1 . The world's largest iceberg (冰山)is floating toward the island of South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Scientists fear the iceberg could crash into the island and block major feeding areas for a large population of penguins (企鹅)and seals.
Satellite images show the iceberg has remained in one piece. It is estimated to be about 150 kilometers long and 48 kilometers wide. It is traveling at one kilometer an hour and is on a path to hit South Georgia in around 30 days.
The British Antarctic Survey says it is concerned that if the iceberg hits the island, it could prevent the penguins and seals from reaching food supplies.
Professor Geraint Tarling, an ecologist with the Antarctic Survey, says right now is the time of year when seals and penguins spend a lot of time caring for their young. This means the distance that parents have to travel to find food is important.
"That means they have to go a lot further, they have to go around the iceberg, or to actually go further to find sources of food," Tarling said. "And that time is quite important at this particular period of their life cycle."
The breaking off of icebergs from Antarctica is a natural process. But the process is changing with climate change. " What we 're seeing with models and some observations now is the rate at which this is happening is increasing. And so, this might become more of a usual thing into the future," Tarling said.
The iceberg also could damage South Georgia's valuable fishing industry. Fishers pay for the rights to catch Patagonian toothfish, icefish and krill (磷虾)in waters off the island.
Officials are hoping that changing weather patterns could direct the iceberg out into the open ocean, where it would, in time, break up and melt.
1. What will happen if the iceberg hits the island of South Georgia?| A．Wildlife will lose their homes. |
| B．The iceberg will remain in one piece. |
| C．The island of South Georgia will disappear. |
| D．Feeding will be challenging for penguins and seals. |
| A．Icebergs are coming off faster than before. |
| B．Penguins and seals' birth rates are increasing. |
| C．The iceberg's breaking off is caused by human. |
| D．It's unusual to see the iceberg melting is speeding. |
| A．The present situation is beyond hope. |
| B．The weather patterns are controllable. |
| C．The iceberg is bound to melt very soon. |
| D．The crash of the iceberg may be avoidable. |
| A．The changing climate in Antarctica. | B．The potential problems of the iceberg. |
| C．The island of South Georgia. | D．The population of sea animals. |
2 . TRAVEL PERU
Amazon Rainforest Tour
A short flight takes you from the Andes into the Amazon rainforest. From there, you’ll spend one day travelling by boat to your accommodation in the middle of the forest. You can then spend three days exploring the rainforest with a local guide and enjoying the plants and animals unique to the rainforest.
Machu Picchu Tour
This four-day walking tour will take you on amazing paths through the Andes Mountains on the way to the city of Machu Picchu. Then, you will have a day to explore and be amazed by this ancient city. Especially amazing is the Incas’ dry stone method of building. Inca builders cut stones to exact sizes so that nothing was needed to hold walls together other than the prefect fit of the stones.
Cusco Tour
Spend four days enjoying the unique Spanish and local Indian culture high in the Andes at Cusco, the capital of the Inca Empire from the 13th until the 16th century. Stay in a local hotel, visit the museums, admire the architecture, enjoy the excellent local food, and go shopping at the local markets.
Lake Titicaca Tour
Enjoy the beautiful scenery as you spend a day driving to Lake Titicaca. There, a boat will take you to stay with a local Uros family on an island for three days. Both the island and the Uros homes are made of water plants from the lake.
So come and experience what Peru has to offer. For more brochures about Peru, contact us at tourinfo@travelperu.org.
1. If Jack is a lover of Inca culture, which tours would you like to recommend?| A．Amazon Rainforest and Machu Picchu | B．Machu Picchu and Lake Titicaca |
| C．Cusco and Lake Titicaca | D．Machu Picchu and Cusco |
| A．All the four tours last for four days. |
| B．All the places can be reached by boat. |
| C．All the destinations are remote and poor places. |
| D．Visitors have to stay with the locals all the way. |
| A．To sell more brochures to visitors. |
| B．To try to attract more visitors to Peru. |
| C．To invite more people to visit a website. |
| D．To introduce readers the tourism of Peru. |
3 . In the coming months, we are bringing together artists from all over the globe to enjoy speaking Shakespeare’s plays in their own language. Please come and join us.
National Theatre of China Beijing|Chinese
This great occasion (盛会) will be the National Theatre of China’s first visit to the UK. The company’s productions show the new face of 21st century Chinese theatre. This production of Shakespeare’s Richard III will be directed by the National’s Associate Director，Wang Xiaoying.
