It’s great fun to explore(探索) new places—it feels like an adventure,even when you know you’re not the first to have been there.But make sure not to get lost or waste time going round in circles.
●Do the map reading if you’re being driven somewhere.It’ll be easier if you keep turning the map so it follows the direction you’re traveling in.Keep looking ahead so that you can give the driver lots of warning before having to make a turn,or you’ll have to move to the back seat.
●Get a group of friends together and go exploring.You’ll need a good map,a compass(指南针),a raincoat,a cell phone to call for help in case you get lost,and a bit of spare cash for emergencies(应急现金).Tell someone where you’re going before you set out and let them know what time you expect to be back.The test is in not getting lost,not in seeing how fast you can go,so always stick together,waiting for slower friends to catch up.
●See if your school or a club organizes orienteering activities,in which you need a map and a compass to find your way.This can be done as a sport,with teams trying to find the way from A to B(and B to C,etc.) in the fastest time,or simply as a spare-time activity.Either way,it’s not only good fun,but a great way to keep fit.Sitting beside the driver,you should______.
| A．direct the driver when necessary |
| B．look ahead to see where there’s a turn |
| C．move to the back seat if feeling uncomfortable |
| D．keep looking at the map to find a place to go to |
Why do you need to tell someone your exploration plan before setting out?
| A．To get information when in danger. |
| B．To be saved in case of an accident. |
| C．To share the fun with him/her in exploration. |
| D．To tell him/her what’s going on with the group members. |
Orienteering activities can______.
| A．make people work fast |
| B．help people stay healthy |
| C．help people organize other activities |
| D．make people get prepared for sports |
The text mainly talks about______.
| A．the fun of exploration |
| B．what to bring for exploration |
| C．the way to use a map in exploration |
| D．how to prevent getting lost in exploration |
Port Lympne Reserve, which runs a breeding（繁育）programme, has welcomed the arrival of a rare black rhino calf（犀牛幼息）.When the tiny creature arrived on January 31. she became the 40th black rhino to be born at the reserve. And officials at Port Lympne were delighted with the new arrival, especially as black rhinos are known for being difficult to breed in captivity（圈养）.
Paul Beer, head of rhino section at Port Lympne, said: "Obviously we're all absolutely delighted to welcome another calf to our black rhino family. She's healthy, strong and already eager to play and explore. Her mother, Solio, is a first-time mum and she is doing a fantastic job. It's still a little too cold for them to go out into the open, but as soon as the weather warms up. I have no doubt that the little one will be out and about exploring and playing every day."
The adorable female calf is the second black rhino born this year at the reserve, but it is too early to tell if the calves will make good candidates to be returned to protected areas of the wild. The first rhino to be born at Port Lympne arrived on January 5 to first-time mother Kisima and weighed about 32 kg. His mother, grandmother and great grandmother were all born at the reserve and still live there.
According to the World Wildlife Fund, the global black rhino population has dropped as low as 5500, giving the rhinos a "critically endangered" status.
4. Which of the following best describes the breeding programme?
| A． |
Costly. |
B． |
Controversial. |
C． |
Ambitious. |
D． |
Successful. |
5. What does Paul Beer say about the new-born rhino?
| A． |
She loves staying with her mother. |
B． |
She dislikes outdoor activities. |
| C． |
She is in good condition |
D． |
She is sensitive to heat. |
6. What similar experience do Solio and Kisima have?
| A． |
They had their first born in January. B .They enjoyed exploring new places |
B． | |
| C． |
They lived with their grandmothers. |
D． |
They were brought to the reserve young |
7. What can be inferred about Porn-Lympne Reserve?
| A． |
The rhino section will be open to the public. |
| B． |
It aims to control the number of the animals. |
| C． |
It will continue to work with the World Wildlife Fund. |
| D． |
Some of its rhinos may be sent to the protected wild areas. |
A Take a view, the Landscape（风景）Photographer of the Year Award, was the idea of Charlie Waite, one of today's most respected landscape photographers.Each year, the high standard of entries has shown that the Awards are the perfect platform to showcase the very best photography of the British landscape.Take a view is a desirable annual competition for photographers from all comers of the UK and beyond.
