1 . To improve road safety and raise awareness among Russia’s notoriously (臭名昭著地) careless drivers, Russian police have tried to get drivers to slow down at zebra (斑马) crossings by having painted horses as zebras walk across on the busiest streets in some of the big cities.
The light grey horses, painted with black stripes (条纹), carried signs on their backs reading: “Careful, children are on their way to school.” The police sent the “zebras” to several different locations in the Russian capital, where officials in orange vests walked them over zebra crossings and handed out leaflets (传单) to passing drivers.
Some held up rainbow-coloured umbrellas over the painted animals to protect them from the rain. Russian roads are notoriously dangerous and drivers still rarely take steps to avoid pedestrians (行人). Nearly half of all traffic accidents in the country’s big cities are caused by cars hitting pedestrians, and a third of those occur on crossings, according to traffic police figures published last month.
In the first six months of this year, 378 people were killed and more than 6, 600 injured on pedestrian crossings in Russia, according to police. In Moscow alone, 43 people were killed, including two children.
Though police officials said that only safe paint would be used on the animals, animal rights activists still disagreed with the idea, accusing the police of “treating animals like garbage”.
“Children understand that paints are bad for animals,” the Interfax news agency quoted president of Vita animal rights group Irina Novozhilova as saying.
Let’s hope this part of the campaign is over and animals are left out of future attempts to raise pedestrians’ awareness.
1. Why do Moscow police have “zebras” walk across on the busiest streets?| A．To make a call on protecting animals. |
| B．To raise drivers’ awareness of road safety. |
| C．To tell people it is dangerous to cross streets. |
| D．To remind people zebras are in danger of extinction. |
| A．The zebras. | B．The policemen. | C．The horses. | D．The drivers. |
| A．Russian drivers seldom give way to pedestrians. |
| B．Russian drivers often ignore traffic lights. |
| C．most Russian drivers have realized the seriousness of the problem. |
| D．the driving skills of Russian drivers are bad. |
| A．Drivers must slow down at pedestrian crossings. |
| B．Road safety should be improved. |
| C．The paints used on the horses are safe. |
| D．These animals are ill-treated by the police. |
| A．Critical. | B．Confident. | C．Doubtful. | D．Positive. |
2 . Great Barrier Reef Choking on Pollutants
Attempts to protect the Great Barrier Reef are failing. A report released Monday by the government in Australia says water quality in the Great Barrier Reef is far below what it should be. It showed that pollution have decreased, but not enough to reach environmental targets.
Sediment (沉淀物) and chemicals can weaken coral, hurting its ability to feed and grow. Coral are live animals that take root in the ocean floor, but they are not plants. Reefs are the hard skeletons (骨架) left at the bottom of the sea by small marine creatures called polyps (珊瑚虫). The polyps then form the larger structure of a reef. Corals also are some of the most diverse ecosystems on the entire planet. They can make a home for invertebrates, crustaceans, fish, and sea snakes.
Steve Miles is Queensland’s environment minister. He says the research shows the Reef needs more protection. “Over that five-year period, we did see some progress towards our targets. Sediment is down 12 percent and pesticides (杀虫剂) loads are down 30 percent. But what is most disturbing is that these results are far from our targets. Progress towards these targets flat-lined in the period 2013-2014. If one of my kids came home with a report card like this, I would be a bit disappointed. There is more bad news here than good news. ” said Steve Miles.
The report also found that fewer than one-third of Queensland’s sugar plantations used techniques to reduce the use of pesticides. Only 28 percent of land managers managed their land properly. They had reduced harmful water run off to protect the health of the Reef. The official target is a 90 percent reduction in pesticide use within three years.
Scientists at the University of Queensland and the Australian Institute of Marine Sciences published their findings Wednesday, July 18 in the journal Science Advances. It found between 1992 and 2010, the recovery rate dropped by an average of 84 percent. But there is hope. The study also found some corals can recover quickly if “acute and chronic stressors” are lessened.
Meanwhile, the Australian government released its updated reef protection plan Friday. It clearly states global temperatures must be stopped from rising in order to save the world’s largest living structure.
1. What does the underlined word “They” in Paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Diverse ecosystems. | B．Sediment and chemicals. |
| C．Reefs and corals. | D．Small sea creatures. |
| A．He is satisfied with the protection of the Reef. |
| B．He thinks that the Reef needs more protection. |
| C．He feels angry with what his children did. |
| D．He is very happy about the Reef progress protection. |
| A．Not increase significantly. | B．Disappear. |
| C．Speed up. | D．Miss the chance. |
| A．were tough to deal with | B．failed to manage their land properly |
| C．reduced the amount of harmful water | D．were eager to quit pesticide soon |
| A．A news report. | B．A science fiction. |
| C．A book review. | D．A guide book. |
3 . Scientists have not found any signs of life on Mars yet,but they say a robotic vehicle called “Curiosity” is helping them learn a lot about the planet’s history and climate.
