1 . Tiny water plants called phytoplankton (浮游植物) serve as food for many sea creatures, including whales, shrimp, jellyfish and snails.
Phytoplankton do well in cold water. But if water temperatures rise by only two degrees Celsius, the phytoplankton struggle. That is what happened in the last three or four years in the northern part of the Pacific Ocean. Researchers say an unusual area of warm water spread throughout the Northern Pacific. Scientists called the warm water ''the blob'', as if it were a character in an old science fiction movie. At its largest, the blob stretched 1,600 square kilometers and reached depths of 91 meters. This large mass of warm water had a damaging effect on the ocean food chain. Many fish that depend on phytoplankton swam away from the area. As a result, sea birds and sea lions that eat those fish starved.
Scientists from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and the University of Washington have found that the warm ocean ''blob'' caused a harmful algae bloom. That fast growth in algae hurt fishing grounds along the U.S. West Coast and Canada's British Columbia. The researchers recently published their study in the journal Geophysical Research Letters. They looked at the algae, called P. australis. They found that the algae can grow much faster than normal if it is exposed to warm water. The higher levels of algae also produced more of a poisonous chemical that can cause problems for everything from shellfish to dolphins to sea lions. It also causes problems for humans if too much of the chemical builds up in their blood.
Researchers say algae blooms like this one will continue as ocean waters warm. The algae will hurt sea animals, birds, and fish. It may damage food resources for humans all over the world, the scientists say.
1. The root cause of the starvation of sea birds or sea lions is_____.| A．the depths of the vase sea |
| B．the large mass of warm water |
| C．the large amount of polluted sea water |
| D．the increasingly reduced phytoplankton in the sea |
| A．phytoplankton | B．fish |
| C．algae | D．bird |
| A．Generally, the algae grow much faster than normal if exposed to cool water. |
| B．The phytoplankton is very sensitive to the rise of water temperature. |
| C．More algae can bring about a poisonous chemical which endangers sea creatures. |
| D．Algae blooms will affect not only the existence of sea creatures but also that of humans the world over. |
| A．a research paper | B．a geography textbook |
| C．a class presentation | D．a newspaper report |
2 . Que Liu and his wife Si En spend their mornings picking Pu’er leaves in a forest not far from their village in the highlands of southwest China.
Pu’er is a kind of tea that is famous for its complex taste. Tea lovers say its taste changes with each following steeping (续泡). But the crop this year has been small at Nannuoshan, one of the six major Pu’er mountains in Yunnan Province. The hottest weather and lowest rainfall totals in years have reduced production. “Drought has cut production by about half this spring,” said Zi Sai, the son of Que Liu and Si En.
Local officials blame climate change for an increase in drought-like conditions in recent years. The dry weather has worsened over the past 20 years, with this year’s drought breaking some records. “The entire rainfall pattern has changed due to global warming,” said Xiao Chan, head of weather services at China’s National Climate Center in Beijing.
Pu’er trees grow in the cloud-covered forests of Yunnan. The trees require no fertilizers or pesticides (农药), unlike the tea trees grown on large farms elsewhere. The adult plant normally reaches a height of four meters. Spring produces the highest-quality leaves from the trees. The summer harvest, with a higher percentage of water, is considered to be lower in quality. Summer leaves are sold for mass consumption.
The drought conditions hurt the economy of the 32 villages of Nannuoshan. “My family depends wholly on Pu’er tea for survival, earning about 200,000 yuan a year,” said Zi Sai’s uncle, Si Da, who is 44. “That represents just over $28,000. This year, our income has been cut by tens of thousands of yuan.”
While one ancient tree, said to date from 800 years ago, survived the drought, other younger trees did not. “If these kinds of trees survive, they may need three to five years for a full recovery.” Si Da added. “These trees are quite pitiful. They should have been protected like children.”
1. How is the climate in the Pu’er tea planting areas in recent years?| A．It is too wet. | B．It is much colder. |
| C．It is changing regularly, | D．It is becoming much drier. |
| A．They are short and small. | B．They are pollution-free. |
| C．They grow on large farms. | D．They are picked at all seasons. |
| A．They were easy to live on. |
| B．They should have been taken good care of. |
| C．They took only a short time to fully recover. |
| D．They had better be cut down to earn money. |
| A．The extreme weather ruins tea farms. |
| B．Famous tea in China might disappear. |
| C．Few tea trees survive natural disasters. |
| D．Drought hurts Pu’er tea crops in China. |
3 . Fruit growers in the United States depend heavily on immigrants to grow and harvest their crops. Most immigrants working on American farms are Hispanic and come from Mexico or Central America. Many of them entered the United States, and have settled in rural communities across the country. They often raise families by working in the fields. Just like US citizens, they should perform some duties and tax is also often paid on their goods and services.
