A HALF - EMPTY BASKET
Once there was a poor farmer and his farm belonged to(属于) a rich man. One day he brought a basket of apples to the rich man’s house. On the doorsteps, he met two monkeys dressed like children. They jumped onto the basket to eat the apples and threw some on the ground. The farmer politely took off his hat and asked the monkeys to get off. They obeyed(服从) and the farmer went into the house. He asked to see the rich man. A servant took him to the room where the rich man was sitting.
"I have brought you the basket of apples you asked for," he said.
"But why have you brought a half-empty basket?" the rich man asked.
"I met your children outside, and they stole(偷) some of the apples."Why did the farmer bring apples to the rich man? Because
| A．his farm belonged to the rich man | B．he liked the rich man |
| C．he was poor | D．the rich man’s children liked apples |
What did the monkeys do when the farmer was on the doorsteps?
| A．They jumped and jumped. | B．They played. |
| C．They ate some of the apples. | D．They ran away. |
The monkeys left the basket because
| A．they had thrown apples on the ground |
| B．the farmer had politely asked them to get off |
| C．they were afraid of the hat |
| D．the farmer was angry wit h them |
How did the rich man feel when he saw the basket? He felt .
| A．pleased | B．unhappy | C．excited | D．moved |
As we enjoy the summer ocean waves along the beaches, we may think nervously about Steven Spielberg's Jaws and the great fear that sharks inspire in us. Yet we are happy to see global efforts to protect the declining number of sharks. The world has realized that we need the species, like sharks, to keep a balanced ecosystem.
Sharks, in particular, are “in” these days. Thanks to good public policy and famous stars such as Jackie Chan and Ang Lee, killing sharks for fin soup is no longer cool.
The demand for shark fins has been rising for decades, threatening sharks with extinction(灭绝)—up to 100 million sharks are killed each year just for their fins. But we have started to reverse the trend, particularly in many areas of the United States and overseas where restaurants once proudly provided delicious shark fins on the menu.
In California, a ban on the sale and possession of shark fin soup has gone into effect this year through the efforts of Wild Aid and other organizations.
Overseas marketing and public efforts featuring posters on public transportation systems and TV ads have been underway for the past few years. These efforts all show signs of success, on both the supply side and the demand side of trade in shark fins.
Actually, stopping the killing of sharks is part of a broader movement to stop the killing of wild animals and the buying and selling of wildlife products. These products come from hunting elephants, tigers and rhinos, besides killing marine life.
Whether it is shark fin soup or ivory piano keys, killing animals is big business. The hunting of elephants in search of ivory tusks for luxury(奢侈的)goods has become a fullscale war. The decrease of African elephant populations is alarming. Together with international partners, the United States is leading the worldwide effort to reduce demand for highend products that rely on killing animals. The underlined word “reverse” in Paragraph 3 probably means ________.
| A．show | B．keep |
| C．follow | D．change |
From the passage, we know ________.
| A．Jackie Chan and Ang Lee make fin soup popular |
| B．a lot of wild animals have been killed for products |
| C．Steven Spielberg's Jaws inspires us to protect sharks |
| D．the number of African elephants has been increased |
．What can we infer from the passage?
| A．More animals for highend products will be saved. |
| B．People have kicked the habit of having shark fin soup. |
| C．Shark fins will not be available any more in restaurants. |
| D．Global efforts have succeeded in stopping killing wild animals. |
Can a Language Become Extinct?
A language can become extinct when the last person who can speak it passes away. Or more likely when the secondlast person who speaks it dies because then there is no one left to talk to. According to linguists (语言学家) there is nothing unusual about a single language dying out. But what is happening today is quite remarkable. According to the recent statistics, there are approximately 6,000 languages in the world as we speak. Of these, about half are going to die out in the next century.
There are several reasons as to why a language can eventually die out. These range from natural disasters, such as hurricanes, to sociological factors, like cultural assimilation, in which the culture of a minority group is gradually replaced by a stronger one. The former can cause tribes to leave their natural habitat(栖息地) and therefore become fewer and fewer in number. However, it doesn't happen very frequently. In fact, the latter is a much bigger threat and it is responsible for the extinction of a lot of languages in countries like the USA and Australia. For instance, Chemehuevi is one of the languages which is really close to dying out since its sole speaker is an old, yet healthy, man named Johnny Hill, Jr.
