Compassion is a desire within us to help others. With effort, we can translate compassion into actions. An experience last weekend showed me this is true. I work part-time in a supermarket across from a building for the elderly. These old people are our main customers, and it’s not hard to lose patience over their slowness. But last Sunday, one aged gentleman appeared to teach me a valuable lesson. This untidy man walked up to my register（收款机）with a box of biscuits. He said he was out of cash (现金), had just moved into his room, and had nothing in his cupboards. He asked if we could let him have the food on trust. He promised to repay me the next day.
I couldn’t help staring at him. I wondered what kind of person he had been ten or twenty years before, and what he would be like if luck had gone his way. I had a hurt in my heart for this kind of human soul, all alone in the world. I told him that I was sorry, but store rules didn’t allow me to do so. I felt stupid and unkind saying this, but I valued my job.
Just then, another man, standing behind the first, spoke up. If anything, he looked more pitiable. “Charge it to me,” was all he said.
What I had been feeling was pity. Pity is soft and safe and easy. Compassion, on the other hand, is caring in action. I thanked the second man but told him that was not allowed either. Then I reached into my pocket and paid for the biscuits myself. I reached into my pocket because these two men had reached into my heart and taught me compassion.The aged gentleman who wanted to buy the biscuits_________ .
| A．hoped to have the food first and pay later |
| B．promised to obey the store rules |
| C．forgot to take any money with him |
| D．could not afford anything more expensive |
Which of the following best describes the old gentleman?
| A．kind and lucky | B．friendly and helpful |
| C．poor and lonely | D．hurt and disappointed |
The writer acted upon the store rules because_________ .
| A．he felt no pity for the old gentleman |
| B．he considered the old man dishonest |
| C．he expected someone else to pay for the old man |
| D．he wanted to keep his present job |
What does the writer learn from his experience?
| A．Wealth is more important than anything else |
| B．Experience is better gained through practice |
| C．Obeying the rules means more than compassion. |
| D．Helping others is easier said than done |
One of the most popular activities enjoyed by Americans is spending time in forests and walking along paths through the country.This activity，called hiking，has led to the creation of paths throughout the United States.
One of the longest is the Appalachian National Scenic Trail.The trail is the first completed part of the National Trails System.The trails system was established by Congress and the president in 1968.The Appalachian Trail is more than 3,400 kilometers long.It starts in the northeastern state of Maine and ends in the southeastern state of Georgia.The trail goes through 14 states.They are Maine，New Hampshire，Vermont，Massachusetts，Connecticut，New York，New Jersey，Pennsylvania，Maryland，West Virginia，Virginia，Tennessee，North Carolina，and Georgia.
The path takes walkers through the Appalachian Mountains.They extend from the Canadian province of Quebec to the southern American state of Alabama.
The Appalachian Mountains are among the oldest on Earth.They first began forming about one thousand million years ago.During the millions of years since then，the mountains were changed and reformed by the forces of water and wind.Ice also changed the mountains，making many of them smaller and digging valleys and lakes among them.Many different kinds of trees grow along the trail.And many different kinds of animals live in the forests along the trail.
Lands along the trail are protected by the federal government and by state governments.Some parts are not protected by the government directly.Instead，they are protected by legal agreements with private owners willing to permit people to walk across their property.
Walkers on the Appalachian Trail pass through some of the great valley systems of the mountains.They can look down into these beautiful valleys and see farms and forests stretching across the land for many kilometers.Farmland in the valleys is rich and productive.And some of the great events in American history took place in the valleys.For example，one of the great battles of the American Civil War was fought in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.The Appalachian Trail________.
| A．is more than four thousand three hundred kilometers long |
| B．starts in the northern state of Maine |
| C．goes through more than fourteen states |
| D．ends in the southeastern state of Georgia |
The Appalachian Mountains________.
| A．are the first completed part of the National Trails System |
| B．began forming one million years ago |
| C．were changed by natural forces like water，wind and ice |
| D．were around by valleys and rivers and famous for its scenery |
The lands along the trail________.
| A．are protected entirely by either the federal government or state governments |
| B．are mainly protected by legal agreements with private owners |
| C．can be visited by travelers freely only under the permission of owners |
| D．are protected by both the federal government and state governments |
What is mainly described in the last paragraph?
| A．The Appalachian Mountains have some great valley systems. |
| B．Farms and grasslands stretch across the valleys for many kilometers. |
| C．One of the American independence battles was fought in the Shenandoah Valley. |
| D．Lakes in the Appalachian Mountains are one of the most beautiful sights. |
Plastic is one of the most important technological discoveries of the 20th century.However，it may soon be replaced.The new development—liquid wood—can replace plastics in all branches of modern industries.
