程海潮 周堯

（一）

In the warm waters of the Caribbean， box jellyfish carefully dodge the roots of mangroves while hunting for food. Whether the water is clear or not， the tiny creatures avoid bumping into the roots. But how do they figure out how to swim around the roots， even when low water quality makes them difficult to see with simple eyes and lack of a central nervous system. “The answer was， they can learn this，” says Anders Garm， a biologist at the University of Copenhagen．

To better understand the box jellies learning abilities， scientists conducted some experiments. The researchers lined the inside of a bucket with images of alternating vertical stripes. In one scenario， the stripes were high-contrast black and white， which was designed to resemble mangrove roots in clear water. In another， the stripes were gray and white， which was meant to resemble the roots in murky water．

As expected， in the bucket with the high contrast， the jellies easily avoided colliding with the wall. In the murky water， however， the creatures initially bumped into the wall. But it took less than eight minutes for them to adjust their behavior. In a final scenario， they placed the jellyfish into a bucket with just a gray wall. The creatures repeatedly collided with the wall and never changed their behavior．

“It was only when they had a combination of visual and mechanical stimulation that they would actually learn something，” says Jan Bielecki， an author of the experiments．

Next， the team removed the rhopalia-four centers of vision-from the jellyfish and put them in a dish. They gave the cells a small electrical pulse to simulate the jellyfish bumping into a mangrove root while exposing them to striped images. In just about five minutes， the cells appeared to make the connection between the two occurrences and began sending signals that would cause a jellyfish to swim in the opposite direction．

Based on the results of the experiments， scientists believe the rhopalia are where learning happens. If thats true， scientists are still left puzzling over how the four rhopalia work together to make up a functioning， brain-like system．

1. What makes the Caribbean box jellyfish live safely around mangroves？

A. The clear water．??? B. The sufficient food．

C. Their learning ability．D. Their nervous system．

2. What did scientists found in experiments？

A. The box jellyfish can learn at a fast speed．

B. The box jellyfish can tell different colours．

C. The box jellyfish can learn well in clear water．

D. The box jellyfish can learn each others behavior．

3. Why were the rhopalia removed from the jellyfish？

A. To prove its remarkable eyesight．

B. To test the visions effect on its learning．

C. To examine its responses to striped images.

D. To explore mangrove roots function on its learning．

4. What remains a puzzle to scientists？

A. The rhopalias role in jellyfish learning．

B. The working mechanism of the rhopalia.

C. The brain-like appearance of the rhopalia．

D. The layout of the rhopalia inside box jellyfish．

（二）

Born and raised in the Jorhat district of Assam， India， Mahan Chandra Borah， son of a farmer， was a curious reader. As a young boy， Mahan often helped his father out in the fields. “Working with him in the fields is where I learnt all I know about farming，” he says. “Our family was quite humble and we did not have a lot of money. So I had to stop school early and grew rice .”

While Mahan grew rice， he found people were unaware of hundreds of varieties of rice in his country . “This unawareness is leading to their extinction， and I wanted to do something about it，” recalls Mahan. The result was the formation of Annapurna Rice Library — a hub of not only preserved indigenous seeds but also all things ‘rice．

Talking about his personal favourite type of rice， Mahan says， “While all these rice varieties are my favourite， Bhao Dhan is very good. It is very tough in nature and can adapt easily to the flood-prone nature of Assam. It can survive long periods of being submerged in water.” However， the lower yield per hectare has been a factor as the farmers do not prefer to grow the rice.

Mahan has managed to collect and preserve 500+varieties of indigenous rice varieties. The library is also a gene bank of indigenous seeds that are fast disappearing not only from Assam but also from other parts of the country as well. Besides， the library is open for anyone to visit and take seeds of the rice. Farmers are free to take the seeds and try to grow them at their farms.

