【推荐1】I work as a meteorologist(气象学家) in Tampa, Florida. It’s my job to follow hurricanes(飓风) and provide information about them to scientists.

I was working for the National Meteorological Office in Bracknell, near London, in the autumn of 1995, and I saw a documentary called Stormchasers with family.     1     Two months later I came across an ad for a meteorologist to work in Florida. I was interviewed over the phone, moved to the US, and started to work here in Tampa in May 1996.

    2     I have been all over the world hunting hurricanes. It’s exciting to end up in different cities and different countries day after day. If you are a meteorologist, you have to love flying. I also love working with top scientists.     3     For me, it’s like a classroom in the sky.

People often ask me what an average day is like. In fact, there’s no such thing as an average day in my job!     4     We often take off at a moment’s notice to hunt storms.

Next, I would like to join a space program and be the first meteorologist in space.     5     There aren’t any hurricanes!

If you also want to be a meteorologist, study math and science and get a degree in meteorology. I have taken the hurricane hunter path, but you could do research.

A．I have learned so much from them.

B．What I like most about my job is the travel.

C．It’s a wonderful job and the pay is pretty good.

D．It all depends on the weather, and you can’t control that.

E．However, I haven’t come up with an experiment to do in space yet.

F．Because of the job, I’m away from my family who all live in the UK.

G．It was about hurricane hunters and I thought, “Wow, that’s an interesting job!”

【推荐2】The discovery of an ancient giant panda skull has confirmed its bamboo diet dates back more than 2 million years and may have played a key part in its survival.
A Chinese-US research team reports its results today following studies on a fossil skull found in south China’s Cuangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region in 2001.
The six fossils unearthed in Jinyin Cave are dated between 2.4 and 2 million years ago, according to the report in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, an influential US journal.
Jin Changzhu, of the chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS) and lead author of the paper, said the smaller fossil skull indicates the giant pandas were about a third smaller than today’s pandas.
Researchers knew the panda reached its maximum size about 500,000 years ago, when it peaked ,and then gradually became smaller.
Jin, a paleontologist (古生物学者) at the Institute of Vertebrate paleontology and Paleoanthropology (古人类学) attached to the CAS, said the size variation was a basic rule of evolution.
“A species tends to grow bigger when it reaches the peak of its population , but becomes smaller when numbers decline,” he said.
The dental remains of the skull, which is the oldest giant panda skull ever found, are similar to today’s pandas, indicating the type of teeth that could munch (津津有味地嚼)mountains of bamboo. A panda can eat up to 40kg of bamboo per day.
Paleoanthropologist Russell Ciochon, the US co-author at the University of lowa, said the panda’s focus on bamboo could have helped it survive all these years.
“Once an animal begins to rely on a common and stable food source, such as bamboo, it tends to evolve a larger body size,” he said. “As individuals of the evolving species grow bigger, they have a better chance not to be eaten by predators (肉食动物) due to their larger body size.”
1. According to the research of the CAS , there were most pandas in the world .

A．2 million years ago

B．between 2.4 and 2 million years ago

C．500,000 years ago

D．Nowadays

2. The underlined word “variation” in para 6 means      .

A．fall

B．change

C．increase

D．decrease

3. From the passage, we can learn      .

A．pandas began to eat bamboo 2 million years ago

B．a species tends to grow smaller when numbers decline

C．the giant pandas were about a third the size of today’s pandas

D．pandas’ bamboo has played an important role in its development

4. The passage mainly tells us that      .

A．pandas are endangered

B．pandas had a long history

C．pandas had bamboo to beat predators

D．today’s Pandas are similar to the oldest ones

【推荐3】Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history.

Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport, and simply because they were in the way. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the earth forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more.

Animals are more than beautiful or interesting or a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems.

For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks（鹰）, the farmers' stores of corn and grain were destroyed by mice. Why? Because hawks eat mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the mice multiplied quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger.

Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animal or plant on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1. What is the theme for the text?

A．Save the animals.	B．Useful animals.
C．Laws for animals.	D．Animals in danger.

2. Why are animals important for us?

A．They give us a source of food.	B．They are beautiful and lovely.
C．They keep the balance of nature.	D．They give us a lot of pleasure.

3. What does the underlined word"multiplied" in Para. 5 mean?

A．Became more.

B．Became less.

C．Turned black.

D．Ate food.

4. What can be inferred from the text about animal protection?

A．Being noticed by people all the time.

B．Helping decrease the hawk population.

C．Many countries have passed laws.

D．More awareness should be raised.

【推荐1】The mom had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps (缝隙) of those ruins，the rescuers could see her last posture (姿势)．It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing (叩头)，but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure.

The rescuers confirmed her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again，knocked the bricks using various tools，but no reply inside.

Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back，calling “Come here.” He came to the body，put his hands under the woman，feeling and touching，then shouted loudly and gladly，“There is someone，a baby，still living.”

Through some efforts，rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby，who was covered by a small red quilt (棉被)．He was about 3 or 4 months’old. Since well protected by his mother’s body，he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out，and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor，along with the rescuing team，took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right，and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen; a written   message was already there：“My dear baby if you could live，don’t forget how much I love you.” As a doctor，he experienced much of this type of separation; but at this moment，he cried. The mobile phone was passed，and every person who saw this message shed (流出) tears.

