Climate change, pollution, overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze, India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile, WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”, the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic life．
“If these rivers die, millions will lose their livelihoods, biodiversity will be destroyed on a massive scale, there will be less fresh water and agriculture, resulting in less food security,” said Rayi Singh, secretary-general of WWF-India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today, also cited the Rio Grande in the United States, the Mekong and Indus in Asia, Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray-Darling as in need of greater protection．
Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them, the report said．Fish populations, the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide, are also being threatened, it found… The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization, damming and huge influxes of sediment from land conversion．
Climate change, including higher temperatures, also means serious consequences for fishery productivity, water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation, WWF said．What does the text mainly talk about?
A．Sav ing fresh water in our life． |
B．How to protect our rivers． |
| C．An important discovery． | D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk． |
We can infer from the text that _____．
| A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security |
| B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage |
| C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries |
| D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity |
The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．
| A．climate change | B．wasting water |
| C．pollution | D．dams |
WWF is probably a name of _____．
| A．an organization | B．a newspaper | C．a magazine | D．a report |
E
Thomas Hardy was an English novelist and poet. A Victorian realist, in the tradition of George Eliot, he was also influenced both in his novels and poetry by Romanticism, especially by William Wordsworth. Charles Dickens is another important influence on Thomas Hardy. Like Dickens, he was also highly critical of much in Victorian society, though Hardy focused more on a declining rural society.
While Hardy wrote poetry throughout his life, and regarded himself primarily as a poet, his first collection was not published until 1898. Initially therefore he gained fame as the author of such novels as Far from the Madding Crowd (1874), The Mayor of Casterbridge (1886), Tess of the D'Urbervilles (1891), and Jude the Obscure (1895). However, since the 1950s Hardy has been recognized as a major poet, and had asignificantinfluence on The Movement poets of the 1950s and 1960s, including Phillip Larkin.
The majority of his fictional works,initiallypublished as serials in magazines, were set in the semi-fictional region of Wessex and explored tragic characters struggling against their passions and social circumstances. Hardy's Wessex is based on the medieval（中世纪的）Anglo-Saxon kingdom and eventually came to include the counties of Dorset, Wiltshire, Somerset, Devon, Hampshire and much of Berkshire, in southwest and south central England.Which of the follow is Not true according to the 1st paragraph?
| A．Hardy was influenced both in his novels and poetry by Romanticism. |
| B．William Wordsworth was a Victorian realist. |
| C．Charles Dickens highly criticized much of Victorian society. |
| D．Hardy cared more about rural society. |
Which of the following is Not Hardy’s works?
| A．Far from the Madding Crowd | B．The Mayor of Casterbridge |
| C．Tess of the D'Urbervilles | D．Great Expectations |
Most of Hardy’s fictional works_____.
| A．were originallypublished in magazines. |
| B．were set in the fictional region of Wessex. |
| C．explored comedic characters. |
| D．were based on Anglo-Saxon kingdom |
It can infer from the passage that_____.
| A．Hardy wrote poetry occasionally in his life |
| B．Hardy’s poetry collection was never published |
| C．Hardy wasn’t recognized as a major poet until the 1950s. |
| D．Phillip Larkin had a great influence on Hardy. |
D
Dogs can be trained to identify the smell of lung cancer long before symptoms develop.
A new study is the first to show that sniffer dogs can be relied upon to find the unique smell of the disease of in 7 out of 10 sniffers. Researchers from a hospital in Germany believe dogs could become even better at picking out cancer cases with more training, but the final goal is to identify the cancer-specific chemical compounds the dogs can smell, and develop a device that could be used to help diagnose lung-cancer victims at an earlier stage.
Lung cancer is Britain’s deadliest cancer, with over 39.000 cases diagnosed annually, of which only 25 percent will survive for a year, since the disease is mostly found at an advanced stage, when it is very difficult to treat. Early detection is often by chance, although scientists have been working on using samples of exhaled(呼出的) breath from patients for future screening. They attempt to use the samples to locate volatile organic compounds(VOCs) in the breath that are linked to the presence of cancer, but no reliable methods have been found so far that are lung-specific.
The researchers combined this approach with recent findings about the abilities of some dogs to alert their owners to undiagnosed cancer, probably through smell. This latest study used family dogs, which were given special training over an 11-week period to identify a VOC in the breath of patient.
