_______ luggage has to be abandoned to save the people on the ship.

A.A good many B.A large number of

C.A great deal of D.A great many of

The criminal _______ murdering the judge, unfortunately, an unexpected accident made him lose his consciousness.

A.might have admitted B.could have admitted

C.should have admitted D.must have admitted

To everyone’s surprise, the dreamy house designed by Kevin’s dead father has been under _______.

A.construct B.constructive

C.construction D.constructing

There is a good social life in the village, and I wish I _______ a second chance to become more involved.

A.had B.will have

C.would have D.have had

The girl _______ beautifully to my small crisis, but she actually wasn’t the only one.

A.responded B.respected C.recognized D.rejected

It was _______ that I asked myself that significant question.

A.at this moment B.at any moment

C.at that moment D.in a moment

He gave himself a new name to hide his identity when he wen to            the secret task.

A.carry on B.carry out

C.carry through D.carry away

Whatever change is happening today is the result of great technological progress, _______ which will be like trying to turn the clock back.

A.going against B.going beyond

C.going off D.going through

Data show that kids and teens who do read frequently, compared to infrequent readers, have more books in the home, and parents will set _______ time for them to read.

A.out B.off C.about D.aside

With the outbreak _______, schools began to open one after another.

A.weaken B.weakening

C.weakened D.to weaken

Has the cost of the hotel _______ the expense?

A.figured in B.figured out

C.figure on D.figure up

Next, she tied several chopsticks together, _______ a family. She showed the girls it was hard to break the tied chopsticks.

A.representing B.represented

C.representative D.representation

_______ , every road leads to Rome, and I do believe hard work pays off.

A.In all B.All in all

C.First of all D.After all

假如你是李华，即将参加全国英语演讲比赛。请给外教Peter发封电子邮件，询问是否可以将演讲稿发给他，请他修改（revise），并说明演讲比赛的主题及举行时间。

注意：1. 词数100左右；

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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. 允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Li Daiyu and Liu Qian were on a trip to Canada to visit their cousins on the Atlantic coast. Rather than taking the plane all the way, they took the train from west to east crossing by Canada. The thought that they could go across whole continent was exciting.

Canada is the second large country in the world. People say Vancouver is Canada’s most beautiful city surrounding by mountains and the Pacific Ocean. On the northern coast of Vancouver, it is so wet there that the trees are extremely tall, some measured over 90 meters.

That afternoon aboard the train, the cousins settled down in their seat. They manage to catch sight of some mountain goats or even a grizzly bear. They had learned where most Canadians live within 320 kilometers of the USA border and the population is only slightly over thirty million.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Sailing home, Henry, 1. American businessman, found himself 2. (carry) out to sea by a strong wind. When he was just about to give himself up, he 3. (spot) by a ship and so he landed in London 4. accident. Hungry and alone, he walked on the streets of the city when he was 5. (expect) called into a mansion, where two rich brothers, Oliver and Roderick, gave him a letter and told him not to open it until two o’clock of the day. Not 6. (know) it was a million pound bank note, Henry left the mansion and went into a cheap restaurant to stuff his stomach. Everybody was rude to him because he was in 7. (rag) and looked depressed. Then, to the surprise of everybody, he handed the owner a million pound bank note to pay for the meal. On 8. (see) the note, all the people in the restaurant became polite and tried their 9. (good) to please Henry. Don’t you think it’s 10. most incredible tale in the world?

    Once upon a time there was a young man. While he was thinking about what ___________ to take up to ___________ his family, he met a traveler. The traveler told the young man great stories about his ___________ and then he talked about a country that had no onions.

“No onions?” shouted the young man. In all his life, he had never heard of such a thing. “How can anyone ___________ the true pleasure of food without onions?”

Without any further thoughts, he ___________ lots of onions and set off on his journey towards his country. When the king of the country ___________ the food that the young man had cooked with onions, he was really ___________ by the taste. So the king asked for all the onions and ___________ the young man with gold.

