In the shadow of Kenya’s Mount Kilimanjaro, nine Rothschild giraffes, the rarest giraffes on the planet, are free to wander at the English-style manor (庄园). Every day shortly before 9am, they come up to the house and stick their heads through the windows and doors in search of morning treats. The manor’s owners, Tanya and Mikey Carr-Hartley, share their dining table with them. And now the couple are sharing the fantastic experience with the public by opening the manor gates to guests at the giraffe hotel, the only hotel of its kind in the world. Now, guests can feed the giraffes at breakfast but can also get up close to them from their second-floor bedrooms.
Mr and Mrs Carr-Hartley，both 38, spent their childhood living close to the house in Nairobi and have always been enthusiastic about the animals. Tanya said, “Mikey and I grew up near this manor house when we were children. We are both third generation Kenyans and have always wanted to work in conservation. Mikey’s family have been related to the protection of animals for many generations. His granddad helped the removal of giraffes as far back as the 1930s because the Rothschild giraffes lost much of their natural living space. When the house came up for sale, we jumped at the chance to buy it as we had always dreamed of owning it. Now, we were absolutely overjoyed to do something for the giraffe protection. Having the giraffes so close is very special and something which people can now experience by staying in one of the ten rooms at the hotel.”
A conservation project to save them was started at the manor in 1974 by the previous owners. “The previous owners ran a very successful breeding (繁殖) programme, where many giraffes were set free into the wild and we hope to continue,” said Tanya.
1.Why are the Carr-Hartley family unusual?
A.They’re living on the rarest giraffes. B.They share their home with giraffes.
C.They’re good at making giraffes’ food. D.They train giraffes to manage the hotel.
2.What can we know about Mikey’s family?
A.It has had a long connection with giraffes. B.It used to raise giraffes around the manor.
C.It built a new manor for the wild giraffes. D.It removed giraffes to Mount Kilimanjaro.
3.Which can best describe the manor’s previous owners’ conservation project?
A.Visitor-friendly. B.Energy-saving. C.Costly. D.Fruitful.
4.What is the suitable title for the text?
A.Giraffes’ breakfast by guests B.Reasons for giraffe protection
C.The world’s only giraffe hotel D.History of the giraffe manor
Some scientists believe that one of the most intelligent beings on Earth is in fact the octopus (章鱼).
Octopuses usually live at the bottom of river mouths and seas-areas which are not attractive to researchers. They are not social animals so it can be hard to study their interaction with others. And the octopus’ intelligence is not easy for humans to understand. When we observe some animals such as rats or dogs, we can often understand their behavior. Octopuses，however can seem like aliens (外星人). Scientists need to have a lot of imagination to understand what an octopus is thinking!
In the 1950s, the US Air Force sponsored scientists to study the way octopuses use their brains. They hoped that they could use this knowledge to help them build better computers. However, their brains were so complex that the scientists felt it of no significance to continue with it. Octopuses have a very complex nervous system and recent research suggests that they have some of their intelligence inside each arm, which means that each arm can “think” for itself. It also appears that they have a good memory, perhaps similar to a cat’s.
Perhaps the most striking thing about octopuses is their ability to change their color and body pattern. They do this to camouflage themselves to avoid their enemies and also to communicate with others. They can completely change their appearance in less than a second. It can change its skin to look like rocks, sand or planktron (浮游生物).
Some scientists have even suggested that these different patterns and colors are in fact a very hard language-and that each design is a different verb，adjective or noun. But nobody has been able to work out what they might be saying. There’s a long way to go to get to know the octopus completely.
1.What can we infer about the octopus’ intelligence from Paragraph 2?
A.It does not attract scientists. B.Little has been known about it.
C.It is equal to the cat’s or dog’s. D.Much has been done about it.
2.What can we say about scientists’ study on the octopus in the 1950s?
A.They had to give it up eventually. B.They used computers to help.
C.They found its arms could think. D.They judged it lived like a cat.
3.What does the underlined word “camouflage” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Relax. B.Strengthen. C.Hide. D.Express.
