To prevent the deserts coming near, China has planted billions of trees---to replace destroyed forests and as barriers against the sand. This isn’t a cure, though, say experts, as thirsty trees can make the problem worse by taking in groundwater.
“Planting tress is one way, but it isn’t that simple. It doesn’t solve the basic issue of water resources,” says Wu Bo, a professor. “We need to calculate how much water the trees will absorb, or else it could have a negative effect.”
Villagers in Zhengxin have taken on this challenge, with limited success. When the irrigation channels began to run dry, Lu Xianglin switched from wheat to cotton on his land. He also planted trees to protect his fields from sandstorms. He says he still gets good yields（产量） using flood irrigation and earns a good income for his family.
Other farmers haven’t stuck it out（坚持到底）: about one in three have left Zhengxin in the past 10 years after their wheat crops died. Young people who can find jobs in the towns rarely return.
Last week, Mr Lu joined the other men in his village on a government-arranged trip to see the land that has been set aside for their relocation, nearly 40 miles to the south. The next day, he was back, shaking his head at the plan. The idea of uprooting his family troubles him, as does the idea of giving up the land that fed his forefathers. He prefers to stay and keep up the fight.
“With enough water, this problem can be solved,” Lu says. “We can plant trees and grass, and they will grow bigger. That will stop the desert.”
Experts say that farmers could switch to drip irrigation （滴灌）to lessen their water intake for growing crops. Elsewhere in the region, farmers have built brick greenhouses as part of a plan to grow vegetables using less water. Roadside signs urge farmers to “Save Water, Protect the Environment”. The negative effect of planting trees in deserts is that __________.
| A．it can make groundwater become less |
| B．it can prevent the sand moving freely |
| C．it can stop crops growing well |
| D．it can get the soil to become poor |
Why did Mr. Lu NOT accept the idea of relocation?
| A．Because the plan of relocation will cost him much money. |
| B．Because his family had trouble moving away. |
| C．Because he was reluctant to give up his land. |
| D．Because he would rather stay than fight against the deserts. |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．The deserts drive more and more people to leave their homes for their lives. |
| B．People have no means to fight against the land becoming desert. |
| C．Water is the biggest barrier for people to stop the desert. |
| D．Planting trees cannot solve the problem of desertification of farmland. |
What advice is given by experts to save water?
| A．To plant more trees. |
| B．To build greenhouses. |
| C．To change crops. |
| D．To use drip irrigation. |
Drunken driving –sometimes called America’s socially accepted form of murder—has become a national epidemic (流行病). Every hour of every day about three Americans on average are killed by drunken drivers, adding up to an incredible 250,000 over the past ten years. A drunken driver is usually referred to as one with 0.10-blood alcohol content or roughly three beer glasses of wine or shots of whisky drunk within two hours. Heavy drinking used to be an acceptable part of the American manly image and judges were lenient in most courts, but the drunken killing has recently caused so many well-publicized tragedies, especially concerning young children, that public opinion is no longer so tolerant.
Twenty states have raised the legal drinking age to 21, reversing a trend in the 1960s to reduce it to 18. After New Jersey lowered it to 18, the number of people killed by 18-20 years old drivers more than doubled, so the state recently upped it back to 21.
Reformers, however, fear raising the drinking age will have little effect unless accompanied by educational programs to help young people to develop “responsible attitudes” about drinking and teach them to resist peer pressure to drink.
Though new laws have led to increased arrests and tests in many areas already, to a marked drop in accidents, some states are also punishing bars for serving customers too many drinks. A bar in Massachusetts was fined for serving six or more double brandies to a customer who was “obviously drunk” and later drove off the road, killing a 9-year-old boy.
As the accidents continue to occur daily in every state, some Americans are even beginning to speak well of the 13 years national prohibition of alcohol that began in 1919, which President Hoover called the “noble experiment”. They forgot that legal prohibition didn’t stop drinking, but encouraged political corruption and organized crime. As with the booming drug trade generally, there is no easy solution. From paragraph one, we can know that ____________.
| A．most Americans like drinking |
| B．heavy drinking is hard to avoid |
| C．many Americans are killed by drunk drivers |
| D．Americans are not shocked by traffic accidents |
What can be inferred from the fact of the traffic accidents in New Jersey?
| A．The legal drinking age should be raised. |
| B．Young drivers were usually bad. |
| C．Most drivers hoped to raise the legal drinking age. |
| D．Drivers should not be allowed to drink. |
The underlined word “lenient” in the first paragraph means “_________”.
| A．serious | B．cruel | C．merciful | D．determined |
In America, public opinion about drunken driving has changed because __________.
| A．judges are no longer lenient |
| B．new laws are introduced in some states |
| C．the problem has attracted public attention |
| D．drivers do not appreciate their manly image |
Which of the following best shows the writer’s opinion of drunken driving?
| A．It may lead to organized crime. |
| B．It is difficult to solve this problem. |
| C．The new laws can stop heavy drinking. |
| D．There should be no bars to serve drinks. |
It was not yet eleven o’clock when a boat crossed the river with a single passenger who had obtained his transportation at that unusual hour by promising an extra fare.
