Andreea,18,from Romania, sent a photograph of the view from her window and included a brief apology, “Sorry, this picture is plain and boring. No one would like it.”
At home in New Jersey, US, Coreen Burke,16, clicked on the same image on the internet. She saw a village with its rooftops and walls painted in reds and yellows, a distant chimney(烟囱) giving off smoke. “Isn’t this amazingly different from my country?” She thought to herself.
Burke, a teenager with a skill for computers, saw beauty in that photo. She posted it to her blog, Outside My Window, which features a daily snapshot(快照) of someone’s window view around the world.
The concept is simple: We can all relate to the act of staring through a piece of glass, onto the scene on the other side. “Maybe if we understood the way people from all over the world live,” she explained, “we would all get along better than we have been lately.”
With a click of a mouse, you can see Frederic’s window in the south of France, looking out on sailboats anchored (抛锚) in a peaceful harbor. Or Virginia’s view in Canada, a winter scene with trees laced in white.
Like most high school students, Burke has traveled the world. But she says someday she hopes to collect stamps in her passport, starting with Greece and India. Her recent break was devoted to launching the site with a blogger account and recruiting(招募) contributors from deviant ART, an online art community. She posted the first window view from Switzerland, a sunset photographed by an 18-year-old. Then others came flowing in by email, up to seven a day, from as far as Kazakhstan and Indonesia.
Contributors are marked on maps pinned on her bedroom wall: a blue dot indicates their country and a pink dot shows their city, if they provide it. The most responses have come from Europe – Estonia, Poland, Italy, Germany and Sweden, to name a few. She is crossing her fingers, thinking that she’ll receive a photo from Africa or Antarctica, which are unrepresented so far.
While she’s become a cyber crusader(网络革新者) for appreciating the beauty outside our own windows, get this: She has no windows in her bedroom. She has a nice skylight(天窗), though.
66. What does Burke think of the picture she received from Andreea?
A. Boring B. Charming C. Strange D. Plain
67. Outside My Window is a blog intended to show_______.
A. the view from Burke’s window
B. pictures of rural New Jersey
C. photos of window views taken by people all over the world
D. beautiful scenes of famous places of interest
68. We can conclude from the article that Burke _______.
A. believes we should reach out to people of different cultures
B. has traveled around the world and taken many pictures
C. is a member of an online art community
D. has made a lot of money by selling beautiful pictures
69. Which of the following is not true?
A. Burke is likely to receive a photo from Africa or Antarctica.
B. Burke is a junior middle school student.
C. Burke has photos from many countries in the world, including Kazakhstan.
D. Burke wants a photo of window view from Africa or Antarctica.
70.What is the best title of this passage?
A. World Windows
B. Beautiful Pictures
C. Pictures on the Internet
D. Windows in Bedrooms
(B)
Stories about Kites in Japan
People have flown kites in Japan for more than 1000 years. There are many different kinds of kites there. Some look like bats; others look like birds. Most have pictures on them.
There are many interesting stories about kites in Japan.
One story tells us about a thief who used a kite to fly. He wanted to steal the gold from the top of an old tower. The thief and his friends made a large kite. One dark windy night, the thief caught hold of(抓住) the kite. His friends raised the kite into the air. Then they moved the kite near the top of the tower. The thief was able to steal the gold.
Another story tells about a father and a son who were on a small lonely island in the middle of the Japanese sea. There were no bouts or ships. They couldn’t go back to the mainland. So they made a big kite. His son flew on it back to Japan.
There is a K-Day in Japan. The young men of Japan have kite matches. When the kites are flying the match starts. The young men try to break each other’s kite string(细线). The last kite left in the sky is the winner.
35. Most kites in Japan ____.
A. are very large B. are very small C. look like bats D. look nice with pictures.
36. In the kite match, the young men try to ____.
A. make their kites fly high
B. stop each other’s kites from flying in the sky
C. make very large kites themselves
D. draw beautiful pictures on their kites.
37. The father in the passage made a big kite to help his son to ____.
A. return home B. fly over Japan C. win the match D. steal the gold.
38. which of the following is NOT true?
