My family and I lived across the street from Southway Park since I was four years old. Then just last year the city put a chain link fence around the park and started bulldozing(用推土机推平)the trees and grass to make way for a new apartment complex. When I saw the fence and bulldozers, I asked myself，“Why don’t they just leave it alone？”
Looking back, I think what sentenced the park to oblivion(被遗忘)was the drought(旱灾)we had about four years ago. Up until then, Southway Park was a nice green park with plenty of trees and a public swimming pool. My friends and I rollerskated on the sidewalks, climbed the trees, and swam in the pool all the years I was growing up. The park was almost like my own yard. Then the summer I was fifteen the drought came and things changed.
There had been almost no rain at all that year. The city stopped watering the park grass. Within a few weeks I found myself living across the street from a huge brown desert. Leaves fell off the park trees, and pretty soon the trees started dying, too. Next, the park swimming pool was closed. The city cut down on the work force that kept the park, and pretty soon it just got too ugly and dirty to enjoy anymore.
As the drought lasted into the fall, the park got worse every month. The rubbish piled up or blew across the brown grass. Soon the only people in the park were beggars and other people down on their luck. People said drugs were being sold or traded there now. The park had gotten scary, and my mother told us kids not to go there anymore.
The drought finally ended and things seemed to get back to normal, that is, everything but the park. It had gotten into such bad shape that the city just let it stay that way. Then about six months ago I heard that the city was going to“redevelop”certain wornout areas of the city. It turned out that the city had planned to get rid of the park, sell the land and let someone build rows of apartment buildings on it.
The chainlink fencing and the bulldozers did their work. Now we live across the street from six rows of apartment buildings. Each of them is three units high and stretches a block in each direction. The neighborhood has changed without the park. The streets I used to play in are jammed with cars now. Things will never be the same again. Sometimes_I_wonder,_though,_what_changes_another_drought_would_make_in_the_way_things_are_today.How did the writer feel when he saw the fence and bulldozers?
| A．Scared. | B．Confused. |
| C．upset. | D．Curious. |
Why was the writer told not to go to the park by his mother?
| A．It was being rebuilt. |
| B．It was dangerous. |
| C．It became crowded. |
| D．It had turned into a desert. |
According to the writer, what eventually brought about the disappearance of the park?
| A．The drought. |
| B．The crime. |
| C．The beggars and the rubbish. |
| D．The decisions of the city. |
The last sentence of the passage implies that if another drought came，________.
| A．the situation would be much worse |
| B．people would have to desert their homes |
| C．the city would be fully prepared in advance |
| D．the city would have to redevelop the neighborhood |
The human body is a living machine , and , like all machines , it needs “fuel” (燃料) to supply it with energy . This is provided by the food we eat . But how much do we need to stay healthy ?
The energy value of food is usually measured in calories . A calorie is the amount of heat required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1℃. The number of calories people need per day is different , as the pictures show . Also , the number of calories you use at any one moment normally depends on the activity you are in . For example , you need more calories for standing than for sitting , more for running than for walking , and so on .
The energy in food is in the form of three kinds of chemical materials-carbohydrate （碳水化合物）, protein（蛋白质）and fat . Carbohydrate provides 3.8 Cal/gm , protein4.0 Cal/gm , and fat 8.8 Cal/gm . Each food contains different amount of these materials , as the round pictures show .
|
The Diet Zone: A Dangerous Place
Diet Coke, diet Pepsi, diet pills, no-fat diet, vegetable diet… We are surrounded by the word “diet” everywhere we look and listen. We have so easily been attracted by the promise and potential of diet products that we have stopped thinking about what diet products are doing to us. We are paying for products that harm us psychologically and physically（身体上）.
Diet products significantly weaken us psychologically. On one level, we are not allowing our brain to admit that our weight problems lie not in actually losing the weight, but in controlling the consumption of fatty, high-calorie, unhealthy foods. Diet products allow us to jump over the thinking stage and go straight for the scale（秤）instead. All we have to do is to swallow or recognize the word “diet” in food labels.
On another level, diet products have greater psychological effects. Every time we have a zero-calorie drink, we are telling ourselves without our awareness that we don’t have to work to get results. Diet products make people believe that gain comes without pain, and that life can be without resistance and struggle.
