How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments-mostly for entertainment purposes-is fair and respectful?
Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. How ever, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats (栖息地). Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural bones.
Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species(物种), but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range(分布区). The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.
The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusual and self-destructive behavior called zoochosis. A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.
Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖)of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted n their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?
Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?
A.Dangerous. |
B.Unhappy. |
C.Natural. |
D.Easy. |
In the state of zoochosis, animals _________.
A.remain in cages |
B.behave strangely |
C.attack other animals |
D.enjoy moving around |
What does the author try to argue in the passage?
A.Zoos are not worth the public support. |
B.Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals. |
C.Zoos should treat animals as human beings. |
D.Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment. |
The author tries to persuade readers to accept his argument mainly by _____.
A.pointing out the faults in what zoos do |
B.using evidence he has collected at zoos |
C.questioning the way animals are protected |
D.discussing the advantages of natural habitats |
Barbie(芭比娃娃),believe it or not,is 50 this year and she's still as popular as ever.A doll is a doll,but Barbie illustrates how,over the last five decades,women have become a standard for judging what freedom really means. How women are treated in different countries tells you a lot about the politics and culture of where they live.
The doll that every little girl wants enables young children to test their possibilities in role playing,giving them a glimpse of what they might be when they grow up,whether to be frivolous or serious (or both).But in many countries that's not an option. In Saudi Arabia,where woman can't drive or go out publicly unless covered,Barbie is banned. They think Barbie dolls are offensive to Islam(伊斯兰教) and a threat to morality.
In America,she represents the swiftly changing roles of women. Barbie is fun to tease but she's as American as miniskirts_and_pantsuits in her flexible identities and her “growth” from model to astronaut.
Barbie inspired a dollrevolution movement. When a Teen Talk Barbie was programmed electronically to say “Math class is tough”,she was criticized by a national women's group and was regarded as a bad stereotype. Some of her critics also say she's a bad influence because she's too thin and encourages anorexia,that she has run through too many stereotypes(固定模式),and that she lends too much significance to the fantasy stages of child's play.
In some Muslim countries, substitute Barbie dolls have been developed that promote traditional values,with their modest clothing and profamily backgrounds. They are widely seen as an effort to resist the American dolls that have flooded the market.
Toy seller Masoumeh Rahimi welcomed the dolls,saying Barbie was “foreign to Muslim culture” because some of the dolls have little clothing. She said young girls who play with Barbie,could grow into women who reject Muslim values. “I think every Barbie doll is more harmful than an American missile,”Ms. Rahimi said.The writer mentioned “miniskirts and pantsuits”(in Paragraph 4) to imply that ________.
A.these are the only clothes a doll should wear |
B.these are very traditional American clothes for women |
C.there are a range of different life options available for women |
D.readers should wear these clothes more often |
The underlined word “anorexia” (in Paragraph 5) most probably means“________”.
A.an illness of refusing to eat |
B.giving up math study |
C.the wearing of inappropriate clothes |
D.a decrease in people's imagination |
It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A.children who like Barbie dolls won't be so serious when they grow up |
B.Muslim Barbies are the same as American Barbies |
C.Muslim societies are generally more conservative than western societies |
D.Americans have no worry about Barbie's influence on children |
Is early childhood education really necessary? Early childhood education primarily focuses on learning through playing to develop the child’s physical, sensory, communicational and social development.Early childhood education has become a concern of the government, who pushes poor children to be formally trained before they are old enough for Kindergarten.
There are good reasons for the government to push early childhood education.Studies have shown that orphaned children who did not receive good care and education become developmentally delayed causing failure in school, and even in life.Further studies show that poor children who take part in Head Start programs are more prepared for school, less likely to end up in
Special Education classes, and are less likely to receive public help or go to jail.
There are also negative parts to putting a child in formal education programs too early.Time Magazine online explains that “the younger the child the less his chances of catching up with first-grade work.” I have personally witnessed many children of my generation who went to Head Start programs become frustrated and bored with school before they finished high school.Yet parents have been sure that the earlier the child starts school, the better off he or she is, so they push to start children earlier.
