1 . Feeding bread to the ducks is a fond pastime for many of us, reminding us of our happy childhood trips to the local park. But did you know that bread actually poses a danger to birds, as well as the environment? Eating it can cause our feathered friends to develop a condition called Angel Wing, which is when too much bread makes birds’ feathers grow too quickly. This additional weight puts a strain on their muscles, causing their wings to twist and drop open, and if not treated fast, they can lose the ability to fly.
“Angel Wing can be remedied if we reach birds before it has developed too severely,” says Caroline Simpson, a trustee of UK charity Swan Lifeline, which has rescued and treated more than 30,000 birds over the last 20 years. “Otherwise the consequence can be awful—such as amputations of the wing.” Adult swans can also develop gut and heart disease, so it’s important we do our bit to prevent this by feeding wild birds with the right kind of food.
Bread can also cause harmful changes to the natural ecosystem. Rotting bread at the bottom of rivers and lakes allows bacteria to breed, spreading disease and attracting rats and other vermin to our waterways. It can result in algal blooms and the presence of a mould called Aspergillus too, which has the potential to kill waterfowl and other wildlife if it gets into their lungs.
But this doesn’t mean we have to stop fun trips to feed the ducks. Giving birds the right food—like frozen peas, sweetcorn and lettuce leaves—is good for both them and the environment. So, next time you visit your local park, take a healthier alternative with you and do your bit to protect our precious wildlife.
1. The underlined word “remedied” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.| A．reduced | B．expected | C．caused | D．corrected |
| A．Harmful creatures will be drawn to waterways. |
| B．Water birds will be overfed and risk losing their bodily functions. |
| C．The water will be enriched thanks to the nutrients in bread. |
| D．The eco-balance at the bottom of rivers or lakes will be disturbed. |
| A．stop people from feeding waterfowl. |
| B．instruct people how to raise waterfowl. |
| C．warn people of the danger threatening waterfowl. |
| D．promote a safe and healthy way to feed waterfowl. |
2 . The tea gardens in Sri Lanka are actually large estates( 种植园). The best tea usually comes from plants grown on high grounds, the cool hilltops with rows and rows of tea plants. The plants are about one metre apart. The plant is often pruned so that it remains only 60 to 90 centimetres high. Pruning is important because it encourages the growth of tender shoots, or young leaves. It is from these shoots that the best tea is got.
Practically all the tea pickers are women. The estates prefer to employ women pickers because they are more careful. Their thin fingers can easily remove the twin leaves and new shoots from the plant, which are the parts used for processing tea. The pickers carry large baskets into which they throw their pickings. A skilled worker can harvest between 9 to 14 kilogrammes of tea leaves a day. Usually new shoots can be picked from the plants about every ten or fifteen days.
Processing tea shoots into the familiar dry tea leaves requires great care and skill. There are various methods of processing depending on the type of tea required. For black tea, the young green leaves are first spread out on shelves to dry. This process removes much of its water and the leaves become soft. After this, the leaves are passed through heavy rollers. This operation will press the leaves for juices which give the tea both its colour and taste. Then the leaves are spread out on floors and left to ferment（发酵）under wet conditions. Fermentation develops the rich taste of black tea. The fermented leaves are then dried with a hot-air blower until they become rolled-up black leaves. The final step is to sort and grade them before the black tea is ready for sale to countries all over the world.
1. In the first paragraph, the word “pruning” means ________ .| A．regular cutting of the plants |
| B．frequent watering |
| C．regular use of chemicals |
| D．growing the plants high in the mountain |
| A．they work harder than men do in the picking |
| B．they can throw their pickings more easily into the baskets |
| C．their fingers fit them better for the job |
| D．they can more easily find the twin leaves |
| A．Three. | B．Four. | C．Five. | D．Six. |
| A．To introduce various methods of tea processing. |
| B．To persuade readers to buy tea from Sri Lanka. |
| C．To tell a story that had happened in the tea gardens. |
| D．To inform readers of tea growing, picking and processing. |
3 . Last year, my oldest son Matthew went off to college. Things at home were not as “busy” as they used to be. We still had our 15-year-old son Gabriel with us, but we missed having Matthew around.
My wife soon had a crazy idea. “Let’s get a dog.” she suggested. I wasn’t exactly thrilled with the idea, but I agreed. I mean, what better way to replace a kid that has gone off to college than to get a dog.
When we got to the animal shelter, it seemed like every dog was a pit bull (比特犬). I’d had many bad experiences with pit bulls as a child, so I didn’t want to take one of them home with me.
