In the past, man did not have to think about the protection of his environment. There were not many people on earth, and natural resources seemed to be unlimited.
Today, things are different. The world has become too crowded. We are using up our natural resources too quickly, and at the same time we are polluting our environment with dangerous chemicals. If we continue like this, human life on earth will not survive.
Everyone realizes today that if too many fish are taken from the sea, there will soon be none left. Yet, with modern fishing methods(方法), more and more fish are caught. We know that if too many trees are cut down, forests will disappear and nothing will grow on the land. Yet, we continue to use bigger and more powerful machines to cut down more and more trees.
We realize that if rivers are polluted with waste products from factories, we will die. However, in most countries waste products are still put into rivers or into the sea, and there are few laws to stop this.
We know, too, that if the population of the world continues to rise at the present rate, in a few years, there will not be enough food.
What can we do to solve these problems?
If we eat more vegetables and less meat, we will easily get more food. Land that is used to grow crops can feed five times more people than land where animals are kept.
The world population will not rise so quickly if people use modern methods of birth control.
Finally, if we educate people to think about the problems, we shall have a better and cleaner living place in the future.
| The importance of |
|
| Problems |
◆ More fish are caught. ◆ More ◆ Waste products are still ◆ The population of the world keeps |
| Causes |
◆ The world is becoming too ◆ Modern methods make the situation |
| We human beings will not survive on the earth. |
|
| Solutions |
◆ Eat more vegetables and less meat so that more food will be provided for everyone, because there will be more to grow crops. ◆ Use modern methods of ◆ |
任务型阅读。（每小题2分，共6分）
At least 36 people were killed in a stampede(踩踏) at the Bund area around midnight when huge crowds of people gathered to celebrate the New Year, according the Shanghai government. The stampede happened about 11:35 pm on New Year’s Eve at the Chenyi Square, killing 36 and leaving 42 injured. The Chenyi Square is near the Bund Origin area, where a New Year countdown show was being held. The injured were sent to a few hospitals for treatment. The cause of the stampede is still under investigation.
The Bund is usually crowded with visitors for important events. The New Year’s Eve count down show(倒计时表演) at the Bund, a practice in the past three years, was moved to the Bund Origin area that night.
Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday asked the Shanghai government to search the cause of the accident and prevent such accidents from happening again.Was there a New Year countdown show in the Bund Origin area that night?
____________________________________________________________________________How many people were killed in the accident?
____________________________________________________________________________What did Xi Jinping ask the Shanghai government to do?
____________________________________________________________________________
Technology is creating big changes in the music industry. Music lovers can listen to and buy music on the Internet. They can watch live concerts of their favorite artists online. And music makers as well as music industry officials use social media to reach and increase public interest.
Nick Sherwin who set up the famous band—Suburban Skies. He says 21st Century technology make it possible for a band to control its own future. "Social media is a wonderful thing, and being able to control your own art and not be signed by a record label(唱片公司)—to be your own record label is free." Sherwin says the Internet and social media have created possibilities for musicians. He says the new way to success is to give visitors more types of experience.
During an international meeting in Los Angeles, music industry officials said musicians are choosing to perform live across the country, with the drop in CD sales in the United States. Along with the popularity of live music there has been an increase in the number of music festivals, these events are advertised on social media. "Someone could make it in their bedroom and put it out online. Musicians can attract fans that way, online without anyone's help.” said Rotella.
Bob Pittman says music lovers are still listening to the radio, although there are new ways of finding music. He says 70 percent of Americans say they discover new music from what they hear on the radio. But Rob Light says radio will soon be a thing of the past in music industry. “I do not believe that radio is going to be as important to a 12-year-old today in five or six years, and if you are going to look forward, I think they are going to get information from other places and other source, like online.” he said.The underlined sentence “radio will soon be a thing of the past in music industry” probably means ______.
| A．radio will disappear in people’s life |
| B．people will discover music online rather than by radio |
| C．radio will be as important as it is now in our life |
| D．we won’t need radio in our life anymore |
The passage mainly tells us ______.
| A．Technology has brought changes in music industry |
| B．CD sale drops in America |
| C．There are more music festivals in USA |
| D．People can get music online |
From the passage, what do you think is the main reason for CD sale drop?
| A．People make less money because of the decline in economy. |
| B．People can get their favorite music online. |
| C．People’s taste in music has changed. |
| D．People are no more interested in music. |
Suburban Skies is ______.
| A．a musician | B．a band |
| C．a music lover | D．record label |
Two traveling angels stopped to spend the night in the home of a wealthy family. The family was rude and refused to let the angels stay in the guestroom. Instead the angels were given a small space in the cold basement. As they made their bed on the hard floor, the older angel saw a hole in the wall and repaired it. When the younger angel asked why, the older relied, “Things aren’t always what they seem.”
The next night, the pair came to rest at the house of a very poor but very hospitable farmer and his wife. After sharing the little food they had, the couple let the angels sleep in their bed where they could have a good night’s rest. When the sun came up the next morning, the angels found the farmer and his tears--their only cow, whose milk had been their main income, lay dead in the field. The young angel didn’t understand and asked the older how he could let that happen. “The first man had everything, you helped him.” he accused, “The second family had little but was willing to share everything, and you let the cow die.”
