Do you have difficulty falling asleep at...

    The sixth mass extinction is not a worry for the future. It’s happening now，much faster than previously expected，and it's entirely our fault，according to a study puhlished Mooday.

Humans have already wiped out hundreds of species and pushed many more to the brink of extinction through wildlife trade，pollution，habitat loss and the use of toxic substances. The findings published in the scientific Journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences( PNAS)show that the rate at which species are dying out has accelerated in recent decades.

Gerardo Ceballos González，a professor of ecology at the National Autonomous University of Mexico and one of the authors of the study，said approximately 173 species went extinct between 2001 and 2014. “173 species is 25 times more extinct species than you would expect under the normal extinction rate. ”he told CNN in an email. He and his team found that in the past 100 years，more than 400 vertebrate(脊椎动物的)species went extinct. In the normal course of evolution，such extinctions would have taken up to 10，000 years，they said.

Mass extinctions are just as severe as their name suggests. There have been five mass extinction events in the Earth’s history，each wiping out between 70％and 95％of the species of plants，animals and microorganisms. The most recent，66 million years ago，saw dinosaurs disappear. The past events were caused by catastrophic changes of the environment，including massive volcanic eruptions or collision with an asteroid.

The sixth mass extinction the one happening now—is different：scientists say it’s caused by humans. The researchers also said the current coronavirus(冠状病毒)crisis shows people’s recklessness(鲁莽)towards nature can seriously hurt themselves. Many endangered species are dying in large numbers due to the trade in wild animals and plants.

1.What does the underlined word“toxic”in Para. 2 mean?

A.Poisonous B.Useful

C.Alternative D.Environment-friendly

2.How does the writer convince readers of the seriousness of the mass extinctions?

A.By listing reliable statistics.

B.By imagining a picture of the extinctions.

C.By mentioning some news from CNN.

D.By explaining the history of the extinctions.

3.What is the purpose of the last paragraph?

A.To tell the difference between the fifth and sixth extinction.

B.To explain the cause of the coronavirus crisis.

C.To warn humans to get rid of their wrong actions.

D.To show the writer’s concern about the endangered species.

4.What does this article mainly talk about?

A.The changes of the environment do harm to wildlife.

B.The sixth mass extinction is much faster than expected.

C.Mass extinctions are just as severe as their name suggests.

D.The current coronavirus has arisen from the illegal trade.

    For the most part, American children aren’t great at math. But Chinese children tend to be excellent. It’s consistently found Chinese students at the top of the academic pile and Americans much nearer the bottom.

In Lenora Chu’s book “Little Soldiers: An American Boy, a Chinese School”, she begins to reveal the cultural differences that lead to this gap. The differences she notices in children’s focus and discipline are dramatic, but she also notices cultural differences that influence how Chinese schools are run, and the reason why its students test so well. Along with factors such as highly trained teachers and an emphasis on memorizing before pursuing deeper understanding, the difference comes down to a belief that has begun slowly making its way across the US: achievement is the result of hard work, not natural ability.

This approach comes from a firm belief that anything is possible with hard work, with chiku, or “eating bitter”. Studies show that for kids who score poorly. Chinese teachers believe a lack of effort—rather than of smarts — is to blame.

Stanford psychologist Carol Dweck, author of “Mindset (心态)”, is responsible for making up the terms “growth mindset” and “fixed mindset”. Chinese students are trained to have a growth mindset: if they aren’t doing well, they’11 work harder, and they’ll be successful. American children tend to be trained to have a fixed mindset about academics: their abilities are largely predetermined and static. If they aren’t doing well, it’s because they’re not good at it.

In America students are told that learning is fun and easy. But real learning is actually very difficult and takes suffering and anxiety. If you’re not willing to go through that you’re not going to learn deeply. The downside is these students often give up when something gets hard or when it’s no longer fun.

1.According to Lenora Chu, what contributes most to the Chinese students’excellent academic performance?

A.School operation model. B.The emphasis on memorizing.

C.High-qualified teachers. D.Chinese culture.

2.According to Chinese teachers, students failing an exam are______.

A.lazy B.slow

C.unfocused D.foolish

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to Carol Dweck’s theory?

A.A majority of Chinese students are born excellent learners.

B.American students tend to believe learning ability is genetically determined.

C.Amerlcan students should choose a Chinese school to achieve success.

D.American students are lacking in a fixed mindset, compared to Chinese students.

4.What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A.Students should study in a fun way.

B.American students are always anxious about their study.

C.American students have no difficulty in learning deeply.

D.Diligence plays an essential part in learning.

    Every so often，someone so young does something so amazing that you can’t help but wonder how he manages it. That’s what happened the first time we heard Matthew Whitaker play the piano. Matthew is a jazz pianist who is blind，and since the age of 11，he’s been performing around the world.

Matthew Whitaker was born at 24th week. He weighed 1 pound and 11 ounces. His parents were told he had less than a 50％chance of survival. One of the many complications(并发症)he faced was a disease which led to blindness.

