Twelve years ago, a young traveler named Rhett Butler from San Francisco, California, visited the Sabah rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. In one area of the rainforest, he watched a bird flying through the trees. The beautiful sight left quite an impression on him. But weeks later, back home, Rhett Butler got the news that trees had been cut down in the area he visited.
To keep hi
s website going, he travels around the world on several major trips each year. His working tools are a laptop computer, cameras and sometimes diving equipment. He often calls on experts for information. For example, he interviewed Alison Jolly, a top experts on lemurs(狐猴). He interviewed Rodney Jackson, a biologist who established the Snow Leopard Conservancy.
Stories like these have made Mongabay a favorite place on the Internet for researchers, students and teachers. In April, Time.Com named it one of the fifteen top climate and environment websites in the world. What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Rhett Butler and his website. |
| B．Rainforest on Malaysian Borneo. |
| C．How Rhett Butler protected rare animals. |
| D．How Rhett Butler made his website popular. |
Rhett Butler didn’t publish his book about rainforests because _______.
| A．making websites earns more money than writing books |
| B．he didn’t want to become a writer |
| C．the book was not about rainforest protection |
| D．he wanted to use the information to create a website |
Which of the followings is NOT true about the Mongabay. Com?
| A．It was set up in 1999. |
| B．It attracted many advertisers. |
| C．At least two related websites grew from it. |
| D．Rhett Butler made a lot of money from it. |
To keep his website going, Rhett Butler ________.
| A．kept visiting the rainforest |
| B．traveled around and interviewed experts |
| C．raised rare snow leopards |
| D．made a great number of advertisements |
We can learn from the passage that _________.
| A．Mongabay.Com was loved by researchers as well as students |
| B．kids. Mongabay.Com. has many stories written by kids |
| C．WildMadagascar.org is better known than Mongabay.Com |
D．Rodney Jacks on was once a businessman |
Dear Cary,
I'm writing because I've understood you've struggled with alcoholism （酗酒）．I've been fighting mine ever since I went through 9-11．After that, I've been more or less useless professionally - I'm a lawyer - and have had to resien（辞职） from my job because I was discovered passed - out drunk in front of my computer．I've taken some medicine and it has helped somewhat．I can manage about a month without drinking, but after that I end up having a crazy stage where nothing matters except drinking．After a week or so of heavy drinking,! start having nightmares of people jumping．After that, it's a week of not being able to get out of bed．
I was supposed to travel to a conference but didn't make it because I got so drunk at the airport that I fell down on my face and spent the rest of the day in the emergency room．I have been hiding from my family since then．Fortunately they won't be expecting me to come back for a week or so．Otherwise, they would notice the bump on my forehead and two black eyes．
I don't really know what I'm asking you．Cary, I need a way out that doesn't involve causing pain to my family．I'm taking medicine, but' I still have these attacks every few months．If there's alcohol in the house, I can't stay away from it．It seems that this will never end．I'm afraid of what will happen if something bad happens, like a family member dying, or getting fired again．
Thanks for reading．
Yours TThe underlined sentence shows us all the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．the reason why the author had to resign |
| B．that the author was once discovered drunk as a fish |
| C．that the author is a lawyer by profession |
| D．that the author is a lawyer and he never gets drunk |
The author writes to Cary in order to _____．
| A．ask for money | B．ask for help | C．offer advice | D．tell a story |
What is the author worried about?
| A． Losing his job | B．Giving up drinking |
| C． Bring pain to his family | D．Missing the conference |
We know from the passage that Cary _____．
| A．is probably a recovered alcoholic |
| B．never suffered from alcoholism |
| C．likes to talk about the details of his life |
| D．is a doctor on treating alcoholism |
Gallows humor(黑色幽默) may seem like a mistake, or at least in poor taste. But psychologists say that gallows humor can be an important way to relieve stress.“Humor makes you feel in control and it can give you that feeling that everything is okay even when it’s not,”says James M.Jones, a psychology professor at the University of Delaware.
Psychologists say that just because you’re laughing doesn’t mean you’re wasting time. Occasional tease among colleagues, particularly if it is associated with the job, can inspire creativity, departmental cohesiveness(凝聚力) and performance.
“There are a lot of stresses out there,”says Ed Dunkelblau, a psychologist in Chicago.“Gallows humor is a way of making difficult things a little less difficult.”
