LONDON (Reuters) — Quiet please — Britain’ s Queen Elizabeth is preparing to have her swans counted. Buckingham Palace has announced that the annual Swan Upping, a tradition dating back to the 12th century which involves a census of the swan population on the River Thames, will be conducted by the Queen’ s official Swan Marker from July 20—24.
“With the assistance of the Queen’s Swan Warden, Professor Christopher Perrins of the University of Oxford, the swans and young cygnets (小天鹅) are also assessed for any signs of injury or disease，” Buckingham Palace said in announcing the count.
The process involves the Swan Marker, David Barber, rowing up the Thames for five days with the Swan Warden in traditional skiffs while wearing special scarlet uniforms and counting, weighing and measuring swans and cygnets.
It may seem eccentric, but it is very important to the Queen, According to custom, Britain’ s sovereign owns all unmarked, mute swans in open water, but the Queen now exercises the right only on stretches of the Thames and its nearby tributaries.
In medieval times, the Swan Marker would not only travel up the river counting the swans, but would catch as many as possible as they were soughtafter for banquets and feasts.
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden are particularly keen to discover how much damage is being caused to swans and cygnets by attacks from dogs and from discarded fishing tackle (渔具)．
It is also an important year because Queen Elizabeth has decided to join her team of Swan Uppers for part of the census. She will follow them up the river and visit a local school project on the whole subject of swans, cygnets and the Thames.
“Education and conservation are essential to the role of Swan Upping and the involvement of school children is always a rewarding experience，” Buckingham Palace said. In medieval times，________.
| A．swans were better protected than now |
| B．a lot of swans were killed by dogs |
| C．swans were a delicious dish on royal banquets |
| D．common people could catch the swans |
We can infer from the passage that the process of counting the swans ________.
| A．remains almost unchanged in the past years |
| B．involves a lot of royal members |
| C．sometimes lasts longer than before |
| D．is always guarded by special soldiers |
This year, the Swan Marker and the Swan Warden mainly want to find out________.
| A．the exact number of swans and cygnets |
| B．how a local school project is going on |
| C．how much damage the swans and cygnets suffer |
| D．how education and conservation are carried out along the Thames |
Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
A. Britain’ s Queen is concerned about swans.
B. Britain’ s Queen orders a count of swans.
C. An old tradition in Buckingham Palace.
D. Queen Elizabeth will count swans herself.
5．The underlined word “tributaries” can be best replaced by ________. A. districts
B. banks
C. trees
D. branches
The International Painting Contest on Google’s homepage in 2015 may look pretty strange，but it spotlightings a very serious issue：clean water, which is unusual for an 11-year-old from Long Island．
Audrey Zhang，a fifth-grader from Levittown，N．Y，is the winner of this year’s Doodle 4 Google contest，rising to the top of some 100，000 entries on the theme of“draw one thing to make the world a better place．”
Her piece，titled“Back to Mother Nature，”describes a detailed water-cleaning machine．Zhang worked with a team of artists at Google to animate(使……生动)her drawing．
“To make the world a better place，I came up with a transformative water purifier, a machine used to remove dirty or harmful substances，”Google quoted Zhang as saying．“It takes in dirty and polluted water from rivers，lakes and even oceans，then massively transforms the water into clean，safe and pure water. When humans and animals drink this water, they will live a healthier life．”
She created a whole world around the device—one populated by humans， a whale in a top hat and dragons．
Zhang，s piece is“so vivid and so rich and so full and so complete，’’Google Doodle team leader Ryan Germick told the Washington Post．“Every leaf seemed to have life in it．”
Along with having her artwork featured on Google’s homepage，Zhang wins a $30，000 college scholarship．In addition，her school will receive a $50，000 Google for Education technology grant，and the company is donating $20，000 in her name to a charity devoted to bringing clean water to schools in Bangladesh．
On Sunday, the night before her work was revealed on net，Zhang told Newsday she was excited by the big win，but said she wouldn't be awake when her art first went online at midnight．
“I have school-tomorrow, so I can’t stay up late，”she told the paper．
What’s the passage mainly about?