While I walked along the rows and rows of cold metal cages, a dog caught my eye. He was scared, and looked like he’d given up on life. There was only one problem: he was a pit bull.
As he looked at me with his big, beautiful eyes, I could see into his soul. I could see how scared he was and that he just wanted a happy life. I couldn’t just walk away — I had to at least go over and look at him. I approached his cage, and he just sat there, looking at me. I stuck my finger through the hole in the cage and petted him on the head. I expected him to get mad, but he didn’t.
I knew that this dog had never felt love before, and that he was enjoying every bit of the love I could give him in that moment. Tears began to stream down my face because I felt everything that this poor creature was feeling right then. He just wanted to be loved; he just wanted a home and a family.
It’s been a year since we took the dog home, and our lives have been changed forever.
Now, his favorite thing to do is give us kisses with his giant tongue every morning. He is always there to greet us when we come home with a huge smile. He’s shown us more love than any other living creature on Earth ever had before. And every time I look into his eyes I see love,compassion and gratitude — things I never thought that a pit bull was capable of feeling.
1. Why did the author’s wife want to get a dog?| A．Because she liked a pit pull. |
| B．Because she thought it was a crazy idea. |
| C．Because she wanted the dog to replace her kid. |
| D．Because one of their children was admitted to college. |
| A．Accepted. | B．Excited. | C．Frightened. | D．Delighted. |
| A．They missed having Matthew around even more. |
| B．They found it hard to get along with him. |
| C．They lived a life full of love. |
| D．They regretted adopting him. |
| A．To share a warm story about adopting a pet. |
| B．To stress the benefits of keeping a pet. |
| C．To suggest people keep a pet of their own. |
| D．To give advice on how to keep a pet. |
4 . Short and shy, Ben Saunders was the last kid in his class picked for any sports team. “Football, tennis cricket-anything with a round ball, I was useless”, he says now with a laugh. But back then, he was the object of jokes in school gym classes in England’s rural Devonshire.
It was a mountain bike he received for his 15th birthday that changed him. At first the teen went biking alone in a nearby forest. Then he began to cycle along with a runner friend. Gradually, Saunders set his mind building up his body, increasing his speed, strength and endurance. At age 18, he ran his first marathon.
The following year, he met John Ridgway, who became famous in the 1960s for rowing an open boat across the Atlantic Ocean. Saunders was hired as an instructor at Ridgway’s school of Adventure in Scotland, where he learned about the older man’s cold-water exploits (英勇行为). Intrigued, Saunders read all he could about Arctic explorers and North Pole expeditions, then decided that this would be his future.
Journeys to the Pole aren’t the usual holidays for British country boys, and many people dismissed (不予考虑) his dream as fantasy. “John Ridgway was one of the few who didn’t say, ‘You are completely crazy’,” Saunders says.
In 2001, after becoming a skilled skier, Saunders started his first long-distance expedition toward the North Pole. He suffered frostbite, had a closer encounter with a polar bear and pushed his body to the limit.
Saunders has since become the youngest person to ski alone to the North Pole, and he’s skied more of the Arctic by himself than any other Briton. His old playmates would not believe the transformation.
This October, Saunders, 27, heads south to explore from the coast of Antarctica to the South Pole and back, an 1800-mile journey that has never been completed on skis (滑雪板).
1. We can learn from the text that Ridgway ______.| A．dismissed Saunders’ dream as fantasy. |
| B．built up his body together with Saunders. |
| C．hired Saunders for his cold-water experience. |
| D．won his fame for his voyage across the Atlantic. |
| A．He once worked at a school in Scotland. |
| B．He followed Ridgway to explore the North Pole. |
| C．He was chosen for the school sports team as a kid. |
| D．He was the first Briton to ski alone to the North Pole. |
| A．excited. | B．convinced. | C．delighted. | D．fascinated. |
| A．was accomplished by his old playmates. |
| B．set a record in the North Pole expedition. |
| C．was supported by other Arctic explorers. |
| D．made him well-known in the 1960s. |
5 . The weather is getting hotter and you’ll be getting thirstier playing basketball or riding home from school. A cold drink may be just the thing. But be careful what you pour down your throat. Something that looks cool may not be good for your health.
There are plenty of so-called energy drinks on the market. Most of them have an attractive color and cool name. Their nutrition lists also contains various things from vitamins to ginseng. Sounds great!
But after a careful check you may find that most energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine. These drinks are typically aimed at young people, students, busy people and sports players.
Makers sometimes say their drinks make you better at sports and can keep you awake. But be careful not to drink too much Caffeine raises your heartbeat. Because of this, the International Olympic Committee has limited their use. The amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is at least as high as in a strong cup of coffee or strong tea.
