How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?
In the southwest African country of Namibia, and the Sahara lands of Mali further north, the desert elephant does just that.
Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant, the desert cousin differs in many ways. Their bodies are smaller, to absorb less heat, and their feet are larger foreasier walking across sandy surfaces, they are taller, to reach higher branches. They have shorter tusks(象牙), and most importantly, longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.
Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and waterholes, and have a larger group of families. They drink only every 3 –4 days, and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat, which is only used when badly needed. Desert elephants are careful feeders – they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches, and thus maintain what little food sources are available. Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便)of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.
During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly. Desert elephants have sand baths, sometimes adding their own urine(尿液)to make them muddy!
As we continue to overheat our weak planet, it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “ ”.
A.remains in the African countries | B.drinks 120 liters of water a day |
C.manages to live in desert areas | D.eats 150 kilograms of food daily |
Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they _________.
A.rarely ruin trees | B.drink only every 3-4 days |
C.search for food in large groups | D.protect food sources for their young |
The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with __________.
A.stories and explanation | B.facts and descriptions |
C.examples and conclusion | D.ev![]() |
What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?
A.Overheating the earth can be stopped. |
B.Not all animal species are so adaptable. |
C.The planet will become hotter and hotter. |
D.Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants. |
D
Language learning begins with listening. Individual children vary greatly in the amount of listening they do before they start speaking, and late starters are often long listeners. Most children will "obey" spoken instructions some time before they can speak, though the word obey is hardly accurate as a description of the eager and delighted cooperation usually shown by the child. Before they can speak, many children will also ask questions by gesture and by making questioning noises.
Any attempt to trace the development from the noises babies make to their first spoken words leads to considerable difficulties. It is agreed that they enjoy making noises, and that during the first few months one or two noises sort themselves out as particularly indicative of delight, distress, sociability, and so on. But since these cannot be said to show the baby's intention to communicate, they can hardly be regarded as early forms of language. It is agreed, too, that from about three months they play with sounds for enjoyment, and that by six months they are able to add new sounds to their repertoire (能发出的全部声音). This self-imitation leads on to deliberate (有意识的) imitation of sounds made or words spoken to them by other people. The problem then arises as to the point at which one can say that these imitations can be considered as speech.
1. By "... challenges explanation" Line 2, Para.1. the author means that ______.
A. no explanation is necessary for such an obvious phenomenon
B. no explanation has been made up to now
C. it's no easy job to provide an adequate explanation
D. it's high time that an explanation was provided
2. The third paragraph is mainly about _____.
A. the development of babies' early forms of language
B. the difficulties of babies in learning to speak
C. babies' strong desire to communicate
D. babies' intention to communicate
3. The author's purpose in writing the second paragraph is to show that children _______.
A. usually obey without asking questions
B. are passive in the process of learning to speak
C. are born cooperative D. learn to speak by listening
4. From the passage we learn that ______.
A. early starters can learn to speak within only six months
B. children show a strong desire to communicate by making noises
C. imitation plays an important role in learning to speak
D. children have various difficulties in learning to speak
5. The best title for this passage would be ______.
A. How Babies Learn to Speak B. Early Forms of Language
C. A Huge Task for Children D. Noise Making and language Learning
C
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You Can Have the Best of Both Worlds
in Investment Portfolio Fund!
To reduce the risk of exposing your money to the ups and downs of direct investment into shares,your money will be spread across a wide range of investments from all over the world with the aim of achieving steady long term growth.This has always been the aim of our long established and highly successful Investment Portfolio Fund,made up of a balanced selection of different investments as explained by the chart below.
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To manage these investments,we rely on no less than five leading fund managers with proven expert skill as specialist in their chosen investment fields. With their different approaches to investment, these five fund managers have been specially selected by Marks and Spencer Financial Services as we believe they will exchange their opinion with each other perfectly in meeting our overall aim for the fund of consistent growth. This balanced management approach, not only gives the potential to achieve better results than market averages in individual industry but also allows quick reactions to protect your interests in the event of market downturns.
