【推荐2】International Horticultural Exhibition 2019 Beijing China

According to official statistics, over 110 nations and international organizations, over 120 unofficial exhibitors, as well as 31 Chinese provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities, together with Hong Kong, Macao and Taiwan have established gardens in the Expo Park, each presenting their own distinctive gardening and horticulture(园艺学).

Main scenic spots include: Core Scenic Area --- International Pavilion(展馆), China Pavilion, Plant Pavilion, Horticultural Experience Pavilion and Guirui Theater, 12 typical sites, International Horticulture, Chinese Landscape Horticulture, Horticultural Industry Development Belt, Great Master’s Garden, and Special Gardens.

The Exhibition started on April 29 and will end on October 7, 2019, lasting for 162 days and spanning three seasons including spring, summer and fall.

International Horticultural Exhibition

According to the International Exhibitions Bureau, the world exposition can be divided into two major categories based on their nature, scale and duration(持续时间). One is international registered exhibitions, which are also the highest level of expos globally, such as the Shanghai World Expo 2010. The other is the international recognized exhibitions or specialized expos, such as the International Horticultural Exhibition 2019.

A glance at A1-level International Horticultural Exhibitions

The International Horticultural Exhibition (A1) is a horticultural exhibition of the highest level and greatest influence with AIPH’s approval and Bureau of International Exposition’s recognition. Beijing is the second Chinese city to hold the A1-level exhibition following Kunming in Yunnan Province. Cities in the following countries have also held the highest-level expo in the world: the Netherlands, Austria, Germany, France, Canada, the U.K., Japan, Thailand and Turkey. Among them, the Netherlands has held six A1 exhibitions since 1960, followed by Germany, five.

1. Different gardens and pavilions are established to show __________.

A．the highest level of world exposition	B．special skills and cultures in gardening
C．greatest influence on horticulture	D．recognition from international organizations

2. The underlined word “span” is closest in meaning to __________.

A．explore	B．spread
C．include	D．witness

3. Which of the following statements is NOT right?

A．The International Horticulture Exhibition 2019 lasts over 5 months.

B．Kunming is the first city to hold the A1-level exhibition in China.

C．Germany ranks second in the time of holding A1-level exhibition.

D．Only two kinds of world exhibition are held according to the IEB.

【推荐3】A new report shows that there are just 7，100 of the world's fastest land animals now left in the wild.Cheetahs(猎豹) are in trouble now.

According to the study，more than half the world's surviving cheetahs live in one population that ranges across six countries in southern Africa.Cheetahs in Asia have been nearly wiped out.It's thought that a group with fewer than 50 cheetahs lives on in Iran.

Because the cheetah is one of the widest­ranging animals，it runs across lands far outside protected areas.Some 77% of their habitat(栖息地) falls outside these protected areas.As a result，the animal struggles because these lands are increasingly being developed by farmers and the cheetah's food is decreasing because of human hunting.

In Zimbabwe，the cheetah population has fallen from around 1，200 to just 170 animals in 16 years，with the main cause being major changes in land tenure.

Researchers say that the threats facing the world's fastest animals have gone unnoticed for far too long.“Given the secret nature of the cheetah，it has been difficult to gather hard information on them.” said Dr. Sarah Durant，the report's leader.“Our findings show that the large space requirements for cheetahs and various threats faced by them in the wild mean that they are likely to be in danger of dying out.”

Another of the big concerns about cheetahs has been the illegal trafficking(非法交易) of young cheetahs.The young cats can fetch up to $10，000 on the black market.Some 1，200 young cheetahs are known to have been trafficked out of Africa over the past 10 years but around 85% of them died during the journey.

If the cheetah is to survive long term，then urgent efforts must be made to solve the question of protected areas and ranges.

1. Where do most of the cheetahs live now?

A．In Asia.	B．In Africa.
C．In Europe.	D．In America.

2. What is the main reason of cheetahs in trouble?

A．Serious illnesses.	B．Poor health.
C．Climate changes.	D．Human activities.

3. What has happened to young cheetahs?

A．Their population has increased in Zimbabwe.

B．They are getting along very well with people.

C．Many of them are sold on the black market.

D．They have survived longer term than before.

4. What's the best title for the text?

A．Cheetahs Are Dying Out.

B．Cheetahs' Protected Areas.

C．The Secret Nature Of The Cheetah.

D．Cheetahs Mostly Live In Africa.

