Watching bison up close is fascinating, like watching a grass fire about to leap out of control. With their huge, wedge-shaped heads and silver-dollar-size brown eyes, the 2,000-pound animals are symbols of another place and time. More than 100 bison now roam the 30,000-acre American Prairie Reserve in eastern Montana — the first time they’ve inhabited that region in a century. Direct descendants of the tens of millions of bison that once populated the Western plains, they represent an epic effort: to restore a piece of America’s prairie to the national grandeur that Lewis and Clark extolled two centuries ago. During that famous expedition across the Western states to the Pacific, the two explorers encountered so many bison that they had to wait hours for one herd to pass.
In order to protect what’s here and reintroduce long-gone wildlife (something the World Wildlife Fund is helping with), the American Prairie Foundation began purchasing land from local ranchers in 2004. It now owns 30,000 acres and has grazing privileges on another 57,000. Its goal over the next 25 years is to assemble three million acres, the largest area of land devoted to wildlife management in the continental United States.
Already, herds of elk, deer, and pronghorn antelope roam the grasslands, where visitors can camp, hike, and bike. Cottonwoods and willows are thriving along streams, creating habitats for bobcats, beavers, and other animals.
Not everyone shares APF’s vision. Some residents of Phillips County (pop. 3,904) worry that the area could become a prairie Disneyland, overcrowded with tourists. But the biggest obstacle is the ranchers themselves, whose cattle compete with prairie dogs and bison for grass and space.
“People like me have no intention of selling their ranches,” says Dale Veseth, who heads the Ranchers Stewardship Alliance of 35 families in Phillips County and whose family has been ranching here since 1886. “They’ve been a labor of love through the generations.” Instead, he wants APF to pay or subsidize ranchers to raise bison. This would be far less costly for the foundation, he argues, than buying the land directly.If you go to the American Prairie Reserve in eastern Montana, you will see ________.
| A.the burning fire moving across the grassland |
| B.hundreds of bison travelling through the prairie |
| C.tens of millions of bison occupying the farmland |
| D.groups of experts examining the dead bison |
What measures have been taken to protect the wildlife by APF?
| A.They have borrowed much money and developed new habitat. |
| B.They have hired many farmers to raise bison on their farms. |
| C.They have turned grassland into Disneyland to attract tourists. |
| D.They have bought large land from farmers for bison to live on. |
The underlined word “subsidize” in this passage means ________.
| A.give money to | B.borrow money from |
| C.provide land to | D.exchange land with |
Which would be the best title for this passage?
| A.The exciting scenery in eastern Montana |
| B.Great changes in raising bison in America |
| C.The return of the American prairie |
| D.The challenge in protecting the grassland |
Night after night,she came to tuck me in,even long after my childhood years.Following her longstanding custom,she'd lean down and push my long hair out of the way,then kiss my forehead.
I don't remember when it first started annoying me—her hands pushing my hair that way. But it did annoy me,for they felt work—worn and mush against my young skin.Finally,one night,I shouted out at her,"Don't do that anymore--your hands are too rough!" She didn't say anything in reply.But never again did my mother close out my day with that familiar expression of her love.
Time after time,with the passing years,my thoughts returned to that night.By then I missed my mother's hands,missed her goodnight kiss on my forehead.Sometimes the incident seemed very close,sometimes far away.But always it lurked,in the back of my mind.
Well,the years have passed,and I'm not a little girl anymore.Mom is in her mid—seven—ties.and those hands I once thought to be so rough are still doing things for me and my family.She's been our doctor,reaching into a medicine cabinet(医药箱)for the remedy(药物)to calm a young girl's stomach or soothe(安慰)the boy's scraped knee.She cooks the best fried chicken in the world…gets stains out of blue cans, like I never could…
Now, my own children are grown and gone.Mom no longer has Dad,and on special occasions.I find myself drawn next door to spend the night with her.So it was late on Thanksgiving Eve, as I slept in the bedroom of my youth, a familiar hand hesitantly run across, my face to brush the hair from my forehead.Then a kiss,ever so gently,touched my brow(额头).
