1 . Harvey Sutton spent nearly seven months hiking (徒步旅行) with his parents, walking the thousands of miles that make up the complete Appalachian Trail (阿巴拉契亚山道), which is simply called the “AT”. Harvey was just 4 years old when he started, and celebrated his 5th birthday on the trail.

To build up their child’s physical health and develop his personal qualities, Josh and Mary Sutton have been hiking with Harvey since he was two years old. They prepared him for hiking the “AT” by starting out with lots of shorter walks and hikes.   

The “AT” is a 3,530-kilometer hiking trail that runs through the forests of the Appalachian Mountains, from Georgia to Maine, passing through 14 states in all. The amount of up and down on the trail is about the same as climbing up and down Mount Everest (the world’s tallest mountain) 16 times. So only one out of every 4 hikers completes all the sections of the trail. But that didn’t stop Harvey and his family.

It took Harvey and his family 209 days — about seven months—to complete the entire AT. Every day the family would wake up around 5:30 in the morning. They would have breakfast and pack up their tent (帐篷) and sleeping bags before setting off through the woods. In general, the family hiked about 16 kilometers a day before stopping to set up camp again.

During his days on the AT, Harvey liked to use his imagination, which helped him walk more quickly and have fun. Harvey and his family made friends with other hikers on the trail. Harvey didn’t seem to get tired and enjoyed the hard work of hiking. “My favorite part was the rock climbing,” he says, “because it was so fun and hard.”

Completing the AT taught Harvey and his parents how to work as a team and how to take on challenges together. “We’re closer than ever before because of the experience,” Harvey’s mom said. “If possible, I want to hike the AT again at some point in the future,” Harvey added.

1. For what purpose did the Suttons hike the “AT”?

A．To see the fantastic natural scenery together.

B．To prepared Harvey to climb Mount Everest.

C．To make Harvey strong both in body and in mind.

D．To celebrate Harvey’s 5th birthday in a special way.

2. What do the numbers in paragraph 3 illustrate?

A．The main features of the AT.

B．The difficulty of hiking the AT.

C．The popularity of climbing the AT.

D．The significance of crossing the AT.

3. What is the typical character of Harvey?

A．Brave, curious and talkative.	B．Honest, easy-going and creative.
C．Challengeable, proud and humorous.	D．Adventurous, positive and strong-willed.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Harvey is going to hike the AT again.

B．It’s important to meet challenges on one’s own.

C．The Suttons have benefited greatly from the hike.

D．Hiking is sure to make family relationship stronger.

2 . Blue whales are the largest creatures to live on Earth after the dinosaurs. These amazing creatures are not only the largest whale species but also the largest mammal (哺乳动物) species to have ever existed on Earth.

The average length of a blue whale is 23—27 meters and its weight is from 100 to 150 tons. In spite of their large size, blue whales can swim at a fast speed of 25 to 30 miles per hour. The blue whales are not really blue in color but are actually gray. Blue whales feed on krill (磷虾). They take in a lot of water. They have a very unique way of communicating with each other by sending low frequency sound waves, which is even higher than the sound produced by a plane.

Before the whale hunting time started, blue whales could be found in all major oceans. Once, there were more than 200,000 blue whales that swam in the oceans. The Seas of Canada, North Atlantic Ocean and the seas to the south of Madagascar are among the most popular regions where blue whales can be found nowadays. Other major parts are the Antarctic Ocean and the Davis Strait.

Early whaling was limited by simple tools and whaling skills. So the damage to whale populations was not great. But with the development of powerful guns and steam-powered boats, whaling advanced. More whales were hunted at a rapid rate. In 1931 alone, 29,649 whales were killed. Humans competed to hunt the big animals. Besides, the number of blue whales is low due to more man’s deep-sea activities.

Fortunately, officials are doing something great about the blue whales. The International Whaling Commission has taken steps to protect these wonderful creatures. Committees of experts have been formed to work against whaling.

1. How do blue whales communicate?

A．By swimming fast.

B．By delivering food.

C．By touching each other.

D．By sending sound signals.