【推荐1】It's easy to understand why early humans domesticated dogs as their new best friends. Domesticated dogs can guard against fierce animals and provide warmth during cold nights. But those benefits only come following domestication. Despite more than a century of study, scientists have struggled to understand what it was that caused the domestication process in the first place.

A new theory given by Maria Lahtinen, a senior researcher, might be able to explain this puzzle. She made this theory when studying the diet of late Pleistocene hunter gatherers in Arctic and sub-Arctic Eurasia. At that time, around 20,000 to 15,000 years ago, the world was in the coldest period of the last ice age.

In cold environments then, as today, humans tended to gain the majority of their food from animals. Nutritional deficiencies came from the absence of fat and carbohydrates, not necessary protein. Indeed, if humans eat too much meat, they can develop protein poisoning and even die. “Because we humans are not fully adapted to a diet that is carnivorous, we simply cannot digest protein very well,” Lahtinen says.

During that time, animals that humans killed for food would have been struggling to live, barely having fat and composed mostly of lean muscle. Using previously published early fossil records, Lahtinen and her colleagues calculated that the animals killed by people in the Arctic and sub-Arctic during this time would have provided much more protein than they could have safely consumed.

Under the tough circumstances of the Arctic and sub-Arctic ice age winter, sharing excess meat with dogs would have cost people nothing. The descendants of wolves that took advantage of such handouts would have become more gentle toward humans over time, and they likely went on to become the first domesticated dogs.

1. What has been confusing scientists in the past century?

A．How domesticated dogs benefited humans.	B．When humans began to domesticate dogs.
C．What led to dog domestication originally.	D．Why early humans made friends with dogs.

2. What does the underlined word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．All-meat

B．Low-fats

C．Fast-changing.

D．Over-cooked.

3. What can be inferred about late Pleistocene hunter-gatherers?

A．They struggled with wolves.

B．They shared meat with dogs.

C．They existed on the earth for about 5,000 years.

D．They had trouble adapting to the cold environment.

4. During the Arctic and sub-Arctic ice age winter, the animals killed by humans_______

A．were al dangerous animals.	B．provided enough fat for humans.
C．became a food source for some dogs.	D．lacked protein needed for a healthy diet.

【推荐2】A heart-stopping video shows that a group of hikers were able to keep their cool as a curious black bear approached them—and one even stayed composed enough to snap a selfie （自拍）.

The black bear pulls one of the women by the leg with its paws（爪子）,moving towards her across the path as she tries to remain completely still. When the frightening animal stands up on its legs to smell her, the fearless walker can be seen taking a photo with the wild animal as it breathes down her neck.

The incident is reported to have happened on a path in Chipinque Ecological Park, Mexico, and the clip （剪辑片段）has had millions of views since being shared on social media. With the bear particularly interested in one member of the group, another walker remains frozen with her back to the animal as she stares still into the trees.

A third can be seen nervously fearing as the bear begins to approach her and shakes her hand in fear, but it circles back around to check out the first hiker for a second time. It pushes her off balance with its head before twice pawing at her legs as onlookers shout to try and warn the bear off.

The woman remains fearless as the animal isn't into her and continues walking up the path, giving the group an opportunity to make a swift exit.

It was shared on Twitter by former basketball player Rex Chapman, getting 2.7 million views, with the caption: "Oh, my goodness. She's a rock."

1. What does the underlined word "composed” mean in the first paragraph?

A．Calm

B．Confused

C．Amazed

D．Afraid

2. When did the woman take a photo with the bear exactly?

A．On seeing the black bear.	B．On the bear's pulling her leg.
C．On the bear's smelling her	D．On the bear's seeing her.

3. Why did the bear leave?

A．It was frightened.	B．It lost interest.
C．It got injured.	D．It was hungry.

4. From which is the text most probably taken?

A．A brochure.	B．A health magazine.
C．A research report.	D．A newspaper.

【推荐3】The world's largest iceberg is floating toward South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Scientists fear the iceberg could crash into the island and block major feeding areas for a large population of penguins and seals. If the iceberg hits the island, it could prevent the penguins and seals from reaching food supplies.

The huge iceberg is named A68a. It broke away from Antarctica's Larsen C Ice Shelf in 2017. Satellite images show the iceberg has remained in one piece. It is estimated to be about 150 kilometers long and 48 kilometers wide. It is traveling at one kilometer per hour and is on a path to hit South Georgia in around 30 days.

