Any car accident is frightening, but an accident in which your vehicle is thrown into the water, with you trapped inside, is absolutely terrifying. 1.However, most deaths result from panic，without a plan or understanding what is happening to the car in the water. By adopting a brace(支撑) position, acting decisively and getting out fast, you can save yourself from a sinking vehicle.
Brace yourself for impact (撞击力). As soon as you're aware that you're going off the road and into a body of water, adopt a brace position. The impact could set off the airbag system in your vehicle，so you should place both hands on the steering wheel in the “ten and two” position.
Undo your seat belt. 2. Unfasten the children, starting with the oldest first. Forget the cell phone call. Your car isn't going to wait for you to make the call.
3. Leave the door alone at this stage and concentrate on the window. A car's electrical system should work for up to three minutes in water, so try the method of opening it electronically first. Many people don't think about the window as an escape option either because of panic or misinformation about doors and sinking.
Break the window. If you aren't able to open the window, or it only opens halfway, you'll need to break it with an object or your foot. It may feel counterintuitive (有悖常理的) to let water into the car.4.
Escape when the car has equalized. If it has reached the dramatic stage where the car cabin has been filled with water and it has become balanced, you must move quickly and effectively to ensure your survival. 5.While there is still air in the car, take slow，deep breaths and focus on what you're doing.
A. Open the window as soon as you hit the water.
B. Surviving a sinking car is not as difficult as you think.
C. It takes 60 to 120 seconds for a car to fill up with water usually.
D. Such accidents are particularly dangerous due to the risk of drowning.
E. In conclusion, if you know what to do in the water, you will be safe.
F. This is the first thing to attend to, yet it often gets forgotten in the panic.
G. But the sooner the window is open, the sooner you can escape directly through it.
The mass death of flying foxes in extreme heat in North Queensland last month underlines the importance of University of Queensland wildlife research released today.The UQ research sheds light on how various species have responded to major climate events.
A study led by UQ School of Earth and Environmental Science researcher Dr Sean Maxwell has spent more than 70 years quantifying the responses of various species.
“The growing frequency and intensity of extreme weather events such as cyclones, droughts and floods is causing unpredictable and immediate changes to ecosystems and blocking existing management efforts,” Dr Maxwell said.“Some of the negative responses we found were quite concerning, including more than 100 cases of dramatic population declines and 31 cases of local population extinction following an extreme event.”
"Populations of critically endangered bird species in Hawaii, such as the palia, have been annihilated due to drought, leaving none of its kind, and populations of lizard species have been wiped out due to cyclones in the Bahamas."
Cyclones were the most common extreme event for birds, fish, plants and reptiles, while mammals and amphibians were most responsive to drought events, with drought leading to 12 cases of major population decline in mammals.Drought also led to 13 cases of breeding declines in bird populations and 12 cases of changes in the composition of invertebrate communities.
UQ Centre for Biodiversity and Conservation Science director Professor James Watson said the detailed information would help inform ecosystem management.
“The research clearly shows species will respond, often negatively, to extreme events,” Professor Watson said.“As climate change continues to ensure extreme climate and weather events are more and more common,we now need to act to ensure species have the best chance to survive.Wherever possible, high quality and intact habitat areas should be retained, as these are the places where species are most resilient(易恢复的) to increasing exposure to extreme events.”
1.How was the UQ researchconducted?
A. By observing extreme weather events.
B. By protecting the endangered species.
C. By recording reactions of animals to extreme climate.
D. By analyzing the reason why mass animal death happened.
2.What does the underlined word “annihilated” in paragraph 4 probably mean?
A. destroyed B. defeated
C. decreased D. disappeared
3.Which of the following sentences is true about extreme weather events?
A. Drought caused 13 cases of distinctionin bird populations.
B. Drought caused 12 cases of population decline in mammals.
C. Birds and mammals are most responsive to cyclones.
D. Cyclones wiped out populations of lizard.
4.What can we infer from Professor Watson’s words?
A. Animals often show negative responses to extreme events.
B. The existing management ways for wildlife protection are limited.
C. Different methods should be adopted to ensure the survival of different species.
D. Complete and undamaged habitats are of great importance to species’ survival.
Finland is the happiest place on Earth, according to the 2018 World Happiness Report of 156 nations.
The report, released Wednesday by the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Solutions Network, ranks the countries of the world based on six different categories of well-being: income, freedom, trust, life expectancy, generosity and social support. This year's report also pays special attention to the happiness of each country’s immigrants.
