If you are afraid of the dark,it’s not a big deal.It’s perfectly normal to feel afraid After all,animals do too. “Fear matters,”says Karen Warkentin,an ecologist.“It’s a good thing,” she adds, “because fear makes you do things that keep you alive.”
Like kids,many animals experience fear and they respond to the feeling in variety of ways.A frightened turtle pulls its head and legs inside its shell.A small fish will swim away when a big,hungry fish approaches.
Some animals respond to fear in ways you might not expect.The first example is that the fear of being eaten can scare some frogs right out of their eggs. Warkentin made the surprising discovery while studying red—eyed tree frogs in Costa Rica.
In this species,female frogs attach jellylike clumps(果冻一样的块状物)of their eggs to the undersides of leaves.The leaves hang on branches that dangle(悬挂)over ponds.After they hatch from the eggs,the tadpoles(蝌蚪)then fall into the water,where they eventually grow into adult frogs.
Tree frog eggs usually grow for 6 days before hatching.If they sense that a hungry snake is about to attack,however,they can hatch up to 2 days ahead of schedule. As the snakes are unable to swim,by falling into the water early,the tadpoles can escape.
If hatching early helps protect red—eyed tree frogs from snakes,you might wonder why their eggs don’t always hatch sooner.It turns out that hatching early brings its own danger.Once tadpoles land in the water,hungry fish and other animals like to eat them too.Staying in their eggs for a full 6 days,then,allows frog embryos(胚胎)to grow big and strong.This extra growth improves their chances of surviving in the water.It can be inferred from the passage that fears .
A.help animals grow bigger and stronger |
B.are less common among young animals |
C.help animals move a lot to fit the environment |
D.are more or less important in order for animals to survive |
We are told in the passage that tree frogs .
A.face danger both inside their eggs and in the water |
B.will grow fast if they fall into the water later |
C.are surprisingly clever when inside their eggs |
D.stay in their eggs longer if they are frightened |
Why do the tadpoles hatch up to 2 days ahead of the schedule?Because
A.They like falling into the water early |
B.They want to grow into adult frog |
C. They sense a hungry snake is about to attack |
D.Frog embryos can grow strong |
What is the best title of the passage ?
A.What is Fear | B.Why do we feel afraid |
C.You feel afraid,animals do too | D.Fear is a good thing |
What do you think would be discussed in the following paragraph?
A.Further explanations as to why tree frogs hatch ahead of schedule. |
B.How the unborn frogs know when a snake is about to attack them. |
C.Another example of animals that responds to fear in an unexpected way. |
D.How tree frogs improve their chances of survival before falling into the water. |
You know Australia is a big country, but you may not know how easy it is to get around. The untouched beaches that go for miles and deserts that touch the horizon are just there, waiting to be reached and explored. Following are the different ways you can explore our vast country.
Getting around Australia
Air
Flying is the best way to cover large distances in a short time. You can spend more time on the Australia’s can’t - miss landscapes and relaxing lifestyle. Moreover, competition among airlines makes great flying fees available for you.
Drive
Australia has a vast network of well - maintained roads and some of the most beautiful touring routes in the world. You have no difficulty finding car rental companies at major airports, central city locations, suburbs and attractions.
Bus
Bus travel in Australia is comfortable, easy and economical. Buses generally have air conditioning, reading lights, adjustable seats and videos. Services are frequent, affordable and efficient.
Rail
Train travel is the cheapest and gives you an insight into Australia’s size and variety, all from the comfort of your carriage. Scheduled services are a great way to get quickly between our cities and regional centers.
Ferry(轮渡)
The Spirit of Tasmania runs a passenger and vehicle ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania nightly. Extra services are running during summer rush hours. Sea - link ferries connect South Australia and Kangaroo Island several times a day. Ferries connect suburbs in our capital cities
Walk
With easy - on - the - feel pedestrian streets, walking is a great way to get around our cities.
Besides all of above, you can also experience some of the longest tracks and trails in the world in central Australia - impressive journeys of a thousand kilometers or more that can take several weeks to complete.
