【推荐1】The Mekong River, for thousands of years, has been the lifeline of the populations that depend on it for survival. The earliest settlements along the river date back to 2100 BC with the first recorded civilization—the Khmer culture of Funan. In the 5th century, the Khmer culture Chenla existed along the Mekong, and the Khmer empire of Angkor was the last great state in the region. Roughly 700 years ago, the Thai people escaped from South China across the Mekong to form the kingdom of Siam (now Thailand), and the Mekong protected Siam from invasions.   

       In 1540, the Portuguese Antonio de Faria was the first European to discover the Mekong. Although Europeans showed only some interest in the Mekong, the Spanish and Portuguese did make trade expeditions(探险) to the area, and the Dutch led an expedition up the Mekong in 1641-42. In the mid-19th century, the French led an exploration on the river between 1866 to 1868 and discovered that the Mekong had too many rapids and waterfalls to ever be useful for navigation(航行). From 1893, the French enlarged their control of the river into Laos until the First and Second Indochina Wars ended French involvement(介入) in the region.
       The Mekong has long been regarded as the foundation of Southeast Asia's economic growth and prosperity—necessitating(使必要) cooperation between the countries. In 1995, the "Agreement on the Cooperation for the Sustainable Development of the Mekong River Basin" signed by the governments of Cambodia, Laos, Thailand, and Vietnam formed the Mekong River Commission (MRC). The MRC facilitates(促进) joint management of the shared water resources and cooperation on development issues. In 1996, China and Burma became Dialogue Partners of the MRC.
       Today, much of the Mekong remains undeveloped and even unexplored. It is closely tied to the daily lives and culture of over 60 million people, many of whom live in poverty (贫困). However, life along the river is changing, as large dams on the river have been built with plans for many more. Many people now live and work in the towns.
1. What is the best title for this passage?

A．The Mekong is being damaged by human activities.

B．The Mekong has attracted peoples from the world.

C．The Mekong has helped countries to cooperate.

D．The Mekong nourishes(养育) the land and her people.

2. The French ended their control over the Mekong because _____.

A．the river was unsuitable for navigation	B．France lost the Indochina Wars
C．France lost their interest in the river	D．Their agreement with Laos came to an end

3. Why did the Mekong basin countries form the MRC?

A．Much of the river remains undeveloped and unexplored.

B．Many of the people along the river live in poverty.

C．The river is the foundation for their economy.

D．China and Burma came up with the suggestion.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the future life of the people?

A．Indifferent(冷漠的).

B．Optimistic(乐观的).

C．Pessimistic(悲观的).

D．Sarcastic(讽刺的).

【推荐2】Mountain

A mountain is a landform that rises high above its surroundings. Taller than a hill, it usually has steep slopes and a rounded or sharp peak. Mountains are rarely found alone.     1     Lines of ranges form mountain belts.

Some mountains were formed by the activity of volcanoes. Scientists believe that most volcanic mountains are made up of rock that melted deep within earth. The rock rose through Earth’s surface, or crust. It then flowed onto the surface in the form of lava.     2     Volcanic mountains are typically steep. Mount Fuji in Japan, Mount Kilimanjaro in Africa, and Mount Rainier in the United States are examples of volcanic mountains.

Other mountains were formed by movements within Earth’s crust. The theory called plate tectonics explains this type of mountain building. Earth’s crust is divided into huge pieces called plates, which move very slowly. The continents sit on top of the plates and move with them. At times the plates strike against each other, forcing the rock upward. The Himalayas of Asia are an example of this type of mountain chain.     3    

Mountain ranges are natural barriers to travel. Roads are difficult to build across them. Railroads need expensive tunnels to cross even low mountains.     4     They often form borders between countries.

Life is hard in mountain lands. The high places of the world are cold and have little soil, making farming difficult.     5     Skiing and climbing are popular mountain sports.

A．Groups of mountains are called ranges.

B．However, many mountain areas are vacation spots.

