The human population on Earth grows larger each year. As a result, ___(1)___. Because of climate change（气候变化）, growing more food is becoming even more difficult.
When farmers tried to grow more food in the past, they would use farming methods that weren’t always healthy for the environment. To solve this problem, ___(2)__. They spent several years talking to farmers. They wanted to see what problems farmers were having and how these problems could be solved. __(3)___. These special robots move around on farms and collect information about crops（庄稼）. They can take pictures of plants, track（追踪）each plant’s growth and measure（测量）its size.
In the past, though farmers did have information about the weather and the earth, they couldn’t track each plant. __(4)__.
By collecting information about plants, the robots can help farmers make predictions（预测）about how their plants will grow. __(5)__. For example, if the robots find out which plants get sick, farmers can quickly throw them away before they are about to influence nearby plants. With the help of these robots, farmers can take better care of the plants in need.
| A． |
But now, with these robots, they can |
| B． |
This led to the creation of special robots |
| C． |
some scientists carried out a research project |
| D． |
more and more food needs to be grown in order to feed everyone |
| E． |
By studying each plant, the robots can also help farmers grow plants well |
A strong earthquake has hit the town of Galta 200 kilometres north of Madras. The earthquake hit the town at 7:15 yesterday evening. The earthquake measured(量出) 7.2 on the Richter scale(里克特震级), the strongest for five years.
The earthquake happened as most people were having their evening meal at home. There were very few people outside in the streets. Buildings fell down and many fires started. The electricity and water were cut off.
As it was dark, the emergency services had a lot of problems. There was no electricity for lights, and there was no water to put out the fires. Early this morning, planes flew over the town to see the damage.
The emergency services are now trying to reach the town. The nearest airport is at Bandel, about 100 kilometers away. The railway station at Galta is closed, because four bridges fell down in the earth. The nearest train station is 32 kilometres away at Solan. We shall have more reports for you during the day.What were the most people doing when the earthquake hit the town?
| A．Sitting outside. | B．Cutting off the electricity. |
| C．Staying at home. | D．Starting fires. |
Why didn’t the emergency services reach the town?
| A．Because it was dark. | B．Because planes flew over. |
| C．Because there was no water. | D．Because four bridges fell down |
How far is the nearest airport from the town?
| A．About 100 kilometers away. | B．32 kilometres away. |
| C．About 72 kilometers away. | D．200 kilometres north of Madras. |
How long will you travel if you go to Cayman Islands?
| A．Two weeks. | B．Ten days. | C．One day. | D．Three days. |
Where is Betsy travelling?
| A．From Ensenada to Hawaii. | B．On Cayman Islands. |
| C．On beach. | D．At a shop. |
Who is having a vacation on Cayman Island?
| A．Betsy. | B．Betsy’s parents. | C．Larry. | D．Robby. |
Farmer Ed Rawlings smiles as he looks at his orange trees. The young oranges are growing well in Florida’s weather. Warm sunshine and gentle rains, along with Ed Rawlings’ expert care, will produce a good crop（收成）of oranges this year.
However, Ed has to guard against Florida’s changeable winter weather. In January and February, temperatures can destroy Ed’s entire orange crop. Having farmed in Florida for the past 35 years, Ed is prepared for the frost(霜). When temperatures drop below freezing, Ed tries to save his crop by watering his orange trees. The water freezes and forms a thin layer(层) of ice around the trees. Strange as it may sound, this thin layer of ice actually keeps the fruit warm.
What happens is simple. When the trees are watered, the water loses heat and becomes ice. The warmth of the heat it loses is taken in by the fruit and keeps its temperature at a safe level. Ed has effectively used this method to save many orange crops.
But Ed still faces difficulties. The trees must be watered at the exact moment the temperature drops to the freezing point. Also, just the right quantity(数量)of water must be used. Too much water can form a thicker layer of ice that will break the tree’s branches(树枝). Another difficulty is that wind blows away the heat, so Ed has to worry about not only when but also how often his trees should be watered, and how much water should be used.