Actually while early formal education of poor children does show great gains in the early elementary years, studies also show that this head start is really a “false start”, as the gains are lost in middle and high school years.It seems that environment is a bigger factor on life’s success than early education.Head Start programs have not achieved its original goal in closing the achievement gap in poor and middle school children.Perhaps it is time to find other ways to close that gap.The purpose of the government valuing the early childhood education is ________.
A.to develop the children’s communication
A.to give orphaned children good care and education
C.to get the children prepared for the kindergarten
D.to train the children formally and regularlyAccording to the studies, which of the following is True?
A.Children with good early education may have a rich life. |
B.The orphaned children are usually unhappy in their life. |
C.Children without early education can do well at school. |
D.Head Start programs are helpful to the poor children. |
The author’s attitude toward the early childhood education is _________.
A.puzzling | B.objective | C.indifferent | D.approving |
The main idea of the last passage is that __________.
A.the early childhood education is very necessary |
B.Head Start programs have helped the children a lot |
C.environment is the most important to life’s success |
D.better ways should be found to help the poor children |
“I grew up on Jackson’s music and I still have all his stuff on My iPod. I think that Michael Jackson will go down in history as one of our greatest entertainers. His brilliance as a performance also was paired with a tragic and in many ways,sad personal life.”
Michael Jackson was a singer,songwriter,dancer and celebrity icon with a vast catalog of hit records and countless awards to his credit. Beyond that,he had transfixed the world like few entertainers before or since. As a solo performer,he had enjoyed a level of superstardom previously known——Barack Obama
only to Elvis Presley,the Beatles and Frank Sinatra.
Michael Jackson was unquestionably the biggest pop star of the 80s’,and certainly one of the most popular recording artists of all time.
Michael Joseph Jackson was born on August 29,1958.The fifth and youngest son of steelworker Joe Jackson,Michael displayed a talent for music and dance from an extremely young age. His father began to organize a family musical group around his three eldest sons in 1962,and Michael joined them the following year,quickly establishing himself as a dynamic stage performer. Dubbed the Jackson 5,the group signed to Motown in 1968 and issued their debut single in October 1969,when Michael was just 11 years old. I Want You Back,ABC,The Love You Save and I’ll Be There all hit number one in 1970,making the Jackson 5 the first group in pop history to have their first four singles top the charts. Later in 1972,Jackson had his first number one solo single,Ben. In 1977,he met producer/composer Quincy Jones for the first time. With Jones producing,Jackson recorded his first solo album as an adult,Off the Wall.
Released(发行) in 1982,the Quincy Jones produced Thriller refined the strengths of Off the Wall:the dance and rock tracks were more driving,the pop tunes and ballads softer and more soulful,and all of it was recognizably Michael. There was no surprise that Thriller was a hit;what was a surprise was its staying power .Jackson’s duet with McCartney,The Girl Is Mine,was a natural single choice,and it peaked at number two;then Billie Jean and the Van Halen track Beat It both hit number one,for seven and three weeks respectively.
Michael Jackson died from heart disease on June 25 at age 50.What does Barack Obama mean by saying “His brilliance as a performance also was
paired with a tragic and in many ways,sad personal life”?
A.Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career as well as in life. |
B.Michael Joseph Jackson was a success in his career. |
C.Michael Joseph Jackson led a happy life. |
D.Michael Joseph Jackson gained a lot in his career,but he also suffered a lot in his life. |
According to the passage,which of the following is NOT true?
A.Barack Obama likes Michael Jackson’s song very much. |
B.Barack Obama and Michael Jackson are good friends. |
C.Michael is good at music as well as at dance. |
D.Michael Jackson had his first number one solo single when he was 14 years old. |
Choose the right time order of the following events.
a.Barack Obama,President of the US,assessed the whole life of Michael Jackson.
b.The family musical group signed to Motown.
c.Michael joined the family musical group.
d.His father began to organize a family musical group.
e.Thriller became a hit.