The researches worked with 220 volunteers, including patients with lung cancer at early and advanced stage, patients with chronic pulmonary disease(慢性肺炎), and healthy volunteers. The dogs took part in a number of tests to see if they could reliably distinguish compounds in the breath of lung-cancer patients-even if they smoked. The dogs were asked to sniff glass tubes containing cotton impregnated(浸染) with samples of breath from those taking part and had to lie down if they detected a VOC from a lung cancer patient.
The dogs successfully identified 71 samples with lung cancer out of a possible 100. They also correctly detected 372 samples that did not have lung cancer out of a posible 400.What can we conclude from the research according to the passage?
| A．The volunteers included patients with various cancer successfully |
| B．It used police dogs specially trained over a period. |
| C．It aimed to see if dogs could sniff cancer-specific compounds. |
| D．The dogs identified 372 samples with lung cancer successfully. |
We can infer from the passage that a VOC is probably a kind of _____.
| A．liquid | B．drug | C．equipment | D．chemical |
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．The research involved about a hundred dogs in all. |
| B．Dogs can usually detect the lung cancer patients well. |
| C．There are about 39,000 lung-cancer patients in Britain every year. |
| D．Lung cancer is Britain’s biggest cancer killer. |
What can be the best title of the passage?
| A．A New Way to Treat Cancer |
| B．A New Way to Detect Disease |
| C．Dogs Can Sniff out Cancer |
| D．Dogs Can Protect People from Cancer |
C
A person, like a commodity, needs packaging. But going too far is absolutely undesirable. A little exaggeration, however, does no harm when it shows the person's unique qualities to their advantage. To display personal charm in a casual and natural way, it is important for one to have a clear knowledge of oneself. A master packager knows how to combine art and nature without any traces of modification, so that the person so packaged is no commodity but a human being, lively and lovely.
A young person, especially a female, shining with beauty and full of life, has all the favor granted by God. Any attempt to make up would be self-defeating. Youth, however, comes and goes in a moment of doze. Packaging for the middle-aged is primarily to repair the furrows(磨损) ploughed by time. If you still enjoy life's enthusiasm enough to keep self-confidence and pursue pioneering work, you are unique in your natural qualities, and your charm and grace will remain. Elderly people are beautiful if their river of life has been, through plains, mountains and jungles, running its course as it should. You have really lived your life which now arrives at a complacent stage of serenity indifferent to fame or wealth. There is no need to resort to hair-dyeing-the snow-capped mountain is itself a beautiful scene of fairyland. Let your looks change from young to old synchronizing(同步) with the natural aging process so as to keep in harmony with nature, for harmony itself is beauty, while the other way round will only end in unpleasantness. To be in the elder's company is like reading a thick book of elegant edition that fascinates one so much as to be willing to part with.
As long as one finds where one stands, one knows how to package oneself, just as a commodity establishes its brand by the right packaging.In writer’s opinion, to show one’s personal charm casually and naturally, one ought to _____.
| A．package himself exaggeratedly. |
| B．know well about himself. |
| C．find a master packager. |
| D．care nothing about others |
To make a packaged person lively and lovely instead of a mere commodity, a packager should know _____.
| A．how to use the latest package technology. |
| B．how to mix art and modification. |
| C．how to bring out unique qualities. |
| D．how to keep natural without decoration |
Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．It’s wise for a young person to do some make-up. |
| B．Packaging for the middle-aged is basically to repair the trace of time. |
| C．Accompanying the elder is like reading an old and simple book. |
| D．One knows how to package oneself wherever he stands. |
What’s the author’s real attitude toward packaging?
| A．Positive | B．Negative |
| C．Indifferent | D．Cautious |
B
The deadly stampede（踩踏）occurred just before midnight in Chen Yi square on the city's famous Bund waterfront district.
Some survivors say they were standing on the steps leading towards the platform overlooking the Huangpu River when the stampede started. "We were at the bottom of the steps, and we wanted to go up. At the same time, people at the top of the steps wanted to get down. We were pushed down by the people trying to go down, and then people started to fall down, row by row. "
Most of the deceased are young people and students aged from 16 to 36.
