Many animal and plant species have become extinct (灭绝的) and many more are in critical danger.
Dodo
The Dodo is a classic example of how human caused damage to the earth's biology. The flightless Dodo was native to the Island of Mauritius in the Indian Ocean. The easily controlled bird became a source of food for sailors and was attacked by animals introduced to the island by humans such as pigs, monkeys and rats. The population of Dodos rapidly decreased and last one was killed in 1681.
Rhinos
The Rhino (犀牛) horn is a highly prized item for Asian medicine. This has led to the animal being hunted in its natural habitat. Once widespread in Africa and Eurasia, most rhinos now live in protected natural parks and reserves（保护区）. Their numbers have rapidly decreased in the last 50 years, and the animals remain under constant threat from poachers（偷猎者）.
The Giant Panda
The future of the Giant Panda is far from certain. As few as 1,000 remain in the wild. The Chinese government has set up 33 panda reserves to protect these beautiful animals. However, The panda's distinct black and white patched coat fetches a high price on the black market and determined poachers still pose（造成）one of the most serious threats to the animals continued existence.
Whales
Despite the fact that one-third the world's oceans have been declared whale sanctuaries（保护区）, 7 out of 13 whale species remain endangered. Hunted for their rich supply of oil, their numbers have decreased to just 300. Collisions（碰撞）with ships, poisonous pollution and being caught in fishing nets are other major causes of whale deaths.
Tigers
The last 100 years has seen a 95% reduction in the numbers of remaining tigers to between 5,000 and 7,000 and The Bali, Javan, and Caspian tigers are already extinct. The South China tiger is precariously close to disappearing, with only 20 to 30 still alive. Like the Rhino horn, tigers’ bones and organs are sought after for traditional Chinese medicines. These items are traded illegally along with tiger skins.
Animal Conservation
| Wildlife |
Main features or uses |
Present state(状况) |
|
| Dodo |
|
Hunted for food; Attacked by animals |
Have become |
| Rhinos |
Horns,highly prized items for Asian |
Hunted by poachers |
Have rapidly decreased |
| Traditional Chinese medicines |
Some species extinct |
||
| Whales |
Rich |
Collisions with ships;heavily |
Only three hundred |
| The Giant Panda |
black and white patched coat |
Far from certain |
The Mandarin Chinese word for “cha” is pronounced “t'e” in certain Chinese dialects(方言).Also the Malay word for the leaf is“the”.This word “the” was used to describe both the drink and the leaf.The Japanese character for tea is written exactly the same as the Chinese, though pronounced with a slight difference; so these may be the origins of our word tea in the western world.
Tea may have been discovered in 2737 BC by Shen Nong, a Chinese Emperor of the San Huang Period（3,000 - 2,700 BC）. He was a scholar, the father of agriculture and the inventor of Chinese herbal medicine. One summer day, while visiting a distant place, he and the court stopped to rest and his servants began to boil water for the court to drink. Dried leaves from the nearby bush fell into the boiling water, and made it a brown liquid. The Emperor was interested in the new liquid, drank some, and found it very refreshing. The tree was a wild tea tree, and so, tea was created.
The first samples(样品) of tea reached England between 1652 and 1654. Tea was referred to as the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, and tea and was at first regarded more as a medicine than a fashionable drink. The original English pronunciation of the word tea was “tay” and can be traced back to around 1655 when the Dutch introduced both word and beverage（饮料）to England. The pronunciation “tee” also originated in the 1600's but only gained predominance（主导地位）after the late 18th century.
By 1650 the Dutch were actively involved in trade throughout the Western world. During that year Peter Stuyvesant brought the first tea to America to the colonists（殖民地定居者）in the Dutch settlement of New Amsterdam （later re-named New York）.The following information is true EXCEPT ________.
| A．The Japanese write the character for tea the same way as we Chinese. |
| B．It was a Chinese Emperor who first found tea very refreshing. |
| C．The word “the” was used to describe only the leaf. |
| D．Tea was discovered quite by chance in history. |
Paragraph 2 mainly tells us ________.
| A．that Shen Nong, was a famous inventor of Chinese herbal medicine |
| B．why the Emperor was brave and dared to run risks |
| C．whether Shen Nong liked drinking boiled water outside the court |
| D．the way in which tea was created outdoors |
Which of the following information is FALSE according to the text?
① Tea was at first regarded just as a fashionable drink in England.
② Tea had different names during the early days it reached England.
③ The pronunciation “tee”originated in 1600.
④ Peter Stuyvesant introduced both word “tay” and beverage（饮料）to England.
⑤ The pronunciation“tee”became popular after the late 18th century.
