point where professional men are seen nursing the toy on subway trains. On the screen of the electronic watch, an egg hatches to reveal a “babychi” that chirps whenever it wants feeding, cleaning or affection—all of which can be supplied at the push of a button throughout the creatures’ liquid-crystal lives. The wearer of the watch in effect “raises” the chick to adulthood.

　　The craze for Tamagotchi shows no sign of abating in Japan. Last weekend, thousands of would-be foster parents spent hours in freezing weather waiting to buy the latest version. “It’s hard to say exactly why I like it,” said one owner. “It’s more than just cute. I feel close to it, like a parent. But what is better is that I can take care of it without getting dirty.” Parents have a heavy responsibility as the upbringing they give their little charge determines what kind of “adultochi” it grows into. Spoil it and it becomes nasty. Fail to remove its droppings and it becomes sick. Its very life, which can last up to two weeks, is in the hands of the owner.

　　Normally selling at the equivalent of $16 each, a supply shortage has created a black market where the games can fetch more than 10 times that price. A spokesperson for Bandai said the company had been taken by surprise. “We have sold far more than we expected. We can hardly keep up with demand.”  Since Nov. 23, when the first Tamagotchi went on sale, more than half a million have entered the world. The HakuhinkanToyPark in Ginza, Tokyo’s main shopping district, was inundated with 3,000 telephone inquiries in a single day after word spread that a new shipment was on its way. People lined up all night to buy one of the 1,700 units.

6. What would be the best title of this passage?

A. The New “Pet Craze”

B. What Japan and the West Have in Common

C. How to Keep an Electronic Pet

D. Manufacturing of Electronic Pets Falling Behind

7. By saying “Within Japan, too, the Tamagotchi -literally ‘egg watches’ -are migrating”, the author means .

A. Tamagotchi has spread to other areas of Japan

B. new models of Tamagotchi have been introduced

C. the fascination with Tamagotchi has spread to different groups of people

D. people are beginning to take Tamagotchi to work

8. “Tamagotchi” is .

A. a kind of liquid crystal life

B. a multi-function watch

C. a kind of electronic virtual pet

D. the name of a toy manufacturer in Japan

9. What does “abate” (paragraph 2, line1) most probably mean?

A. debate        B. denial        C. retreat        D. decrease

10. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that .

A. the virtual pet has become as popular in the West as it is in Japan

B. the inventor of this virtual pet did not anticipate such a huge success of the product

C. many people have more than one Tamagotchi

D. new models of Tamagotchi typically cost more than the old ones

下一页继续