A growing number of American homes are keeping African pygmy hedgehogs(刺猬) as pets. Hers are some questions and answers about the small animals whose backs and sides are covered with about 6,000 quills. Their quills are short, but hard and sharp.
Where do they come from?
The breed is a hybrid (杂种) of the four-toed hedgehog or African white-bellied hedgehog and the Algerian hedgehog. Its natural habitat is central, eastern and southern Africa. It now breaks the law to bring them into the United States.
An adult African pygmy hedgehog is 6 to 11 inches long and weighs 1 to 2 pounds. A relaxed one is generally oval (椭圆的) , with a very short tail and short limbs that keep the body close to the ground . When threatened or frightened, it rolls into a ball and forces its quills out in all directions. Female hedgehogs are a bit larger than the male ones. The face and the underside are covered with soft and white fur.
What do they eat?
In the wild, the hedgehog feeds mainly on insects. It also eats earthworms, snails and slugs, as well as small snakes and frogs. Pet owners feed cat food to hedgehogs that are kept at home by them.
How many babies can a mother hedgehog give birth to one time?
After hedgehogs get pregnant, it just takes about 35 days for them to give birth. Hedgehogs are born in babies of 2 to 10, each having white quills that do not injure the mother during birth. The US Department of Agriculture requires anyone breeding at least three hedgehogs to get a license.
Paragraph 1 shows that keeping African pygmy hedgehogs as pets__ __.
| A．is very exciting but dangerous for pet owners |
| B．is becoming more and more popular in the US |
| C．is causing more and more troubles for pet owners |
| D．is the most popular with people in the United States |
What do we know about African pygmy hedgehogs?
| A．They usually live in eastern and northern Africa. |
| B．They like rolling away when threatened or frightened. |
| C．They are usually 6 inches long when they are born. |
| D．They are a new breed by two kinds of hedge-hogs. |
Which of the following can be used as the second subtitle?
| A．What do they look like? |
| B．How much do they weigh? |
| C．How long are their bodies? |
| D．How do they protect themselves? |
When African pygmy hedgehogs are born, they probably__ __.
| A．often influence their mother’s life |
| B．have very soft white quills |
| C．can look for insects within days |
| D．often become food of small snakes |
Kevin DuBmw，the lead singer of the popular 1980s US heavy metal band Quiet Riot，has been found dead from unknown causes at his home in Los Vegas．
The body of DuBrow was discovered on Sunday afternoon，a spokeswoman for the Clark County Coroner’s Office said．An examination of his body conducted on Monday didn’t lead to a result and more related tests were scheduled to establish a cause of his death．Police proved that DuBrow’S body was found at his home after they were called together by friends and neighbors who could not find the rocker．
A Las Vegas police spokeswoman refused to say whether there were signs of violence． “I can’t even find the words to say，”Quiet Riot drummer Frankie Banali said on his Web site. “Please respect my privacy as I mourn the passing and honor the memory of my dearest friend，Kevin DuBrow.”
Founded in Los Angeles in the mid-1970s，Quiet Riot shot to the top of the Billboard charts with their 1983 album “Metal Health”．It sold more than 6 million copies and is considered by many to be the first heavy metal record to top the pop charts．The album’s sales were improved by the quartet’s monster hit “Cum Oil Feel the Noize,” featuring DuBrow’s powerhouse vocals , and the song’s video．which was played in heavy rotation on MTV．
Quiet Riot’s following albums did not sell nearly as well and DuBrow was fired from the band among the following feeling of hatred．DuBrow regrouped Quiet Riot in the 1990s and the band has played occasionally，last releasing an album in October 2006． DuBrow’s body was found _________
| A．on the date of his death | B．on Sunday morning |
| C．by his relatives | D．at his home |
Frankie Banali’s words suggest ________ ．
| A．he Was amazed at DuBrow’s death | B．he wasn’t good at expressing himself |
| C．he felt very sad at the moment | D．he was recalling what had happened |
What can we learn from the passage ?
