They say money doesn’t grow on trees. But it certainly appears to do so on the mysterious coin-studded(嵌满) trunks dotted around the UK’s woodland. The strange phenomenon of old trees with coins fixed firmly all over their bark has been spotted on trails from the Peak District to the Scottish Highlands. The coins are usually knocked into felled (砍伐的) tree trunks using stones by passers-by, who hope it will bring them good fortune.
These fascinating spectacles often have coins from centuries ago buried deep in their bark and warped by the passage of time. The tradition of making offerings to gods at wishing trees dates back hundreds of years, but this combination of the man-made and the natural is far more rare. It used to be believed that god’s spirits lived in trees, and they were often decorated with sweets and gifts — as is still done today at Christmas. The act is like tossing money into ponds for good luck, or the trend for couples to attach “love padlocks” to bridges and fences to symbolize lasting romance. Some pubs, such as the Punch Bowl in Askham, Cumbria, have old timbers with splits in them into which coins are forced for luck. There are seven felled tree trunks with coins pushed into them in the picturesque village of Portmeirion, in Wales.
Meurig Jones, an estate manager at the tourist destination, told the BBC, “We had no idea why it was being done when we first noticed the tree trunk was being filled with coins. I did some detective work and discovered that trees were sometimes used as ‘wishing trees’. In Britain it dates back to the 1700s — there is one tree somewhere in Scotland which apparently has an old coin stuck into it. ” He said that a sick person could press a coin into a tree and their illness would go away. If someone then takes the coin out though, it’s said they then become ill. We haven’t made it known at all, it’s just happened,” he added. “It’s quite amazing really.” In Scotland, there is also a legend about a kissing tree. If a young man could drive a nail into a tree with one blow, he earned a kiss from his sweetheart.
1.What was the real reason why in UK people knocked coins into the old trees?
A．It was hoped that it would bring them good future and make the trees more beautiful.
B．Nobody knew why there was such a strange custom that it could make them lucky.
C．It might come from the tradition of making offerings to gods hundreds of years ago.
D．It was said that god’s spirits lived in trees and doing so could please the gods of the trees.
2.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 may mean ____________.
A．this combination of the man-made and the natural is far from realistic.
B．the mysterious phenomenon of old trees with coins is rarely seen in the world.
C．people wanted to make the works of art with the help from the forces of nature.
D．the appearance of trees would be nicer than their original.
3.The passage mainly tells us that________.
A．some people attached “love padlocks” to bridges and fences to symbolize lasting romance
B．a particular way in which people made good wishes is still popular in the UK
C．visitors tossed money into ponds for good luck just as they knocked coins into the trees
D．a long history of a strange phenomenon of old trees with coins in the UK
4.Which of the following can be used as the best title for the passage?
A．Who Says Money Doesn’t Grow on Trees?
B．Do Trees with Some Coins Become Valuable?
C．Is It Really Amazing to Have Coins Fixed into Trees?
D．What Is the Purpose of Knocking Coins into Trees?
The Sauna World Championships (世界桑拿锦标赛) ended in tragedy at the weekend when one of the two finalists collapsed and died. Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy, a Russian amateur wrestler in his 60s, suffered severe burns in the bizarre(怪诞的) annual event in the southern Finnish town of Heinola. He was pronounced dead late on Saturday after he collapsed alongside reigning (卫冕) champion Timo Kaukonen of Finland roughly six minutes into the final round. The “sport” calls on participants to sit in a 230-degree (110 Celsius) room as water was tossed onto a searing stove, officials and witnesses said. Medical workers pulled both men out of the sauna in front of nearly 1,000 horrified spectators.
Both were shaking and bleeding from what appeared to be severe burns, said Hakon Eikesdal, a photographer with the Norwegian daily Dagbladet. Kaukonen, about 40, was in hospital in stable condition Sunday, contest spokesman Ossi Arvela said. The event, which had over 130 participants from 15 countries, had been held since 1999. It will never be held again, Arvela said. A pint of water is added to the stove every 30 seconds and the last person to remain at the sauna is the winner. There was no prize other than “some small things” Arvela said. He declined to provide details. Arvela said Kaukonen — the defending world champion — had refused to leave the sauna despite getting sick. Sauna bathing is a popular past-time in Finland, which has an estimated 1.6 million saunas for a population of 5 million.
