There are many international organizations which work to save and protect endangered species (物种) and natural environment. If you would like more information about any of the organizations listed below, you can write to the addresses given.
Friends of the Earth (FOE) campaigns on a range of problems including rain forests, the countryside, water and air pollution and energy.
Friends of the Earth International Secretariat
P.O. Box 19199
1000 G.D.
Amsterdam
The Netherlands Greenpeace uses peaceful but direct action to defend the environment. It campaigns to protect rain forests and sea animals, stop global warming and end pollution of air, land and seas. It also opposes nuclear power.
Greenpeace International
Keizergracht 176
1016 DW Amsterdam
The Netherlands BirdLife International is an organization which works to save endangered birds all over the world.
BirdLife International
Wellbrook Court
Girton Road
Cambridge CB3 0NA
England
WWF—World Wide Fund For Nature is the world’s largest private international organization for the conservation of nature and threatened species.
Information Officer
WWF International
Avenue du Mont-Blanc
1196 Gland
Switzerland
If you want to learn more about the organizations, you can _______.
A.call them | B.write them a letter |
C.visit them | D.send them an e-mail |
BirdLife International is an organization aiming to ________.
A.reduce pollution | B.defend rain forests |
C.protect ocean animals | D.save endangered birds |
If you oppose nuclear power, you can join ________.
A.Friends of the Earth | B.World Wide Fund For Nature |
C.Greenpeace | D.BirdLife International |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Environmental Protection Organizations |
B.Global Traffic Problems |
C.Endangered Animals |
D.Natural Beauty |
Runners in a relay race pass a stick in one direction. However, merchants(商人) passed silk, gold, fruit, and glass along the Silk Road in more than one direction. They earned their living by traveling the famous Silk Road.
The Silk Road was not a simple trading network. It passed through thousands of cities and towns. It started from eastern China, across Central Asia and the Middle East, and ended in the Mediterranean Sea. It was used from about 200 B.C. to about 1300 A.D., when sea travel offered new routes. It was sometimes called the world’s longest highway. However, the Silk Road was made up of many routes, not one smooth path. They passed through what are now 18 countries. The routes crossed mountains and deserts and had many dangers of hot sun, deep snow and even battles. Only experienced traders could return safe.
The Silk Road got its name from its most prized product. Silk could be used like money to pay taxes or buy goods. But the traders carried more than just silk. Gold, silver, and glass from Europe were much found in the Middle East and Asia. Horses traded from other areas changed farming practices in China. Indian merchants traded salt and other valuable goods. Chinese merchants traded paper, which produced an immediate effect on the West. Apples traveled from central Asia to Rome. The Chinese had learned to graft(嫁接) different trees together to make new kinds of fruit. They passed this science on to others, including the Romans. The Romans used grafting to grow the apple. Trading along the Silk Road led to world-wide business 2,000 years before the World Wide Web.The people along the Silk Road did not share just goods. They also shared their beliefs. The Silk Road provided pathways for learning, diplomacy(外交), and religion (宗教). It’s probable that traders along the Silk Road needed ____________.
A.to remember the entire trade route |
B.to deal with a lot of difficulties |
C.to receive certain special training |
D.to know the making of products |
The Silk Road became less important because ____________.
A.it was made up of different routes |
B.silk trading became less popular |
C.people needed fewer foreign goods |
D.sea travel provided easier routes |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
A.Silk was the most prized product. |
B.The Silk Road led to world-wide business. |
C.People traded many goods along the route. |
D.The Silk Road used to be the world’s longest highway. |
New technologies could travel along the Silk Road because people ___________.
A.traded goods along the route |
B.shared each other’s beliefs |
C.learned from one another |
D.earned their living by traveling |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.The Silk Road: East Meets West |
B.The Silk Road: Past and Present |
C.The Silk Road: Routes Full of Dangers |
D.The Silk Road: Pathways for Learning |
The mobile phone rule is just common polite behavior. Most people today have a mobile phone. In fact, many people can’t imagine how they ever get along without them. However, many people also complain(抱怨) about mobile phone users. People complain about other people loudly discussing personal matters in public places. They complain when mobile phones ring in movie theaters and concert halls. They complain about people driving too slow, and paying no attention to where they are going because they are talking on a mobile phone. And they complain about people walking around talking to people who aren’t there.