On his way home, the young man met a trader. He ___________ his experience and told the trader that the country didn’t have any garlic, either. The trader was ____________ to hear this and thought he could repeat the ____________ of the young man by introducing garlic to the country.

The trader got several huge bags of garlic and began the journey to the country. Since the people of the land had recently been overjoyed about the ____________ of onions, they were even more open to the idea of ____________ his garlic.

The king asked him to prepare a dinner using the garlic. The trader was very excited and made several tasty dishes using garlic. As he had ____________, the garlic received even more ____________ than the onions. The king ____________ with his ministers for a long time about the ____________ for the trader. After some discussion, they all agreed that the ____________ they had given the young man was not enough for such delicious food. So they ____________ to reward him with the most precious thing they could ____________. What can be more precious than gold? Onions, of course!

1.A.activity B.choice C.business D.measure

2.A.control B.change C.leave D.support

3.A.experiments B.travels C.careers D.friends

4.A.enjoy B.create C.collect D.imagine

5.A.planted B.cooked C.sold D.bought

6.A.prepared B.tasted C.provided D.realized

7.A.surprised B.focused C.held D.encouraged

8.A.helped B.paid C.hit D.refused

9.A.shared B.found C.won D.followed

10.A.lucky B.hopeless C.frightened D.excited

11.A.duty B.goal C.success D.secret

12.A.position B.introduction C.tradition D.attention

13.A.trying B.borrowing C.developing D.cutting

14.A.described B.expected C.noticed D.promised

15.A.advice B.anger C.complaint D.praise

16.A.agreed B.chatted C.quarreled D.compared

17.A.reward B.punishment C.reception D.plan

18.A.onion B.garlic C.money D.gold

19.A.pretended B.decided C.forgot D.managed

20.A.accept B.allow C.offer D.produce

    Volunteering is a great way to support an organization and make a difference in your community. It can also be an opportunity to meet new people and learn new skills. 1. And what should we plan for? Here’s a guide for beginners.

Step 1: 2.

Do you want to help the world, or your community? Do you want to build your own skills, make new friends, and learn? Do you love what you do? Do you want to share your gifts with others or give something back? Think about these kinds of questions. That can help you to choose the right direction for your volunteer work.

Step 2: Choose an organization that is meaningful to you.

If you feel strongly about literacy (读写), for instance, volunteer at your local library or find out if there is an organization of volunteer tutors in your area. There are organizations doing all sorts of work. 3.

Step 3: Start small.

If you already have a busy school life, volunteer your time for an hour or two a week, or perhaps one day a month..4. Then, if you find you enjoy the work and have more time to do it, take on more time by time.

Step 4: Get training.

If there is a training course, attend it. If not, talk to the group leaders and other volunteers about their experiences. 5.

Step 5: Try not to give up.

Volunteer work sometimes involves unpleasant tasks, difficult fellow workers, busy days, or bad management. If you find your work difficult, however, try to work through it before you decide to quit.

A.Do you love to work with people?

B.But how do we go about volunteering?

C.Get to know others in the organization.

D.It is important that you choose something that you like.

E.Think about why you want to volunteer.

F.You’ll pick up some good tips to make your work there more productive.

G.You might be surprised by how much you can do in even a little bit of time.

    They say music is universal, and it seems to be true since wherever we go, we see people listening, playing or dancing to it. We tend to think that music is larger than our cultural differences and shows the deeper connections between us.

But according to a recent study published in the journal Current Biology, music doesn’t speak to everyone. There is a condition, the researchers argue, called “musical anhedonia”. They say that those who have this condition lack the ability to experience pleasure from music.

For the study, 30 people listened to the same, mostly classical music pieces. They were then asked to complete a questionnaire on how they felt about the music. At the same time, the researchers measured their heart rate and skin reaction, which are considered physiological measures of emotion.

According to the researchers, most of the people in the study got pleasure from the music. They had a quicker heartbeat and sweated more. However, a small number had very little and even no pleasant feeling while they listened. These people had none or very few of the physical signs the others in the study experienced.