Curiosity landed on Mars in August 2012 after travelling through space for more than eight months.It was sent to Mars by scientists from NASA in the United States.
Curiosity is about the size of a car and has six wheels.It also has a robotic arm,cameras,and instruments that allow it to examine things it finds on the surface.Then it sends the information back to the earth.
Curiosity’s main task is to find out if anything could live on Mars,either now or in the past.On Nov.2,NASA scientists held a press conference (新闻发布会) to discuss what Curiosity had found in its first two months on Mars.
Curiosity has found soil that is similar to the sand formed by volcanoes (火山) on the earth.Scientists say that studying the minerals in Martian soil will help them understand what conditions were like on the planet in the past.Curiosity also found smooth stones like the ones found on river beds and seashores on the earth,where their rough edges have been worn down by water.Mars is very cold and dry now,but scientists say the smooth stones tell them that a river used to run through the place where they were found.
Curiosity has been testing the atmosphere around Mars for a type of gas called methane (甲烷),but so far it has not found any.On the earth,most methane is produced by plants or animals.Methane on Mars might indicate that some type of tiny plants or animals lived there.
Curiosity is the fourth robotic vehicle to be sent to Mars.It will continue to explore the planet for about two years.
1. Which of the following descriptions about Curiosity is TRUE?| A．It landed on Mars in January 2012. |
| B．It is small in size and has four arms. |
| C．It took over eight months to arrive in Mars. |
| D．It was sent to Mars by scientists from Russia. |
| A．there’s no air on Mars | B．Mars is warm and wet now |
| C．the soil on Mars is rich | D．there used to be water on Mars |
| A．smooth stones | B．rivers |
| C．robotic vehicles | D．volcanoes |
| A．some tiny animals once lived on Mars |
| B．there are no plants or animals on Mars now |
| C．the atmosphere around Mars is full of methane |
| D．Curiosity is designed to test the atmosphere around the earth |
| A．Humans benefit a lot by going to Mars. |
| B．Scientists will stop the research on Mars soon. |
| C．It is possible to build an earth-like environment on Mars. |
| D．A robotic vehicle helps scientists get useful information from Mars. |
4 . Most humans are able to recognize about 1 million different colors, but some people can't recognize this many because of something called colorblindness(色盲). In rare cases, some people can't see any colors at all.
There are three cone-shaped(锥形的)cells at the back of our eyes that allow us to see colors. These cells absorb tight waves and send a message to the brain, where the image is processed.
If something is wrong with these cone-shaped cells, this can result in colorblindness.
Thankfully, special color-correcting glasses have already been made to help fix some types or colorblindness. Now, according to research published in Optics Letters, scientists have provided another choice.
Sharon Karepov and Tal Ellenbogen, engineers from Tel Aviv University in Israel, have found a way to apply this technology to contact lenses(隐形眼镜). This is good news for the millions of people worldwide who suffer from colorblindness.
One of the most common types of colorblindness is red-green colorblindness. People who have this specific type have difficulty telling the colors red and green apart. "Problems with distinguishing red from green stop simple daily routines such as deciding whether a banana is ripe," Karepov explained.
Karepov also stressed the importance of applying this finding to create special contact lenses instead of relying on color-correcting glasses.
"Glasses based on this correction concept are commercially available. However, they are too big than contact lenses." Karepov said. "Our contact lenses create a customized, compact and durable(耐用的)way to deal with these shortcomings."
This new research is groundbreaking. In addition to offering those who are colorblind another option, it may lead to solutions for other visual damage.
1. What can cause colorblindness, according to the article?| A．Only one type of cone-shaped cell exists in the eyes. |
| B．Cone-shaped cells cannot process images received. |
| C．The brain fails to absorb and process light waves. |
| D．Cone-shaped cells probably don't work properly. |
| A．They can recognize 1 million different colors. |
| B．They are not interested in colorful stuff. |
| C．They may find daily tasks more difficult. |
| D．They have fewer cone-shaped cells than other people. |
| A．Three cone-shaped cells. | B．Special color-correcting glasses. |
| C．Processed image. | D．Red-green colorblindness type. |
| A．They are much smaller. | B．They are easier to make. |
| C．They are much cheaper. | D．They can help correct colorblindness. |
| A．It has led to a cure for colorblindness. |
| B．It has found causes of visual damage. |
| C．It could lead to solutions for other visual damage. |
| D．It has helped to develop glasses to fix visual damage. |
5 . The mind is a wonderful thing.It’s also excuse-making machine that frequently tries to convince us not to take action we know are good for us.If we hadn't learned about these excuses, or how to overcome them, we would never have succeeded in making these positive changes.
