Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before it can fly, flies like a fat chicken, eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws (爪) on its wings when young. They build their homes about 4.6m above the river, an important feature for the safety of the young. It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back and cream and red on the underside. The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the top, bright red eyes, and blue skin. Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos. Its most striking (显著的) feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of each wing tip. Using these four claws, together with the beak (喙), they can climb about in the bushes, looking very much like primitive(原始的) birds must have done. When the young hoatzins have learned to fly, they lose their claws.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April, when the rainy season begins, they collect together in smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.What is the text mainly about?
| A．Hoatzins in dry and rainy seasons. |
| B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins. |
| C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon. |
| D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins. |
Young hoatzins are different from their parents in that_________ ．
| A．they look like young cuckoos |
| B．they have claws on the wings |
| C．they eat a lot like a cow |
| D．they live on river banks |
What can we infer about primitive birds from the text?
| A．They had claws to help them climb. |
| B．They could fly long distances. |
| C．They had four wings like hoatzins. |
| D．They had a head with long feathers on the top. |
Why do hoatzins collect together in smaller groups when the rainy season comes?
| A．To find more food. | B．To protect themselves better. |
| C．To keep themselves warm. | D．To produce their young. |
As cultural symbols go，the American car is quite young．The Model T Ford was built at the Piquette Plant in Michigan a century ago，with the first rolling off the assembly line （装配线）on September 27，1908．Only eleven cars were produced the next month．But eventually Henry Ford would build fifteen million of them．
Modern America was born on the road，behind a wheel．The car shaped some of the most lasting aspects of American culture：the roadside diner，the billboard，the motel，even the hamburger．For most of the last century，the car represented what it meant to be American﹣going forward at high speed to find new worlds．The road novel，the road movie，these are the most typical American ideas，born of abundant petrol，cheap cars and a never﹣ending interstate highway system，the largest public works project in history．
In 1928 Herbert Hoover imagined an America with "a chicken in every pot and a car in every garage．" Since then，this society has moved onward，never looking back，as the car transformed America from a farm﹣based society into an industrial power．
The cars that drove the American Dream have helped to create a global ecological disaster．In America the demand for oil has grown by 22 percent since 1990．
The problems of excessive（过度的） energy consumption，climate change and population growth have been described in a book by the American writer Thomas L．Friedman．He fears the worst，but hopes for the best．
Friedman points out that the green economy（经济）is a chance to keep American strength． "The ability to design，build and export green technologies for producing clean water，clean air and healthy and abundant food is going to be the currency of power in the new century．"
（1）Why is hamburger mentioned in paragraph 2？
| A． |
To explain Americans' love for travelling by car． |
| B． |
To show the influence of cars on American culture． |
| C． |
To stress the popularity of fast food with Americans． |
| D． |
To praise the effectiveness of America's road system． |
（2）What has the use of cars in America led to？
| A． |
Decline of economy． |
| B． |
Environmental problems． |
| C． |
A shortage of oil supply． |
| D． |
A farm﹣based society． |
（3）What is Friedman's attitude towards America's future？
| A． |
Ambiguous． |
| B． |
Doubtful． |
| C． |
Hopeful． |
| D． |
Tolerant． |
Steven Stein likes to follow garbage trucks． His strange habit makes sense when you consider that he's an environmental scientist who studies how to reduce litter，including things that fall off garbage trucks as they drive down the road． What is even more interesting is that one of Stein's jobs is defending an industry behind the plastic shopping bag．
Americans use more than 100 billion thin film plastic bags every year． So many end up in tree branches or along highways that a growing number of cities do not allow them at checkouts （收银台）． The bags are prohibited in some 90 cities in California， including Los Angeles． Eyeing these headwinds， plastic﹣bag makers are hiring scientists like Stein to make the case that their products are not as bad for the planet as most people assume．
Among the bag makers' arguments： many cities with bans still allow shoppers to purchase paper bags， which are easily recycled but require more energy to produce and transport． And while plastic bags may be ugly to look at， they represent a small percentage of all garbage on the ground today．
The industry has also taken aim at the product that has appeared as its replacement： reusable shopping bags． The stronger a reusable bag is， the longer its life and the more plastic﹣bag use it cancels out． However， longer﹣lasting reusable bags often require more energy to make． One study found that a cotton bag must be used at least 131 times to be better for the planet than plastic．
Environmentalists don't dispute（质疑） these points． They hope paper bags will be banned someday too and want shoppers to use the same reusable bags for years．
（1）What has Steven Stein been hired to do？
| A． |
Help increase grocery sales． |
| B． |
Recycle the waste material． |
| C． |
Stop things falling off trucks． |
| D． |
Argue for the use of plastic bags． |
（2）What does the word "headwinds" in paragraph 2 refer to？
