American beekeeping operations have been hit hard by what scientists call Colony Collapse Disorder. Almost half of their worker bees have disappeared during the past season. C.C.D. has also been reported in Israel, Europe and South America. Bees fly away from the hive and never return. Sometimes they are found dead; other times they are never found. Many crops and trees depend on pollination （授粉） by bees to help them grow.
A new report says virus may be at least partly responsible for the disorder in honey bee colonies in the United States. This virus is called Israeli Acute Paralysis Virus. It was first identified in Israel in 2004. Ian Lipkin at Columbia University in New York and a team reported the new findings in Science magazine. Doctor Lipkin says the virus may not be the only cause. He says it may work with other causes to produce the collapse disorder.
The team found the virus in colonies with the help of a map of honey bee genes that was published last year. They examined thirty colonies affected by the disorder. They found evidence of the virus in twenty – five of them, and in one healthy colony. The next step is further testing of healthy hives.
The researchers suggested that the United States may have imported the disorder in bees from Australia. They say the bees ma
y carry the virus but not be affected.
The idea is that unlike many American bees, the ability of Australian bees to fight disease has not been hurt by the varroa mite. This insect attacks honey bees, which could make the disorder more likely to affect a hive. Australian bee producers reject these suspicions.
And some researchers suspect that bee production in the United States is down mainly because of the weather. Honey bees gather nectar（花蜜） from flowers and trees. The sweet liquid gives them food and material to make honey. But cold weather this spring in the Midwest reduced the flow of nectar in many flowers. Many bees may have starved. Dry weather in areas of the country could also be playing a part.
Wayne Esaias is a NASA space agency scientist who keeps bees in his free time. He lives in central Maryland, where he has found that flowers are blooming a month earlier than they did in 1970, which may be partly responsible for the disorder. Wayne Esaias is organizing a group of beekeepers to document nectar flow around the country. What is the author’s attitude to the causes of the bee disorder?
| A．critical | B．neutral |
| C．supportive | D．negative |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．American beekeeping industry has been strongly influenced by the bee disorder. |
| B．Studies are being carried out on the causes of the bee disorder, but questions remain. |
| C．How the causes of the bee disorder in U.S have been found. |
| D．The bee production in U.S is down. |
How many possibilities may be involved in the bee disorder according to the passage?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
We can infer that from the passage.
| A．Israeli acute paralysis virus should be responsible for the disorder. |
| B．The solution to the disorder will be found eventually. |
| C．American bees are more likely to defend themselves against hurt from other insects than Australian ones. |
| D．Many crop and plant production in U.S may be influenced by the bee disorder. |
About 97% of the world's water is salty and is found in our oceans and seas. But, as we can't drink seawater, how can it be important?
Every part of our seas and oceans contains an amazing number of animals and fish that live at different ocean depths. Most of the different species of animals and fish depend on simple plants for their food. These simple plants called algae (海藻) drift near the surface of the ocean and use sunlight to turn carbon dioxide and water into food and oxygen. In fact, algae produce over half of the oxygen people breathe. How important seawater is!
Each plant or animal in our seas and oceans is an important link in a food chain. The algae are eaten in large amounts by microscopic animals, which are in turn consumed by larger animals. These food chains are delicately balanced.
The bad news about the food chains in the oceans is that they are under threat because of man. People once thought that the oceans were so big that it didn't matter if we dumped rubbish into them or caught huge quantities of fish and whales for food. But we now know this is not true and fish stocks in the oceans have started to drop.
Thankfully, the world is taking steps to protect the future of our oceans by introducing international agreements to protect marine habitats. Most countries have introduced fishing restrictions to protect fish stocks in the oceans and new techniques are being pioneered to cope with pollution. Finally, the importance of protecting oceans is being made known to more people. This is just the beginning of a long process to protect the oceans for our future. We depend on the oceans for fish which are an important part of the human diet. How important seawater is!People used to think that the rubbish thrown into the sea ________.
| A．wouldn't harm the fish in the sea |
| B．would change the balance of the food chain |
| C．would be broken down in the sea |
| D．wouldn't do much harm to the sea |
From the passage, we learn that ________.
| A．most fish and sea animals live at the surface of the seas |
| B．it is very difficult to break the balance of a food chain |
| C．excessive fishing has caused the decrease in fish stock |
| D．it won't be long before the problems concerning oceans will be solved |
Which of the following is NOT a way being used to protect oceans?
| A．The use of international agreements. |
| B．Forbidding fishing to protect fish stocks. |
| C．The use of new techniques. |
| D．Raising people's awareness of the need to protect oceans. |
What would be the BEST title of the passage?
