1 . Directions: Read the following passage. Fill in the blanks to make the passage coherent. For the blanks with a given word, fill in each blank with the proper form of the given word. For the other blanks, fill in each blank with one proper word. Make sure that your answers are grammatically correct.

Melbourne: So lovely. So... livable.

Every year, the Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU) releases a list of 140 cities and ranks them in terms of their “livability”. Melbourne     1     (top) the list for the fifth year running.

The rankings rate “relative comfort” for more than 30 factors across five categories: stability, health care, education, infrastructure (基础设施), and culture and environment. The final scores     2     (calculate) as a percentage ranging from 1 (“intolerable”) to a perfect score of 100 (“ideal”).

Take a look at the top 10 cities, and you will find that half of     3     are in Australia and New Zealand, three in Canada, and two in Europe. They’re all medium-size cities in prosperous countries,     4     relatively low population densities. It's an equation (平衡，制衡局面) that leads to low crime rates and a functional infrastructure.

Does that mean non-Melbournians should all pack up and move to the world’s     5     (livable) metropolis? Not necessarily.

    6     the top 10 cities in the EIU’s rankings may be pleasant to live in, they’re not high on most people’s lists of top cities to visit. After all, they are not cities     7     (describe) as dynamic (充满活力的). Before Melbourne assumed the No. 1 ranking, it was Vancouver     8     came out on top for almost a decade its incredible stability.

“I find Melbourne a really boring town, so more livable means really dull,” said a policeman in Australia. “I live in Sydney because it’s interesting, not because it’s comfortable.”

Raised is the question whether you want to live in a livable city or a dynamic one. Big cities like Tokyo, London and New York suffer in the rankings because of higher crime rates and overburdened infrastructure,     9     drags down the rating of how “comfortable” they are. Yet they’re hard    10     (beat) — when it comes to recreational offerings, including nightlife, culture and entertainment.

3 . There are thirty-four bridges on the Thames River in London, the following are among the most famous ones.

Tower Bridge

Tower Bridge has stood over the River Thames in London since 1894 and is one of the finest, most recognizable bridges in the World. It is the bridge in London you may see in movies and on advertising writing for London. Tower Bridge is the only Thames Bridge that can be raised. It used to be raised about 50 times a day, but nowadays it is only raised 4 to 5 times a week.

London Bridge

The construction of the first stone London Bridge started in 1176 and finished years later. Houses and shops were once built on the bridge, which made the road so narrow that it was often jammed with people, horses and carts. A ‘keep left’ rule was made in 1733 to keep the traffic moving. This became the rule of the road in Britain. In 1757 the old bridge was pulled down and a new one was built in 1831. Interestingly, that one was pulled down again in 1967 but rebuilt in Lake Havasu City, USA, as a tourist attraction. The present London Bridge was opened in 1973.

Millennium Bridge

The Millennium Bridge is a bridge for walkers. It was built to connect the Tate Modern Art Gallery to the City and St Paul’s Cathedral (圣保罗大教堂) in 2000. Thousands of people rushed to see the new bridge. Almost immediately after opening, the bridge had to be shut because of the dangerous waving caused by too many visitors. It has now been reopened. The bridge is about 320 meters, costs 16 million pounds to build and only takes walkers.

Westminster Bridge

Westminster Bridge is a road and foot traffic bridge over the River Thames between Westminster and Lambeth. The present bridge, opened in 1862, is the second on the site and took the place of an earlier bridge opened in 1750. The British romantic poet, William Wordsworth, wrote a famous poem “Composed Upon Westminster Bridge” in the autumn of 1802.

Want to know more about the bridges on the Thames River? Click here www.bridgesinbritain.com.

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

A．The 1831 London Bridge is now in the USA.

B．Tower Bridge is much less frequently lifted today than before.

C．Cars and buses are not allowed to cross Millennium Bridge.

D．Westminster Bridge is for walkers only.

2. The Passage is most probably taken from a ________.

A．school report	B．website article
C．teenage magazine	D．science fiction

3. What can we learn from the passage?

A．William Wordsworth wrote many poems of the bridges on the Thames River.

B．Millennium Bridge wasn’t built strong enough so that it had to be pulled down and rebuilt.

C．That all the traffic is kept left in Britain was from a rule of an old London Bridge.

D．Tower Bridge is the symbol of London because it is the first bridge on the Thames River.

4 . Most people agree that honesty is a good thing. But does Mother Nature agree? Animals can’t talk, but can they lie in other ways? Can they lie with their bodies and behavior? Animal experts may not call it lying, but they do agree that many animals, from birds to chimpanzees, behave dishonestly to fool other animals. Why? Dishonesty often helps them survive.

