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Tony Burke, Australia’s environment minister, says he won’t decide until next year whether the koala should be protected as an endangered species. He was expected to make his decision by the end of October. But that decision has been put off. Burke said he needed more time to go over the latest information about the koala’s population.
In September, an Australian Senate committee reported that there was no question the koala’s population is on the decrease. “But they may not yet be eligible (符合条件) for listing as a threatened species,” said Senator Doug Cameron. “To have such a significant Australian icon(偶像) included on the threatened species list would be a national shame.”
The koala is found only in the eucalyptus (桉树) forests of Australia. And its population is reported to have fallen sharply for many reasons, including the cutting down of forests to make way for human beings’ development, their own illness, climate change and killings by other animals such as wild dogs. And every year many koalas are hit by cars as they are trying to cross the busy roads.
Putting off the decision on protection for the koala “is really bad news,” said Debbie Pointing, the president of the Koala Action Group. “We’ve worked tirelessly for many years to gather data on the populations,” Pointing said. “That data should be enough to make a decision.”
However, Burke pointed out that the Australian government had spent at least $6.3 million on koala conservation efforts since 1996. senators listed efforts that are already underway in Queensland – the construction of special koala bridges as well as fences along roads, to keep the animals out of harm’s way.
Some people say that is not enough. “What we’re doing at the moment is likely to drive this species to extinction,” Queensland University zoologist Bill Ellis said.
“Koalas are an iconic Australian animal,” Burke told Australians. “They hold a special place in the hearts of Australians.”
But it is a fact that if more isn’t done to protect the koala, they might soon hold a place only in Australians’ memories.
Tony Burke put off announcing the koala as an endangered species because .

A．he needed more time to examine latest information

B．he doubted whether koalas’ number is decreasing

C．he was thinking about ways to protect koalas

D．he had more important issues to deal with

What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?

A．The habitat of the koala.

B．Australia’s traffic problems.

C．The importance of koalas for Australians.

D．Reasons for the decrease of the koala population.

According to the text, Debbie Pointing thinks that .

A．the construction of special koala bridges is of little use

B．the government should announce the koala as an endangered species

C．the government is to blame for the decreasing koala population

D．koala are becoming less important in Australians’ hearts

It can be learned from the text that Tony Burke .

A．decided to construct more fences along roads

B．called on Australians to take care of the koala

C．thought the government has done much for koalas

D．was optimistic about the koalas’ future

What is the main idea of the text?

A．Australia puts off the decision on whether the koala is endangered.

B．Australia is taking special measures to protect koalas.

C．The population of koalas is reducing rapidly.

D．Australians are concerned about koalas.

A new reading tool was put on the market this week for the two-to five-year-old set. It is sold for at least $389, an expensive purchase for a kid – and that doesn’t even include a $99 annual subscription (订阅) fee for games, e-books, and age-appropriate software.
That might be fine for parents willing and able to pay thousands for private nursery schools, but will the tool actually help kids learn language and reading skills more effectively than traditional books?
Probably not, said Dr. Michael Rich, director of the Center for Media and Child Health at Children’s Hospital Boston. “There is a sensory components (感官因素) to books that isn’t there with e-books,” he explained. “You can smell it, turn the pages, and taste it, as young kids are likely to do.”
That might help little ones become more familiar with the books, helping them learn from them, but far more important is whether a person is actually sitting with them while they’re looking at the pages.
Researchers have shown time and again that kids learn better when they’re having interaction (互动) with real people, rather than electronic voices reading to them from a computer or speaking to them from the TV.
A Georgetown University study found that kids who learned to put on gloves from watching a video took six times as long to learn the process as those who watched it shown by an adult standing in front of them.
“I’m a big believer in teaching kids to live in the digital society and use what the rest of the family uses, but they do need to be supervised,” said Dr. Gwenn O’Keeffe, a Boston-based children’s doctor and spokesperson for the American Academy of Pediatrics. “We don’t recommend that young kids use any type of technology for very long since they have the attention span (注意力持续时间) of a butterfly.”
According to the text, the new tool .

