Extreme Amazon(亚马孙之最)
Twenty percent of all the water that goes into oceans around the world comes from one river—the Amazon.
The Amazon River begins in the Andes Mountains in Peru. It travels about 6000 kilometers to the Atlantic Ocean. It is the largest river in the world. It is also the second longest. Most of the Amazon's water comes from rain. During the rainy season, parts of the river are 190 kilometers wide.
The Amazon River goes through the world's largest rain forest. The Amazon rain forest is home to the highest number of plant and animal species(种类) on Earth. There are 2.5 million kinds of insects, such as the world's largest ant. At least 3,000 kinds, of fish, live there, and one-fifth of all the bird species in the world. Some of the Amazon's animals are dangerous, such as the anaconda, the largest snake in the world. But there are also gentle animals, like the sloth and the pink dolphin.
The Amazon is very important to Earth. There are still many kinds of animals and plants there that we don't know about. If we lose the Amazon, we will lose a big part of life on Earth.
1.___________
2.___________
3.___________
4.___________
It's a school holiday today. It's warm and the sun is shining. It's the perfect day for an outing. Zack, Vera, Kelly and Tim are discussing what they are going to do. Let's listen and see what happens...
Zack: Hey you guys, it would be a shame to stay inside on a day like this. How about taking the bus to Stanley and going to the beach?
Tim: [excitedly] That sounds great.
Kelly: I'm in! But can we go to the mall first so I can get some suntan oil?
Zack: [hesitantly(犹豫地)] Well, Kelly, I suppose we've got time...
Vera: And we can stop off in Tsim Sha Tsui and get something to eat first. I'm sorry, but I don't think I'll be able to get anything good once we get there.
Zack: I don't know, Vera —it's already eleven o'clock..
Tim: Actually, why don't we have a look at Stanley, Market before we go to the beach? The bus stops right in front of the market. I want to look for some casual shirts and trousers.
Kelly: Oh, yes, Tim, let's do that. Maybe they have some trendy swim suits, and some jewellery...
Zack: [to himself] This is really awful! [to the others] Look, I don't want to go to a restaurant or go shopping—I just want to go to the beach on a nice day. You all said you'd go with me, but if you don't want to, you don't have to. See you later.
[sound of a door opening and closing ]
Vera: Somebody's not glad!
Tim: Well, it was his idea to go out, after all.
Kelly: Oh, dear, poor Zack. I'm going to call him.
[on the telephone] Hi, Zack? Look, just wait at the bus stop for me. I'm coming now. I won't go to the mall.
Tim: Tell him I'm coming too. We don't need to stop at the market.
Vera:[sighs(吸气)] Oh, all right. I can risk having lunch at the beach, I guess.
Kelly:[on the telephone] Zack? We're all coming now. We should all enjoy this great day together.
[to the rest] OK, let's go. We shouldn't keep Zack waiting.
Tim:[hurriedly] OK, come on, everybody...[fade]
1.What does "I'm in!" in line 7 mean?
A.I'll come too. B.I'm on the bus.
C.I'm at home now. D.I've made a decision.
2.In lines 9 and 10, Vera thinks that ________.
A.it's more fun to have lunch in Tsim Sha Tsui
B.the food at Stanley Beach isn't very good
C.the others will be angry because of her suggestion
D.she will be hungry by the time they get to the beach
3.In line 22, who does "somebody" refer to?
A.Kelly. B.Tim. C.Vera. D.Zack
4.Which of the following might be the best title for the play?
A.How to Make Decisions B.Let's Plan a Trip!
C.Stop for a While D.Keep It Simple!
Stephen Hawking, one of the world's most famous scientists, believed that humans will one day have to move into space, "Once we step into space, our future should be safe," he said.
Today, many countries are all planning to send astronauts to Earth's closest neighbor: the moon. Some of these countries want to create space stations there within the next 10 years. These stations will prepare humans to visit and later live on Mars or other earthlike planets.
__①__ Robert Zubrin, a rocket scientist, thinks humans should colonize(殖民) space. He wants to start with Mars. Why? He thinks sending people to Mars will allow us to learn a lot of things—for example, the ability of humans to live in a very different environment. Besides, any progress we make in the fields of science, technology, medicine. and health will do good to people here on Earth.
__②__ Elon Musk, the CEO of Space X also believes we should colonize Mars. His long-term goal is to put one million people there if something bad happens to us here on Earth.
__③__ Many people say it's too expensive. Also, most space trips are not short. A one-way trip to Mars, for example, would take at least six months. People traveling this kind of distance could face many health problems. Besides, these first people would find life especially difficult in space. On the moon's surface, for example, the sun's rays are very dangerous. People would have to stay indoors most of the time.
__④__ No matter what different concerns there are, sending people into space seems certain. In the future, we might see cities on the moon or even new human cultures on other planets. First stop: the moon.
1.According to the passage, why are some countries planning to build space stations?
A.To develop space travel. B.To learn more about the moon's surface.
C.To prepare humans to live on other planets. D.To cut down the number of people living on Earth.
2.Which is the best place for the sentence "Not everyone thinks sending humans into space is a smart idea. "?
A.① B.② C.③ D.④
3.What is the purpose of this passage?
A.To give reasons for and against colonizing space.
B.To describe what life would be like on the moon.
C.To compare the environments of Mars and the moon.
D.To introduce progress in space science and technology.
