Mauritius, with its full name the Republic of Mauritius, an island country, lies 1,200 miles off the southeastern coast of Africa, and just east of Madagascar, another African island country, which is larger by far than Mauritius. It covers 788 square miles and has a population of 1,100,000, about 750,000 Indians, 300,000 Chinese and 20,000 Whites included. They are living together peacefully, although they share such different beliefs as Hindu, Roman Catholic, Muslim and so on.
The country can be divided into many parts with different climates all because of its peculiar terrains (地形). In the center there are volcanoes several thousand feet high, and 90% of its arable land is covered with sugarcane.
There were no people living on the island before the Dutch landed on it in 1638. The Dutch abandoned it in 1710, and five years later, the French came and succeeded in planting sugarcane there. It was conquered by Britain in 1818. As a result, its official language is English. The main big cities are Beau-Bassin and Mahebourg, with Port Louis as its capital.
Mauritius has many rare and unique animals, such as the snakes, parrots and lizards. The giraffe is a type of animal with a very long neck and legs and yellow skin with dark spots. It is the tallest of all living animals.
Mauritius was extremely poor when it declared its independence in 1968. In the past ten years, obvious economic prosperity(繁荣) has shown itself in this island country. Nowadays its business, culture and tourism are developing rapidly. Every year, thousands of millions of people rush there to enjoy the silver sand beach and song and dance performances with native national characteristics. The underlined word “abandoned” in the third paragraph means ___________.
| A．took its place | B．gave it up |
| C．left for it | D．held it out |
The right order that shows the history of Mauritius should be ___________.
a. seized by the French b. became its master
c. ruled by the Dutch d. conquered by the British
| A．b, a, c, d | B．a, c, d, b |
| C．d, c, a, b | D．c, a, d, b |
According to the passage all of the following statements are true EXCEPT______.
| A．Arable land covers 90% of the country’s total area |
| B．Tourism is one of the driving forces for the economic development of Mauritius. |
| C．More than half of Mauritius population are Indians |
| D．British ruled the island longer than French and Dutch |
Which of the following maps shows the right position of Mauritius?
(Mau =" Mauritius;" Ma =" Madagascar;" A = Africa)
| A． | B． A AMA MA  Mau Mau |
| C． | D． A A
|
For many years there’s been a debate about rewarding our children. Does it work? Is it effective?
Some people think we should establish a standard with our kids and give them something for meeting this standard as a reward. Punishment is given out in much the same way, but it’s used when certain standards of performance, behavior, etc. have not been met. Kids will often become more dutiful when threatened with punishment, and work harder when promised a valuable reward. The problem is what happens when you aren’t around.
To develop responsible, self-disciplined kids, parents need to promote certain ideas. One of these ideas is that everyone pitches in and helps in your family. Another idea is that there can be enjoyment in doing any task if we choose to make it so. When a task is for a worthy cause ( our family can enjoy the house more because I helped clean it), this message can have a big impact.
This is how we help our kids develop a sense of responsibility. When our children develop this responsibility, they’ll be more disciplined, and they’ll control their emotions better. When we give rewards to our kids, we reduce the sense of responsibility. We also create children who may temporarily perform to a certain standard, but who aren’t likely to continue the performance without the carrot hanging in front of them.
“Rewards and punishment can change behavior for a while, but they cannot change the person who engages in the behavior,” said Alfie Kohn, author of Punished by Rewards. “Good values have to be grown from the inside out.” Parents can help give their children a sense of shared responsibility and discipline which can last a life time. The real rewards that your children receive will be their readiness for the complex and demanding world that waits for them—a world that rewards those who have learned the secrets of discipline responsibility. So keep those shiny rewarding to yourself, and let your kids find their own rewards. According to the passage, when children are threatened with punishment, ______.
| A．they may lose interest in their work |
| B．they may appear to be well-behaved |
| C．they may change to another person |
| D．the results will be worse than usual |
What can we know from Paragraph 3?
| A．Parents should promote certain ideas to help children develop. |
| B．Children should be responsible for their discipline. |
| C．Children should help build a good family atmosphere. |
| D．No children will adapt to society without their parents’ help |
The underlined part “the carrot” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to _____.
| A．rewards | B．aims | C．apologies | D．doubts |
According to the passage, Alfie Kohn would agree that parents should ______.
| A．never pay attention to the way their children do things |
| B．show their children how to behave by example |
| C．never punish their children |
| D．help their children establish good values |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Do you often reward your children? |
| B．Should parents reward their children? |
| C．When should parents reward their children? |
| D．What can parents reward their children with? |
Modern science suggests that a healthy lifestyle matters much to how long you can live and how well you live. Here are some tips for you to form a healthy lifestyle.