It is very important for as many languages as possible to be preserved. Scientists have been trying to raise people's awareness on how certain tribes have specific words which cannot be expressed in let's say English simply because there is no equal meaning. Namely, the Yupik of Alaska have 99 names to describe different layers of ice formation, or how the Tofa of Siberia classify reindeer (驯鹿). In other words, when languages die out, mankind's wisdom reduces.
On a happier note, there are many famous cases which show what can be done to preserve languages in danger of extinction. In particular, the Maori in New Zealand have created socalled “language nests”： organizations which help children under five learn the language. They provide them with a setting where they are exposed to the language intensively so that they get to realise that communicating in Maori is as natural as communicating in English. There is always, of course, the risk that the children won't keep the language alive after they have left their “nests”. Nevertheless, hope dies hard.What most probably caused the death of languages in the USA and Australia?
| A．Habitats were lost. |
| B．Natural disasters struck. |
| C．Native cultures disappeared. |
| D．Foreign languages were spoken. |
In Paragraph 3, the author states his opinion by ________
| A．listing definitions |
| B．providing examples |
| C．presenting causes and effects |
| D．comparing with other opinions |
What does the author really intends to tell us in the last paragraph?
| A．Attempts may not produce the desired effect. |
| B．Environment is important in language protection. |
| C．People can do little about a language's extinction. |
| D．Measures should be taken in spite of difficulties. |
The author believes that ________.
| A．all languages are finally going to die out |
| B．human wisdom can be reflected in languages |
| C．the protective approaches have proved ineffective |
| D．the current situation of languages hardly requires attention |
Dogs and cats are not for students who live in the dormitory. Just think about the noise, the smell and all that wild behaviorchewing on whatever they can get their teeth on, or knocking over the trash can. But don't feel sad. There are smaller and less destructive pets to make your dormitory life colorful.
Betta fish
They make great pets with their big personality and astonishing colors, ranging from bright red, dark blue to lemon yellow. Unlike many fish, most bettas react to their owner's presence and become more active when they are nearby, which is unusual in the fish world.
Chinchillas
Without bad smell, about the size of a rabbit and with fur so dense that they can't get pests such as fleas(跳蚤), the friendly creature originally from the Andes Mountains in South America makes an ideal indoor pet. Chinchillas are very social animals, so if you only have one, you will become its family. In cold winter days, in a glace at this fury pet in a dorm will bring you a lot of warmth.
Land hermit crabs
In a society where owners are often asked “Are they tasty？”， land hermit crabs are among the most unlucky animals commonly kept as pets. But they are easy to care for, inexpensive and fascinating to watch. And the fact that they don't cause any allergic reactions makes them perfect for college dormitories.
Redeared sliders
If you're interested in a lifelong friend, a redeared slider makes a wonderful pet. If well cared for, they can live for around 40 years. But there are a couple of things you should know. Redeared can grow to an adult size of up to 30cm! So you may need a larger tank quickly. In addition, you will need to provide UV lighting, water heater, and a swimming area and a basking (晒太阳) area. Housing a red eared slider is not easy.All the dormitory pets mentioned in the text are ________.
| A．active and allergic | B．quiet and peaceful |
| C．colorful and tasty | D．small and smelly |
Which of the following is NOT true about these creatures?
| A．Bettas are active and rich in colors. |
| B．Chinchillas are originally mountain animals. |
| C．Land hermit crabs are allergic but tasty. |
| D．Redeared sliders need more care from the owner. |
If you want to keep the pet as long as possible, you'd better choose ________.
| A．Betta fish | B．Chinchillas |
| C．Land hermit crabs | D．Redeared sliders |
The text is mainly to ________.
| A．introduce the best way to keep pets |
| B．offer useful tips for choosing pets |
| C．inform students of lifestyle of pets |
| D．recommend some dormitory pets |
Oprah Winfrey，born in 1954，is all American talk show host，best known for her multiawardwinning talk show. She is also，according to some assessments，the most influential woman in theworld. It's no surprise that her endorsement(认可)can bringovernight sales fortune that defeats most，if not all，marketingcampaigns .The star features about 20 products each year On her“Favorite Things” show.There's even a term for it: the Oprah Effect.