Dear Sir/Madam,
①It is now common to go online in the home, yet a recent survey showed that ninety-five percent of parents do not know what websites their children visit. I strongly believe that a training project should be started to help parents to improve their Internet and computer skills so that they can better monitor and guide their children.
②One advantage of providing training is that it would get parents to pay more attention to their children's online activities. If they had a better understanding of the Internet, they would see the need to make sure that their children use it properly and responsibly.
③Another argument for providing training to parents is that it would allow parents to help their children with their schoolwork. These days, a lot of homework needs to be done on computers. If parents have poor computer skills, they will be of little or no help with homework, which can make them upset. Some people argue that it is good that students can work independently on computers. However, it is clear that students, especially young students, often need this kind of home support.
④Improving parents' Internet and computer skills might also be a good way or parents to improve their relationships with their children. These days, children spend a lot of their free time on computers. If parents want to be part of that free time, they need to see that playing on computers can be a fun family activity. Joining their children can help parents bridge the generation gap(代沟) between them and their children.
⑤I strongly believe that children need to be helped and guided to use the Internet in a proper and responsible way, and so training is extremely important.
Yours faithfully.
Pat Chan
1.In the letter, the writer ________.
A.thinks parents should improve their Internet and computer skills
B.advises children not to spend a lot of their free time on computers
C.tries to make children less worried about their online schoolwork
D.explains why parents should pay more attention to their children
2.Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage?
A. B.
C. D.
3.The letter is probably from the part of ________ in a newspaper.
A.culture B.sports C.health D.education
Top Global Cities
What makes a city great? To answer this question, the creators of The Global Cities Index(全球城市指数) look at the following areas:
The Global Cities Index | Business |
People | |
Media (information) | |
Entertainment (museums, sports, music...) | |
Politics(政治) |
The 2018 Global Cities Index
The Global Cities Index is a list of the world’s most powerful and important cities. Here are the top 10 cities on the 2018 index. Some top cities are strong in five areas.
2018 rank City Scoring breakdown
1. New York
2. London
3. Paris
4. Tokyo
5. Hong Kong
6. Los Angeles
7. Singapore
8. Chicago
9. Beijing
10. Brussels
Future Leaders
Which cities will become more powerful in the future? Creators of the Global Cities Index predict the most growth in the following places:
• Asia: Beijing and Shanghai are both business centers and will continue to grow. In a few years, they will be as powerful as New York. Some Indian cities have a lot of business potential(潜力), too.
• South America: Some cities in Brazil and Colombia will become more powerful. In these cities, life for many people is improving.
• The Middle East: Istanbul in Turkey, Cairo in Egypt, etc. will hold more power in international politics and business—especially in helping East and West work together.
In 10 years, the top cities on the index may be different, but one thing is certain: tomorrow’s global cities will be more powerful than ever.
1.Which is the most powerful city in 2018 from the Global Cities Index?
A.Beijing. B.New York. C.London. D.Paris.
2.According to the reading, which part of the world will grow most in the area of politics?
A.Asia. B.South America. C.The Middle East. D.Europe.
3.The writer most probably agrees that ________.
A.a top global city needs to be strong in several areas
B.Brazil will be the world’s fastest-growing country in 10 years
C.tomorrow’s global cities will probably be less powerful than today’s
D.the Global Cities Index will probably list the same top cities 10 years from now
Most of us like to know where we are and where we're going. It can feel strange to be _______. The words "being lost" make us think of a dark and scary wood or street, _______ that's not always the case.
Once we were on holiday in Venice. My dad planned to go out to take photos early the next morning. Mum wasn't _______ , but I would go with him, only because he _______ I could have the biggest ever bowl of Italian ice cream if I did. _______ else would I get up so early?
So at 5 a.m. the next day we left the hotel and started walking in the _______ streets. When the sun came up, Dad started taking photos and I _______ him, down small streets and over little bridges.
After about an hour, I turned to Dad and asked, "Where are we?" He said, "I have no idea. "I immediately felt a bit _______, but Dad just laughed and said, "We're lost!", I told him to _______ his map or phone. He said, "I only brought the ________. Come on, let’s get more lost!" He laughed again.
His laughter ________ me and made me feel safe. Slowly people were appearing on the streets—shops and cafes began to open.
I began to ________ that we were lost, and just started watching and taking in everything that was happening around me.
________, after about four hours of walking around, we were back. Mum asked anxiously(担心地), "Where have you been?" I said with a big ________, "We got lost!"
These days we ________ get lost with so many things around us—maps, GPS, apps on our phones, and so on. But Dad showed me that being lost can sometimes simply be something to enjoy.
1.A.alone B.lost C.afraid D.silent
2.A.or B.so C.but D.and
3.A.worried B.touched C.satisfied D.interested
4.A.expected B.realized C.remembered D.promised
5.A.How B.Why C.When D.Where
6.A.modern B.noisy C.empty D.bright
7.A.left B.invited C.guided D.followed
8.A.scared B.hurt C.hungry D.tired
9.A.pick up B.think of C.take out D.pay for
10.A.map B.bowl C.phone D.camera
11.A.saved B.relaxed C.stopped D.warned
12.A.doubt B.forget C.imagine D.regret
13.A.Finally B.Recently C.Certainly D.Suddenly
14.A.surprise B.shame C.smile D.fear
15.A.hardly B.often C.nearly D.always