For the last 15 years， Mahan has operated his library on his own funds. “My fields produce enough for my family and I sell the excess in the market. Lack of funds has become an issue but I am managing somehow and I am sure the library will stay alive，” he says．

1. What can be learned about young Mahan？

A. He learned how to grow rice．

B. He received a good education．

C. He lived happily with his father.

D. He developed interest in farming．

2. What led Mahan to establish Annapurna Rice Library？

A. The varieties of rice in India．

B. The extinct rice-growing techniques．

C. The public ignorance of different rice．

D. The great demand for indigenous seeds．

3. Why might some rice face extinction？

A. It produces badly．

B. It cant stand flood．

C. It doesnt taste good.

D. It consumes much water．

4. What can best describe Mahan？

A. A tough librarian.?? B. A passionate farmer.

C. A curious reader.?? D.A rice seed saver.

（三）

Although the birth of luxury timepieces is often associated with Geneva and Basel， the cradle of Swiss watchmaking lies deep in Vallée de Joux，a village Switzerlands Jura Mountains. Since 1748， many watch farms have been producing world-renowned watch brands， including Audemars Piguet， and David Candaux. Now， most of these watchmaking farms are no longer functional but their multimillion dollar legacies seem to be telling their legends．

Piguet， a 10th-generation watchmaker， says his family was one of those who fled from France to Switzerland in the mid-1500s. Many of them moved to the Jura Mountains as farmers. Meanwhile， others， many already skilled watchmakers， flocked to the village， transforming the local watchmaking industry. With a monopoly of natural resources such as a flowing alpine lake， rich iron deposits， and gentian， watchmaking rapidly developed and flourished in Vallée de Joux.

By the 17th century， with the birth of industrialization， the valleys farmers would send young family members to Geneva to study the watchmaking trade to help fetch extra income during the regions harsh winters. As a result， farmers houses gradually changed to accommodate their dual lives because natural light was ideal for those young watchmakers to design and make products.

“Watchmaking was and is a really important part of the Swiss identity， even though only a small region in the country is involved. Our watches have a reputation for top level quality and enjoy popularity all over the world，” says Nathalie Veysset， a watch strategist. Since 2020， the craftsmanship of mechanical watchmaking and art mechanics have been listed on the UNESCO list of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity．

The industry also faces the challenges， from globalization to sourcing precious materials. For example， the discovery of quartz technology in the 1970s and 1980 shook the entire trade. The number of Swiss watch companies shrank from 1，600 to 600， causing a thought for a craft encased in heritage. “ The companies that survived those crises prove that a slow artisan craft can keep pace in a hurried high-tech world，” says Carlene Stephens， a technology curator at the Smithsonian.

1. What led watchmaking to develop fast in Vallée de Joux at first？

A. The unique natural resources．

B. The short distance from France．

C. The increase in local population．

D. The time-honored industrial tradition．

2. Why did farmers houses in Vallée de Joux change by the 17th century？

A. To decrease life cost．

B. To combat harsh winters．

C. To facilitate watchmaking．

D. To promote watchmaking trade．

3. What does Nathalie Veysset want to convey？

A. Watchmaking popularizes Swiss．

B. Watchmaking makes Swisses proud．

C. Watchmaking is widely found in Swiss．

D. Watchmaking shows top craftsmanship.

4. What is Carlenes attitude to the future of Swiss watchmaking in the tech era？

A. Concerned.??? B. Indifferent.

C. Mixed.D. Optimistic.

（四）

Sponges. Is there anything they cant do？ For thousands of years， humans have used dried natural sponges to clean up， to paint and as vessels to consume fluids like water or honey. Whether synthetic（合成的） or natural， sponges are great at absorbing tiny particles in their many pores（空隙）.

