The African elephant,the largest land animal remaining on earth ,is of great importance to African ecosystem(生态系统).Unlike other animals,the African elephant is to a great degree the builder of its environment.As a big plant-eater,it largely shapes the forest-and-savanna(大草原)surroundings in which it lives,therefore setting the terms of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat(栖息地).
It is the elephant's great desire for food that makes it a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat.In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day,it kills small trees and underbushes,and pulls branches off big trees.This results in many open spaces in both deep tropical forests and in the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas.In these open spaces are many plants in various stages of growth that attract a variety of other plant-eaters.
Take the rain forests for example.In their natural state,the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor.By pulling down trees and eating plants,elephants make open spaces,allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor.In such situations,the forests become suitable for large hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small plant-eaters to get their food as well.
What worries scientists now is that the African elephant has become an endangered species.If the elephant disappears,scientists say,many other animals will also disappear from large areas of forest and savanna,greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Disappearance of African elephants. |
| B．Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants. |
| C．The effect of African elephants' search for food. |
| D．The eating habit of African elephants. |
What does the underlined phrase “setting the terms” most probably mean?
| A．Fixing the time. | B．Worsening the state. |
| C．Improving the quality. | D．Deciding the conditions. |
What do we know about the open spaces in the passage?
| A．They result from the destruction of rain forests. |
| B．They provide food mainly for African elephants. |
| C．They are home to many endangered animals. |
| D．They are attractive to plant-eating animals of different kinds. |
The passage is developed mainly by________..
| A．showing the effect and then explaining the causes |
| B．pointing out similarities and differences |
| C．describing the changes in space order |
| D．giving examples |
How to eat healthfully can be especially complex for working women who often have neither the desire nor the time to cook for themselves (or for anyone else )．Registered dietitian Barbara Morrissey suggests that a few simple rules can help.
“Go for nutrient－dense foods，”she suggests，“foods that contain a multiple of nutrients. For example，select whole wheat bread as a breakfast food，rather than coffee cake. Or drink orange juice rather than orange drink，which contains only a small percentage of real juice—the rest is largely colored sugar water. You just can't compare the value of these foods, the nutrient－dense ones are so superior，”she emphasizes.
Morrissey believes that variety is not only the spice of life，it's the foundation of a healthful diet. Diets which are based on one or two foods are not only almost impossible to keep up the strength，they can be very harmful, she says, because nutrients aren't supplied in enough amounts or balance.
According to Morrissey，trying to find a diet that can cure your illnesses，or make you superwoman is a fruitless search.“ As women，many of us are too concerned with staying thin，”she says，and “we believe that vitamins are some kind of magic cure to replace food.”
“We need carbohydrates，protein and fat－they are like the wood in the fireplace. The vitamins and minerals are like the match，the spark，for the fuel，”she explains.“ We need them all，but in a very different proportions（部分）. And if the fuel isn't there，the spark is useless.”From the first paragraph we know that working women________.
| A．think cooking is especially complicated |
| B．do not share the same views with registered dietitians |
| C．are busy and not interested in cooking |
| D．are likely to eat healthfully |
Orange juice is different from orange drink because________.
| A．it contains only a small percentage of real juice |
| B．it is natural，nutritious and prepared from real oranges |
| C．it is largely orange－colored sugar water |
| D．it produces nothing but calories |
In Paragraph 4，“a fruitless search” means “____”．
| A．an effort with no results |
| B．a search for a diet without fruits |
| C．a research on fruitless diet |
| D．a diet serving as medicine |
Many women take it for granted，according to the passage that________.
| A．a balanced diet can result in being fat |
| B．staying thin and healthy are both possible |
| C．lack of variety in diets leads to staying thin |
| D．vitamins are some kind of substitutions（代替物）for food |
By saying “if the fuel isn't there，the spark is useless”，the author means “________”．
| A．carbohydrates，protein and fat are enough to support a human life |
| B．vitamins and minerals are almost of no value |
| C．carbohydrates，protein and fat are as important as vitamins and minerals |
| D．without carbohydrates，protein and fat，vitamins and minerals are of no use |
Centerville High School Essay Contest “Write All About It”
Calling All Aspiring Authors—Centerville High School Essay Contest
◇Rules
1．Students are asked to present essays of 500 to 700 words of their own work. Any essay containing material plagiarized(剽窃) from another source will be disqualified（取消资格）.