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．④⑤ | D．①④ |
From Paragraph 3 we know ________.
| A．that the leaf tea should be put in hot water for drinking |
| B．that tea was called the China drink, tcha, chaw, tay, tee, t'e and tea in England |
| C．what the early situation of tea was like in the Western world |
| D．that tea was first brought to America in the late 16th century |
How long you live has a lot to do with your environment and lifestyle, but exceptional(特别的)long life may have even more to do with your genes. For the first time, researchers have discovered a genetic recipe(基因谱)that accurately predicts who may live to 100 and beyond.
Analysis shows that 90% of the participants who lived to 100 had at least one of the signature genetic clusters(标志基因组). Dr. Thomas Perls at the Boston University School of Medicine said, “We realize this is a complex genetic puzzle. There is a long way for us to go to understand how the integration(融合)of these genes—not just with themselves but with environmental factors—is playing a role in this long life puzzle.”
Perls has studied many factors that contribute to long life, and he is the first to acknowledge that living longer isn’t likely to be simply a matter of genes. His previous work has shown, for example, that among most elderly people who live into their 70s and 80s, about 70% can owe their long life to environmental factors such as not smoking; eating a healthy, low-fat, low-calorie diet; and remaining socially engaged and mentally active throughout life.
It seems clear that those who live extremely long are benefiting from a special DNA. In fact, Perls believes that the older a person gets, the more likely it is that his or her genes are contributing to those extended years.Which of the following is TRUE according to Paragraph 2?
| A．Most long-living people have special long-life-related genes. |
| B．Ninety percent of the participants lived to 100 years of age. |
| C．All the long-living people have only one signature genetic cluster. |
| D．Scientists know how the integration of the genes helps people live long. |
Perls may most likely agree that .
| A．most people living extremely long benefit from not smoking |
| B．living longer just depends on certain genetic recipes |
| C．environmental factors play an important role in long-living |
| D．being mentally active has nothing to do with living an old age |
Which of the following is FALSE according to the text?
| A．Remaining socially engaged helps a person to live long. |
| B．A genetic recipe can accurately predict who may live to 100 and beyond. |
| C．Perls is the first to think living longer is just a matter of genes. |
| D．The older he gets, the more likely the genes contribute to his extended years. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Genes May Predict Who Lives to 100 | B．Environment And Genes |
| C．Genes, the Secret of Long Living | D．Lifestyle And Genes |
At least 371people were killed and over 750 others injured Saturday in two earthquakes that hit Pakistan’s southwest Balochistan Province , officials said.
Saif-ur-Rehman, spokesperson of Provincial Disaster Management Authority said that a total of 359 people were killed and 750 others injured up till Saturday in the 7.7-magnitude(震级) earthquake that hit the province on Thursday, while the second earthquake measuring 7.2 at the Richter scale, which struck the area on Saturday afternoon, killed 12 people.
He said that the Thursday 's quake affected six districts with Awaran as the worst hit area, where 312 people were killed and 525 others injured when thousands of houses collapsed（坍塌）in various towns and villages of the district.
The spokesman said that Kech area of the province was also badly affected, where 46 people died and 240 injured in various villages.
The Saturday's earthquake hit Nokjo area of Awaran, killing 12 people, injuring dozens others and destroying many houses.
The spokesperson said that the condition of the injured and affected people is not yet known, as it happened in a far area where it would take several hours for the rescue teams to reach.
Overall the two quakes affected a population of 185,000 and 37, 000 families, said the spokesperson.
The Chinese government has sent three flights carrying relief assistance, including medicines, emergency medical equipment, water purifiers, blankets, tents weighing 260 tons in total.
It is said that the Chinese government will also be handing over cash grant worth 1.5 million U.S. dollars to Pakistan's Economic Affairs Division on Sept.30 for the quake victims.According to the text, up till Saturday, the deaths in the earthquake that hit the province on Thursday reached ________.
| A．371 | B．359 | C．383 | D．312 |
Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
| A．More than 750 people were injured on Saturday in the two earthquakes. |
| B．Five hundred and twenty-five people were injured in Awaran in the Thursday 's quake. |
| C．Six districts were affected by the 7.7-magnitude earthquake in Pakistan. |
| D．No more than one of the two earthquakes struck Awaran, Balochistan Province. |
We can know from the text that .
| A．the condition of the injured people in the two earthquakes was not knownon Saturday |
| B．the two quakes affected a population of 37, 000 and a total of 185,000 families |
| C．the Chinese government would send 260-ton relief materials to Pakistan on Sept.30 |
| D．the Chinese government showed great concern for the earthquake-hit areas |
What can be the best title for the text?
| A．Earthquakes Hit Pakistan |
| B．Balochistan Province Manages Disasters |
| C．More Relief Assistance is Needed |
| D．Pakistan Faces Great Loss |
GWANGJU, South Korea, Sept. 28，2013 (Xinhua) — Cultural ministers from China, Japan and South Korea participating in the 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture held here Saturday agreed to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation to promote the cultural prosperity of East Asia.