So why does the mind mess with us and make unreasonable excuses? Because the mind wants comfort, that's the reason.It’s afraid of discomfort, pressure and change.The mind is absorbed in its comfort zone, and anytime we try to stretch that zone too far, for too long, the mind tries desperately to get back to "ground zero" at any cost.These damaging excuses, such as "I can't do it", "It is too hard for me", "It’s too late now" and so on, are no strangers to our minds.
It seems too difficult at first, so you think you can't stick to the positive change you're making.This excuse can be countered (对抗）by looking at the fact that other people were no more capable than you thought you were.For example, my 60-year-old next-door neighbor finished running a marathon, so I told myself, "If she can do it, so can I !" Truth be told, the only person who tells you "I can't" is yourself.If you hear those words echoing in the back of your mind, tune them out.
I've witnessed people reinventing themselves at all ages 48-year-olds starting families, 57-year-olds graduating from college for the first time, 71-year-olds starting successful businesses, and so forth.
Another common excuse is that "I've already failed too much." If you break down, it's fine, because you are only human.Just don't stay down; take a rest, and then pick yourself up so you can go to where you'd rather be.As Winston Churchill said, "Success is never final; failure is never fatal .It is courage to continue that counts."
Some people feel like quitting when they have almost reached their goal, while others attain goals through their efforts until the last second.So make some necessary adjustments to get rid of the bad habit of making excuses.Keep going! No excuses! Think, work, and climb, that's how you'll move your life forward.
1. Why does our mind make excuses?| A．It tends to seek comforts rather than suffering. |
| B．It needs rest and relaxation . |
| C．It is preparing for the difficult times. |
| D．It is the way it tries to find a solution. |
| A．The lowest spot. | B．The safest place |
| C．The original place | D．The proper position |
| A．completing a marathon was not too difficult |
| B．people often neglect their abilities |
| C．looking down upon the others is wrong |
| D．people shouldn't let negative thoughts step in their way |
| A．learn from those good examples |
| B．stop for a while and examine himself |
| C．try to adjust himself, and get back on his feet |
| D．look for new directions and keep trying |
| A．To tell readers how to make a change. |
| B．To help readers develop a new view of life. |
| C．To encourage readers to leave their comfortable zone. |
| D．To tell readers to stop making excuses and keep fighting. |
6 . My poor mother would be the first to tell you that having a food scientist for a daughter was not always easy.
One weekend visit home, I stood in her kitchen and surveyed her food preparation techniques.
“You know,” I said, "there's no nutrition left when you overcook the vegetables like that"
She smiled at me patiently and said, “Oh, my! It's a miracle that after all these years, my kids even survived at all!”.
Survived we did. Mom's meals were simple but well-balanced. My sisters and I grew up with a variety of food on our family table. When it came to vegetables, we ate almost everything- from green chilies to turnip greens.
On school mornings, Mom switched on our bedroom light to silently tell us it was time to get up. Then she'd rush to the kitchen to make a nourishing breakfast we'd eat before heading out of the door. I didn't understand why Mom was always so busy until I had a child myself.
Mom went back to work when I was in high school, no longer a housewife, so I was often the first one home. She LOVED it when I took the initiative to prepare a meal. One day, after I'd finished homework and taken care of the dogs and horses, I decided to try a recipe from one of Mom's cookbooks.
It wasn't a perfect meat. But when she got home and saw the table set and dinner ready, she was so happy. That was an enjoyable moment for me.
Now I understand that food is only one way we receive nutrition. We also need soul food, and my mom did a good job with that. She taught me humility, thankfulness and unconditional love.
I hope I could cook a meal for her this year, I'd even try not to overcook the vegetables.
1. What does the underlined word "that" refer to?| A．Seeing her mother was happy. | B．Being able to cook on her own. |
| C．Finishing her homework early | D．Taking care of the dogs and horses. |
| A．She doesn't care about nutrition any more. |
| B．She is grateful for her mom's teaching and love. |
| C．She thinks soul food is more important than real food. |
| D．She is sorry for criticizing her mom's cooking. |
| A．To encourage readers to cook their families a meal. |
| B．To teach readers how to cook nutritious food. |
| C．To stress the importance of having meals with our families. |
| D．To share the author's thoughts about her mom's cooking. |
7 . Trees often grow to appear strong, which might make it hard to believe that they're easily harmed on the Inside. But that is the case, according to a worldwide survey of more than 200 types of trees. Researchers studied the inner part of the trees and found that most don't have a built-in safety net that would allow them to survive a serious drought.
