Thousands of hungry birds left the countryside of Britain in the bitter winter to find food and warmth in urban gardens. The move included species such as the redwing and the fieldfare, almost unknown outside rural areas
The hard situation of farmland birds has been revealed in the latest survey of bird populations from the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds released today.
The redwing has an obvious stripe over the eye and a red flash on the flanks (侧翼), while the fieldfare has a grey head, a peach underbelly, and a distinctive dark band on the tail.
Graham Madge, the society's spokesman, says, “For many urban birdwatchers the sight of these striking species is a real treat. Many people have never imagined there being such an amazing chance.”
“Frozen ground prevented them from getting food in the countryside and they have been saved from starvation in towns，” he added.
He says the unusual sight this year somewhat tempered the frustration felt at the suffering of small garden birds such as robins and wrens. These birds are sensitive to cold and must eat almost continuously to stay alive. Data from people who took part in the society's Big Garden Birdwatch recorded sightings in 280，000 gardens during the last weekend of January, with the goldcrest down 75 percent, the longtailed tit down 27 percent, and the coal tit down 20 percent. The study highlighted the need for food to be left out for birds during winter.
The redwing and the fieldfare are relatively unknown outside the eastern part of the country. The research shows, however, that they moved to the other side of the country where the climate is generally mild in winter and that many for the first time have reached Cornwall and Isles of Scilly. The number of redwing sightings was up 185 percent, those of the fieldfare 73, and of the yellowhammer 68.
Another surprise garden “guest” this year was the blackcap. This robinsized, silvergrey bird was rare in Britain 50 years ago, but increasing numbers now arrive each year from Germany and Austria.
1.How did the urban birdwatchers probably feel when seeing the hungry birds?
A. Excited. B. Worried.
C. Annoyed. D. Motivated.
2.Which of the following can best replace the underlined word “tempered”？
A. Prevented. B. Relieved.
C. Explained. D. Increased.
3.According to the passage, Cornwall is perhaps ________．
A. a village in eastern Britain
B. a city in western Britain
C. a village in western Britain
D. a city in eastern Britain
4.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. The tough living conditions of some British birds.
B. The various species of Britain's garden birds.
C. The changes of some bird's population in Britain.
D. Unusual bird visitors in Britain's urban gardens.
Perfectionists believe that not only is perfection achievable, but that it should be achieved whenever possible. They always try to make their work better, and often get pleasure from investing time and effort in their projects. They enjoy paying attention to detail and are often hard to please. After all, perfectionists almost always have nearlyimpossible standards for themselves, much higher than what outside parties would generally hope for.
Most perfectionists are also highlyorganized. They've perfected their work process along with everything else in their life. They have processes and patterns for handling almost anything that comes their way, from email to new projects and clients to bookkeeping. It can definitely add up to a more effective workday with less wasted time and effort.
Perfectionists can be thought of as overbearing(霸道的) by those who don't share their attitude. It can also be upsetting to clients who aren't interested in “perfect” and simply want their project done yesterday. When you strive for perfection, everything takes just a bit longer to get right. Even if you have a more efficient design and development process than many other designers, it is likely that you spend more time on each step than a lot of others do.
While most people who call themselves “perfectionists” do so in a lighthearted or positive manner, there are those out there to whom perfection becomes an obsession(痴迷). They consider anything less than perfect completely unacceptable. This can lead to obsessive behavior and can have damaging effects on their overall quality of life. Just feeling good about a job done to the best of your ability is entirely normal for a perfectionists and isn't something to worry about. But it becomes particularly dangerous when perfectionists feel they are never quite able to attain perfection, and so drive themselves crazy trying to always reach this unattainable goal.
These perfectionists often place their entire selfworth on their accomplishments and ability to reach perfection, and since they're never able to reach it, it creates a very negative selfimage and low selfesteem or depression. The good news is that there are trained psychologists who can help those who are nervously obsessed with perfection to overcome their obsession.
1.Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of perfectionists?
A. They enjoy investing time and efforts.
B. They are not easy to satisfy.
C. They have special ways of handling emails.
D. They set high requirements for others.
2.Clients who are not satisfied with perfectionists think they need ________．
A. better coworkers B. bigger achievements
C. higher efficiency D. less organization skills
3.To perfectionists, their obsession with perfection is an act of ________．
A. showing psychological sickness
B. realizing their own value
C. wasting time and energy
D. improving their selfimage
4.Which of the following will the author probably agree?
A. It's very normal to always do one's best in life.
B. Perfectionists should seek help as soon as possible.
C. Perfectionists should not be too proud of themselves.
D. People should not pursue perfection too much.
My son Gilbert was eight years old and had been in the Cub Scouts (童子军团) only a short time. Once he was handed a sheet of paper, a block of wood and four tires and told to return home and give them all to his father. That was not an easy task for Gilbert to do. The piece of paper was a set of instructions about how to build a wooden racing car. Gilbert's father laughed when he read the instructions. The block of wood remained untouched as the weeks passed.
