Hummingbirds have got their name from the distinct “hum” sound made by their rapidly flapping (拍打) wings．The size of the bird decides the number of flaps it can do．The average lifetime of a hummingbird is 3 or 4 years, but some of them have lived beyond 12 years also．They are unique in many ways．Besides th
e number of rapid flaps they can do per second, they can also fly backwards.
Hummingbirds have an amazing sense of assessing the amount of sugar in the nectar (花蜜) they eat．They feed on the nectar of flowers．Hummingbirds do not feed on flowers whose nectar contains less than 10% sugar．Talk about a sweet tooth! As they cannot sustain themselves on nectar alone because of its poor nutritional value, they also feed on insects and spiders, and hummingbird food mixture that one can make at home.
Attracting hummingbirds to your garden will require a little planning．Plant butterfly bush, mimosa, coral bells, foxglove, morning glory, etc．These flowers attract the hummingbirds due to their high visibility (可见性) and nectar production．Avoid using pesticides (杀虫剂), as it will not only kill the insects around the flowers, but hurt the hummingbirds as well.
A common food for these birds is the sweettasting sugar syrup (糖浆)．Hummingbird food ingredients are just two: sugar and water．Take a large clean bowl, pour in it four cups of hot water, and dissolve one cup of table sugar in it．Stir slowly until all sugar has dissolved．
Hummingbirds, tiny as they are, collect a lot of nutrition．Providing them with hummingbird food mixture made of sugar water is a sure way to get all these beauties humming in your garden.Hummingbirds will have some little animals for their meal when .
| A．they can't find any green plants |
| B．they can't take in enough nutrition |
| C．they are bored with eating nectar |
| D．they are too old to fly |
In order to attract hummingbirds, you should .
| A．plan high trees |
| B．grow plants with small flowers |
| C．grow plants whose flowers are bright in color |
| D．grow plants coming into flower in the morning |
The main idea of the fourth paragraph is .
| A．how to prepare food for hummingbirds |
| B．where hummingbirds can find delicious food |
| C．hummingbirds can't live for long without sugar |
| D．hummingbirds like manmade food better than nectar |
The Great Barn Adventure
One morning when I was 11, I explored the town’s abandoned round grain barn（谷仓）. I found a chained sliding door that was wide enough for me to pass through.
Inside, there was a heavy smell of dead mice in the dark. After my eyes adjusted, I noticed a shaft (升降机井) that rose all the way to the top of the barn. On one side was a one-man elevator with a long rope and roller.
I stepped onto the platform and gave the rope a drag and the elevator began sliding up the shaft, but stopped halfway. After a brief panic attack, I noticed holes in the wall at regular intervals, forming a ladder. For reasons known only to an 11-year-old, I decided it would be better to go up than down. So, with shaking hands, I began climbing the wall.
After what seemed like forever, I reached the top of the shaft. I stood up, dusted myself off and found absolutely nothing of interest. It was just an empty room with a ladder leading up to the roof. I climbed all the way up here for this? Then I noticed a fire extinguisher（灭火器）,which I’d always wanted to shoot off. So this was the chance of a lifetime. I tried it, and, much to my surprise, the thing worked! It shot out a thick cloud of powder that instantly filled the room. I couldn’t breathe. I was going to choke to death, and they’d probably never even find my body.
Luckily, I remembered the ladder to the roof. I climbed up, popped the straw roof and saw a bright blue sky.
I suddenly realized the dust and powder pouring out of the top could draw attention. So when the dust had settled, I climbed down and slipped out of the chained door. I’m not sure if I was more excited about being alive or about not being caught, but I ran all the way back home. When the author got inside the barn, he _______.
| A．noticed a man on the elevator |
| B．opened the chained sliding door |
| C．saw many dead mice in the dark |
| D．found a shaft leading to the top |
Which of the following is the right order of the author’s adventure?
a. The elevator stopped halfway.
b. He entered the round grain barn.
c. He climbed to the top of the shaft.
d. He found a fire extinguisher and shot it off.
| A．b-a-c-d | B．a-c-b-d | C．c-a-d-b | D．b-c-a-d |
After getting out of the chained door, the author might feel _______.
| A．inspired | B．relieved | C．surprised | D．disappointed |
From the passage, we can learn that the author was probably a boy full of _______.
| A．passions | B．dreams | C．curiosity | D．imagination |
·The Hotel Portixol，a hotel that oozes(渗透) style and has thoughtful extras in Palma Majorca.
