Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees arc competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen（氮） and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌） networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn’t take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly. “Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.The underlined sentence “the opposite is true” in Paragraph 2 probably means that trees .
| A．compete for survival |
| B．protect their own wealth |
| C．depend on each other |
| D．provide support for dying trees |
“Mother trees” are extremely important because they .
| A．look the largest in size in the forest |
| B．pass on nutrition to young trees |
| C．seem more likely to be cut down by humans |
| D．know more about the complex “tree societies” |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．how “tree societies” work |
| B．how trees grow old |
| C．how forestry industry develops |
| D．how young trees survive |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
| B．Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
| C．Trees Are More Awesome Thart You Think |
| D．Trees Contribute To Our Society |
Here is a true story about a famous man who worked in the White House and a criminal. They once faced the same thing: their mother gave them apples when they were young.
The criminal said: one day, my mother brought some apples and asked my brother and me: “Which do you want?” “The reddest and biggest one,” my little brother said. My mother stared at him and said to him angrily: “You should learn to give the good things to others; you shouldn’t always think of yourself.” Seeing this, I suddenly changed my idea and then said to my mother: “Mum, please give me the smaller one and give the bigger one to my little brother.” Hearing my words, my mother was very happy. She kissed me on my face and gave the reddest and biggest apple to me as a prize. From then on, I learned to tell lies, fight, steal and rob. In order to get what I wanted, I played hard. As a result, I was sent into prison.
The famous man from the White House said: One day, my mother brought some apples. She said to my brother and me: “You all want the reddest and biggest one, right? Well, let’s have a competition. Now I divide the grassland in front of the gate into two and I will give one to each of you and you must shear(修剪) it well. And I will give the reddest and biggest apple to him who does it the most quickly and best.”
After the competition, I won and I got the biggest apple. In our family, as long as you want to get the best things, you must take part in competition. I think it is fair. No matter what you want, you must pay lots of efforts.The criminal got the reddest and biggest apple because .
| A．he told the truth that he wanted a smaller one |
| B．his mother loved him more than she loved the younger brother |
| C．elder brother should of course have the bigger one |
| D．he knew how to make his mother happy from his answer |
We can conclude from the passage that .
| A．it’s important to make children aware that no matter what they want, they must pay work |
| B．it’s wrong to ask children to choose apples when they are not old enough |
| C．it’s wrong to ask children not to always think of themselves |
| D．it’s always necessary to have a competition when we give children apple |
The writer tells the story by .
| A．organizing it in the order of time |
| B．making a comparison between two men |
| C．providing some scientific information |
| D．describing it in the order of space |
It is implied in the passage that.
| A．we should always try to win competitions which can bring us a lot |
| B．in order to get what we want, we should play hard |
| C．giving children apples will lead them to become criminals |
| D．a mother’s educational method has a great influence on a child’s growing |
When the seventeenth-century settlers brought the English language to America, they immediately and necessarily began to adapt (使适应) it to their new environment. These changes were clear early and criticized by some people on both sides of the Atlantic. However, after the Revolution, Americans began to be proud of their own form of English. Noah Webster was the major early supporter of American meanings and spellings over British ones and published the earliest American dictionary, An American Dictionary of the English Language. During the years since Webster, language differences have continued to develop, proving (证明) the truth of George Bernard Shaw’s often-repeated words that the two nations are divided by a common language.
Like the American language, the earliest American literature (文学) copied English models. However, after the Revolution and the War of 1812, writers began to create a clear American literature. However, in 1820, Sydney Smith asked the famous question “Who reads an American book?”
Answering to this and similar taunts (讽刺) with creative anger, American writers soon produced works that plenty of British people read. Works by Washing-ton Irving, Walt Whitman, and Mark Twain had been acclaimed greatly in Britain by the end of the nineteenth century.
Even as American writers got respect in Britain, British writers continued to have great influence in America. Charles Dickens went to America twice, in 1842 and 1867-68. Other major British writers who traveled and lived in the United States include D.H. Lawrence and Aldous Huxley. British best works continue to be widely read. The works of William Shakespeare and Jane Austen became popular films.
At the turn of the twenty-first century, many books and writers continue to cross the Atlantic in both directions — made possible by the proud heritage (继承) of the shared language.The author of this passage seems to think ______.
| A．British English is better than American English |
| B．American English is better than British English |
| C．the same language has divided the two nations |
| D．the same language has connected the two nations |
From the question asked by Sydney Smith, we can infer ______.
| A．the British had to translate American books into English ones |
| B．the British found American books difficult to understand |
| C．the British thought highly of books written by Americans |
| D．the British looked down upon American books at first |
The underlined word “acclaimed” in Paragraph 3 probably means “______”.
| A．sold | B．discussed |
| C．welcomed | D．refused |
In fine department stores everywhere, you’ll see the light-blue boxes of Estee Lauder. These popular cosmetics (化妆品) are sold in more than 130 countries. Who’s the woman behind this worldwide cosmetics empire (帝国)? Estee Lauder herself, of course. This businesswoman became, for a time, the world’s richest self-made woman. Her secret? “I didn’t get there by dreaming about it,” she would say. “I got there by doing it.” Estee was born in the early 1900s in Queens, New York. Her father ran a hardware (五金器具) store, and from him Estee learned how to be a successful salesperson. Estee learned from her uncle John Schotz, too. He made creams in a small laboratory behind the family’s house. Estee watched him. Soon, she was experimenting with her own cosmetics. She put lipstick (唇膏) and creams on any female relative who’d let her, until her annoyed father told her to stop.
