Three Boys and a Dad
Brad closed the door slowly as Sue left home to visit her mother.Expecting a whole day to relax, he was thinking whether to read the newspaper or watch his favorite TV talk show on his first day off in months. “This will be like a walk in the park.”he’d told his wife.“I’ll look after the kids, and you can go visit your mom.”
Things started well, but just after eight o’clock, his three little “good kids”---Mike,Randy, and Alex --- came down the stairs in their night clothes and shouted“breakfast,daddy.” When food had not appeared on within thirty seconds,Randy began using his spoon on Alex’s head as if it were a drum. Alex started to shout loudly in time to the beat(节拍) . Mike chanted“Where’s my toast,where’s my toast” in the background. Brad realized his newspaper would have to wait for a few seconds.
Life became worse after breakfast. Mike wore Randy’s underwear on his head. Randy locked himself in the bathroom, while Alex shouted again because he was going to wet his pants. Nobody could find clean socks, although they were before their eyes. Someone named “Not me” had spilled a whole glass of orange juice into the basket of clean clothes. Brad knew the talk show had already started.
By ten o’clock, things were out of control. Alex was wondering why the fish in the fish bowl refused his bread and butter. Mike was trying to show off his talent by decorating（装饰）kitchen wall with his color pencils. Randy, thankfully, appeared to be reading quietly in the sitting room, but closer examination showed that he was eating apple jam straight from the bottle with his hands. Brad realized that the talk show was over and reading would be impossible.
At exactly 11:17, Brad called the daycare center(日托所).“I suddenly have to go into work and my wife is away. Can I bring the boys over in a few minutes?” The answer was obviously“Yes” because Brad was smiling.When his wife left home, Brad expected___________.
| A．go out for a walk in the park |
| B．watch TV talk show with his children |
| C．enjoy his first day off the work. |
| D．read the newspaper to his children |
Which of the following did Randy do?
| A．drawing on the wall | B．eating apple jam |
| C．feeding the fish | D．reading in a room |
Why did Brad ask the daycare center for help?
| A．Because he wanted to clean his house. |
| B．Because he suddenly had to go to his office |
| C．Because he found it hard to manage his boys |
| D．Because he had to take his wife back home. |
The text is developed ____________.
| A．by space | B．by comparison | C．by process | D．by time |
New research shows sheep are clever
People often make jokes about how dull sheep are, but new research shows they may be cleverer than we think. Researchers at the University of Cambridge discovered that Welsh mountain sheep have brainpower that equals rodents (啮齿动物). Tests found that the sheep can map the area they live in, and some may even be able to plan ahead.
Young fish prefer noisy neighbors
A new study has shown that young fish like to live on reefs with noisy neighbors! Researchers from the universities of Auckland and Bristol found that young fish looking for a home choose areas where other noisy fish live. The scientists produced all kinds of sounds which had been recorded in different natural environments. The young fish seemed to prefer the sounds of natural reefs, complete with noisy animals! The scientists compared the choice to a music fan wandering around at a music festival, choosing to set up a tent closest to the music they like best!
Butterflies are disappearing
A new study has shown that 17 species (物种) of butterfly found in Europe have dropped by 70% in the last 20 years. The information collected from 3,000 sites across 15 countries shows it may be caused by the loss (减少) of grasslands covered with flowers. You can encourage butterflies to come into your garden by planting flowers. What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Some new studies about animals. |
| B．People’s wrong ideas about animals. |
| C．Why the number of animals has dropped. |
| D．The importance of protecting animals. |
According to the first paragraph, we may infer that sheep _____.
| A．are less clever than rodents |
| B．can find their home |
| C．can read maps |
| D．are good planners |
Which seems to have to do with the number of butterflies?
| A．The species of grass in grasslands. |
| B．The species of trees in grasslands. |
| C．The number of flowers in grasslands. |
| D．The number of animals in grasslands. |
In which part of a newspaper can we most probably read the passage?
| A．Geography. | B．Culture. | C．Travel. | D．Nature. |
The computers and the Internet
The computer is one of the most important inventions of today. Ever since it was invented, it has changed our lives a lot.
People can do a lot of things with the computer. For example, some software can be used too help people finish their work. If one can’t finish it at once, the computer can save it so that one can find it quickly the next time.
When you talk about computer, you must mention the Internet.. The Internet is a huge worldwide collection of computer networks. A network is a small group of computers working together. You can find information about almost any topic in the world from this network.. For example, you can use the Internet instead of a library to find information about current issues for your homework. You can also find information about your favorite pop or film stars, talk to your friends or even do some shopping. As well as words, most pages include pictures, sounds, and even videos.
Email is a fast and cheap way to keep in touch with friends and family. It’s much cheaper and quicker than sending a letter.
Quick, easy and fun---that is the Internet. However, it also has its shortcomings(缺点).If you always operate the computer, you could become lazy and lonely. There is also a lot of bad information on the Internet. Some of it is bad for our ideologies(观念). Many parents don’t allow their children to use the Internet because they think that the Internet is useless and they only think about its disadvantages.
In my opinion, the computer and the Internet are good for us if we can adopt a correct attitude towards them. They are several reasons. Firstly, they can store a very, very large amount of …According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．One day the computer will completely replace humans. |
| B．In modern times, the computer is the only most important invention. |
| C．With the computer used in our daily lives, we can do some things easier than before. |
| D．In the future, we can use the computer to do everything. |
The underlined word “operate” in the passage means ____.
| A．作手术 | B．操作 | C．打开 | D．浏览 |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the Internet?
| A．If the Internet is used in the right way, it is good for us. |
| B．All the information on the Internet is bad for children. |
| C．We can only use the Internet at home. |
| D．The Internet should always used by adults. |
With the help of the internet,___________________________.
| A．You can find information about almost any topic in the world from this network.. |
| B．You needn’t to go to the library to find information about current issues for your homework. |
| C．You can talk to your friends or even do some shopping. |
| D．You can also find information about your favorite pop or film stars |
Are you looking for something fun and would you like to help others in your spare time? Then join us to be a volunteer! We’re a non-profit (赢利的) organization. We have volunteer jobs of all ages. Anyone, from twelve-year-old children to people in their seventies can become a volunteer.