60. The underlined word "untouched" (in the 1st paragraph) means______.
A. secure B. special C. natural D. artificial
61. Which of the following is TRUE about traveling in Australia? ______.
A. More travelers make the flying fees among airlines higher than before
B. You can easily rent a car to explore its most beautiful touring routes
C. Taking a bus tour is the most comfortable, economical and efficient way
D. Train services can offer you more comfort than any other means of transport
62. Ferry service between Melbourne and Tasmania usually runs ______.
A. only at night hours B. only during rush hours
C. several times a day D. between different cities
63. From the passage, we know that ______.
A. pedestrian walking is a great way to travel between cities
B. traveling in Central Australia is time - consuming
C. Central Australia has the world’s longest railway line
D. you have to walk over a thousand kilometers in Australia
第二部分阅读理解(共20小题,每小题2分,满分40分)
Too often we accuse others of not listening, pretending that we ourselves are faultless, yet in our hearts we know that many of the mistakes we make come about because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t listened carefully enough. We get things wrong because we haven’t quite understood what someone meant when they were talking to us. Anyone who has ever taken the minutes of a long meeting will know how hard it is to remember-- despite the benefit of notes-- exactly what everyone said. But success depends on getting things right--and that means listening.
Listening is not the same thing as hearing; it is not an effort actively. It demands attention and concentration. It may mean quizzing the speaker for additional information or for clarification------ it is always better to ask than to continue regardless and get things wrong. However, if you allow your mind to wander onto something else, even for a few minutes, you’ll miss what the speaker is saying------ probably at the very moment when he or she is saying something critical. And not having heard, you won’t know you’ve missed anything until it’s too late.
The most common bad habit we have is to start thinking of what we are going to say about the subject long before the other speaker has finished. We then stop listening. Even worse, this often adds rudeness to inattentiveness, as once you have decided what to say there is a fair chance you will interrupt to say it. Good listeners don’t interrupt. In fact it is often worth explaining the main idea of what you have just been told before going on to make your own points. Nobody is offended by this and it shows that you have listened well.
Above all be patient and accept that many people are not very good communicators. It’s helpful to remember that the ways people move and position themselves while they are speaking can reveal a great deal about what they are saying. Equally important you should put yourself in the other person’s place, both intellectually and emotionally; it will help you to understand what they are getting at and form a response. But don’t be too clever. Faced with a know-all, many people keep quiet because they see no point in continuing.
56. Which is the best title for this passage?
A. Don’t be too cleverB. Be a good listener.
C. Don’t miss anything critical D. Think of the speaker
57. In the last paragraph, “…… what they are getting at ……” means________ .
A. what they imply B. what they like
C. what they attack D. what they achieve
58. What is the writer’s opinion?
A. If you want to be a good listener, you should be very clever and emotional.
B. Speakers won’t continue talking when their listeners explain what they’ve heard.
C. If you don’t want to get things wrong, it’s important to be a good listener,
D. It’s hard to be a good listener because listening tests you on your intelligence.
59. What is the lesson we can learn from this passage?
A. Don’t accuse others of not listening while talking with them.
B. Don’t get anything wrong if you miss what the speaker is saying.
C. Listening inattentively may cost you the loss of your success.
D. Think carefully of what you’re going to say before the speaker finishes.
Humanity uses a little less than half the water available world wide. Yet occurrence of shortages and droughts are causing famine and distress in some areas and industrial and agricultural by-products are polluting water supplies. Since the world's population is expected to double in the next 50 years, many experts think we are on the edge of a widespread water crisis.
But that doesn't have to be the outcome. Water shortages do not have to trouble the world if we start valuing water more than we have in the past. Just as we began to appreciate petroleum more after the 1970s oil crises, today we must start looking at water from a fresh economic perspective. We can no longer afford to consider water a virtually free resource of which we can use as much as we like in any way we want.
Instead, for all users except the domestic demand of the poor, governments should price water to reflect its actual value. This means charging a fee for the water itself as well as for the supply costs.