She married Joseph H. Lauder in 1930, and continued her experiments. She would cook dinner for the family, and at the same time, make her face creams. Then she began to sell her products in a Manhattan beauty shop.
In 1960, Estee began to sell her products in Europe. After many tries she succeeded and began selling her products in some stores in London. But France proved even more difficult. The store Galleries Lafayette refused to sell her products. So Estee “by accident” dropped a bottle of youth dew (香水) on the floor in the cosmetics department. As the scent spread around the store, customers came over and asked to buy it. The store soon began selling Estee’s products.
Estee led her company until 1982, when her son Leonard took over the business. Until her health worsened in the mid-1990s, she continued to attend the opening of a new store wherever in the world. She died on April 24, 2004. Estee Lauder’s talent as a saleswoman was extraordinary. Her son Leonard said, “There was never anyone who could sell like she could.” All who worked for Estee appreciated her special talent.Which of the following can best describe Estee Lauder?
| A．A successful cosmetics saleswoman. |
| B．A beautiful shop owner in London. |
| C．A popular cosmetics producer in France. |
| D．A founder of a cosmetics company in America. |
What was Estee Lauder’s father’s attitude towards her when she tried her products on her female relatives?
| A．He supported her and helped her. |
| B．He didn’t care about what she did. |
| C．He was very angry at her for what she did. |
| D．He was proud of what she did. |
Estee managed to get her products known to the French customers by dropping a bottle of youth dew on the floor in the cosmetics department of a store ______.
| A．on purpose | B．with the store’s permission |
| C．by accident | D．carelessly |
The underlined word “scent” in Paragraph 3 probably means ______.
| A．Estee’s product | B．a customer’s praise |
| C．a pleasant smell | D．the broken pieces of glass |
What’s black and white and read all over? Not newspapers, at least not anymore. In fact, if you’re like most young people, you probably don’t read the newspaper at all.
In one recent survey, just 19 percent of 18 to 34-year-old said they read a newspaper every day, while 37 percent watch local TV news and 44 percent visit Internet news sites daily. As people turn more and more to new technologies, they turn the pages of newspapers less and less.
“There’s a revolution (革命) in the way young people get news,” says media consultant Merrill Brown.
Just a generation (一代人) or two ago, the newspaper was the main way that many people got their news. Now, nearly every home has at least one TV set. There’s high-speed, wireless Internet both at home and in many public places.
You no longer have to wait for a bundle of newsprint to arrive on your doorstep every morning. Thanks to new technology, if you want to know what’s going on in the world, you can get breaking news immediately in more ways than one.
So newspapers face a very big challenge. Raised on MTV and video games, today’s kids and young adults want flashy displays, special effects, quick information, and the chance to interact (互动) in real time, even when they’re reading about serious problems.
If newspapers can’t find creative ways to be more than just ink on paper, some experts suggest, they might disappear completely.
Traditional newspaper articles are supposed to be read from beginning to end, lack (缺乏) of interaction. With Web pages, on the other hand, there’s more freedom. You can look through the things you’re interested in, then follow links to other sources. You can join discussion groups, read other people’s opinions on a topic, or start a blog to express your own views.This passage is mainly about ______.
| A．the disappearing newspaper | B．different news sources |
| C．the future of the Internet | D．the new technologies |
From the survey, we can see that ______.
| A．TV has become the major source of news |
| B．newspapers are no longer the major source of news |
| C．more than half of the 18-to-34-year-old visit news sites daily |
| D．new technologies have replaced the traditional one |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT mentioned about the disadvantage of newspapers?
| A．High price. | B．Lack of changes. |
| C．Slow speed. | D．Lack of interaction. |
The author of the passage would probably think the future of newspapers is ______.
| A．attractive | B．bright |
| C．hopeless | D．uncertain |
When I was in my fourth year of teaching, I was also (and am still) a high school track and field coach (田径教练). One year, I had a student, John, who entered my class when he was a junior (三年级学生). John changed to our school from Greece, and seemed to be interested in athletics, so I encouraged him to join our track team. I explained to him that even though he had never taken part in it before, I did believe that he could do well in any event, and I would be willing to coach him at whichever ones interested him. He accepted the offer, and began to work hard at every practice.
About a month later, I had found out from other sources that John was a first-class tennis player, winning various junior awards in his home country. I went to him asking, “John, I really appreciate that you came out for the track team, but why didn’t you play tennis instead? It seems that would interest you a lot more, since you’re so good at it.”
John answered, “Well, I like tennis, but you told me that you believed in me, and that you thought I could do well in track, so I wanted to try it for that reason.”
From then on, I often remember my student’s reply. I told it to a friend and she suggested I write it down to share somewhere with more teachers. No matter how critical (不满的) students can be of themselves, I’ve found that a simple “I trust that you can do it!” can go a long way!According to Paragraph 1, the author seems to think more about John’s ______.
| A．PE marks | B．self-confidence |
| C．interest in sports | D．state of health |
Why did John take part in the track team?
| A．He had been an excellent runner. |
| B．He was encouraged by his teacher. |
| C．He liked running more than tennis. |
| D．He had no tennis coach to train him. |
The purpose of this passage is probably ______.
| A．to build a close teacher-student relationship |
| B．to introduce a new way of sports training |
| C．to explain the value of sports and games |
| D．to show the importance of encouragement |
The passage is mainly written for ______.
| A．teachers | B．parents |
| C．students | D．players |