Five times in the earth’s history, some three-quarters of all living species disappeared forever-and within a short period of time. Those species losses stand for a major change in the planet’s ecology(生态学). Clues to these changes can be seen in the fossils(化石)and rock layers.
Today, human activities are driving species to die out at a rate never seen before. And this loss of species really does matter, said Anita Narwani. She works at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. That’s because the diversity(多样性)of species in an ecosystem provides people with all types of services we can’t do without.
Trees provide oxygen for us to breathe. At the same time, they remove carbon from the air which is a cause of global warming. Plants help clean air and water. Animals move seeds from one area to another. A broad range of living resources also provides people with food, shelter and medicine.
Narwani wanted to find out how important the diversity of species is for people. So she teamed up with other ecologists to review more than 1,700 studies. They found that more diverse parts of the earth tend to do well in things like removing carbon and providing us with wood and other natural resources. They were also better at keeping fisheries large and healthy so that they could feed many people.
Unfortunately, the diversity of species is in steep drop. It is too soon to say that the earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction, Narwani said. She said a mass extinction means the loss of 75 percent of species over 2 million years or less. We haven’t lost that many – at least not yet. But according to her, if species losses continue so fast, such a mass extinction could occur in just 300 years.
The new findings highlight the potential for humans to use up many of the resources on which we now depend. As people learn more, however, they can take steps to lessen those risks. People should protect ecosystems so that they can continue to provide us with their services.
1.What’s the writer’s purpose in giving the examples in Paragraph 3?
A. To tell us how we get our food and resources.
B. To show the importance of the diversity of species.
C. To tell us the use of each species.
D. To show the writer is very learned.
2.The underlined word “They ” in Paragraph 4 refers to .
A. humans
B. Narwani and her team
C. natural resources
D. various species
3.Narwani and her team found that .
A. many people know the importance of protecting wildlife
B. many species die out because of human activities
C. making good use of natural resources benefits people
D. rich diversity of species greatly benefits people
4. We can learn from Paragraph 5 that .
A. the world’s species are dying out in a very fast rate
B. we’ll lose 75 percent of species on the earth
C. the earth is undergoing a sixth mass extinction
D. a mass extinction of species will occur in 300 years
Recently, we were given the opportunity to review a book written by a young author. When we received it, I noted how beautifully done it was. While often the case---we see beautifully written and illustrated books all the time---but how often do they come from a 10-year-old? Sewing a Friendship, written by a creative and talented young girl named Natalie Tinti, is such a book.
Developing friendships is an area that Natalie Tinti has researched in her own life. In her book, Sewing a Friendship, she tells what great things can happen if kids take a step toward friendship.
Tinti’s characters in Sewing a Friendship have colorful and creative personalities. Jonsy Jipsy loves singing and belly dance. Sokron Blossom lives in a neat and tidy world and loves to read fashion magazines. Meeka likes brain games and Nina is happy with her life and the music it brings her.
All but one of the characters seems happy with their lives. One of the girls, Kiki Shaver, was sad to live in a small home with her aunt and uncle. She had no friend and didn’t know how to make them. When four girls invites her into the circle of their friendship, it’s no wonder that Kiki is hesitant and uneasy.
The story continues as the four girls invite and accept a “ not so likeable” girl into their circle to win a fashion show. The girls feel a strong bond of friendship after the show. Kiki then understands that taking a step towards friendship is better than being alone. All the girls learn that by having the courage to include others, you can “ sew a friendship”.
Today, it seems that almost every news headline begins with a child’s suicide---or murder---because of being bullied(欺侮)，not having friends or family to discuss issues with and feelings of low self –respect. What’s causing these senseless terrible events? If more kids would invite the outcasts（被驱逐者） into their circle of friends, lives would be saved as well as pointed in another direction.
Natalie Tinti finds her voice in Sewing a Friendship ---and shows a talent that’s rare for such a young girl. Recommended reading for all young adult fans.
1. The first paragraph serves as a(n) ______.
A. background B. explanation
C. summary D. introduction
2.The author seems to agree that ______.
