Most people think of zoos as safe heavens for animals, where problems such as difficulty finding food and avoiding predators (食肉动物) don’t exist. Therefore, animals in zoos should live to a ripe old age.
But that may not be true for the largest land animals on earth. Scientists have known that elephants in zoos often suffer from poor health. They develop diseases and they are even unable to have babies.
To learn more about how captivity (圈养) affects elephants, a team of international scientists compared the lifespans (寿命) of the zoo-born elephants with the lifespans of thousands of wild elephants. They also compared some Asian elephants living in zoos with some Asian elephants which work in logging camp (伐木场), over almost the same time period.
The team found that elephants born in zoos lived an average of 16.9 years, but elephants that died of natural causes lived an average of 56 years. Asian elephants followed a similar pattern. In zoos, they lived 18.9 years, while those in the logging camp lived 41.7 years.
Scientists don’t yet know why wild elephants seem to live so much better than their zoo-raised counterparts (同类). Georgia Mason, a biologist at the University of Guelph in Canada, who led the study, thinks stress and obesity (肥胖) may be to blame. Zoo elephants don’t get the same kind of exercise they would in the wild. Elephants’ social lives are also much different in zoos than in the wild, where they live in large family groups.Most people believe that________.
| A．animals in zoos should live a longer life |
| B．zoos are not good for animals to live in |
| C．zoos are not suitable for large animals |
| D．captivity can affect animals in many ways |
The purpose of the international scientists is_________.
| A．to compare the lifespans of different animals |
| B．to find out how captivity affects elephants |
| C．to learn the lifespans of male and female elephants |
| D．to compare the lifespans of elephants in different places |
Which elephants live the longest according to the study?
| A．Elephants born in zoos. |
| B．Elephants that live in the wild. |
| C．Elephants that work in logging camps. |
| D．Female Asian elephants in logging camps. |
We can infer from the passage that_________.
| A．elephants in zoos suffer less stress than those in the wild |
| B．elephants in zoos live an easy life |
| C．social lives are not important to elephants |
| D．zoo life can be stressful to elephants |
What are the advantages to elephants in the wild according to the passage?
| A．They face fewer problems. | B．They can find food more easily. |
| C．They live in large social groups. | D．They are freer to move. |
Many English learners have difficulty deciding what kind of English accent they want to have． A US accent, perhaps modeled on the way a Hollywood star speaks? Or maybe you want to imitate（模仿） the British accent of a BBC news reader?
Young British people find the US accent attractive while young US people like a British accent． Especially when the person speaking is of the opposite sex(异性)! Let’s listen to what they have to say．
Stephen Yang, 17, from London, UK
A US accent is cute, especially when a girl speaks it． Whether it’s Jessia Alba speaking or the girl- next-door, the way US girls speak has a sweet tingle that is really sassy(时髦)． A girl from Texas recently moved into our neighborhood． Her Texan twang（鼻音） had all the boys here on their knees within seconds of meeting her．
To me, accents reflect the attitudes, characteristics and lifestyles of the people．
Jennifer Sun, 16, from New Jersey, US
From watching English actors like Daniel Radcliffe, my friends and I have developed a soft spot for British men．Some are attracted to the qualities of English males, while others admire their sense of style．
Everyone, however, agrees that the most appealing aspect of an English man is his accent． For example, many American girls watch Harry Potter movies over and over again just to listen to the actors speak．
The English accent seems almost like art．In Stephen Yang’s opinion, accents just show__________．
| A．the beauty of the language |
| B．how the language is spoken |
| C．the cultural differences of the speakers |
| D．the meeting of the day |
The underlined sentence in paragraph means that __________．
| A．All the boys broke their knees |
| B．All the boys fell to the ground |
| C．All the boys liked her accent very much |
| D．All the boys imitated（模仿）her accent |
Many American girls watch Harry Porter again and again in order to __________．
| A．learn the acting skills of the these stars |
| B．learn the magic performed by Harry Potter |
| C．imitate the actors’ accents |
| D．know more about British English |
What is probably the best title for this passage?
