1970 was World Conservation(保护) Year. The United Nations wanted everyone to know that the world is in danger. They hoped that governments would act quickly to conserve nature(保护自然). Here is one example of the problem. At one time there were 1,300 different plants, trees and flowers in Holland but now only 866 remain. The others have been destroyed by modern man and his technology. We are changing the earth, the air, the water and everything that grows and lives. We can’t live without these things. If things go like this, we shall destroy ourselves.
What will happen in the future? Perhaps it is more important to ask, “What must we do now?” The people who will be living in the world of tomorrow are the young of today. A lot of them know conservation is necessary. Many are helping to save our world. They plant trees, build bridges across rivers in forests, and so on. In a small town in the United States, a large number of girls cleaned the banks of 11 kilometers of their river. Young people may hear about conservation through a record called “No one is going to change our world.” It was made by the Beatles, Cliff Richard and other singers. The money from it will help to conserve animals.
Judge the following sentences true(T) or false(F)。The United Nations wanted everybody to know that the world is in danger.
There are fewer plants, trees and flowers in Holland because many kinds of plants, trees and flowers can’t grow there any more.
The most important thing for us to do is to clean the banks of our rivers.
“No one is going to change our world” is a name of a song.
From this passage we know that we must conserve nature.
According to a recent worldwide survey of Internet users, one out of four says they made their most recent purchase(购买) online and six out of ten say friends’ social media posts influence their online purchases. Those statistics(统计) have now given some users of the “Moments”(朋友圈) function on WeChat the idea of turning their “friends” into customers.
The “Moments” function on WeChat is closed system that allows you to send photos and messages only to your friends. It ensures more privacy(隐私) and it helps you avoid receiving spam(电子垃圾) from sellers. But some users were quick to see the business opportunities of “Moments” and have turned it into a mini-marketplace. They are recommending (推荐) products to their friends and offering to either sell the products directly or act as a middleman(中间商) for the purchases.
One woman told the Shanxi Evening News that she makes money as a middleman, or purchasing agent. She added a few sellers of fake(假的) handbags to her friends list and posts pictures of the handbags. When a friend is interested in buying a bag, they pay her the money and she has the sellers send the goods. “There are zero costs for storage and logistics(物流),” she says, “and I make money simply from the price difference.” It’s a nice business model, but the woman didn’t seem to know that she was doing something against the law by selling fakes to her friends.
Another woman was connected with even more dishonest business. She sold facial masks(面膜) that had “magical” effects to make women’s skin beautiful. Unluckily, the masks caused the faces of some of her “friends” to break out in red spots and pimples(粉刺), and when they asked for compensation, the woman magically disappeared.
Social media is easier to stay connected with friends and to share your experiences with them. And it’s OK to “recommend” something or try to make money from your friends. Turning your friends into customers is a sure way to lose those friends.How many people made their recent purchases online according to the first paragraph?
| A．25% | B．40% | C．75% | D．100% |
What does the “Moments” function on WhChat allow you to send to your friends?
| A．Only photos |
| B．Not only photos but also messages |
| C．Only messages |
| D．Neither photos nor messages |
What does the underlined word “compensation” mean?
| A．赔偿 | B．补货 | C．报酬 | D．折扣 |
According to the passage, what will happen if the users of the “Moments” function on WeChat sell products in a dishonest way to their friends?
| A．They’ll make more friends. |
| B．The friendship between them and their friends will come to an end. |
| C．They will never use the “Moments” function on WeChat. |
| D．They will lose everything. |
Nowadays, the food that you buy comes from many different countries. Have a look in your fridge, cupboard, and fruit bowl and check the origins(来源) of the food. Perhaps there are apples from California, lamb from New Zealand, or potatoes from Egypt? You will probably be surprised how far food travels to get to your plate. This journey, from “field to plate”, is called “food miles”. A food mile is the distance that food travels from the farmer’s field to the person who buys the food. Nowadays, food often travels thousands of miles to get to the consumer(消费者). Why is this, and what are the effects(影响) of these long distances?
Traditionally, farmers sold their food in the local market, so the food didn’t have to travel very far. The consumers also did not travel very far because they want to their local market to buy the food. This was a good system for farmers and consumers. However, there were some disadvantages. For example, consumers could only buy food that farmers produced locally. In addition, they could only get food that was in season. Now, because of modern technology, food comes from all over the world. We do not have to wait for spring or summer to buy strawberries or tomatoes. They are available in winter if we want.
Some countries have to import(进口) most of their food. This is because they have difficult climates. The United Arab Emirates (UAE), for example, gets 85% of its food from other countries. Even food made in the UAE often uses imported materials.