Keep a scientific diet. Keep in mind that sugar can be removed from our diet completely. Over intake of sugar is one of the main reasons for getting fat. Over intake of protein or fat and low intake of fiber can also lead to getting fat. We need only a few grams of protein every day to keep our body in order. Like rain to crops, not the more the better.
Be always in a good mood. There is a relationship between the mood and health. A good mood keeps you in high spirits. Thanks to the Internet, we can enjoy and learn much without going out. Take a look at some online shops and pick up some bargains, enjoy music and movies and chat with some good friends. Just keep happy.
Enough sleep. Two studies show the reasons why teens and adults don’t have enough sleep. With teens, a major reason is mobile phone use; with adults, it’s work. Meanwhile, a third study of young children shows that a lack of sleep in early life may lead to serious problems in future. Everyone needs at least 8-hour sleep to recover from tiredness and the hurt caused by hard work in the daytime.
Proper exercise. Do exercise to keep away from fatness. Because of the quick pace of modern life, you don’t have time to do exercise every day, but at least three times a week and 45 minutes each time.The author wrote the passage to _______.
| A．tell the readers how to take proper exercise every day |
| B．provide some advice on how to form a healthy lifestyle |
| C．ask people to care about their health rather than their work |
| D．make some surveys among those who have health problems |
Which of the following can lead to getting fat according to the passage?
| A．low intake of protein. |
| B．low intake of fat. |
| C．over intake of fiber. |
| D．over intake of sugar. |
The main reason why teenagers don’t have enough sleep is that they _______.
| A．use mobile phones too much |
| B．have too much homework |
| C．eat too much sugar every day |
| D．don’t have enough exercise |
How many minutes do you need to do exercise at least every week?
| A．45 minutes. | B．90 minutes. | C．115 minutes. | D．135 minutes. |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．We must take in much sugar for our body’s functioning well. |
| B．The Internet leads to more health problems. |
| C．The least sleep time needed for adults is less that that of teens. |
| D．We need to do many things to form a healthy lifestyle. |
I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday. The announcement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theater box office in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00. Since I work from 9 o’clock to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theater was during my 45-minute lunch break. Unfortunately, the theater is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good. But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes. Last Monday, I stood at the bus stop for fifteen minutes waiting for a bus. By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip—so I gave up and went back to the office. The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again on Wednesday. On Thursday, my luck changed. I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly twenty minutes. When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office. I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour. Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line, I caught the next bus and headed back across the town. By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi. It was expensive, but I felt it would be worth hearing the concert. The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but it felt like an hour to me. When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line. The reason, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets.The writer is probably ______.
| A．a worker | B．a college teacher |
| C．a boss of a company | D．a secretary |
He learned ______ that there would be a concert last Friday.
| A．from his friends | B．from one of his colleagues |
| C．over the radio | D．from the newspaper |
He could go and buy the ticket ______.
| A．any day before work hours | B．both before and after work hours |
| C．only during lunch time | D．on Saturday and Sunday |
The word “relieved” in the last two sentences may best be replaced by “______”.
| A．surprised | B．pleased | C．puzzled | D．sorry |
The story is about ______.
| A．a good concert |
| B．someone enjoying a good concert |
| C．someone trying to buy concert tickets for his friends |
| D．someone failing to buy the concert ticket |
Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the ecotourism industry, and it's sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe. Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U.S. from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the "slow travel" movement.
Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking—the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy. Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place's natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games.
"Tree climbing is a slow activity," says Kovar. "It's not something you do quickly and then you're on to the next thing or event." There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners. This wasn't a race against the clock or the fellow climbers. In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games. Many climbers refuse competition. There has already been so much competition in the world.
