A young father was visiting an old neighbor． They were standing in the old man's garden， and talking about children． The young man said， “How strict should parents be with their children？”
The old man pointed to a string（绳子）between a big strong tree and a thin young one． “Please untie（解开）that string,” he said． The young man untied it, and the young tree bent（弯）over to one side． “Now tie it again， please，” said the old man， “but first pull the string tight so that the young tree is straight again．”
The young man did so． Then the old man said， “There，it is the same with children． You must be strict with them, but sometimes you must untie the string to know how they are getting on． If they are not yet able to stand alone， you must tie the string tight again． But when you find that they are ready to stand alone， you can take the string away．”The story is about ＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．how to take care of young trees |
| B．how strict parents should be with their children |
| C．how the young father should get on with his old neighbor |
| D．how to tie and untie the string |
When can the string be taken away？＿＿＿＿＿＿＿ ．
| A．When the old man has left |
| B．After you have untied it |
| C．When the young man has untied it next time |
| D．When the young tree grows strong enough |
In the story the relation（关系） of the big strong tree to the thin one is like that of ＿＿.
| A．the young father to the old neighbor |
| B．parents to their children |
| C．the old neighbor to the children of the young father |
| D．grown ups to their parents |
Want to find Bigfoot? Matt Moneymaker, president of Animal Planet's Finding Bigfoot, says the creatures have been seen in every state but Hawaii.
Redwoods State Park, California
With its towering redwoods and thick forest, it's hard to beat the atmosphere at this Northern California park.Moneymaker recommends taking a walk along the Smith River on Howland Hill Road.“We heard of lots of different sightings and sounds in there，”he says.“I've found tracks crossing that road.”7074657335.
SalmonHuckleberry Wilderness, Oregon
You don't have to go far to find Bigfoot.This area 20 miles east of Portland in the Mount Hood National Forest is prime spotting territory.Bigfoot apparently has a sweet tooth and goes ape for huckleberries, which grow in the area.Scores of campers have been scared off by noises and have had rocks thrown at them.5036681700.
Valles Caldera National Preserve, New Mexico
The high density of deer attracts Bigfoot to this place.The creatures may use the park's mountainous lookouts to watch over deer in spring.Even when there's no wind, dead trees often topple mysteriously, with their roots above the earth.“They let you know that they're there.”5056613333.
Bird Mountain Wildlife Management Area, Vermont
This prominent mountain peak outside the town of Rutland has had its share of activity, including a trailcam picture famous in Bigfoot circles of what appears to be a female one carrying her offspring (后代). Centuries ago，American Indians reported seeing an apelike creature and，more recently, hikers say that they have come upon a Bigfoot.8007568880.
Fahnestock State Park, New York
There's a long history of Bigfoot in this mountain park a mere 90 minutes from New York City. Moneymaker says investigators have found mysterious markings in the snow.8452257207.
Ponca Wilderness Area, Arkansas
Moneymaker says he had several good Bigfoot moments on a recent expedition in this area along the Buffalo National River in northern Arkansas.Most of the Bigfoot action centered on the area near Steel Creek Campground.8704392502.Visitors are likely to see Bigfoot in the following places EXCEPT________.
| A．California | B．New Mexico |
| C．Hawaii | D．Arkansas |
If people want to see Bigfoot in Fahnestock State Park，they should phone________.
| A．5036681 700 | B．8452257 207 |
| C．5056613 333 | D．8007568 880 |
What can we learn about Bigfoot from the passage?
| A．Bigfoot is often attacked by human being. |
| B．Bigfoot doesn't like eating animals like deer. |
| C．Bigfoot is afraid of inhabiting in a thick forest. |
| D．Bigfoot likes eating sweet fruit like huckleberries. |
Where did Moneymaker have several good Bigfoot moments?
| A．In Valles Caldera National Preserve. |
| B．In SalmonHuckleberry Wilderness. |
| C．In Ponca Wilderness Area. |
| D．In Bird Mountain Wildlife Management Area. |
The underlined word “topple” in the passage can be replaced by“________”．
| A．fall down | B．eat up |
| C．move over | D．burn down |
Urbanization
(2013·高考北京卷)Until relatively recently，the vast majority of human beings lived and died without ever seeing a city.The first city was probably founded no more than 5,500 years ago.__ __In fact，nearly everyone lived on farms or in tiny rural (乡村的) villages.It was not until the 20th century that Great Britain became the first urban society in history—a society in which the majority of people live in cities and do not farm for a living.
