[单项选择]

Ever since the 1750s, when the writer, satirist, statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin put political cartooning on the map by publishing the first cartoon of the genre in America, artists have combined their talent, wit and political beliefs to create cartoons that enrage, enlighten or simply engage the viewer.
A picture may paint a thousand words, but a cartoon provokes, protests and entertains all at once. It is this that makes cartoonists so valuable and influential in times of crisis. Today, that crisis is climate change, and clever imagery can give new impetus to our struggle to combat global warming. The organizers of Earthworks 2008, a global cartoon competition, believe that art and humor are simple ways to get the environmental message across.
"We set up the competition to give cartoonists around the world a platform on which to express themselves," says John Renard, one of the Earthworks organizers. "We hoped the competition would stimu
A. invented satirical cartoons
B. started cartooning on the map
C. initiated publishing cartoons
D. originated political cartoons

[单项选择]

Ever since the 1750s, when the writer, satirist, statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin put political cartooning on the map by publishing the first cartoon of the genre in America, artists have combined their talent, wit and political beliefs to create cartoons that enrage, enlighten or simply engage the viewer.
A picture may paint a thousand words, but a cartoon provokes, protests and entertains all at once. It is this that makes cartoonists so valuable and influential in times of crisis. Today, that crisis is climate change, and clever imagery can give new impetus to our struggle to combat global warming. The organizers of Earthworks 2008, a global cartoon competition, believe that art and humor are simple ways to get the environmental message across.
"We set up the competition to give cartoonists around the world a platform on which to express themselves," says John Renard, one of the Earthworks organizers. "We hoped the competition would stimu
A. should be known to cartoonists worldwide
B. may be simply described by means of cartoons
C. could add to a cartoonist’s sense of humor
D. may arouse interest in cartoon competition

[单项选择]Passage Three Ever since the 1750s, when the writer, satirist, statesman and inventor Benjamin Franklin put political cartooning on the map by publishing the first cartoon of the genre in America, artists have combined their talent, wit and political beliefs to create cartoons that enrage, enlighten or simply engage the viewer. A picture may paint a thousand words, but a cartoon provokes, protests and entertains all at once. It is this that makes cartoonists so valuable and influential in times of crisis. Today, that crisis is climate change, and clever imagery can give new impetus to our struggle to combat global warming. The organizers of Earthworks 2008, a global cartoon competition, believe that art and humor are simple ways to get the environmental message across. "We set up the competition to give cartoonists around the world a platform on which to express themselves," says John Renard, one of the Earthworks organizers. "We hoped the competition would stimula
A. invented satirical cartoons
B. started cartooning on the map
C. initiated publishing cartoons
D. originated political cartoons

[简答题] Historians and philosophers agree that ever since the development of agriculture, human beings have had an effect on the natural habitat (动、植物生息地) of many plants and animal species. As human populations have increased, as many as 6,000 species are disappearing each year. A number 10,000 times greater than before man appeared on the planet. In one day alone, say scientists, some 45 kinds of plants and animals will die, some 17,500 species will be wiped out. In 1977, the United States Congress took an important step to help the ever-increasing number of endangered species. With the enforcement of the Endangered Species Act, some species have gained more public recognition than others. Elephants and whales, for example, have received far more media attention than have the smaller, less known, and less attractive species that are also endangered. Yet it is the tiny species, such as bugs and bacteria, that keep the planet in balance. Scientists are becoming even more concerned with