“I see you’ve got a bit of water on your coat,” said the man at the petrol station. “Is it raining out there?” “No, it’s pretty nice,” I replied, checking my sleeve. “Oh, right. A pony(马驹) bit me earlier.”
As it happened, the bite was virtually painless: more the kind of small bite you might get from a naughty child. The pony responsible was queuing up for some ice cream in the car park near Haytor, and perhaps thought I’d jumped in ahead of him.
The reason why the ponies here are naughty is that Haytor is a tourist-heavy area and tourists are constantly feeding the ponies foods, despite sighs asking them not to. By feeding the ponies, tourists increase the risk of them getting hit by a car, and make them harder to gather during the area’s annual pony drift(迁移).
The purpose of a pony drift is to gather them up so their health can be checked, the baby ones can be stooped from feeding on their mother’s milk, and those who’ve gone beyond their limited area can be returned to their correct area. Some of them are also later sold, in order to limit the number of ponies according to the rules set by Natural England.
Three weeks ago, I witnessed a small near-disaster a few mils west of here. While walking, I noticed a pony roll over on his back. “Hello!” I said to him, assuming he was just rolling for fun, but he was very still and, as I got closer, I saw him kicking his legs in the air and breathing heavily. I began to properly worry about him. Fortunately, I managed to get in touch with a Dartmoor’s Livestock Protection officer and send her a photo. The officer immediately sent a local farmer out to check on the pony. The pony had actually been trapped between two rocks. The farmer freed him, and he began to run happily around again.
Dartmoor has 1,000 or so ponies, who play a critical role in creating the diversity of species in this area. Many people are working hard to preserve these ponies, and trying to come up with plans to find a sustainable(可持续的) future for one of Dartmoor’s most financially-troubled elements.Why are tourists asked not to feed the ponies?
| A．To protect the tourists from being bitten |
| B．To keep the ponies off the petrol station |
| C．To avoid putting the ponies in danger |
| D．To prevent the ponies from fighting |
One of the purposes of the annual pony drift is ______________.
| A．to feed baby ponies on milk |
| B．to control the number of ponies |
| C．to expand the habitat for ponies |
| D．to sell the ponies at a good price |
What as the author’s first reaction when he saw a pony roll on its back?
| A．He freed it from the trap |
| B．He called a protection officer |
| C．He worried about it very much |
| D．He thought of it as being naughty |
What does the author imply about the preservation of Dartmoor’s ponies?
| A．It lacks people’s involvement. |
| B．It costs a large amount of money |
| C．It will affect tourism in Dartmoor. |
| D．It has caused an imbalance of species |
What’s your idea of a good time? What about dancing in a rainy field with one hundred and fifty thousand other people while a famous rock band plays on a stage so far away that the performers look like ants?
It may sound strange but that is what many hundreds of thousands of young people in the UK do every summer. Why? Because summer is the time for outdoor music festivals.
Held on a farm, the Glastonbury Festival is the most well-known and popular festival in the UK. It began in 1970 and the first festival was attended by one thousand five hundred people each paying an admission price of ￡1 — the ticket included free milk from the farm.
Since then the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength — in 2004 one hundred and fifty thousand fans attended, paying ￡112 each for a ticket to the three-day event. Tickets for the event sold out within three hours. Performers included superstars, such as Paul McCartney and James Brown, as well as new talent, like Franz Ferdinand and Joss Stone.
Although many summer festivals are run on a profit —making basis, Glastonbury is a charity event, donating millions of pounds to local and international charities.
Glastonbury is not unique in using live music to raise money to fight global poverty (贫穷). In July of this year, the Live 8 concerts were held simultaneously (同时) in London, Paris, Rome and Berlin. Superstars such as Madonna, Sir Elton John and Stevie Wonder performed in order to highlight (强调) international poverty and debt.What does the author mean by saying “the Glastonbury Festival has gone from strength to strength”?
| A．The festival has achieved growing success. |
| B．Great efforts have been made to hold the festival. |
| C．The festival has brought in a large amount of money. |
| D．There have been thousands of fans attending the festival. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The Glastonbury Festival is run on a profit-making basis. |
| B．Tickets for the 2004 Glastonbury Festival were in great demand despite the high price. |
| C．Both James Brown and Joss Stone were born in poor families. |
| D．In the 1970 Glastonbury Festival, one could have lunch on the farm for free. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _____.
| A．the Glastonbury Festival is not so popular as the Live 8 concerts |
| B．the Live 8 concerts are held every year in London |
| C．London, Paris, Rome and Berlin are famous for outdoor music festivals |
| D．some superstars are concerned about global poverty |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．How to have a good time |
| B．Charity events around the world |
| C．The Glastonbury Festival |
| D．Superstars’ performances in charity events |
The Adventure Guides Program
New Member Information for the Adventure Guides Program ( for children aged 4—12)
What Is the Adventure Guides Program All about?
