This holiday season, holiday shoppers can for the first time send festive greetings that help protect rather than destroy our evergreen world. The beautiful e-card can be sent via TreeGreetings, available at http://www. TreeGreetings. com.
Each $8.95 TreeGreetings e-card comes with a virtual tour of the actual location where the gift tree will be planted along with a full-color, personalized planting certificate. The greetings feature musical slide shows with nature photography and inspirational messages.
“Our cards exemplify (是…的典型) the spirit of holiday giving,” said Alan Shamir, founder and CEO of Your True Nature Inc., which markets TreeGreetings electronic products. “Our customers can give back to the Earth by contributing to reforestation while sharing holiday goodwill with friends and family.” TreeGreetings offers a full range of e-cards to celebrate any occasion including birthdays, weddings, anniversaries, new homes, congratulations, Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, and Father’s Day.
Individuals and organizations can easily send personalized TreeGreetings to their entire holiday lists at quantity-discounted rates, and distribution on a selected date can be scheduled days, weeks, or months in advance.
Gift trees are planted and cared for by well-established, reliable non-profit organizations including the internationally recognized Trees, Water & People, which has planted 1.2 million trees in Central America, and Plant-It 2020, a foundation created by singer John Denver in1992.
After having received a Magnolia tree for his 11th birthday, Shamir gained a lifelong appreciation for the value and joy of receiving a living growing gift. He said, “My tree and I ‘grow up’ together! It has been such a valuable and important part of my life that I want to give others the experience of having a tree planted for their special occasions.”
1.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A.Creating an e-card for yourself B.The e-card that plants a tree
C.What to send on special occasions D.The spirit of holiday giving
2.What is special about the TreeGreetings e-card?
A.It can be sent to the receiver in advance.
B.It will be attached to the tree planted for you.
C.It can be used as a personalized planting certificate.
D.It is mainly intended for environmental protection.
3.What do we know about John Denver from the 5th paragraph?
A.He used to be engaged in tree planting.
B.He often sends e-cards to his friends.
C.He is the founder of Plant-It 2020.
D.He sang songs to protect our environment.
4.What can we learn about Shamir?
A.He will send e-cards to others on their birthdays.
B.He plants a tree every year on his birthday.
C.He often helps others to plant trees.
D.He planted a tree in his garden.
A day in the life of a sun bear is what you might expect from the name: sunny. In its natural habitat, the sun bear spends over 80 percent of its active waking time in daylight.
But when disturbed by human activity, that changes dramatically. In areas where people are pushing into the sun bear’s habitat, the animals are spending 90 percent of their waking time after dark. Effectively, the threat of human presence is making the sun bear change into “the moon bear”.
Led by scientists at the University of California, Berkeley, the study found that human activity is driving scores of mammals to shift their activity from the daytime into the dark hours of the night. As many animals have already been forced out of their local habitats, others are attempting to avoid interaction with humans by separating themselves in time rather than in space.
For the work, the researchers examined the behaviors of 64 mammal species, including deer, tigers, boars, and, of course, sun bears. They observed increased nocturnal (夜间的) behavior in a large majority of them, with species that are naturally active during the day tending to shift their activity to after dark, and those that are naturally nocturnal becoming more so. The mammals affected ranged across body size, habitat type, region of the world, and diet.
Human activity of all sorts affect animals，lives, including activities like hunting, agriculture and land development, harvesting local natural resources, even hiking or walking through wild areas. Sport hunting in the Hwange National Park in Zimbabwe drove antelopes to spend more of their active waking hours at night, restricting their access to water. Similarly, hikers in the Santa Cruz Mountains in California made coyotes (郊狼) more nocturnal, forcing them to find new preys (猎物) among traditionally nocturnal animals.
The researchers warn that profound shifts in the natural behavior patterns of so many species disturb dynamics that have evolved over generations, leading to a series of unknown effects on the entire ecosystems.
1.What did the study find?
A. More animals separate themselves in space.
B. Human activity changes animals’ way of life.
C. Many animals were pushed out of their local habitats.
D. The sun bear spends over 80% waking time in daylight.
2.What does the underlined word “that” refer to?
A. The sun bear. B. The waking time.
C. Human activity. D. The natural habitat.
3.What can we infer from paragraph 5?
A. Antelopes have easier access to water.
B. Coyotes have to prey on new types for survival.
C. Human activity shortens animals’ sleeping time.
D. Animals have managed to escape interaction with humans.
4.What does the author want to tell us in the text?
A. Human threat makes the sun bear nocturnal.
B. Animals are badly hurt by human presence.
C. Animals become more adaptable thanks to human.
D. Ecosystems may be reshaped due to human activity.
One evening last summer, when I asked my 17-year-old son, Ray, for help with dinner, his response took me by surprise. “What’s a colander (漏勺)?” he asked.
I could only blame myself. In the family, nobody’s hands went in the sauce except my own. But that night, as I explained with a touch of panic that a colander is the thing with holes in it, I wondered what else I hadn’t prepared Ray for. I felt confident that I’d raised a self-reliant boy, as we all try to do. But could he boil water? Suddenly it hit me: He’d be leaving the house in a year to attend college. No way was I going to send a spoiled prince into the world.
As parents, while we focus on our children’ s confidence and character, we perhaps don’t always consider that we are also raising someone’s future roommate, boyfriend, husband, or father. I wanted to know that I’d raised a boy who would never ask the woman in his life, “What’s for dinner?” So I came up with a plan: I would offer Ray a private home economics course. I was delighted to find that he didn’t say no.
