閱讀理解題

　　第一篇

Preserving Nature for Future

　　Demands for stronger protection for wildlife in Britain sometimes hide the fact that similar needs are felt in the rest of Europe. Studies by the Council of Europe, of which 21 countries are members, have shown that 45 per cent of reptile（爬行動物）species and 24 per cent of butterflies（蝴蝶）are in danger Of dying out.

　　European concern for wildlife was outlined by Dr Peter Baum, an expert in the environment and natural resources division of the council, when he spoke at a conference arranged by the administrators of a British national park. The park is one of the few areas in Europe to hold the council's diploma（證書）for nature reserves（自然保護區）of me highest quality, and Dr Baum had come to present it to the park once again. He was afraid that public opinion was turning against national parks, and that those set up in the 1960s and 1970s could not be set up today. But Dr. Baum clearly remained a strong supporter of the view that natural environments needed To be allowed to survive in peace in their own right.

　　"No area could be expected to survive both as a true nature reserve and as a tourist attraction," he went on. The short-sighted view that reserves had to serve immediate human demands for outdoor recreation（戶外娛樂）should be replaced by full acceptance of their importance as places to preserve nature for the future.

　　"We forget that they are the guarantee of life systems, on which any built-up area ultimately depends." Dr. Baum went on. "We could manage without most industrial products, but we could not manage without nature. However, our natural environment areas, which are the original parts of our countryside, have shrunk（縮小）to become mere islands in a spoiled and highly polluted 1andmass."

　　1 Recent studies by the Council of Europe have indicated that

　　A Britain is the only country where wildlife needs more protection．

　　B all species of wildlife in Europe are in danger of dying out．

　　C there are fewer species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe than elsewhere

　　D many species of reptiles and butterflies in Europe need protecting．

　　2 Why did Dr Baum come to a British national park?

　　A Because he needed to present it with a council's diploma．

　　B Because he was concerned about its management．

　　C Because it was the only national park of its kind in Europe．

　　D Because it had never before received a diploma from the Council

　　3 The last sentence in the second paragraph implies that

　　A people should create more natural environment areas

　　B people would go on protecting national parks．

　　C certain areas of countryside should be preserved．

　　D people should defend the right to live in a peaceful environment．

　　4 In Dr．Baum's opinion, the view that a nature reserve should serve as a tourist attraction is

　　A idealistic．

　　B revolutionary．

　　C short-sighted．

　　D traditional．

　　5 Which of the following can be inferred from the last paragraph?

　　A We have developed industry at the expense of countryside．

　　B We have forgotten what our original countryside looked like．

　　C People living On islands should protect natural resources for their survival．

　　D We should destroy all the built up areas．

　　第二篇

Home Heating

　　Central heating became popular only after the Civil War. Typically, coal-burning furnaces （火爐）fueled the early systems. Natural gas had developed into the leading fuel by 1960.Its acceptance resulted in part from its wide uses. Because it comes primarily from U.S. and Canadian fields, natural gas is also less vulnerable （脆弱的） than oil is to War. Oil remains the most important fuel in a few areas, such as New England.

　　Electric heating dominates most areas with mild winters and cheap electricity, including the South and the Northwest. It was made popular at least in the South by the low cost of adding electric heating to new houses built with air-conditioning. Bottled gas, which is somewhat more expensive than utility gas, is the fuel of choice in rural areas not served by utility pipelines. Wood is the leading heating fuel in just a few rural counties.

　　Home heating, which accounts for less than 7 percent of a11 energy consumed in the U.S., has had a commendable （值得贊揚的） efficiency record：from 1978 to 1997, the amount of fuel consumed for this purpose declined 44 percent despite a 33 percent increase in the number of housing units and an increase in house size. The U. S. Department of Energy, however, forecasts mat energy used in home heating will rise by 14 percent over the next two decades. That rise is small considering an expected 2 1 percent increase in the number of houses and the trend toward larger houses.

　　Natural gas and electricity will probably dominate the home heating market for the next two decades. Solar（太陽的）heating never became popular because of cost and limited winter sunlight in most areas; in 2000 only 47, 000 homes relied on it.

　　6 Natural gas didn't become the leading fuel until

　　A 1978．

　　B 1960．

　　C 1997．

　　D 2000．

　　7 What fuel is the dominant fuel in New England?

　　A Gas．

　　B Electricity．

　　C Wood．

　　D Oil．

　　8 The word "consumed" in paragraph 3 could be best replaced by

　　A used．

　　B burned．

　　C delivered．

　　D pumped．

　　9 According to-paragraph 3，energy consumed in home heating over the next two decades will increase by

　　A 33 percent．

　　B 31 percent．

　　C 21 percent．

　　D 14 percent．

　　10 Which of the following statements is NOT true，according to the article?

　　A Natural gas comes partly from Canadian fields．

　　B Bottled gas is more expensive than utility gas．

　　C Equipment for home heating has been considerably improved．

　　D Solar heating dominated America in 2000．

　　第三篇

Sleepless at Night

　　It was a normal summer night. Humidity （濕氣） hung in the thick air.

　　I couldn't go to sleep, partly because of my cold and partly because of my expectations for the next day. My mum had said that tomorrow was going to be a surprise.

　　Sweat stuck to my aching body. Finally, I gathered enough strength to sit up. I looked out of my small window into the night. There was a big bright moon hanging in the sky, giving off a magic glow.

　　I couldn't stand the pressure anymore, so I did what I always do to make myself feel better. I went to the bathroom and picked up my toothbrush and toothpaste. I cleaned my teeth as if there was no tomorrow. Back and forth, up and down.

　　Then I walked downstairs to look for some signs of movement, some life. Gladiator, my cat, frightened me as he meowed （喵喵地唱出） his sad song. He was on the old orange couch （長沙發）, sitting up on his front legs, waiting for something to happen. He looked at me as if to say, "I'm lonely, pet me. I need a good hug （緊抱）." Even the couch begged me to sit on it.

　　In one movement I settled down onto the soft couch. This couch represented my parents' marriage, my birth, and hundreds of other little events.

　　As I held Gladiator, my heart started beating heavily. My mind was flooded with questions: What's life? Am I really alive? Are you listening to me? Every time I moved my hand down Gladiator's body, I had a new thought; each touch sang a different song.

　　I forgot all about the heat and the next day's surprise. The atmosphere was so full of warmth and silence that I sank into its arms. Falling asleep with the big cat in my arms felt all my worries slowly move away.

　　11 The author of the passage could not go to sleep partly because

　　A it was too cold.

　　B it was too dry.

　　C he had a cold.

　　D he had a fever.

　　12 What was the weather like that night?

　　A It was chilly.

　　B It was windy.

　　C It was fine.

　　D It was cloudy.

　　13 The author brushed his teeth over and over

　　A to relieve himself of the pressure.

　　B to ease his toothache.

　　C to shake off the cold.

　　D to remove the dirt.

　　14 Gladiator was the name of

　　A a movie.

　　B a pet.

　　C a couch.

　　D a song.

　　15 What did the couch represent?

　　A Anew thought.

　　B Different songs.

　　C A comfortable life.

　　D Happy memories.

　　【參考答案】

　　1. D 2. A 3. C 4. C 5. A

　　6. B 7. D 8. A 9. D 10. D

　　11. C 12. C 13. A 14. B 15. D