Claude and Louise are “giraffes”, so are police officers Hankins and Pearson. These men and women don’t look like giraffes; they look like you and me. Then why do people call them “giraffes”?
A giraffe is an animal that sticks (伸出) its neck out, can see places far away and has a large heart. It lives a quiet life and moves around in an easy and beautiful way. In the same way, a “giraffe” can be a person who likes to “stick his or her neck out” for other people, always watches for future happenings, has a warm heart for people around, and at the same time lives a quiet and beautiful life.
“The Giraffe Project” is a 10-year-old group which finds and honors (表彰) “giraffes” in the US and in the world. The group wants to teach people to do something to build a better world. The group members believe that a person shouldn’t draw his or her head back; instead, they tell people to “stick their neck out” and help others. Claude and Louise, Hankins and Pearson are only a few of the about 1,000 “giraffes” that the group found and honored.
Claude and Louise were getting old and they left their work with some money that they saved for future use. One day, however, they saw a homeless man looking for a place to keep warm and they decided that they should “stick their neck out” and give him some help. Today, they live in Friends’ House, where they invite twelve homeless people to stay every night.
Police officers Hankins and Pearson work in a large city. They see crimes (犯罪) every day and their work is sometimes dangerous. They work hard for their money. However, these two men put their savings together and even borrowed money to start an education (教育) center to teach young people in a poor part of the city. Hankins and Pearson are certainly “giraffes”.
1. “The Giraffe Project” is a group ________.| A．of police officers |
| B．which appeared (出现) ten years ago |
| C．of ten -year-old children |
| D．which takes care of children |
| A．do what is needed for a good world |
| B．are not afraid dangerous work |
| C．found a home for some homeless people |
| D．made money only for other people |
| A．teach people to draw his or her head back |
| B．help people make a living |
| C．invite homeless people to stay |
| D．teach young people in poor areas |
| A．Some of the people around us look like giraffes. |
| B．Giraffes are the most beautiful animals in the word. |
| C．“Giraffe” is a nice name for those who are ready to help others. |
| D．A “giraffe” is someone who can stick his neck out and see the future. |
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【推荐1】Most young boys like spending time on things like video games, superhero movies and sports, but Ken, a 9-year-old boy from the Philippines, is spending his free time trying to start an animal shelter (庇护所) for at-risk dogs.
In February, photos of Ken feeding dogs on the street circled the Internet and immediately attracted many people who wanted to help. “I feel sorry for the dogs with no owners while other dogs around the world are being pampered (宠养),” Ken tells Pet360 in an email. “It really wasn’t fair. And they are really thin.”
When Ken began feeding the dogs which had health problems, they would not let the boy come close. But after several feedings, the dogs warmed up to Ken and allowed the boy to help them. When animal lovers found out what Ken was doing, donations started to roll in, and Ken and his father were able to start a non-profit (非盈利的) animal shelter called Happy Animals Club. The donations helped three dogs, Blackie, Brownie and White Puppy, receive high-quality canned food and treatment. After two months with Ken at Happy Animals Club, the dogs look like completely different animals and will be adopted (领养) soon.
In May, Ken and his father hiring a 10,000-square-foot lot (停车场), where Ken hopes to build a no-kill animal shelter to help more dogs in need. “I want the dogs to have a home, where they can have shelter, eat and have fun,” says Ken.
Ken wants to save dogs from the city pound (宠物收留所) where most animals are put down. Right now, Ken doesn’t have enough money to start the shelter. If you also want to save homeless dogs, you can visit the Happy Animals Club’s website and offer some help.
1. What makes Ken different from other boys of his age?| A．That he lives at a shelter. | B．That he wants to save homeless dogs. |
| C．That he loves animals very much. | D．That he loves watching superhero movies. |
| A．many dogs are waiting to be adopted |
| B．dogs can become very friendly in the end |
| C．high-quality canned food is very important |
| D．the donations can improve some dogs’ lives |
| A．To encourage us to help Ken save dogs. |
| B．To ask us to bring homeless dogs to Ken. |
| C．To show it’s really not easy to raise money. |
| D．To tell us about the Happy Animals Club’s website. |
【推荐2】One day a poor farmer was taking a bag of wheat to town. Suddenly the bag fell off his horse onto the road. He did not know what he could do about it because it was too heavy for him to lift by himself. He only hoped that someone would soon pass by and lend him a hand.