Plastic as a material enjoys the biggest demand in the modern world，but it does have a number of drawbacks.First and foremost，plastic isn’t recyclable.Secondly，it contains toxins (毒物) helping develop cancerous diseases.Finally，it’s made of oil and oil reserves aren’t endless.
The liquid wood technology is likely to replace plastic and provide mankind with new materials for many years ahead.Norbert Eisenfreich，a senior researcher at the Faunhofer Institute for Chemical Technology (ICT) in Germany，said that arboform，the new material，is made of lignin (木质素)，which can be obtained from soft tissues of wood.Once mixed with several other materials，it turns into solid and nontoxic alternative for plastics.
ICT team leader Emilia Regina InoneKauffmann said the woodworking industry separates wood into three basic components，including lignin.Lignin isn’t used for the production of paper.Specialists of ICT mixed lignin with several natural materials and thus invented the material which could be melted and molded (铸型)．
When solid，arboform looks like plastic and possesses the qualities of polished wood.It can be used for the production of any items.Arboform is already used for the production of car parts which require extra strength.In addition，liquid wood can be recycled repeatedly.The material preserved all of its qualities even if it’s reprocessed ten times.
However，the new invention doesn’t enjoy an extensive use due to the high content of sulphur (硫) in it.German researchers are sure to reduce the amount of sulphur by 90 percent very soon to make arboform usable for home needs.According to the passage，plastic________.
| A．plays a big role in the modern world |
| B．helps to protect our environment in some way |
| C．has been replaced by the newly discovered material |
| D．helps us to reduce the use of petrol |
What’s the advantage of arboform over plastics?
| A．It is easily made from natural oil. |
| B．It is more widely used in household. |
| C．It is recyclable and friendly to the environment. |
| D．It contains no poisonous materials. |
It can be concluded that German researchers will focus their future work firstly on________.
| A．the material’s extensive use |
| B．the content of sulphur in arboform |
| C．the production cost of arboform |
| D．the qualities of liquid wood |
The main purpose of the passage is to________.
| A．advertise the new material—arboform |
| B．introduce liquid wood which will replace plastic |
| C．advertise new products made of arboform |
| D．show readers how to produce arboform |
His name is James，but people call him Rocky.The name fits.He’s big，over six feet tall，and he’s tough when he needs to be.James “Rocky” Robinson lives and works in New York City’s BedfordStuyvesant district，one of the poorest and most dangerous neighborhoods in the United States.Yet it is here in BedStuy that he is saving lives and reviving a community.
In 1966，when Rocky was twentysix years old，his sevenyearold niece was struck by a car on the street of BedStuy.Had someone at the scene known first aid or CPR，she might have lived.But by the time she reached a hospital，she was dead.
His niece’s unnecessary death was one reason why Rocky became a paramedic (护理人员)．Working for the Emergency Medical Service of New York City，he realized that more than half the city’s emergency calls came from highcrime areas.According to Rocky，residents of crimeplagued minority neighborhoods like BedStuy sometimes had to wait as long as 26 minutes after calling 911 for an ambulance while calls in richer white communities were answered in_a_fraction_of_the_time.
Rocky decided to find out more about the problem.His research showed that the richer communities had organized their own ambulance corps (特殊部队) to improve city services because the city was overwhelmed with calls.“If that’s the key to success，”he told his friend and EMT (Emergency Medical Technician) colleague，Joe Perez，“we’ll start our own corps in BedStuy！”
In 1988，Rocky had no idea that he and Joe would be attempting to establish the first minorityrun ambulance service in the country，or just how creative he would have to be to overcome the difficulty.The pair’s first challenge was to find a location for the headquarters.They took over an abandoned building that was commonly used by drug dealers.Because there was no electricity or running water (except for the leaks in the roof)，the two men worked during daylight hours.They used a twoway radio to receive emergency calls.
Although they could make do with their new headquarters，Rocky and Joe still lacked the most important component of an ambulance service：an ambulance.An old Chevrolet (雪佛兰) got them to the scenes of accidents，fires，shootings，and stabbings.But the car didn’t always start.At times，they were forced to strap (用带捆绑) their trauma kits and oxygen tanks to their backs and run on foot to the emergencies.Everyone laughed，except the victims who were still alive when Rocky and Joe arrived.The author believes the name “Rocky” fits James because________.
| A．he is a tall and tough man |
| B．he is tall and does something big |
| C．he is living in a tough community |
| D．he leads a tough community |
James’ sevenyearold niece would have been saved if________.
| A．she had been sent to a better hospital |
| B．she had got first aid and arrived in hospital earlier |
| C．James had been at the spot |
| D．emergency calls had been available in the area |
The underlined phrase in Paragraph 3 means________.
| A．in a short time |
| B．over a long time |
| C．in the near future |
| D．from time to time |
We can infer from Paragraph 4 that________.
| A．ambulance corps were only allowed in rich white communities |
| B．James found white communities made more emergency calls |
| C．city services were not enough to meet people’s need |
| D．it was easy to establish the minorityrun ambulance service |
Scientists discovered 163 new species in Southeast Asia’s Greater Mekong region last year，but all are at risk of extinction due to climate change，the WWF said in a report released Friday.
