Despite much later arrivals, the birds are laying their eggs at pretty much the same time as they had in the past.In the most extreme cases, birds were laying their eggs an average of 3.7 days later in the season than they were 50 years ago.

　　5. What is the passage mainly about?

　　A．Seabirds are breeding later in East Antarctica.

　　B．The amount of krill in the ocean has decreased.

　　C．The weather in Antarctica has changed.

　　D．The spring in Antarctica is beginning later.

　　解析：选A　主旨大意题。纵观全文，文章主要介绍的是现在生活在南极洲东部的海鸟的繁殖期由于气候变化而延后。

　　6．In which of the following months is it autumn in Antarctica?

　　A．October. B．September.

　　C．November. D．June.

　　解析：选D　推理判断题。根据文章第二段第二句可推知南极6月应是秋天。

　　7．How many kinds of seabirds were studied by the researchers?

　　A．Two. B．Five.

　　C．Nine. D．Thirty.

　　解析：选C　细节理解题。根据文章第五段可推知研究了九种鸟。

　　8．What does the underlined word "attribute"in Para.1 mean?

　　A．Contribute. B．Cause.

　　C．Owe. D．Devote.

　　解析：选C　词义猜测题。研究者认为这种推迟的生育行为是由于气候变化海冰减少而引起的。attribute ... to ..."认为......由......引起或产生"，C项与之相符。

　　C

　　When Luca first heard of the Island of Inventions, he was still very young. But its wonders sounded so incredible that they were forever burned in his memory. From that moment, he never stopped searching for clues which might lead him to the island. He read hundreds of adventure books, histories, volumes of physics and chemistry, even music.

　　Over time, he pieced together his idea of what the Island of Inventions was like. It was a secret place, where all the great wise men in the world would meet to learn and invent together. Access to the island was totally restricted. To join, you had to have created some great inventions for humanity. Only then could you receive the special invitation - which came with directions to the island.

So Luca spent his youth studying and inventing. He made every new idea he got into to