WELLINGTON, New Zealand (AP) ---- About 140 pilot whales that stranded(使...搁浅) themselves on a remote stretch of New Zealand beach have died, but conservation workers and volunteers are hoping the remaining 60 or so will survive after they managed to get them refloated, an official said Saturday.
The geography of Farewell Spit on the South Island seems to work against whales, which regularly become stranded there. The stranding of 198 whales on Friday was one of the largest in recent years and inspired 80 workers and volunteers to help out.
By late Saturday, 140 of the whales had died, said Department of Conservation area manager Andrew Lamason.
He said the workers and volunteers worked throughout the day to keep the surviving whales watered and covered before refloating them during Saturday night’s high tide.
“We’ve had a really good crew of volunteers, and people have been wanting to come from all over the country,”Lamason said.
He said the surviving whales had moved to deeper water. But he cautioned that although hopes for their survival were high, whales had been refloated in the past only to return and get stranded again.
Lamason said the scale(规模) of the stranding has been tough on the helpers, both physically and mentally.
“It’s very sad, they’re very intelligent animals,” he said. “The common view is that it’s part of nature.”
The focus will now turn to the dead whales, and the enormous task of dealing with the remains, Lamason said, adding that in the past helpers have typically buried them in the sand, but that he’s not sure what the approach will be this time.
He said the department had been experimenting with moving the the dead whales into the water, which has the advantage of providing food for other sea creatures.What is the exact number of whales stranded last Friday?
| A．140. | B．60. | C．80. | D．198. |
Why did the volunteers have to wait until Saturday before they could refloat the whales?
| A．Because they were very busy on Friday. |
| B．Because they had to wait for the sea water to rise. |
| C．Because the whales were too intelligent. |
| D．Because the whales were buried deep in the sand. |
Which of the following words can be used to describe Lamason’s attitude towards the result of refloating the whales?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Positive. | D．Careless. |
What did Lamason say about the feelings of the workers and volunteers?
| A．They were very happy to see so many whales. |
| B．They thought refloating the whales was not a hard job. |
| C．They were physically tired and emotionally hurt. |
| D．They believed that this is very natural. |
How will the volunteers deal with the dead whales this time according to Lamason?
| A．They will bury them in the sand. |
| B．They will throw them into the ocean. |
| C．They do not have any exact idea yet. |
| D．They will feed them to other sea creatures. |
Most of us spend our lives seeking the natural world. We go fishing, sit in the garden, have a picnic, live in the suburbs or go to the seaside. The most popular leisure activity in Britain is going for a walk. When joggers jog, they don’t run the streets. Every one of them tend to go to the park or the river.
But despite this, our children are growing up nature deprived(剥夺). I spent my boyhood climbing trees. These days, children are robbed of these ancient freedoms, due to problems like crime, traffic, the loss of the open spaces and strange new ideas about what is best for children, that is to say, things that can be bought, rather than things that can be found.
The truth is to be found elsewhere. A study in the US: families had moved to better housing and the children were assessed for ADHD—attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (多动症). Those whose accommodation had more natural views showed an improvement of 19%; those who had the same improvement in material surroundings but no nice view improved just 4%.
ADHD is one of the great problems of modern childhood. One study after another indicates that contact with nature gives huge benefits to ADHD children. However, we spend money on drugs rather than on green places.
The life of old people is measurably better when they have access to nature. The increasing concern for the growing population of old people is in quality rather than quantity of years. And study after study finds that a garden is the single most important thing in finding that quality. Even problems with crime and aggressive behaviour are reduced when there is contact with the natural world.
We need the wild world. It is essential to our well-being, our health and our happiness.
What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Access to nature improves our life.
B. Nature treats children with ADHD.
C. Getting close to nature reduces crime.
D. Man can’t live without natural areas.
When there are some strangers in front of us, which of them will we trust?
According to a new study in the online PLOS One, people make their decisions to trust others largely based on their faces．Your appearance can do a lot for you, especially if you are in the financial industry．The more trustworthy you look, the more likely people will buy what you’re selling．
Researchers from Britain’s University of Warwick Business School, University College London, and Dartmouth College, US, did a number of experiments．
The research team used computer software to make 40 faces, from the least to the most trustworthy-looking．
The study said that the difference between a trustworthy face and one that isn’t as trustworthy comes from features that look slightly angry or slightly happy, even when the face is at rest．However, a slightly happy face is more likely to be trusted．
Researchers gave participants some money and asked them which face they trusted to invest the money for them．Then researchers gave some good and bad information about the people with these faces, and asked the participants again whom they trusted．
The results showed that even if they got different information, the participants didn’t change their choices．They were still more likely to invest their money with the more trustworthy-looking faces．
Chris Olivola, one of the study’s authors, said in the University of Warwick’s press release: “It seems we are still willing to go with our own instincts about whether we think someone looks like we can trust them．The temptation to judge strangers by their faces is hard to resist．”
Which of the following can be a proper title for this passage?
