The biosphere is the name biologists give to the sort of skin on the surface of this planet that is inhabitable by living organisms. Most land creatures occupy only the interface between the atmosphere and the land; birds extend their range for a few hundred feet into the atmosphere; burrowing invertebrates (无脊椎动物) such as earthworms may reach a few yards into the soil but rarely penetrate farther unless, it has been recently disturbed by men. Fish cover a wider range, from just beneath the surface of the sea to those depths of greater than a mile inhabited by specialized creatures. Fungi (真菌) and bacteria are plentiful in the atmosphere to a height of about half a mile, blown there by winds from the lower air. Balloon exploration of the stratosphere (同温 层) as long ago as 1936 indicated that moulds and bacteria could be found at heights of several miles, recently the USA's National Aeronautics and Space Administration has detected them, in decreasing numbers, at heights up to eighteen miles. They are pretty sparse at such levels, about one for every two thousand cubic feet, compared with 50 to 100 per cubic foot at two to six miles (the usual altitude of jet aircraft), and they are almost certainly in an inactive state. Marine bacteria have been detected at the bottom of the deep Pacific trench, sometimes as deep as seven miles; they are certainly not inactive. Living microbes have also been obtained on land from cores of rock drilled (while prospecting for oil) at depths of as much as 1,200 feet. Thus we can say, disregarding the exploits of astronauts, that the biosphere has a maximum thickness of about twenty-five miles. Active living processes occur only within a compass of about seven miles, in the sea, on land and in the lower atmosphere, but the majority of living creatures live within a zone of a hundred feet or so. If this planet were sealed down to the size of an orange, the biosphere, at its extreme width, would occupy the thickness of the orange-colored skin, excluding the pith. In this tiny zone of our planet takes place the multitude of chemical and biological activities that we call life. The way in which living creatures interact with each other, depend on each other or compete with each other, has fascinated thinkers since the beginning of recorded history. Living things exist in a fine balance which is often taken for granted, from a practical point of view, things could not be otherwise. Yet it is a source of continual amazement to scientists because of its intricacy and delicacy. The balance of nature is obvious most often when it is disturbed. Yet even here it can seem remarkable how quickly it readjusts itself to a new balance after a disturbance. The science of ecology--the study of the interaction of organisms with their environment--has grown up to deal with the minutiae of the balance of nature.
单选题
According to the passage, the "biosphere" is the layer on the earth's surface______ A. where the atmosphere meets the sea B. in which birds, fish and animals would die C. in which plant and animal life can exist D. in which earthworms and other invertebrates can live
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。解题点在第1段。文章第1句提到“The biosphere is the name biologists give to the sort of skin on the surface of this planet that is inhabitable by living organisms．”由此司 见biosphere(生物圈)，指的是living organisms居住的地方，与C项中的plant and animal life 是一个意思，所以正确答案是C选项。其余选项都缩小了living organisms概念的内涵，因而 是错误的。
单选题
The writer states that fungi and bacteria______ A. are only found below the normal altitude ofjet planes B. have been found well at the normal altitude of jet planes C. are not found below the surface of the earth D. are mainly found below the surface of the earth
【正确答案】
D
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。解题点在第1段。文章第1段第4句提到“Fungi(真菌)and bacteria are plentiful in the atmosphere to a height of about half a mile”。说的是细菌和真菌主要在半英里高 的大气层范围内。同时由后面的内容知道，在喷气式飞机的高度及更高至18英里的范围内仍 有霉菌和细菌的存在。所以答案是D选项。
单选题
The passage says that the biosphere______ A. extends only 1,200 feet below the earth's surface B. is about seven miles in width C. is as much as twenty-five miles in thickness D. is a zone only about one hundred feet wide
【正确答案】
C
【答案解析】[解析] 细节题。解题点在第1段。文中提到“Thus we can say,disregarding the exploits of astronauts．that the biosphere has a maximum thickness of about twenty-five miles．”由此可知生 物圈的厚度最多约为25英里，C选项的意思与此相同，所以正确答案是C选项。
单选题
According to the text, the balance of nature is______ A. something which we should not take for granted B. most frequently apparent when it is upset C. only now becoming of interest to scientists D. very difficult to preserve
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。解题点在第2段。文中提到“Living things exist in a fine balance which is often taken for granted”，以及生物圈经常因为其复杂和精妙给科学家带来惊奇。由此可知生 物圈的平衡不是理所当然的。A项中“something which we should not take for granted”的意思 与此相同，所以正确答案是A选项。
单选题
The writer says that ecology is primarily concerned with the______ A. free details of the balance of nature B. role of organisms in the environment C. way living creatures compete with each other D. way nature readjusts to a new balance
【正确答案】
A
【答案解析】[解析] 推理题。解题点在文章最后一句。文章提到“The science ofecology-the stuay of the interaction of organisms with their environment．——has grown up to deal with the minutiae of the balance of nature．”由此可知生态学是研究生物之间相互作用的学科，已成长为处理生态 平衡的细节了，所以正确答案是A选项。