1. When the rescuers found the mom，she________.

A．was using her mobile phone to ask for help

B．begged the rescuers to save her baby first

C．was struggling with the pressure

D．didn’t have the normal shape

2. When the baby was rescued，he________.

A．was smiling a lot	B．was fast asleep
C．was listening carefully	D．was frightened to death

3. After seeing the words on the mobile phone，people was________.

A．pleased	B．excited
C．moved	D．tired

4. The passage is mainly about________.

A．a story of saving a mother and her baby

B．the disaster of a terrible earthquake

C．the rescuers’ hard work after an earthquake

D．the great love of a mother in the earthquake

【推荐2】In a certain village lived a farmer and his only son. The son was a thief who always went about stealing from people’s homes. He continued this bad lifestyle till the day his cup got filled. He stole heavy sum of money from the richest man in their village, but that day he didn’t escape successfully as he used to. The rich man contacted the police immediately when he found out that his money was missing and the police started investigating, and finally they found out that the boy stole the money so they sent him to prison.

After some months, it was time for farming and the farmer was already old and weak and can’t dig the ground anymore, so the old farmer wrote this letter to his son in prison. “Son, this year I will not plant cassava and yam because I can’t dig the field, I know if you were here you would have helped me”. The son was really touched by his father’s letter so he thought a plan, and replied his father “Dad, don’t even think of digging the field because that’s where I buried the money I stole”.

On reading this letter, the policeman went early in the morning and dug the whole field in search of the money but nothing was found. The next day the son wrote his father again “Dad, you can now plant your cassava and yam. This is the best I can do from here. ”

Dad replied “My son, you are too powerful indeed, even in prison you still command policemen to work for me. I was so surprised to see the policeman and his team holding hoes and shovels, digging my farm. Next time I will write to you when I want to harvest.

1. What happened to the boy after he got caught stealing？

A．He was punished by the rich man.

B．He was sentenced to imprisonment.

C．He was arrested and questioned by the police.

D．He returned the stolen money to its original owner.

2. What can we learn from the story？

A．Think outside the box.

B．Every bean has its black.

C．Slow and steady wins the race.

D．A fall into the pit, a gain in your wit.

3. What can be inferred from the passage？

A．The boy buried the stolen money in his father’s field.

B．The police believed what the boy wrote in the letter to his father.

C．The boy had the power to command the police to dig the field for his father.

D．The police would come and dig the field again when his father want to harvest.

4. What is the farmer’s attitude towards his son’s plan？

A．favorable

B．indifferent

C．disapproving

D．ridiculous

【推荐3】The man had been on a long flight. The first warning of the approaching problems came when the sign on the airplane flashed on, "Fasten your seat belts. "

Then, after a while, a calm voice said, "We shall not be serving the drinks at this time as we are expecting a little turbulence (湍流). Please be sure your seat belt is fastened." As the man looked around the aircraft, it became obvious that many of the passengers were becoming nervous.

Later, the voice of the announcer said, "We are so sorry that we are unable to serve the meal at this time. The turbulence is still ahead of us."

And then the storm broke out. The terrible thunder could be heard even above the sound of the engines. Lightning lit up the darkening skies and within moments that great plane was like a leather thrown around on a vast ocean. One moment the airplane was lifted on great currents of air, and the next, it dropped as if it were about to crash.

The man admitted that he shared the discomfort and fear of those around him. He said, "As I looked around the plane. I could see that nearly all the passengers were upset and alarmed. Some were praying."

The man continued to say, "The future seemed terrible and many were wondering if they would make it through the storm. And then, I suddenly saw a girl to whom the storm meant nothing. She just sat on her seat and was reading a book. Everything within her small world was calm and orderly. Sometimes she closed her eyes and then she would read again. She would straighten her legs but worry and fear were not in her world. When the plane was being hit by the terrible storm, when it shook this way and that way, when it rose and fell so severely, and when all the adults were scared half to death, that unusual child was completely composed and unafraid."

The man could hardly believe his eyes. It was not surprising, therefore, that when the plane finally reached its destination and all the passengers were hurrying off board, he asked the girl why she had not been afraid. The sweet child replied, "Sir, my dad is the pilot and he is taking me home."

1. Why were drinks and the meal not provided for the passengers at the time?

A．Drinks and the meal hadn't' been fully prepared.

B．The airplane might not fly stably for some time.

C．The plane would land at the airport in a short time.

D．Something was wrong with one of the engines of the airplane.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 4 and Paragraph 5 when the storm broke out?

A．The airplane dropped quickly most of the time.

B．The airplane was flying around over a vast ocean.

C．Most of the passengers on the airplane kept calm.

D．The thunder could be louder than the sound of the engines.

3. The girl on the flight can be considered as ______.

A．self-willed

B．self-motivated

C．self-collected

D．self-contained

4. What can we infer from the girl's words in the last paragraph?

A．She had trust in her father.

B．She showed respect for her father.

C．She showed sympathy for her father.

D．She had some doubt about her father.