What looks like an angry old man and lives at the bottom of the ocean? It’s the world’s ugliest animal---the blobfish(水滴鱼).
Its strange skin is shaped by its habitat. It lives 800 meters below the ocean’s surface, a depth where very few other creatures can survive.
Most fishes have a swim bladder(鱼鳔), which is filled with gas and helps them stay afloat. At the depth that the blobfish live, water pressure is 80 times higher than that at higher sea levels and any swim bladder wouldn’t be able to serve its purpose.
The blobfish don’t have a swim bladder because their skin works the same way. It helps them stay afloat without having to use any energy.
The blobfish have a pretty relaxed attitude towards eating. All they do is stay and wait for crabs or lobsters to come by.
Since the blobfish like to eat crabs and lobsters, they often get caught in nets that are used to catch lobsters or crabs and end up dying or being killed. They are not suitable for eating so they are useless for fishermen.
There’s a purpose behind the blobfish’s new title; it has become the new mascot for the Ugly Animal Preservation Society, an organization whose purpose is to preserve endangered ugly animals.
“We’ve needed an ugly face for endangered ugly animals for a long time and I’ve been amazed by the public reaction,” said the Society’s Simon Watt. “For too long cute animals have taken the limelight(风头) but now the blobfish will be a voice for those who always get forgotten.”They hope this new face will help the world know that we need to help preserve the populations of ugly animals too.The biggest difference between the blobfish and most other fishes is that the blobfish_____ .
| A．cannot be eaten by people |
| B．don’t have a swim bladder |
| C．only live at high sea levels |
| D．aren’t active in catching food |
What makes the blobfish stay afloat?
| A．Their skin. | B．Their tail. |
| C．Their mouth. | D．Their swim bladder. |
We can learn from what Simon Watt said that _____ .
| A．most ugly animals are in danger |
| B．the population of the blobfish is increasing |
| C．the blobfish have attracted the public’s attention |
| D．people knew nothing about the blobfish in the past |
What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To discuss the importance of preserving animals. |
| B．To give the reason for starting an organization. |
| C．To present the results of a survey. |
| D．To introduce a special animal. |
Jeremy Shu-How Lin (born in California, 1988), world-famous now, is the first Chinese-American professional basketball player with the New York Knicks of NBA. It hasn't been an easy road for Lin. After high school, Lin sent his résumé and a DVD of highlights to all the Ivy League schools, and his dream schools Stanford and UCLA. Harvard and Brown were the only schools that guaranteed him a spot on their basketball teams, but Ivy League schools do not offer athletic scholarships.
After graduating from Harvard University, Lin went undrafted in the 2010 NBA Draft. Lin spent his first season with his hometown the Golden State Warriors. He saw limited minutes with the Warriors, but was cheered in arenas around the country, particularly in cities with large Asian communities, as fans came out in crowds to cheer their homegrown star. In late 2011, Lin spent less than two weeks with the Houston Rockets, moving to the New York Knicks at the very end of the year.
He has made several trips to the NBA's Development League, a minor league for players who show promise but need seasoning before they can compete at the highest level. It appears to have paid off. In February 2012, after keying the Knicks victory over New Jersey, Lin was named the starter for the Utah game, a position he appears to have a hold on in the short term, as Baron Davis, signed in December to play the position, stays on the disabled list. Lin will likely get stronger the more minutes he plays, and even if Davis returns, spelling the older, recovering player could be productive for Lin, a proven good student who can learn a lot from practicing against a veteran.
Without the services of All-Stars Carmelo and Amare, Lin led New York to a 4-0 record last week. He became the first player in NBA history to record at least 20 points and seven assists in each of his first four starts, which generated a global following known as Linsanity. The Associated Press called Lin "the most surprising story in the NBA". According to the passage, which statement is true?
| A．Harvard offered Lin an athletic scholarship. |
| B．Harvard and Brown make sure of Lin’s position on their basketball teams. |
| C．Stanford and Harvard were Lin’s dream schools. |
| D．Lin’s DVD impressed all the Ivy League schools greatly. |
From the passage we can know that Lin _________．
| A．enjoyed himself in the Houston Rockets |
| B．used to be a leader in the New York Knicks |
| C．is a proven good student who can learn a lot from other players. |
| D．led New York to success with the help of some All-Stars. |
Which state can you infer the Golden State Warriors belongs to?
| A．New Jersey | B．Utah |
| C．New York | D．California |
The underlined word“veteran”in the fourth paragraph most probably means“_______”．
| A．experienced player | B．soldier |
| C．coach | D．team |
Which of the following can be the main idea of this text?
| A．How the word Linsanity came into being. |
| B．Introduction to Jeremy Shu-How Lin. |
| C．How Lin becomes successful. |
| D．Lin and New York Knicks |
A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by the education authorities in part of Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children's safety on the roads.
Until now the Country Council has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, provided the arrangement will not lose money and that children taking part will be attending their nearest school.
The new scheme is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington school. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the Council has said in the past it will not undertake to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to organize a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school's headmaster.
Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a council official has said the cost to parents should be less than £6. 50 a term.
They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make an extra journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new scheme.
