San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And. Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times，Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day's coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会). The Council approved, and councilwoman Bess LaRiviere jokingly named the bridge "Nutty Narrows".
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction. They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost $l,000.
It didn't take long before reports of squirrel, using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became known in newspapers all over the world
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and cross-pieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in l084, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to______.
| A．offer squirrels a place to cat nuts |
| B．set up a local landmark |
| C．help improve traffic |
| D．protect squirrels |
What happened over the coffee break discussion?
| A．The committee got the Council's blessing |
| B．The squirrel bridge idea was born |
| C．A councilwoman named the bridge. |
| D．A squirrel was found dead |
What does the underlined phrase “teaching them the ropes” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
| A．Passing them a rope. |
| B．Directing them to store food for winter. |
| C．Teaching them a lesson. |
| D．Showing them how to use the bridge. |
Which of the following is TRUE of the squirrel bridge?
| A．It was replaced by a longer one. . |
| B．It was built from wood and metal. |
| C．It was rebuilt after years of use. . |
| D．It was designed by Bill Hutch. |
What can we learn about Amos Peters?
| A．He is remembered for his love of animals. |
| B．He donated $ l,000 to build the bridge. |
| C．He was a member of the City Council. |
| D．He was awarded a medal for building the bridge. |
The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet ( he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”The author gave David an interview to _______
| A．find a person who is reliable |
| B．find a part-time worker in need |
| C．give him some practice |
| D．show sympathy for him |
The author finally hired David because________
| A．there were no other workers in the shop then |
| B．he needed someone who was willing to work then |
| C．David kept showing up |
| D．he realized David was dependable |
We can infer from the last paragraph that_______
| A．some customers just play jokes on David |
| B．David has had his character changed through work |
| C．the author prefers David to be more outgoing源:Z。xx。k.Com] |
| D．the author feels lucky to hire David |
The author’s tone in describing David is full of ______
| A．pity | B．wonder |
| C．disappointment | D．appreciation |
The Winners Club is a bank account specially designed for teenagers．It has been made to help you better manage your money．The Winners Club is a transaction account （交易账户） where you receive a key-card so you can get to your money 24/7 —that's 24 hours a day, 7 days a week!
It's a club with impressive features for teenagers:
●No account keeping fees!
You’re no millionaire so we don't expect you to pay large fees．In fact, there are no accounts keeping or transaction fees!
●Excellent interest rates!
You want your money to grow．The Winners Club has a good rate of interest which gets even better if you make at least two deposits （储蓄） without taking them out in a month．
●Convenient
Teenagers are busy —we get that．You may never need to come to a bank at all．With the Winners Club you can choose to use handy tellers and to bank from home using the phone and the Internet．You can have money directly deposited into your Winners Club account．This could be your pocket money or your pay from your part-time job!
●Mega magazine included
Along with your regular report, you will receive a FREE magazine full of good ideas to make even more of your money．There are also fantastic offers and competitions only for Winners Club members．
The Winners Club is a great choice for teenagers．And it is so easy to join．Simply fill in an application form．You will have to get permission from your parent or guardian （so we can organize that cool key-card） but it is easy．We can't wait to hear from you．It's the best way to choose to be a winner!Which of the following is TRUE about the Winners Club?
| A．Special gifts are ready for parents． |
| B．The bank opens only on work days． |
| C．Services are convenient for its members． |
| D．Fees are necessary for the account keeping． |
The Winners Club provides magazines which ____．
| A．encourage spending |
| B．are free to all teenagers |
| C．are full of adventure stories |
| D．help to make more of your money |
What is the purpose of this passage?
| A．To set up a club． |
| B．To provided part-time jobs． |
| C．To organize key-cards |
| D．To introduce a new banking service． |
阅读下面短文并回答问题（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
【1】“Don’t stare. Chew with your mouth closed.”Manner minding is expected everywhere, at school, work, home, and even the Internet. What is netiquette? It’s network etiquette(利仪), a set of rules for behaving properly online.
【2】 It’s easy to misunderstand.
When you communicate online, all you see is a computer screen. You can’t use facial expression, gestures, or tone of voice; words are the only information. It’s easy to misunderstand others’ meanings and forget that they are real people just like you!
【3】“Look” good online.
Networks let you reach out to people you’d otherwise never meet. And none of them can see you. You won’t be judged by the color of your skin, eyes or hair, your weight, your age, or your clothing. You will, however, be judged by the quality of your writing. So spelling, grammar, and content really matter.
【4】Share expert knowledge.
The reason why asking questions online works is that a lot of knowledgeable people are reading the questions. If you ask a question, it’s polite to share the answers with others. If you’re an expert yourself, ________________. It’s a long-time net tradition, and it makes the network a better place.
【5】 Forgive mistakes.