In my memory,for the thousandth,time,I recalled the night my young voice complained,"Don't do that anymore--your hands are too rough!" Catching Mom's hand in hand,I blurted (冲口说出)out how sorry I was for that night.I thought she'd remember ,as I did.But Mom didn't know what I Was talking about.She had forgotten--and forgiven—long ago.
That night, I fell asleep with a new appreciation for my gentle mother and her carrying hands. And the guilt that I had carried around for so long was nowhere to be found.
1.What would be the best title for the text ?
A.Mother's Hands B.Appreciation for Mother.
C.My Childhood Years. D.My Unselfish Mother.
2. The author began to get annoyed because—
A.her mother's hands were really old and tough
B.she thought she didn't need her mother's care
C.she didn't like her mother any more
D.her mother stayed in her room too long
3. What do we know about the author?
A. With time passing, she began to understand her mother.
B.She was an only child in the family.
C.She never forgave herself.
D.Her mother was a doctor.
4.By saying "Then a kiss,ever so gently,touched my brow.",the author means
that________
A.children need Mother's kissing B.mothers kiss their children gently
C.mothers love their children forever D.children depend on their mothers
5.It can be inferred from the text that _____________
A.the author began to spend nights with her mother
B.her mother never kissed author again
C.her mother forgave her at last
D.the author felt guilty of what she did to her mother
第二部分阅读理解(满分20分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
We are all called upon to make a speech at some point in life, but most of us don’t do a very good job. This article gives some suggestions on how to give an effective speech.
So, you have to give a speech-- and you’re terrified. You get nervous, you forget what you want to say, you stumble over words, you talk too long, and you bore your audience. Later you think, “Thank goodness, it’s over. I’m just no good at public speaking. I hope I never have to do that again. ”
Cheer up! It doesn’t have to be that bad. Here are some simple steps to take the pain out of speech making. Ask yourself the purpose of your speech. What is the occasion? Why are you speaking? Then, gather as many facts as you can on your subject. Spend plenty of time doing your research. Then spend plenty of time organizing your material so that your speech is clear and easy to follow. Use as many examples as possible, and use pictures, charts, and graphs if they will help you make your points more clearly. Never forget your audience. Don’t talk over their heads, and don’t talk down to them. Treat your audience with respect. They will appreciate your thoughtfulness.
Just remember: be prepared. Know your subject, your audience, and the occasion. Be brief. Say what you have to say and then stop. And be yourself. Let your personality come through so that you make person-to -person contact with your audience.
If you follow these simple steps, you’ll see that you don’t have to be afraid of public speaking. In fact, you may find the experience so enjoyable that you volunteer to make more speeches! You’re not convinced yet? Give it a try and see what happens.
1. The main idea of this article is _________.
A. you can improve your speaking ability B. a poor speaker can never change
C. always make a short speech D. it is hard to make a speech
2. Paragraph 2 implies that ________.
A. many people are afraid of giving a speech B. many people are happy to give a speech
C. many people do not prepare for a speech D. many people talk too long
3. The phrase “talk over their heads” means ________.
A. speak too loudlyB. look at the ceiling
C. look down upon them D. use words and ideas that are too difficult
4. All of the following statements are true except that ___________.
A. few people know how to make good speeches
B. a lecturer does not need to organize his speech
C. research is important in preparing a speech
D. there are simple steps you can take to improve your speaking ability
5. The title for this passage may be _______.
A. Do Not Make a Long Speech B. How to Give a Good Speech
C. How to Prepare for a Speech D. Try to Enjoy a Speech
She couldn’t but_______for the PLA men to find and rescue her.
| A.wait | B.waiting | C.to wait | D.to have waited |
What shall human beings do if oil_______sometime in the future?
| A.will run out | B.runs out of | C.runs out | D.will be run out |
.Chen Chunlong is a hero of _______Liaocheng can be proud.
| A.who | B.whom | C.that | D.which |