When couples get married, they usually plan to have children. Sometimes, however, a couple can not have a child of their own. In this case, they may decide to adopt(收养) a child. In fact, adoption is very common today. There are about 60 thousand adoptions each year in the United States alone. Some people prefer to adopt infants, others adopt older children, some couples adopt children from their own countries, and others adopt children from foreign countries. In any case, they all adopt children for the same reason ---- they care about children and want to give their adopted child a happy life.
Most adopted children know that they are adopted. Psychologists（心理学家） and child-care experts generally think this is a good idea. However, many adopted children or adoptees have very little information about their biological parents. As a matter of fact, it is often very difficult for adoptees to find out about their birth parents because the birth records of most adoptees are usually sealed. The information is secret so no one can see it. Naturally, adopted children have different feelings about their birth parents. Many adoptees want to search for them, but others do not. The decision to search for birth parents is a difficult one to make. Most adoptees have mixed feelings about finding their biological parents. Even though adoptees do not know about their natural parents, they do know that their adopted parents want them, love them and will care for them.According to the passage, some couples adopt children because_________
| A．They care a lot about children. |
| B．They need looking after in their old age. |
| C．They want to enrich their life experience. |
| D．They want children to keep them company. |
Why is it difficult for adoptees to find out about their birth parents?
| A．They are usually adopted from distant places. |
| B．Their birth parents often try to conceal（隐瞒）their birth information. |
| C．Their birth information is usually kept secret. |
| D．Their adoptive parents don’t want them to know their birth parents. |
Adoptees find it hard to make the decision to search for their birth parents, because____
| A．They generally hold bad feelings towards their birth parents. |
| B．They do not want to hurt the feelings of their adoptive parents. |
| C．They are fully aware of the expenses(费用) involved in the search. |
| D．They have mixed feelings about finding their natural parents. |
What does the underlined word “infants” in Paragraph 1 most probably mean?
| A．teenagers | B．babies over 2-year old |
| C．new babies | D．persons under the age of 18 |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Early adoption makes for closer parent-child relationship. |
| B．Most people prefer to adopt children from overseas. |
| C．Understanding is the key to successful adoption. |
| D．Adoption has much to do with love. |
San Francisco has its cable cars. Seattle has its Space Needle. And. Longview has its squirrel bridge. The bridge, which has attracted international attention, is now a local landmark.
The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in 1963 by a local builder, Amos Peters, to give squirrels a way to cross the busy road without getting flattened by passing cars.
The original bridge was built over Olympia Way on the west edge of the library grounds. Before the bridge was built, squirrels had to avoid traffic to and from the Park Plaza office building where office staff put out a nutty feast for the squirrels. Many times，Peters and others who worked in and near Park Plaza witnessed squirrels being run over.
One day Peters found a dead squirrel with a nut still in its mouth, and that day's coffee break discussion turned into squirrel safety. The group of businessmen cooked up the squirrel bridge idea and formed a committee to ask the blessing of the City Council(市政会). The Council approved, and councilwoman Bess LaRiviere jokingly named the bridge "Nutty Narrows".
After architects designed the bridge, Amos Peters and Bill Hutch started Construction. They built the 60-foot bridge from aluminum and lengths of fire hose(消防水带). It cost $l,000.
It didn't take long before reports of squirrel, using the bridge started. Squirrels were even seen guiding their young and teaching them the ropes. The story was picked up by the media, and Nutty Narrows became known in newspapers all over the world
In 1983, after 20 years of use, Peters took down the worn-out bridge. Repairs were made and cross-pieces were replaced. The faded sign was repainted and in July 1983, hundreds of animal lovers attended the completion ceremony of the new bridge.
Peters died in l084, and a ten-foot wooden squirrel sculpture was placed near the bridge in memory of its builder and his devotion to the project.The Nutty Narrows Bridge was built in order to______.
| A．offer squirrels a place to cat nuts |
| B．set up a local landmark |
| C．help improve traffic |
| D．protect squirrels |
What happened over the coffee break discussion?
| A．The committee got the Council's blessing |
| B．The squirrel bridge idea was born |
| C．A councilwoman named the bridge. |
| D．A squirrel was found dead |
What does the underlined phrase “teaching them the ropes” in Paragraph 6 probably mean?
| A．Passing them a rope. |
| B．Directing them to store food for winter. |
| C．Teaching them a lesson. |
| D．Showing them how to use the bridge. |
Which of the following is TRUE of the squirrel bridge?
| A．It was replaced by a longer one. . |
| B．It was built from wood and metal. |
| C．It was rebuilt after years of use. . |
| D．It was designed by Bill Hutch. |
What can we learn about Amos Peters?
| A．He is remembered for his love of animals. |
| B．He donated $ l,000 to build the bridge. |
| C．He was a member of the City Council. |
| D．He was awarded a medal for building the bridge. |
Wugging, or web use giving, describes the act of giving to charity at no cost to the user. By using Everyclick.com, which is being added to a number of university computers across the UK, students can raise money every time they search, but it won’t cost them a penny.
