Ask people to name the world's tallest peak and anybody with sound general knowledge will name Mount Qomolangma. But quiz them on its exact __and many will be not sure.
In 1975, Chinese surveyors __ that Mount Qomolangma （Mount Everest） was 8848. 13 meters high. As __ improved, satellites, photoelectricity, radars and gravity measurement technologies were __ to get more exact figures. Of course, someone still had to carry __ to what is the world's rooftop.
In 2005, a Chinese team scaled Qomolangma and found that it was not as high as that, as they __ the height to be 8844. 43 meters. Scaling Qomolangma is no __ task. The average air temperature there is -29 degrees Celsius, even four degrees_____ than in Antarctica. The snow there is 4 —5 meters thick and hurricane-like __ blow all the time. Team members were training to __the extreme conditions.
In a nutshell, measuring the Qomolangma's height is a tall order, __ huge amounts of money and human resources, But it is worth the_____. Qomolangma is the perfect __ for observing crustal （地壳的）movements. And changes to the peak's height could __ whether the two plates are heading toward or away from each other.
Besides, the condition of snow and other natural materials at the top is an indicator of upcoming climate change on the Tibet-Qinghai Plateau. That's __ measuring the Qomolangma's height is so significant. Put to good use, it can benefit mankind.
1.A.location B.appearance C.area D.height
2.A.determined B.assumed C.estimated D.admitted
3.A.condition B.technology C.society D.economy
4.A.employed B.expected C.approached D.inspired
5.A.weapons B.vehicles C.instruments D.packages
6.A.changed B.calculated C.extended D.expanded
7.A.glorious B.easy C.admirable D.tough
8.A.colder B.hotter C.higher D.lower
9.A.snows B.rains C.winds D.snowflakes
10.A.cope with B.fight for C.take on D.carry out
11.A.wasting B.spending C.overcoming D.involving
12.A.effort B.loss C.harvest D.achievement
13.A.channel B.window C.solution D.entrance
14.A.measure B.foresee C.indicate D.expose
15.A.where B.how C.why D.whether
Many scientists believe our love of sugar may actually be an addiction. When we eat or drink sugary foods, the sugar enters our blood and affects parts of our brain that make us feel good.
1.In this way, it is in fact an addictive drug, one that doctors recommend we all cut down on.
“It seems like every time I study an illness and trace a path to the first cause, I find my way back to sugar,” says scientist Richard Johnson. One-third of adults worldwide have high blood pressure, and up to 347 million have diabetes. Why? “ 2.“ says Johnson.
Our bodies are designed to survive on very little sugar. Early humans often had very little food, so our bodies learned to be very efficient in storing sugar as fat. In this way, we had energy stored for when there was no food. But today, most people have more than enough. 3.
So what is the solution? It’s obvious that we need to eat less sugar. 4.From breakfast cereals to after-dinner desserts, our foods are increasingly filled with it. Some manufacturers even use sugar to replace taste in foods that are advertised as low in fat.
But there are those who are fighting back against sugar. 5.Other schools are growing their own food in gardens, or building facilities like walking tracks so students and others in the community can exercise. The battle has not yet been lost.
A.We take in more energy and fat.
B.Then the good feeling goes away, leaving us wanting more.
C.Our ancestors were used to poor food, clothing and shelter.
D.So the very thing that once saved us, may now be killing us.
E.Sugar, we believe, is one of the reasons, if not the major one.
F.The trouble is, in today's world, it's extremely difficult to avoid.
G.Many schools are replacing sugary desserts with healthier options like fruit.
Most of the new diseases we humans have faced in the past several decades have come from animals. The more we come into contact with wild animals, the more we risk a so-called disease “spillover” from animals to humans.
“As people move and wildlife move in response to a changing environment, humans and wildlife and animals will come in contact more regularly,” said Jeanne Fair from the Los Alamos National Laboratory in New Mexico. Fair argues that by shifting animal habitats, climate change will also make the opportunities for disease spillover more frequent. “Everything is sort of shifting and will shift into the future as the environment changes through climate change,” Fair said.