Temperatures are normally kept around 158 to 176 degrees (70~80 degrees Celsius). “I know this is very hard to understand to people outside Finland who are not familiar with the sauna habit,” Arvela said. “It is not so unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna. A lot of competitors before have sat in higher temperatures than that.” Arvela said all rules in Saturday’s competition were followed and the temperatures and times were similar to those in previous years.
1.Which of the following is True of Paragraph 1?
A．Only the Russian amateur wrestler suffered severe burns in the Sauna World Championships.
B．Timo Kaukonen won a world sauna championship though he was badly burned.
C．In the Sauna World Championships Vladimir Ladyzhenskiy was badly burned and then died.
D．Both of the finalists were pulled out of the sauna, then they were horrified to death.
2.The underlined word “searing” means “__________”.
A．burning B．comfortable C．warm D．extinct
3.What can we conclude from the situation after the tragedy?
A．There was no prize other than “some small things”, which the world champion would refuse to accept.
B．Ossi Arvela suggested there were great risks in the sauna contest and it never be held in the future.
C．The contest would be continued in which the temperatures were kept around 158 to 176 degrees.
D．It was unusual to have 110 degrees in a sauna and it was hard to understand to some people outside.
4.We can infer from the news that ___________.
A．sauna is so popular that there are often competitions on weekdays in Finland.
B．the temperatures in usual saunas are too high for most people to stand in Finland.
C．the sauna contest is much too horrible even for the spectators in Finland.
D．there is a sauna for more than three people on average in Finland.
The time of year a baby is born can shape what profession they will embark on (从事) in later life, a new study has suggested. Being born in a certain month appears to indicate the statistical likelihood of what job a person will end up with, the study by the Office for National Statistics found. Researchers have uncovered that the month in which babies are born could also affect everything from intelligence to length of life.
A child born December is more likely to become a dentist while someone whose birthday falls in January will tend to a debt collector, they found. A February birth appears to increase the chances of being an artist while March babies appear to go on to become pilots. Meanwhile, April and May are said to have a fairly even spread of professions, births in the summer months mean a much lower chance of becoming a high-earning football player, doctor or dentist.
The study was derived (推导出) by researchers who analyzed the birth months of people in 19 separate occupations using information from the last census, the Daily Mail reported. Although these trends may be difficult to explain, correlations (关联) between birth months and specific health problems have a scientific basis. Spring babies are at greater risks of illnesses including schizophrenia, Alzheimer’s disease, asthma and autism. They may also be less clever than classmates born in other parts of the year.
1.What is the main idea of this passage?
A．The year when a baby is born may not be associated with the job he or she will end up with.
B．Researchers have found the birth month could affect both intelligence and length of life.
C．The birth time can give signs of future development of what professions people will start.
D．The study indicates there are correlations between birth months and some terrible risks.
2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A．A child born in December is more likely to become an artist while someone born in January will tend to be a dentist.
B．A February birth appears to have the possibilities of being an artist while March babies appear to become pilots.
C．Children born in April and May are said to have equally balanced chances in their future professions.
D．Births in the summer months mean they have few chances to earn a lot of money as a football player, doctor or dentist.
3.What do the researchers also study besides the analyses of the trends between birth months and professions?
A．Some serious diseases from births of many children.
B．A lot of mental illnesses caused by giving birth to children.
C．The secret of births and healthy problems.
D．The relationship between birth months and certain health problems.
The black and white bird came ashore on a beach in the south of the North Island nearly 4,000 miles away from its usual habitat. The creature’s astonishing journey was witnessed by a woman walking her dog as the two-foot bird waddled out of the water in front of her. She said, “It was out of this world to see it. It was this glistening white thing standing up on the sand and I thought I was seeing things.” The tale of the lost penguin is similar to the 2006 children’s film Happy Feet, in which a young penguin finds himself far from home during a voyage of discovery.
Conservationists believe it has completed an incredible journey for such a young bird — it is estimated to be around 10 months old. The most likely explanation for its appearance in New Zealand is the hunt for food. Experts said it may also have rested on an ice floe (浮冰) during its travels and was carried north for a great distance before it made a swim for dry land. Colin Miskelly, a curator of New Zealand Museum, said, “They can spend months at a time in the ocean and come ashore only to moult (脱毛,换毛)or rest.” Mr. Miskelly said the brave bird would have to find its way back south soon if it was going to survive. He said, “It is probably hot and thirsty and has been eating wet sand.” “It doesn’t realize that the sand isn’t going to melt inside it because they typically eat snow — their only liquid.”
