I work with Volunteers for Wildlife, a rescue and education organization at Bailey Arboretum in Locust Valley. Trying to help injured, displaced or sick creatures can be heartbreaking; survival is never certain. However, when it works, it is simply beautiful.
I got a rescue call from a woman in Muttontown. She had found a young owl(猫头鹰) on the ground. When I arrived, I saw a 2-to 3-week-old owl. It had already been placed in a carrier for safety.
I examined the chick(雏鸟) and it seemed fine. If I could locate the nest, I might have been able to put it back, but no luck. My next work was to construct a nest and anchor it in a tree.
The homeowner was very helpful. A wire basket was found. I put some pine branches into the basket to make this nest safe and comfortable. I placed the chick in the nest, and it quickly calmed down.
Now all that was needed were the parents, but they were absent. I gave the homeowner a recording of the hunger screams of owl chicks. These advertise the presence of chicks to adults; they might also encourage our chick to start calling as well. I gave the owner as much information as possible and headed home to see what news the night might bring.
A nervous night to be sure, but sometimes the spirits of nature smile on us all! The homeowner called to say that the parents had responded to the recordings. I drove over and saw the chick in the nest looking healthy and active. And it was accompanied in the nest by the greatest sight of all-LUNCH! The parents had done their duty and would probably continue to do so.
1. What is unavoidable in the author's rescue work according to paragraph 1?| A．Efforts made in vain. |
| B．Getting injured in his work. |
| C．Feeling uncertain about his future. |
| D．Creatures forced out of their homes. |
| A．To rescue a woman. |
| B．To take care of a woman. |
| C．To look at a baby owl. |
| D．To cure a young owl. |
| A．A new nest. | B．Some food. |
| C．A recording. | D．Its parents. |
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【推荐1】A Koala Isn’t a Bear
Koalas remind people of teddy bears. They have thick fur and large ears. Their broad, flat nose makes them look cute, similar to teddy bears. In fact, koalas aren’t cute. They have sharp teeth and very sharp claws! Koalas are marsupials. This means the mother carries her baby in a pocket while it develops, similar to a kangaroo. The baby koala lives in its mother’s pocket for the first six months of its life.
The name “koala” comes from a native Australian word that means “no drink”. The koalas get almost all their water from the eucalyptus (桉树) leaves they eat. That’s where they get their food too. Koalas eat only eucalyptus leaves, and only the leaves of certain eucalyptus trees. The eucalyptus trees are where the koalas live. It’s also where they sleep. Koalas sleep about nineteen hours a day!
Why do they sleep so much? Some people think it’s because they’re lazy. But koalas aren’t lazy. They sleep so much because there isn’t much nutrition in eucalyptus leaves. Koalas store hardly any fat, so they must save their energy. One way to do this is to move slowly and sleep a lot.
After a day of sleeping, they like to move around and eat just after sunset. They live alone most of the time. Koalas are very protective of their trees. If a koala sees another koala eating in its favorite tree, it might tell the other koala to leave by “barking” at it. Koalas do “talk” to each other. Besides barks, the males make a deep grunting sound. The mothers and babies talk in soft clicking sounds. If they get scared, they may scream like a baby.
1. How are koalas and kangaroos alike?| A．They both have thick fur. |
| B．They both have sharp teeth. |
| C．They both eat eucalyptus leaves. |
| D．They both carry their young in a pocket. |
| A．large ears |
| B．no drink |
| C．moving slowly |
| D．barking loudly |
| A．Their babies need to get much rest. |
| B．They get tired from playing so much. |
| C．Their food does not give them much energy. |
| D．They don’t like to be awake when it is warm. |
| A．frightened |
| B．hungry |
| C．worried |
| D．sleepy |
【推荐2】The sunflower, native to North America, is now cultivated worldwide, with Antarctica the only continent where it is not grown.
Today there are over sixty varieties of sunflowers which are used to produce a wide range of products for both human and animal consumption.
