| The following are the sculptures in the Underwater Museum, which are accessible in person by glass boat, or scuba diving. |
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The Archive of Lost Dreams The Visual: It describes an underwater archive of messages in bottles. The Meaning: The bottles contain messages of dreams for future generations. The Hope: The statue is placed with the purpose of helping draw visitors away from the healthy parts of the reef. The Location: The Archive of Lost Dreams was placed 8 meters deep at Manchones Reef, close to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The collection of bottled messages were provided by various communities who wrote about today’s values and their dreams for the future generations. |
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The Gardener of Hope The Visual: Here a young Mexican girl lies in a garden surrounded by pots which will be grown with live coral. The Meaning: The young girl in the sculpture represents a model for hopeful future generations. The Hope: The base of the Gardener of Hope was built to attract various marine creatures. The coral in the pots is also expected to grow. The Location: The Gardener of Hope was placed 4 meters deep at Punta Nizuc near the coast of Cancun. Behind the Scenes: The pots here are filled with live coral cuttings that were saved from areas of the local reef system. |
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Man on Fire The Visual: Man on Fire describes a lone male figure covered in live fire coral to resemble fire. The Meaning: The sculpture symbolizes the unawareness of the “fire” our generation has started with the over use of limited natural resources. The Hope: Man on Fire has 75 holes planted with small live cuttings of fire coral which are expected to grow like fire. The Location: Man on Fire was installed 8 meters deep at the Manchones Reef nearby to Isla Mujeres. Behind the Scenes: The sculpture was cast from a local Mexican fisherman and it weighs over 1 ton. |
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The Silent Evolution The Visual: Here more than 400 sculptures depict the timeline of human nature. The Meaning: It is a documentation of how society and people have changed over time. It is also to remind us of how we are connected to nature. The Hope: The installation is designed for forming a complex reef structure that marine life will claim as its own and inhabit. The Location: The Silent Evolution will be installed 8 meters deep behind the Manchones Reef. Behind the Scenes: The total installation will expand over 150 square meters and will weigh over 120 tons. |
| Attention: Guided tours are a must. You can catch a tour from Aquaworld, which leaves every hour from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. daily. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．You can tour individually without a tourist guide by glass boat. |
| B．The Gardener of Hope will remind us of the relationship with nature. |
| C．Bottled messages are filled with live coral cuttings for future generations. |
| D．Man on Fire can educate us to protect the limited natural resources. |
Which sculptures are installed in the same area?
| A．Man on Fire & The Silent Evolution |
| B．The Archive of Lost Dreams & Man on Fire |
| C．The Gardener of Hope & The Silent Evolution |
| D．The Archive of Lost Dreams & The Gardener of Hope |
The writer introduces the sculptures to _______.
| A．defend Mexican Tourism Industry |
| B．call on us to go on a tour to Aquaworld |
| C．appeal to readers to protect Marine Life |
| D．attract tourists to the Underwater Museum |
I would like to talk about a very dear friend of mine, whose name was Peggy. She died at home last night at the age of 83. She was my first badminton coach and probably the best friend I’d ever had.
I met her at 12 when she coached an after-school badminton program. She saw my potential, but I thought she was a little frightening so I didn’t go back to the program. She went to my house to ask me back. I did go back and that was the beginning of my badminton “career”. She brought me to tournaments and encouraged me. At the time my mother was drinking heavily and badminton kept me out of trouble and focused on a positive pursuit.
Peggy was a person who had the qualities of honesty and integrity. She was devoted to her family and was married for over 50 years. She loved her children and was so happy to become a grandmother with the addition of Merissa to the family. She loved to have fun and play games. Another true love of her life was cats; she had one cat that lived 22 years. Before she died she had 10 cats and they brought her great joy and comfort. She also loved the Montreal Canadiens, and she supported them and often watched them play hockey games.
She wasn’t a celebrity; she was a homemaker who was proud to provide a happy home for her family. She was a loyal and dedicated friend to many. She never forgot a birthday, anniversary or to send a Christmas card. Speaking of Christmas she was an expert on Christmas and decorations. She was able to prepare this year’s tree and had hoped to spend this Christmas with her family but it wasn’t meant to be.
I had the privilege of speaking to her just a couple hours before she passed away and she told me that her life wouldn’t have been the same without me and I am grateful for that and I feel the same. Paragraph 3 tells us that Merissa __________________.
| A．is Peggy’s grandchild |
| B．is the name of Peggy’s cat |
| C．lived 22 years |
| D．didn’t get along well with Peggy |
The underlined part “Montreal Canadiens” refers to ____________.
| A．a hockey team |
| B．a group of cats |
| C．a music group |
| D．an interesting game |
Which of the following statements about Peggy is TRUE?
| A．She was once coached by the author. |
| B．She died before this year’s Christmas. |
| C．She was unmarried when she died. |
| D．She died at the age of 50. |
It’s implied in the passage that the author __________________.
| A．thought Peggy was friendly at first |
| B．got out of her drinking problem thanks to Peggy |
| C．hadn’t talked to Peggy for a long time before she died |
| D．thought her life would have been different without Peggy |
Stop wasting your time thinking of reasons for your failures and shortcomings. Instead，realize that the seeds of success were planted within you when you were born. Only you have the power to make those seeds grow.
