About 3 billion people live within 100 miles of the sea, a number that could double in the next decade as humans flock to coastal cities like gulls. The oceans produce $3 trillion of goods and services each year and untold value for the Earth's ecology. Life could not exist without these vast water reserves—and, if anything, they are becoming even more important to humans than before. Mining is about to begin under the seabed in the high seas—the regions outside the exclusive economic zones administered by coastal and island nations, which stretch 200 nautical miles offshore. Nineteen exploratory licences have been issued. New summer shipping lanes are opening across the Arctic Ocean. The genetic resources of marine life promise a pharmaceutical bonanza: the number of patents has been rising at 12% a year. One study found that genetic material from the seas is a hundred times more likely to have anti-cancer properties than that from terrestrial life. But these developments are minor compared with vaster forces reshaping the Earth, both on land and at sea. It has long been clear that people are damaging the oceans—witness the melting of the Arctic ice in summer, the spread of oxygen starved dead zones and the death of coral reefs. Now, the consequences of that damage are starting to be felt onshore. Thailand provides a vivid example. In the 1990s it cleared coastal mangrove swamps to set up shrimp farms. Ocean storm surges in 2011, no longer cushioned by the mangroves, rushed in to flood the country's industrial heartland, causing billions of dollars of damage. More serious is the global mismanagement of fish stocks. About 3 billion people get a fifth of their protein from fish, making it a more important protein source than beef. But a vicious cycle has developed as fish stocks decline and fishermen race to grab what they can of the remainder. According to the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO), a third of fish stocks in the oceans are over-exploited; some estimates say the proportion is more than half. One study suggested that stocks of big predatory species—such as tuna, swordfish and marlin—may have fallen by as much as 90% since the 1950s. People could be eating much better, were fishing stocks properly managed.

单选题 According to the first paragraph, which one is NOT true?

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：选项A对应第一段第二句：The oceans produce $3 trillion of goods and services each year and untold value for the Earth's ecology．其中，“numerous benefits”=“untold value”，故该项表述正确。选项B对应第一句：About 3 billion people live within 100 miles of the sea, a number that could double in the next decade as humans flock to coastal cities like gulls．其中“humans flock to coastal cities”=“people enjoy living in coastal cities”，故该项表述正确。选项C属于无中生有，错误。选项D对应第一句的“a number that could double in the next decade”，从而推断该项表述正确。综上所述，该题答案为选项C。

单选题 The oceans are about to be explored because ______.

【正确答案】 A

【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的“oceans”，“about to be explored”等信息定位到第二段第一句：Mining is about to begin under the seabed in the high seas…其中“mining…under the seabed”对应“oceans…to be explored”。而人们探索海洋的原因出现在该段最后两句：The genetic resources of marine life promise a pharmaceutical bonanza. One study found that genetic material from the seas is a hundred times more likely to have anti-cancer properties than that from terrestrial life. 即便看不懂The genetic resources of marine life promise a pharmaceutical bonanza这一句，我们至少能知道原因是因为marine life，而四个选项中唯有选项A出现了这个词，从而可以推断该项为答案。该句的pharmaceutical表示“制药的”，bonanza表示“富矿，财源”，总体上来说“pharmaceutical bonanza”相当于“medical value"，故选项A为答案。

单选题 Consequences of damaging the oceans include all EXCEPT ______.

【正确答案】 B

【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的“consequences of damaging the oceans”定位到第三段最后一句：Now, the consequences of that damage are starting to be felt onshore．这句话之前也提到一句：It has long been clear that people are damaging the oceans witness the melting of the Arctic ice in summer, the spread of oxygen starved dead zones and the death of coral reefs. 其中破折号后面的内容就是damaging the oceans的具体体现。其中“witness the melting of the Arctic ice in summer”对应D项 change of climate and rise of temperature；“the spread of oxygen starved dead zones”对应C项expansion of areas of oxygen deficit；“the death of coral reefs”对应A项vanishing of marine organisms。而B项emergence of ocean storm surges在第四段第三句有提到，但是风暴潮的出现并不是破坏海洋造成的，故本题答案为选项B。

单选题 Thailand is mentioned in the text to ______.

【正确答案】 C

【答案解析】解析：根据题干中的“Thailand”一词定位到第四段。该段首句提到：Thailand provides a vivid example. 而这段话是举例说明上一段结尾提到的这个句子：Now，the consequences of that damage are starting to be felt onshore．故本段提到Thailand的目的是为了举例说明破坏海洋在陆地上产生的后果，与之最接近的选项是C项show the results of damaging the environment(展示破坏环境的结果)。故该题答案为选项C。

单选题 We can learn from the last paragraph that ______.

【正确答案】 D

【答案解析】解析：选项A对应最后一段第二句：About 3 billion people get a fifth of their protein from fish…该句说的是“About 3 billion people”，而不是“a fifth of people in the world”。故该项属于偷换概念，因此该项错误。选项B对应中间一句：According to the Food and Agriculture Organization(FAO)，a third of fish stocks in the oceans are over-exploited…注意：原文说的是“a third of fish stocks”，而不是该项说的“a third of ocean resources”，故该项也是偷换概念的错误。选项C对应该段倒数第二句：One study suggested that stocks of big predatory species—such as tuna，swordfish and marlin—may have fallen by as much as 90％ since the 1950s．注意：原文说的是“fallen by as much as 90％”，而不是该项说的“disappeared”，故该项错误。选项D同样对应倒数第二句。从中可以判断，该项表述正确，故答案为选项D。