The danger of diet products lies not only in the psychological effects they have on us, but also in the physical harm that they cause. Diet foods can indirectly harm our bodies because consuming them instead of healthy foods means we are preventing our bodies from having basic nutrients(营养成分). Diet foods and diet pills contain zero calorie only because the diet industry has created chemicals to produce these wonder products. Diet products may not be nutritional, and the chemical that go into diet products are potentially dangerous.
Now that we are aware of the effects that diet products have on us, it is time to seriously think about buying them. Losing weight lies in the power of minds, not in the power of chemicals. Once we realize this, we will be much better able to resist diet products, and therefore prevent the psychological harm that comes from using them.
56. From Paragraph 1, we learn that ________.
A. diet products fail to bring out people’s potential
B. people have difficulty in choosing diet products
C. diet products are misleading people
D. people are fed up with diet products
57. One psychological effect of diet products is that people tend to _____.
A. try out a variety of diet foods B. hesitate before they enjoy diet foods
C. pay attention to their own eating habits D. watch their weight rather than their diet
58. In Paragraph 3, “gain comes without pain” probably means ______.
A. losing weight is effortless B. it costs a lot to lose weight
C. diet products bring no pain D. diet products are free from calories
59. Diet products indirectly harm people physically because such products ______.
A. are over-consumedB. lack basic nutrients
C. are short of chemicals D. provide too much energy
60. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?
(E)CDABB
Visitors worry that London is an expensive city but there really are so many things to do for
free in London from museums and galleries to free music and walking tours.
Art Galleries
Tate Modern and Tate Britain are exceptional national art galleries housing some of the finest artworks in the world. Tate Modern focuses on contemporary art while Tate Britain displays British Art from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Museums
All of London's major museums are free, but most offer some special exhibitions for a fee. My favorite is the Museum of London where you can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. Other great major museums are the British Museum, the V&A, the Science Museum, and the Natural History Museum. Oh, and I love the Geffrye Museum. And the Horniman Museum. Now I can't decide which is the best!
Many of London's major art galleries and museums are open in the evening and often have special evening events. This can be a great way to relax at the end of a busy day seeing the sights. The main London galleries and museums are air-conditioned so it can be a wonderful way to cool down in the height of summer in the city. Galleries and museums are not open late every night so here is a handy list to help you plan your days and evenings.
Royal Parks
Many people say the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens in Regent's Park is their favorite spot in London, and who am I to argue? I would also recommend St. James's Park as it offers one of the best views of Buckingham Palace. Hyde Park is enormous and includes the ever popular Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan Statue.
There are often free talks and guided walks in the royal parks so do check the What's On section of the Royal Parks website.
Changing of the Guard
No visit to London is complete without seeing this military tradition. The Queen's Guard in London changes in the Forecourt inside the gates of Buckingham Palace at 11:30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. Get there early and view the spectacle from outside the front gates.
53. The passage is intended to _________.
A. recommend some free scenic spots to tourists
B. help visitors save money while visiting Ireland
C. advise travelers how to choose art articles D. tell readers London’s wonderful history
54. If you visit some museums in London in the evening, you ________.
A. can see all the artworks free of charge B. have to endure the heat of the summer
C. need to pay admission for general exhibition
D. may have a chance to enjoy some special events
55. In order to watch Changing of the Guard in summer, visitors have to _________.
A. gain access to the front gates after 11:30 a.m.
B. pay a sum of money to enter the Royal Parks
C. arrive at Buckingham Palace before 11:30 a.m.
D. come through the gates of Buchingham Palace
Christmas bird – watching is popular in the U.S.A. When the holiday season comes, some Americans are likely to watch and count birds in the sky with great interest every day. This activity began in the early part of the last century. It has a one-hundred-year history. At that time, there was a so-called “holiday hunting” custom. In order to celebrate the holiday, the hunters went out to kill birds and beasts. By 1900, there were 27 bird lovers who decided to count birds instead of killing birds. Since then, Christmas bird-watching was held every year. It has been continued to the present.
There were 42000 people who took part in the bird-watching last Christmas, from December 16 the year before to January 3 next year. They were in the United States and Canada, central America, south America and the Caribbean, watching and counting birds in the sky. The whole viewing area was divided into 1600 points. Each birdwatcher was responsible for 25 meters, and was required to write down the types and quantities of birds within 24 hours.
A birdwatcher described what he had watched vividly in his diary—“ When I looked up, I saw a beautiful ‘landscape’ in the sky: Red-crowned cranes(丹顶鹤) were driving up in cunning wedges that split the air. They were so neatly arranged, coordinating their movements. I was excited and breathtaking. Interestingly, the “human” shape(人字行) always maintains 110° ” .
