Rare birds in the UK have been living far better than the more common birds over the last decade due to the efforts of conservation organisations, according to a new assessment.
The research shows almost 60% of the 63 rare birds that live in the UK have increased over the last 10 years.
By contrast, only about one third of common species have increased over the same period.Just 28% of rare birds have decreased over the same period, compared with four out of every 10 common birds.The rare birds described in the assessment with increasing populations include the osprey (鹗) and corncrake (秧鸡).All of these birds are subject to conservation action.
The declining common birds include the nightingale, swift (雨燕), house sparrow and red grouse (苏格兰雷鸟).These are suffering declines for a variety of reasons, including changes in farming practices.
Dr David Noble, from the British Trust for Ornithology, said: “That some of our rarer birds have responded to targeted conservation action is great news.It shows just what can be achieved.What we need to do now is to continue the good work and use some of the lessons we have learned to help our more common birds.”
Dr Mark Avery, the conservation director of the Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (RSPB), said: “Over the last decade we've enjoyed some great conservation successes, including removing some threatened species from the World Conservation Union's Red List of Thratened Animals and increasing the populations of red kite, osprey, etc.However, these successes are countered (抵消) by continued declines of some widespread species.”
The overview of 210 native birds has been produced by a group of conservation organisations, to mark the publication of The State of the UK's Birds report, which is in its l0th year.The report was published by the RSPB for a group of conservation organisations.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The decline of widespread birds is not worrying for the UK. |
B.The UK has got some practical experience of bird conservation. |
C.Changes in farming practices contribute to the increase of rare birds. |
D.Half of common birds have decreased in the past ten years in the UK. |
We can learn from the passage that Dr David Noble .
A.hopes that conservation organisations will change the way they work |
B.is quite disappointed with the result of the new assessment |
C.is losing confide![]() |
D.has high hopes for the increase in bird population in Britain |
Which of the following can best explain Dr Mark Avery's words?
A.The UK should not be satisfied with what they have achieved. |
B.The UK should share their experience with other countries. |
C.What conservation organisations do is far from satisfactory. |
D.The RSPB is responsible for the decrease of common birds. |
The passage is most likely to be found in a book about .
A.popular science | B.historical events |
C.nature | D.society |
The author's purpose of writing this article is to tell people .
A.some good ways to protect rare birds |
B.the differences between rare birds and common birds |
C.the number of rare birds has increased over the last decade |
D.some widespread birds in the UK are in great need of help |
If you are planning to learn a foreign language, here are some suggestions about language learning. I hope these suggestions can help improve your learning of a foreign language
Try to set aside some time every day for your study when your brain is at the most time for receiving information. It’s better to study for 30 minutes every day than for 3 hours once a week. If you can spare two or three hours a day, break them up into some periods to avoid brain getting tired.
Go over each lesson several times, perhaps once in the morning, once in the evening and once several days later. Give your brain time to understand the material, but the break between periods of study shouldn’t be too long, or you will forget most of what you’ve learned.
Make sure you’re comfortable with the bases of the language before learning the more advanced knowledge. Without full understanding of basic knowledge such as words pronunciation and spelling, you’ll find it very difficult to learn more.
Setting proper targets is a good way to encourage yourself. You could set yourself a time limit or aim for a certain level.
Once you have mastered the bases of the language, learn to apply them to the things that you’re interested in. In this way you are more likely to remember the words, phrases and grammatical constructions you meet.
You will find that at times you’re making rapid progress, while sometimes you seem to stand still or even go backwards. This is normal when learning a language, so don’t be discouraged.
Making mistakes in a foreign language is nothing to worry about. What matters is getting your message across, not whether you use all the right words, tenses, cases, etc. If you cannot think of the exact words, try using other ones.What is the best time plan for studying a foreign language ?
A.A long period every day. | B.Several short periods every day. |
C.A long period once a week. | D.Several short periods a week. |
The break between periods of study shouldn’t be too long, because ___________.
A.you will be unable to go over a lesson for several times |
B.you will be too tired to continue your study |
C.you will waste a lot of time for study |
D.you will forget what you are trying to learn easily |
If you don’t fully understand the basic knowledge, you will ____________.
