Not long ago the movie 2012 came into screen. The people were threatened by those scenes of destroying flood, severe earthquake, terrifying hurricane and constructions representing human civilization being destroyed and even swallowed by disaster. Luckily, they are just the director’s imagination, but the present situation is not heading a positive direction, either.
Take my own experience in Alaska as an example. Once I took a trip to the glacier. Along the way there stood signposts marking the snow lines of different years. They started from the foot of the mountain, but it was at the top when I finally saw melting glaciers(融化的冰川). My heart ached seeing the beautiful blue ice melting at every second.
Sad but true, they are the effects of global warming and the result of our human impact. Furthermore, each year the rising sea level will kill 56 million people, and that's about the population of the en tire Italy. According to studies, if the temperature keeps on rising like this, by the year 2050, some islands and coastal cities including New York, Shanghai, Tokyo and Sydney will be drowned in water.
Our fortune is in our own hands. It depends on us to shape our future, to reduce future human impact and find ways to form a peaceful relationship with our environment. Therefore, it's time for actions to be taken right now. Contribute a little to energy saving by using more efficient light bulbs and less hot water. Let recycle become our habit by thinking twice before throwing something away. Let us take public transportation as our first choice when going to a certain place. It might cost more time for now, but it' s to the benefit of a permanent future. Take care of every tree and grass around us by watering them or simply just avoid destroying them．
In a word, small drops of water make a big ocean. The earth does not belong to us. On the contrary, we belong to the earth. Please bear in mind that the earth is our home. It is our responsibility to build a brighter and better future of our planet and prevent what happened in the movie 2012 from becoming reality． Why does the author talk about the movie 2012 in the passage ?
| A．To give example． | B．To lead into the topic． |
| C．To make prediction． | D．To provide the evidence． |
How did the author feel when he took a trip to the glacier?
| A．Worried． | B．Puzzled． | C．Scared． | D．Bored． |
It can be inferred from the third paragraph that .
| A．56 million people in Italy have been killed owing to the rising sea level |
| B．Some islands and coastal cities will be drowned in water by the year of 2050 |
| C．Human being will be in danger if we don't take actions to prevent the global warming |
| D．It is certain that what happened in the movie 2012 will come into reality |
According to the passage, you are advised to .
| A．drive our own private cars instead of taking buses to some place |
| B．recycle everything that is used |
| C．go to see the movie 2012 at once |
| D．work together to take good care of our planet |
What does the author mean by saying "small drops of water make a big ocean"?
| A．Think twice before taking action, |
| B．It's our duty to protect the ocean． |
| C．Everyone together can make a difference． |
| D．It's important to save every drop of water． |
We know that cigarette smoking kills. So, producers made electronic cigarettes as a safer smoking choice ---- safer than tobacco. Although e-cigarettes contain the drug nicotine like cigarettes, they do not use tobacco and you do not light them. They are powered by battery.
However, if e-cigarettes are so safe, why has the United States Center for Disease Control（CDC）seen an increase in telephone calls about e-cigarette poisonings?
The answer is children. Most of the calls are from people worried about children who have played with the devices. In the period of one month this year, the Center said 215 people called the Center with e-cigarette concerns. More than half of these calls were for children aged five and younger. The devices had made them sick.
Tim McAfee is director of the Center's Office on Smoking and Health. He says the problem is regulation, meaning, the U. S. federal government does not control e-cigarettes even though they contain liquid nicotine. Mr. McAfee adds that liquid nicotine is a well-known danger. Mr. McAfee explains that nicotine poisoning happens when it gets into the skin, gets into the eyes or is swallowed. It can cause stomach pain or a sense of unbalance. And too much nicotine can kill.
Tim McAfee says e-cigarettes do not create the level of risk to people that tobacco products do. He notes that almost 500,000 Americans die each year from cigarettes. "So, cigarettes are the winner in that contest." E-cigarettes do not contain hundreds of harmful chemicals that are found in real cigarettes. So, the U. S. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak has suggested that e-cigarettes may be a useful tool for adults trying to end their tobacco use.