|
Mike Shepherd (2011) Skiddaw in Winter Cumbria, England |
It was an extremely cold winter's evening and freezing fog hung in the air. I climbed to the top of a small rise and realised that the mist was little more than a few feet deep, and though it was only a short climb, I found myself completely above it and looking at a wonderfully clear view of Skiddaw with the sum setting in the west. I used classical techniques, translated from my college days spent in the darkroom into Photoshop, to achieve the black-and-white image（图像）. |
|
Timothy Smith (2014) Macclesfield Forest Cheshire, England |
I was back in my home town of Macclesfield to take some winter images. Walking up a path through the forest towards Shutlingsloe. a local high point, I came across a small clearing and immediately noticed the dead yellow grasses set against the fresh snow. The small pine added to the interest and I placed it centrally to take the view from the foreground right through into the forest. |
1. Who would most probably enter for Take a view?
| A． |
Writers. |
B． |
Photographers. |
C． |
Painters. |
D． |
Tourists. |
2. What do the works by Shepherd and Smith have in common?
| A． |
They are winter images. |
| B． |
They are in black and white. |
| C． |
They show mountainous scenes. |
| D． |
They focus on snow-covered forests. |
3. Where can the text be found?
| A． |
In a history book. |
B． |
In a novel. |
C． |
In an art magazine. |
D． |
In a biography. |
Challenging work that requires lots of analytical thinking，planning and other managerial skills might help your brain stay sharp as you age，a study published Wednesday in the journal Neurology suggests．
Researchers from the University of Leipzig in Germany gathered more than 1，000 retired workers who were over age 75 and assessed the volunteers' memory and thinking skills through a battery of tests．Then，for eight years，the scientists asked the same group to come back to the lab every 18 months to take the same sorts of tests．
Those who had held mentally stimulating（刺激），demanding jobs before retirement tended to do the best on the tests．And they tended to lose cognitive（认知）function at a much slower rate than those with the least mentally challenging jobs．The results held true even after the scientists accounted for the participants' overall health status．
"This works just like physical exercise，" says Francisca Then，who led the study．"After a long run，you may feel like you're in pain，you may feel tired．But it makes you fit．After a long day at work﹣sure，you will feel tired，but it can help your brain stay healthy．"
It's not just corporate jobs，or even paid work that can help keep your brain fit．Then points out．A waiter's job，for example，that requires multitasking，teamwork and decision﹣making could be just as stimulating as any high﹣level office work．And "running a family household requires high﹣level planning and coordinating（协调），" she says．"You have to organize the activities of the children and take care of the bills and groceries．"
Of course，our brains can decline as we grow older for lots of reasons﹣including other environmental influences or genetic factors．Still，continuing to challenge yourself mentally and keeping your mind busy can only help．
（1）Why did the scientists ask the volunteers to take the tests？
| A． |
To assess their health status． |
| B． |
To evaluate their work habits． |
| C． |
To analyze their personality． |
| D． |
To measure their mental ability． |
（2）How does Francisca Then explain her findings in paragraph 4？
| A． |
By using an expert's words． |
| B． |
By making a comparison． |
| C． |
By referring to another study． |
| D． |
By introducing a concept． |
（3）Which of the following is the best title for the text？
| A． |
Retired Workers Can Pick Up New Skills |
| B． |
Old People Should Take Challenging Jobs |
| C． |
Your Tough Job Might Help Keep You Sharp |
| D． |
Cognitive Function May Decline As You Age |
The traffic signals along Factoria Boulevard in Bellevue，Washington，generally don't flash the same length of green twice in a row，especially at rush hour．At 9：30am，the full red/yellow/green signal cycle might be 140 seconds．By 9：33am，a burst of additional traffic might push it to 145 seconds．Less traffic at 9：37am could push it down to 135．Just like the traffic itself，the timing of the signals changes．