2. What is the third paragraph mainly about?

A．The habits that blue whales develop.	B．The ways that blue whales are hunted.
C．The places where blue whales can be found.	D．The reasons why blue whales are endangered.

3. What caused the number of blue whales to drop quickly according to the text?

A．Ocean water was polluted.	B．Hunting tools were improved.
C．The blue whales suffered from illnesses.	D．The blue whales fought against each other.

4. What is the author’s attitude towards the officials’ work?

A．Positive.

B．Worried.

C．Unclear.

D．Confused.

3 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. Why do people sell foods at the fair?

A．To increase their income.

B．To contribute to local education.

C．To advertise the traditional food.

2. What activity in the fair is the most popular?

A．The dog show.

B．The live music.

C．The picnic.

3. What may make the school children really excited?

A．Tasting free local food.

B．Throwing wool balls at a teacher.

C．Playing with the wooden balls.

4. What do we know about the fair?

A．It unites the whole town.

B．It attracts overseas bands.

C．It’s held in different schools.

5 . On a sunny afternoon, Andreas Fath climbed out of a river in Paducah. A small crowd was on hand to witness his setting a new world record. This man had just finished swimming the entire length of the Tennessee River—1,049 kilometers. And he did it in just 34 days!

As a chemist from Hochshule Furtwangen University, the 52-year-old man had taken on this swim for science. His primary goal was not to get his name into Guinness World Records. What really drove this swim was a desire to make people aware of the seriousness of water pollution.

Fath’s crew included his family. Martin Knoll, who helped organize Fath’s swim, also took par t. Knoll is an environmental scientist at the University of the South. He describes this swim as a vehicle for getting people interested in water quality and how we pollute water without realizing it.

It took Fath 34 days to swim the river’s length. Along the way, his crew took measurements of the water’s temperature and pH. They also recorded weather and the speed of the river’s currents (涌流). As for the Tennessee River, they collected daily water samples. A small plastic device attached to one leg of Fath’s wet suit sampled the chemical pollutants (污染物) through which he swam. Finally, Fath’s goal is to use such data to know what on earth results in water pollution. Then he wants to find ways to keep those chemicals out of the water.

Back in Germany, Fath and his students have finished examining their data. They plan to publish their findings soon. Identifying materials that hide in the river isn’t only important for the animals that live there. “It’s also a way to protect human health,” says Fath.

1. What was the main purpose of Andreas Fath’s long swim?

A．To make history.	B．To set a new world record.
C．To bring attention to water pollution.	D．To provide inspiration for scientific research.

2. What did Martin Knoll think of this long swim?

A．It was tiring.

B．It was painful.

C．It was interesting.

D．It was meaningful.

3. Why did Andreas Fath and his crew collect data along the way?

A．To identify the sources of pollution.	B．To learn a lot more about the currents.
C．To know chemicals’ effects on water.	D．To get pollutants removed from the water.

4. What is Andreas Fath expected to do next?

A．Analyze the collected data.	B．Get the findings published.
C．Study how to improve health.	D．Identify materials in other rivers.

6 . Bill worked as a fireman for 17 years. He’s been proud of his bravery in risking his life to_________others. One emergency call_________him to poisonous chemicals, which later led to repeated strokes. Just at 37, the man, who had become accustomed to having the_________to save lives, now wasn’t able to button his own shirt or tie his own shoes.

Bill’s wife Daisy_________what would happen to Bill, and she suggested they add a_________to the family. So_________Coco. Coco was saved from the slum (贫民窟) and brought to America for_________by the nonprofit Puppy Rescue Mission. At the airport, as soon as Coco_________from his box, he peed (尿湿) all over Bill — and Bill burst into his first genuine_________in months — he got to love the dog!

After several months, Daisy was suddenly woken up by Coco’s__________barking. She went to see what was__________and found Bill had fallen down unconscious. Bill was rushed to the hospital—Coco had saved the day. And it wasn’t the__________time. When Coco would find Bill__________, he would call for help with his bark of warning.

“He’s always there watching me, helping me,__________I’m okay,” says Bill. “I’ve__________saved others, and now this lovely dog saves me, and that has to mean something. That has to mean I’m worth something after all.”

1.

A．find

B．save

C．cure

D．guide

2.