The newly discovered creatures include a birdeating frog with fangs (毒牙)，a bird that would rather walk than fly and a gecko (壁虎) whose alien appearance inspired the report’s title of “Close Encounters”，the conservation group said.
The report was released ahead of major UN talks on climate change in Bangkok next week，which are being held before a makeorbreak summit in Copenhagen this December.
“Some species will be able to adapt to climate change，and many will not，potentially resulting in massive extinction，” Stuart Chapman，director of the WWF Greater Mekong program，said in the report.“Rare and endangered species like those newly discovered are especially vulnerable (易受伤害的) because climate change will further shrink their already restricted habitats，” he said.
“The new discoveries in 2010 include 100 plants,28 fish,18 reptiles,14 amphibians,2 mammals and a bird，”the WWF report said.The area spans Cambodia，Laos，Myanmar，Thailand，Vietnam and China’s Yunnan Province.
“Among the new species is the birdeating fanged frog，which remains hidden in a protected area of Thailand despite the fact that scientists are studying there for 40 years，” the report said.
The tigerstriped pit viper was discovered accidentally on an island off the coast of Vietnam when a scientist was looking for a lizard and his son pointed out that his hand was on a rock right next to the snake’s fangs.“We caught the snake and the gecko and they both proved to be new species，” researcher Lee Grismer of La Sierra University in California was quoted as saying in the report.The leopard gecko，found on another Vietnamese island，has the coloring of a leopard and bizarre orange，catlike eyes and thin legs.
The Greater Mekong region has proved a rich area for scientists.The WWF said in December 2010 that it had found 1,068 new species there between 1997 and 2009.What is special about the newly discovered bird?
| A．It usually walks. |
| B．It likes walking and flying. |
| C．It can eat other birds. |
| D．It can eat frogs. |
Stuart Chapman believes that________.
| A．most of the newly discovered species can adapt to climate change |
| B．climate change can cause massive extinction of the newly discovered species |
| C．the newly discovered species are not so vulnerable to climate change |
| D．many species have already died out because of climate change |
When Lee Grismer discovered the tigerstriped pit viper，he probably felt________.
| A．frightened | B．disappointed |
| C．excited | D．puzzled |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．The Greater Mekong region is a rich area for scientists. |
| B．Many rare species remain to be discovered in the Mekong region. |
| C．Scientists have discovered many new species in the Mekong region. |
| D．Climate change threatens Mekong new species. |
People use their mouths for many things.They eat，talk，shout and sing.They smile and they kiss.In the English language，there are many expressions using the word “mouth”．
For example，if you say bad things about a person，the person might protest(抗议) and say “Do not bad mouth me.” Sometimes，people say something to a friend or family member that they later regret because it hurts that person.Or they tell the person something they were not supposed to tell.The speaker might say，“I really put my foot in my mouth this time.” If this should happen，the speaker might feel down in the mouth.In other words，he might feel sad for saying the wrong thing.
Another situation is when someone falsely claims another person said something.The other person might protest，“I did not say that.Do not put words in my mouth.”
Some people have lots of money because they were born into a very rich family.There is an expression for this，too.You might say such a person，“was born with a silver spoon in his mouth.” This rich person is the opposite of a person who lives from hand to mouth.This person is very poor and only has enough money for the most important things in life，like food.
Parents might sometimes keep a child off sweet food as a form of punishment for saying bad things.For example，if a child says things she should not say to her parents，she might be described as a mouthy child.The parents might even tell the child to stop mouthing off.
But enough of all this talk.I have been running my mouth long enough.What will the person say if he feels sorry for what he has said?
| A．Do not bad mouth me. |
| B．Stop mouthing off. |
| C．Do not put words in my mouth. |
| D．I really put my foot in my mouth this time. |
If a person lives from hand to mouth，it implies that________.
| A．he is badlyoff | B．he is hardworking |
| C．he has lots of money | D．he has enough to eat |
By saying“I have been running my mouth long enough”，the speaker means “________”．
| A．I have run a long way |
| B．I have talked too much |
| C．I have learned a lot |
| D．I have been a mouthy person |
What is mainly talked about in the text?
| A．Expressions about the word “mouth”． |
| B．Functions of the organ “mouth”． |
| C．Opinions about “mouthy people”． |
| D．Meanings of the word “mouth”． |
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