Honey from the African forest is not only a kind of natural sugar, it is also delicious. Most people and many animals like eating it. However, the only way for them to get that honey is to find a wild bees' nest and take the honey from it. Often, these nests are high up in trees, and it is difficult to find them. In parts of Africa, though, people and animals looking for honey have a strange and unexpected helper - a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax in the beehives (蜂房). The little bird cannot reach this wax, which is deep inside the bees' nest. So, when it finds a suitable nest, it looks for someone to help it. The honey guide gives a loud cry that attracts the attention of both passing animals and people. Once it has their attention, it flies through the forest, waiting from time to time for the curious animal or person as it leads them to the nest. When they finally arrive at the nest, the follower reaches in to get at the delicious honey as the bird patiently waits and watches. Some of the honey and the wax always falls to the ground, and this is when the honey guide takes its share.
Scientists do not know why the honey guide likes eating the wax, but it is very determined(坚定的) in its efforts to get it. The birds seem to be able to smell wax from a long distance away. They will quickly arrive whenever a beekeeper is taking honey from his beehives, and will even enter churches when beeswax candles are being lit.Why is it difficult to find a wild bees' nest?
A.It's small in size. | B.It's hidden in trees. |
C.It's covered with wax. | D.It's hard to recognize. |
What do the words "the follower" in Paragraph 2 refer to?
A.A bee. | B.A bird. | C.A honey seeker. | D.A beekeeper. |
The honey guide is special in the way .
A.it gets its food | B.it goes to church |
C.it sings in the forest | D.it reaches into bees' nests |
What can be the best title for the text?
A.Wild Bees | B.Wax and Honey |
C.Beekeeping in Africa | D.Honey-Lover's Helper |
第三部分:阅读理解(共20小题,每题2分,满分40分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中,选出最佳选项。
It was one of the happiest times of my life. I was 29 and had just received my bachelor’s degree, graduating with honors despite working two jobs and being a wife and mother. My parents and five - year - old son were in the audience when I walked onto the stage at Ashland University to get my diploma. I was so excited and proud to be starting a teaching career and contributing more to my family’s well - being.
But when I got home that evening, there was a note from my husband written on the back of an envelope. It basically said he’d come to get his clothes and wouldn't be back. We’d been having trouble, but the finality of that note still came as a shock. He had emptied our bank account. We were horribly in debt. I had quit my previous jobs in expectation of interviewing for a teaching position. I was embarrassed, scared, and angry and felt I had failed.
But I had my son, and I was about to bring a new life into the world, so despite my deep sadness, I had to go on. The next morning, I woke up, put my feet on the floor, took a deep breath, fixed breakfast, and basically did everything I always did. I used my routine to keep me moving. One small step after one small step was the way I bounced back.
And in the seven years since, I've continued moving forward. I got a job as a kindergarten teacher, earned a master' s degree in education. I certainly would never have chosen to put them through this, but I'm glad it happened to me when looking back. It helped me find my voice and myself a lot sooner. It helped me grow independent, confident, and strong—things I' m hopefully developing gradually now in my child.
1.It was one of the author's happiest times because ____.
A.she became a good wife and got two jobs
B.she had just received her bachelor's degree
C.she had been a teacher at Ashland University
D.she was proud to be loved by her family
2.From the second paragraph we can learn the author ____.
A.had run out of her money and was in debt
B.had interviewed for a teaching position
C.had a bad relationship with her husband
D.had got a paper of ending her marriage
3.The author did everything as usual because ____.
A.she wanted to use her routine to move forward
B.she wanted to get a good job as a teacher
C.she felt she had failed and was very sad
D.she had to support her mother and child
4.What does the author think of the failure she faced?
A.It was possible to live without failing at something.
B.It made her become embarrassed, scared, and angry .
C.It made her give up hope and didn't bounce back.
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D.It had a positive and beneficial influence on her.
5.The passage mainly wants to teach us ____.Archaeologists believe they are on the turning point of throwing light on the life of William Shakespeare — by excavating (发掘) what may have been the playwright’s dust hole.
Experts have begun excavating the ruins of New Place, Shakespeare’s former home in Stratford-upon-Avon, which was destroyed 250 years ago.Although little r
emains of the property, the team, led by Birmingham Archaeology, believes it has identified a dust hole used by the 16th century poet.
