The black robin is one of the world’s rarest birds. It is a small, wild bird, and it lives only on the island of Little Mangere, off the coast of New Zealand. In 1967 there were about fifty black robins; in 1977 there were fewer than ten. These are the only black robins left in the world. The island has many other birds, of different kinds, large and small; these seem to multiply very happily.
Energetic steps are being taken to preserve the black robin. Detailed studies are going on, and a public appeal for money has bee made. The idea is to buy another island nearby as a special home, a “reserve”, for threatened wild life, including black robins. The organizers say that Little Mangere should then be supplied with the robin’s food—it eats only one kind of seed. Thousands of the required plants are at present being cultivated in new Zealand. The public appeal is aimed at the conscience of mankind, so that the wild black robin will not die out and disappear form the earth in our time at least.
Is all this concern a waste of human effort? Is it any business of ours whether the black robin survives or dies out? Are we losing our sense of what is reasonable and what is unreasonable?
In the earth’s long, long past, hundreds, of kinds of creatures have evolved, risen to a degree of success—and died out. In the long, long future, there will be many new and different forms of life. Those creatures that adapt themselves successfully to what the earth offers will survive for a long time. Those that fail to meet the challenges will disappear early. This is nature’s proven method of operation.
The rule of selection—“the survival of the fittest”—is the one by which human beings have themselves arrived on the scene. We, being one of the most adaptable creatures the earth has yet produced, may last longer than most. You may take it as another rule that when, at last, human beings show signs of dying out, no other creature will extend a paw to put off our departure. On the contrary, we will be hurried out. For nature, tough fair, is a hard-hearted mistress. She has no favorites.
Life seems to have grown too tough for black robins. I leave you to judge whether we should try to do something about it.
57．The black robin is dying out mainly because .
A．people have been very careless about its survival
B．its only food supply is far from enough on Little Mangere
C．the other birds on the island have destroyed it
D．the appeal for money has come at the wrong time
58．In Paragraph 3, the writer puts forward three questions to .
A．make a comparison B．make an argument
C．introduce a topic D．present his own idea
59．As for selection and survival, the decisive factor seems to be .
A．the ability to adapt to changed or changing conditions
B．the number of wild life reserves that are available
C．the concern and generosity of the public
D．the size of the home, or the amount of space one has to live in
60．The writer’s attitude towards the protection of the black robins is .
A．active B．passive C．unconcerned D．optimistic
“Mainland couples who give birth to a second child in Hong Kong will be fined for breaking the family planning policy.” a senior official has warned. As more women flock to Hong Kong to give birth to their second child, Zhang Feng, family planning department director of Guangdong Province, stressed that this violated China’s policies. “And those who are government employees will even be dismissed from their posts.” he said.
''It doesn't matter if they give birth to their second child on the mainland or in other countries and regions; they have violated the country's policies and the province's regulations''.
He said that some families had been punished in the past few months after having a second child in Hong Kong, but gave no details.
Zhang made his remarks when a Hong Kong newspaper carried a controversial notice claiming residents' medical services had been affected by the growing number of mainland women who arrive in the city to give birth and gain right of abode (居住) there.
According to statistics revealed by Hong Kong Special Administrative Region government, about 88,000 babies were born in Hong Kong in 2010, but more than 41,000 or 47 percent, were to mainland couples, including a large number from Guangdong.
Hong Kong has limited the number of mainland women permitted to give birth in the city at 34,000 this year.
The issue also has caused calls for an amendment(修正) to Hong Kong's Basic Law so that babies born to mainland women are no longer granted permanent right of abode.
''I support Hong Kong government's decision to reduce or limit the number for mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong.'' Zhang said.