| A． |
Bans on plastic bags． |
| B． |
Effects of city development． |
| C． |
Headaches caused by garbage． |
| D． |
Plastic bags hung in trees． |
（3）What is a disadvantage of reusable bags according to plastic﹣bag makers？
| A． |
They are quite expensive． |
| B． |
Replacing them can be difficult． |
| C． |
They are less strong than plastic bags． |
| D． |
Producing them requires more energy． |
（4）What is the best title for the text？
| A． |
Plastic， Paper or Neither |
| B． |
Industry， Pollution and Environment |
| C． |
Recycle or Throw Away |
| D． |
Garbage Collection and Waste Control |
In 1812， the year Charles Dickens was born， there were 66 novels published in Britain． People had been writing novels for a century﹣most experts date the first novel to Robinson Crusoe in 1719﹣ but nobody wanted to do it professionally． The steam﹣powered printing press was still in its early stages； the literacy（识字）rate in England was under 50%． Many works of fiction appeared without the names of the authors， often with something like "By a lady．" Novels， for the most part，were looked upon as silly， immoral or just plain bad．
In 1870， when Dickens died， the world mourned him as its first professional writer and publisher， famous and beloved， who had led an explosion in both the publication of novels and their readership and whose characters﹣from Oliver Twist to Tiny Tim﹣were held up as moral touchstones． Today Dickens' greatness is unchallenged． Removing him from the pantheon （名人堂）of English literature would make about as much sense as the Louvre selling off the Mona Lisa．
How did Dickens get to the top？ For all the feelings readers attach to stories， literature is a numbers game， and the test of time is extremely difficult to pass． Some 60，000 novels were published during the Victorian age， from 1837 to 1901； today a casual reader might be able to name a half﹣dozen of them． It's partly true that Dickens' style of writing attracted audiences from all walks of life． It's partly that his writings rode a wave of social， political and scientific progress．But it's also that he rewrote the culture of literature and put himself at the center． No one will ever know what mix of talent， ambition， energy and luck made Dickens such a distinguished writer． But as the 200th anniversary of his birth approaches， it is possible﹣and important for our own culture﹣to understand how he made himself a lasting one．
（1）Which of the following best describes British novels in the 18th century？
| A． |
They were difficult to understand． |
| B． |
They were popular among the rich． |
| C． |
They were seen as nearly worthless． |
| D． |
They were written mostly by women． |
（2）Dickens is compared with the Mona Lisa in the text to stress ．
| A． |
his reputation in France |
| B． |
his interest in modern art |
| C． |
his success in publication |
| D． |
his importance in literature |
（3）What is the author's purpose in writing the text？
| A． |
To remember a great writer． |
| B． |
To introduce an English novel． |
| C． |
To encourage studies on culture． |
| D． |
To promote values of the Victorian age． |
Children as young as ten are becoming dependent on social media for their sense of self﹣worth， a major study warned．
It found many youngsters（少年）now measure their status by how much public approval they get online， often through "like"． Some change their behavior in real life to improve their image on the web．
The report into youngsters aged from 8 to 12 was carried out by Children's Commissioner （专员）Anne Longfield． She said social media firms were exposing children to major emotional risks，with some youngsters starting secondary school ill﹣equipped to cope with the tremendous pressure they faced online．
Some social apps were popular among the children even though they supposedly require users to be at least 13．The youngsters admitted planning trips around potential photo﹣opportunities and then messaging friends﹣and friends of friends﹣to demand "likes" for their online posts．
The report found that youngsters felt their friendships could be at risk if they did not respond to social media posts quickly， and around the clock．
Children aged 8 to 10 were "starting to feel happy" when others liked their posts． However，those in the 10 to 12 age group were "concerned with how many people like their posts"， suggesting a "need" for social recognition that gets stronger the older they become．
Miss Longfield warned that a generation of children risked growing up "worried about their appearance and image as a result of the unrealistic lifestyles they follow on platforms， and increasingly anxious about switching off due to the constant demands of social media"．
She said： "Children are using social media with family and friends and to play games when they are in primary school． But what starts as fun usage of apps turns into tremendous pressure in real social media interaction at secondary school．"
As their world expanded． she said，children compared themselves to others online in a way that was "hugely damaging in terms of their self﹣identity， in terms of their confidence， but also in terms of their ability to develop themselves"．
Miss Longfield added： "Then there is this push to connect﹣if you go offline， will you miss something， will you miss out， will you show that you don't care about those people you are following，all of those come together in a huge way at once．"
"For children it is very， very difficult to cope with emotionally．" The Children's Commissioner for England's study﹣Life in Likes﹣found that children as young as 8 were using social media platforms largely for play．
However， the research﹣involving eight groups of 32 children aged 8 to 12﹣suggested that as they headed toward their teens， they became increasingly anxious online．
By the time they started secondary school﹣at age 11﹣children were already far more aware of their image online and felt under huge pressure to ensure their posts were popular， the report found．
