Kuringai Chase National Park

Guided Walks and Nature Activities

SUNDAY MAY 7        EASY
Early Morning Walk in Upper Lane Cove Valley

Meet at 7:30 am at the end of Day Rd, Cheltenham while the bush is alive with birdsong.

Round trip: 4 hours

FRIDAY MAY 12        MEDIUM
Possum Prowl

Meet at 7:30 pm in Seaforth Oval car park. Enjoy the peace of the bush at night. Lovely water views. Bring a torch and wear sports shoes as some rock climbing involved. Coffee and biscuits supplied.

Duration (持续时间): 2 hours

SUNDAY JUNE 4        HARD
Bairne / Basin Track

Meet at 9:30 am on Track #8, West Head Road. Impressive Pittwater views. Visit Beechwood Cottage. Bring lunch and drink. Some steep sections. Reasonable fitness required.

Duration: about 6 hours

FRIDAY JUNE 16        EASY
Poetry Around a Campfire

Meet at 7:00 pm at Kalbarri Visitor Center. Share your favourite poem or one of your own with a group around a gently burning fire. Tea and biscuits to follow. Dress up warmly.

Cost: $4.00 per person

Duration: 2.5 hours

SUNDAY JUNE 25            EASY
Morning Walk at Mitchell Park

Meet at 8:30 am at the entrance to Mitchell Park, Mitchell Park Rd, for a pleasant walk wandering through rainforest, river flats and dry forest to swampland. Binoculars (双筒望远镜) a must to bring as many birds live here. Finish with morning tea.

Round trip: 3 hours

◆Grading
EASY    suitable for all fitness levels
MEDIUM    for those who periodically exercise
HARD    only if you regularly exercise
1. Where are visitors required to meet to explore the beauty of nature at night?

A．At the end of Day Rd, Cheltenham.

B．At the entrance to Mitchell Park.

C．On Track #8, West Head Road.

D．In Seaforth Oval car park.

2. The activity held on SUNDAY JUNE 4 is most suitable for those who _____.

A．are animal lovers

B．take exercise regularly

C．prefer literature to nature

D．are interested in morning tea

3. What should visitors prepare if they take part in Poetry Around a Campfire?

A．A torch.

B．Sports shoes.

C．Some snacks.

D．Warm clothes.

4. What activity does Morning Walk at Mitchell Park provide?

A．Bird watching.

B．Animal hunting.

C．River swimming.

D．Mountain climbing.

Rugby players have a reputation of being big, strong and rude on the field. But Takamasa Hoshiyama, 17, says the reality of rugby is very different from what it looks like.

“Whatever your size or speed, anyone can play rugby,” says the Island School student, who also plays on the U19 Hong Kong rugby team.

Taka has been playing rugby since he was just four years old, following in the footsteps of his father. “My dad played rugby and he was keen (渴望的) for me to play,” says Taka. A lot has happened to Taka since his first game with his father. In the 2014 New Year's Day game against the Overseas Barbarians, he was named Man of the Match, and has taken the role of captain in his club team.

And of course, he's grown throughout his years of playing rugby — in more ways than one. “When I started playing, I was scrum-half (争球前卫), usually the smallest guy on the field,” says Taka. “But as I grew, I changed position. Now I am a front row prop — one of the big guys that holds the scrum together.”

“Rugby has done a lot for me,” he says. “It has really made me focused, and that is thanks to my coaches as well as my teammates who brought me to where I am now.”

Taka says that being part of a team and experiencing that growth together is one of the best parts of the sport. “Rugby creates a unity within the team and helps develop a mutual (相互的) respect between other teams and players,” he explains. “Training is hard and matches are physically demanding, but it is a team sport and you have to do your job for the team.”

Now Taka wants to help others experience the same growth he has. In his free time, he coaches younger rugby teams. He says it is especially rewarding to find “unusual strengths and capabilities within players and encourage them to work on those.”

5. What does Taka think of rugby?

A．It requires fast speed.

B．It has a role for everyone.

C．It's a game full of violence.

D．It's too competitive for kids.

6. What has happened to Taka since he started playing rugby?

A．He has realized what his father never could.

B．He has built up both his physical and mental strength.

C．He has played for the Overseas Barbarians for three years.

D．He has taken the role of captain in the Hong Kong rugby team.

7. According to Taka, what serves the most important role in playing rugby?

A．Having a high level of physical fitness.

B．Owning some unusual strengths.

C．Building a strong team spirit.

D．Having a fun-loving attitude.

8. What's Taka hoping to do now?

A．To coach national rugby teams.

B．To become a professional rugby player.

C．To get the leading role in his club team.

D．To encourage more people to enjoy rugby.

Recent studies have shown that challenging your brain, by spurring (刺激) the brain to create new patterns, is very important to keep your brain active and healthy as you age. Lifelong learning is a health club for our minds, bodies and spirits. This is why we parents should also teach our children to be lifelong learners. Dr. Marilyn Price-Mitchell, an American psychologist, and youth development expert, shares some ways for us to do this.