Computer technology may help Ed with some of these worries. With equipment(设备), air and soil temperatures and wind speed can be measured. The information is fed into a computer which can calculate(计算) when the temperature will drop below freezing. The computer can correctly decide the quantity of water to be used and how frequently( ) the trees should be watered. Ed finds looking after his orange trees a lot easier with the help of a computer, and, his customers will have the benefits(利益) of computer—age oranges.The passage is mainly about______.
| A．a farmer expert cares for his orange trees |
| B．the different uses of computers |
| C．growing oranges in Florida’s changeable weather |
| D．different ways of frost protection |
Ed tries to protect his crop by______.
| A．using a wind machine to drive away the cold air |
| B．equipping his orange trees with a computer |
| C．watering it at the proper time |
| D．picking his fruit at the first sign of frost |
According to the passage, the computer technology______.
| A．removes the need for frost protection |
| B．prevents temperature from dropping |
| C．tells farmers why outdoor temperatures change |
| D．helps the farmer get a better harvest |
Years ago, I lived in a building in a large city. The building next door was only a few feet away from mine. There was a woman who lived there, whom I had never met, yet I could see her seated by her window each afternoon, sewing(缝纫)or reading.
After several months had gone by, I began to notice that her window was dirty. Everything was unclear through the dirty window. I would say to myself, “I wonder why that woman doesn’t wash her window. It really looks terrible.”
One bright morning I decided to clean my flat, including washing the window inside. Late in the afternoon when I finished the cleaning, I sat down by the window with a cup of coffee for a rest. What a surprise! Across the way, the woman sitting by her window was clearly visible(可见的). Her window was clean!
Then it dawned on me. I had been criticizing(批评)her dirty window, but all the time I was watching hers through my own dirty window.
That was quite an important lesson for me. How often had I looked at and criticized others through the dirty window of my heart, through my own shortcomings(缺点)? Since then, whenever I wanted to judge(评判)someone, I asked myself first, “Am I looking at him through my own dirty window?” Then I try to clean the window of my own world so that I may see the world about me more clearly. The writer was surprised that______.
| A．the woman was sitting by her window |
| B．the woman’s window was clean |
| C．the woman did cleaning in the afternoon |
| D．the woman’s window was still terrible |
“It dawned on me” probably means “_______”.
| A．I began to understand it | B．it cheered me up |
| C．I knew it grew light | D．it began to get dark |
It’s clear that_______.
| A．the writer had never met the woman before |
| B．the writer often washed the window |
| C．they both worked as cleaners |
| D．they lived in a small town |
From the passage, we can learn that______.
| A．one shouldn’t criticize others very often |
| B．one should often make his windows clean |
| C．one must judge himself before he judges others |
| D．one must look at others through his dirty windows |
Dear Victor,
I am a college student. Nowadays games on the net are very popular with college students. Some of my roommates are very interested in them. They not only play games in their free time, but also keep talking about them at night when lights are off, and they regard games as a part of their life. I’ve asked them to give it up, but they wouldn’t listen to me. It has become a rather big problem. Should I report it to our teachers or do something else?
Ted
Dear Ted,
Drop it. Your roommates, as grown—ups, can do whatever they want with their time so long as it doesn’t break school rules or violate(妨碍)other people’s interests.
Playing perhaps gives these students relaxation from hard study. If they play too often and have little time to study, they will reap what they have sown（自食其果）, but you will not. Reporting to the teachers would only harm your good name in your dormitory(宿舍). However, you have rights to ask your roommates to be quiet when you need sleep. If they aren’t angry with you, they will stop talking. But be polite and friendly. Perhaps, in return, join them in a game or two.
VictorTed wants his roommates to_______.
| A．break their computers |
| B．sell their computers to teachers |
| C．play games in the day, not at night |
| D．stop playing computer games |
According to the second letter, some college students_______.
| A．can break school rules or violate other people’s interests |
| B．have their rights to disturb Ted |
| C．can relax themselves while playing games on the net |
| D．can study even better if they play games on the net |
Victor asks Ted to_______.
| A．report to the teachers | B．harm his good name in the dormitory |
| C．stop talking with his roommates | D．learn how to get on well with others |