A.be unable to go on with your study | B.be uncomfortable with yourself |
C.feel it very difficult to learn more | D.stop learning more in a short time |
According to the author, which of the following is NOT true ?
A.Setting a goal can help you make rapid progress. |
B.you should use what you’ve learned frequently to remember them. |
C.Sometimes you may not make any progress. |
D.Mistakes are quite normal in learning a language. |
The purpose of this passage is ____________.
A.to give some advice on foreign language learning |
B.to help students get high marks in foreign language exam |
C.to encourage more people to learn foreign languages |
D.to comfort those who don’t learn foreign languages well |
Sandra Cisneros was born in Chicago in 1954 to a Mexican American family. As the only girl in a family of seven children, she often felt like she had “seven fathers,” because her six brothers, as well as her father, tried to control her. Feeling shy and unimportant, she retreated(躲避) into books. Despite her love of reading, she did not do well in elementary school because she was too shy to participate.
In high school, with the encouragement of one particular teacher, Cisneros improved her grades and worked for the school literary magazine. Her father encouraged her to go to college because he thought it would be a good way for her to find a husband. Cisneros did attend college, but instead of searching for a husband, she found a teacher who helped her join the famous graduate writing program at the University of Iowa. At the university’s Writers’ Workshop, however, she felt lonely----a Mexican American from a poor neighborhood among students from wealthy families. The feeling of being so different helped Cisneros find her “Creative voice.”
“It was not until this moment when I considered myself truly different that my writing acquired a voice. I knew I was a Mexican woman, but I didn’t think it had anything to do with why I felt so much imbalance in my life, but it had everything to do with it! That’s when I decided I would write about something my classmates couldn’t write about.”
Cisneros published her first work, The House on Mango Street, when she was twenty-nine. The book tells about a young Mexican American girl growing up in a Spanish-speaking area in Chicago, much like the neighborhoods in which Cisneros lived as a child. The book won an award in 1985 and has been used in classes from high school through graduate school level. Since then, Cisneros has published several books of poetry, a children’s book, and a short-story collection.Which of the following is TRUE about Cisneros in her childhood?
A.She had seven brothers. | B.She felt herself a nobody. |
C.She was too shy to go to school. | D.She did not have any good teachers. |
The graduate program gave Cisneros a chance to _____.
A.work for a school magazine | B.run away from her family |
C.make a lot of friends | D.develop her writing style |
According to Cisneros, what played the decisive role in her success?
A.Her early years in college. | B.Her training in the Workshop. |
C.Her feeling of being different. | D.Her childhood experience. |
What do we learn about The House on Mango Street?
A.It is quite popular among students. |
B.It is the only book ever written by Cisneros. |
C.It wasn’t success as it was written in Spanish. |
D.It won an award when Cisneros was twenty-nine. |
To many Americans,Labor Day(劳动节) marks the end of the summer,a day off from work and school,and one last chance to relax.But Labor Day is much more than just a day off . It represents a very important victory for laborers everywhere.The holiday is a celebration of the social and economic achievements of American workers.
More than a century ago workers were forced to deal with harsh conditions.They were paid very little and they often worked 10-to l2-hour days.Men, women and even small children were forced to work even when they were sick.Tired of long hours and dangerous conditions,workers began organizing themselves into labor unions.On top of fighting for higher pay and shorter workdays,they also fought for the rights of children.The workers wanted employers to place limits on the age of their workers so that small children were not overworked or hurt in factories.
A New York City carpenter named Peter McGuire is credited(获得赞誉) for coming up with the idea for Labor Day.In 1872,after working many hours under poor conditions, McGuire rallied 100,000 workers to go on strike.The workers marched through the streets of New York City,demanding a better work environment.McGuire spent a decade fighting for workers’ rights.In 1882,he proposed(提议)the idea to create a special holiday for workers.On Tuesday,September 5,1882, more than 10,000 workers hit the streets of New York City for the first ever Labor Day parade.Two years later the celebration was moved to the first Monday in September.And in 1894,Congress passed a law making Labor Day a national holiday.Americans celebrated the first Labor Day holiday with a parade,picnics and fireworks.