C．The lava, along with volcanic dust, built up to form mountains.

D．These colder climates strongly affect the ecosystems of mountains.

E．Thus the continental crust is normally much thicker under mountains.

F．Therefore mountain ranges tend to divide the people on either side of them.

G．They were formed when a plate carrying India struck against the Asian plate.

【推荐3】Rainforests are home to a rich variety of medicinal plants, food, birds and animals. Can you believe that a single bush（灌木丛）in the Amazon may have more species of ants than the whole of Britain! About 480 varieties of trees may be found in just one hectare of rainforest.

Rainforests are the lungs of the planet-storing vast quantities of carbon dioxide and producing a significant amount of the world's oxygen. Rainforests have their own perfect system for ensuring their own survival; the tall trees make a canopy（树冠层）of branches and leaves which protect themselves, smaller plants, and the forest animals from heavy rain, intense dry heat from the sun and strong winds.

Amazingly, the trees grow in such a way that their leaves and branches, although close together, never actually touch those of another tree. Scientists think this is the plants' way to prevent the spread of any tree diseases and make life more difficult for leaf-eating insects like caterpillars. To survive in the forest, animals must climb, jump or fly across the gaps. The ground floor of the forest is not all tangled leaves and bushes, like in films, but is actually fairly clear. It is where dead leaves turn into food for the trees and other forest life.

They are not called rainforests for nothing! Rainforests can generate 75%of their own rain. At least 80 inches of rain a year is normal-and in some areas there may be as much as 430 inches of rain annually. This is real rain-your umbrella may protect you in a shower, but it won't keep you dry if there is a full rainstorm. In just two hours, streams can rise ten to twenty feet. The humidity（湿气）of large rainforests contributes to the formation of rainclouds that may travel to other countries in need of rain.

1. What can we learn about rainforests from the first paragraph?

A．They produce oxygen.	B．They cover a vast area.
C．They are well managed.	D．They are rich in wildlife.

2. Which of the following contributes most to the survival of rainforests?

A．Heavy rains	B．Big trees.
C．Small plants.	D．Forest animals.

3. Why do the leaves and branches of different trees avoid touching each other?

A．For more sunlight.	B．For more growing space.
C．For self-protection.	D．For the detection of insects.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Life-Giving Rainforests	B．The Law of the Jungle
C．Animals in the Amazon	D．Weather in Rainforests

【推荐2】Humans use words to talk to each other. But we also point, nod, and use our hands to show what we mean. We’ve been doing this for tens of thousands of years.

Apes (猿) have their own system of gestures to show what they mean. They use about 80 different gestures to show what they mean. For example, a gesture the researchers call “big loud scratch” means “help pick insects off of me”.

Scientists have learned the meanings of these gestures by studying chimpanzees and bonobos (two kinds of apes) for years. Though the two groups of apes use different signs in a few cases, they share over 90% of the same gestures.

The researchers created a game for people to play online. The game was simple. People watched short videos of apes making a gesture. Then they had to choose the correct meaning of the gesture out of four possible answers. For the videos, the researchers chose 10 of the most common gestures used by chimpanzees and bonobos. Thousands of people played the game.

The researchers were surprised to find that people were able to choose the correct meaning of the gestures over 50% of the time. That’s twice as good as people would be expected to do by chance. For some of the gestures, people were able to choose the correct meaning about 80% of the time. One example of this was the gesture of wiping the mouth, which people correctly guessed meant “give me that food”.

The scientists believe that humans may have a natural ability to understand the gestures of apes. But it’s not clear why. Humans and other apes all developed from an earlier kind of ape that lived long ago. One possibility is that the body language of these gestures has been passed down from this shared ancestor. The researchers say that they need to study how humans are able to understand the gestures of apes. They’re also curious about how humans understand other animals, like dogs.

1. What does the underlined word “gestures” in paragraph 2 mean?

A．Defence.

B．Thoughts.

C．Knowledge.