Recently, in the eastern state of Pennsylvania, fruit farmers are concerned about the government's immigration policies. The fear is that they will not have enough workers to stay in business. Spring is pruning season for apple trees in Adams County, Pennsylvania. Hispanic immigrant workers care for the trees in many of the area's apple orchards （果园）.
The work takes many hours and is tiring and repetitive. An apple grower says very few Americans are willing to do this kind of work anymore. She helps monitor her family's farm and orchard in Adams County. And, she worries that immigration officers will take her work- ers away.
Some of the immigrants who secretly came to America and now work on the farms live in the town of York Springs. Almost half of the people in the town speak Spanish. But, these days, they would rather stay at home than go out on the streets in the community. They are fearful now because of recent arrests by immigration officers.
An estimated 800,000 workers harvest crops in the United States. About 40 percent of them are thought to be immigrants who entered the country secretly.
The Rice Fruit Company is the largest apple-packing house in the eastern United States. It prepares apples from Adams County farms for shipping to buyers across the country. But, if inmigrant workers start to leave the area, Rice says his company will be forced to reduce operations.
Rice says the company is exploring ways to reduce labor costs now, including using more machinery and robots. He says his company may also need to work with only the most profitable, efficient orchards.
1. What can We learn about immigrants in America from the text?| A．They have to pay taxes. |
| B．Most of them are from Africa. |
| C．None of them entered America secretly. |
| D．They often monitor their farm owners* families. |
| A．They will lose their workers. |
| B．Their work is tiring and repetitive. |
| C．They will face immigration officers' questioning・ |
| D．Their orchards are short of harvesting machinery. |
| A．To fight for higher pay. |
| B．To protest for proper working conditions. |
| C．To avoid being driven out of America・ |
| D．To stay away from working in the fields. |
| A．Stopping its operations. |
| B．Encouraging immigrants to stay. |
| C．Asking for help from the local government. |
| D．Considering using more technological equipment. |
4 . Cruz Genet, 11, and Anthony Skopick, 10, couldn’t agree. Were the birds out on the ice ducks or geese? So on a cold January evening last year, the two friends ventured (冒险) onto the frozen pond near their homes in Frankfort, Illinois, to get a better look. First, they threw a rock onto the ice to test it, Cruz told NBC 5 Chicago. “Then we stepped on it.” Convinced the ice would hold their weight, Anthony took a few steps, but then he fell through the seemingly frozen surface.
Cruz rushed to help his panicked friend. However, the pond swallowed him, too. Cruz managed to lift himself out of the extremely cold water and onto a more solid section. He then gingerly worked his way toward Anthony. But the ice didn’t hold, and he fell in again. This ime, he couldn’t get out.
The boys were up to their necks in icy water and quickly losing feeling. Any chance of their freeing themselves was slipping away. Cruz was sure that he was going to die.
Anthony’s older sister had seen the boys fall through the ice and started screaming, wishing someone to save them.
John Lavin, a neighbor driving nearby on his way to the grocery store, heard her. He quickly pulled over. Seeing the boys, he grabbed (抓住) a nearby buoy (救生圈), kicked off his shoes, and ran into the cold water, struggling his way through the ice. Lavin made his way to Cruz and Anthony and pulled them back to land.
The boys were taken to the hospital, where doctors discovered that their five- minute stay in the water had lowered their body temperature nearly ten degrees. Fortunately, they have fully recovered, though they are still a little amazed by their fearless neighbor. “Just to think,” says Cruz, “if he hadn’t been there, I could have died.”
1. Why did the boys venture onto the frozen pond?| A．To have a better look at the frozen pond. |
| B．To catch the birds in the pond with rocks. |
| C．To find out what the birds on the ice were. |
| D．To test the thickness of the ice in the pond. |
| A．Casually. | B．Proudly. |
| C．Firmly. | D．Cautiously. |
| A．Anthony’s older sister’s cry for help. | B．Cruz’s loud and frightening scream. |
| C．Their shoes along the nearby pond. | D．Their neighbors’ pulling them back. |
| A．Hard-working and helpful. | B．Warm-hearted and courageous. |
| C．Curious and selfless. | D．Active and generous. |
5 . When you eat a traditional ice cream in summer, you need to finish it quickly to make sure the treat doesn’t end up melting down your hand. Reach for an ice cream sandwich instead, and you’ll, find the ice cream stays solid longer magically. An ice cream that refuses to melt seems unnatural, but you might be surprised by what’s really behind its practically heatproof (耐热的) abilities.
