One weekend in May 2015, over 48 centimeters of rain fell in Houston, Texas, USA. Soon the city was covered with water. The rising water rushed into the cars on the roads. There were 16 deaths that weekend.
Changing Weather
The weather is changing. Over the last few years, heavy rains have caused floods (洪灾) in Brazil, Pakistan, and Thailand. Droughts (干旱) have struck Russia and Australia. Heat waves have killed thousands in Europe. There are more different kinds of terrible wild weather all over the world. In 2011 alone, the bad weather caused the world to lose 150 billion dollars.
Warmer and Wetter
As more wild weather events happen, a worried world is beginning to ask questions like: What is going on with the weather? And why? Many also want to know: Is this natural, or are we to blame (责怪)?
The answer seems to be: a little of both. Wild weather is natural. This global (全球的) warming makes heat waves more likely to happen. The higher temperatures also cause more water to enter the air. This causes much more rain. Some scientists also believe global warming makes some storms stronger.
This means we’re likely to see more wild weather. “But we don’t have to just stand there and take it,” says Scientist Michael Oppenheimer. He and other scientists say we need to stop the Earth from getting warmer. We also need to be prepared, to do things that will help save lives.What is the purpose of the second paragraph?
| A．To give examples of wild weather events. |
| B．To guess how the weather will change. |
| C．To explain why the weather is changing. |
| D．To describe the weather events in 2011. |
Which of the following can be put in the blank in Paragraph 4?
| A．And wild weather happens more and more. |
| B．And nature also influences human activity. |
| C．But humans have already paid enough attention to the wild weather. |
| D．But most scientists agree human activity has made the Earth warmer. |
Which of the following would Oppenheimer probably agree with?
| A．It is too late to stop global warming. |
| B．Humans have nothing to do with global warming. |
| C．The weather will get better if we can stop global warming. |
| D．To find ways to keep our things safe is the most important. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
A. In May 2015, there was a deadly flood in Houston, Texas, USA.
B. There are more kinds of terrible wild weather all over the world.
C. Many scientists believe global warming makes some storms stronger.
D. Global warming causes wild weather events and that makes people worried.
London, May 5, 2003 Emma Richards of Britain has become the first woman and the youngest person to finish the Around Alone, which is a round-the-world sailing race. The journey started in New York last September and went east around South Africa to New Zealand. It crossed the Pacific Ocean and went around South America, ending up yesterday in Rhode Island, the smallest state in America. In the end, the trip covered over 46,000 kilometres. The same sea route was taken in the past by many famous travelers who wanted to learn about the world.
Emma, a 1996 graduate (毕业生) of the University of Glasgow, finished the race at the age of twenty-eight. The race requires competitors to sail alone. Emma said that actually it was very difficult to be all by herself for such a long time even though she’s really into sailing. Her worst moment was when she had to climb the high mast (船桅) in a bad storm to fix some broken parts. She sailed hundreds of kilometres away from land and the wind was blowing very hard. Only her strong willpower kept her going to make it all the way. These days, Emma is happy to be home with her parents and sleep in a bed that stays still.The first paragraph is mostly about .
| A．the Around Alone race |
| B．a terrible wind storm |
| C．the start of the journey |
| D．the smallest state in America |
Which one is NOT true?
| A．Emma sailed alone around the world. |
| B．Emma made a new route for the sea travel. |
| C．Emma is the youngest person to finish the race. |
| D．Emma is the first woman to finish Around Alone. |
The second paragraph mainly tells us about .
| A．Emma’s parents | B．how to repair a broken boat |
| C．the University of Glasgow | D．Emma’s sailing experience |
How long did the trip take?
| A．About four months. | B．About six months. |
| C．About eight months. | D．About twelve months. |
What is the best way to explain Emma’s success?
| A．The other racers had many problems. |
| B．Her parents encouraged her to keep on. |
| C．She had strong willpower to make it to the end. |
| D．She had received a good education in a university. |
| School Library To Joy Lee, Just to remind you that you have four overdue books. Title Writer ① The age of Innocence Edith Wharton due (到期) 22/Jan ② Mr Standfast John Buchan due 24/Jan ③ Imagine Alison Lester due 26/Jan ④ Selected Tales Jakob and Wilhelm Grimm due 26/Jan Please return these books tomorrow. Other people may be waiting to borrow them. Jane Johnes Librarian Date: 3/Feb/2013 Note: You may not borrow any new books until these books have been returned. |
This is .