This is as long as the humor is used for the right purpose. The main point of it should be inspiring people—not laughing at them. “Anything that would lift morale(士气) in terms of the company would be good humor,”says Thierry Guedj, a professor.
You want to give your employees and co-workers a sense of belonging, so don’t make observations that are aggressive. Most obviously, Dr. Guedj says, don’t make comments about people’s physical appearance or faith. If you have any doubt about its appropriateness, don’t go through with it.
Or you can take aim at the person that you know won’t be offended(冒犯): yourself. “If there’s going to be a joke or story, it should be you,”Mr Dunkelblau says.
“People with the ability to laugh at themselves can give other people permission to laugh at themselves, too,”Mr Jones says.“And if you can laugh at yourself, you feel better about yourself.”According to the passage, gallows humor has the following functions EXCEPT .
| A．leading to a big mistake | B．reducing pressure |
| C．making people more creative | D．improving performance |
What is Ed Dunkelblau’s attitude towards gallows humor?
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Neutral.(中立的) | D．Uncertain. |
When people use gallows humor, they should .
| A．observe who is aggressive |
| B．show a sense of belonging |
| C．doubt about the result of humor |
| D．try to avoid involving private things |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．People tend to laugh at others rather than themselves. |
| B．Laughing at yourself can make others free from stress. |
| C．People can’t avoid offending others with gallows humor. |
| D．People who laugh at themselves are easy to gain others’ permission. |
Bursting into the classroom from recess(学生的课间休息), 15 children take their seats and face the woman they know as Ms. Yang.
“What day is it today?”she asks, in Mandarin(普通话的旧称) Chinese.
“Confucius’ birthday!”the fifth graders shout in Mandarin.
“Why do we celebrate Confucius’ birthday?”
“Because he’s the greatest teacher in the history of China!”exclaims a brown-haired girl. She too is speaking Mandarin.
English is rarely heard in Lisa Yang’s class at the Chinese American International School(CAIS), despite the fact that few students are native speakers of Mandarin.
The United States is actively trying to increase the group of students in“critical languages”such as Mandarin. The students at CAIS are way ahead in such a trend.
Mandarin explosion in America
Founded 25 years ago, this small private school in San Francisco, USA, does what few other American schools do: It produces fully fluent speakers of Mandarin Chinese, by far the most commonly spoken language in the world.
Mandarin Chinese is suddenly hot in American schools. As China becomes the world’s leading economy sometimes this century, schools in the U.S. are scrambling to add Mandarin to their roster of foreign languages or expand Chinese programs already in place.
“It really is almost unprecedented(无前例的). People are looking at China as a force to be reckoned with…And to ensure that the U.S. has the ability to conduct trade, and to work with the Chinese, certainly having an understanding of Chinese language and culture is an advantage,”said Marty Abbott of the American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages(ACTFL)(美国外语教学协会).
Cultural differences in teaching styles
To develop Chinese-language programs has not been smooth. A shortage of trained teachers has made it difficult for some schools to join the race. When schools do get teachers, they often hire them straight from China, and the teachers usually suffer culture shock when they come to the U.S.
Robert Liu remembers his first two years in an American classroom. It was not an easy adjustment. “In China, students respect their teachers,”he said. Liu found that American students, however, expect an active teaching style. He had to use games to engage them rather than lectures.
To avoid many of the problems with foreign teaching styles, the CAIS has been working with the Chinese government to improve training of teachers who are sent to the U.S.Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Mandarin speaks to a growing audience in America |
| B．Chinese-language programs |
| C．Mandarin Chinese |
| D．The Chinese American International School(CAIS) |
What kind of problem is the most difficult to adjust in teaching Chinese in America?
| A．To adapt to the life there. |
| B．To communicate with the American students. |
| C．To get along well with the American students. |
| D．To be fit for the cultural differences in teaching styles. |
The meaning of the underlined word“scrambling”is similar to .
| A．climbing | B．rushing | C．changing | D．beating |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
| A．the students in Lisa Yang’s class usually speak Chinese |
| B．there are few American students in Lisa Yang’s class |
| C．we celebrate Confucius’ birthday because he’s the greatest teacher in the history of China |
| D．in America the students don’t respect their teachers |
Morocco is located at the northwest of Africa and is bordered in the north by the strait of Gibraltar and the Mediterranean Sea. The Atlantic Ocean keeps the west and the north of the country more temperate(温和的). The country also offers the broadest plains some of which run along the Atlantic Ocean and the highest mountains in North Africa including the Atlas Mountains.
