I suddenly heard an elephant crying as though frightened. Looking down，I immediately recognized that something was wrong，and ran down to the edge of the near bank. There I saw Ma Sha with her three¬ month¬ old calf struggling in the fast rising water，and it was a life and death struggle. Her calf was floating and screaming with fear. Ma Sha was as near to the far bank as she could get，holding her whole body against the rushing water，and keeping the calf pressed against her huge body. Every now and then the rushing water would sweep the calf away.
There was a sudden rise in the water and the calf was washed clean （完全地）over the mother's body and was gone. Ma Sha turned quickly to reach it and pressed the calf with her head and trunk (象鼻) against the rocky bank. Then with a huge effort，she picked it up in her trunk and tried until she was able to place it on a narrow shelf of rock.
Just at this moment，she fell back into the river. If she were carried down，it would be certain death. I knew，as well as she did，that there was one spot (地点) where she could get up the bank，but it was on the other side from where she had put her calf.
While I was wondering what I could do next，I heard the sound of a mother's love. Ma Sha had crossed the river and got up the bank and was making her way back as fast as she could，roaring (吼叫) all the time，but to her calf it was music.
1.The moment the author got down to the river bank he saw __________.
A. the calf was about to fall into the river
B. Ma Sha was placing the calf on the rock
C. the calf was washed away by the rising water
D. Ma Sha was holding the calf against the rushing water
2.How did the calf feel about the mother elephant's roaring？
A. It was a great comfort.
B. It was a sign of danger.
C. It was a call for help.
D. It was a musical note.
3.What can be the best title for the text？
A.A Mother's Love
B.A Brave Act
C.A Deadly River
D.A Matter of Life and Death
It’s never a real problem for us when the weather gets cold. We can put on more clothes, stay next to a fireplace, turn on the air conditioner or simply travel to a warmer city to spend the winter – people have many different ways of dealing with the cold.
But things are not as easy for plants. Unlike humans, plants can’t move to escape the cold or generate heat ( 发热) to keep themselves warm. So how do they manage to survive the freezing winter?
It turns out that plants have their own strategies （策略） too, said a study published on Dec 22 in the journal Nature.
According to researcher Amy Zanne of George Washington University, US, the cold is a big challenge for plants. Their living tissues （活组织） can be damaged when they freeze. “It’s like a plant’s equivalent to frostbite ( 相当于冻疮),” Zanne told Science Daily. Also, the process of freezing and thawing (解冻) can cause air bubbles （气泡） to form in the plant’s water transport system. “If enough of these air bubbles come together as water thaws they can block the flow of water from the roots to the leaves and kill the plant,” she explained.
To live through cold weather, plants have developed three traits （特性） , according to the study. Some plants, such as oak trees（橡树）, avoid freezing damage by dropping their leaves before the winter chill sets in – effectively shutting off the flow of water between roots and leaves – and growing new leaves and water transport cells when the warm spring returns.
Other plants, pine trees（松树） for example, protect themselves by narrowing their water transport cells, which makes it easier for cells to travel among air bubbles.
The third strategy is also the most extreme – some plants die on the ground in winter and start growing as new plants from seeds when conditions get warmer.
However, the study also found that these smart strategies were developed very slowly – over millions
of years of evolution （ 进化）. This leads scientists to worry that plants may not be able to deal with human-caused climate change, which has only started occurring over the past few decades.
Scientists are hoping that this study can help people find possible ways to save plants from the threat
of climate change.
1.What is the article mainly about?
A. Why plants are not afraid of the winter chill.
B. The ways that plants survive cold weather.
C. Changes in plants’ water transport system in winter.
D. How plants evolve to keep up with climate change.
2.According to the article, if a plant freezes in the winter, ______.
A. it produces more living tissues to stay alive
B. its leaves quickly fall out and its roots begin to die
C. lots of air bubbles form in its water transport system
D. its water transport system could be blocked in the spring
3.What are scientists worried about when it comes to plants according to the article?
A. Plants may not be able to adapt to the increasingly cold climate.
B. Human activities might have a great impact on the pace of plants’ evolution.
C. Plants may not be able to evolve fast enough to adapt to human-caused climate change.
D. The strategies plants develop are not good enough to protect them against cold.
The old man walked with a cane (拐杖) slowly into the restaurant. His poor jacket, patched (打补丁的) trousers, and worn-out shoes made him stand out from the usual Saturday morning breakfast crowd.
