The world's oceans have warmed 50 percent faster over the last 40 years than previously thought due to climate change, Australian and US climate researchers reported on Wednesday. Higher ocean temperatures expand the volume of water, contributing to a rise in sea levels that is submerging small island nations and threatening to great damage in low-lying, densely-populated delta regions around the globe.The study, published in the British journal Nature, adds to a growing scientific chorus of warnings about the pace and consequences of rising oceans. It also serves as a corrective to a massive report issued last year by the Nobel-winning UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change（IPCC）, according to the authors. Rising sea levels are driven by two things: the thermal（热）expansion of sea water, and additional water from melting sources of ice. Both processes are caused by global warming. The ice sheet that sits at the top of Greenland, for example, contains enough water to raise world ocean levels by seven metres（23 feet）, which would bury sea-level cities from Dhaka to Shanghai. Trying to figure out how much each of these factors contributes to rising sea levels is critically important to understanding climate change, and forecasting future temperature rises, scientists say. But up to now, there has been a confusing gap between the projections of computer-based climate models, and the observations of scientists gathering data from the oceans. The new study, led by Catia Domingues of the Centre for Australian Weather and Climate Research, is the first to reconcile（与…一致）the models with observed data. Using new techniques to assess ocean temperatures to a depth of 700 metres（2,300 feet）from 1961 to 2003, it shows that thermal warming contributed to a 0.53 millimetre-per-year rise in sea levels rather than the 0.32 mm rise reported by the IPCC.64. What happens when the ocean's temperature rises? A. It causes sea levels to rise.B. It causes sea levels to remain constant.C. It causes sea levels to decrease.D. It causes sea level to change. 65. Which of the followings would be buried by the rising sea? A. Small island nations. B. All coastal cities around the world. C. People who enjoy holiday on the beach. D. Low-lying regions.66. The new study in this passage _____________.A. shows that thermal warming contributed to a 0.32 millimeter-per-year rise in sea levels. B. did not reveal anything that scientists hadn't already known. C. used new techniques to assess ocean temperatures. D. shows that models contradict the observed data. 67. What was the main finding of the study? A. Nothing enough is being done about global warming. B. That ocean waters have warmed faster than scientists had previously thought. C. That the warming of the world's oceans is not a threat. D. A massive report issued last year by IPCC was wrong.
The world's first hamburger doesn't come from where you think it comes from. It wasn't invented in the United States, and it didn't originate in Germany. No, the world's first hamburger comes from China.
If you're scratching your head right now, you're not alone. But Chinese hamburgers are very real and they definitely predate the hamburgers we call our own in the U.S. Known as rou jia mo, which translates to "meat burger" or "meat sandwich", they consist of chopped meat inside a pita-like bun, and they've been around since the Qin Dynasty, from about 221 BC to 207 BC. Despite the differences between this Chinese street food and our American-style burgers, the rou jia mo has been called the world's first hamburger.
The rou jia mo originated in the Shanxi Province of China, and is now eaten all over the country. It's typically prepared and eaten on the street. The dough for the bun, or mo, consists of a simple mixture of wheat flour, water and maybe yeast. Of course recipes may vary, but this basic equation makes for a chewy and subtle pillow for the delicious filling. While the mo is traditionally baked in a clay oven, today it's often fried in a pan. They may look a little like Chinese steamed buns or baozi, but the dough for those are, of course, steamed, not baked or fried.
The meat filling might consist of chopped pork, beef, lamb or chicken that has been stewed with a variety of spices, like ginger, cloves, coriander and star anise. You might also find herbs like cilantro or greens like lettuce garnishing the sandwich.What does the underlined word mean?
| A．noodle | B．food | C．bread | D．beverage |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The mo people eat today is baked in a clay oven. |
| B．The world's first hamburger which was originated in the Shanxi Province of China is popular around the world. |
| C．The rou jia mo has a history of more than 2200 years. |
| D．The rou jia mo and American-style burgers share a similar cooking process. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Delicious hamburger |
| B．How to cook hamburger |
| C．Chinese invented hamburger |
| D．History of hamburger |
Waiting anxiously to be reunited with the son he had not seen for 13 years, Phil Baker took a walk along the beach with his wife Lyn to relax himself. His boy Benji, 21, was finally back to Australia after living most of his life in the UK, half a world away from his dad.