But McAfee worries that teenagers may think electronic cigarettes are harmless. They could become addicted to the nicotine and then start smoking real cigarettes. In other words, he fears that for young people fake e-cigarettes could be a "gateway" to the real thing.What do the producers think of e-cigarettes?
| A．Dangerous. | B．Expensive. |
| C．Safer. | D．Cheaper. |
Why did the CDC receive so many calls about e-cigarettes?
| A．Parents feared that their children might get poisoned. |
| B．Parents found the device useless in quitting smoking. |
| C．Children swallowed the liquid nicotine from the device. |
| D．Children might get addicted to playing with the device. |
It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. the CDC wants to develop a better type of e-cigarettes
B. the government is in favor of the use of e-cigarettes
C. Surgeon General Boris D. Lushniak is a heavy smoker
D. smokers most probably can't quit smoking using e-cigarettesWhat is Tim McAfee's opinion about smoking?
| A．Adults should use harmless e-cigarettes. |
| B．Smoking e-cigarettes can make a person sick. |
| C．He claims that regulations should be made to ban smoking. |
| D．He is concerned about the teens using e-cigarettes. |
It's time for your family to relax and have fun! The following family adventures have links for you to get more information.
Take the Rides of Your Life
Visit Cedar Point in Sandusky, Ohio, to seek thrills "Even though it's located off the beaten track, experts regularly praise Cedar Point as the best overall theme park of the country," says U.S. News & World Report. The park calls itself the roller coaster capital of the world, and with 16 to choose from, it's hard to argue. It's open daily from May 10 through Labor Day; weekends only from Labor Day through November 2.
Tickets start at $ 48.99 per person if purchased online.
http://www.cedarpoint.com.
Wander Free on a Dude farm
Dust off your cowboy boots and ready your cowboy hats for a visit to this Rocky Mountains paradise. Located in Augusta, Montana, "The farm has everything an aspiring cowboy or girl could long for," says Sunset magazine, including hiking trails, fishing trips, campfires with sing-alongs, and, of course, horseback rides. The large farm operates from June through September; kids-only and adults-only programs are available.
Total cost starts at $ 1,360 per adult, $ 1,276 per teen, and $ 1,168 per child.
http://www.Triplejranch.com.
Dig for Dinosaurs
Most kids （and adults） love dinosaurs, and to make their wildest dreams come true, head to Fruita, Colorado. The Museum of Western Colorado offers Dino Digs for children ages five and older. You can choose from one-, three-, and five-day expeditions. "Imagine how your child will feel when she helps unearth the fossilized（化石） bones of ancient species," says Outside magazine. It lasts from May to October.
Digs start at $ 125 per person.
http://www.museumofwesternco.com.
Surf Sand Dunes
Swap your snowboard for a sand-board, and head to Sand Master Park in Florence, Oregon. Real Simple recommends learning the basics at this private dune park, "which offers board rentals and lessons ---- often taught by world-champion sand boarders." Then you can hit the "slopes" to test your skills. From March to June, and September to November.
Rentals for a sand-board start at $ 10 per day; lessons start at $ 45 an hour per person.
http:/'www.sandmasterpark.com.What is special about Cedar Point?
| A．You can visit Cedar Point on weekends. |
| B．It has 16 roller coasters for you to choose from. |
| C．You can help unearth the fossilized bones of dinosaurs. |
| D．It offers lessons taught by world-champion sand boarders. |
If you have a 3-day holiday in April, which of the following may interest you most?
| A．Take the Rides of Your Life |
| B．Wander Free on a Dude farm |
| C．Dig for Dinosaurs |
| D．Surf Sand Dunes |
Where will you probably find this passage?
| A．A science fiction. | B．An adventure storybook. |
| C．A travel magazine. | D．A theme park advertisement. |
The Cuban iguana is a species of lizard（蜥蜴） of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.
The Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses. However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs. The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident.
The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti（仙人掌）.
In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding（圈养）and other conservation programs.The underlined word "herbivorous" （Paragraph 2） probably means .
| A．dangerous | B．gentle |
| C．plant-eating | D．flesh-eating |
Why does the Cuban iguana build its nest near prickly-pear cacti?
| A．To keep itself cool. |
| B．To get the food easily. |
| C．To stay away from people. |
| D．To avoid crocodiles' attack. |
How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction?
