When the Berlin Wall came down in 1989, Leonard Bernstein gave a concert in Berlin, including Beethoven's Ode to Joy, with the word "Joy" changed to "Freedom" in the lyrics sung.The orchestra(管弦乐队)were drawn from both East and West Germany, as well as the United Kingdom, France, the Soviet Union, and the United States.
Freedom was in the air and it was not just for people. The wall between East and West Germany had also kept a large population of wild pigs within the eastern forests of Brandenburg.The wall's falling down made it easier for the big pigs—a very big one can weigh over 300 pounds—to leave the woodlands and walk into the town. Warm winters and easy access to food have helped the population increase. Now about 10,000 wild pigs walk around Berlin.
The nature of the beast has added to the boom(兴旺)."The pigs are intelligent," says Marc Franusch, a spokesman for the Berlin forestry department. "They learn to use the neighborhoods.They get used to people, dogs, and traffic."
The wild pigs tend to travel in small groups and have been found searching rubbish and gardens, feeding their piglets(小猪)in the shadow of parked cars, and crossing busy roads.On average, the animals are involved in one traffic accident every day. And despite the fact that it's illegal, some Berliners have been known to give the pigs food.
Though wild pigs are protected under German law, the city's forestry department is permitted to kill 2,000 of the creatures every year, targeting mostly young adult animals in forests surrounding Berlin. Pigs within city limits are only shot if they make an immediate threat.No humans have yet been seriously wounded by them, but local dogs have been the victims of their tusks. "The forestry department is not aiming to get rid of the pigs," explains Franusch, "but we do have to reduce dangerous situations."The concert in the first paragraph is given to .
A.celebrate Bernstein's success | B.remind people of fighting for rights |
C.show the artists' delight of life | D.express people's joy for freedom |
The following factors contribute to the boom of wild pigs EXCEPT .
A.the Berlin Wall | B.adequate food |
C.their own nature | D.warm winter |
From the text we can know that .
A.in Berlin people can never kill any wild pig |
B.it is against law to offer food to wild pigs |
C.wild pigs each weigh more than three hundred pounds |
D.traffic accidents are mainly caused by wild pigs in Berlin |
The article mainly talks about .
A.why wild pigs in Berlin enjoy so much freedom |
B.when wild pigs were united in Berlin |
C.how wild pigs are living in Berlin |
D.what damage wild pigs have done to Berliners |
In my long years of teaching, I often ask my students to read the texts until they can recite them, and I tell them that recitation are an important part of their homework. However, some of my students are tired of doing so, thinking that it is both hard and useless. They argue that it takes a long time to recite a text from memory and text itself never appears in a test paper.
In my opinion, it naturally takes time to recite a text, but it is worth doing so. When you are able to recite a text, you are sure to be familiar with the words and expressions. When you need them in reading or writing or doing exercises, they will come to your mind quickly, and so you will give quick response to all kinds of language situation. How can we say that it is useless?
Besides, many students complain that they soon forget what they were once able to recite. This is true, but you don’t need to worry. While you are reading and forgetting the texts, your language level is being raised. Sure you don’t remember your Chinese texts that you once read in the primary school, but now you are able to read novels and newspaper. So, recitation of the texts will help you improve your language ability.The writer often asks his students to recite the texts, _______.
A.But they don’t like to do so. |
B.And they are eager to do so |
C.But they wrote a letter to the Department of Education reporting the thing. |
D.But they do more exercises instead of reciting the texts. |
What do the students think about the teacher’s advice?
A.The English teacher tries his best to help them with English. |
B.The English teacher is very kind to them. |
C.The English teacher asks them to do something useless. |
D.The English teacher should let them study on their own. |
According to the text, which of the following is correct?
The teacher thinks the students are too naughty to learn English well.
B. The students think they spend a lot of time in reciting the texts and get nothing.
C. The students say that they often forget the words.
D. The students take no interest in English.Why does the writer suggest that the students recite the text?
A.Reciting the texts can improve the ability of applying English. |
B.Reciting the texts is the best way of learning English. |
C.The students should remember all the texts that the teacher has taught them. |
D.Reciting the texts can greatly improve the classroom teaching. |
A proverb says :“Time is money.”But in my opinion, time is even more valuable than money. Why? Because when money is spent ,we can earn it back .However when time is gone ,it will never return .This is the reason why we must value time.
There is no doubt that the time we have is unusually limited. So even an hour is extremely precious. We should make full use of our time to do useful things .As students we must not relax our efforts to engage in our studies so as to serve our society and our nation in the future.
But it is pity that there are a lot of people who do not know the importance of time .They spend their valuable time smoking, drinking and so on. They do not realize that wasting time is equal to wasting a part of their valuable life.