| A．What kind of face do you trust? |
| B．Who did the experiments? |
| C．Why do you trust him or her? |
| D．Why did they do the experiments? |
My 3-year-old son and I lived a very hard life because I had been out of work since two years ago. Being poor is a terrible feeling when your 3-year-old finishes his meal and says: “Can I have some more bread and jam （果酱） please, Mummy?” And you break down in tears, because you don’t know how to tell him that there is no more food. With ￡6, I went to the supermarket, picked up some food and started to cook at home. It was time for me to make a change and get back on my feet. I began to write a series of articles for the website named Hunger Hurt in July 2011.
A few months later, local food bank gave me some help-- with some free vegetables every month, which made my life a little easier. I began to write recipes（食谱）, posting them on my blog. To my surprise, families, students and those poor people told me how much it helped to see healthy recipes made from affordable supermarket vegetables.
My Life took unexpected turns. I was invited to give a speech on food , interviewed for an Oxfam report on food banks and asked to write a cookery book.
When I got the money from the book, for the first night in almost two years, I went to bed without worrying. Now, I have a well-paid job and a beautiful home, and I’ll never forget the days when I worked hard for a good life.
Which could be the best title?
| A．what a loving mother |
| B．A lesson hard life teaches me |
| C．A mother’s dream job |
| D．Success lies in your own hands |
Sometime in the next century, the familiar early-newspaper on the front porch (门廊) will disappear. And instead of reading your newspaper, it will read to you. You'll get up and turn on the computer newspaper just like switching on the TV. An electronic voice will distribute stories about the latest events, guided by a program that selects the type of news you want. You'll even get to choose the kind of voice you want to hear. Do you want more information on this brief story? A simple touch makes the entire text appear. Save it in your own personal computer if you like. These are among the predictions from communication experts working on the newspapers of the future. Pictured as part of broader home-based media and entertainment systems, computer newspapers will unite print and broadcast reporting, and offer news and analysis with video images of news events.
Most of the technology is available now, but convincing more people that they don't need to read a newspaper is the next step. But resistance to computer newspapers may be stronger from within journalism. Since it is such a cultural change, it may be that the present generation of journalists and publishers will have to die off before the next generation realizes that the newspaper industry is no longer a newspaper industry. Technology is making the end of ' traditional newspapers unavoidable.
Despite technological advances, it could take decades to replace newsprint with computer screens. It might take 30 to 40 years to complete the changeover because people need to buy computers and because newspapers have established financial interests in the paper industry.
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．Computer newspapers are well liked. |
| B．Newspapers of the future will be on the computer. |
| C．Newspapers are out of fashion. |
| D．New communications technology. |
Blind imitation is self-destruction. To those who do not recognize their unique worth, imitation appears attractive; to those who know their strength, imitation is unacceptable．
In the early stages of skill or character development, imitation is helpful．When I first learned to cook, I used recipes （菜谱）and turned out some tasty dishes．But soon I grew bored．Why did you follow someone else’s way of cooking when I could create my own? Imitating role models is like using training wheels on a child’s bicycle; they help you get going, but once you find your own balance, you fly faster and farther without relying on them．
In daily life, imitation can hurt us if we subconsciously（下意识地）hold poor role models．If, as a child, you observed people whose lives were bad, you may have accepted their fear and pain as normal and gone on to follow what they did. If you do not make strong choices for yourself, you will get the results of the weak choices of others．
In the field of entertainment, our culture glorifies celebrities．Those stars look great on screen．But when they step off screen, their personal lives may be disastrous. If you are going to follow someone, focus on their talent, not their bad character or unacceptable behaviors．
Bless is that the person is willing to act on their sudden desire to create something unique. Think of the movies, books, teachers, and friends that have affected you most deeply．They touched you because their creations were motivated by inspiration, not desperation．The world is changed not by those who do what has been done before them, but by those who do what has been done inside them．Creative people have an endless resource of ideas．The problem a creator faces is not running out of material; it is what to do with the material knocking at the door of imagination．
Study your role models, accept the gifts they have given, and leave behind what does not serve．Then you can say, “I stand on the shoulders of my ancestors’ tragedies and declare victory, and know that they are cheering me on．
What is the author’s purpose in writing this passage?
| A．To highlight the importance of creatively． |
| B．To criticize the characters of role models． |
| C．To compare imitation with creation． |
| D．To explain the meaning of success． |