【推荐1】You use it every day, and there’s one in nearly every home and on every street comer-it’s the toilet. Did you know the average person spends three whole years of his or her life on the toilets? For something so important, we give it very little thought. Well, November 19 is World Toilet Day-a day to bring attention to the toilet.

World Toilet Day reminds us of how lucky we are to have toilets. Many people still don’t have clean toilets, and this causes a number of health problems.

Toilets take many different forms around the world. In the US, you won’t see any squatting (蹲式的) toilets. Most people in the Western world have toilets and running water in their homes.

But, in some places, toilets are outdoors in “outhouses”. Everyone in the neighborhood shares the same outhouse, and going to the toilet becomes a social event. Depending on where you are, public toilets can be very private, with machines playing the sound of running water to mask your noises. Or, public toilets can have no privacy at all-just one big room. Now some modern toilets have electronic keypads, heaters and even play music!

When you use the toilet, you should keep some manners in mind: Flush (冲) the toilet after you have finished. Wash your hands before you leave the restroom. Don’t stand on the toilet when you are using it. If you use public toilets, there may be a line. Don’t cut in line-this is very rude.

1. How long does a person probably spend on toilets in his/her life?

A．3 whole years.

B．2 whole years.

C．1 whole year.

D．1.5 whole years.

2. World Toilet Day is a day to ________.

A．remind people to build more toilets	B．remind us of how lucky we are to have toilets
C．ask people to go to clean toilets	D．keep good manners in mind

3. What’s the use of machines in the toilet playing the sound of running water?

A．Protecting your privacy.	B．Making you feel happy.
C．Helping you keep warm.	D．Playing music for you to enjoy.

4. Which is a rude thing to do when using the toilet?

A．Waiting in a line if there are many people.	B．Forgetting to flush the toilet after using it.
C．Not standing on the toilet when using it.	D．Washing hands before leaving the toilet.

【推荐1】Have you ever seen pandas that aren’t black-and-white? Scientists have found that there are brown-and-white pandas living in a mountain in China.

Scientists studied the genes (基因) of different pandas in the wild and they have found that pandas with brown-and-white coats are the result of changes in the natural environment. To understand what lies behind the special color, the scientists studied Qizai, a brown panda in Hanzhong. He is now the only brown panda in captivity (圈养).

When compared with hair from three black-and-white pandas, Qizai’s brownish coat had fewer and smaller melanosomes (黑素体). What’s more, the melanosomes were more likely to be differently shaped, the study team found. The scientists then collected genetic information about Qizai and pieced together his family tree.

The scientists studied the genetic information from Qizai’s family members and compared it with the genetic information from 12 black-and-white pandas from the Qinling Mountains and 17 black-and-white pandas from other places in China.

While none of Qizai’s family members had brown coats, the scientists were able to show that his parents and son all had one copy of the recessive trait (隐性特质) on a certain gene, while Qizai had two copies. The scientists then studied another 192 black-and-white pandas. The gene change causing the brown coats was only found in two pandas from the Qinling Mountains in Shaanxi, not Sichuan province, where most China’s pandas live.

It’s not clear what caused the genetic change. Scientists said it must be because of the environment of the Qinling Mountains, which is different from that of Sichuan. “For those who care about pandas, this is a great development,” said Wang, who worked in the mountains for 10 years. Wang said he was glad to see the scientists’ efforts in trying to work out this scientific question.

根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. What is the fact of Qizai?

A．He lives in Sichuan province.

B．He is a black-and-white panda.

C．He has a family of twelve members.

D．He has two copies of the recessive trait.

2. What can be found in Paragraph 5?

A．The results of the study.

B．The methods of the study.

C．The difficulties of the study.

D．The advantages of the study.

3. What does the study focus on?

A．Pandas’ family trees.	B．Pandas’ genetic information.
C．Pandas’ common coats.	D．Pandas’ living environment.

4. What is Wang’s attitude (态度) towards the study?

A．Hopeful.

B．Supportive.

C．Doubtful.