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
What's the author's purpose of writing the text?
| A．To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana. |
| B．To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana. |
| C．To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline. |
| D．To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana. |
My 16-year-old son, Anton, had gone to the local swimming hole. Most of the kids swim there, and there are plenty of rocks for them to use as safe harbors, so I had no fears for his safety.
Still, the firefighter's first words "You need to come up here to the Stillwater River" made me catch my breath, and his follow-up words gave me relief: “ Your son is OK. ”
When I got to the river, I immediately saw the firetruck, ambulance and Anton, wrapped with a towel about his shoulders, sitting quietly on a low platform of the fire engine.
I hurried over to him. "You OK?" I asked.
“Yeah,” was all he said. But my eyes begged for an explanation, I didn't get it from my son, however, who tends to play his cards close to his vest.
The story was this: A woman was being swept under water. Hearing the cries, Anton and his friend Tyler, without hesitation, swam out to her, and brought her safely to shore.
In an age in which the word "hero" is broadcast with abandon and seemingly applied to anyone who make it through the day, I realized the real thing in my son. The teens are stubborn and self-centred, but that didn't mean they have no desire to do good.
Still shocked by my son's daring, I drove him home. Along the way, I tried to dig out some more information from him, but he had precious little to say. The only words he said were, “What's for supper?”
I spent some time alone that evening, thinking about the tragedy that might have been. The next morning, when Anton got up, I half expected him to tell me the story. But all he did was toast some bread, pull himself together, and head for the door to start a new day. Watching from the window, I was reminded that still water often runs deep.Why did the mother allow her son to swim there?
| A．He was an excellent swimmer. |
| B．The water of the river is shallow. |
| C．He was old enough to swim. |
| D．The rocks can be of help if there's danger. |
The underlined part "who tends to play his cards close to his vest" probably means________.
| A．Anton is a boy fond of swimming with other kids |
| B．Anton is unwilling to tell others what he thinks |
| C．Anton always has a desire to help others |
| D．Anton seldom changes his mind |
In the mother's eyes, what her son did was_________.
| A．dangerous but interesting | B．meaningful but difficult |
| C．unexpected and courageous | D．awful and absurd |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．My Son, My Hero | B．Anton, A Silent Boy |
| C．A Good Deed | D．A Proud Mother |
Teachers’ Day is, interestingly, not celebrated on the same day all over the world. In some countries it is marked by a holiday, in others it is a working day.
International Teachers’ Day is celebrated on October 5. Being held ever since 1994, it is in honor of teachers' organizations worldwide. Its aim is to encourage supports for teachers and to meet the needs of students.
China―In 1939, Teachers’ Day was set for August 27, Confucius' birthday. In1951, the celebration was stopped. However, it was founded again in 1985, and the day was changed to September 10.
India―Teachers’ Day is celebrated on September 5 in honour of Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan, the second president of India, whose birthday falls on that day.
Russia―In Russia, Teachers’ Day was celebrated on the first Sunday of October between 1965 and 1994. Since 1994, the day is observed on October 5, just the same day as World Teachers’ Day.
The US―In the US, Teachers’ Day is non-official holiday. It is celebrated on the Tuesday of the first full week of May. A number of activities are organized in schools to honor teachers. The celebrations can continue for the whole week of May.
Thailand―In Thailand, National Teachers’ Day is celebrated every year on January 16. The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1957. The day is a holiday in schools.What country celebrates Teachers’ Day in October?
| A．India. | B．The US. | C．India. | D．Russia. |
Which of the following has the same meaning as the underlined word “observed”?
| A．stopped | B．celebrated | C．held | D．fell |
Which of the following is possibly true?
| A．China has celebrated Teachers’ Day since the year 1931. |
| B．Teachers’ Day is an official holiday in the United States. |
| C．Dr. Sarvepalli Radhakrishnan’s birthday is in September. |
| D．Teachers’ Day is a working day in schools of Thailand. |
From the passage we can learn that ________.
| A．The first Teachers’ Day was held in 1965 in Thailand. |
| B．Teachers’ Day falls on Confucius' birthday in China. |
| C．International Teachers’ Day aims to benefit the students. |
| D．Teachers’ Day is celebrated on the same day all over the world. |