In Wiltshire, England, volunteers are being sought to visit a nature protection area to count the butterflies living there and on surrounding fields. The project is promoted by all environmental protection organization, which has contributed to improving the living environment for wild animals. Recently, the organization has issued an appeal to help it observe environmental changes based on the record of butterflies and protect the environment.
In the area, the local people have planted many special flowers with the help of the organization, aiming to see whether these flowers will interest the rare and beautiful butterflies. The project officer Sarah Marshall says,“It will be a suitable habitat (栖息地) for butterflies. They are great‘indicator species’ as they are easily affected by climate changes so they make a brilliant early-warning system for the environment.” She also points out that volunteers are needed to record the number or species of butterflies, and based on the change happening to the butterflies, the hidden environmental problems in the area can be found out in time.
The organization is seeking volunteers to help monitor butterflies from April through to September. They will walk a fixed route and record the different butterflies they encounter along the way. Each visit should take no more than two hours, and each volunteer is expected to visit once a month to count the wildlife. “Staff will provide back up, so if the weather is poor on the day you are to visit (butterflies don’t like to fly in the rain, wind or if it’s too cloudy) we can have someone else do your job,” Sarah points out.
No previous experience is necessary as training and support will be provided, but a keen interest is essential. If you are interested please contact Sarah on (01380) 725670, ext 278, email—sarahm @ wiltshirewildlife. org. According to Paragraph 1, what is the purpose of the Project?
| A．To appeal to more visitors |
| B．To protect the environment |
| C．To control butterfly population |
| D．To expand the area for wildlife |
Butterflies are called “indicator species” because _______.
| A．they can provide support for visitors |
| B．they can give information to other species |
| C．they are not easily found out in their habitats |
| D．they are very sensitive to environmental changes |
Volunteers are required to do the things EXCEPT __________.
| A．having some special previous experience |
| B．being interested in protecting the environment |
| C．walking a regular route and do some recordings |
| D．visiting the nature protection area once a month |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Visitors are being trained to identify butterflies. |
| B．Wildlife areas are being protected by butterflies. |
| C．Volunteers are being needed to count butterflies. |
| D．Organizations are being put up to protect butterflies. |
Having a hobby helps to make you a more interesting person and gives you something fascinating to talk about with others. It can also help you to avoid feeling bored and often provides the opportunity to meet new people with similar interests. Learning something new is always good for keeping the mind alert and active, as is maintaining a long-term interest in something that attracts you. This will also make your more of an interesting person than a person who is addicted to Facebook, watching TV, or doing other time wasting and unhealthy tasks.
Think of a hobby that might interest you. It might be an interest that you always wished you had time to explore, but never had the time or money required to pursue your interest.
Collect things for a fashion magazine. Look at the walls in your post office, and think about collecting stamps and what you might need to do to start and maintain a stamp collection. Think of other items you might like to collect, for example, coins, dolls or chocolate wrappers.
_______________________. Have you ever gone to a museum, looked at the paintings on the walls, and wondered if you could do the same thing? How about trying painting for yourself — in oils or watercolors? Or maybe try drawing with charcoal or colored pencils.
Enjoy sport as a hobby. Watch soccer, basketball, golf, athletics or tennis tournaments on television or at your local sports ground. Do you feel that a sport is something that you would love to learn? Think about what it would cost, and the time it would take to learn and play. Do you have the funds available for this type of hobby? Would you have the patience it would take to really learn to play or train for any of these sports? Would you rather play a team sport or an individual sport? Maybe there are friends or family members who already have equipment and uniforms you can have, as well as tips for how to begin your chosen sport. Ask them about their experiences and listen to their suggestions.Itisimpliedinthefirstparagraphthat_______.
| A．havingahobbywillwastealotoftime |
| B．ahobbyisnomorethanatime-killingactivity |
| C．havingahobbywilldoyougoodalot |
| D．ahobbywillmeanalotofunexpectedchances |
Whichofthefollowingismostsuitablefortheblank in paragraph 4?
| A．Discoverartforahobby. | B．Learnartinamuseum. |
| C．Makeartinyourowncommunity. | D．Copyartfromotherpainters. |
Thequestionsinthe5thparagraphareusedto_______.
| A．showthecuriosityofthewriteraboutsports | B．presentsomeadviceforyoutoconsider |
| C．expressthedoubtofthewriteraboutsports | D．providesomechoicesonsportsactivity |
Thepurposeofwritingthispassageisto_______.