| A．The winner and her work in the painting contest． |
| B．The team of artists at Google to animate drawings． |
| C．The painting contest of Google’s homepage in 2015． |
| D．The water-cleaning machine in the painting contest． |
According to the passage，we know that______．
| A．Audrey Zhang is creative and self-disciplined |
| B．a water-cleaning device was made in the contest |
| C．$50，000 will be donated in Audrey Zhang’s name |
| D．Zhang’s piece was printed in all major newspapers |
The underlined word in Paragraph l probably means“_____”．
| A．put up with | B．1ook for ward to |
| C．breakaway from | D．focus attention on |
October 21 was a very dark day in Texas．Not only did Hurricane Hanna destroy homes，it caused the largest business damage in Texas’s history．The worst thing is Hanna’s destructive force nearly wiped out most power poles and power lines．According to Center Point Energy，Hurricane Hanna affected 2．15 million customers．Currently, more than 4，000 of them are still in the dark．Crews have worked 16-hour shifts to restore power to residents．
Most of Houston seems to be returning to normal．Schools，restaurants，retail stores and gas stations are open．Smiles are back．But harder-hit places，including Galveston，will take much longer to recover. Hundreds of people are still missing，and coastal towns are a mess．Some ruins from storm have drifted south to other beaches in Texas．Several public schools in Galveston are closed due to water damage．Parents are registering kids in other area schools which are scheduled to begin class on November 13．Many school supplies were destroyed．
Clara Barton Village is an emergency shelter located at Alamo Elementary School in Galveston，Texas．This is where Paula Reed and her family are staying．Believe it or not，Paula Reed and her family consider this hurricane a blessing．When Paula was a girl，she was an orphan，but was taken in by her stepmom，Antonia Flores．Reed lost contact with Flores and had been trying desperately to locate her for the past few years．Before the hurricane，Reed and her family moved away from Galveston to a San Antonio shelter．There，she reunited with Flores after 30 long years! The moment they saw each other, their lives were changed．What’s the most serious damage caused by Hurricane Hanna?
| A．Hundreds of people are still missing． |
| B．A large number of people are homeless． |
| C．Power facilities are severely destroyed． |
| D．Factories are closed and many people jobless． |
It can be inferred that the residents in Houston________．
| A．have fully recovered from the disaster |
| B．were the most unlucky people in the disaster |
| C．need a long time to bring their life back to normal |
| D．suffered less from Hanna than people in Galveston |
Kids in public schools in other areas of Houston will have to stay at home for_______
| A．at least one month | B．at least three weeks |
| C．two weeks at most | D．nearly half a month |
Paula Reed and her family consider the hurricane a blessing because_______
| A．they had nothing lost after Hurricane Hanna |
| B．they lived a happier life in San Antonio shelter |
| C．Paula was taken good care of in the shelter |
| D．Paula reunited with her stepmother after three decades |
Here is the tour that’s voted “3rd best tour in London” on the Best Things to Do－Trip Advisor! Hairy Goat is the best and most original tour company in London.
Do you like walking around a city and discovering something that makes a great photo? London is full of interesting photo chances and maybe you need someone to lead you to them. The tour is perfect for team events, families, groups of friends and school or college classes.
Bring A fully charged camera and plenty of memory cards or film, a drink and wear comfortable walking shoes. Dress for three hours’ walking outside.
Price ￡45 per adult (18yrs and over),￡40 per child (12-15yrs) and full-time students (student ID required). Some tours to be booked and paid in advance. Please call or email for details. Please follow the links on the website or call Corinna at +44(0)7540832771.
Meet Meet in front of the Royal Exchange Building at Bank Underground Station. Take Exit 3 or 4 from the underground station.
When See the website for scheduled dates.
Duration Three hours, at a comfortable walking pace.
Finish By an underground station within the city. Location varies daily.A family of four, including a son of 19 and a daughter of 13, should pay ________.
| A．￡180 | B．￡160 | C．￡170 | D．￡175 |
According to the passage, the tour.
| A．is intended for individuals only |
| B．offers chances to take great photos |
| C．has been voted the best tour in London three times |
| D．takes three hours on a sightseeing vehicle |
According to the passage, which statement is NOT true?
| A．Hairy Goat organizes the tour. |
| B．The tour finishes at the same location every day. |
| C．People can go through the website to find the date. |
| D．All the tours are not to be booked in advance. |
Have you ever used Facebook? Many people are being lured (引诱) onto it with the promise of a fun, free service without realizing they’re paying for it by giving up large amounts of personal information. Facebook then attempts to make money by selling their data to advertisers that want to send targeted messages.