There are potential health dangers linked to energy drinks. Just one can of energy drink can make you nervous, have difficulty sleeping and can even cause heart attacks.
Teenagers should be discouraged from taking drinks with a lot of caffeine in them, an expert from the Australia Nutrition Foundation said.
1. The teenagers like drinking energy drinks because of the following EXCEPT that ________.| A．they have an attractive color and cool name | B．they contain high levels of caffeine |
| C．they can keep them awake and better at sports | D．they are said to have various nutrition |
| A．dropped | B．stopped | C．helped | D．asked |
| A．advertisements play an important part in getting people to buy the goods |
| B．the amount of caffeine in most energy drinks is lower than that in a strong cup of coffee |
| C．Australian teenagers drink more energy drinks than those in the other countries |
| D．The energy drinks are typically aimed at young people |
| A．What’s the Use of Energy Drinks? | B．Who can Drink Energy Drinks? |
| C．What is That in Energy Drinks? | D．Why can’t We Buy Energy Drinks? |
6 . Round and Round They Go
Space is becoming more crowded. On December 3, a Falcon 9 rocket made by Space X thundered into the sky. On board were 64 small satellites, more than any American company had launched before in one go. They have a variety of uses, from space-based- radar to the monitoring of radio-frequency- emissions.
These objects are part of the latest breed of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. This launch is just taste of what is planned. Space X and One Web, a communications firm, plan to launch satellites in their thousands, not hundreds. The pair are set to double the total number of satellites in orbit by 2027.
That promises to change things dramatically on Earth. LEO satellites can bring internet connectivity to places where it is still unavailable or unaffordable. This will also be a lasting source of new demand for the space economy. Morgan Stanley, a bank, projects that the space industry will grow from $350 billion in 2016 to more than $1. I trillion by 2040. New internet satellites will account for a half this increase.
For that to happen, however, three worries must be overcome. Debris(碎片)is the most familiar concern. As long ago as 1978, Donald Kessler, a scientist at NASA, proposed situation in which, when enough satellites were packed into low-Earth orbits, any collision could cause a chain reaction which would eventually destroy all space craft in its orbital plane(平面). The syndrome which bears Mr. Kessler's name weighs heavily on the minds of executives at the new satellite firms. Debris could cause entire tracts(广阔的一片) of space to be unusable for decades.
Solutions exist. One is to grab malfunction satellites and pull them down into Earth's atmosphere. Another is to monitor space more intensively for debris; a US Air Force program me called Space Fence is due to start in 2019. But technology is only part of the answer. Rules are needed to govern the safe disposal(清除) of old satellites from low-Earth orbit. The United States' Federal Communications Commission is revising its regulations with this in mind. Other countries should follow suit.
Cyber-security is a second, long-standing worry. Hackers could take control of a satellite and seal intellectual property, redirect data flows or cause a collision. The satellite industry has been slow to respond to such concerns. But as more of the world's population comes to rely on the infrastructure of space for access to the internet, the need for action intensifies.
The third issue follows from the first two. If a simple mistake or a cyber-attack can cause a chain reaction which wipes out hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, who is liable? Underwriters(保险商) are studying the plans of firms that wish to operate large numbers of satellites. But there is a long way to go before the risks are well understood, let alone priced.
As space becomes more commercialized mind-bending prospects open up: packages moved across the planet in minutes by rocket rather than by plane, equipment sent to other small planets, passengers launched into orbit and beyond. All that and more may come, one day. But such activities would raise the same questions as LEO satellites do. They must be answered before the space economy can truly develop.
1. What can we learn about LEO satellites from the passage?| A．They are supposed to limit the space economy. |
| B．They are expected to increase in large numbers. |
| C．They are designed to move beyond the Earth as far as possible. |
| D．They are mainly intended to bring internet connectivity to remote areas. |
| A．depending entirely on the modern technology |
| B．monitoring the movement of spaceships carefully |
| C．strengthening rules to remove old satellites safely |
| D．destroying all the satellites with problems instantly |
| A．Measure. | B．Increase. | C．Spread. | D．Repeat. |
| A．Lack of satellite regulations. |
| B．Loss of intellectual property. |
| C．Crisis of confidence in the field. |
| D．Slow response of satellite industry. |
| A．It should be further confirmed for its ownership. |
| B．It should be continued because of its advantages. |
| C．It should be done carefully to avoid potential risks. |
| D．It should be stopped in face of the space economy. |
7 . Very often, when we see young people sitting there, looking at the screen of a mobile phone and smiling, we may think nothing is wrong. But when we come to the question “how much time do they actually spend on media（传播媒介）daily?”, the answer is surprising: young people spend about nine hours every day using media, and this only includes media used for enjoyment.