Small pieces of pottery (陶瓷) and broken clay pipe have already been found from a muddy hole on the site, which they claim could yield some of the most significant discoveries about Shakespeare in decades.The dig focuses on three areas of the property, which Shakespeare bought in 1597 when he returned to his home town from London having achieved fame — including the so-called knot garden at the back of the building.
Dr Diana Owen, Director of the Shakespeare Birthplace Trust, which owns the site, said, “We do not know if the knot garden was an area used by Shakespeare — it may have been a yard simply used by his servants.But this could actually yield some fantastic results, especially if it was an area where rubbish was thrown or the dust hole was located.”
Kevin Colls, from Birmingham Archaeology, added, “Through documentary evidence we know Shakespeare lived at New Place but we have very little information regarding the layout (布局) of the house and gardens at this time.Through archaeological fieldwork, in particular the dig of structural remains and the recovery of artefacts, we hope to fill in the blanks.”
Until October, visitors will be able to watch archaeologists and volunteers at work as they excavate the remains of the house, which was knocked down in 1759.Experts hope to unearth evidence to support theories that Shakespeare wrote many of his most famous works at the property.
1.This excavation intends to ______.
A.know something about the playwright’s dust hole
B.search for some treasure in the dust hole
C.explore the life of William Shakespeare
D.find something that Shakespeare lost
2.New Place was destroyed in the ______ century.
A.15th B.16th C.17th D.18th
3.Small pieces of pottery and broken clay pipe on the site ______.
A.could show Shakespeare’s luxurious life
B.could lead to important discoveries about Shakespeare
C.could show us that Shakespeare lived at New Place
D.could prove when New Place was knocked down
4.The underlined phrase “the blanks” in Paragraph 5 refers to ______.
A.the ruins of New Place
B.the smallest pieces of broken pottery
C.three areas of the property
D.the layout of the house and gardens of New Place
5.What can we learn from the text?
A.Shakespeare used to live at New Place.
B.Shakespeare became famous after 1597.
C.Only his servants used the knot garden.
D.Dr Diana Owen owns Shakespeare’s property.
Women might have a higher position at work, but at home their careers tend to give way to their husband’s job, with women most likely to quit when both are working long hours, according to a U.S.study.
Researcher Youngjoo Cha, from Cornell University, found that working women with a husband who worked 50 hours or more a week found themselves still doing most of the housework and the care giving and were more likely to end up quitting their jobs.
An analysis of 8,484 professional workers and 17,648 nonprofessionals from dual-earner (双职工) families showed that if women had a husband who worked 60 hours or more per week it increased the woman’s possibility of quitting her paid job by 42 percent.Cha said the possibility of quitting increased to 51 percent for professional women whose husbands work 60 hours or more per week, and for professional mothers the possibility they would quit their jobs jumped 112 percent.
However, it did not significantly affect a man’s possibility of quitting his job if his wife worked 60 hours or more per week, according to the study published in the American Sociological Review in April.For professional men, both parents and non-parents, the effects of a wife working long hours were negligible, according to the study.
“As long work-hours introduce conflict between work and family into many dual-earner families, couples often solve conflict in ways that prioritize husbands’ careers,” Cha, who used data from the U.S.Census Bureau, said in a statement.“This effect is magnified (突出) among workers in professional and managing occupations, where the criterion of overwork and the culture of looking after children tend to be strongest.The findings suggest that the popularity of overwork may lead many dual-earner couples to return to a traditional family pattern — breadwinning men and homemaking women.”
1.According to the text, we know that ______.
A.men prefer work long hours B.women prefer to work outside
C.men’s careers are unimportant D.women are more likely to quit jobs
2.The underlined word “negligible” in Paragraph 4 most probably means ______.
A.unimportant B.limited C.different D.obvious
3.Which statement is true according to the text?
A.When there’s conflict between work and family, a husband will give up his work.
B.Women may still do most of the housework and care for babies or children.
C.Professional women are more likely to quit the job than professional mothers.
D.A man’s chance of quitting jobs was influenced if his wife works long hours.
4.We can infer from the last sentence that ______.
A.all the workers pay more attention to looking after children
B.overwork may have no influence on dual-earner couples
C.traditionally, men usually worked to support the family
D.most dual-earner couples will return to a traditional family pattern
5.In which column of China Daily can you find this passage?
A.Health B.Life C.Sport D.Entertainment
①It’s “laughably absurd” on one blog and a “magical revolution” on another.Bloggers are talking about the same device—the Apple iPad, which hit store shelves last week.
