If you want to see climate change, head north and keep going until you run out of globe. That is easier said than done. The Arctic (北极) is home to few people and covered in ice much of the year. But those who make their way to the icy seas of the Arctic Ocean will see a part of the planet that is warming and changing faster than anywhere else.
In September, scientists announced at the National Snow and Ice Data (数据) Center that Arctic summer sea ice had fallen to its second lowest level since 1979, and probably long before that. The Arctic has lost an area of ice greater than the area of all U.S. states east of the Mississippi River. And what ice remains appears to be getting thinner and weaker.
Nick Toberg and Till Wagner are polar ice scientists who are doing sea ice fieldwork. “There is plenty of data to suggest that the ice is becoming thinner as well as smaller in area,” they say.
The changes happening in the Arctic are a warning for the entire world . As polar expert Walt
Meier puts it, “What happens in the Arctic doesn’t stay in the Arctic.”
Some scientists worry that Arctic sea ice may be going from a downward spiral (螺旋线) to a “death spiral”, one from which there is no escape. As more ice melts (融化), more dark open water appears. The darkness absorbs (吸收) more heat, which speeds up the pace of melting.
Until recently, many scientists thought it might take until the end of the century for the North Pole to become completely ice free during the summer. Now some believe it could happen by 2030 or even earlier. “The melting is happening faster in the real world than it has in the models,” says Nick Toberg.
1.The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell readers __________.
A. it’s difficult to arrive at the Arctic
B. it is too cold for people to live in the Arctic
C. what caused the climate change in the Arctic
D. we can see the most obvious climate change in the Arctic
2.From the second paragraph we can learn Arctic summer sea ice __________.
A. is still decreasing
B. began reducing in 1979
C. fell to its lowest level in September
D. is equal to the Mississippi River
3.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. The changes don’t affect the Arctic at all.
B. The changes will only happen in the Arctic.
C. The changes happening in the Arctic will stop.
D. The changes will also affect other parts of the world.
4.Nick Toberg may agree that __________.
A. the ice in the North Pole will stop melting
B. the ice in the North Pole is melting faster than expected
C. the ice in the North Pole will melt before 2030 or even earlier
D. the ice in the North Pole will not disappear until the end of the century
Nelson Mandela was a figure of international fame, and many details of his life and career were public knowledge. But here are four things you may not have known about the late South African leader.
1. He was a boxing fan.
In his youth, Nelson Mandela enjoyed boxing and long-distance running. Even during the 27 years he spent in prison, he would exercise every morning. "I did not enjoy the violence of boxing so much as the science of it. I was curious by how one moved one's body to protect oneself, how one used a strategy both to attack and retreat, how one paced oneself over a match," he wrote in his autobiography Long Walk to Freedom.
2. His original name was not Nelson.
Rolihlahla Mandela was nine years old when a teacher at the primary Methodist school where he was studying in Qunu, South Africa, gave him an English name “Nelson” in accordance with the custom to give all school children Christian names.
3. He forgot his glasses when he was released from prison.
Mr. Mandela's release on 11 February 1990 followed years of political pressure against apartheid(种族隔离). Mr. Mandela's reading glasses stayed behind in prison. Mr. Mandela and his then-wife Winnie were taken to the centre of Cape Town to address a huge and exciting crowd. But when he pulled out the text of his speech, he realized he had forgotten his glasses and had to borrow Winnie's.
4. He had his own law firm, but it took him years to get a law degree.
Mr. Mandela studied law on and off for 50 years from 1939, failing about half the courses he took. A two-year diploma(学位证书) in law on top of his university degree allowed him to practice, and in August 1952, he and Oliver Tambo set up South Africa's first black law firm, Mandela and Tambo, in Johannesburg. He kept on studying hard to finally secure a law degree while in prison in 1989.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. Nelson Mandela’s life in the prison.
B. Unknown things about Nelson Mandela.
C. Nelson Mandela’s hobbies and career.
D. The achievements of Nelson Mandela.
2.Why did Nelson Mandela love boxing?
A. Because he wanted to be a boxer.
B. Because he loved the science in boxing.
C. Because he enjoyed the violence of boxing.
D. Because he had nothing else to do in the prison.
3.What happened to Mandela when he was about to give the speech?
A. He broke his glasses into pieces.
B. He left his own glasses at home.
C. He had to use his wife’s glasses.
D. His wife wanted to borrow his glasses.
4.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Nelson Mandela was not his original name.
B. Nelson Mandela was the name given by his teacher.
C. Nelson Mandela had started his own law firm before he got a law degree.
D. Nelson Mandela had been studying the law nonstop for 50 years.
In 1978, I was 18 and was working as a nurse in a small town about 270 km away from Sydney, Australia. I was looking forward to having five days off from duty. Unfortunately, the only one train a day back to my home in Sydney had already left. So I thought I’d hitch a ride (搭便车).