"I think this is a really big deal." ecologist David Breshears said. He says it and other studies "keep pointing to: ‘Whoa, our forests are really fragile."'
Studies like this one are particularly worrying about climate change. The average temperature of the planet is rising. Scientists predict that warming will cause changes in rainfall patterns. That could lead to longer, more severe droughts in many regions around the world. As a result, the trees that now grow there could face a serious threat.
When drought strikes, trees begin to fail in the xylem(木质部), special tissue made of many tiny, strawlike tubes. This tissue makes it possible for a tree to draw water from the ground and deliver it to the leaves. During times of drought, tiny air bubbles can develop in the tubes. Too many bubbles block the flow of water——and lead to certain death for the tree.
Brendan Choat, a plant physiologist, worked on the new study along with 23 other researchers. All together the scientists studied 226 tree species in 81 different sites around the world. Choat said that this study is the first to look at all forest types and find so many species living on the edge. Of the 226 different types of trees Choat and his colleagues studied, 70 percent lived close to the point where a serious drought would stop water transport. Trees that flower, such as maples and oaks, were more vulnerable than conifers (针叶树), which, including pines and firs have evergreen, needlelike leaves.
Plant ecologist Bettina Engelbrecht said that in the interest of conservation, scientists can't just concentrate on a few species. "We have to worry about them all."
1. The first paragraph implies that trees .| A．can live through a drought. |
| B．have the ability to protect themselves |
| C．are worth a great deal of money |
| D．are weak as a matter of fact |
| A．The drought. | B．The tube. | C．The water | D．The xylem. |
| A．One-sided. | B．Fruitless. | C．Time-consuming. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．Care about the trees that flower. |
| B．Pay attention to all species of trees. |
| C．Find out why pines and firs are strong. |
| D．Study the trees living on the edge of death. |
| A．Serious drought is a threat to most trees |
| B．Trees face death due to lack of protection |
| C．Global warming reduces the number of trees |
| D．Trees reflect the change of the global climate |
8 . The ringed planet Saturn has 53 known moons. And another one may be on the way. NASA’s Cassini-Huyens space probe has spotted（发现）a small shape in Saturn’s outermost ring. It suggests the existence of a new moon. The moon has not been directly spotted yet, but scientists have already given it a nickname---Peggy.
The probe’s findings were published in the journal Icarus. Casssini has been observing the ringed planet and its surroundings since 2004. Saturn is a big and powerful world. With a diameter of 74, 732 miles, it is 9½ times the size of Earth. It spins very quickly, and take only 11 hours to spin fully on its axis(轴). The planet is located about 885.9 million miles from the sun and has an average temperature of -285 degrees Fahrenheit.
Peggy will be joining a large community. Saturn has thousands of rings. The outermost ring, called the A Ring, is the largest and brightest. It measures 750 miles long and 6 miles wide. Saturn’s rings are made up of rock, dust and ice, and are constantly gathering space matter. As this material gathers and clumps together, moons are born.
If Peggy is a new moon, it is also a tiny one, measuring only 0.5 miles in diameter. But there is no telling how big this baby will grow over time. “We’ve never seen anything like this before,” said astronomer Carl Murray in a statement . He is the lead author of the Icarus report. “We may be looking at an act of birth, where this object is leaving the rings and heading off to be a moon in its own right.” Once that happens, it will be given a formal name.
However, this mini moon may be one of Saturn’s last. The formation of all its moons, new and old, big and small, has used up much of the rings’ raw material. After 4.5 billion years, Saturn may have finally revealed all its babies.
1. Which of the following is TRUE about Saturn?| A．It has hundreds of rings. | B．It is much bigger than Earth. |
| C．It moves as quickly as Earth. | D．Its 53rd known moon is called Peggy. |
| A．Saturn’s biggest moon. | B．Saturn’s innermost ring. |
| C．Saturn’s outermost ring. | D．Saturn’s new moon Peggy. |
| A．Peggy may disappear soon |
| B．Peggy may grow bigger and bigger |
| C．Peggy will have its own moon soon |
| D．Peggy is the new moon’s formal name |
| A．Saturn will have more and more moons |
| B．Saturn’s rings will have more and more material |
| C．Saturn’s rings may disappear in 4.5 billion years |
| D．Saturn won’t have too many moons younger than Peggy |
| A．Saturn’s baby moon | B．The future of Saturn |
| C．Saturn’s beautiful rings | D．Interesting facts about Saturn |
9 . Many years ago, my mother read from the book Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey to me. I remember as if it were yesterday, hearing her voice at my side on a cold wintry night. My mother’s voice changed my world.