New Zealand residents have been warned to give the bird a wide berth — it can inflict (予以) painful bites if threatened.
1.Which of the following is True of Paragraph 1?
A．A young penguin found himself far from home during a voyage of moulting.
B．A creature’s astonishing journey was incredible in the north of the North Island.
C．A woman witnessed a 2 feet bird waddled in the children’s film while walking her dog.
D．A penguin came ashore on a beach thousands of miles away from its habitate.
2.Conservationists tend to explain that____________.
A．the young bird has completed a pleasant journey of 4,000 thousand miles
B．the young bird’s appearance in New Zealand is due to its hunt for food and delay of returning
C．the young bird comes ashore in New Zealand only to moult or rest during its voyage
D．the young bird is certain to be over 10 months old when it appears on a beach
3.What do we know about the penguin according to Mr. Miskelly?
A．The penguin could spend months at a time in the ocean and came ashore only to have young ones.
B．The young bird might have slept on an ice floe and could not swim for dry land.
C．The young penguin didn’t realize the sand wasn’t going to melt inside it like snow it eats.
D．The brave bird would have to find its way back north soon if it was going to survive.
4.What does the underlined part mean in the last sentence?
A．The residents should keep well away from it when they want to watch the young penguin.
B．Some people do not realize the danger of the young bird and they are expected to touch it.
C．New Zealand residents want to keep the young bird but it wants to leave the shore.
D．If the local people threatened the young bird, it would do harm to other birds nearby. .
“A thousand-mile journey begins with a single step,” as the saying goes. However, 36 it doesn’t tell us is that once the journey is started, it might be hard to stop.
That’s the 37 for Tang Renli, a senior at Nanjing University of Technology, who has backpacked to more than 200 cities in China during four years of college. To 38 his experiences, Tang has hosted a photo exhibition Play Hooky, Go Travel at the Beijing 798 Art Zone. On __39_ are over 300 photos of his travels. The 22-year-old never 40 going to so many places when he 41 his first trip to Yangzhou during the Tomb Sweeping Day holiday in his freshman year. _42 he was hooked on travel. You may 43 how Tang could find the time, being a full-time college student. Did he really skip classes to go travel, like the 44 of his exhibition suggests? “I gave myself one to two weeks every month for travel. But I always took care of my class and 45__ first,” Tang said. Tang, who is a city planning major, has never ___46_ a compulsory course at college.
“I spent more time and effort on my study, 47 during the finals’ weeks,” Tang said. Schoolwork was not the only 48 Tang had to face. His travel budget was 49 so Tang had to 50 what he had. He usually took the cheapest form of transport and stayed at youth hostels ___51 less than 50 yuan per night. There were also times when he walked, hitchhiked, and slept in train stations, police offices and vans.
“Sometimes I felt 52 , helpless and even found myself in _53 ,” Tang said. “But now that I look back, these setbacks _54 my journey, and my life. Don’t think too much about the ___55 because you’ll cross that bridge when you get to it. And once you take your first step, the feeling is amazing and addictive.”
1. A．which B．what C．that D．it
2. A．case B．excuse C．motto D．dream
3. A．test B．gain C．share D．identify
4. A．purpose B．performance C．discovery D．display
5. A．thought of B．spoke to C．worried about D．turned out
6. A．competed B．completed C．compromised D．complained
7. A．Up to now B．Until then C．From then on D．In the end
8. A．wonder B．puzzle C．surprise D．trouble
9. A．sentence B．title C．project D．object
10. A．comments B．revision C．achievements D．assignments
11. A．failed B．succeeded C． reached D．missed
12. A．impatiently B．increasingly C．especially D．anxiously
13. A．excitement B．mixture C．expression D．obstacle
14. A．limited B．granted C．applied D．wasted
15. A．pay much attention to B．take no notice of
C．put an end to D．make the most of
16. A．losing B．costing C．offering D．cheating
17. A．alone B．lively C．lonely D．alive
18. A．horror B．anger C．sorrow D．danger
19. A．enjoyed B．enriched C．engaged D．endured
20. A．importance B．necessities C．uncertainties D．significance
—Are these doctors and nurses tired, Mr. Smith?
—Yes. ________. They have been operating on the patient for at least 10 hours.
A．They’re exhausted! B．You must be joking!
C．I’m not surprised! D．They are really tired of it!