·Location
In the bay of Portixol，a 30-minute walk or 10-minute cycle east of the old town，overlooking Portixol port.
·Character
The square white building，with its blue shutters(百叶窗) and dark wooden balconies，stands out as you approach Portixol. Inside as well as out，Hotel Portixol oozes style － wicker(柳条) sofas in a shade deck. Thoughtful extras include free bicycle hire and telescopes in each room.
·Rooms
Thirteen of the 26 rooms have balconies，overlooking the sea. All have large showers and king-size beds. Our corner room had double glass doors on two sides which created a much-needed breeze.
·Food
Breakfast is a feast，with a huge selection of fresh fruit，yogurts，cereals，meats，cheeses and breads. The lunch and dinner menus mix traditional Mediterranean food with eastern and European classics.
·Why Palma?
Parts of Majorca have a certain reputation，but calm，sweet Palma is a far shout from the island's busy and sometimes tacky(俗气的) beach resorts so popular with hen and buck parties.
The Majorcan capital is also one of the easiest short-break destinations in Europe. The old town is a 10-minute taxi ride from Palma airport，while the tangled(乱蓬蓬的)streets inside the old city wall combine the best restaurants，shopping and culture Majorca has to offer.
While very hot in summer，temperatures remain pleasant during the rest of the year.
·Getting there
Easy Jet flies to Palma from most airports in the UK，from ￡29.99 one way. A taxi from Palma airport to the city centre costs about ￡8; or you can catch a bus which costs a few euros.If you'd like to buy what you like，you had better go to________.
| A．the old city of Majorca | B．Palma beach resorts |
| C．the city centre of Majorca | D．the east of the old town |
How much will be spent if a family of three goes to the city centre of Palma for a round-trip?
| A．Over ￡114. | B．Less than ￡228. |
| C．More than ￡180. | D．Only ￡76. |
The passage is mainly written to those________.
| A．want to travel to Majorcan capital |
| B．enjoy traveling out freely |
| C．will stay in a hotel in Palma |
| D．like to go shopping in the city centre of Majorca |
What's the best title of this passage?
| A．Hotel Portixol，Palma，Majorca |
| B．City Portixol，Palma，Majorca |
| C．The transport in Majorca |
| D．The view in Palma |
Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested in the memoir（回忆录）of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.
Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major from medicine to education.
Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.
Tyler became well-known nationality in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Hutchins.
Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an independent spirit in their work.
Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers and management people on how to set objectives（目标）that develop the best teaching and learning within their schools. Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler’s memoir?
| A．Top managers. | B．Language learners. |
| C．Serious educators. | D．Science organizations. |
The words “hooked on teaching” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean ________.
| A．attracted to teaching | B．tired of teaching |
| C．satisfied with teaching | D．unhappy about teaching |
Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?
| A．The University of Chicago. | B．Stanford University. |
| C．Ohio State University. | D．Nebraska University. |
Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents，photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to.
| A．beauties | B．photos | C．goods | D．events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos.
| A．are also works of art |
| B．are popular ways of reporting news |
| C．often shock the public |
| D．can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．News with pictures is encouraging. |
| B．Photos help people improve their life |
| C．News photos mean history in a sense. |
| D．People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about.
| A．telling the story through pictures |
| B．decorating the walls of homes |
| C．publishing historical papers |
| D．expressing feeling through pictures |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He did not love his children. |
| D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.
| A．nervous | B．sorry | C．tired | D．safe |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More talkative |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.
| A．the author’s son | B．the author’s father |
| C．the friend of the author’s father | D．the café owner |