Industry uses sunflower oil in the production of paint, soaps, candles and many other products. However, remembering how beautiful the sunflower looks, what gardener wouldn't love to have some of these tall, showy plants to beautify his or her garden?
| A．Sunflower oil for cooking is obtained by pressing the seeds. |
| B．Many people enjoy the healthy bread produced from sunflower seed flour. |
| C．The nutrients in these seeds may reduce your risk of common health problems. |
| D．The sunflower follows the sun in its travels across the sky from Dawson until dusk. |
| E．The sunflower was also used by Native Americans for a variety of medicinal purposes. |
| F．Native people of North America started cultivating the sunflower over 5,000 years ago. |
| G．However, the sunflower provided many products which were not used in food applications. |
【推荐3】The gentle giants of our oceans are whale sharks. It’s the biggest whale shark and can reach as long as 41.5 feet, and these amazing creatures are not only the biggest sharks, but they are also the biggest fish of any kind.
Whale sharks have a lifespan of 70 years on average, and they spend their days gently swimming in the warm and tropical oceans.
Their teeth are the size of match heads, and while their jaws could be powerful, they have never tended to attack humans. Their teeth play no role in eating, as plankton(浮游生物) does not need to be chewed. They are to be found in numbers in the warmer oceans and they prefer the deep waters of open oceans. They tend to travel alone.
Several times a year they gather together in certain spots where plankton is plentiful. Those areas are all within a 30° north or south latitude from the equator. Sadly whale sharks are targeted by commercial fisheries at those spots.
How easy it must be for the fishermen to catch those beautiful creatures who can only swim at 3.5 miles per hour! So great a loss in numbers have they suffered that whale sharks are now listed as one of the endangered species. Some countries have started to take measures to protect the whale sharks from extinction.
The Philippines, India and Taiwan have all banned the fishing, selling, importing and exporting of whale sharks for commercial purposes. However, the law doesn’t seem to be effective because the hunting and killing still goes on today, especially in Taiwan and the Philippines. Each whale shark can fetch around $21, 000. In parts of Asia they are known as the "money shark".
The mighty dollar wins again at great cost to our habitat, and we will not know what we have lost until we have lost it forever. Therefore, it is high time for us to do something for the whale sharks.
1. We can learn from the passage that whale sharks _________.| A．usually live a life of more than 70 years |
| B．always travel in the ocean in groups |
| C．depend on their teeth to harvest their food |
| D．live in the deep waters of warm oceans |
| A．Because they swim in the oceans at a slow speed. |
| B．Because they are surrounded by so many fishermen. |
| C．Because they often gather together. |
| D．Because they never tend to attack humans in the water. |
| A．whale sharks will be extinct even if they are protected |
| B．whale sharks are the most dangerous marine animals |
| C．there is no law about banning the fishing of whale sharks |
| D．the huge profit is to blame for the decreasing numbers of whale sharks |
| A．To call for people to protect whale sharks. |
| B．To advise the government to make related laws. |
| C．To guide people how to fish and kill whale sharks. |
| D．To analyze the value of whale sharks. |
【推荐1】In summer 2007, I joined the British Red Cross at 15. After several days of training. I was attending my first event as a fully qualified Red Cross volunteer. Our team was providing medical cover for a large martial arts grading event.
Although I'd passed my first aid course with flying colours, I was nervous before the event began. There's quite a difference between the classroom and the real thing! Two experienced adult volunteers would be working with me for the day.
Rosie was taking part in the under-16s event. This was supposed to be non-contact, and she was wearing full protective clothing just in case. All these precautions didn't help, however, when her competitor misjudged a move and delivered a violent blow to her head.
“Guys, we need some help over here!” Over we went, all three of us carrying various bits of kit. Rosie was lying on the ground. As we approached we could see she was conscious. Brian, my colleague took the lead.
“Hey there, stay nice and still for me. Chris here is just going to hold your head. Don't worry; it's just a precaution.”
I helped, painfully aware that hundreds of sets of eyes were following our every move. However I soon forgot all about this as I focused on the task at hand.
