When Armida Armato’s daughter, Alexia, came home from school one day last year keen to go on a school trip to Ecuador, she wasn’t too sure how to feel. She was happy that her daughter could experience something she never did as a teen but was fearful of letting her travel to such a remote part of the world.
Alexia was 16 at the time, a student at Westwood High School. The school sponsored a humanitarian trip for 26 students and two teachers to spend 18 days living in a mountain village to build a one-room school. Even though Armato trusted her daughter, the other students and the teachers, she was worried about the side effects from the travel vaccines, possible accidents, and medical care.
Now that Alexia was home, Armato said she saw her daughter’s new maturity, greater confidence and independence. “This is the best thing I ever did,” Alexia said. “The experience was so eye-opening and life-changing. You’re with people who are not as lucky as you are. They live in very poor conditions but they’re so happy and outgoing. You say, ‘My God. I’m taking everything for granted back home.’”
She said they built a one-room school from scratch with no mechanical cement mixers. They used their hands, shovels and basic tools. She and another student lived with a local family in a small village about eight hours outside the capital, Quito. Despite the initial strangeness and knowing only basic Spanish, she said they grew very close and felt like a family.
Every year, groups of students at Montreal High School like Alexia pack their bags and fly off with classmates and teachers to developing countries where they volunteer for a variety of projects.
“Armato’s worries are very common among parents,” says Bill Nevin, a teacher at St. George’s High School. He organizes a humanitarian rip to India to the Sheela Bal Bhavan orphanage and says the three biggest fears families have are health, security and contact.When hearing the news that her daughter would go on a school trip to Ecuador, Armato was _______.
| A．proud and happy | B．supportive but concerned |
| C．fearful and nervous | D．excited but puzzled |
The underlined phrase “from scratch” in Paragraph 4 probably means “______”.
| A．having great help | B．using high technology |
| C．ending up in failure | D．starting from the beginning |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Volunteering helps students grow and develop. |
| B．School trips make parents worried about their children. |
| C．Ecuador is the most attractive travel destination in the world. |
| D．Brave Alexia dreams to work in Ecuador one day. |
It is known to us that computer users are being warned by industry experts to pay attention to secret codes which could be used to record their conversation.
E-mails, screen savers, and electronic greeting cards can carry a secret code which is able to turn on the computer’s microphone, make a recording, and forward it to someone else without the user’s knowledge.
In fact any attachments (附件) sent to a computer, whether it is a game of Space Invaders, or a moving picture, can possibly be used to spy (窥探).
Experts say people should always think twice about opening attachments because --- although not common --- bugging (窃听) by computer can and has been done.
Bill Lyons, head of the Internet Security Company Finjan, said, “People in the army have tested this and you can be sure, if people in general are aware of it, then computer hackers (黑客) are aware of it. The frightening thing is that there are tools on the Internet which people, using a simple search method, can find, and which will enable them to attach this dangerous code to simple attachments.”What is the advice given in the passage?
| A．Use secret codes to record other people’s conversation. |
| B．Be careful when opening an attachment. |
| C．Never open any attachments. |
| D．Never use secret codes. |
What worries the experts is that ___ .
| A．nobody seems to believe such things |
| B．nobody knows the danger of the code |
| C．tools can easily be used to tie dangerous codes to e-mails |
| D．effective ways can never be found to deal with the problem. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．A moving picture cannot be used to spy. |
| B．Electronic greeting cards cannot carry a secret code. |
| C．A secret code is used to destroy the computer system. |
| D．Any attachments sent to a computer may carry a secret code. |
Yasuda is 95 years old. Looking for easier ways to search the Web and send email, he bought Apple’s iPad. The company has sold 3.27 million iPads since they entered the market in April. Although it’s impossible to know with certainty how many seniors (老年人) are buying them, evidence suggests that it’s a hit with seniors.
The iPad’s intuitive interface (直观界面) makes it attractive to seniors around the world, says Takahiro Miura, a researcher at the University of Tokyou. “The iPad is a good tool for seniors because it’s very easy to use,” he says. “Unlike the PC, it doesn’t require former knowledge.”
