In the winter of 1664-65, a bitter cold fell on London in the days before Christmas. Above the city, an unusually bright comet (彗星) shot across the sky, exciting much prediction of a snow storm. Outside the city wall, a woman was announced dead of a disease that was spreading in that area. Her house was locked up and the phrase “Lord Have Mercy On Us” was painted on the door in red.
By the following Christmas, the virus that had killed the woman would go on to kill nearly 100,000 people living in and around London — almost a third of those who did not flee.
In The Great Plague (瘟疫), historian A. Lloyd Moote and microbiologist Dorothy C. Moote provide a deeply informed account of this plague year. Reading the book, readers are taken from the palaces of the city’s wealthiest citizens to the poor areas where the vast majority of Londoners were living, and to the surrounding countryside with those who fled. The Mootes point out that, even at the height of the plague, the city did not fall into chaos. Doctors, nurses and the church staff remained in the city to care for the sick; city officials tried their best to fight the crisis with all the legal tools; and commerce continued even as businesses shut down.
To describe life and death in and around London, the authors focus on the experiences of nine individuals. Through their letters and diaries, the Mootes offer fresh descriptions of key issues in the history of the Great Plague: how different communities understood and experienced the disease; how medical, religious, and government bodies reacted; how well the social order held together; the economic and moral dilemmas people faced when debating whether to flee the city; and the nature of the material, social, and spiritual resources supporting those who remained. Based on humanity (人性), the authors offer a masterful portrait of a city and its inhabitants attacked by — and daringly resisting — unimaginable horror.
1.What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A.A comet always follows a storm.
B.London was under an approaching threat.
C.London was prepared for the disease.
D.The woman was the beginning of the disease.
2.What do the Mootes say about London during the Great Plague?
A.The city remained organized.
B.The plague spared the rich areas.
C.The people tried a lot in vain.
D.The majority fled and thus survived.
3.Why do the Mootes focus on the nine individuals?
A.They were famous people in history.
B.They all managed to survive the Plague.
C.They provided vivid stories of humanity.
D.They united by thinking and acting as one.
4.What’s the purpose of this text?
A.To introduce a new book.
B.To correct a misunderstanding.
C.To report a new research.
D.To show respect to the authors.
Outside， it's a cold winter's day． Inside a large shopping center， people are hanging around． But then， without warning， a pop song starts to play loudly． A teenager boy walks lazily to the center of the open space， and dances crazily to the music． He's joined by two of his friends， then some of the old people． Within the space of a few seconds， more than sixty people are dancing to the music - all in time and all in step． At first， onlookers are baffled， then they start smiling and clapping． They now know what they're seeing： a flash mob （快闪）．
According to Wikipedia， the term "flash mob" was created by Bill Wasik， an editor at Harper's Magazine， in 2003． Within a year， the phrase had entered the Concise Oxford English Dictionary． Since then， hundreds - possibly thousands - of flash mobs have been carried out around the world， in almost every kind of public space imaginable!
Each flash mob has its own style， but most flash mobs follow a similar formula （方案）． Often， the organizers search for willing participants using social media． Instructions and dance moves are given through email or video download． There are usually several rehearsals （排练） before the big day．
While it's happening， a few lucky passers-by watch it live． Most people who watch it， however， will see it later online． Some of the most popular flash mobs on YouTube have been watched more than 10million times． A famous example is MP3Experiment Eight， a flash mob that took place in New York City in July 2011 with over 3，500 participants． This event differed from normal flash mobs in that much of it was completely silent - and there were no rehearsals．
Flash mobs provide the participants， onlookers and online viewers with a lot of enjoyment and pleasure． For this reason alone， they're a modern， popular art form that should be celebrated．
1.What does the underlined word "baffled" in Paragraph 1 mean？ ______
A.Excited． B.Puzzled．
C.Satisfied． D.Disappointed．
2.Why does the author mention the Concise Oxford English Dictionary？ ______
A.To argue against Bill Wasik．
B.To compare it with Wikipedia．
C.To explain the meaning of "flash mob"．
D.To show the rapid development of flash mobs．
3.What is special about MP3Experiment Eight？ ______
A.It was played online．
B.It was the earliest flash mob．
C.It was played with no sound．
D.It was most accepted by the audience．
4.What is the author's opinion on flash mobs？ ______
A.Supportive． B.Hopeless．
C.Uncaring． D.Doubtful．
Rivers are the veins of the Earth, transporting the water and nutrients (营养物) needed to support the planet’s ecosystems, including human life. While many nutrients are essential to the survival of life, there is one element transported by water in rivers that holds the key to life and to the future of our planet — carbon.
