Rachel Carson，a wellknown nature author in America，was happiest writing about the strength and stability of natural systems.Her books mainly described the inter connectedness of nature and all living things.
Completing Silent Spring took Carson four years.First published in The New Yorker in June 1962，the book alarmed readers across America.It described how DDT entered the food chain and accumulated (堆积) in the fatty tissues of animals，including human beings，and caused cancer and genetic damage.
Carson begins by describing exactly these effects in the first chapter，creating strong images and drawing the readers in.As the book continues，she gives various examples of how insecticides(杀虫剂) are not only unsuccessful，but actually very costly and damaging.She also explains about the biological controls which are less expensive and much more efficient.
A single application on a crop，she wrote，killed insects for weeks and months，and not only the targeted insects but countless more，and remained poisonous in the environment even after it was washed out by rainwater.Carson concluded that DDT and other pesticides had definitely harmed birds and animals and had destroyed the entire world's food supply.The book's most famous chapter，A Fable for Tomorrow，described a nameless American town where all life—from fish to birds to apple blossoms to human children—had been “silenced” by the harmful effects of DDT.
The most important effect of Silent Spring，though，was a new public awareness that nature was so easily destroyed by human intervention(干预)．Rachel Carson had made a brave proposal：that，at times，technological progress is so basically at odds with(与……不一致) natural processes that it must be prevented.
What are Rachel Carson's books mainly concerned about?
| A．The relationship between man and nature. |
| B．The balance of natural systems. |
| C．The interconnection of nature and living things. |
| D．The pollution of the environment. |
According to the text，Silent Spring________.
| A．didn't draw the readers' attention when first published |
| B．mainly describes people's quiet lives in an American town |
| C．effectively tells people how to keep the balance of nature |
| D．showed the harmful effects of DDT on nature |
Rachel Carson thinks that the more efficient way to kill insects is to use ________.
| A．DDT |
| B．human controls |
| C．biological controls |
| D．technical progress |
The publication of Silent Spring makes people ________.
| A．understand the author's outstanding writing talent |
| B．realize the importance of technical progress |
| C．aware of the necessity of environmental protection |
| D．rethink the harmful effects of developing industry |
US chat show queen Oprah Winfrey surprised 300 members of her audience (观众) by saying she would send them on a trip to Australia in December.Winfrey will also film an episode (集) of her show at the Sydney “Oprah” House.
The Australian government said it was spending AUS$(澳元) 3 million to help bring The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country.
Tourism Minister (旅游部部长) Martin Ferguson insisted it was money well spent as it would put Australia in the spotlight，with the popular TV show watched by 40 million Americans and screened in 145 countries.“Oprah is a famous name and she has the power to improve Australia’s image as an important tourist country，” he said in a statement.
Winfrey made the announcement on Monday.After telling the audience that she might take them on a trip to New York，Philadelphia or Los Angeles，she said her last season would provide something “bigger”．
“I started to think about where I would most want to go.Maybe I should take all of you with me to the other side of the world.We’re going to Australia！”she said.
Several episodes will be filmed during the trip，which had been planned for almost a year and will take in beaches，Sydney Harbour and so on.It marks the first time that the show will be filmed with its US audience outside North America.The Australian trip follows a similar act in 2004 when Winfrey gave a car to each member of her audience.
Winfrey is to start her own television channel (频道)，the Oprah Winfrey Network，in 2011，at the age of her 57.What ’s the Australian government’s aim in inviting Oprah Winfrey?
| A．To spread Australia’s culture. |
| B．To develop Australia’s tourism. |
| C．To introduce The Oprah Winfrey Show to the country. |
| D．To improve the relations between the two countries |
Which word can best describe Martin Ferguson’s attitude towards Oprah Winfrey’s Australian trip?
| A．Worried. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Proud. | D．Confident. |
Which of the following about Winfrey is TRUE?
| A．She once brought her audience outside North America in 2004. |
| B．Her Australian trip and episodes have been planned for a month. |
| C．She will film her show at Sydney Harbour. |
| D．She was born in the year of 1964. |
What might be the best title for the text?
| A．Oprah Winfrey takes audience to Australia |
| B．Australians love to see The Oprah Winfrey Show |
| C．Americans want to know more about Australia |
| D．Oprah Winfrey will start her own channel |
Lisa was running late.Lisa,25，had a lot to do at work，plus visitors on the way: her parents were coming in for Thanksgiving from her hometown.But as she hurried down the subway stairs，she started to feel uncomfortably warm.By the time she got to the platform，Lisa felt weak and tired－maybe it hadn’t been a good idea to give blood the night before，she thought.She rested herself against a post close to the tracks.