2．Manuscripts should be typed double－spaced，with the student's name，address，and grade level on a separate sheet of paper.
3．Essays must be turned in by 4∶00 p.m. on November 30.They can be brought to Mrs. Elton in Rom 104 or to Mr. Markham in the school library.
◇Essay－Writing Tips
1．Catch your readers' interests—Your opening should immediately pull your readers into your essay. Asking a question or starting with an story，quotation，or surprising statement is a good way to do this.
2．Create a picture—Use active words that show your readers what is happening. Instead of telling your readers vaguely that “the room was disordered”，paint a picture using active verbs and lively adjectives.
3．Have a purpose—Well－written essays do more than just describe an incident or express a viewpoint，and they also communicate a message.
4．Check for mistakes—Read your paper over to check for mistakes. Ask another student to read your paper and make suggestions. Another pair of eyes will often spot a mistake you've overlooked.
5．Format your essay—Neatly type your essay on white paper. Choose an attractive cover for submission. The computer lab will be open after school from 3∶15 to 4∶45 p．m. each day this month so that students can use the computers.
◇Prizes
Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times. Every contestant(选手)will also receive a free pass to enter one school activity or athletic game this year.
First Prize： $150
Second Prize:Dictionary and thesaurus
Third Prize:Pen set and journal
Special thanks to the Centerville Writers' Association for the prizes to help encourage our aspiring authors. Good luck to all contestants.The first writing tip given is mostly about________.
| A．the use of quotations and stories in an essay |
| B．using active verbs and lively adjectives |
| C．how a student should begin an essay |
| D．how to submit your essays |
Information in the passage suggests that________.
| A．the essay contest has been carefully planned |
| B．the students of the school are all athletic lovers |
| C．most essay contestants have published their work previously |
| D．Mr. Markham is an English teacher at Centerville High School |
The prize section of the poster is included in order to________.
| A．show organizations how to donate prizes |
| B．inform teachers of the prizes available |
| C．persuade students to enter the essay contest |
| D．convince students to buy the local newspaper |
Thanks are given to the Centerville Writers' Association because it has________.
| A．offered to judge the contest |
| B．prepared the essay－writing tips |
| C．organized the essay contest |
| D．donated prizes for the contest |
What do we know by inference from the passage?
| A．The computer lab usually closes at 4∶15 p.m. each day. |
| B．Winning essays will be published in the Centerville Times. |
| C．Every contestant will benefit from the essay contest. |
| D．The essay contest is held annually at Centerville High School. |
Two thieves came to a house to steal something. They dug a hole in the wall of the house.
There lived many mice in the house. The woman in the house saw a mouse crawl(爬行) into the house in the moonlight. “Look! In comes one,” she said to the man in the house. The thief was so frightened that he hurriedly crawled out of the house and said to the one waiting outside, “She found me when I was just in.” But the thief outside didn’t believe him, so he said, “Let us try to crawl into the house together.” At that time two mice happened to crawl into the house, too. The woman saw the mice and shouted, “In come two, catch them!” The two thieves were terribly frightened. The man in the house said, “You saw them come in but where are they? I will catch them tonight.” The two thieves started running away at once.
The two thieves wanted to make it clear whether they had been found or not the night before. The next day they acted as men selling sweet potatoes and came before the house. The man and the woman were ploughing in their fields. The rope broke and the woman came home for a rope. She saw two men selling sweet potatoes and wanted to buy some. She picked out two which looked like mice. At the time the man couldn’t wait for her any longer in the fields and he ran back from the fields to hurry her up. The woman showed the sweet potatoes to the man and said, “How they look like the two of last night.” The man said, “I asked you to fetch a rope, why don’t you hurry for it?” The two thieves ran away very quickly without their sweet potatoes.The two thieves failed to steal anything from the house because _____.
| A．they were found out |
| B．they were frightened by what they had heard in the house |
| C．they didn’t work together well with each other |
| D．mice stopped them from doing so |
From the last paragraph, we know that _____.
| A．the two thieves were famous selling sweet potatoes |
| B．the woman recognized the two thieves |
| C．the woman pretended to know nothing about the two thieves and made fun of them |
| D．the two thieves didn’t know that they were not found at all |
When the woman said, “How they look like the two of last night!” _____.
| A．she referred to the two thieves | B．she meant nothing |
| C．she said it on purpose | D．she referred to the mice |
“____________”is the best title for this passage.
| A．Two Clever Thieves | B．Terrible Mice |
| C．Hit the Mark by a Fluke(侥幸) | D．A Clever Coupe |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．The two thieves not only failed to steal things but also lost their sweet potatoes. |
| B．Whenever they found mice, the people in the house would try to catch them. |
| C．The two thieves ran away at once, because they thought the woman had seen them. |
| D．The man let the woman go home for a rope, which would be used for catching the thieves. |
You can improve your child’s hearing memory considerably（在很大程度上）. Once his hearing memory has been greatly improved, he'll be able to use and remember what he listens to in class. The success of these suggestions depends upon your ability to use your child’s natural desire to get involved in games he finds simple and fun.
