Magical Towns and Cities at Christmas

Hallstatt, Austria

On the banks of Hallstätter See, the town of Hallstatt and its amazing landscape enjoy UNESCO protection. The 16th-century townhouses, arid snow o£ winter make this the perfect place for getting into the festive atmosphere. Picture brightly lit trees and stands selling decorations, and you’re halfway to imagining just how special this town is.

Colmar, France

There are plenty of wonderful Christmas markets to be found all over Europe. But few catch the imagination in a fairytale setting quite like that of Colmar. More than six themed markets can be found in the center, linked by lit streets, where wooden houses are packed tightly together. At around 5:00 pm on Wednesdays and Saturdays, a children’s band will be on stage, providing even more holiday cheer.

Rudesheim, Germany

Located in the heart of the Rhine Valley’s wine-making country, Rudesheim is a top destination throughout the year. However, once the night draws in and Christmas comes into view, the town takes on a special atmosphere. Those arriving by riverboat can go to the Christmas Market of Nations, which is filled with stores selling gifts and traditional festive dishes from all over the world.

Tromso, Norway

Tromso has been a cultural center with its Arctic Cathedral, the home of regular concerts and events. It’s over the festive season, when there is no daylight, that the city, located high above the Arctic Circle, becomes a must-see. Visitors can taste a hot chocolate before taking the cable car (缆车) above the city to catch sight of the northern lights.

1. What can visitors see in Hallstatt?

A．Old townhouses.	B．Northern lights.
C．Arctic Cathedral.	D．Rhine Valley.

2. When will the children’s band give a performance?

A．On Thursdays.

B．On Fridays.

C．On Saturdays.

D．On Sundays.

3. Where should visitors go for traditional festive food from various countries?

A．Tromso.

B．Rudesheinx

C．Colmar.

D．Hallstatt.

Whenever he can, 15-year-old Elliot Morgan practices basketball in his backyard. He says it’s a good stress-reliever. But it wasn’t that long ago that he didn’t have time for this new hobby. “There were times in the summer when I would spend four or five hours a day on my phone,” he says. When school started in the fall, Morgan found himself scrolling (划屏) as soon as he woke up. “I realize I start to avoid workouts because I’m on my phone,” he says. “It’s affecting my focus.”

It has become clear that social media is a key player in many drivers of unhealthy habits. Social media apps are designed to encourage overuse, and teenagers are more likely to be influenced because their brains are at an important period of development that makes it harder to be free from temptation (诱惑). All of this makes limiting use more challenging — even for families who set rules.

“It’s a really big problem,” says Elliot’s mom, Alyssa. She was shocked when she discovered Elliot had bypassed parental controls and was spending five hours a day on social media. “I asked him, ‘Can you just take a look and see? Just tell me what you think. Does this feel good to you?’” she says.

Elliot hadn’t realized how many hours he was on social media. And he was at a loss. With his mother’s help, he tried to start cutting back. After several months, he decided to delete (删除) social media apps altogether. “After that, I actually sleep enough and feel better,” he says. He’s now closer with his friends because they spend more time talking instead of scrolling. And joining school clubs has also helped him reduce time on his phone.

4. What can we learn about Elliot from the first paragraph?

A．He is always late for class.	B．He used to work out early.
C．He likes football at school.	D．He lost himself in his phone.

5. How does social media affect teenagers according to the text?

A．They tend to develop bad habits.	B．They will take up more challenges.
C．They can improve reading skills.	D．They find it hard to make friends.

6. What is probably Alyssa’s attitude to limiting social media use?

A．Uncaring.

B．Positive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Unclear.

7. How does Elliot probably find his life now?

A．Lonely.

B．Simple.

C．Enjoyable.

D．Difficult.

A possible treatment for Florida’s disastrous red tides (赤潮) took another step toward widespread use after successful testing in Sarasota Bay.

This study, led by UCF Assistant Professor of Biology Kristy Lewis, is the first successful test of any red tide treatment technology in open water using large water containers (容器). These containers — about six feet in diameter — extend from the waters’ surface to the ocean floor, allowing scientists to test real ocean conditions within a controlled setting. Four containers were treated with a clay (黏土) solution, while the other four served as a control.