Several yards away，Frank,43，and his girlfriend，Jennifer，found a spot close to where the front of the train would stop.They were deep in discussion about a house they were thinking of buying.
But when he heard the scream，followed by someone yelling，“Oh，my God，she fell in！” Frank didn’t hesitate.He jumped down to the tracks and ran some 40 feet toward the body lying on the rails.“No! Not you! ”his girlfriend screamed after him.
She was right to be alarmed.By the time Frank reached Lisa，he could feel the tracks shaking and see the light coming.The train was about 20 seconds from the station.
It was hard to lift her.She was just out.But he managed to raise her the four feet to the platform so that bystanders could hold her by the arms and drag her away from the edge.That was where Lisa briefly regained consciousness，felt herself being pulled along the ground，and saw someone else holding her purse.
Lisa thought she’d been robbed.A woman held her hand and a man gave his shirt to help stop the blood pouring from her head.And she tried to talk but she couldn’t，and that was when she realized how much pain she was in.
Police and fire officials soon arrived，and Frank told the story to an officer.Jennifer said her boyfriend was calm on their 40minute train ride downtown－just as he had been seconds after the rescue，which made her think about her reaction at the time.“I saw the train coming and I was thinking he was going to die，” she explained.What was the most probable cause for Lisa’s weakness?
| A．She had run a long way. |
| B．She felt hot in the subway. |
| C．She had done a lot of work. |
| D．She had donated blood the night before. |
Why did Jennifer try to stop her boyfriend?
| A．Because they would miss their train. |
| B．Because he didn’t see the train coming. |
| C．Because she was sure Lisa was hard to lift. |
| D．Because she was afraid the train would kill him. |
How did Frank save Lisa?
| A．By lifting her to the platform. |
| B．By helping her rise to her feet. |
| C．By pulling her along the ground. |
| D．By dragging her away from the edge. |
The passage is intended to ________.
| A．warn us of the danger in the subway |
| B．show us how to save people in the subway |
| C．tell us about a subway rescue |
| D．report a traffic accident |
Historians say Harriet Tubman was born in the year 1820.Nobody really knows. But we do know that Harriet Tubman was one of the bravest women ever born in the United States.
From a very early age，Harriet knew how slaves suffered. At six years old，she was sent to the fields. Working outside not only made her body strong but also made her learn about the Underground Railroad，on which she helped hundreds of people escape from slavery later. She also learned many things from the other slaves，which one day would help her lead her people to freedom. She became more of a rebel (反叛者)．
In 1844，at about age 24，she married a free black man named John Tubman. By now，Harriet was sure she wanted to try to escape. Suddenly，the time came. Her owner died. Though opposed by her husband，she decided to escape. With the help of the Underground Railroad，and through a variety of suffering she finally crossed the border into Pennsylvania，where slavery was banned.
Now that Harriet was free，she did not forget the hundreds of other slaves back in Maryland. Harriet traveled back and forth eighteen times，helping about 300 slaves escape into free territory. She became an expert at hiding from slave hunters. The people she helped called her Moses. At one time，anyone finding Harriet was promised $40,000 for catching her－dead or alive.
During the Civil War，Harriet Tubman went into enemy territory to spy for the North. She also served as a nurse. After four years of bloody fighting，the North won the war.
After the fighting ended，Harriet Tubman returned to Auburn，New York. She kept working. She traveled and gave speeches to raise money for better education for black children. She also worked for women’s rights and housing. Harriet Tubman died in 1913.She was about 93 years old. By that time，she was recognized as an American hero. The United States government gave a funeral with military honors for the woman known as Moses.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．A History of American Black Slaves |
| B．Cruel American Civil War |
| C．Information on the Underground Railroad |
| D．A Brief Introduction to Harriet Tubman |
Which of the following is true of the Underground Railroad?
| A．It was a system that helped slaves escape from the South to North. |
| B．It was a special train，on which slaves couldn’t be found easily. |
| C．It was a special place where slaves could hide themselves. |
| D．It was a group of people who would like to help the blacks. |
The sentence “Later，she told a friend，‘I felt like I was in heaven.’” can be placed at the back of Paragragh ________.
| A．2 | B．3 |
| C．4 | D．5 |
According to the text，we know that ________.
| A．slavery was banned in all the states in America before the Civil War |
| B．Harriet Tubman raised money for better education for white children |
| C．the government gave her a funeral because she was Moses |
| D．Harriet Tubman still worked for black people after the Civil War |
On Nov.18,1995，Itzhak Perlman，the violinist，came on stage to give a concert.If you have ever been to a Perlman concert，you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him.He was stricken with polio(小儿麻痹症) as a child，and so he walks with the aid of two crutches.
