III、阅读理解（共20小题：每小题2分，满分40分）

A

The African elephant, the largest land animal remaining on earth, is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统). Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a big plant-eater, it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原)surroundings in which it lives, therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地). 

It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, and pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters. 

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants make open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well. 

What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant disappears, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. 

56. What is the passage mainly about?  yggk.net

A. Disappearance of African elephants. 

B. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. 

C. The effect of African elephants' search for food. 

D. The eating habit of African elephants. 

57. What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean? 

A. Fixing the time.       B. Worsening the state. 

C. Improving the quality.  D. Deciding the conditions. 

58. What do we know about the open spaces in the passage? 

A. They result from the destruction of rain forests. 

B. They provide food mainly for African elephants. 

C. They are home to many endangered animals. 

D. They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. 

59. The passage is developed mainly by _____.

A. showing the effect and then explaining the causes 

B. pointing out similarities and differences 

C. describing the changes in space order 

D. giving examples 

 

 B

When a Swedish ship that sank in 1628 was recovered from the port of Stockholm, historians and scientists were overjoyed with the chance to examine the remains of the past. The ship construction showed how ships were built and operated during the seventeenth century. In this way, artifacts, objects made by human beings, provided a picture of daily life almost 400 years ago. Underwater archaeology-the study of ships, aircraft and human settlements that have sunk under large bodies of water-is really a product of the last 50 years. The rapid growth of this new area of study has occurred because of the invention of better diving equipment .Besides the Swedish ship wreck(残骸），underwater archaeologists have made more exciting discoveries such as the 5000-year-old boats in the Mediterranean Sea.

Underwater archaeology can provide facts about the past. In ancient ports all over the world are ships sunken in the past 6,000 years. There are also sunken settlements in seas and lakes telling of people’s way of life and their systems of trade in ancient times. Underwater archaeologists want to study these objects to add to the world's knowledge of history, but they have to fight two enemies. One enemy is treasure hunters who dive for ancient artifacts that they can sell to collectors. Once sold, these objects are lost to experts. The second enemy is dredging machines(挖掘机）often used to repair ports. These machines destroy wrecks and artifacts or bury them deeper under sand and mud. By teaching the public about the importance of underwater ‘museums’ of the past, archaeologists are hoping to get support for laws to protect underwater treasures.

60.What purpose does Paragraph 1 serve in the passage?

A.To provide background information of the topic

B.To attract readers' attention to the topic

C.To use an example to support the topic

D.To offer basic knowledge of the topic

61.The aim of underwater archaeology is to _____ .

   A. exploit water bodies              B. search for underwater life 

C. study underwater artifacts         D. examine underwater environment

62.Underwater archaeologists are worried because_____.

A.sea hunters have better diving equipment　

B.their knowledge of world history is limited　

C.dredging machines cause damage to the ports　

D.sold artifacts can hardly be regained for research

63. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A.To introduce a young branch of learning.　

B.To discuss the scientists’ problems.　

C.To explain people’s way of life in the past.　

D.To describe the sunken ships.