Visiting the Arctic
ZHOU Mingfeng, 17, has only stepped out of his birthplace, Qingdao, once to visit the top of the world, the Arctic!
The Senior 2 student from the High School Attached to Ocean University of China joined a two-week journey to the Arctic at the beginning of this month, after he was recommended for the trip. Including his teacher, Wu Jianying, the adventure group consisted of 12 students and teachers from China, Spain, Canada, Britain and the US.
“The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” Zhou said.
Before they landed by air on Canada’s research icebreaker (破冰船) in the Arctic, Amundsen, the group visited an Inuit (英纽特人的) community. Zhou also got the chance to experience dog-sledding for the first time!
He was surprised to find that Inuit people don’t live in snow igloos (圆顶建筑) any longer. “They live in modern, warm wooden houses and travel mostly by snowmobile,” he said.
During the time on board Amundsen, every day was science orientated (以……为主). Zhou and other teenagers were guided by scientists, who work there, to take part in laboratory and field work. Sometimes they went outside to collect ice and snow samples for experiments despite the windy, freezing climate.
As the only Chinese student, Zhou didn’t feel very confident due to his English inefficiency.
“Those students soon got close to the onboard scientists and became involved (参与) in their research,” he recalled in admiration.
However, it didn’t prevent Zhou from enjoying the unique and remote life there.
When the wind died and the sun shone on the frozen desert, Zhou and his new friends recorded their days with photo shoots out on the ice beside the Amundsen!
“The views were breathtaking! Everything around us seemed lifeless, which is shocking,” he said.
But there proved to be something alive, under the ice caps. A seal popped out of the water below the ship and greeted them on the last day of their stay.
“It was the only animal I saw in the Arctic!” he said. “But it’s a pity that I didn’t see a single polar bear in the ‘capital’ of the creature.
59. According to the passage, the students and teachers visiting Artic are most likely to _______.
A. go sightseeing B. take part in some science research
C. learn English D. learn about Inuit community
60. In the passage, Amundsen is _________.
A. an icebreaker B. an Inuit igloo C. a place in Artic D. a dog-drawn sled
61. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Zhou was surprised to find the Inuit lived in modern, warm wooden houses.
B. Zhou visited an Inuit community first.
C. Zhou’s inefficient English made him unable to enjoy the life in Artic.
D. Zhou took many photos with his new friends.
62. The underlined sentence “The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
A. The trip made what had been learned in geography lessons more vivid or interesting.
B. The trip suddenly started working.
C. The trip completely changed his life.
D. The trip made animals in Artic live.
In tradition (传统的) education, the teacher may feel that the students are not very grown up. Usually, teachers are older than students, and teachers feel that students are young and do not know much about the world. The teachers feel that they must tell the students what to do most of the time, and that they must also make the students study specific (特殊的) things. In open education, the teacher’s methods are very different. These teachers feel that the students are human beings (人) first, and students second. They expect the students to be responsible for the things that they do, just as adults are. A student’s ideas and feelings are just as important as the teacher’s. The teacher allows the students to decide what they want to do, and does not make them study what they do not want to. The teacher lets them decide what to study and how much to study. It’s very important for the teacher to show how he or she feels about students.Which is the topic for the passage?
| A．Traditional Education |
| B．Open Education |
| C．The Students Are Human Beings First |
| D．Two Kinds of Different Education |
What’s the theory of open education?
| A．The students are human beings first, and students second. |
| B．The students should be responsible for what they do. |
| C．The students’ ideas and feelings are very important. |
| D．The teachers should allow the students to do what they want to do. |
In traditional education, the teachers consider that __________.
| A．they should praise the students all the time |
| B．they should tell the students what to do all the time |
| C．the students should know much about the world |
| D．the students should learn much about the world from their teachers |
We can infer (推断) that ____________.
| A．students needn’t study as hard as they did before |
| B．students can learn more about the world in open education |
| C．most of the teachers don’t agree with the idea of open education |
| D．most of the students prefer traditional education to open education |
For as long as humans have lived on the earth, they have made use of various forms of communication. Generally, this expression of thoughts and feelings has been in the form of oral speech. When there is a spoken language problem, communication can be carried out through sign language, in which gestures stand for letters, words, and ideas. Tourists and people unable to hear or speak have often had to turn to this form of expression. When gestures describe words or ideas, they can often be used internationally. When used for spelling words however, where each gesture stands for a single letter, people must share the same written language.
Body language sends ideas or thoughts by certain actions, either meaningfully or not. A wink can be a way of showing that the person is only joking. A nod means agreement, while shaking the head indicates disagreement.
Other forms of language can be found in Braille (a reading system of raised dots read with the fingertips used by the blind), signal flags, Morse code, and smoke signals. Road maps and picture signs also guide and warn people. While language is the most common form of communication, other systems and techniques also express human thoughts and feelings.Which of the following ways can not be used as a form of communication?
| A．oral speech | B．sign language | C．body language | D．thought |
What does the author mainly want to say?
| A．People can communicate in many different ways. |
| B．Everybody uses only one form of communication. |
| C．Language is invaluable to foreigners. |
| D．Non-spoken communication is of little value. |
According to the text, which part of the body can be used to show you are joking?
| A．Fingers | B．Eyes | C．Head | D．Feet |
What can’t be effectively communicated by sign language when people belong to different language groups?
| A．Spelling | B．Idea | C．Whole words | D．Expressions |
How many different forms of communication are mentioned in the text?
| A．Three | B．Five | C．Six | D．Nine |
A psychologist once said,“If you’ve conquered every one of your fears, congratulations — you’re dead.”This humorous quote points to a simple truth — no one can escape fear completely.