D．Movements.

2. What were people asked to do in this study?

A．Answer questions about apes.	B．Watch videos and choose answers.
C．Teach apes to make body movements.	D．Communicate with two kinds of apes.

3. What will scientists do in the future according to the last paragraph?

A．Study how humans understand animals.

B．Find out effective ways to protect apes.

C．Help people to better understand animals.

D．Figure out what humans and apes have in common.

4. What can be the best title of this text?

A．Humans and Apes Share an Ancestor

B．Apes Have Well-developed Language

C．Humans Can Understand Apes’ Signals

D．Apes Can Communicate Freely With Humans

【推荐1】So many girls are raised thinking that the world is perfect and they will grow up to be a princess.

I know that when I have my daughter, I’ll probably tell her stories of Peria, Ancient Egypt and Sparta. I don’t really want my daughter to grow up to be a Princess; I want her to grow up to be a Spartan woman. I don’t want to be the father who tells his daughter all of these tales of happy endings, and she gets older only to find out they were all lies. Most of those stories from our youth were great, I think there was some truth to them, but I don’t think it was explained all that well.

I can remember stories, those things my mother said

She told me fairy tales, before I went to bed

Spoke of happy endings, then tacked me in real tight

She turned my night light on, and kissed my face good night

My mind would fill with visions, of perfect paradise

She told me everything, she said he’d be so nice

He’d ride up on his horse and, take me away on night

I’d be so happy with him, we’d ride clean out of sight

She never said that we would, curse, cry and scream and lie

She never said that maybe, someday he’d say goodbye

——Anita Baker Fairy Tales

I always loved that song as a child. Now, take for example, Cinderella, Belle, Ariel, Jasmine, Mulan, Pocahontas, and Nala. I’m going to break this down in a way that will relate this to the real world in the most realiest way ever.

Cinderella—She lived in a city with mad people. She basically got treated like garbage from her family because she was pretty. But Cinderella was one chick in that whole city. That’s the only woman in die city who ended up getting a Prince. Remember the scene at the ball? How many of those women showed up looking for a Prince and the shoe didn’t fit? Think about that in today’s terms: So many women want a Barack, but there’s only one Michelle out of all those women in the world. That was the same for Cinderella story, you can’t possibly think that everyone can find a Prince.

Belle—Many of you know how I feel about “faith-based” relationships. Faith is the belief in things not seen. She had to learn to love a Beast in order to get her Prince. But think about how many women will turn to Gaston because he looks good on paper and miss out on their Prince. Your mother told you not to bring home any ugly babies. The Beast never had a chance.

Ariel—Ariel had to learn to shut the heck up to get a man.

Jasmine—She was looking for love, and her dad was trying get $30,000 by getting her casted on Teen Mom. She ended up dating a homeless guy who was convinced he was a Prince. Turn out he was a nice guy, but she had to learn to trust a man with her heart and that’s hard work.

Mulan—She had to pretend to be a man to get a man.

Pocahontas—She had to fight a war and teach white folks (who would later end up killing off all her peoples) to survive.

Nala—Spartan. That’s all you can say, she had to go get her man who had forgotten who he was and ran away from his home. Then she managed to get pregnant on the first night! That’s Spartan.

But you’ve got to ask yourself, are most of the women we know as strong willed as these fairy tale women were? And while we’re thinking about all of this, let’s think about the men.

Cinderella’s Prince—He had to try and slide a glass slipper on a bunch of rathchets and hoppers just to find his Princess.

Ariel’s Prince—He had to kill a super-saiyan sea monster to get his Princess.

Aladdin—He had to go into the desert, get a genie, a magic carpet, a parrot and kill a wizard to get with Princess Jasmine.

Simba—He had to go back to the place where his pops was murdered and fight his Uncle, which required him to not only beat a bunch of hyenas, but then he got fire thrown in his eyes.

Ask yourself another question, do you really think the men of today are trying to do all that for their Princess?

