Every year seals would crowd ashore in Farne Island and give birth to their pups. Between early October and early December, 1,500 seal pups will be born. Almost half of them will not make it past the first three weeks of life.
“The pups have to stay out of the water for the first three weeks, when they have their white coat, which is not very waterproof,” explains the warden (监察员)，who spends nine months on the Island.
“But when you’re born in November on a rock in the North Sea, it’s a tough start to life,” he said. Storms often wash young pups into the water. And occasionally, young, inexperienced mothers abandon their pups and head out to sea.
“We lost 41% last year,” said David Steel, the National Trust’s head warden on the Farne Islands. “Mother Nature certainly keeps them in check.”
Despite the early challenges for every newborn seal, the population is healthily and slowly and steadily growing. There are almost 4,000 seals on a set of islands, which is named a Special Area of Conservation(SAC), meaning it is protected under EU regulations. This successful human safeguarding of the seals’ habitat is huge turnaround(转机).
Just a few decades ago, the seal population was deliberately decimated. The animals used to be thought of as a threat to local fish stocks. During the late 1960s and 1970s, thousands of seals were shot in a cull(剔除)that aimed to protect the local fishing industry. According to the National Trust, between 1962 and 1983 approximately 2,000 adult females and 3,000 pups were shot.
But, as the fishing industry collapsed, it was gradually replaced by tourism. Today, several companies use fishing boats to take groups of people to visit the islands and admire the scenery, seabirds and, of course, the seals that make their homes in this bleakly beautiful place.
1. In the first three weeks after they were born, almost half of the seal pups _______.
A. would be abandoned by their mothers
B. would be protected by the wardens
C. couldn’t live independently
D. would die mostly in the sea water.
2.According to David Steel, death of so many pups________.
A. is a normal and natural phenomenon
B. is mainly caused by farmers’ killing
C. can be prevented efficiently by man
D. will be controlled by Mother Nature
3.The underlined word “decimate” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to ____.
A. increase B. kill C. reduce D. control
4.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. The Beautiful Farne Island
B. A Tough Beginning
C. How to Protect Grey Seals
D. Tourism or Fishing Industry
Our world is full of tourist traps and crowds of people. What if you could get out ahead of the crowded people and visit a place before it started swarming with crowds of people?
José lgnacio, Uruguay
Only about 300 people actually live here, but in winter, Latin famous stars like Shakira gather here. A new luxury hotel named Bahia Vik is in the process of opening, and JoséIgnacio is preparing to host an international art festival. You can enjoy art atmosphere here and eat steaks at La Huella restaurant.
Koh Rong, Cambodia
Visiting this Cambodian island is like stepping into a screen saver. With only a few houses and some fishing villages, many people say it’s like Thailand 20 years ago when tourists landed the untouched beaches. Ferries started regularly shuttling tourists to Koh Rong only a few years ago, but things are still pretty quiet until someone plans to build an airport.
Riga, Latvia
Latvia is Europe’s best kept secret, but all has changed now since Riga was named the European Capital of Culture in 2014. The city also ranked as Europe’s cheapest destination for backpackers this year, with an average cost of just $33 per day for food, lodging, transportation and entertainment. Hurry up and peruse (研读) Old Riga and St. Peter’s tower, and get fancy at the Latvian National Opera.
Puglia, Italy
With food travel on the rise, Puglia is becoming a household name. Under the Italian cultural influences, the Mediterranean diet takes one of its purest and most delicious forms: food is locally purchased and restaurants are quaint (精致的) and are of high quality, which have good reputations.
1.The first paragraph is used to .
A. complain about tourist traps
B. introduce the topic of the text
C. warn readers to avoid crowded people
D. show how tired travelers feel after holidays
2.When visiting Koh Rong, you can .
A. take a boat to get there
B. eat steaks at La Huella restaurant
C. find there is a large beautiful airport
D. find it’s as developed as Thailand
3.Which of the following will cost travelers least in Europe?
A. José Ignacio, Uruguay.
B. Koh Rong, Cambodia.
C. Riga, Latvia.
D. Puglia, Italy.
4.What can we know about Puglia?
A. Its diet enjoys wide popularity.
B. Its food price is rising rapidly.
C. It has the most delicious food in Italy.
D. It has a luxury hotel named Bahia Vik.
If you walk around any large city, you’ll find a coffee shop on every corner. Many shops offer comfortable sofas, large screen televisions and sometimes even live music. More and more teenagers are hanging out there. My pre-teen has already done so after school once a month, but she always orders fruit juice. I think she would drink coffee sooner or later, so I started doing some research online.
I found that coffee in moderation (适度) could be safe, but one thing that was constant online was the chance of becoming addicted to coffee. Coffee is one step up from soda but still not as dangerous as energy drinks or alcohol. Still, any addiction is hard to break, so I needed to come up with a plan that would protect my child.
Coffee shops offer a safe place for teenagers to hang out. As like anything else you let your children do, you need to set limits. Drinking coffee while socializing once or twice a week won’t cause a severe caffeine addiction. However, you should avoid allowing a cup of coffee every morning and ensure they get adequate sleep each night, which will make them less likely to feel the need to drink coffee.
As parents, we have responsibility to set a good example. If you’re addicted to caffeine, it’s time to start monitoring your intake. If you drink much water and keep healthier drink options in your fridge and at your dinner table, your teenager will follow you. I drink much water and so do both my children. My kids learn more from watching me do things than they will ever learn from my verbal teaching.
