Today, nearly 400 animals are listed as threatened or endangered animals in the United States. Many are at risk of becoming extinct or disappearing permanently. Unless efforts to save these vulnerable(易受攻击的) animals succeed, many of the country's greatest creatures will be lost forever. From the facts listed, guess which animals are endangered. Click on the picture to find out more about each of these animals in trouble.
American Crocodile
●American crocodiles are about 12 feet long. They live on land and in shallow water, swamps and marshes.
●American crocodiles like to float in the water with only their eyes and noses above the water surface.
●American crocodiles eat mostly small animals, which they grab with their strong jaws and sharp teeth.
●American crocodiles lay eggs. They hide their eggs under twigs and leaves, or bury them in the sand.
●Some crocodiles help their young hatch, and then carry them to the water in their mouth.
Habitat
Southern Florida, Mexico, Central and South American, Caribbean islands.
Why It's Endangered
Overhunted for its skin and habitat destruction.
Peninsular Bighorn Sheep
●Bighorn sheep can weigh as much as 280 pounds and stand about 3 feet tall.
●They live in dry, desert mountain ranges, near rocky cliffs.
●Bighorn sheep eat grass, twigs and leaves.
●Male sheep are called rams and can be recognized by their huge, brown horns. The horns curl back over the ears, down，and up past the cheeks.
●They live in herds or groups. The male sheep with the biggest horns are usually in charge. Male horns can weigh as much as 30 pounds.
●Males will use their massive horns to fight. The fights can last as long as 24 hours.
●Females are called ewes. They are smaller than rams and have shorter, smaller horns.
Habitat
Nevada and California to west Texas and south into Mexico.
Why It's Endangered
Loss of habitat, hunting illegally, drought and disease.Where can the article be found according to the passage?
| A．Newspaper. | B．Website. |
| C．Student book. | D．Magazine. |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the description about American crocodiles?
| A．American crocodiles live on land and in swamps and marshes. |
| B．American crocodiles hide their eggs under leaves, or bury them in the sand. |
| C．American crocodiles grab small animals with their strong jaws and sharp teeth. |
| D．American crocodiles like to float with their eyes and nose below the water surface. |
Where can we find both American crocodiles and Bighorn sheep according to the passage?
| A．Southern Florida. | B．California. |
| C．Mexico. | D．West Texas. |
Rams make use of their massive horns to ________.
| A．master the herds | B．show their beauty |
| C．fight with others | D．hunt for food |
What can be the best title?
| A．Animals in Danger |
| B．American Crocodile |
| C．Peninsular Bighorn Sheep |
| D．How to Save Animals in Danger |
Why is pink or purple a color for girls and blue or brown for boys?
The answer depends largely on cultural values as well as personal experiences. To the Egyptians, green was a color that represented the hope and joy of spring, while for Muslims, it means heaven. Red is a symbol of good luck in many cultures. In China, children are given money in a red envelope to bring good fortune in the New Year. For many nations, blue is a symbol of protection and religious beliefs. Greek people often wear a blue necklace hoping to protect themselves against evils(灾祸).
People’s choice of colors is also influenced by their bodies’ reactions(反应) toward them. Green is said to be the most restful color. It has the ability to reduce pain and relax people both mentally and physically. People who work in green environment have been found to have fewer stomach aches.
Red can cause a person’s blood pressure to rise and increase people’s appetites(食欲). Many decorators will include different shades of red in the restaurant. Similarly, many commercial websites will have a red “Buy Now” button because red is a color that easily catches a person’s eye.
Blue is another calming color. Unlike red, blue can cause people to lose appetite. So if you want to eat less, some suggest that eating from blue plates can help.