Cai Wu, China's Minister of Culture, Hakubun Shimomura, Minister of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology of Japan, and Yoo Jinryong, Minister of Culture, Sports and Tourism of Korea attended the meeting in the South Korean city with more than 2,000 years of history.
At the meeting, Cai said that the east and west differ in history, culture and values, but the East Asia as a whole, especially China, Japan and South Korea, should take good advantage of their cultural and historical similarities, trying to create “shared East Asia value”and seeking a greater say around the world.
The ministers drew the Gwangju Joint Document at the meeting to strengthen cultural exchange and cooperation in the fields of culture industry, exhibitions, cultural heritage preservation and the youth exchanges to promote the program of “East Asia City of Culture.”
China, Japan and South Korea also agreed that the host country of the annual ministerial meeting will organize a joint cultural festival, including art performances, exhibitions, academic seminars and other relevant events starting from 2014.
The annual trilateral Ministerial Conference on Culture was firstly launched in 2007. The Gwangju meeting is the fifth round of this series, and the last round of this meeting was held in Shanghai, China in May 2012.Which of the following information is True according to the text?
| A．The 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture was held on Sunday. |
| B．The 5th China-Japan-South Korea Ministerial Conference on Culture is aimed at promoting the cultural prosperity of West Asia. |
| C．Yoo Jinryong, Minister of Culture, Science, Technology and Tourism of Korea attended the meeting. |
| D．GWANGJU is a South Korean city that has a history of more than 2,000 years. |
The underlined phrase “seeking a greater say”in Paragraph 3 probably means .
| A．looking for more chances to speak Asian languages |
| B．trying to get greater power or right of acting or deciding |
| C．attempting to take up more space in the world |
| D．getting more time to set a good example to others |
This text mainly tells us ________.
| A．three Asian leaders meet each other to discuss economic problems |
| B．how the program of “East Asia City of Culture”came into being |
| C．three Asian countries agree to promote cultural prosperity of East Asia |
| D．the trilateral Ministerial Conference on Culture firstly began in 2007 |
We can know from the text that .
| A．the fourth Ministerial Conference on Culture was held in GWANGJU |
| B．the trilateral Ministerial Conference on Culture is held once a year |
| C．the Ministerial Conference on Culture has never been held in China |
| D．no changes were made about the forms of activities to be held in the future |
What do college teachers think of high school English teachers’English teaching? And how should we see it? Let’s read the following.
A teacher from a community college addressed a sympathetic audience. Heads nodded in agreement when he said, “High school English teachers are not doing their jobs.” He described how weak his students were—all high school graduates who can use language only at a Grade 9 level.
My topic is not standards nor its decline（降低）. What the speaker was really saying is that he is no longer young; he has been teaching for sixteen years, and is able to think and speak like a mature adult.
My point is that the frequent complaint of one generation about the one immediately following is natural. It is also human nature to look for the reasons for our dissatisfaction. Before English became a school subject in the late nineteenth century, it was difficult to find the target of the blame for language deficiencies（缺陷）. But since then, English teachers have been under constant attack.
The complainers think they have hit upon an original idea. As their own command of the language improves, they notice that young people do not have this same ability. Unaware that their own ability has developed through the years, they assume the new generation of young people must be hopeless in this respect. To the eyes and ears of sensitive adults, the language of the young always seems inadequate.
Since this concern about the decline and fall of the English language is not seen as a generational phenomenon but rather as something new and peculiar(特有的) to today’s young people, it naturally follows that today’s English teachers cannot be doing their jobs.The speaker believed that ________.
| A．he was an excellent language teacher because he had been teaching English for sixteen years |
| B．the younger generation was as likely as not worse at language than the older generation |
| C．high school English teachers should be responsible for their students’ poor command of English |
| D．The fact that the students didn’t work hard enough contributed to their poor command of English |
In the author’s opinion, the speaker ________.
| A．had exaggerated (夸大) the language problems of the students |
| B．was right in saying English teachers were not doing their jobs |
| C．gave a correct judgment of the English level of the students |
| D．thought and spoke in a wise and responsible way |
What can we conclude from the passage?
| A．Language learning and improving needs time and effort. |
| B．The author disagrees with the speaker over the standard of English at Grade 9 level. |
| C．It is reasonable to include English as one of the high school subjects. |
| D．The English language teaching is by no means an easy job for college teachers. |
The author’s attitude towards the speaker’s remarks is ________.
| A．neutral（中立的） | B．critical |
| C．positive | D．compromising(妥协的) |