"When you stand below 
the tree, it can be amazing," Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael's Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree. But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling. Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael's Triumph for permission to climb. "It goes a lot smoother that way, "She says.
And climbing has been included into many educational programs. New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where "we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students," says New Tribe present Sophis Sparks. "We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees. After climbing, people value trees more and a
re motivated to support preservation. This is not just to preserve their playground."
Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term "recreational tree climbing," saying, "I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing."What do slow travel and the slow food movement have in common?
| A．They take people a long time. | B．They are related to the eco-tourism industry. |
| C．They advocate protecting nature. | D．They cost people little money |
What do we know about tree climbing from the passage?
| A．People compete to see who can climb to the top first. |
| B．It favors the experience of enjoying nature. |
| C．It is a kind of extreme sport and needs a lot of effort. |
| D．People view it as a challenge to climb the tallest tree in a forest. |
Brumbaugh kneels on the ground before climbing trees to ___________________.
| A．beg for the safety of climbing | B．Expect to climb faster than her husband |
| C．Show respect for the tree | D．ask for permission of her husband |
Sophia Sparks prefers the term "inspirational tree climbing" because it ____________.
| A．provide people with more chances to play outside |
| B．bring a lot of pleasure to life |
C．Deepens personal lo ve between each other |
| D．Makes people realize they should protect trees |
What's the best title for the passage?
| A．Tree-climbing travelling | B．Slow travel movements |
| C．Dangers of climbing | D．Respect for nature |
The morning for our snowmobiling (雪上汽车) adventure finally arrived, and we set off on the hour-and-a-half drive to the resort. A fresh powder had fallen the night before, and everything was frosted white. We couldn’t have asked for more perfect conditions. The sun sparkled (闪光) on the snow, and the trails (路线) were completely empty – not another person or snowmobile in sight. We were thrilled at being the only people for miles around … until we got going.
As we drove through the deserted wilderness (荒野), my exci
tement became stone-cold fear. I had no idea what I was afraid of, or why I was afraid, but suddenly every turn, every hill, every steep (陡峭的) side of the mountain scared me to death. I kept picturing us crashing headlong into a tree or falling off the side of a drop.
But after lunch things changed. We were the only humans who had been there since the snowfall. The peaceful place, the incredible beauty of the landscape, and the almost sacred experience of sharing a mountain with the wildlife touched my very core (核心). My mind cleared and quieted and my muscles relaxed.
As we drove the last leg of the run, I began to resent being afraid to drive. Deep down, I wanted to be in charge of the thing that scared me. It made me angry that fear was keeping me from something I really wanted to do. The day was coming to an end, and the resort was only a few miles away. I knew that if I didn’t take my chance now, I would regret it.
I signaled for my husband to pull over. I wanted to drive, although my heart pounded (重击). I stared off slowly and felt the wind in my face. I smiled and sped up a little. I let out a “Yee-haw!” and went full out, taking my husband on the best ride of the day.
We ended the day on that breathless, carefree, and I felt proud of myself – proud of overcoming my fear.What is the story mainly about?
| A．What the author loves about snowmobiling. |
| B．What difficulties the couple faced during their adventure. |
| C．What interested the author during her time snowmobiling. |
| D．How the author overcame her fear during her adventure. |
What can be concluded from the article?
| A．The author was confident as she was driving in the deserted wilderness. |
| B．The author didn’t get worried until they started to drive through the deserted wild. |
| C．Aware that she and her husband were the only people around, the author became anxious. |
| D．The author was so nervous that she almost crashed into a big tree. |
According to the article, after lunch the author _____.
| A．gradually calmed down |
| B．stopped to enjoy the beautiful scenery |
| C．saw some wildlife on the mountain |
D．was afrai d to continue her journey |
The underlined word “resent” in Paragraph 4 is closest in meaning to _______.
| A．consider | B．appreciate | C．hate | D．recognize |
What message does the story convey?
A．A person’ s biggest enemy is his or her inner self. |
| B．It’s no use crying over the spilt milk. |
| C．Take time to enjoy the beauty of nature. |
| D．Respect and take pride in yourself. |
MA MA
Mau