The researchers say that this means people have different abilities to enjoy music and that “there are people who specifically can’t enjoy music at all”, study author Josep Marco-Pallres of the University of Barcelona in Spain told Live Science.

To study the condition further, another group of scientists, at Columbia University, US, researched brain activities. They found that the key is the blood flow to the reward system in the brain.

“People who got less pleasure from music had lower blood flow to areas involved in the reward system of the brain when listening to music,” reported the Daily Mail.

The lower blood flow makes it more likely that the brain’s “reward system” will not be active. Thus, it will produce less of the “pleasure chemical” dopamine. As a result, people get less pleasure from music.

If the research is correct, according to National Public Radio, there are simply people who just don’t get music. They may get pleasure from many things, but a good song isn’t one of them.

1.What do we know about people with musical anhedonia?

A.They usually avoid listening to music.

B.They like to listen to certain types of music.

C.They believe cultural differences are larger than music.

D.They can’t feel the pleasure that music brings to others.

2.What was the purpose of the study?

A.To learn how music influences people’s emotions.

B.To understand the relationship between music and the body.

C.To learn what music people love the most.

D.To see whether music works in the same way for all people.

3.What happened to the participants when they listened to music?

A.Those who enjoyed music had more dopamine produced.

B.Those who enjoyed music had slower blood flow.

C.All of them had faster heartbeat and sweated more.

D.They showed different physical signs as the music changed.

4.Which is the best title of this passage?

A.How people get pleasure from music?

B.Why music isn’t for everyone?

C.What brain produces with music?

D.A new research of listening.

Foldable future has arrived

Tablets are really useful devices, but their big screens always make them as a burden to carry around without a bag. Wouldn’t it be great if there were a phone with the powers of a tablet that could be folded up and fit into the hand?

Now something like a tablet-shaped but foldable phone is about to show up. In February, South Korean electronics company Samsung and China’s Huawei both produced foldable phones, The Galaxy Fold and Huawei Mate X. Mobile phone use has entered the “foldable future”, The Verge said.

The technology could change our lives in meaningful ways. These devices, because of their bendable screens, give us the larger screens we want. Meanwhile, they still fit easily into the pocket.

The technology could change other devices too. For example, we could make TVs that stick to walls like posters, or fold up easily to hide away in drawers. In crowded modern cities, they will help us to make full use of space.

In a speech, Samsung’s senior vice president of mobile product marketing, Justin Denison, called the foldable screen “the base for the smartphone of tomorrow”. “It’s a white paper for us to do something beautiful together,” he said.

According to tech news website Android Authority, the necessary parts of foldable phones were difficult to produce. In 2012, nine out of every 10 OLED screens produced were not perfect. Today, that 10 percent rate has been improved to between 50 and 90 percent. However, at present these foldable devices are expensive. For example, the price of Huawei Mate X is 17,500 RMB. That’s a price that few people will be able to afford.

But if the foldable device isn’t going to change the world overnight, there is no doubt that it is coming. Patrick Moorhead, an industry analyst told The Verge, “Few are debating if foldable mobile screens are the future of smartphones; the only question is when and by whom.

1.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3 and 4?

A.Possible advantages of the foldable screen.

B.Where the idea of foldable screens came from.

C.Popular foldable screen devices on the market.

D.People’s words on the foldable screen.

2.What can we learn from Denison’s words?

A.The Galaxy Fold still has many problems.

B.The foldable screen has bright future.

C.The production of foldable phones will soon increase.

D.Companies need to work together to develop foldable phones.

3.Which statement is TRUE about the problem of foldable phones now?

A.90 percent of their screens are not perfect.

B.Their screens are difficult to produce.

C.They are too expensive for most families.

D.They are not as useful as thought.

4.What is the author’s attitude toward the future of the foldable screen?

A.Positive B.Unconcerned

C.Worried D.Cautious.