While the youth stood on the landing-place searching in his pockets for money, the ferryman lifted a lantern, by the aid of which, together with the newly risen moon, he took a very accurate survey of the stranger’s figure. He was a young man of barely eighteen years, evidently country bred（长大的）, and now, as it seemed, on his first visit to town. He was wearing a rough gray coat, which was in good shape, but which had seen many winters before this one. The garments under his coat were well constructed of leather, and fitted tightly to a pair of muscular legs; his stockings of blue yarn must have been the work of a mother or sister, and on his head was a three-cornered hat, which in its better days had sheltered the grayer head of the lad’s father. In his left hand was a walking stick, and his equipment was completed by a leather bag not so abundantly stocked as to inconvenience the strong shoulders on which it hung. Brown, curly hair, well-shaped-features, bright, cheerful eyes were nature’s gifts, and worth all that art could have done for his adornment(装饰).
The youth, whose name was Robin, paid the boatman, and then walked forward into the town with a light step, as if he had not already traveled more than thirty miles that day. As he walked, he surveyed his surroundings as eagerly as if he were entering London or Madrid, instead of the little metropolis（都市）of a New England colony.What time of the year was it in this story?
| A．Winter. | B．Fall. | C．Summer. | D．Spring. |
The boatman was willing to take Robin across the river because ________.
| A．he was going to row across the river anyway |
| B．he saw that Robin was young and rich |
| C．he would give extra money |
| D．he felt sorry for him because Robin looked poor |
The stockings that Robin wore were obviously _________.
| A．well worn | B．very expensive | C．handmade | D．much too big |
From the text we can learn that Robin had traveled __________.
| A．from London | B．from Madrid |
| C．from a nearby city | D．over thirty miles |
At what time of day did Robin cross the river?
| A．Night. | B．Late afternoon | C．Midday. | D．Morning. |
Every pet owner loves his pet. There is no argument here.
But when we asked our readers whether they would clone their beloved animals, the responses were split almost down the middle. Of the 228 readers who answered it, 108 would clone, 111 would not and nine weighed each side without offering an opinion.
Clearly, from readers’ response, this is an issue that reaches deeply into both the joy and eventual sadness of owning a pet. It speaks, as well, to people’s widely differing expectations over the developing scientific procedure.
Most of the respondents who favored the idea strongly believed it would produce at least a close copy of the original; many felt the process would actually return an exact copy. Those on the other side, however, held little hope a clone could never truly recreate a pet, many simply didn’t wish to go against the natural law of life and death.
Both sides expressed equal love for their animals. More than a few respondents owned “the best dog/cat in the world”. They thought of their pets as their “best friend”, “a member of the family,” “the light of my life.” They told moving stories of pets’ heroism, intelligence and selfless devotion.
Little wonders the loss is so disturbing—and the cloning so attractive. “People become very close to their animals, and the loss can be just as hard to bear as when a friend or family member dies,” says Gary Kowalski, author of Goodbye, Friend: Healing Wisdom for Anyone Who Has Ever Lost a Pet. “For me, cloning feels like an attempt to turn death away…It’s understandable. Death is always painful. It’s difficult to deal with. It’s hard to accept.”
But would cloning reduce the blow? This question seemed to be at the heart of this problem.So far as the cloning of pets is concerned, a recent survey shows that, of all pet owners, __________.
| A．a lot more of them are for it |
| B．a lot more of them are against it |
| C．very few of them are willing to tell their opinions |
| D．about half of them are for it and the other half against it |
While talking about the respondents from the readers, the expression “eventual sadness of owning a pet” refers to _________.
| A．the death of one’s pet |
| B．the high cost of owning a pet |
| C．the troubles one has to deal with in keeping a pet |
| D．the dangers involved in the cloning of a pet |
In spite of their differences on the problem of cloning, it seems that ________.
| A．all pet owners try to go against the natural law of life and death |
| B．all pet owners love their pets very much |
| C．people who support cloning love their pets more |
| D．people who dislike cloning love their pets more |
From what Gary Kowalski says, we can know that he _________.
