Every year seals would crowd ashore in Farne Island and give birth to their pups. Between early October and early December, 1,500 seal pups will be born. Almost half of them will not make it past the first three weeks of life.
“The pups have to stay out of the water for the first three weeks, when they have their white coat, which is not very waterproof,” explains the warden (监察员)，who spends nine months on the Island.
“But when you’re born in November on a rock in the North Sea, it’s a tough start to life,” he said. Storms often wash young pups into the water. And occasionally, young, inexperienced mothers abandon their pups and head out to sea.
“We lost 41% last year,” said David Steel, the National Trust’s head warden on the Farne Islands. “Mother Nature certainly keeps them in check.”
Despite the early challenges for every newborn seal, the population is healthily and slowly and steadily growing. There are almost 4,000 seals on a set of islands, which is named a Special Area of Conservation(SAC), meaning it is protected under EU regulations. This successful human safeguarding of the seals’ habitat is huge turnaround(转机).
Just a few decades ago, the seal population was deliberately decimated. The animals used to be thought of as a threat to local fish stocks. During the late 1960s and 1970s, thousands of seals were shot in a cull(剔除)that aimed to protect the local fishing industry. According to the National Trust, between 1962 and 1983 approximately 2,000 adult females and 3,000 pups were shot.
But, as the fishing industry collapsed, it was gradually replaced by tourism. Today, several companies use fishing boats to take groups of people to visit the islands and admire the scenery, seabirds and, of course, the seals that make their homes in this bleakly beautiful place. In the first three weeks after they were born, almost half of the seal pups _______.
| A．would be abandoned by their mothers |
| B．would be protected by the wardens |
| C．couldn’t live independently |
| D．would die mostly in the sea water. |
According to David Steel, death of so many pups________.
| A．is a normal and natural phenomenon |
| B．is mainly caused by farmers’ killing |
| C．can be prevented efficiently by man |
| D．will be controlled by Mother Nature |
The underlined word “decimate” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ____.
| A．increase | B．kill | C．reduce | D．control |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．The Beautiful Farne Island |
| B．A Tough Beginning |
| C．How to Protect Grey Seals |
| D．Tourism or Fishing Industry |
When we think of leadership, we often think of strength and power. But what are these really, and how do they operate?
Leadership today is not about forcing others to do things. If this is even possible, it is short-term, and tends to backfire. If you order someone to do something against their will, they may do it because they feel they must, but the anger they feel will do more harm in the long-term. They will also experience fear.
Fear causes the thinking brain to shut down, making the person unable to function at his or her best. If they associate you with this emotion of fear, they will become less functional around you, and you will have succeeded in not only shooting yourself in the foot, but possibly making a very good employee or partner unable to perform effectively. Fear has no place in leadership.
The way we influence people in a lasting way is by our own character, and our understanding and use of emotion. We can order someone to do something, which may be part of the work day; or we can employ them at the emotional level, so they became fully devoted to the projects and provide some of their own motivation (积极性). Today’s work place is all about relationships. Anyone works harder in a positive environment in which they’re recognized and valued as a human being as well as a worker. Everyone produces just a bit more for someone they like. Leaders understand the way things work. They know the pay check is not the single most motivating factor (因素) in the work life of most people.
The true strength of leadership is an inner strength that comes from the confidence of emotional intelligence---knowing your own emotions, and how to handle them, and those of others. Developing your emotional intelligence is the single best thing you can do if you want to develop your relationships with people around you, which is the key to the leadership skills.
The underlined phrase “shooting oneself in the foot” means _____ in this passage.
A. throw or walk in a specific direction or towards a specific objective
B. to grow forth (向前) from the ground
C. to move or pass suddenly or swiftly
D. to injure or harm one's own interests
An employee may have a feeling of fear in the work place when ___.
A. he cannot work at his best B. he is forced to do things
C. he feels his brain shut down D. he thinks of his work as too heavy
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. People tend to associate leadership with fear.
B. Working conditions affect people’s physical health.
C. Smart people are more functional in the work place.
D. Good relationship is the key to business success.
To positively influence employees, a leader should first of all ____.
A. develop his own personality B. provide better suggestions
C. give his employees a pay raise D. hide his own emotion of fear
Good leadership is mainly seen in a leader’s ability to_____.