Staying connected

When Central Bucks South became one of the first Philadelphia-area high schools to close because of the fear of novel coronavirus exposure in early March, 16-year-old sophomore Andrew Chen knew that things were not going to return to normal as quickly as some of his peers hoped.

But still, the change from seeing his friends on the swim team during daily practices to learning alone at home was jarring.

“I only have three years here at South, and it pains me to see one of them being wasted,” Chen said.

The coronavirus has changed everyone’s lives, but for students, the disruption feels particularly serious. Schools closed and graduation ceremonies were put off. Summer plans, such as camps, are up in the air.

But right now, many students are trying to stay connected, struggling with false information, and finding out the best ways they can help – through online method.

For Josh Harycki, 17, a senior student at the Shipley School in Philadelphia, the best way to help was to create a “social distancing promise” for young people.

“I saw a lot of young people not paying attention,” he said. “They were … still going out, hanging out with others. I thought that there had to be a way to reach younger people, who were possibly not watching the news.”

Harycki started a call to action on social media and then built a website with a map that followed and kept the locations of people who’d signed the promise. The site also shares links to accurate sources of information like the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Harycki knows that his peers are worried they can’t connected with their friends in the same way, so he created the social distancing promise to strengthen that although everyone might be physically distant, they’re still connected.

“Part of what we’re showing is that you might feel like you’re the only one taking this seriously, but our map shows that you’re not alone,” he said.

1.What does the underlined word “jarring” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A.natural

B.necessary

C.worrying

D.reasonable

2.Who does Harycki mainly want to reach?

A.Friends who are worried and bored.

B.Young people not aware of the situation.

C.Younger students trying to help.

D.People taking the coronavirus seriously.

3.What’s Harycki’s purpose in creating the “social distancing promise”?

A.To order young people to stay at home.

B.To follow those infected with the coronavirus.

C.To tell young folks of latest news about the coronavirus.

D.To show young people that they are still connected.

4.Why does the author describe Andrew Chen’s experience in the text?

A.To explain what worried students most when schools closed.

B.To show the different views of students toward the coronavirus.

C.To show how the coronavirus affected students’ lives.

D.To explain the proper reaction to the close of school.

    Here we have some amazing plans for your travelling. Come and have a look!

Perth to Broome overland

Running: February 1 through April 30

Activities:

· Explore the Pinnacles Desert

· Sandboard down the sand dunes of Jurien Bay

· Discover the diverse scenery at Kalbarri National Park

· Visit the rare and beautiful Shell Beach

· Make friends with the dolphins at Monkey Mia

· Relax and explore at Coral Bay

Price: ＄1100

What’s included: Accommodation, expert guide, meals, transport (coach, trails).

Not included: International flights; insurance.

Adelaide to Alice Springs tour

Running: May 5 through August 28

Activities:

· See Australia’s incredible Lake Eyre

· Explore beautiful stones in Coober Pedy

· Visit a Kangaroo orphanage

· Experience Australia’s red center, Uluru

Price: ＄850

What’s included: Accommodation, expert guide, meals, transport.

Not included: International flights; insurance

Brisbane to Cairns adventure

Running: October 1 through December 20

Activities:

· Walk through rainforests and relax on beaches

· Explore Fraser Island with a jeep ride

· Watch the sun set as you sail the Whitsundays Islands

· Make life-long bonds and party the night away in the town Cairns

· Go diving on the Great Barrier Reef

Price: ＄1200

What’s included: Accommodation, expert guide, meals, transport (air-conditioned coach with WiFi in most regions)

Not included: International flights; insurance; other activities

Ultimate Oz tour

Running: November 1 through December 10

Activities:

· Enjoy a bonfire party, beachside

· Take on a Sydney Harbor boat cruise

· Try your hand at sandboarding

· Go to a Sydney pub

Price: ＄920

What’s included: Accommodation, expert guide, meals, transport

Not included: International flights; insurance

1.What can you do only on Adelaide to Alice Springs tour?

A.Walk through a rainforest.

B.Play with dolphins.