As a mother, I’m ready to allow my child to try coffee and we’ll talk about it and discuss the pros and cons of consuming this. I feel open communication is vital in helping them make good decisions. Although the decision to drink coffee doesn’t pose the same dangers as underage drinking, it still deserves a thoughtful conversation.
1.The author began to do research on coffee in order to _____
A. offer some good advice to coffee shops
B. guide her daughter to drink coffee properly
C. stop her daughter hanging out in coffee shops
D. let her daughter believe that fruit juice is healthy
2. According to the passage, if teenagers have enough sleep, they_____
A. won’t ache for coffee that much
B. won’t hang out in coffee shops
C. won’t drink coffee forever
D. will drink water instead of coffee
3. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 imply?
A. The author’s children don’t like to talk with her.
B. The author thinks a good example functions better.
C. The author is living in harmony with her children.
D. The author doesn’t want her children to learn from her.
4. Which of the following statements agrees with the author’s opinion according to the passage?
A. Teenagers should be stopped from entering coffee shops.
B. Coffee shops should not offer many options to teenagers.
C. Teenagers’ activities in coffee shops should be limited strictly.
D. Parents should not force their children to stop drinking coffee.
Last summer I was lucky enough to participate in a volunteer adventure to Kenya, in association with Virgin Atlantic’s Be the Change programme and children’s charity, Free the Children. The moment I read the e-mail saying that I had been accepted into Free the Children’s Virgin Atlantic scholarship trip to Kenya, I had no idea how much it was going to change my life. I thought the trip would be a great way to learn about life in one of the most rural areas of Kenya, but I never thought about how deeply I might be affected by this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.
When we entered the Masai Mara, the first thing that struck me was how unbelievably beautiful it was. As I looked closer to it, I realized there was something even more beautiful: the people. I have never been to a place where the saying “the people are what make the place” was more true.
The way they wave at you excitedly as you drive past, shouting “Jambo, Jambo!” is something that I have never experienced. They are always smiling and welcoming and it made me realize that, if everyone were to act like this, the world would be a much happier place.
The most amazing thing about the trip was that we weren’t treated like tourists for one second. We were able to experience every little detail. We built foundations, carried ten litres of water…
The one thing I will never forget is visiting Emorijoi Primary School. Let me describe it like this: As soon as you entered into the gate, you would hear someone shouting your name. Then you looked around and realized that it was the same little girl that you were playing football with the last time you visited.
There are literally no words to explain how much I miss Kenya. It feels like there is a piece of string attaching me to everyone that I met there. They will stay with me forever and always be in my heart.
1. When the author was informed she was in the volunteer adventure, .
A. she didn’t think much of it
B. she pretended to be excited
C. she became proud of herself
D. she hoped to learn more about Kenya
2. What made the Masai Mara much more beautiful? _____.
A. The local people B. The scenery
C. The lovely children D. The primary school
3. According to the passage, “Jambo” is actually a way for the local people to_____.
A. say thanks to the visitors
B. praise the beautiful visitors
C. greet the visitors
D. express their happiness
4.Which word can best describe the author’s feeling of the adventure?
A. Calm B. Unexpected
C. Upset D. Threatened
On a summer evening, I was reading a newspaper in my garden. Then my 18-year-old son，Max , wandered out to me. We spent about an hour chatting together, . Then he went out to have another night out with his .
As he left to meet his friends, I on how our evening together had been one of my life’s golden moments. , such treasured times were drawing to a . In less than a week, Max will go off to Israel, where he will study art for three years. Of course, Max’s is part of the natural order. Life is rushing in, and he is moving on. I’m that my son has the drive and energy to plan his own , which is the most important thing.
To , we’ll have the phone and e-mail, but why do it happen so ? I wondered how Max felt about leaving. He isn’t the one to his inner thoughts, and he prefers to use rather than noise to make his point. However, on my birthday last week, he gave me a card as a(n) . Inside, he had placed a scratch card(刮刮卡)with a top of $100,000, as well as a message. His message read, “Dear Mum, I discovered on the Internet that the average cost of a child until adulthood is $106,428, so I want to show my . I hope you win. Then you can go on holiday to all the places you love.” Reading his words, I , cried and gave him a huge hug.
I’m going to my boy. But he’s no longer a boy, is he? I’m going to miss this lovely young man. I didn’t a bean on the scratch card, but looking at Max, I know I’ve been a winner anyway.
1.A. wake B. join C. disturb D. call
2.A. tired B. delighted C. shocked D. moved
3.A. friends B. teachers C. classmates D. parents
4.A. reminded B. revised C. recovered D. reflected
5.A. Besides B. Therefore C. However D. Then
6.A. close B. wonder C. trick D. past
7.A. regretting B. maturing C. studying D. leaving
8.A. worried B. proud C. sad D. curious
9.A. happiness B. luck C. future D. business
10.A. keep in touch B. live out C. start with D. go through
11.A. quickly B. strangely C. generally D. hardly
12.A. hide B. bury C. ignore D. show
13.A. chances B. dreams C. wisdom D. wealth
14.A. memory B. gift C. praise D. honor
15.A. class B. remark C. grade D. prize
16.A. delivering B. adopting C. raising D. educating
17.A. gratitude B. doubt C. action D. opinion
18.A. puzzled B. broke C. complained D. laughed
19.A. thank B. miss C. admire D. lose
20.A. find B. plant C. win D. buy
---Are you going to the summer camp next month?
---____. I can’t miss such a good opportunity to temper myself.
A. It all depends B. I’m afraid not
C. You bet D. No way