“Why do red-crowned cranes choose to use ‘human’ shape when flying in formation?” He continued, “In my opinion, there are four reasons: first, the ‘human’ shape can make red-crowned cranes use increasing air which is produced by each other’s wings when they are swinging in the sky. It can increase the glide time and save physical ability. Second, the ‘human’ shape will enhance communication among the birds. The orders and the relevant information issued by the lead bird can be conveyed to each member in this migratory group unimpeded, accurately, rapidly and conveniently. Third, such a formation will help to find the birds left behind because of feeling run down as fast as possible, so that the young, the weak, the sick birds can get everyone’s help and encouragement. Finally, the ‘human’ shape shows not only beauty but also unity. It can give enemies a deterrent.They will be terrified and did not dare to attack the birds.The migration security of the birds will be ensured.”
Environmental experts admired and evaluated Christmas bird-watching highly. They pointed out that it made perfect sense. On the one hand it could enhance the human awareness of environmental protection. On the other hand it could provide first-hand information on birds.
49．When did Christmas bird – watching begin?
A．Sometime during Christmas holiday. B．At the beginning of 20th century.
C．In the early 19 th century. D．Since there was Christmas Day
50．What do bird – watchers do when they are bird – watching?
A．They kill birds and beasts. B．They watch birds and beasts.
C．They watch and count birds. D．They look at the sky and write diaries.
51．The following are all reasons for red – crowned cranes flying in “human” shape except .
A．they can help each other and ensure their safety
B．they can communicate with each other in order to reduce tiredness.
C．they can make use of the air produced by each other’s wings.
D．they can look stronger in case they come across enemies
52．This passage consists of five paragraphs. Please arrange the five main ideas of the paragraphs in order of their appearance in the passage.
a. How the bird – watchers divided their watching task and what was done.
b. How Christmas bird – watching came into being.
c. Christmas bird – watching is of great importance environmentally and scientifically.
d. A Christmas bird – watcher watched and was amazed by red – crowned cranes.
e. Red – crowned cranes fly in “human” formation for quite good reasons.
A．a – b – c – d – e B．b – c – e – d – a C．b- a – d – e – c D．b – d – e – a – c
That little “a” with a circle curling around it that is found in E – mail addresses is most commonly referred to as the “at” symbol.
Surprisingly though, there is no official, universal name for this sign. There are dozens of strange terms to describe the "@" symbol.
Before it became the standard symbol for electronic mail, the "@" symbol was used to represent the cost of something or how heavy something is. For instance, if you purchased 6 apples, you might write it as 6 apples "@" $1.10 each.
With the introduction of e-mail came the popularity of the "@" symbol. The "@" symbol or the "at sign" separates a person's online user name from his mail server(服务器) address. For instance, joe@uselessknowledge.com. Its widespread use on the Internet made it necessary to put this symbol on keyboards in other countries that have never seen or used the symbol before. As a result, there is really no official name for this symbol.
The actual origin of the symbol remains a mystery. History tells us that the @ symbol came from the tired hands of the Middle Ages. During the Middle Ages before the invention of printing machines, every letter of a word had to be copied with great efforts by hand for each copy of a published book. The monks that performed these long, boring copying duties looked for ways to reduce the number of individual strokes (笔画) per word for common words. Although the word “at” is quite short to begin with, it was a common enough word in text and documents so that those monks thought it would be quicker and easier to shorten the word “at” even more. As a result, the monks changed the shape of “t” into a circle to surround “a”, thus leaving out two strokes in the spelling “t”.
45．Which of the following is the best title of the passage?
A．How “at” developed into @. B．How @ came into being.
C．How monks invented @. D．How people wrote the cost of something.
46．Who knows the origin of @?
A．Nobody B．Monks C．Apple buyers D．Internet users
47．Which is NOT the reason for the monks to spell “at” as @?
A．Though “at” is short, it was used very often.
B．The monks wanted to be quicker and easier with their copying.
C．The monks wanted to invent a new word.
D．Copying work was long and boring for them.
48．According to the paragraph , which is TRUE about the symbol of @ today?
A．When you are online, you must use the @ symbol.
B．Kittly 163.com@is an email address.
C．In countries where @ is used, governments have given it an official name.
D．It is likely to find the @ symbol on computer keyboards worldwide.