Today,many people hit the road to enjoy the last of their summer vacation.Others enjoy the long weekend with picnics,backyard barbecues or just rest and relaxation.However you spend Labor Day,remember that the holiday is a time to pay tribute (致敬)to the workers who have made America what it is today.What do we know from Paragraph 1?
A.Americans have more than a day off on Labor Day. |
B.Many countries in the world celebrate Labor Day. |
C.Labor Day has a deep meaning for American laborers. |
D.Labor Day shows the social and economic power of America. |
The underlined word “rallied” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by“___________”.
A.persuaded | B.supported | C.warned | D.gathered |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
A.There were about 100,000 workers in New York City in 1872. |
B.Labor Day became a national holiday in 1884. |
C.The idea for Labor Day was first put forward by McGuire in 1872. |
D.The first ever Labor Day parade was held in 1882. |
According to the author,while spending Labor Day,Americans should feel ___ .
A.surprised | B.thankful | C.dissatisfied | D.terrified |
You can find language pollution whenever you open a newspaper or turn on your TV set, listen to a popular song at various advertisements. Language pollution exists almost everywhere and can be seen in the following places:
1. Chinese characters are written in the complex (复杂的 ) form. Although simplified Chinese characters were accepted for use many years ago, it seems that more and more people like Chinese characters written in the complex form.
2. Many goods are produced in China but carry foreign names, which sound strange and have no meaning at all.
3. Words and expressions being used have a bad meaning. "Ba"(霸), which means bully in Chinese, is one example. Now there are a lot of goods, restaurants, even factories or firms, with "Ba" in their names.
4. There are too many incorrect grammatical expressions. Some films have strange names and incorrect grammatical structures. "Ai ni mei shang liang', which means "I love you without consulting", is grammatically incorrect and this kind of expression is now becoming popular.
Some language experts point out that language pollution must be done away with, which is an idea shared by myself and many others.
FanYongqinThe writer of the letter suggests that ______.
A.something be done to make our language pure (纯正) |
B.the Chinese language not have the word "ba" |
C.everything have a good name and a good meaning |
D.everybody try their best to stop pollution |
What the writer wants to say is that ____.
A.great difference exists between the Chinese characters written in the complex form and simplified form |
B.many people agree with the experts on language pollution in China |
C.our newspapers, TV programs, pop songs and advertisements are getting polluted |
D.some film writers haven't studied Chinese grammar |
What do you guess Fan Yongqian is? He or she probably is _____.
A.a reader | B.a singer of pop songs |
C.a language expert | D.an expert of grammar |
Have you ever heard of blogs (博客)? If you haven’t, you should have. It’s here, it’s growing and it’s having an influence on our life. Surf the Internet and you’ll find blogs everywhere. A blog, shortened from “weblog”, is a public Internet journal written by one person or a group of people. It is a website in which a person or a group can place news, personal thoughts, text, photos, video or audio files, or links upon which visitors can comment. A blog lets you post on the Internet without having to know web design or be technical. You are given an environment to make dated entries on the topic of your choice which are “published”, so other people can read them.
Authoring a blog, maintaining a blog or adding an article to an existing blog is called “blogging”. Blogging has revolutionized Internet publishing in the last several years because it gives everyone with Internet access the opportunity to become an online writer. Objects, such as “text and photos” in a blog can be called “blog posts”, “posts”, or “entries”. The person who posts these entries is called a “blogger”.
Now, somewhere around the world, a blog is created almost every 6 seconds. Because it’s great potential, Bill Gates views it as important as e-mail, BBS, and MSN. He’s trying to make blogs the important tools for future business communications.A blog is .
A.a comment | B.an Internet journal | C.a design | D.a link |
A person can do the following things in a blog EXCEPT _______.
A.talk to others | B.give comments | C.read articles | D.enjoy photos |
Who is a blogger?
A.A person who posts letters. |
B.A person who writes articles. |
C.A person who posts text or photos in a blog. |
D.A person who is an online publisher. |
According to the passage, the reason why blogs are so popular is that they ____.
A.give everyone the chance to be an online writer |
B.can be created by people without much knowledge of computer technology |
C.enable a blogger to place news, personal thoughts, text and photos and give comments |
D.all of the above |