A. The importance of seawater.
B. Life in the oceans.
C. How to protect food chains.
Down-to-earth means being honest, open, and easy to deal with. It is a pleasure to find someone who is down-to-earth. A person who is down-to-earth is easy to talk to. He or she accepts others as equals. A down-to-earth person may be an important member of society, of course, but they do not let their importance go to their heads, and they do not consider themselves to be better than others who are less important. Someone who is filled with self-importance and pride, often without cause, is said to have his nose in the air. There is no way a person with his nose in the air can be down-to-earth.
Americans use another expression that is similar in some way to down-to-earth. The expression is both feet on the ground. Someone with both feet on the ground is a person with a good understanding of reality. He has what is called common sense. He may have dreams but he does not allow them to block his knowledge of what is real. The opposite kind of person is one who has his head in the clouds. A man with his head in the clouds is a dreamer whose mind is not in the world. Sometimes such a dreamer can be brought back to reality; sharp words from the teacher, for example, can usually get a daydreaming student to put both feet back on the ground.
The person who is down-to-earth usually has both feet on the ground. But the opposite is not always true. Someone with both feet on the ground may not be as open and easy to deal with as someone who is down-to-earth. When we have both our feet firmly on the ground, we are realistic and we act honestly and openly toward others, and our lives are like the ground below us, solid and strong.If a person has his nose in the air, he ____.
| A．is down to the earth | B．is easy to deal with |
| C．always thinks he is more important than others | D．is confident |
From the second paragraph, we know that sharp words from a teacher can usually ________.
| A．help a student get down to the earth |
| B．wake a student up |
| C．help a daydreaming student come down to the ground |
| D．help a daydreaming student to become more realistic |
The underlined sentence “But the opposite is not always true.” most probably means that ______.
| A．the person who has his nose in the air is not true |
| B．a man with his head in the clouds is often not intelligent |
| C．the opposite direction is always wrong |
| D．a person who has both feet on the ground may not be down-to-earth |
From the passage, we can infer the person who is _______ is the most popular kind of person.
| A．down-to-earth | B．standing on the ground |
| C．with his nose in the air | D．with his head in the clouds |
Deciding which English-speaking country to study in wasn’t difficult for Ann; She had always wanted to visit America. “I wanted to study in an English-language country and I always wanted to visit America because it always seemed to me a very beautiful and friendly country.” Ann is more than happy with the quality of the education she is receiving in America, particularly with the subjects and strong academic support.“ I am very happy with the quality of education I am receiving. All my subjects are useful and connected. I am happy with help I receive from the lecturers and tutors.”
Also of particular satisfaction for Ann is the practical element of her American course. “I find it very important and useful. The theory is a good thing to know but nothing gives you more skills and knowledge than practical work.”
Where her future employment is concerned, Ann is very confident her American qualification will be of great help. “I know that getting a degree here is a good thing for my future; it can open many doors in Poland or anywhere else in the world.”
Ann is also really enjoying life in America; She is making friends and taking time out to enjoy herself. “People are very friendly and helpful. University is a good place to find new friends from America and from overseas. It is a friendly environment with lots of things to do, not only studying. And of course there are the beaches, not to mention the beautiful weather.”The purpose of writing this passage is to _________.
| A．tell us Ann’s decision to settle in America |
| B．tell us Ann is accustomed to life in America |
| C．introduce Ann’s happy study and life in America |
| D．introduce more about Ann to help her make friends |
Why did Ann decide to study in America?
| A．Her parents persuaded her to do so. |
| B．She has relatives and best friends here. |
| C．Her boyfriend was studying here too then. |
| D．She has dreamed of studying here for long. |
What makes Ann particularly satisfied in America?
| A．The comfortable climate and easy lifestyle. |
| B．The help from her host families and teachers. |
| C．The American courses have more practical elements. |
| D．The friends here are mostly from English-speaking countries. |
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
[1] Parents and educators battle over how much homework kids should have, and how often they should have it. This past school year, my eldest daughter's teacher did not assign too much homework, and often gave the kids extra time during class to get it done. Meanwhile, my daughter's dear friend — who attends the same school and is in the same grade — struggled nightly with her lengthy homework assignments. She had work to do every night, extra projects to complete, and assignments to complete over holiday break.