A.a-c-e-b-d | B.d-c-b-e-a |
C.b-e-a-c-d | D.d-e-b-c-a |
W
hat does the first paragraph mainly tell us?
A.Michael Jackson’s job. | B.How Michael Jackson performed. |
C.Michael Jackson’s great achievements. | D.Michael Jackson’s life. |
I’m Adam Gun from Istanbul, Turkey. I’m in a good school. And at the age of 15, in my first year of high school. I’m a great fan of tennis and cycling. I play tennis twice a week for two hours each time. Sometimes I want to play more, but I just keep playing for hours on end, never getting tired of doing it. This is one of the rare things I love in my life, in addition to cycling.
Like tennis, I find that I’m able to ride for ever and ever. Since Istanbul is made up of large and small hills, it’s a nice challenge to ride my bike every day. Although there aren’t many cycling places in Istanbul, I’m lucky enough to live near the biggest park. It’s downhill from my house to the park and I enjoy cycling up as much as floating down, because it’s challenging.
Now I have been thinking about being a lawyer and following my father’s footsteps, but I just don’t think I’m into it. I have heard people tell me over and over again: If you want to be happy with your life, you need to like and enjoy your job. Well, I’m not sure about the fact that I will enjoy being a lawyer when I grow up. I’m just not the type of person who sits down and studies for hours. So I just need opinions on whether to become a tennis player(hopefully), to become a cyclist(hopefully) or to become a lawyer.We can know that Adam Gun is satisfied with ______.
A.his friends | B.his choice to be a lawyer | C.his school | D.his favorite tennis star |
According to the passage, Adam Gun believes that cycling in Istanbul______.
A.need skills | B.needs good preparation | C.is easy but boring | D.is difficult but challenging |
What does the underlined part in the last paragraph mean?
A.I’m able to do it. | B.I hate to do it. | C.I’m confident about it. | D.I’m interested in it. |
What’s Adam Gun’s problem?
A.He isn’t certain about his future career. |
B.He has no enough time to practise tennis. |
C.His dad disagrees with his career choice. |
D.He can’t concentrate on his study for hours. |
Every object tells a story. Even the most ordinary objects can present to us powerful images. Sometimes it is the ordinary nature of these objects that actually makes them so extraordinary. Such is the case with an old leather shoe in a museum in Alaska .At first glance it does not look like much .It is a woman’s shoes of a style popular in the 1890s. But what is unique about this shoes is where it was found .It was discovered on the Checkout Pass, the famous trail(路线)used by the people seeking gold in Alaska. Who it belonged to or why it was left there is not known .Was it perhaps dropped by accident as the woman climbed up the 1,500 stairs carved outfaced? Or did she throw away goods that she didn’t need in order to travel lighter?
Over 100,000 people with “gold fever” made this trip hoping to become millionaires .Few of them understood that on their way they would have to cross a harsh(艰苦的)wilderness. Unprepared for such a dangerous journey, many died of starvation and exposure to the cold weather.
The Canadian government finally started requiring the gold seekers to bring one ton of supplies with them. This was thought to be enough for a person to survive for one year. They would carry their supplies in backpacks each weighing up to fifty pounds; it usually took at least 40 trips to get everything to the top and over the pass. Whoever dropped the shoe must have been a brave and determined woman. Perhaps she was successful and made it to Alaska. Perhaps she had to turn back in defeat. No one will ever know for sure .But what we do know is that she took part in one of the greatest adventures in the 19th century.The ordinary leather shoes of a woman is considered unusual because.
A.it is an important clue to a mystery | B.it was found on a famous trail |
C.it belonged to a IP at one time | D.it was a fashionable shoe at that time |
According to this passage ,many people who went to Alaska.
A.eventually became millionaires | B.brought with them many shoes |
C.had conflicts with the local people | D.were not properly equipped |
Which of the following is the best title?
A.A Shoe Tells a Story | B.Gold Fever |
C.The Importance of the Shoe | D.A shoe of Popular Style |