“Things aren’t always what they seem,” the older angel replied. “When we stayed in the basement of the building, I noticed there was a gold treasure. I sealed(封堵) the wall so he wouldn’t find it. Then last light, as we slept in the farmer’s bed, the angel of death came for his wife. I gave him the cow instead. Things aren’t always what they seem.” Which is true about the first family?
| A．They didn’t let the angles in. |
| B．They had a lot of wealth but a cold heart. |
| C．They gave the angles a nice treat. |
| D．There was a big hole in the wall of their guest room. |
The second family ______.
| A．was ready to share everything |
| B．was very wealthy |
| C．was unwilling to help others |
| D．had a gold treasure in the basement |
Why did the cow die?
| A．Because the angel of death came for the cow. |
| B．Because the angel of death came for the husband. |
| C．Because only that way, the wife could be saved. |
| D．Because the angel of death came for the younger angel. |
What does the passage want to tell us?
| A．We should be ready to help angels. |
| B．Things are not always what they seem. |
| C．Wealthy people usually refuse to help others. |
| D．Poor people are always warm-hearted. |
How do you celebrate New Year’s Eve? Have you ever imagined how New Year’s Eve would look in another country? Examples listed below are four of the top ten “Special New Year Traditions Around the World”.
1. Breaking Dishes on Neighbor’s Door——Denmark
A strange Danish New Year tradition is throwing dishes at neighbor’s door. Strangely, this makes them happy instead of annoying them. The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses, cups is considered to be the luckiest one because it means their large number of true friends.
2. Talking to Spirits——Mexico
Talking to spirits is a part of Mexican belief. Mexicans strongly believe that they can communicate with the souls of their dead loved ones. New Year’s Eve is considered the best time to communicate with dead spirits.
3. Wearing Polka Dots (小圆点)——Philippines
Imagine streets full of people wearing polka dots and dining room tables full of round shaped food and fruits on one single day of the year. This all actually happens in the Philippines on New Year’s Eve every year. Philippines believe that this will bring them wealth by relating the round dots to coins and wealth.
4. Mistletoe Leaves Are Placed Under Pillow to Find Husband——Ireland
The unmarried women of Ireland wait until 12 for New Year’s Eve because it is the night that can bring them the love of their lives. They place mistletoe leaves under their pillow hoping to catch their future husband. It is also believed in the Irish culture that this act will help them stay away from bad luck.
No matter how people celebrate the New Year, we all want to start a new, fresh year with renewed enthusiasm. We all want to be happier, find love, renew friendships, increase our wealth and also hope for a little extra luck in the coming new year.Which is considered the luckiest family in Denmark?
| A．The family which throw dishes at the neighbor’s door. |
| B．The family which pours water onto the neighbor’s door. |
| C．The family which has no broken plates. |
| D．The family with the tallest tower of broken plates, glasses or cups. |
Why do Philippines wear polka dots?
| A．Because it makes them look cute. |
| B．Because the polka dots are very popular in the culture. |
| C．Because the round dots are like coins which means wealth. |
| D．Because the round dots are very not easy to see in their daily lives. |
The unmarried Irish women placed mistletoe leaves hoping to ______.
| A．catch there future dream job | B．get a better future |
| C．catch the future husband | D．to make more money |
From the passage we can see ______.
| A．people around the world celebrate the New Year in the same way |
| B．although people celebrate differently, their wishes are nearly the same |
| C．Mexicans believe that Christmas Eve is the best time to talk with the dead loved ones |
| D．the mistletoe leaves are placed under the bed in Ireland by single women |
Lu Han was born in Beijing in April 20, 1990, who is a singer and dancer. Because of his outstanding appearance, he was discovered by SM Entertainment Company while shopping in Myeong Dong in South Korea. In 2010 he entered the SM Company to become its practice. On December 27, 2011 he first appeared through the EXO website. On April 8, 2012 he appeared to the public officially in the group of EXO. The EXO is one of the most pop music groups in Asia. His handsome looking, stage strength in singing and dancing, excellent personal charm won many fans’love. He was the only one of the EXO who was good both at singing and dancing. In his spare time, he likes playing magic cube and also does well in football and basketball. On 10th October, 2014, he terminated the agreement(合约) with SM and then went back to China. Now the 24-year-old young man had his first try at acting. He started in the Chinese movie Returning to the 20s. In the movie, a 70-year-old woman becomes back to 20 again and plays in a band with her grandson. Lu Han played the role of the grandson. Another good news for the fans is that he is said to be invited to the Spring Festival Gala for 2015.Where did Lu Han use to work as a singer?
| A．In America. | B．In UK. | C．In Japan. | D．In Korea. |
What’s Not TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Lu Han is still on the EXO music group. |
| B．He likes playing football and basketball. |
| C．He will attend the Spring Festival Gala for 2015. |
| D．Returning to 20s is his first acting in movies. |
The underlined word terminated probably means ______.
| A．continued | B．bring…to an end |
| C．put off | D．set up |