The objectives of the program are:
● Fostering companionship and setting foundation for positive, lifelong relationships between parent and child
● Increased understanding of one another
● Expanded awareness of spirit, mind and body
● Great memories
● Fun!!!
Parent and Child Will Be Joining…
The nationwide affilicated(隶属的) program sponsored by local YMCA’s and part of the National Council of YMCA’s
A smaller group of families called a “circle”
What Is the Time Commitment?
● Program runs from October to May (ending with the Memorial Day Parade)
● One “circle” activity per month ( one circle decides on fees and dates)
Additional all participant activities (scheduled by Wilton Family Y) —additional fees and registration required.
Outing Dates: To Be Announced
What Do I Do Now?
● Registration is on-going. Registration forms are available online under “Registration”.
● You will be notified by the Wilton Family Y of which “circle” you and your child are in and who your “circle” leader is.
● You will be notified by your “circle” leader as to when your first parent/child “circle” meeting will take place.
Fees:
Participant: Full Child or Family member $110.00 / Program member $200.00
Sibling: Full child or Family member $75.00 / Program member $150.00
Adult: Family member FREE / Program member $125.00
Wilton Family Y Contact Information:
Geoff Malyszka Teen Director 762-8384 ext.224
E-mail: gmalyszka@wiltonymca. org
Kim Murphy Early Childhood Ed. Director762-8384 ext.214
E-mail: kmurphy@wiltonymca. org Which of the following is true about “circle”?
| A．You and your children will make up a “circle”. |
| B．A “circle” activity will be held once a month. |
| C．You have the right of choosing your “circle” leader. |
| D．You are free to choose to become a member of a “circle”. |
What information can you get from the passage？
| A．There is no extra fees for additional all participant activities. |
| B．The program will be held only in October and May |
| C．You can register just by making a call to 762-8384 ext. 224. |
| D．It has not been decided yet when you will go out. |
The passage is mainly written for _____.
| A．parents and their children |
| B．adventurous travelers |
| C．international students |
| D．children with bad memories |
The German shepherd runs off and noses around in the grass of Kenya’s Laikipia Plateau. “OK, Oakley,” the dog’s handler orders, “Find it!”
Oakley sniffs (嗅) until he comes to a bush, then stops, sits, and looks up at his handler. She bends to see what he has found: the waste of an endangered African wild dog. “Good dog!” she praises. The handler pulls a tennis ball from her pocket. Oakley jumps for his reward.
“He doesn’t actually want the waste,” says Aimee Hurt, a founding member of the U.S.-based group Working Dogs for Conservation. Hurt is in Kenya to train both Oakley and his handler. “He finds it so he can play with his ball. We’re the ones who want the waste.”
Detection dogs are sometimes taught to locate actual animals. Black-footed ferrets (雪貂) have been studied with their help. But more often the dogs learn to locate the waste of creatures such as bears, wolves and mountain lions.
What the dogs find provides scientists with data about a species. Scientists can use the DNA collected from animal waste to identify individuals, sex, and population sizes — all without ever seeing the animal itself. “It can take years to gather this kind of information if you have to trap animals,” Hurt explains.
Waste analysis might make a huge difference when wild species are accused of attacking domestic livestock (家畜). Hurt says, “A good detection dog will find the waste so we can see what the animal is actually eating.” This may help reduce problems between people and wildlife. The underlined word “She” in Paragraph 2 refers to “_____”.
| A．the German shepherd |
| B．an African wild dog |
| C．Aimee Hurt |
| D．the handler |
Oakley is interested in finding the waste because _____.