②Tech-heads hate the iPad because it has many functions—you can e-mail, browse the Web, read books—but it has no specialty.There are other devices on the market that do all its functions faster, cheaper and more efficiently.Get a Blackberry to scan e-mails or any old laptop to access the Internet.
③This first version of the iPad lacks many basic features.Tech-heads dislike the device not because of what it offers, but because of what it doesn’t offer.It doesn’t have Flash, and it doesn’t have a camera.It can’t access many of the world’s mobile applications, and it has a very restricted apple store.Based on purely technological grounds, the iPad is said to lack more than it gives.
④But if you are not a crazy tech-head, and you love the iPod and iPhone, “this device is for you,” said Steve Jobs, Apple’s CEO.The iPad will take online activities truly mobile.It will allow you to read the news in bed, check a recipe in a busy kitchen or view a large-scale Google map.
⑤Perhaps most important to the masses, it is a traditional computer without trouble.There are wireless, but it’s totally mobile.You press a button and it comes on in seconds.To add a program, you just download it from the Internet.Since almost everyone uses a computer in the office or at school, the need for the traditional desktop model at home is disappearing.Slate Magazine’s Farhad Manjoo calls the iPad the perfect alternative to the home computer system.
⑥But no matter how you feel about the iPad, as a tech-head or an everyman, there’s no arguing with its appeal.Love it or hate it, the iPad sold over 600,000 units on its opening weekend, surpassing the iPhone’s record sales in 2007.
1.What can be the best title for the text?
A.Loving and hating the iPad B.An exciting invention
C.A home computer substitute D.The iPad—a wise choice
2.According to the text, which of the following is Not true of the iPad?
A.It can access the Internet. B.It is wireless but portable.
C.It can play any online video. D.It can help you scan e-mail.
3.Which of the following best shows the structure of the text?
4.Farhad Manjoo’s attitude towards the iPad might be that of ______.
A.doubt B.unconcern C.sympathy D.support
5.Tech-heads dislike the iPad because of ______.
A.its after-sale services B.its high price
C.its function shortages D.its slow speed
第三部分阅读理解(共20小题;每小题2分, 满分40分)
阅读下列短文, 从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中, 选出最佳选项, 并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Making greener choices and encouraging healthy lifestyles can promote your health and benefit the environment.Here are some guidelines to follow:
Choose foods thoughtfully
Americans have never had such a variety or abundance of food to choose from.Besides so many choices, we now hear about our “food print”, the amount of land needed to supply one person’s nutritional needs for a year.Do we buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico or tomatoes grown locally in a hothouse? Do we get the Granny Smiths from the farmers’ market or the supermarket? Is organic produce healthier for us and the planet?
These are very complex issues that require analysis of many criteria, including the energy used in producing and transporting the food, as well as the type of soil and methods of raising the food.
Despite the complexities, there are some general guidelines you can follow.For instance, eat less meat or eat low on the food chain.Your doctor may have recommended you to restrict your consumption of red meat because of its too much fat content.Beyond that, there are environmental reasons, too.Raising food animals contributes substantially to climate change because a meat-based diet requires more land, energy and water than a plant-based one.
Drinking plenty of fluids is significant during hot weather or when exercising.But is bottled water the way to go? You may not think so when seeing the true costs.Based on a survey, manufacturing the 30-plus billion plastic water bottles can produce more than 2.5 million tons of carbon dioxide and use three times the amount of water in the bottle.Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil equivalent (等价物).Consequently, skip the bottled water and drink tap water, both at home and at restaurants.Additionally, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap.
1.In Paragraph 2 the author puts forward three questions mainly ______.
A.to prove Americans have less food to choose from
B.to show us the shopping habits of most Americans
C.to indicate Americans tend to buy food from abroad
D.to remind people to reconsider their food purchase
2.The doctor recommends eating less red meat partly because ______.
A.it contains too much fat
B.it costs a lot in transportation
C.it is too low on the food chain
D.it isn’t related to climate change
3.According to the text, which of the following is true?
A.Americans all prefer to buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico.
B.The plant-based diet is responsible for the climate change.
C.Americans have a variety of food to choose from.
D.Organic produce is the only choice for Americans.
4.Based on the last paragraph, we know that ______.
A.bottled water is cleaner than tap water
B.tap water is economical as well as eco-friendly
C.bottled water is more available than tap water
D.tap water uses one-third the cost of bottled water
5.What is the best subtitle for the last paragraph?
A.Skip bottled water, carry tap B.Drink bottled water
C.Produce plastic water bottles D.Save water resources