The victims were carried in one by one, their paws burned and fur burnt, suffering from dehydration (脱水) and fear. Their caretakers bandaged (用绷带包扎) their wounds and laid them in baskets with the only thing that was familiar — the leaves of a eucalyptus (桉树) tree. As fires have burned more than two million acres in Australia, dozens of koalas have been rescued from burned trees and pale ground. The animals are being treated in rescue centers, and at least one private home, along the country’s east coast.
The difficult situation of the koala — a national symbol of Australia — has raised questions among environmentalists and scientists about what it will take to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) in a country with intense fire, extreme heat and lack of water. Australia has already been among the highest rates of species extinction in the world.
The bad situation goes beyond koalas. Recently, tens of thousands of bats fell from the sky in temperatures over 107 degrees Fahrenheit in northern Australia. Kangaroos destroyed the grapes in Canberra because of drought.
“Climate change and other human impacts have so changed the situation that the government needs to rethink its way to protect at once,” Dr. Bowman said, suggesting interventions (干预) like irrigating, feeding and moving animals to new places.
Koalas, unlike kangaroos, birds or snakes, do not escape from fires. Therefore, though the fires are still burning, a rescue team began to search the area carefully. Walking in a human chain, they looked up to the tree top, searching for survivors.
1.What do the victims in the first paragraph refer to?
A.Animals injured in fires.
B.Kangaroos driven by drought.
C.Bats that fell from the sky.
D.Koalas rescued from the fire.
2.Which of the following may cause the extinction of wildlife?
A.Wildfires that seldom happened.
B.Extreme hot weather in Australia.
C.The never-changing climate in Australia.
D.Not having enough money to take measures in Australia.
3.What can we draw from Dr. Bowman?
A.Human activities have little influence on animals.
B.The government should take immediate action.
C.The government does not care about the wild animals.
D.Scientists are concerned about the bad situation of wildlife.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A.Saving the Fire Victims Who Cannot Escape: Australia’s Koalas
B.Saving the Endangered Wild Animals in Australia
C.Actions Needed to Protect Habitat for Koalas
D.National Symbol of Australia Needs Rescue
A letter to the editor complained about someone stringing toilet paper on their trees. That letter brought a flood of responses defending this act as being harmless to friends: “ It's an honor to get toilet papered", said one writer, “and good fun for teenagers."
Reading these letters brought me chuckles (轻声笑)and then tears as they woke old memories of my mother’s ninety-second year. She was seriously ill that autumn. And I watched, powerless.
A decade before, I helped her break out" of the nursing home. It was a fine place with a caring staff. But Mom didn't want skilled care: she wanted to live on her own and just needed some assistance to do so. Being in a more restrictive environment than necessary was bad for her condition. The risk paid off, and I was rewarded by seeing my mother once again enjoying her life.
Ten years later, Mom's health declined, and my care-giving duties increased. One evening, for some unexplainable reason, I invited my mother to go toilet papering!
This outing would push my mother to her physical limits. Was I making a mistake? Secretly we went to my brother's home. In his backyard, I handed Mom a roll of toilet paper. Without hesitation she shot it skyward...
Mom papered a dozen trees in four family yards that unforgettable evening. The day after our big adventure, Mom and I sent a card to each of our victim, signed “From your decorators". We laughed all the way home from the post office, like two schoolgirls.
My mother's last year was marked by physical decline. However, we shared some simple fun each day. Those light-hearted moments were like a salve (慰藉)，and they are the ones I'll always remember. Toilet papering has taught us that play is powerful medicine!
1.Why did the author cry when reading the letter?
A.She was blamed for toilet papering.
B.It brought her childhood memory.
C.She thought of her sick mother.
D.It was very stressful.
2.The author helped her leave the nursing home in order that ____.
A.Mom could enjoy a free life
B.Mom could get more skilled home care
C.the nursing cost could be cut down
D.they could avoid taking risk
3.What can we learn from the mother's experience of toilet papering?
A.They did some damage to four family yards.
B.They were made to apologize for their mistakes.
C.Toilet papering made her illness worsened.
D.Toilet papering brought them much pleasure.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A.A Letter of Complaint
B.Love Between Daughter and Mother
C.The Curing Power of Toilet Papering.
D.An Unforgettable Evening in Family Yards
With increasing competition in education, some of the best universities worldwide are having a global view to best prepare their students for the future.
China
China has been determined to play is key role on the global educational stage. Take Project 21l, a program created in 1995 to bring 100 Chinese universities up to a world-class standard. Similarly, in1999 Project 985 got started to produce more top universities. To further improve the global position of Chinese education, in 2009 the C9 League was also created, hoping to be an eastern equal to the US Ivy League (常春藤联盟).
Germany
Germany offers a menu of educational choice from smaller but high-quality institutions to some most famous universities in Western Europe. Similarly, the country serves up plenty of cultural experiences from the lively capital streets to the characteristic towns and villages. Germany also creates many scholar-ships to help international students afford their tuition fees (学费).
Italy
Italy has some of the world’s most respected learning institutes including the University of Bologna, believed to be the world’s oldest university. There are more UNESCO World Heritage (遗产) Sites in Italy than in any other nation in the world. These attractions, alongside Italy’s world-famous food and endless culture make it among the world’s most visited countries each year.
