Many animal and plant species have become extinct (灭绝的) and many more are in critical danger.
Dodo
The Dodo is a classic example of how human caused damage to the earth's biology. The flightless Dodo was native to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The easily controlled bird became a source of food for sailors and was attacked by animals introduced to the island by humans such as pigs, monkeys and rats. The population of Dodos rapidly decreased and last one was killed in 1681.
Rhinos
The Rhino (犀牛) horn is a highly prized item for Asian medicine. This has led to the animal being hunted in its natural habitat. Once widespread in Africa and Eurasia, most rhinos now live in protected natural parks and reserves（保护区）. Their numbers have rapidly decreased in the last 50 years, and the animals remain under constant threat from poachers（偷猎者）.
The Giant Panda
The future of the Giant Panda is far from certain. As few as 1,000 remain in the wild. The Chinese government has set up 33 panda reserves to protect these beautiful animals. However, The panda's distinct black and white patched coat fetches a high price on the black market and determined poachers still pose（造成）one of the most serious threats to the animals continued existence.
Whales
Despite the fact that one-third the world's oceans have been declared whale sanctuaries（保护区）, 7 out of 13 whale species remain endangered. Hunted for their rich supply of oil, their numbers have decreased to just 300. Collisions（碰撞）with ships, poisonous pollution and being caught in fishing nets are other major causes of whale deaths.
Tigers
The last 100 years has seen a 95% reduction in the numbers of remaining tigers to between 5,000 and 7,000 and The Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers are already extinct. The South China tiger is precariously close to disappearing, with only 20 to 30 still alive. Like the Rhino horn, tigers’ bones and organs are sought after for traditional Chinese medicines. These items are traded illegally along with tiger skins.
Animal Conservation
| Wildlife |
Main features or uses |
Present state(状况) |
|
| Dodo |
|
Hunted for food; Attacked by animals |
Have become |
| Rhinos |
Horns,highly prized items for Asian |
Hunted by poachers |
Have rapidly decreased |
| Traditional Chinese medicines |
Some species extinct |
||
| Whales |
Rich |
Collisions with ships;heavily |
Only three hundred |
| The Giant Panda |
black and white patched coat |
Far from certain |
Usually, when your teacher asks a question, there is only one correct answer． But there is one question that has millions of correct answers． That question is “What’s your name?” Everyone gives a different answer, but everyone is correct．
Have you ever wondered about people’s names? Where do they come from? What do they mean?
People’s first names, or given names, are chosen by their parents． Sometimes the name of a grandparent or other member of the family is used． Some parents choose the name of a well-known person． A boy could be named George Washington Smith; a girl could be named Helen Keller Jones．
Some people give their children names that mean good things． Clara means “bright”; Beatrice means “one who gives happiness”; Donald means “world ruler”; Leonard means “as brave as a lion”．
The earliest last names, or surnames, were taken from place names． A family with the name Brook or Brooks probably lived near a brook （小溪）; someone who was called Longstreet probably lived on a long, paved road． The Greenwood family lived in or near a leafy forest．
Other early surnames came from people’s occupations． The most common occupational name is Smith, which means a person who makes things with iron or other metals． In the past, smiths were very important workers in every town and village． Some other occupational names are: Carter—a person who owned or drove a cart; Potter—a person who made pots and pans．
The ancestors of the Baker family probably baked bread for their neighbors in their native village． The Carpenter’s great-great-great-grandfather probably built houses and furniture．
Sometimes people were known for the color of their hair or skin, or their size, or their special abilities． When there were two men who were named John in the same village, the John with gray hair probably became John Gray． Or the John who was very tall could call himself John Tallman． John Fish was probably an excellent swimmer and John Lightfoot was probably a fast runner or a good dancer．
Some family names were made by adding something to the father’s name． English-speaking people added –s or –son． The Johnsons are descendants of John; the Roberts family’s ancestor was Robert． Irish and Scottish people added Mac or Mc or O． Perhaps all of the MacDonnells and the O’Donnells are descendants of the same Donnell． Which of the following aspects do the surnames in the passage NOT cover?
