Botswana lies immediately to the north of South Africa. It is bordered on the north and west by Namibia, on the north and east by Zimbabwe, and is connected by a narrow strip of land on the northern border to Zambia. Its territory consists almost entirely of a broad, flat, arid subtropical plateau(高原), though there are hills in the eastern part of the country.
In the northwest, the Okavango River empties into the Kalahari sands, creating the largest inland river delta in the world. While the Okavango Delta is home to relatively few large animals in comparison to other areas of Botswana, its clear waters and countless small islands are home to a variety of birds, plants, and smaller species of animals.
Nearby is Chobe National Park, a beautiful grassland reserve(保护区) that has gained international fame for its large elephant population. Southeast of Chobe are Botswana's large Makgadikgadi salt pans, home to numbers of blue wildebeest, several antelope species, and those international lovers of salt pans, flamingos(a kind of birds).
Almost the entire remaining portion of the country is covered by the Kalahari Desert--a varied environment of sand and grassland. Although this area of Botswana is where few people live, it is one of the richest wildlife areas in all of Africa.
Botswana's two largest parks, the Central Kalahari Game reserve and Gemsbok National Park, are found in this region.
Botswana's climate can get rather cool, particularly during the dry winter months of June to August when night occasionally brings frost. The rainy summer months (December through March) are best avoided for those interested in enjoying the best game viewing conditions.
72.South Africa is to the______of Botswana.
A.east B.north C.south D.west
73.In the Okavango Delta we can find______.
A.a lot of large animals B.many small islands
C.salt pans D.polluted waters
74.If we want to see flamingo, we should go to_______ .
A.salt pans B.Chobe National Park
C.Kalahari Desert D.Gemsbok National Park
75.It is suggested that tourists visit Botswana in______.
A.December B.March C.January D.July
76.What is the passage mainly about Botswana?
A.Location, geography and climate. B.Living conditions, politics and salt pans.
C.Parks, animals and population. D.Animals, races and sightseeing places.
Native Tongue
At first Kate thought the Romanian girl could not speak and understand English.Nadia would not reply to anything Kate said.Kate was in charge of showing Nadia around on her first day at Buckminster Grade School.Kate could not figure out why the school had put Nadia in a class where she could not understand what people were saying.
“Why did they do this?”Kate wondered aloud.“I mean,you can't learn if you can't understand the teacher.”
Nadia's voice was a whisper.“I understand English.I will learn.”Nadia's English was perfect.
Kate was perplexed.She couldn't understand why Nadia did not like to speak.Then she realized that moving to a new country probably wasn't the easiest thing to do.There were hundreds of unfamiliar and unusual things to learn—all at the same time.
“There're a lot of new things to learn,huh?” said Kate.
Nadia nodded rapidly.In a quiet voice she replied，“Many things people say,I do
not understand.I have been speaking English and Romanian all my life,but I do not know what some children are saying.For example,yesterday a boy asked if I could help him find the USB port on a thin black box he was carrying.Isn't a port a place for ships?It made no sense to me.”
“Don't worry,”said Kate.“You'll figure everything out in time.You see,that thin black box was a computer.A USB port is a place where you can connect other machines to a computer.”
Nadia and Kate were quiet after that.They took notes while the teacher gave a maths lesson.To Kate's surprise,Nadia put up her hand and offered to answer questions at the blackboard.
Nadia handled every question the teacher gave her.Some of the questions were really difficult,and no one understood what was going on except Nadia and the teacher.When the teacher said that Nadia answered everything correctly,the whole class clapped their hands.
Nadia was smiling when she sat back down next to Kate.“Some things,”she said in a normal voice,“are the same all over the world.”
At the beginning of Nadia's first day at school,she was_____________.
A.disappointed B.helpful C.lively D.shy
2.The underlined word“_________perplexed”probably means___________.
A.puzzled B.angry C.shocked D.serious
3.We can infer from the passage that______________.
A.Nadia did not like Kate
B.Nadia had lived by the sea before
C.Nadia had never seen a computer before
D.Nadia spoke in a soft voice out of politeness
4.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Nadia was better at maths than other students.
B.Nadia found some of the maths questions difficult.
C.Nadia was encouraged to answer questions in class.
D.Nadia understood the maths teacher better than other teachers.
5.What is the message of the story?
A.Talking about something familiar gives you confidence in communication.
B.Answering questions in class makes you better understood by classmates.
C.Language plays an important role in communication between cultures.
D.Mathematics helps to improve communication between cultures.
Maybe tenyearold Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father,“But, Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt—a mistake 75% of the US population make every day. The big question is why.
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One:It's best to be “thrown clear ”of a serious accident.
Truth:Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear” is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you'll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twentyfive times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear”.
Myth Number Two:Safety belts “trap” people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again, but studies show that people knocked unconscious(昏迷)due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents. People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations ,not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three:Safety belts aren't needed at speeds of less than 30 miles per hour(mph).
Truth:When two cars traveling at 30 mph hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.
1.Why did Elizabeth say to her father,“But，Dad, you can't be healthy if you're dead?”
A. He was driving at great speed. B. He was running across the street.
C. He didn't have his safety belt on. D. He didn't take his medicine on time.
2.The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he ________.
A. wasn't feeling very well B. hated to drive in the dark
C. wanted to take some exercise D. didn't want to be caught by the police
3.According to the text, to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you ________.
A. may be knocked down by other cars
B. may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car door
4.Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe ________.
A. the belt prevents them from escaping in an accident
B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident
C. they will be caught when help comes
D. cars catch fire easily
5.What is the advice given in the text?
A. Never drive faster than 30 miles an hour.
B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.
C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.