1. Ask questions.

When your child asks you a question, don't answer it straight away. Instead, help him or her bring up “questions that pique their curiosity.” This way, we help children make connections between what they're learning at school and the world beyond their classroom. We also show them that learning does not, and should not, end when one is “done with school” — it's actually a lifelong process!

2. Let them fail.

Our kids love learning about different scientific concepts (概念) via The Magic School Bus videos on YouTube. And one of the characters, Miss Frizzle (the science teacher) always says this phrase: “Take chances, make mistakes, and get messy.” I always quote (引述) her when the kids say they're afraid to do or learn something because they might do it wrong or make a mistake. If we don't allow our kids to fail, they won't be able to learn to “use mistakes and failures to make lifelong learning easier,” as Dr. Price-Mitchell says.

3. Learn through experience.

This is very true for all of us, especially children. In the words of Dr. Price-Mitchell, “Learning through experience, not just from books, is one of the best ways to give the youth the skills they need for lifelong learning, living, and working in the 21st century.”

Of course, we should also set an example for our children — by learning continuously, and expanding our knowledge and experiences.

9. What does the underlined word “pique” in the text probably mean?

A．Change.

B．Awaken.

C．Balance.

D．Prevent.

10. What's the author's attitude to what Miss Frizzle always says?

A．Worried.

B．Doubtful.

C．Uncaring.

D．Supportive.

11. Which of the following shows the importance of learning through experience?

A．Learning is not child's play; we cannot learn without pain.

B．It is not that I'm so smart. But I stay with the questions much longer.

C．If you don't learn to think when you are young, you may never learn.

D．Tell me and I forget, teach me and I may remember, involve me and I learn.

12. In which part of a newspaper will the text most probably appear?

A．Health.

B．Culture.

C．Education.

D．Popular science.

Dressing against the cold is hard when you're a 6,000-pound elephant. But thanks to some generous knitters (编织者) in Mathura, India, a group of elephants have giant handmade sweaters to help them stay warm during the cold winter. When worn with their bright red leg coverings, their new outfits look like comfortable nightclothes for them!

The huge sweaters were made for elephants at the Wildlife SOS Elephant Conservation and Care Center. It takes care of 20 blind, lame, or injured elephants. They were saved from abuse (虐待). Some lived in circuses, some were bought and sold illegally, and some were not receiving enough care. In India, elephants are sometimes kept in crowded inner cities and used in street performances or for begging. This causes physical and emotional harm to the wild animals. Wildlife SOS provides food, care, and medical attention to those animals.

Because most of the elephants housed at the center are recovering from injuries or are elderly, “it is important to keep our elephants protected from the bitter cold during this extreme winter,” explains Kartick Satyanarayan, the co-founder and CEO of Wildlife SOS. “They are weak and vulnerable (脆弱的), having suffered so much abuse, making it easy for them to catch diseases such as pneumonia (lung infection). The cold also worsens their arthritis (关节炎), which is a common issue that our saved elephants have to deal with.”

At first, Wildlife SOS made giant jackets out of tarp (防水帆布) for the elephants to wear. Then they asked people in nearby villages to help out by making colorful knitted sweaters. Knitting the sweaters is a big undertaking. Each one takes about four weeks to create, with volunteers working together on the very large sweaters. Wildlife SOS hopes to save 50 more elephants this year — which means there could be a lot more knitting to do!

13. What can we learn about the knitted sweaters for elephants?

A．They are made of tarp.

B．They are all in bright red.

C．They are made entirely by hand.

D．They are designed for the elderly.

14. What do the 20 elephants who dress in huge sweaters have in common?

A．They are all good at street performances.

B．They all weigh over 6,000 pounds.

C．They were all found in the wild.

D．They were all badly treated.

15. What does Kartick Satyanarayan mainly explain?

A．The current situation of elephants in India.

B．The possibility of better protecting elephants.

C．The necessity of making sweaters for elephants.

D．The reason why Wildlife SOS rescues elephants.

Tips to stay safe and make smart choices

Even if you’re a genius (天才) at school, you still might be lost when it comes to getting from point A to point B. Don’t get caught in a strange place without these basic safety tips.

★Know where you’re going.

Before you set out in an unfamiliar area, go to Google Maps to plan your journey and print it out.     16     Make sure that the location services are turned on on your phone, just in case you get lost.

★Know where your stuff is.

Never leave your backpack or shopping bags out of your sight. Carry your wallet in your front pocket or keep it close to your body.     17     A fun day out can turn into the worst headache ever if you realize you’ve left something behind.

★    18    

If you have the choice between a busy street and a deserted one, always pick the busy one. You are more likely to be attacked on dark, empty sidewalks than on ones with a crowd.

★Travel in packs.

Don’t go anywhere — especially an unfamiliar place — without a friend or two.     19    

★Don’t let your music drown you out.