| A．a report | B．an introduction |
| C．a reminder | D．an advertisement |
This note was written by .
| A．Jane Johnes | B．Joy Lee |
| C．Alison Lester | D．John Buchan |
John Buchan is .
| A．due on 24th January |
| B．a friend of Joy Lee’s |
| C．the writer of the note |
| D．the writer of Mr Standfast |
Joy Lee should return the book Imagine before .
| A．22ndJan | B．24thJan |
| C．26thJan | D．3rdFeb |
From this note we DON’T know that .
| A．Jane Johnes works in the library |
| B．Joy Lee may not borrow any new books now |
| C．Joy Lee has lent these four books to other students |
| D．Jane Johnes asks the note receiver to return the four books on Feb. 4th |
Doctor Seuss was born in 1904. By the middle 1950s, he had become one of the best-loved and most successful children's book writers in the world. His books are very popular with young readers. They enjoy the invented words and the pictures of unusual funny animals and plants.
In 1954, life magazine published(刊登) a report about school children who could not read. The report said many children's books were not interesting. Doctor Seuss strongly hoped to help children and decided to write books that were interesting and easy to read. He used words with the same ending sound, like fish and wish. He did not receive training in art. Yet, he drew the pictures for most of his books.
In 1957, Dr. Seuss wrote The Cat in the Hat. He used less than 230 words to write the book and even a six-year-old should be able to read it. It was a fun story and easy to read. Children loved it. Their parents loved it, too. Today it is still one of the stories they like best. The success of The Cat in the Hat made him want to write more books for children. In 1960, he wrote a book using less than fifty words. The book is called Green Eggs and Ham.
In 1984, Doctor Seuss won a Pulitzer Prize (普利策奖). He was honored for the education and enjoyment his books provided American children and their parents.
He died at the age of 87, but his influence remains. Millions of his books have been sold worldwide. People say his books helped change the way American children learned to read. Yet, his books are loved by people of all ages. Doctor Seuss once said, "I do not write for children. I write for people.
| A．some school children could not read |
| B．many children's books were interesting |
| C．children wanted to learn to read |
| D．a writer for children was wanted |
| A．are cheap and easy to get |
| B．were written in different languages |
| C．are easy and interesting to read |
| D．were written with invented words |
| A．50 | B．53 | C．56 | D．87 |
| A．Doctor Seuss wrote Green Eggs and Ham with over 230 words. |
| B．Doctor Seuss wrote books only for children in the United States. |
| C．The Cat in the Hat was written only for six-year-old children. |
| D．His books provided education and enjoyment for Americans. |
| A．won a Pulitzer Prize soon after his death |
| B．sold millions of his books himself worldwide |
| C．changed American children's way of reading |
| D．wrote the largest number of books in the world |
| A．June 8, 2005 | B．June 22, 2005 |
| C．June 22, 2013 | D．June 8, 2013 |
| A．Canada | B．America |
| C．England | D．Australia |
| A．at 10:30 am on Monday | B．at 10:00 pm on Thursday |
| C．at 3:30 pm on Saturday | D．at 10:00 pm on Tuesday |
| A．320 | B．640 | C．800 | D．120 |
| A．You’d better wear your sun hat to enjoy wonderful sunshine. |
| B．The boats will take you to different places for swimming. |
| C．Mr. Smith and his child need to pay $ 160 for the tour. |
| D．You can take a holiday there on July 18. |
Once there was a piano player in a bar(酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
"I don't sing," said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, "I'm tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!
The waiter shouted across the room, "Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!'
So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent(天赋) he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.
| A．she had paid him for this | B．she knew him very well |
| C．she wanted to have a change | D．she enjoyed his singing |
| A．the lady helped him a lot |
| B．he caught the chance |
| C．he continued to play in the bar |
| D．he stopped playing the piano |
| A．fail to realize | B．forget to use |
| C．try to develop | D．manage to show |
| A．hide it and wait |
| B．ask others for help |
| C．pay no attention to it |
| D．work hard to improve yourself |
| A．Sing in the Bar | B．Achieve Success in Life |
| C．Never Lose Heart | D．Find Your Hidden Talent |