The elephant was lying heavily on its side, fast asleep. A few dogs started barking at it. The elephant woke up in a terrible anger: it chased the dogs into the village where they ran for safety.That didn't stop the elephant. It destroyed a dozen houses and injured several people. The villagers were scared and angry. Then someone suggested calling Parbati, the elephant princess.
Parbati Barua's father was a hunter of tigers and an elephant tamer. He taught Parbati to ride an elephant before she could even walk. He also taught her the dangerous art of the elephant round-up -- how to catch wild elephants.
Parbati hasn't always lived in the jungle. After a happy childhood hunting with her father, she was sent to boarding school in the city. But Parbati never got used to being there and many years later she went back to her old life. "Life in the city is too dull. Catching elephants is an adventure and the excitement lasts for days after the chase," she says.
But Parbati doesn't catch elephants just for fun. "My work," she says, "is to rescue man from the elephants, and to keep the elephants safe from man." And this is exactly what Parbati has been doing for many years. Increasingly, the Indian elephant is angry: for many years, illegal hunters have attacked it and its home in the jungle has been reduced to small pieces of land. It is now fighting back. Whenever wild elephants enter a tea garden or a village, Parbati is called to guide the animals back to the jungle before they can kill.
The work of an elephant tamer also involves love and devotion. A good elephant tamer will spend hours a day singing love songs to a newly captured elephant. "Eventually they grow to love their tamers and never forget them. They are also more loyal than humans," she said, as she climbed up one of her elephants and sat on the giant, happy animal. An elephant princess indeed! For Parbati, catching elephants is mainly to .
| A．get long lasting excitement | B．keep both man and elephants safe |
| C．send them back to the jungle | D．make the angry elephants tame |
Before Parbati studied in a boarding school, .
| A．she spent her time hunting with her father |
| B．she learned how to sing love songs |
| C．she had already been called an elephant princess |
| D．she was taught how to hunt tigers |
Indian elephants are getting increasingly angry and they revenge because .
| A．they are caught and sent for heavy work |
| B．illegal hunters capture them and kill them |
| C．they are attacked and their land gets limited |
| D．dogs often bark at them and chase them |
The passage starts with an elephant story in order to explain that in India .
| A．people easily fall victim to elephants' attacks |
| B．the man-elephant relationship is getting worse |
| C．elephant tamers are in short supply |
| D．dogs are as powerful as elephants |
Which of the following is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．Both Parbati and his father are elephant tamers |
| B．Parbati spent much time living in the jungle to be an elephant tamer. |
| C．Devotion makes a great difference to an elephant tamer. |
| D．Parbati’s work is to rescue both elephants and man. |
B
The world is not coming to an end on December 21, 2012, the US space agency insisted Monday in a rare campaign to dispel widespread rumors fueled by the Internet and a new Hollywood movie．
The latest big screen offering from Sony Picture, 2012, arrives in theaters on Friday, with a 200-million-dollar production about the end of the world supposedly based on myths backed by the Mayan calendar．It is claimed that the end of time will come as a Planet X---or Nibiru---heads toward or collides with the Earth．
Some websites accuse NASA of hiding the truth on the planet’s existence, but the US space agency condemned such stories as an “Internet hoax”．“There is no factual basis for these claims,” NASA said in a question-and-anwser posting on this website．“If such a collision were real, astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye．Obviously, it does not exist．Credible scientists worldwide know of no threat associated with 2012,” it insisted．“After all, our planet has been getting along just well for more than four billion years,” added NASA．
There is another planet, Eris, floating in space．But the small planet similar to Pluto will remain safely fixed in the outer solar system and it can come no closer than four billion miles to the Earth, according to NASA．
Earlier theories set the disaster for May 2003, but when nothing happened the date was moved forward to the winter in 2012 to coincide with the end of a cycle of the ancient Mayan calendar．
NASA insisted the Mayan calendar in fact does not end on December 21, 2012, as another period begins immediately afterward．
And even if the planets were to line up as some have forecast, the effect on our planet would be “negligible（unimportant）”, NASA said．
“And while comets and asteroids （小行星） have always hit the Earth, big hits are very rare,” NASA noted．The last major impact was believed to be 65 million years ago, resulting in the end of dinosaurs．
“We have already determined that there are no threatening asteroids as large as the one that killed the dinosaurs,” the space agency said．
49．______ played a key role in the spread of the rumors．
A．A new book B．The Internet and a new Hollywood movie
C．NASAD．An Indian calendar
50．We can infer that ______．
A．people didn’t take the rumor seriously
B．Planet X --- or Nibiru does exist
C．astronomers have been tracking Planet X for over ten years
D．the rumor caused a panic among some people
51．NASA thinks that Eris ______．
A．might have a threat to the Earth B．doesn’t have any threat to the Earth
C．is too far away to be visible D．is similar to our planet, where life might exist
52．Which of the following is the best title?