A. The last kite left in the sky is the winner in the kite match.
B. The thief stole the gold from the top of an old tower.
C. The father and the son in the story were dead in the sea at last.
D. There is K-Day in Japan.
第二部分:阅读理解(共两节,满分40 分)
第一节(共17小题,满分34分)
(A)
The word “cool”
“Cool” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little cold. As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings.
“Cool” can be used to express feelings or interest in almost anything.
When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say “It’s cool.” You may think “He’s so cool.” You can use it instead of many words such as “new” or “surprising”. Here an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall they had visited. On one student’s paper was just the one sentence, “It’s cool.” Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and how he felt.
But the story also show a scarcity(缺乏) of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. Can you think of any other words that make your life as colorful as the word “cool”? I can. And I think they are also very cool.
31. We know the word “cool” has had ____.
A. many different meanings B. only one meaning C. the same meaning D. no meaning
32. If you are ____ something, you may say “It’s cool.”
A. afraid of B. unhappy with C. interested in D. angry with
33. The sentence “It’s cool.” On the student’s paper may mean “It looks really ____.”
A. careful B. wonderful C. thankful D. painful
34. The writer takes an example to show he ____ the way the word is used.
A. strange to B. pleased with C. worried about D. excited at
LONDON ( Reuters)-- Ecotourism ( 生态旅游) is causing a lot of damage to wildlife and may be endangering the survival(生存) of the very animals people are flocking to see, according to researchers.
Biologists and conservationists ( 自然环境保护论者) are worried because polar bears, dolphins, penguins and other creatures are getting stressed and losing weight and some are dying.
"Evidence is growing that many animals do not react well to tourists in their backyard,” New Scientist magazine said.
The immediate effects researchers have noticed are changes in behavior, heart rates, or stress hormone levels but they fear it could get much worse and over the long term "could endanger the survival of the very wildlife they want to see".
Although money produced through ecotourism, which has been growing at about 10--30 percent a year, has major benefits for poor countries and people living in rural areas, the Swiss-based World Conservation Union and some governments fear not all projects are audited (审计) and based on environmentally friendly policies, according to the magazine,
"The transmission(传播) of disease to wildlife, or small changes to wildlife health through disturbance of daily life or increased stress levels, while not obvious to the casual observer, may translate to lower survival and breeding ,"said Philip Seddon, of the University of Otago in Dunedin, New Zealand.
Scientists have noticed that bottleneck dolphins along the northeastern coast of New Zealand become nervously excited when tourist boats arrive. Similar changes in behavior have been observed in polar bears and yellow-eyed penguins in areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
Conservationists are now calling for more research into the effect of ecotourism on animals and say the industry must be developed carefully. They also want studies done before new ecotourism projects are started.
“The animals’ welfare should be very important because without them there will be no ecotourism,”said Rochelle Constantine of the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
72. What's the text mainly about?
A. Many animals are dying because of lack of money.
B. There will be no ecotourism without animals.
C. Ecotourism could endanger the survival of the wildlife people want to see.
D. More research should be done on ecotourism.
73. We may learn from the text that __
A. ecotourism must be developed properly
B. polar bears are losing weight without enough food
C. all the poor countries have stopped ecotourism
D. money produced through ecotourism should be spent on wildlife
74. Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the text?
A. Many animals do not react well in their backyard..
B. Polar bears in areas visited by ecotourists are producing smaller babies.
C. Ecotourism has been growing at about 10--30 percent a year.
D. Studies should be done before new ecotourism projects are started.
75. What Rochelle Constantine said in the last paragraph implies that __
A. if people want to get high income, they must develop ecotourism
B. animals have rights to live their own life
C. animals are people’s good friends
D. people should take good care of wildlife
For as long as I can remember, I have been very bad at arguing with people. As soon as someone disagrees with me, I get angry because I feel attacked, like the other person is out to show that I am wrong. And for some reason, I hate being wrong! So my immediate reaction is to get very defensive, I raise my voice, and I end up saying something I later regret. Needless to say, the whole thing ends with me beating myself up, and the other person feeling alienated (疏远) from me. This bothers me especially because my mother does the exact same thing and I hate it!