This is the time of year when seals and penguins spend a lot of time caring for their young. The distance that parents have to travel to find food is crucial. That means they have to go a lot further or go around the iceberg to find sources of food.

Ecologists say an iceberg crash would also disturb materials settled on the seabed, possibly polluting the surrounding seas. As the iceberg melts, it would also release large amounts of fresh water into the ocean. This could affect krill （磷虾）populations that are a major source of food for the island's wildlife. The iceberg could remain for up to 10 years and change the area's whole ecosystem. These are globally significant populations of these species. If these species fail in this particular area, then the numbers globally are going to go down quite dramatically.

Professor Geraint Tarling, an ecologist at the British Antarctic Survey, said, "The breaking off of icebergs from Antarctica is a natural process. But the process is changing with climate change. What we're seeing with models and some observations now is that this is happening at an increasing rate. And so, this might become more of a usual thing in the future."

1. Why are the scientists worried about the coming iceberg crash?

A．It will bring extremely cold weather.

B．It will destroy the feeding areas of the animals.

C．It will put wildlife on the island at risk of starving.

D．It will prevent animals from moving to other places.

2. What is paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．The characteristic of the iceberg.

B．The importance of the iceberg.

C．The traveling speed of the iceberg.

D．The forming process of the iceberg.

3. What damage can an iceberg crash bring according to paragraph 4?

A．Using up much fresh water.

B．Polluting the surrounding farms.

C．Changing the world's ecosystem.

D．Affecting the number of certain species.

4. How does Tarling think of the breaking off of icebergs from Antarctica?

A．It may slow down in the near future.

B．It may become common in the future.

C．It has a great influence on the climate.

D．It helps scientists conduct a sea study.

【推荐1】Many people spend more than four hours per day on WeChat, and it is redefining the word “friend.” Does friending someone on social media make him or her your friend in real life?

Robin Dunbar, a professor at Oxford University, found that only 15, of the 150 Facebook friends the average user has, could be counted as actual friends and only five as close friends. WeChat may show a similar pattern.

Those, with whom you attended a course together, applied for the same part-time job, went to a party and intended to cooperate but failed, take up most of your WeChat friends. In chat records, the only message may be a system notice, “You have accepted somebody’s friend request”. Sometimes when seeing some photos shared on “Moments”, you even need several minutes to think about when you became friends. Also, you may be disturbed by mass messages sent from your unfamiliar “friends”, including requests for voting for their children or friends, links from Pinduoduo.com (a Chinese e-commerce platform that allows users to buy items at lower prices if they purchase in groups) and cookie-cutter blessings in holidays.

You would have thought about deleting this type of “friends” and sort out your connections. But actually you did not do that as you were taught that social networking is valuable to one’s success. Besides, it would be really awkward if they found that you have unfriended them already. Then, you keep increasing your “friends” in social media and click “like” on some pictures that you are not really interested. But the fact is that deep emotional connections do not come with the increasing number of your friends in social media.

If the number of your friends reaches 150, maintaining these relationships can be tough to you, and sometimes even will make you anxious. According to Robin Dunbar, 150 is the limit of the number of people with whom one can maintain stable social relationships.

1. What can we learn from Robin Dunbar’s finding in Paragraph 2?

A．A Facebook user has 250 friends on average.

B．Most of the social media friends can be actual friends.

C．Among our social media friends, only a few people matter.

D．Only 15 people of a person’s Facebook friends can be close friends.

2. What does the third paragraph tell us about most of your WeChat friends?

A．You have deep communication with them.

B．You benefit a lot from their mass messages.

C．You just have a nodding acquaintance with them.

D．You become friends with them in important occasions.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．We will be anxious if we make friends online.

B．We should avoid making any friends in social media.

C．We should make as many friends as possible in social media.

D．We have difficulty managing relationships with over 150 people.

【推荐2】When you encounter animals, do you wonder what they’re thinking? Seeing a newborn lamb or a cute puppy might stir up (激起) happy emotions in us, but does the look on their face and how they behave indicate how they’re feeling —or are they feeling nothing at all?