Just at his moment, a man riding a horse came up to him. But the farmer felt disappointed when he saw who he was. It was the great man who lived nearby. He thought the great man wouldn’t help him, and hoped another farmer would come up. But to his surprise, the great man got off his horse as soon as he came near, “I see you need help,” he said, “I’m here just at the right time.” Then he took one end of the bag and the farmer took the other, they lifted it together and put it on the horse.
“Sir,” asked the farmer, “how can I pay you?”
“It’s quite easy,” the great man answered, “when you see anyone else in trouble, do the same for him.”
1. What did the poor farmer take to town?| A．A bag of coins. | B．A bag of rice. | C．A bag of wheat. | D．A bag of apples. |
| A．Because he was too young to lift the bag. | B．Because he was too old to lift the bag. |
| C．Because the bag was too large for him to lift. | D．Because the bag was too heavy for him to lift. |
| A．Happy. | B．Sad. | C．Good. | D．Afraid. |
| A．He came up to help him. | B．He asked another farmer to help him. |
| C．He went away without stopping. | D．He gave him a lot of money. |
| A．By giving him money. | B．By giving him a horse. |
| C．By helping others. | D．By giving him a bag of wheat. |
“That’s very kind of you,” the woman said, “I’m having a lot of trouble with it. Maybe it sticks (卡住) in the car door.”
“Together we’ll soon move it,” the man said. “I’ll get in and take the other end.” And he got in the car.
“Right,” the man said. “I’m ready,” and he began to push the box hard.
For several minutes, the man and the woman tried to move the box. Soon they felt very tired.
They rested for a moment. Then the woman said, “Let’s try again. One, two, three!” They went on moving the box.
At last, when they were exhausted, the man said, “I’m sorry, but I don’t think there’s any way to get it out of your car.”
“Get it out?” the woman cried. “I’m trying to get it in! You know?”
1. Where did this story happen?
| A．At a bank. | B．In a shop. |
| C．In the street. | D．In the woman’s car. |
| A．The woman. | B．The man. |
| C．Both of them. | D．Neither of them. |
| A．精疲力竭的 | B．激动的 |
| C．充满希望的 | D．沮丧的 |
| A．The man stuck in the car door. |
| B．The woman asked the man for help. |
| C．The man refused to help the woman. |
| D．The woman tried to get the box into the car. |
| A．He is a helpful man. |
| B．He looks very strong. |
| C．He is funny and stupid. |
| D．He likes to play jokes on others. |
【推荐1】Have you ever seen a solar panel (太阳能电池板) in your neighborhood? Solar panels take energy from the sun and turn it into electricity. Over the past ten years, the price of solar panels has gone down greatly. In many parts of the world, solar energy is now the cheapest form of electricity. More and more people have started using solar energy.
However, common solar panels also have their problems. They stop working at night and on rainy days. Is it possible to make them produce electricity all the time?
Scientists at Suzhou University, China, have invented a new solar panel now. It can produce electricity not only from solar energy but also from falling rain. When a raindrop falls on the solar panel and then rolls (滚动) down, it creates friction (摩擦力) on the surface of the panel, which can then be turned into electricity.
Sun Baoquan is one of the inventors. “Our new invention can produce electricity in any weather during the day, even at night,” he says.
The solar panel, however, does not make much electricity from falling rain. So Sun Baoquan is still working hard to improve it. The scientist also wants to make solar panels more flexible, which are as soft as clothing.
The field of solar energy is developing fast. Scientists around the world have been improving solar panels. Some have been working on ways to join solar panels and wind power together. Some have been trying to use other ways.
根据材料内容选择最佳答案。
1. Which energy is now the cheapest form of electricity in many parts of the world?
| A．Solar energy. | B．Water energy. | C．Wind energy. | D．Natural gas. |
| A．They can’t work all the time. | B．The price of them is rising. |
| C．They can hardly be used in people’s homes. | D．It creates friction when producing electricity. |
| A．It has a larger size than a common one. |
| B．It produces more electricity from falling rain than solar energy. |
| C．It can produce electricity day and night and even in rainy condition. |
| D．It can save more money. |
| A．坚硬的 | B．光滑的 | C．粗糙的 | D．柔软的 |
| A．there is no room for developing solar energy |
| B．there is no end to the research in the field of solar energy |
| C．solar energy has met people’s needs for electricity |
| D．solar energy has completely taken the place of other kinds of energy |
Most of us are used to using jet hand dryers in public restrooms. They’re surely very handy—all we need to do is to hold up our hands for a few seconds until they are dry. And more importantly, they are supposed to be hygienic（卫生的）.
