In the Central Valley of California, famers are reducing crop size because they do not have enough water. Last year, California had the least amount of rain since officials began keeping records. And it may be just as bad this year.
Reservoirs are areas where water is stored. In California, some reservoirs are empty. The amount of snow in the Sierra Mountains is 75 percent below normal. This mountain snow melts in the spring and fills rivers. The water is used by farmers. But now, farmers are warning of the possibility of another “Dust Bowl”, like the one of 1930s. Severe droughts and dust storms covered American farmlands and few crops grew.
Dan Errotabere is a third generation California farmer. He grows tomatoes, walnuts, garlic and other crops in Fresno County. He says the federal agency that controls the amount of water released from dams and rivers has stopped giving him water. He and other farmers say officials are not correctly administering the water system. “The last couple of years-dry years, along with severe environmental restrictions—has now presented us with a zero allocation year”, said he.
Farmer may not be able to plant crops on more than 200,000 hectares of farmland in the Central Valley this spring. Mr. Errotabere will plant crops on just 80 percent of this farmland. He has enough work for only 15 of his 25 workers.
Federal and state officials sometimes reduce the amount of water to farmers even in years with normal rainfall levels. The officials must supply water to the Sacramento River Delta which is home to several endangered species.
Long-term solutions include conservation, recycling waste water and, building “desalinization(脱盐) enters”. These center remove salt from seawater so it can be used on farms. Farmers say better administration of the state’s water system could also help solve the crisis.The farmers in California grow fewer crops due to .
| A．water shortage | B．water pollution |
| C．government policy | D．species protection |
There is no water in some reservoirs because .
| A．snow didn’t melt in time | B．dust storms covered them |
| C．water supply was cut off | D．the snowfall dropped sharply |
What do we know about Dan Errotabere?
| A．He isn’t content with the officials of water system. |
| B．He can do nothing but ask for help from the government. |
| C．He has to employ more workers to work for him. |
| D．He plans to cut down the majority of his crops. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．salt | B．seawater |
| C．waste water | D．desalinization |
What’s the main idea of the text?
| A．Annual rainfall in California decreases. |
| B．Water use in California is not reasonable. |
| C．Lack of water affects California crops. |
| D．Action is taken to rid drought in California. |
President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama ended their first trip to India on Monday. The First Couple set off on the ten-day tour of Asia on Friday. Obama’s goals for the tour are to improve ties between the US and the region, and to promote (促进) economic growth and job creation. The President and his team will return to Washington, D.C. on November 14.
The Obamas began their trip in Mumbai, India, the financial and economic center of the country, on November 6. There, they met with government officials, business leaders and school groups. Up first on the schedule was a visit to a memorial at the TajMahal Palace and Tower Hotel. Obama’s second day in India was lighter than the first. The Presidential visit took place on Diwali, or the Festival of Lights. The five-day religious festival is celebrated each year by Hindus, Sikhs and others. The Obamas spent the holiday visiting with local schoolchildren.
On Monday, Michelle Obama joined 15 Indian school girls on a field trip to a museum of Indian craft work. During the tour, the First Lady stressed to the students the importance of education. Most of the children on the trip are the first girls in their families to attend school. Mrs Obama also encouraged the young women to stay fit, telling them that she likes to exercise because “women have to stay strong”.
Early tomorrow, the Obamas will travel to Indonesia, the country in which the President spent four years as a boy. After that, they will fly to Seoul, South Korea, to attend the Group of Twenty, or G-20, economic summit. The conference brings together leaders from 20 wealthy and developing nations and the European Union. They meet twice a year to address challenges that affect the global economy.
The final leg of the tour will be in Japan, where Obama will attend the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation summit. According to Paragraph 1, what are the goals for the ten-day tour?
a. To improve ties between the US and Asia.
b. To do sight-seeing in the countries.
c. To help economy grow faster.
d. To help create more jobs.
| A．abc |
| B．acd |
| C．ad |
| D．abcd |
What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
| A．What the First Couple did in India. |
| B．How long the First Couple stayed in India. |
| C．Introduction to a traditional holiday in India. |
| D．What the First Couple thought of their tour in India. |
During the field trip to a museum of Indian craft work, the First Lady _____.
| A．asked why only the first girls could go to school |
| B．told the students the importance of craft work |
| C．explained why women must stay strong |
| D．encouraged the students to study hard |
We can know from the passage that Mr Obama _____.
| A．will stay in Indonesia for four days |
| B．will stay in Japan for the shortest time |
| C．hasn’t attended the Group of Twenty before |
| D．will attend an important conference in Seoul |
How many countries does the First Couple plan to visit in total in their ten-day tour in Asia?
| A．3. |
| B．4. |
| C．5. |
| D．6. |
If you’re ever apart from your children, just talking on the phone will help just as much as a hug.