Britain was only the beginning. __The process of urbanization—the migration (迁徙) of people from the countryside to the city—was the result of modernization，which has rapidly transformed how people live and where they live.
In 1990，fewer than 40% of Americans lived in urban areas.Today，over 82% of Americans live in cities.Only about 2% live on farms.__ __
Large cities were impossible until agriculture became industrialized.Even in advanced agricultural societies，it took about ninetyfive people on farms to feed five people in cities._ _Until modern times，those living in cities were mainly the ruling elite(精英) and the servants，laborers and professionals who served them.Cities survived by taxing farmers and were limited in size by the amount of surplus food that the rural population produced and by the ability to move this surplus from farm to city.
Over the past two centuries，the Industrial Revolution has broken this balance between the city and the country. _Today，instead of needing ninetyfive farmers to feed five city people，one American farmer is able to feed more than a hundred nonfarmers.
| A．That kept cities very small. |
| B．The rest live in small towns. |
| C．The effects of urban living on people should be considered. |
| D．Soon many other industrial nations became urban societies. |
E．But even 200 years ago，only a few people could live in cities.
F．Modernization drew people to the cities and made farmers more productive.
G．Modern cities have destroyed social relations and the health of human beings.
One might expect that the evergrowing demands of the tourist trade would bring nothing but good for the countries that receive the holidaymakers.Indeed，a rosy picture is painted for the longterm future of the holiday industry.Every month sees the building of a new hotel somewhere.And every month another rockbound Pacific island is advertised as the ‘last paradise(天堂) on earth’．
However，the scale and speed of this growth seem set to destroy the very things tourists want to enjoy.In those countries where there was a rush to make quick money out of seaside holidays，overcrowded beaches and the concrete jungles of endless hotels have begun to lose their appeal.
Those countries with little experience of tourism can suffer most.In recent years，Nepal set out to attract foreign visitors to fund developments in health and education.Its forests，full of wildlife and rare flowers，were offered to tourists as one more untouched paradise.In fact，the nature all too soon felt the effects of thousands of holidaymakers traveling through the forest land.Ancient tracks became major routes for the walkers，with the consequent exploitation of precious trees and plants.
Not only can the environment of a country suffer from the sudden growth of tourism.The people as well rapidly feel its effects.Farmland makes way for hotels，roads and airports；the old way of life goes.The onetime farmer is now the servant of some multinational organization；he is no longer his own master.Once it was his back that bore the pain；now it is his smile that is exploited.No doubt he wonders whether he wasn’t happier in his village working his own land.
Thankfully，the tourist industry is waking up to the responsibilities it has towards those countries that receive its customers.The protection of wildlife and the creation of national parks go hand in hand with tourist development and in fact obtain financial support from tourist companies.At the same time，tourists are being encouraged to respect not only the countryside they visit but also its people.
The way tourism is handled in the next ten years will decide its fate and that of the countries we all want to visit.Their needs and problems are more important than those of the tourist companies.Increased understanding in planning worldwide tourism can preserve the market for these companies.If not，in a few years’ time the very things that attract tourists now may well have been destroyed.What does the author indicate in the last sentence of Paragraph 1?
| A．The Pacific island is a paradise. |
| B．The Pacific island is worth visiting. |
| C．The advertisement is not convincing. |
| D．The advertisement is not impressive. |
The example of Nepal is used to suggest________.
| A．its natural resources are untouched |
| B．its forests are exploited for farmland |
| C．it develops well in health and education |
| D．it suffers from the heavy flow of tourists |
What can we learn about the farmers from Paragraph 4?
| A．They are happy to work their own lands. |
| B．They have to please the tourists for a living. |
| C．They have to struggle for their independence. |
| D．They are proud of working in multinational organizations. |
Which of the following determines the future of tourism ?
| A．The number of tourists. |
| B．The improvement of services. |
| C．The promotion of new products. |
| D．The management of tourism. |
The author’s attitude towards the development of the tourist industry is________.
| A．optimistic | B．doubtful |
| C．objective | D．negative |
Home to me means a sense of familiarity and nostalgia(怀旧)．It’s fun to come home.It looks the same.It smells the same.You’ll realize what’s changed is you.Home is where we can remember pain，love，and some other experiences：We parted here；My parents met here；I won three championships here.
