I love charity shops and so do lots of other people in Britain because you find quite a few of them on every high street. The charity shop is a British institution, selling everything from clothes to electric goods, all at very good prices. You can get things you won't find in the shops anymore. The thing I like best about them is that your money is going to a good cause and not into the pockets of profit-driven companies, and you are not damaging the planet, but finding a new home for unwanted goods.
The first charity shop was opened in 1947 by Oxfam. The famous charity's appeal to aid postwar Greece had been so successful that it had been flooded with donations. They decided to set up a shop to sell some of these donations to raise money for that appeal. Now there are over 7,000 charity shops in the UK. My favorite charity shop in my hometown is the Red Cross shop, where I always find children's books, all 10 or 20 pence each.
Most of the people working in the charity shops are volunteers, although there is often a manager who gets paid. Over 90% of the goods in the charity shops are donated by the public. Every morning you see bags of unwanted items outside the front of shops, although they don't encourage this, rather ask people to bring things in when the shop is open.
The shops have very low running costs, and all profits go to charity work. Charity shops raise more than ￡110 million a year, funding medical research, overseas aid, supporting sick and poor children, homeless and disabled people, and much more. What better places to spend your money? You get something special for a very good price and a good moral sense. You provide funds to a good cause and step lightly on the environment.The author loves the charity shop mainly because of ______.
| A．its convenient location |
| B．its great variety of goods |
| C．its spirit of goodwill |
| D．its nice shopping environment |
The first charity shop in the UK was set up to ______ .
| A．sell cheap products |
| B．deal with unwanted things |
| C．raise money for patients |
| D．help a foreign country |
Which of the following is TRUE about charity shops?
| A．The operating costs are very low. |
| B．The staff are usually well paid. |
| C．90% of the donations are second-hand. |
| D．They are open twenty-four hours a day. |
The blue tits(山雀) have been inspecting the nest-box again this year. The male is the house-hunter but the female will make the final choice. He lands at the hole and turns his head to expose his white cheeks as a signal to attract the female from where she has been feeding.
Among many birds that nest in holes, the male has a light-coloured patch on its plumage(鸟羽) which acts as signal for drawing the female’s attention to a suitable nesting-place. Unlike the blue tit, the redstart(红尾鸲) may be only the male that strikingly coloured and the female is not beautiful.
A few years ago I was lucky enough to spot a pair of redstarts in action in a Walsh wood. The male was leading an interested female to holes that he had previously(先前) checked out. He sat at the entrance of each hole and put his head on to show off his white forehead, or his head in to reveal(显露) his tail.
If the female failed to react to his visual signals, the male sometimes sang for extra effect, while gliding towards her on spread wings and tail. Once the female accepts by following the male through the hole the displays stop, you must be at the right place at the right time to watch them. How do the blue tits choose their nest?
| A．They choose their nest together. |
| B．The male chooses their nest. |
| C．The house-hunter chooses their nest. |
| D．The female chooses their nest. |
The writer was lucky to see ________.
| A．how the male made his tricks |
| B．how an interested female played with the male happily |
| C．what the male displayed and won the female |
| D．that the male tried his best but failed to attract the female |
You can spot a pair of redstarts in a Walsh wood ________.
| A．at any time | B．regularly | C．in April | D．occasionally |
The writer is probably ________.
| A．a bird expert | B．a bird-hunter |
| C．a bird raiser | D．a scientist |
Millions of years ago dinosaurs lived on the earth. In the days of dinosaurs, the whole earth was warm and wet. There were green forests and they could find enough to eat. Later, parts of the earth became cold and dry, and the forests there died. Then dinosaurs could not find enough to eat. This must be one reason why dinosaurs died out.
We can guess another reason. New kinds of animals came on the earth. Some had big brains and strong .They could kill dinosaurs.
There may be other reasons that we don’t know about yet. Scientists are are trying to make more discoveries about dinosaurs.
Dinosaurs were of many sizes and shapes. Some were as small as chickens, while some were about 90 feet long.
There were also terrible rights between dinosaurs. They night have happened more than 100 million years ago. Though there was no man to see any of the fights, we can be told by the animal’s footprints(足迹)that fights did take place .According to the passage, dinosaurs did exist only on the earth _______.
| A．for millions of year | B．millions of years ago |
| C．more than 100 million years ago | D．when it was warm and wet somewhere |
One reason why dinosaurs died out is that __________.
| A．there were too many dinosaurs |
| B．parts of the earth became cold and dry |
| C．the dead forests there could not supply them with enough food |
| D．they couldn’t find enough go eat |
One more reason why dinosaurs died out may be that _______.
| A．new kinds of animals came on the earth |
| B．some fast and strong animals with big brains could kill them |
| C．some dinosaurs were as small as chickens |
| D．some big dinosaurs died in the fights |
We can see from this passage ________.
| A．scientists are trying to make some dinosaurs |
| B．dinosaurs are dangerous enough |
| C．dinosaurs are worth studying |
| D．scientists know nothing about dinosaurs |
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200years ago. He studied the observations of comets which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton. Who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse.
Now Halley set to work. He figured out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientist. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607 and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested.