[2] So which was the lucky kid? Some might argue that my child was — she had more time to play, and spent less time stressing over assignments. Others might feel that my child was missing out on a key element of her education by not having what she was learning during the school day reinforced.
[3] To be honest, I'm not really sure which camp I'm in, but it's debates like this one that have sparked a homework revolution between parents and schools all over the country. A New York Times article reported that the school district in Galloway, N.J., is considering a proposal to limit weeknight homework to 10 minutes for each year of school — 20 minutes for second-graders, 30 minutes for third-graders, etc. — and ban assignments on weekends, holidays and school vacations. The school district in Pleasanton, Calif., is looking at a similar proposal. __________, other schools around the country are introducing homework-free holidays, no-homework nights, and goal-work — instead of homework — that can be completed throughout the school day.
[4] Most of these changes are in response to annoyed parents who see lengthy homework assignments competing with what little family time they have each day. The documentary "Race To Nowhere" spurred（激起）more debate by highlighting the unnecessary pressure on kids in today's educational system.What is the text mainly about? (no more than 8 words)
What sparked a homework revolution among parents and schools all over the country according to Paragraph 3? (no more than 5 words)
Fill in the blank in Paragraph 3 with proper words. (no more than 5 words)
What’s the parents’ attitude towards too much homework according to the last paragraph? (no more than 4 words)
What does the underlined word (Line 3, Paragraph 1) probably refer to? (no more than 3 words)
Why are people interested in eating raw foods or whole foods? One reason is that eating these types of food reduces the risk of acid accumulation in your body.
Raw and whole foods are usually digested more efficiently than cooked and refined foods. When we cook foods, we destroy the natural enzymes (酶) that are part of the food in its raw form. These enzymes were intended by nature to help us digest the food. When we consume food without these natural enzymes, our bodies either digest the food improperly or allow too many nutrients to be absorbed into the bloodstream. In both instances, the result is obesity. When too many nutrients are absorbed at once, the body grows fat. Improperly digested food moves slowly through the digestive tract, where it becomes increasingly acidic. To protect its vital organs from this acidic waste, the body changes the acid into fat and stores it safely away from the organs.
Processed foods contain chemical elements, which might confuse the appetite mechanism that tells us when we’ve had enough to eat; as a result, people often overeat. Processed foods also upset the digestive cycle. The body will either identify these foods as allergens and then store them safely away from the organs as fat, or the remains of undigested food will become acidic and enter the bloodstream as acid waste, which will stick to the blood vessel walls and block the passage of vital oxygen and nutrients heading for the body’s cells. The body’s metabolism (新陈代谢) becomes inactive, and the result is weight gain and obesity.
The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion increasingly inefficient. When that happens, even healthy foods can become acidic and the food allergies will become more common.
To stop this vicious（恶性的） circle in its tracks, people need to consume food and supplements that will neutralize the acid already accumulated in body. Eating the right types of raw and whole foods can help. It’s also important to restore your enzyme balance. You need to identify and avoid the foods that cause acid accumulation and consume the foods that increase enzyme production. If you truly want to change and help your body heal itself, you need to take an active approach.It can be inferred from Para. 2 that __________.
| A．it is essential for people to protect their vital organs |
| B．we’d better be cautious about raw and whole foods |
| C．foods with natural enzymes help people keep fit |
| D．giving up cooked and refined foods is a new lifestyle |
Processed foods are unhealthy because they __________.
| A．destroy body’s cells | B．may lead to obesity |
| C．are difficult to digest | D．stop body’s metabolism |
What is the main purpose of this passage?
| A．To warn people of the problem of obesity. |
| B．To tell the differences between raw and processed foods. |
| C．To inform people of the harm of processed foods. |
| D．To advocate eating more raw and whole foods. |
What is likely to be talked about following the last paragraph?
| A．Suitable types of raw and whole foods. |
| B．Different causes of acid accumulation |
| C．Correct ways to cook raw foods. |
| D．Active approaches to avoid acid. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Processed foods are good for our appetite mechanism. |
| B．Eating the right types of raw and whole foods does good to our body. |
| C．The accumulation of acid in the digestive tract makes digestion more effective. |
| D．Processed foods also comfort the digestive tract. |