Whenever a new communication technology becomes popular, it changes the way in which society is organized. Society has to invent rules for the polite way to use the new devices(装置). Our rules of politeness for mobile phones are still evolving(发展;使逐渐形成).
The mobile phone rule applies to most public places. Always try to have your phone ring as low as possible or put your mobile phone on the vibration(振动) mode, so it does not distract the people around you. The basic mobile phone rule includes:
1. Switch it off: Turn it off when you have meetings, worship, and so on.
2. Be brief: When you get a call and you’re with friends, keep the call short.
3. Permission: Often, it is correct and polite behavior to inform others at the beginning of the meeting that you are expecting an important call and get their permission.
4. Be polite: Don’t scream — speak in a lower-than-normal voice.
5. Don’t distract: Avoid talking where you may be distracting to others.
6. Driving: It is not only very dangerous, but also unlawful in most countries to drive and talk on your mobile phone.What is the best title for this passage?
A.How to use a mobile phone. |
B.Mobile phone rule. |
C.The disadvantages of mobile phones. |
D.Mobile phones — making them work for us. |
According to this passage, we can know that the rules for mobile phones are______.
A.far from our satisfaction |
B.getting worse |
C.making people disappointed |
D.developing gradually |
Which of the tips on using mobile phones properly is mentioned in this passage?
A.Concentrate on what others say. |
B.Speak at the top of your voice in order to make yourself heard. |
C.Always turn off your mobile phones. |
D.Had better not distract others. |
What is the main purpose of writing the first paragraph?
A.To attract readers to the topic of the passage. |
B.To give examples about people’s improper behaviors with mobile phones. |
C.To criticize people’s improper behaviors. |
D.To show mobile phones have brought people a lot of trouble. |
What does the word underlined“it” refer to in Paragraph 3?
A.A mobile phone. |
B.The ring of the phone. |
C.The mobile phone rule. |
D.The conversation on the phone. |
Restaurants in the USA
Steve’s Pizza
So many pizza chains compete for the attention of tourists in South Beach, but ask a Miami Beach local where to get the best pizza and they’ll tell you about Steve’s. This is New York–style pizza, handmade with care and good ingredients(成份). New branches of Steve’s are opening elsewhere in Miami, all in non-tourist areas.
Opening hours: 11am-3am
Cattleman’s Steakhouse
This place is 20 miles east of the city, but local folks would probably drive 200 miles to eat here. The food is good, and the scenery is even better. Come early and wander around the grounds of Indian Cliffs Ranch, where you’ll see everything from rabbits to buffalo (水牛), then catch the sunset either before or after your meal.
Opening hours: 5pm-10pm
Absolute Baking & Cafe
The screen door is always swinging open at this town hot spot with giant breakfasts. Try the green chili on eggs – it’s made from scratch, as are the organic(有机的) breads. Lunch includes salads, big sandwiches and local grass-fed beef burgers. Don’t miss a square of soft, fresh carrot cake.
Opening hours: 7am-2pm
Walt’s Wharf
Everybody’s favorite for fresh fish (some drive in from LA), Walt’s packs them in on weekends. You can’t make reservations for dinner (though they’re accepted for lunch), but it’s worth the wait for the tree fire–grilled seafood and steaks in the many-windowed ground floor or upstairs in captain’s chairs.
Opening hours: 11am-3:30pmThe new branches of Steve’s Pizza are mainly intended for .
A.New Yorkers | B.the locals |
C.tourists | D.foreigners |
Cattleman’s Steakhouse offers the wonderful as well as good food.
A.view | B.wine |
C.discount | D.service |
Which restaurant serves both breakfast and lunch?