Scientists, including climatologists and epidemiologists on Fair’s team at Los Alamos, are beginning to model how changes to the climate will impact the spread of infectious diseases. It’s early days for this kind of research, but previous studies suggest that extreme weather has already played a role in at least one outbreak. Scientists say drought and deforestation have combined to force bats out of rainforests and into orchards（果园）in Malaysia to find food. Those bats, a common disease reservoir, then passed the Nipah virus through pigs to humans for the first time in the late 1990s.
“We’re going by the past data to really predict what’s going to happen in the future,” Fair said, “And so, anytime you increase that wildlife-human interface, that’s sort of an emerging disease hot spot. And so, that’s just increasing as we go forward.”
Jeffrey Shaman, head of the climate and health program at Columbia University’s public health school, argues we don’t yet know whether climate change will cause a net increase in infectious disease rates globally. For example, mosquitoes carry disease that affects millions of people across the world every year. As their habitats expand in some parts of the world, they might contract diseases elsewhere. Shaman says what we know for certain about climate change is that it will make it harder to predict where disease outbreaks will pop up.
1.How does climate change affect the spread of disease according to Fair?
A.By breaking animals’ habits.
B.By increasing animals’ varieties.
C.By promoting animals’ breeding.
D.By changing animals’ living environment.
2.What is the example of bats for in paragraph 3?
A.Explaining the influence of Nipah virus.
B.Proving the harm of bats to human beings.
C.Showing the effects of climate change on disease.
D.Presenting scientists’ early study about the cause of disease.
3.What can we infer from Fair’s words in paragraph 4?
A.Humans should give up studying animals.
B.Past data can solve the problems in the future.
C.Disease hot spots will disappear if animals die out.
D.Frequent contact with animals can cause disease outbreaks.
4.What could be the best title for the text?
A.Climate Change and Disease Spillover
B.Animals’ Interaction with Humans
C.Scientists’ Prediction for Disease Outbreaks
D.Early Studies about Extreme Weather
A storm hit Houston, Texas, on Tuesday. It brought heavy rains and rising flood-waters. By Tuesday night, some parts of the city had received 10 inches of rain. Police and firefighters helped people move to safe places. They also saved people from cars and buses that were stuck on roads.
Certain areas around Houston were hit really hard. In just four hours, more than seven inches of rain fell in Sugar Land in the southwest of Houston. Cars could not pass through any of the areas main roadways. On Twitter, Sugar Land city officials asked people to get to high ground.
Tuesday’s rain hit parts of Texas that Hurricane Harvey had already damaged almost two years ago. Hurricane Harvey in August, 2017 was the second most costly hurricane in US history. It caused $125 billion worth of damage in Texas. In the Houston area, 36 people died and about 150, 000 homes were flooded.
A spokesman for the Harris County Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Management spoke with the Houston Chronicle. The spokesman said that this week’s rain is “not in any way a Harvey-level event.”
But the worst may not be over yet. People will have a break from the heavy rain on Wednesday. According to the National Weather Service, the Texas Gulf Coast will continue to experience heavy rain later in the week. "Today should be our quietest over the next few days for rainfall,” said Don Oettinger, a National Weather Service meteorologist (气象学家).
Houston Fire Chief Samuel Peia warned, “As there is too much water on the ground, these are perfect conditions for flash floods, so we hope people are careful of what they’re doing and encourage them to stay home. There’s no sense in putting yourself, firefighters or anybody in danger needlessly.”
1.What are Paragraphs 1 and 2 mainly about?
A.Flood damage in Houston. B.Flood prevention in Houston.
C.Heavy floods hitting Houston. D.People fighting floods in Houston.
2.What do we know about Hurricane Harvey?
A.It caused no deaths or injuries. B.It did a lot of damage to Texas.
C.It was less serious than this week’s rain. D.It was the biggest hurricane on record.
3.What can we learn from the weather report of the National Weather Service?
A.Fine days are coming. B.It will rain a little non-stop.
C.A hurricane is unavoidable. D.Floods will continue.
4.What did Samuel suggest local people do?
A.Stay indoors. B.Join firefighters.
C.Give up needless things. D.Comfort those who lost homes.
Nowadays, many parents are so busy that they seldom have family meals with their children. But this is wrong.