The audience sat quietly while he makes his way across the stage to his chair and begins his play.But this time，something went wrong.Just as he finished the first few bars，one of the strings on his violin broke.We thought that he would have to stop the concert.But he didn’t.Instead，he waited a moment，closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
Of course，anyone knows that it is impossible to play a pleasant work with just three strings.I know that，and you know that，but that night Itzhak Perlman refused to know that.
When he finished，there was a breathtaking silence in the room.And then people rose and cheered.There was an extraordinary outburst of applause from every corner of the auditorium.
He smiled，wiped the sweat from this brow and then he said－not proudly，but in a quiet，holy attitude－“You know，sometimes it is the artist’s task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left.”
This powerful line has stayed in my mind ever since I heard it.And who knows？Perhaps that is the meaning of life－not just for artists but for all of us.
So，perhaps our task in this fastchanging，puzzling world in which we live is to make music，at first with all that we have，and then，when that is no longer possible，to make music with what we have left.What made Itzhak Perlman’s performance at the concert special on Nov.18,1995?
| A．There were too many audience. |
| B．He was late for the stage. |
| C．He had a quarrel with the audience. |
| D．One string of the violin got broken. |
Why did Itzhak Perlman continue his playing after one string was broken?
| A．Because he was a person of self pride. |
| B．Because he thought the audience didn’t see that. |
| C．Because he decided to succeed with the broken violin. |
| D．Because he didn’t know that the string was broken. |
Why did the audience give heated claps to Itzhak Perlman?
| A．Because they were moved by his disease. |
| B．Because they were moved by his spirit. |
| C．Because they were laughing at his action. |
| D．Because they were encouraging him to cheer up. |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．When you lose the most important thing. |
| B．How can you give it up easily. |
| C．Playing a violin with three strings. |
| D．Playing a violin by yourself. |
National Family Week－an event that encourages families to spend more time together－carried out a study among 8－15 yearolds.The study found 40% of girls thought Facebook was one of the most important things in their lives－compared with 6% of boys.Parents were found to underestimate (低估) the importance of Internet technology.
The role of social networking was particularly important in families with a single mother as parent.The survey was carried out last month and based on 3,000 parents and 1,000 children across the UK.
The survey shows that girls are using social networking as something central to their social and family life.Girls saw websites such as Facebook as much more influential (有影响力的) than television，magazines, famous people and even their own brothers and sisters.Asked to name the three most important things in their lives, the most popular choices for girls were friends, family and then Facebook and MSN.
Girls are also more likely to believe that technology－in the form of social networking and mobile phones－plays an important role in their lives.While 41% of girls think technology is one of their biggest influences，only 17% of boys believe this.
Girls see their big influences as parents，teachers and technology，while boys choose parents，friends and school as their big influences.The survey says that parents have failed to keep up with their children’s use of technology，overestimating (高估) their own importance in their children’s lives.
The survey also looked at how children thought about their relationships with their parents.It found that both boys and girls would much rather have stories read to them by their mothers.However，girls felt closer to their fathers，while boys felt closer to their mothers.What can we know from the first paragraph?
| A．The study was carried out by the government. |
| B．The researchers studied more girls than boys. |
| C．Boys liked to surf the Internet more than girls. |
| D．Parents didn’t think the Internet was so important. |
How many people were included in the survey last month?
| A．1,000. | B．2,000. |
| C．3,000. | D．4,000. |
Which of the following is NOT among the three most important things for girls?
| A．Teachers. | B．Family. |
| C．Facebook and MSN. | D．Friends. |
According to the passage，the survey shows ________.
| A．girls felt closer to their mothers |
| B．children are better at using technology than their parents |
| C．televisions are much more influential in girls than magazines |
| D．more boys regard technology as one of the biggest influences than girls |
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