I have noticed this tendency in me for a long time now, but I have never been able to stop. I did some anger management work with a therapist (治疗专家) a while ago, but because I moved and turned to an advisor at school who cannot see me regularly, I have not been able to continue this important work. They tell you to stop and count to 10, control your breathing, calm yourself down before you talk. But that's the whole problem, I could never think of stopping myself until it was too late! The hurtful things had already come out of my mouth, and I was stuck picking up the pieces.
Right now the problem is urgent because my relationship with a wonderful boyfriend is in danger because of my insecurity and hatred of being wrong. He is closing himself off to me because I have hurt him, and no doubt I am no longer attractive as a woman with no confidence in herself and a bad temper. How do I stop ruining my relationships and hating myself? How do I stop hating being wrong?
67. In what situation will the writer get angry easily?
A. When she has argument with people.
B. When people disagree with her.
C. When she is attacked.
D. When she does something wrong.
68. What does the underlined part in the first paragraph mean?
A. My mother disagrees with me.
B. My mother alienates herself from me.
C. My mother has the same problem with me.
D. My mother does the same wrong to me.
69. In the second paragraph, what does the underlined word "tendency" refer to?
A. Being bad at arguing with people.
B. Hating being wrong.
C. Being lost to others.
D. Hating my mother.
70. We can infer from the third paragraph that
A. the writer feels helpless with her problem
B. the writer finds it hard to count from one to ten
C. the writer has received effective advice about her problem
D. the writer is under the treatment of a therapist
71. What did the writer imply in the last paragraph?
A. She is closing herself off to her boyfriend.
B. She is much hurt by her boyfriend.
C. Her boyfriend has broken up with her.
D. She has to solve her problem in no time.
ISC (HS) Reference No. S006864 New South Wales
Student Date of Birth: 19/08/1988 Department of Education and Training
International Students Centre
Hong Xue827-839 George Street PO Box 707
60 Waratah Street Broadway NSW 21007
Croydon Park NSW 2133 Phone: (612) 9217 4801 1300 302 456
Fax: (612) 9212 6721
http://www.tafensw.edu.au/international/
WARNING LETTER
Dear Hong Xue,
As you are aware, your student visa regulations set out a number of conditions applying to your visa. It has come to our attention that you are failing to meet the following conditions: You must maintain accommodation, support and general welfare arrangements that have been approved by your education provider if you:
●have not turned 18; and
●are not staying in Australia with:
--a parent
--a custodian(监护人); or
--a relative who has been nominated(指定)by your parent or a custodian, is aged at least 21 and is of good character.
Note: You must not change those arrangements without the written approval of your education provider.
You must obey the following rules:
1. During term time you must:
a) remain in your homestay during the school term;
b) come home every night; and
c) inform your guardian at all times of your whereabouts.
2. On weekends you must:
a) have your guardian's permission to stay with friends; and
b) inform your guardian of the name, address and phone numbers of people you are visiting.
3. You must return your guardian's telephone calls.
This will be your only warning. If you continue to breach(违反)your student visa regulations we will report you to the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs. Such action may lead to the cancellation(取消)of your student visa. Please contact me on (612) 9217 4801 or fax (612) 9212 6721 if you have questions about your enrolment.
Yours sincerely
Tracey Carlon
Student Advisor
International Students Centre
NSW Department of Education and Training
64. What's the purpose of writing this letter?
A. To remind the recipient (收信人) of the conditions for applying for a student visa.
B. To warn the recipient not to do anything against his student visa regulations again.
C. To tell the recipient how to contact his student advisor.
D. To inform the recipient of the student visa regulations.
65. What can be learned about the recipient from this letter?
A. He is under 18 and studies in Australia with his parents.
B. He is required to come home every night according to the rules.
C. He can stay with his friends on weekends if permitted.
D. His student Visa has been cancelled.
66. To which address should the recipient reply if he feels like answering the letter?
A. Hong Xue at 60 Waratah Street, Croydon Park NSW 2133.
B. Tracey Carlon at the Department of Immigration and Multicultural and Indigenous Affairs.
C. Hong Xue at NSW Department of Education and Training.
D. Tracey Carlon at 827-839 George Street, PO Box 707, Broadway NSW 21007.