I waited by the side of the highway for three hours but no one stopped for me. Finally, a man walked over and introduced himself as Gordon. He said that although he couldn’t give me a lift, I should come back to his house for lunch
. He noticed me standing for hours in the November heat and thought I must be hungry. I was doubtful as a young girl but he assured (使……放心)me I was safe, and he also offered to help me find a lift home afterwards. When we arrived at his house, he made us sandwiches. After lunch, he helped me find a lift home.
Twenty-five years later, in 2003, while I was driving to a nearby town one day, I saw an elderly man standing in the glaring heat, trying to hitch a ride. I thought it was another chance to repay someone for the favor I’d been given decades earlier. I pulled over and picked him up. I made him comfortable on the back seat and offered him some water.
After a few moments of small talk, the man said to me, “You haven’t changed a bit, even your red hair is still the same.”
I couldn’t remember where I’d met him. He then told me he was the man who had given me lunch and helped me find a lift all those years ago. It was Gordon.
1.The author(作者) had to hitch a ride one day in 1978 because __________ .
A．the town was far away from Sydney
B．she missed the only train back home
C．she was going home for her holidays
D．her work delayed her trip to Sydney
2.Which of the following did Gordon do according to Paragraph 2?
A．He bought sandwiches for the girl .
B．He gave the girl a ride back home.
C．He helped the girl find a ride.
D．He watched the girl for three hours.
3.The reason why the author offered a lift to the elderly man was that __________.
A．she realized he was Gordon
B．she had known him for decades
C．she was going to the nearby town
D．she wanted to pay back the help she once got
4.What does the author want to tell the readers through the story?
A．Sometimes giving produces nice results.
B．Those who give rides will be repaid.
C．Good manners bring about happiness.
D．Peop
le should offer free rides to others.
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A teacher teaching math to seven-year-old Laiq asked him, “If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple , how many apples will you have?”
With a few seconds Laiq confidently, “Four!”
The confused teacher was expecting a(n) correct answer, three. She was disappointed. “Maybe the child didn’t hear ” she thought. She , “Laiq, listen carefully. If I give you one apple and one apple and one apple, how many apples will you have?”
Laiq had seen the on his teacher’s face. He again on his fingers. But within him he was also the answer that would make the teacher happy. This time hesitatingly he replied, “Four.”
The disappointment stayed on the teacher’s face. Suddenly she that Laiq liked strawberries. She thought maybe he didn’t like apples and that was why he couldn’t answer the question. This time with an excitement in her she asked, “If I give you one strawberry and one strawberry and one strawberry, then how many will you have?”
Seeing the teacher , young Laiq calculated on his fingers again. There was no pressure on him, but a little on the teacher. She wanted her new to succeed. a hesitating smile young Laiq replied, “Three?”
The teacher now had a smile. Her approach had succeeded. She wanted to herself. But one last thing remained. she asked him, “Now if I give you one apple and one apple and one more apple , how many will you have ?”
Confidently Laiq answered, ‘Four!” The teacher was “How Laik , how?” She demanded in a little annoyed voice.
In a voice that was and hesitating young Laik replied, “Because I already have one in my bag.”
The story tells us： someone gives you an answer that is from what you expect, don’t think they are wrong. There shall be an angle(角度) that you may not have thought about yet.
1.A. told B. added C. replied D. wrote
2.A. worthless B. effortless C. careless D. selfless
3.A. possibly B. actively C. clearly D. strictly
4.A. repeated B. ordered C. whispered D. complained
5.A. satisfaction B. disappointment C. punishment D. determination
6.A. recognizedB. discovered C. calculated D. insisted
7.A. searching for B. waiting for C. arguing for D. talking about
8.A. decided B. noticed C. expressed D. remembered
9.A. eyes B. hands C. mouth D. nose
10.A. sad B. happy C. pitiful D. lovely
11.A. inventionB. system C. reform D. approach
12.A. On B. In C. With D. By
13.A. precious B. satisfied C. lasting D. appealing
14.A. thank B. congratulate C. help D. enjoy
15.A. Above all B. In vain C. On purpo
se D. Once again
16.A. astonished B. concerned C. amused D. relaxed
17.A. high B. low C. easy D. clear
18.A. strawberry B. apple C. coin D. box
19.A. Before B. After C. Until D. When
20. A. absent B. free C. different D.safe
The top leaders of the two countries are holding talks in a friendly __________.
A . atmosphere B. state C. situation D. phenomenon
The chairman asked me to __________ the report, because he didn’t want to speak for too long at this meeting.
A. cut off B. cut away C. cut out D. cut down
