Great white sharks! Just hearing that name makes many people’s hair stand on end. In reality, these big fish have more to fear from us than we do from them. For many years, people killed countless great white sharks in the waters around the United States.
But thanks to conservation (保护) efforts, great whites are making a comeback in the U.S. Two recent studies show that the population of these sharks is rising along the east and west coast.
Why is the growing population of a killer fish something to celebrate? “When you fish too many of them, you start to lose balance in the environment,” says shark researcher Tobey Curtis. As the biggest killer, sharks help keep the populations of fish, seals, and other creatures they eat from growing too large.
In spite of their importance, great white sharks had long been hunted for their meat and their fins (鳍). Then, in 1997, the U.S. government passed a law that didn’t allow the hunting of great whites. Afterwards, the numbers of these sharks in the U.S. waters started to increase.
The law wasn’t the only thing that has helped great whites. Conservationists have also played a part in the sharks’ comeback. The research group OCEARCH is using a method called tagging (加标签) to help change people’s attitudes about great white. They let the public follow each shark as it travels the world’s oceans. OCEARCH also gives each tagged shark a name to help people form a closer connection with the big fish.
The group’s most well-known shark is named Katharine. She was tagged last year near Cape Cod, Massachusetts. Since then, thousands of people have tracked Katharine’s movements on Twitter and the OCEARCH website.
This helps people see sharks in a new way. Chris Fischer, the founder of OCEARCH believes learning to appreciate great whites will encourage people to do more to protect them.
The underlined part “makes many people’s hair stand on end” in Paragraph 1 can best be replaced by______.
| A．worries many people | B．bores many people |
| C．frightens many people | D．interests many people |
The law passed in 1997 ______.
| A．seemed very helpful |
| B．let scientists down |
| C．needed to be changed |
| D．made people like great whites |
Katharine’s example is used to show that ______.
| A．great whites are in fact lovely animals |
| B．the OCEARCH website has a lot of visitors |
| C．the number of great whites is growing quickly |
| D．OCEARCH help people get closer to great whites |
The main purpose of the passage is to ______.
| A．introduce an experiment result |
| B．make an advertisement for OCEARCH |
| C．remind us that big killers are dying out |
| D．inform us that great whites are making a comeback |
San Francisco has long been a favorite place for travelers who are ready to learn languages．The mild （温和的） year-round climate, shops and restaurants, bars and night-life, and some of the most beautiful scene in the US attract many visitors to this relaxing and welcoming city．Students are sure to find the San Francisco Bay Area an interesting, safe and friendly place in which they can live and study．This is the most important．
English School in San Francisco is located in the heart of the city．It is one of the best San Francisco English language schools．You can see views of the city from your classroom! Many buses stop less than a five-minute walk from the school, which is also just a two-minute walk from the famous Union Square, San Francisco Shopping Centre, the Financial District, Yerba Buena gardens and the Museum of Modern Art．The school is minutes away from the cable cars （缆车） to Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf and a boat ride on the bay．
San Francisco is a great place to study English and learn about American culture, offering excellent opportunities in sports, entertainment and arts．The city borders （接近） excellent beaches, and you can sail or surf all year round．
San Francisco has more restaurants than any other city in the US, and is the home of many theaters, music and dance companies, as well as museums．Just walking through the many areas of San Francisco, you are certain to find something wonderful．That San Francisco attracts students most might be ______．
| A．the mild year-round climate |
| B．its beautiful scenery |
| C．shops and restaurants, bars and night-life |
| D．a good place to live and study in |
It is only a two-minute walk from English School to ______．
| A．a bus stop | B．the beaches |
| C．the Financial District | D．Fisherman’s Wharf |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．English School has the most beautiful scenery in the US． |
| B．Most of the restaurants in the US are located in San Francisco． |
| C．In San Francisco, one can experience one part of American culture． |
| D．English School in San Francisco is one of the best in the US． |
The author mainly wants to tell us ______．
| A．about English schools in the US |
| B．the places around English School |
| C．about the beautiful scenery in San Francisco |
| D．San Francisco is a good place to learn language |
Do you know how to tell a story? The following are some tips:
Who Will Listen?
