ReadingComprehensionPractice__3.doc

Reading Comprehension Practice 3
Passage 1
Late in the dry season, Pul Pul Billabong is clear and shady. A meter or so of water covers sand and gravel. There are no salt-water crocodiles, so visitors can strip and cool off.
The billabong is also popular with turtles(龟). Exposed tree roots, fallen branches and eroded banks give underwater protection. Hanging over the billabong, the broad leaves and sweet fruits of fig trees supply food. There are small sand banks for laying eggs.
Pul Pul Billabong is on the South Alligator River in a mineral-exploration zone surrounded by Kakadu National Park. Four species of turtles share the billabong: the northern snapper, the saw-shelled snapper, the northern yellow-faced turtle and the pig-nosed turtle.
The pig-nosed turtle, the largest fresh-water turtle in Australia, can grow to more than half a meter and 20 kilograms. It is called Warradjan by Aborigines(土著居民) and carettochelys insculpta by scientists. The sex of this unusual turtle's egg is determined by its environment: if the sand around the nest is warmer than 31.6 degrees Celsius, all the hatchlings are female; if cooler, they are male.
The pig-nosed turtle is rare, the sole surviving member of a family whose fossils have been found in Europe, North America and southern Asia. It lives only in the rivers of southern New Guinea and northern Australia. In Australia, it was first recorded by scientists only in 1969. In New Guinea, the turtle is at risk: its habitat(栖息地)is threatened by mining, logging and hydroelectric development and adults and eggs form a vital food source for the subsistence of village economies. In northern Australia, the turtle's numbers have been reduced by buffalo, which disturb the nesting sites and destroy the vegetation on the river banks, and by overfishing of the Daly River.
The humble pig-nosed turtle has become an object of concern, with the International Union for the Conservation of Nature and Natural Resources listing it in the Red Data Book for amphibians and reptiles. The only haven for the turtle is Kakadu National Park.
1. This article focuses on _____.
A. Pul Pul Billabong B. Kakadu National Park C. four species of turtles D. the pig-nosed turtle
2. Judging from the passage, Pul Pul Billabong is most probably _____.
A. a busy seaport B. a large city C. a small shallow river D. a deep well
3. Which of the following best summarizes the second paragraph?
A. Pul Pul Billabong is a beautiful spot. B. Visitors can see turtles in the billabong.
C. The billabong is an ideal place for turtles. D. There are many plants along the billabong.
4. Which of the following is NOT true about the pig-nosed turtle?
A. It only lives in fresh water. B. It is only found in Australia.
C. It can weigh as heavy as 20 kilograms. D. It has two other names.
5. From the passage we learn that _____.
A. in Australia, the pig-nosed turtle was first recorded in the nineteenth century
B. the pig-nosed turtle is also called Warradjan by scientists
C. human beings have done little harm to the pig-nosed turtle
D. the number of the pig-nosed turtles is decreasing
Passage 2
Most Americans will tell you that character education in schools is a good idea. According to pollsters (做民意测验的人), 90% of us want schools to teach core moral values. But what should "character education" look like? And more important, does it work?
Take a look at Traut Core Knowledge School in Fort Collins, Colo. Traut Core is a public school with a waiting list of 500 students. A strong focus on 12 core values throughout the school culture has contributed to high academic achievement at Traut Core. The school now ranks first in reading and in the top five in math out of the 26 schools in the district.
Private schools are also on the list. The Montrose School in Natick, Mass has daily homerooms that focus on character discussions and leadership, and the school provides many opportunities for service to others. At Montrose, moral development is inseparable from academic achievement.
Wake County Public Schools in North Carolina is a case study in how to get comprehensive character education programs going in every school. Beginning in 1992, the district appointed a task force with broad representation from the community. Public meetings were held, surveys sent out, and other efforts made to ensure that character education in the schools would be built on the shared moral values of the citizens in this large and diverse district.
Today, character education is part of the mission of every Wake County school. The district provides in-service training and resources for teachers, encourages parental involvement and evaluates the results.
Higher academic achievement, lower drop-out (辍学) rates, fewer discipline problems, a more positive and caring school environment -- who doesn't want schools like these? And who wouldn't like to see students who are more caring, respectful, honest and responsible?
6. Judging from the first paragraph, what's the writer's attitude to "character education"?
A. Positive. B. Ironical. C. Suggestive. D. Opposite.
7. The phrase "a waiting list of 500 students" in Line 2, Para. 2 probably means that there are 500 students____.
A. studying there B. enrolling there C. graduating there D. waiting for admission
8. Among the private schools willing to teach moral values_____.
A. Traut Core has daily homerooms that focus on character discussions and leadership
B. the Montrose School focus on 12 core values
C. Traut Core provides many opportunities for service to others
D. the Montrose School makes progress both academically and morally
9. Character education, according to the last paragraph, will result in all of the following except______.
A. lower drop-out rates B. higher academic achievement
C. a less positive and caring environment D. fewer discipline problems
10. Which is not true according to the passage?
A. Academic achievement is closely associated with moral development.
B. Higher academic achievement is inseparable from moral development.
C. Moral development exerts influence on academic achievement.
D. Moral development has nothing to do with academic achievement.
Passage 3
As more people live closer together, and as they use machines to produce leisure, they find that their leisure, and even their working hours, becomes spoilt by a by-product (副产品) of their machines -- namely, noise. Noise is nowadays in the news; it has acquired political status, and public opinion is demanding, more and more insistently, that something be done about it.
To control noise is to demand much self-discipline (annoyance arises often from lack of common courtesy (礼貌), a sense of proportion (there is usually a conflict of interest if a noise is to be stopped), the expenditure（花费) of money (and it is far more economical to do this early rather than late), and finally, technical knowledge.
Technical difficulties often arise from the subjective-objective (主客观的) nature of the problem. You can define the excessive speed of a motorcar in terms of a pointer reading on a speedometer (里程计). But can you define excessive noise in the same way'? You find that with any existing simple "noisy-meter", vehicles, which are judged to be equally noisy, may show considerable difference on the meter.
Though the ideal cure for noise is to stop it at its source this may in many cases be impossible. The next remedy is to absorb it on its way to the ear.
Domestic noises may perhaps be controlled by forethought (深谋远虑的) and industrial noises by good planning and technical improvement. But if we are going to allow fast motorcycles (摩托车) and heavy lorries to pass continuously through residential (住宅的) and business districts, the community must decide on the control it needs to exercise, for in the long run it has got to pay for it. And if a nation is to take part in modern air transport, it must enter into international agreements on the noise control measures it will impose on its airports -- and here the cost of any real control is to be measured in millions of dollars.
11. According to the first paragraph, noise is______.
A. inseparable from leisure B inseparable from by-product
C. inseparable from working hours D. inseparable from the advance of our life
12. Noise control demands the following factors except_____.
A. sense of proportion B. money and technology C. conflict of interest D. self-discipline
13. The best way to solve the noise problem is to____.
A. stop using machines B. make vehicles soundless
C. put something in your ears D. prevent it from reaching human ears
14. Domestic noises may perhaps be controlled by______.
A. good planning and technical improvement
B. preventing fast motorcycles and heavy lorries from passing through residential districts
C. being considerate and polite D. signing international agreements on the noise control measures
15. It is implied that the solution to noise problem may be______.
A. money-consuming B. not existing C. time-consuming D. better planning
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