Carbon is everywhere and understanding the way it moves and is either released or stored by the Earth system is a complex science in itself. Carbon starts its journey downstream when natural acid rain, which contains carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, melts minerals in rocks. This helps transform carbon dioxide to bicarbonate (碳酸氢盐) in the water that then flows in our rivers. This is a very long process, which is one of the main ways carbon dioxide is removed from the atmosphere. Carbon is transported by rivers to oceans and once that carbon reaches the ocean, it is stored naturally in deep sea sediments (沉淀物) for millions of years.
As carbon travels down a river, different processes may impact whether it continues to flow downstream or whether it is released into the atmosphere. For example, human engineering, like extensive dam construction, will result in dramatic changes to how water and sediments travel down the river. Some carbon that fails to reach the sea may return to the atmosphere in some way, which causes more warming.
Earth’s climate is closely related to the carbon cycle. We all know about the essential role of plants in consuming carbon dioxide, but do we know enough about rivers? Changing the chemistry and the course of rivers may have significant impacts on how they transport carbon. Remember: wherever we live, we all live downstream.
1.Where is the carbon in rivers originally from?
A.The atmosphere. B.The rocks.
C.The acid rain. D.The upstream areas.
2.Why is human engineering mentioned in Paragraph 3?
A.To show how important to life carbon is.
B.To explain how necessary it is to build dams.
C.To show how a natural process is interrupted.
D.To explain how humans fight global warming.
3.What does the author want to convey in the last paragraph?
A.We’d better move upstream to live.
B.We should protect plants along rivers.
C.We’d better seek more help from plants.
D.We should be cautious about river management.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.What Humans Do with Rivers
B.How Rivers’ Transporting Carbon Counts
C.What the Carbon Cycle Means to Us
D.How Living Downstream Affects the Earth
My 12-year-old son Jack hit a milestone last summer. “Mom, I’m quitting the piano,” he said firmly.
Immediately, I said, “You can’t.” “Why?” he asked. “Because I said so.” And the battle followed. Many of you know the battle I am talking about. It’s the one where all of a sudden instrument that once filled the home with wonderful music are abandoned in favor of sports, games and all cool things. When Jack started piano lessons in the second grade, he took to music eagerly, displaying interest and talent. Over the next few years, he willingly entered competitions recommended by his teacher.
Much to our son’s sadness, my husband and I decided to stand firm. While parents allowed their children to win battles now and then, this was one that my husband and I were not willing to concede. We decided, however, to give him a choice of taking up another instrument. We suggested the guitar.
He was open to meeting a couple of instructors. “My hands are too small,” he complained. But the student who came after us was a 5-year-old girl.
I suggested changing teachers. He said he wanted a teacher who was “nice”. I understood that meant “no stress”. Finally, we found a male teacher with a gentle voice and a great sense of humor. He said that competitions were not his thing; playing music was.
After my son’s first lesson with his new teacher, I took a deep breath and braced myself for the usual negative complaints. “Mom, he makes me like the piano again,” my son announced as we headed to the car.
And then, cheerful piano music filled the house during the long winter evenings. The playing wasn’t as long as I would have liked or as frequent as it used to be. But it’s sweet, still the same.
1.What made Jack want to give up the piano?
A.Having no talent in music.
B.Having other cool things to do.
C.Failing in music competitions.
D.Being very busy with his lessons.
2.Why did Jack complain about his small hands?
A.To remind his mom of his weakness.
B.To show his embarrassment in learning.
C.To find an excuse to quit learning the guitar.
D.To prove the difficulty of playing the guitar.
3.What did Jack like his music teacher to do?
A.Play the guitar very well.
B.Not push him too much.
C.Help him win a competition.
D.Not report him to his parents.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.What is expected tonight around five or six?
A.Ice. B.Rain. C.Snow.
2.How many inches of snow are predicted?
A.One or two. B.Three or four. C.Five or six.
3.Why did the high schools close?
A.The college has already shut.
B.The roads are dangerous to drive on.
C.The town is unprepared for the weather.
4.Which suggestion does the weatherman make?
A.Buying supplies. B.Closing the schools. C.Pushing snow off roads.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.Whom is the party for?
A.Dan. B.Julie. C.Jane.
2.When will the guests arrive?
A.At 4:00. B.At 5:00. C.At 6:00.
3.What has been prepared?
A.A special cake. B.Drinks. C.Candles.
4.What happened in the party last year?
A.The police came.
B.The building caught fire.
C.The neighbors got drunk.