However， they still did not know how to cope with mean﹣spirited jokes， or the sense of incompetence they might feel if they compared themselves to celebrities（名人）or more brilliant friends online． The report said they also faced pressure to respond to messages at all hours of the day﹣especially at secondary school when more youngsters have mobile phones．
The Children's Commissioner said schools and parents must now do more to prepare children for the emotional minefield（雷区）they faced online． And she said social media companies must also "take more responsibility"． They should either monitor their websites better so that children do not sign up too early， or they should adjust their websites to the needs of younger users．
Javed Khan， of children's charity Bamardo's， said： "It's vital that new compulsory age﹣appropriate relationship and sex education lessons in England should help equip children to deal with the growing demands of social media．
"It's also hugely important for parents to know which apps their children are using．"
（1）Why did some secondary school students feel too much pressure？
| A． |
They were not provided with adequate equipment． |
| B． |
They were not well prepared for emotional risks． |
| C． |
They were required to give quick responses． |
| D． |
They were prevented from using mobile phones． |
（2）Some social app companies were to blame because ．
| A． |
they didn't adequately check their users' registration |
| B． |
they organized photo trips to attract more youngsters |
| C． |
they encouraged youngsters to post more photos |
| D． |
they didn't stop youngsters from staying up late |
（3）Children's comparing themselves to others online may lead to ．
| A． |
less friendliness to each other |
| B． |
lower self﹣identity and confidence |
| C． |
an increase in online cheating |
| D． |
a stronger desire to stay online |
（4）According to Life in Likes， as children grew， they became more anxious to ．
| A． |
circulate their posts quickly |
| B． |
know the qualities of their posts |
| C． |
use mobile phones for play |
| D． |
get more public approval |
（5）What should parents do to solve the problem？
| A． |
Communicate more with secondary schools． |
| B． |
Urge media companies to create safer apps． |
| C． |
Keep track of children's use of social media． |
| D． |
Forbid their children from visiting the web． |
（6）What does the passage mainly talk about？
| A． |
The influence of social media on children． |
| B． |
The importance of social media to children． |
| C． |
The problem in building a healthy relationship． |
| D． |
The measure to reduce risks from social media． |
If you want to disturb the car industry， you'd better have a few billion dollars： Mom﹣and﹣pop carmakers are unlikely to beat the biggest car companies． But in agriculture， small farmers can get the best of the major players． By connecting directly with customers， and by responding quickly to changes in the markets as well as in the ecosystems（生态系统）， small farmers can keep one step ahead of the big guys． As the co﹣founder of the National Young Farmers Coalition （NYFC， 美国青年农会）and a family farmer myself， I have a front﹣row seat to the innovations among small farmers that are transforming the industry．
For example， take the Quick Cut Greens Harvester， a tool developed just a couple of years ago by a young farmer， Jonathan Dysinger， in Tennessee， with a small loan from a local Slow Money group． It enables small﹣scale farmers to harvest 175 pounds of green vegetables per hour﹣a huge improvement over harvesting just a few dozen pounds by hand﹣suddenly making it possible for the little guys to compete with large farms of California． Before the tool came out， small farmers couldn't touch the price per pound offered by California farms． But now， with the combination of a better price point and a generally fresher product， they can stay in business．
The sustainable success of small farmers， though， won't happen without fundamental changes to the industry． One crucial factor is secure access to land． Competition from investors，developers， and established large farmers makes owning one's own land unattainable for many new farmers．From 2004 to 2013， agricultural land values doubled， and they continue to rise in many regions．
Another challenge for more than a million of the most qualified farm workers and managers is a non﹣existent path to citizenship ﹣ the greatest barrier to building a farm of their own． With farmers over the age of 65 outnumbering（多于）farmers younger than 35 by six to one， and with two﹣thirds of the nation's farmland in need of a new farmer， we must clear the path for talented people willing to grow the nation's food．
There are solutions that could light a path toward a more sustainable and fair farm economy，but farmers can't clumsily put them together before us． We at the NYFC need broad support as we urge Congress to increase farmland conservation， as we push for immigration reform， and as we seek policies that will ensure the success of a diverse and ambitious next generation of farmers from all backgrounds． With a new farm bill to be debated in Congress， consumers must take a stand with young farmers．
（1）The author mentions car industry at the beginning of the passage to introduce ．
| A． |
the progress made in car industry |
| B． |
a special feature of agriculture |
| C． |
a trend of development in agriculture |
| D． |
the importance of investing in car industry |
（2）What does the author want to illustrate with the example in paragraph 2？
| A． |
Loans to small local farmers are necessary． |
| B． |
Technology is vital for agricultural development． |
| C． |
Competition between small and big farms is fierce． |
| D． |
Small farmers may gain some advantages over big ones． |
（3）What is the difficulty for those new farmers？
| A． |
To gain more financial aid． |
| B． |
To hire good farm managers． |
| C． |
To have farms of their own． |
| D． |
To win old farmers' support． |
（4）What should farmers do for a more sustainable and fair farm economy？
| A． |
Seek support beyond NYF |
B． | |
| C． |
Expand farmland conservation． |
D． | |
| E． |
Become members of NYF |
F． | |
| G． |
Invest more to improve technology． |
H． |