When I first told people I was going to work in Cameroon, the most common reaction was：“Why？” The second was：“It’s in Africa；you’ll die！” The third: “Where is that？”So let me give some answers. I was offered a job that looked interesting in a part of the world I’d never been to before. I’d also long had an interest in Africa, so I decided it was time to find out the reality. A small amount of research showed that in more than 40 years since gaining independence, Cameroon has been a peaceful country with no wars. Not only were there no wars but Cameroon is a food exporter to the region.
Now, after three years, I can say that these have been the healthiest years of my life! No malaria or any of the other frightening diseases you read about when Africa is mentioned .The worst thing that ever happened to me was a bout of food poisoning-once.
So what is it like to teach here? Well not surprisingly, not so different from anywhere else. Most students come to us with a bit of English in their heads. Cameroon is a bilingual country with French and English as official languages, while there are also close to 200 local ethnic languages in a country of 16 million people. French is the dominant language, spoken by about eighty percent of the population.
The local school system is very traditional and somewhat strict. Perhaps not surprisingly when there can be up to 150 students in the classroom ( of which maybe 30 have the books, and there are probably seats for 70)．Like anywhere, students appreciate it if you know a bit about their country, and not just Roger Milla (top scorer of the 1990 World Cup, in case you’re wondering). It helps if you know the names of the ten provinces, know who the first president was, or can say a word in a local language.
So in conclusion: Cameroon isn’t just football. Nor is it war, poverty and disease. It’s just life and people, like anywhere else.On hearing the writer’s decision, most people__________.
| A．admired him |
| B．considered it as a joke |
| C．didn’t understand him |
| D．laughed at him |
According to the passage, Cameroon is__________.
| A．peaceful after liberation |
| B．a country full of diseases |
| C．a poor country, especially lack of food |
| D．quite different from others in education |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Food export may lead to many frightening diseases. |
| B．Most students in Cameroon do not need books. |
| C．Cameroon is not as bad as people commonly believed. |
| D．There must be a lot of people suffering from food poisoning. |
Which language is spoken by about eighty percent of the population in Cameroon?
| A．local dialect | B．French |
| C．An ethnic language | D．English |
Following some of the tips for green living helps save our planet. All of these involve just a few changes to our daily habits.
Just walk and limit the use of your car. One of the poster images of pollution is our vehicles. It burns fuel. It is not as efficient as we hope it could be, and we use it every single day. To lessen the effects of the air pollution caused by our vehicles, we should limit their use. If we can walk to our destination then just let us go. Not only do we lessen our carbon dioxide emissions, but we also get a good exercise out of it.
Use a laptop instead of a computer desktop. Laptops are more energy efficient compared to their bigger counterparts. A laptop is generally 50 percent more efficient in using electricity. Aside from that there are other benefits of a laptop. It is portable so you can work anywhere you like and that you get powerful features without the large size of desktop units.
Turn off the faucet while you are brushing your teeth. It is always a better idea to use a glass when we are brushing our teeth and not to just let the faucet keep on running. Therefore，there is less water to waste while we are cleaning our pearly whites. Simply turn off the faucet when you are not using it.
Make good use of natural light. We have a great and natural lamp --- the sun, and we should learn how to take full advantage of it during daytime. So instead of turning on our lights or lamps even if it is still not evening, we should pull up the drapes and let the natural light come in from the windows.
These are just some of the best tips for green living, but of course there are still many of these tips if you just search for them. But you can do your own variation any time just always prioritize how you can use less energy and produce even lesser trash and pollution.What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．How to Save Our Planet |
| B．How to Change Our Daily Habits |
| C．Tips for Green Living Today |
| D．Green Living and Serious Pollution |
Compared with a computer desktop, a laptop __________.
| A．less energy efficient | B．faster at work | C．easy to repair | D．easy to carry |
How many tips does the passage mention for green living today?
| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
The underlined word ‘‘prioritize’’ in the last paragraph can be replaced by the word ________.
| A．decrease | B．consider | C．imagine | D．guess |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．A few changes to daily habits can help a lot. |
| B．While washing teeth we should turn off the faucet. |
| C．Vehicles bring pollution and we should try to avoid. |
| D．In the daytime we should not pull up the drapes. |
In the second half of each year, many powerful storms are born in the tropical(热带的)Atlantic and Caribbean seas. Of these, only about half a dozen becomes the strong, circling winds of 75 miles per hour or more that are called hurricanes, and several usually make their way to the coast. There they cause millions of dollars of damage, and bring death to large numbers of people.
The great storms that hit the coast start as soft circling wind hundreds — even thousands — of miles out to sea. As they travel aimlessly over water warmed by the summer sun, they are carried westward by the southeast winds. When conditions are just right, warm, moist(潮湿) air flows in at the bottom of such a wind, moves upward through it and comes out at the top. In the process(过程), the moisture in this warm air produces rain, and with it the heat is changed to energy in the form of strong winds. As the heat increases, the young hurricane begins to move in a counter-clockwise motion(逆时针运动).
