On May 23rd the United States Department of Agriculture will meet to discuss the pressing topic of wild pigs. These beasts, which number 6 million or so, are an increasing bother. At their worst, they can damage crops, spread diseases, attack humans and kill farm animals. And things are getting worse: a study show that they are likely to double in number over the next 3 years. Why is it so hard to control wild pigs?
Introduced to America in the 16th century, and related to the wild pigs found in Europe, wild pigs can be found in 75% of all states. No single law exists to control them and regulations differ between states: while in Missouri they can only be shot if met by chance, in Texas hunting is actively encouraged. A “pork chopper” law allows Texan hunters to shoot wild pigs from helicopters, and some people in Louisiana have even built their own pighunting drone(无人机). As well as being popular with hunters, wild pigs are cheaper for game raisers to breed(饲养)than deer. In Michigan and Pennsylvania suggested bans on the private breeding of pigs for hunting have caused quarrels between game raisers and wildlife officials.
Wild pigs' double nature——considered pests by farmers, but valued by hunters——makes it hard to pass laws to control them. Two other factors also contribute. Nearly 70% of land in America is privately owned. And it is difficult for lawmakers to impose(强加)breeding and hunting laws on private landowners. Secondly, it is hard to define a wild pig.
In some states, laws are being introduced to redefine the term “wild animal” to keep out wild pigs. This is good news for those raising pigs for hunting, but less are to those who consider them pests whose number should be limited. Meanwhile, discussions continue over how to deal with this problem.People are not permitted to hunt wild pigs freely in ________.
| A．Texas | B．Michigan |
| C．Missouri | D．Louisiana |
Why do the game raisers prefer raising wild pigs to deer?
| A．It's difficult to raise deer. |
| B．Wild pigs are in large numbers. |
| C．Deer are not popular with hunters. |
| D．They can benefit more from wild pigs. |
Which is NOT the reason for the difficulty in controlling wild pigs?
| A．The difficulty of passing effective laws. |
| B．The high percentage of land owned privately. |
| C．The farmers' unwillingness to shoot wild pigs. |
| D．The popularity of raising wild pigs in many states. |
What is the best title of the text?
| A．Why are wild pigs so hard to control? |
| B．Are wild pigs pests or wild animals? |
| C．Wild pigs——an increasing danger in the US. |
| D．How to deal with the problem of wild pigs? |
Dear editor,
I am Paul , a sen
ior English teacher in Linchuan No. 1 Middle School in Jiangxi Province , China. This letter is written to ask for your opinion.
The other day, I met with a multiple - choice exercise. We teachers argued heatedly with each other over its answer. Unfortunately, neither side could convince the other. The sentence is to be attached at the end of the letter. There is no doubt that the reference answer C is correct. But I don’t think it is the only answer. Personally, I do think A is also a reasonable choice in sense as well as in grammar, if the case is treated from another aspect.
What puzzles me is why we should deal with so many multiple - choice exercises with not rigorous（严谨的）enough reference keys. But being a teacher, it’s very important and necessary to make it clear to students which answer is correct, which is more appropriate, and which is the best one. Regrettably, Multiple - choice test, which is a bit old - fashioned in western countries, seems to be quite popular and covers a rather high percentage in all sorts of English tests in China, especially in NMET.
Personally speaking, I don’t think multiple - choice test form making up more than 75 percent of the total scores in college entrance examination is a very good and effective testing method. Instead, more subjective testing forms depending on one’s own thinking and his ability to use the language like key words falling, question answering, paragraph or passage summarizing, English - Chinese or Chinese - English inter - translation, etc. should be applied to English proficiency tests. Through the test forms mentioned above, students’ ability to use the language will be better developed. Consequently, more advanced and outstanding English learners could be picked out. In fact, a test paper focusing on multiple - choice test influences, in a sense, students to form their own language thinking, which hinders（阻碍）the development of their language ability as well. Do you think so?
I am looking forward to your authoritative opinion. Thanks.
Yours sincerely,
Paul Liao.
. What can be learnt from the letter is that the writer ________.
| A．writes to argue with the editor over China’s present test system |
| B．thinks the reference answer to the sentence is completely wrong |
| C．thinks subjective test forms constitute a rather high percentage in NMET |
| D．doesn’t think highly of China’s present English proficiency test forms |
.
. In order to better develop students’ ability to use English, the writer suggests ________.
| A．dealing with more multiple - choice exercises |
| B．laying stress on the practice of subjective exercises |
| C．arguing hotly with teachers over reference answers |
| D．considering a problem from different aspects |
.
Which of the following does NOT belong to subjective exercises in English learning?
| A．Keeping a diary. | B．Summarizing a paragraph. |
| C．Copying a test. | D．Translating a passage. |
.