C.Visit a kangaroo orphanage.

D.Go sandboarding.

2.How is the Brisbane to Cairns trip different from the others?

A.Tourists may go diving.

B.Tourists can party on the beach.

C.It offers the highest price.

D.It has the longest travel time.

3.Which is included in the fees of all the tours?

A.Accommodation and insurance.

B.Expert guides and transport.

C.Meals and international flights.

D.WiFi service and expert guides.

假如你是李华，你校英国交换生David在邮件中告知你他被牛津大学（Oxford University)录取了，想邀请你本周六晚参加庆祝派对，但你因故不能前往。请你用英语给他回封邮件。内容包括：

1.表示祝贺；

2.不能赴约的原因；

3.补救措施。

注意：1・可以适当补充细节，以使行文连贯；2.词数80左右。

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

In elementary school, George wasn’t 1. (exact) popular, but he always had a couple of really good friends. In middle school, he was really good at science and math. 2. most kids were going to 3.movies on weekends, George preferred to design his own special projects. He dreamed of owning his own technology company someday. When George got to high school, some of the other students made fun of him for being into books and computers. This made George very upset, but he tried not to let anything keep his dream from 4. (achieve). George got excellent grades and was admitted 5. both Harvard and Yale, but he decided to go to Stanford 6. there were many opportunities for people 7. wanted to work in Silicon Valley. This was the first time George 8. (feel) accepted by the people around him. He took many computer classes, and kept designing his own projects on weekends. During the summer months, he would take extra classes, and he ended up 9. (graduate) a year early. He took a job 10. a computer programmer at Apple. After five more years there, George left to start his own company, finally realizing his childhood dream.

“A” for Attitude

English was always my favorite subject. In my freshman year of high school, I could write a killer composition. In my second year, my_________allowed me to give spelling tests to the class. I had wonderful_________of my junior year. Mrs. Alexander _______me to sit at her desk and take over the class when she had to leave the room. Only my senior English class was_________, as we had a teacher right out of college who expected college-level work. Every student received a “C” or “D” grade the first quarter._______English was still my subject.

I graduated from high school,_______early and had children. Confident about my English, I often helped my kids with their English homework. And I_________long articles and beautiful poetry as a columnist for a newspaper. Fifteen years later, I went to college, and because I had been an "A" student, I remained an “A” student. I_________up to my own expectations.

Yesterday, I_________my high school report cards when I was reading old papers. That bundle of report cards__________back the old days. I remembered sitting in my advisor's office，explaining that I had always excelled at English, and __________that I did not deserve a “D” from that__________  teacher of my senior year. The advisor was sympathetic but unable to change a (an)__________.

Reading__________my old report cards revealed something else too. I wanted to shred them or hide them. I was not an “A” student in high school English！Somehow, I had__________myself of this，when the grades clearly reflected an__________student with an occasional “A” or “B” but mostly “C” s.

Had I lived up to those grades and__________ myself according to those letters, I would have never confidently sought my writing__________. Had I believed in my early grades instead of myself ，I would have allowed my fear of____________to defeat my enthusiasm and damage my creativity.__________，I viewed my younger self as an “A” English student, except for that undeserved “D”.

1.A.monitor B.headmaster C.classmate D.teacher

2.A.impressions B.thoughts C.inspirations D.memories

3.A.approved B.appointed C.expected D.urged

4.A.flexible B.creative C.disappointing D.controversial

5.A.So B.But C.And D.Or

6.A.married B.worked C.succeeded D.progressed

7.A.wrote B.edited C.read D.copied

8.A.added B.lived C.grew D.went

9.A.counted B.remembered C.approached D.discovered

10.A.brought B.turned C.held D.kept

11.A.reporting B.guaranteeing C.complaining D.recommending

12.A.impolite B.impatient C.inexperienced D.independent

13.A.grade B.figure C.paper D.entry

14.A.out B.through C.from D.into

15.A.warned B.reminded C.informed D.convinced

16.A.average B.enthusiastic C.outstanding D.awkward

17.A.considered B.defined C.reflected D.described

18.A.goal B.dream C.career D.enterprise

19.A.change B.risk C.stress D.failure

20.A.Otherwise B.Besides C.Instead D.Still

    A new urban sport, parkour, is hitting the streets. It has evolved from obstacle course training into a fitness option for young people. In parkour, the outside world is the gym! 1. The goal of parkour is a direct route from one place to another. You meet an obstacle, you overcome it.

