As wildfires continued to sweep across Australia, the loss of life in the area was reaching astonishing numbers. Ecologists (生态学家) at the University of Sydney said that nearly half a billion animals and plants had been wiped out since the fires began several months before. Images and videos from the area showed kangaroos trying to escape from burning forests and charred (烧焦的) bodies of koalas lying on the ground.
Koalas, which had been already under threat because of significant habitat loss, were hit particularly hard compared with other animals. Ecologists said nearly 8,000 koalas—about one-third of the population in their primary habitat-were believed to have died from the big fires. Professor Dieter Hochuli from the University of Sydney said it wasn’t just the well- known species, such as kangaroos, koalas and emus(鸸鹋), that were in danger. Insects also suffered losses. Additionally, many rare plant species might have disappeared completely.
While animal hospitals were taking in as many animals as possible to treat burns and nursed them back to health, services had overall struggled to keep up with the amount of care needed. And the animals that had survived would have trouble finding food and shelters among the ongoing flames, so they were still in a dangerous situation.
“We’re getting a lot of lessons out of this and it’s just showing how unprepared we are,” Dr. Sussan Ley said. “Now Australia is burning and national parks and our native animals are being destroyed. People have lost homes. People have died. Firefighters have been killed defending communities, most recently last night. There’s no protocols (拟定草案) in place even wildlife carers dont’ have protocols for when they can go in after fire. It’s our national government that is failing us.”
1.What’s the purpose of the second paragraph?
A.To explain why there were so many rare animals in Australia.
B.To show the terrible effect Australian wildfires had on species.
C.To further confirm Professor Dieter Hochuli’s’unique opinion.
D.To warn people to take good care of wild animals and plants.
2.Why were the animals still in danger after surviving the fire?
A.They failed to recover from serious burns.
B.They might be hunted by people for food.
C.They were short of food and shelters.
D.They were unable to get nursing services.
3.What is Dr.Sussan Ley’s attitude towards the national government’s deed?
A.Supportive. B.Unconcerned. C.Doubtful. D.Dissatisfied.
4.What is the main idea of the text?
A.Many rare animal species might have disappeared.
B.Measures should be taken to prevent Australian wildfires.
C.Australian wildfires killed nearly half a billion animals and plants.
D.Ecologists have made great efforts to find the causes of wildfires.
László Bíró, a Hungarian, was the father of one of the 20th century’s most successful inventions—ballpoint pen. He worked in medicine, oil industry, motor racing and painting. It was when he was a newspaper editor that he became disappointed by the nibs (metal points) of pens which leaked ink and tore paper. One day, he was in a Budapest printing shop and saw an ink that dried as soon as it touched paper. “It got me thinking how this process could be simplified right down to the level of an ordinary pen,” he recalled later.
The quick-drying ink used in printing was too thick to flow from a fountain pen, so Bíró’s brother, George, who is an expert in chemistry, came up with a new design. After several years of experiments, Biro replaced the pen’s metal writing nib with the new design bearing a tiny ball in its tip with the help of his brother. As the pen moved along the paper, the ball rolled, picking up ink from the ink container and putting it smoothly on the paper.
Bíró sold his patent (专利) to Baron Marcel Bich of France for 2 million dollars. In 1950 Bich produced his own cheap, disposable (一次性的) ballpoint pen. It was sold throughout the market and in 1965 the French government allowed it to be used in schools, with other countries following suit, such as Argentina. Before long, the ballpoint was becoming an increasingly popular piece of stationery (文具). Today, around 15 million ballpoint pens are sold worldwide every day. People will always remember Biro for his invention. Today in many English-speaking countries, people still use the word “biro” to refer to any kind of ballpoint pen Millions of people use it all over the world every day.
Bíró used to hear people say the ballpoint was ruining writing skills. He would smile and say, “Well, writing comes from the heart. If we can help the hand to perform the task, what is so wrong with that?”
1.When did Biro decide to invent a new pen?
A.When he worked in the oil industry. B.When he saw the quick-drying ink.
C.When he began to use fountain pens. D.When he was buying a printing machine.
2.What did George help Biro do?
A.Design the ballpoint pen. B.Invent a pen-friendly kind of paper.
C.Manage to make printing ink thicker. D.Produce the pen’s metal writing nib.
3.Where were ballpoint pens first put on the market?
A.In Hungary. B.In England. C.In France. D.In Argentina.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.We should put our heart into writing. B.The tip of the ballpoint pen ruins paper.
C.Biro regretted inventing the ballpoint pen. D.The ballpoint pen was welcome at the market.
How do you make a restaurant business an overnight success at the age of 52? Ray Kroc said, “I was an overnight success, but 30 years is a long, long night.”
