For centuries, in the countries of south and Southeast Asia the elephant has been an intim

For centuries, in the countries of south and Southeast Asia the elephant has been an intimate part of the culture, economy and religion, and nowhere more so than in Thailand Unlike its African cousin, the Asian elephant is easily domesticated (驯化). The rare so-called white elephants have actually lent the authority of kingship to its rulers and until the 1920s the national flag was a white elephant on a red background.To the early Western visitors the country’s romantic name was “Land of the White Elephant”.

Today, however, the story is very different. Out of work and out of land, the Thai elephant struggles for survival in a nation that no longer needs it. The elephant has found itself more or less abandoned by previous owners who have moved on to a different economic world and a westernized society. And while the elephant’s problems began many years ago, now it rates a very low national priority.

How this reversal from national icon (圣像) to neglected animal came about is a tale of worsening environmental and the changing lives of the Thais themselves. According to Richard Lair, Thailand’s experts on the Asian elephant and author of the report Gone Astray, at the turn of the century there may well have beenas many as 100,000 domestic elephants in the country. In the north of Thailand alone it was estimated that more than 20,000 elephants were employed in transport, 1,000 of them alone on the road between the cities of Chiang Mai and Chiang Saen. This was at a time when 90 per cent of Thailand was still forest—a habitat (栖息地) that not only supported the animals but also made them necessary to carry goods and people. Nothing ploughs through dense forest better than a massive but sure-footed elephant.

By 1950 the elephant population had dropped to a still substantial 13,397, but today there are probably nomore than 3,800, with another 1,350 roaming free in the national parks. But now, Thailand’s forest coversonly 20 per cent of the land This deforestation (采伐森林) is the central point of the elephant’s difficult situation, for it has effectively put the animals out of work. This century, as the road network grew, so the elephant’s role as a beast of burden declined.

Choose correct answers to the question:

What can we know about African elephants from the passage?

A.It is easy to tame them.

B.It is hard to tame them.

C.They are living a better life than Asian elephants.

D.Their fate is quite similar to that of Asian elephants.

Today almost 70% of the electrical power we use comes from power plants that use fossil fuels (矿物燃料) to make electricity. Fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, are burned to make electricity. Burning fossil fuels releases pollution and carbon dioxide gas ( C02 ) into the air. The more fossil fuels we burn, the warmer the air around Earth gets. So building fossil fuel plants is not always the best answer.

Actually, there are other ways to make electricity without burning fossil fuels. People have been using the power of wind for centuries. Wind power won't solve all our energy problems, but it can help meet some of the demands in certain places. Since the late 1800s, scientists have been working to turn the sun's energy into electricity by using solar cells (太阳能电池). The problem is, solar cells are very expensive. Another way to make electricity is to use nuclear energy. It has been used for more than 50 years. Today about 10 percent of all the electricity used in the U. S. A. comes from this source.

Although nuclear power doesn't pollute the air as the burning of fossil fuels does, there is a major drawback . The waste products from nuclear power plants are dangerous and must be stored in safe places. Many people are concerned about the safety of nuclear power.

The best title for this passage may be ______.

A．The Importance of Electricity

B．The Pollution of Making Electricity from Fossil Fuels

C．The Advantage of Using Nuclear Energy

D．Means of Making Electrical Power

Today almost 70% of the electrical power we use comes from power plants that use fossil fuels (矿物燃料) to make electricity. Fossil fuels, such as oil, coal, and natural gas, are burned to make electricity. Burning fossil fuels releases pollution and carbon dioxide gas ( C02 ) into the air. The more fossil fuels we burn, the warmer the air around Earth gets. So building fossil fuel plants is not always the best answer.

Actually, there are other ways to make electricity without burning fossil fuels. People have been using the power of wind for centuries. Wind power won't solve all our energy problems, but it can help meet some of the demands in certain places. Since the late 1800s, scientists have been working to turn the sun's energy into electricity by using solar cells (太阳能电池). The problem is, solar cells are very expensive. Another way to make electricity is to use nuclear energy. It has been used for more than 50 years. Today about 10 percent of all the electricity used in the U. S. A. comes from this source.

Although nuclear power doesn't pollute the air as the burning of fossil fuels does, there is a major drawback . The waste products from nuclear power plants are dangerous and must be stored in safe places. Many people are concerned about the safety of nuclear power.

The best title for this passage may be ______.

A．The Importance of Electricity

B．The Pollution of Making Electricity from Fossil Fuels

C．The Advantage of Using Nuclear Energy

D．Means of Making Electrical Power

Why does the Australia government allow the importation of the elephants?

A．As a part of conservation program.

B．To safeguard the nearing extinct species.

C．To attract more tourists.

D．Under the pressure of the public.

