The health of millions could be at risk because medicinal plants are being used up.These plants are used to make traditional medicine，including drugs to fight cancer.“The loss of medicinal plants is a quiet disaster，”says Sara Oldfield，secretary general of the NGO Botanic Gardens Conservation International.
Most people worldwide (including 80 percent of all Africans)rely on herbal medicines(草药)which are got mostly from wild plants.But some 15,000 of the 50,000 medicinal species are under threat of dying out，according to a report from the international conversation group Plantlife.Shortages have been reported in China，India，Kenya，Nepal，Tanzania and Uganda.
Overharvesting does the most harm，though pollution and competition from invasive(侵略性的)species are both responsible.“Businessmen generally harvest medicinal plants，not caring about sustain ability，”the Plantlife report says.“Damage is serious partly because they have no idea of it，but it is mainly because such collection is unorganized.” Medicinal trees at risk include the Himalayan yew and the African cherry，which are used to treat some cancers.
The solution，says the report's author，Alan Hamilton，is to encourage local people to protect these plants.Ten projects studied by Plantlife in India，Pakistan，China，Nepal，Uganda and Kenya showed this method can succeed.In Uganda the project has kept a sustainable supply of lowcost cancer treatments，and in China a public run medicinal plant project has been created for the first time.
“Improving health，earning an income and keeping cultural traditions are important in encouraging people to protect medicinal plants，”says Hamilton.“You have to pay attention to what people are interested in.” Ghillean Prance，the former director of the Royal Botanic Gardens at Kew in London，agrees that medicinal plants are in need of protection.
“Not nearly enough is being done，”he told New Scientist.“We are destroying the very plants that are of most use to us.”What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The function of medicinal plants. |
| B．The importance of traditional medicine. |
| C．More and more people rely on herbal medicines. |
| D．The dangerous situation of medicinal plants and ways of protecting them. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．About 30% of medicinal species are at risk of dying out. |
| B．Medicinal plants are mainly used to treat cancers. |
| C．80% of African countries are reported to be short of medicinal plants. |
| D．The problem of the loss of medicinal plants appeared suddenly. |
What contributes most to the loss of medicinal plants?
| A．A lack of knowledge of sustainability. |
| B．Invasion by other species. |
| C．Environmental pollution. |
| D．Improper harvesting. |
What is a useful method of protecting medicinal plants?
| A．Improving people's health. |
| B．Letting people earn more. |
| C．Working together with the government. |
| D．Persuading the locals to protect them. |
I was in a terrible mood．Two of my friends had gone to the movies the night before and hadn’t invited me．I was in my room thinking of ways to make them sorry when my father came in．“Want to go for a ride，today，Beck? It’s a beautiful day.”
“No ! Leave me alone!” Those were the last words I said to him that morning．
My friends called and invited me to go to the mall with them a few hours later．I forgot to be mad at them and when I came home to find a note on the table．My mother put it where I would be sure to see it．“Dad has had an accident．Please meet us at Highland Park Hospital”．
When I reached the hospital，my mother came out and told me my father’s injuries were extensive. “Your father told the driver to leave him alone and just call 911，thank God! If he had moved Daddy，there’s no telling what might have happened．A broken rib（肋骨）might have pierced（穿透）a lung….”
My mother may have said more，but I didn’t hear．I didn’t hear anything except those terrible words：Leave me alone．My dad said them to save himself from being hurt more．How much had I hurt him when I hurled those words at him earlier in the day?
It was several days later that he was finally able to have a conversation．I held his hand gently, afraid of hurting him．
“Daddy… I am so sorry….”
“It’s okay，sweetheart．I'll be okay．”
“No，”I said，“I mean about what I said to you that day．You know, that morning?”
My father could no more tell a lie than he could fly．He looked at me and said．“Sweetheart, I don’t remember anything about that day，not before，during or after the accident. I remember kissing you goodnight the night before，though．”He managed a weak smile．
My English teacher once told me that words have immeasurable power．They can hurt or they can heal．And we all have the power to choose our words．I intend to do that very carefully from now on.The author was in bad mood that morning because .
| A．his father had a terrible accident |
| B．he couldn’t drive to the mall with his friends |
| C．his friends hadn’t invited him to the cinema |
| D．his father didn’t allow him to go out with his friends |
Why did the author say sorry to his father in the hospital?
