1 . A cicada is a large insect. It is about three centimeters long. Like many other insects, it has six legs. On the forehead are two big eyes, between which is a long beak. It uses its beak to drink juice from trees. The adult cicada has two sets of wings which can shake together to produce a high, continuous sound when the weather is hot.
In its whole life, it mainly goes through two stages. In the beginning, when a cicada is under the ground, it is called a baby cicada. It drinks juice from tree roots and it is covered in a hard shell. At this time, it has no wings - just legs. After coming out of the ground, it breaks out of its old shell. Under the old shell is a new shell and four wings. The cicada finds a place in the sun to dry its new shell and wings. Gradually, the baby cicada grows into an adult. After a cicada becomes an adult, it sings loudly in hot summer. That’s why it is called a born singer in nature.
At present, over two thousand kinds of cicadas are distributed (分布) around the world. All of them spend most of their life underground. You can find about four hundred and fifty kinds in Africa. Besides, there are about one hundred and twenty kinds in China. There are also about seven special kinds in the US that stay under the ground for many years.
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Wild ducks often fly in a V shape when they travel in groups. It's a pretty common sight.
But why do they do this, is there a scientific reason behind it?
There are actually a few reasons for such a flying way. The first is that it helps ducks to save energy during long migrations（迁徙). Except the duck leading the group, each bird traveling behind the other meets less wind resistance(阻碍). It's why the best driver usually drives close behind the one in front of him during the driving competition.
The next time you see wild ducks flying in a V, watch them for a bit to see if the birds of-ten change positions. When the first bird feels tired, they will change their places. The leader will drop back-usually all the way back, and a rested duck will come to the front. While there is no single, unchanging leader for a V of birds on the move, it is the oldest, experienced birds that can use the sun and the stars at night to lead themselves to the right direction.
The second reason for birds to fly in this way is that it is helpful for the birds to communicate more easily. Because the birds can see each other to keep the group together. This communication keeps the group together and prevent from losing birds along the way.
1. How does the best driver usually drive during the driving competition?He usually drives close
2. What will other ducks do when the first bird feels tired?
They will change
3. Which birds can lead others to the right direction?
The oldest,
4. Why can the birds communicate more easily while they are flying in this way?
Because they can see each other to
5. What's the article mainly about?
It is mainly about why wild ducks fly in
3 . Fish live in water. They use their special organ(器官) called gills(腮) for breathing. Some fish are dangerous to humans. Here are the world’s most dangerous fishes.
Electric Eel(电鳗) — It is a South American fish. Electric eels are long and usually gray-brown in color. The electric eel can reach up to 9 feet long and can weigh up to 22 kg. The fish has a mouth. It is rich in blood vessels(血管). The fish can use them as lungs(肺). Its tail has the electric organ that gives off 300 — 650 volts of electricity.
Stonefish — These venomous(有毒的) fish are generally found in the waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. These fish have small eyes, large heads and mouths. If you ever see one, stay away from it.
Piranha(水虎鱼) — There are more than 60 kinds of Piranha fish. These meat-eating fish have sharp(尖利的) teeth. Most of the Piranha fish eat plants or anything that they can find.
Puffer Fish(河豚) — It can inflate(使膨胀) itself with water and air to turn into a ball several times its real size. One puffer fish has enough toxins(毒素) to kill about 30 humans. There are total 120 kinds of puffer fish all over the world.
| Four World’s Most Dangerous Fishes | |
| Electric Eel | ◆It comes from ◆The blood vessels in its mouth can ◆The electric organ in its tail can give off electricity of 300 — 650 volts of electricity. |
| ◆They live in the waters of the tropical Indo-Pacific. ◆They are venomous and they have small eyes, large heads and mouths. | |
| Piranha | ◆They have ◆They feed on meat, plants and so on. |
| Puffer Fish | ◆It can inflate itself to turn into a much bigger ◆It can kill humans with its toxins. |
4 . Space vegetables are grown from seeds (种子). They have been taken to and brought back from outer space. The seeds are influenced by the radiation (辐射) and low gravity (重力) in outer space. When they are brought back to the earth, these seeds produce vegetables that are bigger, healthier and more nutritious (有营养的) than normal vegetables. People needn’t worry, because space vegetables are actually very healthy.
