Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that
is not yet ripe or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not. Greenhorn now refers to ____.
| A．a person who is new in a job | B．a new solider |
| C．a young horse | D．None of above |
A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.
| A．who is good at growing plants | B．whose thumbs are in green color |
| C．whose garden is greener than others’ | |
| D．who is younger than his neighbors |
The author is actually talking about ____.
| A．colors | B．language | C．politics | D．agriculture |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier. |
| B．The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs. |
| C．The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare. |
| D．The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous. |
Many of the problems facing today’s world aren’t news to us. The environment is in dire need of help because it’s being damaged, hunger is widespread throughout the world, and workers in the Third World Countries are continuously being exploited. Therefore, individuals across the globe need to band(团结)together for a cause and use their collective efforts to make all the difference in the world.
For instance, one person recycling a can or a bottle doesn’t seem like much. But if every household in a given city was to recycle and conserve energy, that city could make a huge positive impact on environmental damage. Similarly, there are countless ways to help fight world hunger—whether it’s to donate money to a dedicated worldwide charity, donate canned goods to your local charity, or even make lifestyle changes like going vegetarian. World hunger is a massive problem—but it doesn’t mean individuals themselves can’t make a difference.
Worker exploitation is another huge problem. All across the world—particularly in the Third World Countries—workers are forced to labor long hours, with close to no pay. Yet these workers continue to show up to such a way of life, because they have no other options.
So, how can people like us help fight such a big problem? Simply raising awareness of the products you buy in stores—from clothing to food—is a massive start. For example, if you see two similar products side by side in a food shop, but one of them is labeled “fair trade”， you’ll know immediately that the workers who labored to produce that product were given a fair price for their goods. And true, fair trade products might cost a little bit more, but buying them is a significant start to help fight worker exploitation.
In short, each of us should be socially conscious to make a difference to widespread social problems.What problems facing today’s world are mentioned in the first paragraph？(no more than 8 words)
How can a city make a huge positive impact on environmental damage? (no more than 5words)
What should be done to fight world hunger? (no more than 8 words)
Why do workers in the Third Countries still continue to work long hours despite little pay? (no more than 6 words)
How is the product which is labeled “fair trade” different from other products? (no more than 10 words)
LONDON, Feb. 18，2014（Xinhua News agency）—Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division（长除法）, for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?
| A．To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths. |
| B．To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high. |
| C．To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there. |
| D．To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results?
| A．British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012. |
| B．British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013. |
| C．The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany. |
| D．The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland. |
What has made schools in Shanghai the most successful in teaching maths in the eye of Truss?
| A．Curriculum and teaching methods. |
| B．Teaching practices and a positive mind. |
| C．Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables. |
| D．A focus on times tables and long division. |
How will students’ poor performance in maths affect the country?
| A．By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy. |
| B．By weakening the country's political system. |
| C．By losing international competitions in education. |
| D．By failing to find jobs in a global labor market. |
What can we infer from the news?
| A．The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths. |
| B．The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world. |
| C．The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths. |
| D．Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work. |
For centuries, the body’s blood has been linked closely with the emotions. People who show no human emotions or feelings, are said to be cold-blooded killer. For example, the police are searching for a cold-blooded killer. He seems to kill for no reason, and no emotion, as if taking someone’s life as nothing.
Cold can affect other parts of the body. The expression “get cold feet” has nothing to do with cold or your feet. The expression means being afraid to do something you have decided to do. For example, you agree to be president of an organization. But then you learn that all the other officers have resigned, and all the work of the organization will be your responsibility. You are likely to get cold feet about being president when you understand the situation.
The expression “give someone the cold shoulder” probably comes from the physical act of turning your back toward someone, instead of speaking to him face to face. You may give a cold shoulder to a friend who has not kept a promise he made to you. Or, to someone who has lied about you to others.
A cold fish is not a fish. It is a person. But it is a person who is unfriendly, unemotional and shows no love or warmth. A cold fish does not offer much of himself to anyone. Someone who is a cold fish could be cold-hearted. Now a cold-hearted person is someone who has no sympathy. Several popular songs in recent years were about cold-hearted men or cold-hearted women who, without feelings, broke the hearts of their lovers.
Out in the cold means not getting something that everybody else got. A person might say that everybody but him got a pay raise--he was left out in the cold. And it is not a pleasant place to be.There are _____ expressions related to cold that are mentioned in the passage.
| A．3 | B．4 | C．6 | D．7 |
When you refuse to speak to a man and treat him in a distant way, you may express by “_________”.
| A．I give him the cold shoulder |
| B．I think he is a cold-blooded man |
| C．I think he is a cold fish |
| D．I’m likely to get cold feet |
If Sue shows absolutely no reaction to those awful pictures of starving children in Africa, you will say _________.
| A．she is a cold-blooded killer |
| B．she gets cold feet |
| C．she is a cold fish |
| D．she is out in the cold |
We can use the expression “__________” to describe a man who abandons or hurts his lover without mercy.
| A．cold-blooded | B．cold shoulder |
| C．cold feet | D．cold-hearted |
The topic of this passage is about _________.
| A．the relationship between cold and our body |
| B．some expressions about friendship |
| C．some expressions connected with cold |
| D．how cold weather comes into being |
More than 30,000 people went to the White House on Monday for the 136th Easter Egg Roll (复活节滚彩蛋). President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama held the event by inviting thousands of kids to color and look for eggs. The theme(主题) of the day was “Hop Into Healthy, Swing Into Shape.” It was part of the First Lady’s “Let’s Move!” program to reduce obesity rates (肥胖率) among American kids. Mrs. Obama spoke to young reporters about her goal(目标) to get children to eat right and keep moving.