The clay along with the Karenia brevis algae (海藻), which is responsible for Florida red tide, is put on the ocean floor. Lewis has spent the last three years carefully testing the impact of introducing this clay into the ocean ecosystem. She not only looks for changes in the water’s quality, but also wants to know how the clay affects the health of sea life. “We want to make sure the treatment is not worse than the disease,” she says.

At first, the test was simply to measure the influence of the clay on the ecosystem, but an unexpected red tide event caused Lewis to make the test practical. The results suggest the clay performed as expected, but there’s still a question of whether the bad effects of algae remain active on the ocean floor. Water collected during the test should provide an answer. Next steps depend on the test results, but there are already plans to survey what happened to the clay-coated algae when it’s used near seagrass beds.

Visiting Sarasota. Florida, in the middle of a red tide event reminded Lewis just how important the research is to keep the state’s coast healthy. Lewis says she’s prepared to go another three years if that’s what it takes to find an acceptable solution to red tides.

8. What was the purpose of the study?

A．To plant more seagrass.	B．To fight against red tides.
C．To collect clean water.	D．To produce containers.

9. What made Lewis redesign the test?

A．Her original work plan.	B．An unforgettable tour.
C．Her team’s suggestion.	D．An unexpected red tide.

10. What does Lewis hope to do in the near future?

A．Work with the locals.	B．Report Florida red tides.
C．Further her research.	D．Study seafood industry.

11. In which part of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Nature.

B．Business.

C．Education.

D．Lifestyle.

Recently a report was made public by NatureServe, a Virginia-based environmental group, which said 40 percent of animals and 34 percent of plants in the United States are at risk of disappearing.

The group examined data from over 1,000 scientists in the United States and Canada, using 50 years of information on the health of animals, plants and ecosystems. The report provided pictures and maps of areas that are unprotected and where animals and plants are most threatened.

Sean O’Brien, president of NatureServe, said what the report showed was dreadful. For example, among the species (物种) at risk of extinction is the Venus flytrap, a plant that “eats” insects. The report said it is only found in the wild in a few places in the states of North and South Carolina. The report also said 200 species of trees might die out and that America’s large northern grasslands are among the ecosystems most threatened. The main threats to plants, animals and ecosystems include environmental destruction (破坏), land-use change, river pollution, and climate change, according to the report.

California, Texas and the southeastern United States are where the highest percentages of plants, animals and ecosystems are at risk. Those areas have many different forms of life. Wesley Knapp, head plant scientist at NatureServe, said those parts of America haven’t seen much population growth in recent years. Knapp said lawmakers usually do not provide as much money for protecting plants as they do for animals. He hoped the data could guide state and area officials in creating effective State Wildlife Action Plan (SWAP) to protect endangered species.

Now $50 million nationwide is shared among all states to carry out their SWAP. If the Recovering America’s Wildlife Act was passed, it would increase that amount to $ 1.4 billion. Knapp said the bill would have better served the protection of plants and animals.

12. What can we infer about the environmental group?

A．It has been running for 50 years.	B．It has saved 40 kinds of animals.
C．It put much effort into the report.	D．It just protects threatened plants.

13. Which is the closest in meaning to “dreadful” in paragraph 3?

A．Pleasant.

B．Similar.

C．Common.

D．Terrible.

14. What did Knapp expect of the data?

A．It could play an active role.	B．It may cover all the species.
C．It might help reduce the cost.	D．It will take the place of SWAP.

15. Which is the most suitable title for the text?

A．The Protection by Law Making Sense	B．Many US Animals and Plants at Risk
C．State Wildlife Action Plan on the Way	D．NatureServe Working for a Green World

Be a Better Gardener

There are always lots of things to learn as a gardener, and many of them can only be learned through getting your hands dirty. But there are some things gardeners can learn from reading or watching.     16    .

What plant families are

Actually, plants have formal scientific Latin names. These names help to categorize (分类) plants, and make it clearer to identify and study those plants. Specific plants are specific varieties of particular species. Species are members of a certain genus (属). And each genus belongs to a broader plant family.

    17    . For example, plants in the Lamiaceae family (mint family) include garden herbs such as lavender, mint and rosemary. In the family, members will generally have aromatic (芳香的) leaves, among other shared characteristics.

