2 . Inspired by the movement to protect the Carmanah Valley and Clayoquot Sound, I decided to devote myself to producing images for conservation full-time in 1992. Since that time my work has taken me all over the world and my photos have appeared in many major magazines. However, many of my most rewarding moments have come from working on projects in British Columbia, Canada, and sharing those images in slide show tours I have given throughout Canada, the U.S. and Europe.

The more I travel and photograph in other parts of the world, the more I have come to realize the wilderness we have in Canada is truly special and rare.

I have always felt that as a photographer my goal is to approach the natural environment with the sense of wonder and curiosity that comes so naturally to children. This, I believe, is one of the basic keys not just to producing meaningful images, but more importantly, to gaining a full appreciation and enjoyment of the natural world.

I find that not only my best images, but also my most enjoyable experiences in nature, occur when I have an open mind and follow my intuition (直觉). When I feel drawn to a certain scene, I try to make the scene simple and not include anything that is not relevant. I also try all ways to look for beautiful light. Early morning and the end of the day almost always produce light that results in more pleasing images than those taken under the strong light in the middle of a sunny day. Soft cloudy skies are wonderful for photographing all day, especially in our beautiful forests or for small subjects like wildflowers. Rain, storms, and snow also provide wonderful opportunities for new and different kinds of images.

1. In the first paragraph, the author mainly tells us about________.

A．his working experiences	B．his goal as a photographer
C．his skills in photographing	D．his understanding about conservation

2. It can be inferred that the author________.

A．was born in the United Kingdom

B．now works mainly in the United States

C．has worked as a full-time tour guide since 1992

D．is aware of the importance of environmental protection

3. What’s the authors goal as a photographer?

A．To produce beautiful pictures

B．To take his children to approach the nature.

C．To gain people’s appreciation and admiration.

D．To get close to nature with strong desire to know about it

4. Which of the following is true of the author’s images?

A．They are not easy to be produced in soft cloudy skies.

B．Sometimes the scenes in them are simple and don’t include irrelevant things.

C．If they are wildflowers, the best time to produce them is in the rain.

D．If produced at the end of the day, they are more beautiful than in the early morning.

5. What is the purpose of writing the passage?

A．To study the key to becoming a famous artist.

B．To show thoughts about nature photography.

C．To praise wonderful scenes they have in Canada.

D．To tell the most enjoyable experiences in nature.

3 . Alan Tong was the worst driver in town. He had an accident of some kind almost every week.

Alan lived with his mother. His mother was always worried about him. Every day she worried that police would appear to arrest him. This wasn’t a foolish worry because they usually visited Alan’s house about once a week to send a speeding ticket or to serve him notice to appear in court (法庭).

Most of his accidents were caused by his carelessness. He drove through red lights. He turned left or drove at night without proper lights. He overtook other cars on hills. In short, there wasn’t a traffic rule that Alan had not broken, and he had had so many accidents that it was a surprise that he was still alive. But luckily for Alan, he had never hurt anyone in his accidents or even gone to the hospital.

Although Alan wasn’t popular with the police, he was very popular with his lawyer. Alan’s lawyer, Mr. Tsui, had earned a lot of money from Alan’s cases and always felt very excited when he saw Alan coming into his office.

One day Alan was working in the garage, painting his car when his mother walked in. “What are you doing?” his mother asked.

“Painting my car,” Alan replied.

“I can see that,” his mother said, “but why are you painting one side of the car red and the other side blue?” “Because every time I have to go to court for a traffic crime, there are always two witnesses (目击证人) . “What color was the car?” the judge always asks, and the two witnesses always give the same answer. Well, in the future, one witness will say it was blue. Mr. Tsui will then say to the judge, “Your honor, the witnesses cannot even agree on the color of the car involved in the accident.” And the judge will have to dismiss the case against me.

1. Which of the following is true of Mr. Tsui?

A．He always volunteered to help Alan.	B．He was popular with the police.
C．He was good friends with Alan.	D．He looked forward to Alan’s visit.