4.What does the author think of the octopuses?
A.They are the smartest animals. B.They’re easy to be seen in the sea.
C.It is useful to copy their language. D.It is difficult to understand them.
Buckingham Palace
It is the official residence of Queen Elizabeth II in London. The architectural core of Buckingham Palace is the former Buckingham House，built in 1703. You can visit the state rooms from August to October when the Queen is on holiday. It is one of the world’s most familiar buildings. It has 775 rooms. During the summer the famous Changing of the Guards takes place at the front of the palace at 11:30 and is a popular event for visitors to the capital.
Big Ben and Westminster Palace
It is one of London’s best-known landmarks. Big lien is the name of the clock inside the Clock Tower. It lies at the north-eastern end of the Houses of Parliament. Westminster Palace is one of the largest parliaments in the world. It was built between 1840 and 1880.
The Tower of London
The Tower of London is a historical monument in Central London on the north bank of the river Thames. It was founded by William the Conqueror. It was a palace and a prison (for Queen Elizabeth I for example).There you can see strange guards called “the Beefeaters”. Since the beginning of the 14th century, the Tower of London has been the home of the world famous British Crown Jewels-they are a must of your visit!
Trafalgar Square
It was named in 1835 to give honour to the memory of the British victory over the French at Trafalgar in 1805. There is a huge statue of Admiral Nelson (the British hero killed during the battle) in the middle of the square. It is a popular tourist attraction with the four lion statues.
1.Which has the second longest history?
A.Trafalgar Square. B.The Tower of London.
C.Westminster Palace. D.Buckingham House.
2.What is The Tower of London noted for in the world?
A.Its strange guards. B.Its British Crown Jewels.
C.Its founder. D.Its geographical site.
3.Why was Trafalgar Square built?
A.A battle happened here. B.It could be good for tourism.
C.Admiral Nelson was horn here. D.Four lion statues had been built.
假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。请根据以下四幅图的先后顺序。用英语写一篇短文向校刊“英语园地”投稿，记述你和同学们上周组织“向白色污染说不”主题活动的全过程。
注意：词数不少于 60。
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假设你是红星中学高三学生李华。你校交换生Jim 打算寒假出京旅游，发来邮件请你推荐一座中国历史文化名城。请给他回复邮件，内容包括：
1. 你的推荐；
2. 推荐理由;
3. 食宿建议。
注意：1. 词数不少于 50；
2. 开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Jim,
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Yours,
Li Hua
Financial Education-Awareness Dilemma
When it comes to financial education, the majority of today's youth will regard it as a necessity for certain specific people who want to make their career in the financial world. 1. Actually, elementary financial education is a must for all, as money transaction is an essential part of our day-to-day life.
Suppose you have $100 in a saving account that pays simple interest at the rate of 2%per year. lf you leave the money in the account, how much will you have accumulated after 5 years: more than $102, exactly $102, or less than $102? The test might look simple, but only half of the people surveyed gave the correct answer.
2.The explanation goes as follows: People with low levels of financial literacy suffer from that lack of knowledge at every stage of their lives. Researchers on this subject say people with a high degree of financial literacy are more likely to plan for their retirement. 3.
On the contrary, people who have a lower degree of financial literacy tend to borrow more, accumulate less wealth, and pay more in fees related financial products. They are less likely to invest, more likely to experience difficulty with debt, and less likely to know the terms of their mortgages and other loans. Thus, the cost of this financial ignorance is very high. 4.
What is the solution? 5. Like reading and math, financial education must become part of the core curriculum in our schools. Likewise, parents should engage in regular, constructive conversations about money matters. This will give their kids a solid foundation for financial well-being, which will keep on giving returns throughout the course of their lives.
A. Financial education must start early.
B. However, they miss an important point.
C. Why does each of us have to face a financial challenge?
D. Why does financial literacy matter so much in our society'?
E. Rich people are generally better educated on financial management.
F. Besides, these people have more than double the wealth of people who don’t.
G. For example, they frequently make late credit card payments, overspend their credit limit, etc.