If you’re a parent who spends long hours on the job, you probably feel guilty for spending so much time away from your kids. But the results of a new study show that a mother’s voice alone can be just as comforting to an anxious child as physical contact.
In an experiment, researchers from the University of Wisconsin-Madison asked a group of girls between the ages of 7 and 12 to solve math problems in front of judges — a stressful situation for anyone. Before the girls were set to give their answers, the researchers measured their levels of two hormones (荷尔蒙): cortisol, which goes up during stressful periods, and oxytocin, the “love” hormone.
After they were finished, some of the girls got to meet up with their mothers right away. The moms came in and hugged the girls. Another group of the girls didn’t see their mothers, but received phone calls from them, in which their mothers told them how well they’d done. The final group had no contact with their mothers, but instead watched an animal movie, March of the Penguins.
Finally, the girls’ hormone levels were measured again. Although the movie was interesting, it did nothing to ease the children’s anxiety — but, surprisingly, both the physical contact and phone calls from their mothers had the same influence on reducing the girls’ stress levels.
So, no matter how old you are, if you’re feeling stressed about something in your life, a phone call to Mom might be just the key to help you feel better. How does the writer make his point?
| A．By showing an experiment by him. |
| B．By showing the results of a study. |
| C．By telling an interesting story. |
| D．By giving some data. |
The new study finds that ____.
| A．kids don’t need their mothers so much |
| B．a mother’s voice can comfort her anxious kid |
| C．kids get less anxious with their mothers nearby |
| D．mothers haven’t spent enough time with their kids |
What is the CORRECT time order of the events in the study?
a. The girls solved their math problems.
b. The girls’ levels of hormones were measured again.
c. The girls were divided into three groups.
d. The girls’ levels of hormones were measured.
| A．a, c, d, b |
| B．c, a, d, b |
| C．d, a, c, b |
| D．d, c, a, b |
The final group was arranged to _____.
| A．hug their parents |
| B．watch a boring movie |
| C．watch an interesting movie |
| D．give their parents a phone call |
What does the underlined word in the second last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Notice. |
| B．Develop. |
| C．Replace. |
| D．Reduce. |
A clever cat has been called a hero after he prevented his owners’ home from burning down. Five-year-old Pepper has learned to open windows and lets himself out every night by using his paws to turn the latch. So when a fire broke out while his owners were at Christmas shopping, the quick-thinking cat leapt into action and opened the window to allow the poisonous smoke to escape.
Owner Sharon White said, “He can climb back in through the window, so he really does come and go as he pleases. Pepper is still a bit afraid but is still managing to eat plenty of food.” Sharon and her husband Phil were handed Pepper over four years ago after a neighbor could no longer look after it.
The fire started at 4 pm on Saturday after the couple went to the shops and left their microwave on a ten minute timer, which then caught fire. Sharon said, “We put something in the microwave for ten minutes and then went out to do our Christmas shopping in the local town. I discovered on the way that I had left my purse at home but decided not to turn around. It was my relative who lives next door that rang us and told us that we’d better get home as there was quite a lot of smoke coming out of our house and the firefighters were here.”
Firefighters rushed to their £350,000 house and put out the fire before it could spread and the kitchen suffered only smoke damage. Phil added, “Pepper managed to get out and smoke must have been pouring out the window which attracted the attention of the neighbors. He’s got a real mind of his own. Without him, the fire could have been so much worse.” What is this passage mainly about?
| A．A quick-thinking cat thanked his owners. |
| B．A quick-thinking cat saved a house from a fire. |
| C．A quick-thinking cat saved himself from a fire. |
| D．A quick-thinking cat showed how clever he was. |
How did Pepper help avoid the danger of the fire?
| A．By ringing a neighbor’s bell. |
| B．By running into a neighbor’s room. |
| C．By standing in the way of some fire fighters. |
| D．By opening the window and letting out smoke. |
From Paragraph 2 we know that Pepper ____.
| A．didn’t belong to Sharon at first |
| B．was not frightened by the fire at all |
| C．has been taught to open the window |
| D．was found by its owners on the street |
What can we learn from what Sharon said in Paragraph 3?
| A．She and her husband were terribly frightened. |
| B．She and her husband didn’t call the firefighters. |
| C．It was that [LU2] relative who first noticed the smoke. |
| D．She and her husband knew there would be no damage. |
We can infer that Sharon and her husband Phil ____.
| A．are very careful |
| B．lived a very poor life |
| C．are very thankful to Pepper |
| D．didn’t like Pepper before the fire |
Dear readers,
I receive many letters from children and can’t answer them all — there wouldn’t be enough time in a day. I’ll try to answer some of the questions that are commonly asked.
