C

When my brother and I were children, we spent a few weeks each summer in the countryside with our uncle. He was a geologist and loved to go on long walks to find stones to add to his collection at the university. More often than not, we followed him.

One day, we left early, and this time, our uncle had bought us backpacks. “You can help me carry the samples ,” he explained.

Sure, why not? The whole day, we walked around the countryside, and every now and then, our uncle put stones in our bags. We were a bit surprised that he also took some stones out from our bags at times, but figured he had just found better samples than the ones we already had.

Still, when we reached the house in the late afternoon, we were exhausted. The backpacks were so heavy we gave a big sigh of relief when we put them on the ground. Yet our uncle’s backpack was half-empty.

“Why did you give us so many stones?” we asked.

“I didn’t. You did,” he said, waiting for a while before continuing. “You did not know it, but I made you go through a little attitude test today.”

“What do you mean an ‘attitude test’?” we wanted to know.

“It is something someone once did to me – and I shall always remember it. You see, I listened to every word you said. And whenever you complained about anyone or anything, I added a stone to your bags. And whenever you talked about something with an attitude of gratitude and positive thinking, I took out a stone. And now look at your backpacks.”

We did. They were full.

“I hope you remember this little attitude test. You see, your negative thoughts are like stones. You carry them in your mind just like those stones in a backpack. The more negative thoughts you have, the heavier your mind is. A positive thought, however, cancels out a negative one. So look at those bags and start paying attention to what you say and how you say things.”

This little lesson was one of the most important I ever had. And I remember my uncle with great love for teaching us one of the most important lessons in life – the power of attitude.

8.What did the author and his brother often do when staying with their uncle in the countryside?

A. They often followed him to collect stones.

B. They often followed him to his university.

C. They often studied his collection of stones with him.

D. They often took long walks to enjoy nature.

9. When the author and his brother returned home late in the afternoon, ______.

A. they were tired but happy that they had helped their uncle

B. they wished more stones had been taken out

C. they found that their bags were filled with stones

D. they were angry to find their uncle’s bag half-empty

10. How did the uncle explain the attitude test to the author?

A. By giving examples. B. By asking questions.

C. By using famous sayings. D. By comparing negative thoughts to stones.

11. This article is mainly written to tell us that ______.

A. we should show gratitude to those who help us

B. we should watch the language we use

C. we should learn from older people

D. we should stop and think about our lives from time to time

D

From July to October every year, about a quarter of the world’s blue whales feed in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of California. But the whales currently face a major threat in their favorite feeding area. Ships carrying cargo (货物)sail in the same area at the same time. All too often, the whales’ paths and the ships’ travel lines overlap (重叠)，and a ship will hit a whale.

According to a new study, these ship strikes have become a serious threat to the overall population of the world’s blue whales. Only about 10,000 of the creatures still exist worldwide. Blue whales are the largest known animals ever to live on Earth. Even so, if hit by a container ship, a blue whale will likely die from its injuries.

In 2007 alone, large ships killed five blue whales in the waters off San Francisco and Los Angeles, California. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) says that because there are so few whales already, losing three to five from the California whale population every year is a significant loss. “The estimated population of blue whales in this part of the Pacific is 2,500”, says Sean Hastings, a NOAA analyst. “So every whale counts toward this species moving off the endangered-species list.”

Now, marine scientists must figure out how to protect the whales from the giant container ships. One very simple program is already under way in the Santa Barbara Channel, a waterway that separates mainland California from the nearby Channel Islands.

The Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has asked large container ships passing through the area to voluntarily slow down. Sailing slower will allow the ships’ crew (船员)more time to change course before hitting a whale.

Several of the world’s largest shipping lines are set to participate in the new program. For every ship that passes through the Santa Barbara Channel at or below the reduced speed of 12 knots (海里 / 小时)，the company that owns the ship will be paid $2,500.

12. From Paragraph 1, we can know that_____.

A. people intend to illegally hunt blue whales for money

B. large ships often carrying goods may pollute the sea

C. there is fewer fish in blue whales’ favorite feeding area

D. the container ships may hit the blue whales frequently

13. Why is the death of several whales regarded as significant loss to the world's blue whales?

A. Because other blue whales will be scared away.

B. Because the number of the blue whales is so small.

C. Because blue whales are the largest animals in the world.

D. Because many blue whales get killed throughout the year.

14. According to Sean Hastings，it’s inferred that .

A. the blue whales are still on the endangered-species list.

B. the number of the blue whales is decreasing sharply.

C. most of the world’s blue whales live in the Pacific Ocean.

D. blue whales are often disturbed by other endangered creatures. 15. What are the last three paragraphs mainly about?

A. The basic responsibility of a sailor. B. The world’s largest shipping lines.

C. Measures to protect the blue whales. D. Ways to slow down the speed of the ships.