Pango was a village in India. The people were poor. However, they were not unhappy. After all, their forefathers had lived in the same way for centuries.
Then one day, some visitors from the city arrived. They told the villagers there were some people elsewhere who liked to eat frog’s legs. However, they did not have enough frogs of their own, and so they wanted to buy frogs from other places.
This seemed like money for nothing. There were millions of frogs in the fields around, and they were no use to the villagers. All they had to do was catch them. Agreement was reached, and the children were sent into the fields to catch frogs. Every week a truck arrived to collect the catch and hand over the money. For the first time, the people were able to dream of a better future. But the dream didn’t last long.
The change was hardly noticed at first, but it seemed as if the crops were not doing so well. More worrying was that the children fell ill more often, and, there seemed to be more insects around lately.
The villagers decided that they couldn’t just wait to see the crops failing and the children getting weak. They would have to use the money earned to buy pesticides (杀虫剂）and medicines. Soon there was no money left.
Then the people realized what was happening. It was the frog. They hadn’t been useless. They had been doing an important job—eating insects. Now with so many frogs killed, the insects were increasing more rapidly. They were damaging the crops and spreading diseases.
Now, the people are still poor. But in the evenings they sit in the village square and listen to sounds of insects and frogs. These sounds of the night now have a much deeper meaning.From Paragraph 1 we learn that the villagers ________.
| A．worked very hard for centuries |
| B．dreamed of having a better life |
| C．were poor but somewhat content |
| D．lived a different life from their forefathers |
Why did the villagers agree to sell frogs?
| A．The frogs were easy money. |
| B．They needed money to buy visitors. |
| C．They wanted to please the visitors. |
| D．The frogs made too much noise. |
What might be the cause of the children’s sickness?
| A．The crops didn’t do well. |
| B．There were too many insects. |
| C．The visitors brought in diseases. |
| D．The pesticides were overused. |
What can we infer from the last sentence of the text?
| A．Happiness comes from peaceful life in the country. |
| B．Health is more important than money. |
| C．The harmony between man and nature is important. |
| D．Good old days will never be forgotten. |
Recreational tree climbing is taking root in the eco-tourism industry, and it’s sending guys like Tim Kovar to far off reaches of the globe. Kovar, a tree-climbing instructor, recently returned to the U. S. from Brazil, where he spent time developing a tree-climbing operation thanks to the“slow travel”movement.
Slow travel, is like the slow food movement, the practice of giving fast food in favor of homegrown cooking—the kind that takes hours to prepare and enjoy. Likewise, slow travel urges visitors to experience a place’s natural surroundings and learn about the ecology in a way not afforded by extreme games.
“Tree climbing is a slow activity, ” says Kovar. “It’s not something you do quickly and then you’re on to the next thing or event. ”There is no such thing as a quick climb, especially for beginners. This wasn’t a race against the clock or the fellow climbers. In fact, tree climbing is unlikely to ever become a feature of the extreme games. Many climbers refuse competition. There has already been so much competition in the world.
“When you stand below the tree, it can be amazing, ” Rusel DeMaria says, looking affectionately up at Michael’s Triumph, a 150-foot-tall tree. But reaching the treetop, he adds, is an entirely different feeling. Likewise, his wife, Viola Brumbaugh, kneels on the ground and asks Michael’s Triumph for permission to climb. “It goes a lot smoother that way, ”she says.
And climbing has been included into many educational programs. New Tribe offers guided climbs through its school, Tree Climbing Northwest, where “we teach enough tree biology and forest ecology to raise awareness in our students, ” says New Tribe president Sophis Sparks. “We know that the tree climbing experience deepens personal appreciation for trees. After climbing, people value trees more and are motivated to support preservation. This is not just to preserve their playground. ”
Perhaps that is why he struggles with the term “recreational tree climbing, ” saying, “I prefer to call it inspirational tree climbing. ”What do slow travel and the slow food movement have in common?
| A．They take people a long time. |
| B．They are related to the eco-tourism industry. |
| C．They advocate protecting nature. |
| D．They cost people little money. |
What do we know about tree climbing from the passage?
| A．People compete to see who can climb to the top first. |
| B．It favors the experience of enjoying nature. |
| C．It is a kind of extreme sport and needs a lot of effort. |
| D．People view it as a challenge to climb the tallest tree in a forest. |
【改编】Which one of the advantages is not mentioned about tree climbing from the passage?
| A．There are many educational programs in tree climbing. |
| B．It favors the experience of enjoying nature. |
| C．After climbing, people value trees more. |
| D．Tree climbing is another travel. |
Sophia Sparks prefers the term “inspirational tree climbing” because it .
| A．provides people with more chances to play outside |
| B．makes people realize they should protect trees |
| C．deepens personal love between each other |
| D．brings a lot of pleasure to life |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Tree-climbing travelling | B．Slow travel movements |
| C．Dangers of climbing | D．Respect for nature |
The Hawaiian people did not celebrate Christmas before the arrival of Captain Cook in 1778. It was, however, the protestant missionaries(传教士)from New England who first arrived in 1820 that first introduced Christmas to the Hawaiian people.