A Harvard study found that families that eat together are twice as likely to eat their five servings of fruits and vegetables a day as families who don't eat together. Families also eat less fried food when they eat together. Finally, children who regularly eat with family have diets higher in fiber, calcium, iron, and vitamins B6, B12, C and E.
During family meals, parents can set a good example of healthy eating that children may follow. They also display polite table manners. Family meals teach children important skills.
When a family eats together, kids can learn about nutrition and healthy eating. In many studies of schoolaged children, those who eat family meals have a higher level of nutrition knowledge.
When a family eats together, kids learn about food safety, like hand washing before eating.
Children who have company at meals are slimmer than those who eat alone. That's because they eat less, eat more slowly, and talk more. This is a good way to deter obesity in children.
Family meals can help children build vocabulary. Studies showed kids who ate with their families performed better at school and had a broader vocabulary. Family meals offer an opportunity for conversations where kids learn vocabulary—building words to help them read and communicate better.
Children gain a better sense of belonging within the family when they eat together with their parents at home. Family meals offer a time for a family to come together as a group and develop a feeling of belonging. That sense of belonging leads to better selfesteem.
In conclusion, family meals are very important.
1.The writer wants to tell us that .
A.eating together with family is a good chance to teach children
B.it's more advantageous for children to eat with their families
C.it's desirable for children to eat more regularly
D.enjoying family meals is equal to eating a big and delicious dinner
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Having a company meal is easy to become fatter and fatter.
B.In the mealtime, parents should set a good example of healthy eating.
C.Family meals can help children with a higher level of nutrition knowledge.
D.Family meals can make children form the good habit of eating.
3.What does the underlined word “deter” in Paragraph 6 mean?
A.Find. B.Replace.
C.Prevent D.Improve.
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A.Why family is important to kids. B.How to eat in a healthy way.
C.How to raise children well. D.Why family meals are important.
The London Underground (The Tube)
The main source of public transport in London revolves around the Underground (or the Tube as it is known to Londoners). This network of 12 lines can get you to most places in the center of the city quickly.
It’s almost necessary to get an Oyster Card or a Travelcard. Single tickets are priced starting at the intentionally absurd price of £4.80 (Zone1-3), if you pay cash. Using an Oyster Card, a single fare is £2.30 if you are traveling within the central Zone 1.
On hot days it is also advisable to take a bottle of water with you as Underground trains are not air-conditioned.
Last trains leave central London at around 00:30 weekdays, 23:30 Sundays. First trains leave the suburbs at around 5:00.
The Bus System
Outside the center of London, Tube Stations are farther apart, so buses help fill the gaps. Also, the bus offers a cheaper alternative, even if it is a slower journey.
Cash fares for London buses have been abolished — you cannot pay cash. A bus fare costs £1.50 if people only use buses, and the fare is capped at £4.40 per day for Oyster or contactless card users.
Light Rail and Trains
You can think of the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) and the Tramlink as extensions of the Underground, Travelcards purchased at Tube Stations in East London. The DLR connects with a number of the other train services (including connections at Tower Hill or Bank Stations) and can be used to reach Greenwich, Canary Wharf, and Stratford.
River Services
There are a number of different routes along the River Thames. The faster commuter services operate all day from Greenwich Pier to Embankment and from Putney and Chelsea harbour to Blackfriars during Peak Hours only. These routes will pass a number of places of interest including the Houses of Parliament and London Bridge. A return fare from Putney to Blackfriars will cost about 12 pounds.
National Rail
Once you leave Central London or if you are traveling South of the River Thames, the best public transport option will often be National Rail. There are numerous connections to the Rail System from the Tube. Travelcards can be used for travel on the National Rail (but not the Heathrow Express). Oyster cards can be used up to Zone 6 except certain services including Heathrow Express, Heathrow Connect and HS1.
1.When taking the London Underground, you _______.
A.should buy tickets with cash
B.can go to any place in London quickly
C.can save more money with a single ticket
D.are advised to take a bottle of water along on hot days
2.If you use river services along the River Thames, you will pass _______.
A.London Bridge B.Stratford
C.Canary Wharf D.Tower Hill
3.To travel South of the River Thames, it is recommended that you use _______.
A.the London Underground B.the Bus System
C.the DLR and the Tramlink D.National Rail
