Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people, and many animals, like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper - a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey, and the wax, always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?
| A．It's small in size. | B．It's hidden in trees. |
| C．It's covered with wax. | D．It's hard to recognize. |
What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．A bee. | B．A bird. |
| C．A honey seeker. | D．A beekeeper. |
The honey guide is special in the way _______.
| A．it gets its food | B．it goes to church |
| C．it sings in the forest | D．it reaches into bees' nests |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Bees | B．Wax and Honey |
| C．Beekeeping in Africa | D．Honey-Lover's Helper |
B
Global warming will significantly increase the frequency of lightning strikes, according to a US research.
The research, published in Science, was carried out with the help of data from a US network of lightning detectors. The teams says they have calculated how much each extra degree in temperature will raise the frequency of lightning. "For every two lightning strikes in 2000, there will be three lightning strikes in 2100," said David Romps, at the University of California, Berkeley.
As well as triggering more wild fires, he said, this would alter the chemistry of the atmosphere.
The team's work reveals a new method of working out the relationship between temperature and lightning storms, by estimating the heat energy available to "fuel" storm clouds. "As the planet warms, there will be more of this fuel around, so when thunderstorms get triggered, they will be more energetic," said Prof Romps.
He and his colleagues calculated that every 1℃rise in global temperature would lead to an increase in the frequency of lightning strikes by 12%.
They validated their calculations against a year of data from the US National Lightning Detector Network, which detects an electromagnetic pulse every time lightning strikes in the US. "The resulting data is exquisite," said Dr Romps. "The position and time of every lightning strike is very accurately recorded."
As well as triggering half of the wildfires in the US, each lightning strike— a powerful electrical discharge— sparks a chemical reaction that produces a "puff" of greenhouse gases called nitrogen oxides." Lightning is the
dominant source of nitrogen oxides in the middle and upper troposphere（对流层）," said Prof Romps.
And by controlling this gas, it indirectly regulates other greenhouse gases including ozone and methane. Prof Romps said that this was an example of a large response to "what sounds like only a few degrees of warming".
A scientist at the UK Met Office said it was important to understand future lightning patterns, but cautioned that there were still uncertainties in the researchers' model that needed to be tested further. The Met Office added that the application of this forecast to other parts of the world could be limited by the fact that rainfall patterns were very uncertain in many regions.
The best title for the passage should be .
| A．Global warming causes more wildfires |
| B．A new research on the effects of global warming |
| C．Climate change will make lightning strike more |
| D．The relationship between temperature and lightning |
According to Prof. Romps, .
| A．it remains to be seen whether the lightning will trigger wildfires |
| B．the research is working out the causes of the wildfires |
| C．they detected an electromagnetic pulse every time lightning strikes in the US |
| D．lightning plays a major role in creating nitrogen oxides in the middle and upper troposphere |
What did the UK Met Office think of the result of the research?
| A．The researchers’ model was not convincing enough. |
| B．The rainfall patterns stayed stable in many areas over a long time. |
| C．The result wouldn’t be applied to other parts of the world. |
| D．No research would be needed to make sure of the result. |
A
Everything I Never Told You：A novel by Celeste Ng
Series: Alex Awards (Awards)
Hardcover: 304 pages
Publisher: Penguin Press; 1St Edition(June 26, 2014)
Language: English
In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
“Lydia is dead. But they don’t know this yet . . .” So begins the story of this exquisite debut novel, about a Chinese American family living in 1970s small-town Ohio. Lydia is the favorite child of Marilyn and James Lee; their middle daughter, a girl who inherited her mother’s bright blue eyes and her father’s jet-black hair. Her parents are determined that Lydia will fulfill the dreams they were unable to pursue—in Marilyn’s case that her daughter become a doctor rather than a homemaker, in James’s case that Lydia be popular at school, a girl with a busy social life and the center of every party.
When Lydia’s body is found in the local lake, the delicate balancing act that has been keeping the Lee family together is destroyed, tumbling them into chaos. James, consumed by guilt, sets out on a reckless path that may destroy his marriage. Marilyn, devastated and vengeful, is determined to find a responsible party, no matter what the cost. Lydia’s older brother, Nathan, is certain that the neighborhood bad boy Jack is somehow involved. But it’s the youngest of the family—Hannah—who observes far more than anyone realizes and who may be the only one who knows the truth about what happened.