| A．Places where people lived． | B．People’s characters． |
| C．Talents that people possessed． | D．People’s occupations． |
According to the passage, the ancestors of the Potter family most probably _______．
| A．owned or drove a cart | B．made things with metals |
| C．made kitchen tools or containers． | D．built houses and furniture． |
Suppose an English couple whose ancestors lived near a leafy forest wanted their new-born son to become a world leader, the baby might be named ________．
| A．Beatrice Smith | B．Leonard Carter |
| C．George Longstreet | D．Donald Greenwood |
WELCOME
Welcome to Windsor Castle, the oldest and largest occupied castle in the world． Windsor is one of the official residences（住所） of the Queen, who sometimes stays here．
Audio tours
Free audio tours are available on leaving the Admission Centre at the start of your visit． There is a descriptive audio tour for blind and poor-sighted visitors．
Guided tours
Visitors can explore the history of the Castle through a tour of the Precincts with an expert guide． Tours depart at regular intervals throughout the day from the Courtyard and finish at the entrance to the State Apartments．
Visitors with children
For those visiting with children, a special family tour and various activities are offered during school holidays and at weekends． Please note that, for safety reasons, pushchairs are not permitted in the State Apartments． However, baby carriers are available to borrow．
St George’s Chapel
Visitors arriving at the Castle after 15:00 from March to October are advised to visit St George’s Chapel first, before it closes．
Shopping
Shops offer a wide range of souvenirs designed for the Royal Collection, including books, postcards, china, jewellery, and children’s toys． Please ask at the Middle Ward shop about our home delivery service．
Refreshments
Bottled water can be purchased from the Courtyard and Middle Ward shops． From April to September ice cream is also available． Visitors wishing to leave the Castle for refreshments in the town may obtain re-entry permits from the castle shops． Eating and drinking are not permitted in the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel．
Photography and mobiles phones
Non-commercial photography and filming are welcomed in the Castle． Photography, video recording and filming are not permitted inside the State Apartments or St George’s Chapel． Mobile phones must be switched off inside the State Apartments and St George’s Chapel in consideration of other visitors．
Security
As Windsor Castle is a working royal palace, visitors and their belongs should get through airport-style security checks． For safety and security reasons a one-way system operates along the visitor route． A visitor can apply for a free audio tour _______．
| A．in the Courtyard |
| B．in the State Apartments |
| C．at the Admission Center |
| D．at St George’s Chapel |
What is specially offered to visitors with kids?
| A．A security guard． | B．A pushchair |
| C．A free toy． | D．A baby carrier． |
Who can get re-entry permits?
| A．Visitors wishing to eat outside the Castle． |
| B．Visitors buying gifts in the castle shops． |
| C．Visitors buying water from the Courtyard． |
| D．Visitors eating outside St George’s Chapel． |
Why are visitors required to turn off their mobile phones?
| A．To ensure the safety of others． |
| B．To ensure the security of the Castle． |
| C．To prevent them from disturbing others． |
| D．To prevent the use of the built-in cameras． |
Ask someone what they have done to help the environment recently and they will almost certainly mention recycling． Recycling in the home is very important of course． However, being forced to recycle often means we already have more material than we need． We are dealing with the results of that over-consumption in the greenest way possible, but it would be far better if we did not need to bring so much material home in the first place．
The total amount of packaging increased by 12% between 1999 and 2005． It now makes up a third of a typical household’s waste in the UK． In many supermarkets nowadays food items are packaged twice with plastic and cardboard．
Too much packaging is doing serious damage to the environment． The UK, for example, is running out of areas for burying this unnecessary waste． If such packaging is burnt, it gives off greenhouse gases which go on to cause the greenhouse effect． Recycling helps, but the process itself uses energy． The solution is not to produce such items in the first place． Food waste is a serious problem, too． Too many supermarkets encourage customers to buy more than they need． However, a few of them are coming round to the idea that this cannot continue, encouraging customers to reuse their plastic bags, for example．
But this is not just about supermarkets． It is about all of us． We have learned to associate packaging with quality． We have learned to think that something unpackaged is of poor quality． This is especially true of food． But it also applies to a wide range of consumer products, which often have far more packaging than necessary．
There are signs of hope． As more of us recycle, we are beginning to realize just how much unnecessary material we are collecting． We need to face the wastefulness of our consumer culture, but we have a mountain to climb．What does the underlined phrase “that over-consumption” refer to？
| A．Using too much packaging． |
| B．Recycling too many wastes． |
| C．Making more products than necessary． |
| D．Having more material than is needed． |
The author uses figures in Paragraph 2 to show _____．
| A．the tendency of cutting household waste |
| B．the increase of packaging recycling |
| C．the rapid growth of supermarkets |
| D．the fact of packaging overuse |
According to the text, recycling ______．
| A．helps control the greenhouse effect |
| B．means burning packaging for energy |
| C．is the solution to gas shortage |
| D．leads to a waste of land |
What can be inferred from Paragraph 4?
| A．Unpackaged products are of bad quality． |
| B．Supermarkets care more about packaging． |
| C．It is improper to judge quality by packaging． |
| D．Other products are better packaged than food． |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Fighting wastefulness is difficult． |
| B．Needless material is mostly recycled． |
| C．People like collecting recyclable wastes． |
| D．The author is proud of their consumer culture． |
The legal age for drinking alcohol in the Unite States is twenty-one. Underage drinking is a crime but also a common part of college social life. This week in our Foreign Student Series, we look at alcohol rules at American colleges and universities. These rules differ from school to school, but many schools have been moving to strengthen their rules.