Here are some facts that you should know about space vegetables:
Space vegetables are grown from seeds (A)_________ are carefully chosen. After seeds are brought back from space, (C) they are tested to make sure that the vegetables they grow will be safe to eat. There are no traces (痕迹) of radiation after testing.
Space vegetables are better for you than normal vegetables. (B) _________ example, space tomatoes stay fresh for twenty days, which is one week longer than normal tomatoes.
After genetically modified (转基因) food came into the market, people worried that they were eating unknown things. Unlike genetically modified food, space vegetables have not been genetically changed. This means that no new genes (基因) are put into the vegetables. (D) So they won’t be bad for your health.
1. 在文中（A）和（B）的空白处分别填入适当的词：2. 文中划线部分（C）指代的是：
3. 将文中划线部分（D）改写为：So they won’t
4. 从文中找出两个能说明太空蔬菜特点的形容词：
5. 从文中找出能说明本文中心大意的单词或者短语：
5 . Long ago, Mother Nature gave each tree a different purpose. However, she did not share her reasons with the trees.
Fir Tree(杉树) had many tree friends. In summer, they watched Bird and Squirrel(松鼠)play in the field. Then autumn arrived. The leaves on other trees turned colourful. Fir Tree's leaves stayed green. Fir Tree told Mother Nature that he wanted his leaves to change colours too.
“Be patient,” Mother Nature said. “You will learn your purpose.”
So Fir Tree waited. The temperature dropped. Bird flew south, and Squirrel was nowhere around. All the trees lost their leaves except Fir Tree. Soon it snowed. Fir Tree cried, “Why don’t I change like my friends?”
“Be patient,” Mother Nature replied.” Soon you will get to know your purpose.
Just then, Squirrel appeared. She was cold. She asked if she could build a warm home in branches(树枝). Other trees said no because they had no leaves. But Fir Tree said yes. Squirrel ran up Fir Trees branches. Soon, she was warm, comfortable and asleep.
Fir Tree was happy that his green leaves provided a warm home for animals in winter. He finally understood his purpose.
1. What did Fir Tree want to do in autumn? (不超过10个词)2. Why did other trees say no to Squirrel? (不超过10个词)
3. What purpose did Fir Tree understand at last? (不超过15个词)
6 . Can dolphins talk? Maybe they can't talk with words but they talk with sounds. They show their feelings with sounds.
Dolphins travel in a group. We call a group of fish a "school. They don't study, but they travel together. Dolphins are mammals (哺乳动物), not fish, but they swim together in a school.
Dolphins talk to the other dolphins in the school. They give information. They tell when they are happy or sad or afraid. They say "Welcome" when a dolphin comes back to the school. They talk when they play.
They make a few sounds above water. They make many more sounds under water. People cannot hear these sounds because the sounds are very, very high. Scientists make tapes of the sounds and study them.
Sometimes people catch dolphins for a large aquarium (An aquarium is a zoo for fish). People can watch the dolphins in a show. Dolphins don't like to be away from their school in an aquarium. They are sad and lonely.
There are many stories about dolphins. They help people. Sometimes they save somebody's life, Dolphin meat is good, but people don t like to kill them. They say that dolphins bring good luck. Many people believe this.
1. How can dolphins express their feeling?2. What is a school of dolphins?
3. Why cannot people hear these sounds the dolphins make?
4. How does a dolphin feel in an aquarium?
5. Why don’t people like to kill dolphins?
7 . Bees are insects. Bees are special insects because they can fly! They can move through the air like an airplane! Bees can fly because they have wings. They use their wings to fly. Bees can fly fast. Bees can also fly slow. They can fly up and they can fly down. They need to fly to get to the flowers!
Bees can have three colors. They can be yellow, red and orange. All bees are black in some places.
Bees have three main parts. They have a head. They have a body. And, they have a stinger. The stinger is used to defend against enemies. They also have six legs. They use their legs to stand and climb. They also use their legs to eat and collect pollen.
Bees live in many places. They live in Africa, Australia, Asia, Europe, North America and South America. The only continent that bees do not live on is Antarctica! I understand why they don’t live in Antarctica. It’s too cold!
Most of the time, bees are nice to humans. If you do not bother them, they will not bother you. Have fun watching the bees this summer!
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Koalas are tree-hugging animals with big, round ears and black oval (椭圆形的) noses.
They are a symbol of Australia, the only place in the world where they are found. They are loved by many people for their small size and cartoon-like features.
