1 . According to the traditional Chinese custom, 2018 is just the year of Dog. Ranking as the eleventh animal in the Chinese zodiac -- the Shengxiao, Dog is a symbol of loyalty (忠诚) and honesty.
● Self-mocker (自嘲)
Words and phrases including dogs (Gou in Chinese) are commonly used by young people when telling jokes about themselves. For example, you can say “Valentine’s Day has nothing to do with me since I am a single dog.” It is believed that dog-related words and phrases usually have good humour.
● Close relationship
Among some young people, adding “dog” to a friend’s name has the meaning of a close relationship. One of the most famous examples in China is that the actor Lin Gengxin is called Lin Gou by his close friends and beloved fans.
● Easy to raise
Kids with pleasant names are easy to bring up, according to an ancient Chinese saying. Parents in the countryside prefer to give nicknames including Gou Sheng and Gou Dan to their kids in the hope that they are as easy to be raised as dogs.
● Metaphor (隐喻)
Since dogs are considered to have many good qualities (品质), the word is included in more than 10 Chinese metaphors. For example, “serve like a dog or a horse,” is used to describe someone who is ready to work hard for the people who have powers.
| Symbol Dog is a loyal and | ||
| Self-mocker The dog-related words and phrases are commonly used by young people when telling |  | Easy to raise Parents hope that kids can grow up as |
| Close relationship Adding “dog” to a person’s name | Metaphor Please translate “Serve like a dog or a horse.” into Chinese. |
2 . Most of us probably live without vegetables, but a world without chocolate? Now that would be hard! According to chocolate makers, it could happen if we don’t act soon.
There are two main causes of the chocolate shortage(短缺)- chocolate’s growing popularity and less production of cocoa, the plant from which chocolate is made. With more and more people in India and China loving chocolate, not much can be done about the first cause.
Therefore, the only thing we can do is to increase cocoa production. However, new plant diseases and little rain in Ivory Coast and Ghana, the world’s largest producers, have reduced cocoa production by 40 percent in the past 10 years. What’s worse, many cocoa farmers in Africa and other cocoa-producing countries like Indonesia and Venezuela are changing to easier-to-grow crops such as corn of rubber. This way, the farmers can make more money.
To prevent more farmers from changing, researchers at the newly opened International Cocoa Control Centre, in the UK, are trying to create new cocoa plants that are stronger and faster growing. But first they must make sure the new plants are safe to grow. This takes a long time.
First, each new plant is stored at the Control Centre for six months to make sure it is healthy. It is then planted in the Centre’s fields, studied and tested for another two years. Only after scientists are certain that they’re disease-free, will the plants be sent to farmers in West Africa or wherever else they are needed.
To create new stronger types of cocoa, scientists at the Control Centre are combing (结合) the best parts from different cocoa plants. Though the world is facing a serious chocolate shortage, there is now hope!
1. In which countries has chocolate become more popular in recent years?2. How long does it take scientists at the Control Centre to make sure a cocoa plant is safe to grow?
3. If you are a cocoa farmer in Africa, will you continue to grow cocoa? Why or why not?
3 . Do you want to see animals? Well, the New Star Zoo is really a good place for you. There are many kinds of animals in the zoo. Let's see koalas(树袋熊) first. The koalas come from Australia. They are very quiet(安静的) and clever. People like them very much. The pandas from China are cute. Many people like these black and white animals. There's a tiger with her two sons in the zoo. They are from the USA. They re quiet and interesting, but they are dangerous. The giraffes come from Africa. They're beautiful. The lions are also from Africa. They are really dangerous, too. Many people don't like them. They always sleep in the day.
You can also see many other kinds of animals in the zoo. Have a good time there.
1. How many kinds of animals does the writer talk about(谈论)? (根据短文内容回答问题)2. What are the giraffes like?(根据短文内容回答问题)
3. 从短文中找出与下列句子划线部分意思相近的短语：
The koalas come from Australia.
