Scientists today are making greater effort to study ocean currents(洋流).Most do it using satellites and other high-tech equipment.However,ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way--by studying movements of random floating garbage.A scientist with many years’experience,he started this type of research in the early 1990s when he heard about hundreds of athletic shoes washing up on the shores of the northwest coast of the United States.There were so many shoes that people were setting up swap meets to try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.
　　Ebbesmeyer found out in his researches that the shoes—about 60,000 in total—fell into the ocean in a shipping accident.He phoned the shoe company and asked if they wanted the shoes back.As expected,the company told him that they didn't.Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment.If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed,he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.
　　The Pacific Northwest is one of the world's best areas for beachcombing(海滩搜寻)because winds and currents join here,and as a result,there is a group of serious beachcombers in the area.Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed.In a year he collected reliable information on 1,600 shoes.With this data,he and a colleague were able to test and improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents,and publish the findings of their study.
　　As the result of his work,Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean.He has even started an association of beachcombers and ocean experts,with 500 subscribers from West Africa to New Zealand.They have recorded all lost objects ranging from potatoes to golf gloves.
　　1、Ebbesmeyer phoned the shoe company to find out __.
　　A.what caused the shipping accident
　　B.when and where the shoes went missing
　　C.whether it was all right to use their shoes
　　D.how much they lost in the shipping accident
　　参考答案：C
　　参考解析：考查推理判断。Ebbesmeyer给这些鞋的公司打电话是为了确定什么?根据As expected,the company told him that they didn't.Ebbesmeyer realized this could be a great experiment.If he learned when and where the shoes went into the water and tracked where they landed,he could learn a lot about the patterns of ocean currents.可知他打电话问公司要不要这些鞋，公司说不要。他觉得这可能是一个巨大的实验。如果他能知道这些鞋是何时下水的，何时登陆的，那他就可以推断洋流的形式。这样，打电话最根本的目的是确定“能用你们的鞋子吗?能用我就用来实验了。”故选C。
　　2、The underlined phrase swap meets in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to ___.
　　A.fitting rooms
　　B.trading fairs
　　C.business talks
　　D.group meetings
　　参考答案：B
　　参考解析：考查词义猜测。和第一段画线短语swap meets的意思更接近的词是什么?根据try and match left and right shoes to sell or wear.可知人们要试穿或卖这些鞋，故推测这是在进行一个交易会。故选B。
　　3、Ebbesmeyer is most famous for ____.
　　A.traveling widely the coastal cities of the world
　　B.making records for any lost objects on the sea
　　C.running a global currents research association
　　D.phoning about any doubtful objects on the sea
　　参考答案：D
　　参考解析：考查细节理解。Ebbesmeyer以什么最出名?根据Ebbesmeyer has become known as the scientist to call with questions about any unusual objects found floating in the ocean.可知Ebbesmeyer是个著名的科学家，专门打电话寻问罕见的海上漂流物。故选D。
　　4、What is the purpose of the author in writing this passage?
　　A.To call people's attention to ocean pollution.
　　B.To warn people of shipping safety in the ocean.
　　C.To explain a unique way of studying ocean currents.
　　D.To give tips on how to search for lost objects on the beach.
　　参考答案：C
　　参考解析：考查推理判断。作者下这篇文章的目的是什么?根据However,ocean expert Curtis Ebbesmeyer does it in a special way--by studying movements of random floating garbage.可知本文介绍了一种独特的研究洋流的方法——通过研究海洋上的漂流物。故选C。
　　5、How did Ebbesmeyer prove his assumption?
　　A.By collecting information from beachcombers.
　　B.By studying the shoes found by beachcomber.
　　C.By searching the web for ocean currents models.
　　D.By researching ocean currents data in the library.
　　参考答案：A
　　参考解析：考查细节理解。Ebbesmeyer如何证明他的假设的?根据Ebbesmeyer got to know a lot of them and asked for their help in collecting information about where the shoes landed.可知Ebbesmeyer通过寻问海洋搜寻，请他们帮忙来收集信息，证明他的假设。故选A。选项B,通过研究海洋搜寻发现的鞋。根据In a year he collected reliable information on 1,600 shoes.With this data,he and a colleague were able to test and可知他用这些鞋的信息做实验，故排除B项。选项C,通过上网搜寻洋流的模型。根据improve a computer program designed to model ocean currents,可知他自己不断完善洋流模型的电脑程序设计，不是在网上搜的洋流模型，故与原文不符。选项D,通过在图书馆研究洋流资料。文中没有提到他在图书馆的学习研究，故排除D项。
　　参考译文：
　　今天的科学家们正在努力研究洋流。大多数人使用卫星和其他高科技设备。然而，海洋专家柯蒂斯·埃贝斯迈耶以一种特殊的方式做到这一点—通过研究随机漂浮垃圾的运动。作为一名拥有多年经验的科学家，他在20世纪90年代初就开始了这类研究，当时他听说有数百双运动鞋在美国西北海岸被洗。有这么多的鞋子，人们建立交换会议，试图匹配左右鞋出售或穿。
　　Ebbesmeyer在他的研究中发现，这双鞋—总共约60000双—在一次运输事故中掉进了大海。他打电话给鞋厂，问他们是否要回鞋。正如所料，公司告诉他，他们没有。埃贝斯迈耶意识到这可能是一个伟大的实验。如果他知道鞋子何时何地下水，并跟踪它们降落的地点，他就能了解很多关于洋流的模式。
　　太平洋西北部是世界上最好的滩涂地区之一，因为这里有风和洋流，因此该地区有一群严重的滩涂。Ebbesmeyer了解了他们很多，并要求他们帮助收集有关鞋子降落地点的信息。一年之内，他收集了1600双鞋的可靠资料。有了这些数据，他和一位同事能够测试和改进一个设计用来模拟洋流的计算机程序，并公布他们的研究结果。
　　由于他的工作成果，埃贝斯迈耶已经成为一名科学家，他打电话询问任何在海洋中发现的不寻常物体。他甚至还成立了一个由海滩商人和海洋专家组成的协会，从西非到新西兰有500名订户。他们记录了从土豆到高尔夫手套等所有丢失的物品。