Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined.Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was.In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen（氮） and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌） networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend.She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow.When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn't take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly.“Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
| B．Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
| C．Trees Contribute To Our Society |
| D．Trees Are More Complex Than You Think |
In Simard's opinion, trees _______
| A．compete for survival | B．protect their own wealth |
| C．depend on each other | D．provide support for dying trees |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．“mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees. |
| B．Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard. |
| C．if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected. |
| D．people know much about the complex “tree societies”. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．how “tree societies” work |
| B．how trees grow old |
| C．how forestry industry develops |
| D．how young trees survive |
Many smokers aren't finding the cost of cigarettes a laughing matter. The federal tax(联邦税) on a pack jumped Wednesday -- April Fools' Day -- from 39 cents to $1.01. The tax increase is so big, it's being called "historic."Higher federal taxes apply to(适用于) other tobacco products, so even those smokers who have taken to rolling their own to save money can't escape them. The tax is expected to cause about 1 million smokers to quit.
New York leads the pack, so to speak, with a combined $3.76. Any smokers planning to visit New York City should bring cigarettes from home. A pack there now costs more than $9.
Some tobacco companies raised their prices several weeks ago. For example, the price of a pack of Marlboros jumped 71 cents. Where the price settles depends on the company. Some may absorb part of the tax and others will make smokers carry the entire weight and more.
However, some people think the tax unfair. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, only one in five Americans smokes, and over half of all smokers are low income, and one of four is officially classified as poor.
What do you think? Is the tax unfair? We think cancer sticks should have been taxed into disappearance years ago, combined with a very strong public and private effort to help smokers quit.Which of the following statements is wrong according to the passage?
| A．Cigarettes as well as other tobacco products are affected by the tax increase. |
| B．More and more smokers have to stop smoking as a result of tax increase on tobacco. |
| C．Cigarettes in New York must be very expensive. |
| D．smokers will carry all the tax increase on tobacco. |
The author’s attitude toward the tax increase is ________.
| A．showing agreement with the tax |
| B．showing disagreement with the tax |
| C．could not be seen |
| D．keeping his own ideas |
Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?
| A．The Federal Tax |
| B．New Cigarette Tax Is No April Fools’ joke |
| C．Stop Smoking Immediately! |
| D．Unfair Tax on Tobacco |
It’s said that one can know the nature of both man and woman by their behaviors at table. Indeed table manners are closely related to one’s life and one’s job. As the saying goes“ When in Rome, do as the Romans do”, English learners should know what the proper table manners are in western countries if invited to a dinner party. The followings are some suggestions that may be helpful to you.
The first important thing you need to know is when to begin eating. Before dinner, the hostess usually serves guests first and herself last. So do not eat as soon as you are served but wait until the hostess has also been served and has picked up her fork as the signal to begin. But at a large dinner party where there are many guests, the hostess may ask everyone to begin eating as soon as they are served. If you want to talk while eating, your mouth should certainly not be full of food because it is considered very bad manners. But it is possible to speak with a little food in the mouth. When you have to answer a question, naturally you must wait until the food in your mouth is eaten.
When a dish is passed to you with a fork in the plate, you should use it to take your food. Do not take too much at a time and make sure that the other guests can have enough food.
Anyway, good table manners are very important and they are not so simple as we thought. But it is necessary for one to know what good table manners are because they can help one succeed in his life!Table manners are closely related to one’s _______ in paragraph 1.
| A．life and name | B．job and age |
| C．job and name | D．life and job |
what is the first important thing to know at a dinner party?
| A．what to eat | B．whether to talk |
| C．when to begin eating | D．How to use forks. |
If you have to answer a question while eating, you should ________.
| A．refuse to answer it |
| B．answer it immediately |
| C．tell him/her to ask it later |
| D．wait until the food in your mouth is eaten |
In which section(栏目) of a newspaper can you find such a passage?
| A．Sports | B． Culture | C．Music | D．News |
A teacher let her class play a game. The teacher told each child to bring a bag with some potatoes. Each potato would be given a name of a person that the child hated, so the number of potatoes in his/her bag would depend on the number of people the child hated. Some children had two potatoes, some had three and others had up to five potatoes. The teacher then told the children to carry the bag wherever they went for a week. After a week, the teacher asked, ”How did you feel?” The children started complaining about the unpleasant smell coming from the rotten potatoes when they had to carry the heavy and smelly potatoes everywhere they went.
Then the teacher said,” This is the same when you carry your hate for somebody inside your heart. The smell of hate will pollute your heart and you will carry it with you wherever you go. If you cannot bear the smell of rotten potatoes for just one week, can you imagine what it is like to have the smell of hate in your heart for your lifetime?”In the game, the students should _________.
| A．keep the bag of potatoes in the classroom |
| B．carry the bag of potatoes everywhere they go |
| C．leave the bag of potatoes at home |
| D．count the bag of potatoes every day |
The underlined word “rotten” most probably means ___________ in Chinese.
| A．美味的 | B．新鲜的 | C．甜的 | D．腐烂的 |
According to the last paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．potatoes are very important to the students |
| B．hating others can make the life unhappy |
| C．the smell of hate is good for our health |
| D．the students like to carry the bag of the potatoes |
Which is the best title of this passage?
| A．An interesting game |
| B．Carry the smelly potatoes |
| C．The rotten potatoes |
| D．To excuse others is to excuse yourself |
I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors’ house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon.
Several months later, I found I couldn’t see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, “Why doesn’t she clean her window? It looks terrible!”
One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including (包括) the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt ashamed for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days!
The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging(评判) others.How long has the writer lived in the house according to the passage?
| A．One years. | B．Two years. |
| C．Three years. | D．Four years |
The writer couldn’t see the woman clearly because ______________.
| A．the writer’s window was dirty |
| B．the woman’s house was too far |
| C．the woman didn’t open her window |
| D．there was something wrong with his eyes |
3The underlined word “ashamed” means _________________.
| A．高兴的 | B．放松的 |
| C．羞愧的 | D．骄傲的 |
According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to __________________.
| A．clean the house | B．judge others |
| C．help neighbors | D．learn English |
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present．On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office，a street urchin(顽童) was walking around the shining car．“Is this your car，Paul？”he asked．
Paul answered，“Yes，my brother gave it to me for Christmas．”The boy was surprised．“You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you anything？Boy，I wish…”He hesitated．
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for．He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish，”the boy went on，“that I could be a brother like that．”Paul looked at the boy in surprise，then he said again，“Would you like to take a ride in my car？”
“Oh yes，I’d love that．”
After a short ride，the boy turned and with his eyes shining，said，“Paul，would you mind driving in front of my house？”
Paul smiled a little．He thought he knew what the boy wanted．He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are？” the boy asked．
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back，but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is， Buddy， just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it...then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas windows that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.The street urchin was very surprised when ________．
| A．Paul received an expensive car |
| B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car |
| D．he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin ________．
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ________．
| A．to show his neighbors the big car |
| B．to show he had a rich friend |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car |
| D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer（推断）from the story that ________．
| A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the name story is _________．
| A．A Christmas Present |
| B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That |
| D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |