【推荐1】There are many ecosystems that are truly suffering from degradation. The solution is that they can be restored by re-introducing several animal species. The United Nations funded a study that shows that if you introduce 20 specific large mammals you can successfully restore a lot of the planet.

Some roles that species play in the environment are critical, so the loss of any of these can harm the world. So that means that on the other hand, re-introducing a species can produce positive results. When a few wolves were re-introduced to Yellowstone Park is one of the most cited examples. There is no doubt that the re-introduced wolves did restore the ecosystem.

Dr. Carly, a scientist, along with her team, was able to identify 13 herbivores and 7 predators that if re-introduced, could help restore a lot of what we’ve destroyed in nature. One species can benefit its environment in a dramatic way, helping create more soil insects and worms.

The team compared environments from 500 years ago to conditions of modern environments to know how travel and the industrial revolution have influenced the planet. And at last they figured out that only 16% of the world still has undamaged wild mammal communities and just 6% looks similar to what it looked like pre-1500.

They suggested that a 54% expansion in territory home to undamaged mammal communities can easily be accomplished, especially in South America and northern areas of Africa. In Europe, re-introducing beaver, bison, wolf, and reindeer could really make a dramatic impact. However, just wolves and wild horses could make a difference to Asia.

“Our recommendations may not be suitable everywhere in the world — local assessments will judge if hunting pressures or the lack of adequate preys mean other issues need addressing before reintroducing them. However, our findings show there are huge areas of the world that could be suitable for large mammal restoration if other factors are managed,” said Dr. Carly.

1. What role did the wolves play in Yellowstone Park?

A．Protecting nature from being destroyed.	B．Keeping the balance of the ecosystem.
C．Creating better soil for other animals.	D．Attracting more visits to the famous park.

2. Why did the team compare environments in different periods?

A．To find out some suitable large mammals.

B．To find out how travel and the industrial revolution have affected the earth.

C．To summarize the influence of human’s activities.

D．To find out the nature of the undamaged environment.

3. What animal could probably restore large parts of Asia?

A．Reindeer.

B．Bison.

C．Wolf.

D．Beaver.

4. What is advised to do before animals are reintroduced ?

A．Make a law to ban hunting.	B．Provide sufficient food for them.
C．Solve other environmental problems.	D．Assess the potential surroundings.

【推荐2】What’s fiercer than a lion? The honey badger (蜜獾), one of the toughest mammals in Africa and western Asia. Honey badgers stand less than a foot high. They are only a couple feet long. They weigh just over 20 pounds. Yet they have a reputation for toughness that is far greater than their size.

So what makes the honey badger so tough? They have speed, but so do many animals. They aren’t stronger than lions, so how do they stop them? The thing that sets the honey badge apart is their skin. Their skin is thick and tough. Arrows, spears, and bites from other animals can rarely go through it. Not only is their skin thick and tough, it is also loose. This allows them to twist and turn to fight back while another animal is attacking them.

Honey badgers have long, sharp claws. These claws are good for attacking and even better for digging. Honey badgers are some of nature’s most skilled diggers. They can dig a nine-foot tunnel into hard ground in about 10 minutes. They love to catch a meal by digging up the holes of frogs and snakes. They also use their digging skills to create their homes. They live in small holes in the ground and defend them fiercely.

You don’t get a reputation like the honey badger by running from danger. The honey badger is a fearless and tireless fighter. They will attack any creature that threatens them, man included. Because of the honey badger’s reputation, most predators (食肉动物) avoid them. Some animals use the honey badger’s reputation to their advantage. Adult cheetahs (猎豹) have spotted coats, but their kittens have silver manes (鬃毛) and look like honey badgers. Some scientists believe that their coloring tricks predators into avoiding them.

You might be wondering: “If honey badgers are so tough, how did they get a name that makes them sound like a piece of candy?” The answer makes sense. Since honey badgers have such thick skin, bees rarely harm them. So honey badgers love to attack beehives(蜂窝). Honey badgers run after honey so aggressively that beekeepers in Africa have to use electric fencing to hold them back. There’s nothing sweet about that.