A good way to begin is to read aloud a sentence from a book suitable for your child's reading age. Then ask your youngster to repeat the sentence back to you correctly. Next, reread the sentence, leaving out a particular word. See if your child can identify the word you left out. At the beginning use only simple sentences. Gradually, increase the length of the sentences. Make sure you don’t rush things along too quickly, or your child may become discouraged and tired of the game.
Take your child shopping with you often. He’s to remember a list of items you want to buy in the supermarket. First , ask him to remember only a few things. Then, as he shows increased ability to remember, make the list longer and longer. Praise him often and warmly when he shows increased ability to remember things. He'll become proud of his ‘good’ memory and will happily play the game.
Encourage your child to learn easy and short poems. As his ability to do this becomes stronger, encourage him to remember longer poems. Do the same with songs.The suggestions will be successful if____.
| A．you find simple and funny games for your child |
| B．you can stimulate（激发）your child’s interest in the activity |
| C．you force your child to get involved in more practice |
| D．you improve your own hearing memory first |
The purpose of asking your child to repeat what you say is __.
| A．to practice his pronunciation |
| B．to develop his reading skills |
| C．to help him remember what he hears |
| D．to play a simple game he may find fun |
The third paragraph mainly talks about ___.
| A．another way to improve your child’s hearing memory |
| B．how you should take you child shopping with you |
| C．how to remember the items you want to buy |
| D．the way you help your child do shopping |
The last sentence ‘Do the same with songs’ means you should encourage your child to learn and remember ___.
| A．songs in the same way as he does with poems. |
| B．poems in the same way as he does with songs |
| C．the poems and songs which are similar in meaning |
| D．those songs that have the same meaning as poems |
Who are the supposed readers of this passage?
| A．Children. | B．Parents. | C．Teachers. | D．Psychologists. |
阅读下面的短文，请根据短文后的要求答题（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
[1]Global difference in intelligence is a sensitive topic, long filled with a large number of different opinions. But recent data has indeed shown cognitive (认知的) ability to be higher in some countries than in others. What's more, IQ scores have risen as nations develop—a phenomenon known as the "Flynn effect". Many causes have been put forward for both the intelligence difference and the Flynn effect, including education, income, and even non-agricultural labor. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of New Mexico offers another interesting theory: intelligence may be linked to infectious-disease rates.
[2]The brain, say author Christopher Eppig and his colleagues, is the "most costly organ in the human body". Brainpower consumes almost up to 90 percent of a newborn's energy. It's clear that if something affects energy intake while the brain is growing, the impact could be long and serious. And for vast parts of the globe, the biggest threat to a child's body—and therefore brain—is parasitic (由寄生虫引起的) infection. These illnesses threaten brain development________________. They can directly attack live tissue, which the body must then try every means to replace. They can invade the digestive pipe and block nutritional intake. They can rob the body's cells for their own reproduction. And then there's the energy channeled (输送) to the immune system to fight the infection.
[3]Using data on national "disease burdens" (life years lost due to infectious diseases) and average intelligence scores, the authors found they are closely associated. The countries with the lowest average IQ scores have the highest disease burdens without exception. On the contrary, nations with low disease burdens top the IQ list.
[4]If the study holds water, it could be revolutionary for our understanding of the still-confusing variation in national intelligence scores.What is the main idea of the text？(no more than 10 words)
________________________________________________________________________Complete the following statement with proper words.(no more than 4 words)
Those countries that have the ________________ are always at the bottom of the IQ list. Fill in the blank in Paragraph 2 with proper words.(no more than 5 words)
___________What can cause intelligence difference？(no more than 8 words)
______________________________________________________________________What does the word “they” (Line2, paragraph3)probably refer to? (no more than 8 words)
______________________________________________________________________