Ice cream without a proper container in the fridge would lead to ice blocks because of its water content. Most ice cream contains some elements called emulsifiers (乳化剂) that can keep water to fat to prevent ice blocks. They go a step further by helping to keep ice cream consistent, even under the hot sun. On an element list, you might find different chemicals with the same goal: to hold water in so the ice cream doesn’t melt quickly. Ice cream sandwiches generally contain more of those chemicals including emulsifiers than hand-made ones.
If you’re worried about some additives (添加剂) in ice cream sandwiches f which might belong in a lab rather than your kitchen, then you’d better be at ease. Even completely natural elements, which come from beans, might make you stop eating if you’ve heard about their misuse in weight-loss efforts.
Of course, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) takes any of the side effects of those chemicals into account, and the amount you’d find in an ice cream sandwich isn’t enough to cause health problems. While you meet someone willing to share his ice cream sandwiches with your kid, there’s no reason to fear your kid’s health safety. A slow melt rate method causes you less worry.
1. Why would ice cream without a proper container in the fridge become ice blocks?| A．It is too big and thick. | B．It has freezing medium in it. |
| C．It contains some water in it. | D．It doesn’t have enough cream. |
| A．To keep the ice cream stay consistent. |
| B．To cover the ice cream to avoid sunlight. |
| C．To let the ice cream sandwiches taste better. |
| D．To protect the ice cream by keeping water out. |
| A．Natural elements from beans are bad for health. |
| B．Additives should be avoided during losing weight. |
| C．The additives in ice cream sandwiches are harmless. |
| D．Emulsifiers in ice cream can make people become fat. |
| A．Approving. | B．Worried. |
| C．Opposed. | D．Doubtful. |
6 . Another person’s enthusiasm (热忱) was what set me moving toward the success I have achieved. That person was my stepmother.
I was nine years old when she entered our home in the countryside of Virginia. My father introduced me to her with these words, “I would like you to meet the fellow who is well known for being the worst boy in this town and will probably start throwing rocks at you no later than tomorrow morning.” My stepmother walked over to me, raised my head slightly upward, and looked at me right in the eye. Then she looked at my father and replied, “You are wrong. This is not the worst boy at all, but the smartest one who hasn’t yet found a way to give out his enthusiasm. ”
That statement began a friendship between us. No one had ever called me smart. My family and neighbors had built me up in my mind as a bad boy. My stepmother changed all that. She changed many things. She persuaded my father to go to a dental school, from which he graduated with honors. She moved our family into the county seat (别墅), where my father’s career could be more successful and my brother and I could be better educated.
When I turned fourteen, she bought me a secondhand typewriter and told me that she believed that I could become a writer. I knew her enthusiasm, and I saw how it had already improved our lives. I accepted her belief and began to write for local newspapers and finally reached the goal she set for me. I wasn’t the only beneficiary (受益人). My father became the wealthiest man in town. My brother and stepbrothers became a physician, a dentist, a lawyer, and a college president.
1. What can be learnt about the author from Paragraph 2?| A．He was the worst boy in the town. |
| B．He liked throwing rocks at people. |
| C．His father had a low opinion of him. |
| D．His stepmother praised him for his kindness. |
| A．Stepmother’s influence on the family. |
| B．Friendship between mother and son. |
| C．Changes in the family relationship. |
| D．Reasons for receiving education. |
| A．To congratulate on his success. |
| B．To encourage him to write. |
| C．To help him find a good job. |
| D．To teach him to read and write. |
| A．Enthusiasm changes life |
| B．Success lies in education |
| C．A stepmother’s amazing life |
| D．The secret of a good writer |
7 . Many of us put real effort in when we cook for others but when we are alone, we reach for the takeaway menu. Somehow it just doesn’t seem worth bothering if no one else is going to eat it.
That’s the attitude Signe Johansen wants to change and it’s the inspiration behind her new book Solo: The Joy of Cooking for One.
