Tail Spin
Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin, Grace, shows off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she's even swimming at all. She doesn't have a tail.
Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “ Is she going to make it？” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it—but her tail didn't. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.
Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way—like a fish! She pushes herself forward through the water by moving her peduncle from side to side.
The movements put harmful pressure on Grace's backbone. So a company offered to create a manmade tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn't hurt her.
The first time Grace wore the artificial tail, she soon shook it off and let it sink to the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The new tail isn't necessary for her to feel comfortable，” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion (动作) and build muscles (肌肉)．”
Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focuses on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her manmade tail gives people so much courage.When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her ________.
| A．physical build |
| B．potential ability |
| C．chance of survival |
| D．adaptation to the surroundings |
A manmade tail is created for Grace to ________.
| A．let her recover faster |
| B．make her comfortable |
| C．adjust her way of swimming |
| D．help her perform better tricks |
The story of Grace inspires people to ________.
| A．stick to their dreams |
| B．treat animals friendly |
| C．treasure what they have |
| D．face difficulties bravely |
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题;每小题2分,满分40分）
High-tech gadget shows draw throngs of excited consumers each year in the United States, Japan, Europe and the Arabian peninsula. Though many people are already surrounded with all kinds of smart electronic devices, some always need one more -- better and smarter than the previous one.
At electronic shows, visitors flock around the newest tablet computers, cameras, 3D television screens, even small robots, dreaming of taking one home.
Consumers spend hours waiting in lines and spend hundreds of dollars to be among the first to get the latest smart phone.
The modern world seems to be infatuated with shiny expensive objects that keep us connected, help us navigate, record our thoughts and memorable events, and even talk to us. So infatuated, we no longer merely "own" our gadgets -- we have relationships with them, according to clinical psychologist and life transition therapist Francine Lederer.
“It’s a lot easier to have, right, a one-sided relationship with your computer, your phone, than it is with a live person. So that at the end of the day, you don’t need to worry about somebody being angry with you, you don’t need to worry about getting blamed for anything,” she said.
Magical devices
Although having a thousand Facebook friends may be perceived as equivalent to having a thousand real, authentic friendships, Lederer said in reality it is not so.
“It comes down to a lot of the internal stuff. How we feel about ourselves, our own sense of self-esteem, our self-worth, a lot of those things,” she said.
But gadgets are magical. They fascinate us the same way we are intrigued by a magician’s trick, said psychology professor at the University of the South Pacific, Robert Epstein.
“If you don’t know how they’re doing it, that’s very fascinating and intriguing. But if they do it 10 times or 20 times or 100 times, it gets boring and you want something else. That’s why magicians do not repeat the same trick over and over again,” he said.
Plugged in, isolated
Epstein, former editor-in-chief of Psychology Today magazine, said he is concerned that gadgets will take on a life of their own.
“All we’re seeing so far is a little bit of the so-called wearable technology that you might wear on your wrist or in your glasses, but we’re moving very rapidly, whether the public knows it or not, toward real biological interfaces so that the gadgets will be built into us to some extent,” he said.
Lederer said the danger is that our dependence on electronic gadgets is increasingly being perceived as normal.
“I think our society in a way, and the media, often times normalizes the extent to which we use these gadgets and phones, but the reality is, it’s really not healthy for us,” she said.
Scientists predict that gadgets with biological interfaces may be available within the next 20 years and, coupled with strong artificial intelligence, will be much smarter than today.What does the underlined phrases “be infatuated with” mean？
| A．be worried about | B．be used to |
| C．be attached to | D．be popular with |
Why do people like to have relationships with gadgets?
| A．Because they are cleverer. |
| B．Because they will not have burden with the gadgets. |
| C．Because they have no feelings. |
| D．Because they are easier to operate. |
What’s the similarity between gadgets and magicians according to the passage?
| A．They both make people happy. |
| B．We will be bored with them. |
| C．They both cheat people. |
| D．They both don’t use the same trick repeatedly. |
What is Lederer’s opinion?
| A．It’s abnormal for us to rely on electronic gadgets too much. |
| B．Gadgets will take on a life of their own. |
| C．It’s healthy for us to use model electronic gadgets. |
| D．The gadgets will be built into us to some extent. |
Tigers are among the most admired and most feared animals in the world . When we think of a tiger, we think of danger. We think of the big teeth and large feet of it. We also think of beauty.