D．Uncertain.

5. Why is the text written?

A．To give advice.	B．To present a problem.
C．To offer knowledge.	D．To share an experience.

【推荐2】One of the most endangered animals in the world is the Siberian tiger, known as the Northeast Tiger in China.

The Siberian tiger is the largest of all tigers. An adult can grow up to 33 meters in length and weigh as much as 300 kilograms. Siberian tiger is not as brightly colored as other tigers, and its stripes（条纹）are dark brown.

Long ago, Siberian tigers were common all over Northeast Asia and the Russian Far East. However, today they are found mainly along the Chinese-Russian border（边界）and possibly in North Korea. The number of them becomes smaller and smaller. And there are many reasons. The first reason is the cutting down of the trees and forests! When people cut down trees and build cities, the tigers have less food to eat and less space to live in.

Luckily, steps are being taken to save these tigers. For example, China and Russia have set up nature reserves（保护区）and shut down the black market for tiger goods. Now the numbers of the Siberian tigers are on the rise. There is also a large population of Siberian tigers in zoos. It is hoped that some of these tigers can be put back to the wild. Of course, they would need to learn how to look after themselves. Another problem is the space. An adult Siberian tiger requires up to 100 square kilometers of forests to live in. At present, there is not enough natural forest to support putting back so many Siberian tigers into the wild.

1. Which of the following is NOT the living place of Siberian tigers?

A．Northeast Asia.

B．The Russian Far East.

C．North Korea.

D．Northwest Asia.

2. What are Siberian tigers like?

A．They are the largest of all the animals in the world.

B．They have the most brightly color as other tigers.

C．An adult Siberian tiger is about 300 kilograms.

D．They have white and brown stripes on their backs.

3. The Siberian tigers have become fewer and fewer, what’s the first reason for it?

A．Because too many trees and forests were cut down.

B．Because the forests became desert in many places.

C．Because the forests were polluted by factories.

D．Because they need too much food to eat every day.

4. What did humans do to protect the Siberian tigers?

A．China and Korea have planted many trees for them.

B．China and Russia have closed down the black market.

C．China and Korea have built more Zoos to keep them.

D．China and Russia have set up stores of goods for them.

5. What can we learn from the passage?

A．Siberian tigers are also called Northwest Tiger in the world.

B．Siberian tigers are common over North Korea and Russia now.

C．Siherian tigers were endangered so we need to protect them.

D．Siberian tigers in zoos have been put back to the wild.

【推荐3】Here is a story of the Baiji River Dolphin. It makes its home in the Yangtze River. Over 20 million years ago, the Baiji River Dolphin left the sea, swam up the Yangtze River and has lived there ever since. It has smaller eyes than other kinds of dolphins because the Yangtze River has many small pieces of earth in it. The small size helps to protect its eyes. However, because it has such small eyes, it can’t use its eyes to find food. Instead, this kind of dolphin uses sound waves to find food. This makes it so unusual.

About 2,200 years ago, there were thousands of dolphins in the Yangtze River, but today, not many people see the dolphins. The number has gone down about 150. Scientists say that the number of dolphin has gone down because the population of people along the Yangtze River has gone up. They also say that the new dam (大坝) on the river is also making the dolphin die because it doesn’t have enough food to eat.

Scientists have tried different things to save this “panda in the water”, but nothing has helped. What would you do to save this kind of dolphin if you had a chance?

1. The Baiji River Dolphin lives in the ________.

A．Yellow River

B．Nile River

C．Yangtze River

D．Huaihe River

2. We also call the Baiji River Dolphin “________”.

A．panda in the water

B．panda in the sky

C．panda in the zoo

D．panda in the moon

3. What makes the Baiji River Dolphin different from other dolphins?

A．Its big nose.

B．Its small eyes.

C．Its small ears.

D．Its small mouth.

4. Why does the Baiji River Dolphin become fewer and fewer?

A．The new dam on the river.	B．The population of people has gone up.
C．It has smaller eyes.	D．Both A and B.