In ancient times(古代), people thought that their gods(神) lived on the tops of mountains. They believed that anything above them was nearer to their gods than them. They thought that birds were messengers(信使) from the gods. There were many beliefs(信念) about how to treat birds. Some people even believed that killing a bird was an act against the gods and would bring bad luck. In some parts of the United States, people believe that if they hear an owl(猫头鹰) in the early evening, it means death. Another link(联系) with these past beliefs is in an English expression. People no longer believe that birds are messengers of the gods, but when someone knows a secret about another person, he or she might say, "A little bird told me about it."In ancient times birds were thought to be_______.
| A．the ones bringing news from the gods |
| B．gods, too |
| C．the ones bringing news from human beings |
| D．bad |
In some parts of the USA now, people believe that _______ means death.
A. seeing an owl in the morning
B. seeing an owl outside their houses
C hearing an owl in the early evening
D. killing an owl in the evening
Just hearing the name of the great white shark makes people afraid. In fact， they have more to fear from us than we do from them. For many years， lots of great white sharks were killed.
But thanks to people’s efforts， the population of these sharks is rising again in the US， according to two recent studies.
Why is their growing population something to celebrate? Great white sharks play an important role in the ocean ecosystem. As the biggest predators， they help keep the population of other creatures from growing too large. If the population of an species(物种) gets too big， it will affect the food chain.
Although they are very important， great white sharks had been hunted for their meat and fins for a long time. In 1997， a law was passed in the US to stop the hunting of great white sharks. Gradually， the numbers of sharks started to increase.
The law wasn’t the only thing that has helped great white sharks. Environmental protection groups have also played a part. The research group， OCEARCH， puts an electronic device(装置) on a shark’s fin and then tracks(追踪) its movements. Just as important， they let the public follow each shark as it travels the world’s oceans. OCEARCH also gives each shark a name. The group’s most famous shark is a shark named Katharine. Thousands of people have tracked Katharine’s movements on the website. This helps people see sharks in a new way --- not just as the dangerous killers seen in movies. Learning about sharks makes people want to do more to protect them.
| A．People can track sharks’ movements on a website. |
| B．The population of great white sharks is increasing. |
| C．Some new kinds of fish were found in the ocean. |
| D．Two recent studies show that great white sharks are not dangerous. |
| A．Their meant and fins are very valuable. |
| B．They can keep other ocean species away from danger. |
| C．Other Ocean species cannot live without great white sharks. |
| D．They can stop the population of other ocean species getting too big. |
| A．捕食性动物 | B．素食性动物 |
| C．海洋生物 | D．陆地生物 |
| A．It works hard to make people want to do more to protect sharks. |
| B．It helps thousands of people find their pets. |
| C．Its most famous shark is called Katharine. |
| D．If fixes a small device on a shark’s fin. |
Chris is not a traditional explorer(探险家)—he usually works in an office for a large organization. However， Chris’ job can be just as exciting and dangerous as being an explorer.
Chris works for MSF， an organization also known as Doctors Without Border(国界). Since 1971， MFS has sent trained doctors all over the world to help people who have suffered from disasters， such as wars and illnesses. Chris is a doctor from France who has traveled to many places to organize programs that help people.
At the moment， over 27，000 trained doctors have taken part in MSF projects. The organization received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1999. All kinds of doctors can volunteer for MSF. They need to be ready to go almost anywhere in the world and， of course， they should face difficulties. Most of MSF’s work is in Africa. When MSF chooses a doctor for a task， they have to go for at least six months. When doctors have completed a few tasks， they might be sent on an emergency(紧急的) task following a disaster， such as an earthquake.
But why would doctors leave a comfortable life and a good pay to join MSF? According to Chris， the experience they have is a great help in their life. What’s more， just like the explorers of the past， they need to keep an open mind and learn to get on well with the people they meet. One thing that they can say at the end of any task is that they have made a real difference to people’s lives.
| A．Tiring and boring | B．Exciting and dangerous |
| C．Relaxing and colorful | D．Peaceful and comfortable |
| A．have worked in Africa for six months |
| B．have been sent on an emergency task |
| C．be ready to work for a task for at least half a year |
| D．have suffered from wars， illnesses or other disasters |
| A．Because they can get a good pay. |
| B．Because they can have a comfortable life. |
| C．Because they can help others and get experience. |
| D．Because they can travel abroad with their families. |
| A．Chris is a doctor who has organized programs to help people. |
| B．MSF received the Nobel Peace Prize for helping poor countries. |
| C．Volunteer doctors make a real difference to their own lives in MSF. |
| D．MSF offers medical help to people who have suffered from disasters. |
Mother’s Day is coming. It is a time to let Mom know she’s special to you. Finding the right for Mom on that day is not always easy. We often want something personal and thoughtful. But how can we make it? These following ideas may help you.
