North America's birds are disappearing from the skies at a rate that's shocking even to ornithologists （鸟类学家）.Since the 1970s, the continent has lost 3 billion birds, nearly 30% of the total, and even common birds such as sparrows and blackbirds are in decline, U.S. and Canadian researchers report this week online in Science. The findings raise fears that some familiar species could go the way of the passenger pigeon, a species once so abundant that its extinction in the early 1900s seemed unthinkable.
The results, ever done to North American birds, point to ecosystems in disorder because of habitat loss and other factors, researchers say. Yet ecologist Paul Ehrlich at Stanford University, California sees some hope in this new bad news: “ It might encourage needed action in view of the public interest in our feathered friends. ”
In past decades, Ehrlich and others have recorded the decline of particular bird groups, including migratory songbirds. All together, they studied 529 bird species, about three-quarters of all species in North America, accounting for more than 90% of the entire bird population. Rosenberg and his colleagues report Grassland birds have declined by 53% since 1970—a loss of 700 million adults in the 31 species studied. Habitat loss may be to blame.
The familiar birds that flock by the thousands in suburbs were not exempt（例外）. “There's a decline of the numbers of common birds,” Rosenberg says. His team determined that 19 common species have each lost more than 50 million birds since 1970. Twelve groups, including sparrows, warblers, finches, and blackbirds, were particularly hard hit. Even introduced species that have increased in North America, such as starlings and house sparrows, are losing ground.
1.What is happening to North America's birds?
A.Most of them are dying out. B.Some of them are decreasing.
C.They are disappearing quickly. D.They are raising fears to humans.
2.What does Paul Ehrlich mean?
A.The bad news will bring interest to the birds.
B.The bad news might alarm people to take action.
C.North America's birds need our help.
D.North America's birds suffered great loss.
3.What is the last paragraph mainly about?
A.Some common birds are also decreasing.
B.Some birds die from losing their habitat.
C.The research team found some unusual things.
D.The research team studied birds in North America.
4.In which section of a website may this text appear?
A.Environment. B.Health.
C.Education. D.Science.
In 2011, during his freshman year at the University of Maryland, Simon was struck by how much food was thrown away in the college cafeteria. " I was shocked to see someone buy a full sandwich, eat half of it, and throw the other half out," said Simon. "It was not the values I grew up with. " To him, discarded food was a "natural goldmine” he could source to do good.
Four years later, Simon cofounded Imperfect Produce, a subscription-based home-delivery service for discounted “ugly" fruits and vegetables that are perfectly good on the inside, but otherwise rejected from the food supply chain for their looks.
“Up to 20% of the fruits and vegetables grown on farms in America are thrown away because the produce doesn't meet grocery stores" standards," said Simon. "It's often for discoloration, scarring on the surface caused by the fruit rubbing against a tree limb or an atypical shape,” he said. "Sometimes it's the size. " Simon, 29, and Chesler, 27, decided to source this "ugly" produce directly from farms and deliver it to customers for about 30% less than conventional grocery store prices.
"The reason why we created Imperfect Produce as a direct-to-consumer business is because grocery stores didn't want to partner with us,” said Simon. “So we became our own store. " The San Francisco-based service launched in August 2015. Today, Imperfect Produce has more than 200,000 subscribers in 22 cities. The company sources its produce from 250 growers nationwide, and slightly more than half of it is organic. To date, Simon said the service has helped recover 40 million pounds of food from going to waste.
Simon declined to disclose income but said this year's sales are expected to double last year's. The business is not yet profitable, but he hopes to expand the service to 40 cities by the end of 2019 and eventually take the company public at some point.
1.What does the underlined word “discarded” in Paragraph 1 refer to?
A.Wasted. B.Rejected.
C.Disliked. D.Eaten.
2.Why are many fruits and vegetables wasted?
A.They are not tasty. B.They are not nutritious.
C.They are poorly looking. D.They are not good inside.
3.What made Simon create Imperfect Produce as a direct-to-consumer business?
A.High price offered by him.
B.The wish to set up his own business.
C.His desire to offer service to others.
D.Grocery stores" unwillingness to cooperate with him.
4.What can be inferred about Simon?
A.He wants to help the poor.
B.He thinks a lot about the wasted food.
C.He has expanded his service to 40 cities.
D.He expects to make profits from his business.
Looking for somewhere to go during the months of December, January and February? From snow-capped ski resorts to sunny islands, these are the hottest travel destinations to visit this winter.
