2 . By the end of the century, if not sooner, the world’s oceans will be bluer and greener thanks to a warming climate, according to a new study.

At the heart of the phenomenon lie tiny marine microorganisms(海洋微生物) called phytoplankton. Because of the way light reflects off the organisms, these phytoplankton create colourful patterns at the ocean surface. Ocean colour varies from green to blue, depending on the type and concentration of phytoplankton. Climate change will fuel the growth of phytoplankton in some areas, while reducing it in other spots, leading to changes in the ocean’s appearance.

Phytoplankton live at the ocean surface, where they pull carbon dioxide(二氧化碳) into the ocean while giving off oxygen. When these organisms die, they bury carbon in the deep ocean, an important process that helps to regulate the global climate. But phytoplankton are vulnerable to the ocean’s warming trend. Warming changes key characteristics of the ocean and can affect phytoplankton growth, since they need not only sunlight and carbon dioxide to grow, but also nutrients.

Stephanie Dutkiewicz, a scientist in MIT’s Center for Global Change Science, built a climate model that projects changes to the oceans throughout the century. In a world that warms up by 3℃, it found that multiple changes to the colour of the oceans would occur. The model projects that currently blue areas with little phytoplankton could become even bluer. But in some waters, such as those of the Arctic, a warming will make conditions riper for phytoplankton, and these areas will turn greener. “Not only are the quantities of phytoplankton in the ocean changing. ” she said, “but the type of phytoplankton is changing.”

And why does that matter? Phytoplankton are the base of the food web. If certain kinds begin to disappear from the ocean, Dutkiewicz said, “it will change the type of fish that will be able to survive.” Those kinds of changes could affect the food chain.

Whatever colour changes the ocean experiences in the coming decades will probably be too gradual and unnoticeable, but they could mean significant changes. “It’ll be a while before we can statistically show that the changes are happening because of climate change,” Dutkiewicz said, “but the change in the colour of the ocean will be one of the early warning signals that we really have changed our planet.”

1. What are the first two paragraphs mainly about?

A．The various patterns at the ocean surface.

B．The cause of the changes in ocean colour.

C．The way light reflects off marine organisms.

D．The efforts to fuel the growth of phytoplankton.

2. What does the underlined word “vulnerable” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Sensitive.

B．Beneficial.

C．Significant.

D．Unnoticeable.

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Phytoplankton play a declining role in the marine ecosystem.

B．Dutkiewicz’s model aims to project phytoplankton changes.

C．Phytoplankton have been used to control global climate.

D．Oceans with more phytoplankton may appear greener.

4. What is the main purpose of the passage?

A．To assess the consequences of ocean colour changes.

B．To analyse the composition of the ocean food chain.

C．To explain the effects of climate change on oceans.

D．To introduce a new method to study phytoplankton.

3 . 某英文杂志新开了一个介绍古代文明的栏目并面向中学生征文。请你根据以下提示，用英语写一篇短文应征。

名称	埃及金字塔（Egyptian pyramids）
地点	尼罗河流域（the Nile Valley）
详情	1. 世界上许多地方都有金字塔，但是最著名的是埃及金字塔； 2. 埃及金字塔由巨石建造而成，其中一些是世界上最大的建筑； 3. 多数金字塔是由表面光滑且有反射性的石头建成； 4. 最具代表性的是胡夫金字塔（Pyramid of Khufu），胡夫金字塔现高138.8米，由230万块石头砌成，每块石头平均重2.5吨，最重的有160吨。
历史地位	1. 是古埃及文明的代表；     2. 被列为世界八大奇迹之一。

注意：1. 词数150左右；              2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：光滑的 polished
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4 . Easter Island is one of the most mysterious islands. The triangular shaped island is made mostly of volcanic rock.

When we think of Easter Island we think of huge stone carved (雕刻) figures called Moai that dot the coastline. The Moai are seen all over the island, and in different shapes, sizes and stages of completion. No one is sure yet as to what purpose the Moai served, but there is evidence that the Moai were carved by the ancestors of the present inhabitants of the island. They sit on rocky lava telling a story of a long lost civilization.

Ron Fisher in his work Easter Island Brooding Sentinels of Stone mentions one explanation that “two classes of people, the so-called Long Ears and Short Ears, lived on the island. The Short Ears were governed by the Long Ears, and were forced to carve the Moai. After many generations and during a rebellion (反叛), the Short Ears killed all the Long Ears, which explains the sudden end of the statue-carving.”

Moai sit on platforms called Ahu. Ahu Akivi is an observatory built about 1500 AD. As in the case of many religious structures on Easter Island, everything has been situated with astronomical precision (精度): the seven statues look towards the point where the sun sets during the equinox (春分或秋分).

Ahu Akivi is an unusual site. A low ahu supports seven statues all very similar in height and style. The site is strange in that it is located far inland and the statues were erected (竖立) to face the ocean. The only site where this was done. Like other Easter Island sites the statues were found knocked off the ahu, lying face down on the ground. In 1960, archaeologist (考古学家) William Mulloy’s team spent several months raising the statues to their original positions.

Some scholars hold the idea that its seven statues represent the seven young explorers that the Polynesian King Hotu Matu sent from across the sea, probably from the Marquesas Islands, to find this new homeland for him. But no one knows for sure. The generally accepted theory is that these great stone statues were built to honour Polynesian gods and deified (奉为神) ancestors such as chiefs and other figures important in the island’s history. It is believed that their function was to look to a village or grave site as a protector. They may also have been status symbols for villages.

1. Ron Fisher’s work is mentioned to explain _____.

A．who carved the Moai

B．how the Moai were carved

C．why the Short Ears killed the Long Ears

D．who were the primary inhabitants of the island

2. Which of the following statements about Ahu Akivi is TRUE?

A．Ahu Akivi was located near the coastline.

B．The seven statues were the same in height.

C．Ahu Akivi was discovered by William Mulloy.

D．The seven statues faced down when discovered.

3. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．Who found the island first.

B．Guesses as to what the statues represent.

C．The important figures in the island’s history.

D．Why King Hotu Matu sent explorers to the island.

4. The author writes this passage mainly to _____.

A．introduce the Moai on Easter Island

B．encourage people to visit Easter Island

C．convince archaeologists to find more about Moai

D．talk about who created the Moai on Easter Island