Today's young people seem to have become crazy multitaskers. They often use media when doing other activities. Some watch TV when doing homework, some text（发短信）, and some others listen to music. But what do young people think of this? A research showed that two thirds of them believed watching TV or texting had no influence on their schoolwork. Half of them thought using social media made no difference. However, researches have given a different answer: “media multitaskers” did worse in tests.
Scientists did a research among more than 400 students. It shows that those who text a lot have more trouble sleeping and do worse in their study. In another research, students who didn't text during a lesson took down a lot more notes than those who were texting. A similar research also found that students who texted when doing schoolwork had lower overall（总体的）grades.
According to a research, if a kid uses social media a lot, especially at night, he or she will sleep worse and feel more nervous and depressed（消沉的）. On the one hand, young people stay up late to check messages and information. They may also be woken up by messages they receive. On the other hand, even the light from a screen could influence their sleep. Some other researches also show that children who use media at night go to bed later, get fewer hours of sleep each week, and become sleepy more easily during the daytime.
1. The underlined word “multitaskers” in Paragraph 2 refers to people who _________.| A．ask a lot of questions |
| B．use different media for learning |
| C．have several mobile phones |
| D．do several tasks at the same time |
| A．become more worried |
| B．get more excited |
| C．take fewer notes in class |
| D．sleep much better |
| A．Social media is very popular among young people. |
| B．Using media too much has a bad influence on young people. |
| C．The use of social media has both advantages and disadvantages. |
| D．Mobile phones are the main tools students use for school learning. |
8 . Washington State's growing population of gray wolves is exposing deep divides among residents and testing its decision makers. And managing the animals is about to get more complicated, as the state begins drawing up a management plan and weighing whether to start a hunting season.
The wolves, nearly non-existent in the Northwestern state for almost a century, have grown in numbers about 28% each year since 2008, about a decade after they were introduced to Idaho, Montana and Wyoming. By late last year, Washington had at least 126 wolves and 27 packs.
The wolves' return has brought cheers from conservationists, who view them as symbolic creatures that can improve the state's ecosystems, and criticism from farmers and livestock（家畜）owners, who see them as killers threatening livelihoods. With wolves expected to reach targeted recovery levels in a few years, the debate over how to manage them is getting fierce. Officials recently canceled three public meetings about wolves after threats of violence and Interruption.
Wolves were largely eradicated across the Western U.S. in the 20th century, targeted by government agencies and hunted by farmers and other private citizens. In 1995, the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service relocated some wolves to the Greater Yellowstone Ecosystem, leading to their return in the West.
Tensions in Washington have risen after decisions from the state Department of Fish and Wildlife to kill a number of wolves responsible for the deaths or injury of cattle and livestock. The conflict is centered in Ferry County in the northeastern part of the state. Fish and Wildlife staff this year killed nine wolves in Ferry County-including the last of a pack that killed or injured 29 livestock in the county.
Washington governor Jay Inslee has asked the state Fish and Wildlife agency to reduce the need to kill wolves as a result of their killing livestock, and instead increase the use of deterrent（威慑物）which can include electric fencing or range riders to monitor cattle and other livestock. Officials have said killing wolves is a last choice.
Meanwhile, researchers are racing to understand the wolves’ effect on the ecosystem to better inform how to manage the population.
1. What is puzzling the state?| A．Why gray wolves can reproduce so quickly. |
| B．When a management plan should be drawn up. |
| C．Whether wolves should be hunted seasonally. |
| D．How they can persuade residents to live in harmony with gray wolves. |
| A．They have reached the targeted recovery levels. |
| B．They have a positive effect on the local ecosystem. |
| C．They are responsible for threatening the lives of farmers and livestock. |
| D．They are a good example to get nearly non-existent animals back to nature. |
| A．Removed. | B．Introduced. | C．Released. | D．Reproduced. |
| A．Wolves facing possible hunt in Washington. |
| B．Wolves involved in a war against. |
| C．Wolves in danger of being wiped out. |
| D．Wolves on the way to growing rapidly in Washington. |
9 . The idea of using a public bathroom with see through walls may sound like the stuff of nightmares. But a famous Japanese is hoping to change that view, using new technology to make restrooms in Tokyo parks more inviting.
“There are two things we worry about when entering a public restroom, especially those cated at a park,” according to architect Shigeru Ban’s firm. “The first is cleanliness, and the second is whether anyone is inside.”
