The United States is suffering its worst drought (干旱) in almost sixty years. The National Climatic Data Center also says high temperatures in June added to the warmest twelve-month period on record. Record-keeping began in 1895. The drought map showed that conditions improved in the Southeast in June compared to May. But the drought is expected to continue in large parts of the country. Last week, Agriculture Secretary Tom Vilsack met with President Obama. Mr Vilsack says the drought has seriously influenced some crops, such as corn and soybeans (大豆). And the United States is the world's leading producer.
The drought has made prices of com and soybeans increase. Both of them are used in food production and for animal feed. Last week the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization reported that corn and wheat prices increased by 20% over the past three weeks.
In the United States, farmers may quickly reduce the size of their animals rather than pay higher feed prices to keep them. That increased supply of meat would reduce meat prices in the short term. But those prices could increase in several months.
Mr Vilsack says the effect of the drought is hard to predict(预测). Some areas are getting rain, and drought-resistant (抗旱的) seeds have helped crops grow well in some areas.We can know the drought record of the USA has been kept for ________years of the USA up to now.
| A．97 | B．207 |
| C．221 | D．117 |
Which of the following American presidents met with Tom Vilsack?
| A．George Washington. | B．Abraham lincon. |
| C．George Bush. | D．Barack Obama. |
If the price of a kilo of corn was 3 dollars last December, how much is a kilo of corn now?
| A．2.4 dollars. | B．3 dollars. |
| C．3.6 dollars. | D．3.9 dollars. |
Why is the meat price lower than before?
| A．Because there are more and more animals. |
| B．Because farmers kill them to save their food. |
| C．Because people don't like eating meat now. |
| D．Because the government (政府) asks the meat price lower. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A. US faces the worst drought in almost sixty years.
B. Take action to help the USA.
C. What does the country do in the drought areas?
D. President Obama meets with Agriculture Secretary.
What do you do if you're stranded（处于困境的）on a lonely island? Surely you need to find a way to get in touch with the outside world. Your best chance of doing this is to draw the attention of a passing plane.
Body signals（信号）
Pilots from different countries understand body signals if they have the correct training. When you wave your arms up and down in a straight line, it means "yes". When you point downwards and swing your arm from side to side, it means "no". If you want the pilot to know that it's safe to land, push your hands out in front of you and bend（弯曲）your knees. If you want to say that it's not safe to land, put your arms in the air and move them to one side.
Smoke signals
The smoke from a fire can be seen from far away, so it's a good way to draw attention. If the weather is dry, it isn't hard to start a fire. Remember, however, that fires can be very dangerous if they get out of control. Never light a fire unless you're sure that it can't spread. If the ground is dark, light smoke can be seen more easily. Green grass and leaves produce light smoke.
Ground-to-air signals
It's a good idea to build some signals, too. Use large pieces of wood to make the symbols(标记). If you can't find any wood, use earth. Some useful symbols are:
F "I need food and water."
II "I need medicine."
I "I am badly hurt."
X" I am unable to move from here."
Pilots' replies
If the pilot lowers the plane's wings from side to side, this means "message received and understood". (At night, the pilot flashes the plane's green lights.) If the pilots flies the plane in a clockwise circle, this means "message received but not understood".(At night, the pilot flashes the plane's red lights.)
However, there is no signal which means "message not received". Why not? Which picture means "it's not safe land"?
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Swinging your arm from side to side means "yes". |
| B．If the ground is dark, light smoke can't be seen. |
| C．If you need some medicine, make a symbol "II". |
| D．The pilots make replies with a blue light at night. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The explanation of building signals on an island. |
| B．The importance of making signals on an island. |
| C．Ways of sending out signals on a lonely island. |
| D．Ways of receiving signals from a lonely island |
Dereck Joubert and his wife, Beverly, have made many films about wild animals in Africa. Their films and photographs are very popular and one of the photographs has been on the front cover of a National Geographic magazine.
A working day foe Dereck and Beverly starts very early-at 4:30 in the morning! That's when they get up and start filming. And it's a long day-they often work until 8:30 in the evening. In the winter it's very cold and in the summer it can be 40℃. Dereck always does the filming-Beverly never does that, and she doesn't write. But Dereck never takes photographs or records the sound. They work very well as a team, and they both believe we should shoot animals with cameras-not with guns!
When they have finished filming and taking photographs for the day, they have dinner and Dereck usually writes while Beverly looks at her photographs. At night, they usually sleep in a small tent, but they sometimes sleep in the Land Cruiser-when you're very close to wild animals, it's sometimes safer to sleep in the car.