“Cooking for yourself is an acceptance of your self-worth, ” Signe says. “I think it’s important that you recognize your worth all the time, not just if you live alone, but on the weekend if your partner is away or whatever. If you take the time to look after yourself, you are essentially saying you are worth the effort. ”
With nearly a third of UK households containing just one person, Signe believes it’s time to overturn the idea for solo dining. “When I’ve told people I’m writing a book on solo cooking, they’ve interpreted it as recipes for sad people, ”she says. “But for me , and for many, some of the happiest times I’ve had cooking have been when I’ve been by myself.”
Food has always been a big part of Signe’s life. Growing up in Norway, much of her childhood was spent on her grandparents’ farm, picking produce and learning to cook, before going on to study at Leiths School of Food and Wine in London.
But it’s the recent trend for self-sufficiency that motivates her to champion the idea of enjoying a more selfish approach to food preparation. “You can just make whatever you want, which is really liberating.” Besides, cooking for yourself is one of the fundamental things we should start with in life.
1. What attitude does Signe want to change in her new book?| A．Cooking only for others. | B．Being selfish in the kitchen. |
| C．Willingness to cook when alone. | D．Hesitation to order takeout food. |
| A．It offers a way of self-care. | B．It communicates a sense of joy. |
| C．It means recognition of self-worth. | D．It indicates a feeling of unhappiness. |
| A．No food going to waste. | B．Sadness coming to an end. |
| C．Enjoying the sense of freedom. | D．Cooking meals with separate tastes. |
| A．A hostess. | B．A single lady. |
| C．A housekeeper. | D．A travelling salesperson. |
8 . Some of the greatest problems we face today are the destruction (破坏)of our environment.Brown clouds, polluted water, endangered wild animals..., these problems seem so huge.
So my family does what we can. We take cloth bags to stores instead of using plastic bags. We walk where we don’t have to drive.
But does it do any good? When I am the only one in line at the market with cloth bags, am I doing any good? Does my walking to stores make any real difference to the world?
I recently learned something about flamingos(火烈鸟)which like to get together in groups of a thousand or more Every year when the time comes for migration (迁徙), a few of them first take off from the lake. But none of the others seem to notice, so the small group returns. However, the next day they try again. This time a few more fly along with them, but most of them still pay no attention, so they return again. They try for several times. Every time a few more birds join in but ,since the thousands of others still take no notice, the great migration plan is once more stopped.
Then one day something changes. The same small group of birds once again starts flying and a small number more join in just as before, then more. Finally, they all take flight and the migration really begins. What a spectacular sight it must be--thousands of flamingos taking off into the sky at once!
A few can make a difference. Even if you’re the one to take the first step, and continue trying,others will someday take notice and together we will solve even our greatest problems.
1. Where would you most probably read this passage?| A．A guidebook. | B．A movie poster. |
| C．An animal magazine. | D．A personal blog |
| A．There are only cloth bags in stores. |
| B．All the people use cloth bags in stores. |
| C．He thinks plastic bags are more expensive. |
| D．He wants to do some good to the environment. |
| A．Disappointing. | B．Fantastic. |
| C．Terrible | D．Surprising |
| A．To show that the writer loves to see the migration of flamingos. |
| B．To tell readers to continue trying and it can make a difference. |
| C．To introduce a special kind of flamingo to readers. |
| D．To show that there' re many problems in the world. |
9 . “What kind of rubbish are you?” This question might normally provoke anger, but in Shanghai it has elicited weary groans over the past week. On July 1st the city introduced stringent trash-sorting regulations that are expected to be used as a model for the country.
Residents must divide their waste into four separate categories and toss it into specific public bins. They must do so at scheduled times, when monitors are present to ensure compliance (and to inquire into the nature of one’s rubbish.) Violators（违反者）face the prospect of fines and worse.
Shanghai authorities are responding to an obvious environmental problem. It generates 9m tonnes of garbage a year, more than London’s annual output and rising quickly. But like other cities in China, it lacks a recycling system. Instead, it has relied on trash pickers to sift through the waste, plucking out whatever can be reused. This has limits. As people get wealthier, fewer of them want to do such dirty work. The waste, meanwhile, just keeps piling up. China churns out 80bn pairs of disposable chopsticks a year.
The threat of punishment is integral to Shanghai’s drive. On the first day of enforcement, the government sent 3,600 city-management officers, a quasi-police force, to 4,216 rubbish-collection points. They began by making an example of wealthy foreigners: the first warning was issued to Swissôtel Grand, a five-star hotel, for improper sorting. Individuals who fail to recycle could be hit with fines of up to 200 yuan ($29). For repeat violators, the city can add black marks to their credit records, making it harder for them to obtain bank loans or even buy train tickets.