Gift of Time
Moms just want to spend time with their children so make it a Mother-Daughter/Son day. Spend the whole day with her. Do the things she likes doing with her.
Home Video
Take your family videos and make them a short home video. She can enjoy it whenever she misses you. Although it may take a lot of time， the process(过程) can be great fun and the result is often priceless(无价).
Mom Mix
Make a CD for her. It’s a collection of all the songs that remind her of you and your growing up.
Write a Letter
Write a letter instead of a simple card. Write about all the good memories you have with her and all the things she has done for you.
Flowers
People send carnations(康乃馨) on Mother’s Day. You can easily spend a lot of money on them. If you have flowers in your garden， or can handpick them， it can be a great gift.
Dinner
Make a dinner and invite her over. You can also take it over to her house and surprise her. Just don’t’ forget to wash the dishes after the dinner.
| A．Because we want to save money |
| B．Because mothers don’t like gifts. |
| C．Because we always want to get something special |
| D．Because mothers are very difficult to deal with |
| A．fun | B．boring | C．easy | D．nothing |
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
| A．you can buy a big cake for your mom on Mother’s day |
| B．writing a letter is better than sending a simple card to your mom on Mother’s Day. |
| C．inviting your mom to eat in a restaurant is a good gift for her. |
| D．buying carnations for her is a good way. |
You don't have much time for you diary， but you really want to remember your best or worst moments in life. Nine Square Diary (九宫格日记) is coming to help you. This new type of diary has nine squares which represent(代表) nine different areas in life， such as plans， feelings and health. Writing this diary is just like filling blanks. It is so convenient that you can finish it in only a few minutes.
Here is a page of Nine Square Diary from Sun Ning， a middle school student.
| A．his dad's | B．his cousin's |
| C．his friend's | D．his uncle’s |
| A．busy | B．glad | C．tired | D．surprised |
| A．had a conversation with the headmaster |
| B．gave advice about building a space station |
| C．helped his cousin to get ready for the singing competition |
| D．went to the shopping mall with his mom |
How would we travel without maps? It would be a bit adventurous (冒险的) to set off from Oxford University to go to London Bridge if there wasn't a map of the London Underground at each station. In fact, a lot of the early map-makers were adventurers and explorers, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries.
So what did people do before there were maps? Well, it was quite easy to use natural signs like mountains and rivers if you were travelling on foot or riding a horse. People took small boats down rivers and followed coastlines. And it was much more logical (合理的) to use time, not distance, to measure (计量) journeys: the next village is a three-hour ride, for example.
In fact, in the earliest maps, people didn't draw landmarks. They drew the stars. It was very easy to see the night sky and use it for navigation (航行). The sky was a lot clearer before the light pollution from cities that we have today. When towns and cities were built, people drew road maps which gave correct distances and directions.
The London Underground was opened in 1863 and it also used a road map style. But a man called Henry Beck realized that travelling by train wasn't the same as driving your car across London. Passengers only needed to know which stations to change at. His new design (设计) for the Underground map wasn't very popular with the train companies at first. But the passengers loved it and in 1933, 700,000 copies were printed.
These days, of course, you can ride a bike, drive a car or go through a forest and know where you are exactly, using a GPS. It's really difficult to get lost!What was drawn in the earliest maps?
| A．Stars. | B．Landmarks. |
| C．Cities and towns, | D．Mountains and rivers. |
When did road maps come out?
| A．Around 15th and 16th centuries. |
| B．When people began to travel by train. |
| C．When people began to travel by sea. |
| D．When cities and towns appeared. |
Which of the following is true?
| A．A GPS helped people to travel long time ago. |
| B．Ancient people could travel on a horse without maps. |
| C．The sky was polluted by light before cities were built. |
| D．Henry Beck's map wasn't popular with the passengers. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Maps have a long history. |
| B．We never get lost these days. |
| C．We can't travel without maps. |
| D．Henry Beck designed a new map. |
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