The illegal ivory(象牙) trade has been a major problem in Africa for decades. Poachers have killed hundreds of thousands of elephants to obtain ivory. Now, affected areas are taking action. The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) announced on Wednesday key African states where poaching takes place have promised to stop the ivory trade to protect elephants.
Over the past few days, top officials and experts from 30 states met at the African Elephant Summit. The conference, organized by the IUCN and the government of Botswana, was held in Gaborone, Botswana.
Conservation efforts will include China and Thailand, where much of the ivory is sent. “Now is the time for Africa and Asia to join forces to protect this universally valued species,” said Botswana President Ian Khama.
In the 1980s, as many as 1 million elephants across Africa were killed for their ivory. The ivory was used to make jewelry and other items. This continued until 1989, when the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) voted to ban all the trade in ivory. As a result, demand for ivory fell. Governments cracked down on poachers. Elephant populations slowly began to increase. However , this progress was short-lived.
According to the IUCN, 2011 saw the highest levels of poaching and illegal ivory trading in at least 16 years. Around 25,000 elephants were killed in Africa that year. Data from the IUCN show even higher levels of illegal trade may have been reached in 2013. “With an estimated 22,000 elephants illegally killed in 2012, we continue to face a critical situation,” said John E. Scanlon, CITES Secretary-General. “Current elephant poaching in Africa remains far too high, and could soon lead to local extinction if the present killing rate continues.
At the African Elephant Summit , key African states where elephants make their home agreed to develop a “zerotolerance approach” to poaching. The deal calls for maximum sentences for poachers and hunters, and increased cooperation between affected states. Officials are committed to classifying wildlife trafficking (交易) as a serious crime --- and to making sure that the people who commit it are punished. All participants at the conference agreed to sign the deal. With these states working together, there may yet be hope for elephants.The purpose of holding the African Elephant Summit is to _________.
| A．make new laws to punish poachers. |
| B．prevent elephants from being poached. |
| C．collect money for elephants’ protection |
| D．call for African countries to save elephants. |
Why are China and Thailand mentioned in the text?
| A．The ivory is illegally sold in these two countries. |
| B．Elephants need protecting in these two countries. |
| C．They know how to protect wildlife like elephants. |
| D．They prefer jewelry and other items made of ivory. |
What can we learn from Paragraph 5 ?
| A．The governments do nothing to protect animals. |
| B．Elephant poaching in Africa is out of control. |
| C．A large number of elephants have been killed. |
| D．Illegal ivory trading is to blame for the elephants’ extinction. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．Wild Animals Are at Risk | B．New Hope for Elephants |
| C．Elephants Need Our Help | D．Wildlife Protection in Africa |
Summer school is something a kid will never forget．For some, it's a way to advance past their classmates．For most, summer school is' a requirement in order to graduate with their classmates I can remember being forced into taking a summer school course．It was not the school that forced me into this awkward situation it was my mother．
I was a 16-year-old kid in a new school; My school did not offer summer courses so I had to take my course at an alternative school in the city．It was an experience I will never forget．I was not concerned with making friends．I was there to get credit （学分） for a course that I should have received credit for the previous semester．It was．my doing that landed me in the situation and it was important that I understood this．
The fees were lowest but the experience was amazing．I enjoyed I didn't miss the day． The course was from Monday to Friday for an entire month．I passed the course with an A．I was thrown into an awkward situation and actually enjoyed it．My friends didn't even know I took the course．Most of them were still sleeping by the time my course ended each day．
Awkward situations are so important for personal growth．This situation made me feel more independent．I made friends．I finally understood what sacrifice and hard work were all about．While attending college, I remembered how much I enjoyed summer school and I chose to take summer school in my first three years of college．Some kids get pushed too much but some don't get pushed enough．I was never pushed enough．
Enable your children to struggle for success．If your child needs summer school you explain to them why it's important．Some parents are surprised by the situation and may want to be more involved in their children's education．Follow through and follow up．Most students go to the summer school in order to ____．
| A．find good jobs graduation | B．become top students in their class |
| C．have a chance to make more friends | D．graduate successfully on time |
What made the author go to summer school for the first time?
| A．What he had done． | B．His mother's wish． |
| C．His own requirement． | D．Study competition． |
Which of the following was NOT the benefit got by the author through attending summer school?
| A．It helped him get rid of bad habits． |
| B．It helped him make new friends． |
| C．It helped him understand what sacrifice and hard work were． |
| D．It increased his independence． |
From the last paragraph we can learn that the author ____．
| A．does not like summer school at all even though it is useful |
| B．thinks summer school is unnecessary for children |
| C．encourages parents to make their children attend summer school |
| D．is against forcing children to attend summer school |
What does the author think of summer school?
| A．He thinks it is awkward． | B．He thinks it is significant． |
| C．He doesn't think it is suitable． | D．He thinks nothing of it． |
Water goes around and around Earth in a never ending journey called the water cycle（循环）. The sun heats up lakes, oceans, and other wet places on Earth. When the water gets warm enough, it changes into vapour. Plants also give off lots of water vapour. Some of this water vapour cools off high in the sky and becomes clouds. Then it falls back to Earth in a new place as rain or snow. This cycle happens over and over again.
The ground can absorb water like a sponge (海绵). If you could see this groundwater, it wouldn’t look like a lake or river. The groundwater is mixed in with the rocks and sand that lie in layers(层) below Earth’s surface.