The reality of life is that while your mother told you that you’d grow up to be a Princess, they never told you that Princes sow their royal oats before settling down. You’ll have to wait for him to finish sowing and decide he wants to be a Prince, ask Kate Middleton. Your mother told you that you could one day be the Princess, but she never told you that the Prince would have options. Your mother told you that a man was going to sweep you off your feet, but she never told you that most men don’t chase women any more. You’re going to have to figure out how to make him sit still. In real life we can count all the happy endings we know on our hands.

Maybe your mother should have told you this when you went to bed at night:

When you get older you’re going to find a man to marry and you’ll get to pick out the best wedding dress in the world. People will come from far to see it. You’ll have to take your dress though. It will be free, you know we love free. It will be beautiful and it will make you look like a Princess. In fact, it will be televised for everyone to see. The whole world will be matching.

But baby? There is only one Vera Wang dress and there’s a nasty b*tch that wants it more than you do. So if you truly want that fairy tale wedding, and you want the best wedding dress in the world, you are going to need to kill that b*tch and take what’s yours. Now get some rest we got work to do in the morning. There’s only room enough for one Princess.

1. How many women characters in the fairy tales are mentioned in the passage?

A．7

B．8

C．10

D．11

2. Who finally found Jasmine after experiencing so many hardships?

A．Gaston

B．Aladdin

C．Simba

D．Spartan

3. Which of the following is the best title for this passage?

A．Never Have All the Eggs in One Basket.

B．Prince and Princess Tie the Knot by Killing the Wizard.

C．There Always Exists a Stepmother in Fairy Tales.

D．The Real Truth Behind Fairy Tale Relationships.

【推荐2】When was the last time you sat on a park bench(凳子)? Did you stay for long? A new kind of park benches will limit the amount of time you can sit there. If you don’t get up in time, it could be very painful: there are many sharp spikes (钉子) on the part that you sit on!

Visitors who want a rest on the bench need to put a coin in a machine next to it. Once the money was accepted, the spikes disappear into the bench. Then visitors can sit down comfortably, but only for half an hour. When the time’s up, the spikes slowly start moving up again. It doesn’t hurt at first, but after a minute, they start coming up even more quickly. They aren’t long enough to cause serious hurt, but they do cause pain, as tests have shown. But why have they been installed (安装)?

“Our public park is very popular in summer,” a spokesperson for the park explained. “But with all the thousands of people who visit the park, there aren’t enough benches for everyone. We want to make sure that the benches are shared by more visitors, and to stop people taking a bench and staying there all day. Installing spikes seems to be the fairest way of stopping people doing this.”

1. How is the new kind of park bench different from other benches?
2. What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?
3. Why are the new benches installed?
4. The passage says, “Installing spikes seems to be the fairest way of stopping people doing this.” Do you agree with this? Please state your reasons.

【推荐3】A safari park is a park in which wild animals are kept. They are mainly located in east or central Africa. They often occupy a very wild area, with mountains and rivers. To visit the park and look at the animals, people have to drive around — in a car for a few of hours because the park is huge.

In south Africa there is a safari park, which contains all sorts of wild animals like lions, elephants, rhinoceroses, zebras, wild pigs, deer and giraffes.

There is a wild road leading through the park, but nobody is permitted to walk on the road. Anyone traveling in the park has to go in a car because wild animals may fiercely attack people. From the car he may see almost every type of African wildlife. Some of these are getting scarce (稀有的) because people kill them for various reasons. For example rhinoceroses are killed for their horns, which are used in traditional Chinese medicines for colds and headaches. Perhaps they will be seen only in museums and books one day.

Travelers may purchase food for the animals. They can feed them when they tour the park. Of course, they should not feed them in a close distance because the wild animals may attack people. In addition, they should only give proper food to the animals.