Many kinds of birds are very successful at fooling other animals. For example, a bird called the plover sometimes pretends to be hurt in order to protect its young. When a predator(猎食动物) gets close to its nest, the plover leads the predator away from the nest. How? It pretends to have a broken wing. The predator follows the “hurt” adult, leaving the baby birds safe in the nest.

Another kind of bird, the scrub jay, buries its food so it always has something to eat. Scrub jays are also thieves. They watch where others bury their food and steal it. But clever scrub jays seem to know when a thief is watching them. So they go back later, unbury the food, and bury it again somewhere else.

Birds called cuckoos have found a way to have babies without doing much work. How? They don’t make nests. Instead, they get into other birds’ nests secretly. Then they lay their eggs and fly away. When the baby birds come out, their adoptive parents feed them.

Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky. After a fight, the losing chimp will give its hand to the other. When the winning chimp puts out its hand, too, the chimps are friendly again. But an animal expert once saw a losing chimp take the winner’s hand and start fighting again.

Chimps are sneaky in other ways, too. When chimps find food that they love, such as bananas, it is natural for them to cry out. Then other chimps come running. But some clever chimps learn to cry very softly when they find food. That way, other chimps don’t hear them, and they don’t need to share their food.

As children, many of us learn the saying “You can’t fool Mother Nature.” But maybe you can’t trust her, either.

1. A plover protects its young from a predator by ________.

A．getting closer to its young	B．driving away the adult predator
C．leaving its young in another nest	D．pretending to be injured

2. By “Chimpanzees, or chimps, can also be sneaky” (paragraph5), the author means ________.

A．chimps are ready to attack others

B．chimps are sometimes dishonest

C．chimps are jealous of the winners

D．chimps can be selfish too

3. Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A．Some chimps lower their cry to keep food away from others.

B．The losing chimp won the fight by taking the winner's hand.

C．Cuckoos fool their adoptive parents by making no nests.

D．Some clever scrub jays often steal their food back.

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

A．Do animals lie?

B．Does Mother Nature fool animals?

C．How do animals learn to lie?

D．How does honesty help animals survive?

5 . If you like to take a walk in the woods in the United States or you prefer to decorate a tree at Christmas, you should know that climate change is making both of those activities a lot more ___________.

Looking at two ___________ and economically important species - the Douglas fir and the Ponderosa pine -scientists found that fires and drought _____________ by climate change make new growth difficult, especially in low-elevation forests, according to a study published Monday in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.

Some forests in four regions in California, Colorado, the Northern Rockies and the southwestern part of the United States have crossed ''a(n) ___________ climate tipping(转折)point for post-fire tree generation, '' the study says.

Climate conditions over the past 20 years have _____________ changes that would have taken decades or even centuries to ___________ across broad regions of the country. This is leading to the sudden _____________ of trees and making these lands increasingly unsuitable for tree regeneration.

''Climate changes is _____________ our forests now, not just in some distant future. Maybe in areas where there are really _____________ seed sources, there could be some trees, but it is becoming really hard to get these trees back due to climate change, '' said study co-author Kim Davis.

The problem probably won't get any better, as climate change is making intense wildfires much more ______________. Western foresters say there used to be a fire season. But devastating and ____________ fires have become a reality all year long. In 2018, fire cost California more than $9.05 billion, according to the USA insurance commissioner, the deadliest and most destructive wildfires season in the ________________ history.

A higher number of fires and low seed availability means a high probability that these trees in these regions won't come back, Davis said. This study ______________ on the driest and hottest areas of the Western forests, but researchers will next try to focus on how much will be impacted.

____________, there are some things people can do to ease some of this problem. Forest management plans that reduce high-severity burns can help. Increasingly, forest managers are considering allowing some fires to burn under more moderate conditions, Davis said, Forest ______________can also replant trees after fire, at least in the areas where climate conditions will allow.

1.

A．convenient

B．difficult

C．encouraging

D．frustrating

2.

A．ecologically

B．apparently

C．physically

D．financially

3.

A．destroyed

B．worsened

C．extended

D．established

4.

A．necessary

B．enormous

C．critical

D．invisible

5.

A．accelerated

B．delayed

C．eliminated

D．strengthened

6.

A．transform

B．spread

C．preserve

D．escape

7.

A．extinction

B．decline

C．tragedy

D．increase

8.

A．sustaining

B．abandoning

C．facilitating

D．endangering

9.

A．sufficient

B．limited

C．moderate

D．approximate

10.

A．occasional

B．common

C．essential

D．temporary

11.

A．astonishing

B．hopeless

C．costly

D．irreversible

12.

A．world

B．state

C．human

D．forest

13.

A．concentrated

B．depended

C．insisted

D．commented

14.

A．As a result

B．For example

C．In fact

D．What’s more

15.

A．savers

B．managers

C．researchers

D．advocates

6 . I’ve been in an 18-year love-hate relationship with a black walnut tree.

