The Brown Bear
My wife Laura and I were on the beach，with three of our children，taking pictures of shore birds near our home in Alaska when we spotted a bear. The bear was thin and small，moving aimlessly.
Just a few minutes later，I heard my daughter shouting，“Dad！The bear is right behind us！” An aggressive bear will usually rush forward to frighten away its enemy but would suddenly stop at the last minute. This one was silent and its ears pinned back—the sign(迹象) of an animal that is going in for the kill. And it was a cold April day. The bear behaved abnormally，probably because of hunger.
I held my camera tripod(三脚架) in both hands to form a barrier as the bear rushed into me. Its huge head was level with my chest and shoulders，and the tripod stuck across its mouth. It bit down and I found myself supporting its weight. I knew I would not be able to hold it for long.
Even so，this was a fight I had to win：I was all that stood between the bear and my family，who would stand little chance of running faster than a brown bear.
The bear hit at the camera，cutting it off the tripod. I raised my left arm to protect my face；the beast held tightly on the tripod and pressed it into my side. My arm could not move，and I sensed that my bones were going to break.
Drawing back my free hand，I struck the bear as hard as I could for five or six times. The bear opened its mouth and I grasped its fur，trying to push it away. I was actually wrestling(扭打) with the bear at this point. Then，as suddenly as it had begun，the fight ended. The bear moved back towards the forest，before returning for another attack—the first time I felt panic.
Apparently satisfied that we caused no further threat，the bear moved off，destroying a fence as it went. My arm was injured，but the outcome for us could hardly have been better. I’m proud that my family remained clearheaded when panic could have led to a very different outcome.
The brown bear approached the family in order to .
| A．catch shore birds |
| B．start an attack |
| C．protect the children |
| D．set up a barrier for itself |
The bear finally went away after it .
| A．felt safe |
| B．got injured |
| C．found some food |
| D．took away the camera |
The writer and his family survived mainly due to their .
| A．pride |
| B．patience |
| C．calmness |
| D．cautiousness |
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experience? Strangely enough, the answer to these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth, and no amount of education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of person’s intelligence are fixed at birth, whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment. This view, now held by most experts, can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to show that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from population, it is likely that their degree of intelligence will be completely different. If, on the other hand, we take two identical twins, they will very probably be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters, parents and children, usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine now that we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all are likely to have similar degree of intelligence. The writer is in favor of the view that man’s intelligence is given to him____________.
| A．at birth |
| B．through education |
| C．neither at birth nor through education |
| D．both at birth and through education |
If a child is born with low intelligence, he can_____________________.
| A．become a genius |
| B．still become a genius if he should be given special education |
| C．reach his intelligence limits in rich surroundings |
| D．not reach his intelligence in his life. |
The example of the twins going to a university and to a factory separately shows_________.
| A．the importance of their intelligence |
| B．the importance of their positions |
| C．the role of environment on intelligence |
| D．the part that birth plays |
Car crashes are the top killer of American teenagers．Most of the crashes result from distracted driving not paying attention to the road．
Ryan Didone was a fifteen-year-old passenger in a car that hit a tree．He was one of the nation's more than thirty thousand victims of traffic crashes in 2008．Nearly four thousand deaths, about twelve percent, involved drivers aged fifteen to twenty．Ryan's father, Thomas Didone, is a police captain in Montgomery County, Maryland．He said, "It was an inexperienced, immature driver who felt that he was invincible(不可战胜的), driving at night with a carload of kids．He was distracted, he was going too fast, and it ended up causing one death and some upsetting experiences and tragedy for the rest of the community."
Jim Jennings from the Allstate Insurance Company said "The number one cause of distracted-driving accidents is the mobile phone．Talking on the phone or reaching for it is like drinking four beers and driving．If you're texting while driving, you are twenty-three times more likely to get into an accident than somebody who isn't．
Reaching for a cell phone when it's going off, you're nine times more likely to get into an accident than normally driving," The insurance industry recently held a safety event near Washington for teen drivers．
At first, nineteen-year-old Kevin Schumann easily avoided large, inflatable dolls thrown in front of the car to represent children．He also avoided orange cones representing the edge of the road．Then, as part of the test, he started texting. He hit several cones and at least one doll．
Debbie Pickford from the Allstate Insurance Company said, "Teens are especially at risk from distracted driving—and not just because they lack experience on the roads．What we know from research on teen brain development, is that teens don't really have fully developed brains until they are twenty-five years old. You put those two things together and you get a much, much higher risk.”According to the passage, _____is the most likely to lead to a traffic accident while you are driving．
| A．texting on the mobile phone | B．reaching for a cell phone． |
| C．talking on the mobile phone | D．bringing along a cell phone |
A safety event held by insurance industry was meant to __.
| A．attract more teenagers to take part in it |
| B．draw enough attention to teenagers' distracted driving |
| C．make more teenagers practice avoiding large barriers |
| D．encourage more teenagers to pay for insurance protection |
The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about ____．
| A．much higher risk | B．teen brain developmen |
| C．experience on the roads | D．measures to be taken t |
Of all the following, which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Car Crashes —the Top Killer. |
| B．Distracted Driving —Let's Avoid! |
| C．Drunken Driving — Dangerous Enough！ |
| D．Tips on Driving While Calling |
The New York Aquarium (水族馆) offers a diverse collection and nice viewing experience for all our guests. Whether you’re observing penguins on their rocky coastline home or swimming underwater, looking at a coral reef (珊瑚礁) under the water, or cheering on California sea lions at the theater, you’ll find plenty to see and do during your visit. Your underwater adventure is waiting for you! This summer, head out to Coney Island to learn about the underwater world at the New York Aquarium.