A traveler may carry a gun with him in his journey. The gun is given to him by the government. However, it is not used for hunting. In fact, a seal is fixed to it. The traveler may fire at a wild beast to defend himself in case he is attacked. However, he has to prove the government that he has been attacked and that he has not fired at a harmless animal.

1. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The gun is given to a traveler by the government.

B．The gun can be used to hunt.

C．The gun is given to a traveler to defend himself.

D．A traveler may fire at a wild beast.

2. Which is the thing people have to do while traveling in the park?

A．Carry a gun with him.

B．Drive around in a car.

C．Look at the animals.

D．Purchase food for the animals.

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Some information about traveling in a safari park in South Africa.

B．A brief introduction to wild animals in a safari park.

C．A brief introduction to a safari park.

D．Some information about traveling in South Africa.

【推荐1】For a scholar focusing on Australia' s public diplomacy (外交活动), working as a recreational manager in China may never be part of his career path. But Bradley does have lots to say now about his special experience at a resort in the picturesque tropical coastal city of Sanya in South China's Hainan province.

The 33-year-old Australian is actually a student in international relations completing his PhD through Griffith University. He came to Beijing for a cooperative research at Peking University less than two years ago. Such an academic life was just added color with a chance offered by the cultural exchanges project, "I'm in China".

"What I liked most about the experience was it was something completely different that you would never be able to do as a regular tourist," Bradley said in an interview. Bradley was chosen to work as a recreational manager for a Chinese wedding.

The film crew took them to many "amazing sites" and the staff at the resort taught them a lot about how to "incorporate modern Chinese features while still keeping traditional customs", Bradley said.

"I would have to say two things stick out as the most memorable: the helicopter ride and talking with the staff at the hotel about how they organize weddings here in China," he said.

That was Bradley's first time to be in a helicopter, and he was too absorbed with the "stunning" view of the beautiful coastline.

"I think it is so important to show other Australians the different landscapes China has to offer. I think so many Australians, when they think about China, imagine the historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things to see in Shanghai but have no idea about other beautiful places, like Sanya or the many other places people have been taken to in this TV series," Bradley said.

"I'm in China" is a project sponsored by China Intercontinental Communication Centre and other institutions under the guidance of China's State Council Information Office. It invites foreign natives worldwide to experience unique jobs and participate in activities that one can find nowhere else except in China. More than 10,000 photos and articles were submitted from around the globe by over 6,00 applicants.

1. Bradley actually is ________.

A．an Australian PhD student	B．a regular Australian tourist
C．a recreational manager	D．an Australian diplomat

2. What does the underlined word "incorporate" in paragraph 4 mean?

A．get rid of

B．take advantage of

C．take in

D．keep off

3. What impressed Bradley most?

A．The beautiful scenery of Sanya and special activities.

B．Flying in a helicopter and organizing Chinese wedding.

C．The historical sites of Beijing and the exciting things in Shanghai.

D．Chinese traditional customs and many amazing sites.

4. From the last paragraph, we can infer that the project "I'm in China" is ________.

A．unique but unattractive to foreigners

B．special but helpless to know about China

C．uninteresting and rejected by foreigners

D．unique and popular with foreigners

【推荐2】Caroll Spinney

Caroll Spinney started working with puppets when he was eight years old. In 1969 he started working on Sesame Street, an American television series for children. Today, the series is shown on television in more than eighty countries and Spinney is still the man inside the eight-foot yellow chicken called Big Bird.

Spinney loves his work and knows that he has a responsibility for children watching the programme. He doesn’t want children to know that Big Bird is really a man, so he tries to notice every detail.

Caitlin Moran

When Caitlin Moran was eleven, her parents asked her if she wanted to leave school and study at home. She refused at first, but changed her mind and left school two years later. Her experiences provided the story for her first book, The Chronicles of Narmo.

It is a wonderful story about a year in the life of a family who educate their children at home. She started writing it at thirteen and finished it soon after her sixteenth birthday. Now she enjoys writing and is writing a play and her second book.