A. provide a variety of project for employees
B. help raise employees’ living standards
C. deal wisely with employees’ emotions
D. give employees’ specific instructions（指导）
Standard English is the formal（正式的）English that you need to use when you write in coursework or in the exam. Standard English is the form of English you learn in school. All written English should be standard—that means it should be clear enough for anyone in Britain to understand it. Standard English developed as the main form of printed English in the 15th Century. At the time, every region of Britain used to spell words differently, but printers needed a fixed spelling. Printers like Caxton chose the East Midlands dialect form which was used in London and the South East. Soon Standard English replaced（取代）all written dialect forms – the other forms of English spoken around the country. It also replaced French and Latin in law and in academic（学术的） work. In the 18th Century, people wrote dictionaries and grammar books which standardized spelling — Dr Johnson’s Dictionary of 1755 fixed many of the spellings we still use today. All written English should be Standard English — any grammar rules you learn are for Standard English and you will definitely need to learn them to avoid making mistakes in your work. The rules of Standard English mean using the correct forms of words with the correct spellings.
Avoid slang words（俚语）—words that your teachers or friends wouldn’t understand. You’ll lose marks if the examiners can’t understand what you say or write. Don’t use dialect words. Every region has words or phrases that are only used there. Don’t use them in your coursework, because you won’t be understood. Make sure you revise grammar and punctuation（标点）you have learned, and learn the list of commonly misspelled words you have made. Clichés are ideas or sayings which have been used so often that they’ve become boring and unoriginal. Phrases like, “As good as it gets” “At the end of the day” “In the fullness of time” are all clichés. So are images like, “as fierce as a lion” “as cunning as a fox”. If you use them you will sound boring and unimaginative— that could mean you lose marks for writing and speaking style. So avoid clichés.
What three things do you have to think about when using English?
a. no slang word or dialect b. no grammar and spelling mistake. c. no phrase
d. no cliché e. no punctuation
A. abc. B. bcd. C. abd D.. ade.
What is standard English?
A. the English spoken by British people.
B. the English spoken by American people.
C. the English spoken by British people in 15th Century.
D. the English used in London.
What is the cliché according to the passage?
A. the English full of slang words.
B. the long phrases which are used often.
C. the boring ideas or sayings because of being used often.
D. all the English which is used outside of London and the southeast of Britain.
Why do we need to use Standard English?
A. Because no one can understand dialect words.
B. Because local dialect belongs to certain region, not every one can understand it.
C. Because there are many kinds of English in the world, we need Standard English to make communication easier.
D. Because standard English has been used for a long time.
Which statement is true?
A. All the spoken English should be Standard English.
B. Written English should be formal and standard.
C. Standard English means people should use the words from Dr Johnson’s Dictionary.
D. Standard English replaced all written dialect forms in the 18th century.
Early in the 16th century men were trying to reach Asia by traveling west from Europe. In order to find Asia they had to find a way past South America. The man who finally found the way from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific was Ferdinand Magellan (麦哲伦). Magellan sailed from Seville in August, 1519 with five ships and about 280 men. Fourteen months later, after spending the cold winter on the coast of Patagonia, he discovered the channel which is now called Magellan Strait (海峡). In November, 1520, after many months of dangers from rocks and storms, the three remaining ships entered the ocean on the other side of South America. They then continued, hoping to reach Asia. But they did not see any land until they reached the islands off the coast of Asia. Before they arrived at these islands, later known as the Philippines (菲律宾), men were dying of starvation (饥饿). While they were staying in the Philippines, Magellan was killed in battle. The remaining officers then had to get back to Spain. They decided to sail round Africa. After many difficulties, one ship with eighteen men sailed into Seville three years after leaving. They were all that remained of Magellan’s expedition. However, their achievement was great. They were the first men to sail round the world.
The purpose of Magellan’s expedition was to ________.
A. find a seaway from the Atlantic to the Pacific B. sail round the world
C. carry men to Philippines D. make a voyage to Asia
How long did Magellan and his sailors spend before they reach Magellan Strait?
A. 280 B. 1519 C. 1520 D. Fourteen months
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage concerning the expedition?
A. Cold winter in Patagonia. B. Lack of equipment.
C. The death of Magellan. D. Dangers from rocks and storms.
The number of the ships lost on the whole expedition was ________.
A. two B. three C. four D. five
The best title for this passage is ________.