| A．Because he didn’t go along with his father． |
| B．Because he was rude to his father that morning． |
| C．Because he failed to come earlier after the accident． |
| D．Because he couldn’t look after his father in the hospital |
The reason why the author’s father said he forgot everything about that day is that．
| A．he had a poor memory |
| B．he didn’t want to comfort his son |
| C．he just wanted to comfort his son |
| D．he lost his memory after the accident |
What lesson did Beck learn from the matter?
| A．Don’t treat your parents badly． |
| B．Don’t hurt others with rude words． |
| C．Don’t move the injured in an accident． |
| D．Don’t be angry with friends at small thin |
Modeled after US hot website Groupon.com, group buying websites are now popular in China．These websites use the power of group buying to get competitive discounts （打折）for a daily deal on some best stuff to do, see, eat and buy in the cities across China．Discounts（打折）are available within just one click．Zhao lei, a software engineer in Beijing, loves the one-hour lunch break at noon as it is the best time for him to check “today’s special” at his favorite group buying websites ．Sometimes he searches for great deals at directory sites devoted to the new shopping space．Zhao spends around 800 yuan（$117.65）on group buying every month, mostly to buy food coupons （优惠劵）for eating at some nice restaurants and occasionally （偶尔的）to find something fun to do．“ I love group buying．In addition to the competitive discounts it offers, it helps me get something fun, exciting and new, and such surprises give me a reason to try something new,” he said．When he finds a really good bargain, he will send the link to friends or colleagues through MSN,QQ, or e-mail, or share the information at some social networking websites．In doing so, he often gets a certain cut off the price．At some sites, buyers are invited to leave notes about what they want to buy and the website will consider it if similar applications（申请）reach a certain number．That is how Zhao got her digital camera after waiting for two months．“It is cool．I want to buy a new digital camera for my trip to Switzerland this winter, but I never expected such cheap prices!” Zhao said.We can learn from the passage that________．
| A．China is the first country to start group buying |
| B．the price of group buying depends on the market |
| C．you can’t get the best you need through group buying |
| D．group buying is becoming popular in China |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Zhao Lei has to spend about 800 yuan on group buying per month. |
| B．Zhao Lei never surfs at other directory sites for group buying. |
| C．Zhao Lei finds it easy to do group buying. |
| D．Zhao Lei can’t buy food coupons to eat at a nice restaurant. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Zhao Lei`s online purchasing life. |
| B．Group buying |
| C．The US hot websites |
| D．A new digital camera |
Zhao Lei succeeded in getting a certain cut off the price by__________．
| A．bargaining face to face |
| B．discussing with the sellers |
| C．providing the link to others |
| D．inviting others to talk about the price |
Arthur Miller （1915-2005）is universally recognized as one of the greatest dramatists of the 20th century. Miller’s father had moved to the USA from Austria Hungary, attracted like so many others by the “Great American Dream”. However, he experienced severe financial hardship when his family business was ruined in the Great Depression of the early l930s.
Miller’s most famous play, Death of a Salesman, is a powerful attack on the American system, with its aggressive way of doing business and its insistence on money and social status as symbol of worth. In Willy Loman, the hero of the play, we see a man who has got into trouble with this system. Willy is “burnt out” and in the cruel world of business there is no room for sympathy: if he can't do the work, then he is no good to his employer, the Wagner Company, and he must go. Willy is painfully aware of this, and at a loss as to what to do with his lack of success. He refuses to face the fact that he has failed and kills himself in the end.
When it was first staged in 1949, the play was greeted with enthusiastic reviews, and it won the Tony Award for Best Play, the New York Drama Critics’ Circle Award, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama. It was the first play to win all three of these major awards.
Miller died of heart failure at his home in Roxbury, Connecticut, on the evening of February 10, 2005, the 56th anniversary of the first performance of Death of a Salesman on Broadway.Why did Arthur Miller’s father move to the USA?
| A．He suffered from severe hunger in his home country. |
| B．He was attracted by the “Great American Dream”. |
| C．He hoped to make his son a dramatist. |
| D．His family business failed. |
The play Death of a Salesman _______________.
| A．exposes the cruelty of the American business world |
| B．discusses the ways to get promoted in a company |
| C．talks about the business career of Arthur Miller |
| D．focuses on the skills in doing business |
What can we learn about Willy Loman?
| A．He treats his employer badly. |
| B．He runs the Wagner Company. |
| C．He is a victim of the American system. |
| D．He is regarded as a hero by his colleagues. |
After it was first staged, Death of a Salesman __________.