Dereck and Beverly have also traveled around the world and given talks about their work. Dereck says that animals are not just something to look at-they play an important role. Beverly thinks the wild animals can teach us a lot about ourselves. Dereck and Beverly start working ______.
| A．at 4:30 in the morning | B．at 4:30 in the afternoon |
| C．at 8:30 in the morning | D．at 8:30 in the evening |
Dereck and Beverly usually sleep ______ at night.
| A．in a car | B．in a tent | C．in a house | D．in a hotel |
Beverly thinks the wild animals ______.
| A．are something to look at | B．are very popular |
| C．play an unimportant role | D．can teach us a lot |
| Susan, the US My best friend is Fanny. She is clever and interesting. We always look after each other. The first week we met, I got sick and she looked after me every day. |
| Betty, England My best friend is Ana. She is honest and serious. We were born in the same city in England. Then I moved to America with my family. I thought I would never see Ana again. When I went to college in New Your, Ana and I shared the same room! |
| Ken, Japan I love to spend time with Daisuke because he is funny and smart. We enjoy talking about the funny things we did when we were children, and tell the same stupid jokes over and over again. |
| Lily, Australia Linda is a very confident girl and she is really kind. Some people may wonder why Linda and I are best friends because we totally different, but I think this is why we are such good friends. |
Who is Susan’s best friend?
| A．Ana. | B．Fanny. | C．Linda. | D．Daisuke. |
Where is Ken from?
| A．Australia. | B．The US. | C．England. | D．Japan. |
What is Linda like?
A. Confident and kind. B. Funny and smart.
Shopping on the Internet is becoming more and more popular. Why do people use the Internet to shop? Some people say it is more convenient. They don’t have to leave their homes to order something; they can shop for anything they want at any time; they can find things for sale that they can’t find in the stores near their homes. Still other people say they can find better prices on the Internet.
If you want to buy something on the Internet, you need a credit(信用) card. You have to type your credit card number and information on the website(网页) and send them to the store over the Internet. You have to be sure that the store will not use your information in the wrong way. You don’t want someone to get your credit card number, so be careful with it, beause people sometimes steal(窃取) credit card numbers from stores.
The Internet is also a good place to go window-shopping. Window-shopping is when you look at the things for sale in a store, but don’t plan to buy anything. In window-shopping you can see what kinds of things you are able to get and how much they cost. Some stores like Ross Stores have a website for information about their stores, but not for shopping. Some stores have a website for information about their stores, and can shop on-line there, such as Office Depot, Payless Shoe Source, Safeway. Some stores like Amazon. com are only for on-line shopping. Some people use the Internet to shop because ________.
| A．they can sleep all day long | B．they want to leave their homes |
| C．they want to play with their friends | D．they can get things with less money |
The Chinese meaning of the word “convenient” in this passage is “________”.
| A．时髦的 | B．较近的 | C．方便的 | D．可用的 |
If you want to shop on the Internet, you need ________.
| A．an ID card | B．a credit card | C．an IC card | D．a room card |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．You can shop on-line at www.officedepot.com |
| B．You cannot shop on-line at www.rossstores.com |
| C．You can only do window-shopping at www.amazon.com |
| D．You can do window-shopping and shop on-line at www.safeway.com |
Bill was a boy of 15. His parents went to gambling(赌博) day and night. Nobody cared about hi. He always failed in his exams. So his teachers didn’t like him, nor did his classmates play with him.
Bill often slept in class because his heart was not in school. He almost gave himself up.
One day, Miss Jones, a new teacher, came to Bill’s class. She was a smiling, beautiful woman. Bill was in love! For the first time in his young life, he couldn’t take his eyes off his teachers; yet, still he failed.
It was Miss Jones’ class. She was asking a question. “I’d like the smartest boy to answer my question.” Then she said loudly, “Bill, please!”
Bill was surprised. And he stood up without a word.
“Just try it! I believe you can!”
After school, Miss Jones had a long talk with Bill. She told him that she cared about him and believed in him.
Bill thought a lot that evening. From then on he arrived at school on time every day. Miss Jones helped him with his homework in the afternoon. She even cooked delicious food for him. She told Bill, “Nothing is impossible if you put your heart in it.”
Later, Miss Jones gave another exam. Bill did it with all his heart. He was very excited to find that he had passed the exam. Now Bill discovered that not only could he learn, but he could do it well. A changed took place in Bill’s heart.
You see, one teacher saved one boy, it’s simple(简单的), really. Bill always failed in the exams at first because he ________.
| A．went gambling | B．talked in class | C．didn’t answer | D．gave himself up |
Miss Jones changed Bill by ________.
| A．doing homework for him | B．encouraging and helping him |
| C．giving Bill another exam | D．cooking delicious food for him |
From the passage we can learn ________.
| A．Miss Jones was a loving and careful teacher |
| B．Bill’s parents cared about him very much |
| C．Miss Jones loved to answer Bill’s question |
| D．Bill didn’t like to play with his classmates |
Which may be the best title for the passage?
| A．Parents’ Day | B．A Lazy Boy | C．A Boy’s Change | D．A Strict Teacher |
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