For two hours, three days a week, Ray was all mine. One day, as his tomato sauce reduced on the stove, he washed and seasoned a chicken for roasting. Then he rolled out the piecrust and filled it with apples, all while listening to my explanation on the importance of preheating an oven.
Grandparents being tailors, Ray was genetically programmed to quickly master the basics like refastening a button. One day we covered Advanced Laundry, in which I taught him never to mix a red sweatshirt with white or put sweaters in the dryer. I knew that he would rather have been shooting hoops in the driveway than learning to mend socks with his mother — he tried to beg off sewing lessons, even though I insisted that one day, someone would find the sight of him fixing his own shirt very attractive — but it couldn’t be denied that he was learning, and more than just housekeeping. “I appreciate what you do as a mom,” he told me one day.
Ray now understands the finer points of cooking, and more importantly, he realizes there’s nothing masculine (男子气概的) about being helpless. Not only can he make his own dinner, but also he can make a big meal for his family. That’s what I call a man.
1.Hearing her son’s question, the author felt ______.
A.angry B.shocked
C.disappointed D.calm
2.What can we learn from the text?
A.Ray made great progress in cooking.
B.Ray preferred sewing to cooking.
C.Ray was unwilling to take the course initially.
D.Ray always thought it attractive to do housework.
3.The underlined part “more than just housekeeping” in the 5th paragraph shows that Ray ______.
A.fell in love with housework
B.did other work in the house
C.acknowledged his mother’s efforts
D.began to be more independent
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.Are women Programmed for Housework?
B.Should Boys be Involved in Housework?
C.I’m Proud of My Private Cooking Course
D.A Present for My Future Daughter-in-law
Statue of Liberty Basics
● Statue of Liberty phone: 212-363-3200
● Statue cruise phone: 877-LADY-TIX
● Nearest subways to Statue of Liberty:
4/5 to Bowling Green; N/R to Whitehall Street; 1 to South Ferry (you must be in the first 5 cars of the train to exit at South Ferry). Follow the signs to Castle Clinton to buy tickets for the ferry to the Statue of Liberty.
● There is plenty of room for running around and relaxing on Liberty Island.
● Admission to Liberty State Park is free, but you must buy a ferry ticket to get there.
Statue Cruises Ferry Ticket Prices:
Adult $13; senior Citizens (62+) $10; children (4-12) $5; children 3 and under free. You can buy your tickets for the ferry online at http//:www.statuecruises.come/ferry-service/welcome.aspx.
Ferry ticket is included with the New York Pass — present New York Pass in Castle Clinton bookstore for ticket.
For children 7-12 there is a Junior Ranger Program available. Pick up a free booklet on Liberty Island.
Statue of Liberty Tour Hour
● Ferries to the island leave from 8:30 am to 4:30 pm. Liberty Island closes at 6 pm and the last ferry returns to Battery Park by 6:30. Schedules are updated and revised frequently, so please check the official ferry schedule.
Statue of Liberty Tour Reservation
● Climb the Crown of the Statue of Liberty with a Crown ticket, which costs an additional $3 and includes access to the Museum and Pedestal as well.
● Museum/ Pedestrian tickets are free (with ferry ticket purchase).
● Order your tickets in advance: 877-LADY-TIX or online when you purchase your ferry ticket.
● Tour tickets are time specific.
1.How much is the ferry fee for a family of two adults and two children aged 3 and 6?
A.$ 26 B.$ 31
C.$32 D.$36
2.You can get a ferry ticket EXCEPT ______.
A.at Castle Clinton
B.with New York Pass
C.when you pay admission to Liberty Statue Park
D.online at http//:www.Statuecruises.come/ferry-service/welcome.aspx.
3.In order to catch the last ferry back to downtown, you should ______.
A.take the ferry back by 4:30 B.arrive at Battery Park by 6:30
C.check first in case of any change D.take the first ferry to the island at 8:30
读后续写:阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写,使之构成一个完整的故事。
A few weeks before Thanksgiving one year, my husband and I decided to invite a guest over for the holiday. I called a senior center and they suggested Ilse. She was a stubborn 78- year-old lady, who favored sequined（亮片的）T-shirts.
On Thanksgiving, within minute of arriving, Ilse welcomed the glass of wine my husband offered with a wide smile. By the end of the evening, we felt as if we were old friends. The more time I spent with Ilse, the more she became like a surrogate （替代的）grandma. So when her only son Ralph died, I realized she was too upset to be left alone and helped her hire a caregiver. For me, she was like a family and I was the only one left in her tribe.
Each time I stopped by her apartment, Ilse seemed more disconnected than the time before. Late one afternoon, when I called her, I was unable to understand what she was saying. I drove her to the emergency room, where the doctor confirmed she had suffered a mild stroke. During the next few days, I dropped by her apartment, but she was no longer the energetic, stubborn Ilse I knew. At the end of the week, I received an early-morning phone call from her caregiver. " Please come over now," the woman said, her voice matter-of- fact. "She's passed away. ” When I arrived, I saw Ilse lying on her bed, motionless, her eyes closed. I sat on the edge of the bed, too shocked to cry.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150词左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分为两段,每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
The morning after Ilse's death, I read through her will and saw my name.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
I donated the money to a cause she cared about deeply: children.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假如你是李华，一批来自澳大利亚的师生将于下周六来你校交流访问，校学生会正 在招募志愿者为他们担任英语导游，你想成为其中一员。请你给校学生会写一封申请 信，内容包括：
1. 写信目的。
2. 个人优势。
3. 能做的事。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3. 开头结束语已为你写好。
参考词汇:学生会Students' Union
Dear Students ' Union,
I’m Li Hua.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