There’s nothing wrong with listening to your iPod as you walk around town, but keep it at a low enough volume (音量) so you can still hear passing cars. Losing concentration puts you at risk from accidents, attacks and getting lost.     20     Don’t do it. Keep your head up and pay attention to the people and things going on around you.

A．Pick your streets smart.

B．Always choose your own ways.

C．Be sure you’ve got everything at all times.

D．Take out your phone and call the police.

E．This also goes for texting while walking.

F．You can also use your phone’s GPS to map the route.

G．If you must go out alone, be sure to tell someone where you’re going.

The Mutianyu section of the Great Wall was the part of the Great Wall I liked to visit. _______, one day in May 2000, I chose something wilder, more _______: Simatai. This section of the Great Wall has far fewer visitors than most other sections of the wall.

At the entrance to Simatai was a group of vendors (小贩) trying to _______ postcards. One tiny old lady seemed to _______ me wherever I went, and I was becoming increasingly _______. “How many times does it take for ‘No!' to sink in?” I thought. I finally ended up running away just to   _______ this tiny woman.

Once I caught sight of the Great Wall, _______ overtook me, and the tiny old lady with the postcards _______ from my thoughts. I raced up the Great Wall _______. Then, halfway up, I stopped and suddenly realised I was rushing along a ________ “path” no wider than a meter. There were ________ “walls” — only steep drops on either side. I remembered then that ________ had fallen to their deaths in this section. I was so fearful that I ________ there completely stock-still.

Suddenly, I felt a small hand on my back and a ________ voice telling me, in Chinese, not to be   ________, that she would slowly lead me to the top. Half an hour later, we ________ a section that had a few remnants (剩余的小部分) of the wall. I was able to turn around to see who had given such ________ to me in my hour of greatest ________. It was the tiny old lady I'd told a dozen times — eventually shouting at her — that I didn't want any ________. I felt really ________ of myself. I gave her a big hug, and then later bought every one of her postcards.

21.

A．Instead

B．However

C．Therefore

D．Besides

22.

A．pleasant

B．important

C．popular

D．challenging

23.

A．sell

B．count

C．write

D．collect

24.

A．support

B．follow

C．need

D．protect

25.

A．puzzled

B．upset

C．lonely

D．active

26.

A．meet

B．help

C．escape

D．greet

27.

A．doubt

B．surprise

C．nervousness

D．excitement

28.

A．learned

B．benefited

C．disappeared

D．suffered

29.

A．recently

B．impatiently

C．secretly

D．immediately

30.

A．familiar

B．dangerous

C．correct

D．crowded

31.

A．no

B．some

C．enough

D．many

32.

A．shoppers

B．owners

C．vendors

D．tourists

33.

A．hid

B．sat

C．lay

D．stood

34.

A．silly

B．female

C．sleepy

D．childish

35.

A．afraid

B．sorry

C．lazy

D．shy

36.

A．left

B．crossed

C．avoided

D．reached

37.

A．friendship

B．experience

C．kindness

D．imagination

38.

A．pain

B．fear

C．anger

D．regret

39.

A．guides

B．routes

C．postcards

D．foods

40.

A．proud

B．certain

C．careful

D．ashamed

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Pedestrianism, an early form of racewalking, was a(n)     41     (extreme) popular sport in 18th- and 19th-century Britain,     42     (attract) huge crowds of spectators (观众). Individuals would either aim to walk a certain distance within a(n)     43     (limit) period of time or compete against other pedestrians.

Perhaps the most famous     44     (walk) was Captain Robert Barclay Allardice, whose extraordinary (非凡的) achievements earned     45     (he) the title of the “Celebrated Pedestrian”. The Scotsman’s most memorable performance     46     (take) place in 1809, when he walked 1,000 miles in 1,000 hours for a bet of 1,000 guineas (an old British unit of money). Many considered     47     unlikely that he would complete the challenge,     48     required him to walk a mile an hour, for forty-two days and nights. He proved them wrong, though the task was so physically demanding that by the end of the walk he had lost nearly fifteen kilos     49     weight.

Since the 20th century, interest in walking as a sport has dropped. Racewalking is still an Olympic sport, but fails     50     (catch) the public attention as it did.

51. 假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

Every time my mother and I started to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something so simple as dinner plans. Sudden, my mother will push the conversation into the topic of her best friend’s son, that graduated from Tsinghua University last year. He is now earning 100,000 yuan a year as the engineer. In fact, I don’t want to do any job related science like him. I don’t know what to explain my plan to my mother. I’m the type of person who love to help out in the community. I even want to make a career of it because of I love it so much. I’d rather following my dreams and create my own future.

52. 假如你是某国际学校学生会主席李华，你校将举办英语书法比赛，请根据所给提示用英语以短文形式写一份书面通知。
1. 报名截止日期：9月13日；
2. 比赛时间：9月15日上午8:00；
3. 地点：四号教学楼501室；
4. 比赛内容：抄写一篇文章，文章届时发放（纸张及笔由学校统一提供）。
注意：1. 词数100左右（开头和结尾已给出，但不计入总词数）

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

Notice

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Student Council