2. What was Alan doing when his mother walked in the garage?

A．Painting his car all red.	B．Painting his car two colors.
C．Painting the garage.	D．Cleaning his car.

3. What is the purpose of what Alan did to his car in the last paragraph?

A．To confuse the evidence against him.	B．To help the judge in court.
C．To make the witnesses agree.	D．To leave a good impression in court.

4. What’s the meaning of the underlined word “dismiss” in the last paragraph?

A．Remove.	B．Continue.
C．Reconsider	D．Accept.

4 . On the occasional clear-frost autumn night, I was hiking through the dark forest with my GMO wolf. Yes, my best friend is a genetically modified organism (转基因生物), deliberate selection has produced the blunt-toothed, small-pawed wonder that walks by my side.

Our world is changing rapidly. In the last five decades, global population has fully doubled, with 3.7 billion hungry mouths added to our planet. During this same time span, the amount of land suitable for agriculture has increased by only 5%. Miraculously, this did not result in the great global famine (饥荒) one might have predicted.

How do scientists modify a plant so that it makes more food than its parents did? We could treat each harvest like a litter of wolf pups and select only plants bearing the fattest, richest seeds for the next season. This was the method our ancestors used to engineer rice, com and wheat from the wild grasses they encountered.

During my childhood, advances in genetic technologies allowed scientists to identify and clone the genes responsible for repressing stem growth, leading to shorter, stronger stalks that could bear more seed — the high-yield crops that feed us today. The 21st century has brought with it a marvelous new set of high-tech tools with which to further quicken the process of artificial selection. Plant geneticists can now directly edit out or edit in sections of DNA using molecular scissors.We can minimize a plant’s weaknesses while adding to its strengths, and we don’t have to wait for seasons to pass to test the result.

It is the transformative potential of these techniques to quickly supply the next-generation crops required for upcoming climate change that has led me to believe in the safety and function of GMO plants in agricultural products. We need more GMO research to feed the world that we are creating.

I love the quiet forest that stands between my lab and my home. But I know that as a scientist, I am responsible first to humanity. We must feed, shelter and nurture one another as our first priority, and to do so, we must take advantage of our best technologies, which have always included some type of genetic modification. We must continue as before, nourishing the future as we feed ourselves, and each year plant only the very best of what we have collectively engineered. I keep the faith of my ancestors each night when I walk through the forest to my lab, and my GMO wolf does the same when she guards my way home.

1. Why does the author mention the wolf in the 1st paragraph?

A．To advise people to keep wolves as pets.

B．To persuade readers to welcome the new technology.

C．To change people’s attitude towards wolves.

D．To introduce a technology used to humans’ advantage.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?

A．GMO technology will help weatherproof future crops.

B．With GMO technology, famine has been eliminated.

C．Artificial selections make high-yield plants possible.

D．The author believes technology should contribute to future generations.

3. What can be learned about modifying a plant?

A．It takes scientists seasons to know whether their selection is correct.

B．One way for ancestors to change a plant was to clone some genes.

C．Modem techniques help speed up the artificial selection by altering DNA.

D．The general public show strong faith in GMO plants, n

4. Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?

A．GMO Technology — Turning Wolves into the Best Pets

B．Engineered Food — Feeding Future Generations

C．Engineered Food — To Be or Not To Be

D．GMO Technology — A Driving Force in World Peace

5 . On Tuesday, the Amazon Company introduced Amazon One, which connects your palm(手掌) print to a stored credit card so you can place your hand above a sensor to enter and leave easily after buying at checkout-free Amazon(AMZN) Go stores.

Dilip Kumar, Amazon’s vice president told CNN Business that Amazon One had been used since long before the COVID-19. But the timing could be a positive for Amazon: Customers may find such payment convenient, and businesses also find it hopeful.

Yet the use of the Amazon One could raise eyebrows, too. Amazon has once come under fire from people who care about its facial-recognition software. When it comes to Amazon One data, Kumar said all palm pictures are coded and Amazon stores them online.