| A．British English and American English |
| B．British Accent or American Accent |
| C．American English Accent is Most Accepted |
| D．The difference between British Accent and American Accent． |
The first English week at our school started on May 4th, 2009． The whole school was filled with an English learning atmosphere． A series of activities was held． There were handwriting activities, story writing, English songs, role playing in English, and so on, all the teachers and students were very happy． They spoke English, sang English songs and enjoyed all the activities．
Handwriting was for the students in lower grades． Although most of them couldn’t write so well, they were all very careful about it． In the show window, there were a lot of colorful handwritten papers． They copied some articles from books or newspapers． And then they decorated them with pictures in different colors, and some even put their own photos on them． How cute and lovely they looked!
Story writing was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8． These students are always fond of cartoons, so they got interested in this activity． Reading the stories they made up, all the visitors couldn’t help speaking highly of them．
The most important event was the English show on the last day． The students and teachers presented a lot of English songs and English operas． Each program won storms of applause．
One week is not very long, but all the students and teachers learned a lot． Just as the headmaster said, “It is a helpful week． It will certainly lead us to enjoy and learn more from our English studies．”In this passage, the English week is described as__________．
| A．surprising | B．boring | C．enjoyable | D．serious |
Which of the following is Not true?
| A．All the students took part in the handwriting contest． |
| B．The story writing contest was for students in Grade 7 and Grade 8． |
| C．The English show was the most important event． |
| D．Teachers also took part in the English week． |
What does the underlined word “applause” probably mean?
| A．Noise | B．Cheer | C．Sound | D．Music |
What does the writer probably want to tell us at the end of the passage?
| A．The activities are a good way to learn English． |
| B．Students usually don’t like English． |
| C．The activities last longer． |
| D．Learning English in the classroom is invaluable． |
Shopping is not as simple as you may think! There are all sorts of tricks at play each time we reach out for that particular brand(品牌) of product on the shelf.
Colouring, for example, varies according to what the producers are trying to sell. Health foods are packaged(包装) in greens, yellows or browns because we think of these as healthy colours. Ice cream packets are often blue and expensive goods, like chocolates, are gold or silver.
When some kind of pain killer was brought out recently, researchers found that the colours turned the customers off because they made the product look weak and ineffective. Eventually, it came on the market in a dark blue and white package—blue because we think of it as safe, and white as calm.
The size of a product can attract a shopper. But quite often a bottle doesn’t contain as much as it appears to.
It is believed that the better-known companies spend, on average, 70 percent of the total cost of the product itself on packaging!
The most successful producers know that it’s not enough to have a good product. The founder of Pears soap, who for 25 years has used pretty little girls to promote (推销) their goods, came to the conclusion: “Any fool can make soap, but it takes a genius(天才) to sell it.”Which of the following may trick a shopper into buying a product according to the text?
| A．The cost of its package. | B．The price of the product. |
| C．The colour of its package. | D．The brand name of the product. |
The underlined part “the colours turned the customers off” (in Para.3) means that the colours _________.
| A．attracted the customers strongly |
| B．caused the customers to lose interest |
| C．tricked the customers into shopping |
| D．had weak effects on the customers |
Which of the following is the key to the success in product sales?
| A．The way to promote goods. |
| B．The discovery of a genius. |
| C．The team to produce a good product. |
| D．The brand name used by successful producers. |
According to the passage, we know that _________.
| A．making soap is so easy that any fool in the world can make it. |
| B．greens, yellows or silver are considered to be healthy colours. |
| C．25 years ago, the founder of Pears soap was a pretty girl herself. |
| D．the size of a product can have an effect on the shoppers. |
Which of the following would be the best title for this text?
| A．Choice of Good Products |
| B．Disadvantages of Products |
| C．Effect of Packaging on Shopping |
| D．Brand Names and Shopping Tricks |
Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet, but what is it, do you know? The Internet is a network. It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting. But when you’ve joined to the Internet, there are lots and lots of things you can do. You can do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web (WWW). You can use QQ to chat with your friends, and they will make responses in a few seconds. You can send E-mails to your friends, and they can get them in a few seconds. You can also go shopping by the Internet without going out.