A profoundly moving story of family, history, and the meaning of home, Everything I Never Told You is both a gripping page-turner and a sensitive family portrait, exploring the divisions between cultures and the rifts within a family, and uncovering the ways in which mothers and daughters, fathers and sons, and husbands and wives struggle, all their lives, to understand one another.What type of writing is this passage?
| A．An exhibition guide. | B．An announcement. |
| C．A book review. | D．An advertisement. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．James wants his daughter to be a homemaker. |
| B．In Hannah’s opinion, Jack is actually the real killer. |
| C．Lydia takes on the high expectations of the whole family. |
| D．The family members always live in harmony with each other. |
How many people in the Lee family are mentioned according to the passage?
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
D
HONG KONG — In China, the smartphone battle used to be Samsung versus Apple. But not any more .
Over the summer, a Chinese company, Xiaomi, took the No. 1 position in China’s competitive market and became the world’s third-largest phone maker in the process.
Founded in 2010 , Xiaomi was late to the game. But a clever social media strategy and a business plan that emphasized selling services that work on the phone helped Xiaomi build frenzied support from young and trendy Chinese.
With people in China expected to buy 500 million smart phones in 2015 — more than three times as many as will be sold in the United States, Xiaomi is likely to remain its place as one of the most powerful phone makers in the world’s most important market.
Now the company’s founders, who include the Chinese entrepreneur Lei Jun and the former Google executive Lin Bin, hope that status will help them take their brand globally.
Why Xiaomi gained such great success ? The reason partially lies in its fans’ participation. “Xiaomi fans have a high level of organization,” said Li Nan, vice president of the rival Meizu, “They love Xiaomi. It’s a form of idolatry.”
Han Yu, a 24-year-old studying for his master’s degree, is one of those idolaters. He, with tens of thousands of others, helps Xiaomi test its user interface by looking for bugs and offering suggestions. Much of his personal life revolves around Xiaomi. He said he was honored when his suggestion to create a private photo folder was adopted on phones by Xiaomi.
“I really enjoy the sense of participation,” Mr. Han said.
For all its success, Xiaomi’s biggest challenge looms outside China. In 2013, the company hired Hugo Barra, an old friend of Mr. Lin’s from Google, to lead the company’s international expansion. “I would put China No. 1, India two, Indonesia three, then hopefully follow with Brazil and Russia,” he said. “The developed countries with tightly controlled carrier networks are not in the top five.” The countries Lin identifies all have large populations who still have not bought their first smartphone, meaning Xiaomi has a chance.
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．the competition between Xiaomi and Meizu |
| B．the cooperation between Xiaomi and Samsung |
| C．the battle among Smart phone Companies |
| D．the development and success of Xiaomi |
What helped Xiaomi win the support of young and trendy Chinese?
| A．Its low price. |
| B．Its social media strategy and business plan |
| C．Its fashionable design. |
| D．Its international promotion |
Who takes charge of expanding Xiaomi’s market abroad?
| A．Hugo Barra | B．Li Nan | C．Lei Jun | D．Lei Jun |
The example of Han Yu is used to ________.
| A．tell readers that the youth like to show off |
| B．prove Han Yu is very intelligent |
| C．show Xiaomi fans’ participation and devotion |
| D．introduce the designer of photo folder |
Why Xiaomi chooses less developed countries as targeted markets?
| A．Because Xiaomi doesn’t have to pay taxes. |
| B．Because more smartphone may be sold there. |
| C．Because Xiaomi was invited to develop there. |
| D．Because the young people there love Xiaomi. |
C
No one should be forced to wear a uniform under any circumstance. Uniforms are controlling the human spirit and totally unnecessary in a democratic(民主的) society. Uniforms tell the world that the person who wears one has no value as an individual but only lives to function as a part of the whole. The individual in a uniform loses all self-worth.
There are those who say that wearing a uniform gives a person a sense of identification with a larger, more important concept. What could be more important than the individual himself? If an organization is so weak that it must rely on cloth and buttons to inspire its members, that organization has no right to continue its existence.
Others say that the practice of making persons wear uniforms, say in school, gets rid of all envy and competition in a matter of dress, such that a poor person who cannot afford good-quality clothing is not to be looked down upon by a wealthy person who wears expensive clothing. Those persons ignore the concepts as freedom of choice, motivation, and individuality. If all persons were to wear the same clothing, why would anyone struggle to be better? It is only a short step from forcing everyone to drive the same car, have the same type of food. When this happens, all motivation to improve one’s life is removed. Why would parents bother to work hard so that their children could have a better life than they had when they know that their children are going to be forced to have exactly the same life as they had?