Starting with the symbol of Morocco, Marrakech is a beautiful city that has remained unspoiled by the volume of tourists that flock there each year. One of the finest monuments in Morocco is greatly benefited by this amount of tourism. Actually their high volume contributes in a positive way to preserve one of the greatest monuments of Morocco.
Fes is the third largest city in Morocco and is the capital of the Fes-Boulemane Region. It is separated into three parts, Fes el Bali more commonly known as the old walled city, now classified as a UNESCO World Heritage Site, Fes-Jdid and the Ville Nouvelle. Fes el Bali is believed to be the largest car-free urban area in the world. Fes is a splendid place to visit to heighten the senses with the colours, smells and sounds.
Casablanca is an enormous city which is near the capital of Morocco and a place where any European would feel at home. Casablanca was made famous by the movie and gives the impression of being a romantic place. Unfortunately like many other popular cities around the world, it is crowded, noisy, and polluted, a far cry from the romantic ideal of the film. Because it has the biggest port, Casablanca being the important city of Morocco, has everything that the tourists need.
Asilah is a city situated on the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the most stunning(出色的) old cities of Morocco. The city is set along the cliffs which make it beautifully presented and an ideal place to continue adding to its economy by the fishermen. The economy is also reliant on the trading of cattle, sheep and cereal. If you are having a holiday in Morocco during August then you will be fortunate enough to experience one of Asilah’s cultural festivals where you can enjoy the lively music and wonderful paintings.How many cities in Morocco are introduced in the passage?
| A．4. | B．5. | C．6. | D．7. |
If you want to live conveniently while you are on vacation, which city in Morocco could you choose?
| A．Marrakech. | B．Fes. | C．Casablanca. | D．Asilah. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．If you want to enjoy music and paintings, you can visit Asilah at any time. |
| B．Casablanca is as romantic as what is shown in the movie. |
| C．Fes is the capital of Morocco. |
| D．Marrakech is the symbol of Morocco. |
The passage most probably appears .
| A．in a geography book | B．in a magazine |
| C．in a history book | D．in an atlas（地图册） |
WASHINGTON—US President Barack Obama said Thursday that he had known about NBA star Jeremy Lin’s talent long before the“Linsanity”phenomenon swept the sport.
“I knew about Jeremy before you did because Arne Duncan, my secretary of education, was captain of the Harvard team,”Obama told the famous US sportswriter Bill Simmons in an interview.
“When Arne and I were playing, he said,‘I’m telling you, we’ve got this terrific guard named Jeremy Lin at Harvard.’And then when one of my best friends, whose son is a freshman at Harvard, went for a recruiting(招募) trip he saw Lin in action, so I’ve been on the Jeremy Lin bandwagon(时尚) for a while,”said the president, who is a Harvard Law graduate.
Lin, the New York Knicks’ point guard, though he was cut twice in December 2011, had had a sudden rise in the past month to high points scoring stardom in Madison Square Garden, the world’s biggest basketball stage.
He is the first Chinese-American player in the NBA. He has already developed a devoted following among many Asian-Americans and in China, Taiwan, the Philippines and other countries.
Clicks to the NYKnicks. Com website surged as basketball fans from around the world search for Lin’s news and highlights.
“He seems like a wonderful young man. It elevates(提升) this great sport all round the world,”said Obama, a Chicago Bulls fan.“And what’s been encouraging is to see how fast the sport has bounced back(恢复) recently.”But he sounded a note of caution on how much basketball costs to watch.
“It’s really important for professional athletes and sports owners to just remember you got a whole bunch of folks out here, all across the country, who invest so much in their teams. All they ask is not to be so selfish that you’re not looking out for your fans,”Obama said.President Obama learned about Jeremy long before through .
| A．news reports | B．a friend | C．Bill Simmons | D．Arne Duncan |
The underlined word“surged”in Paragraph 6 probably means .
| A．moved suddenly and quickly | B．stopped gradually |
| C．moved slowly | D．suddenly broke down |
President Obama finds it encouraging that .
| A．Chicago Bulls is playing wonderfully |
| B．Jeremy Lin is becoming more popular |
| C．NBA matches have returned to normal |
| D．audience is concerned about basketball |
Both athletes and sports owners should care about folks because .
| A．they have made contributions to charities |
| B．all teams are in need of support from fans |
| C．they pay to watch their favorite teams play |
| D．they can decide the result of a game |
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