The huge Florida wetland known as the Everglades is a slow-moving river 80 kilometres wide but only a few centimeters deep. People call the Everglades a “river of grass” because sawgrass covers most of it. Sawgrass is not really grass. It is a plant that has leaves edged with tiny sharp teeth that can easily cut through clothes—and skin!
Travel in the Everglades is difficult. You cannot walk through shallow water because the sawgrass will cut you. The water is too shallow for regular boats. So, we use an airboat. An airboat is a flat, open boat. Like an airplane, it has a big propeller to move it. The propeller is fixed on the rear of the boat. It makes a tremendous noise, but it does the job. The boat skims along the water’s surface. Although we can still get lost in an airboat, at least we are above the alligators(短吻鳄).
While hundreds of different kinds of animals live in the Everglades, the most famous is surely the alligator. Once endangered, alligators are now protected within Everglades National Park. Visitors are likely to see them both on land and in water.
For a long time, dangers have threatened the Everglades. Around 1900, some people felt this precious wetland should be drained (排干). They said it was just a big swamp and not good for anything. In the 1920s, there was a land boom in Florida. People wanted to build homes everywhere, including in the Everglades. They built canals, levees (防洪堤), and other water systems that stopped the rivers flowing into the Everglades. Factories were built near rivers that flowed into the wetland. These factories dumped poisonous waste that damaged the Everglades ecosystem.
People are now working to preserve the Everglades National Park for the future. Right now, one big problem is the paperbark tree. This tree is an invader from Australia.
Paperbark trees soak up a lot of water. In the early 1900s, people brought them to Florida because they thought they would help drain the Everglades. However, the invaders adapted too well. Paperbark trees have taken over hundreds of thousands of acres of the Everglades and killed other trees. Scientists are cutting down these invaders or spraying them with herbicides (除草剂) to kill them.Which helps to explain why it is difficult to travel in Everglades?
| A．Airboats may make a very big noise. |
| B．You may get lost when passing through. |
| C．Paperbark trees soak up too much water there. |
| D．Many different kinds of animals are to be protected. |
Why do people use airboats instead of normal boats?
| A．They have big propellers to move them faster than alligators. |
| B．The propeller makes loud noise so as to scare alligators. |
| C．Their flat bottom can skim along the water surface. |
| D．They can watch alligators without hurting them. |
The following measures were taken to drain the Everglades except that people______.
| A．built canals and levees to stop the rivers flowing into Everglades |
| B．built factories near rivers that flowed into the wetland |
| C．brought Paperbark to soak up water in Everglades |
| D．are cutting down these Paperbark trees |
The underlined word "invader" probably means something______.
| A．that moves in from another place |
| B．that enters and takes control |
| C．that has been brought in |
| D．that is in danger |
Several recent studies have found that being randomly assigned to a roommate of another race can lead to increased tolerance but also to a greater likelihood of conflict.
Recent reports found that lodging with a student of a different race may decrease prejudice and compel students to engage in more ethnically diverse friendships.
An Ohio State University study also found that black students living with a white roommate saw higher academic success throughout their college careers. Researchers believe this may be caused by social pressure.
In a New York Times article, Sam Boakye – the only black student on his freshman year floor -said that "if you're surrounded by whites, you have something to prove."
Researchers also observed problems resulting from pairing interracial students in residences.
According to two recent studies, randomly assigned roommates of different races are more likely to experience conflicts so strained that one roommate will move out.
An Indiana University study found that interracial roommates were three times as likely as two white roommates to no longer live together by the end of the semester.
Grace Kao, a professor at Penn said she was not surprised by the findings. "This may be the first time that some of these students have interacted, and lived, with someone of a different race," she said.
At Penn, students are not asked to indicate race when applying for housing.
"One of the great things about freshman housing is that, with some exceptions, the process throws you together randomly," said Undergraduate Assembly chairman Alec Webley. "This is the definition of integration."
"I've experienced roommate conflicts between interracial students that have both broken down stereotypes and reinforced stereotypes," said one Penn resident advisor (RA). The RA of two years added that while some conflicts "provided more multicultural acceptance and melding (融合)," there were also "jarring cultural confrontations."
The RA said that these conflicts have also occurred among roommates of the same race.
Kao said she cautions against forming any generalizations based on any one of the studies, noting that more background characteristics of the students need to be studied and explained.What can we learn from some recent studies?
| A．Conflicts between students of different races are unavoidable. |
| B．Students of different races are prejudiced against each other. |
| C．Interracial lodging does more harm than good. |
| D．Interracial lodging may have diverse outcomes. |
What does Sam Boakye's remark mean?
| A．White students tend to look down upon their black peers. |
| B．Black students can compete with their white peers academically. |
| C．Black students feel somewhat embarrassed among white peers during the freshman year. |
| D．Being surrounded by white peers motivates a black student to work harder to succeed. |
What does Alec Webley consider to be the "definition of integration"?
| A．The school randomly assigns roommates without regard to race. |
| B．Students of different races are required to share a room. |
| C．Interracial lodging is arranged by the school for freshmen. |
| D．Lodging is assigned to students of different races without exception. |
Most recently, it's very common in students who need a parent present for job interviews. Naturally, it's easy to blame the students in these situations, but the bigger problem is us. We—as parents—are so eager to shelter our kids that we fail to realize that this in itself is harming them. As the mother of two young sons, I have to remind myself constantly that the biggest responsibility I have as a parent is to help them develop the skills needed to live in, to live without me. So, I'll let them fail．
I'll let them fail because as long as they are safe and warm inside their comfort zones, they will never grow. And failure along with loss, heartbreak, disappointment, etc.—will be part of growth for them. Call me the anti-tiger mom, but leaving them alone is, my way of helping them become equipped to fit in this world as we know it today. From terrorism and seemingly endless natural disasters, to our national debt and beyond, if we expect the next generation to stand up to the very real problems of our time, we need to stop feeding them and start teaching them how to fish.