The life of a hurricane is only about nine days, but it contains almost more power than we can imagine. The energy in the heat released(释放) by a hurricane’s rainfall in a single day would satisfy the entire electrical needs of the United States for more than six months. Water, not wind, is the main source of death and destruction(毁灭) in a hurricane. A typical hurricane brings 6 to 12 inch downpours, causing sudden floods. Worst of all is the powerful movement of the sea — the mountains of water moving toward the hurricane center. The water level rises as much as 15 feet above normal as it moves toward shore. When is an ordinary tropical storm called a hurricane?
| A．When it begins in the Atlantic and Caribbean seas. |
| B．When it hits the coastline. |
| C．When it is more than 75 miles wide. |
| D．When its winds reach 75 miles per hour. |
What is the worst thing about hurricanes?
| A．The terrible effects of water. | B．The heat they give off. |
| C．That they last about nine days. | D．Their strong winds. |
Here the word “downpour” means ______.
| A．heavy rainfall |
| B．dangerous waves |
| C．the progress of water to the hurricane center |
| D．the increasing heat |
Which statement about a hurricane is wrong?
| A．It travels more than 75 miles per hour. |
| B．It usually stays about 9 days. |
| C．It usually causes 6 to 12 inch downpours. |
| D．It sometimes brings the sea water level to the height of 15 feet. |
New findings suggest that brainy card games such as contract bridge may temporarily(临时地) raise production of a key blood cell including in fighting off illness. After 90 minutes of play, bridge players had increased levels of immune(免疫) cells, according to the research reported last week.
A researcher, Diamond, studied bridge players from a women’s bridge club. She chose bridge players because the game includes skills stimulating(刺激) a part of the brain called the dorsolateral cortex. Earlier animal research suggests that this part of the brain may play a role in the immune system.
The findings are based on blood samples drawn from 12 women players. Their blood samples showed a rise in levels of white blood cells called T cells after they played bridge for 90 minutes. T cells are produced by the thymus gland(胸腺) and used by the immune system against diseases.
The T cell count jumped significantly in eight of the bridge players, and slightly in the other four. The findings contribute to the field of neuroimmunology(神经免疫学), whose name reflects the fact that the nervous system and the immune system are not considered separate and isolated(独立的) systems. What isn’t clear is whether the help to the immune system from an activity like contract bridge is lasting or temporary. It is also not clear whether the increase in T cells could finally be targeted against special illnesses. Playing bridge can help one to fight off diseases because it can _______.
| A．raise production of a key blood cell | B．make people joyful |
| C．aid digestion | D．make break away from the bad habits |
Diamond chose to study bridge players for the research because _______.
| A．the players are good friends of hers |
| B．she loves playing bridge |
| C．this game stimulates a part of the brain that has something to do with immune system |
| D．she is a clever manager, who operates her bridge club well |
A T cell is _______ cell.
| A．a brain | B．a white blood |
| C．a red blood | D．a kind of dangerous blood |
Which of the following is true according to this article?
| A．The immune system and the brain system used to be considered separate and isolated systems. |
| B．The help to the immune system that is brought about by playing bridge can last for a long time. |
| C．Cortex is a kind of blood cell. |
| D．The new findings are impossible. |
I’ve loved my mother’s desk since I was just tall enough to see above the top
of it as mother sat doing letters. Standing by her chair, looking at the ink bottle, pens and white paper, I decided that the act of writing must be the most wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she said again, “is for Elizabeth.”
I never saw her angry, never saw her cry. I knew she loved me; she showed it in action. But as a young girl, I wanted heart-to-heart talks between mother and daughter.
They never happened. And a gulf opened between us. I was “too emotional(易动感情的)”. But she lived “on the surface”.
As years passed and I had my own family. I loved my mother and thanked her for our happy family. I wrote to her in careful words and asked her to let me know in any way she chose that she did forgive me.
I posted the letter and waited for her answer, none came.
My hope turned to disappointment, then little interest and, finally, peace it seemed that nothing happened. I couldn’t be sure that the letter had even got to Mother. I only knew that I had written it, and I could stop trying to make her into someone she was not.
Now the present of her desk told me, as she’d never been able to, that she was pleased that writing was my chosen work. I cleaned the desk carefully and found some papers inside — a photo of my father and a one-page letter, folded(折叠) and refolded many times.
Give me an answer, my letter asks, in any way you choose, Mother, you always chose the act that speaks louder than words.The writer began to love her mother’s desk _______.
| A．after Mother died | B．before she became a writer |
| C．when she was a child | D．when mother gave it to her |
The passage shows that _______.
| A．Mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| B．Mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done |
| C．Mother cared much about her daughter in words |
| D．Mother wrote to her daughter in careful words. |
The world “gulf” in the passage means _______.
| A．deep understanding between the old and the young. |
| B．different ideas between the mother and the daughter. |
| C．free talks between mother and daughter. |
| D．part of the sea going far in land. |
What did Mother do with her daughter’s letter asking for forgiveness?
| A．She had never received the letter. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
| D．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．My Mother’s Desk | D．Talks between Mother and me. |
Parents whose children show a special interest in a sport feel very difficult to make a decision about their children's careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sportsmen and sportswomen? For many children it means starting schoolwork very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It's very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and sportswomen. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child's development and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. All can be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may he damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training when young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.This passage is most probably taken from _______.
| A．a letter | B．an advertisement | C．a personal diary | D．a newspaper |
According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in a sport ____.
| A．feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sportsmen or sportswomen |
| B．try to get financial support from the government for their children's training |
| C．have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods |
| D．prefer their children to be trained as young as possible |
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
| A．By starting young, you won't have much time for your schoolwork. |
| B．Early training may damage your muscles. |
| C．Most children may become top sportsmen after a long period of training. |
| D．It' s very expensive for parents to support their child's development in sports. |
The phrase "to take a second place" underlined in first paragraph means "_______".
| A．to repeat the activities some other day |
| B．to become less important |
| C．of all the things, they are the most important |
| D．to happen again |
_____ can become the best players after many years of training.
| A．Most people | B．Many people | C．merely a few people | D．No people |