Will you tell your story to children of your own age? Will they be friends or young people you haven’t met before? Perhaps you will tell it to younger children．Or, will it be an audience of adults? Will it be just a few people, a small group, or a large audience?
Why Are You Telling It?
There are many reasons for telling a story．Knowing why you are telling it may be the most helpful reason for choosing a story for a particular audience．
Many storytellers choose tales just to entertain （娱乐）．They tell jokes or silly stories．Others want to teach something, such as how to be kinder to animals, the environment, or other people．One storyteller likes to encourage his listeners to try new things．Some babysitters tell stories to help children feel not afraid of thunder, lightning or scary shadows in their rooms．Others want to make people think or to help people remember．Some like to frighten their audiences with ghost stories．
Where Will You Speak?
How you tell your story and what story helpers you use depend on where you will be speaking．Will you be talking at an evening party, in your classroom, in a library storytelling program, at a family dinner, at a museum, at a storytelling festival, or during a religious program?The author mainly shows his ideas by ______．
| A．listing questions | B．describing |
| C．comparing | D．giving examples |
According to the author, when telling a story, you should pay attention to ______．
①the hobbies of the audience
②the jobs of the audience
③the age of the audience
④the size of the audience
⑤the reason for telling a story
| A．①②③ | B．②③④ | C．③④⑤ | D．①③④ |
The purpose of knowing why you are telling a story is to ______．
| A．choose stories suitable for a certain audience |
| B．do something good to animals, the environment or other people |
| C．decide what can help you |
| D．satisfy different listeners |
A long time ago, there was a seed and because he was only a seed, nobody noticed him．Thus, feeling inferior （低等的）, the seed gave no importance to his existence （存在）．
Then one day, a wind picked him up and threw him on an open field under the sun．Later, he was given rain．
Years later he saw a traveler sitting by his side．“Thank God for this．I really need some rest,” he heard the traveler say．
“What are you talking about?” the seed quickly asked．He thought the man was making fun of him．No one ever spoke to him like that．
“Who just spoke?” the shocked man asked．
“It is me．A seed．”
`“A seed?” The man looked at the big tree．“Are you joking? You are not a seed．You are a big tree!”
“Really?”
“Yes! Why else do you think people come here?”
“What do they come here for?”
“To feel your shade （树荫）! Don’t tell me you didn’t know you had grown over time．”
A moment passed before the traveler’s words brought him pride．
The seed thought and smiled for the first time in his life．The years of torture （折磨） by the sun and the rain finally helped him grow up．
“Oh! That means I’m not a little seed anymore! I was actually born to make people feel comfortable．Wow! That’s great!”The seed didn’t realize the importance of his existence because ______．
| A．nobody looked after him | B．he was thrown into the open air |
| C．he was such a small seed | D．he didn’t believe in himself |
The traveler sat by the seed’s side to ______．
| A．escape from the rain |
| B．thank God for offering him a tree |
| C．have a rest and enjoy the shade |
| D．talk with the big tree |
The author’s purpose of writing the passage is to ______．
| A．tell us that we should help each other |
| B．praise the seed for his strength |
| C．teach us not to laugh at others |
| D．tell us never to lose hope |
Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A history book． | B．A science book． |
| C．A storybook． | D．A novel． |
Driving in a foreign country is always different in at least some ways from driving in your own country. Here are some general points regarding driving in New Zealand.
Visitors wishing to drive in New Zealand do not require an international driver’s license but are required to carry their local driver’s license whenever driving.
Vehicles drive on the left-hand side of the road as they do in Britain, Australia, and Japan. Most rental vehicles will have a sticker reminding you of this important fact.
When the traffic light is red, you must stop. There is no left turn rule as in North America.
New Zealand road rules follow international standards but please note that in New Zealand vehicles turning left must give way to traffic turning right.