The U.S. dropped four spots from 2017 and landed in 18th place, and last year’s winner, Norway, came in second place — followed by Denmark, Iceland and Switzerland.
“The top five countries all have almost equally high values for the six factors found to support happiness, and four of these countries—Denmark, Switzerland, Norway and now Finland — have been in first place in the six World Happiness Report rankings since the first report" in 2012, ”co-editor John Helliwell told CNN.“In a division with such excellent teams, changes in the top spot are to be expected."
Rounding out the top 10 happiest countries was Canada in sixth place, then New Zealand, Sweden and Australia. The order of the top 10 nations changed from the 2017 list but the countries did not, according to the report. They were also 10 of the 11 top spots in the immigrant happiness category (including Mexico — 24th overall, but 10th in immigration).
“The most striking finding of the report is the remarkable consistency between the happiness of immigrants and the locally born,” Helliwell said in a statement. “Although immigrants come from countries with very different levels of happiness, their reported life evaluations resemble those of other residents in their new countries. Those who move to happier countries gain, while those who move to less happy countries lose.”
Other major world powers placed in significantly low spots on the list. Germany came in 15th, the UK was 19th — followed by Japan in 54th place, Russia in 59th and China in 86th.
The report, based on surveys completed by citizen volunteers, came just under a week before World Happiness Day on March 20, when the UN declared to recognize “the relevance of happiness and well-being as universal goals and aspirations in the lives of human beings around the world and the importance of their recognition in public policy objectives”
1.The US ranked______ in 2017.
A. 14 B. 10
C. 18 D. 22
2.What is the most significant finding of the report?
A. That immigrants are different from residents in the country.
B. That immigrants come from countries with different levels of happiness.
C. That immigrants become happy when they leave the country.
D. That immigrants and locals feel the similar level of happiness.
3.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Happiness is no less important than any other aspect in life.
B. People’s happiness and well-being should be considered when it comes to policy-making.
C. The happiness report came under a week before World Happiness Day.
D. What the UN declared was beneficial to all human beings.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. World Happiness Day. B. Happiness — forever pursuit.
C. What's your happiness index(指数)? D. The 2018 World Happiness Report.
You probably know about the Titanic, but it was actually just one of three state-of-the art（最先进的）ocean ships back in the day. The Olympic class ships were built by the Harland & Wolff ship makers in Northern Ireland for the White Star Line company. The Olympic class included the Olympic, the Britannic and the Titanic. What you may not know is that the Titanic wasn’t even the flagship of this class. All in all, the Olympic class ships were marvels of sea engineering，but they seemed cursed to suffer disastrous fates.
The Olympic launched first in 1910, followed by the Titanic in 1911, and lastly the Britannic in 1914. The ships had nine decks, and White Star Line decided to focus on marking them the most luxurious ships on the water.
Stretching 269.13 meters, the Olympic class ship were wonders of naval technology, and everyone thought that they would continue to be so for quite some time. However, all suffered terrible accidents on the open seas. The Olympic got wrecked before the Titanic did, but it was the only one survive and maintain a successful career of 24 years. The Titanic was the first to sink after famously hitting a huge iceberg in 1912. Following this disaster, the Britannic hit a naval mine in 1916 and subsequently sank as well.
Each ship was coal-powered by several boilers constantly kept running by exhausted crews below deck. Most recognizable of the ship designs are the ship’s smoke stacks, but the fourth stack was actually just artistic in nature and served no functional purpose. While two of these ships sank, they were all designed with double hulls（船体）believed to make them “unsinkable”, perhaps a mistaken idea that led to the Titanic’s and the Britannic’s tragic end.
The Olympic suffered two crashes with other ships and went on to serve as a hospital ship and troop transport in World War I. Eventually, she was taken out of service in 1935, ending the era of the luxurious Olympic class ocean liners.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE about the three Olympic class ships?
A. They performed marvelously on the sea.
B. They could all break the ice in their way.
C. They all experienced terrible misfortunes.
D. They were models of modern engineering.
2.What did White Star line have in mind when it purchased the three ships?
A. Their capacity of sailing across all waters.
B. The utmost comfort passengers could enjoy.
C. Their ability to survive disasters of any kind.
D. The long voyages they were able to undertake.
3. might have led to the tragic end of the Titanic and the Britannic?