4. 短文中划线部分的her指的是
5. They always sleep in the day.(对划线部分提同)
4 . A little mouse thinks no one is taller and stronger than him in the world. His mother says to him," Don’t say that in front of an elephant. He doesn’t like that.”
Little mouse does not know who the elephant is. So he goes out to look for the elephant. He meets an ant. He asks, "Are you an elephant?"" No, I am not ,"says the ant.
Then the little mouse meets a rabbit. He asks," Are you an elephant? You are bigger than me." "No, I'm not. An elephant is much bigger." says the rabbit. The little mouse goes on.
Suddenly he sees four big trees," Aha, let me climb up one of the trees. Then I can see where the elephant is,” says the little mouse.
“Get down! Get down!”someone shouts to him.“I’m the elephant. Go and climb that tall tree nearby. Then you can see me.”
“Now, I see. The elephant is much taller and stronger than me,”says the little mouse.
1. What does the mouse think of himself?（根据短文内容回答问题）2. How many animals do the mouse meet before he sees the elephant?（根据短文内容回答问题）
3. What are the “four big trees”? (根据短文内容回答问题）
4. Go and climb that tall tree nearby.（改为否定句）
5. In the passage, the underlined word “ me” refers to
| Jack: Linda, I lost my dog. Linda: Oh, no! Let's make a poster. What's the dog's name? Jack: Its name is Muffin. Linda: Poor Muffin. How old is he? Jack: He is two years old. Linda: Well, what color is he? Jack: He is black and white. Look, here is picture of Muffin. Linda: Oh, he is so cute. And your e-mail address? Jack: Uh, it's jack978@163.com. Thank you, Linda. Linda: You're welcome. |
 Name: Age: Color: Please e-mail Jack at |
Animals are people’s friends. But many wild animals are in danger because the environment that they are living in has changed a lot. For example, their living area has become smaller and smaller because of the development of cities and the serious pollution. They don’t have enough places to live in or enough food to eat. At the same time, men are trying to kill these animals to earn more money or have their meat.
People should realize how serious the situation is and must do something to protect the animals. We should stop the killing and build some nature reserves, so that animals can live happily there. What’s more, we should do something to make our world cleaner.
Research Report Problem ● Many animals are in Situation ● Animals’ living area is becoming ● They don’t have enough Reason ● The environment animals live in has changed. ● People Action to ● Build some nature reserves. ● Make the world cleaner |
Dogs are very popular pets in the United States. Most dogs just live with their families, but some dogs have very special jobs to do. Some dogs help the police to find criminals (罪犯). Some dogs help people who can’t see or hear. Dogs that help their owners (主人) are “Assistance Dogs”.
A very special group of dogs are known as “Therapy Dogs”. These dogs are family pets with special training (训练). So they can go into public (公共) places and help people in need (需要). A dog needs about three months’ training to be a therapy dog. They like being with people and making people happy. Some therapy dogs go into places such as hospitals and nursing homes. When patients (病人) see the dogs, they are very happy. They like playing with the dogs and like seeing the dogs have fun. The dogs help to brighten their day.
1. What do some dogs help the police to do?2. What are “Therapy Dogs”?
3. Can a therapy dog go to a hospital to help patients?
4. How many months of training does a dog need to be a therapy dog?
5. How do patients feel when they see the therapy dogs?
Jimmy Chipolata is a famous face at Nottingham Trent University. He is a therapy(治疗) dog there. He’s very friendly. When students feel stressed or upset, Jimmy helps cheer them up. His owner, Debra Easter, also works at NTU. Debra said, “Since Jimmy came here, I’ve seen people come forward, including some shyer students. Lots of our staff and students’ health can improve by stroking(抚摩) Jimmy.” She added that quite a lot of students missed their pets at home, and had a hard time with their studies and exams. After spending time with Jimmy, they felt more comfortable.
Jimmy was saved by Debra from a broken home two years ago. When she first saw him, he looked heavy and couldn’t walk. However, with hard work, Jimmy overcame(克服) the difficulties in his life. And now he's able to help stressed-out university students do the same! Jimmy really enjoys his work and loves all the attention he gets. In fact, he’ll get down if people don't take notice of him.