A．devoted

B．adapted

C．exposed

D．attracted

3.

A．strength

B．intelligence

C．skills

D．devices

4.

A．remembered

B．feared

C．predicted

D．agreed

5.

A．toy

B．box

C．pig

D．dog

6.

A．enter

B．purchase

C．desert

D．choose

7.

A．show

B．performance

C．sale

D．adoption

8.

A．lay

B．barked

C．emerged

D．fled

9.

A．laughter

B．tears

C．cry

D．anger

10.

A．broken

B．panicked

C．moved

D．delighted

11.

A．better

B．worse

C．wrong

D．right

12.

A．common

B．only

C．regular

D．frequent

13.

A．at peace

B．at work

C．in place

D．in danger

14.

A．making sure

B．turning out

C．determining

D．doubting

15.

A．seldom

B．never

C．hardly

D．ever

7 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

As China's wandering elephants are heading home, Chinese netizens (网民) are excitedly discussing whether they will make another journey.

The 14 wild Asian elephants     1     (return) to their traditional habitat for two days. After almost a year and a half of travel, the elephants are     2     (current) living in thewoodland in Mojiang county of Puer city, a part of     3     (they) original habitat. All the elephants are within the monitoring range and in normal state. Many Chinese netizens are discussing the possibility of their     4     (start) another journey the next year. Wildlife     5     (expert) also guess that the elephants may leave home for another journey     6     the near future. Elephants have long memories     7     they have no sense of boundaries, nor do they know the boundary of a natural reserve. Having felt the     8     (kind) and friendliness of humans, they may organize more “elephant tourist groups"     9     (visit) Yunnan people the next year.

However, it's rather difficult to predict     10     the elephants may travel next time.

8 . Weather reports often mention high or low pressure systems headed toward a city or town. If you’re in the path of one of these systems, expect a change in weather conditions. High and low pressure systems operate using similar principles, but the effects they produce differ significantly.

View a weather map, and you may see distinct regions that represent different air masses. An air mass is a region of air that has about the same humidity(湿度) and temperature throughout. When an air mass remains over a location for a while, it decides the characteristics of the region. Air masses can be cold or warm and they may contain wet or dry air. All air masses have the ability to move away from their source region into other locations.

Meteorologists(气象学家) call the boundary between two air masses a front. A cold front’s motion through a warm front is a low-pressure system. If a cold air mass replaces a warm air mass, you have a cold front. Air in the cold air mass is often drier than air in front of it. As the air masses meet, the wind usually changes direction and rain or thunderstorms often occur.

A warm front is associated with a high-pressure system and occurs when a warm air mass replaces a colder air mass. A high-pressure system often brings clear, calm weather. Warm fronts travel slowly and are weaker than cold fronts.

Cold fronts move faster than warm fronts because a cold front contains denser air. Cold fronts also often travel from west to east while warm fronts move from north to south. As a warm front approaches, temperatures may rise as warmer air flows in from a warm air mass. However, when the cold front hits, temperatures can drop precipitously within a short time.

1. How is the temperature of a region under a certain air mass?

A．Unusual.

B．Stable.

C．Diverse.

D．Changeable.

2. What happens when two air masses meet?

A．A clear sky appears.	B．A strong wind is formed.
C．The air becomes wetter.	D．The wind changes directions.

3. What does the underlined word “precipitously” in the last paragraph mean?

A．Sharply.

B．Slowly.

C．Possibly.

D．Specially.

4. What is mainly talked about in this text?

A．The formation of air masses.	B．The new findings of meteorologists.
C．The effects of air mass and fronts on weather.	D．The methods for accurate weather forecasts.

9 . 听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1. What is the purpose of this broadcast?

A．To entertain people with English.

B．To help people to learn English.

C．To talk about ways of learning English.

2. What is the key to learning English according to the speaker?

A．Talking about weather.

B．Spending more time.

C．Practicing enough.

3. Which direction did Storm Callum come from?

A．The west.

B．The east.

C．The southeast.

4. How did the Storm affect southeastern England?

A．Flood was caused by heavy rain.

B．Trees were blown down.

C．Leaves were blown everywhere.