So who are the fund managers selected to look after your Investment Portfolio Investment and what exactly will they be doing on your behalf?
BARCLAYS GLOBAL INVESTORS LTD
BGI have been chosen to track the FTSE A1l Share Index (指数).For this,they have put together a portfolio of shares which closely resembles the UK equity market as a whole.
BAILLE GIFFORD
EBG will be looking for companies that can offer excellent growth chances.
GMO WOOLLEY LTD
Their expert skill is in finding companies which they believe are valued at less than they are worth.In this,they have developed advanced research methods to identify under-valued companies.
CLAY FlNLAY
By looking at global political and economic trends as well as individual companies,Clay Finlay can identify international market opportunities and especially select companies with strong growth chances.
ROTHSCHILD ASSET MANAGEMENT
Rothschild aims to add stability and income to the Fund by investing in government bonds(公债)and other fixed interest securities.
And with Marks&Spencer Financial Services, you'll also have the reassurance that your interests will be looked after by a name you know you can really trust for quality,honesty and value every step of the way.
It all adds up to a tremendous opportunity for savers looking for a lower risk way to make more of their money with the extra boost to their profit potential of saving tax free through an ISA,so what are you waiting for?
1.The text is most likely to be found in.
A.a scientific research report B.a travel magazine
C.a weekly newspaper D.a geography textbook
2.Who will be most interested in reading the advertisement?
A.Accountants. B.Students.
C.Investors. D.Professors.
3.What is the function of Investment Portfolio Fund?
A.Exposing your money to the ups and downs of the direct investment into shares.
B.Helping lower risk with the potential for higher returns.
C.Hiring no less than five leading fund managers.
D.Giving a detailed description of balanced management requirement.
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
A.The five fund managers with different approaches to investment can cooperate with each other perfectly.
B.Marks&Spencer Financial Services reassure the investors that their interests will be well 1ooked after.
C.Clay Finlay can identify international market opportunities and especially select companies with strong growth chances.
D.Gmo Woolley will be looking for companies that can offer excellent growth chances.
B
Part Ⅰ starts with a brief introductory chapter and then takes up Style and Organization, covering them in that order because skill or lack of skill in style affects all writing, while much technical writing is so short as to offer no problems of organization. These chapters are followed by one on Mechanics, covering matters of form that are peculiar(独有) to technical writing or else crop up in it with abnormal frequency.
The chapter on Special Problems, which follows, performs a double function. It provides writing assignments that may be used while the study of style, organization, and mechanics is still under way, and it explains ways of handling certain problems that may arise during the writing of reports, proposals, and other longer forms. We have also expanded the treatment of technical articles — recognizing the potential contribution of article writing to the career of the writer and the value of the article to science and technology.
In Part Ⅱ, a change of emphasis at one point is reflected in the new title for Chapter 8, Nonformal Reports — Their Variation in Form and Purpose, which was formerly called Special Types of Reports. Though certain special types of reports are still discussed, additional emphasis is given to the fact that there does not exist any universally accepted set of types, under which all reports can be classified.
Two other extensive changes have been made in Part Ⅱ: The chapter on Proposals, which first appeared in the second edition, has been rewritten and substantially expanded so as to cover that important subject more thoroughly. Also, an entirely new chapter, Oral Presentation of Technical Information, has been added. Though a study of this chapter is no substitute for training in public speaking, we believe that its recommendations can nevertheless be of substantial assistance to those who use this book on the numerous occasions when they will be called upon to present their ideas in person before a small group or a large audience.
1.The passage is most probably a preface to ____.
A. a technical writing handbook B. a handbook on composition
C. a book on a literary writing D. a scientific paper
2. In Part I, the writer arranges the chapters in the order of ____.
A. Introduction—Organization—Special Problems—Style—Nonformal Reports
B. Introduction—Style—Organization—Special Types of Reports—Mechanics
C. Introduction—Style—Organization—Mechanics—Special Problems
D. Introduction—Style—Proposals—Special Problems—Mechanics
3.You can find some writing exercises in ____.