Governments should also protect this resource by providing water in more economically and environmentally sound ways. For example, often the cheapest way to provide irrigation water in the dry tropics is through small-scale projects, such as gathering rainfall in depressions (凹地) and pumping it to nearby cropland.
No matter what steps governments take to provide water efficiently, they must change their institutional and legal approaches to water use. Rather than spread control among hundreds or even thousands of local, regional, and national agencies that watch various aspects of water use, countries should set up central authorities to coordinate water policy.
63. What is the real cause of the potential water crisis?
A. Only half of the world's water can be used.
B. The world population is increasing faster and faster.
C. Half of the world's water resources have been seriously polluted.
D. Humanity has not placed sufficient value on water resources.
64. As indicated in the passage, the water problem _______.
A. is already serious in certain parts of the world
B. has been exaggerated by some experts in the field
C. posed a challenge to the technology of building reservoirs
D. is underestimated by government organizations at different levels
65. The author says that in some hot and dry areas it is advisable to __________.
A. build big lakes to store water
B. Construct big pumping stations
C. build small and cheap irrigation systems
D. channel water from nearby rivers to cropland
66. In order to raise the efficiency of the water supply, measures should be taken to ______.
A. guarantee full protection of the environment
B. centralize the management of water resources
C. increase the sense of responsibility of agencies at all levels
D. encourage local and regional control of water resources
Sport is not only physically challenging, but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism(批评) from coaches, parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create an excessive(过多的) amount of anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological and research has suggested that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of development are critical(关键的) years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skills that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback(反馈) to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a flaw (mistake) in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also be careful that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game, many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngster’s performances. Positive reinforcement motivates and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
59. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?
A. Mental stress should be reduced.
B. Sports should be made less competitive.
C. Stress should be made less.
D. Sport can be mentally challenging.
60. According to the passage, young people like sport because ______.
A. it can help them learn more about society
B. it enables them to criticize themselves
C. it can provide them with valuable experiences
D. it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves
61. According to the passage, parents and coaches should ______.
A. enable children to enjoy sport
B. help children to win every game
C. train children to deal with stress
D. understand the meaning of sport
62. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is ______.
A. to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout
B. to persuade young children not to worry about criticism
C. to stress the importance of encouraging children
D. to discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement
第三部分阅读理解
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中,选出最佳选项。
CHINA
Coal mines claim (使…失踪) more lives
A COAL mine blast (爆炸) in Jixi, Helongjiang, left more than 100 miners dead on Thursday .Ten mines in Jixi were ordered to stop production. The government has tried to shut down thousands of small, illegal mines in the country that do not meet safety standards.
MIDDLE EAST
Bombers continues to kill
PALESTINIANS killed 32 Israelis in three major attacks between Tuesday and Thursday. There were two suicide bombing and a militant (武装的) attack on Jewish settlement . They yielded one of the highest Israeli death tolls ( 死亡人数) in such a short period over the last two years.
CHINA
Young people stand tall
THE average height of Chinese young people has risen by 6 centimeters compared to that of 20 years ago. This year far exceeds (超过) the word’s average growth speed. A survey on health conducted by a panel(调研组) of Chinese students found the results. According to the world average level, youths get taller by 1 cm every 10 years.
CANADA
Talking about world issue
The Group of Eight (G8)—the US, Japan, Germany, Britain, France, Italy, Canada and Russia ---- will hold a summit on June26 and 27 in Kananaskis, Canada. The G8 are the richest and most powerful countries in the world. G8 leaders and some African presidents will discuss strengthening global economic growth and helping Africa. Kofi Annan, United Nations Secretary General, will also attend.
56. Thousands of mines have been shut because ______.
A. they have blast B. they produced less coal
C. they are very small and illegal D. they don’t meet the safety standards
57. What’s the purpose of the Summit?
A. to strengthen the global economic growth and helping some poor African countries.
B. To make these eight countries much more powerful.
C. To help some African president to strengthen their economic growth.
D. Kofi Annan will have an important speech on world issues.
58. This passage may probably taken from _______.
A. a story book B. a text book C. a newspaper D. a novel