“I encourage people to try it, see how they like the experience,” Kumar said. You can hold your palm above an Amazon One scanner to enter the store. Then, anything you take will be automatically (自动地) charged to the credit card connected to their palm. Amazon One will make shopping faster and more convenient. Before trying it, users must place a credit card in an Amazon One device and hold a palm above it, facing down, so it can be scanned. The camera in it takes many pictures of the fine lines of the palm, and catches some details, which can’t be seen in typical photographs.

Amazon One now can be bought at two of the Amazon Go stores in Seattle, at 7th Avenue and Blanchard Street, and in the South Lake Union neighborhood.

1. Why is Amazon One introduced?

A．To ensure the safety.	B．To have a test.
C．To see credit cards.	D．To pay easily.

2. Which of the following best explains “under fire” in paragraph 3?

A．Being quite hot.	B．Receiving ill comments.
C．Getting on fire.	D．Gaining wide recognition.

3. Which of the following is not true about Amazon One?

A．It was not used until the outbreak of COVID-19.

B．It is convenient for customers .

C．It connects the credit card to one’s palm.

D．Its device takes the pictures of the palm.

4. What was Kumar’s attitude to Amazon One?

A．Doubtful.

B．Objective.

C．Supportive.

D．Unclear.

6 . Today almost everyone knows computers and the Internet. If I ask you “What is the most important in your life?” Maybe you will say “Computers and the Internet.”

The first computer was made in 1946. It was very big but it worked slowly. Today computers are getting smaller and smaller. But they work faster and faster. What can computers do? A writer has said, “People can’t live without computers today.”

The Internet came a little later than computers. It is about twenty-five years later than computers. But now it can be found almost everywhere. We can use it to read books, write letters, do shopping, play games or make friends.

Many students like the Internet very much. They often go into the Internet as soon as they are free. They make friends on the Internet and maybe they have never seen these friends. They don’t know their real names, ages, and even sex. They are so interested in making the “unreal friends” that they can’t put their heart into study. Many of them can’t catch up with others on many subjects because of that.

We can use computers and the Internet to learn more about the world. But at the same time, we should remember that not all the things can be done by computers and the Internet.

1. When the computer was invented, it was_____．

A．large and worked quickly	B．small and worked slowly
C．large but worked slowly	D．small but worked quickly

2. The Internet was born about in _____．

A．1960

B．1970

C．1980

D．1985

3. Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Few students like going into the Internet.	B．Students use the Internet to make “unreal friends”.
C．These “unreal friends” often meet each other.	D．Students know the friends on the Internet very well.

4. The Internet cannot be used for_____．

A．studying

B．shopping

C．thinking

D．playing

5. The underlined part in Para. 4 can be replaced by “_____”.

A．concentrate on

B．reflect on

C．recover from

D．graduate from

6. What does the writer think of the Internet?

A．It is wonderful.	B．It can make students study harder.
C．It is not good for students.	D．It is helpful, but we can’t do everything on it.

7 . High school in the United States starts too early．Given teenagers' sleep patterns, the ideal school start time could be as late as 11:30 a.m.-when many high school students have already finished half a school day and are eating lunch．

Researchers from Harvard and Oxford wrote about this new finding in a recent article in the journal Learning．Media, and Technology．In the article, Paul Kelley supposed that, given when kids and teenagers are biologically conditioned to wake up,10-year-olds should start school at 8 a.m.．16-year-olds should start between 10 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., and 18-year-olds should start between 11 a.m. and 11:30 a.m.