The writer seems to feel ________ as to the future development of students’ language ability.
| A．concerned | B．curious | C．confused | D．satisfied |
A. You and Me, Baby
Reading level: Baby - Grade 1
Hardcover: 40 pages
Language: English
List Price: $15.95
Price: $12.44 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
You Save: $3.51 （22%）
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Only 4 left in stock-order soon（more on the way）. Want it delivered Thursday, September 27.
B. Ruff! Ruff! Where’s Scruff?
Reading level: Baby - Preschool
Hardcover: 16 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.16 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $25.
Availability: In Stock. Sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available.
Want it delivered Thursday, September 2.
Book Description: It’s bath time for Scruff. But does anyone know where he’s hiding? Have the cows seen him? Moo - no ！How about the pigs? Oink - no ! Looking for that dog is just too tough! But not for toddlers. If they look carefully, they’ll find Scruff hiding on every pop – up page !
C. The Giving Tree
Reading level: Ages 4 - 8
Hardcover: 64 pages
Language: English
Price: $11.55
Availability: Sold all year round and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout.
Book Description: Once there was a tree… and she loved a little boy. Every day the boy would come to the tree to eat her apples, swing from her branches, or slide down her think… and the tree was happy.
D. Where the Wild Things Are
Reading level: Ages 6 - 10
Hardcover comic: 62 pages
Language: English
List Price: $16.95
Price: $11.53 & eligible for FREE Super Saver Shipping on orders over $ 25.
You Save: $5.42（32%）
Availability: In Stock. Ships from and sold by Amazon. com. Gift - wrap available. Want it delivered Thursday, September 12. Order it at once, and choose One - Day Shipping at checkout..
. Little Tom who likes to read picture books with a hide - and - seek adventure, will be likely to buy ________.
| A．You and Me, Baby | B．Ruff! Ruff! Where’s Scruff? |
| C．The Giving Tree | D．Where the Wild Things Are |
.
. How much will you pay if you order three books named “Where the Wild Things Are?”
| A．$16.26 | B．$34.59 | C．$50.58 | D．$75 |
.
Which of the following is Not true according to the passage?
| A．The language of four kinds of books is English. |
| B．Four kinds of books are available at present. |
| C．The cover of four kinds of books is hardcover. |
| D．The reading level of four kinds of books are the same. |
.
. Where would this advertisement probably appear?
| A．In a popular magazine. |
| B．On the front - page of a newspaper. |
| C．In a children’s story - book. |
| D．On the Internet. |
Laura was married for 6 months. Her husband was using drugs. She didn’t want her son or her unborn baby to live that way, but she was afraid to ask her husband to leave. She left him a note instead. After reading the note, Laura’s husband waited for her to come home and then beat her and
her son.
He smashed（使……碎）dishes, pictures and toys and left the house in a terrible mess（混杂）. He said it was all her fault. After Laura cleaned up the mess she went to the hospital. She was badly hurt all over her body, but the baby was fine.
Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job. She was ashamed to ask for help from the police, courts or women’s shelters. Laura wanted her marriage and family to work. Sometimes her husband was very nice to her. She decided to try harder se her children could have a home and a father. Laura joined a church and told a priest（牧师）about her problem.
But her husband kept using drugs and hurting the family. Finally, she told her husband she loved him, but they should live apart for a while. He beat her again. The priest had called and could tell Laura was in trouble. He came over to talk to her, He asked the husband to go out for a while. Laura packed up her kids and left. Her husband went to jail. Laura got a lot of help from groups that help women who have been beaten. Now she is in college, has her own apartment and works on special projects at a women’s shelter. “We got out , and it changed the life for me and my children. You can do it. You can break the cycle.” Laura said. Laura’s husband treated her ________.
| A．carefully | B．badly |
C．coldly | D．carelessly |
. Why did Laura not leave her husband in the beginning?
| A．Because she loved him very much. |
| B．Because he could make her live a rich life. |
| C．Because he was her son’s father. |
| D．Because she hoped to keep the family. |
. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Now Laura works on a special project at a women’s shelter.
B. Laura had little education and she never had a good paying job.
C. After Laura cleaned up the mess, she went to the church.
D. Laura was ashamed to ask for help from organizations.. Which do you think is this passage about?
| A．Educational and social problems. | B．Working and housing. |
| C．Family violence（暴力）. | D．Relationship between husband and wife. |
While drunken driving may be on the decline, traffic safety experts remain puzzled over how to deal with another alcohol related danger: drunken pedestrains.
