Koalas （澳洲考拉）
A
Koalas are just too nice for their owngood. And except for the occasional baby taken by birds of prey （n.捕食），koalas have no natural enemies. In an idealworld, the life of an arboreal couch potato would be perfectly safe andacceptable.
B
Just two hundred years ago, koalasflourished（v.茂盛、繁荣）across Australia. Now they seem to be in decline, but exact numbers are notavailable as the species would not seem to be 'under threat'. Their problem,however, has been nan, more specifically, the white man. Koala and aboriginehad co-existed peacefully for centuries.
C
Today koalas are found only in scatteredpockets of southeast Australia where they seem to be at the risk on severalfronts. The koala‘s only food source, the eucalyptus tree （n.桉树），has declined. In the past 200 years, athird of Australia's eucalyptus forests have disappeared. Koalas have beenkilled by parasites, chlamydia epidemics（衣原体感染） anda tumour-causing retro-virus. And every year 11000 are killed by cars,ironically most of them in wildlife sanctuaries, and thousands are killed bypoachers. Some are also taken illegally as pets. The animals usually soon die,but they are easily replaced.
D
Bush fires pose another threat. Thehorrific ones that raged in New South Wales recently Killed between 100 and1000 Koalas. Many that were taken into sanctuaries and shelters were found tohave burnt their paws on the glowing embers（灰烬）.Butzoologists say that the species should recover. The Koalas will be aided by theeucalyptus, which grows quickly and is already burgeoning forth after thefires. So the main problem to their survival is their slow reproductive rate -they produce only one baby a year over a reproductive lifespan of about nineyears.
E
The latest problem for the species isperhaps more insidious. With plush, grey fur（n.毛皮），dark amber eyes and button nose, koalas are cuddlinessincarnate Australian zoos and wildlife parks have taken advantage of theiruncomplaining attitudes, and charge visitors to be photographed hugging thefurry bundles. But people may not realise how cruel this is, but because of thekoala's delicate disposition, constant handling can push an alreadyprecariously balanced physiology （n.生理）over the edge.
F
Koalas only eat the foliage of certainspecies of eucalyptus trees, between 600 and 1250 grams a day. The tough leavesare packed with cellulose （n.纤维素）,tannins, aromatic oils and precursors of toxic cyanides. To handle thiscocktail, koalas have a specialised digestive system. Cellulose-digestingbacteria in the caecum （盲肠） break down fibre, while a speciallyadapted gut and liver process the toxins. To digest their food properly, koalasmust sit still for 21 hours every day.
G
Koalas are the epitome of innocence andinoffensiveness. Although they are capable of ripping open a man’s arm with their needle-sharp claws, or giving a nastynip, they simply wouldn't. If you upset a koala, it may blink or swallow, orhiccup（打嗝）. But attack? No way! Koalas are just notaggressive. "They use their claws to grip the hard smooth bark ofeucalyptus trees.
H
They are also very sensitive （v.敏感的），and the slightest upset can prevent themfrom breeding, cause them to go off their food, and succumb to gut infections.Koalas are stoic creatures and put on a brave face until they are at death'sdoor. One day they may appear healthy, the next they could be dead. Captivekoalas have to be weighed daily to check that they are feeding properly. Asudden loss of weight is usually the only warning keepers have that theircharge is ill. Only two keepers plus a vet were allowed to handle London Zoo'skoalas, as these creatures are only comfortable with people they know. Arequest for the koala to be taken to Beet the Queen was refused because of thedistress this would have caused the marsupial. Sadly. London's Zoo no longerhas a koala. Two years ago the female koala died of a cancer caused by aretrovirus. When they come into heat, female koalas become more active, andstart losing weight, but after about sixteen days, heat ends and the weightpiles back on. London' s koala did not. Surgery revealed hundreds of pea-sizedtumours.
I
Almost every zoo in Australia haskoalas-the marsupial（n.有袋动物） hasbecome the Animal Ambassador of the nation, but nowhere outside Australia wouldhandling by the public be allowed. Koala cuddling screams in the face of everyrule of good care. First, some zoos allow koalas to be passed from stranger tostranger, many children who love to squeeze. Secondly, most people have no ideaof how to handle the animals: they like to cling on to their handler, all intheir own good time and use his or her arm as a tree. For such reasons, theAssociation of Fauna and Marine parks, an Australian conservation society iscampaigning to ban koala cuddling. Policy on koala handling is determined bystate government authorities. "And the largest of the numbers in theAustralian nature Conservation Agency, with the aim of instituting nationalguidelines. Following a wave of publicity, some zoos and wildlife parks havestopped turning their koalas into photo.
Question 1-5
Choose the correct letter, A, B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 1-5 onyour answer sheet.
1 The main reason why koala declined isthat they are killed EXCEPT FOR
A by poachers
B by diseases they got
C giving too many birth yet survived little
D accidents on the road
2 What can help koalas fully digest theirfood?
A toxic substance in the leaves
B organs that dissolve the fibres
C remaining inactive for a period to digest
D eating eucalyptus trees
3 What would koalas do when facing thedangerous situation?
A show signs of being offended
B counter attack furiously
C use sharp claws to rip the man
D use claws to grip the bark of trees.
4 In what ways Australian zoos exploitkoalas?
A encourage people to breed koalas as pets
B allow tourists to hug the koalas
C put them on the trees as a symbol
D establish a koala campaign
5 What would the government do to protectkoalas from being endangered?
A introduce koala protection guidelines
B close some of the zoos
C encourage people to resist visiting thezoos
D persuade the public to learn moreknowledge
Question 6-12
Do the following statements agree with theinformation given in Reading Passage 1?
In boxes 6-12 on your answer sheet, write
Yes if the statement is true
NO if the statement is false
NOT GIVEN if the information is not givenin the passage
6. new coming human settlers caused dangerto koalas.
7. Koalas can still be seen in most of theplaces in Australia.
8. it takes decade for the eucalyptus treesto recover after the fire.
9. Koalas will fight each other when foodbecomes scarce.
10. It is not easy to notice that koalasare ill.
11. Koalas are easily infected with humancontagious disease via cuddling
12. Koalas like to hold a person's arm whenthey are embraced.
Question 13
Choose the correct letter. A. B, C or D.
Write the correct letter in boxes 13 onyour answer sheet.
From your opinion this article written by
A a journalist who write for magazine
B a zoo keeper in London Zoo.
C a tourist who traveling back fromAustralia
D a government official who studies koalasto establish a law
文章结构：
A段：考拉的生存环境舒适
B段：最近考拉数量减少
C段：目前考拉数量减少是由这几种原因组成：食物，疾病，车祸，偷猎者和宠物收养。
D段：火灾和低繁殖率也是影响考拉数量的因素。
E段：对考拉身体造成威胁的一种情况： 动物园允许游客和考拉拥抱和照相。
F段：考拉特定的消化系统能够消化桉树的树叶。
G段：考拉天性随和，被打扰时它的反应奇怪，但没有攻击性。
H段：考拉的敏感会导致它停止繁殖或者病倒。
澳大利亚制定政策禁止游客和考拉拍照
答案：
1.C 2.C 3.A 4.B 5.A 6.YES 7.NO 8.NO
9.NOT GIVEN 10.YES 11.NOT GIVEN 12.YES 13.A
Passage 2 城市发展
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