【推荐1】You probably have a first-aid kit at home for your family-but what about your family pets? You need to be ready if your furry friend faces an emergency at home. What's more, as the weather gets warmer, more pet owners take their pets with them when they leave the house-on vacation, to the park, jogging, hiking and even swimming. That can be fun for you and your pet, but there's a chance that your pet will get hurt there, as well. So, it's important to know some of the basics of first aid for your pet if necessary.

If your pet is exposed to long periods of heat and sunlight, she will be easy to get heat exhaustion or heatstroke. Signs of heat exhaustion are breathless, anxiousness, dry gums and red skin most easily seen on the ears.

If either of these occurs, cool the pet right away and, as always, get her to the vet. Put the animal in a shaded or air-conditioned area, and wet the body with cool water. Rubbing isopropyl alcohol on the belly and fanning the area will help drive away the heat. If a pet is suffering from heatstroke, don't try to give her water. Get her to the vet immediately.

If you see an animal that's been hit by a car, or you hit one accidentally, first be cautious of all oncoming traffic before trying to reach the animal. Approach carefully. Even a severely injured animal can bite you.

As someone helps with directing traffic, cover the animal with a blanket or towel. If the animal cannot stand on her own, there's a good chance that there are neck, back or head injuries, so try to gently transfer the animal to a flat surface. Then transport that flat surface to the nearest vet. Picking up or hand-carrying the animal may worsen the injuries.

1. If a pet suffers from heatstroke, what should you do?

A．Freeze her in an air-conditioned area.	B．Wet her body with cold water.
C．Make her drink some alcohol.	D．Bring her to her vet at once.

2. How can you help an animal injured in an accident?

A．By sending her to the vet on a flat surface.	B．By carrying her in your hands to the vet.
C．By running to help her immediately.	D．By picking her up in a gentle way.

3. The underlined word "transfer" in the last paragraph may mean ___________.

A．drive

B．move

C．feed

D．trap

【推荐3】A new study recently found that elephants in central African forests can encourage the growth of slow-growing trees and increase the ability of the forest to store carbon.

“As a tree, there’s a trade-off you can’t have it all,” explained Fabio Berzaghi, who led the study. “You either invest in growing fast, or in building a lot of structure with carbon to be more resistant.” Elephants prefer to eat fast-growing trees in more open spaces. As they feed and walk, they cause damage to these species, knocking over trees or breaking off branches, which results in an ecosystem that favors large, slow-growing hardwood trees. “As the elephants thin the forest, they increase the number of slow-growing trees and the forest is capable of storing more carbon, ” said Stephen Blake, one of the paper’s authors.

Scientists collected field measurements in the Congo Basin and used a computer model to predict how elephants would affect forest structure, and carbon storage potential in the long term. The data confirmed that when elephants are present, the forest contains larger trees and higher abundances of species with high wood density. Conversely (相反地)，should forest elephants go extinct, leaving those slow-growing trees struggling to compete with fast-growing species, it would result in a 7 percent loss of above-ground biomass (生物总量). As a result, central African forests could lose up to three billion tons of carbon, potentially accelerating climate change.

The sad reality is that humans are doing their best to rid the planet of elephants. “This study comes at a time when forest elephants are threatened as never before,” said Iain Douglas Hamilton, founder of Save the Elephants. “It is shocking that just as we are beginning to understand how elephants might have a key role in Africa in storing carbon, they are under real threat of extinction.” One limitation of the study, Mr. Berzaghi said, is that we do not know how much carbon has already been lost because of the elephants’ decline. But it does seem certain, he added, that putting a stop to illegal hunting and restoring forest elephant populations would bring climate benefits.

1. What can we infer about slow-growing trees in Paragraph 2?

A．They are elephants’ favorite food.	B．They are easily hurt by elephants.
C．They can help forests store carbon.	D．They may reduce elephant populations.

2. What would happen without elephants living in central African forests?

A．Climate change would possibly be sped up.

B．The forest structure would remain unchanged.

C．The forests would lose more fast-growing trees.

D．Larger trees would defeat fast-growing species.

3. What did Mr. Berzaghi suggest people do?

A．Lead a low-carbon life.	B．Evaluate the carbon loss.
C．Stop destroying forests.	D．Protect forest elephants.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Humans and Nature Live in Harmony

B．Elephants Disappear in Parts of Africa

C．Climate Change Affects Forest Structure

D．Elephants Defend Against Climate Change

【推荐1】I was watching my kids play on the sidewalk when I looked up and saw a crow sitting on the telephone wire. The crow sat with its head turned to one side， observing us with one friendly black eye.

I'm not a bird expert or a birdwatcher， but crows intrigue me. Since that day， I have become friends with the neighborhood crows， and I've learned a thing or two along the way.

