Meet the longest-living vertebrate（脊椎动物）in the world, the Greenland shark.
Found primarily in the very cold waters of the North Atlantic, these slow-swimming sharks can be as big as the largest great whites, reaching up to 21 feet in length. They're among the largest of carnivorous（食肉的）fish, and yet grow perhaps only a centimeter or so a year. Such slow growth yet big size is usually an indicator of a long-lived animal.
“We only expected that the sharks might be very old,” Julius Nielsen, at the University of Copenhagen in Denmark, told NPR in 2016. “But we did not know in advance. And it was, of course, a very big surprise to learn that it was actually the oldest vertebrate animal.”
Imagine being 150 years old before you're ready to have your first child! Imagine being born before the United States was even a reality. For humans-who rarely make it to a century mark—it's difficult to fully understand.
Little is known about Greenland sharks, even basics such as where they give birth or how many of them there are, though researchers at a July 2017 conference at the University of Exeter thought that they may mate in “hidden” Arctic fjords. No one has even witnessed one hunting, though they have been found to have various vertebrate ones in their stomachs such as polar bear, seals, fast-swimming fish and even moose etc.
Given the shark's incredibly long lifespans, scientists are diving into the sea creature's genome, looking for clues. That conference also highlighted the work being done to separate the shark's longevity gene, with complete DNA information gathered from almost 100 sharks, including some born in the 1750s. Finding such a gene could go a long way in explaining why some vertebrates, like humans, have such limited lifespans.
These sharks also serve as swimming history books. Their tissue, bones and DNA could tell us a great deal about the waters of the world from a time before the Industrial Revolution, large-scale commercial fishing and the pronounced ocean pollution we see today.
Check out what it's like to swim with one in this encounter with what is a small and young—and yet to us, still fairly old—Greenland shark.
1.What can we know about Greenland sharks from the first two paragraphs?
A.Longest-living, and slow-swimming carnivorous vertebrate.
B.Longest-living, and slowest-swimming vertebrate.
C.Largest, but fast-growing carnivorous vertebrate.
D.Longest-living, largest carnivorous vertebrate but fast-growing.
2.Why were scientists surprised after they examined Greenland shark?
A.Greenland shark can live as old as humans.
B.Greenland shark is the largest animal in the world.
C.Greenland shark can live more than one hundred years.
D.Greenland shark is really the oldest vertebrate in the world.
3.What kind of animals do Greenland sharks prefer?
A.Both polar bear and seal. B.Only fast-swimming fish.
C.Various vertebrate animals. D.Polar bear, moose and fish.
4.What information can we get from the passage?
A.Scientists declare that they have known all about Greenland sharks.
B.Scientists want to get more information from their study on sharks.
C.Scientists consider sharks can only serve as swimming history books.
D.Scientists just want to know why Greenland sharks have a long life.
On Diwali, we were on a vacation in Dubai and having a good time and lots of fun. One day, we were visiting Abu Dhabi, traveling with a few passengers in a bus. At our first stop, we got out to take some pictures. At our second stop, we noticed that we had forgotten our shoulder bag at first stop. The worst part was that our passports, visas, hotel booking papers, itinerary…everything was inside that bag and we were very panicky, as we had to return to India in 2 days.
During this process of searching for our bags we came into contact with so many strangers whom we found to be really concerned and helpful with our situation.
The tour guide and the bus driver helped us to locate a cab so that we could travel back the first destination to find our bag.
The cab driver helped us in so many ways. He gave us his mobile phone so that we could contact everyone. He took us to a mosque near the first destination hoping that a cleaner might have found a bag. He took us to the nearest police station and helped us in communication with the policeman, who only spoke Arabic.
A policeman, who searched through everything in the lost and found department.
A local man, who actually found our bag, checked the bag and found a number to the travel agency. He informed them and sent his driver to a common destination from where we could get our bag back.
On that day, there was real panic inside me and I was constantly thinking of what would happen next? How will I find my bag? What will happen to us without our passports and visas? In such a mind set I was not able to say a proper THANK YOU to all those persons who helped us in such challenging situation.
I don't even know their names. I will never be able to forget their faces and their kindness. The world needs more humans like them and I decided to try to become one of them. I salute all those strangers and well-wishes for their acts of kindness.
1.Where did the author lose her shoulder bag?
A.At the first stop. B.At Dubai Airport.
C.At the second stop. D.In India.
2.Who did the work as an interpreter when the writer communicated with a policeman?
A.A tour guide? B.A bus driver
C.A cleaner D.A cab driver
3.Where could the writer get her shoulder bag back again?
A.At a police station. B.At a common destination
C.At a local's home. D.At the lost and found department
4.What can we learn from the writer's thinking in the last paragraph?
A.God helps those who help themselves. B.Thank those local people one by one.
C.Follow the same act of those kind people. D.Be more careful when touring next time.