The seeds and the power to grow them are contained in the human mind. Success is a choice but not a chance. You can be a success if only you make the right choice.
You cannot be successful without first developing yourself esteem (自尊)．Your level of self esteem is always based on the degree of control that you are able to exercise over yourself，and thus over your life. People with low self esteem do not believe that they have any power，or responsibility for their lives. They are leaves tossed (摇摆) by the winds of chance brought about with any sudden change in the weather.
You can exercise control over your life only to the degree that you believe that you are responsible for whatever happens in your life. Failures think that everything happens by accident while successful people realize that they are responsible.
Everything happens as a result of something. If we can identify the cause，we can control the effect. We are responsible for what we consciously choose to accept and believe. Thoughts and beliefs cause everything. Our attitudes and actions are a result of habits ingrained in us over a period of time. One generally rises to the level that one expects. We are responsible for setting our expectations. Our success depends upon our level of confidence. We are responsible for either reinforcing good habits or kicking bad habits and consciously replacing them with consistently practiced good habits.
If you associate with positive thinking people，you are definitely going to achieve success. On the contrary，the opposite happens. We are responsible for finding，planting，and nurturing (培育) the seeds that contain future victory，born from setbacks.
In short，in all areas of your life，whether they are financial，physical，emotional，or spiritual，you are responsible. Once you recognize this，accept it，and firmly believe it，you are on the road to success.Losers would think that________.
| A．success is the result of hard work |
| B．working hard will lead to success |
| C．they fail only because of bad luck |
| D．they don’t make efforts to succeed |
It can be inferred from Paragraph 5 that________.
| A．whether we will succeed depends on our attitudes |
| B．developing confidence is the key to future success |
| C．thoughts and beliefs are the result of creative mind |
| D．setting our expectations is essential before taking action |
The last paragraph serves as________.
| A．the proof of the author’s point |
| B．the conclusion of the argument |
| C．an introduction to another topic |
| D．a comparison between two views |
Which is the best title of the text?
| A．Success Is a Choice |
| B．The Secrets of Success |
| C．Develop Our Confidence |
| D．How to Achieve Success |
Living in a green area can make you live longer，according to research published today. The research also shows that the difference in life expectancy (预期寿命) between rich and poor becomes smaller among those who live in an environment with parks and trees.
Richard Mitchell，from Glasgow University，and his colleagues, found that the gap between the number of deaths of people on high incomes and the number of deaths of those on low incomes in green areas was half that compared with figures relating to built-up areas.
Green spaces，classified by the researchers as “open，undeveloped land with natural vegetation”，encouraged people to walk and be more active. Exercise in these settings could have greater benefits than exercise elsewhere，the researchers said.
The benefits potentially go beyond exercise. Studies have shown that being around green spaces can reduce blood pressure and stress levels，and possibly help patients recover faster.
A number of researchers have looked at the effects of greenery on our wellbeing. But few studies had looked at whether living in green areas reduced health inequalities，the Glasgow team said.
Using information from a landuse database of 2001，the researchers divided the preretirement population of England into four groups according to income level，and five groups according to access to green space. They then looked at death rate for 2001～2005.
They found that the inequality in death rate from all causes relating to lack of money was less in those populations in the greenest areas compared with the figures for people living in more built-up places. They found an even stronger relationship when it came to deaths from certain diseases such as heart conditions and stroke (中风)．There was no difference，however，in deaths from lung cancer.
The researchers said that changing the physical environment was an easier way to fight against poor health than using media campaigns or giving out information on health. “The result of the study is clear：Environments that promote good health might be very important in the fight to reduce health inequalities.”The underlined word “that” in Paragraph 2 refers to________.
| A．the gap |
| B．the number of deaths |
| C．the income |
| D．the living area |
What was the special point of the Glasgow team’s research?
| A．They offered a scientific definition of “green spaces”． |
| B．They encouraged people to exercise in green areas. |
| C．They studied the effects of greenery on people’s health. |
| D．They focused on the influence of greenery on health inequalities. |
What advice would the researchers probably give according to the last paragraph?