No one in Matthew’s family was a musician，but his grandfather bought him his first keyboard when he was 3 years old. It didn’t take long for Matthew to show that he had a gift. So the Whitakers decided to get Matthew a teacher，which proved to be difficult. “At the time，we got a lot of answers that he’s too young and they don’t know how to teach a blind child，”Moses Whitaker said. “He was 3 years old at the time. ”

Finally，Dalia Sakas agreed to meet Matthew. Dalia is the director of music studies at a music school in New York City，a school for the visually impaired. To her surprise，Matthew could 1isten to a piece of music once and then play it. “Because it is rare to meet someone of the world and I want to make that possible. ”

She did. Matthew has played in more than 200 clubs and concert halls around the world. His love of music has never been in doubt. Matthew’s latest album is called Now Hear This. One critic noted that it sounded like Matthew was playing with six hands.

1.Which word best describes Matthew as a pianist?

A.Fruitless. B.Ordinary.

C.Remarkable. D.Ambitious.

2.What was the root cause of Matthew’s blindness?

A.His premature birth. B.His low weight.

C.His low chance of survival. D.A disease running in his family.

3.What increased the difficulty finding Matthew a music teacher?

A.His family background. B.His lack of talent.

C.His age and disability. D.His character.

4.Why did Dalia accept Matthew as her student?

A.Because she sympathized Matthew for his experience.

B.Because she was struck by Matthew’s talent for music.

C.Because she gave in to the insistence of Matthew’s grandfather.

D.Because she knew how to teach a blind student well.

    Here are four women who made it their life’s mission to make the world a better place through environmental activism.

Greta Thunberg

“I have not accomplished anything. ”This statement was made by Greta Thunberg(17 years old)and it couldn’t be further from the truth. Her dedication to protecting the environmenl for our future generations is all accomplishment on its own. Her ability to resist to adults in power is admirable and continues to push the importance of conservation to the front of our minds.

Peggy Shelmrd

WE ACT for Environmental Justice is an organization that“through advocacy，planning，and research…mobilizes low-income communities to make environmental changes. ”At the helm(掌权)of WE ACT is Peggy Shepard. Her goal is to make sure that sustainable environmental practices are accessible to all，regardless of circumstance.

Rachel Carson

American marine biologist，writer，scientist，and ecologist，Rachel Carson(1907—1964)，was way ahead of her time. She wrote about conservation in the late 1930s and focused on her mission of protecting our oceans.

Julia“Butterfly”Hill

In the late 90s，Julia“Butterfly”Hill spent 738 days living in an ancient redwood，called Luna. This act brought awareness to the immense human threats to Redwood trees. Julia continues to advocate for the environment. “By standing together in unity，solidarity and love，we will heal the wounds in the earth and in each other. We can make a positive difference through our actions. ”

1.What do we know about Greta Thunberg?

A.She has not accomplished anything.

B.She seldom tells the truth.

C.She faces powerful people bravely to protect environment.

D.She shows great respect and admiration to people in power.

2.Why did Peggy Shepard set up the organization WE ACT?

A.To help poor people to lead a better life.

B.To appeal to low-income group to protect our environment.

C.To make people aware of the environmental status.

D.To control the changes of environment.

3.Who preferred taking on-the-spot actions to protect environment?

A.Greta Thunberg. B.Peggy Shepard.

C.Rachel Carson. D.Julia“Butterfly”Hill.

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。

In my culture, it 's not accepted or normal to go against my parents' wishes. I belong to a small and native community in the Oaxaca region of southern Mexico. We' ve lived here for centuries, and my family has been growing cotton for as long as anyone can remember.

When I was small, I had a lot of work to do. My father was sick and we were poor, so my sister and I would get up very earlier every morning to prepare food for the whole family. After school we would run home quickly to help do housework. On weekends, I would go to the village market to sell our cotton. Every time I sold something, it was good news for the whole family.

When I became a teenager, I wanted to study to become a secretary. By Working in an office I would be able to earn more money, which would be good for my family. I knew I was smart and that I would do a good job, but my parents refused to let me study. I listened to them and followed their advice in order not to make them unhappy.

Years later, some students from California came to our village. They were organizing an educational workshop for local people. We would learn new things and technology about growing cotton, and have the chance to network. This was a good chance for me to learn something new and useful. Of course I was willing to take part in it, but my parents said no again this time.

I have wonderful and generous parents, who are kind to everybody around them. Even when our family could hardly afford food, they would welcome guests with coffee and cookies. I knew they refused me because they wanted the best for me. I knew they were worried about me being away from them, but I knew they were wrong. Attending this workshop would be good for our family. I would be able to learn something new and useful, and our business would grow much faster than it could.

注意：

1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；

2.至少使用5个短文中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:

Therefore, I put my foot down and decided to go.

________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Paragraph 2:

Now I no longer live together with my parents,but I work with them every day.

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________