| A．achieved huge success |
| B．won the first Tony Award |
| C．was warmly welcomed by salesmen |
| D．was severely attacked by dramatists |
Britain's most popular lie has been disclosed, with one in four people admitting using “sorry I had no signal" when returning a missed mobile phone call, a survey found．
Researchers found the average Briton tells on average four lies every day or almost 1500 every year．Almost one in six men admitted they were most likely to lie to their wife or girlfriend, on average at least twice a day．The most popular lie was saying you had no mobile phone signal, with one in four people admitting regularly using the little white lie．It usually came after they hit the “ignore" button when their mobile rang．
Three quarters of people think women are better liars．The research found 46 per cent of girls have been caught lying, compared to 58 of men．
The second most common fib is “I haven't got any cash on me” when asked for money by beggars and Big Issue sellers．“Nothing's wrong – I'm fine” came third followed by “You look lovely” and “Nice to see you”．
Modern technology turned out to have contributed to many lies with “I didn't get your text” in 18th, “Our server was down” in 20th and “My battery died” in 26th place．Other lies to make the top ten included “I'll give you a ring”, “We're just good friends” and “We'll have to meet up soon”．“I'm on my way” and “No, your bum doesn't look big in that” completed the top ten．
In many cases perhaps it is better to delight someone with a fib than destroy someone with the truth, according to a spokesman for One Poll, which carried out the research of 4,300 adults．He added: ‘As a nation we just like trying to be nice and not upsetting people．Often little white lies can cover what we actually want to say．Most of these were considered completely harmless．’“You look lovely” and “Sorry, I had no signal” ranked __________ on the popular-lie list．
| A．fourth and tenth | B．fourth and first |
| C．third and tenth | D．third and first |
What does the underlined part in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．sentence | B．expression |
| C．excuse | D．lie |
How many lies does an average Briton tell on average every month?
| A．About 120 | B．About 360 |
| C．About 1,500 | D．About 4 |
Just like children, baby animals spend countless hours at play. After studying animal play for many years, scientists recognize that young animal play is practice for adult behavior. Today this play is roughly divided into the following groups.
Locomotor play refers to the movements animals carry out in their play. Running, leaping, turning, and kicking are some of the most common examples of locomotor play. An adult deer may run, leap, and twist(曲折前进) to escape its attackers. Play movements like these surely make young animals nimble. Someday these skills might help save their lives.
Moving forward slowly, attacking suddenly .and biting are examples of predatory play that help young predators(食肉动物) prepare for a life of running after and taking hold of other animals. Wild cats, wolves, and bears are predators. It is very common to see these young animals play this kind of games which sharpen their skills and teach them about their strengths and limitations.
For children, playing with toys is both fun and educational. It helps improve their hand and eye movements as well as develop hand skills to accomplish tasks. It is the same with animals. Young chimpanzees improve their hand skills while playing with sticks. Birds also play with things in ways that teach. Swallows drop and recover feathers in mid air. Diving suddenly to catch the feathers is good practice for catching flying insects.
Social play helps animals learn how to behave when they run into other animals. And it teaches animals about communication. An animal gives signals to let another animal know it wants to play. Many animals give signals by showing a " play face" . In some ways this face is like a human smile; the animal holds its mouth in a relaxed and open manner. During play-fights, some animals may step backwards to signal that they are playing and not acting seriously.
Until now, scientists have understood playful acts help prepare animals for their serious adult situations. But the numbers of playful species and examples of animal play are vast. The purpose of animal play may have meanings scientists have not discovered yet.The main purpose of the text is to ______.
| A．ask us to take good care of wild animals |
| B．encourage us to learn more about animals |
| C．entertain us with interesting animal stories |
| D．show us something about animal behavior |
The underlined word "nimble" in Paragraph 2 can best be replaced by______.
| A．cruel | B．swift |
| C．curious | D．strong |
Which of the following belongs to predatory play?
| A．A deer runs, leaps, and turns. |
| B．A chimpanzee plays' with a stick. |
| C．A lion moves slowly and makes an attack suddenly. |
| D．A dog holds its mouth in a relaxed and open manner. |
Based on Paragraph 5, a " play face " is______.
A. a type of signal between animals
B. a name for a kind of animal play
C. an activity that involves adult animals
D an action that is taught to another animal Which of the following shows the structure of the text?