James Cordwell, a researcher in London, says the iPad’s popularity with seniors is helping Apple reach beyond its traditional base of young customers. “The world’s population, especially in developed markets, is getting older. It’s probably a market where Apple has least entered, ” Cordwell says. Senior users are “a key source of growth for them in the future.”
Seniors make up about 22 percent of the population in Japan. They may prove that seniors are willing to accept the iPad. Besides the customer group under 30, they spend more than any other group in the country, according to a report. Motoo Kitamura, 78, a former gas salesman, bought an iPad to help him communicate with his 2-year-old grandson and prevent him from experiencing some of the mental problems that sometimes come with getting older. “Trying new things like that is good mental exercise,” he says.The underlined part “a hit” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______ .
| A．a sudden attack | B．a heavy burden | C．quite popular | D．very familiar |
Which of the following is NOT an advantage of the iPad?
| A．It has intuitive interface. |
| B．It is easy to operate. |
| C．Beginners can use it without similar experiences. |
| D．People can use it as a way to do mental exercise. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．People above thirty are Apple’s largest customer group in Japan. |
| B．The traditional customers of Apple’s products are usually the young. |
| C．Seniors will soon grow into Apple’s largest customer group. |
| D．Seniors in Japan are fond of buying latest hi-tech products. |
What is the text mainly about?
A. iPad leading Apple to seniors.
B. iPad influencing the customer group.
C. iPad’s arrival causing Japanese to think.
D. iPad beating the traditional PC.
Wildlife faces threats ( 威胁 ) from habitat destruction, pollution, and other human actions. Although protecting wildlife may seem too hard at times, even small actions in your own neighbourhood can help protect many different animals. Here are some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions.
1.Create wildlife friendly areas in your backyard.
When trying to make your garden more beautiful , you can choose plants that can provide food and shelter to native wildlife . This will also help cut down on pollution . Add bird or bat houses to your yard or garden to attract and shelter these species.
2. Avoid harming the natural ecosystem ( 生态系统 ) in your area.
Some plants from other places can kill or harm native plants that provide food and shelter for wildlife.
3. ________________________________________________.
By using less water and fewer fuels, you will be helping to protect the wildlife around you . Take buses or the subway when you can, turn off electric devices when you’re not using them , take shorter shower, and keep your room temperature at or below 68 degrees during the winter.
4. Buy products that are wildlife friendly
Don’t buy products that are made from endangered animals. Keep in mind that some endangered animals are killed by traps , catches or hunters who are after other wildlife within the same habitat.
5. Donate money or time to organizations that protect wildlife and their habitats.
You can give money to organization or groups that protect wildlife species in your neighbourhood.We infer that the purpose of this passage is to ________.
| A．tell us why protecting wildlife is extremely important now |
| B．suggest that we protect wildlife through actions |
| C．explain why protecting wildlife is not as hard as people think. |
| D．give us some tips on how to protect wildlife through small actions |
Which of the following threats to wildlife is NOT mentioned in the passage ?
| A．Animal diseases | B．Loss of habitat | C．Pollution | D．Hunters |
What’s the best title for the third point ?
| A．Have a greener lifestyle. | B．Use less water and fewer fuels. |
| C．Take a bus when you go out . | D．Try a new kind of life. |
The writer suggests that we _________.
| A．not buy products made from animals |
| B．share cars with others when we go out |
| C．grow as many kinds of plants in our gardens as possible |
| D．provide shelters for birds and bats in our gardens or yards |
It was the end of the school term and my son Tom had less than three months left before he would finish his six years at high school. During this time he had developed a love for basketball. Sadly, because of my work over the last twelve months, I had only been able to attend a few of his games; however, I was determined to get to his last game for the school term.
Tom’s team came out in the first 10 minutes with a burst of goals that saw them leading by just over 20 points at the end of the first half. The second half changed as the other team quickly played themselves back into the game. Tom’s team started to miss an increasing number of shots. It was at that point that the coach called his first time out.
The noise of the spectators (观众) became quiet as the coach spoke to them. He had the team standing in a half circle, but he squatted (蹲) down, looking up at them and fiving some very calm and clear instructions on what they needed to do in the last couple of minutes. As he stood up to allow the team to return to the court, I saw him give some further words of encouragement to all of them.
