Easter(复活节 ) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators（捕食者）. As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter. The word "culprit" ( Paragraph 2) is closest in meaning to______.
| A．criminal |
| B．judge |
| C．victim |
| D．producer |
According to the passage, some rabbits can now be easily Uncovered by predators because they_______
| A．are exposed lo more skillful hunters |
| B．have moved to habitats with fewer plants |
| C．haven't adapted themselves to climate change |
| D．can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring |
The problem faced by volcano rabbets and rock rabbits is that________.
A. both are affected by 1ess snow
B. both are affected by rising sea levels
C neither can find enough food
D. neither can migrate to higher places
Have you ever listened to young children talking in the playground? They are always boasting. They say things like, “My Dad’s car is bigger than your Dad’s,” and “My Mom is smarter than yours.” They particularly like to boast about their families.
There were three little boys, Harry, Ted and Gavin, who were always boasting. Gavin was the worst. Everything about his family was always the best or the biggest or the most expensive.
Whatever the others said, he could always go on better. One day when they were walking to
school, Harry said, “My father had a bath twice a week,” Ted spoke next. “That’s nothing,” he said. “Having a bath twice a week is dirty. My father has a bath every day, sometimes twice a day.” Ted looked at Gavin. Now it was his turn. But what could he say? “This time,” Ted thought, “I’m going to win.” Gavin didn’t know what to say. He couldn’t say that his father had a bath three times a day. That was silly. He walked on in silence. Ted smiled at Harry, and Harry smiled back. They were sure that for once they had beaten Gavin. They reached the school gates. Still Gavin said nothing. “We’ve won,” Ted said to Harry, but he spoke too soon. On the way home, Gavin said, “My Dad is so clean that he doesn’t have to bathe at all.”According to the passage, the meaning of the word “boast” is __________.
| A．to sing a nice song |
| B．to talk big |
| C．to go on better |
| D．to have a bath three times a day |
What did Harry boast about?
| A．The number of times his father had a bath every week. |
| B．The size of the bathroom in his home. |
| C．His father’s car. |
| D．His mother’s family. |
Who boasted the most?
| A．Ted. |
| B．Harry and Ted. |
| C．Harry and Gavin. |
| D．Gavin. |
What does “he spoke too soon” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．He spoke quickly. |
| B．He should have spoken earlier. |
| C．He was wrong. |
| D．He couldn’t be understood. |
Every country has its traditional festivals. The Chinese New Year is now known as the Spring Festival because it starts from the beginning of spring. Though there are some sayings about its origin, all agree that the word Nian, which in modern Chinese means “year”, was originally the name of a beast that started to eat people the night before the beginning of a new year.
One story goes that the beast Nian had a very big mouth that would take in a great many people at one time. People were very afraid. One day, an old man came to their help and said he would stop all this. He said to Nian, “I hear that you are very strong, but can you eat up all the beasts on earth instead of people who are too weak to be your enemies?” “Yes,” Nian agreed with him and went to kill many of the beasts on earth. People were very happy because those beasts also did bad things to people and killed their farm animals from time to time.
After that, the old man, who was a god, rode on the beast Nian and left. Nian was gone, and other beasts also went into forests; people began to enjoy their happy life. Before the old man left, he had told people to put up red paper-cuts on their windows and doors at each year’s end to drive Nian away, because red is the color the beast felt most afraid of.
From then on, every year at the beginning of spring, people prepare to “Guo Nian”. The word “Guo Nian” means “go through the Nian safely”. Putting up red paper-cuts to drive Nian away and making dumplings for a better new year are still an every-year doing by the Chinese people. However, people today have long forgotten why they are doing all this, they just feel the color and the food make the New Year very enjoyable.How did the old man stop Nian from eating people?
| A．By putting red paper-cuts on windows. |
| B．By eating up beasts. |
| C．By talking to him. |
| D．By riding on him. |
Why did people put on red paper-cuts instead of those of any other color?
| A．Because Nian liked the color red. |
| B．Because the color red could kill Nian. |
| C．Because the old man like the color red. |
| D．Because Nian was afraid of the color red. |
The best title of this passage is “__________”.
| A．The Origin of the Chinese New Year |
| B．The Old Man and the Beast Nian |
| C．How to Go Through the Nian safely |
| D．What Nian Was Like |
Which of the following statement is TRUE?
| A．Nian can eat up all the beasts on earth at one time. |
| B．Nian is a tall beast that likes to eat farm animals. |
| C．Nian is afraid of red paper-cuts. |
| D．Nian doesn’t like to use his own mind. |
Everyday we talk about and use the Internet, but how many of us know the history of the Internet?
Many people are surprised when they find that the Internet was set up in the 1960s. At that time, computers were large and expensive. Computer network didn’t work well. If one computer in the network broke down, then the whole network stopped. So a new network system had to be set up. It should be good enough to be used by many different computers. If part of the network was not working, information could be sent through another part. In this way computer network system would keep on working on the time.
At first the Internet was only used by the government, but in the early 1970s, universities, hospitals and banks were allowed to use it too. However, computers were still very expensive and the Internet was difficult to use. By the start of the 1990s, computers became cheaper and easier to use. Scientists had also developed software that made “surfing” in the Internet more convenient.