What’s wrong with “food miles”? Is this not a good way of increasing international trade? I believe these miles are worrying for a number of reasons. First of all, because food travels such long distances, we need more planes, lorries, and ships to move the food. This means we use more oil or petrol, so there is more pollution and more global(全球的) warming. In addition, foo that travels a long way is not fresh and usually not very tasty. Tomatoes, for example, are picked early and stored for their long journeys. For this reason, they are usually tasteless when they get to the consumer. Local food has a better taste, and it also reduces the amount of global pollution. We need to buy more local food.The underlined word “available” most probably means ________.
| A．easy to get | B．not buy |
| C．willing to talk | D．impossible to get |
Some countries, like the United Arab Emirates, have to import most of their food because of ________.
| A．long distances | B．difficult climates |
| C．fresh and tasty food | D．modern technology |
The writer uses the LAST paragraph mostly to encourage readers to ________.
| A．buy more local food |
| B．increase international trade |
| C．how some countries import their food |
| D．use imported materials |
This passage is mainly about ________.
| A．how local food travels from field to plate |
| B．what “food miles” is and its effects |
| C．how some countries import their food |
| D．where different kinds of food come from |
One day, there was a blind man called John sitting on the bench with a hat by his feet and a sign that read, “I am blind. Please help me.”
A creative publicist(广告员)named Tom was walking by the blind man and stopped to see that the man only had a few coins in his hat. He put a few of his own coins in the hat. Without asking for permission(允许), took the sign, turned it around and wrote a new message. Then he put the sign by the feet of the blind man and left.
Later that afternoon the publicist returned to the blind man and noticed that his hat was almost full of bills and coins. The blind man recognized(识别)his footsteps and asked if it was he who had changed his sign. He also wanted to know what the man wrote on it.
The publicist said, “I just wrote the message a little differently.” He smiled and went on his way.
The new sign read, “Spring has come, but I can’t see anything.”Who wrote a new message?
| A．The blind man. | B．The teacher. |
| C．The publicist. | D．The farmer. |
How did the blind man recognize the publicist?
| A．By his sign. | B．By his footsteps. |
| C．By his voice. | D．By his coins. |
When did the story happen?
| A．In spring. | B．In summer. |
| C．In autumn. | D．In winter. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Publicists are always friendly and helpful. |
| B．We can get more money by changing a sign. |
| C．The blind man is not clever, so he has little money. |
| D．The power of language is great. |
Some top students are giving advice.
| Bill, Canada When taking tests, relax. If you’re worried that you’ll fail the test, you’re sure to get a low score. If you have studied for it long enough, you shouldn’t be worried about getting a low grade. |
| Lily, America Remember the most important advice to get good grades is very simple; do well on tests to get an A or an A-. Do what your teacher says, and the chances are fairly good that you’ll get an A+. Don’t stress yourself. Act cool! |
| Betty, Britain Write good notes. Colored pens are fun to write with if you want to get more creative with your notes, but use them only for parts of your notes that will probably be on a test or that are important. It makes them stand out. Go over your notes before you take the exams. |
| Tom, Australia In order to get good grades, try to do your homework immediately after school. Time management is important. If you’re told to do the homework next week, get started the same day you know it. Before you start, you’d better make clear what to do and how to do it. |
Who gives advice on homework?
| A．Betty. | B．Bill. | C．Lily. | D．Tom. |
Lily tells us when taking tests.
| A．not to worry |
| B．not to stress ourselves |
| C．to get more creative |
| D．to make clear what to do |
The top students are giving advice on _______.
| A．how to get good grades |
| B．how to start learning |
| C．what to do when taking tests |
| D．what to take when going to school |
If you are visiting England, you will notice that English have many customs and traditions that are different from those in China．
This guide provides help for anyone visiting England for the first time．
Standing in the queue
English people like to form queue．They think it is the fair way to behave．People wait in a queue in shops and at bus stops．People will think you are very rude if you don’t join the queue．
Please, Thank You, Excuse Me and Sorry
It is good manners to say “please” and “thank you”．If someone is in your way and you would like them to move, say “excuse me” and they will move．If you bump into someone or you are in their way say “sorry”．They will probably say “sorry”, too, even if it was your mistake．Saying “sorry” does not always mean you think you were wrong．Someone it is just a polite thing to say．
Meeting a new person
When people meet for the first time, the usual custom is to shake hands．The next time you meet that person, you can just say hello．English people don’t usually hug or kiss unless they know each other really well．
Talking to people
English people find it difficult to start conversations with strangers．They like to be private so if they are on buses or trains, they usually sit as far away from other people as possible．If you want to start a conversation, the topic that English people are always happy to talk about is the weather．So you need to be able to say “Isn’t it warm (sunny/windy/wet/foggy) today?” or “Do you think it’s going to rain/clear up?” This is much better than asking about politics, religion or how much people earn!What’s the main idea of the article?
| A．Differences between England and China． |
| B．The guide help． |
| C．The manners and traditions in England． |
| D．How to visit England for the first time． |
English people will think you are rude if you ______．
| A．don’t the know customs | B．say “thank you” |
| C．talk to a new person | D．don’t join the queue |
What will you do if you meet people for the first time?
| A．To shake hands with them． | B．To kiss them． |
| C．To say hello to them． | D．To hug them． |
What will you say if you are in someone’s way?
| A．Thank you． | B．Please． |
| C．Excuse Me． | D．Sorry． |
How can people start conversations with strangers?
| A．They can talk about politics and religion． |
| B．They can talk about the weather． |
| C．They can talk about “Please, Thank You, Excuse Me and Sorry” |
| D．They can talk about everything． |