If I close my eyes，I can still have a clear picture in mind of my first home.I walk in the door and see a brown sofa surrounding a low glasstop wooden table.To the right of the living room is my first bedroom.It’s empty，but it’s where my earliest memories are.
There is the dining room table where I celebrated birthdays，and where I cried on Halloween－when I didn’t want to wear the skirt my mother made for me.I always liked standing on that table because it made me feel tall and strong.If I sit at this table，I can see my favorite room in the house，my parents’ room.It is simple：a brown wooden dresser lines the right side of the wall next to a television and a couple of photos of my grandparents on each side.Their bed is my safe zone.I can jump on it anytime－waking up my parents if I am scared or if I have an important announcement that cannot wait until the morning.
I’m lucky because I know my first home still exists.It exists in my mind and heart，on a physical property(住宅) on West 64th street on the western edge of Los Angeles.It is proof I lived，I grew，and I learned.
Sometimes when I feel lost，I lie down and shut my eyes，and I go home.I know it’s where I’ll find my family，my dogs，and my belongings.I purposely leave the window open at night because I know I’ll be blamed by Mom.But I don’t mind，because I want to hear her say my name，which reminds me I’m home.Why does the author call her parents’ bed her “safe zone”(Paragraph 3)?
| A．It is her favorite place to play. |
| B．Her needs can be satisfied there. |
| C．Her grandparents’ photos are lined on each side. |
| D．Her parents always play together with her there. |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．The old furniture is still in the author’s first bedroom. |
| B．The author can still visit her first physical home in Los Angeles. |
| C．The author’s favorite room in her first home is the dining room. |
| D．Many people of the author’s age can still find their first physical homes. |
Sometimes when she feels lost，the author will________.
| A．open the window at night |
| B．lie down in bed to have a dream |
| C．try to bring back a sense of home |
| D．go to Los Angeles to visit her mom |
What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To express how much she is attached to her home. |
| B．To declare how much she loves her first house. |
| C．To describe the state of her family. |
| D．To look back on her childhood. |
“People are ruder today because they are rushed and more ‘time poor’ than ever before，”says Patsy Rowe，“ Manners_have_fallen_off_the_radar(雷达)．”Due to our strong attraction to electronic equipment it is a wonder more people don’t wake up each morning and greet the singing birds with a complaint(抱怨)about the noise.Here are some examples of rudeness.
Some people prefer to do almost everything over the internet.To them，dealing with an actual human is like an evolutionary step backward.It feels very slow because humans don’t work at 4G speeds.When you have dinner with friends，you will often notice someone paying more attention to his mobile phone.We have programmed ourselves to think that every new message brings lifechanging news，so taking calls and checking our texts are more important than talking to the people we are with.What is worse，some people even tend to send anonymous(匿名的) rude messages by email.
However，rudeness is never acceptable.Don’t assume it is OK to be rude if the person you’re in touch with won’t recognize you.If you have something awful to say，have the courage to face the person and say it，write a letter or email and sign it，or forget it.Upsetting people with unsigned messages is cruel and disgusting.
We shouldn’t blame technology for our shortcomings.Technology is here to help us，but we should not allow it to take over our lives.An important step ia acknowledging our shortcomings.People spend a lot of time pointing out bad manners but it would be even more helpful if we’d publicly acknowledge good manners when we see them.What can be inferred from the underlined sentence in Paragraph 1?
| A．People can tell good from bad behavior. |
| B．Radar is able to observe human behavior. |
| C．People care little about their behavior. |
| D．Radar can be used to predict human behavior. |
Some people are less willing to deal with humans because________.
| A．they are becoming less patient |
| B．they are growing too independent |
| C．they have to handle many important messages |
| D．they have to follow an evolutionary step backward. |
The author thinks sending unsigned awful messages is________.
| A．ridiculous | B．disgusting |
| C．acceptable | D．reasonable |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．We should applaud good behavior. |
| B．Technology can never be blamed. |
| C．We should keep pointing out mistakes. |
| D．Technology will take over our lives one day. |