Mark Toorock, who teaches the techniques of parkour at his fitness gym, says that parkour is a method to train the body and mind using obstacles as the medium. He says that this new sport is demanding and takes years to master. 2.

But Toorock, who used to be a martial arts expert, says that everyone can benefit from learning the basic skills involved in parkour like running, jumping and crawling (爬行). These are the things that humans used to have to do all the time. 3. The original idea of parkour was to return to running and jumping as basic elements in moving from one place to another.

Georges Hebert, a French navy officer, was so impressed by the effortless athleticism of African tribes that he devised a training method based on running, climbing, jumping, balancing and throwing. The word parkour comes from parcours de combatant, the French term for a military obstacle course. 4.

Dr Kenneth Kao explains that the sport of parkour is not extreme — it is the environment which is extreme and dangerous. Being outside, jumping off railings and flipping over park benches can be quite frightening, so parkour courses in gyms concentrate on practicing all the individual moves to make everything easier. 5. However, that is not real parkour because it’s indoors with a fixed obstacle. The goal for everyone is to go outdoors.

A.Gyms provide thick floor matting (垫子) for rolling and rubberized boxes for jumping over.

B.The bridges, buildings and railings (栏杆) of each and every city are the equipment.

C.Every action in parkour is natural, so everyone must have the ability to move in this way.

D.Parkour was introduced into china in recent years and has gained popularity.

E.But today, due to modern transport, these basic skills are no longer used on a regular basis.

F.The French word for people who participate in the sport is traceurs or traceuses.

G.Beginners should realize that they won’t be jumping over buildings any time soon!

Humankind has tried to improve its standard of living since the very beginning of civilization. Back then, as well as today, providing food and security was the basic task for a person. However, nowadays the range of required goods has expanded significantly. People feel the need for not only some primary things, such as a piece of bread and a roof over their heads, but also for various facilities and luxuries. Providing humanity with these things is connected to the use of natural resources, which requires energy. In turn, the common sources of energy we use today cause pollution, so economic growth is almost unavoidably associated with environmental damage.

Economic growth is the increase in numbers of goods and services produced over time by an economy, and it is calculated in terms of real Gross Domestic Product (GDP). Before growth is calculated, inflation (通货膨胀)is adjusted in order to take into account its mis­leading effect on the price of goods and services. Economic growth can also be explained as the increase in expected output, which results from an increase in actual output, or total de­mand.

There are certain aspects of economic growth which affect the environment. The first of these is the fact that in order to produce more goods and products, at a faster rate, the construction of large industrial plants is required. These plants produce a lot of waste, leading to the pollution of water and the atmosphere, which may cause negative long term health effects to nearby populations of animals, or people.___They___also lead to global warming.

Industrial manufacturing leads to the constantly increasing energy consumption. The traditional energy sources, which are commonly used nowadays, are considered to be the greatest polluters to the environment. There also exist so-called eco-friendly sources of energy. They are sometimes preferred but replacing the traditional sources with them also requires time, during which people have to make some sacrifices to support these undertakings.

In order to produce economically practical energy, a sometimes significant transformation of the natural site is often inevitable. This is expensive and, has harmful effects on the environment. Application of wind energy would block airflows’ natural speed which is the reason for their decrease in strength, after crossing the windmill. Consequently, the pres­sure balance that is brought about by this current will be affected, and it is important to re­member that the environment and weather conditions are directly affected by atmospheric pressure.

For these reasons, bringing about economic growth without any resulting environmental damage, whatsoever, is impossible.