1. What contributes to honey badgers’ toughness?

A．Their skin	B．Their speed
C．Their weight	D．Their strength

2. Which best express the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A．Honey badgers use their claws to defend their homes.

B．Honey badgers love to dig up holes to hide their food.

C．Honey badgers’ digging skills assist them in many ways.

D．Honey badgers’ claws are powerful weapons for fighting.

3. What does the underlined word “them” in Paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Silver manes	B．Honey badgers
C．Adult cheetahs	D．Young cheetahs

4. According to the text, honey badgers got their name _____.

A．From their taste for honey.	B．Because they are fond of candy.
C．From the sweet taste of their meat.	D．Because they look sweet and charming.

【推荐1】Stackworth Museum

Stackworth Museum tells the history of the famous Stackworth family, and gives information about other well-known local people. These include poets, artists and writers. There is an excellent café.

Scotwood Manor

The rooms in Scotwood Manor are furnished as they were 100 years ago. The staff spend the day as people did then and are happy to explain what it was like. There are activity sheets for children and shop with books, gifts and cards, as well as a good café and car park.

Woodlands Museum

Set in beautiful countryside, the Woodlands Museum is arranged like a village of 100 years ago. To learn more about this period, visitors are encouraged to spend time doing practical things such as making pots and cooking. There is playground with picnic area.

Westerleigh Museum

Westerleigh Museum is near the bus station and contains exhibitions showing the town's development. In a separate room there are works by some well-known artists. The museum has café and is near the bus and railway station.

Freshwater Museum

Freshwater was once an important fishing port. Freshwater Museum, inside the old harbour office, shows how the town developed and later became a tourist centre. There is an activity room for young children with DVDs, a large picnic area, and good bus service.

1. If you are interested in famous people in history, you can visit________.

A．Scotwood Manor	B．Stackworth Museum
C．Westerleigh Museum	D．Woodlands Museum

2. What can you do at the Woodlands Museum?

A．Read books at a shop.

B．Appreciate paintings by famous artists.

C．Do some hands-on activities.

D．Learn about the Stackworth familys history.

3. What do the last two museums have in common?

A．Both are art-centred.

B．Both offer attractive gifts.

C．Both tell the local history.

D．Both are near a railway station.

【推荐3】I’ve seen a couple of the other Fast Furious films but this one is definitely best. Dominic Toretto (played by Vin Diesel), Brian O’ Conner (Paul Walker) and Mia Toretto (Jordana Brewster) are planning to steal $100 million from businessman Hernan Reyes (Joaquim de Almeida). At the same time, agent (联邦特工) Luke Hobbs (Dwayne Johnson) is chasing after them. The story’s pretty fast-moving and the car chase at the end is amazing.

—Derek

Well, if I’d known it was an action film, I wouldn’t have gone to see it. I mean, I can’t stand action films. And I’ll tell you another thing — I can’t stand Vin Diesel. I mean he can’t act to save his life. The film would have been much better with someone like Mau Damon or George Clooney. The only good thing about it was the soundtrack (电影配乐) which was pretty good. And I won’t be going to see any other Fast & Furious movies either!

—Zoe

Well it started off all right, but the romance between Mia and Brian was a bit inadequate (不足的) and the whole thing lost its way. It was as if the director couldn’t decide whether he was making a thriller, an action movie or a romantic comedy (喜剧), so he ended up making none of them.

—Mario

It was amazing! I can’t believe it was really over two hours long. It just flashed by. The direction was superb; Justin did a really good job. And the acting was great. I know Vin Diesel isn’t going to win an Oscar or anything like that but he’s good at what he does. And the plot! I laughed out loud quite a few times. The funny thing is, I would not have bothered seeing it if my friend hadn’t suggested going.

—Megan

1. What does Mario think of the Fast & Furious movie?

A．It is pretty good.	B．It is really thrilling.
C．It is disappointing.	D．It is violent.

2. Megan went to see the Fast & Furious movie because ________.

A．she knew it was an Oscar winner	B．she likes action films very much
C．her friend recommended it to her	D．her favorite director shot it

3. Where does this text probably come from?

A．A film poster.	B．A film review.
C．A newspaper advertisement.	D．A research paper.