Rosie was complaining of pain in her neck. These are all classic signs of a possible spinal injury. Quickly, Brian found there were no other injuries and an ambulance was called. I was still holding her head and doing my best to comfort her.
The doctors arrived and we put Rosie carefully into the ambulance for a trip to hospital. Then we went back to the first aid post quickly.
Ten years on I've met many more people like Rosie—in need of help. I've moved on from being a trainee to a trainer, from an inexperienced first aider to being part of an emergency ambulance team.
When a call comes in, that slight feeling of nervousness is still there. However, so is the feeling of making a difference, being there during a painful moment in someone's life.
1. What does the underlined part “with flying colours” probably mean?| A．Slowly. | B．Successfully. | C．Poorly. | D．Carefully. |
| A．She was hit by mistake. | B．She made a wrong move. |
| C．She didn't take precautions. | D．She was not herself and fell. |
| A．She took her to hospital. | B．She held her head and calmed her. |
| C．She checked her injuries. | D．She did something for her pain. |
| A．She often receives first aid training. |
| B．She's working as a professional doctor. |
| C．She feels a sense of achievement about her work. |
| D．She's no longer nervous when performing first aid. |
【推荐2】I was putting on my boots just now in what the novelists call “a brown study.” There was no urgent reason for putting on my boots. I was not going out, and my slippers were much more comfortable. But something had to be done. I wanted a subject for an article. Now if you are accustomed to writing articles for a living, you will know that sometimes the difficulty is not writing the article, but choosing a subject. It is not poverty you suffer from, but an embarrassment of riches.
But what has this to do with putting on my boots? It is a reasonable question and I will tell you. For an hour I had paced my room in my slippers in search of a subject. I had looked out of the window over the sunlit valley, and watched the smoke of a distant train disappearing towards the west. I had sharpened every pencil I had on me with great care. But the more I sharpened my pencils, the more anxious I grew about the theme for an article.
It was at this moment that I remembered my boots. The act of bending my body changed the current of the blood. You saw things in a new light. So I fetched my boots and sat down to put them on.
The thing worked like a charm. For in my preoccupied condition I picked up my right boot first. Then mechanically I put it down and seized the left boot. And then the fact flashed on me that all my life I had been putting on my left boot first. If you had asked me five minutes before which boot I put on first, I should have said that there was no first about it; yet now I found I was in a habit so fixed that the attempt to put on my right boot first affected me. The thing couldn’t be done. And then came into my mind that fascinating book of Samuel Butler’s on Life and Habit. Yes, certainly, here was a subject that would “go.” I took out a pencil, seized some writing paper, and sat down to write on “The Force of Habit.”
1. By “It is not poverty you suffer from, but an embarrassment of riches.” in paragraph 1, the author means _____.| A．some subjects are too complicated or embarrassing to write on |
| B．poverty is no longer a problem nowadays, but embarrassment is |
| C．poor people don’t encounter as many embarrassments as the rich |
| D．there’re so many subjects that it’s hard to decide which to choose |
| A．To help himself promote thinking. | B．To draw what he saw out of the window. |
| C．To write his article more smoothly. | D．To relieve himself of anxiety about writing. |
| A．get rid of his fixed habit | B．lower his blood pressure |
| C．see things from a new angle | D．free his preoccupied mind |
| A．personal attitude towards habits | B．daily routines as a professional writer |
| C．writing process of a special article | D．decision making on the theme for an article |
【推荐3】One Sunday, Nicholas, a teenager, went skiing at Sugarloaf Mountain in Maine. In the early afternoon, when he was planning to go home, a fierce snowstorm swept the area. Unable to see far, he accidentally turned off (偏离) the path. Before he knew it, Nicholas was lost, all alone! He didn’t have food, water, a phone, or other supplies. He was getting colder by the minute.
Nicholas had no idea where he was. He tried not to be panic. He thought about all of the survival shows he had watched on TV. It was time to put the tips he had learned to use.