Research shows that students are extremely passionate about supporting charity — 88% of full time students have used the Internet to give to charity. This age group is often the least likely to have their own income. 19% of 22 to 24 year olds have short-term debts of more than £5,000. With rising personal debt levels in this age group, due to university tuition fees or personal loans and a lack of long-term savings, traditional methods of donating to charity are often not appealing (有感染力的) or possible.
Beth Truman, a 21 year old recent university graduate, has used Everyclick.com to donate to her chosen charity, the RSPCA, for two years and has seen the “wugging” movement grow in popularity with students. “When you’re at university you become more socially aware, but it’s sometimes hard to give to others when you have little money yourself,” says Beth. “Wugging is great for people in this age group as it allows them to use the technology on a daily basis to give to charity, without costing them a single penny.”
Wugging is perfect for people who want to be more socially aware and supportive but don’t feel they have the means to do so. Students using the web can raise money for causes they care about without costing them anything in terms of time or money, and charities get a valuable source of funding.
Everyclick.com works like any other search engine, allowing users to search for information, news and images but users can decide which of the UK’s 170,000 charities they would like to support through their clicks. Everyclick.com then makes monthly payments to every registered charity. Launched in June 2005, Everyclick.com is now the eighth largest search engine and one of the busiest charity websites in the UK.According to the passage, “wugging” is actually ______.
| A．a website |
| B．a charity-related action |
| C．a school organization |
| D．a student movement |
In the case of charity, Everyclick.com ______.
| A．frees students of the financial worries |
| B．receives much money from students |
| C．offers valuable information to students |
| D．praises students for their money-raising |
What does Beth Truman think of the “wugging” movement?
| A．It makes Everyclick.com popular in the UK. |
| B．It becomes easy to do charity because of it. |
| C．It results in students’ more social awareness. |
| D．It helps students to save money. |
From the passage, we can conclude that ______.
| A．most full time students do charity on the Internet every day |
| B．Everyclick.com helps students pay for the college education |
| C．“wugging” is a win-win idea for both students and charities |
| D．Everyclick.com is the most successful search engine in the UK |
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．“Wugging”,a new popular term on the Internet. |
| B．British people show strong interest in charity. |
| C．More Britain charities benefit from the Internet. |
| D．Students raise money for charity by “wugging”. |
"The noise made by boats of whale-watching tourists may be causing communication problems for the animals," British researchers said last week.
Whale watching is a popular tourist activity in places where groups of killer whales (虎鲸) live. Every day, dozens of boats filled with tourists go to watch the beautiful animal. Unfortunately, the engines of the boats make a lot of noise, and that may be causing problems for the whales, according to a report in the US science magazine Nature .
The whales travel in groups, and communicate with each other through sonic (声波的) calls that some scientists refer to as singing. The sounds of the boat engines may be creating too much background noise for the whales to be able to hear each other.
The researchers listened to recordings of whale calls made between 15 and 25 years ago, before whale-watching became popular. These were compared to more recent recordings.
They found that the animals have started to sing for longer than they used to, like a person shouting to a friend across a noisy room.
It is believed that the whales are trying to communicate hunting or breeding(繁殖) information. Scientists said that, "if this is prevented, the future of the world's whale population could be in danger."
"Animals became slow in mind and repeat themselves in noisy areas," said Volker Deecke, a Canadian biologist. "They have to say things twice or three times in order to be understood.”
The killer whales studied were living off the coast of northwestern America. The number of killer whales in this area has been falling for several years, but scientists are not sure why.The passage mainly tells us______.
| A．The problems of whale-watching |
| B．how killer whales communicate with each other |
| C．the reduced population of killer whales caused by whale-watching |
| D．hearing problems of the killer whales caused by whale watching. |
Now in a noisy background, the killer whales have to__________.
| A．sing in a louder voice |
| B．sing longer |
| C．travel in smaller groups |
| D．get nearer to each other |
Scientists believe that killer whales sing to_______.
| A．warn each other of dangers |
| B．keep in the same group |
| C．send useful information |
| D．enjoy themselves |
From the passage, we can feel that the author is_______.
| A．angry |
| B．hopeful |
| C．worried |
| D．disappointed |
Which of the following is the possible result of whale-watching?
| A．Fewer fish in the ocean. |
| B．Misunderstanding between the whales. |
| C．Reduced number of the whales in the area. |
| D．Serious water pollution along the coast. |
Jacqueline Bouvier Rennedy OnassIis was one of the most private women in the world, yet when she went to work as an editor in the last two decades of her life, she revealed(展现) herself as she did nowhere else.