Most Facebook users don’t realize this is happening. Even if they know what the company is up to, they still have no idea what they’re paying for Facebook because people don’t really know what their personal data is worth.
The biggest problem, however, is that the company keeps changing the rules. Early on, you keep everything private. That was the great thing about Facebook — you could create your own little private network. Last year, the company changed its privacy rules so that many things — your city, your photo, your friends' names—were set, by default (默认) to be shared with everyone on the Internet.
According to Facebook’s vice-president Elliot Schrage, the company is simply making changes to improve its service, and if people don’t share information, they have a “less satisfying experience”.
Some critics think this is more about Facebook looking to make more money. Its original business model, which involved selling ads and putting them at the side of the page, totally failed. Who wants to look at ads when they’re online connecting with their friends?
The privacy issue has already landed Facebook in hot water in Washington. In April, Senator (议员) Charles Schumer called on Facebook to change its privacy policy. He also urged the Federal Trade Commission to set guidelines for social-networking sites. “I think the senator rightly communicated that we had not been clear about what the new products were and how people could choose to use them or not to use them,” Schrage admits.
I suspect that whatever Facebook has done so far to invade our privacy is only the beginning, which is why I’m considering deactivating (撤销) my account. Facebook is a handy site, but I’m upset by the idea that my information is in the hands of people I don’t know. That’s too high a price to pay.What do we learn about Facebook from the first paragraph?
| A．It is a website that sends messages to targeted users. |
| B．It makes money by putting on advertisements. |
| C．It profits by selling its users’ personal data. |
| D．It provides loads of information to its users. |
What does the author say about most Facebook users?
| A．They are reluctant to give up their personal information. |
| B．They don’t know their personal data enriches Facebook. |
| C．They don’t identify themselves when using the website. |
| D．They care very little about their personal information. |
Why does Facebook make changes to its rules according to Elliot Schrage?
| A．To provide better service to its users. |
| B．To follow the Federal guidelines. |
| C．To improve its users’ connectivity. |
| D．To expand its scope of business. |
Why does the author plan to cancel his Facebook account?
| A．He is dissatisfied with its current service. |
| B．He finds many of its users untrustworthy. |
| C．He doesn’t want his personal data abused. |
| D．He is upset by its frequent rule changes. |
When Kate’s paintings were on show in London, a poet described her paintings as “a ribbon (丝带）around a bomb”. Such comments seem to suggest Kate had a big influence on the art world of her time. Sadly, she is actually a much bigger name today than she was during her time.
Born in 1907 in a village near Mexico City, Kate suffered from polio（小儿麻痹症）at the age of seven. Her spine (脊柱) became bent as she grew older. Then, in 1925, her back was broken in several places in a school-bus accident. Throughout the rest of her life, the artist had many operations, but nothing was able to cure the terrible pain in her back. However, the accident had an unexpected side effect. While lying in her bed recovering, Kate taught herself to paint.
In 1929, she got married to Diego Rivera, another famous Mexican artist. Rivera’s strong influences on Kate’s style can be seen in her early works, but her later works from the 1940s, known today as her best works, show less influence from her husband.
Unfortunately, her works did not attract much attention in the 1930s and1940s, even in her home country. Her first one-woman show in Mexico was not held until 1953. For more than a decade after her death in 1954, Kate’s works remained largely unnoticed by the world, but in the 1970s her works began to gain international fame at last.What does the underlined phrase “a much bigger name” in paragraph 1 most probably mean?
| A．A far better artist. |
| B．A far more gifted artist. |
| C．A much stronger person. |
| D．A much more famous person. |
The terrible pain Kate suffered was caused by.
| A．polio | B．her bent spine |
| C．back injuries | D．the operations she had |
Kate’s style had become increasingly independent since the.
| A．1930s | B．1940s | C．1950s | D．1970s |
What is author’s attitude toward Kate?
| A．Devotion. | B．Sympathy. |
| C．Worry. | D．Encouragement. |