Does your local high school have a student newspaper? Only 1 in 8 of New York’s public high schools has student newspapers – and many of those are published just a few times a year. A few more are online, which can leave out poorer schools.
Rebecca Dwarka, an 18-year-old senior who works for her student paper said, “Facebook is the new way of finding out what happened. Nobody wants to actually sit down and read a whole article about it. This makes a ‘whole article’ sound a little like a long sentence in lonely places.”
I am not nostalgic(怀旧的) about high school student newspapers and never worked for mine. I put out what was then called a personal magazine with a group of friends because we wanted to write about peace, war and rock and roll without school officials warning us not to make jokes about the local officials.
School newspapers are in decline because students now find out what happened on social networking websites. This is a little discouraging because it proves that for millions of Americans, journalism is becoming a do-it-yourself thing. Every citizen can be a reporter.
When something happens, we look for social media messages. Facebook posts and Tweets have become the means by which citizens and reporters can prove, deny (否认), pass on stories and express opinions without the press’ challenging, researching or slowing the message.
But truly good journalism is a craft, not just a blog post. It requires seeing something carefully and it uses an eye for details to help prove a larger view. And even journalism that gives an opinion tries to be fair. If school newspapers begin to disappear, I hope there are other ways for students to learn that.
1.What can we infer from Rebecca’s words?
A.Students like reading detailed articles.
B.Facebook is the quickest way of spreading news.
C.School newspapers are becoming unpopular.
D.Long sentences are becoming popular in lonely places.
2.What does the underlined word “decline” in paragraph 4 mean?
A.Fall. B.Popularity
C.Increase D.Failure
3.What should good journalism do according to the author?
A.Ignore some details.
B.Spread a message quickly.
C.Act as blog posts in modern times.
D.Give an opinion in a fair way.
4.Which opinion does the writer intend to express in this passage?
A.Social media is becoming more and more important.
B.Everyone can become a reporter at present.
C.Social networking brings about new journalism.
D.High school newspapers shouldn’t be replaced by social media.
The last African elephant at the Johannesburg Zoo, Lammie, lost her male partner to a sickness in September.
Lammie was born in the zoo 39 years ago. She had lived for 17 years with Kinkel, who died at age 35. Kinkel had been rescued in the wild after his trunk was caught in a trap in 2000. Around the time of her partner's death on Sept. 4, Lammie had stopped eating. The day before Kinkel died, she was seen trying to help him get up. Elephants are known for their intelligence, strong social ties and even the ability to mourn (哀伤). Some people argue Lammie should be sent to another place where she can be with other elephants.
Audrey Delsink is wildlife director of Humane Society International/Africa. She said, Lammie “is in desperate need of a happier existence and the chance to live out her years with other elephants.” Delsink added that a wildlife rescue place is ready to take Lammie if the Johannesburg Zoo agrees to let her go.
But the zoo says Lammie is staying. The zoo says it serves an educational purpose, especially for the poor who cannot pay to visit wildlife parks.
Michele Pickover disagrees. She is director of the EMS Foundation, a South Africa-based African wildlife rights group. She said “nobody learns anything” by seeing an elephant in captivity (被圈养). She said that watching a film about elephants would be more educational.
But, a spokeswoman for the Johannesburg Zoo, Jenny Moodley, says it is looking for a new partner for Lammie. She said the zoo is following guidelines in its search set by the World Association of Zoos and Aquariums. She added that experts are closely observing Lammie and that the elephant might not adapt well to a new environment. Moodley said of Lammie: “She is coping incredibly well, considering that she has lost her partner.”
1.What do we know about Lammie ?
A.She used to be rescued in the wild.
B.She lost her friends.
C.She was sad because of her partner’s death.
D.She has been sent to another zoo.
2.What will Audrey Delsink agree?
A.Use Lammie to educate poor people.
B.Let Lammie stay in the zoo.
C.Ask experts to take care of Lammie.
D.Let Lammie live in a wild life rescue place.
3.What does Jenny Moodley intend to tell us ?
A.Lammie has recoverd from the pain.
B.Lammie doesn’t need another partner.
C.Lammie will be sent away soon.