| A．he wants to study endangered animals |
| B．he can get a tennis ball to play with |
| C．he wants to eat it |
| D．he wants to play with it |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Trapping animals is not difficult. |
| B．People are making efforts to protect the environment. |
| C．Detection dogs attack domestic livestock frequently. |
| D．Collecting animal waste is a good way to gather information. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Detection dogs can help scientists study wildlife. |
| B．Detection dogs can defend wildlife. |
| C．Detection dogs can help the police catch the criminals. |
| D．Detection dogs can help local people defend domestic livestock. |
A migraine headache（偏头疼） can cause disabling pain．People may not feel back to normal for hours or even for days．
Migraine headaches are most common among young adults and middle-aged people．In the United States, about eighteen percent of women and six percent of men report having migraines．
People who suffer from migraines can find that different “triggers” in different people may get a headache started．Stress can act as a trigger．
Many migraine sufferers say hot weather and low barometric pressure（气压） can act as triggers, but researchers say they did not have much scientific evidence of that—until now．
In a new study, a team examined the medical records of seven thousand hospital patients．The patients had visited the emergency room at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston, Massachusetts, because of a headache．More than two thousand of them had been found to have a migraine．
The team then compared those records to weather conditions in the twenty-four hours before the hospital visits．For every increase of five degrees Celsius in air temperature, the patients had a seven and one-half percent higher risk of migraine．Decreases in barometric pressure two to three days before the visit also appeared to cause headaches．
A separate study has found that age, gender and where a person has extra body fat may affect the risk of migraine．It found that overweight people between the ages of twenty and fifty-five may have a higher risk．On average, those who were larger around the middle were more likely to have migraines than those of the same age with smaller waistlines（腰围）．
Experts suggest that losing weight in the stomach area may help younger people who experience migraines, especially women．Doing exercises regularly is also helpful to reducing migraine headaches．
Title:
| ● ● Not feel back to normal for hours or even days． |
||
| People suffering from it |
Young adults and |
|
| Hot weather→ every increase of five degrees Celsius: seven and one-half percent higher risk of migraine |
||
| A separate study |
||
| ● Lose weight in the stomach area． ● |
Stepfamilies are commonplace in the United States and their number continues to grow．While stepfamilies differ widely in their make-up， they all consist of a parenting couple and children， one or more of whom is of a previous union．Such combinations of his kids， her kids， and then， possibly， kids of the new union make for complicated and often trying difficulties， more challenging than those of traditional families．
Since stepfamilies involve more people and， consequently， more potential problems from the start than do childless new marriage， it is wise for the couple to do some careful planning prior to （＝before） marriage．Not only do the prospective（预期的） marital partners need agreement about their own carriers， life goals， finance and special interests， they must also prepare for new relationship with their children and attempt to accommodate their individual needs and feelings．Furthermore， there are often the rights of other relatives to consider．
As for any family， the basic ingredient（成分） of a successful stepfamily are affection， kindness and mutual（相互的） respect．However， love alone is not enough．Certainly love is the cornerstone upon which the foundation of any family is built， but there are also many other important ingredients involved in building a successful stepfamily．
Surveys reveal that successful families regard the ability to communicate openly as the most important factor in their success．Communication is what keeps families on track and functioning as a unit．Although healthy communication is easier for some people than for others， this skill can be learned and improved．Healthy communication involves speaking clearly and listening carefully．
By their very nature， stepfamilies often are complicated by past events that give rise to ambivalent（矛盾的） loyalties， lingering（持久的） hurts， fears，feelings of guilt and unrealistic dreams．The difficulties that arise within the stepfamilies are human and understandable．However， there are ways to confront（面临） and resolve them．For example， support groups and professional counselors（法律顾问） are available in most communities to provide help and guidance when communications stopped and problems seem overwhelming（压倒性的）．
Planning and building a stepfamily is not a responsibility to take lightly．It can be a very trying and， at times， seemingly impossible effort．Many potential troubles can arise and threaten to destroy the stepfamily．Nevertheless， meeting and mastering these special challenges can bring unexpected satisfactions and rewarding depths of family closeness and affection．According to the passage， there are in the United States．
| A．no stepfamilies |
| B．more stepfamilies than ever before |
| C．fewer stepfamilies than ever before |
| D．fewer stepfamilies than traditional ones |
Which of the following can help avoid the potential problems arising in a stepfamily？
| A．The pursuit of the same careers． |
| B．Professional interventions（干涉）． |
| C．The development of special interests． |
| D．Careful planning before the marriage． |
Many people believe that contributes most to the building of a successful stepfamily．
| A．everlasting loyalties |
| B．open communication |
| C．kindness and mutual respect |
| D．persistent（持久稳固的） affection |
It is natural for a stepfamily to be ．
| A．unrealistic |
| B．complicated |
| C．ambivalent |
| D．guilty |
According to the author， planning and building a stepfamily is ．
| A．impossible |
| B．satisfying and rewarding |
| C．discouraging and frustrating |
| D．a difficult and trying experience |