A koala mother gives birth to and raises only one baby koala at a time. (D) During a koala mother's life, she will produce up to six babies. A newborn baby is born blind with undeveloped features. It measures less than 3 cm in length. Upon birth, the baby makes its way to the mother's pouch (育儿袋). It develops its eyes, legs and fur here. In fact, it lives in the mother's pouch for about six months. Then the baby will climb on its mother's back and stay with her up to a year.
Koalas spend most of their time eating and sleeping. Eucalyptus leaves are the only food koalas eat. Although the leaves are not good to most animals, koalas can digest (消化) the leaves very well. Eucalyptus leaves have a fair amount of water, so koalas seldom drink water. They eat 3 hours per day, usually during the nighttime, and rest 16 to 18 hours a day.
Koalas face many threats (威胁). The loss of their home is the biggest threat. Fire has also become a huge threat to them. Not only do koalas die when fire sweeps through their home, but it kills eucalyptus trees that they depend on for food. Koalas also are threatened by dogs, cats and other animals.
1. 根据短文完成句子。Many people love koalas because of their
2. 将文中(D) 处划线的句子During a koala mother's life, she will produce up to six babies.译成汉语。
3. 回答问题。How long does the baby koala live in the mother's pouch?
4. 根据短文完成句子。
Koalas spend most of their time
5. 从文中找出与“hardly ever drink water”意思相同或相近的表达。
6. 用英语列举考拉面临的三种威胁。
①
②
③
9 . Australian Green Tree Frog
The Australian green tree frog is a large species of frog. It measures up to 10 centimeters in length. Females are generally larger than males. These frogs are usually green or brown with white underparts. They have small discs on their toes, which allow them to climb steep and slippery objects. Their lifespan is around 16 years, and they are often kept as pets. They are nocturnal (夜行的), and sleep in dark, damp places during the day.
The Australian green tree frog prefers wet, tropical environments and are often found high in the trees.
These fogs are native to northern Australia and southern New Guinea.
A lot of insects are eaten by the Australian green tree frog. It catches them with its long, sticky tongue. Females lay between 1000 and 3000 eggs in a jelly-like mass that floats on top of shallow water. These eggs eventually sink to the bottom, where they attach to vegetation.
The Australian green tree frog is declining( 下降) in numbers, mainly because of habitat destruction and a fungus(真菌) that attacks their skin.
1. Are female Australian green tree frogs generally larger than the males?____________________________________________________________________________
2. How long can Australian green tree frogs live?
____________________________________________________________________________
3. Where can Australian green tree frogs be found?
____________________________________________________________________________
4. What do Australian green tree frogs eat?
____________________________________________________________________________
5. Why is the number of Australian green tree frogs declining?
____________________________________________________________________________
Minzhe has a large tea plantation (种植园) in his hometown in Guilin, Guangxi. (A) It covers an area of more than 650 square meters.
The quality of tea has to do with the tea plants. The leaf-picking and processing play an important part, too. A tea plant can only be picked when it is about three years old. At each picking, only young leaves can be picked. And tea plants are usually of different height. So Minzhe hardly ever uses machines. As an experienced tea farmer, Minzhe knows which leaves to pick and when to pick these leaves.
Planting tea needs great patience and lots of hard work. The day begins early for Minzhe.
He starts working at 5 o'clock in the morning. (B) He walks through the plants slowly and picks tea leaves carefully.
April is usually the busiest month for Minzhe. It's the best time to make best green tea.
Minzhe has to pick about 90,000 pieces of young leaves to make one pound (磅) of green tea. Soon after picking the leaves, he begins processing (C) them. The leaves are dried and rolled and then shaped. A heavy smell of the tea leaves fills the air in the workshop.
Minzhe picks about 50 pounds of leaves to make delicious tea in a full day's work. It makes him feel proud of himself. Being a tea farmer is hard work. However, for good tea, it is always worth it, Minzhe says.
1. 将文中(A)处划线的句子“It covers an area of more than 650 square meters.”译成汉语。2. 根据上下文完成句子。
3. 回答问题。Why does Minzhe hardly ever use machines?
4. 将文中(B)处划线的句子He walks through the plants slowly and picks tea leaves carefully. 译成汉语。
5. 写出文中(C) 处划线代词them所指代的内容。
6. 从文中找出与“The workshop is filled with a heavy smell of the tea leaves.”意思相同或相近的句子。