D.Lammie is well taken care of.
4.What can be the suitable title for the text?
A.Rescuing the elephant
B.The sad story of an elephant and her partner
C.Should the last elephant stay or go?
D.Can elephant live happily without a partner?
If you think about World Heritage Sites(世界遗产),you probably think of places connected with ancient art and culture, historical buildings. And of course, many of these are on the World Heritage List (WHL). But the WHL contains a lot of sites that are not so obvious. Let’s look at a few of them.
Robben Island in South Africa
This island was used through the centuries as a prison, a hospital and a military base. But it’s probably most famous as a maximum security prison for political prisoners in the twentieth century. Nelson Mandela was one of its most famous residents. The WHL says it represents “the victory of democracy (民主)and freedom over oppression and racism (种族主义).”
Borders of France and Spain
This is an area of great natural beauty and the mountains have many interesting geological formations（地质构造）. But it is also an area of small farms. People there still use a type of agriculture that used to be common in mountainous areas of Europe but has almost completely disappeared in modern times.
The city of Brasilia, Brazil
Brasilia is a capital city that was created from nothing in 1956. The WHL calls it “a landmark in the history of town planning”. The different areas of the city and the buildings themselves were all designed at the same time carefully. Every part of the city shows the ideas of the planner and architect.
Simien National Park, Ethiopia
Simien National Park was one of the first sites to be listed in 1978. It is one of the highest mountain areas in Africa, and the WHL calls it “one of the most breathtaking landscapes in the world”. It is also important for its wildlife. The population of some rare animals is getting smaller and smaller.
1.Why does the writer write this passage?
A.To describe the remains of ancient cultures on the WHL.
B.To introduce the famous heritage sites on the WHL.
C.To talk about places of artistic or cultural importance.
D.To introduce some of the not so obvious sites on the WHL.
2.Why has WHL listed Robben Island in South Africa?
A.For the type of agriculture.
B.For its political symbol.
C.For the interesting geological formations.
D.For the great natural beauty.
3.Which of the following was listed on the WHL for its natural scenery and wildlife?
A.Simien National Park, Ethiopia B.The city of Brasilia, Brazil
C.Borders of France and Spain D.Robben Island in South Africa
假如你是某国际学校学生会主席李华,为了让同学们(包括外国留学生)了解并加入新社团Traditional Chinese Culture Lovers,请你用英语拟一份通知张贴在校园文化宣传栏。主要内容包括:
1. 社团成立的目的和意义；
2. 社团计划开展的活动；
3. 报名时间和地点:5月27号至30号，学生会办公室。
注意:1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节, 以使行文连贯。
Notice
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Student Union
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧)，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仅限一词；
2. 只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Recently I found a donation box in my neighborhood. People come to them when they have old clothes, bags, newspapers and books donate. This box, I think, was of great significance. My mother buys me a lot of clothes, and I grow so fast. Much clothes don’t fit for me any longer. I’ve got no ideas about how to deal with the clothes which are real new and still in good condition. However, with this donation box, I can help those people in need. In a word, I do think it is a good idea what lights up our life and makes the world the better place to live in.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Hakka Earth Building is a bright pearl of Chinese civilization. It is praised as a magnificent architectural work of village houses in 1. world for its long history, unique style, smart structure and magnificent scale, which is 2. (close) related to the history of Hakka people in the mountainous areas in Fujian.
Earthen houses are made 3. earth, stone, bamboo and wood, all readily available materials which are used 4. (form) walls up to 6 feet thick. The end result is a windproof, quake-proof building that is warmer in winter and cooler in summer 5. others. The top has gun holes for defensive purposes. In addition to the unique function of defending against the 6. (enemy), the earth building also has the characteristics of fire prevention, guarding against wild animals and good lighting. What is amazing about these earth buildings 7. (be) the fact that some of them are over 700 years old, surviving through natural elements, including earthquakes.
In 2008, a total of 46 Fujiantulou sites 8. (list) as World Heritage Site by UNESCO. They’re exceptional examples of a building tradition and function 9. (represent) a particular type of group living and defensive organization in a 10. (harmony) relationship with their environment.