The children the Council ran buses for in the past were those______.
| A．whose parents were worried about them |
| B．who would have had to walk otherwise |
| C．who could not walk |
| D．who had to travel a long way |
The new bus service will run______.
| A．on morning journeys to school only |
| B．in connection with an existing service |
| C．only for children living more than three miles away |
| D．only in wet weather |
Agreement to pay for the new bus service has been achieved from______.
| A．the school's headmaster |
| B．the education department |
| C．the bus company |
| D．the parents |
The parents the Council is now going to get in touch with are those______.
| A．who had not yet answered letters |
| B．who didn't want to pay |
| C．whose children stayed away from school |
| D．who had asked about transport before |
Many young people tell me that they want to be writers. I always encourage such people, but I also explain that there is a big difference between being a writer and writing. In most cases these people are dreaming of wealth and being famous, not the long hours alone at the typewriter.
When I became a writer, I had no future. What I had was a friend called George. He found me a home. It was cold and had no bathroom. I could only afford a used typewriter. A year later, however, I still hadn’t received a break and began to doubt myself. But I knew I wanted to write. I would keep putting my dream to the test—even though it meant living with fear of failure. This is the shadow land (阴影) of hope, and anyone with a dream must learn to live there. Then one day I got a call from a friend who asked me to be an assistant for $6,000 a year. As the dollars were dancing in my head, something brought me to my sense. “Thanks, but no,” I heard myself saying. After that, I walked around my little room and started to feel like a fool. I felt a little low.
Later, I gradually began to sell my articles. It was after 17 years of being a writer that Roots was published. At once I had the kind of fame and success that few writers ever experienced. The shadows had turned into great sunlight. Before that, it was a long and slow climb out of the shadows.The second paragraph is mainly about ______.
| A．the job chance the author ever had |
| B．the difficulties before the author succeeded |
| C．the great help from the author’s friends |
| D．the important choices the author made |
The underlined word “something” in Paragraph 2 refers to _______.
| A．the author’s dream of being a writer |
| B．the author’s trouble in making money |
| C．the author’s hard life before success |
| D．the author’s wish to be successful |
How did the author feel after he refused the job offer?
| A．confident | B．angry |
| C．excited | D．unhappy |
We live in central Phoenix, near the canal（运河）. Every day I used to see a homeless old man and his scruffy little dog hanging out down there.
I would tell my husband we should give him food for the little dog. It wouldn't have been a problem; we have our own "mini farm" of animals! But he would say "OK!" and then blow the idea off because of our business.
Being in Phoenix, Arizona, you can just imagine how hot it gets here, but his winter was really chilly! I had just come from KFC with take-out food for dinner. As I was turning by the canal, the man and his dog were sitting right there all bundled up. Even the doggy had a coat on! Not even thinking about it, I pulled into the parking lot along the canal and piled up a plate of chicken with all the fixings for the man and his little buddy（好友）. I gave it to him with a soda and a bottle of water for the little dog. He said, "Thank you, sweetie. You are an angel." And there were tears welling up in his eyes! I told him he was so welcome, and then went home.
When my husband dug into the KFC bag he asked, "Were you hungry, or what?" I told him what I did and he said, "Only you!" Then he told me I had done a good thing.
A few weeks later, we were walking along the canal and found the man walking to me, with his little dog. He asked whether I would mind adopting the dog. With tears in eyes, he said it had gotten too hard for him to care for the dog. He added that he was planning on heading to Washington State but his dog wouldn't have been up to it, so he hoped to give it to me. "Only you! In this city, you are the only person I can believe in!"
Now, every time I watch and pat the dog lying near the fireplace, I will remember the old man's words and wish him good luck.What can we learn about the author from Paragraph 3?
| A．She gave the old man some food on a cold day. |
| B．She met the old man after finishing her dinner. |
| C．She offered the old man nothing but chicken. |
| D．She burst into tears after helping the old man. |
What did the author's husband feel when she told him what she had done?
| A．thankful | B．delighted |
| C．indifferent | D．disappointed |
Why did the old man hope to give the dog to the author?
| A．Because he knew the author was also a dog lover. |
| B．Because the author was the person he could trust. |
| C．Because the author was the only person he knew. |
| D．Because he believed that his dog liked the author. |
What can we infer from the ending of the passage?
| A．The author refused the old man's request. |
| B．The author misses the old man and his dog. |
| C．The author feels the old man was very lucky. |
| D．The author adopted the old man's dog. |
| FISH FOR FUN! DO NOT FISH FOR FOOD! FISHERMEN! FOR THE PROTECTION OF YOUR HEALTH! FISH FROM THESE WATERS SHOULD NOT BE EATEN BECAUSE OF MERCURY CONTAMINATION. Department of Land and Forests |
What’s this? It’s a ________.
| A．letter | B．diary |
| C．newspaper | D．notice |
It has been put up _______.
| A．to give an order for fish |
| B．for a concert |
| C．to warn fishermen of the danger |
| D．for making fun of fishermen |
It told the fishermen ________.
| A．to stop fishing |
| B．that the fish from the waters is unfit to eat. |
| C．that they would never go fishing. |
| D．that fishing was not allowed here. |
Though we don’t know the actual meaning of “mercury contamination”, we guess it______.
| A．can feed up fish for people to eat |
| B．is helpful for health |
| C．can make people lose weight |
| D．is poisonous (有毒的) and dangerous to health |
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