    18    

Learning plant families can be a great step forward for those who want to identify more plants around them. Even when we cannot identify plants down to species and variety, knowing which family they belong to can often give us a lot of the information we need. This will often help us to understand the broad characteristics of the plant we are looking at, and where it might be placed in our gardens, or which neighbors it will like.

How to learn plant families

    19    . But I find that a good way to begin is by researching the plants we already have in our garden. Find out which family the different plants belong to, and then take a good and long look at those plants to see their characteristics.     20    .

A．Why to learn plant families

B．Where to get information about houseplants

C．Plants in the same family have a lot in common

D．It takes a lot of practice to grow different species

E．We can learn plant families in several different ways

F．To become a good gardener, we can start with learning plant families

G．By comparing different plants, we can easily understand plant families

About 15 years ago, Oliver Muensterer packed his suitcase (行李箱) and traveled from his home to a town a few hours away. He had a job interview, so he _______ the evening beforehand.

When he _______ the next morning, he took a shower and started to get changed. Just then, he noticed that he’d _______ to pack a white shirt “I thought I had prepared _______ for everything. I had a tie and my suit, but somehow I left the shirt behind,” Muensterer said.

This discovery made Muensterer _______. He only had about an hour until he needed to be at the interview. He _______ to the front desk and asked the man behind the counter (柜台) if he could _______ a nearby store where he could buy a new shirt “He listened to my story. And I hardly had ended it when he said, ‘I have a _______,’” Muensterer remembered.

But rather than _______ Muensterer to a nearby shop, the desk attendant did something ________. Without saying a word, he ________ his own white shirt and handed it to Muensterer. “So I put it on and I went to the ________. When I gave him back his shirt, he just smiled at me.”

That ________ has stuck with Muensterer over the years. “Ever since, when I see someone who needs something, I’m very willing to ________. And I always remember that day when a ________ helped me out of trouble,” he said.

21.

A．regretted

B．laughed

C．arrived

D．chatted

22.

A．stepped back

B．turned back

C．stood up

D．woke up

23.

A．forgotten

B．hoped

C．afforded

D．begun

24.

A．suddenly

B．quickly

C．perfectly

D．secretly

25.

A．excited

B．worried

C．curious

D．proud

26.

A．replied

B．wrote

C．attended

D．rushed

27.

A．suggest

B．open

C．remember

D．clean

28.

A．bill

B．solution

C．card

D．coworker

29.

A．calling

B．inviting

C．directing

D．carrying

30.

A．surprising

B．tiring

C．wrong

D．stupid

31.

A．waited for

B．took off

C．made up

D．held on

32.

A．flight

B．station

C．computer

D．interview

33.

A．moment

B．price

C．danger

D．city

34.

A．ask

B．share

C．hide

D．joke

35.

A．driver

B．manager

C．stranger

D．passenger

47. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

One summer vacation, I allowed my husband and our three sons to take me to go horse-riding. I’d never been on a horse in my life. Horses scare me. “It will be fun,” my kids said. “What if I fall off?” I wanted to add more, but I kept my mouth shut. I was trying to be a good sport.

When we arrived, the coach gave me his gentlest horse. “Nothing to worry about. And kick your feet on the horse’s side to make him go,” he said. I hoped the horse had heard that, too. The horse may look gentle, but he was very big and tall. How on earth was I going to get on this horse using only one little stirrup (马镫) on the side? Well, it took my husband and three sons to do it, but they got me on that horse!

Since the coach knew I had the gentlest horse, he placed me at the very end of the road. I was happy. If I looked silly sitting on this horse, everyone else would be in front of me and couldn’t watch me. We started out just fine. As we got into the woods, my horse was still very gentle. By the time all the other horses were out of the woods, my horse and I were still in the woods! I saw our youngest son waving to me in the distance. This seemed to be the longest ride with this boring horse and me.

Slowly, we got out of the woods and were in a bean field. Suddenly, my horse stopped. Then I remembered one important thing the coach had told me. He said, “Don’t let the horse stop to eat the beans, because then the horse won’t want to go back to the barn (畜棚).” I looked down, and the horse was eating the beans.

注意：1.续写词数应为150个左右；
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I tried to stop him, but he kept on eating.

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Finally, the coach must have realized I was in trouble.

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