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选择性必修第三册 Unit 5 Learning from nature
Ⅰ.阅读理解
A(★)
John “Charlie” Veron—widely known as “the Godfather of Coral Reef(珊瑚礁)”—is a
celebrated expert who has personally discovered nearly a quarter of the world’s coral species and
has spent the past 45 years diving Australia’s Great Barrier Reef.But now the 73-year-old is
raising the alarm about its future.The Great Barrier Reef，one of the natural wonders，is 2,300
kilometers long and is the only living organism that can be seen from space.It is considered a World
Treasure Site due to its biodiversity(生物多样性) with 30 species of whales，dolphins and
sharks.Within the reef itself，there are also a number of tiny organisms and fishes.
However，its health is threatened.After the recent mass bleaching(白化) events，Veron dived
in many areas of the Great Barrier Reef to see the damage for himself.“I was seeing and feeling it
and it was absolutely shocking，” he says.
Veron says the mass bleaching events in the past few years—and the possibility of losing one
of nature’s greatest treasures—were a wake-up call for the world in the wider battle against
climate change，which，together with the rising sea temperature，is considered the greatest
threats to the reef.
Fortunately，earlier this year，the Australian government announced nearly 400 million
dollars in new funding towards scientific projects designed to help the reef.
There has been criticism in Australia about the slow process for the funding.“It won’t be
wasted，though，” Veron says.“As scientists will be able to create a sort of seed bank to
protect the species until the climate is good enough to rebuild the reef.What the scientists hope to
do is to help nature along a bit after the big carbon dioxide increase is over and it starts to come
down.”
1．Why is the Great Barrier Reef considered a treasure site?
A．It is a natural wonder. B．It can be seen from space.
C．It has a rich variety of species. D．It is home to a great many fishes.
2．What’s Veron’s attitude to the future of the reef according to the last paragraph?
A．Uncaring. B．Doubtful. C．Uncertain. D．Positive.
3．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．Climate change is threatening biodiversity.
B．The Great Barrier Reef is in danger of extinction.
C．Scientists have found major factors in the reef’s bleaching.
D．Veron has made great contributions to environmental protection.4．What is the text?
A．A news report. B．A travel guide. C．A research plan. D．A journal entry.
B(★)
“Towards thee I roll，thou all-destroying but unconquering whale; to the last I grapple with
thee; from hell’s heart I stab at thee; for hate’s sake I spit my last breath at thee.” Captain
Ahab’s dying declaration of defiance(抗争) is among the most famous passages in Herman
Melville’s novel.
In reality，such victories of the hunted over the hunter were a fantasy in the cruel world of
industrial whaling.The biggest cetacean of them all，the blue whale，had all but disappeared from
the Southern Ocean(南冰洋) by the time a ban on hunting it was introduced in 1967.
Sightings of the largest mammal ever to live on the earth had been rare in the region since
then.Not any more.A survey of coastal waters around the island of South Georgia in the sub-
Antarctic has had remarkable results.
In just over three weeks，in the krill-rich waters of what was once their main feeding
ground，the movements of 55 Antarctic blues were recorded by the British Antarctic Survey.The
finding was described as “truly，truly amazing” by one cetacean specialist.It suggests that
when a comprehensive audit(审计)，due in 2021，is carried out，there is a good chance that the
species will prove to be in full recovery mode，as are humpbacks and other whales in the southern
hemisphere.
In 2017，the Natural History Museum established a 25m skeleton(骨架) of a blue whale and
named it Hope，intending to inspire new generations to build a sustainable future.
The return of the world’s most splendid ocean travellers to southern waters should serve as
an example for wider possibilities of conservation.Ecological wrongs can be righted，or at least
mitigated，with sufficient will and organisations.
The more general comeback of the whale—for which environmental campaigners should take
a great deal of credit—can be an inspiration for victories yet to be won.It could also act as an added
motivation to action on the climate emergency.
5．What’s the author’s purpose of mentioning the famous passage in Herman Melville’s
novel?
A．To describe a hunter’s bravery.
B．To introduce the topic of the text.
C．To stress the popularity of the novel.
D．To offer information about whale hunting.
6．Why was a 25m skeleton of a blue whale named Hope?
A．To attract tourists to visit the museum.
