【推荐1】Most popular wildlife parks in India often have long queues and are expensive. Namrata Dadwal lists four lesser-known sanctuaries (保护区) that you can explore at a more reasonable price.

Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary

Spread over 578 acres in the Aravallirange, the sanctuary is near the Famous Kumbalgarh Fort. The sanctuary makes home to many endangered species of wildlife like wolf, leopard, and jungle cat.

Best way to explore: By boat

Best time to explore: March to December

National Chambal Sanctuary

The 5400 sq km sanctuary extends into Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and is the only one in India with three keystone species — Ganges river dolphin, ghariyal and red-crowned roof turtle along with eight rare turtle species and about 300 species of birds.

Best way to explore: By boat

Best time to explore: November to March

Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary

While the Sunderbans in West Bengal is India’s most popular mangrove (红树林) forest, an equally wonderful one is Coringa, which is the second largest one in the country. It is a birder’s heaven and is also home to otters, jackals, fishing cats and estuarine crocodiles. Endangered Olive Ridley sea turtles nest here from January to March.

Best way to explore: By boat or on foot

Best time to explore: November to February

Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park

The park has 21 islands and three distinct coastal ecosystems — coral reef, seagrass bed and mangroves — with over 4,200 species of plants and animals. It is home to the largest endangered marine mammal Dugong and is also the last shelter of Balanoglossus.

Best way to explore: By boat or on foot

Best time to explore: October to March

1. Which is the best choice for a visit in July?

A．Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary.

B．National Chambal Sanctuary.

C．Kumbalgarh Wildlife Sanctuary.

D．Gulf of Mannar Marine National Park.

2. What can we see in Coringa Wildlife Sanctuary?

A．Dugong.	B．Jungle cat.
C．Ganges river dolphin.	D．Olive Ridley sea turtle.

3. Where can the text be found?

A．In a diary.	B．In a biography.
C．In a biology book.	D．In a travel brochure.

【推荐2】Check out our new Spring Group Kayaking(皮艇) Tour and join us for some fresh air and exercise!

Group Kayak Fitness

Suitable for experienced paddlers only. Coffee / tea is not currently provided, but you can certainly bring your own in a reusable cup! $50 per class.

Please email Laura@sydneybykayak.com.au for details on how to purchase a 10 class pass.

Social Paddle

Suitable for all levels of fitness. A shorter paddle around Lavender Bay. A great way to try kayaking and simply get outside for some gentle exercise. Coffee / tea is not currently provided, but you can certainly bring your own in a reusable cup! $60 per class.

Please email Susan@sydneybykayak.com.au for details on how to purchase a 10 class pass.

Clean-up Kayak Tour

Suitable for all levels of fitness. A shorter paddle around Lavender Bay, picking up rubbish. A great way to try kayaking, get outside for some gentle exercise and help the environment at the same time. Coffee/tea is provided! $50 per tour.

Please email Jenny@sydneybykayak.com.au for details on how to purchase a 10 class pass.

Sunrise Kayak and Coffee

Suitable for beginners. Our flagship tour! A longer paddle at Sunrise with lots of breaks learning some of the history of Sydney. A longer time on the water, but with lots of touristy stops for photos and stories. Enjoy watching the sunrise on a very quiet Sydney Harbor. Coffee/tea is provided on this paddle. Ordered at time of booking. $145 per person, per tour.

Please email Anna@sydneybykayak.com.au for details.

1. Which tour is unfit for inexperienced paddlers?

A．Group Kayak Fitness.	B．Social Paddle.
C．Clean-up Kayak Tour.	D．Sunrise Kayak and Coffee.

2. What is the special part of Clean-up Kayak Tour?

A．The paddlers can have coffee.

B．The paddlers can save some money.

C．The paddlers can travel around Lavender Bay.

D．The paddlers can pick up some garbage

3. Which e-mail address can be used if travelers want to know history of Sydney?

A．Susan@sydneybykayak.com.au.	B．Laura@sydneybykayak.com.au.
C．Anna@sydneybykayak.com.au.	D．Jenny@sydneybykayak.com.au.

【推荐1】Hattie Wyatt was an American politician who became the first woman elected to the U.S. Senate(参议院).

She grew up in her native Bakerville, Tennessee, and in nearby Hustburg. She graduated（1896）from Dickson Normal School and for time thereafter(从那以后)taught school. In 1902 she married Thaddeus H. Caraway, who subsequently became a congressman and then a U.S. senator for Arkansas.