D. Drive slowly while you're not wearing a safety belt.
Martha had been working for Miller Laboratories for two years,but she was not happy there.Nothing significant had happened in the way of promotions or salary increases.Martha felt that her supervisor,a younger and less experienced person than she,did not like her.In fact,the supervisor often said unpleasant things to her.
One day,while talking with her friend Maria,she mentioned how discouraged she was .Maria gave her the name of a cousin of hers who was director of Human Resources Department for a large chemical company.Martha called him the next day and set up an interview on her lunch hour.
During the interview,Mr Petri said,“You're just the kind of person we need here.You've being wasted in your other job.Give me a call in a day or two.I'm sure we can find a place for you in our organization."Martha was so happy that she almost danced out of the building.
That afternoon,Ruth Kenny,her supervisor,saw that Martha had come in ten minutes late from her lunch hour and she said ,“Oh,so you finally decided to come back to work today?"
This was the last straw.She could not take another insult.Besides,Mr Petri was right: she was being wasted in this job.
“Look," she said angrily，“if you don't like the way I work,I don't need to stay here.I'll go where I'm appreciated!Goodbye!"She took up her things and stormed out of the office.
That night she called Maria and told her what had happened and then asked Maria.“What do you think?"
“Well,"said Maria carefully,“are you sure about the other job?"
“Well,not exactly,but..."
Maria continued ,“Will you be able to get a recommendation from Ms Kenny if you need one?"
“A recommendation?…from Ms Kenny?"hesitated Martha,in a worried tone.
“Martha,I hope you didn't burn your bridges,”Maria said.“I think I would have handled it differently."
1.Martha is unhappy in her job because_________.
A.she has not advanced
B.the work is not significant
C.her supervisor is younger than she
D.there is too much work with little payment
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.At her supervisor's criticism,Martha lost her temper.
B.Mr Petri felt Martha was not valued in her present job.
C.Martha's interview with the director was on her lunch hour.
D.Martha got the name of the director through her cousin.
3.The phrase “the last straw"in the middle of the passage probably refers to _________.
A.the last opportunity
B.the straw that saves Martha's life
C.the last reminder
D.the final unpleasant thing
4.What does Maria think of Martha's decision?
A.Martha has handled the matter properly.
B.Martha shouldn't have set the bridge on fire.
C.Martha should have found a new job before leaving.
D.Martha shouldn't have lost her temper with her supervisor.
Betty and Harold have been married for years. But one thing still puzzles (困扰) old Harold. How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa, talking, go out to a ballgame, come back three and a half hours later, and they're still sitting on the sofa? Talking?
What in the world, Harold wonders, do they have to talk about?
Betty shrugs. Talk? We're friends.
Researching this matter called friendship, Psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two
years interviewing more than two hundred women and men. No matter what their age, their job, their sex, the results were completely clear: women have more friendships than men, and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is“marked and unmistakable”.
More than two hirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman. Yet threequarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend, and almost always it was a woman. More married men than women named their wife／husband as a best friend, most trusted person, or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress (感情危机).“Most women,” says Rubin,“identified (认定) at least one, usually more, trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment, and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives.”
“In general,” writes Rubin in her new book,“women's friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support, but men's relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part, Rubin says, interactions (交往) between men are emotionally controlled—a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior”.
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend,”Rubin writes,“the two share little about their innermost feelings. Whereas a woman's closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage, it wasn't unusual to hear a man say he didn't know his friend's marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa.”
1.What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that________.
A. he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband
B. women have so much to share
C. women show little interest in ballgames
D. he finds his wife difficult to talk to
2.Rubin's study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to_________.
A. a male friend B. a female friend C. her parents D. her husband
3.According to the text, which type of behavior is NOT expected of a man by society?
A. Ending his marriage without good reason.
B. Spending too much time with his friends.
C. Complaining about his marriage trouble.
D. Going out to ballgames too often.
4.Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph?
A. Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves.
B. Women are more serious than men about marriage.
C. Men often take sudden action to end their marriage.
D. Women depend on others in making decisions.
5.The research done by psychologist Rubin centers around_________.
A. happy and successful marriages
B. friendships of men and women
C. emotional problems in marriage
D. interactions between men and women
New York, 10 November—5:27pm,yesterday. Biggest power failure in the city's
history.
Thousands of people got stuck in lifts. Martin Saltzman spent three hours between the 21st and 22nd floors of the Empire State Building. “There were twelve of us. But no one panicked. We passed the time telling stories and playing word games. One man wanted to smoke but we didn't let him. Firemen finally got us out.”
“It was the best night we've ever had,”said Angela Carraro,who runs an Italian restaurant on 42nd Street.“We had lots of candles on the tables and the waiters were carrying candles on their trays. The place was full—and all night, in fact, for after we had closed, we let the people stay on and spend the night here.”
The zoos had their problems like everyone else. Keepers worked through the night. They used blankets to keep flying squirrels and small monkeys warm. While zoos had problems keeping warm, supermarkets had problems keeping cool.“All of our ice cream and frozen foods melted,” said the manager of a store in downtown Manhattan.“They were worth $50,000.”
The big electric clock in the lobby(大厅)of the WaldorfAstoria Hotel in downtown Manhattan started ticking(滴答) again at 5:25 this morning. It was almost
on time.
1.Throughout the period of darkness, Martin Saltzman and the eleven others were ________ .
A. nervous B. excited C. calm D. frightened
2.In what way was the night of November 9 the best night for Angela Carraro?
A. She had a taste of adventure.
B. Burning candles brightened the place.
C. Business was better than usual.
D. Many people stayed the night in her restaurant.
3.How long did the power failure last?
A. Nearly 12 hours. B. More than 12 hours.
C. Nearly 24 hours. D. More than 24 hours.