He walked toward a table by the window. A young waitress watched him and ran over to him, saying, “Here, Sir. Let me give you a hand with that chair.”
Without a word, he smiled and nodded a thank you. She pulled the chair away from the table. Supporting him with one arm, she helped him move in front of the chair, and get comfortably seated. Then she pushed the table up close to him, and leaned his cane against the table where he could reach it.
In a soft, clear voice he said, “Thank you, Miss.”
“You’re welcome, Sir.” She replied. “My name is Mary. I’ll be back in a moment. If you need anything, just wave at me.”
After he had finished a hearty meal of pancakes, bacon, and hot lemon tea, Mary brought him the change, helping him up from his chair and out from behind the table. She handed him his cane, and walked with him to the front door. Holding the door open for him, she said, “Come back and see us, Sir!”
He nodded a thank you and said softly with a smile, “You are very kind!”
When Mary went to clean his table, she was shocked. Under his plate she found a business card and a note written on the napkin, under which was a $ 100 bill.
The note on the napkin read, “Dear Mary, I respect you very much, and you respect yourself, too. It shows by the way you treat others. You have found the secret of happiness. Your kind gestures will shine through those who meet you.”
The man she had served was the owner of the restaurant. This was the first time that she, or any of his employees, had seen him in person.
1.Mary ran over to the old man because _____.
A．the old man was the boss of the restaurant
B．she was worried that the old man might cause trouble to the restaurant
C．she saw the old man had some difficulty moving and taking a seat
D．the old man had asked her to wait on him
2.The man came to the restaurant ______.
A．to have breakfast
B．to see his employees
C．to find out how his restaurant was working
D．to see how Mary served customers
3.The words the man left on the napkin suggested that _____.
A．respecting others means respecting oneself
B．serving others is a respectable job
C．Mary would get a rise as a result of her kindness
D．Mary’s kind service would bring in more money for her
4.Which of the following titles goes best with the story?
A．A kind- hearted Girl
B．Shining Kindness
C．Kindness Means Opportunities
D．A Special Customer
Dad was not only my best friend, but my compass (指南针)．While he was alive, he ____ me with his actions and advice. He taught me one important ____：“Believe in yourself.”
If there was one phrase my dad ____ liked to hear, it was “I can't.” He did not have chance to finish high school and ____ two jobs to support his large family, ____ he never complained. Through self-education and years of hard work, my dad became an excellent journalist.
When I was in high school, I had a ____ time with math. He tried to help me, but I ____ struggled. So my math teacher suggested I meet with him at 7：00 each morning before school for ____ help. I told Dad, “That's ____！ I'm tired! I can't do that！” He replied, “You're doing it. I'll send you to school.” Every morning at 6：45, we'd leave the ____.Despite (尽管) working 12 hours every day, Dad never once ____ driving me to school.
After months of ____， I was facing the final exam. I was so ____.On the day of the final, my dad hugged me and said, “Luke, ____ yourself. You can do it.” His words made me realize I needed to trust in my ____ and in the hours of work I'd ____.When I got my ____ proudly, the first person I called was my father. He cried, “Yes! You deserved it！”
Even now, whenever I ____ that a task is too much for me, I think back to that exam. No matter how ____something is, if you're willing to work, you can succeed. I'm forever ____ to Dad for that lesson.
1.A. understood B．forgave C．guided D．impressed
2.A. history B．lesson C．skill D．language
3.A. always B．almost C．ever D．never
4.A. took B．lost C．left D．finished
5.A. so B．or C．but D．and
6.A. good B．free C．terrible D．short
7.A. still B．nearly C．hardly D．probably
8.A. real B．practical C．immediate D．extra
9.A. wonderful B．crazy C．expensive D．necessary
10.A. house B．school C．office D．farm
11.A. suggested B．risked C．enjoyed D．missed
12.A. meeting B．testing C．learning D．interviewing
13.A. excited B．nervous C．happy D．shocked
14.A. stand for B．hold back C．believe in D．look after
15.A. teacher B．luck C．time D．ability
16.A. wasted B．ignored C．picked up D．put in
17.A. answer B．grade C．pay D．gift
18.A. hope B．forget C．worry D．promise
19.A. different B．important C．hard D．interesting
20.A. grateful B．sorry C．polite D．useful
__________ the program , they have to stay there for another two weeks.
A. Not completing
B. Not having completed
C. Not completed
D. Having not completed
Either the judge or the lawyers ______ wrong on the case at that moment.
A. is B. are C. were D. was