Humans have a complex range of emotions, but it’s hard to tell what’s going on inside the heads of animals, mainly because they can’t verbalize (说出) their feelings. Perhaps it’s pets we think we understand most —as they are the animals we spend a lot of time with and therefore get to know best. Some of us own dogs because they are good companions, are loyal and seem to connect with us. We might even think they love us, although love could just be a human emotion. Professor Kim Bard, from the University of Portsmouth, told the BBC, “We have a few studies now that actually show, scientifically... that (some) dogs will respond with empathetic concern when their owner—but not a stranger pretends to cry.” The empathetic ability of cats, however, is harder to work out.

Other non-domesticated animals might have feelings too. Giraffes and whales, for example, are known lo experience sadness when someone in their group dies. Farm animals we often eat, such as cows and chickens, are also believed to experience pain, joy and other emotions. Their well-being is now taken into consideration more. Research is beginning to show even tiny creatures like insects experience a wide range of feelings. Writing for BBC Future website, Zaria Gorvett says “They can be optimistic, cynical, or frightened, and respond to pain just like any mammal (哺乳动物) would.”

Dr. Barbara J King, Emerita Professor of Anthropology at the College of William and Mary, told the BBC, “If we understand the profound depths of emotions animals can feel, this should make us question the existence of zoos and slaughterhouses (屠宰场) around the world, and rethink those systems.” It does seem all creatures feel emotion, but what is not clear is: do they feel the same way as us?

1. Why does the author mention dogs?

A．Dogs are understood most.	B．Dogs show certain emotions.
C．Dogs are loyal to humans.	D．Dogs can make strangers cry.

2. What’s the author’s purpose in writing Paragraph 3?

A．To prove animals have feelings.

B．To indicate animals are friends.

C．To show animals can live harmoniously.

D．To tell animals can respond to mankind.

3. Which of the following is consistent with Dr. Barbara J King’s idea?

A．Insects may have the same feelings as whales.

B．Zoos and slaughterhouses ought to be banned.

C．Humans should transform treatment of animals.

D．The existing systems have raised many doubts.

4. How is the passage mainly developed?

A．By making a comparison.	B．By listing figures.
C．By reasoning.	D．By giving examples.

【推荐3】With the average number of children in a British family falling beneath an average of 2.0,the population of the UK has been declining for quite a few years. The size of the British workforce is declining. This trend (趋势) is quite worrying for the British economy.

There is a whole range of reasons accounting for the worrying trend. One of them is that British people are new having their children at a much older age than previously, meaning they have fewer years in which they can have children. Most young People today tend to choose to go university first and build up work experience before getting desired jobs.

Expensive houses also play a part. Many young people are forced to stay with their parents early in their careers. So it's not until people are about 30 years old that they can afford to buy their own home, and then they can start to think about settling down and having children.

So a British person manages to get a job, get a home and get married. Why isn’t he or she then having at least two children on average? The major reason is that it is relatively expensive to bring up a child in the UK. Usually both parents need to work to cover their living expenses, which means they then need to pay someone to look after their child during the day, such as nanny (保姆) or nursery school.

In addition, uncertainty in the global economy often affects British family size. In face of an economic downturn, young British find it more difficult to find jobs or keep their existing ones This discourages them from having larger families. And with this much pressure on families, it’s no wonder that the divorce rate remains so high

To save the British family, the government is taking active measures, for example , by increasing monthly Child Benefit money and offering increasing amount of government subsidy (津贴)for parents to claim. There are also laws allowing parents to take more time off work so that they can look after their children themselves rather than having to pay others to do it.

Let's hope it's not too late to save the British family. Otherwise, the British won't have enough time, energy or money to have children. And where's the fun in that?

1. According to the author, what may account for the decrease of UK's population?

A．People's choice of being single to acquire further education.

B．The trend for people to have children at a younger age.

C．Larger family size brought by weak global economy.

D．The relatively high expenses in raising children.

2. What does the author mainly imply in the last paragraph?

A．It is important to raise people's awareness of saving the British family.

B．It is necessary to reduce subsidies for families and nursery schools.

C．It is urgent to handle the present serious situation.

D．It is difficult for parents to balance life and work.

3. What is the best title for the passage?

A．Disappearing Families.	B．Declining Economy
C．Increasing Divorce	D．Worrying Workforce

【推荐1】A new collection of photos brings an unsuccessful   Antarctic voyage back to life.

Frank Hurley's   pictures would   be outstanding—undoubtedly first­rate photo­journalism—if they had been made last week.In fact，they were shot from 1914 through 1916, most of them after a disastrous shipwreck(海难), by a cameraman who had no reasonable expectation of survival.Many of the images were stored in an ice chest, under freezing water, in the damaged wooden ship.