【推荐1】B
It was a beautiful Sunday morning, and Maggie and I were returning from our walk through the woods. We were only a couple of blocks from home when I spotted a cellphone and credit card sitting on the road. We took them home. We find amazing things on the street. She looks upon it as a movable dinner. Chicken wings here and there.
I found another cellphone a few years back, too, and called a number in its phone book. I explained the situation to the guy who answered. He said it was his sister’s and that he'd swing by to pick it up, which he did.
And that was that. No verbal (口头的) thank-you, no written thank-you, no “here’s a box of chocolates” thank-you.
I didn’t have time to call anyone on my latest found cellphone. I was pouring myself coffee when it started to vibrate (颤动) and dance across the kitchen counter.
“Who’s this?” someone asked when I picked up.
“Who’s this?” I countered. “Sarah?”
She was taken aback until she realized her name was on the credit card I also had recovered. “Could you send it to me?” she asked.
She lives in Arlington, which is 2 miles from my house.
“Hmm, no,” I replied, adding that I thought she could come get them, and that if I wasn’t home, they would be in my mailbox.
A day later, when I was out for a run, someone retrieved them. But I got nothing. In this age of e-mail and cellphones, there’s really no excuse.
Years ago, I found something more precious than a $100 bill on the street: a driver’s license. I saw that its owner lived a couple of blocks from me, so I called him up. He asked whether I could slip the license through his front door.
“I guess I could,” I replied.
And that was that.
1. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Several Experiences of My Own

B．“Thank You” Is Becoming More Priceless

C．It’s Polite to Thank the Finders

D．Only Losers Lack “Thank” for Finders

2. According to the text, it can be inferred that Maggie should be ______.

A．the author’s wife	B．the author’s pet
C．the author’s best friend	D．the author’s son

3. The author didn’t call anyone on his latest found cellphone because ______.

A．it wasn’t worth to do	B．he wanted to keep it as his own
C．he was busy then	D．he didn’t know its owner

4. The underlined word “retrieved” in the tenth paragraph means “______”.

A．got back

B．returned

C．lost

D．threw away

5. How did the author feel when he told his last experience about the driver’s license?

A．Disappointed.

B．Helpless.

C．Encouraged.

D．Hopeful.

【推荐2】Mountain gorillas (大猩猩) have been caught on camera as they“sing”during their supper,a behavior that has never before been documented on video. Filmmakers shot the astonishing footage of gorillas with the help from a very special camera: a robotic“spy”designed to look like a young gorilla.

Creating a realistic robot spy that could fool a gorilla means designing a face that is mobile and expressive, particularly around the eyes. “ Eye communication is very important among gorillas," said“Spy in the Wild" producer Matt Gordon.“You'll see in the film the gorillas came straight over to our spy gorilla and looked right into its eyes. So we made sure that the gorilla had the most amount of detail put into the face.”

Infiltrating communities of animals that live in groups requires a robot to smell like its animal subjects in order to get close to them, Sometimes animal waste is applied to the robot to allow it to be accepted into the group.

One tricky challenge for the gorilla robot is that it has to pass inspection by the chief male.“We wanted to make sure that we were not being threatening,so we avoided the stare of our spy gorilla ,”Gordon said. This display of obedience (顺从) convinced the male that the robot wasn't a danger; he then signaled to the troop that it was safe for them to take a closer look at the "stranger".

The robot was also able to beat its chest to respond to a baby gorilla' s chest- beating, allowing the filmmakers to shoot a rare sight of their playtime. “A young gorilla came over and beat its chest. For a baby gorilla, that means‘I want to play' ,and if our gorilla was lifeless, not moving, the gorilla would have lost interest. But our spy gorilla was able to beat its chest too,” Gordon said.

1. Why was the robotic spy made?

A．To record the songs gorillas sang at supper.	B．To produce a film called Spy in the Wild.
C．To test the spy's ability to communicate.	D．To study the environment gorillas live in.

