In the middle of the 20th century people were worried about whales.The number of whales killed worldwide came up to 66,000 per year.However,people weren't worried about the whale as an endangered animal.Instead,they were worried about the whale industry,which would disappear if there were no whales.In 1946,the International Whaling Commission was established.It limited the whale hunting for every country and controlled the whale industry.But the commission recognized that the limitation wasn't enough.They set a worldwide law against hunting whales with only two exceptions: the hunt for scientific research and "aboriginal whaling".Aboriginal whaling allows some countries to hunt a limited number of whales because it is a part of their culture.Some countries like Japan and Norway don't care about the law;they make excuses to hunt whales and sell the products.They only care about the money.

Many fishermen complain that dolphins,also a kind of whale,steal their fish.Therefore,they kill thousands of them.In fact,this is not the truth.In reality there are so many fishermen who steal the fish from each other.Some whale hunters say that they catch the animals for scientists.They have to research what whales are eating.For that, they kill them and look into their stomach.The truth is that they only want to sell the meat.Today scientists want to observe live whales for their research.

Many whale families are not protected and thousands of them are killed.Nobody knows if all whale families would survive,even if humans end all whale hunting today.The pollution of the oceans increases fast and the poison gets into the bodies of the animals.Many of them get sick and die.The human being has killed 90%-95% of many whale families.Others are already extinct.

Today some international organizations try to protect whales.They make reports to explain how important and endangered whales are.Now people are becoming more interested in whales and a complete new industry has developed,whale watching,which you may want to learn about.

21.The text is mainly about      .

A.whale industry            B.whale research            C.whale product         D.whale protection

22. In the middle of the 20th century,what people really worried was that      .

A.more whales would be killed worldwide per year        B.the whale would become an endangered animal

C.the whale industry would disappear                    D.the law against hunting whales would come into effect

23.Why does Aboriginal whaling allow some countries to hunt a limited number of whales?

A.Because there are many whales in their countries.     B.Because hunting whales is a part of their culture.

C.Because they only care about money.                   D.Because they live on hunting whales.

24.Why do many fishermen complain about dolphins?

A.Because dolphins steal their fish.

B.Because they want to make an excuse for killing dolphins.

C.Because there are so few dolphins for them to hunt.

D.Because people have misunderstood their purpose of hunting dolphins.

I'm a 20-year-old boy,and the following is my story.

A month after I graduated from high school in August,2007,I was coming home from swim practice in the training centre of the city and was involved in a car accident.I was so seriously injured that I was in a coma for more than two months at Prince Georges Hospital.

I suffered a lot from the experience of dying eight times during my coma and I couldn't open my mouth to talk or to communicate when I eventually came around.At that time,it seemed that walking was never going to happen again due to all the extreme injuries.Just like my body,my dreams were completely destroyed.But I was not going to let my injuries stop me from realizing my dreams.

After receiving a total of 15 operations and 36 blood transfusions,I had to make every great effort to learn to talk,eat,walk,shower,and live on my own again.When I was out of hospital,I still had to Go to outpatient therapy in Waldorf,Maryland.After I spent a few months in a wheelchair,I took baby steps to walk on my own.It was a miracle that I was able to walk again,but I still wanted to prove that I could not only walk,but also run.When it came true,I wanted to get back into the pool again.After having a few lung tests,I was able to go in the pool a little bit each week. After a few months of swim training,I began my freshman year at St.Mary's College of Maryland and then became a proud member of the swim team.

By telling my story,I want to make a positive influence on the world.I am just trying to live every day to the fullest and inspire other people never to give up their dreams no matter how bad a situation is to them.I remember when I was still in my hospital bed,I would have my mom and dad push me round in my wheelchair to the other rooms to see the other patients and chat with them and their family members.I wanted to let them know that everything was going to be okay.Somehow,things would work out for the best.

25.The underlined word "coma" in Paragraph 2 probably has the meaning of "      ".

A.operation         B.unconsciousness           C.treatment         D.emergency

26.According to Paragraph 3,it can be inferred that the author      .

A.was unable to talk or communicate                 B.was in despair

C.faced physical and mental challenges              D.felt anxious about his state

27.In the last paragraph,the author mainly wants to show      .

A.his positive influence on other patients          B. his meaningful life

C.his purpose of sharing his story                  D.his great achievements

28.The best title for the passage would be "      ".

A.Actions speak louder than words               B.Attitude is everything

C.Everything happens for a reason                   D. A Good beginning is half done

After giving a talk at a high school,I was asked to pay a visit to a special student.An illness had kept the boy home,but he had expressed an interest in meeting me.I was told it would mean a great deal to him,so I agreed.

During the nine-mile drive to his home,I found out something about Matthew.He had muscular dystrophy（肌肉萎缩症）.When he was born,the doctor told his parents that he would not live to five,and then they were told he would not make it to ten.Now he was thirteen.He wanted to meet me because I was a Gold-medal power lifter,and I knew about overcoming obstacles and going for my dreams.