Where did I get the idea for Stuart Little and for Charlotte's Web? Well, many years ago, I went to bed one night in a railway sleeping car, and during the night I dreamed about a tiny boy who acted rather like a mouse. That’s how the story of Stuart Littlegot started.
As for Charlotte’s Web, I like animals and my farm is a very pleasant place to be — at all hours. One day, when I was on my way to feed the pig, I began feeling sorry for the pig because, like most pigs, he was going to die. This made me sad. So I started thinking of ways to save a pig’s life. Three years after I started writing it, it was published. (I am not a fast worker, as you can see.)
Sometimes I’m asked when I started to write, and what made me want to write. I started early — as soon as I could spell. Children often find pleasure and satisfaction through trying to set their thoughts down on paper, either in words or in pictures. I was not good at drawing, so I used words instead. As I grew older, I found that writing can be a way of earning a living.
Well, here is the answer to the last question. No, they are imaginary tales, containing fantastic characters and events. In real life, a family doesn’t have a child who looks like a mouse and a spider doesn’t write words in her web. Although my stories are imaginary, I like to think that there is some truth in them, too — truth about the way people and animals feel and think and act.
Yours sincerely,
E.B. WhiteE.B. White wrote this letter to _____.
A. introduce his new books
B. introduce two funny stories
C. explain why he enjoys writing
D. answer some readers’ questionsWe can know from the passage that E.B. White is a writer who ______.
A. writes very fast
B. works on a friend’s farm
C. mainly writes stories for adults
D. writes imaginary tales for children What inspired E.B. White to write Charlotte's Web?
A. He wanted children to love animals.
B. He was deeply impressed by a clever pig.
C. He wanted to use his own way to save a pig. The reason why E.B. White started to write is to ______.
A. improve his spelling B. express his thoughts
C. show his sadness D. make a good living What is probably the last question?
| A．Are your stories true? |
| B．What is the truth in your stories? |
| C．Will you write more imaginary tales? |
| D．Do you know a child looking like a mouse? |
Jackie Heinricher's love affair with bamboo started in her backyard. “As a child, I remember playing among the golden bamboo my dad had planted, and when there was a slight wind, the bamboos sounded really musical.”
A fisheries biologist, Heinricher, 47, planned to work in the salmon industry in Seattle, where she lived with her husband, Guy Thornburgh, but she found it too competitive. Then her garden gave her the idea for a business: She'd planted 20 bamboo forests on their seven-acre farm.
Heinricher started Boo-Shoot Gardens in 1998. She realized early on what is just now beginning to be known to the rest of the world. It can be used to make fishing poles, skateboards, buildings, furniture, floors, and even clothing. An added bonus: Bamboo absorbs four times as much carbon dioxide as a group of hardwood trees and releases 35 percent more oxygen.
First she had to find a way to mass-produce the plants—a tough task, since bamboo flowers create seed only once every 50 to 100 years. And dividing a bamboo plant frequently kills it.
Heinricher appealed to Randy Burr, a tissue culture expert, to help her. “People kept telling us we'd never figure it out,” says Heinricher.“Others had worked on it for 27 years! I believed in what we were doing, though, so I just kept going.”
She was right to feel a sense of urgency. Bamboo forests are being rapidly used up, and a United Nations report showed that even though bamboo is highly renewable, as many as half of the world's species are threatened with dying out. Heinricher knew that bamboo could make a significant impact on carbon emissions(排放)and world economies, but only if huge numbers could be produced. And that's just what she and Burr figured out after nine years of experiments—a way to grow millions of plants. By placing cuttings in test tubes with salts, vitamins, plant hormones, and seaweed gel, they got the plants to grow and then raised them in soil in greenhouses.
Not long after it, Burr's lab hit financial difficulties. Heinricher had no experience running a tissue culture operation, but she wasn't prepared to quit. So she bought the lab.
Today Heinricher heads up a profitable multimillion-dollar company, working on species from all over the world and selling them to wholesalers(批发商). “If you want to farm bamboo, it's hard to do without the young plants, and that's what we have，” she says proudly.What was the main problem with planting bamboo widely?
| A．They didn't have enough young bamboo. |
| B．They were short of money and experience. |
| C．They didn't have a big enough farm to do it. |
| D．They were not understood by other people. |
What does Heinricher think of bamboo?
| A．Fragile and affordable. |
| B．Productive and flexible. |
| C．Useful and earth-friendly. |
| D．Strong and profitable. |
The underlined word “renewable” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”．
| A．able to be replaced naturally |
| B．able to be raised difficultly |
| C．able to be shaped easily |
| D．able to be recycled conveniently |
What do you learn from the passage?
| A．Heinricher's love for bamboo led to her experiments in the lab. |
| B．Heinricher's determination helped her to succeed in her work. |
| C．Heinricher struggled to prevent bamboo from disappearing. |
| D．Heinricher finally succeeded in realizing her childhood dream. |