He decided to stop skiing. There was a better chance of someone finding him if he stayed still. The first thing he did was to find shelter from the freezing wind and snow. If he didn’t, his body temperature would get very low, which could quickly kill him. Using his skis (滑雪板), Nicholas built a snow cave. He gathered a huge mass of snow and dug out a hole in the middle. Then he piled branches on top of himself, like a blanket, to stay as warm as he could.
By that evening, Nicholas was really hungry. He ate snow and drank water from a nearby stream so that his body wouldn’t lose too much water. Not knowing how much longer he could last, Nicholas did the only thing he could — he huddled (蜷缩) in his cave and slept.
The next day, Nicholas went out to look for help, but he couldn’t find anyone. He followed his tracks and returned to the snow cave, because without shelter, he could die that night. On Tuesday, Nicholas went out again to find help. He had walked for about a mile when a volunteer searcher found him. After two days stuck in the snow, Nicholas was saved.
Nicholas might not have survived this snowstorm had it not been for TV. He had often watched Grylls’ survival show Man vs. Wild. That’s where he learned the tips that saved his life. In each episode (一期节目) of Man vs. Wild, Grylls is abandoned in a wild area and has to find his way out.
When Grylls heard about Nicholas’ amazing deeds, he was greatly impressed that Nicholas had survived the snowstorm since he knew better than anyone how hard Nicholas had to work to stay alive.
1. What happened to Nicholas one Sunday afternoon?| A．He broke his skis. | B．He got lost. |
| C．He hurt his eyes. | D．He caught a cold. |
| A．By drinking hot water. | B．By keeping on skiing. |
| C．By building a snow cave. | D．By lighting some branches. |
| A．Optimistic and helpful. | B．Brave and clever. |
| C．Pessimistic and timid. | D．Determined and humorous. |
| A．Because he was very hard-working. |
| B．Because he created some tips for survival. |
| C．Because he watched Grylls’ TV program regularly. |
| D．Because he survived the snowstorm through what he learnt. |
【推荐1】The day when the jobs were handed out was one of the most exciting moments for all the children in the class. It took place during the first week of the term. Every kid was given a job for which they would be responsible for the rest of that school year.
Some jobs were more interesting than others, and the children were eager to be given one of the best ones. When giving them out, the teacher took into account which pupils had been most responsible during the previous year. During the previous year Rita had carried out the teacher’s instructions perfectly. All the children knew Rita would be given the best job.
But there was a big surprise. Each child received a normal job. But Rita’s job was very different. She was given a little box containing some sand and one ant. Though the teacher insisted that this ant was very special, Rita felt disappointed. Most of her classmates felt sorry for her. Even her father became very angry with the teacher and he encouraged Rita to pay no attention to this insignificant pet. However, Rita preferred to show the teacher her error by doing something special with that job of little interest.
Rita started investigating all about her little ant and gave the ant the best food, and it grew quite a bit bigger.
One day, a man, who looked very important, came into their classroom and declared, “Your class has been chosen to accompany me, this summer, on a journey to the tropical rain forest, where we will investigate all kinds of insects. Among all the schools of this region, your class has best cared for the little ant.”
That day the school was filled with joy and celebration. Everyone thanked Rita for having been so patient and responsible. And many children learnt that to be given the most important task you have to know how to be responsible even in what are the smallest tasks.
1. What does the underlined sentence mean?| A．Each child got an important job. |
| B．Each child got an interesting job. |
| C．The most responsible student got the job of least interest. |
| D．The perfect student got the job of everyone’s preference. |
| A．Uncertain. | B．Negative | C．Positive | D．Acceptive. |
| A．hunter | B．biologist | C．director | D．principal |
| A．Never complain about life. |
| B．Small tasks can lead to fortunes. |
| C．Men are best known by their friends. |
| D．Responsibility and intelligence bring good luck. |
【推荐2】The other day a big,ugly,black bat found its way to the bathroom of my house and hung, upside down, over the toilet bowl. As "the man of the house", I was asked to rid the house of the awful creature. I grabbed a pillow and held the broom.I quickly opened the bathroom door and threw the pillow at the bat. It didn't move. Then that old feeling started to come over me. It was the same feeling I experienced when I was sent down the stairs in the middle of the night to see what made a noise.The feeling can be summed up in one word-trapped.