A．New Hollywood movie 2012
B．December 21, 2012, Not the end of the world
C．End of the ancient Mayan calendar
D．How rumors came into being
第二部分阅读理解（共两节，满分 40分）
第一节（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列四篇短文，从每小题后所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项。并在答题卡上将该选项涂黑。
A
Fun-loving Paul Johnson earned the title of the Scarborough Evening News Teacher of the Year 2008．Mr Johnson, of Hinderwell School, was presented with the award after four of his pupils nominated（recommended） him for the prestigious title．
Evening News editor Ed Asquith presented Mr Johnson with his certificate — and a cheque for £100．His class is also set to enjoy a free trip to the Sea Life Centre which includes being picked up by a complimentary Shoreline Suncruisers open-top bus．
The 30-year-old, who lives in Hunmanby, said: “I am just so shocked．I have been nominated for this award for a few years and I never thought I would win it．It is fantastic．It is completely out of the blue．”
Mr Johnson has worked as a Year 5 teacher at the school for seven years．He also works as an advanced teacher, which involves visiting other schools in the county once a week to offer cross-curricular teaching．
He was chosen as the winner because of his dynamic but educationally engaging approach to teaching, and based on the real way he has demonstrated that every child matters．Each term he picks a theme for his class and the curriculum is based around it．This term they are studying medieval times — and his classroom has a castle in one corner．He also treated his class to a three-day trip to London earlier this year．
His nominators were Lucy and Emily Desborough, Rachel Laverick and Rebecca Miller．Classmate Callum Macdonald, 10, said: “He is the best teacher in the world and he deserves this．He is brilliant with us and he is just so funny．He tells lots of jokes which always make us laugh．” Beth Lawty, nine, added: “Our classroom is the best ever．We have really enjoyed being in his class and I will miss him next year．”
46．Paul Johnson visits other schools in the county to ______．
A．show his teaching experience B．learn from other teachers
C．improve his teaching skills D．offer a different course
47．Why is there a castle in one corner of Paul Johnson’s classroom?
A．It is used to train the students’ imagination．
B．It is a prize from the Scarborough Evening News
C．The students can play in it after class．
D．It is probably a symbol of medieval times．
48．The underlined part “out of the blue” probably means ______．
A．of surpriseB．frustrating
C．of great fame D．within easy reach
E
The earth is getting warmer．The planet is suffering．But what can you do about it? Reduce the amount of waste you generate．Use cleaner energy sources and go greener today, starting with these steps:
1．Get a reusable water bottle
Americans buy about 25 billion single-serving plastic water bottles each year．That's an average of 83 bottles per person per year．Plastic bottles take plenty of resources to produce, including fuel for transportation and petroleum to make the plastic．Even recycling bottles uses energy．
2．Eat less meat
You don't need to become a vegetarian to help save the planet．Eating meat just one day less a week can reduce your negative impact on the environment．More water, energy and land are required to produce meat than to produce grain．
3．Switch to energy-efficient light bulbs
Most households use standard incandescent （白炽的） bulbs．But compact fluorescent （荧光的） light bulbs, or CFLs, use 66 percent less energy than standard bulbs, produce just as much light, last up to 10 times longer and don't need to be replaced as often．If every household in the United States replaced just one incandescent light bulb with a CFL bulb, it would equal removing one million cars from the road．
4．Buy organic and local food
Did you know that only 1 percent of pesticides （杀虫剂） applied to crops reach the pests they target? The rest enter the environment．Organic food is grown without the use of pesticides．Organic farming can use 50 percent less energy than traditional farming methods．Buying local food saves on the fuel used to transport food grown elsewhere, thousands of miles across the country or around the world．
5．Recycle your electronics
Everyone knows the importance of recycling glass and plastic, but what about cell phones, computers, CDs and batteries? Electronics are responsible for about 40 percent of toxic （有毒的） heavy metals such as lead and mercury．Check with your city's recycling facilities to see if they take electronics．
72．The readers of this passage are called on to ______．
A．help reduce global warming B．use water in a wise way
C．donate money for charity D．keep a balanced diet
73．What is an advantage of CFLs according to the passage?