China introduced its family planning policy in 1979 to limit births in the world's most populous nation, although the rules have been relaxed in recent years.Which of the following is true?
| A．Zhang Feng is family planning department director of Guangdong Province. |
| B．Many government employees have been dismissed from their posts. |
| C．Those who give birth to a second child in Hong Kong will be fined. |
| D．It doesn’t matter if they give birth to their second child on the mainland. |
What does the word ''violated'' mean in the second paragraph?
| A．was obeyed | B．went against |
| C．was for | D．was dismissed |
Zhang Feng said that______.
| A．few families had been punished after having a second child in China |
| B．about 88,000 babies were born in Hong Kong in 2010 |
| C．he agreed to reduce or limit the number for mainland women giving birth in Hong Kong |
| D．the residents' medical services in Hong Kong had been affected |
From the passage we can infer______.
| A．in 2010 most of the babies born in Hong Kong belonged to mainland couples |
| B．babies born to mainland women in Hong Kong can't get permanent right of abode now |
| C．the number of mainland women permitted to give birth in Hong Kong has been reduced |
| D．the family planning policy in China is as strict as before |
Which is NOT the reason why some people want to give birth to a second child in Hong Kong?
| A．They want to gain right of abode there for their babies. |
| B．They want to escape being punished for breaking the family planning policy. |
| C．They want their babies to enjoy the good medical services in Hong Kong. |
| D．They want to cause calls for an amendment to Hong Kong's Basic Law. |
Are morning people born or made? In my case it was definitely made. In my early 20s, I hardly went to bed before midnight, and I would always get up late the next morning.
But after a while I couldn’t ignore the high relationship between success and rising early. On those rare occasions where I did get up early, I noticed that my productivity (效率) was always higher. So I set out to become a habitual early riser. But whenever my alarm went off, my first thought was always to stop that noise and go back to sleep. Eventually some sleep research showed that my strategy was wrong.
The most common wrong strategy is this: supposing you’re going to get up earlier, you’d better go to bed earlier. It sounds very reasonable, but will usually fail.
There are two main schools (流派) of thought on sleep patterns. One is that you should go to bed and get up at the same time every day. The second school says you should go to bed when you’re tired and get up when you naturally wake up. However, I have found both are wrong if you care about productivity. If you sleep at fixed hours, you’ll sometimes go to bed when you aren’t sleepy enough. You’re wasting time lying in bed awake.
My solution is to combine both methods. I go to bed when I’m sleepy and get up with an alarm clock at a fixed time. So I always get up at the same time (in my case 5 a.m.), but I go to bed at different times every night.
However, going to bed only when I’m sleepy, and getting up at a fixed time every morning are my ways. If you want to become an early riser, you can try your own.According to the passage, the underlined phrase refers to ________.
| A．people who stay up until the next morning |
| B．people who get up early in the morning |
| C．people who feel sleepy in the morning |
| D．people whose productivity is the lowest in the morning |
Why did the author want to become a habitual early riser?
| A．Because he / she wanted to have more sleep time. |
| B．Because he / she wanted to do morning exercise. |
| C．Because he / she wanted to test which school is better? |
| D．Because he / she found that the productivity was higher. |
The author experienced all the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．going to bed after midnight |
| B．asking scholars for advice on sleeping habits |
| C．getting up early occasionally |
| D．pressing off the alarm to go on sleeping |
What’s the author’s sleep pattern?
| A．Going to bed early and getting up early. |
| B．Going to bed late and getting up late. |
| C．Going to bed when sleepy and getting up at a fixed early time. |
| D．Going to bed early and getting up late. |
The passage is mainly about ________.
| A．main schools of thought on sleep patterns |
| B．how to have a good sleep |
| C．wrong strategies for getting up early |
| D．how to become an early riser |
Joe came to New York from the Middle West, dreaming about painting. Delia came to New York from the South, dreaming about music. Joe and Delia met in a studio. Before long they were good friends and got married.
They had only a small flat to live in, but they were happy. They loved each other, and they were both interested in art. Everything was fine until one day they found they had spent all their money.
Delia decided to give music lessons. One afternoon she said to her husband:
“Joe, I’ve found a pupil, a general’s daughter. She is a sweet girl. I’m to give three lessons a week and get $5 a lesson.”
But Joe was not glad.
“But how about me?” he said.” Do you think I’m going to watch you work while I play with my art? No, I want to earn some money too.”
“Joe, , you are silly,” said Delia. “You must keep at your studies. We can live quite happily on $15 a week.”
“Well, perhaps I can sell some of my pictures,” said Joe.