In August， researchers in China published a study describing their development of a synthetic sponge that makes short work of microscopic plastic debris（碎片）. In tests， the researchers show that when a specially prepared plastic-filled solution is pushed through one of their sponges， the sponge can remove both microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics from the liquid. They tried it in everything from tap water and seawater to soup from a local takeout spot．

According to Guoqing Wang， a materials chemist at Ocean University of China and co-author on the paper， the sponge formula is adjustable. The sponges， if ever produced at an industrial scale， Wang says， could be used in wastewater treatment plants to filter microplastics out of the water or in food production facilities to avoid polluting water．

There are shortcomings to the sponges potential adoption， though. The plastic-gobbling sponges are made mostly from starch and gelatin. Christian Adlhart， a chemist at Zurich University of Applied Sciences in Switzerland，says starch and gelatin are important to the food industry， meaning that there could be competition for the key ingredients in the future.

Besides， starch and gelatin are all biodegradable. However， the process developed by Wang and his colleagues to make their sponge uses formaldehyde， a highly poisonous compound， and there were traces of this in the sponges themselves.

When it comes to cleaning up microplastic pollution in the ocean， Alice Horton at the United Kingdoms National Oceanography Center says she is confident about is that efforts to remove microplastics after they have already reached the ocean are probably doomed to fail. “I dont think there is anything we can do on a large enough scale that will have any impact，” she says. “We have to stop it getting there in the first place.”

1. What can we say about sponges in paragraph 1？

A. They are widely-used．

B. They mainly exist in nature．

C. They depend heavily on water．

D. They are home to tiny particles．

2. What is the distinctive feature of Chinas new sponges？

A. The adjustable sizes and styles．

B. The application in various solutions．

C. The absorption capacity of microplastics．

D. The ability to breaking down plastic debris．

3. What may put Chinas new sponges at a disadvantage according to Adlhart？

A. The raw materials.

B. The poisonous by-products．

C. The intense market competition.

D. The complex making process．

4. What does Alice Horton think of the sponges function in removing plastic in the ocean？

A. Significant.B.Unidentified.

C. Predictive.

D. Impractical.

（五）

Four Ways To Reduce Household Energy Use In Winter

1. Air dry laundry

Washing machines typically use 05 kilowatt hours for a 9kg wash， less than the 082 kilowatt hours used on average by hand washing as much less hot water is required．

Tumble dryers use a lot of energy， with a single cycle using about 45 kilowatt hours. By air drying laundry， the average household could save over ￡130 a year．

2. Use less hot water

A shower lasting nine minutes uses around 43 kilowatt hours of gas and costs 44p. Reducing to six minutes， households can save 15p．

Fix a low-flow shower head， and a shower will consume less hot water. For households that average two nine-minute showers a day， this could save over ￡100 per year．

However， a low-flow shower head will only work well where the water pressure is high．

3. Make better use of heating

Thermostatic radiator valves（散熱器恒溫控制閥） can control the temperature across rooms. They regulate the flow of hot water and adjust the temperature for each room．

However， the doors between rooms should remain closed to prevent energy being wasted．

4. Maximise insulation（隔熱）

Secondary glass in the form of window shutters can halve the amount of heat lost through a single glass， saving the average home over ￡50 per year. But fixing window shutters on a buildings outside may require planning permission．

Closing curtains represents a cheaper way of keeping heat. Research indicates curtains can reduce the amount of heat lost through windows by up to 38%．

1. Why does hand washing cost more energy compared with machine washing？

A. It takes greater physical strength．

B. It requires much more hot water．

C. It consumes more washing powder．

D. It means more energy to dry clothes．

2. How many ways are suggested to bathe with less hot water？

A. Five.? B. Four.? C. Three.?? D. Two．

3. What should be done before fixing window shutters on a buildings outside？

A. Asking for planning permission．

B. Evaluating all the potential risks．

C. Keeping the inside doors closed．

D. Lowering the indoor temperature．

（六）

In the early part of his life， Seiichi Sano was a busy business owner. Later in life， he took on other difficult activities. At the age of 80， he climbed Mount Fuji， Japans highest mountain. Soon after， he started surfing．

Sano turned 90 earlier this year. He was recognized by Guinness World Records as the oldest male to surf. “I think it would be interesting to try to surf until Im 100，” Sano said. “I think I take better care of myself when I have goals like this. Even now， I take better care of myself than I did before.”