2. What does the underlined word“infiltrating” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Fitting in.

B．Focusing on.

C．Playing with,

D．Learning about.

3. How did the spy gorilla deal with the inspection?

A．By avoiding staring at the chief.	B．By beating its chest like a baby.
C．By putting some waste on itself.	D．By signaling to other gorillas.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Unusual daily behavior of mountain gorillas.

B．Scientific research on living habits of gorillas.

C．The procedures for making a robotic gorilla.

D．Ways to make a robotic spy close to gorillas.

【推荐3】Food likes and dislikes vary from culture to culture. Canadians are generally considered to be conservative (保守的) in their food tastes, but actually, the ability to enjoy different kinds of foods is highly regarded in Canada. A Canadian family may eat Italian food one night, Chinese food the next, and then Greek or Japanese food. Eating in Canada will provide you a good chance to enjoy various foods and get in touch with different cultures. Canadians often invite people to dinner. It’s customary to arrive on time for a dinner party and to bring along a bottle of wine or a small gift, such as flowers or candy. Food is not brought unless especially asked for by the host. Some meals may include appetizers（开胃菜）, soup or salad before the main course. A typical main course includes meat or fish, potatoes or rice, or one or two vegetables. Dessert is usually served with coffee or tea at the end of the meal.

To show that you enjoy a meal, it is polite to praise the quality of the food. Be sure to accept a second helping if you like the food and are not full. But in some other countries, it is polite to refuse up to three times before accepting a second helping.

1. If you are invited to dinner by a Canadian family, you should.

A．bring a bottle of wine	B．arrive a little late
C．buy some dear gifts	D．bring along some food

2. Which of the following will follow the main course?

A．Potatoes.	B．Dessert.
C．Salad.	D．Soup.

3. A polite way to show that you enjoy the meal is to .

A．put on big smiles on your face

B．speak highly of the quality of the food

C．accept a second helping of your favorite food

D．refuse up to three times before you accept the food

【推荐1】An Oregon witness at Hood River reported watching two cigar-shaped objects that stopped and hovered (盘旋). He was in a car driven by her mother at 2:06 p.m. on July 18, 2018.

The witness stated, “I was in the passenger seat. My mom then pointed to two white lines in the sky. They were far off and too big to be an airplane. The lines were surely not made by airplanes because there was no tail or wings. These were just straight white, cigar-shaped lines in the sky. They appeared to be headed eastward before they stopped and started hovering.”

“While I was thinking about what the cigar-like objects might be, I did forget to record. After a while, they moved northward, disappearing into a thundercloud (雷雨云), in which an airplane could not go. Also, I noticed the two objects were flying very close to each other, and I know commercial (商业的) airliners do not do that. The way that the objects were flying was as if they were formation flying.”

The witness did not feel like the objects were presenting a possible danger in any way.

“People in movies tend to make UFOs seem like dangerous things that come to the Earth to Kill humans. But these objects only appeared to be looking at the Earth below. I was not frightened by these objects, and I was left with many questions instead: What were they here for? Did anyone else see them? And why had they come to the earth?”

“When my mom and I came home we told my dad and brother about the strange event. They did not believe us though. And because we don’t have any pictures or videos, this event will be considered as another product of human imagination or a joke. Though I do accept that not everything on the Internet is real, I know what I saw. The UFOs that I saw were real,” said the witness.

1. Which of the following correctly describes the two UFOs?

A．They kept their distance.	B．They flew in a special way.
C．They made a noise like thunder.	D．They were half the size of airplanes.

2. What did the witness think of the UFOs?

A．They were carrying out a task.	B．They provided ideas for movies.
C．They seemed harmless to the Earth.	D．They seemed frightened of humans.

3. How did the witness feel about the UFOs?

A．Afraid.	B．Excited.
C．Confused.	D．Uninterested.

4. Why did the witness think people didn’t believe his story?

A．He couldn’t prove it.

B．He didn’t believe it himself

C．They had heard too many similar stories.

D．They might think he copied it from the Internet.