Every day they parted in the morning and met in the evening. A week passed and Delia brought home fifteen dollars, but she looked a little tired.
“Clementina sometimes gets on my nerves. I’m afraid she doesn’t practice enough. But the general is the best old man! I wish you could know him, Joe.”
And then Joe took eighteen dollars out of his pocket.
“I’ve sold one of my pictures to a man from Peoria,” he said, “and he has ordered another.”
“I’m so glad,” said Delia. “Thirty-three dollars! We never had so much to spend before. We’ll have a good supper tonight.”
Next week Joe came home and put another eighteen dollars on the table. In half an hour Delia came, her right hand in a bandage.
“What’s the matter with your hand?” said Joe. Delia laughed and said:
“Oh, a funny thing happened! Clemantina gave me a plate of soup and spilled some of it on my hand. She was very sorry for it. And so was the old general. But why are you looking at me like that, Joe?”
“What time this afternoon did you burn your hand, Delia?”
“Five o’clock, I think. The iron-I mean the soup-was ready about five, Why?”
“Delia, come and sit here,” said Joe. He drew her to the couch and sat beside her.
“What do you do every day, Delia? Do you really give music lesson? Tell me the truth.”
She began to cry.
“I couldn’t get any pupils,” she said, “So I got a place in a laundry ironing shirts. This afternoon a girl accidentally set down an iron on my hand and I got a bad burn. But tell me, Joe, how did you guess that I wasn’t giving music lessons?”
“It’s very simple,” said Joe. “I knew all about your bandages because I had to send them upstairs to a girl in the laundry who had an accident with a hot iron. You see, I work in the engine-room of the same laundry where you work.”
“And your pictures? Did you sell any to that man from Peoria?”
“Well, your general with his Clemantina is an invention, and so is my man from Peoria.”
And then they both laughed. To support the family, Delia worked as .
| A．a tutor | B．a music teacher |
| C．a laundry assistant | D．an artist |
It happened that .
| A．a man from Peoria liked Joe’s pictures |
| B．Delia earned $15 dollars a week easily |
| C．Clemantina and the general were kind |
| D．the couple worked at the same laundry |
We can infer from the underlined sentence that .
| A．Clemantina was an invention of the general |
| B．there were no such men as the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria |
| C．Clemantina was an invention of the man from Peoria |
| D．the general, Clemantina and the man from Peoria were the couple’s clients |
The couple’s attitude towards each other is .
| A．faithful | B．honest |
| C．ashamed | D．heartbreaking |
Which do you think is the best title of the story?
| A．A service of love | B．A story of Joe and Delia |
| C．Lies and truth | D．A laundry couple |
Famous centenarians (百岁老人) still active in arts, science are in no mood to retire. "Those who stand still, die." is one of Oliveira's favorite phrases. He knows from experience what it means, as the Portuguese film director has reached the age of 102 and is still active in his profession. Every year, Oliveira shoots a film and is currently working on his next project. "You have to work, work, work in order to forget that death is not far away," he said. When asked about his age, Oliveira said with some humility: "It's down to mother nature. It gave to me what it took from others."
Being both mentally and physically fit in old age is partly a matter of luck, but it also has something to do with character. Not every white-haired person is wise and social skills, openness and the ability to train the brain are essential for senior citizens.
Along with the architect Oscar Niemeyer (103), Nobel laureate Montalcini (101) and director Kurt Maetzig (100), Oliveira is one of those people of whom it would be very wrong to think as members of a listless elderly generation.
Another master in his profession is the architect Oscar Niemeyer. The 103-year-old Brazilian is best known for his futuristic-looking buildings in Brasilia, but he also speaks out on behalf of the poor. "The role of the architect is to struggle for a better world where we can develop a form of architecture that serves everyone and not just a privileged few," said Niemeyer recently. He spends almost every day working in his office in Copacabana, and even when he falls ill he keeps working on ideas: After a gallbladder (胆囊) operation he composed a samba tune (桑巴舞曲) in the clinic.