When Thaddeus died in November 1931, Hattie Caraway was appointed by the governor to fill her husband's seat until a special election could be held; she thus became the second woman(after Rebecca Felton, 1922)to be seated in the U.S. Senate. She won a special election to fill the few remaining months of her late husband's term. She won reelection in her own right to the seat later with the help of Louisiana governor Huey Long, who campaigned for her. Caraway was reelected again in 1938 but failed in her bid for a third term in 1944. In her 13 years in the Senate, she was the first woman to take charge of a session of that body and the first to serve as a committee chairman.

In her voting Caraway generally supported the New Deal and other legislation of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration; she opposed isolationism, supported veterans and organized labor, and in 1943 became the first woman in Congress to cosponsor(联合提出)the Equal Rights Amendment. Her reelection in 1938 after a primary victory over Representative John L. MeClellan firmly established her as a senator in her own right, and her dry humor and homely sayings made her a favorite national figure.

In the 1944 Democratic primary in Arkansas she was defeated by Representative J. Willian Fulbright, and she left the Senate in 1945.

1. When did Hattie Wyatt become a senator?

A．In 1922.

B．In 1930.

C．In 1932.

D．In 1938.

2. Which is not the cause of her becoming a senator?

A．Her beauty.	B．Her own ability.
C．The death of her husband.	D．The help of Louisiana governor.

3. Which of the following are correct statements according to the passage?
a. She was the first woman to be seated in the. S. Senate.
b. She was the first woman in Congress to cosponsor the Equal Rights Amendment.
c. She was the first woman to be a committee chairman.
d. Her humor and homely words made her favorite national figure.
e. She always supported Franklin D. Roosevelt

A．a, b, c

B．b, c, d

C．a, c, d

D．b, d, e

4. What does the fourth paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Her devotion as a senator.	B．Her being a favorite national figure.
C．The reason for her being a senator again.	D．The relationship between her and Franklin D. Roosevelt

【推荐2】When Mr. Andrews left university, he got a good job in a big oil company, but after he had been there for a few years, he decided that he would like a change. He also wanted to get a more important position(职务) so that he could get more money, and perhaps also do more interesting work, so he put an advertisement in several newspapers, saying what experience he had had, describing the kind of job he had at that time and the kind he would like to have. One of the answers he received was from another man who was looking for a job too. This man wrote to him, sir, when you get a new job, please be kind enough to give my name and address to your present boss, as I have been trying to find a position like yours for a long time.

1. Mr. Andrews wanted to leave his present job because__________.

A．he was not well paid in his company

B．another man had asked him to do so

C．he was fired by the company

D．he wasn't quite satisfied with it

2. What kind of person do you think Mr. Andrews is?

A．He was lazy and short of experience.

B．He liked changing his job.

C．He might be skilled and experienced in his job.

D．He was a man who was always proud of his job.

3. What kind of person is the man who wrote the letter to Mr. Andrews?

A．Good.

B．Humorous.

C．Kind.

D．Foolish.

【推荐1】I was only five, but my memories of the serious rainstorm that hit my hometown of Jinan, Shangdong province, on the night of August 26 1987, are still vivid.

My family lived in an apartment in a row of buildings near the Xiao-qing River. Starting from Jinan, the river flows into Bohai Bay. Before the industrialization of the city started in the 1970s, the river served as a lifeline between the city and the coast, along which boats transported coal to the coast, returning with full loads (装) of sea salt. But the river started serving as a channel for industrial wastewater from the factories in the 1980s, as well as house-hold wastewater produced by the city as thousands of people came to work in the factories.

With the water becoming dark and smelly, fish and shrimps soon disappeared. My father said the river had “died”, and people might be punished for it. I had no idea what he meant. But that night I found out what the punishment was.

Flashes of lightning followed by loud thunders (雷声) broke the peace. In a minute, the rain poured down. All the houses were flooded. My mother rushed to wake me. I remember seeing the bed floating off the floor in the floodwater. My mom carried me on her back away from our home to the top of the dam walking waist-deep (齐腰深) in the water.

We were all homeless and were arranged to live in a nearby hotel. After the flood, people were worried and anxious to go home to check what the damage was. In the following twenty years, the houses were hit by similar floods several times until finally the river has been widened and cleared. Whenever I go back to my hometown, I remembered the days when I learned to live with floods.

1. What do we know about Xiao-qing River before the 1970s?

A．It was dark and smelled bad with wastewater from factories.

B．It was clean and served as an important transportation line.

C．It was polluted as there were lots of boats carrying coal.

D．It was lively when thousands of people settled along it.

2. Which of the following shows the correct order of the events?
①A lot of wastewater was sent into the river, making the river no longer what it was.
②They lost their homes and learned an important lesson.
③Heavy rain hit my hometown and a serious flood happened
④People escaped to the top of the dam to stay safe.