A．is mainly used to entertain kids

B．can be accepted by most families

C．is designed for preschool kids

D．can download games for free

Why is Dr. Michael Rich against the new tool?

A．Because it doesn’t really involve many of the senses.

B．Because it does great harm to kids’ eyesight.

C．Because kids can’t communicate with it.

D．Because traditional books are cheaper.

The study mentioned in Paragraph 6 aims to .

A．show the disadvantage of kids’ watching videos

B．prove the importance of interaction with people

C．ask parents to teach their kids to learn

D．prove using e-books saves much time

The underlined word “supervised” in the last paragraph can be replaced by “”.

A．punished

B．watched

C．encouraged

D．understood

What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To introduce a new electronic device.

B．To teach kids how to live in a digital world.

C．To show parents how to help kids gain knowledge.

D．To throw new light on kids’ use of electronic tools.

The other day, I received a most unexpected message in response to one of my essays: I am so proud of you and all you have accomplished. I shared your opinion …
It was signed Margaret Leibfried, who was my English teacher — a teacher who appeared at a vital (关键) point in my life and helped me believe that I could become a writer.
Thirty years ago, I entered high school as an introvert (性格内向的人) made all the more shy because I was the school’s only nonwhite student. I always felt in danger of being swept away by a sea of tall white athletes. I spent a lot of time alone, reading and writing stories, hoping to escape being teased.
Ms. Leibfried taught American literature and composition grammar, which involved the usual memorizing vocabulary, but also, thrillingly, reading novels.
Thrilling to me, that is. Many of my classmates expressed dislike for novels because they were “not real.” For once, I didn’t care what they thought. Ms. Leibfried seemed to notice my interest in both reading and writing, and she took the time to make me feel less shy; she even offered me reading suggestions, like one of her favorite novels, “The Bell Jar.”
That year’s big project was a book report, to be read aloud to the class. However, Ms. Leibfried suggested I do something “a little different.” Instead of a report, I chose a passage from “The Bell Jar” that I considered as the best to recite.
The morning of the presentations, I remember my hands sweating so badly as I walked to the front of the class that I kept my hands crossed, so I wouldn’t wipe them on my blouse.
When I finished, to my surprise, the class applauded. “Marie has picked out a particularly sensitive piece of writing and delivered it beautifully,” Ms. Leibfried said, smiling. I felt, maybe for the first time, confident.
What was the author’s high school life like before she met Ms. Leibfried?

A．Lonely.

B．Exciting.

C．Wild.

D．Busy

In Paragraph 5, the author mainly tells us .

A．how she cared what her classmates thought

B．when she became interested in “The Bell Jar”

C．why many of her classmates disliked novels

D．how Ms. Leibfried helped and encouraged her

Why did Ms. Leibfried ask the author to recite a passage in front of the class?

A．To test whether she had a good memory.

B．To make her earn the respect of her classmates.

C．To help deepen her understanding of “The Bell Jar.”

D．To guide her to build a good relationship with others.

How did the author feel when she made the presentation?

A．Comfortable.

B．sad.

C．Nervous.

D．Confident.

What was the author’s purpose in writing the text?

A．To express her thanks to her teacher.

B．To discuss the issue of racial prejudice (偏见).

C．To introduce one of her favorite books.

D．To suggest the ways to gain confidence.