However, a new study published in the journal Hospital Infection found that jet hand dryers actually spread more dangerous bacteria（细菌）than paper towels.
In the study, two restrooms in each of three different hospitals in the UK, France and Italy were required to provide both jet air dryers and paper towels for people to use. But on certain days, only either the hand dryer or the paper towel dispenser（自动出纸机）was available to use.
The scientists found that when only the hand dryer was available, the amount of bacteria in the restrooms was 27 times higher than on other days.
According to study leader Mark Wilcox, an expert in medical microbiology at Leeds University, UK, air dryers spread harmful bacteria all over the room. This means that if people use these dryers, they are more likely to pick up bacteria.
At the same time, however, this raises the question of why these bacteria exist in the first place if people are washing their hands after using the restroom. “The problem starts because some people do not wash their hands properly,” Wilcox told The Telegraph. In other words, poor hand-washing leads to a large amount of bacteria being left on your hands.
1. How would most people describe jet hand dryers?| A．They are necessary. | B．They are convenient. |
| C．They are useless. | D．They are traditional. |
| A．Why scientists studied hand dryers. | B．Why scientists chose three different hospitals. |
| C．How scientists carried out the experiment. | D．How scientists prepared for their study. |
| A．only the hand dryer was available to use |
| B．only paper towels were available to use |
| C．both the hand dryer and paper towel dispenser were available to use |
| D．neither the hand dryer nor the paper towel dispenser was available to use |
| A．Paragraph 2. | B．Paragraph 4. | C．Paragraph 5. | D．Last paragraph. |
| A．Modern technology causes more problems. | B．Good habits can protect you from danger. |
| C．It’s common to pick up bacteria in public places. | D．Scientists will find a way to improve hand dryers. |
【推荐3】You might not expect it, but cows can lead to air pollution. Now scientists have shown that the pollution from cows can be cut by adding a little seaweed (海草) to their food.
Cows have one stomach, but it has four separate parts. This allows them to process grass and other foods that humans can’t digest (消化). One of their stomach parts has a special chemical. It helps break down the grass into something the cow’s body can use. But the process produces lots of methane (甲烷), the world’s second worst greenhouse gas.
Scientists first discovered that seaweed could help control methane from cows several years ago. But that work was done in a laboratory, and there were many questions about whether the idea could work in real life. In the lab studies, the cows were given some seaweed, and they ended up losing weight. That wasn’t helpful, since cows are often sold by weight. It also wasn’t clear if the seaweed would stop working if it was used for a longer period of time.
Now, scientists studied 21 cows on a farm for about five months. They mixed a little seaweed with the cows’ food. The results were surprisingly good. Some cows produced 82% less methane. Even the worst-polluting cows produced 33% less methane. Over the five months, the scientists didn’t see any signs that the cows’ stomachs were getting used to the seaweed and starting to produce more methane again. Another good news came when they looked at the weight of the cows. The cows that were fed seaweed gained just as much weight as the other cows, but they didn’t need as much food.
Although there are still some problems with the idea, it’s very good news that something as simple as feeding cows seaweed can help reduce some of the pollution.
1. Why can cows digest grass? Because ________.| A．they have seaweed as their food |
| B．they have bigger stomachs than humans |
| C．their body can produce methane |
| D．their stomachs have four separate parts |
| A．They got thinner than before. | B．They produced no methane. |
| C．They ate less food than usual. | D．They were sold by weight. |
① The cows’ stomachs get used to the seaweed.
② The cows that eat seaweed gain weight like other cows.
③ The cows produce more methane five months later.
④ The seaweed helps control methane even after a long time.
| A．①② | B．①③ | C．②④ | D．③④ |
| A．meaningless | B．great | C．surprising | D．touching |
| A．Cows That Eat Seaweed Pollute Less |
| B．Scientists Discover a Way to Feed Cows |
| C．Cows Are Harmful to the Environment |
| D．Seaweed Becomes Cows’ Favorite Food |
