Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.

Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.

For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks(老鹰), the farmers stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice multiplied(繁殖) quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.

Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1.Animals are important to us mainly because____.

2.What has happened to the animals on the earth?

3.Which of the following is NOT true?

4.What can we infer from the fact that quite a few countries have passed laws protecting animals in danger?

完形填空（共20小题，每题1.5分，共30分）

Today I am known for my voice. But it  31  a long time to believe I could read well. When I was young I stuttered (结巴)  32  badly that I was completely  33  to speak in public.

34  , when I was 14, Professor Donald Crouch came to our school. He was a retired college professor. He held a book of poems  35   it were a diamond necklace. When he heard our school was  36  Shakespeare, he could no longer   37  not being a part of our school.

When he  38  that I not only loved poetry but was  39  it, we became closer. There was, however, one  40   between us—Professor Crouch could not stand the  41  that I refused to read my poems to the class.

“Jim, poetry is 42 to be read aloud,” he said. “You should be able to speak those beautiful words.” I shook my head and  43  .

Then he tricked me. After handing in a poem, I waited for his  44 . It didn’t come. Instead, one day as the students gathered together, he said to me, “Jim, I don’t think you wrote this.” I  45 him in disbelief. “Why”, I started, “of course I  46 !” “Well, then,” he said, “you’ve got to prove it by getting up and reciting it  47  memory.”

With knees shaking, I walked up. For a moment I stood  48 . Then I began, and kept going. I recited my poem all the way through!

Afterwards, Professor Crouch congratulated me, and  49  me to read other writers’ poems before the public.

Before long, I discovered I did have a (n) 50  and found my fellow students actually looked forward to hearing me recite.

I’m not ill. __________, I ’m very healthy.                       

We do not permit _________ in the office.

I believe that Mary hurt her boyfriend’s feelings on purpose rather than __________ as she said.

__________ makes the school famous is __________ more than 90% of the students have been admitted to universities.

We hope to finish our experiment________.

Did you benefit _________ the new way of doing business?

Today one-third of the people on Greenland________ their living in the fishing industry.

---Well done, Tom!

---Thanks. But given more time, I ________ it better.