A. Their unscientific designs
B. Their captains’ misjudgment
C. The assumption that they were built with the latest technology
D. The belief that they could never sink with a double-layer body
4.In the end the ship Olympic .
A. was used to carry troops
B. was sunk in World War I
C. was converted into a hospital ship
D. was retired after her naval service
Experience around food is about the place, the time and the people, and “the best meal” can be found in a fine dining restaurant or a crowded street market. How can you recreate that special moment influenced by place and time? Travel is becoming the most popular reason to visit many places around the world. Here are the places that consistently excite the senses.
South of France
Markets with fresh fruits and vegetables and butcher shops are abundant. Regional wines are excellent．And freshly baked French bread with French butter is what memories are made of. Take a chair in an ancient walled city for a meal with a view that you will never forget．
Barcelona
This bustling city filled with unique buildings is a city for lovers of history, architecture and food. Kiosko Universal, a counter restaurant at one corner of the market, prepares some of the simplest and best food we’ve ever had. Give yourself a week to explore and see everything the city offers. The city is not to be missed．
Italy
It’s hard to choose one place or city to visit. Some of our favorite places include the coastal regions on the Adriatic and Tuscany. Friuli stole our hearts last year with its many unique wines, small artisan food produces, and influences from neighboring countries like Austria and Germany．
Mexico City
From unbelievable food markets and casual street stands, Mexico City has become the place to travel for the food lovers. If you want to eat locally, order a Hurache，a street food specialty. All you will need is a local microbrew or Mezcal（龙舌兰酒）to wash it down．
1.Whatis Kiosko Universal?
A. A market. B. A butcher shop.
C. A restaurant. D. A street stand.
2.What do you need to help swallow Hurache when eating it?
A. Bread. B. Alcohol.
C. Juice. D. Fruit.
3.What do the four places have in common?
A. They are tourist attractions. B. They have ancient buildings.
C. They lie in Europe. D. They are noted for tasty food.
Winters are always long and cold in North China. The winter of 2008 was especially tough in onesouthwestern city,________it became extremely cold and itwas also a difficult time for me. What was worse, a(n)________injury happened to me and it might keep me in bedfor several months, “Just in time for the Spring Festival, ” my mother said to me, sighing. But how could I feel the________when the snow was so heavy and I had months of physical _______ahead?
One day I was doing my housework___there wasa tap against the window from a branch of the troublesomefruit tree. On hearing this, with my eyes closed, slowly, I began to recall the fall of 1995 when somebody placed apipe from my pump next to the_______.The earth was sowet that it ______immediately with most its bare rootsupward. Seeing this, my mother_______to pull it out, but I refused．“How hard it’s trying!” I said,________the direction of its strong holding of the earth. “It is ________of a chance to survive.”With tools, we _______dry soilaround the tree and put up some supports into the ground, making it________ upright.
Several months had passed before Icould be _______of it. Surprisingly, when spring returned, my “ rescue_______”had grown some leaves and many________. In 2009 that little rescue stick had grown into a toweringtree. What an unbelievable miracle of life!
The day before the Spring Festival, the _______ at thewindow was continuing, the more fierce wind, the ________sound, as if to remind me to look up and appreciate its powerful life.
That night I slept peacefully having a(n)________.In the dream some flowers were coming out________. The next morning I stood against the window._______the window was the tree bursting with life. Anyway, I had awonderful Spring Festival that year.
1.A. where B. which C. when D. that
2.A. admirable B. terrible C. favorable D. slight
3.A. duty B. joy C. cold D. failure
4.A. treatment B. report C. exercise D. experiment
5.A. while B. as C. when D. that
6.A. window B. tree C. branch D. wall
7.A. stood up B. came out C. got out D. fell down
8.A. decided B. pretended C. failed D. continued
9.A. attaching to B. watching over C. looking into D. pointing to
10.A. confident B. proud C. worthy D. certain
11.A. threw B. turned C. needed D. placed
12.A. bend B. drop C. stand D. swing
13.A. aware B. tired C. worthwhile D. proud
14.A. tool B. stick C. pipe D. pump
15.A. roots B. nuts C. flowers D. stems
16.A. tapping B. striking C. attacking D. hitting
17.A. more B. most C. better D. best
18.A. idea B. walk C. rest D. dream
19.A. politely B. shyly C. passively D. wildly
20.A. On B. Outside C. Inside D. Besides