“We are working to make sure that kids born today grow up healthy, learn how to have balanced meals, and get more physical activity into their lives,” she said.
Mrs. Obama said she wants children across the nation to understand that "exercise isn't just hard work, it's play. If you’re running around with your dog, you're getting exercise. If you walk up the stairs, that's exercise, But if you’re sitting in front of the TV or on a computer game, you're not exercising.”
The First Lady said that for kids who have balanced meals most of the time, having a special snack, like chocolate, will not hurt." And if you are active, you can splurge (挥霍) a little more," she said. Mrs. Obama’s favorite "splurge food" is French fries. But she balances her splurging by exercising almost every day. She loves to play tennis and she practices yoga.
“A lot of kids look up to(敬仰) athletes, and I think it's important for athletes to share their good habits,” Mrs. Obama said. "Kids aren’t just going to wake up and be LeBron James. He's practicing and eating right and working out and training. Our athletes can be really good messengers to kids who look up to them--they can say to kids, 'If you really want to be like me, then you really do need to eat your vegetables.’”
The purpose of the “Let’s Move!” program is to .
| A．help kids keep healthy |
| B．train more young reporters |
| C．encourage kids to eat more eggs |
| D．invite kids to visit the White House |
In Mrs. Obama’s opinion, exercise .
| A．can be fun to do |
| B．means hard work |
| C．should be done outdoors |
| D．requires special equipment |
“Splurge food” is allowed to be eaten when .
| A．you don' t hurt yourself |
| B．you have a special snack |
| C．you never eat French fries |
| D．you eat right and stay active |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．All kids want to be LeBron James. |
| B．It is very easy to form good habits. |
| C．Athletes can set a good example for kids. |
| D．Kids like the messages the athletes give them. |
In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?
| A．Business. | B．Health. |
| C．Culture. | D．Education. |
Today, nearly 400 animals are listed as threatened or endangered animals in the United States. Many are at risk of becoming extinct or disappearing permanently. Unless efforts to save these vulnerable(易受攻击的) animals succeed, many of the country's greatest creatures will be lost forever. From the facts listed, guess which animals are endangered. Click on the picture to find out more about each of these animals in trouble.
American Crocodile
●American crocodiles are about 12 feet long. They live on land and in shallow water, swamps and marshes.
●American crocodiles like to float in the water with only their eyes and noses above the water surface.
●American crocodiles eat mostly small animals, which they grab with their strong jaws and sharp teeth.
●American crocodiles lay eggs. They hide their eggs under twigs and leaves, or bury them in the sand.
●Some crocodiles help their young hatch, and then carry them to the water in their mouth.
Habitat
Southern Florida, Mexico, Central and South American, Caribbean islands.
Why It's Endangered
Overhunted for its skin and habitat destruction.
Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
●Bighorn sheep can weigh as much as 280 pounds and stand about 3 feet tall.
●They live in dry, desert mountain ranges, near rocky cliffs.
●Bighorn sheep eat grass, twigs and leaves.
●Male sheep are called rams and can be recognized by their huge, brown horns. The horns curl back over the ears, down，and up past the cheeks.
●They live in herds or groups. The male sheep with the biggest horns are usually in charge. Male horns can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
●Males will use their massive horns to fight. The fights can last as long as 24 hours.
●Females are called ewes. They are smaller than rams and have shorter, smaller horns.
Habitat
Nevada and California to west Texas and south into Mexico.
Why It's Endangered
Loss of habitat, hunting illegally, drought and disease.Where can the article be found according to the passage?
| A．Newspaper. | B．Website. |
| C．Student book. | D．Magazine. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the description about American crocodiles?
| A．American crocodiles live on land and in swamps and marshes. |
| B．American crocodiles hide their eggs under leaves, or bury them in the sand. |
| C．American crocodiles grab small animals with their strong jaws and sharp teeth. |
| D．American crocodiles like to float with their eyes and nose below the water surface. |
Where can we find both American crocodiles and Bighorn sheep according to the passage?
| A．Southern Florida. | B．California. |
| C．Mexico. | D．West Texas. |
Rams make use of their massive horns to ________.
| A．master the herds | B．show their beauty |
| C．fight with others | D．hunt for food |
What can be the best title?
| A．Animals in Danger |
| B．American Crocodile |
| C．Peninsular Bighorn Sheep |
| D．How to Save Animals in Danger |
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