Honey(蜂蜜)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(巢)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一a little bird called a honey guide.
The honey guide does not actually like honey, but it does like the wax (蜂蜡) 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 people 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 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.Beekeeping in Africa |
C.Wax and Honey | D.Honey-Lover's Helper |
MONEY – SAVING TIPS FOR DISNEY WORLD
Every time you visit Disney World, there’s something new to see. What began in 1971 as the Magic Kingdom now includes the high – tech, movie-mad Disney and Animal Kingdom . Each time the park expands(扩大), so do your chances to spend money. How can you save ? As a family guide to Disney World, I've been to the park more than 25 times with my kids , and I've developed a few money-saving tips for you.
●Buy the Five-Day All-in-One Hopper Pass. Even if you're visiting for fewer days , it's a deal (The pass costs $ 229 for visitors aged 10 and up , $ 183 for kids aged three to nine and is free for kids under age three). Without the pass , you'll have to pay separately for Pleasure Island and the water parks . A single trip to Blizzard Beach , for example , would cost a family of four $100.
● Dine out at Lunchtime. The prices at some of the nicer restaurants , especially those in Epcot's World Showcase , are much lower at noontime than at any other time. It's wise to make reservations(预定)before you leave home . Call 407-W-DISNEY .
● Become a Gold Card Member. For $ 65 , you can get a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card (call 1-800-56-DISNEY). Cardholders get up to 20% off Disney hotel rooms , plus prices on character breakfast , theme park tickets and goods from Disney stores .
● Don't Pay Extra to See a Character. Character-theme dinner shows are expensive , costing a family of four about $ 140 , and even a character breakfast , where Mickey or Donald Duck joins you for cakes , can set you back $ 50. If your budget (预算) is tight, try to meet the characters inside the theme parks and at free in-park shows . You can watch the Diamond Horseshoe show , for example , in the Magic Kingdom for no additional cost , while the similarly themed Hoop-Dee-Doo Musical Revue needs expensive tickets .
● Wait Until the End of Your Trip to Buy Souvenirs. By then , the kids will really know what they want , and you won't waste money on expensive things .
67.If you are short of money, the writer suggests you should not .
A.buy things for the kids from Disney stores.
B.buy souvenirs at the beginning of the trip
C.make a trip to Blizzard Beach
D.have your meals out at noontime
68.Which of the following can be used in place of “set you back”
A.offer you B.save you C.return you D.cost you
69.You should pay more money if you .
A.have a five – day All – One Hopper Pass while you’re visiting for four days.
B.do not make a reservation for hotel rooms in advance..
C.are not a Magic Kingdom Club Gold Card holder.
D.have lunch at a restaurant in Epcot’s World Showcase
70.In the writer’s opinion, the better way of meeting the Disney cartoon character is .
A.to have a character breakfast
B.to watch the Diamond Horseshoe show
C.to pay separately for Pleasure Island and the water parks
D.to attend the Hoop – Dee – Doo Musical Revue
Can hard work be replaced by machines in agriculture? Yes, man is trying out automatic (自动化) farming. It is fun to watch a machine picking tomatoes. The strange machine sails like a ship across a sea of plants. In its front is a hole. As the machine moves forward, tomato plants are pulled into the hole. The tomatoes are gathered while the rest of the plants are thrown back onto the fields. Twelve workers sit on top of the machine. They rapidly pick out the bad fruit from the tomatoes. A red stream of ripe tomatoes is being sent into a cart that is pulled alongside the machine. One driver and twelve workers can pick in an hour ten tons of a new kind of tomato. Without the invention, it would take 60 men to do the job.
Not all plants cooperate well with the farming machines. Take lettuce(莴苣)for example, seeds plants in the same field in the same time ripe at different times. The only way to tell a ripe head of lettuce is to look at it and feel it. And now there is a machine even to do that!
There is a special machine to test lettuce. When it moves over one that feels right, it sends a signal back to the picking machine which goes behind. The cutting and picking is done satisfactorily by this unit.
64.This passage mainly tells us something about .
A.the machines picking tomatoes B.automatic farming
C.the science of farming D.agriculture machines
65.After the bad tomatoes are picked out, .