A．Quiet Riot became popular in 1970s． B．”Metal Health”was well received in 1983．
C．Quiet Riot’s conditions became worse because of DuBrow．
D．Quiet Riot has been performing in the USA． What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Quiet Riot’s Lead Singer Was Found Dead in Las Vegas． |
| B．DuBrow’s Death Shocked the Public． |
| C．Quiet Riot—a Famous Band． |
| D．Police Looked for DuBrow’s Death． |
Country singer and songwriter Adrienne Young brings together music and agricultural activities．She even included seeds in the album cover of her first CD．
Adrienne Young wants people to know that she supports the movement in America to increase local farming．She offers information about agricultural issues on her Web site．And now part of the moneyfrom her third and newest release, “Room to Grow”，will be donated to help support community gardens．
Adrienne Young’s family has lived in Florida for seven generations．Her ancestors helped develop the agriculture industry there．The state of Florida is the nation’s second largest producer of fruits and vegetables, 'after California．
Adrienne Young has said that her interest in nature was shaped by the fact that she did not grow up on a farm．She grew up in a house her grandfather build on what had been farmland two generations ago．But the land was developed and was now part of a highway．
Adrienne Young has teamed up with two organizations that support local farming and gardening efforts．One is the American Community Gardening Association．The other is FoodRoutes，a group she has represented for several years．
FoodRoutes says buying locally grown food is not only about taste and freshness．The group says buying locally also helps to strengthen local economies and protect the environment．Exports say food in the United States travels all average of more than three thousand kilometers from farm to store．The aim to write the passage is to _________ ．
| A．tell us a singer aims to grow interest in local farming |
| B．show Adrienne Young promotes her third CD album |
| C．praise Adrienne Young for her contributions to agriculture |
| D．call on singers to learn from Adrienne Young |
Adrienne Young supports to increase local farming in _______ ways．
| A．two | B．three | C．four | D．five |
It can be learned from the passage that ________ ．
| A．Adrienne Young’s parents used to be farmers |
| B．Adrienne Young grew up on a farm |
| C．Florida is good for farming |
| D．no old houses existing on the farm belongs to Adrienne Young |
Buying locally grown food has many advantages EXCEPT _________ ．
| A．it is fresh | B．it’s tasty |
| C．it’s environmental protection | D．it raises local production |
It’s not polite to arrive at a dinner party more than 15 to 20 minutes late. The host or hostess usually waits for all the guests to arrive before serving the meal. If someone is late, the food may be spooked , and so might the host of hostess’s spirit. If you will have to be late, call and tell them to start without you.
It’s even worse to be early !the host or hostess will probably not be ready. If you are early, drive or walk around the block a few minutes, or just sit in your car until the right time.
Though it’s often important to arrive at a party on time, yet on the other hand, for open houses, he host or hostess invites guests to arrive and leave between certain times, so you can arrive at any time within the times he or she gives you.
It’s nice to bring an empty stomach, but it’s even nicer to bring a small present. The present should not cost a lot, or you might embarrass the host or hostess. Flowers, wine, or a box of candy will do fine. Never bring more as a present.
In an introduction, the order of a name is (1)the given name, (2)the family name. In other words, the given name comes first. It’s important not only to learn and remember names, but to repeat them often in conversation. After the introduction, we usually call friends by their given names. Older people may want you to call them by their titles and family names, such as “Mr.Jones”, “Mr.Smith”,”Ms.Johson”,or “Dr.Brown”.