Thatis by design．Bellevue，a fast﹣growing city just east of Seattle，uses a system that is gaining popularity around the US：intersection（十字路口）signals that can adjust in real time to traffic conditions．These lights，known as adaptive signals，have led to significant declines in both the trouble and cost of travels between work and home．
"Adaptive signals can make sure that the traffic demand that is there is being addressed，" says Alex Stevanovic，a researcher at Florida Atlantic University．
For all of Bellevue's success，adaptive signals are not a cure﹣all for jammed roadways．Kevin Balke，a research engineer at the Texas A&M University Transportation Institute，says that while smart lights can be particularly beneficial for some cities，others are so jammed that only a sharp reduction in the number of cars on the road will make a meaningful difference．"It's not going to fix everything，but adaptive signals have some benefits for smaller cities，" he says．
In Bellevue，the switch to adaptive signals has been a lesson in the value of welcoming new approaches．In the past，there was often an automatic reaction to increased traffic：just widen the roads，says Mark Poch，the Bellevue Transportation Department's traffic engineering manager．Now he hopes that other cities will consider making their streets run smarter instead of just making them bigger．
（1）What does the underlined word "that" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． |
Increased length of green lights． |
| B． |
Shortened traffic signal cycle． |
| C． |
Flexible timing of traffic signals． |
| D． |
Smooth traffic flow on the road． |
（2）What does Kevin Balke say about adaptive signals？
| A． |
They work better on broad roads． |
| B． |
They should be used in other cities． |
| C． |
They have greatly reduced traffic on the road． |
| D． |
They are less helpful in cities seriously jammed． |
（3）What can we learn from Bellevue's success？
| A． |
It is rewarding to try new things． |
| B． |
The old methods still work today． |
| C． |
It pays to put theory into practice． |
| D． |
The simplest way is the best way． |
I am an active playgoer and play﹣reader，and perhaps my best reason for editing this book is a hope of sharing my enthusiasm for the theater with others．To do this I have searched through dozens of plays to find the ones that I think best show the power and purpose of the short play．
Each play has a theme or central idea which the playwright（剧作家）hopes to get across through dialogue and action．A few characters are used to create a single impression growing out of the theme．It is not my intention to point out the central theme of each of the plays in this collection，for that would，indeed，ruin the pleasure of reading，discussing，and thinking about the plays and the effectiveness of the playwright．However，a variety of types is represented here．These include comedy，satire，poignant drama，historical and regional drama．To show the versatility（多面性）of the short play，I have included a guidance play，a radio play and a television play．
Among the writers of the plays in this collection，Paul Green，Susan Glaspell，Maxwell Anderson，Thornton Wilder，William Saroyan，and Tennessee Williams have all received Pulitzer Prizes for their contributions to the theater．More information about the playwrights will be found at the end of this book．
To get the most out of reading these plays，try to picture the play on stage，with you，the reader，in the audience．The houselights dim（变暗）．The curtains are about to open，and in a few minutes the action and dialogue will tell you the story．
（1）What do we know about the author from the first paragraph？
| A． |
He has written dozens of plays． |
| B． |
He has a deep love for the theater． |
| C． |
He is a professional stage actor． |
| D． |
He likes reading short plays to others． |
（2）What does the author avoid doing in his work？
| A． |
Stating the plays' central ideas． |
| B． |
Selecting works by famous playwrights． |
| C． |
Including various types of plays． |
| D． |
Offering information on the playwrights． |
（3）What does the author suggest readers do while reading the plays？
| A． |
Control their feelings． |
| B． |
Apply their acting skills． |
| C． |
Use their imagination． |
| D． |
Keep their audience in mind． |
（4）What is this text？
| A． |
A short story． |
| B． |
An introduction to a book． |
| C． |
A play review． |
| D． |
An advertisement for a theater． |