Date & Time: Saturday 28 April, 2:30 pm & Sunday 29 April, 1:30 pm & 6:30 pm
Definitely Theatre London | British Sign Language (BSL)
By translating the rich and humorous text of Love’s Labour’s Lost into the physical language of BSL, Definitely Theatre creates a new interpretation of Shakespeare’s comedy and aims to build a bridge between deaf and hearing worlds by performing to both groups as one audience.
Date & Time: Tuesday 22 May, 2:30 pm & Wednesday 23 May, 7:30 pm
Habima National Theatre Tel Aviv | Hebrew
The Habima is the centre of Hebrew-language theatre worldwide. Founded in Moscow after the 1905 revolution, the company eventually settled in Tel Aviv in the late 1920s. Since 1958, they have been recognized as the national theatre of Israel. This production of Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice marks their first visit to the UK.
Date & Time: Monday 28May, 7:30 pm & Tuesday 29 May, 7:30 pm
1. Which play will be performed by the National Theatre of China?| A．Richard III | B．Lover’s Labour’s Lost |
| C．As You Like It | D．The Merchant of Venice |
| A．It has two groups of actors. | B．It is the leading theatre in London. |
| C．It performs plays in BSL. | D．It is good at producing comedies. |
| A．On Saturday 28 April. | B．On Sunday 29 April |
| C．On Tuesday 22 May. | D．On Tuesday 29 May |
4 . Here list some biggest and best bookstores in Beijing:
Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore
It is the one of the best bookstores in Beijing and largest chain bookshop in China with thousands of branches. It offers a large collection of books involving politics, economics, literature, education, art and science, with a total number of nearly 200,000 books. VCDs, DVDs and digital reading materials can also be found in the bookshop.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 21:30
Location: No.218, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District (next to Oriental Plaza)
China Bookstore
As one of the best bookstores in Beijing, it is not a very big one, but it offers many traditional Chinese literature works. The new books here are at an 80% discount normally, while there are some second hand books as well at much cheaper prices. Additionally, you will find an impressive selection of books on Chinese painting, calligraphy and photography.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 17:00 (Weekdays)
Location: No.115, East Liulichang Street, Xicheng District
Beijing Language and Culture University Press Bookstore
This is the best one from which to buy Chinese language learning books of all levels. There are also dictionaries, encyclopedias, linguistic books and reading materials from which to choose.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 17:00 (Weekdays) 09:00 - 16:00 (Weekends)
Location: Chengfu Rd, Haidian District
Beijing Book Building
There is a great variety of books from which you may choose. In this biggest bookstore in Beijing, you will find books written in English in the basement, and there are many Chinese language learning materials on the third floor. The personnel in the bookshop are very helpful, and they speak English.
Opening Hours: 09:00 - 21:00
Location: No.17, West Changan Avenue, Xicheng District
1. Where are you most likely to find affordable new books at a lower price?| A．Chengfu Rd, Haidian District. |
| B．No.218, Wangfujing Street, Dongcheng District. |
| C．No.17, West Changan Avenue, Xicheng District. |
| D．No.115, East Liulichang Street, Xicheng District. |
| A．China Bookstore. |
| B．Wangfujing Xinhua Bookstore. |
| C．Beijing Language and Culture University Press Bookstore. |
| D．Beijing Book Building. |
| A．It sells Chinese language learning books. |
| B．It features the largest variety of books. |
| C．It has many floors and sections. |
| D．Its staff can communicate in English. |
5 . Everyone needs friends.There is an old saying, "Friends are God’s way of taking care of us." But how do you find real friendship and keep it?
The American writer Sally Seamans tells young students some smart ways to make friends.Sally says finding friendship is just like planting a tree.You plant the seed(种子)and take care of it to make it grow.
First, you should choose a friend.What makes a good friend? It is not because a person has money or good looks.A good friend should be kind and patient(耐心).For example, if you have a bad day, a good friend should listen to your complaints and do his best to help.To make a good friend, you cannot be too shy.You should make each other happy and share your lives.
But things cannot always be happy.Even the best friends have fights.What should you do when you have a fight with your friend? You have to talk to him or her.When there is no one around, have an honest talk.If he or she doesn't want to talk, you could write a letter.
There are three steps to being friends again:
Tell him or her how you are feeling; say what your friend has done wrong, and explain why you did this or that.Remember that friendship is the most important thing in your life.