Just off the Coney Island in Brooklyn, the New York Aquarium features more than 300 marine (海洋的) species, such as dolphins and seals. Meet some of our mammals and fish, and learn about their natural history, biology, and cultural roles.
| Hours |
|
| Summer hours May 28 – Sept. 5 |
10:00 a.m. – 6:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
| Fall hours Sept. 6 – Nov. 6 |
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
| Winter hours Nov. 7 – Mar. 31 |
10:00 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. , Daily |
| Spring hours Apr. 1– May 27 |
10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. , Monday–Friday 10:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. , Weekends & Holidays |
Total Experience Ticket
Adult $18.00
Child (Ages 3-12) $14.00
Senior (65+) $15.00
Groups (at least ten visitors) $8.00
﹡Includes admission to our 4-D Theater Plus General Admission.
﹡Children under 3 years old are free!
﹡To receive the group rate, you must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance of your group’s visit. Please call 718-741-1818.
Friday Afternoon Special
Admission on Fridays beginning at 3:00 p.m. is by donation. Suggested donation is $13 for adults, $9 for children, and $10 for seniors. Every dollar you give supports our work in caring for animals at the aquarium.
Aquarium Parking
Car $13.00
Bus $13.00
Please note:
﹡Due to rising costs, the Wildlife Conservation Society reserves the right to change all fees without notice.
﹡All Aquarium buildings and exhibits are wheelchair-accessible.
﹡For further information, please call 718-265-3454.Which animal can’t visitors probably see at the New York Aquarium?
| A．Penguins. | B．Pandas. | C．Dolphins. | D．Seals. |
Six adults (including a man of 68) and two children (aged 2 and 10) are going to visit the New York Aquarium on Sunday. They will have to pay ______________ at least.
| A．$144 | B．$133 | C．$119 | D．$64 |
The donation is used to ______________.
| A．help the poor people |
| B．help to save the endangered animals in the wild |
| C．help the disabled visitors |
| D．care for animals at the aquarium |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．A visitor in a wheelchair can get around at the New York Aquarium. |
| B．You can visit the New York Aquarium at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas. |
| C．Visitors can enjoy free parking service on Friday. |
| D．To enjoy the group rate, visitors must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance by sending an e-mail. |
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 more wonderful thing in the world.
Years later, during her final illness, mother kept different things for my sister and brother. “But the desk,” she’d said again, “it’s 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 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, 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 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 passage shows that ______.
| A．mother cared much about her daughter in words |
| B．mother was too serious about everything her daughter had done |
| C．mother was cold on the surface but kind in her heart to her daughter |
| D．mother wrote to her daughter in careful words |
The underlined word “gulf” in the fourth paragraph means ______.
| A．different ideas between the mother and the daughter |
| B．deep understanding between the old and the young |
| 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 forgiveness?
| A．She had never received the letter. |
| B．For years, she often talked about the letter. |
| C．She read the letter again and again till she died. |
| D．She didn’t forgive her daughter at all in all her life. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．My letter to Mother | B．Mother and Children |
| C．Talks between Mother and Me | D．My mother’s Desk |
There’s been a lot of talk about white-and-blue collar（衣领） workers, and you may have even heard of gold collar workers, but lately a new color of collar is making its way into China’s urban vernacular(土话)—green. Green collars say no when work is life and life is work. They choose to get out of the fast lane(车道), and explore new ways of living “green”.
Living green doesn’t mean someone is working as an environmentalist, biologist or scientist. Instead it is more of a lifestyle choice. A typical green collar is well educated like a white-collar but physically tough like a blue-collar, likely born in the 70s or 80s of the last century and living in one of China’s big cities, with a monthly income well above 5,000 yuan(about US $700).
The life of a green collar may go something like this: Turn off the mobile phone after work, eat only healthy food rich in vitamins, go on hikes every weekend, and like to help the underprivileged.
Green collars even have their own club. In Beijing, the Green Collar Club is for people who share a “be happy, healthy and helpful” spirit. The club often holds charity parties and uses the donations for environmental protection and poverty relief projects in China.
“They are successful in their careers, but do not miss the pleasures in life. They have a lot of money, but do not fall slave to it.” said Zuo Shiguang, one of the founding members of the club.What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Differences between white-and-blue collars and green collars. |
| B．The increasing awareness(意识) of environmental protection. |
| C．New trends of life in China’s big cities. |
| D．The lifestyle of green collars. |
Green collars are living green because _________.
| A．they have a large income to use |
| B．they refuse to live an unhealthy life |
| C．they spend a lot of money and time in the open air |
| D．they devote themselves to environmental protection |
What’s Zuo Shiguang’s attitude towards green collars?
| A．Appreciative. | B．Doubtful. | C．Negative(否定的). | D．Neutral(中立的). |
The underlined part “the underprivileged” probably refers to those who are_________.
| A．in heavy polluted areas | B．in faraway places |
| C．in a poor state of education | D．in unfavourable(不利的) conditions |