Shenzhen will make full use of its 50 natural beaches to build high-quality(高质量的) coastal (沿海的) public spaces, according to the city’s beach protection and management measures(措施).

At present, Shenzhen has a total of 50 natural beaches, mainly in eastern Yantian District and Dapeng New Area. Among them, 28 beaches are put under management, 10 are designed for bathing, such as Dameisha and Xiaomeisha, and 12 are for leisure (休闲).

Beaches for bathing and leisure must gain the right of use of the sea area. Beaches with bathing areas can charge (收费) admissions and should set up public service facilities.

Beaches for leisure purposes must be open to the public free of charge. These beaches can be included in the city’s park management system. Those put under management will not offer public services, according to the measures.

The measures also state that beach resources should be protected and cannot be occupied by any organization and/or individual(个人). Permanent(永久性的) buildings are not allowed to be built along protected coastlines.

At present, the city’s coastline extends for 260.5 kilometers, including a 100.4-kilometer natural coastline and 160.1-kilometer artificial(人工的) coastline, which meets the provincial requirement of no less than 35 percent natural coastline retention rate(保持率), according to the Shenzhen Municipal Planning and Natural Resources Bureau.

11. Why will Shenzhen take measures to make good use of its natural beaches?

A．Because the city doesn’t have enough natural beaches under management.

B．Because the city hopes to set up excellent public service along its coastlines.

C．Because the city needs some beach protection and management measures.

D．Because the city gets the right of use of the natural beaches.

12. According to the news, how many beaches for bathing in Shenzhen are put under management?

A．50

B．28

C．10

D．12

13. The following statements are true EXCEPT ________

A．Beaches for leisure purposes can charge fee for public service.

B．Permanent buildings can’t be built along protected coastlines.

C．There is a 260.5-kilometer coastline in Shenzhen.

D．Shenzhen meets the requirement of natural coastline retention rate.

14. What does the underlined word “occupied” in the fifth paragraph probably mean?

A．sold out

B．visited

C．taken up

D．protected

15. Where can you probably read the passage?

A．In a poster.

B．In a newspaper.

C．In a novel.

D．In a fashion magazine.

When I was a child, there was a pot of butterfly flowers in my room. I often stood on the bench (凳子) and looked at them for a long time. I couldn’t help but have a big question mark in my heart: These were such beautiful flowers, but they had no sweet smell. What a pity! So, after thinking about it, I had a wonderful idea and decided to do something for them.

One day, when my parents were not at home, I picked a bottle of perfume from my mother’s dressing table. Then I unscrewed (拧开) the bottle cap and sprayed (喷) perfume on the flowers evenly. I was happy that I finally helped the flowers and started to imagine that when my parents came back home, they would be amazed at my brilliant idea. But to my surprise, after a few days, the flowers slowly lost vitality and their petals (花瓣) withered (枯萎). Finally, they died from absorbing the perfume’s ethyl alcohol (乙醇). I cried and realized my behavior was ill-considered.

Although butterfly flowers are beautiful, they have no sweet smell. Just like us, they are not perfect, with both advantages and disadvantages. We can’t impose (把……强加于) our own ideas on other things and just look at the surface of things. We should learn the laws of nature when we want to give help or improve our own lives.

16. The writer sprayed perfume on the flowers to ________.

A．make the flowers more beautiful	B．make the flowers smell sweet
C．make the flowers wither quickly	D．make her parents amazed

17. According to the passage, how did the writer feel when the flowers died?

A．surprised

B．excited

C．sick

D．sad

18. Why does the writer think the butterfly flowers are just like us?

A．Because they are beautiful though they have no sweet smell.

B．Because they have advantages and disadvantages.

C．Because they are natural and perfect.

D．Because they look at the surface of things.

19. Which word can be used to describe the writer?

A．creative but cruel	B．polite but stupid
C．kind and hard-working	D．curious and thoughtful

20. What’s the writer’s intention of the last paragraph?

A．To tell us butterfly flowers have no sweet smell.

B．To ask us to impose our thoughts on other things.

C．To encourage us to consider the laws of nature.

D．To improve our lives by avoiding the disadvantages.

Climate change is a big problem humans are facing. How can we deal with it? Reducing carbon emissions (碳排放) is important. But what if we could capture carbon dioxide (CO₂) from the air and use it to do other things?

Recently, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said that his company is working on a new program. It’s going to take CO₂ out of the air and turn it into rocket fuel.

It will not only be good for Earth, but “will also be important for Mars,” Musk tweeted. The air on Mars is made up of 95 percent CO₂. If we could turn CO₂ into fuel, we could travel the long journey from Mars back to Earth in the future.

The idea may sound strange but it’s not totally crazy. There are already some technologies that might help with this. According to Di-Jia Liu, a chemist at the Argonne National Laboratory in the US, the carbon atoms (原子) in CO₂ and the hydrogen (氢) atoms in water can be combined to make methane (甲烷) or ethanol (乙醇). They could be used as fuel. If we do this on Mars, energy from the sun might be used as a catalyst (催化剂).

The idea will also make space travel more eco-friendly. “If the CO₂-based fuel could be used in a rocket launch, we could prevent 715 tons of CO₂ from being emitted into the air,” said Stafford Sheehan from Air Company, a US company that focuses on CO₂ capture technologies.

21. What is SpaceX working on?

A．Reducing CO2 emissions.	B．Building a new rocket.
C．Turning CO2 into fuel.	D．Traveling long distances on Mars.

22. What advantage will the program bring if it succeeds?

A．It will take energy from the sun.

B．It will take 95 percent of CO2 out of the air.

C．It will make it easier to travel from Mars to Earth.

D．It will create free catalysts for chemical experiments.

23. What is Paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How CO2 can be turned into fuel.

B．Where CO2 can be taken.

C．Why the program should be carried on Mars.

D．How the energy from the sun can be used.

24. What can we learn from what Stafford Sheehan said?

A．Scientists use 715 tons of CO2 to launch a rocket.

B．Rocket launching is an environmentally-friendly activity.

C．There will be no CO2 emissions anymore.

D．SpaceX’s idea would be good for the environment.

25. What is the best title of the passage?

A．Visit Space with CO2	B．Climate change we face
C．Space travel in the future	D．A new program on Mars