The next time you are deciding on what to wear or what color to decorate your room, think about the color carefully.Muslims regard green as a symbol of heaven mainly because of their.
| A．cultural values | B．commercial purposes |
| C．personal experiences | D．physical reactions to the color |
Why will many commercial websites have a red “Buy Now” button?
| A．To relax people physically. |
| B．To increase people’s appetites. |
| C．To encourage people to make a purchase. |
| D．To cause a person’s blood pressure to rise. |
What color might help lose weight according to the text?
| A．Red | B．Green | C．Blue. | D．Purple. |
Which of the following would be the most proper title for the text?
| A．Colors and Human Beings. | B．The Cultural Meaning of Color. |
| C．Colors and Personal Experiences. | D．The Meaning and Function of Color. |
I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start—there’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent(代理商) who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal—that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck—of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract(合同)of the publisher—to be a published writer—is unbelievably rewarding(有回报的).What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 mean?
| A．I was waiting for good fortune. |
| B．I was trying to find an admirable job. |
| C．I was being aimless about a suitable job. |
| D．I was doing several jobs for more pay at a time. |
The author decided to write a novel.
| A．to finish the writing course | B．to realize her own dream |
| C．to satisfy readers’ wish | D．to earn more money |
How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
| A．Disturbed. | B．Ashamed. | C．Confident. | D．Uncertain. |
What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
| A．It pays to stick to one’s goal. |
| B．Hard work can lead to success. |
| C．She feels like being unexpectedly lucky. |
| D．There is no end in sight when starting to do something. |
It is reported that six Chinese ships have entered waters near islands claimed by both China and Japan. China said the ships were carrying out “law enforcement” to demonstrate its jurisdiction(管辖权) over the islands, known as Diaoyu in China and Senkaku in Japan. At least two of the ships left after the Japanese coast guard issued a warning, Japanese officials say.
The action came after Japan sealed a deal to buy three of the islands from their private Japanese owner. Japan controls the uninhabited but resource-rich East China Sea islands, which are also claimed by Taiwan.
The Japanese Coast Guard said the first two Chinese boats entered Japan’s territorial waters at 06:18 local time, followed by another fleet of four other ships just after 07:00. The first two ships then left the area. A third ship left later on Friday morning, one report said. No force was used, Japanese officials added. “Our patrol(巡逻) ships are currently telling them to leave our country’s territorial waters,” the coastguard said in a statement.
The Chinese foreign ministry confirmed that its ships were there. “These law enforcement and patrol activities are aimed to demonstrate China’s jurisdiction over the Diaoyu Islands and ensure the country’s maritime interests,” a statement said.
The US has called for “cooler heads to be accepted” as tension worsens between China and Japan over the islands. US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta is going to visit both Japan and China from this weekend as part of a tour of the region.
The dispute(争端) has seriously damaged diplomatic relations between China and Japan and threatens to damage the strong trading relationship, says the BBC’s John Sudworth in Beijing. The dispute has also caused strong nationalist emotions on both sides that makes it very difficult to be seen to be backing down, says our reporter.
The Japanese government says it is buying the islands to promote their stable and peaceful management. China on the other hand, says the islands have historically been its territory and fishing grounds. Meanwhile Japan’s newly-appointed ambassador to China, Shinichi Nishimiya, remains in hospital in Tokyo. He was appointed on Tuesday to replace Uichiro Niwa, who has been criticized for his dealing with the worst diplomatic dispute between Japan and China in recent years.The Diaoyu Islands are actually inhabited(居住) by.
| A．Japan | B．China | C．Taiwan | D．Nobody |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Japan fired at the 6 Chinese ships to warn them to leave the waters. |
| B．China admitted that the 6 ships had been forced to leave the waters. |
| C．The US called on both sides to calm down. |
| D．Shinichi Nishimiya was unconscious(昏迷的) in the hospital because somebody attacked him. |
Why was Uichiro Niwa replaced?
| A．He isn’t iron(强硬) enough in dealing with the diplomatic disputes between Japan and China. |
| B．His health condition is not good enough to work there. |
| C．He didn’t do well in dealing with the diplomatic dispute about the Diaoyu Islands. |
| D．He criticized the Chinese government publicly in an improper way. |
This news report is most likely to be selected from thenewspaper.
| A．British | B．Chinese | C．Japanese | D．American |
BEIJING—Eating at a Beijing restaurant is usually an adventure for foreigners, and particularly when they get the chance to order “chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head”.