A. the chapter on Organization B. the chapter on Style
C. the chapter on Special Problems D. the chapter on Proposals
4. According to the passage, the chapter on Oral Presentation of Technical Information appears in ____ of the book.
A. Part Ⅰ of the first edition
B. Part Ⅱ of the second edition
C. Part Ⅰ of the second edition
D. Part Ⅱ of the third edition
5. Which of the following is not true of Part Ⅱ of the new edition?
A. There isn’t the chapter on Special Types of Reports.
B. The chapter on Oral Presentation of Technical Information is rewritten and expanded.
C. The chapter on Proposals is a revised chapter.
D. There is a change of the title of Chapter 8.
第三部分:阅读理解
请认真阅读下面短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项.
A
In the debates about how a particular piece of land is to be used, the priorities often conflict. What should you do, for example, if you find out that under the fertile fields of a farming community there is a thick bed of coal which can be strip mined(露天矿) ? Strip mining tears up top soil and plants. But mining may create jobs, bring money to the towns businesses. Those who approve of strip mining say that the coal is needed, and they point out that it is quicker and cheaper to get coal from the surface than to go deep into the earth to get it by standard mining techniques. On the other hand, it takes nature 500 years to create an inch of top soil. As the countryside fills up, people are becoming more aware of the need for open space. Nearly every proposal for a new power plant, highway, or airport draws fierce opposition. Everyone wants the big, land-eating “uglies” to be in someone else’s backyard. Minneapolis and St.Paul, Minnesota, for example, have been debating about the site of a future airport for years. Yet if a new airport is needed, it will have to go somewhere.
How do we find our way out of the land-used problem? One way might be to reexamine our values, to think in new directions. Does everyone have to have a car with its need for highways and parking lots? What about developing mass transport systems that use less land? Do suburbs have to spread? Can they be designed so they use less space? Do we have to have more energy? If we do, do we really have to strip-mine coal to provide it?
However difficult they may be to arrive at, choices will have to be made if we want to preserve the beauty and usefulness of the land. For there is at least one point on which all of us can agree: The land does have its limits.
1. The word “priorities” in the sentence means ____.
A. the various needsB. the most important goal
C. the number one necessity D. the first thing to be considered
2. “…, people are becoming more aware of the need for open space. ” tells us that ____.
A. people are thinking to develop their living space into the sky
B. people noticed the need for unoccupied land
C. people are struggling to get more land from the space
D. people are becoming more active on the space issue
3. How do we find our way out of the land use problems?
A. One way might be to reexamine our values, to think in new directions.
B. Everyone has to have a car with its need for highways and parking lots.
C. We have to have more energy. We need strip-mine coal to provide it.
D. We may develop mass transit systems which use less land.
4. “Everyone wants the big, land-eating ‘uglies’ to be in someone else s backyard.” shows that .
A. people don t want more big projects
B. people don t want to live in the neighborhood of the big projects
C. people regard the large construction projects are “uglies ”
D. people don t like the undesirable building projects
5. The main idea of this article is ____.
A. The Limits of Land B. Land
C. Land and Our Life Styles D. Land and Space
第五部分书面表达 (满分25分)
随着“开心农场”“QQ农场”等娱乐游戏风靡互联网,许多中学生也加入了偷菜的行列。请你根据下表的内容,用英语写一篇短文,并谈谈你个人的看法。
现象 |
1. 沉迷其中,乐此不疲;2. 身在课堂,心在农场; 3. 作业拖拉,成绩下降。 |
原因 |
1. 寻找农耕的乐趣; 2. 释放学习的压力;3. 拉近朋友的距离。 |
你的看法 |
……(至少两点) |
注意:1. 不要逐字翻译表格提示内容,应适当发挥。2. 开头已给出,不算入总词数。
3. 词数:150左右。
Nowadays, QQ Farm and Happy Farm are very popular among people from all walks of
life. A large number of middle school students are also involved in the game.
__________________________________________________________________________