Finally, I stepped in to see if I could figure it all out. Having no skills, I decided it would be best if I simply read the instructions and let Gilbert do the work. And he did. Within days, his block of wood was turning into a pinewood racing car.
Then the big night came. With his pinewood racing car in his hand and pride in his heart we headed to the big race. As the race was done in elimination fashion (淘汰赛形式), you could keep racing as long as you were the winner.
Finally, it was between Gilbert and the fastestlooking car there. As the race was about to begin, Gilbert asked if they could stop for a minute, because he wanted to pray. Then the race stopped.
Gilbert prayed in earnest for a very long minute. The Master came up to Gilbert and asked the obvious question, “So you prayed to win, Gilbert？”
My young son answered, “Oh, no Sir. It wouldn't be fair to ask God to help you beat someone else. I just asked him to make it so I don't cry when I lose.”
Children seem to have wisdom far beyond us. Perhaps we spend too much of our prayer time asking God to control the race, make us the champion, or remove us from the struggle, when we should be seeking God's strength to get through what lies in our way.
1.Gilbert's father thought the task given by the Cub Scouts could________．
A. be no trouble at all
B. be too easy for Gilbert
C. be beyond Gilbert's ability
D. require no skills
2.Who finally made the pinewood racing car?
A. Gilbert. B. Gilbert's father.
C. Gilbert's mother. D. The whole family.
3.What can we learn about Gilbert?
A. He made it in the final race.
B. His performance inspired his mom.
C. He thought the Master unfair.
D. He was very afraid of losing the race.
4.The author writes this passage to tell us that ________．
A. adults should communicate more with children
B. we should have faith in our ability to win
C. victory is the power to overcome difficulties
D. friendship is more important than winning
One Test for Graduate and Business School.
Getting an advanced degree can create many opportunities. The GRE revised General Test—the most widely accepted graduate admission test worldwide—can bring you one step closer to achieving your career goals.
There has never been a better time to take the test that gives you more opportunities for your future. The GRE revised General Test features question types that closely reflect the kind of thinking you'll do in graduate or business school.
Who Takes It?
Prospective graduate and business school applicants from all around the world who are interested in pursuing a master's , MBA, specialized master's in business or doctoral degree take the GRE revised General Test. Applicants come from varying educational and cultural backgrounds and the GRE revised General Test provides a common measure for comparing candidates' qualifications.
GRE scores are used by admissions or fellowship panels to supplement(补充) your undergraduate records, recommendation letters and other qualifications for graduatelevel study.
When and Where Do People Take It?
The GRE revised General Test is available at more than 700 test centers in more than 160 countries. In most regions of the world, the computerdelivered test is available on a continuous basis throughout the year. In Mainland China, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Korea, the computerdelivered test is available one to two times per month. In areas of the world where computerdelivered testing is not available, the paperdelivered test is available up to three times a year in October, November and February.
Who Accepts It?
The GRE revised General Test is accepted at thousands of graduate and business schools as well as departments and divisions within these schools.
1.If you want to study for a master's degree in the USA, you'd better________．
A. achieve your career goals
B. earn as much money as possible
C. take the GRE revised General Test
D. vary educational and cultural background
2.In a lessdeveloped area with very few computers, testtakers probably can't take the GRE revised General Test in ________．
A. August B. October C. November D. February
3.What is the purpose of this passage?
A. To sell test papers.
B. To introduce a kind of test.
C. To get new students for schools.
D. To compare two kinds of tests.
书面表达
2013年高考在即, 高三全体学生目前正处在紧张复习迎考的氛围中。假如你叫李华，高三学生，面对目前的压力，想和父母说说知心话，请你用英文在你的博客上用书信形式表达出来。主要内容如下：
知心话 | 感 恩 | 关切鼓励，倾注爱心 |
对父母的期望 | 1. 多交流，使自己保持良好状态 2. 创造条件，给自己提供适时帮助 | |
学习打算 | 考生自拟（至少写三点） | |
注意：1. 短文须包括所有内容要点，可适当发挥。
2. 词数：150左右。开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Mom and Dad,
The annual college entrance examination is around the corner. On this special occasion, how I wish I could have a heart-to-heart talk with you.
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
Lihua
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（/）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
My brother Tom was very selfish when he was a little boy. He did not want share things with other people. For example，when he bought a chocolate cake, he put them in a secret place where I couldn’t find. Then he ate it all by himself. He never helped other. He said he is busy. That is, a game of tennis making him very busy. He did not care if something he did made people angrily. For instance, on one night he played strong and loudly music till four o’clock in the morning. But he is difference now. He often helps grandma with housework, helps mum with cooking and helps his classmates with their lessons.