| A．teachushowtofindahobby | B．explainhowahobbyisdeveloped |
| C．introducetheimportanceofahobby | D．provetheeffectofahobbyonaperson |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
The Worst Part
Mom is usually home on Sunday but this week she was going to a big golf game and I was all alone in the house．I was mad at Mom for divorcing Dad．
I kept looking at the telephone until I couldn’t stand it any longer．I picked up the receiver and dialed Dad’s number over in Bakersfield．I even remembered to dial 1 first because it was long distance．“You promised to phone me this week but you didn’t,” I said, feeling I had to talk to him．
“Take it easy, kid,” he said．“I just didn’t get around to it．I was going to call this evening．The week isn’t over yet．”
I thought about that．
“Something on your mind?” he asked．
“I hoped you would call, so I waited and waited．” Then I was sorry I said it．
“There was heavy snow in the morning,” he said, “I had to chain up on highway 80 and lost time．”
I know putting chains on eight big wheels in the snow is no fun．I felt a little better, as long as we were talking．“How is Bandit?” I asked．
There was a funny silence．For a minute I thought the line was dead．Then I knew something must have happened to my dog．
“Well, kid—”, he began．“My name is Leigh!” I almost yelled．“I’m not just some kid you met on the street!”
“Keep your shirt on, Leigh,” he said．“When I had to stop along with some other truckers to put on chains, I left Bandit out of the cab, I thought he would get back … I have sent out a call to CB radio, but I didn’t get an answer yet．” I was about to say I understood when there came the bad part, the really bad part．I heard a boy’s voice say, “Hey, Bill, Mom wants to know when we’re going out to get the pizza?”From the story we know that _______．
| A．Leigh’s dad never had a rest on Sundays |
| B．Leigh’s dad lived in another city |
| C．Leigh was a deserted boy |
| D．Leigh’s mother often went to golf games |
What happened to Bandit?
| A．It was frozen to death． |
| B．It ran off Highway 80 and into the mountain． |
| C．It was killed by a truck． |
| D．It was let out of the cab and got lost. |
The underlined sentence “Keep your shirt on” probably means “_______ ”．
| A．Calm down | B．Stop talking |
| C．Put on your shirt | D．Keep warm |
The worst part in Leigh’s eyes may be that ________．
| A．his dad didn’t love him | B．his parents got divorced |
| C．his dad got remarried | D．his mom didn’t take him to pizza |
Road politeness is not only good manners ,but good sense too .It takes the most cool-headed and good-tempered of drivers to resist the temptation to take revenge (报复)on uncivilized behavior. On the other hand, a little politeness goes a long way towards reducing the tensions of motoring A friendly nod or a wave of acknowledgement in response to an act of politeness helps to create an atmosphere of goodwill and tolerance so necessary in modern traffic conditions. But such acknowledgements of politeness are all too rare today. Many drivers nowadays don’t even seem able to recognize politeness when they see it.
However, misplaced politeness can be dangerous. Typical examples are the driver who brakes violently to allow a car to come out of a side street at some danger to following traffic, when a few seconds later the road would be clear anyway; or the man who waves a child across a zebra crossing into the path of oncoming vehicles that may be unable to stop in time The same goes for encouraging old ladies to cross the road wherever and whenever they like to. It always amazes me that the highways are not covered with the dead bodies of these grannies.
An experienced driver, whose manners are faultless, told me it would help if motorists learnt to move correctly into traffic streams one at a time without causing the total blockages that give rise to bad temper. Unfortunately, modern motorists can’t even learn to drive ,let alone master the less obvious points of roadmanship. Years ago the experts warned us that an explosion in car-ownership would demand a lot more give and take from all road users. It’s high time for all of us to take this message to heart.According to the passage, the role of politeness is .
| A．resisting the temptation to take revenge on uncivilized behavior |
| B．reducing the tensions of motoring |
| C．responding to a friendly nod or wave of acknowledgement |
| D．Both A and B |
By“good sense”in the first paragraph, the writer means.
| A．the driver’s ability to understand and react reasonably |
| B．the driver’s immediate response to difficult and severe conditions |
| C．the driver’s tolerance of bad or even rude behavior |
| D．the driver’s acknowledgement to politeness and regulations |
In the writer’s opinion,
| A．strict traffic regulations are badly needed |
| B．drivers should apply road politeness properly |
| C．rude drivers should be punished |
| D．drivers should avoid traffic jams |
When Paul was a boy growing up in Utah, he happened to live near a copper smelter（炼铜厂），and the chemicals that poured out had made a wasteland out of what used to be a beautiful forest. One day a young visitor looked at this wasteland and called it an awful area. Paul knocked him down. From then on, something happened inside him.