Rick Allen

Rick Allen, the well-known drummer of the Irish rock band Def Leppard, joined the band on his fifteenth birthday. A year later, in 1979, the band became famous. Then, in 1984, Rick had a very bad car accident and lost his left arm. A friend developed an electronic drum kit so that he could play the drums with an arm and two feet. He returned to the band with great happiness and he still performs with them now. The first time he played in a big concert everybody was so kind that he cried.

Now Rick is married and has a home life. Life with one arm is still a problem, but if he can 't chop vegetables with one hand he simply uses his feet.

1. Which of the following can describe Caroll Spinney?

A．Creative and hopeful.

B．Brave but proud.

C．Responsible and careful.

D．Hopeful but lazy.

2. What was the inspiration for Caitlin Moran’s first book?

A．Her school life.

B．Her birthday party.

C．Her parents’ career.

D．Her home-study experience.

3. What can we infer about the people mentioned in the text?

A．They enjoy their jobs.

B．They are highly talented.

C．They are good at performing.

D．They became famous late in life.

【推荐3】An article published in the prestigious (有威望的) scientific journal Nature sheds new light on an important, but up-to-now little appreciated, aspect of human evolution. In this article Professors Dennis Bramble and Daniel Lieberman suggest that being able to run was the necessary condition for the development of our species which enabled us to come down from the trees. This challenges traditional scientific thinking, which claims that the distinctive, upright body form of modern humans has come about as a result of the ability to walk, and that running is simply a by-product of walking. Furthermore, humans have usually been regarded as poor runners compared to such animals as dogs, horses or deer. However, this is only true if we consider running at high speed, especially over short distances. But when it comes to long-distance running, humans do astonishingly well. They can keep a steady pace for many kilometres, and their overall speed is at least the same as that of horses or dogs.

Bramble and Lieberman examined 26 physical features found in humans. One of the most interesting of these is the nuchal ligament(项韧带). When we run, this ligament prevents our head from moving back and forth or from side to side. Therefore, we are able to run with steady heads held high. The nuchal ligament is not found in any other surviving primates, such as apes and monkeys. Then there are our Achilles tendons (跟腱) at the backs of our legs, which connect our calf (小腿肚) muscles to our heel bones — and which have nothing to do with walking. When we run, these tendons behave like springs, helping to push us forward. Furthermore, we have low, wide shoulders virtually disconnected from our skulls(颅骨), a physical development which allows us to run more efficiently.

But what evolutionary advantage is gained from being good long-distance runners? Perhaps it permitted early humans to obtain food more effectively. "What these features and facts appear to be telling us is that running evolved in order for our direct ancestors to compete with other meat-eating animals for access to the protein needed to grow the big brains that we enjoy today," says Lieberman. Some scientists put forward the theory that early humans chased animals for great distances in order to exhaust them before killing them.

"Research on the history of humans' ability to move has traditionally been controversial," says Lieberman. "At the very least, I believe this theory will motivate many researchers to reevaluate and further investigate how humans learned to run and walk and why we are built the way we are. "

1. In paragraph 1, what do the two professors suggest about humans' ability to run?

A．It is an evolutionary by-product of walking.

B．It helps to form people's ability to climb trees.

C．It has played an important role in human evolution.

D．It has not been adequately studied by scientists before.

2. What is true about the physical characteristics examined by the professors?

A．Achilles tendons assist people to walk long distances.

B．The human skull helps people to run more efficiently.

C．people's shoulders allow them to look from side to side.

D．The nuchal ligament enables people to hold their head steady.

3. According to paragraph 3, scientists believe that early humans_________.

A．always came across dangerous situations in life

B．ran after animals for long distances when hunting

C．often failed to find food because they couldn't run fast

D．developed their hunting skills by running long distances

4. Professor Lieberman thinks the new theory will _________.

A．completely explain how running developed

B．revolutionize the theory of human evolution

C．encourage more in-depth studies on the topic

D．be widely supported within the scientific community