Why does the Australia government allow the importation of the elephants?

A．As a part of conservation program.

B．To safeguard the nearing extinct species.

C．To attract more tourists.

D．Under the pressure of the public.

If the electricity goes off, we have candles ______ in the closet.

A．in stock

B．in reserve

C．in store

D．on hand

What is the authors purpose in writing the passage?

A.To instill confidence in the young about raising children.

B.To advise couples to think twice before having children.

C.To encourage the young to take care of the elderly.

D.To appeal for tax reduction for raising children.

Most of the elephants you see are Indian elephants. But sometimes you see an African elephant. You can easily tell the two apart by looking at their ears. African elephants have ears at least twice as big as those of an Indian elephant. But there are also many other differences between the Indian elephant and its African cousin.

The Indian elephant has a bulging forehead and a back that is convex, or bowed out. The African elephant has a sloping forehead, and its back usually has a dip in it behind the shoulders. The trunk of the Indian elephant tends to be smoother than that of its African cousin. Indian elephants have five toenails on their front feet and four on their hind feet. African elephants may have one nail fewer on each foot.

Indian elephants roam the forests of India, Sri Lanka, Burma, Malaysia, Sumatra, and Borneo. African elephants range over most of Africa south of the Sahara.

Some scientists divide African elephants into two species -- the larger bush elephant and the smaller forest elephant. The forest elephant lives in the Congo River basin. It has smaller rounder ears, and it grows only about 2.5 meters tall. Adult bush elephants are somewhat larger even than Indian elephants. Big males may be 3.5 meters high at the shoulder and weigh more than 6 metric tons.

Both Indian and African elephants have all the toes on each foot enclosed in a common covering of skin. Only the toenails show. Both, as adults, have tough, leathery hides that may be an inch thick. Both have very little hair. But their eyes are fringed with lashes that sometimes measure more than 12 centimeters long. And their tails are tipped with clusters of thick, wiry hair. Both Indian and African elephants live in herds, and their ways of life are very much the same.

Which of the following is NOT true of the African elephants?

A．They live to the south of the Sahara.

B．They can be divided into two species.

C．They are all larger than Indian elephants.

D．They have bigger ears than the Indian elephants.

Complete the table by matching the phrases below. Select the appropriate phrases from the answer choices and match them to the type of organism to which they relate. TWO of the answer choices will not be used. This question is worth 4 points.Answer Choices A. Airline alliances could increase their competitive ability. B. Airline alliances would rid the traffic jam in the air. C. Alliances will result in decreased flight choices. D. Travelers could receive more convenient services. E. Everybody can get some benefits from airline alliances. F. Not all types of travelers will gain from airline alliances fairly. G. Airline alliances also allow carriers to cut costs and increase profits. H. Airline alliances also allow carriers to increase profits. I. Alliances will result in increased costs for consumers.

According to the passage, the Maintenance of Parents Bill ______.

A．received unanimous support in Wyoming

B．was believed to solve all the problems of the elderly poor

C．was intended to substitute for traditional values in Wyoming

D．was passed to make the young more responsible for the old

听力原文：M: So, what exactly are you doing to protect the elephants here?

W: Well, we have managed to raise a lot of money for this project. A lot of it is being used to compensate farmers for the damage that elephants do to their crops.

M: How does that protect the elephants?

W: Since the elephants cause damage to the crops, farmers are often tempted to go out and kill the elephants.

M: I see. So, the farmers don't have a real problem with the elephants until the elephants start eating the crops. But why do the elephants do that?

W: Well, there aren't enough trees to provide them with food on the land that has been reserved for them.

M: Mm. But if you successfully protect the elephants, their numbers will grow and they will need more food. That means that they'll need more land.

W: That's true, but we've solved that problem too. What we do is move some elephants to reservations where there are relatively few.

M: So that's where you spend another large proportion of the money you raise.

W: Actually, it isn't very expensive because we share the cost with the people who run the other reservations.

M: I see. How do you decide which elephants to move?

W: We use two criteria. The first is that we maintain the genetic diversity of the elephant herd. The second is that we transport the more aggressive members of the herd, which results in us spending less money compensating farmers.

M: Are there any plans to expand the reservation?

W: We have allocated some money to land purchases, but such purchases could have a damaging effect on the local human population, so we rarely do it.

M: What kinds of research are you doing on the elephants here?

W: We're mainly studying the way that elephants interact with each other within a herd.

M: I see. Well, thanks very much for your time.

W: My pleasure.

Questions 23 to 25 are based on the conversation you have just heard.

23. Which of the following is the main source of conflict between the elephants and the local people?

24. Why is expanding the reservation not a realistic option?

25. Who are the speakers most likely to be?

(20)

A．Water.

B．Crops.

C．Money.

D．Trees.