Sometimes excited but mostly confused, embarrassed or even terrified, many foreigners have long complained about mistranslations of Chinese dishes. And their complaints are often valid(有效), but such an experience at Beijing’s restaurants will apparently soon be history.
Foreign visitors will no longer, hopefully, be confused by oddly worded restaurant menus in the capital if the government’s plan to correctly translate 3,000 Chinese dishes is a success and the translations are generally adopted.
The municipal(市政) office of foreign affairs has published a book to recommend English translations of Chinese dishes, which aims to help restaurants avoid bizarre translations. “It provides the names of main dishes of famous Chinese cuisines in plain English,” an official with the city’s Foreign Affairs office said. “Restaurants are encouraged to use the proposed translations, but it will not be compulsory.” It’s the city’s latest effort to bridge the culture gap for foreign travelers in China.
Coming up with precise translations is a daunting task, as some Chinese culinary(烹饪) techniques are untranslatable and many Chinese dishes have no English-language equivalent. The translators, after conducting a study of Chinese restaurants in English-speaking countries, divided the dish names into four categories: ingredients, cooking method, taste and name of a person or a place. For some traditional dishes, pinyin, the Chinese phonetic system, is used, such as mapo tofu(previously often literally translated as “beancurd made by woman with freckles”), baozi(steamed stuffed bun) and jiaozi(dumplings) to “reflect the Chinese cuisine culture,” according to the book.
“The book is a blessing to tourist guides like me. Having it, I don’t have to rack my brains trying to explain Chinese dishes to foreign travellers,” said Zheng Xiaodong, a 31-year-old employee with a Beijing-based travel agency.
“I will buy the book as I major in English literature and I’d like to introduce Chinese cuisine culture to more foreign friends,” said Han Yang, a postgraduate student at the University of International Business and Economics.
It is not clear if the book will be introduced to other parts of China. But on Tuesday, this was the most discussed topic on weibo.com, China’s most popular microblogging site.What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．An adventure for foreigners who eat in Beijing. |
| B．Confusing mistranslations of Chinese dishes. |
| C．Chinese dishes to have “official” English names. |
| D．The effort to bridge the culture gap. |
“chicken without sex life” or “red burned lion head” are mentioned in the beginning of the passage to show.
| A．some Chinese dishes are not well received |
| B．some Chinese dishes are hard to translate |
| C．some Chinese dishes are mistranslated |
| D．some Chinese dishes are not acceptable |
What measure has the municipal office taken?
| A．Recommending a book on Chinese dishes. |
| B．Advocating(提倡) using precise translation for Chinese dishes. |
| C．Publishing a book on China’s dietary habits. |
| D．Providing the names of main Chinese dishes. |
What’s the meaning of daunting in paragraph 5?
| A．confusing | B．disappointing | C．discouraging | D．Worthwhile |
This advertisement is designed especially for those who.
| A．like eating in restaurants | B．have little time |
| C．prefer home-cooked meals | D．want to save money |
What information CAN’T we get from the advertisement about Quickeats?
| A．Different kinds. | B．High quality. | C．Exact prices. | D．Good taste. |
Which of the following can be cooled in a refrigerator before eating according to the ads?
| A．Pasta Salad. | B．Dried Fruit. | C．Noodles. | D．Nuts. |
What can we learn from the advertisement?
| A．Get one Quickeats container and you’ll have four Quickeats to eat. |
| B．Take one coupon and you can eat freely in a participating store. |
| C．Buy one coupon and you’ll get a free Quickeats. |
| D．Buy one Quickeats and you’ll get a container. |