St. Lucia
Longing for a tropical （热带的）getaway? Set your sights on St. Lucia. With Kayak reporting a 197 percent surge （激增）in interest, this Eastern Caribbean island nation is on the verge of blowing up. Which shouldn't be a shock given that it delivers a mix of volcanic coastline, lush rainforests, dramatic mountains, coral reefs, and high-end resorts. Simply put： whether you're seeking romance or adventure, you'll find it in St. Lucia.
Mexico City, Mexico
With mouth-watering food, fashionable hotels, superb shopping, and tons of historic sites, Mexico City is definitely one to add to your list for the upcoming winter season. Since it's a major international airport, you can usually score flight deals.
New York City
While there's no bad month to experience the Big Apple, the frosty season is particularly magical. Guess that's why New York City ranks among the most searched winter travel destinations, according to Expedia. The most cherished attractions? The ice skating rink（溜冰场）at Rockefeller Center and sledding in Central Park.
Paris
“Many people frequent Paris in spring and summer,” reveals Hudson. “The trade-off for picture-perfect weather? Long lines at museums, plus a Metro chock-full of map-toting tourists. ” Based on Expedia data, the cheapest month to go to Paris is February. Our advice? Pack your most fashionable raincoat and let the winter sadness fade away in the City of Light.
1.Where will you go if you long for a risky trip?
A.St. Lucia. B.Mexico City, Mexico.
C.New York City. D.Paris.
2.What is special about Mexico City?
A.Its weather is always great.
B.It often offers discounted air tickets.
C.It provides magical experience in winter.
D.It is the most searched winter travel destination.
3.What can we learn about Paris?
A.It is a fashionable city.
B.Its climate is quite perfect.
C.Its winter sports are attractive.
D.It is a popular tourist destination in spring.
假如你是李华。恰逢新年之际，你的美国笔友Mike即将来到中国，他来信向你询问有关中国春节的习俗，请你回信告诉他有关的习俗。
要点如下：
1. 时间；2. 目的：团聚 3. 庆祝活动：吃团圆饭，放鞭炮, 贴对联，走亲访友, 给孩子“压岁钱”等。
要求：1. 词数100左右, 开头已给出，不计入总词数；
2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：对联couplets 压岁钱 lucky money
Dear Mike,
I’m glad to know you are coming to China. Now let me share something about the Spring Festival with you.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
下面短文中共有10处语言错误，请在有错误的地方增加、删除或修改某个单词。
增加： 在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除： 把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改： 在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.、每处错误及其修改均限一词；
2、只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The other day, it was my birthday and I was looking forward to see my friends. We were meeting at a my favorite Italy restaurant. I was exciting and got to the restaurant at exactly 7 o’clock. I looked around for a familiar face but failed. Still, I decided to wait for him patiently. The restaurant quickly filled up with customer, but none of them were my friends. I called Lily, but she didn’t answer. I felt lonely and sadly. My friends had forgotten my birthday. I went home, opened the door and walk into the dark house. Suddenly the lights went off and my friends jumped up and shouted “Surprise!” They hadn’t forgotten, it was the best birthday ever.
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡相应位置上。
In 1939, MGM studios in Hollywood created 1. is still the most successful film of all time — Gone with the Wind. This amazing film came during an important period in Hollywood history. Among the 20 highest-earning films of all time, five of them were made between 1927 and 1961. Later, thanks to the 2. (popular) of Hollywood films during this 34-year period, it became known as “The Golden Age of Hollywood”.
Hollywood’s golden age had its beginnings earlier in the century, 3. Henry Ford invented a new way of producing cars. Ford’s car, the Model T, 4. (produce) rapidly and cheaply, and this influenced many aspects of American life, one of which was the movie industry.
Movies were also made in a new way known as the “Hollywood studio system”. It 5. (standard) the way movies were produced. Movies had to be made quickly and cheaply because the major studios owned hundreds of theaters across the US. These theaters showed the studio’s films, and they needed as endless stream of new releases (发行). 6. (achieve) this, the studios employed thousands of people — actors, producers, directors, writers and technicians, and operated much 7. a factory. The result was a large number of films that were all quite similar.
The Golden Age of Hollywood ended in the 1960s as movie ticket sales started falling. In response,
8. new generation of filmmakers was given much 9. (much) freedom by the studios. Today, there are still many great movies 10. (make), such as Zeroville (《梦幻影都》), in Hollywood.