I spent over an hour talking to Matthew.Never once did he complain or ask,"Why me?"He spoke about winning and succeeding and going for his dreams.Obviously,he knew what he was talking about.He didn't mention that his classmates had made fun of him because he was different.He just talked about his hopes for the future,and how one day he wanted to lift weights with me.When we had finished talking,I went to my briefcase（公文包）and pulled out the first gold medal I had won and put it around his neck.I told him he was more of a winner and knew more about success and overcoming obstacles than I ever would.He looked at it for a moment,then took it off and handed it back to me.He said,"You are a champion.You earned that medal.Someday when I get to the Olympics and win my own medal,I will show it to you."        

Last summer I received a letter from Matthew's parents telling me that Matthew had passed away.They wanted me to have a letter he had written to me a few days before:

Dear Dick,

My mum said I should send you a thank-you letter for the picture you sent me.I also want to let you know that the doctors tell me that I don't have long to live any more,but I still smile as much as I can.I told you someday that I would go to the Olympics and win a gold medal,but I know now I will never get to do that.However,I know I'm a champion,and God knows that too.When I get to Heaven,God will give me my medal and when you get there,I will show it to you.Thank you for loving me.

Your friend,

Matthew

29.The boy looked forward to meeting the author because      .

A.he was also good at weight lifting

B.he wanted to get to the Olympics and win a medal

C.he was one of the author's fans

D.he admired the author very much

30.The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that      .

A.the boy never complained about how unlucky he was to have this disease

B.the boy never complained about not being able to go to school

C.the boy never complained why the author had never come to see him before

D.the boy never complained about not getting a medal

31.Matthew didn't accept the author's medal because      .

A.he thought it was too expensive 

B.he was sure that he could win one in the future

C.he thought it was of no use to him as he would die soon

D.he would not be pitied by others

32.What would be the best title for this passage?

A.A sick boy.           B.A special friend.         C.A real champion.          D.A famous athlete.

Claude Sammut,a professor of computer science and engineering at the University of New South Wales in Australia,said it would soon be possible for robots to defeat the stars of the future.

For many years,Mr Sammut has been a member of a project called RoboCup,where robots have been programmed to learn how to play football and compete against others in a football match.

As he explains,the robots are having difficulty in learning how to control the ball and move the ball on their own,but he is still full of confidence that one day in the future they will show the same skills as Wayne Rooney,who is one of the best football players in the world.

Mr.Sammut also said,"In 1968,John McCarthy and Donald Michie made a bet with David Levy,who was then the chess champion in Scotland,that within 10 years a computer program would be able to beat him.It took a little bit longer than 10 years (nearly 30 years) but eventually such programs came into being."

"In the same spirit of a grand challenge,RoboCup aims to develop a team of robots that can defeat the world soccer champion team by the year 2050.To achieve this,or come even closer to the ambition,the robots will have to be able to sense and act in completely unstructured environments.This will require major advances in perception（感知）,decision making,learning,and cooperative behaviors.Considering robots are integrated hardware and software systems,great advances will also be needed in sensors（传感器）,energy storage,and materials."

33.The idea of designing a computer program that could defeat a chess champion came forth      .

A.in 1968           B.in 1978               C.in the 1990s          D.30 years ago

34.We can conclude from Mr.Sammut's words that      .

A.robots would be smarter than human beings in the near future 

B.robots have more ambitions than human beings

C.robots would take control of the world                   

D.many parts of robots still need improving

35.What's the best title for this passage?

A.Scientists' Wisdom in Designing Robot Football Players.      

B.Robot Football Players to Beat World's Best by 2050.

C.Robot Football Players' Bright Future.               

D.Mr Sammut—the Father of Robot Football Players

Self-worth is very important in your life.We may love others,but we need to learn to love ourselves.We have to believe in what we do,and feel better about ourselves.If you do not have self-worth,you may begin to get discouraged.

Avoid negative people in your life._37_If these people put you down,do not believe in you,or treat you badly, why are you still around them?It took me years to realize this for myself,and it is true.Negative people hurt your self-worth,and bring you down emotionally.Get closer to people that believe in you.If you do not have these positive people in your life,find a support group that can help you._38_Your self-worth can be increased greatly with positive guide.

Find employment or volunteer somewhere you feel valued,or can make a difference.Giving to others builds you up personally.You do not have to do this all the time,but once you see how good it feels you will want to continue.

_39_Think about what you can do to change your future.Make a list of steps you can take to improve your life. Stall setting goals m your life.Goals give us something to focus on,and we push to achieve them.These can he whatever goals you would like to finish,be sure they are achievable Goals._40_

Doing the above steps can greatly increase your self-worth,and remember you are worth it.

A.Stop thinking about the past as you can't change it.

B.Keep the saying of "No pain,no gain" in mind.

C.Increase Your Self -Worth and Feel Better about Yourself.

D.Believe You can Be the King of the World Even When You Fail.

E.Once you set your goals,you will start pushing for more.

F.These people are likely to believe in us even when we do not have confidence.

G.This could be your husband,boyfriend,other family members,or even friends.