Years later Paul was back in the area, and he went to the smelter office. He asked if they had any plans or if they would let him try to bring the trees back. The answer from that big industry was “No”.
Paul then went to college to study the science of plants. Unfortunately, his teachers said there weren't any birds or squirrels to spread the seeds. It would be a waste of his life to try to do it. Everyone knew that, he was told. Even if he was knowledgeable as he had expected, he wouldn’t get his idea accepted.
Paul later got married and had some kids. But his dream would not die. And then one night he did what he could with what he had. As Samuel Johnson wrote, “It is common to overlook what is near by keeping the eye fixed on something remote. Attainable(可得到的) good is often ignored by minds busied in wide ranges.” Under the cover of darkness, he went secretly into the wasteland and started planting.
And every week, he made his secret journey into the wasteland and planted trees and grass. For fifteen years he did this against the plain common sense. Slowly rabbits appeared. Later, as there was legal pressure to clean up the environment, the company actually hired Paul to do what he was already doing.
Now the place is fourteen thousand acres of trees and grass and bushes, and Paul has received almost every environmental award Utah has. It took him until his hair turned white, but he managed to keep that impossible vow he made to himself as a child.When Paul was a boy，______________.
| A．he had decided never to leave his hometown |
| B．the economy of Utah depended wholly on the copper smelter |
| C．no laws were made to protect the environment against pollution |
| D．he had determined to stop the copper smelter polluting the area |
Why did Paul go to college to study the science of plants？
| A．Because he wanted to find out the best way to save the area himself. |
| B．Because he was interested in planting trees since he was young. |
| C．Because he wanted to get more knowledgeable people to help him. |
| D．Because he thought his knowledge would make his advice more persuasive. |
What does the underlined phrase “the plain common sense” probably refer to?
| A．That it was impossible for trees to grow on the wasteland. |
| B．That his normal work and life would be greatly affected. |
| C．That no one would like to join him in the efforts. |
| D．That he had to keep everything he did secret. |
The company hired Paul to plant trees and grass because___________.
| A．they realized the importance of environmental protection |
| B．What Paul was doing moved them |
| C．Paul persuaded them to help him |
| D．they had legal pressure |
The message of the passage is that _____________.
| A．action speaks louder than words | B．perseverance will work wonders |
| C．God helps those who help themselves | D．many hands make light work |
This is an open letter to the three people who stole my handbag from the department store I am employed as a shop assistant.
When you took my bag, I don’t know what you thought you were going to get. With my wages, there’s not much left on a Tuesday. I hope the ￡5 was useful to you. I have informed the social security office so you won’t be able to cash the child benefit next week. I hope that won’t leave you too short．But if you really need a couple of pounds, I suppose you could always cash one of the two checks left in my check book．Of course, I phoned the bank right away and the check-cashing card is no longer valid(有效的), so it won’t be much use to you.
Actually I don’t mind about the money too much. We single parents who work to support our families understand only too well what it means to be short of cash. However, I don’t suppose it went very far among the three of you. Sorry about that!
I wish you had left the bag behind and just taken the wallet and check book．There were all kinds of papers in it, and notes and things that I really need. I really think that was very inconsiderate of you . I mean, how would you like something like that to happen to you?
Well, perhaps the bag will turn up. It wasn’t even an expensive one, just a plain, old brown leather handbag. You probably dumped it in the nearest rubbish bin or threw it into the bushes. We’ve looked around, of course, but no one saw which way you went after you left the shop.
I’m not really angry with you．I know how the pressures of modern living can affect us, but I am sad at the loss of my personal things. I feel offended and helpless. The police were very icy, and they just shrugged（耸） their shoulders. “It happens all the time,” they told me. Some small comfort, I suppose. But I’ve lost just a little more faith in human nature. And as my young son said when I told him what had happened, “Why? Mummy, why us?” I couldn’t answer that question. I wonder if you can.In writing Paragraph 2, the writer wants to __________.
| A．describe the contents of the bag in detail |
| B．give some suggestions to the three thieves |
| C．tell the thieves they could hardly get any money |
| D．state the fact that she was careless with the money |
Which of the following is the most valuable to the writer?
| A．The cash in her bag. |
| B．The papers and notes in the bag. |
| C．The handbag itself. |
| D．The check books in the bag. |
What can we conclude about the police?
| A．They have doubts about human nature. |
| B．They show sympathy for the woman. |
| C．They think the case quite common. |
| D．They are unable to find the thieves. |
Why does the author write the letter?
| A．To give the thieves a serious warning. |
| B．To complain about the fall of human goodness. |
| C．To call people’s attention to their belongings. |
| D．To express her affection for her valuable bag. |