All men, I think, sometimes have had that feeling of being trapped in some male role. It may be something as simple as having to carve the chicken before it is served,or having to pretend that you know something about car engines when the car won't start.However,women nowadays seem to have the freedom to be themselves.They can repair cars or be fire fighters.Yet men appear to be more afraid to do something different. It's as if being a man is not what you are,but what you do and the way you do it.
As I came towards the fierce and frightening bat, I wondered what would happen if I had simply told my wife that I won't do it-that she could get it out, or else call someone in the morning. But I couldn't do that! I am the man! I slowly opened the window and closed the toilet bowl cover. I then, carefully, lifted the broom over my head and swept the bat out the window. Just like that, it was gone.
My wife was so pleased and in the morning,my son thought I was a hero. They asked me how I had got rid of the bat. I started to tell them-but then stopped.A man doesn't talk of such things.
1. Why does the author mention the old feeling in Paragraph 1?| A．To recall the old days. | B．To show his fear of darkness. |
| C．To predict his fight with the bat. | D．To highlight the situation of being trapped. |
| A．Men are forced to bear household burdens. | B．Men have to live up to social expectations. |
| C．Women are free to choose their jobs. | D．Women are equal to men in workplaces. |
| A．believes silence is gold | B．feels proud of himself |
| C．will do what he has to do | D．will be what he wants to be |
| A．Angry. | B．Humorous. | C．Desperate. | D．Serious. |
【推荐3】Noodles can turn from white to purple to pink with the aid of red cabbage and lemon juice; a chocolatey “liquid” can be rolled like a solid. These are just a few of the edible (可食的) treats in The Kitchen Science Cookbook that kids can make from everyday kitchen ingredients. The book has non-edible experiments, too—volcanoes that erupt with lava made from baking soda and vinegar—and most recipes cost less than a dollar, says the book’s creator, a nanotechnologist (纳米专家) and science communicator, Michelle Dickinson, known as Nanogirl.
Dickinson was inspired by a mother who told her she’d failed in science at school but wanted to develop a love of science in her own daughter. “Then the mother offered me a cake she’d made at home as a gift. I told her, ‘You do use science—you baked this cake!’ and she replied, ‘No, that’s baking, very different from science.’ I said, ‘Well, what happens if it doesn’t rise enough? You use more baking soda and then turn the oven up higher...’ There was a real disconnection between what the mother was doing and the word ‘science’.”
So Dickinson spent three years using her kitchen as a lab, coming up with 300 experiments. She put a call-out online for recipe testers, “thinking I’d get about five of my friends with kids responding, but in 24 hours we had 2,000 applicants from 24 countries!”
In 2012, she was asked by TEDx to give a lecture on nanotechnology, where she presented herself as Nanogirl—a confident, smart, amazing superhero on stage. In last year’s six-week nationwide tour, Nanogirl performed science stunts (特技表演) to thousands of kids, and trained 200 teachers in how to integrate science in the classroom.
Dickinson has got thousands of videos posted by children who’ve attempted the experiments she encourages them to try at home. “Then we have kids building all sorts of weird and wonderful things.”
Now Nanogirl has gone global, with local versions surfacing in five countries and in four languages.
Dickinson self-published The Kitchen Science Cookbook as part of a pay-it-forward program, where for every book sold, a book will be donated to a library, school or community organization. A Kickstarter fund helped pay for the printing. “I’m so grateful people believed in us.”
1. Dickinson became a science communicator because ______.| A．her mother developed a love of science in her |
| B．she got inspired by her cake-baking experience |
| C．she noticed people were unaware of science in life |
| D．her kitchen experiments went popular on social media |
| A．200 teachers have joined her to become nanogirls. |
| B．Nanogirls emerge following in her steps worldwide. |
| C．A few schools and libraries have been funded by her. |
| D．Many kids are encouraged to donate books to schools. |
| A．passionate and inspiring | B．creative and humorous |
| C．cooperative and generous | D．courageous and grateful |