The missionaries reduced the Hawaiian language to written form, enabling the Hawaiian people to read and write in their own language. Many words for which there were no clear Hawaiian language equivalents(对应词)were translated phonetically.
Let’s look at some key phrases that you may hear in Hawaii during the Christmas and New Year’s Day holiday season.
•Mele Kalikimaka—Merry Christmas. The words “Mele Kalikimaka” are a phonetic translation. When the missionaries and other Westerners first brought the custom of Christmas to the islands, the Hawaiians had difficulty pronouncing “Merry Christmas” and turned it into words that rolled more easily off their tongues.
•Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Happy New Year. The western Christmas and New Year fell during this same time of the year when the Hawaiians traditionally honored the earth for giving them plenty to eat. This period of resting and feasting was called Makahiki (mah-kah-HEE-kee). It lasted for 4 months, and no wars or conflicts were allowed during this time. Because makahiki also means “year”, the Hawaiian phrase for “Happy New Year” became “Hau’ oli(happy) Makahiki (year) Hou (new)”.
•Mele Kalikimaka me ka Hau’ oli Makahiki Hou—Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.
•Mahalo Nui Loa—Thank you very much. When you receive a nice gift or are treated to a special meal or beautiful song, you’ll want to express your appreciation for the kindness.【改编】Who made the greatest contribution to Hawaiian language according to the passage?
| A．Captain Cook | B．The missionaries |
| C．Westerners | D．The Hawaiian people |
The underlined word “phonetically” in Paragraph 2 probably means“ ”.
| A．by sound | B．by meaning |
| C．by appearance | D．by form |
Makahiki is a traditional time for the Hawaiian people to .
| A．celebrate the New Year | B．show thanks to God |
| C．show thanks to the earth | D．go for holidays |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．How the Hawaiian people celebrate their holidays. |
| B．The development of the Hawaiian language. |
| C．How Christmas was brought to the Hawaiian people. |
| D．Some phrases used in Hawaii during festivals. |
How to learn a Foreign Language
1)Spend the time!
By far the most important factor is how much time you are immersed in the language. The more time you spend with the language, the faster you will learn. This means listening, reading, writing, speaking, and studying words and phrases. This means spending time enjoyably connected to the language you are learning.
2)Listen and read every day!
Listen wherever you are on your MP3 player. Read what you are listening to. Listen to and read things that you like, things that you can mostly understand, or even partly understand. If you keep listening and reading you will get used to the language. One hour of listening or reading is more effective than many hours of class time.
3)
Build up your vocabulary. You’ll need lots. Start to notice words and how they come together as phrases. Learn these words and phrases through your listening and reading. Read online, using online dictionaries, and make your own vocabulary lists for review. Soon you will run into your new words and phrases elsewhere. Gradually you will be able to use them.
4) Take responsibility for your own learning!
If you do want to learn the language, take control. Choose content of interest that you want to listen to and read. Seek out the words and phrases that you need to understand your listening and reading. Do not wait for someone else to show you the language, nor to tell you what to do. Discover the language by yourself, like a child growing up. Talk when you feel like it. Write when you feel like it. A teacher cannot teach you to become fluent, but you can learn to become fluent if you want to.
5) Relax and enjoy yourself!
Do not worry about what you cannot remember, or cannot yet understand, or cannot yet say. It does not matter. You are learning and improving. The language will gradually become clearer in your brain, but this will happen on a schedule that you cannot control. So sit back and enjoy. Just make sure you spend enough time with the language. That is the greatest guarantee of success.What should we avoid while reading or listening?
| A．Things we half understand. |
| B．Things we generally understand. |
| C．Things that we are fond of. |
| D．Things that we don’t understand. |
What’s the best title of Part 3?
| A．Focus on pronunciation and tune! |
| B．Focus on words and phrases! |
| C．Focus on grammar and idioms! |
| D．Focus on online classes and courses! |
What plays the most important part in learning a foreign language?
| A．Keeping the learning schedule strictly. |
| B．Our attitudes towards learning the language. |
| C．Making sure of enough learning time. |
| D．Our interest in learning the language. |
Johnny Appleseed was the name given to John Chapman. He planted large numbers of apple trees in what was the American wilderness two hundred years ago. Chapman grew trees and supplied apple seeds to settlers in the middle western Great Lakes area. Two centuries later, some of those trees still produce fruit.