Sano lives in a place about 20 minutes from Yokohama. He gets out most weekends on the black-sand beach near Enoshima. It is the small island that held sailing competitions during the 2020 Tokyo Summer Olympic Games. Sano said he got the idea to try surfing from a worker at his local bank. The mans skin was always tan（黃褐色的） and he didnt look like a usual banker. His secret， he said， was surfing. So， Sano found a teacher．

Sano joined hundreds of other surfers at Enoshima. All the surfers were younger. Several students who also work with Sanos surf teacher， 46-year-old Kazuto Shimizu， talked about Sano. “I think age doesnt matter in surfing，” 12-year-old Iroha Shimabukuro said. Her twin sister Fuka added， “Hes more like a family member regardless of age.” “I think hes amazing，” said their younger brother， Shua. Rokka Saito， the other young surfer in the group of four， summed it up： “I respect him.”

Sano still runs a business that supplies wood to building companies. He works 9-to-5 at the job. Surfing eases tension for him. He said， “I have never thought of myself as an old person. I always feel that I can still move forward. I can still do it. I can still enjoy it.”

4. What do we know about Seiichi Sano？

A. He suffered a great loss in his business．

B. He didnt lead a healthy life in the past．

C. He was the oldest to climb Mount Fuji．

D. He is crazy about challenging activities．

5. Why did Seiichi Sano take on surfing？

A. He prepared for 2022 Olympic Games．

B. He intended to prove his physical state．

C. He was influenced by a local banker．

D. He wanted to experience excitement．

6. What is Paragraph 4 about？

A. Surfing is very popular among youngsters．

B. Young surfers speak highly of Seiichi Sano．

C. Traditional comments on surfing are wrong．

D. Kazuto Shimizu is a respectable surf teacher．

7. Which of the following best describe Seiichi Sano？

A. Confident and humorous．

B. Competitive and careful．

C. Determined and positive．

D. Successful and generous．

（七）

A new report launched on the eve of the first major U.N. conference on water in over 45 years says water use has been increasing globally by roughly 1% per year over the last 40 years， and is expected to grow at a similar rate through to 2050， driven by a combination of population growth， socio-economic development and changing consumption patterns．

Richard Connor， editor-in-chief of the report， said that actual increase in demand is happening in developing countries and emerging economies where it is driven by industrial growth and especially the rapid increase in the population of cities. “It is in these urban areas that youre having an evident increase in demand，” he said．

With agriculture using 70% of all water globally， Connor said， “irrigation（灌溉） for crops has to be more efficient — as it is in some countries that now use drip irrigation， which saves water. That allows water to be available to cities.”

As a result of climate change， the report said， “Seasonal water lack will increase in regions where it is currently abundant — such as Central Africa， East Asia and parts of South America — and worsen in regions where water is already in short supply， such as the Middle East and the Sahara in Africa.” On average， 10% of the global population lives in countries with high or critical water stress — and up to 35 billion people live under conditions of water stress at least one month a year．

As for water pollution， Connor said the biggest source of pollution is untreated wastewater. “Globally， 80 percent of wastewater is released to the environment without any treatment， and in many developing countries its pretty much 99%，” he said．

These and other issues including protecting water ecosystems， improving management of water resources， increasing water reuse and promoting cooperation across borders on water use will be touched on during the three-day U.N. Water Conference．

8. What can be learned about water use from the report？

A. It will amount to the peak in 2050．

B. It is heaviest in developed nations．

C. It has an obvious increase in cities．

D. It can determine economic growth．

9. What seems to be Richard Connors attitude towards drip irrigation3？

A. Doubtful．

B. Confused．

C. Indifferent．

D. Supportive．

10. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about？

A. Climate problem is worsening water supply．

B. African countries are short of water sources．

C. Population issue is the key to water shortage．

D. Water quality varies with season and region．

11. Which of the following best explains “touched on” underlined in the last paragraph？

A. Replaced．

B. Discussed．

C. Advanced．

D. Compared．

（八）

Since soy sauce was first invented more than two thousand years ago， it has conquered just about the entire world. It is applied everywhere： it can be added directly to food； added on top of rice， or noodles； in some places， its even an ice cream flavor．