A．①③④②

B．③②④①

C．②①③④

D．④③ ②①

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

A．Killing all the fish in the river.	B．Polluting the river with wastewater.
C．Allowing too many people in the factories.	D．Ignoring my father’s warnings.

4. The author uses his experience to_________.

A．explain the importance of water in people’s life

B．argue for the best way to live with floods

C．tell that to protect the river is to protect ourselves

D．remind people that floods can cause serious damage

5. What can be the best title for the passage?

A．An unforgettable night.	B．Flood control in Jinan.
C．A flood rescue.	D．Impression on Xiao-qing River.

【推荐2】I noticed some young students standing by the road. I could see they were sweating, which wasn’t surprising because of the 40-degree heat.

“Miss, do you have any water?” one boy asked.

“We don’t have any boxed water at home,” another explained.

My heart sank hearing this.

In Wilcannia, where I accepted a six-month contract as a primary school teacher, it hadn’t rain for a long time. A health warning had been issued, meaning you couldn’t drink the town water, which was filled with so much chlorine (氯) that you could feel dry from having a shower. What’s worse, not everyone could afford to buy supplies, so the local radio station distributed boxed water to the community.

“Let me check,” I told them.

Quickly searching my car, I pulled out a full bottle and gave it to the children before saying goodbye. It was moments like this that reminded me just how far I’d come from my old life as a teacher in Sydney.

The nearest shops were two hours away and the thought of not being able to feel quite warm at night was disturbing. But living in a small, two-bedroom house without the Internet or a phone connection also had its rewards. I enjoyed the silence and looked forward to each working day.

I taught Year Six, which consisted of just 10 students — a lot smaller than the classes of 30 I was used to. I also taught singing to the wider school community. Setting up my classroom with spaces — a bright-coloured tent with cushions for them to feel safe, sleep or have time away from conflict, I made a motto for our class: Mistakes are expected, respected, inspected and corrected.

The students and I bonded so well that I extended my contract to a full year!

1. Why did some young students stand by the road?

A．To welcome their teachers.	B．To get away from the heat.
C．To ask for some boxed water.	D．To take a lift to the nearby shop.

2. What were the locals faced with?

A．The damp weather.	B．No supplies to buy.
C．The long drought.	D．The shortage of town water.

3. How did the author bring students a sense of safety?

A．By living in a two-bedroom house without the Internet.

B．By offering them personal space in the classroom.

C．By reducing the number of students in his class.

D．By teaching them to sing in the community.

4. What made the author extend his contract?

A．The care of local community.	B．The desire to learn the locals.
C．His great interest in the country.	D．His deep love for the students.

【推荐3】If I have a goal in life, it isn’t to be driving a Rolls-Royce. It’s to be giving away more than $1,000,000 a year and having an impact on people’s lives. I have the success today because I always had to work for what I wanted. I grew up accustomed to risks and disappointments, so I was used to moving forward, no matter what.

In 2008, I went to Los Angeles where I tried to get hired as an agent, an analyst and a financial broker. Unfortunately, all these doors slammed in my face. The world’s economy was in a bad state, so I knew I would have to do a little spinning of my own.

Youth involves a certain innocence but also perseverance. The word “can’t” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I partnered with a friend buying distressed multifamily properties around Houston. Even though we were enthusiastic and backed with start-up sums, I didn’t make a deal work. My friend moved on to other projects. Alone, I put all my money into the next real-estate project. I put the time in, I dreamed it, but once again the deal fell through. Two months later, though, the deal came back around. That was when the path opened, luck changed, and I was ready to form my own company. I haven’t looked back. Only ahead.

I’m now able to give back to communities and causes. I donate about $500,000 a year, much of that going to research to cure rare diseases. We also support a lot of services for disadvantaged children in Houston and other places.

I have always been someone who can see the big picture and have never been distracted by things that get in the way. There are lessons to be learned, and the biggest of those is to keep going. You may have to change the path, but always keep that vision in front of you.

1. Which of the following about the author is true?

A．He donated a lot of money to improve his company’s image.

B．He often encountered difficulties in the process of growing up.

C．He started his own company together with a friend.

D．He changed jobs several times while in Los Angeles.

2. By saying “do a little spinning of my own” in the second paragraph, the author probably means he would_____________.

A．look for a part-time job independently	B．make his contributions to the economy
C．give in to the disappointing reality	D．be self-employed to develop his career

3. Which quality of the author is not shown in the passage?

A．Perseverance.

B．Optimism.

C．Innocence.

D．Kindness.

4. Which one is probably the best title of the passage?

A．Saying No to “Turning Back”	B．Tips for a Successful Business
C．Jumping over Economic Downturns	D．A Life-time Pursuit of Dream