In a word, we should get into a good habit of saving time. Do not put off what can be done today until tomorrow. Laziness will not only bring us failure but also lead us to the road of poverty.When we say “Time is money.”we mean ______
A.Time is equal to dollars, pounds… | B.Time is gold . |
C.Time is valuable . | D.We must spend time in buying goods |
People who spend time smoking, drinking ________.
A.do not know how to kill time as clearly as others |
B.doubt that they will become more dangerous to society |
C.realize how important their lives are |
D.waste their whole lives without realizing the importance of time |
If people get lazy, _______.
A.they will bring us failure. |
B.they are likely to fail |
C.they are usually busy smoking, drinking and so on |
D.they will lead us the road of success |
Being students, we must _______.
A.work hard at our subjects |
B.do whatever we want to do |
C.not always engage ourselves in our lessons |
D.have a rest now, than we can get relaxed from our busy studies |
Thomas Alva Edison (爱迪生)was awarded more patents(专利) on inventions than any other American. When he died in 1931, Americans wondered how they could best show their respect for him. One suggestion was that the nation observe a minute or two of total blackout(关闭,中断). All electric power(电源) would be shut off in homes, streets, and factories. Perhaps his suggested plan made Americans realize fully what Edison and his inventions mean to them. Electric power was too important to the country. Shutting it off for even a short time would have led to complete confusion(混乱). A blackout was out of the question.
On the day of Edison’s funeral (葬礼),many people silently dimmed(使暗淡) their lights. In this way they honoured the man who had done more than anyone else to the great force of electrity This says that Thomas Edison __________.
A.was the only important American inventor |
B.received the first American patent |
C.received more patents than any other American |
D.was the first American inventor |
People decided to honor Edison when ________.
A.he made the first electric light | B.electric power was 100 years |
C.the country realized electricity’s importance | D.he died in 1931 |
The suggested plan was to _________.
A.turn off the lights in factories | B.observe a few minutes of total silence |
C.dim all electric lights | D.shut off all electricity for a short time |
The plan was never carried out because________.
A.not everyone wanted to honor Edison |
B.it was too difficult |
C.electric power was too important to the country |
D.it honored only one of Edison’s inventions |
"Depend on(依靠) yourself" is what nature says to every man. Parents can help you. Teachers can help you. But all these only help you to help yourself.
There have been many men in history. But many of them were very poor in childhood, and no uncles, aunts or friends to help them. Schools were few. They could not depend upon themselves for an education. They saw how it was and set to work with all their strength to know something. They worked their own way till they became well known.
One of the most famous teachers in England used to tell his pupils, "I can not make worthy men of you, but I can help make men of yourself."
Some young men don't try their best to make themselves valuable to the human beings. They can never gain achievement(成就) unless they see their weak points and change their course. They are nothing now, and will be nothing as long as they live, unless they accept the advice of their parents and teachers, and depend on their own efforts. Which of the following titles fits this article best?
A.What Nature Says to Every Man. | B.How to Be Famous. |
C.Men Must Help Each Other. | D.Depend on Yourself. |
According to the famous teacher in England, a teacher can________.
A.make his pupils worthy men |
B.help his pupils find a way to be famous |
C.help his pupils make themselves useful men |
D.make his pupils men of strength and courage |
From this article we can learn the writer ________.
A.sings highly praise for parents and teachers |
B.is a man of strong character |
C.thinks highly of those who are struggling or success |
D.feels it the most important of all to accept the advice of others |
The clock struck(敲)eleven at night. The whole house was quiet. Everyone was in bed except me. Under the strong light, I looked sadly before me at a huge pile of that troublesome stuff they call “books”. I was going to have my examination the next day. “When can I go to bed?” I asked myself. I didn’t answer. In fact I dared not(不敢).
The clock struck twelve. “Oh, dear!” I cried. “Ten more books to read before I can go to bed!” We students are the most wretched creatures in the world. Dad does not agree with me on this. He did not have to work so hard when he was a boy.
The clock struck one. I was quite desperate now. I forgot all I had learned. I was too tired to go on. I did the only thing I could. I prayed, “Oh God, please help me pass the exam tomorrow. I do promise to work hard afterwards, Amen.” My eyes were so heavy that I could hardly open them. A few minutes later, with my head on the desk, I fell asleep. The underlined word “wretched” in Paragraph 3 probably means ____________.
A.happy | B.disappointed |
C.unhappy | D.hopeful |
Reviewing his lessons that night didn’t help him because ____________.
A.it was too late at night |
B.he was very tired |
C.his eyelids were so heavy that he couldn’t keep them open |
D.he hadn’t studied hard before the examination |
What do you suppose probably happened to the author the next day?
A.He went to a church to pray again. | B.He passed the exam all by luck. |
C.He failed in the exam. | D.He was punished by his teacher. |
The best title for the passage would be ____________.
A.The Night Before the Examination | B.Working Far into the Night |
C.A Slow Student | D.Going Over My Lessons |