【推荐2】In natural disaster — a hurricane, flood, volcanic eruption, or other catastrophes (灾难) — minutes and even seconds of warning can make the difference between life and death. Because of this, scientists are working to use the latest technological advances to predict when and where disasters will happen. They are also studying how to analyse and communicate this information in the best way once it is obtained.

On September 29, 1998, hurricane Georges made landfall in Biloxi, Mississippi, after damaging Haiti, the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, and several islands of the Caribbean badly with torrential rains and winds up to 160 km per hour. Few people lost their lives along the Gulf Coast of the United States, although hundreds died in the Caribbean.

This was a very different outcome from 1900, when a powerful Gulf Coast hurricane had made an unexpected direct hit on Galveston, Texas, killing at least 6, 000 people.

Vastly improved hurricane warnings explain the different circumstances at either end of the 20th century — residents of Galveston had no advance warning that a storm was approaching, while residents of Biloxi had been warned days in advance, allowing for extensive safety precautions (预防措施).

While people in Biloxi were thankful for the advance warning, some residents of New Orleans, Louisiana were less satisfied. A day before Georges made landfall, forecasters were predicting that the hurricane had a good chance of striking New Orleans. Because much of New Orleans lies below sea level, the city is at risk from flooding. Emergency management officials must begin evacuations (疏散) well before a storm strikes. But evacuation costs money.Businesses close, tourists leave, and citizens take precautionary measures. The mayor of New Orleans estimated that his city’s preparation for Georges cost more than 50 million. After Georges missed New Orleans, some residents questioned the value of the hurricane forecasts in the face of such high costs.

The different views on the early warnings for Hurricane Georges show some of the complexities related to predicting disasters. Disaster prediction is a process of scientific information to the government officials and other decision makers who must respond to those predictions.

1. What is the purpose of disaster prediction according to the passage?

A．To identify the cause of disasters.

B．To save people's lives and property.

C．To prevent natural disasters from happening.

D．To apply advanced technology to disaster prevention.

2. Which of the following areas suffered the most severe damage?

A．Puerto Rico.	B．New Orleans.
C．Biloxi, Mississippi.	D．Galveston, Texas.

3. Why did the city residents of New Orleans were unsatisfied?

A．Because the forecast hurricane did not hit the city.

B．Because the hurricane warning arrived rather late.

C．Because their preparations were made in vain.

D．Because they suffered from a heavy hurricane attack.

【推荐3】Summer Foreign Exchange Programs

What better way to spend your vacation than by enrolling in one of our summer student exchange programs? EF programs give students the opportunity to explore beautiful scenery while working towards language fluency. We send our participants to a variety of destinations and present each summer exchange student with a unique cultural experience.

EF Language Year Abroad

16 + years; 6, 9 or 11 months; Abroad

Combine language and academic studies abroad at an accredited (鉴定合格的) EF school to prepare for an international career or degree.

Destination: Korea, France, Spain, Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, China, Japan.

EF Languages Abroad

25 + years; 1-24 weeks; Adults and professionals

Boost your global career with personalised language courses in one of the world’s greatest cities. Designed for Adults and Professionals.

Destination: Korea, France, Spain, Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, China, Japan, USA, United Kingdom.

EF Academy

14 - 19 years; For High School Degrees

Earn your high school degree and IB Diploma among peers from 75 countries at one of our boarding schools in New York or California.

Destination: USA, United Kingdom.

EF Gap Year

Individual travel programs between high school and college

Get more out of college with an academic year or semester abroad that includes educational travel, language study, volunteer service, a work internship (实习), and leadership development.

Destination: France, Spain, Costa Rica, Italy, Germany, China, Japan.

Interested? Click here for further information.

1. Who might find EF Languages Abroad most beneficial?

A．An adult who wants to travel to other countries.

B．A high school student who intends to study abroad.

C．A business man who hopes to get promoted in his job.

D．A college student who plans to transfer to another university.

2. What isn’t included in EP Gap Year?

A．Personalized courses.	B．Voluntary activities.
C．Leadership programs.	D．Internship opportunities.

3. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To entertain.	B．To instruct.
C．To inform.	D．To advertise.