While elephants born without tusks (长牙)are not unheard of，they normally form just 2 to 6 percent of the population. However, that is not the case at Mozambique’s Gorongosa National Park, where an astonishing 33 percent of female elephants born after the country’s civil war ended in 1992 are tuskless. While that may appear to be just a coincidence, Joyce Poole, an elephant behavior expert, has another theory. The researcher thinks we may be witnessing unnatural evolution of the species due to the constant hunting of elephants for valuable ivory.
Poole says before the country’s 15-year-long civil war, the 100,000—acre park was home to over 4,000 elephants. However, by the time the conflict ended in 1992, about 90 percent of them had been killed for ivory to help finance weapons (武器)and meat to feed the soldiers. Of the less than 200 survivors, over 50 percent of adult females had no tusks. Therefore, it is not surprising that the park’s tuskless elephant population has grown greatly.
This is not the first time researchers have observed a great change in the population of elephants. At Zambia’s South Luangwa National Park and Lupande Game Management Area， areas which were heavily hunted in the 1970s and 1980s, 35% of elephants 25 years or older and 13% of those younger than 25 are now without tusks. A 2008 study published in the African Journal of Ecology found that the number of tuskless females at the Ruaha National Park in Tanzania went from 10.5 percent in 1969 to almost 40 percent in 1989, largely due to illegal hunting for ivory.
The recent ban on ivory in both the US and China should help get rid of, or at least reduce, elephant hunting. However, scientists are not sure how long it will take for elephants with a higher rate of tuskless females, to change the trend.
1.What is the probable cause of the phenomenon mentioned in Paragraph 1 ?
A. Illegal hunting. B. Constant farming.
C. A pure coincidence. D. Natural evolution.
2.Why did people kill so many elephants during the civil war in Mozambique?
A. To get funds by selling ivory. B. To develop new weapons.
C. To provide food for local people. D. To make ivory products.
3.Which of the following had the earliest record on tuskless elephants?
A. Gorongonsa National Park. B. South Luangwa National Park.
C. The Ruaha National Park. D. Lupande Game Management Area.
4.What does the underlined phrase “the trend”in the last paragraph refer to?
A. Elephants facing greater danger.
B. Elephants growing more slowly.
C. Fewer female elephants staying alive.
D. More female elephants being tuskless.
For several months, Cara has been working up the courage to approach her mom about what she saw on Instagram. Not long ago, the 11-year-old girl, like all the other kids in this story, discovered that her mom had been posting her photos for much of her life. “I’ve wanted to bring it up. It’s strange to see myself up there，and sometimes there are pictures I don’t like of myself，” she said.
Like most other modem kids, Cara grew up immersed in social media. While many kids may not yet have accounts themselves, their parents, schools, sports teams, and organizations have been organizing an online presence for them since birth. The shock of realizing that details about your life have been shared online without your permission or knowledge has become an important experience in the lives of many teenagers. Recently a parenting blogger (博主)wrote in a Washington Post essay that despite (不顾)her 14-year-old daughter’s horror at discovering that her mother had shared years of highly personal stories and information about her online, she simply could not stop posting on her blog and social media. The writer said that promising her daughter that she would stop posting about her publicly on the Internet “would mean shutting down a vital part of myself, which isn’t necessarily good for me or her. ” average parents do the same. There’s even a special word for it: sharenting. Almost a quarter of children begin their digital lives when parents upload their photos to the Internet, according to a study conducted by the Internet-security firm AVG. The study also found that 92 percent of kids under the age of 2 already have their own unique digital identity.
1.How does Cara feel about her mom’s behavior?
A. It’s aggressive. B. It’s appropriate.
C. It’s annoying. D. It’s favorable.
2.Why did the parenting blogger post about her daughter online?
A. Because it filled up her blog. B. Because it showed off her success.
C. Because it recorded her stories. D. Because it meant a lot to her.
3.Who are fond of sharenting?
A. A quarter of students B. Most ordinary parents.
C. Kids under the age of 2. D. Some crazy bloggers.
4.Which of the following can be the best title for the text?
A. Children’s New Trouble B. Social Media
C. Kids’ Online Peformance D. Mommy Bloggers
The boy sat on his chair, with his hand above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again. “ WRITING COMPETITION!” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed at how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “ 248 ” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard the call of his mother saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect,” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went onto Google and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
1.What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?
A. A new computer. B. The prize money.
C. His own interest. D. His mom’s advice.
2.How did the boy finish his earlier writing?
A. His mom helped him. B. He copied others’ ideas.
C. His friends assisted him. D. He used his imagination.
3.Why did the boy delay his writing?
A. Because he was terribly lazy. B. Because he didn’t know what to write.
C. Because he wasn’t confident. D. Because he read too many stories.
4.Which might be the maximum word limit for each entry?
A. 100. B. 250.
C. 500. D. 1000.
While smartphones stand accused of a variety of crimes, these pocket computers can certainly be a force for good. Your phone is always with you, making it the perfect device to push you into a more beneficial way of living. Here are some of the best apps that can help.
Habitica
Habitica turns the goal of forming good habits into a game, with its own characters and scoring. It’s a lot of fun，and the app also lets you build habits with friends and family. In addition to regular repeating habits, you can add a more general to-do list, and the rewards you get can be customized too — you could treat yourself to a meal out or an extra hour of games.
Smoke Free
If you’ve got a specific habit in mind，then you’ll usually find specific apps to help, like Smoke Free. If you’re determined to give up smoking, then this is one of the most comprehensive apps for giving you that extra push you need to make a permanent change. The app offers a host of useful features for people wanting to go smoke-free ： The ability to see your progress over time，charts showing how your health is improving，day-by-day encouragement， and some advice on techniques for giving up smoking.
MyFitnessPal
You can find a ton of health and fitness apps for your phone, but MyFitnessPal stands out not just because it is easy to use, but because it makes practical suggestions for you. It can take in a host of data, from the calories (卡路里)you’re taking in to the number of swims you’re doing per week, and offer reports on calorie consumption and macronutrient (大量营养素） breakdown.
1.What can Habitica help you to do?
A. Win a tough game. B. Start a lasting friendship.
C. Find a fancy restaurant. D. Develop a pleasant habit.
2.Which of the following can Smoke Free provide?
A. The freedom to smoke. B. The ability to make progress.
C. Advice on how to quit smoking. D. Charts about your excellent health.
3.What can we learn about the three apps mentioned in the text?
A. They’re cheap. B. They’re practical.
C. They’re free. D. They’re interesting.
Directions: Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese.
假设你将组织本班的毕业聚会，谈谈你的具体设想并说明理由。
内容必须包括:
1. 明确聚会将在何时，何地，以何种形式举行
2. 简述你的理由
(文中不得出现真实姓名和学校名称)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Directions: Translate the following sentences into English, using the words given in the brackets.
1.那时，各种问题层出不穷。 (arise)
______________________________________
2.中央电视台网络直播了这次重要的国际会议。 (live)
______________________________________
3.这些难民不应该成为移民，因为他们最终将回到自己的国家去。 (since)
______________________________________
4.这项工程须等到所有的准备工作就绪才能开工，这叫按规律办事。 (which)
______________________________________