A．They use more energy but produce more light．
B．They can last longer so don't need to be replaced often．
C．They cost less than standard incandescent bulbs．
D．They are as energy-efficient as incandescent bulbs．
74．Which of the following figures is correct according to the passage?
A．Every year an American buys 63 plastic water bottles on average．
B．Eating meat one day less a week helps cut environment costs．
C．99% of the pesticides used on crops is effective in practice．
D．Electronics account for half of poisonous heavy metals on the earth．
75．Which can be the best title for this passage?
A．Why is the earth getting warmer?
B．What can we do about pollution?
C．How can you lead a greener life?
D．Who is to blame for global warming?
D
A curriculum vitae （CV） provides an overview of a person's life and qualifications．You know that you're a star but without a knock-out CV, no-one else will believe you．Here's how to impress and write yourself into a better job．
First, be concise （简洁的）．"It's not War and Peace．" says Steven Kirkpatrick, the managing director of Adecco Staffing．Recruiters （考官） who have to plough through hundreds of CVs don't enjoy flowery long articles．Use active verbs and ensure that every sentence counts．
Second, tell the truth．"The most important thing is not to lie," Kirkpatrick says．"People decorate their CV by adding things to make themselves more attractive," he says, only to embarrass themselves later．"If your first impression is a lie, it's not a great basis for moving forward．"
Then, focus on your skills．A CV is a selling tool and how you break down what you have learnt and what you can do is me most important．"It's OK to simplify job titles to make them clearer," Sharman says．"Just outline your achievements and experience to back that up, and say more about your recent roles．"
Also, personalize it．"There's nothing as bad as getting an automatically created CV from a website," Kirkpatrick says．"What they are buying is you, so sell them you．It's always nice to have personal information that makes you a human being," Sharman says．But do try to stand out from the crowd．
Finished? So you've written the perfect CV．That's the job half done．Last but not least, check out how to write the perfect covering letter．
68．For what purpose does the author write this passage?
A．To teach readers how to behave in job interviews．
B．To tell readers how to improve their writing skills．
C．To instruct readers on how to apply for a job．
D．To advise readers on how to write a CV．
69．What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 probably mean?
A．It doesn't have to be too long． B．It should be true．
C．It needs to be fun to read．D．It ought to be polite．
70．Which of the following would the author recommend?
A．Tell lies about your education and experience．
B．Focus on what work you are able to do．
C．Download sample CVs from websites．
D．Provide a nice photo of yourself．
71．How many tips are given in this passage?
A．Five． B．Four． C．Three． D．Two．
C
Sitting in a dark movie theater with your friends．and a tub of popcorn （爆米花） sounds like a perfect way to spend a Saturday night, and it could be, if you are willing to share your popcorn with the entire row of moviegoers around you．
A review of movie-theater popcorn reveals an alarming amount of fat, salt and calories in even the smallest sizes．A large tub of popcorn at Regal Cinemas, for example, holds 20 cups of popcorn and has 1,200 calories, 980 milligrams of sodium （钠） and 60 grams of saturated （饱和的） fat．Adding just a tablespoon of butter adds 130 calories．And do not forget that it comes with free refills．
Not so hungry? The medium size popcorn, even the small, at 11 cups, delivers 670 calories, 550 milligrams of sodium and 24 grams of saturated fat．The findings may surprise those who believe it is a relatively healthy snack．In fact, plain air-popped popcorn is low in calories and free of saturated fat．Movie theater popcorn, however, is popped in oil, often coconut oil, which is 90 percent saturated fat．Add salt to it, and your once-healthy snack turns into a health offender．
One way to make your popcorn healthier? Ask the theater to pop the corn without salt．The best way to make your movie snack healthier, however, would be to skip the popcorn．
"You could share a tub of popcorn with 10 friends," Dr．Nestle, a professor of nutrition at New York University, said．"Or, what a concept, watch the movie without eating anything．"
64．The review finds that movie theatre popcorn may contain all the following EXCEPT ______．
A．butter B．sodium C．saturated fat D．pepper
65．What does the author think of popcorn prepared in coconut oil?
A．It is a healthy snack．B．It does harm to our health．
C．It looks like a perfect choice． D．It is very nutritious．
66．Which kind of popcorn causes the least health concern?
A．Movie theatre popcorn． B．Popcorn sold at Regal Cinemas．
C．Large size popcorn． D．Plain air-popped popcorn．
67．What is Dr．Nestle's suggestion to moviegoers?
A．Avoid eating popcorn． B．Share popcorn with friends．
C．Not eating anything in the movie theatre． D．Try eating other kind of food．