A．has never thought about the problem of cloning |
| B．is going to write another book on pets |
| C．is in favor of the idea of cloning pets |
| D．is all against the cloning of pets |
What is the key question at the heart of the problem of cloning pets?
| A．Can pet owners afford the cost of cloning? |
| B．Can cloning make the pain one suffers less when a pet dies? |
| C．Does cloning go against the law of nature? |
| D．How reliably does cloning produce an exact copy of one’s pet? |
Happy birthday! Do birthday really make people happy? Of course they do. Birthday celebrate the day when we were born. Besides, that extra candle on the cake suggest another year of growth and maturity—or so we hope. We all like to imagine that we are getting wiser and not just older. Most of us enjoy seeing the wonder of growth in others, as well. For instance, seeing our children develop and learn new things makes us feel proud. For Americans, like people in most cultures, growing up is a wonderful process. But growing old? That is a different story.
Growing old is not exactly for people in youth-oriented(以年轻人为中心) American culture. Most Americans like to look young, act young and feel young. As the old saying goes, “You’re young as you feel.” Older people joke about how many years young they are, rather than how many years old. People in some countries value the aged as a source of experience and wisdom. But Americans seem to favor those that are young, or at least “young at heart”.
Many older Americans find the “golden years” to be anything but golden. Economically, “senior citizens” often struggle just to get by. Retirement at the age of 65 brings a sharp decrease in personal income. Social security benefits usually cannot make up the difference. Older people may suffer from poor nutrition, medical care, and housing. Some even experience age discrimination. American sociologist Pat Moore once dressed up like an older person and wandered city streets. She was often treated rudely—even cheated and robbed. However, dressed as a young person, she received much more respect.
Unfortunately, the elderly population in America is increasing fast. Why? People are living longer. Fewer babies are being born. And middle-aged “baby boomers” are rapidly entering the group of the elderly. America may soon be a place where wrinkles(皱纹) are “in”. Marketing experts are ready noticing this growing group of consumer. Growing up is a wonderful thing because ____________.
| A．people can celebrate their birthday | B．people can receive many presents |
| C．people can become more mature and wiser | D．people will feel younger at heart |
We can infer from the second paragraph that __________.
| A．different countries have different opinions on the old age |
| B．American older people often joke about their old age |
| C．American culture is very young |
| D．young people lack experience and wisdom |
What does the third paragraph mainly tell us?
| A．The golden years can make the old earn lots of money. |
| B．American social security benefits are not good. |
| C．The old in America are leading a hard life. |
| D．The old in America have to retire at the age of 65. |
What does the underlined word “in” in the last paragraph mean?
| A．serious | B．disappearing slowly | C．cool | D．growing fast |
According to the text, which of the following is correct?
| A．The young are often discriminated in America. |
| B．The young are more respected than the old in America. |
C．Growing old makes people fee l proud in America. |
| D．The old are more respected than the young in America. |
阅读下面一篇短文，根据所读内容在文后表格中的空白处填入恰当的单词。注意：每一个空只填一个单词。
Diversity means the differences between things or people; the variety makes us unique.
People have a great deal of diversity. Even though our basic body structure is the same (head, eyes, heart, arms, legs, feet, etc.), our physical characteristics are different. For instance, the color of our skin, hair, and eyes are different. Also, our height and shape provide some diversity too. Even our fingerprints are unique and different.
People have to develop their own thoughts ,opinions, feelings, and ideas about different topics and beliefs.We are influenced by different people, places, and experiences in our lives which may influence us when we have to make a decision. A person has to keep open-minded when developing an opinion. Gathering information is also crucial（决定性的） to make a decision. The more you know about a topic, the easier it will be to make a good decision. As people grow up, they may even change their previous opinions and have new ideas.
Every person has unique talents, characteristics, and challenges to share with the world. Some people are good at reading and writing. Other people are talented at art and music. Some people are good at working with numbers or science. Others are talented by sharing their creativity. Some people have challenges to work with like being deaf, blind, or learning differently than others. It is important to remember that no matter what a person is good at or struggles with, we are all special in our own way.
When we are used to other people’s differences, we are showing respect. And we can find that we belong to the world and can give any thing a reason throughout the world. We can learn about a variety of cultures, places , and different ways to look at the world.
Title: The _______ in the world
| Definition |
Diversity means the differences between things or people |
|
Types of diversity |
The physical diversity |
Our |
The |
We have our own different viewpoints and |
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| We make different decisions when we are facing the same situation. |
||
| Our opinions |
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| The personal diversity |
We have different |
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| We have different |
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| The benefits from |
We can let other people know that we respect them. |
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| We become |
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| We can |