"At around 12:05, a large number of the injured arrived at the hospital. Some of them suffered severe asphyxia（窒息）, and some have already lost vital signs. There are others who suffered cervical damage and brainstem damage.” said Xia Shujie, who is the deputy director of Shanghai No.1 Hospital.
Police are still looking into the cause of the accident, but some witnesses say the stampede was trigged as coupons that looked like U.S. dollar were being thrown from a building to the crowd below. The coupons are printed with letters "M18", the name of a bar on the Bund.
"I had indeed picked up a bank note from the ground but had thrown it away. The bank note looked green. We didn't really pay much attention at first, after we picked up, I said to my friend it is a bank note. My friend said that is not possible, how come there is a bar code on it, then we just threw it away." a witness said.
Some web users say they found pictures on the bar owner's micro-blog showing off the coupons before the incident. But the blogger denied she threw away any coupons.
Chinese President Xi Jinping has asked authorities in Shanghai to do whatever it takes to treat the injured and get to the bottom of the incident as soon as possible.
Shanghai has cancelled all New Year celebration events including a laser show scheduled for tonight.Which of the following is True according to the passage?
| A．Some survivors at the bottom of the steps were pushed down by the people trying to go up. |
| B．Some injured people have already been dead when arriving at the hospital. |
| C．Police have almost identify the real cause of the accident. |
| D．Some web users say they found pictures on the bar owner's micro-blog showing off the coupons after the incident |
What does “the decreased” refer to in the second paragraph?
| A．the people who were alive |
| B．the people who were dead |
| C．the people who got injured |
| D．the people who participated in the incident. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the 7th paragraph?
| A．forget the incident |
| B．find out the cause of the incident |
| C．avoid the incident happening again |
| D．inform the whole nation of the incident |
What can be inferred from the last two paragraphs?
| A．The leader of China has shown great concern about the incident. |
| B．All New Year celebration events have been put off in Shanghai. |
| C．The whole nation has stopped all New Year celebration events. |
| D．A laser show scheduled for New Year celebration would still be put on. |
A
Sit Up Straight: Tips for Improving Your Terrible Posture
The more time we spend sitting in front of our computers, the worse our posture gets. Modern technology is turning us into literally twisted creatures.
In addition to being detrimental to how your body functions, bad posture isn’t cute. It causes you to jut(突出) your hips forward, slump your shoulders, and even breathe inefficiently, according to Pat Davidson, a trainer with a PhD in Exercise Physiology who is the Director of Training Methodology and Continuing Education Coordinator at Peak Performance in NYC.
Davidson explained that bad posture compromises your diaphragm(隔离), the big muscle right below the ribs that helps you take deep breaths. So instead, you start using other muscles, like your shoulders, to help you breathe. It turns out that people with lousy posture don’t walk correctly, and they count on their lower back muscles to help propel themselves forward.
Here are a few quick fixes recommended for correcting your slump:
• If you sit at a desk all day, don’t perch on the edge of your chair at work trying to sit up straight. The best thing you can do is keep your hips against the back of the chair and use it for support—that’s what it’s there for.
• Get up frequently and walk around.
• If you carry a heavy shoulder bag, make sure to carry it on both your right and left shoulder, switching off as each gets tired. Even better: wear a cross-body bag so that the weight’s more evenly distributed.
• Work out your core muscles. You can try backwards jump-roping. If the rope hits you, you have the wrong posture. Hula hooping is also a good choice.
• Focus on the upper back and shoulder muscles. One of her favorite exercises is having clients stand up against a wall, with your hips touching the wall. Put a tennis ball between your shoulder blades and try to squeeze the ball. Boating is also excellent for improving posture, since it causes you to pull your shoulders up and back.According to the passage, a bad posture can_____.
a. stop us from taking deep breathes
b. functionally change our body
c. hurt our diaphragm
d. make our walking posture incorrect
| A．bcd | B．acd | C．abc | D．abcd |
What does the underlined word “detrimental” in the second paragraph probably mean?
| A．harmful | B．helpful |
| C．meaningless | D．vital |
Which of the following tips is true for a good sitting posture?
| A．Sitting on the edge of the chair. |
| B．Using the back of the chair to support your back. |
| C．Sitting up straight at a desk all day. |
| D．Keep your back against the chair. |
We may find the above introduction _____.
| A．in a travel booklet | B．in a fiction story |
| C．in a health magazine | D．in s science journal |