B．To show the unkindness of whale hunters.
C．To motivate humans to live harmoniously with nature.D．To call on people to pay attention to the blue whales’ habitat.
7．What does the underlined word “mitigated” in paragraph 6 probably mean?
A．Developed. B．Promoted. C．Reduced. D．Solved.
8．What’s the best title of the text?
A．The Blue Whales’ Comeback
B．The Cruelty of Industrial Whaling
C．The Importance of Protecting Whales
D．The Sustainable Development of the Antarctic Area
C
Quantum theory(量子理论) is perhaps the most successful scientific idea ever.Yet，a century
after its birth，something remains deeply puzzling about quantum theory.It does not tell us how
physical systems behave.Instead，it treats any physical system as a black box：if you do this to it
now，it will react like that later.What happens in between？The theory simply doesn’t tell us.
An idea has recently begun to catch on.Perhaps there is no need to make anything up about
what lies behind quantum theory.Perhaps it really does reveal to us the deep structure of reality，
where a property is no more than something that affects something else.Perhaps this is precisely
what “properties” are：the effects of interactions.
Think of a simple object such as a blue teacup.Its being blue is not a property of the cup
alone：colors happen in our brain as a result of the certain biological structure of our eyes and as a
consequence of the interactions between daylight and the cup’s surface.Its being “a teacup”
refers to its potential function as a drinking container：for an alien who doesn’t know about
drinking tea，the very concept of a teacup is meaningless.As quantum theory shows：they are
defined by their physical interactions with the rest of the world.
Then，it comes with a lesson.We understand reality better if we think of it in terms of
interactions，not individuals.This is why，in classic game theory，the winners in the long run are
those who cooperate.Too foolishly we measure success in terms of an individual’s fortunes.It
misunderstands the true nature of reality，and is ultimately self-defeating，which leads to
unimaginable consequence and prevents us from addressing challenges that all humankind faces as
a whole.
9．What possibly does quantum theory tell according to the text?
A．How physical systems behave.
B．How to treat physical systems.
C．What effects one has on itself.
D．What the structure of reality is.
10．How does the author explain “the effects of interactions”？
A．By giving an example. B．By making a comparison.
C．By quoting a scientist. D．By conducting a survey.11．What does the underlined word “It” in paragraph 4 refer to?
A．The consequence we bear. B．The theory in classic games.
C．The fortune individuals have. D．The way to measure success.
12．What is the main purpose of the text?
A．To clarify a physics theory. B．To draw attention to interactions.
C．To challenge a popular idea. D．To present reflections on games.
Ⅱ.七选五(★)
Desertification，the process by which fertile (肥沃的) land becomes desert，has severe
impacts on food production and is worsened by climate change. 1
Africa’s Great Green Wall is a project to build an 8,000-kilometre-long forest across 11 of
the continent’s countries.The project is meant to contain the growing Sahara Desert and fight
climate change. 2 They include limited political support ， lack of money ， weak
organizational structures ， and not enough consideration for the environment.Just 4 million
hectares(公顷) of land have been turned into forest since work on the Green Wall began 15 years
ago. 3
First proposed in 2005，the project aims to plant a forest from Senegal on the Atlantic Ocean
in western Africa to Eritrea，Ethiopia and Djibouti in the east. 4 It could also reduce levels of
climate-related migration in the area and capture hundreds of millions of tons of carbon dioxide
from the air.Several countries have struggled to keep up with the demands of the project.
5 Eritrea，Ethiopia，and Sudan have all expanded their efforts.Ethiopia is producing
5.5 billion seedlings leading to thousands of hectares of restored land.Efforts in Eritrea and Sudan
have also resulted in nearly 140,000 hectares of newly planted forest.The UN desertification
agency says the project will need to plant an average of 8.2 million hectares yearly to reach its goal
of 100 million hectares by 2030.
A．But the project faces many problems.
B．That is only 4 percent of the programme’s goal.
C．A quarter of Africa is under threat of food shortage.
D．However，it is difficult to work on the Great Green Wall.
E．Some progress has been made in recent years in the east of the continent.
F．Supporters hope that the project will create millions of green jobs in rural Africa.
G．The UN says up to 45 percent of Africa’s land is impacted by desertification，worse than any
other continent.