The best way to introduce yourself to a crow is by feeding it. I'm sure there are other ways to go about it， but the easiest and fastest way to a crow's heart is food. Some may argue that a crow is a wild animal and by feeding it， you encourage the unnatural dependence. And to most wildlife， this is an excellent philosophy. But crows and humans have been living side by side for centuries， and researchers like Marzluff and Angell， who wrote In the Company of Crows and Ravens， point to many examples of cultural co﹣evolution （共同进化） between us. It's been a rather symbiotic （共生的） relationship for quite a while.

Certainly， humans' and crows' lives and histories have become closely related. I moved to this neighborhood in this small city 5 years ago. I'm relatively new here， but the crows in my neighborhood may have lived here for many years. They've watched people come and go for years ﹣ people who may have watched them right back.

So anyway， we're neighbors， and feeding is the neighborly thing to do.

1. Which of the following can replace the underlined word "intrigue" in Paragraph 2？

A．Dislike.

B．Interest.

C．Surprise.

D．Frighten.

2. What does the author think is the easiest and fastest way to let the crows like you？

A．To play with them.

B．To make friends with them.

C．To give food to them.

D．To watch them closely.

3. We can infer from Paragraph 3 the purpose of the author is to .

A．develop a philosophy

B．introduce a book

C．correct people's ideas

D．share personal experience

4. What's the author's attitude toward the relationship of man and crows？

A．Positive.

B．Unclear.

C．Doubtful.

D．Indifferent.

【推荐2】Whale researchers believe they have found a new way to measure the amount of stress felt by whales when they experience serious threats, such as being hit by a ship, and they say the technique could help protect the huge sea creatures from dying off.

American Rosalind Rolland is the lead scientist on the project. She and her team are with the New England Aquarium in Boston, Massachusetts. They measured stress hormones (荷尔蒙 ) by studying baleen, a substance found in the upper part of the mouth of some kinds of whale. She explains that the baleen serves as a record that shows a spike in stress hormones when whales face dangers such as a changing climate and ship strikes. Scientists can then read these records, similar to reading the rings on a tree.

Understanding the information is important because whales who often feel stressed are less likely to be reproductive and more likely to become sick. That combination is not good for the whale population, which is already dangerously low.

The scientists did their work on a whale that had become trapped in fishing equipment, which some scientists estimate kills up to 300, 000 whales and dolphins annually. It was finally killed by Inuit hunters who found it trying to drag the fishing equipment. The hunters said the whale seemed to lack energy. When scientists examined the dead whale, they found its mouth showed an increase in stress hormones 20 times greater than normal.

Regina Asmutis-Silvia is a biologist with the Whale and Dolphin Conservation in Massachusetts. She didn’t participate in the research, but she says it is important. “We clearly understand that stress is bad for humans. We also need to understand that stress is bad for other animals, too,” she adds.

1. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．The dangers the whale often faces.

B．The measures to stop sea life being hit.

C．A discovery to measure stress on whales.

D．A way to protect the mouth of the whale.

2. Which of the following can best replace “spike” underlined in Paragraph 2?

A．Rise.

B．Change.

C．Crash.

D．Slide.

3. What may a whale living a stressful life be like?

A．Calm and fierce.	B．Unhealthy and unable to reproduce.
C．Uneasy and energetic.	D．Sizeable and likely to lose appetite.

4. Why does the author mention the words by Regina?

A．To move on to another topic.

B．To stress the importance of the finding.

C．To tell the necessity of studying other animals.

D．To show the similarity between humans and animals.

【推荐3】Dogs wag(摇摆) their tails in different directions depending on whether they are excited and wanting to move forward or threatened and thinking of moving back, a study has found.

Researchers in Italy examined the tail wagging behavior of 30 dogs, catching their responses to a range of stimuli(刺激物) with video cameras. To conduct the study they chose 15 male dogs and 15 female ones aged between one and six. The dogs were all family pets whose owners had allowed them to take part in the experiment at Bari University. The dogs were placed in a large wooden box with an opening at the front to allow them to view various stimuli. They were tested one at a time.

The researchers led by Professor Giorgio Vallortigara of the University of Trieste found that when the dogs were shown their owners—a positive experience—their tails wagged energetically to the right side. When they were shown an unfamiliar human they wagged to the right, but with somewhat less enthusiasm. The appearance of a cat again caused a right-hand side wag, although with less excitement again. The appearance of a large unfamiliar dog, similar to a German shepherd dog, changed the direction of tail wagging to the left. Researchers supposed the dog was thinking of moving back. When the dogs were not shown any stimuli, they tended to wag their tails to the left, suggesting they preferred company. While the changes in the tail wagging were not easily noticed without the aid of a video, it was thought that the findings could help people judge the mood (心情) of dogs. Computer and video systems, for example, could be used by professional dog trainers to determine the mood of dogs that they were required to approach.