It’s a unique tree. In late September or early October, falling fruits as hard as baseballs threaten the skulls (头骨) of you, your children, your neighbors and those that reside next door to them. Umbrellas in the yard are a must while dining in early August, and as for me, I wear my bike helmet while working in the garden.

The black walnut also releases a chemical substance through its roots as a competitive strategy. It’s poisonous to several common plants. There have been many new plant varieties that I brought home with hopes that maybe the black walnut would accept them, but they failed to flourish.

What does work are native plants that naturally grow in the area. Native plants are important to have around since they provide beneficial pollinators (传粉者) like birds, bees and butterflies with seeds and contribute to a healthy and biodiverse environment. Native plants for this area are generally easy to grow, so they experience less stress.

Have I thought of getting rid of this giant pain in my tiny backyard? Yes, however, getting rid of this tree standing at 50 feet with an 87-inch trunk is next to impossible. It’s also protected under the law. Rightfully so. Trees are important to the urban forest and for all of those that inhabit it.

Sometimes I think about my life without the black walnut. I can’t imagine a spring without the birds who arrive every year and loudly sing their songs before dawn. I’d miss falling asleep on lazy weekend afternoons as I look up into its leaves.

Every spring, I wonder what the season holds: What are the chances of being knocked unconscious while barbecuing? Like any good relationship, I’ll never be pleased. I’m stuck with this tree, so I’ll listen to its needs and give it the space it requires. In return, my walnut offers a habitat for wildlife and a reminder that __________.

1. What is the tree’s survival strategy?

A．It attracts beneficial pollinators.	B．It lets out poison to drive away pests.
C．It produces a chemical fatal to some plants.	D．It competes for nutrition with similar species.

2. Which of the following DOESN’T account for the author’s love-hate relationship with the tree?

A．The volume of its fruits may bring inconvenience.

B．The tree outcompetes the native plants in the garden.

C．The tree is home to numerous birds and other creatures.

D．The presence of the tree takes up much space of the garden.

3. The author most probably got a reminder from the tree that _________.

A．it’s better to give than to take

B．trees and plants have their own ways to flourish

C．even a good relationship is not always trouble-free

D．acceptance, instead of resistance, is the better way to be

8 . Summary

Fishing is probably the world’s most popular sport. People spend many dollars each year on items like boats and four-wheel-drive vehicles. In addition, they spend money on fishing equipment, bait, fuel and boat repairs. And you can see that fishing can be an expensive pastime. Fishing lovers believe that their hobby is worth it. Others say that fishing is spoiling the environment and that it is a cruel hobby.

Supporters of fishing say that it is a nice hobby. Firstly, of the millions of people who fish for fun, most only catch enough fish to feed their families. They catch fish that are found in large numbers, so there is little danger to the species.

Secondly, recreational fishermen contribute to the economy. They spend money on equipment and other items, and they also spend it indirectly by paying taxes on their equipment and fuel. Those who travel to fishing spots pay for accommodation and airfares. This money keeps people in work and provides new jobs each year.

Thirdly, fishing is relaxing and fun so it lessens stress. Instead of turning to drugs or alcohol, it is far better to go fishing. People who are relaxed are generally healthier and much nicer to be near –except for the smell of the bait!

Those who disagree with fishing say that there are too many fish thoughtlessly taken from rivers, lakes, streams and oceans. This could lead to the dying out of some species. Modern cars and boats mean that people can fish in remote areas of the world, so no place is safe from greedy fishermen who take both males and females, leaving few fish to produce young.

Those against fishing also say that it is a blood sport, which means that an animal must die so that a human can have fun. Many of the fish caught for sport are not suitable for eating, so they are thrown away. Once hooked, fish have no chance of escape.

9 . The temperature of the Sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The Sun is so much hotter than the Earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core. In the core of the Sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the Sun can never be directly observed.

Solar astronomers do know that the Sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the Sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone, and finally the core. The first three zones are the regarded as the Sun’s atmosphere. But since the Sun has no solid surface, it is hard to tell where the atmosphere ends and the main body of the Sun begins.

The Sun’s outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and can be seen during an eclipse (日食) such as the one in February 1979. Other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the Sun’s rays.

The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light as bright as the full Moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan. The corona is thickest at the sun’s equator (赤道).

The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the Sun’s corona rays reach the Earth, they are weak and invisible.

1. What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A．How the Sun evolved.

B．The structure of the Sun.

C．Why scientists study the Sun.

D．The distance of the Sun from the planets.

2. All of the following are parts of the Sun’s atmosphere EXCEPT the ______.

A．corona	B．chromosphere
C．photosphere	D．core

3. Where in the passage does the author compare the light of the Sun’s outermost layer to that of another astronomical body?

A．Paragraph 1.	B．Paragraph 2.
C．Paragraph 3.	D．Paragraph 4.