【推荐1】Amphibians(两栖动物) are one of the animals that people most frequently fail to notice or value in the environment. Part of that may result from their secretive nature. Often it's quite hard to find a frog or others in their family if you look randomly. Staying hidden is an effective way to ensure their survival.

But there is no doubt about their importance to the environment as well as the health of the ecosystem. Living in both aquatic(水中的) environment and terrestrial(陆地的) habitats, they can therefore be a useful indicator showing whether certain water area is not pure, or there's something polluted in the environment.

There is a sad fact though, that is, the number of amphibians has been falling for decades around the world. Therefore, people are organizing various programs to prevent the situation from getting worse. Among them is one nationwide frog-watching program in the US In that program, people learn the breeding calls of the local toads and frogs. They then report their data back to a national data base.

If you don't know the excellent time to observe frogs, choose the early spring. It is the time for their annual renewal of life, and they are most active during night time. You don't need a large lake or river for your observation. With many species, a temporary small pond or shallow pool would be the best habitat, as there are not many big predators(捕食性动物) there. Species like green frogs and bullfrogs, however, need more permanent bodies of water, and with permanent bodies of water comes more predation.

1. Why do people often fail to notice or value amphibians in the environment?

A．They are of secretive nature.	B．There are not many in nature.
C．They are important to the environment.	D．They are critical for the ecosystem.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Amphibians live in different habitats.

B．Frogs can be used as an indicator of water pollution.

C．Amphibian species worldwide have been in decline.

D．There are fewer predators in permanent water bodies

3. If you want to observe local toads and frogs, the best time and place should be at_____.

A．6 am, a river bank

B．9 pm, a pond

C．11 am, a lake

D．4 pm, a puddle

【推荐3】I fell in love with rhinos when I worked in a zoo in the 80s, and spent much of the next 20 years as the keeper of the largest captive (圈养) group of rare black rhinos.

There’s a popular misconception that rhinos are aggressive and stupid, but I discovered sensitive, affectionate animals. Weighing over a ton, black rhinos are unexpectedly swift and have an unpredictable nature — but, given reassurance, they can be very trusting. In the past few decades, their numbers have dropped dramatically. In recent years, I’ve helped look after rhinos being moved to animal shelters, so they can form new populations in countries that have few left.

Last year, I helped on a project to fly five black rhinos from a private reserve in South Africa to the Serengeti National Park. Once there, the animals had to be kept captive for a few weeks to adapt to the new environment, in which time they lived in bomas — wooden enclosures (围场) with bedrooms, designed to create a calm space.

A couple of weeks before their planned release, the sky filled with smoke. Watching the flames rushing through the bush toward the bomas, I froze. Terrified that it would catch fire, my instinct was to release the rhinos, but they hadn’t yet been fitted with transmitters (信号传送器). If I let them out into a bushfire and they were injured, we’d have great difficulty tracking them down.

So I rushed back to the bomas and called the rhinos to the bedrooms. Sensing the fear in my voices, they moved without hesitation and remained astonishingly calm. It was crucial the rhinos didn’t panic — they can easily hurt each other if they do.

Meanwhile, the keepers managed to beat the closest flames away. At last, after half an hour, the wind changed direction and the fire began to die down.

That we and the rhinos had escaped uninjured was a miracle. The teamwork of everybody there played a large part, and the rhinos were very much a part of that team. The relationships we’d built with them had proved crucial — had they or we panicked, all our work would have been in vain. Instead, two weeks later, they were released into the wild, ready to found part of a new population in the Serengeti.

1. What kind of animals does the author think rhinos are?

A．Mild giants.

B．Aggressive killers.

C．Unfriendly creatures.

D．Reliable companions.

2. What can we infer from the passage?

A．Black rhinos can easily get along well with human beings.

B．Measures have been taken to save black rhinos from extinction.

C．Black rhinos cannot survive if they aren’t kept captive in bomas.

D．The black rhino population has sharply decreased due to bushfire.

3. Why didn’t the author let the rhinos out in the bushfire?

A．They would panic and hurt each other.

B．It could be difficult to locate and find them.

C．They showed signs of anger and aggression.

D．They might fail to adapt to new environments.

4. What is the best title of this passage?

A．Saving the Rhinos.

B．Rush to Assumption.

C．A Bushfire Rescue.

D．A Bond Beyond Words.

【推荐1】Gold Coast family holidays are always great fun whether you are from Australia or from abroad. There are beautiful beaches, adventure parks, nature parks and so much more.

There are so many sights to see here. It is a pity to drive in a car and you'll miss a great part of it. Australia is home to many animals and birds that can only be seen when moving slowly and going into the areas that they live.

When you are on a bicycle, you have the advantage of being able to stop whenever you want to see an interesting animal or bird that you have never seen before. It is a quieter mode(方式) of transportation as well, so you might even be able to take a picture. When you are on the beach, you can breathe that clean air and view the beauty of the water and sand. It is a totally different experience from either simply sunbathing or passing it in a car.

There are many choices of hiring a bicycle to experience the Gold Coast attractions. There are stores that will fit a bike perfectly to your size. These bikes for both adults and children are in many styles and colors to please any taste. If you have ever wanted to try a tandem bike (双人单车), now is your chance, because they have those too.