After the death of her second husband, Greek shipping magnate (巨头 ) Aristotle Onassis, Jacqueline's close friend and former While House social secretary Letitia Baldrige made a suggestion that she consider a career(职业) in publishing. After consideration, Jacqueline accepted it. Perhaps she hoped to find there some ideas about how to live her own life .She became not less but more interested in reading. For the last 20 years of her life, Jacqueline worked as a publisher's editor, first at Viking, then at Doubleday, pursuing (迫求 ) a late-life career longer than her two marriages combined. During her time in publishing, she was responsible for managing and editing more than 100 successfully marketed books. Among the first books were in the Russian Style and Inventive Paris Clothes. She also succeeded in persuading TV hosts Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell to transform their popular television conversations into a book, The Power of Myth. The book went on to become an international best-seller. She dealt, too, with Michael Jackson as he prepared his autobiography(自传)，Moonwalk.
Jacqueline may have been hired for her name and for her social relations , but she soon proved her worth. Her choices, suggestions and widespread social relations were of benefit both to the publishing firms and to Jacqueline herself. In the books she selected for publication, she built on a lifetime of spending time by herself as a reader and left a record of the growth of her mind. Her books are the autobiography she never wrote, Her role as First Lady, in the end, was overshadowed by her performance as an editor. However, few knew that she had achieved so much. We can learn from the passage that Jacqueline________.
| A．became fond of reading after working as an editor |
| B．was in charge of publishing 100 books |
| C．promoted her books through social relations |
| D．gained a lot from her career as an editor |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that______.
| A．Jacqueline ended up as an editor rather than as First Lady |
| B．Jacqueline’s life as First Lady was more colorful than as an editor |
| C．Jacqueline was more successful as an editor than as First Lady |
| D．Jacqueline’s role as First Lady was more brilliant than as an editor |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Jacqueline’s two marriages lasted more than 20 years |
| B．Jacqueline’s own publishing firm was set up eventually |
| C．Jacqueline’s view and beliefs were reflected in the books she editor. |
| D．Jacqueline’s achievements were widely known |
The passage is mainly______.
| A．an introduction of Jacqueline’s life both as First Lady and as an editor |
| B．a brief description of Jacqueline’s lifelong experiences |
| C．a brief account of Jacqueline’s career as an editor in her last 20 years |
| D．an analysis of Jacqueline’s social relations in publishing |
A mother from Colorado who doctors said had died while giving birth to her son, has said it is a Christmas miracle that both she and the boy are alive.
Tracey Hermanstorfer’s heart stopped beating and her son Coltyn appeared lifeless after the Caesarean (剖腹产) section on Christmas Eve. However, a few minutes after he was born, both began breathing again. Dr. Stephanie Martin told Good Morning America she could not explain how the pair survived. Mrs. Hermanstorfer and her husband Mike told the American television show that they were doing “good” following the drama at Colorado Springs Memorial Hospital.
The couple, who already had two children, had to go into the hospital seven weeks earlier than planned. Her husband, 37, said his wife was tired after receiving an epidural (硬膜外麻醉) during the labor (分娩) but after closing her eyes, she “wasn’t waking up”. She stopped breathing and she is believed to have suffered a heart attack before her heart stopped beating entirely.
Dr. Martin said she was called in and that the outlook was grim since in most situations like this, “despite the best efforts of the team”, the mother was often unable to be revived. In that case doctors then tried to focus on delivering the baby but when he was born he was “completely lifeless”.
Mr. Hermanstorfer told the Associated Press news agency,“I had everything in the world taken from me, and in an hour and a half I had everything given to me.”
Dr. Martin said she did not have a “great explanation” for why Mr. Hermanstorfer’s heartbeat returned. “Somewhere between four and five minutes she had been without heart rate and had stopped breathing a minute or two prior to her heart stopping,” she said. The doctors were then able to bring the baby back to life, and the mother was alive after that.
Despite tests, she said doctors were still not sure about what had happened. However Mrs. Hermanstorfer and her husband Mike have said they believed it was down to a miracle. She said:“I got a second chance in life.” The story happened on_______.
| A．December, 24 |
| B．December, 25 |
| C．December, 31 |
| D．January, l |
What might have happened to Tracey Hermanstorfer just before her heart stopped beating?
| A．She became unconscious. |
| B．She took a nap. |
| C．She had a bad headache. |
| D．She suffered a heart attack. |
Which of the following is the correct order of what happened to Tracey Hermansrorfer?
a. suffering a heart attack
b. stopping heart beating entirely
c. stopping breathing
d. coming back to life
e. receiving an epidural
f. producing a baby
| A．acfdbe |
| B．fcadbe |
| C．eacbfd |
| D．eabcfd |
What feelings did Mr. Hermanstorfer have during the incident?
| A．Sad and delighted. |
| B．Disappointed and depressed. |
| C．Sad and angry. |
| D．Touched and regrettable. |
Which of the following words best expresses Dr. Martin's attitude towards Tracey Hermanstorfer's coming back to life?
| A．Shocked. |
| B．Puzzled. |
| C．Normal. |
| D．Curious. |