Groundwater moves along slowly. How slowly? Maybe 1.5 kilometres in one century. Some of this water has been underground for thousands of years. And once groundwater is pumpedout of the ground from a deep well（井） by people, it may take hundreds of years for another water to take its place.In which order does water go around Earth?
a .Fall down as rain or snow.
b. Heated up by the sun on lakes, oceans and other wet places.
c. Cool off high in the sky.
d. Form clouds.
e. Change into vapour.
| A．dacbe | B．becda | C．caebd | D．bceda |
The groundwater seems to________.
| A．be just on the ground | B．be pure water like that in a lake or river |
| C．exist in rocks and sand | D．flow along like rivers or streams |
What conclusion（结论） can we draw from the passage?
| A．Groundwater can be quickly replaced by other water once pumped out. |
| B．Groundwater is very valuable. |
| C．Groundwater has nothing to do with human beings. |
| D．Groundwater travel in an unknown way. |
All over the world people enjoy sports．Sports help to keep people healthy，happy and help them to live longer．
Sports change with the season. People play different games in winter and summer．
Games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities．The Arabs use horses or camels in much of their everyday life；they use them in their sports，too．
Some sports are so interesting that people everywhere go in for them．Football，for example，has spread around the world．Swimming is popular in all countries near the sea or in those with many rivers．
Some sports or games go back to thousands of years，like running or jumping．Chinese boxing，for example，has a very long history．But basketball and volleyball are rather new．Neither one is a hundred years old yet．People are inventing new sports or games all the time．
People from different countries may not be able to understand each other but after a game they often become good friends．Sports help to train a person's character(性格)．One learns to fight hard but fight fair，to win without pride and to lose with grace(体面)The writer didn't tell us in this passage that________．
| A．basketball was invented in America |
| B．sports change with the season |
| C．games and sports often grow out of people’s work and everyday activities |
| D．football is played all over the world |
People all over the world enjoy sports because_______.
| A．sports are interesting |
| B．sports help to keep people healthy，happy and to live longer |
| C．sports help to train one’s character |
| D．all of the above |
From this passage we can see that _____．
| A．sports and games are unimportant things that people do |
| B．sports and games should be treated(对待)only as amusement(娱乐活动) |
| C．sports and games are only useful to the old |
| D．none of the above is true |
By May，after three months，I had lost22pounds and reached my goal of 115 pounds．My friends would say “Alice，you look great！”or“How did you lose so much weight？”Those compliments made me feel good and confident．
Soon I dropped to110 pounds．A few of my friends told me that I needed to stop dieting，because I was starting to look sick. They brought me a present—— a bag of chocolates，which I later gave to my sister．My mother would come to my room，with tears in her eyes，and have long chats about how harmful this diet was and begged me to stop．My dad would leave worried messages on my cell phone at school，telling me that it would do serious harm to my body．
By mid-June，when school was coming to an end，I was down to an only alive state of 95 pounds．All of a sudden，I knew I had to do something．I guessed the number itself scared me．I recalled my doctor．He told me about a girl who was 95 pounds and was at the risk of dying．I knew I was putting my life at risk，but for what？ To make those who love me worried？ Was it worthwhile to be thin？
Now I realize that models in magazines，TV and movies are not realistic．The price to pay for the“perfect body”is living with a dangerous and sometimes deadly eating disorder．And there are more important things to think about than how thin you are．The underlined word“compliments”in Paragraph I probably means_____.
| A．questions | B．praise | C．understanding | D．experiences |
Why did the author's mother come to her room in tears？
| A．Because the mother was worried about her daughter's health． |
| B．Because the mother thought her daughter was brave enough． |
| C．Because the mother was sorry to have helped her daughter go on a diet． |
| D．Because the mother was deeply moved by her daughter's friends． |
The author decided to stop dieting_______．
| A．after her parents persuaded her out of it |
| B．when her weight dropped to 95 pounds |
| C．after she reached her goal of losing weight |
| D．after her friends told her to stop dieting |
From the text we learn that _________.
| A．there are no models with a perfect body in real life |
| B．it is too expensive for people to lose weight |
| C．you will be healthy as long as you stop dieting |
| D．an unhealthy diet can lead to serious health problems |
Mrs. Blake teaches English in a large school in the inner area of a big city on the west of coast. Even since she was a young girl,she has wanted to become a teacher. She has taught eight years now and hasn‘t changed her mind. After she graduated from high school， she went on to college.
Four years later， she received her bachelor’s degree （B A） in English and her teaching certificate（证书）. Then she went to teach in the secondary schools of her state. In the summers， Mrs. Blake takes more classes；she hopes to get a master’s degree （M A）. With an MA， she will receive a higher salary and if possible， she hopes to get a doctor’s degree as well.
The school day at Mrs. Blake’s high school，like that in many high schools in the United States is divided into one hour each. Mrs. Blake must teach five of these periods. During her free period，which for her is from 2 to 3 P.M.，Mrs. Blake must meet with parents, make out examinations，check homework at all，Mrs. Blake works continuously from the time she arrives at school in the morning till the time she leaves for home late in the afternoon.How long is it since Mrs. Blake graduated from middle school？
| A．four years | B．eight years | C．twelve years | D．twenty years |
According to the article，which is the right order of the degrees a person can receive after going to university？
| A．a doctor’s degree – a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree |
| B．a bachelor’s degree – a master’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| C．a master’s degree—a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree |
| D．a bachelor’s degree – a doctor’s degree—a master’s degree |
How many degrees has Mrs. Blake achieved so far？
| A．one | B．two | C．three | D．none |
Which of the following sentences is not true？
| A．Mrs. Blake teaches in the inner area of big city on the east of the United Sates |
| B．Mrs. Blake has turned her wish of becoming a teacher into reality. |
| C．Mrs. Blake is still studying in her holidays in order to get higher degrees. |
| D．The working hours in the school where Mrs. Blake works are similar to those of many other high schools in the states. |
According to that third paragraph，Mrs. Blake is ______ during the school day.
| A．lonely | B．free | C．funny | D．busy |