However， over-consuming soy sauce is surprisingly deadly. The reason is pretty much the same reason why its so tasty： salt content. Just one tablespoon contains more than a third of recommended daily intake of sodium（鈉）， making it easy to get an unhealthy diet. Push the limit too far， though， and youre heading towards disaster. For example， a 19-year-old man downed almost a full liter， only to end up with coma（昏迷）. Luckily， he was rushed to the University of Virginia Medical Center and treated quickly in the emergency room - within four hours， he was being fed 6 liters of sugary fluid. It worked fast： after an hour， his sodium levels returned to normal．

According to David J Carlberg who treated the patient， too much salt in the blood causes hypernatremia（高鈉血癥）， in which water moves out of tissues in an attempt to balance salt levels between them and the blood. Its very toxic： not only can it cause deadly fluid buildups in the lung， but as water leaves the brain， the organ can shrink and bleed．

Somehow， this patient escaped from the experience - although the case report noted that his blood sodium level as measured at the hospital was the highest ever seen in an adult that hadnt died because of it. By rights， he shouldnt have been so lucky： a deadly amount of sodium can occur at levels as low as 05 to 1 gram of salt per kilogram of body weight．

So， next time you feel like adding just a bit more soy sauce than recommended， remember： dont go overboard. It might be a tasty addition to your meal， but its probably not worth a trip to the emergency room．

12. What does Paragraph 1 mainly tell us？

A. Soy sauce is the earliest invention．

B. Soy sauce sells well in the market．

C. Soy sauce has a variety of functions．

D. Soy sauce isnt as popular as before．

13. What is the purpose of the example in Paragraph 2？

A. To explore the normal intake of sodium．

B. To explain the harm of heavy soy sauce．

C. To praise Carlberg for his medical skills．

D. To show the clinical application of sugar．

14. Which of the following can replace “toxic” underlined in Paragraph 3？

A. Flexible．

B. Complex．

C. Energetic．

D. Dangerous．

15. Which of the following may the author agree with about soy sauce？

A. Its intake should be under proper control．

B. Its quality needs to be improved urgently．

C. It should be limited below 05 gram daily．

D. It has something to do with many diseases．

參考答案與解析

（一）

本文是一篇說明文，主要介紹加勒比的箱形水母具有快速的學(xué)習(xí)能力。

1. C. 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章第一段中“the tiny creatures avoid bumping into the roots… ‘The answer was， they can learn this”可知，箱形水母的學(xué)習(xí)能力使得其可以在紅樹林周圍安全地生活。

2. A. 推理判斷題。文章第三段提到“在渾濁的水中，箱形水母最初撞到了墻上。但它們用了不到八分鐘的時間來調(diào)整自己的行為?！睆闹锌芍?，箱形水母的行為改變就是其學(xué)習(xí)發(fā)生的結(jié)果。所以說，箱形水母學(xué)習(xí)的速度很快。

3. B. 推理判斷題。文章第四段提到“科學(xué)家認(rèn)為只有當(dāng)箱形水母受到視覺和機械刺激的結(jié)合時，它們才會真正學(xué)到一些東西”，接著在第五段中提到“科學(xué)家把箱形水母的視覺中心剝離出來，進行輕微的電擊進而觀察其對水母運動行為的影響”，所以說，把箱形水母的視覺中心剝離出來的目的是為了研究視覺對箱形水母學(xué)習(xí)能力的影響。