A. The First Expedition to sail round the world
B. The Most Dangerous Expedition
C. The Discovery of the Philippines
D. The Discovery of Magellan’s Strait
When nature is left alone, a balance is reached among the animals and plants living in one area. But when man starts his work in nature, the balance is likely to be destroyed. He grows a crop and takes it away to eat; then there are no dead leaves to fall on the ground, holding water while it sinks into the surface, or decaying (腐烂) and adding humus (腐殖质) to the soil. Unless a farmer acts with knowledge and skill, he is therefore most likely to make the land poorer. To take the place of the useful matter in the crops that he removes, he uses some kind of fertilizer. Chemical fertilizers are of great help, but the waste products of animals and decaying remains of plants should also be put on the land. In some places, it is a habit to burn waste material lying about, but such burning destroys the useful matter in the dead plants. Although the ashes that are left are valuable when put on the land, a better practice is to bury the waste so that it decays and increases the humus in the soil.
In the past, when the world population was much lower than it is now, a man had little difficulty in ordinary times in growing the food that was needed. When a field had been used some years and had become tired, the farmer could move to another place. The tired land then slowly recovered. Gradually grasses and other plants would appear on it and its productive power would slowly return to normal through their decay. But nature, left alone, would take a long time to bring back the land to its former state; the length of time required would depend on local conditions, but it might well be ten years.
It is a bad practice to grow the same crop in a field year after year. If the crop is changed, the land will suffer less because it is treated and used in a different way. Different plants have different effects on the soil. Therefore, a change of crop will do less harm than the growing of the same crop year after year and a regular change to grass will do good to the soil. Much will therefore be gained if different crops are grown one after another, a method known as the rotation (轮作) of crops.According to the passage, the land will become poorer________.
| A．if all the dead leaves are cleared away |
| B．if the humus is increased after the harvest |
| C．if dead leaves decay in the soil by themselves |
| D．if waste plant material lying about is buried |
We can learn from the passage that the tired land has gradually recovered_______.
| A．when grasses and other plants appear again |
| B．when the treatment is given by nature alone |
| C．after new grasses and other plants have decayed again |
| D．after nature has been left alone for several months |
A modern farmer can hardly move to another place as he did before because_______.
| A．the productive power of a new field isn't higher than that of an old one |
| B．there are few free fields left for him to do farming |
| C．it takes a farmer more than ten years to start farming in a new field |
| D．there will be too many grasses in a new field to grow crops |
It is most likely that the author will go on to ______ in the paragraph following the passage above.
| A．introduce other methods of planting crops |
| B．deal with how to prevent land getting tired |
| C．start another topic of how to make use of land |
| D．explain what the rotation of crops is |
One of Britain’s bravest women told yesterday how she helped to catch suspected (可疑的) police killer David Bieber — and was thanked with flowers by the police. It was also said that she could be in line for a share of up to ￡30,000 reward money.
Vicki Brown, 30, played a very important role in ending the nationwide hunt. Vicki, who has worked at the Royal Hotel for four years, told of her terrible experience when she had to walk silently into Bieber’s bedroom and to watch him secretly. Then she waited alone for three hours while armed police prepared to storm the building.
She said: “I was very nervous. But when I opened the hotel door and saw 20 armed policemen lined up in the car park I was so glad they were there.”
The alarm had been raised because Vicki became suspicious (怀疑) of the guest who came at 3 pm the day before New Year’s Eve with little luggage and wearing sunglasses and a hat pulled down over his face. She said: “He didn't seem to want to talk too much and make any eye contact .” Vicki, the only employee on duty, called her bosses Margaret, 64, and husband Stan McKale, 65, who phoned the police at 11 pm.
Officers from Northumbria Police called Vicki at the hotel in Dunston, Gateshead, at about 11:30 pm to make sure that this was the wanted man. Then they kept in touch by phoning Vicki every 15 minutes.
“It was about ten past two in the morning when the phone went again and a policeman said ‘Would you go and make yourself known to the armed officers outside?’. My heart missed a beat.”
Vicki quietly showed eight armed officers through passages and staircases to the top floor room and handed over the key.
“I realized that my bedroom window overlooks that part of the hotel, so I went to watch. I could not see into the man’s room, but I could see the passage. The police kept shouting at the man to come out with his hands showing. Then suddenly he must have come out because they shouted for him to lie down while he was handcuffed (戴上手铐).”The underlined phrase “be in line for” (paragraph 1) means________.
| A．get | B．be paid | C．ask for | D．own |
Vicki's heart missed a beat because ________.
| A．the phone went again | B．she would be famous |
| C．the policemen had already arrived | D．she saw 20 policemen in the car park |
David Bieber was most probably handcuffed in ________.
| A．the passage | B．the man's room |
| C．Vicki's bedroom | D．the top floor room |
The whole event probably lasted about ________ hours from the moment Bieber came to the hotel to the arrival of some armed officers.
| A．6 | B．8 | C．11 | D．14 |
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