（建议用时：6分钟）
What does the word "ecology" mean? It was __1__ by Ernst Haeckel, a German biologist. He joined two Greek words: oikos, meaning "house", and logie, meaning "the study of". Together they mean "the study of the house". The "house" Haeckel had in mind is our __2__, Earth. Earth is home for all living things -- humans, animals, plants, and even tiny microbes.
To study a house is to learn how its residents(居民) use it. An ecologist is a scientist who studies the __3__ between organisms(生物) and their environment. The environment is an organism's surroundings. It may __4__ water, gases, rocks, and temperature.
Ecologists also study the balance of using the environment while protecting it.
An ecologist once __5__ a boy what he thought it meant to protect the environment.
The boy said, "You go into the forest and look for somebody who wants to cut down a tree. You take away his ax. You tell him about how __6__ trees are. You say they are good for natural beauty, saving soil, and giving shelter to birds and other animals."
"Good answer," said the ecologist, "__7__ it may not be easy to find a woodcutter to talk to. Also, remember that sometimes it's __8__ to cut down a tree. If we cut down too many trees, the forest will disappear. If we don't cut down any trees, we won't get any resources from the forest. We have to find the right __9__."
"I got it," the boy said. "We need the forest's __10__ for wood and paper or we might not have desks or notebooks for school."
"Exactly -- and school is a good place to learn about ecology," added the ecologist. "Then you will know how to protect the natural environment."
( ) 1. A. proved B. invented C. marked D. accepted
( ) 2. A. planet B. building C. project D. surface
( ) 3. A. feeling B. relationships C. distance D. competitions
( ) 4. A. pollute B. control C. include D. reduce
( ) 5. A. said B. answered C. told D. asked
( ) 6. A. wild B. common C. wealthy D. important
( ) 7. A. but B. and C. so D. or
( ) 8. A. comfortable B. tiring C. impossible D. necessary
( ) 9. A. mystery B. temperature C. balance D. symbol
( ) 10. A. soil B. resources C. landscape D. wildlife