1. Sally wants to tell students the ways to .| A．make friends | B．plant trees | C．get happy | D．keep fit |
| A．be lovely and cool | B．have good looks |
| C．have lots of money | D．be kind and patient |
| A．buy a present for | B．never say a word to |
| C．write a letter to | D．have dinner with |
| A．Teenagers and friendship. | B．Finding and keeping friendship |
| C．The trouble of growing up. | D．Good friends around you. |
6 . A farmer had a cow. He took very good care of this cow and one day when it was ill, he was very worried. He telephoned the vet.
“What’s the problem?” The vet asked him when he arrived.
“My cow’s ill,” the farmer said. “I don’t know what’s the matter with her. She’s lying down and won’t eat. She’s making a strange noise.”
The vet looked over the cow. “She’s certainly ill,” he said, “and she needs to take some very strong medicine.”
He took a bottle out of his box, put two pills into his hand and said, “Give her these. The pills should make her better.”
“How should I give them to her?” the farmer asked.
The vet gave him a tube (管子)and said, “Put this tube in her mouth, then put the pills in the tube and blow. That’ ll make it.”
The next day the vet came to the farm again. The farmer was sitting outside his house and looked more worried.
“How’s your cow?” the vet asked.
“No change,” the farmer said, “and I’m feeling very strange myself.”
“Oh?” the vet said, “Why?”
“I did what you said,” the farmer answered. “I put the tube in the cow’s mouth and then put two pills down it.”
“And?” the vet asked.
“The cow blew first,” the farmer said.
1. In the story, the vet must be _________.| A．the farmer’s friend | B．a milk factory |
| C．a hospital for cows | D．a doctor for animals |
| A．couldn’t lie down | B．didn’t eat the pills |
| C．couldn’t make any noise | D．was ill |
| A．The farmer ate the pills himself. |
| B．The cow got better after taking the medicine. |
| C．The vet came to help farmer change the cow the next day. |
| D．The farmer waited for the vet outside his house the next day. |
7 . POETRY CHALLENGE
Write a poem about how courage, determination, and strength have helped you face challenges in your life.
Prizes
3 Grand Prizes:Trip to Washington, D.C. for each of three winners, a parent and one other person of the winner’s choice. Trip includes round-trip air tickets, hotel stay for two nights, and tours of the National Air and Space Museum and the office of National Geographic World.
6 First Prizes:The book Sky Pioneer:A Photobiography of Amelia Earhart signed by author Corinne Szabo and pilot Linda Finch.
50 Honorable Mentions:Judges will choose up to 50 honorable mention winners, who will each receive a T-shirt in memory of Earhart’s final flight.
Rules
Follow all rules carefully to prevent disqualification.
■Write a poem using 100 words or fewer. Your poem can be any format, any number of lines.
■Write by hand or type on a single sheet of paper. You may use both the front and back of the paper.
■On the same sheet of paper, write or type your name, address, telephone number, and birth date.
■Mail your entry to us by October 31 this year.
1. How many people can each grand prize winner take on the free trip?| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Six. |
| A．A plane ticket. | B．A book by Corinne Szabo. |
| C．A special T-shirt. | D．A photo of Amelia Earhart. |
| A．Typing your poem out. | B．Writing a poem of 120 words. |
| C．Using both sides of the paper. | D．Mailing your entry on October 30. |
8 . Some parents will buy any high-tech toy if they think it will help their child, but researchers said puzzles help children with math-related skills.
Psychologist Susan Levine, an expert on mathematics development in young children at the University of Chicago, found children who play with puzzles between ages 2 and 4 later develop better spatial skills. Puzzle play was found to be a significant predictor of cognition(认知) after controlling for differences in parents’ income, education and the amount of parent talk, Levine said.
The researchers analyzed video recordings of 53 child-parent pairs during everyday activities at home and found children who play with puzzles between 26 and 46 months of age have better spatial skills when assessed at 54 months of age.
“The children who played with puzzles performed better than those who did not, on tasks that assessed their ability to rotate(旋转)and translate shapes,” Levine said in a statement.
The parents were asked to interact with their children as they normally would, and about half of children in the study played with puzzles at one time. Higher-income parents tended to have children play with puzzles more frequently, and both boys and girls who played with puzzles had better spatial skills. However, boys tended to play with more complex puzzles than girls, and the parents of boys provided more spatial language and were more active during puzzle play than parents of girls.