Everyone was a green hand at network once. So when someone makes a mistake, whether it’s a spelling error or a stupid question, be kind about it. If you decide to inform someone of a mistake, point it out politely. Why is it easy to misunderstand others’ meanings online? (no more that 17 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ List three things to judge the quality of one’s writing online. (no more than 5 words)
①_____________________________________________________________________
②_____________________________________________________________________
③_____________________________________________________________________ Fill in the blank in Paragraph with proper words or phrases to complete the sentence. (no more than 6 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ Why do people like to raise questions online? (no more than 15 words)
_____________________________________________________________________ What should you do if you find some mistakes online? (no more than 3 words)
_____________________________________________________________________
As long as you have broadband(宽带) service in your home, you can turn on your desktop computer and connect to the Internet. If you have a wireless router(路由器), a device that spreads the broadband connection to other devices, you can set up a Wi-Fi network, which enables your cellphones and tablets go online too. And when you are outdoors where is no Wi-Fi, such as in the park or at the beach, having 3G service allows you to stay connected.
It seems that lots of us have Internet coverage everywhere we go. So why have mobile companies around the world lately been so enthusiastic about a new term, “4G”? First, you need to know that the letter :G” stands for “generation”. Even if you have no idea what 4G is, at least you can figure out that it is a step up from 3G since it’s the latest generation of mobile internet service.
Unlike broadband, mobile Internet uses the same signal towers that provide voice service to your cellphone, which means wherever you can make phone calls with your cellphone you also have an Internet connection.
But mobile connections have their defects: they don’t carry as much information as broadband does, making opening websites and downloading music slower than they are on a Wi-Fi connection. This is why mobile connections have been constantly upgraded since the first generation was launched back in the 1980s.
According to BBC, 4G is five to seven times faster than current 3G network speeds, almost as fast as home broadband. Because of this, 4G is widely suited for services like video downloading, mapping, online shopping and even video conferencing.
To achieve the high speeds, network companies have to spend a lot of money on building new signal towers, which will eventually lead to a higher phone bill if you switch to 4G, and you will also have to get a new phone with 4G capacity. What is paragraph 1 mainly about?
| A．The development of Wi-Fi |
| B．The convenience of using cellphones. |
| C．The influences of the Internet on our life. |
| D．Various ways to get access to the Internet. |
The underlined word “defects” in Paragraph4 probably means_______.
| A．disadvantages | B．functions |
| C．qualities | D．benefits |
What is the weakness of 3G compared with 4G?
| A．Its voice is not as clear as 4G |
| B．It can’t satisfy the users’ basic needs. |
| C．Its network speeds are much slower. |
| D．It has much less popularity than 4G. |
Mobile technology has constantly been improved to_______.
| A．replace broadband | B．increase the network speed. |
| C．download videos | D．connect more cellphones |
What does the author think of 4G service?
| A．Its service is worth the price. |
| B．There is no need to develop it. |
| C．It takes time to be widely used. |
| D．It provides good service at a higher price. |
In the Central Valley of California, famers are reducing crop size because they do not have enough water. Last year, California had the least amount of rain since officials began keeping records. And it may be just as bad this year.
Reservoirs are areas where water is stored. In California, some reservoirs are empty. The amount of snow in the Sierra Mountains is 75 percent below normal. This mountain snow melts in the spring and fills rivers. The water is used by farmers. But now, farmers are warning of the possibility of another “Dust Bowl”, like the one of 1930s. Severe droughts and dust storms covered American farmlands and few crops grew.
Dan Errotabere is a third generation California farmer. He grows tomatoes, walnuts, garlic and other crops in Fresno County. He says the federal agency that controls the amount of water released from dams and rivers has stopped giving him water. He and other farmers say officials are not correctly administering the water system. “The last couple of years-dry years, along with severe environmental restrictions—has now presented us with a zero allocation year”, said he.
Farmer may not be able to plant crops on more than 200,000 hectares of farmland in the Central Valley this spring. Mr. Errotabere will plant crops on just 80 percent of this farmland. He has enough work for only 15 of his 25 workers.
Federal and state officials sometimes reduce the amount of water to farmers even in years with normal rainfall levels. The officials must supply water to the Sacramento River Delta which is home to several endangered species.
Long-term solutions include conservation, recycling waste water and, building “desalinization(脱盐) enters”. These center remove salt from seawater so it can be used on farms. Farmers say better administration of the state’s water system could also help solve the crisis.The farmers in California grow fewer crops due to .
| A．water shortage | B．water pollution |
| C．government policy | D．species protection |
There is no water in some reservoirs because .
| A．snow didn’t melt in time | B．dust storms covered them |
| C．water supply was cut off | D．the snowfall dropped sharply |
What do we know about Dan Errotabere?
| A．He isn’t content with the officials of water system. |
| B．He can do nothing but ask for help from the government. |
| C．He has to employ more workers to work for him. |
| D．He plans to cut down the majority of his crops. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．salt | B．seawater |
| C．waste water | D．desalinization |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Annual rainfall in California decreases. |
| B．Water use in California is not reasonable. |
| C．Lack of water affects California crops. |
| D．Action is taken to rid drought in California. |
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