FRIDAY SUPPER CLUB
7：30PM TO 9：30PM FRIDAY 02 NOVEMBER
2018（WEEKLY EVENT）
Avalon Restaurant and Cocktail（鸡尾酒）Bar at Katoomba presents the Friday Supper Club—a weekly night of live music, hearty food and classic cocktails at Avalon. Each Friday night, they present local acts, free of charge, which provide music to dine to in the amazing surroundings.
Reserve a table, choose something to eat from their menu and extensive local wine and craft beer list, or treat yourself to a cheeky cocktail from the bar.
Reservations essential before going.
For more information: https://www. awalonkatooba.com.au.
GARDEN SAFARI
—KIDS' SELF-GUIDED TREASURE HUNT
9:30AM TO 4:30PM THURSDAY 01 NOVEMBER
2018（QUARTERLY EVENT）
Can you find the five stops? Follow the map to explore the garden and enjoy fun hands-on activities. Learn about some strange and amazing plants, and then answer the quiz questions to solve the puzzle and win a prize!
For more information: https://www.bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com.au/whatson.
CONTEMPORARY GALLIPOLI
SATURDAY 20 OCTOBER 2018 TO SUNDAY
25 NOVEMBER 2018
Coinciding with the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, Blue Mountains City Art Gallery will display the touring exhibition Contemporary Gallipoli. The exhibition includes a diverse display of new works created by artists from Canakkale, near the Gallipoli Peninsula, Turkey, and Australia, whose work unites to take the viewer on an experiential journey of remembrance, and a search for meaning beyond myth and memory.
For more information: http://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/.
SCENIC WORLD PRESENTS DINOSAUR VALLEY
9:00AM TO 5:00PM THURSDAY O1 NOVEMBER
2018（DAILY EVENT）
Millions of years ago, dinosaurs ruled the earth. Now they're back!
Dinosaur Valley is coming to Scenic World this summer, bringing the Jurassic rainforest to life with prehistoric dinosaurs from November I to January 28. Awaken your sense of adventure with friendly Dinosaur Rangers and discover more about these fascinating creatures in the heart of the Jamison Valley. Everyone will have a good time with free events and a range of kids activities.
For more information: https://www.dinosaurwalley.com.au/.
1.What will you have to do before going to the Friday Supper Club?
A.Create a piece of music.
B.Make an advance booking.
C.Prepare some tasty food.
D.Place an order for a classic cocktail.
2.Which website should you check out to learn more about an art show?
A.https://www. avalonkatooba.com.au.
B.https://www. dinosaurvalley.com.au/.
C.http://bluemountainsculturalcentre.com.au/.
D.https://www. bluemountainsbotanicgarden.com.au/whatson.
3.Where could you meet Dinosaur Rangers?
A.At Scenic World. B.At Garden Safari.
C.At the Friday Supper Club. D.At Contemporary Gallipoli.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
你居住的社区准备改建一块空地，现就两个改建方案征求居民意见。方案一：建一个可以停放30辆车的停车场；方案二：建一个篮球场和一个网球场。假设你是方方，给居委会(Residential Committee)写一封信表达你的想法。你的信必须满足以下要求：
1. 简述你写信的目的及你支持的改建方案：
2. 说明你的理由。
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.轻松的背景音乐会对工作效率产生积极的影响吗？（effect）
2.考虑到当日达递送服务的收费要高不少，我们不一定非得使用它。（necessarily）
3.这条新建的地铁延长线会使附近街区的人们获得很大的益处。（benefit v.）
4.我认为你在上司面前卖弄知识并不明智，因为你可能会冒犯到她。（offend）
Directions: Read the following passage. Summarize in no more than 60 words the main idea and the main point(s) of the passage. Use your own words as far as possible.
Right Colors for Restaurant Walls?
Have you ever noticed that many restaurants have red or orange walls? This fashion comes from the widely held belief that these two colors stimulate the appetite. Restauranteurs hope that by stimulating the appetites of their customers in this way, they can encourage them to order more food.
A large fast - food chain recently decided to test the belief that the color of the decoration affects how much food their customers order. This company has restaurants in major cities across the US and serves customers of all ages, including small children. The traditional decoration of this restaurant chain includes beige（米色的）paint on the walls. For this test, the company painted the walls in half of its restaurants orange, leaving the other half of its restaurants with their original beige walls. In order to make up for the possible influence of cultural differences between cities, the company made sure that in every city where its restaurants are located, there were both restaurants with orange walls and restaurants with beige walls.
The restaurant chain kept track of exactly what foods were ordered in each restaurant for one year before the walls were painted, and then again for one year after the walls had been painted. They found no difference. On average, customers in each restaurant, whether is had beige or of the company said. “We have proven it.”
The wall s of all the restaurants in the chain have been restored to their original beige color. The company president explained that this color is part of the company’s image. Now that the study is over, people might be confused if they walked into a restaurant expecting beige walls and got orange instead, so the company president explained.