However, fear can be a good thing. It is a natural, healthy reaction to danger. In fact, sometimes we are afraid of things that aren’t dangerous, such as public speaking, failing a test, or being rejected. These unhealthy fears can keep us from fulfilling our dreams. So how can we successfully face our fears?
First, admit what you fear and then share it with someone you trust. Perhaps you worry that others would look down on you if they know what you fear, but you might be surprised at how many other people share the same fears. Learning you are not the only one who fears something will give you self-esteem(自尊心) a push. Second, ask yourself,“What is the worst-case scenario（最坏的情况）?”This question can help you gain perspective（洞察力）.If you think about it, the worst might not be that bad, after all. Compared with the fear of losing a contest or being turned down, the regret of having missed opportunities can be even harder to bear. Even worse, you will never know what you might have accomplished. Finally, take small steps toward conquering your fears. If you fear public speaking, start by giving a small talk to a few people. If your talk doesn’t go well, try again. Each small success will increase your confidence and persistence is one of the keys to success.
You might never completely conquer your fear of certain things, but what is important is that you can bring yourself to do what you fear. True bravery is feeling afraid but doing what you have to do anyway. It’s also true that you struggle with fear and don’t let your fears stop you from getting the most out of life.This passage mainly discusses.
| A．the harm of fear to success | B．varieties of fear |
| C．ways to handle fear | D．necessity of fear |
In the writer’s opinion, what might be even worse than losing a contest?
| A．Being turned down by others. |
| B．Forgetting what to say in public speaking. |
| C．Sharing ideas with others. |
| D．Missing an opportunity. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Not everything we are afraid of is dangerous. |
| B．It’s encouraged to share your fear with others. |
| C．It’s difficult to overcome some fears. |
| D．What you fear should be worse than what you think. |
It can be learned from the passage that a really courageous person.
| A．does what is necessary to do |
| B．always achieves what he or she wants |
| C．has no fear in his or her life |
| D．never loses a contest |
One day, when I went shopping with Julie, we came across something special. Waiting in a long checkout line, I thought about going to another, which had the shortest queue. There was only one guy in it, but he was in a wheelchair. Well, we stepped in behind him. At first, he seemed to be having difficulty getting his groceries onto the checking desk. But after a while, I realized that what he was actually doing was separating them into two piles.
However, doing that job was no easy task in itself. I offered to help, but he and the checkout lady had it under control. He asked my wife if she would mind putting his empty basket away. What must it be like, I wondered, to be so dependent on other people like that? The checkout operator came around and gave him his change and the items he needed to have to hand. She hung one bag of groceries over a handle at the back of his chair. I offered to get the other, bigger, bag and he said, “No. But you could do me a favour. Take that lot along to the entrance and give it to Angela.”
As I was told, I did that, leaving Julie with our shopping. Angela, as turned out, was collecting food for people who might otherwise go hungry! I hadn't even noticed her before. This guy, despite the limitations that his physical condition imposed on him, had bought more than twice as much shopping as he needed – and given the bigger bag away to help other people! He didn't let the fact that he needed help stop him from being a help. He may have been limited physically, but his heart was more than capable of overcoming all that. And it changed my idea of dependence when I realized that the help he had given was more than the help he had received.
So … what’s holding the rest of us back? From the first paragraph, we know that______.
| A．the writer was obviously a disabled person |
| B．the man in a wheelchair was a shopper |
| C．the writer and Julie jumped the queue |
| D．only three people were shopping then |
The man put the things he bought into two piles, probably because______.
| A．his shopping bags were too small to hold all the groceries |
| B．he hoped to keep the balance of his wheelchair |
| C．he intended to help the people in need |
| D．it would be easy for him to carry |
From the passage, we can learn that Angela was probably______.
| A．the disabled person’s wife |
| B．the girl at the checking desk |
| C．a hungry and homeless beggar |
| D．a kind-hearted and helpful woman |
Which of the following can best describe the man in the wheelchair?
| A．kind, energetic and determined |
| B．positive, dependent and easy-going |
| C．active, optimistic and open-minded |
| D．helpful, generous and strong-hearted |
Environmental problems are becoming more and more serious all over the world. For example, cars have made the air unhealthy for people to breathe and poisonous gas is given off by factories. Trees on the hills have been cut down and waste water is being poured continuously into rivers. Furthermore, wherever we go today, we can find rubbish carelessly disposed.
There are different kinds of pollutants, each of which comes from different sources. It is necessary to identify the source of pollution, in order to make a policy to eliminate them.
Different products, processes and activities of our industrialized world together form the major source of pollution. The forms of pollution can be mainly divided into three kinds—solid, liquid and gas.
These pollutions have greatly damaged our planet and continue to do so. In fact, pollution is threatening our existence. The whole ecological balance of the earth is changing. Massive destruction of environment has brought about negative effects and even posed a great threat to man’s existence.
We must face the situation that exists and take action to solve our environmental problems. For instance, new laws must be passed to place strict control over industrial pollution, the public must receive the education about the danger of pollution and so on.
The earth is our home and we have the duty to take care of it for ourselves and our later generation. Fortunately, more and more people have realized these problems. Measures have been taken to deal with these situations by the government. Laws have been passed to stop pollution, I hope the problems will be solved in the near future and our home will become better and better. How many examples of environmental problems are given in the first paragraph?
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．In all there are three kinds of pollution |
| B．If people continue to pollute our planet, there will be no trees. |
| C．Industrial pollution has been completely controlled. |
| D．Laws have been passed to stop pollution and protect our environment. |
The sentence “We hope that all these measures will be effective and bring back a healthy environment” can best be put at the end of paragraph _____.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．5 | D．6 |
The writer’s attitude towards the future of the earth is _____.
| A．despair | B．negative | C．optimistic | D．hopeless |