A.the others are sent into a cart nearby
B.the workers carry them away
C.the others are put into bags
D.the others will be thrown into the field
66.The last paragraph mainly tells us .
A.that lettuce is not good to get in
B.that a special unit of machines has been made to test and pick lettuce
C.about a wonderful machine that can be used pick all kinds of plants
D.that lettuce is not a cooperation plant
Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But a long time ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, the idea of skating didn’t exist. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin was a person who liked playing the violin and was full of ideas and dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to a fancy dress ball (化装舞会). He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think how to make a grand entrance at the party. He came up with an idea. He thought everyone would be attracted by him if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two, wheels under each shoe. These were the first rolled skates. Merlin was very proud of his invention and dreamed of arriving at the party on wheels while playing the violin.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing the violin. Everyone was amazed to see this. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skates. Suddenly he ran into a huge mirror hanging on the wall. It fell down and broke into pieces. Nobody forgot Merlin's entrance for a long time.
60.The passage is mainly about_______.
A.a strange man
B.an unusual party
C.how roller skating started
D.how people held parties in the 18th century
61.People thought Merlin was a dreamer because he________.
A.often gave others surprises B.was a gifted musician
C.invented the roller skates D.was full of imagination
62.Merlin put wheels under his shoes to_________.
A.impress the party guests B.arrive at the party sooner
C.test his invention D.show his skill in walking on wheels
63.What is main point the writer is trying to make in the last paragraph?
A.The roller skates needed further improvement.
B.The party guests took Merlin for a fool.
C.Merlin succeeded beyond expectation.
D.Merlin got himself into trouble.
Aria Ricardo was a beautiful, slim young woman with dark hair, dark eyes, and dark skin. She used to work as a model and earn as much as $ 2,000 in one day in front of the camera. She modeled for top magazines in Paris, Rome, Tokyo, and throughout the United States.
Aria’s father, now retired because of a disability, was a police officer who really loved his work. Aria would rather follow in her father’s footsteps than pursue her modeling career. She remembered listening to her father tell stories when he came home after a day on the beat. The excitement, tensions and risks of police work appealed to her.
Aria got started in the modeling business quite by accident. She accompanied a friend to an interview at a modeling agency. Her friend wanted the job, while Aria didn’t. The people at the agency were impressed with Aria’s appearance and poise. They knew she’d be brilliant in front of the camera. So they sent her on her first modeling job—for Seventeen magazine—right away.
While she was successful as a model, Aria never gave up her dream of being a police officer. She passed the written exam for the New York Police Department. She planned to enter the Police Academy as quickly as possible. Her family and friends thought she was out of her mind even to consider such a thing. Police work was dangerous and the pay couldn’t compare to a top model’s income. But Aria knew what she wanted, and she went for it. She had never really intended to be a model anyway. Finally she hooked her fish.
56.Aria’s success as a model resulted from _______.
A.her desire to succeed in it B.her looks and shape
C.the help of her father D.the competition with her friend
57.Aria went into modeling because _______. A.she wanted to earn more money
B.she wanted to accompany her friend
C.she was given an unexpected opportunity
D.she was very beautiful
58.Aria’s family would like her to _______.
A.remain a model B.do whatever she liked
C.find something challenging D. follow her father’s footsteps
59.Aria Ricardo probably is a ______ now.
A.photographer working for a magazine B.student of the Police Academy
C.top model of a world company D.woman police officer
How Room Designs Affect Our Work and Feeling
Architects have long had the feeling that the place we live in can affect our thoughts, feeling and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical(经验的,实证的)basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused, and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2009, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In addition to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests that dim(暗淡的)light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner, or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we are almost looking at the problem through a straw(吸管)” architect David Allison says; “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad ,generalize use of them?” That is what we are all struggling with”
57. What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?
A. Light B. Ceilings. C. Windows.D. Furniture
58.The passage tells us that____________.
A.the shape of furniture may affect people’s feelings
B.lower ceilings may help improve students’creativity
C.children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D.students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed
59.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably mean that_______.
A.the problem is not approached step by step
B.the researches so far have faults in themselves
C.the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D.research in this area is not enough to make generalized pattems
60.Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
CP :Central Point P:point SP:: Sub-point(次要点) C:Conclusion