Today it is easy to get on-line and it is said that millions of people use the Internet every day. Sending e-mail is more and more popular among students.The Internet has now become one of the most important parts of people’s life.The Internet has a history of more than _______ years.
| A．sixty | B．forty | C．fifty | D．twenty |
A new network system was set up to _________.
| A．make computers cheaper |
| B．make itself keep on working all the time |
| C．break down the whole network |
| D．make computers large and expensive |
__________ made “surfing” the Internet more convenient.
| A．Computers |
| B．Hardware |
| C．Software |
| D．Information |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．In the 1960s, computer network worked well. |
| B．In the early 1970s, the Internet was easy to use. |
| C．Today it’s still not easy to get on-line. |
| D．Sending e-mail is now more popular among students than before. |
Some children are natural-born bosses. They have a strong need to make decisions，manage their environment，and lead rather than follow. Stephen Jackson，a Year One student，“operates under the theory of what's mine is mine and what's yours is mine，” says his mother. “The other day I bought two new Star Wars light sabers (剑). Later，I saw Stephen with the two new ones while his brother was using the beat-up ones.”
“Examine the extended family，and you'll probably find a bossy grandparent，aunt，uncle or cousin in every generation. It's an inheritable trait，” says Russell Barkley，a professor at the Medical University of South Carolina. Other children who may not be particularly bossy can gradually gain dominance (支配地位) when they sense their parents are weak，hesitant，or in disagreement with each other.
Whether it's inborn nature or developed character at work，too much control in the hands of the young isn't healthy for children or the family. Fear is at the root of a lot of bossy behavior，says family psychologist John Taylor. Children，he says in his book From Defiance to Cooperation，“have secret feelings of weakness” and “a desire to feel safe.” It's the parents' role to provide that protection.
When a “boss child” doesn't learn limits at home，the stage is set for a host of troubles outside the family. The overly willful and unbending child may have trouble obeying teachers or coaches，for example，or trouble keeping friends. It can be pretty lonely as the top dog if no one likes your bossy ways.
“I see more and more parents giving up their power，” says Barkley，who has studied bossy behavior for more than 30 years. “They bend too far because they don't want to be as strict as their own parents were. But they also feel less confident about their parenting skills. Their kids，in turn，feel more anxious.”Bossy children like Stephen Jackson_________.
| A．make good decisions | B．show self-centeredness |
| C．lack care from others | D．have little sense of fear |
The underlined phrase “inheritable trait” in Paragraph 2 means ___________.
| A．inborn nature | B．developed character |
| C．accepted theory | D．particular environment |
The study on bossy behavior implies that parents_________.
| A．should give more power to their children |
| B．should be strict with their children |
| C．should not be so anxious about their children |
| D．should not set limits for their children |
What is the passage mainly about？
| A．How bossy behavior can be controlled. |
| B．How we can get along with bossy children. |
| C．What leads to children's bossy behavior. |
| D．What effect bossy behavior brings about. |
Lee Humberg, district manager for the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service, is the man in charge of figuring out how to remove the flocks (群) of 15,000 to 20,000 Canada geese(大雁) that could strike planes flying in and out of the New York area. The Port Authority, the agency that manages airport in New York and New Jersey, estimates that there have been as many as 315 bird strikes annually in the past 30 years.
Bird strikes have been a hot topic since a US Airways jet suffered a “double strike” and made an emergency landing on the Hudson River in January 2009. All 155 passengers were rescued safely and the flight was called “Miracle on the Hudson”. The plane finally ended up at the Carolinas Aviation Museum. The next major bird strike may not have such a happy ending.
To thin the flocks, Humberg and his team have tracked down goose nests and killed eggs with corn oil. They’ve also terrified the birds with dogs, remote-controlled boats and kites that look like eagles. But the only method that effectively decreases the goose population is the one that angers animal lovers the most: gassing hundreds at a time.
“If all you are doing is goose harassment (骚扰) every day, it’s very frustrating, because you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds,” Humberg told New York magazine. “It’s basically an arms race to come up with the tools to deal with them.”
Now New York City plans to send the geese captured to Pennsylvania to be cooked and distributed at food banks as meals for the poor. That might just be a fate better than flying into a 747 engine.What can we learn form Humberg?
| A．He does research on geese’s living conditions. |
| B．He makes efforts to protect wild birds. |
| C．He deals with the danger of birds at airports. |
| D．He tries to find newer and safer airlines. |
Why was the flight called “Miracle on the Hudson”?
| A．It suffered a “double strike”. | B．It arrived at a plane museum. |
| C．It only caused a few deaths. | D．It succeeded in landing on a river. |
By saying “you are just playing Ping-Pong with the birds”, Humberg means ______.
| A．It’s interesting to fight with the birds |
| B．It’s a skill-needed race against the birds |
| C．you can’t defeat the bird in the end |
| D．you should live with birds peacefully |
It can be inferred from the passage that ______.
| A．Canada geese can fly as high as planes |
| B．New York airlines are in poor management |
| C．bird strikes happen once a week on average |
| D．the poor may also benefit from Humberg’s work |