In general, if you are turning left (where there are give-way signs or no signs), give way to vehicles that not turning. In all other situations, give way to vehicles crossing or coming from your right.
Seat belts must be worn at all times while driving in New Zealand. This stands for the driver and passengers. The driver is responsible for ensuring all passengers are wearing their seatbelts.
Do not drink alcohol before driving in New Zealand—drinking and driving laws are strictly enforced.
Speed limits are in kilometres per hour (kph), not miles per hour (mph).
Speed conversion: 1 kph equals 0.621 mph; 1 mph equals 1.61 kph.
The speed limit on the open road is 100km/h. In towns and cities the speed limit is 50km/h. Be sure to obey all school crossing speed reductions as speed cameras operate regularly throughout New Zealand.
For further information and up to date road conditions visit: http://www.transit.govt.nzWhat can be learned from the passage?
| A．A passenger’s not wearing the seat belt has little to do with the driver. |
| B．There will be a reminder for drivers to remember to drive on the left side. |
| C．Cars passing a school in towns should drive at a speed of less than 31 mph. |
| D．A foreign driver is expected to have a driving license issued by New Zealand. |
Which of the following statements correctly explains road rules in New Zealand?
A. In Figure 1, Car B must give way to Car A.
B. In Figure 2, Car B must give way to Car A.
C. In Figure 3, Car B must give way to Car A.
D. In Figure 4, Car B must give way to Car A.
 |
This passage is most likely ____________.
| A．a travel brochure for locals |
| B．a website travel introduction |
| C．an advertisement of travel |
| D．a travel column in a geographical magazine |
Charlie Chaplin was born on April 16, 1889 in London. Both his father and mother were entertainers and although not of big names, they were doing very well. While the family was by no means rich, the music hall provided the Chaplins with a comfortable living. Unfortunately happy life didn’t last long. Father’s alcoholism was slowly, but surely destroying his marriage. Finally it ended in divorce. His mother managed to keep Charlie and his brother Syney clean and warm, clothed and fed. She would sit at the window watching the passers-by and guess at their characters from the way they looked and behaved, making up tales to delight Charlie and Syney. Charlie took in her skills and went on using them all his life.
Charlie had always believed, even in the worst times, that he had something special locked away inside him. He took his courage and went to one of the top theater agents. With no experience at all, he was offered a plum part (意外得到的好角色) in a new production of “Sherlock Holmes”, which opened on July 27, 1903 at the famous “Pavilion Theatre”. Charlie seemed to change overnight. It was as if he had found the thing he was meant to do. By 1910, Charlie had become “one of the best pantomime (哑剧) artists ever seen ”.
Cinema was born in the same year as Charlie thought people still believed it was a passing fashion, and would never replace live shows. But after using several weeks to watch and to learn, he was determined to master this new medium. It offered him the chance of money and success—and it would set him free from the unpredictability of live audience.
Charlie’s first film, released in February 1914, was called “Making a living”. After that he made another ten. The public loved him and producers were demanding more and more Chaplin films. In an incredibly short time, Charlie had become a very important man in motion picture.Which of the following is NOT true about Charlie Chaplin?
| A．Mother had much influence on Charlie Chaplin’s career. |
| B．“Sherlock Holmes” made Charlie rise to fame overnight. |
| C．Charlie had been famous when the cinema became a fashion. |
| D．Charlie’s work in both the theater and the cinema was welcomed. |
What can you infer from the passage?
| A．Charlie Chaplin’s belief in his potential led to his success. |
| B．Charlie Chaplin got his first role in a film at 14. |
| C．Cinema was a form of art showing live performance. |
| D．Motion picture was a passing fashion lasting a short time. |
The underlined word “unpredictability” in Paragraph 3 means____________.
| A．low spirits | B．opposing attitude |
| C．successful performance | D．changing state |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．Charlie Chaplin made the cinema industry popular. |
| B．Charlie Chaplin’s early success in his career. |
| C．Charlie Chaplin was a best pantomime artist. |
| D．Charlie Chaplin’s determination to do what he liked. |