Chapman planted with thoughts about future markets for his crops. His trees often grew in land near settlements. He often sold his apple seeds to settlers. Sometimes, he gave away trees to needy settlers.
Johnny Appleseed looked like someone who was poor and had no home. Yet he was a successful businessman. He used his money to improve his apple business and help other people. He was famous for his gentleness and bravery. Both settlers and native Americans liked him. Everywhere he traveled, he was welcomed.
During his travels, some families asked Johnny to join them for a meal. He would never sit down until he was sure that their children had enough to eat. He believed that it was wrong to kill and eat any creature for food. He believed that the soil produced everything necessary for humans.
Another time, he was trapped in the wilderness during a severe snowstorm. He found shelter in an old tree that had fallen to the ground. In the tree, he discovered a mother bear and her cubs. He did not interfere with the animals, and left before they knew he was there.
It is estimated that, during his lifetime, he planted enough trees to cover an area of about two hundred sixty thousand square kilometers. Over time, some adults said they remembered receiving presents from Johnny Appleseed when they were children.
In 1845, John Chapman became sick and developed pneumonia during a visit to Fort Wayne. He died in the home of a friend, William Worth. Chapman was seventy years old. He was buried near Fort Wayne. The marker(碑文)over his burial place reads, “ ”
For what purpose did Chapman plant the apple trees?
| A．To sell apples as a business. |
| B．To provide food for settlers. |
| C．To take up land for himself. |
| D．To show how to grow trees. |
【改编】What was John Chapman famous for ?
| A．Selling apple seeds. |
| B．Gentleness and bravery. |
| C．Travelling and exploring. |
| D．Offering help to people in trouble. |
How was Chapman’s money used according to the text?
| A．Given to other people. |
| B．Spent developing other business. |
| C．Devoted to improving apple business. |
| D．Used on his career and helping others. |
Which can be the proper marker in the blank?
| A．He lived for the poor. | B．He lived for animals. |
| C．He lived for his business. | D．He lived for others. |
Once, the Paiter-Surui tribe(部落)lived a happy life in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. But after the tribe’s first meeting with Westerners several decades ago, they were nearly wiped out; diseases brought by outsiders reduced the Surui’s numbers from 5, 000 to about 250.
Today, some 1, 300 tribe people live in 23 villages across 600, 000 acres. Though they are as likely to wear T-shirts and jeans as feathered headdresses, the Surui are determined to preserve and protect the tribal culture of their homeland. Now they are under threat again, from illegal logging and deforestation(滥伐), but this time it’s different. The Surui have put aside their bows and arrows and taken up a new weapon: the Internet.
The tribe people learned to use the Web from their leader, Chief Almir Narayamoga. “We decided to use computers and technology to bring attention to our situation, ”says Narayamoga, 36. The first in his tribe to attend college, Chief Narayamoga learned how to use computers at the Federal University of Goiás in Goiânia, a city of 1. 2 million. In 2007, he fled the Surui homeland after his fight against loggers who placed a $100, 000 reward on his head. He traveled to the United States and paid a visit to Google headquarters in California. He came armed with a big idea.
Narayamoga’s visit to Google was considered a great success. And Google sent teams to the Amazon to train the Surui in using computers, cameras, and smart phones to photograph logging sites, which could be pinpointed using GPS technology and then uploaded to Google Earth. The Surui have now mapped the entire reserve and recorded the biodiversity and the rainforest within it.【改编】Why are the Surui under threat again ?
| A．The population were reduced greatly by diseases from outsiders. |
| B．They want to preserve and protect their tribal culture. |
| C．The rainforest where they are living are suffering from wildly illegal logging and deforestation. |
| D．Chief Narayamoga fled the Surui homeland. |
Chief Narayamoga fled his homeland because .
| A．he owed a large debt |
| B．the loggers wanted to kill him |
| C．he wanted to learn computers |
| D．he failed to fight against logging |
What kind of idea did Chief Narayamoga have after he returned to his homeland?
| A．He could ask the US government for help. |
| B．He could negotiate with the loggers. |
| C．He could save their land with the Internet. |
| D．He could make a map of their land. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．Deforestation has been stopped in Amazon. |
| B．Narayamoga’s efforts are paying off. |
| C．The Internet is still something new to the tribe people. |
| D．Logging has been stopped due to the use of GPS technology. |