B

My father was chief engineer of a merchant ship, which was sunk in world warⅡ. The book night of the U-boats told the story。

Memories

In September, 1940，my mother ,sister and I went to Swansea ,where my father’s ship was getting ready to sail. We brought him a family photography to be kept with him at all times and keep him safe.

Then I remember my mother lying face down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo (魚雷).

I can remember the arrival of the telegram（電板），which in those days always brought bad news. My grandmother opened it. It read, “Safe. Love Ted.”

My most vivid memory is being woken and brought down to sit on my father’s knee, his arm in a bandage.

He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart, mother said it was caused by the torpedoes .he said it was because of t he cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.

Ten years later I read Night of the U-boat and was able to complete the story.

Torpedo

One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the third engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship making it easier for it to be abandoned.

By the time he got on deck (甲板) he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck fast. When he tried to cut it free it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump—still with the photograph in his pocket.

Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.

A toast

In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, glass in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean and a wait for rescue? Lest (以免) we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.

61. We can infer that the mother and children went to Swansea ______.

A. to meet a friend

B. to see the father

C. to take a family

D. to enjoy the sailing of the ship

62. What did the author learn about the father from the telegram ?

A. he was still alive

B. his knee was broken

C. his ship had been sunk

D. he had arrived in Glasgow

63. The underlined word “it ” in paragraph 6 refers to the father ‘s _____ .

A. weak heart

B. taking a shore job

C. failure to return

D. injury caused by a torpedo

64. What can we know about the author‘s father after his ship was attacked?

A. he lost his arm

B. he repaired the engines

C. he managed to take a lifeboat

D. he was the last to leave the ship

65. What is the passage mainly about?

A. a group of forgotten heroes

B. a book describing a terrifying battle ?????

C. a ship engineer’s wartime experience

D. a merchant’s memories of a sea rescue

C

A recent study of ancient and modern elephant has come up with the unexpected conclusion that the African elephant is divided into two distinct (不同的)species

The discovery was made by researchers at York and Harvard University when they were examining the genetic relationship between the ancient woolly mammoth and mastodon modern elephants—the Asian elephant, African forest elephant, and African savanna elephant.

Once they obtained DNA sequences（序列）from two fossils（化石）, mammoths and mastodons, the team compared them with DNA from modern elephants. They found their amazement that modern forest and savanna elephants are as distinct from each other as Asian elephants and mammoths.

The scientists used detailed genetic analysis to prove that the African savanna elephant and the African forest elephant have been distinct species for several million years. The?divergence of the two species took place around the time of the divergence of Asian elephants and woolly mammoths. This result amazed all the scientists.

There has long been debate in the scientific community that the two might be separate species, but this is the most convincing scientific evidence so far that they are indeed different species.

Previously, many naturalists believed that African savanna elephants and African forest elephants were two populations of the same species, despite the elephants’ significant size differences. The savanna elephant has an average shoulder height of 3.5 metres while the forest elephant has an average shoulder double the weight of the forest elephant. But the fact that they look so different does not necessarily mean they are different species. However the proof lay in the analysis of the DNA.

Alfried Roca, assistant professor in the Department of Animal Sciences at t he University of Illinois, said, “We now have to treat the forest and savanna elephants as two difficult units for conservation purpose. Since 1950, all African elephants have been conserved as one species. Now that we know the forest and savanna elephants have been distinct animals, the forest elephant should become a bigger priority（優(yōu)先）for conservation purposes.”

66. One of the fossils studied by the researchers is that of_______.

A. the Asian elephant

B. the forest elephant

C. the savanna elephant

D. the mastodon elephant

67. The underlined word “divergence” in Paragraph 4 means “_______.”

A. evolution

B. exhibition

C. separation

D. examination

68. The researchers’ conclusion was based on a study of the African elephant’s?_______.

A. DNA

B. height

C. weight

D. population

69. What are Alfred Roca’s words mainly about?

A. The conservation of African elephant

B. The purpose of studying African elephant

C. The way to divide African elephants into two units

D. The reason for the distinction of African elephants

70.Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?

A. Naturalist’ Beliefs about Elephants

B. Amazing Experiments about Elephants

C. An Unexpected Finding about Elephants

D. A Long Scientific Debate about Elephants

戳此查看2011高考專題>>

戳此查看高中專題>>

戳此查看歷年高考真題專題>>