As he looked out at the ocean, wondering how his son might have changed over the years, Phil saw some people on the kayaks (小艇) in trouble on the water. Without hesitation, he dived into the sea to help. And as he carried a stricken young man trembling and semi-conscious to the shore, he realized the young man was his long-lost son.
“I looked at his face, and something occurred to me,” says Phil. “Those brown eyes were very familiar.” Although Phil had seen just a few photos of his son since the boy was eight years old, he recognized him at once.
It would be reasonable to suppose it was a father’s instinct that incited Phil to help ---- but at the moment he dived into the water to go to the aid of the struggling group, he only thought he was helping a stranger in trouble.
He said, “Two people were desperately paddling on one of the kayaks and it seemed like someone fell into the water. I told Lyn, ‘Something is not right; I’m going to help.’ ”
“l took off my T-shirt and threw my keys on the sand. Diving into the water, I saw there were two instructors on board and a man lying in the water. He was shaking violently. Linking arms with one instructor, I helped to carry the man out of the water. He was drifting in and out of consciousness and his hands and feet were blue.”
Then Phil looked into the boy's eyes and wept as he realized the stricken stranger was his own son. Phil recalled, “I asked the instructor, ‘what’s his name?' ” He replied, ‘Benji’. In an instant, I knew that stranger was my boy. I checked his breathing and pulse and said, “It's me, your dad. You're going to be OK.”
Benji tells how it felt to be saved by his long-lost dad. “All I remember was waking up on the beach and seeing my dad there,” he says, “And I recognized his face straight away.”What can we know about the Bakers?
| A．Phil and his wife lived in Australia. |
| B．Phil knew he was going to save his son. |
| C．Benji was going to see off his son on the beach. |
| D．Benji and Phil were separated because of Benji’s education. |
In Paragraph 4, the underlined word” incited" can be replaced by"__________"
| A．caused | B．reminded |
| C．forced | D．advised |
From the passage, it can be inferred that ____________.
| A．Phil is willing to help people in need |
| B．Benji drowned because he could not swim |
| C．Benji had the same brown eyes as his father |
| D．the instructors told Phil that Benji was his son |
Which of the following shows the right order of the story?
a. Phil and his wife waited for their son on the beach.
b. Benji left his father at the age of eight.
c. Phil saved a boy and recognized he was his own son.
d. Benji recognized his father Phil.
e. Phil saw some people were in trouble and decided to help.
| A．a, b, c, e, d | B．b, a, e, c, d |
| C．a, b, e, d, c | D．b, e, a, d, c |
If you could leave a farewell (告别) video for your loved ones that they’d see only if you died, would you do it? I think I would.
I read about an app (应用程序) that helps people create a video to be published on a social-networking site only after death. Of course you don’t need an app since it’s easy to make your own video with smartphones, laptops and computers. But how many people do you know who would actually go ahead and leave “If I die” footage (镜头)?
My father died unexpectedly on Christmas Eve three years ago and I’ve since longed for one more time to talk to him and hear his voice. Imagine if he had left such a video. I would see him again, hear his laughter and benefit from his parting words and advice.
I don’t think people, unless they have a terminal illness, go through life thinking they’d better leave a video in case of an untimely death. But it is an opportunity to say all the things you want to say before it’s too late.
Still, some say that such a video robs loved ones of their own memories of you. Any special images they have would be superimposed (叠加) by the video image you’ve created. Others think it’s scaring and might be tempting fate.
I expect my video would consist of reminders to my children: Be safe; be mindful of your surroundings; exercise good judgment; speak up; it never hurts to ask; don’t waste time and “call when you get there”. And in addition, I would repeat what I always tell them: I need to know where you are, every-step-of-the-way. That would make them laugh.
Readers, would you find comfort in knowing you’ve said your farewells and left something concrete for your loved ones? What messages would you leave for family and friends?The writer mentions the app to show .
| A．the app is out of date now |
| B．smartphones are better tools to make videos |
| C．it is not convenient to make a video with the app |
| D．how he was inspired to get the idea of creating a video before death |
Some people against such a video argue that the image in the video .
| A．will be different from that of the real person |
| B．cannot convey the real intention of the dead |
| C．will replace our loved ones’ own memories of us |
| D．will stop the loved ones from missing the dead |
The purpose of mentioning his father’s unexpected death is to .
| A．show his deep love for his father |
| B．show the importance of keeping healthy |
| C．show thanks for the benefits he got from his father |
| D．show that it is necessary to leave a farewell video |
The underlined word “untimely” in Paragraph 4 probably means .
| A．happening at a suitable moment |
| B．happening too soon or sooner than expected |
| C．continuing to happen or exist without stopping |
| D．having a value that is not limited to a particular period |
DEAR AMY: We recently had to put our cat down. It came out of the blue. We had no idea that he had health problems, and we woke up early one morning to the cat crying out painfully. We immediately rushed him to the vet’s where the vet said that at best treatment might lengthen his life by two to three months. We did not want to see him suffer, so we chose to kill the cat in a painless way.