There's been lots of research done on sleep and performance in school-but this article thinks that school should start even later than most proposals for a later start time call for．Teens aren't lazy-adults need to adjust．This isn't laziness-sleep patterns are a biological necessity．Reviewing evidence from studies around the world, the researchers think that starting school later would help students learn more, perform better on tests, and even make teenagers less annoyed．When the Minneapolis Public Schools moved their start time from 7:15 a.m. to 8:40 a.m., students liked the change and reported that "attendance, achievement, behavior, and mood improved．"

Parents were positive, too．92 percent said they liked the change, and parents reported that their kids were easier to live with when they weren't getting up so early．At the US Air Force Academy, where students were randomly assigned to classes with earlier and later start times, students who started earlier performed worse all day long on those days．

The researchers consider that this is partly cultural, and that getting up early is still seen as a virtue．That's wrong, they write: "A common belief is that adolescents are tired because they choose to stay up too late, or are difficult to wake in the morning because they are lazy．Educators tend to think that adolescents learn best in the morning and if they simply went to sleep earlier, it would improve their concentration．．．The truth is that adults need to be educated．"

1. What does the passage mainly argue about?

A．The time to start high school．	B．The performance of teenagers．
C．The sleep patterns of the teenagers．	D．The common belief of adolescents．

2. From Paul Kelley's research, people can conclude _______________．

A．the earlier the children get up, the cleverer they will become

B．the elder the children are, the later they should start learning

C．the more time children spend learning, the better they will be

D．the later children wake up, the less knowledge they can get

3. Which is NOT the benefit of starting school later in Paragraph 3?

A．Gaining more knowledge．	B．Getting higher marks．
C．Making mood better．	D．Doing less homework．

4. How did the parents think of starting late?

A．The students are losing a virtue．	B．The adults need to be taught．
C．The students benefit from that．	D．The adults become lazier．

5. What should the students do to perform well in school, according to the educators?

A．They should have the wonderful virtue．	B．They should develop the common belief．
C．They should become lazier and lazier．	D．They should get habits of sleeping early．

8 . It had been a year since Susan, thirty-four, became blind. As a result of medical accident, she was sightless. All she had to depend on was her husband Mark.

Mark was an air-force officer and he loved Susan with all his heart. When she first lost sight, he decided to use every method to help his wife.

Finally, Susan felt ready to return to her job, but how would she get there? She used to take the us, but she was now too frightened to go to work by herself. Mark suggested taking the bus with us an each morning and evening.

For two weeks, Mark, in military uniform, took the bus with Susan to and from work each day, lie taught her to rely on her other senses, especially her hearing. He helped her make friends with the bus drivers who could watch out for her and save her a seat.

Each morning they made the journey together, and Mark would take a taxi back to his office, although that meant he had to travel through the city. Mark knew it was only a matter of time before Susan would be able to take the bus on her own. He believed in her.

Finally. Susan decided that she was ready to start the trip on her own. Monday morning arrived. She said goodbye and, for the first time, they went their separate ways. Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday-Each day on her own went perfectly.

On Friday morning, Susan took the bus to work as usual. As she was getting off the bus, the driver said," Miss, I sure envy you." Susan asked the driver why. "You know, every morning for the past week, a fine-looking gentleman in a military uniform has been standing across the comer watching you when you get off the bus. He makes sure you cross the street safely and he watches you until you enter your office building. Then he blows you a kiss, gives you a salute and walks away. You are one lucky lady," the bus driver said.

Tears of happiness poured down Susan’s cheeks. She was so lucky, for he had given her a gift more powerful than sight, the gift of love that can bring light where there is darkness.

1. What does the underlined sentence probably mean?

A．Susan had lost her sight because of Mark’s gift.

B．A gift was more important than sight.

C．Mark’s deep love had given Susan great strength.

D．Mark’s love had made Susan recover from blindness.

2. Why did Mark stand across the street and watch Susan?

A．Because he loved Susan very much and watched out for her safety.

B．Because Susan was not sure of herself and asked for his help.

C．Because he wanted to show others that he was a good husband.

D．Because he had nothing to do every morning after getting up.

3. Which of the following statements is right according to the passage?

A．Susan lost her sight in a car accident.

B．Susan lost her sight before she met Mark.

C．Susan went to work alone two weeks after her blindness.

D．Susan didn’t know the truth until the bus driver told her.

4. Which of the following can serve as the title?

A．Love is Sight.	B．Love is Blind.
C．Never Say Die.	D．Husband and Wife.