The ship was the Endurance, a small, tight, Norwegian­built three­master that was intended to take Sir Ernest Shackleton and a small crew of seamen and scientists, 27 men in all，to the southernmost shore of Antarctica's Weddell Sea.From that point Shackleton wanted to force a passage by dog sled (雪橇) across the continent.The journey was intended to achieve more than what Captain Robert Falcon Scott had done.Captain Scott had reached the South Pole early in 1912 but had died with his four companions on the march back.

As writer Caroline Alexander makes clear in her forceful and well­researched story The Endurance, adventuring was even then a thoroughly commercial effort.Scott's last journey，completed as he lay in a tent dying of cold and hunger, caught the world's imagination, and a film made in his honor drew crowds.Shackleton, a onetime British merchant­navy officer who had got to within 100 miles of the South Pole in 1908, started a business before his 1914 voyage to make money from movie and still photography.Frank Hurley, a confident and gifted Australian photographer who knew the Antarctic，was hired to make the images, most of which have never before been published.

1. What do we know about the photos taken by Hurley?

A．They were made last week.

B．They showed undersea sceneries.

C．They were found by a cameraman.

D．They recorded a disastrous adventure.

2. Who reached the South Pole first according to the text?

A．Frank Hurley.

B．Ernest Shackleton.

C．Robert Falcon Scott.

D．Caroline Alexander.

3. What does Alexander think was the purpose of the 1914 voyage?

A．Artistic creation.	B．Scientific research.
C．Money making.	D．Treasure hunting.

【推荐2】During the day we work and play and at night we sleep. Our bodies rest while we sleep. In the morning we are ready to work and play again. It is while we are asleep that our bodies grow most. When children feel tired and angry, they usually need more sleep. We can get our lessons better, and we feel better, too, when we have had plenty of rest. Boys and girls, eight or nine years old, need ten hours of sleep every night. Our bodies need plenty of air when we sleep. If we do not get enough fresh air, we wake up feeling tired. While in bed we must not cover our heads. If we do, our lungs will not get enough fresh air. If we open our windows at night, we can have plenty of fresh air. Cool air is better than warm air. Boys and girls must get plenty of sleep if they want to grow and be strong.

1. Our bodies grow most while we are ________.

A．eating

B．playing

C．sleeping

D．exercising

2. What often makes us feel tired in the morning?

A．Too much air.	B．Not enough fresh air.
C．Too much cold air.	D．Too much sleep.

3. The writer is trying to tell boys and girls________.

A．to get their lessons better	B．not to cover their heads
C．how to go to bed	D．to get plenty of sleep

【推荐3】Everybody may have that one neighbor, who just looks out of the window, looking angry at everyone and everything that crosses the path. And though we think we know what’s going on in is head, we could be wrong.

There is such a person in our community. First you see this bad-tempered old man looking out of his window, taking in everything that is happening on his block. He looks annoyed by just everything. But his heart is solid gold. When he saw one neighbor shouting angrily at her son after he broke her coffee maker, this ill-tempered old man went and bought her a new one.

But he didn’t want her to know so, instead he made it look like he was just throwing it away. And that one secret good deed was just the tip of the iceberg. When he saw another neighbor with a crying baby because of the heat, he got a fan, took it to his room and made it look like it had been sitting for forever. He thought he was being strange and no one would know all the kindness he had shared. But a boy next door knew this ill-tempered neighbor’s secrets. He carefully drew a picture of the old man dressed as Santa and put it on the wall.

So when Christmas came, this little boy had a surprise for the block’s secret Santa. This precious poster is such an important reminder that the holiday season is about giving out of love, even if no one knows. How sweet this is!

1. What impression does the old man leave on his neighbors?

A．Warmhearted.	B．Easy-going.
C．Dangerous.	D．Unfriendly.

2. Why did the old man pretend to throw away his coffee maker?

A．To help a mother and her son.	B．To show off his wealthy life.
C．To get rid of a useless thing.	D．To create a peaceful neighborhood.

3. What do we know about the bad-tempered old man?

A．He wanted to scare his neighbors.

B．He did many good deeds secretly.

C．He told his secrets to the little boy.

D．He was really angry with all his neighbors.

4. Why did the little boy draw the old man as a Santa?

A．To blame the neighbours.

B．To play a trick on the old man.

C．To show the old man’s kindness.

D．To make the old man embarrassed.