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四会中学2009届高三英语第1周周练 一 The octopus’s（章鱼）reputation as a human-killer isn’t simply an exaggeration（夸张）—it is a total myth. The octopus can indeed be a deadly hunter, but only of its natural victims. Some shellfish（壳类动物）and an occasional sick or incautious fish have reason to be frightened of this multi-armed hunter, but a person is much too large to interest even the biggest octopus. Even the largest among octopi is much smaller than most people imagine. Far from being large enough to swallow a ship, as monster octopi in movies have been known to do, the largest octopus, found on the Pacific coast, weighs around 110 pounds and grows to no more than ten feet in width. The hard, parrot-like beak（喙）of an octopus is not used for attacking deep-sea divers, but for cutting open shellfish. Indeed, the octopus possesses such a tiny throat that it cannot swallow large pieces of meat. Instead, it feeds by pouring digestive juices into its victims, and then sucking up the soupy remains. A shellfish that finds itself in the grasp of an octopus has only a short time to live. But human beings are perfectly safe. Still, people rarely care to go close enough to these careful creatures to get a good look at them. 1．This passage is mainly about . A．the horrors of the octopus B．the largest octopus in the world C．the octopi and their behaviour D．the octopus’s deadly hunting method 2．It is implied but not stated in the passage that . A．people have unreasonable fears about the octopus B．the octopus is not interested in human beings C．the octopus is afraid of human beings
D．the octopus is a very cruel sea animal 3．What does the underlined part “careful creatures” refer to in the last paragraph? A．Octopi. B．Shellfish. C．Fish. D．The victims. 4．The hard beak of the octopus is used for . A．attacking deep-sea divers B．cutting up large pieces of meat C．cutting open its victims D．defending itself 5．From the passage, we can conclude that . A．the octopus is not dangerous to man B．people often fear creatures that are not dangerous to them C．the octopus only hunts its natural victims D．things described in movies are not to be believed 二 We all hate speed cameras, don’t we? They’re not there to slow drivers down and lower the road accidents; they just make money for the government. They trick us, cost us cold hard cash, disturb us from driving properly and are unfair. Well, here’s a surprising thing: what if there were facts that the boring cameras actually saved lives? It’s a conclusion difficult to ignore when you look at what’s happening in France, a country with a historically poor record of road safety. There were 16,617 road deaths in 1972 in France for example, but that dropped to 8412 by 1995 following rules such as compulsory seat belt wearing in 1990 and a lowering of the blood alcohol limit to 0.05 in 1995. Last year, the road deaths dropped below 5,000 for the first time, or 4.9 per cent less than 2004. Comparing road deaths to population in 2005, that’s about 817 per million people compared with Australia’s 806. And guess what? Last year the number of speed cameras on French roads reached 1,000 and the government plans to double that within the next three years. Okay, you know the arguments regarding increased traffic safety and cameras-for-income, but it seems in France there’s been a major cultural change brought on by radars and other laws. A three-hour, wine-soaked lunch with a quick rush back to the office is no longer on. Travelling on the highways, it is rare to see anyone breaking the 130km/h speed limit when once few traveled below it. The speed cameras are clearly signed so drivers know when they are coming. There’s even an official web site listing fixed and mobile camera locations and it is updated regularly. Maybe it is because of such transparency by government, rather than the concealment too often used by authorities in many other countries that more French can enjoy la joi de vivre thanks to speed cameras. 6．Generally, it seems to most people that speed cameras are used to . A．make money for the government B．slow down the traffic C．lower the road accidents D．help us drive properly 7．From the passage we can learn that . A．France has a very poor record of road safety B．we’d better ignore the evidence that speed cameras save lives C．France had less road deaths than Australia in 2005 D．France does successfully in controlling road accidents 8．Which seems more effective in lowering road deaths in France according to this passage? A．Compulsory seat belt. B．Lowering blood alcohol limit. C．Placing more speed cameras. D．Eating in a shorter time. 9．Now you can seldom see in France . A．people drive at a speed of less than 130km/h B．lunch time lasts long hours with drunk people rushing back to office C．drivers drive according to the traffic lights D．police conduct traffic in streets 10．What does the underlined word “concealment” in the last paragraph mean? A．Secrecy. B．Openness. C．Strictness. D．Harmony. 三 Sometime early in the next century, human beings will move to Mars. They will live there for about a year, and then will be replaced with another group of pioneers. Building the base on Mars will advance our knowledge of the solar system and aid in our understanding of the earth. We already know that Mars resembles the earth in many aspects: general size, presence of water, length of day, range of temperatures. These resemblances have caused many people to consider a centuries-long project: to terraform Mars. Terraforming means altering a planet’s surface so that Earth’s life forms can survive there. This concept, previously found only in science fiction is now being seriously considered by scientists. Terraforming Mars is theoretically simple: add nitrogen and oxygen to the atmosphere; pump water to the surface; and add the earth’s plants and animals in the order