Poland
Over years, Poland’s universities have produced some of the world’s most famous thinkers and scientists, such as Marie Curie and astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus. Poland also provides many private and public education to both Polish students and international students.
1.For what purpose has China created some projects?
A.To offer free education to the public. B.To create more educational companies.
C.To attract more world-famous scientists. D.To promote its global status in education.
2.How can Germany help international students?
A.By making tuition fees affordable. B.By offering many educational menus.
C.By planning some cultural experiences. D.By providing free capital-based travels.
3.Which country has the most UNESCO World Heritage Sites?
A.China. B.Germany. C.Italy. D.Poland.
阅读下面短文,根据其内容写一篇60词左右的内容概要.
Speed-reading is a necessary skill in the Internet age. We read articles, e-mails and We Chat quickly, trying to understand key words and the most important meaning of a certain text. Faced with so much information from our smart phones, it would be impossible to deal if we read word by word, line by line. However, more and more people enjoy reading slowly.
There is a book club in Wellington, New Zealand, where members meet in a cafe and turn off their smart phones. They sink into comfortable chairs and read in silence for an hour. Unlike other book clubs, the point of the slow reading club isn’t exchanging ideas about a certain book, but to get away from smart phones and read in a quiet, relaxing environment. Actually, the Wellington book club is just one example of slow-reading book clubs.
Nowadays, technology has made us unable to focus on reading. “Screens have changed our reading patterns from the straight and information left-to-right order to a wild skimming(略读) and skipping pattern as we hunt for important words and information. Reading a text with links leads to weaker understanding than reading an ordinary text,” says Patrick Kingsley from a newspaper. However, slow reading is good for readers in many ways. It sharpens the mind, improves concentration, reduces stress levels and deepens the ability to sympathize (共鸣).Another study last year showed that reading novels slowly helps people understand others’ mental states and beliefs, a fundamental skill in building relationships.
Aim for 30 minutes a day, advises Kelly, a slow reader. “You can put in half an hour pretty easily during your free moments. You pick up a meaningful book rather than start your computer to look for your favorite site for something to pass the time,” Kelly said.
假设你是李华,你计划下学期作为交换生到英国Bay House School学习.请给你英国朋友Alex写一封信,请他帮忙找一间公寓.具体要点如下:
1.公寓的位置;2.可以免费上网;3. 你期待的月租费用.
注意:1.词数80左右,开头与结尾已经为你写好;
2.可适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3. 参考词汇:租金(rent)
Dear Alex,
I’m going to study in Bay House School as an exchange student next term.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
A heavy snow hit my neighborhood the other day. I had recently agreed to be the house’s groundskeeper, which meant I was_______ with shoveling(铲)the inches of snow that covered the driveway.
I had to stay in the house during the _______,so I was actually pretty happy to head_______After shoveling for about an hour, muscles in my arms and legs which I _______ used due to my busy schedules started to burn. By the time I finished shoveling, I realized that I gained nearly the same amount of _______ that I can get from biking. Shoveling turned out to be pretty good exercise, so I actually felt _______ to finish shoveling.
A few days later, a few friends and I got into a casual _______ about how hard it is to spare time to exercise_______.There are lots of people who dislike gyms. Going to gyms _______ them a lot. Less than 5%of adults are physically ________for half an hour a day, which is quite a big problem. Not exercising enough can ________diseases like heart disease, bone disease, and depression.
And yet, compared with going to gyms, shoveling snow was quite ________.Besides, it didn’t take too much willpower(意志力)and I just needed to ________ the driveway at my own pace. I can just do some daily tasks like shoveling for exercise in the neighborhood in my spare time ________ driving to a gym.
People pay much money for gym memberships and classes to ________ extra energy . So why not ________paying the fitness industry to exercise and ________ physical fitness with such kind of daily chores? Surely, they’re better off ________ that money and putting the energy to practical use.
A neighborhood can have a Facebook group where people in need of help can ________ things on it. Then, people who want to exercise can help them out. It’s a win-win situation. In addition to helping people, this can also be shaped as a new________ to keep fit.
1.A.bothered B.impressed C.tasked D.crowded
2.A.incident B.disorder C.rush D.storm
3.A.outside B.inside C.forward D.backward
4.A.loosely B.rarely C.mainly D.frequently
5.A.feelings B.workout C.threat D.power
6.A.pleased B.eager C.willing D.sorry
7.A.interview B.appointment C.discussion D.argument
8.A.accidentally B.properly C.safely D.regularly
9.A.troubles B.shames C.comforts D.delights
10.A.strong B.healthy C.good D.active
11.A.lead to B.suffer from C.bring back D.wipe out
12.A.difficult B.easy C.valuable D.perfect
13.A.clear B.prepare C.build D.design
14.A.because of B.instead of C.in spite of D.as a result of
15.A.put up B.set up C.use up D.build up
16.A.continue B.begin C.stop D.consider
17.A.compare B.combine C.exchange D.match
18.A.saving B.gathering C.wasting D.spending
19.A.imagine B.write C.post D.correct
20.A.experiment B.skill C.standard D.style