4. B. 細(xì)節(jié)理解題。根據(jù)文章最后一段中“If thats true， scientists are still left puzzling over how the four rhopalia work together to make up a functioning， brain-like system.”可知，依然令科學(xué)家疑惑的是箱形水母四個視覺中心是怎樣協(xié)同工作的，也就是rhopalia的工作機制。

（二）

本文是一篇記敘文，主要介紹Mahan Chandra Borah創(chuàng)立水稻種子圖書館Annapurna Rice Library保護當(dāng)?shù)厮镜墓适隆?/p>

1. A. 理解具體信息。根據(jù)文章第一段中“As a young boy， Mahan often helped his father out in the fields. ‘Working with him in the fields is where I learnt all I know about farming， ”可知，Mahan在年輕的時候?qū)W會了種植水稻。

2. C. 推理。 文章第二段提到“Mahan發(fā)現(xiàn)人們不知道當(dāng)?shù)厮居泻芏喾N，而這種無知導(dǎo)致了一些水稻的滅絕，所以他創(chuàng)立了Annapurna Rice Library”，所以說，人們對不同水稻的無知促使Mahan創(chuàng)立了Annapurna Rice Library。

3. A. 推理。根據(jù)第三段中“the lower yield per hectare has been a factor as the farmers do not prefer to grow the rice”可知，Bhao Dhan的產(chǎn)量低是人們不喜歡種植的原因。所以當(dāng)人們不種植這個水稻，這種水稻最終會走向滅絕。

4. D. 理解大意。縱觀本文內(nèi)容可知，Mahan年輕時種植水稻，了解到了一些當(dāng)?shù)厮久媾R滅絕的狀況，然后成立Annapurna Rice Library讓農(nóng)民可以免費選擇一些水稻的種子進行種植，進而保全那些瀕危的水稻種子。所以說，Mahan是一個水稻種子的拯救者。

（三）

本文是一篇說明文，主要介紹瑞士制表業(yè)在其搖籃Vallée de Joux的發(fā)展史。

1. A. 理解具體信息。根據(jù)第二段中With a monopoly of natural resources such as a flowing alpine lake， rich iron deposits， and gentian， watchmaking rapidly developed and flourished in Vallée de Joux.可知，制表業(yè)得以在Vallée de Joux快速發(fā)展得益于當(dāng)?shù)鬲毺氐淖匀毁Y源。

2. C. 推理。第三段提到年輕人學(xué)習(xí)制表，從而當(dāng)?shù)氐姆课莅l(fā)生改變，因為這樣這些年輕的制表匠可以借助自然光來設(shè)計和制表。也就是說，房屋的改變是為了給制表提供便利。

3. B. 推理。第四段中Nathalie Veysset認(rèn)為瑞士制表是瑞士人身份的象征，是頂級優(yōu)品，享譽全球，可見，Nathalie Veysset認(rèn)為瑞士人以制表為榮。

4. D. 推理。最后一段Carlene提到了瑞士制表也曾遭遇危機，但是幸存下來了，并且這種慢手工技藝可以適應(yīng)快節(jié)奏的科技變革，所以說Carlene對瑞士制表在科技時代的前景持一種樂觀的態(tài)度。

（四）

本文是一篇說明文，主要介紹了中國科學(xué)家研發(fā)了一種合成海綿，這種海綿具有很強的吸附塑料微粒的能力。

1. A. 理解具體信息。根據(jù)文章第一段中“Sponges. Is there anything they cant do？ For thousands of years， humans have used dried natural sponges to clean up， to paint and as vessels to consume fluids like water or honey.”可知，海綿被廣泛地使用。

2. C. 理解具體信息。根據(jù)文章第二段中“when a specially prepared plastic-filled solution is pushed through one of their sponges， the sponge can remove both microplastics and even smaller nanoplastics from the liquid.”可知，中國科學(xué)家發(fā)明的這種新海綿具有很強的吸附塑料微粒的能力。