The newly-invented transparent walls can turn off both of those worries, Ban says, by showing people what awaits them inside. After users enter the restroom and lock the door, the room’s walls turn a powdery paste) shade and are no longer see-through.
Ban’s are sure to make for great conversation among visitors to the park-and they’ll stand out even more after dark. “At night, the facility lights up the park like a beautiful lantern,” the architect’s website says.
The group is behind the Tokyo Toilet project, world-famous architects to create toilets “like you’ve never seen. The project’s eye catching toilets are part of a plan to put people ar ease when isiting a public bathroom. The project may seem silly, but the 16 architects who are reimagining public toilets are some of the brightest names in Japanese architecture. The list includes four Pritzker Prize winners-Ban, Toyo Ito, Tadao Ando and Fumihiko Maki-along with international stars such as Kengo Kuma and Sou Fujimoto. The fashion designer Nigo is also contributing.
Ban’s colorful public bathrooms opened to the public this month in two parks: Yoyogi Fukamachi Mini Park and Haru-no-Ogawa Community Park. Other bespoke commodes will be opening in coming months.
1. Why are people often worried before entering a public restroom?| A．Its lock is usually useless. |
| B．It’s usually at a huge distance. |
| C．It’s not always clean. |
| D．It’s always occupied. |
| A．Easy to see through. |
| B．Not easy to see through. |
| C．Full of bright colors. |
| D．Thick and strong. |
| A．It’s and silly. |
| B．It’s rewarding and. |
| C．It has won the Pritzker Prize. |
| D．It’s the fruit of colleqtive wisdom |
| A．Should the public restrooms be upgraded? |
| B．The new high-tech walls of public restrooms are coming. |
| C．How do we live with see-through public facilities? |
| D．Some famous architects designed a silly project. |
10 . In New York City, eating on the subway is controversial. No law bans the practice, but a Democratic state senator introduced one last week. The proposed law would ban eating on the subway system and fine first time violators $250, according to the New York Times. Supporters of the bill argue that eating on the subway attracts rates. Other say the broader target should be those who carelessly drop litter in public places, rather than those who carefully sip their coffee and eat their bread on the way to work. They also argue that “street food” is an important part of New York’s culture and history. Banning its consumption in public areas such as the subway would have negative effects.
Street food and eating in public places is along-established cultural practice in cities like New York, Beijing and Paris. But commonly, it has been traditionally thought of as what the lower classes would do. Eating in public was (and in some places, still is) associated with uncivilized, poorer people. In the 19th century, eating in public was seen as a threat to morality and public health. Putnam’s (a popular magazine at the time) stated, “Eating in public may lead to a certain freedom of manner in little ladies and gentlemen. It was something people in the Victorian era did not want to encourage. A recent New York Times article drew a link between this moral panic about street food and concern over the growing populations of Irish German, Italian and Jewish immigrants who ran food carts in the 1800s. “To Victorian society, immigrant street peddlers were called ‘hucksters’, a name that still has a bit of moral judgment to this day.”
In Australia, street food is not something you see every day. Carts selling tasty snacks only come out for festivals or market days. However, eating in public places such as parks is encouraged. Outdoor barbeques at the beach or picnics in the countryside are common. While eating on public transport is discourages, it would unlikely lead to any sort of conflict in Australia. From an Australian perspective, street food is an exciting and tasty new dining opportunity, and not one I would associate with being uncivilized.
China’s street food scene is similar to that of New York City’s: It is a culturally entrenched practice and one that adds a lot of color and flavor to the scene of streets. But whether you love eating street food, or have to eat your breakfast on the run, it’s best to be considerate when enjoying a bite in public.
1. Supporters of “street food” are against the bill, because ________.| A．eating on the subway may attract undesirable pests like mice |
| B．consuming food on the way to work proves their carefulness |
| C．banning litter-dropping is more important for the environment |
| D．enjoying a bite in public areas is a part of the city’s culture |
| A．Only the uncivilized, poorer people were allowed to eat in public places. |
| B．Street food was seen as a threat in the 19th century because they were not heathy. |
| C．Eating in public was considered impolite for children in the Victorian era. |
| D．Immigrant street peddlers were encouraged and thus welcomed in the 1800s. |
| A．Eating in public like parks may be seen as ill-mannered. |
| B．Having food on the subway system may cause serious conflicts. |
| C．People may feel excited about being allowed to eat in public. |
| D．Tasting street food may bring much enjoyment whenever possible. |
| A．deep-rooted | B．eye-catching | C．well-known | D．far-reaching |