My children now are becoming little masters of compromise, but they try to negotiate everything now. It's a small price to help them learn a skill they'll use for the rest of their lives, including when I don't accompany them on job interviews. Why do parents accompany their kids on job interviews?
| A．Because they want to protect their kids from difficulties． |
| B．Because they think they can help them on the questions． |
| C．Because their kids are too shy to attend interviews． |
| D．Because their kids strongly request them to do so． |
According to the author, what is beneficial to kids' development?
| A．Sheltering them． | B．Keeping them safe． |
| C．Leaving them alone． | D．Blaming them． |
Why does the author stress failure in kids' life?
| A．To make them stronger than other kids． |
| B．To help them grow in this tough world． |
| C．To help them develop all social skills． |
| D．To make them learn to compromise． |
Which of the following might be the best title for the text?
| A．Never Shelter Your Kids |
| B．Let Your Kids Fail |
| C．Be Eager to Grow Up |
| D．Live Without Parents |
Is losing weight as simple as doing a 15-minute writing exercise? In a new study, women who wrote about their most important values, like close relationships or religion, lost more weight over the next few months than women who didn't. "We have this need to feel self-integrity (正直,诚实）,” says Christine Logel of the University of Waterloo. "When something threatens your sense that you're a good person, like failing a test, we can buffer（缓冲） that self-integrity by reminding ourselves how much we love our children, for example".
For this study, the researchers recruited 45 female undergraduates, of whom 58% were overweight. Each woman was weighed, and was then given a list ofimportant values, like creativity, music or relationships with friends and family members. Each woman ranked the values in order of how important they were to her. Then half the women were told to write for 15 minutes about the value that was most important to her. The other half, a control group, were told to write about why a value far down on their list might be important to someone else.
The women came back months later to be weighed again. Women who had written about an important value lost an average of 3.41 pounds, while women in the control group gained an average of 2.76 pounds.
"How we feel about ourselves can have a big effect," Logel says. Maybe when one of the women who wrote about an important value went home that night, she felt good about herself and didn't eat to make herself feel better. Over a few months, that could make a real difference in her life,How can a 15-minute writing exercise ofimportant values affect people?
| A．They will feel proud of themselves and gain weight gradually. |
| B．They may feel good about themselves and then eat less than usual. |
| C．They may continue writing and decide to become a professional writer. |
| D．They will never have meals at night to make themselves lose weight. |
What were the females required to do in the study?
| A．Only the control group was given a list ofimportant values. |
| B．Both groups ranked the values in order of importance to them. |
| C．Each woman was weighed three times in the process of the study. |
| D．The overweight women wrote about the value most important to them. |
Which of the following persons may lose weight according to the new study?
| A．Mary who wrote about her own adventure. |
| B．Catherine who described her illness in her writing. |
| C．Shirley who wrote how much she loved her children. |
| D．Alice who complained her boss in her diary. |
Which of the following might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Writing Benefits Women a Lot |
| B．Losing Weight Is Very Simple |
| C．Writing Contributes to Losing Weight |
| D．Women Values Losing Weight |
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention
Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes
Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet
A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights
Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus
As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15mph, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking
Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle ---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement -------------------------$35Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.
| A．find your stolen bicycle | B．get your serial number |
| C．receive free repair services | D．settle conflicts with walkers |
When you ride a bicycle on the campus, ___________.
| A．ride on posted bicycle paths and sidewalks |
| B．cycle at a speed of over 15 mph |
| C．put the walkers’ right of way first |
| D．call the police before leaving in a case of accident |
If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined _ ________.
| A．$25 | B．$30 | C．$35 | D．$40 |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A guide for safe bicycling on campus. |
| B．Directions for bicycle tour on campus. |
| C．Regulations of bicycle race on campus. |
| D．Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus. |
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows，there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist(社会心理学家)Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co－workers carried out their study by videotaping(录像) the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control(控制)the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. “In general the more question－asking the parents do，the higher the children’s IQ scores.”
Lewis says，“And the more children there are，the less question－asking there is.”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings(兄弟姐妹)．Lewis found that in families with three or four children，dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child，who has the most to talk about，and the youngest，who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible(看不见的)，”says Lewis.“ When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are it’s the middle child.” There is，however，one thing that stops all conversations and prevents anyone from having attention：“When the TV is on，” Lewis says，“ dinner is a non－event.”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ________.
| A．show the relationship between parents and children |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．report on the findings of a study |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ________.
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| C．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in Paragraph 3，Lewis means that middle children ________.
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．get the least attention from the family |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．find it hard to keep up with other children |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．It is important to have the right food for children. |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner. |
| C．Parents should talk to each of their children often. |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner. |