A.Steve’s Pizza. |
B.Walt’s Wharf. |
C.Cattleman’s Steakhouse. |
D.Absolute Baking & Café. |
Next time you hear a funny joke you’d better not laugh too hard. According to a paper published by the British Medical Journal, laughter isn’t always the best medicine. Sometimes it can even be harmful. Professor Robin Ferner from the University of Birmingham, one of the authors of the study, found that bad things could happen to people who laughed too much. He says: “We found people with heartbeat problems which had stopped their heart, we found people who had fainted(昏倒), and we found people who’d dislocated their jaws or burst their lungs.”
It seems that laughing can be no laughing matter. But it’s not all doom and gloom. Professor Ferner says there are benefits to laughing when you want to lose weight, for example. Yes, that’s right: laugh and be slimmer! Professor Ferner explains that: “You use energy when you laugh, you move your diaphragm(横膈膜), you expand your lungs, and both those things can be helpful.”
According to the research, laughing for a quarter of an hour can burn up to 40 calories, and if you laughed all day you’d use up about 2,000 calories, which is what most people consume in a day. But don’t do that or you might end up with a painful jaw. Ouch! Or you might find people looking at you in a funny way.
But I don’t want to finish this article leaving you feeling desperate. Laughter comes naturally for most of us. Babies begin to laugh at around 3-6 months. So give in to your sense of humor and keep smiling. Life is short anyway.Laughing too much may cause the following harmful results EXCEPT_________.
A.diaphragm movement |
B.heart stop |
C.lung burst |
D.jaw dislocation |
The underlined phrase “doom and gloom” in Paragraph 2 probably means_______.
A.nervous | B.funny |
C.painful | D.hopeless |
How many calories can you use if you laugh for half a day?
A.About 40. | B.About 2,000. |
C.About 1,000. | D.About 2,040. |
What is the author’s attitude towards laughing in the last paragraph?
A.Uninterested. | B.Favorable. |
C.Worried. | D.Disapproving. |
The Cuban iguana(大蜥蜴) is a species of lizard(蜥蜴) of the iguana family. It is the largest of the West Indian rock iguanas, one of the most endangered groups of lizards. This species with red eyes and a thick tail is one of the largest lizards in the Caribbean.
The Cuban iguana is primarily herbivorous; 95% of its diet consists of the leaves, flowers and fruits from as many as 30 plant species, including the seaside rock bush and various grasses.However, Cuban iguanas occasionally consume animal matter, and individuals have been observed eating the dead flesh of birds, fish and crabs, The researchers wrote that quite a few people on Isla Magueyes could have caused this incident.
The Cuban iguana is distributed throughout the rocky southern coastal areas of mainland Cuba and its surrounding islands with a wild population booming on Isla Magueyes, Puerto Rico. It is also found on the Cayman Islands of Little Cayman and Cayman Brac, where a separate subspecies occurs. Females guard their nest sites and often nest in sites half destroyed by Cuban crocodiles. To avoid the attack from them, the Cuban iguana often makes its home within or near prickly-pear cacti (仙人掌).
In general the species is in decline, more quickly on the mainland than on the outlying islands. One of the reasons for their decline is habitat destruction caused by the over consuming of farm animals, housing development, and the building of tourist resorts on the beaches where the animals prefer to build their nests. Although the wild population is in decline, the numbers of iguanas have been sharply increased as a result of captive-breeding(圈养) and other conservation programs.The underlined word "herbivorous" (Paragraph 2) probably means .
A.dangerous | B.gentle |
C.flesh-eating | D.plant-eating |
Why does the Cuban iguana build its nest near prickly-pear cacti?
A.To keep itself cool. |
B.To avoid crocodiles' attack. |
C.To stay away from people. |
D.To get the food easily. |
How many reasons are mentioned for the habitat destruction?
A.Two. | B.Five. | C.Four. | D.Three. |
What's the author's purpose of writing the text?
A.To give us a brief introduction to the Cuban iguana. |
B.To show he is concerned about the Cuban iguana. |
C.To explain reasons for the Cuban iguana's decline. |
D.To draw people's attention to the endangered Cuban iguana. |