Perhaps every older generation since ancient times has complained about young people, and today is no different. Isn’t it obvious that kids these days are self-absorbed social network addicts?
However, this summer, my impression of today’s kids has been restored by the story of Rachel Beckwith. She could teach my generation a great deal about maturity (成熟) and unselfishness — even though she’s just 9 years old, or was when she died on July 23.
At age 5, Rachel had her long hair cut off and sent to Locks of Love, which uses hair donations to make artificial hair for children who have lost their own hair because of cancer or other diseases. After that, Rachel announced that she would grow her hair long again and donate it again. And that’s what she did.
Then when she was 8 years old, her church began raising money to build wells in Africa through an organization called “charity: water”. Rachel was astonished when she learned that other children had no clean water, so she skipped her ninth birthday party. Rachel set up a birthday page on the charity: water website with a target of $300. Instead of presents, she asked her friends to donate $9 each to charity: water. Finally Rachel raised only $220 — which had left her just a bit disappointed.
Then, on July 20, a serious traffic accident left Rachel critically injured. Church members and friends, seeking some way of showing support, began donating on Rachel’s birthday page — charitywater.org/Rachel — and donations reached her $300 goal, and kept rising.
When it was clear that Rachel would never regain consciousness, the family decided to remove the life-support machine. Her parents donated her hair for the final time to Locks of Love, and her organs to other children.
Word spread about Rachel’s last fund-raiser (募捐行动). Contributions poured in, often they donated $9. The total donations soon topped $100,000, then $300,000.
This is a story not just of one girl, but of a young generation of outstanding problem-solvers working creatively.
Which of the following is TRUE of Rachel?

A．She died at the age of 8.	B．She was a cancer patient.
C．She was a warm-hearted girl.	D．She founded Locks of Love.

The underlined word “skipped” in Paragraph 4 probably means “”.

A．put off

B．gave up

C．expected

D．planned

According to the text, Rachel set up the birthday page to .

A．make more new friends

B．call on people to donate hair

C．ask her friends to send her gifts

D．raise money to help African children

How does the author feel about the young generation now?

A．Worried

B．Critical.

C．Appreciative.

D．Doubtful

What would be the best title for the text?

A．Rachel’s last fund-raiser

B．Rachel and her birthday page

C．Kids are addicted to social networks.

D．What’s wrong with the young generation?

In the United States, engineering is a profession(职业) that has been historically under the control of men. Even today, it’s still true that few women become civil or chemical or mechanical engineers, but that’s something on www.EngineerGirl.org encouraging girls to change the present situation. Young women who visit the web site can find out about a great job choice they might not have considered.
"Women are not well represented in engineering and in engineering education programs and then of course, down the road, in the engineering workforce. So only about 20 percent of engineering undergraduate degrees(本科文凭) go to women, and then only about nine percent of working engineers are women."
Mary Mattis, the National Academy of Engineering, says "we know from the research that middle-school girls are at a critical point in their lives, and that it’s a time when we need to reach them, so this website aims to increase their awareness of interesting fields in engineering. On the other hand, it wants to make them understand what a wonderful productive and exciting job you can have as an engineer.”
Engineering is a demanding course of study—there is a lot of science and math, for many girls and even boys that can be challenging. But Ms. Mattis says that the EngineerGirl website stresses that engineering can also be fun and exciting.
"It’s about designing things. It’s about changing the world for people. It’s about making a difference. And, in addition, you can make a good living; you can be independent economically by becoming an engineer. All of those things are messages that girls need to get."
While most engineers go into traditional fields such as mechanical and electrical engineering, the EngineerGirl site also emphasizes engineering jobs which are related to other fields such as bio-engineering, sports engineering and --- believe it or not—chocolate engineering.
Even if you are not a girl in the target(目标) age group, there’s a lot of interesting information on the site, including biographies(自传)of some well-known women engineers.

Title	Website(56)______ Girls to Learn Engineering
Present(57)_____ for the engineering profession in the USA	The majority of men take up the profession throughout(58) ______, while only a small number of women work as engineers.
(59)_____ of the website	▲To increase young women’s(60)_____of interesting fields in engineering. ▲To make them understand what productivity and (61)_____ the job of being engineers can bring them.
(62)___________ of being engineers	▲ It can be fun and exciting. ▲ It can(63)_____ the world for people. ▲ You can make a good living. ▲ You can get economic independence by (64) _____ an engineer.
Other fields concerning engineering	Various chances are talked about like bio-engineering and engineering (65) _____ to sports, and even chocolate.