The findings were published in the journal Developmental Science.
1. In which aspect do children benefit from puzzle play?| A．Building confidence. | B．Developing spatial skills. |
| C．Learning self-control. | D．Gaining high-tech knowledge. |
| A．Parents’ age. | B．Children’s imagination. |
| C．Parents’ education. | D．Child-parent relationship. |
| A．They play with puzzles more often. |
| B．They tend to talk less during the game. |
| C．They prefer to use more spatial language. |
| D．They are likely to play with tougher puzzles. |
| A．A mathematical method. | B．A scientific study. |
| C．A woman psychologist | D．A teaching program. |
9 . About 10 years ago,I sat in my office,struggling to write an annual progress report for my leader. I enjoy writing scientific papers that engage my creativity and further my research. But report writing doesn’t come with any reward apart from the momentary satisfaction of finishing something. Like other routine paperwork,I find it hard to get through. So that day,I offered myself a reward : When I finished the report,I'd give myself 2 hours to examine slides (载玻片)under the microscope — a task I've always loved but never had much time for as a staff member. It ’ s a strategy I call " just for fun"，.
The strategy was born out of challenges I experienced in graduate school. I usually delayed putting together reports for university administrators until threatening letters arrived. I never felt that paperwork was advancing my science, but rather sapping my energy and time for research. One of my committee members recognized and understood my difficulties. Then he told me about his strategy of rewarding himself with a fun project when he completed a task that he didn’t particularly enjoy. He advised me to think about doing something similar. I immediately liked the idea.
Over the course of my career，this strategy helped me complete and move past the parts of my job that I didn’t particularly enjoy. The rewards I gave myself provided a way to relax and reminded me why I love being a scientist.
As for that annual report,I spent an ordinary morning on it but got it done. Then I hurried over to the microscope ， eager to inspect a series of slides that my collaborators (合作者) had sent a couple of weeks earlier. To others， it may have looked like work. But to me,it was just for fun.
1. Why does the author dislike report writing?| A．He receives too little from it. |
| B．It is extremely easy to finish. |
| C．It needs too much creativity. |
| D．He doesn’t major in writing. |
| A．Acquiring. | B．Consuming. |
| C．Lacking . | D．Providing. |
| A．Through the inspiration of his report writing. |
| B．Through the reward of his collaborators. |
| C．Through the instructions of university administrators. |
| D．Through a committee member’s suggestion. |
| A．Choose a career you really like. |
| B．Seek fun when doing science research. |
| C．Motivate yourself to finish boring tasks. |
| D．Reward yourself with a new strategy. |
10 . The boy sat on his chair, with his hands above the keyboard. He thought about what to write.
He recalled that the competition deadline was merely a week away. But he still had not even started on his piece. He looked at the brochure again.“WRITING COMPETITION！” the title read. His mom had encouraged him to enter the writing competition, and now he was taking it on as his personal task for the holidays.
As the boy reflected on his previous writing efforts, he realized how hopeless his task of winning was. Every story he ever wrote was based on other stories. He had little imagination, and unfortunately, imagination was the key to writing.
Suddenly, he had a brainwave. This time, he came up with an original and imaginative story.
The words shot towards him like a storm of leaves. Words were coming easily, flowing through him, faster than he could type. He typed faster than he ever had before. He continued to type, amazed how easy writing this story was. The boy could not stop writing. He looked at the word count and saw the number “248” staring right back at him. He was not even halfway yet.
Then he heard his mother’s call of saying time for bed. He continued writing the piece, ignoring her. He had to make up for the time he had lost in thinking about a topic to write.
Finally, he finished. The word count now read “498”.
“Perfect，” he thought, “just under the word limit.” He knew this was the story that would win.
He went to the website and searched for the competition. He found the page but there was no “Enter” button.
Confused, he then reread the page again. It read COMPETITION CLOSED.
1. What caused the boy to take part in the writing competition?| A．A new computer. |
| B．The prize money. |
| C．His own interest. |
| D．His mom’s encouragement. |
| A．His mom helped him. |
| B．He copied others’ ideas. |
| C．His friends assisted him. |
| D．He used his imagination. |
| A．Because he was terribly lazy. |
| B．Because he didn’t know what to write. |
| C．Because he wasn’t confident. |
| D．Because he read too many stories. |
| A．100. | B．250. |
| C．500. | D．1000. |