1. Why were the video cameras used to catch the dogs’ responses?

A．It was easier to catch the dogs’ response changes in the tail wagging.

B．The dogs were put in the wooden boxes and tested one at a time.

C．They enabled the dogs’ owners to know about their dogs’ habit.

D．The dogs wagged their tails in different directions when they were in different moods.

2. When there were no stimuli, the dogs would 　　　.

A．wag their tails to the left

B．wag their tails to the right

C．not wag tails at all

D．wag tails to the left and then to the right

3. What does the underlined word “they” refer to in the last paragraph?

A．The dogs.	B．The trainers.
C．The systems.	D．The researchers.

4. What’s the purpose of doing the experiment?

A．To train dogs for their owners.

B．To help people judge the mood of dogs.

C．To help dogs find company.

D．To help people choose their pet dogs.

【推荐1】“Farm to table” is the name of a movement that encourages people to eat locally grown food. The farm-to-table idea has become more popular in recent years. But there is also a movement that brings “table to farm”. Its purpose is to connect people to the land and to honor local farmers by creating a sort of restaurant without walls.

Its founder, Jim Denevan, got the idea for this kind of “culinary adventure (美食探险)”, as he called it, ten years ago. He recently prepared tables for more than a hundred people at Briars Farm in Virginia. He and his eight-member team arrived the night before. Chefs (厨师) from a local   restaurant prepared the dinner.

Jim Denevan’s brother is a farmer and he himself is a chef. He thought that the idea of a meal served right on the farm made sense, though not everyone agreed.

“But I wanted to make the idea work, so I decided to cross the country, “ said Denevan. “I went all the way across the United States and set the table on farms, ranches (大牧场) and beaches, and all the places where food came from. “

“This kind of event connects us with a lot of enthusiastic people, people that we can form relationships with, “ said Matt Szechenyi, who operates Briars Farm.

The tour of the farm ends at the dinner table. The meats in the meal come from Matt Szechenyi’s farm. The vegetables come from nearby farms. Guests and local farmers sit together.

Annoica Ingram came with a friend. “The food is wonderful. I appreciate their hard work. I see everything they have to do to take care of the animals and make sure they are well-cared-for. Without them, I think, we’ll have big problems, “ she said.

1. What is the main purpose of the movement “table to farm”?

A．To provide people with healthy food.

B．To help farmers earn more money.

C．To honor farmers for their hard work.

D．To encourage people to work less and practice more.

2. Annoica’s attitude towards farmers’ work is ______.

A．worried

B．grateful

C．doubtful

D．supportive

3. What kind of writing is the passage likely to be?

A．A travel guide.

B．A news report.

C．A diary.

D．Popular science.

【推荐3】Forgiving someone who has hurt you or let you down is never an easy thing. Several new studies, however, say that it could have a lot of health benefits. When you think of forgiveness, you probably don’t think of it as being a health or medical problem. Studies from Stanford University, on the other hand, show that something like anger can change your well-being.
When cartoon book characters like the Incredible Hulk get angry, they change colours and often
gain special power. In the real world, anger is less obvious and may be more dangerous. That’s why Professor Fred Luskin, founder of the Stanford Forgiveness Project and author of Forgive for Good, says ______ anger and hatred can harm your physical and mental health. Two new studies seem to show the same idea.
The studies find that people who are able to forgive feel less stress, less back pain, and less depression. They also have fewer headaches, lower blood pressure, and fewer problems on sleeping.
So it doesn’t matter if your anger is caused by the traffic or other things. Learning to let it go is important. Techniques such as deep breath or thought can help. Or just ask yourself if it’s worth hurting yourself by staying angry with someone else.
Forgiveness does not mean that you simply accept what happened and say it’s OK. Instead, it’s a way of making peace with yourself about what happened in the past.
1. The author of the passage tries to make his viewpoint clear _______.

A．by raising his own examples

B．based on his own experience

C．by mentioning some studies w.w.^w.k.&s.5*u.c.#om

D．by mentioning some typical patients

2. The example of the cartoon book characters is taken in the passage to_______.

A．support the viewpoint that anger and hatred harm physical and mental health.

B．introduce a famous expert.

C．let the reader know the different colours of cartoon faces.

D．show how to control one’s temper.

3. The underlined phrase “holding on to” in this passage possibly means“_______”.

A．removing

B．keeping up

C．getting rid of

D．learning about

4. The best title for this passage is probably _______.

A．Forgiveness	B．Forgiveness Is Good for Health
C．A Secret to Keeping Health	D．Anger Is Bad for Health