Another man who could sing a song about age is 107-year-old Heesters. The Dutch-born opera singer spent most of his life performing in Germany, where he still works. Recently Heesters said: "I want to be at least 108-years-old." He also plans to keep performing. "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?" Heesters has not given up trying to add to his tally of awards and is looking for a "good stage role".
Italian scientist Rita Levi-Montalcini, who is 101-year-old and is still active in medical science, has described the force that keeps driving her on: "Progress is created through imperfection." In 1986 she and her lab colleague were awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine for their work on nerve growth factor. She's convinced that humans grow on challenges.
With so many brilliant examples given, we can see clearly that age is no barrier to some high achievers. From the first two paragraphs, we can see ______.
| A．being active at 102 is achievable for everybody |
| B．Oliveira owes his long life to his mother’s help |
| C．social skills and wisdom are difficult for the senior |
| D．being fit in old age is a matter of luck and character |
How many centenarians are mentioned in this passage?
| A．4 | B．5 | C．6 | D．7 |
By saying "Should I just sit at home and wait until they come and pick me up?” in paragraph 5, Heesters shows us he ________.
| A．wants to sit or lie in comfort |
| B．is waiting for people to pick him up |
| C．is willing to work till he dies |
| D．prefers to give performance at home |
In the passage so many examples were given to show ________.
| A．old age is a big problem if you want tosucceed |
| B．old age can not prevent a great person from achieving a lot |
| C．old people should never think of themselves as old |
| D．as a senior citizen, you have to be open-minded and optimistic |
In the writer’s opinion, the architect Oscar Niemeyer is not ________.
| A．pessimistic | B．intelligent |
| C．positive | D．diligent |
Have you ever thought of joining a book club and buying new books through the post? Here at the International Book Club, we already have many members buying books from us by mail.
Immediate benefits：
●As a special offer, you may choose any reduced-price books from our new members' book list, to the value of $6 in total (plus postage and packing). By doing this, you will save pounds on the publishers' prices.
●Tick the box on your form to order a free watch.
●If you reply within seven days, we will send you another free gift carefully chosen from our book list by our staff.
●Order a DVD from the many on offer in our list, at half the recommended retail price.
●When you've joined：
As a member, you'll enjoy savings of between 30% and 50% off the publisher's price on every book you buy, and what's more, they'll come straight to your door. Your free club magazine arrives once a month, to keep you up-to-date with the latest bestsellers. This means that every year we offer over 1,000 books to choose from. On the Internet, you can find all our titles for the year on our exclusive members' website.
Being a member：
All we are asking you to do while you are a member is to choose four books during your first year. After that, you can decide on the number of books you wish to take.
In each of our monthly club magazines, our experienced staff choose a Club Choice book — a work of fiction or a reference title which they feel is particularly worth buying, and which is offered at an extra-special price. However, if you do not want this book, just say so in the space provided on the form. We will always send the book if we do not receive this.
So, return your application form today, but hurry — it's not every day we can make you an offer like this. To apply to become a member, all you need to do is simply fill in the enclosed form and return it in the envelope supplied.
Before you know it, your books will be with you. Please don't send any money now, as we will send you your bill with the books. And remember, you have up to a fortnight to decide if you wish to keep the books you have ordered. You should then either return the books or send your payment. Which of the following doesn't belong to the benefits of being a club member?
| A．Order a free watch. |
| B．Get a gift for nothing. |
| C．Get four books for free in the first year |
| D．Order a DVD at a low price. |
Every month the club provides a free club magazine in order to ________.
| A．let readers know the number of books to be sold |
| B．attract more and more readers to join the club |
| C．make readers know the club's development |
| D．keep readers well informed of recent bestselling books |
If a book is worth $100, how much will a member probably save if he buys one?
| A．$40. | B．$60. | C．$20. | D．$70. |
What should you do if you want to join the book club?
| A．Just send the club an email. |
| B．Ask other club members to recommend you to the club. |
| C．Fill in an application form and return it to the club. |
| D．Apply for a membership card. |
After you get your books, you should ________.
| A．choose whether to keep them or not after you read them carefully |
| B．decide whether to keep them or not within a certain period of time |
| C．express your idea in the space provided in the book |
| D．send money to the club at once |