Uniforms also hurt the economy(经济). Right now, billions of dollars are spent on the fashion industry yearly. Thousands of people are employed in designing, creating, and marketing different types of clothing. If everyone were forced to wear uniforms, artistic personnel would be unnecessary. Salesmen would be extra as well. Why bother to sell the only items that are available? The wearing of uniforms would destroy the fashion industry which in turn would have a wave effect on such industries as advertising and sales promotion. Without advertising, newspapers, magazines, and television would not be able to remain in business. Our entire information and entertainment industries would collapse.What is the main idea of the passage？
| A．The advantages of uniforms. |
| B．The disadvantages of uniforms. |
| C．Different opinions of uniforms. |
| D．Measures to forbid uniforms. |
Why does the author discuss forcing everyone to buy the same car or eat the same food?
| A．To show that freedom of choices is absolute in modern society. |
| B．To show that the government has too much control over people’s lives. |
| C．To predict the way the society will be in the next few generations. |
| D．To suggest the result if uniforms became compulsory. |
What does the author talk about in the last paragraph?
| A．The effect uniforms have on personality. |
| B．The effect uniforms have on information industries. |
| C．The effect uniforms have on economy. |
| D．The effect uniforms have on cultural industries. |
What does the underline word “collapse” mean?
| A．Come up. | B．Turn out prosperous. |
| C．Come into being. | D．Come to an end. |
What is the author’s attitude towards uniforms?
| A．Opposed. | B．Favorable. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
B
One hot afternoon I became a thief of music.
For the first time, I created an original piano arrangement of my favorite song. Using only my ears and iPod, I created complex harmonies and voices into something I could perform with only two hands. No help, no guide: I did it on my own.
I’ve been a pianist since before my hands were big enough to reach an octave: with a musician as a father, I was all but born on the piano bench. For many years, my musical identity was defined by the notes others had written before.
This was why, when I added the finishing touches to my piano version of a modern rock song, I was proud of myself : this arrangement was mine. What I’d done seemed magical: an ability to take what had already existed—to “steal” a song from my favorite band—and to change it into something different and all my own. I was a thief, but I was also an artist.
In music, as in other aspects of life, I believe trueoriginality rarely exists. Almost everything has, in one form or another, been done before. The most romantic novel may well be a slightly changed version of a play by Shakespeare, which is likely to be borrowed from the works of Ancient Greece: same themes, different characters. But, the novel is no less deserving of praise just because its uniqueness is compromised. Adaptation is not a symbol for failure.
The gift of creativity is the ability to do what I did on the piano: to find something beautiful, to analyze and twist it, and then to make it new. Such an act is not copying; it is finding inspiration and having the strength to use it as fuel for your own masterpiece. I believe it is my job, as an artist, to rearrange this world into what I imagine it to be.
I refuse to live as if I were trapped within the walls of a museum: looking but never touching, afraid to ruin the so-called perfection of the artifacts inside. Therefore, I will embrace my ability to be a thief, because if I don’t steal what the world has to offer, I’ll never have the tools to share with others a creation of my own.
My life is my own arrangement, and because of that, anything is possible.Which can be the best title?
| A．The Love for Music. |
| B．Changes from a Thief to an Artist. |
| C．My Stolen Piano Lessons. |
| D．A Man Who Steals Music. |
According to the passage , which statement is true ?
| A．Actually there was originality only in music |
| B．He was born on the piano bench. |
| C．The author created the original piano arrangement all by himself. |
| D．The author was once a thief who stole music from his favorite band. |
Why did the writer feel proud of himself ?
| A．Because he became a real artist without others’ help. |
| B．Because he changed a song into a piano arrangement by himself. |
| C．Because he has a father who was a composer. |
| D．Because he could play the piano at an early age. |
What does the underlined word “embrace” mean?
| A．Hug | B． Explain | C．Adapt | D．Quit |
From the passage we can learn that the writer______
| A．never accept others’ advice. |
| B．likes to recreate songs whenever it is possible. |
| C．would rather not turn to his father for help. |
| D．is more of a leader than a follower. |
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