The tiger is a hunter that hunts alone. In fact , tigers are probably better than any other land mammal(哺乳动物) at catching large animals without help. Even so, the life of this big-game hunter isn’t easy. Finding food can be difficult, especially for a tiger that is old or weak. Most of the animals it tries to attack get away. A tiger sometimes goes weeks without eating. When that happens, it may hunt animals that can be dangerous even for a tiger.
When they are in a bad situation, some tigers may even attack humans. But in fact, tigers kill very few people each year. Most tigers run away when they see people.
What tigers have done to people can’t compare to what people have done to tigers. Over the last 200 years, we have almost killed tigers in the wild(野外). Today, the tiger is one of the most endangered animals on Earth.
A tiger may live 20 years or more, if it is not disturbed by humans. Female(雌性的) tigers usually live longer than male(雄性的)tigers, because the males live more dangerously.
It isn’t easy for people to tell a male from a female unless the female happens to be with her babies.Only females take care of the young. The big difference between males and females is size. Male tigers are much bigger.
Tigers are big eaters. In a single year, one tiger must eat about 70 deer or other large animals. That is one reason why tigers hunt alone. If they lived in big groups, they could never find enough animals to feed them all.What’s the topic sentence of Paragraph 2?
| A．The tiger is a hunter that hunts alone. |
| B．A tiger sometimes goes weeks without eating. |
| C．The life of this big-game hunter isn’t easy. |
| D．Most of the animals it tries to attack get away. |
The easiest way to tell a male tiger from a female one is by looking at their______
| A．size | B．running speed |
| C．way of hunting | D．claws |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．A tiger can only live about 20 years. |
| B．It is people who make tigers endangered |
| C．Many people are killed by tigers every year. |
| D．Male and female tigers take care of their babies together. |
According to the passage, why do tigers hunt alone?
| A．They can run faster hunting alone. |
| B．They can’t get along well with other tigers. |
| C．They can hide themselves easily in this way. |
| D．They can’t find enough animals to share with other tigers. |
.The passage is most probably taken from __________________
| A．A library guide | B．a news story |
| C．a wildlife book | D．a pet magazine |
Who doesn’t have a clingy friend? You know, that person who often calls,texts, and e-mails. He often needs your attention, your feedback,or your help.Worse yet, he often gets antsy when you don’t reply immediately.
Is there ever a moment when you just want to turn off your phone and be alone? But you won’t do that to a friend. Actually there are better ways to deal with a clingy friend.
Give Yourself Some Time
If you really need some time for yourself, or you’re just tired of being the listener, just explain to your friend honestly that you want or need some time of your own.Even the most determined friends will understand and give you some space. Of course, those extremely clingy friends will still call, text, and e-mail. If that happens, just reply gently that you need some time for yourself.
Suggest an Activity for Your Friend
If you ‘re tired of different get-togethers and outings, then you should advise your friend to do something alone. If you both like sports, you could tell your friend to have a try at the new gym. If your friend likes your suggestion, but insists that you go along, just explain that you’ve already visited the gym. Mention that you enjoy the gym. If you’re lucky , he’ll try it, and like it.
Introduce Your Clingy Friend to Others.
Your clingy friend may just be lonely or have trouble meeting new people. If that’s the case , introduce him to others with similar interests. He may just make some new friends.
_________________________________________
There’s no reason for you to rudely tell your clingy friend that he’s a pain in the neck. Just follow the above advice to take your time back. After a while, your clingy friend should learn to value your time and your friendship.What does the underlined word “antsy” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Busy | B．Silent |
| C．Nervous | D．Bored |
What does the author suggest you do in the first advice?
| A．Understand your friends. |
| B．Be honest with your friends. |
| C．Spend more time with your friends. |
| D．Keep your distance from your friends. |
Which of the following can best fill in the blank of the last paragraph?