There are many different kinds of computers now. They all can be joined to the Internet. Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home, but there are still many others in schools, offices or large companies. These computers are owned by people and companies, but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet. For example, your school may have the Internet. You can use it during lessons or free time. Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet. You are welcome to use it at your spare time.
Thanks to the Internet, the world is becoming smaller and smaller. It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front, getting and sending the information you need. It is also possible for you to discuss some projects or assign the work on the Internet instead of at a meeting. In addition, you can buy or sell whatever you want by the Internet. But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English? So what will English be like tomorrow?What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Internet. | B．Information. | C．Computers. | D．E-mails. |
What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
| A．Doing with information on the Internet. |
| B．Using the Internet to communicate with friends. |
| C．Going shopping by the Internet. |
| D．Things we can do by the Internet. |
Who is the owner of the Internet?
| A．The headmaster. | B．The officer. | C．The manager. | D．No one. |
Which may be the most possible place for people to work in the future?
| A．In the office. | B．At school. |
| C．At home. | D．In the company. |
What does the writer try to tell us with the last two sentences?
| A．English is important in using the Internet. |
| B．The Internet is more and more popular. |
| C．Most of the information is in English. |
| D．Every computer must have the Internet. |
Mr. Harris used to work in Dover, but then he changed his work, and he and his wife moved to another town. They did not have many friends there at first, but they soon met a lot of interesting people, and after a few weeks, they often went to dinner or to parties at other people’s houses.
Then Mrs. Harris said to her husband, “We’ve been to a lot of other people’s houses, and now we must invite them to our house, mustn’t we?”
“Yes, certainly,” answered her husband, “A big party will be the easiest thing, won’t it? Then we can start to invite people to dinner in small numbers next month.”
So Mrs. Harris said, “Yes, I’ll invite all our friends here to a big party on 5th December.”
“How many people will you invite?” Mr. Harris asked, “Don’t invite too many.”
Mrs. Harris was beginning to write the invitations when her husband saw that she was writing, “Party: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.”
“That isn’t very nice, is it?” he said. “You’re telling our guests that they must go at 8:30. Maybe it is impolite.” So Mrs. Harris just wrote “Party: 6:30 p.m.”
A lot of guests came, and they all had a good time, so they did not go home at 8:30. In fact they were still there at mid-night when the door bell rang and a policeman arrived. He said, “You must stop making a noise, because someone has complained(抱怨).”
Mr. Harris said he did not want to quarrel with the policeman, so everyone went home. They were sorry to have to go.
When Mr. and Mrs. Harris were alone again, she said to him. “That was a surprise, wasn’t it? Who complained about the noise?”
“I did,” Mr. Harris answered in a tired voice.What made Mr. and Mrs. Harris hold a party at their house?
| A．It was easy to hold a big party at home. |
| B．They could ask people to dinner in small numbers. |
| C．They had gone to other people’s parties many times. |
| D．They liked making friends with others. |
How long would Mrs. Harris like the party to last?
| A．From the morning till night. | B．About fourteen hours. |
| C．About two hours. | D．Till midnight |
When did the party end that evening?
| A．About twelve o’clock. |
| B．When the policeman talked with Mr. Harris on the phone. |
| C．At about 8:30. |
| D．When someone telephoned the police station. |
Who telephoned the policeman?
| A．One of the guests. | B．One of the neighbors. |
| C．Mr. Harris. | D．Mrs. Harris. |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Mr. Harris was unfriendly to the guests |
| B．Mrs. Harris was very angry with his husband |
| C．the guests were very tired at the party |
| D．Mr. Harris didn’t want his friends to stay late at the party |