1.What does the passage mainly talk about?

A.Pollution caused by plant construction.

B.Effects of windmills on the environment.

C.Economic growth and human civilization.

D.Economic growth and environmental damage.

2.What does the underlined word “They” in the third paragraph refer to?

A.Goods and products B.The industrial plants

C.Water and atmosphere D.Negative health effects

3.According to the passage, the author holds the opinion that ______.

A.economic growth should be calculated in terms of GDP

B.use of natural resources causes no damage to the environment

C.industrial manufacturing may cause damage to the environment

D.a windmill is a perfect way to produce economically practical energy

4.Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A. B.

C. D.

    A breathtaking trick potentially left over from our ancestors might be found in us — the ability to sense oxygen through our skin.

Amphibians, animals such as frogs that can live both on land and in water, have long been known to be capable of breathing through their skin. In fact, the first known lungless frog that breathes only through its skin was discovered recently in the rivers of Borneo.

Now the same oxygen sensors found in frog skins and in the lungs of mammals (哺乳动物) have unexpectedly been discovered in the skin of mice.

“No one had ever looked,” explained Randall Johnson, a biologist researcher.

Mice and frogs are quite distant relatives, so the fact they have these molecules (分子) in common in their skin suggests they might well be found in the skin of other mammals, such as humans.

“We have no reason to think that they are not in the skin of people too,” Johnson said.

These molecules not only detect oxygen, but help increase levels of vital red blood cells, which carry oxygen around the body. Normal mice breathing in air that is 10 percent oxygen—a dangerously low level similar to conditions at the top of Mount Everest, and about half that of air at sea level. However, mice that had the oxygen sensor HIF-1a genetically removed from their skin failed to produce this hormone (荷尔蒙) even after hours of such low oxygen.

These findings, if they hold true in humans, suggest one could raise the level of oxygen circulating inside the body. This could help treat lung diseases and disorders such as anemia (贫血症) without injecting drugs, which make up a multibillion-dollar market, Johnson said.

Athletes also often try to get more oxygen delivered to their muscles in order to improve their performance. They often do this by training at high altitudes or in low-oxygen tents. The new study suggests they might want to expose their skin as well as breathing in low-oxygen air to improve their performance. “It’s hard to say what exactly might be done, however—there’s a lot we don’t know yet,” Johnson explained.

The scientists detailed their findings in the April 18 issue of the journal Cell.

1.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A.Johnson believes that Oxygen sensors also exist in human skin.

B.People have to surf the Internet to read detailed findings.

C.It has been proved that these findings help treat lung diseases.

D.It has long been expected oxygen sensors exist in mice’s skin.

2.One of the functions of the molecules mentioned above is _______.

A.carrying oxygen around the body B.improving athletes’ performance

C.detecting oxygen D.increasing level of oxygen

3.What is Johnson’s attitude to the application of the findings to the athletes’ training?

A.Negative B.Doubting

C.Positive D.Hesitating

4.The best title of the passage may be _______.

A.Great Findings Benefits Athletes A Lot

B.Frogs And Mice Are Distant Relatives

C.First Known Animal Breathes Through Skin

D.Humans Might Sense Oxygen Through Skin

Exploring Caves — Suit up with a helmet and light, and take Cave Crawl（爬行）. Bring your own knee pads. Learn about equipment used by cavers and rules for safe cave exploration. Spend the morning viewing stalactites（钟乳石）— rock formations that hang from the ceiling — and their opposites, stalagmites（石笋）.

Cave Alive — Take a look and learn about bats, salamanders, and other interesting creatures that grow up in caves. See crickets, crayfish, and even beetles. Learn why bears like to live in caves.

Fossils（化石）— Learn how remains of ancient plant and animal life became set in rocks, and discover how they provide clues about Earth’s history. Examine fossils in the cave.

Caves — Learn how changes in underground rock formation cause openings and caverns to develop. Find out how acidic water dissolves（溶解）limestone to create caves.