A. bullying is the main cause of children’s suicides
B. we should not expect too much from friendship
C. friendship has the power to prevent sad events
D. one should not forget his old circle of friends
3.Which of the following words can best describe the ending of the story?
A. Disappointing. B. Unexpected
C. Uncertain. D. Satisfying
4. The general tone(基调) of the passage is one of ______.
A. praise B. delight
C. complaint D. concern
Sure, it’s good to get along with your teacher because it makes the time you spend in the classroom more pleasant.
And yes, it’s good to get along with your teacher because, in general, it’s smart to learn how to understand the different types of people you’ll meet throughout your life.
“But really, there’s one super-important reason why you should get along with your teacher. When you do, learning bursts right open,” says Evelyn Vuko, a longtime teacher who writes an education column(专栏) called “Teacher Says” for the Washington Post newspaper.
In fact, kids who get along with their teachers not only learn more, but they’re more comfortable asking questions and getting extra help. This makes it easier to understand new material and do your best on tests. When you have this kind of relationship with a teacher, he or she can be someone to turn to with problems, such as problems with learning or school life, such as bullying.
As a kid in a primary or middle school, you’re at a wonderful stage in your life. You’re like a sponge (海绵), able to absorb lots of new and exciting information. On top of that, you’re able to think about all this information in new ways. Your teacher knows that it, in most cases, is very excited to be the person who’s giving you all that material and helping you make it. Remember, teachers are people, too, and they feel great if you’re open to what they’re teaching you. That’s why they wanted to be teachers in the first place—to teach!
Some kids may be able to learn in any situation, whether they like the teacher or not. But most kids are sensitive to the way they get along with the teacher, and if things aren’t going well, they won’t learn as well and won’t enjoy being in class.
1.In the passage, the author mainly talks about _______.
A. how to get along well with others
B. the importance of a good relation with teachers
C. how to make the time in the classroom more pleasant
D. how much the students are expected of to get along with teachers
2.“Learning bursts right open” in the third paragraph really means _______.
A. you find an opening to learning
B. learning becomes easier for you at once
C. there’ll be more problems with learning
D. there’ll be no problems at all with learning
3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. The more questions you ask, the higher marks you will get.
B. Many kids can do well without a good relationship with teachers.
C. If you get on well with your teachers, you must have a good result in exams.
D. if you have a good relationship with your teacher, you can turn to him when in trouble.
4.Which of the comments is FALSE on teachers and their work according to the passage?
A. Teachers sometimes have the same feelings as students do.
B. Teachers are excited even if you wouldn’t like to accept their teaching.
C. Though few, there are still some students who can learn even if they don’t like the teacher.
D. Having a bad relationship with your teachers does more or less harm to your studies.
A 17-year-old boy, caught sending text messages in class, was recently sent to the vice principal's office at Millwood High School in Halifax, Nova Scotia.
The vice principal, Steve Gallagher, told the boy he needed to focus on the teacher, not his cellphone. The boy listened politely and nodded, and that's when Mr. Gallagher noticed the student's fingers moving on his lap. He was texting while being scolded for texting!
"It was a subconscious(下意识的) act," said Mr. Gallagher, who took the phone away. "Young people today are connected socially from the moment they open their eyes in the morning until they close their eyes at night. It's addictive(上瘾的). They can’t simply stop doing that."
Because so many people in their teens and early 20s are in this constant whir of socializing – accessible(易接近的) to each other every minute of the day via cellphone, instant messaging and social-networking Web sites -- there are a host of new questions that need to be addressed in schools, in the workplace and at home. Chief among them: How much work can "hyper-socializing" students or employees really accomplish if they are holding multiple conversations with friends via text-messaging, or are obsessively checking Facebook? Almost a quarter of today's teens check Facebook more than 10 times a day, according to a 2009 survey by Common Sense Media, a non-profit group that monitors media's impact on families.
Will these young people get rid of this habit once they enter the work force, or will employers come to see texting and "social-network checking" as accepted parts of the workday?