You can help people in many ways. Schools need help with taking care of children while parents are working. Hospitals need volunteers to look after children while their parents are seeing a doctor. Animal lovers can help take care of those dogs and cats without homes. There is something for everyone.
“As a volunteer, I don’t want to get anything. Seeing the children’s happy faces, I’m happy, too.” Said Carlos Domingo, an old woman of 62. “I often played computer games in my spare time before. Now I help older people learn how to use computers.” said another volunteer at the age of 18.
If everyone helps out a bit, we’ll have a better world to live in. Interested? Call us 1-800-555-5756 or visit our website: www.activol.com. _____ can be a volunteer.
| A．Children | B．Old women | C．Anyone aged 12-70 | D．Young people |
Volunteers want to get _______ when they help others.
| A．money | B．computers | C．everything | D．nothing |
Carlos Domingo does volunteer work with ______.
| A．animals | B．children | C．computers | D．older people |
We can read such a passage ______.
| A．in a newspaper | B．in a storybook | C．in a picture book | D．in a textbook |
Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild, according to a study sure to cause debate about keeping the giant animals on display. Researchers compared the life spans of elephants in European zoos with those living in Amboseli National Park in Kenya and others working on a timber enterprise in Buma. Animals in the wild or in natural working conditions had life expectancies twice than or more of their relatives in zoos.
Animal care activists have urged in recent years to discourage keeping elephants in zoos, largely because of the lack of space and small numbers of animals that can be kept in a group.
The researchers found that the median life span for African elephants in European zoos was 16.9 years, compared with 56 years for elephants who died of natural causes in Kenya’s Amboseli Park. Adding in those elephants killed by people in Africa lowered the median life expectancy there to 35.9 years. For the more endangered Asian elephants, the median life span in European zoos was 18.9 years, compared with 41.7 years for those working in the Burma Timber Enterprise. Median means half died younger than that age and half lived longer.
There is some good news, though. The life expectancies of zoo elephants have improved in recent years, suggesting an improvement in their care and raising, but “Protecting elephants in Africa and Asia is far more successful than protecting them in Western zoos.”
There are about 1,200 elephants in zoos, half in Europe, researchers concentrated on female elephants, which make up 80 percent of the zoo population. One amazing thing was that Asian elephants born in zoos had shorter life spans that those brought to the zoos from the wild.
Zoos usually lack large areas that elephants are used to in the wild, and that zoo animals often are alone or with one or two other unrelated animals, while in the wild they tend to live in related groups of 8 to 12 animals. In Asian elephants, baby death rates are two to three times higher in zoos than in the Burmese logging camps, and then, in adulthood, zoo-born animals die young. People are not sure why.What is argued about in this passage?
| A．Zoo elephants don’t live as long as those in the wild. |
| B．Elephants should not be on display. |
| C．Asian elephants are in danger. |
| D．Asia is far more successful in protecting elephants in zoos. |
What does the underlined word “median” mean according to the passage?
| A．Average | B．Longest. | C．Shortest. | D．Ordinary. |
Which of the following is Not the disadvantage of keeping elephants in zoos?
| A．Limited number of relatives. | B．Lack of space. |
| C．Shorter life expectancy. | D．Less attention. |
Who are expected to pay more attention to the issue addressed?
| A．Zoologists. | B．Animal care activists. |
| C．Zoo visitors. | D．The public. |
There were times it was only schoolchildren who felt sick before they got their grades. But now teachers in Germany are scared, too, as they are being graded by their students.
Many teachers are opposed to it. They don’t mind being evaluated(评价). But they are upset because the results are then being posted on the Internet and accessible to millions of Internet users. On the website www.spickmich.de during the past four months students have posted evaluation of 100,000 teachers.
The teachers are graded on categories such as “motivated”, “good instruction”, “easy examinations”, or even “sexy”. Many teachers think that their privacy has been violated.
The creators of the website say that the students are only being offered the chance to provide teachers with some feedback about their classroom instruction. Bernd Dicks, who founded the website with three friends, says that the students are largely quite satisfied with their teachers. On a grading scale of one to six, the teachers’ average grade is 2.7 and it has been improving lately. He often says the impression is that students are bullying（威吓） their teachers. But there is also bullying of the students by teachers.
“Teachers must also learn to live with criticism,” he added. But still, the website is not totally immune from manipulation(操纵), as one teacher near the northern city of Hanover recently proved. He registered himself on the website as a student and then rated his own teaching colleagues highly. Within a few days, seven of his colleagues were listed in the top 10 ranking of Germany’s best teachers. Many teachers are opposed to the website because_____.
| A．their privacy has been violated |
| B．they are afraid of being assessed |
| C．their evaluations are unfair |
| D．the results are not satisfying |
We can infer that the founder of the website intended to _____.
| A．get the students to know their teachers better |
| B．conduct a survey on teachers’ performance |
| C．help the teachers to improve their teaching |
| D．change the teachers’ ways of giving instructions |
From what the teacher in Hanover did, we can infer _____.
| A．he intended to help his colleague |
| B．there was some disadvantage of the website |
| C．his colleagues were more popular than him |
| D．he wanted to know how he was evaluated |