| A．Give Your Friend Some Time |
| B．Take Your Time Back |
| C．Don’t Be Rude |
| D．Value Your Friendship |
If a clingy friend calls you to play badminton with him but you want to be alone, you should NOT_________
| A．reply gently that you want to be alone |
| B．introduce a new friend to him to play with |
| C．advise him to try another new game |
| D．tell him that you will meet an old friend soon |
We can learn from the passage that clingy people______________
| A．are very confident | B．have little free time |
| C．don’t respect others | D．don’t want to be alone |
Do you think Great Britain and the United States are alike? Winston Churchill once joked that the people of Britain and the people of America are separated (分离) only by their language. Do you think that is true? The British and the Americans both speak English as the official language. However, each uses some different words.We Americans are similar to the British. After all , our country was once owned by Great Britain , so we have a lot in common. But there are many differences between us.
Great Britain has a king or queen, and the leader of the government is the Prime Minister. The United States has no kings or queens. Our leader is the President.
Both the British and Americans use pounds and ounces, oints, quarts, and gallons. Both use miles, yards,and feet. Our money is different,though. The British use pounds and pence. Americans use dollars and cents.
Driving in a car is very different in England. They drive on the left side of the road. We drive on the right. What we call the hood of the car, the British call the “bonnet”. British cars run on “petrol”,which we call gasoline.
In our everyday lives, we do many of the same things as the British. But we describe them differently. A young mother here might push a baby in a baby carriage. A British mom pushes a “pram”. The British watch the “telly”, while we watch TV. We like to eat French fries, but the British call them “chips”. Millions of Americans drink coffee, but most British prefer tea.
So we are different in many ways. But we stay friendly anyway.We can learn from the passage that _______
| A．both British and Americans drive cars on the left side of the road |
| B．English is an official language in Britain but not in the US |
| C．the writer comes from the US and is friendly to British |
| D．the US also has queens and kings like Great Britain |
Winston Churchill’s words mean that ______
| A．Britain and the US are very similar |
| B．The people of Britain and the US are the same |
| C．the languages of Britain and the US are the same |
| D．there are many differences between Britain and the US |
The British and Americans both use ______
| A．miles and dollars | B．pints and pence |
| C．gallons and feet | D．yards and cents |
Which of the following is used by the British?
| A．TV | B．Pram |
| C．Hood | D．French fries |
What is the best tittle for the passage?
| A．We stay friendly |
| B．Different languages? |
| C．English as the official language |
| D．Differences between Britain and Austrilia |
I’m Grace, 13 years old and in seventh grade in Florida. This school year has been normal. However, my family and I spent my sixth-grade year driving all over Europe, seeing amazing places, meeting all kinds of people, and getting closer as a family in the process.
When my family decided to move to Europe, we were excited . But we had a problem. We couldn’t find a vehicle that had enough space to work for our five-member family, so my dad decided he’d just made one. No matter where we were , our new home took some getting used to (花时间适应). I had to leave a lot of my stuff behind because so little of it would fit into my tiny new room. We had to be careful to save our water. And we were doing home school, which worked out great.
No matter what, I made sure to look out my window every morning , because the view was different every day — England, then France, Italy,Greece... each special in its own way. In country after country, we touched around and tried to pick up little bits of the local language, but that didn’t help us much. Luckily we kept finding people who knew some English. Everywhere we went , we saw the most amazing things. I love reading about places in my textbooks and then getting out of our vehicle to look right at them . I can’t pick a favourite spot, because whichever one we were at seemed to be the best at the time.
After our trip ended , we moved to Florida. But it makes me happy that my family had this great year-long experience together. I’m thankful for that. Compared with the seventh-grade school year, Grace’s sixth-grade year was ____
| A．normal | B．painful |
| C．unusual | D．successful |
How did Grace and her family travel in Europe?
| A．By car | B．By taxi |
| C．By bike | D．By plane |
Grace had to throw away many of her things because________
| A．her parents didn’t allow her to keep them |
| B．there was not enough room to keep them |
| C．she had other similar things |
| D．they were out of style |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．Grace likes Italy very much |
| B．Grace prefers travelling to reading |
| C．Grace can speak different language s well |
| D．Grace enjoyed the experience with her family |
Which one of the following phrases can best describe the whole passage?
| A．Getting along with my family |
| B．Looking out of my window |
| C．My new moving home |
| D．My life on the road |