"In past generations, students got in trouble for passing notes in class. Now students are adept at texting with their phones still in their pockets," said 40-year-old Mr. Gallagher, "and they're able to communicate with someone one floor down and three rows over. Students are just fundamentally different today. They will take suspensions(休学) rather than give up their phones."
1.When the boy was scolded for texting, _________________.
A. he was polite and regretful
B. he was trying sending another message
C. his fingers shouldn’t be put on his lap
D. he listened carefully and nodded
2.From what the boy did we know___________.
A. Using the cellphone is addictive for the boy
B. The boy will stop using the cellphone
C. The boy will leave school
D. The boy wasn’t willing to accept being scolded
3.What can we learn about the students in their teens and early 20s?
A. All of them are addicted to using cellphones.
B. They will get rid of the habit once they go to work.
C. They are greatly different from the past generations.
D. Most of them check Facebook more than 10 times a day.
4.What can we infer from the passage?
A. Facebook is a kind of book students need to read at school.
B. The employers will accept texting at workday.
C. The students will give up their phones one day.
D. It’s convenient for students to communicate with others with cellphones.
Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The next building was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman living there, and I had never met her, yet I could see she sat by her window each afternoon, sewing or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself. “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window on the inside.
Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible (看见). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing (批评) her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings?
Since then, whenever I wanted to judge (评判) someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly.
1.The writer couldn’t see everything clearly through the window because _______.
A. the writer’s window was dirty
B. the woman’s window was dirty
C. the woman lived nearby
D. the writer was near-sighted
2. “It dawned on me” in paragraph5 probably means “_______”.
A. it began to get dark
B. it cheered me up
C. I began to understand it
D. I knew it grew light
3. It’s clear that ________.
A. they lived in a small town
B. the writer often washed the window
C. they both worked as cleaners
D. the writer had never met the woman before
4.From the passage, we can learn _______.
A. one shouldn’t criticize others very often
B. one should often make his windows clean
C. one must judge himself before he judges others
D. one must look at others through his dirty windows
It was at 6 a.m. that I arrived in the hospital kitchen. “Hi, I’m Janet.” I tried to sound cheerful, although I already knew that it was to work with Rose.
Rose, a middle-aged woman, stopped what she was doing and me over her glasses. I could tell from her expression that she wasn’t to see a student worker.
“What do you want me to do? the coffee?” Rose and went away. I filled the pot with cold water and began making coffee when Rose suddenly and took over, “That’s not the to make coffee.” I was as I just followed the steps our supervisor (视导员) showed us.
I did pleased her. All morning her eyes missed nothing and her words me. Totally tired, I came home late that afternoon. Fighting back , I thought of my situation alone in my room. Should I see if my supervisor would change my ? But I didn’t want to . Then I had the answer — I needed to her.
Working with Rose the next morning, I her sharp words and did things in her way as much as possible. Things began to over the next few days. She became to me. As I worked with this woman, I listened to her — something no one else had done.
I never Rose again after that summer, but I still remember her. That summer I learned a that love is the best way to turn an enemy into a friend.
1.A. useful B. difficult C. strange D. interesting
2.A. looked at B. shouted at C. smiled at D. cared about
3.A. sad B. nervous C. pleased D. interested
4.A. Serve B. Make C. Buy D. Find
5.A. spoke B. bent C. nodded D. stood
6.A. appeared B. decided C. agreed D. calmed
7.A. time B. place C. way D. student
8.A. shocked B. excited C. bored D. serious
9.A. Something B. Nothing C. Anything D. Everything
10.A. attracted B. moved C. taught D. hurt
11.A. kindness B. worry C. pride D. tears
12.A. work B. project C. mind D. tool
13.A. get down B. go away C. give in D. come up
14.A. notice B. love C. show D. trust
15.A. enjoyed B. judged C. ignored D. considered
16.A. happen B. change C. worsen D. arise
17.A. helpful B. angry C. friendly D. grateful
18.A. young B. lonely C. strong D. kind
19.A. refuse B. mention C. call D. see
20.A. lesson B. word C. story D. way