In 1917, 15-year-old Ray Kroc lied about his age to join the Red Cross as an ambulance driver in World War Ⅰ, but the war ended before he completed his training. He then worked as a piano player, and a paper cup salesman. In 1954, he visited restaurant in San Bernardino, California. There he found the small but successful restaurant run by brothers Dick and Mac McDonald, and was surprised by their effective (有效的) operation. The McDonald’s brothers produced a limited menu, concentrating on just few items—burgers, fries and drinks—which allowed them to focus on quality and quick service.
They were looking for new franchising agent (特许经销商) and Kroc saw chance. In 1955, he founded McDonald’s System, Inc. By 1958, MeDonald’s had sold its 100 millionth hamburger.
In 1961, Kroc started a training program later called Hamburger University, at a new McDonald’s restaurant in Elk Grove Village, Illinois. There, franchisees (特许证持有人) were trained on the proper methods for running successful McDonald’s’ restaurant. Hamburger University used a research and development laboratory to develop new cooking, freezing, storing and serving methods. Today, more than 275,000 franchisees, managers, and employees have graduated from the program.
Right up until he died on January 14, 1984, Ray Kroc never stopped working for McDonald’s. His legacy provides McDonald’s customers with great tasty, inexpensive food; staff and franchisees with chances for growth; and suppliers with a shared promise to provide the highest quality food.
1.What does Ray Kroc mean by the underlined sentence?
A.He waited 30 years to be a franchisee.
B.He experienced a lot before he succeeded.
C.It took long preparation to open the restaurant.
D.He felt happy for the past 30 years.
2.Why was the operation of Dick and Mac McDonald effective?
A.They focused on a limited menu.
B.They considered quality important.
C.Their restaurant was run by two people.
D.Their restaurant had well-trained employees.
3.When did Kroc start a training program?
A.In 1955. B.In 1956. C.In 1961. D.In1984.
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.The Story of Ray Kroc B.McDonald’s’Restaurant
C.Tricks of Running a Business D.New Franchising Agents
Unforgettable Things to Do in Tanzania
Climb Mount Kilimanjaro
Climbing Mount Kilimanjaro is among the most adventurous things to do in Tanzania. It’s a big tourist attraction with around 35,000 visitors attempting the hike each year. However, it’s not overcrowded. And it’s still an adventure to be especially proud of because not everyone makes it all the way. You won’t need any special climbing equipment. Just bring proper clothing, food, water, and an adventurous attitude.
Get a Taste of Local Urban Life in Arusha
In Arusha, you can experience what city life is like in the country. The city sits at the foothills of Mount Meru, surrounded by large fields of corn, beans, coffee, and wheat. You can buy cheap, fresh local produce in markets throughout the town. The cultural center hosts African art and culture exhibits. It’s good place to purchase a souvenir or two.
Visit Some Prehistoric (史前的) Sites
The great rift (裂缝) valley runs all the way from Lebanon to Mozambique. This rift is where human life is believed to have begun. At Isimila Gorge, you can look at stone age tools from almost 100,000 years ago. There’s also a collection of fossils of extinct animals. This find, dating back3 million years, helps us to learn how humans evolved (进化) in Africa.
Watch Beautiful Birds by Lake Manyara
Lake Manyara is not only a beautiful piece of nature. It’s also home to about 300 species of migratory birds. You can find various eagles, storks, and kingfishers. But what makes this lake most famous is the pink flamingo (火烈鸟) population. You can find thousands of flamingos here. It’s a big attraction for bird watchers and photographers.
1.What makes you especially proud when climbing Mount Kilimanjaro?
A.Meeting a crowd of tourists. B.Climbing all the way to the top.
C.Getting climbing equipment. D.Seeing different amazing views.
2.Where should you go if you are interested in human history?
A.Arusha. B.Manyara. C.Mount Meru. D.Isimila Gorge.
3.What is Lake Manyara best-known for?
A.Beautiful scenery. B.Varieties of birds.
C.The pink flamingo population. D.Bird watchers from all directions.
假定你是李华，你所在学校要举办英语戏剧节（The English Drama Festival）。你们想邀请外教John参加。请你给他写一封信，要点如下：
1. 介绍活动内容；
2. 邀请他表演节目；
3. 请他提出活动建议。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear John,
___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
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。每处错误仅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。
Li Hua and I were neighbours and we went to same school. We always went to school together. We were good friend and had a great deal to share with every day. However, one day, Li Hua copied my homework, which made me such angry that I did not want to be friends with him any long. Then on Monday morning I ran downstairs without realize it was raining, but there was no time to return home to fetch an umbrella. It happens that Li Hua was just around the corner and he offered to share her umbrella with me. He made an apology to me in a gently voice. I forgave him but gave him a hug.