Long before I could read on my own, she shared with me the strength and beauty of McCloskey’s language a story of a little girl and her mother out in nature, co-existing with a mother bear and her own baby. The power of the story, of language and of my mother all came together. And it happened many times after that, over and over. The read aloud made me a reader.
Years later, I was reading aloud a picture book to a small child in a classroom. His life, so far, had not been easy. His childhood was troubled by poverty and loneliness. In that moment, in the joy of the read aloud, he had an idea that started something big.
What he said was this: “Mrs. Allyn, let’s make sure everyone knows how good this feels. Let’s have a holiday for the read aloud” Therefore, my organization, LitWorld, created a grassroots movement World Read Aloud Day in 2010 to honor this young boy’s wish for everyone to be able to have a read aloud every day.
Since the day he shared that good idea with us, World Read Aloud Day has become a worldwide event reaching over one million people in more than 65 countries around the world. This year we are over 600 cities strong, a number that is growing every day.
Children who grow up as readers become engaged citizens of the global world, and every child deserves the right to read. When I say that reading aloud will change the world, I know it sounds simple. But one of the many great things about giving kids access to the power of stories and sharing them together is that it is simple. It is also cheap and easily done. And the impact is huge.
1. How did the author’s parent change her life?| A．By reading aloud to her. |
| B．By listening to her reading. |
| C．By buying many books for her. |
| D．By encouraging her to read aloud. |
| A．mother | B．teacher |
| C．best friend | D．favorite writer |
| A．To start a holiday. | B．To reduce poverty. |
| C．To found LitWorld. | D．To overcome loneliness. |
| A．Its origin. | B．Its future. |
| C．Its purpose. | D．Its development. |
| A．Sticking to reading isn’t easy. |
| B．Reading gives a high rate of return. |
| C．Reading aloud isn’t actually simple. |
| D．Kids should try to change the world. |
10 . People generally tend to pick out the best-looking fruits and vegetables when shopping for produce, but Canadian supermarket chain Loblaws is attracting customers with badly-shaped and faulty produce at the price of 30% lower than normal-looking ones.
A trial run of the ugly food line, named “Naturally Imperfect”, began with only apples and tomatoes to choose from. Consumer demand has been so huge that Loblaws is going to introduce more unsightly vegetables and fruit options like onions and mushrooms. The line is available at other stores, including Real Canadian Superstore and Your Independent Grocer.
All the produce that will be sold through Naturally Imperfect would otherwise have been used in juices, sauces, or soups, or have not been harvested at all. The director Dan Branson explained that this program benefited both food producers who would otherwise have to let abnormal harvest go to waste, and consumers who could buy fresh produce at low prices. And he was right, given how popular the line has become.
“It really went well beyond our expectation,” Branson said. “I think it really spoke to the fact that Canadians are out there really looking for some options.”
Of course, Canadians know that beauty is more than skin deep, but they also recognize that they can get the same flavor and nutritional benefits in spite of appearances. The positive response to the initial offering of apples and potatoes showed the opportunity to expand the line and offer more options at a greater price to Canadian families.
“If you grow produce in your backyard, there will be a lot of produce that won’t look as pretty as what you will see in a grocery store, said Branson. “And nature doesn't grow everything perfectly. I’d like to think if somebody were to take a No Name Naturally Imperfect apple, put right beside a No.1 apple, close their eyes and eat them, there would be no difference.”
1. Loblaws is different from other supermarkets in that .| A．more fruits are offered at lower prices |
| B．normal-looking produce is banned there |
| C．imperfect produce is sold at lower prices there |
| D．only apples and potatoes are sold every day |
| A．prevents people from wasting their food |
| B．happens to be a win-win arrangement |
| C．teaches food producers how to grow |
| D．enables consumers to eat more fresh produce |
| A．The ugly food line | B．The food to be wasted |
| C．The abnormal harvest | D．All the produce |
| A．Canadians are used to eating perfect produce. |
| B．Smart consumers know the importance of ugly produce. |
| C．Loblaws intends to improve customers’ quality of life. |
| D．Customers’ support promotes the development of Loblaws. |
| A．We should eat imperfect apples with our eyes closed. |
| B．The world is usually full of imperfect things. |
| C．Imperfect fruits are as tasty and nutritious as perfect ones. |
| D．The fruits grown by ourselves are more nutritious than those in the store. |