A bicycle hire on Gold Coast is something that everyone should try at least once. This is a wonderful chance for anyone who likes to cycle and it is also a cheap way to travel with your family.

1. You'd better not drive in a car on Gold Coast because                 .

A．you will break the traffic rules

B．you will cause much noise

C．you can't enjoy the beautiful sights well

D．you can't drive into some parks

2. The following advantages of hiring bikes are mentioned EXCEPT that                 .

A．you can take photos of animals

B．it is a cheap way of traveling

C．you can get a clearer sight of animals

D．it is a good way to do sunbathing

3. What is paragraph 4 mainly about?

A．How to hire bikes on Gold Coast.

B．What kinds of bikes there are in stores.

C．What bikes are the most popular.

D．Who can hire bikes on Gold Coast.

4. What's the author's attitude towards a bike hire on Gold Coast?

A．He supports it very much.

B．He thinks it's a personal choice.

C．He doesn't like this way of traveling.

D．He thinks it's only good for adults.

【推荐2】Bamboo is one of the nature's most surprising plants. Many people call this plant a tree, but it is a kind of grass.

Like other kinds of grass, a bamboo plant may be cut very low to the ground, but it will grow back very quickly. A Japanese scientist recorded one bamboo plant that grew almost 1.5 meters in 24 hours! Bamboo grows almost everywhere in the world except Europe. There are more than 1,000 kinds of bamboo that grow around the world on both mountains and plains (平原)．

Not all bamboo looks the same. Some bamboo plants are very thin. They may only grow to be a few centimeters wide while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across. This plant also comes in different colors, from yellow to black to green.

Many Asian countries have been using bamboo for hundreds of years. They often use bamboo for building new buildings. As a matter of fact, the cables (绳索) that hold up the hanging bridge across the Min River in Sichuan are made of bamboo. The bridge has been in use for more than 1,000 years, and is still holding strong.

In Africa, engineers are teaching poor farmers how to find water using bamboo. These African countries need cheap ways to find water because they have no money，and their fields often die from no rain and no water. It seems that bamboo is one of the best things they can use. Bamboo pipes and drills (钻) can help to make the poor thirsty fields to be watered.

1. How is bamboo like grass?

A．It is thin and easy to cut.	B．It grows everywhere.
C．It grows quickly after its cut short.	D．It is short and green.

2. The sentence “while others may grow to more than 30 centimeters across” means “Some other bamboo plants may grow to be very ________.”

A．short

B．strong

C．thick

D．tall

3. From the text we know ________.

A．most people call bamboo plant trees

B．bamboo plant may grow 4.5 meters in three days

C．the bamboo plant changes its colors when it grows

D．a bridge held by bamboo cable was built thousands of years ago

4. Why did the engineers teach the poor farmers in Africa to make use of bamboo?

A．Because it is cheap.	B．Because it is colorful.
C．Because it drills fast.	D．Because it is used by Asians.

【推荐3】Fungi(菌类) are a group of organisms that have no leaves or flowers. In fact, fungi do not even share the green color that most other plants display. Scientists say that there are over 1.5 million different species of fungi in the world. One interesting thing is that they often interact with other organisms in order to survive. These relationships are at times beneficial to both organisms. Other times, the fungus benefits without causing harm to the other organism.

At first, many gardeners would be concerned to know that their plants were colonized (聚居) by a fungus. This is because some fungi can cause plants to die. In fact, the Irish Potato Famine was caused by a fungus that killed entire crops of potatoes. However, many plants actually depend on certain types of fungi to stay fit. The reason for this has to do with how fungi gain food. Unlike green plants, fungi cannot make their own food. They must absorb minerals from the soil, and when they do this, they draw the nutrients closer to the roots of the plant, so the plant is able to use them as well. The fungus also benefits from this relationship. Using the minerals from the soil, as well as sunlight, the plant is able to produce sugar and other nutrients: Then the fungus absorbs the nutrients from plant roots and uses them to survive.

Still, for some fungus species, contact with other organisms is essential. And though the fungi do not provide any benefits for the other organism, they do not harm it either. One example of this is a species called pilobolus. This fungus relies on other animals to help it reproduce. The pilobolus grows in animal waste. When it becomes mature (成熟的), it shoots its spores (孢子) away from the waste pile. The spores land in the grass where there are cows. The spores are eaten by the animal but do not grow while inside the stomach. They travel through the body of the animal until they are passed in another area, where they continue to grow.

1. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．Organisms.

B．Scientists.

C．Species.

D．Fungi.

2. What can we conclude from Paragraph 2?

A．Fungi can make their own food.

B．Fungi can’t survive without plants.

C．Fungi neither benefit nor harm plants.

D．Fungi are sometimes dangerous for crops.

3. Why does the author mention cows in the last paragraph?

A．To show how fungi can be harmful.

B．To prove that fungi can be found anywhere.

C．To explain how a type of fungus reproduces.

D．To give an example of animals that eat fungi.

4. From which is the text probably taken?

A．A biology textbook.	B．An animal magazine.
C．A research paper.	D．A finance report.