You could see that he knew that the team was fighting to save the game and that he needed to lift them up. By squatting down he placed himself in a position where he was talking up to them, rather than down or at them, and as the players went back onto the court his words of encouragement served to lift their energy and spirits.
Well, Tom’s team went on to win the final by 5 points. As I drove away I thought about what can happen to us all in our everyday life. One of my favourite quotes is about the half filled glass of water --- “Is it half full or is it half empty?” Like the coach, the answer to this quote all depends on how you look at things.Why did the writer come to see his son play basketball?
| A．Because his son would graduate from high school. |
| B．Because he felt sorry for never watching his son play. |
| C．Because it was a final his son played a key role in. |
| D．Because he had a strong interest in basketball himself. |
By squatting down, the coach wanted to _____ .
| A．talk about what the players were doing wrong |
| B．make the players feel better |
| C．prevent spectators from hearing what he said |
| D．show his anger at the bad performance of the players |
What is the writer’s attitude towards the coach?
| A．Negative. | B．Supportive. | C．Interested. | D．Unconcerned. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．A father should care about his son at school. |
| B．Playing hard is rewarded with a close match. |
| C．What a coach says has the most influence on players. |
| D．Looking at things positively is important in hard times. |
As people in Beijing and northern China struggle with severe air pollution this winter,the toxic(有毒的)air is also making life hard for plants and even food crops of China．
"in the last 50 years there has been a 1 6-fold increase in ozone(臭氧)pollution”in the Beijing area，said Hanqin Tian of Auburn University in Alabama,who studies the effects of China's pollution and climate change on plants．
Ozone is particularly harmful to plants because it damages the pores(气孔) on leaves，called stomata,which plants use to regulate how much water evaporates from the leaves．That，in turn，affectS how much water a plant must take up through its roots．Changes in water uptake by plants have been documented in other parts of the world，including the United States，as having major impacts on regional groundwater and surface water supplies．
In studies of the long-term productivity of plants，Hanqin Tian and some of his colleagues show that ozone pollution,along with climate change，has been lowering plant productivity in China,which reduces the amount of carbon and other pollutants that the plants Can absorb to fight all the emissions from the burning offossil fuels．
The worst effects on plants are likely to be in areas where the growing pollution problem is just fairly new, said Arthur Chappelka, also a plant researcher at Auburn University．Some plants are more resistant to pollutants than others，he said，and the plants that are living today in long-polluted urban areas are likely to be only those that are very pollution tolerant．
Away from the cities, however, where crops are necded to feed China’s yast population, the effeets of the growing pollution on crops is a significant concern.
“In some ways it affects the crop production and food securiy of China,”said Hanqin Tian.“Air quality is really important for human health, plants and ecosystem and sustainability.”
The problem is bound to get worse as China continues to develop economically, he said, and so he and other researchers continue to urge the Chinese government to take action to reduce emissions from cars and industries.ozone does harm to plants mainly by ________.
| A．exposing them to strong sunlight |
| B．damaging the structure of their leaves |
| C．adding more pores to the roots |
| D．making the land unfit for the plants to grow |
Which of the following statement does Hanqin Tian support?
| A．Ozone pollution has increased 1 6 times in the past 30 years． |
| B．Ozone pollution has lowered plant productivity alone． |
| C．Plants can take in a large amount of carbon and other pollutants． |
| D．The toxic air has few effects on food supply in China． |
What Can we infer from the passage?
| A．Healthy foods are not available in Beijing． |
| B．Some kinds of plants aren’t affected by air pollution． |
| C．Crops in China are hard to feed its large population． |
| D．People should stop developing economically |
According to the passage，the Chinese govemment should
| A．care more about developing economy |
| B．reduce the number of cars and industries |
| C．continue to make more researches |
| D．take measures to reduce carbon emissions |
What′S the best title of the passage?
| A．Polluted air damages plants and crops |
| B．Air pollution is becoming more serious |
| C．China’s air pollution and climate changes |
| D．Food security in China |
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