3. A. 推斷。文章第四段提到“ Adlhart認(rèn)為這種新海綿主要是由淀粉和明膠制成的，而淀粉和明膠也是食品工業(yè)主要的材料，這就意味著這種新海綿要和食品工業(yè)進行競爭”，所以說，這種新海綿的原材料會使其處于不利地位。

4. D. 推斷。文章最后一段提到“Alice Horton認(rèn)為在海洋里無論用什么方法來清除塑料顆粒都注定會失敗”，也就是說，用海綿在海洋里清除塑料顆粒是不切實際的的。

（五）

本文是一篇應(yīng)用文。介紹了冬季減少家庭能耗的四種方法。

1. B 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由標(biāo)題1第一段最后一句中“…as much less hot water is required”可知，手洗衣服比機洗衣服能耗大是因為手洗衣服對熱水的需求量大。故選B項。

2. D 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。標(biāo)題2兩段內(nèi)容介紹了洗澡的時候減少熱水用量的2種方法。故選D項。

3. A 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由標(biāo)題4第一段“But fixing window shutters on a buildings outside may require planning permission”可知，在戶外安裝百葉窗需要有規(guī)劃許可證。故選A項。

（六）

本文是一篇記敘文。現(xiàn)年90歲的日本老人Seiichi Sano從不認(rèn)為自己是老人，他說要堅持沖浪，直到100歲。

4. D 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由第1段第2句“Later in life， he took on other difficult activities.”可知，Seiichi Sano喜歡從事有難度的活動。故選D項。

5. C 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由第3段第4句“Sano said he got the idea to try surfing from a worker at his local bank.”可知，Seiichi Sano喜歡沖浪是受到了當(dāng)?shù)匾粋€銀行職員的影響。故選C項。

6. B 主旨大意題。第4段四個年輕沖浪者的交談都是對Seiichi Sano的高度評價。故選B項。

7. C 推理判斷題?，F(xiàn)年90歲的Seiichi Sano從不認(rèn)為自己是個老人，決定堅持沖浪，直到100歲。說明他是一個意志堅定、積極樂觀的老人。故選C項。

（七）

本文是一篇說明文。聯(lián)合國的一份報告顯示，受工業(yè)發(fā)展和人口增長等因素的影響，缺水問題在城市地區(qū)會愈演愈烈。

8. C 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由第2段最后一句“It is in these urban areas that youre having an evident increase in demand”可知，水的需求量在城市更大。故選C項。

9. D 觀點態(tài)度題。由第3段內(nèi)容可知，Richard Connor認(rèn)為滴灌既有效又節(jié)水。故選D項。

10. A 主旨大意題。第4段介紹了氣候變化使得水資源豐富的地區(qū)季節(jié)性缺水，水資源短缺的地方更加缺水。故選A項。

11. B 詞義猜測題。由最后一段大意可知，“touched on”是“討論”的意思。故選B項。A. Replaced，“代替”；C. Advanced，“促進、發(fā)展”；D. Compared，“比較”。

（八）

本文是一篇說明文。舉例說明了醬油食用過量的危害。

12. C 主旨大意題。第1段主要說明了醬油的廣泛用途。故選C項。

13. B 細(xì)節(jié)信息題。由第2段第4句“Push the limit too far， though， and youre heading towards disaster.”可知，舉例子是為了說明醬油食用過量帶來的災(zāi)難。故選B項。

14. D 詞義猜測題。第3段最后一句話的大意是：高鈉血癥不僅會引起致命性液體在肺部的聚集，而且隨著大腦失水，大腦還會萎縮、失血。由此可知，“toxic”意思是“有害的”。A. Flexible，意思是“靈活的”；B. Complex，意思是“復(fù)雜的”；C. Energetic，意思是“精力充沛的”；D. Dangerous，意思是“危險的”。故選D項。

15. A 推理判斷題。由最后一段中“…remember： dont go overboard.”可知，作者認(rèn)為食用醬油不能過量。故選A項。

責(zé)任編輯 吳昊雷