Manners — Learn how to preserve and protect beautiful, interesting, and educational caves. Learn why bats should not be disturbed when they are hibernating. Never go caving alone. Take nothing but pictures; leave nothing but footprints.

JOIN TODAY. RECEIVE THESE EARLY BIRD BENEFITS:

●  A membership card.

●  A membership certificate.

● A Caves and Caverns activity book.

● A newsletter with games, activities, and special offers.

THAT’S NOT ALL. MEMBERS ALSO RECEIVE:

●  Free unlimited admission to Echo Cove Cave.

● One-week Echo Cove Youth Camp enrollment（注册）at half price.

● Ten tickets for you and your friends to a private “off the beaten track” tour of the cave.

● Two free admission tickets to Echo Cove Cave for friends or family members.

● Admission to “Caves Around the World” lectures given by world famous cavers every month.

1.If you are interested in rock formations, which activities are the best choices?

A. Caves and Fossils.    B. Fossils and Manners.

C. Caves and Exploring Caves.    D. Exploring Caves and Manners.

2.If you are members’ friends, what benefits can you receive?

A. Two free lectures every month.    B. A membership card and certificate.

C. Favorable price for Youth Camp.    D. Two free tickets to Echo Cove Cave.

3.The purpose of this poster is to invite more people to ________.

A. join the Cave Club    B. enjoy the underground world

C. work as volunteers    D. protect the educational caves

    I must have been about fourteen then, and I put away the incident from my mind with the easy carelessness of youth. But the words, Carl Walter spoke that day, came back to me years later, and ever since have been of great value to me.

Carl Walter was my piano teacher. During one of my lessons he asked how much practicing I was doing. I said three or four hours a day.

“Do you practice in long stretches, an hour at a time?”

“I try to.”

“Well, don't.” he exclaimed. “When you grow up, time won't come in long stretches. Practice in minutes, whenever you can find them five or ten before school, after lunch, between household tasks. Spread the practice through the day, and piano-playing will become a part of your life.”

When I was teaching at Columbia, I wanted to write, but class periods, theme-reading, and committee meetings filled my days and evenings. For two years I got practically nothing down on paper, and my excuse was that I had no time. Then I remembered what Carl Walter had said. During the next week I conducted an experiment. Whenever I had five minutes unoccupied, I sat down and wrote a hundred words or so. To my astonishment, at the end of the week I had a rather large manuscript ready for revision, later on I wrote novels by the same piecemeal method. Though my teaching schedule had become heavier than ever, in every day there were idle moments which could be caught and put to use. I even took up piano-playing again, finding that the small intervals of the day provided sufficient time for both writing and piano practice.

There is an important trick in this time-using formula: you must get into your work quickly. If you have but five minutes for writing, you can't afford to waste four chewing your pencil. You must make your mental preparations beforehand, and concentrate on your task almost instantly when the time comes. Fortunately, rapid concentration is easier than most of us realize.

I admit I have never learnt how to let go easily at the end of the five or ten minutes. But life can be counted on to supply interruptions. Carl Walter has had a tremendous influence on my life. To him I owe the discovery that even very short periods of time add up to all useful hours I need, if I plunge in without delay.

1.What is the best title of this passage?

A.Concentrate on Your Work B.Good Advice

C.How I Became a Writer D.A Little at a Time

2.Which of the following statements is true?

A.The writer owes great thanks to his teacher for teaching him to work in long stretches.

B.The writer didn't take the teacher's words to heart at first.

C.Carl Walter has had a great influence on the writer’s life since he became a student.

D.Rapid concentration is actually more difficult than most people imagine.

3.The underlined part “counted on” can be replaced by __________.

A.expected B.concentrated

C.valued D.enriched

4.We can infer that the writer ____________.

A.can find sufficient time for mental preparations beforehand, so he’s devoted to work instantly

B.is always tired of interruptions in life because his teaching schedule is always heavy

C.has formed a bad habit of chewing a pencil while writing his novels

D.has new books published each year however busy his teaching is