Her television career began unexpectedly. When she was 16 year old，she had the idea of being a journalist to tell other people's stories in a way that made a difference in their lives and the world.She was on television by the time she was 19 years old. And in 1986 she started her own television show with a continuous determination to succeed at first TIME magazine wrote，“People would have doubted Oprah Winfrey's swift rise to host of The most popular talk show on TV .In a field ruled by white males，she is a black female of big size. As interviewers go，she is no match for，say，what she lacks in journalistic toughness.She makes up for in plainspoken curiosity，rich humor and，above all understanding Guests with sad stories to tell tend to bring out a tear in Oprah's eye .They，in turn，often find themselves exposing things they would not imagine telling anyone，much less a national TV audience.”
“I was nervous about the competition and then I became my own competition raising the bar every year，pushing，pushing，pushing myself as hard as I knew. It doesn't matter how far you might rise. At some point you are bound to fall if you're constantly doing what we do, raising the bar. If you're constantly pushing yourself higher，higher the law of averages，you will at some point fall. And when you do I want you to know this，remember this：there is no such thing as failure. Failure is just life trying to move us in another direction”as Oprah addressed graduates at Harvard on May 30,2013.The Oprah Effect refers to ________.
| A．the effect On a business |
| B．the power of Oprah's opinions |
| C．the impact On talk shows |
| D．the assessment of Oprah's talk show |
What can be inferred about Oprah's television career?
| A．She once gave up on her choice. |
| B．Her swift success has been expected. |
| C．It lives up to her parents' expectation. |
| D．She must have been challenged by white males. |
．The message from Oprah to graduates at Harvard is that ________.
| A．success comes after failure |
| B．failure is nothing to fear |
| C．there is no need to set goals too high |
| D．pushing physical limits makes no sense |
Which of the following best describes Oprah Winfrey?
| A．Dull and pushy. |
| B．Honest but tough. |
| C．Caring and determined. |
| D．Curious but weak. |
Travel Unaccompanied
Now many young people are traveling around the world on their own, not because they have no one to travel with, but because they prefer to go alone.
Kristina Wegscheider from California first traveled alone when she was at college and believes that it is something everyone should do at least once in their life. “It opens up your mind to new things and pushes you out of your comfort zone.” Wegscheider has visited 46 countries covering all seven continents.
In foreign countries, with no one to help you read a map, look after you if you get ill, or lend you money if your wallet is stolen. It is challenging. This is what drives young people to travel alone.It is seen as character building and a chance to prove that they can make it on their own.
Chris Richardson decided to leave his sales job in Australia to go traveling last year.He set up a website, The Aussie Nomad, to document his adventures. He said he wished he had traveled alone earlier. “The people you meet, the places you visit, or the things you do, everything is up to you and it forces you to grow as a person，” said the 30yearold.
Richardson describes traveling alone like “a shot in the arm”， which “makes you a more confident person that was ready to deal with anything”. He said: “The feeling of having conquered something on my own is a major part of what drives me each day when I'm dealing with a difficult task. I walk around with my head up because I know deep down inside that nothing is impossible if you try.”
The great 19th century explorer John Muir once said: “Only by going alone in silence can one truly get into the heart of the wilderness.”Which of the following will Kristina Wegscheider agree with?
| A．Traveling alone is a necessary experience for everyone. |
| B．It is more meaningful to travel in foreign countries. |
| C．It is comfortable to travel around without a friend. |
| D．Traveling abroad helps people to find new things. |
Traveling alone is challenging because ________.
| A．it will finally build your character |
| B．you have to make things on your own |
| C．you depend on yourself whatever happens |
| D．it is hard for you to prove yourself to others |
What can we infer about Chris Richardson?
| A．He started traveling at an early age. |
| B．He was once shot in the arm. |
| C．His website inspires others a lot. |
| D．He used to work as a salesman. |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号