Although the staff and students love Jimmy, not everyone believes in his therapy ability. Chris McGovern said: “If students are getting to 18, 19 and 20 and need a dog to cheer them up, they’ve got a real problem.” But many people think Jimmy is really helpful.
1. Is Jimmy a famous face at NTU?2. When do students at NTU need Jimmy’s help?
3. What problems did Jimmy have when Debra first met him?
4. What will happen to Jimmy if people don’t notice him?
5. What do you think of Jimmy?
| A. Come for a night walk along the Wild Animal Park. Many of the animals you'll see on this trip can only be seen at night. But the daytime is the best time to see many beautiful plants. B. Welcome to Freebird Shop. Here you will find many kinds of beautiful birds. They got hurt badly and can't fly anymore. But you can keep them in the cages. We would like to teach how to keep them. C. Welcome to the People's Zoo. You will see many animals from around the world. Some kinds of animals that existed during the time of the dinosaur will be shown, e.g.crocodile(鳄鱼), tortoise(龟). D. A cat was sent to the police office this morning. It has black hair, two blue eyes. It looked tired and hungry. If it is yours, come here and take it home. E. Our zoo is looking for a person to take care of some animals. It doesn't matter what your major is and how old you are. If you like animals and you are patient enough, you can get the job. F. You can get animal pictures, photos, videos, facts, and more on our web http：//www.earthhome.com. It tells you a lot about living styles of animals, the animal structure and the food they eat. You can also read news about them here. G. Pets are our friends. Helping homeless pets is one of the best acts of kindness. There are many ways to help them. Make a donation today at www.petsfinder.com. |
10 . Police officer Dennis was recently patrolling (巡逻) the streets of Newark, New Jersey. Suddenly, he found four men fighting. As he approached, one of the men tried fleeing, but failed. The police horse tracked down the suspect and arrested him.
“He thought he was going to get away,” Dennis said. “But you can't outrun these horses.”
In Newark and cities across the country, retired racehorses are finding new careers fighting crime. The horses are helping departments with various types of police work. Horses have helped patrol parking lots and schools. They have patrolled city streets. They have chased down criminals.
Police officers say retired racehorses make perfect additions to their departments for several reasons.The 1,200-pound horses are effective crime-fighting forces. The mounted (骑马的) police officers used them to arrest thieves. The animals’ natural intelligence helps as well. Horses can be easily trained to perform duties connected with fighting crime. In addition to being intelligent, horses are generally calm animals.The horse must also be able to follow six commands—walk, stop, stand, back up, side left, and side right. If a horse does not meet his department’s needs, it is returned.
Most of the horses came from Jennifer Nagle’s rescue group. The group has found homes for more than 2,000 horses since it was started 20 years ago. However, today’s troubled economy has made the job of Nagle’s group more challenging. Caring for a horse can cost a great deal of money. According to Nagle, the number of horses in need of new homes has multiplied in recent months. Owners used to call her group and offer one horse for adoption. Now, some inquire about finding homes for five or six retired racehorses.
The adoption of horses by police departments is a win-win for all. The horses enjoy new homes and companions (同伴). Police departments feel closer to people in the community.
“The kids love the horses. A 3-year-old even walked up and petted his police horse.”
The animals also have the ability to ease possibly upsetting situations. Another child who had gotten lost during a shopping trip could not find his parents. The police let the child pet the animal until the boy's parents were located. The child wiped away his tears. He just thought the horse was the greatest thing in the world.
1. The police horse helped Dennis catch the suspect, didn't it?2. Which phrase in the first paragraph has the same meaning as “run after” ?
3. When was Jennifer Nagle’s rescue group started?
4. Why does Nagle’s group face more challenges?
5. What can police horses do for the kids?
6. What makes retired racehorses perfect addition to the police departments? ( List at least 3 advantages)