A maiden name is a woman’s family name at birth. In the United States and Canada, after a woman marries, she takes the family name of her husband in place of her maiden name. It is now becoming common, however, for women to keep their maiden names after they get married.If someone is late for a dinner party, _______
| A．the guest will have to go hungry |
| B．the host and the hostess will be in low spirits |
| C．the host and the hostess will be very angry |
| D．he guests will be angry |
If you find you will have to be late for a finer party, you should _____
| A．send someone to tell the host or hostess not to wait for you |
| B．call and tell the host or the hostess not to wait for you |
| C．call and tell the host or the hostess to wait for you |
| D．send someone to tell the host or hostess to wait for you |
It can be guessed from the text that an open house is______
| A．a house which is open day and night |
| B．a party which is open to anybody |
| C．a party at which guests can come and go between certain times |
| D．a party which is open at night |
It’s nice to bring a _______ present.
| A．cheap |
| B．small |
| C．good |
| D．big |
Some older people usually want to be called by _____
| A．their given names |
| B．their titles and their family names |
| C．their family names |
| D．surnames |
How much rain has fallen on the earth in the past? Man has not always kept weather records. Because scientists need a way to learn about past rainfall, they study the tree rings.
A tree’s trunk (树干) keeps growing year by year. Under its bark (树皮), a tree adds a layer of new wood each year it lives. If you look at a tree stump, you can see the layers. They are called annual ring (年轮).
On some trees, all of the rings are of the same width. But the ponderosa(美国黄松) that grows in the American southwest have rings in different withes. The soil in he southwest is dry. The pines depend on rainfall for water. In a year of good rainfall, they form wide rings. In a dry year, they form narrow ones.
Scientists do not have to cut down a pine to study its rings. With a special tool, they remove a narrow piece of wood from the trunk without harming the tree. Then they look at the width of each ring to see how much rain fell in the year it formed.
Some pines are hundreds of years old and have hundreds of rings. These rings are from an annual record o0f past rainfall in the southwest.We could infer from the passage that ______.
| A．a tree grows faster when it has a lot of water |
| B．scientists cut down trees to study tree rings |
| C．pine trees form rings of he same width every year |
| D．the ponderosa grows in he southeast |
A tree grows a new layer of wood _____.
| A．each week | B．whenever it rains | C．every year | D．every season |
On the whole, the passage is about _____.
| A．why the tree trunks grow bigger |
| B．why scientists study tree rings |
| C．trees that lived hundreds of years ago |
| D．the ponderosa in the US |
The scientists _____ to know how much rain fell in a certain area in the past.
| A．climbed up the tree | B．moved the pine tree |
| C．removed a piece of wood | D．studied the width of the tree rings |
Which of he following is true according to the passage?
| A．Young trees have fewer annual rings than old one. |
| B．The trunk of a tree never changes in size. |
| C．Trees in the southwest do not need rain. |
| D．Soil in the southwest is fit for the growth of trees. |
This dictionary tells you about English words and how to use them in reading, writing and speaking English. It not only gives the meaning of words, it can also help you with spelling, word building, grammar and pronunciation.
To use your dictionary correctly, you will find two spellings for this word. “Colour” is used in British English, while “color” is used in American English. When there are differences between British and American spelling, the dictionary shows it with the word “BrE” for British English and “AmE” for American English.
The dictionary also helps you pronounce words correctly. If you turn to the inside back face, you will see all the phonetic letters (音标 ) with some words to show you how they are pronounced. Just look at the inside back cover when you're not sure how to say a word.
The most important reason for using a dictionary is to find out the meaning of a word — its definition.
In this dictionary, the definitions have been written using only 2, 000 words. This means that the definitions of even the most difficult words are simple and easy to understand.________ of the words in the dictionary have two spellings.
| A．All | B．Some | C．Few | D．One |
What is the main reason for us to use a dictionary？
| A．To read the word correctly. |
| B．To write the word out. |
| C．To know the meaning of the word. |
| D．To find the difference between British English and American English. |
The phonetic letters helps you ________ each word correctly.
| A．say | B．write | C．understand | D．know |
The Chinese meaning of “definition” here is________.
| A．词性 | B．词条 | C．词义 | D．词库 |
How many words are there in this dictionary?
| A．Two thousand. | B．One thousand. | C．One hundred. | D．We don't know. |