| A．More health information should be given to the public. |
| B．People should take more exercise every day. |
| C．More trees and grass should be planted in cities. |
| D．People should help to fight against health problems. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．People should live in green areas. |
| B．Green spaces promote good health. |
| C．Income influences health less than environment. |
| D．Exercise in green areas benefits people a lot. |
In bringing up children, every parent watches eagerly the child's acquisition （学会） of each new skill m the first spoken words, the first independent steps, or the beginning of reading and writing．It is often tempting to hurry the child beyond his natural learning rate, but this can set up dangerous feelings of failure and states of worry in the child．This might happen at any stage．A baby might be forced to use a toilet too early, a young child might be encouraged to learn to read before he knows the meaning of the words he reads．On the other hand, though, if a child is left alone too much, or without any learning opportunities, he loses his natural enthusiasm for life and his desire to find out new things for himself．
Parents vary greatly in their degree of strictness towards their children．Some may be especially strict in money matters．Others are severe （严格的） over time of coming home at night or punctuality for meals．In general, the controls represent the needs of the parents and the values of the community as much as the child's own happiness．
As regards the development of moral standards in the growing child, consistency is very important in parental teaching．To forbid a thing one day and excuse it the next is no foundation for morality （道德）．Also, parents should realize that "example is better than precept"．If they are not sincere and do not practice what they preach （说教）, their children may grow confused when they grow old enough to think for themselves, and realize they have been to some extent fooled．
A sudden awareness of a marked difference between their parents' principles and their morals can be a dangerous disappointment．Eagerly watching the child's acquisition of new skills, ___________．
| A．should be avoided |
| B．is universal among parents |
| C．sets up dangerous states of worry in the child |
| D．will make the child lose interest in learning new things |
In the process of children's learning new skills, parents _______．
| A．should encourage them to read before they know the meaning of the words they read |
| B．should expect a lot of the children |
| C．should achieve a balance between pushing them too hard and leaving them on their own |
| D．should create as many learning opportunities as possible |
The second paragraph mainly tells us that ___________．
| A．parents should be strict with their children |
| B．parental controls reflect only the values of the community |
| C．parental restrictions vary, and are not always for the benefit of the children alone |
| D．it's parents' and society's duty to control the children |
The word "precept" in Paragraph 3 probably means "___________"．
| A．opinion |
| B．punishment |
| C．behavior |
| D．instruction |
In terms of moral matters, parents should _________．
| A．follow the rules themselves |
| B．be aware of the huge difference between adults and children |
| C．forbid their children to follow hook teachings |
| D．always ensure the security of their children |
Both warm-blooded and cold-blooded desert animals have ways to escape the desert heat. Warm- blooded desert animals, such as rats and mice, rest during the day, often staying in cool underground burrows. At night they search for food. Animals that are out during the day, such as cold-blooded lizards and snakes, are active only for short periods. As their body temperature rises, these reptiles（爬行动物） move into the shade in order to cool down. In the early evening, when the sun grows weaker, the reptiles become more active and begin their search for food again.
Getting enough water to survive is a major problem for all desert animals. Some desert animals, like desert birds, manage to find water holes. Other desert animals, such as the kangaroo rat and the related jerboa, get water only from the food that they eat. Because these animals eat mainly dry seeds, they must survive on a tiny amount of water.
Most deserts have only a small number of frogs and toads because these animals must be near water to survive. Yet even these creatures have adapted(适应) to desert conditions. When small amounts of water collect in temporary streams, the desert-living frogs and toads become active. After a rainfall, they lay their eggs. The eggs grow into tadpoles in a few days and into adults in just four weeks. When the puddles(水坑) dry up, the adult frogs or toads dig into the ground. Their metabolism(新陈代谢) slows, and they stay beneath the ground until the next rain, which may be as good as a year away. Until then, their bodily activities continue at a reduced rate.
The camel — often called the ship of the desert — is one of the most successful desert animals. Camels can go for long periods without water, but eventually they must drink. When water becomes available to them after a long drought, they may drink 95 liters of water or more. When water is not available, what helps camels survive the desert heat is the fat stored in their humps(驼峰). A camel’s hump contains about 12 kilograms of fat. Fat is rich in hydrogen. As the fat is digested, hydrogen from the fat combines with oxygen in the air that the camel breathes. The result is H2O, or water. Each kilogram of fat that a camel digests produces about a liter of water. Desert animals are usually more active at night because _____.
| A．it is cooler at night |
| B．it is easier to find water |
| C．they like the dark |
| D．they are less likely to be attacked at night |
Which of the following desert animals can get water only from the food?
| A．The camel. |
| B．The kangaroo. |
| C．The frog. |
| D．The rat. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．All the desert animals rest during the day. |
| B．All the desert animals don’t rest during the day. |
| C．Cold-blooded desert animals are out most of the day. |
| D．None of the cold-blooded desert animals go out during the day. |
The title for this passage could probably be _____.
| A．Hot Deserts |
| B．Desert Animals |
| C．How Desert Animals Get Water |
| D．Ways To Escape the Desert Heat |
The underlined word “burrows” in the first paragraph can be replaced by _____.
| A．holes |
| B．caves |
| C．rooms |
| D．openings |
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