I am having a rough time! I cry when I am alone. I cry when I see pet commercials on television. I put away everything that reminds me of the cat. But the last sight of seeing the cat in pain plays over and over in my head. My kids seem alright with what has happened, but why am I struggling?
It has only been one week since his passing, so I hope things will get better. Do you have any suggestions?
Yours,
Sad
DEAR SAD: There is no loss quite like the loss of a pet; these animals keep us company through important life passages and are beloved witnesses to our human lives.
I understand your instinct to put away all of your cat’s things, but it may help you now to memorialize your pet by using these things. Each family member can write down favorite things about him or memories of him; read their memories aloud and put the papers inside his bowl. The idea is to replace those painful last memories with much more lively memories taking place over the most of the animal’s life.
Time will then do its job, which is to affect your feelings. And then, when you’re ready, I hope you will adopt another animal and give it the opportunity to share your life.
Yours,
AmyWhich of the following made the author’s family choose to kill the cat in a painless way?
| A．The cat had changed its color. |
| B．The vet himself had no way to save its life. |
| C．The family wouldn’t see it suffer in its later life. |
| D．The cat suffered so much that it could die at any time. |
The author cried when seeing pet commercials on television because .
| A．she was alone at home |
| B．she thought of her lovely cat |
| C．she didn’t like to see the things of the cat |
| D．her children showed no feeling over the cat’s death |
What does the underlined phrase mean in Paragraph 1?
| A．In the color of blue. | B．Very sadly. |
| C．All of a sudden. | D．With much pain. |
What do we know from the last paragraph of Amy’s letter?
| A．The longer it is, the less you will feel sad about your pet. |
| B．It is important to find a new pet as soon as possible. |
| C．As time goes on, you will feel more sorrow about your pet. |
| D．One can’t live a happy life without a pet around him. |
“Chances are we have all experienced shyness in our lives, and shyness has been associated with negative outcomes—characteristics like difficulty maintaining eye contact, and feelings of humiliation(丢脸) are known to be part of a shy person’s characters. It’s these traits that tend to affect some shy individuals’ ability to connect,” says C. Barr Taylor, a professor of psychology at Stanford University.
“But while shyness can often be seen as a bad thing, there are ways to use the personality trait to your advantage,” Taylor says. Below are some common shy habits and how you can learn to make them benefit you:
Shy people usually reflect inwardly (在内心) a lot. But according to Taylor,all that thinking may not always be a bad thing and it should be viewed as a way you can think actively as you go into a situation. So, for shy people who feel worried about facing a particular challenge or event, Taylor advises slowly approaching the fearful situation if you start to feel anxious. By facing what you are not feeling secure about, Taylor says, you will feel less anxious. “Our brains are amazing—they can become well adapted,” he says. “If you put yourself in a fearful situation, you will get a sense that you are going to do it.” What’s more, shy individuals care deeply about what others think of them, and if it is addressed healthily, they can use it to their advantage to form social connections.
Shy people are observant and often pick up on parts of their conversation or surroundings that others may not. “Just because you are shy, that does not mean you are not used to social situations,” Taylor says. “It can actually become a source of strength as you are the observer in the room.” In a study out of Southern Illinois University at Carbondale, researchers found an association between college-age adults who were shy and the ability to better identify expressions of sadness and fear compared with those who weren’t shy. In addition, a shy person has a born drive to absorb a conversation, so they can be great at conversation.In the opinion of C. Barr Taylor, we should .
A.think positively of shyness
B.try to get rid of shyness
C.attempt to be a little shy
D.often help those shy peopleThe passage mentions the study by Southern Illinois University just to show that .
| A．shy people use rich facial expressions |
| B．shy people are good at observing others |
| C．shyness can be used to reduce anxiety |
| D．shyness can be used in social connections |
We can know from the passage that shy people .
| A．are good at getting used to a new environment |
| B．often attach much importance to others’ opinions |
| C．hate to think a lot before taking an action |
| D．are good at overcoming their feeling of insecurity |