单选题 Forty years ago no one was concerned about the health of the ocean, in spite of the fact that many fisheries were being over-harvested, toxic wastes were being dumped in the sea, and developers were beginning to seriously disrupt coastlines. In those days, the magnitude of the problems was small, even though it was obvious that if the trends continued people would face severe economic and personal hardship in the future. People just didn't understand, nor did they care. Unfortunately many of our concerns were realized, but the situation could have been much worse, had we, and others, not taken action to inform people about the ocean and the need to protect it.
During our campaign to share the wonders of the sea and alert the public about the need to protect it, we have used every medium available—personal appearances, the printed word, and television. Now there is a new medium that is even more effective than its predecessors. Thanks to the Internet and computers, people can not only receive linear stories, but they can actually participate in them, exploring and learning at their own pace and as their curiosity dictates. I am tremendously impressed with the personalization of what had been labeled by skeptics as the most impersonal medium yet developed.
For these reasons I have made a major commitment of time and resources to dive into this sea of electronic marvels. I'm swimming hard to keep up, but when I look around I find I'm not alone. We are all learning together and it is an adventure I am finding immensely rewarding. I have been encouraged by our first modest dunking in this new world. We recently completed a CD-ROM, Jean-Michel Cousteau's World. Cities Under the Sea-Coral Reefs. A couple of months ago I was in Fiji to celebrate the 1997 International Year of the Reef and presented our Cities under the Sea CD-ROM to a group of children. I was impressed to see how quickly they grasped our concepts and how they directed their own learning process, thanks to the flexibility of the medium. It was particularly exciting to see kids squeal with delight as they responded to questions and the computer rewarded them when they got the correct answers.
I want young people to experience the mystery and wonder of our oceans. I want them to understand how precious and vulnerable our environment is. Young people need to be taught to take responsibility for ensuring that their heritage will be protected and used wisely. Hopefully the next generation will do a better job than mine has. I believe individuals must be personally involved and I am counting on the Internet to be the medium through which people can experience, learn, and take action I am counting on young people with their idealism and energy to create a better future—it is too important to be left to bureaucrats and politicians.

单选题 Forty years ago people were indifferent to the health of the ocean because ______.
A. the ocean was immune to any pollution then
B. they didn't know what would come of if the ocean was deadly disrupted
C. there was no computer then
D. there wasn't any problem with the ocean at that time
【正确答案】 B
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据第一段第一句内容可知,40年前尽管存在过度捕捞、有毒物质被排放入海洋等问题,但是没有人关心海洋环境的健康。人们不了解海洋环境遭到破坏后带来的后果。所以正确答案是B选项。
单选题 The last sentence of the 2nd paragraph tells us that the writer believes that ______.
A. the computer is as smart as human beings
B. the computer is friendly with human beings
C. human beings can interact with the computer and do what they want at their will
D. human beings have not used the computer to its fullest advantage
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。第二段最后一句话的意思是,我对怀疑主义者认为的人性化印象深刻。前面一句提到,多亏了网络和电脑,人们不仅可以获取更多的信息,而且可以根据自己的进度和爱好阅读信息,并进行探索和研究。由此可知,人们可以根据自己的意愿与计算机互动。所以正确答案是C选项。
单选题 The writer went to Fiji to ______.
A. participate in a celebration
B. teach children there how to use the computer
C. make an adventure in the sea
D. spend the holiday on the seashore
【正确答案】 A
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。根据第三段内容“A couple of months ago I was in Fiji to celebrate the 1997 International Year of the Reef and presented our Cities under the Sea CD-ROM toa group of children.”可知,几个月以前,我去斐济参加1997年珊瑚礁国际年会,并用光盘向儿童展示“海底城市”。所以正确答案是A选项。
单选题 The writer's attitude to the prospect of the ocean is ______.
A. desperate B. unconcerned C. optimistic D. pragmatic
【正确答案】 C
【答案解析】[解析] 态度题。根据第四段内容可知,作者相信年青一代会更好地保护海洋环境,期望他们有能力开创更美好的未来。由此可知,作者的态度是积极乐观的。所以正确答案是C选项。
单选题 According to the passage, who shall we fall back on for a better future for the environment?
A. Our predecessors. B. Politicians. C. Computers. D. Young people.
【正确答案】 D
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。根据上一题的分析可知,作者寄希望于年青一代,希望他们能够创造美好的明天。所以正确答案是D选项。