Pedestrians struck and killed by cars often are extremely drunk. In fact, they are intoxicated(喝醉的) more frequently and with higher blood alcohol levels than drunken drivers who are killed in accidents, various studies have shown. Forty percent of adult pedestrians involved in fatal crashes have a blood alcohol level of at least 0.10 which by law in most states signifies intoxication compared to only 25 percent of drivers in deadly accidents, according to recent federal data.
Some types of pedestrain accidents have been declining nationally, especially those involving children, but the number of adult pedestrians who are drunk when killed in traffic has remained relatively steady at 2500 a year. The total number of pedestrians killed annually in U.S. traffic accidents is at least 7000, or one of every seven highway accidents resulting in death.
“We’re dealing here, we think, with a very severe drinking problem that leads to a severe highway safety problem,” said Richard Blomberg, president of Dunlap and Associates Inc, in Norwalk, Coon.
Blomberg, whose consulting company found a very high rate of alcohol i
nvolvement in a controlled study of pedestrian accidents in New Orleans, was among several researchers who spoke on the topic at the annual meeting of the Research council’s Transportation Research Board(TRB) in Washington in January.
Pedestrian accidents have not received enough attention in the past, according to Kay Colpitts, who chair
s the board’s committee on pedestrians. Few methods exist to monitor walking habits, she said, and researchers have been mystified（迷惑不解） about how to prevent disasters.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Traffic Safety. | B．Drunken Drivers |
| C．Drunken Pedestrian Accidents. | D．A Severe Highway Safety Problem. |
Among the causes of walkers’ accidents, the most serious problem is .
| A．long delays in traffic signals that may make people cross streets ignoring traffic rules |
| B．alcohol |
| C．a lack of adult keeping eyes on many children involved in accidents |
| D．former drunken drivers whose licenses are not allowed to use for a time |
According to recent federal data, drunken drivers with an over 0.10 blood alcohol level in deadly accidents .
| A．are 15 percent less than drunken adult walkers with the same level |
| B．are 2500 a year |
| C．are at least 7000 in US traffic accidents |
| D．make up one seventh of highway accidents |
According to the passage, what is Blomberg?
| A．A researcher. |
| B．A specialist in traffic safety. |
| C．A clerk of a consulting company. |
| D．A government official |
One of the most widely accepted, commonly repeated assumptions (假设) in our culture is that if you exercise, you will lose weight. I exercise all the time, but I still have got fat that hangs over my belt when I sit. Why isn’t all the exercise getting rid of it?
It’s a question many of us could ask. More than 45 million Americans now belong to a health club, up from 23 million in 1993. We spend some $19 billion a year on gym memberships. Of course, some people join and never go. Still, as one major study — the Minnesota Heart Survey — found, more of us at least say we exercise regularly.
And yet obesity (肥胖) figures have risen sharply in the same period: a third of Americans are obese, and another third count as overweight by the Federal Government’s definition. Yes, it’s entirely possible that those of us who regularly go to the gym would weigh even more if we exercised less. But like many other people, I get hungry after I exercise, so I often eat more on the days I work out than on the days I don’t. Could exercise actually be keeping me from losing weight?
The popular belief that exercise is essential for weight control is actually fairly new. As recently as the 1960s, doctors routinely advised against too much exercise, particularly for older adults who could injure
themselves. Today doctors encourage even their oldest patients to exercise, which is sound advice for many reasons: People who regularly exercise are at significantly lower risk for all manner of diseases — those of the heart in particular. They less often develop cancer and many other illnesses. But the past few years of obesity research show that the role of exercise in weight loss has been wildly over-evaluated.
“In general, for weight loss, exercise is pretty useless,” says Eric Ravussin, exercise researcher at Louisiana State University. Many recent studies have found that exercise isn’t as important in helping people lose weight as you hear so regularly in gym advertisements or on shows like The Biggest Loser — or from magazines like this one. From the passage we learn that ____.
| A．some Americans join a health club but never go there |
| B．the number of overweight people has doubled since 1993 |
| C．more than 45 million Americans now go to the gym regularly |
| D．Americans waste too much money each year on sports |
According to the passage, exercise ____.
| A．has long been believed to be good for older adults |
| B．is not properly advertised as an effective way to lose weight |
| C．was first recognized as an effective way to lose weight in the 1960s |
| D．is less effective in preventing heart disease than what doctors believe |
According to the writer, people might gain weight because ____.
| A．they have the habit of going to the gym regularly |
| B．they eat the same food when they do not exercise |
| C．they exercise less than required by doctors |
| D．they eat more after they exercise |
What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Overweight Is Not Good for Your Health |
| B．Exercise Won’t Make You Thin |
| C．Gym Is Part of American Lifestyle |
D．Obesity Is a Social Problem in America |