In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.Halley made his discovery ______.
| A．by doing experiments | B．by means of his own careful observation |
| C．by using the work of other scientists | D．by chance |
Halley made a surprising but correct prediction in the year ________.
| A．1704 | B．1705 | C．1706 | D．1707 |
This text in general is about _______.
| A．Halley and other scientists | B．the orbit of a comet |
| C．Newton and Halley | D．Halley and Halley |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．Edmund Halley was an American scientist. |
| B．Halley made his discovery by doing experiments. |
| C．Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician. |
| D．The orbit of a comet had the shape of an around. |
From the jagged (锯齿状的) peaks of the Himalayas to the powerful Yangtze River that flows into the Pacific, China’s vast terrain (地带) and varied climate make it the sixth most biologically diverse nation on the planet.
Since 1998, The Nature Conservancy has been working in China’s northwest Yunnan Province to protect some of the amazing natural and cultural diversity unique to this country for its future generations. In cooperation with Chinese local and state government agencies, the Conservancy established the Yunnan Great Rivers Project, which protects an area about the size of West Virginia.
Did you know?
●China contains 10% of the world’s total species.
●At least 15% of China’s mammal species and 8% of its bird species are found nowhere else on Earth.
●Nearly 15,000 plant species are native to Yunnan Province.
●Yunnan is home to 75% of Tibetan medicinal herbs and 30 endangered species.
What is the Nature Conservancy trying to do?
Education for Sustainability (可持续性)
The Nature Conservancy recognizes that environmental education is an important element of working closely with local communities to achieve sustainable conservation results. In response, the Conservancy launched a new program called Education for Sustainability which tests means of teaching and learning that combine conservation goals, social justice, and appropriate development and participation in a vision and mission for personal and social change.
Promoting Green Tourism
Tourism is both an environmental threat and an economic opportunity, with the potential to provide extremely needed income to northwest Yunnan. The Conservancy is working with local communities, government agencies, and tourism ,enterprises(企业) to develop strategies for “green” tourism which will limit the footprint of mass tourism while generating income for local people. In addition to combining tourism development and management at our five action sites, we assisted with regional marketing efforts to promote eco-tourism opportunities.China ranks _______ among the most biologically diverse nations on the planet.
| A．tenth | B．sixth | C．fifteenth | D．eighth |
Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
| A．The Nature Conservancy has been working in China’s |
| B．The Nature Conservancy cooperated agencies in the Yunnan Great Rivers Project. |
| C．Nearly 10% of the world’s plant species are native to Yunnan Province. |
| D．For the moment the Nature Conservancy is devoting itself to education for sustainability as well as eco-tourism. |
To develop strategies for eco-tourism, the Nature Conservancy is working with the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．West Virginia | B．local communities |
| C．government agencies | D．tourism enterprises |
Which of the following best shows the author’s attitude towards tourism?
| A．We should greatly promote tourism as it has no disadvantages. |
| B．Tourism is extremely helpful to people in Yunnan. |
| C．Tourism does no good to our environment. |
| D．Tourism is an opportunity for the economy as well as threat to the environment. |
Have you ever heard the saying “All roads lead to Rome”? At one time, this was pretty much true. During the Roman Empire, lots of roads were built in order to move armies, send messages by courier (信使), and make trade easier. This construction work went on for five centuries! If all the roads built during the Roman Empire were put together end to end, they would circle the equator twice.
The network of Roman roads was begun in 312 BC. It was demanded that the roads be built strong so that they would not fall down. Roman soldiers, supervised (监督) by engineers, laid down the roads in a special pattern of layers. The first layer was made of sand. Next, the builders added rocks and rubble. On top of these materials came gravel. On this solid foundation, the road builders placed paving stones.
Also, Roman roads were cambered. This means that they were built higher in the middle than on the edges, allowing rainwater to run off, which prevented flooding. We use the same technique in building roads today. The Romans also laid out roads over hills when necessary, setting them down in a zigzag pattern to make the road rise gradually.
All Roman roads had milestones (里程碑), placed every thousands paces (a Roman mile). The milestones told when the road was built, who was emperor at the time, the road’s destination, how far the traveler was from the destination, and how many miles had been traveled since the beginning of the road. This information was a great help to travelers.
Because of their excellence in construction, it really is no surprise that many parts of Roman road still exist today. These roadways are one of the most impressive accomplishments of the Roman Empire.What does the underlined sentence in the first paragraph mean?
| A．The Roman Empire was very powerful. |
| B．Lots of roads were built during the Roman Empire. |
| C．The roads built during the Roman Empire were very long. |
| D．The roads built during the Roman Empire were very convenient. |
Which of the following correctly shows the structure of the Roman roads?
| A．Paving stones Gravel Rocks & rubble Sand |
| B．Gravel Rocks & rubble Sand |
| C．Sand Rocks & rubble Gravel Paving stones |
| D．Sand |
Rocks & rubble
GravelWhat information can you find on the milestones?
| A．The builders of the road. |
| B．The materials used in building roads. |
| C．The distance from one city. |
| D．The time spent in building roads. |
The passage mainly ______.
| A．explains the saying “All roads lead to Rome” |
| B．praises ancient Romans for their great achievements |
| C．shows how great the Roman Empire was |
| D．introduces the construction of the Roman roads |