9 . A store owner was putting a sign up his door that reads “Puppies For Sale”. Signs like that have a way of appealing to small children, and sure enough, a little boy appeared under the store owner’s sign. “How much are you going to sell the puppies for?” he asked. The store owner replied, “Anywhere from $30 to $50.”

The little boy reached in his pocket and pulled out some change. “I have $2.37,” he said. “Can I please look at them?” The store owner smiled and whistled and out came a lady followed by five teeny tiny balls of fur. One puppy was lagging (落后) considerably behind. Immediately the little boy picked out the lagging limping ( 跛行) puppy and said, “What’s wrong with that little dog?”

The store owner explained that the vet had examined the little puppy and had discovered it would always limp. The little boy became excited, “That’s the little puppy that I want to buy.” The store owner said, “No, you don’t want to buy that little dog. If you really want him, I’ll just give him to you.” The little boy looked straight into the store owner’s eyes, pointing his finger and said offensively, “I don’t want you to give him to me. That little dog is worth every bit as much as all the other dogs and I’ll pay full price. In fact I’ll give you $2.37 now, and 50 cents a month until I have him paid for."

The store owner said, “You really don’t want to buy this little dog. He is never going to be able to jump and play with you like the other puppies.”

The little boy reached down and rolled up his pant leg to reveal a badly twisted, crippled left leg supported by a big metal brace (支撑物). He looked up at the store owner and softly replied,

“Well, I don’t run so well myself, and the little puppy will need a friend who understands!”

1. What did the owner first do when asked to sell the puppy?

A．He refused to sell the puppy.	B．He sent the puppy to the boy.
C．He sold the puppy at a higher price.	D．He sold the puppy at a lower price.

2. How did the boy feel at the owner’s response?

A．Sad.	B．Upset.
C．Delighted.	D．Hopeful.

3. Which of the following statements is probably true?

A．The boy finally bought the puppy at $2.37.

B．All the puppies were limp.

C．The boy finally bought the puppy at full price.

D．The owner finally give the puppy to the boy.

4. What can we learn from this passage?

A．Everything is good when new, but friend when old.

B．A friend is a second self.

C．Money isn’t everything.

D．Respect is a lesson that everyone should learn.

10 . Jack was born without eyes. He was very lucky as he grew up having other kittens(young cats) to socialize with, and was used to people from the moment he was born. However, when it came time to find the kittens homes, no one knew where Jack would end up.

That's when I got an email from my friend. All she asked was “Do you still want one of the kittens? There's one here with no eyes and no one would like to take him.” Without thinking, I told her that I did want the kitten.

When we first brought him home, Jack stayed mostly in my room. After about a day he had no issues running around and climbing on everything. At times he gets lost in the house, he'll stop. But we just call him and talk to him and it isn't long before he finds his way back to us.

A few weeks after getting Jack, we got a new farm cat named Bear. Jack and Bear have   become best friends. It doesn't matter that he can't see. He always knows when Bear is around. He'll run across the yard straight to Bear and wrap his front legs around his neck in a big hug. They run after each other around and wrestle. They'll lie down in the grass together when tired.

Jack is truly an inspiration. I've owned lots of kittens in my life, but Jack is the happiest and most playful. He doesn't feel sorry for himself. He doesn't need pity. I think Jean, owner of Gumbo, another eyeless cat, said it best when she told me that cats don't have disabilities, they have adaptability.

1. Why did Jack come to our home?

A．I liked an eyeless cat.	B．I didn't mind whether he was blind.
C．No other young cats kept him company.	D．My friend ordered me to take him home.

2. What does the underlined word “issues” in the 3rd paragraph mean?

A．Difficulty.

B．Fun.

C．Luck.

D．Business.

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．Jack likes to play with a new eyeless cat.

B．Jack is good at talking and playing with people.

C．Jack quickly adapts to the new environment.

D．Jack and Bear lie down on the sofa together when tired.

4. What can we learn from the passage?

A．A cat has nine lives.	B．All is well that ends well.
C．God helps those who help themselves.	D．A good beginning makes a good ending.