The United States has more than 17,000,000 students in higher education. Each year, 1700 of them die from alcohol-related road crashes and other injuries. 600,000 more are injured while under the influence of alcohol. And almost 700,000 are attacked by another drunken.
One behavior that college officials are trying to prevent is too much drink. Some researchers have found that students who think binge drinking(狂饮) is normal often think extremely how much other students really drink. A person can die of alcohol poisoning. At Oklahoma University, a nineteen-year-old student died from drinking heavily at a party in 2005.
Now alcohol is banned from all sorority houses(联谊会会馆) and university housing. Student organizations can serve alcohol at events but only on Friday and Saturday nights. Other new requirements include an alcohol education program that first-year students take online.
The rules govern behavior on campus(大学校园)and off. With a first violation(违犯)，students pay seventy-five dollars and their parents are told. They must also take an alcohol education class. For a second “strike”, they have to pay one hundred fifty dollars. A third strike means that they have to be suspended school for at least one semester.
Since 2005,363 students have had a first strike. 30 have had a second strike-and only one hasn’t allowed to go to school for one semester. The president at Oklahoma tells us the aim is not just to punish but to change the behavior and culture at the university.The first paragraph mainly tells us that .
| A．the legal age at the lowest for drinking alcohol is 21 |
| B．many colleges consider drinking alcohol to be a crime |
| C．drinking alcohol is a necessary and popular campus culture |
| D．American colleges and universities have their own alcohol rules |
Every year the number of the students who die or are injured because of alcohol in the USA adds up to about .
| A．17,000,000 | B．1,301,700 | C．601,700 | D．1300,000 |
If a student has a third strike, he or she should .
| A．have to stop going to school for a time. |
| B．be removed to another school |
| C．be locked at home for a period. |
| D．be forced to leave school forever. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．College students are not allowed to drink alcohol at any time. |
| B．If students take an alcohol program online, they can drink alcohol. |
| C．Students having a first strike only receive punishment of fine. |
| D．Students with a second strike pay twice as much as students with a first strike. |
From the last paragraph we can infer that .
| A．alcohol rules have no effect on college students |
| B．drinking alcohol remains a serious problem |
| C．alcohol rules aim to change the behavior and culture at the university |
| D．the number of students drinking alcohol is dropping in one way |
I'll be a photographer. I'm going to bring bits of Australia back home with me. I told myself this before, yet I feel so doubtful on this plane that's flying me thousands of miles away. I was so confident yesterday .But today I don't belong to this plane where men sit with briefcases reading newspapers. They're all adults.
I've never been out of the US. And now ,I'm traveling into Australia alone, a world I know nothing about. A part of me recognizes it as home.
I remember little about my mother, but I remember she had an Australian accent and golden hair. She wan fun and she would often take us to New Jersey beaches, where we would spend the whole day taking walks along the shore. My mom told me that in Australia, Christmas was always spent on the beach with friends and family, and everyone wore Santa hat with their bathing suits. It never got cold and bitter there. My mom was different and I was proud of her.
I don't know how she met my father. but after they met several years, they got married and moved into an apartment in New Jersey. Then I was born and we were a perfect family of three who went out to dinner and watched movies in the dark and loved each other.
I know things have been hard on my father since my Mom died years ago. It's hard for me, too, and I have to experience the wonderful place my mom grew up in and loved. My mom talked about Australia so much and now I have to see this place.
This is an adventure.How did the author feel when he was on the plane?
| A．Confident | B．Foolish |
| C．Doubtful | D．Childish |
The author traveled to Australia alone mainly because he wanted to__.
| A．search his fortune there | B．find more about his mother |
| C．look for his grandparents there | D．find more about this wonderful place |
The third paragraph is mainly concerned with__.
| A．the author's first impression of Australia |
| B．the author's brief impression of his mother |
| C．the reason why the author loved his mother |
| D．the difference between his mother and father |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The author writes this passage to honor his mother. |
| B．The author decides to learn taking photos in Australia. |
| C．The author had a good time when his mother was still alive. |
| D．The author didn't like to live with his father after his mother died. |
Where did the author most probably write this passage?
| A．In America. | B．In Australia. | C．At home | D．On the Plane |
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