The first time a tortoise walked through my hut at Middle Camp on Aldabra Atoll, I was amazed. I grabbed my camera and carefully positioned myself to take this wildlife encounter. The second time: same thing. The third time: I picked up my phone and took a snapshot. By the fourth or fifth time, I didn't even look when I felt something bump into me. I knew what it was.
I was there to shoot a story about island restoration（修复）in the Seychelles, far off the east coast of Africa in the Indian Ocean. Until roughly the middle of the past century, the small island nation showed signs of real environmental killing—local vegetation（植被）cleared to make way for coconut plantations, foreign rats and mice running uncontrolled, native sea turtles and giant tortoises being exploited. Biodiversity seemed destroyed. But then the country experienced a shift in conservation awareness — and the giant Aldabra tortoises are among its most visible signs.
Every morning when I woke up and walked outside the hut, I had to remind myself that I hadn't traveled back in time. I could see flightless Aldabra rails, coconut crabs the size of dinner plates, and giant tortoises—roughly four feet long and weighing up to 550 pounds—just wandering around. The number of sharks in the bay was crazy. Frigatebirds and boobies（鲣鸟）nested in the mangroves（a kind of tree）. When we left our hut doors open, which we often did to let in air, the tortoises would walk right through.
In the late afternoon or early evening, whenever they'd finished eating, the tortoises would drop themselves down and fall asleep with their heads outstretched. That made nighttime trips to the outhouse perilous. To get there, we'd have to go 200 feet into the mangroves, negotiating what I called the tortoise slalom （之形障碍）trail.
It was a track without a pattern, because of course they picked different places to sleep every night. Avoiding them was important: Falling headfirst over a tortoise onto the sharp coral rock could lead to serious injury on an island far from medical facilities.
Nothing was easy on Aldabra, and much of it was insanely difficult. Yet living among the tortoises in this primordial place, in one of the last spots where reptiles still rule; was one of the happiest times of my life.
1.How did the author feel about his final meeting with the tortoise in his room?
A.Calm B.Excited C.Concerned D.Disturbed
2.What made the wildlife on the island suffer during the last century?
A.Introducing foreign species. B.Killing too many rats and mice.
C.Planting lots of coconut trees. D.Repairing the building on the island.
3.What does the author intend to do in paragraph 3?
A.To stress the importance of their work.
B.To introduce how large the tortoises are.
C.To present his daily routine on the island.
D.To show how the wildlife is diverse on the island.
4.Which can best replace the underlined word "perilous" in the 4th paragraph?
A.risky . B.competitive C.successful D.interesting
5.What might be the suitable title for this passage?
A.Island fills with curious tourists.
B.Tortoises rule on this isolated island.
C.Efforts are made to protect the environment.
D.Aldabra is heaven for wild animals.
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Delivery method Online
Study level Professional development, Short, Accredited
Ref FACE-GUARD
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Module 5 Pricing and Costs
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Module 11 How to do a Rabbit / Swan Face Paint Design
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Module 13 How to do a Spiderman / Batman Face Paint Design
Module 14 How to do a Minnie Mouse / Princess Face Paint Design
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C.equipped with a unique taste for art
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A.30 B.269 C.299 D.329
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A.It is presented both online and offline.
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C.It provides not only many face paint designs but also lessons on business.
D.Some clients will be invited to examine your qualification.
4.In which module are you likely to learn how to advertise your business?
A.Module 4. B.Module 6. C.Module 7. D.Module 10
For years, I thought a present and a gift as the same thing.
I grew up in a household where presents marked special ________ There was always a box for each of us under the tree at Christmas. _________, Dad always gave Mom something each Valentine’s Day and anniversary. He would carefully plan his shopping trips to find just the _______ thing. His joy in the hunt was proof of the _______of giving and of his love for her. I saw these presents as the _______ of a husband's devotion.
So when I married a man who did not give presents on a regular basis, it was an _______
I wrestled with my expectation. Gary did hot _______ avoid gift-giving. Gary would return from sea armed with a brown paper bag inside of which was something that _______ him of me. But mostly, he ignored holidays, _______ to shop for a thing to present to me as a sign of love.
I tried to change him ________. I prepared gifts for Christmas and for his birthdays ________. He appreciated the caring, but refused to do the same thing for me. I dropped hints, they ________ deaf ears.
I began to tell him what I wanted, giving ________ instructions. When Gary left for the market one Saturday, I asked him to find me diamond earrings as a birthday present. Yet he came home with a road scraper （刮路机）.
________when the snowstorm stopped later that year and he was at sea, I used the road scraper to plow （犁）out both our driveway and our neighbor's, thinking how ________ earrings would have been and it was then that I realized he had been giving me gifts all along. The gestures, large and small, born of his caring and concern were the ________that he gave daily.
We ________ to teach others how to love us. In that struggle, we often forget how to ________ the love they already give us as only they can give it.
I finally began to understand the ________ between a present and a gift. A present is a thing. But a gift is a small act of kindness, the willingness to ________ another's needs, the sacrifice of time and effort.
1.A.locations B.situations C.occasions D.conditions
2.A.Additionally B.Originally C.Fortunately D.Consequently
3.A.cheap B.astonishing C.splendid D.right
4.A.pleasure B.ambition C.intention, D.addiction
5.A.example B.emphasis C.experiment D.expression
6.A.improvement B.adjustment C.excitement D.enjoyment
7.A.actively B.willingly C.patiently D.wholly
8.A.warned B.reminded C.convinced D.informed
9.A.refusing B.announcing C.demanding D.rushing
10.A.by tradition B.by force C.by example D.by accident
11.A.on purpose B.in order C.at random D.on time
12.A.absorbed in B.cared for C.fell on D.broke down
13.A.some B.specific C.brief D.unusual
14.A.And B.So C.Though D.But
15.A.precious B.practical C.useless D.ugly
16.A.promises B.gifts C.blessings D.instructions
17.A.struggle B.fail C.attempt D.decide
18.A.express B.appreciate C.return D.share
19.A.distance B.similarity C.difference D.conflict
20.A.fight against B.laugh at C.turn down D.bend to
—I can't remember his name clearly.Is it Brain Johnson?
－Yes,____________.
A.you name it B.that's the point C.that's it D.you deserve it
—I am going to the library. Do you have any books_______?
—No, but thank you all the same.
A.to return B.returned C.to be returned D.returning
The spokesman noted _______ some individuals apparently lack is not the means to get the correct information, but the courage to admit the truth.
A.whether B.that C.which D.what