Some object to this. Peng Feng of the Shanghai Academy of Social Sciences warns that the use of the credit system is overkill, raising a risk that officials will abuse their power. But others say a tough campaign is necessary. “Slowly people will get used to it,” says Li Changjun of Fudan University. Many residents appear to support the idea of recycling in general but are frustrated by the details. Rubbish must be divided according to whether it is food, recyclable, dry orhazardous, the distinctions among which can be perplexing, though there are apps to help work it out.
Some have complained about the rules surrounding food waste. They must put it straight in the requisite public bin, forcing them to tear open plastic bags and toss it by hand. Most vexing are the short windows for dumping trash, typically a couple of hours, morning and evening. Along with the monitors at the bins, this means that people go at around the same time and can keep an eye on what is being thrown out; no one wants to look bad.
But it is inconvenient. “People have to get to work. We don’t have the time for this,” said Mr Wu as he threw out rubbish outside his apartment building. To your correspondent’s untrained eye, his sorting looked impeccable.
1. According to the passage, which of the following statement is NOT true?| A．Trash-sorting regulations in Shanghai will be a model for the whole country. |
| B．Residents in Shanghai must take out of trash at scheduled time. |
| C．Shanghai lacks a recycling system, like other cities in the world. |
| D．Fewer people want to do the work as trash pickers. |
| A．They will be warned for the first time. |
| B．They will be fined 200 yuan. |
| C．They will be added black marks to their credit records. |
| D．They will face the prospect of fines and more. |
| A．Some people object to the trash-sorting regulations. |
| B．People in Shanghai have got used to sorting the trash. |
| C．Many residents are disappointed with the details of the regulations. |
| D．All residents support the idea of recycling generally. |
| A．A magazine. | B．A news comment. |
| C．A journal. | D．A novel. |
10 . Chinese consumers’ crazy appetite for luxury goods and services appears unstoppable, with just 2 percent of the Chinese population responsible for one-third of the world’s luxury items.
As China’s economic miracle develops, the market opportunities for all sorts of luxury goods and services are increasing. Luxury consumption in China now extends ways beyond well-known car, clothing and jewelry brands. For example, the luxury jet market in China is the fastest-growing in the world, even outstripping that of the United States, with a market share of 25 percent. This trend appears to continue, with 20 to 30 percent growth expected in China, compared with only 2 to 3 percent in the US. But more importantly, China’s luxury jet market growth represents a major development in the private consumption of luxury items.
China’s high-quality red wine market also provides evidence of the growth in private consumption of luxury goods. In 2013, China became the largest market for red wine in the world, even overtaking France, with l.86 billion bottles consumed in China last year. Over the past five years, China’s red wine consumption has grown 136 percent.
According to my ongoing consumer research in this area while working at the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing, public consumption of such expensive global luxury brands such as Prada and Armani is easily explained by the desire to “gain face” and publicly display social climbing through material possessions. On the other hand, it is “self-reward” that lies behind consumer motivation in this area. Chinese consumers who have experienced rapid financial and economic gains appear particularly prone to the need to reward themselves for their success. But this has little to do with ”gaining face” and impressing others and much more to do with the need for personal contentment.
Finally, the growth in private luxury consumption in China is set to continue in part due to the maturity of the Chinese consumer and advancement of Chinese consumer culture generally.
1. What do you think the author would most probably be?| A．A news reporter. | B．An accountant. |
| C．A professor. | D．A conductor. |
| A．China’s luxury jet market growth is only 2% to 3%. |
| B．France was once the largest market for red wine in the world before 2013. |
| C．The luxury jet market in the US shares 25% of the jet consumption in the world. |
| D．China’s red wine consumption has increased to 1.86 billion bottles since 2013. |
| A．public consumption of global luxury brands is increasing. |
| B．Chinese consumers have experienced rapid financial and economic gains. |
| C．Chinese consumers enjoy “gain face” and “self-reward”. |
| D．the reason why Chinese consumers are fond of the global luxury goods. |
| A．Future Private Luxury Consumption in China |
| B．Chinese Appetite for Luxury Goods and Services |
| C．The Potential Luxury Jet Market in China |
| D．The Maturity of the Chinese Consumers |
