1 . If you’ve ever worried that we’ve solved all the mysteries of nature, fear not. Minnesota’s Devil’s Kettle Falls has been attracting hikers and geologists for generations. At the falls, along Lake Superior’s North shore, a river forks at a rock outcrop. While one side runs down a two-step stone bank and continues on like a normal waterfall, the other side falls into a deep hole and disappears apparently forever.
And this baffling situation only gets strange when geologists start explaining Devil’s Kettle (水壶). Consider, for instance, the sheer quantity of water pouring into the kettle every minute of every day. While the idea of some kind of broad, underground river is an exciting device in movies, the reality is that those sorts of deep caves are rare.
Another idea is that millions of years ago, a hollow lava tube may have formed beneath the falls, in the subsurface layer of rock. Over time, the theory suggests, the falling water eroded (侵蚀) the surface and fell straight down into the ancient lava tube, providing wide-open access to the floor of Lake Superior. Again, there are problems with this theory, because no lava tubes have ever been found in any of the hundreds of exposed rock beds in the area.
In February 2017, scientists said that water that disappears into the rock at Devil’s Kettle rises again in the stream below the falls. To confirm the theory, scientists plan on conducting a dye trace during a low-water flow period. They’ll pour a vegetable-based dye into the pothole and watch where the dye comes to the surface again.
“What we think is happening is that the water is going in the kettle, and coming up pretty close to immediately downstream of the falls,” Green said.
Green admits that if the dye is found below the falls like the scientists suspect, then much of the Devil’s Kettle Falls mystery will be gone. “Were there a little bit of that,” he said, “the folks would not be going to stand there and wonder. But it will still be a fascinating spot, and a beautiful spot.”
1. What is the purpose of writing the first paragraph?| A．To explain the formation of waterfalls. |
| B．To describe a beautiful landscape scene. |
| C．To introduce a mysterious natural phenomenon. |
| D．To recommend an unusual waterfall to readers. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Curious. | C．Doubtful. | D．Indifferent. |
| A．By tracing the path of the water. |
| B．By controlling the direction of the stream. |
| C．By asking the folks to watch the surface. |
| D．By filling the pothole with a dye. |
| A．The mystery of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| B．The discovery of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| C．The disappearance of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
| D．The fascinating features of Devil’s Kettle Falls |
2 . I remember as a young child bringing a bunch of brilliant yellow flowers to my mother. It didn’t matter that the stems felt sticky or that both my parents cursed the presence of these flowers in the lawn. I thought they were beautiful!
And there were so many of them! We spent hours picking the flowers and then popping the blossoms off with a snap of our fingers. But the supply of dandelions (蒲公英) never ran out. My father or brothers would chop off all the heads with the lawnmower at least once a week, but that didn’t stop these hardy wonders.
And for those flowers that escaped the honor of being hand-delivered to my mother or the sharp blades of the lawnmower, there was another level of existence. The soft roundness of a dandelion gone to seed caused endless laughter of delight as we unconsciously spread this flower across the yard.
As I worked in my garden last week, pulling unwanted weeds out of the space that would become a haven for tomatoes, corn, peas and sunflowers, I again marveled at the flower that some call a weed.
And I thought, if only I had the staying power of a dandelion. If only I could stretch my roots so deep and straight that something tugging on my stem couldn’t separate me completely from the source that feeds me life. If only I could come back to face the world with a bright, sunshiny face after someone has run me over with a lawnmower or worse, purposely attacked me in an attempt to destroy me. If only I could spread love and encouragement as freely and fully as this flower spreads seeds of itself.
The lawns at my parents’ home are now beautiful green blankets. The only patches of color come from well-placed, well-controlled flowerbeds. Chemicals have managed to kill what human interference couldn’t. Still, I hope you and I can be different. I hope that we can stretch our roots deep enough that the strongest poison can’t reach our souls. I hope that we can overcome the poisons of anger, fear, hate, criticism and competitiveness.
1. The author’s parents probably viewed the dandelions in the lawn as ________.| A．unwanted weeds | B．hard y wonders | C．supplies of seeds | D．patches of colors |
| A．The flowers were meant as a joyful gift to her mother. |
| B．The flowers that some called a weed were difficult to pull out. |
| C．The flowers were tough enough to spread new lives themselves. |
| D．The flowers evolved into a stronger species because of frequent mowing. |
| A．The author’s family enjoyed the dandelions as much as she did. |
| B．The author purposefully replaced some dandelions with crops. |
| C．The dandelions were never successfully removed from the lawn. |
| D．The author felt sorry but encouraged by the fate of the dandelions. |
| A．You reap what you sow. |
| B．Never judge a book by its cover. |
| C．United we stand, and divided we fall. |
| D．Rise above the storm and you will find the sunshine. |
3 . When it comes to going green, intention can be easier than action. Case in point: you decide to buy a T-shirt made from 100% organic cotton. But that green label doesn’t tell the whole story—like the fact that even organic cotton requires more than 10,000 L of water to grow enough fibre for one T-shirt. Or the possibility that the T-shirt may have been dyed (染色) using harmful industrial chemicals. If you knew all that, would you still consider the T-shirt green? Would you still buy it?
It’s a hard question to answer. That’s because the global economy development is beyond our ability to comprehend the consequences—for ourselves and the planet. We are not prepared to understand the increasing impact of industrial chemicals on our children’s health or the climate. And we lack the data to understand the full impact of what we choose.
But what if we could calculate the full lifetime effect of our actions on the earth and on our bodies? Not just carbon footprints but social and biological footprints as well? What if we could think ecologically? That’s what psychologist Daniel Goleman describes in his forthcoming book, Ecological Intelligence. He compiles (汇编) the environmental and biological impact of our every decision and delivers that information to consumers in a user-friendly way. That’s thinking ecologically—understanding the global environmental consequences of our local choices.
Ecological intelligence is ultimately about more than what we buy. It’s also about our ability to accept that we live in a closely connected world with limited resources. Goleman highlights the Tibetan community of Sher, where for thousands of years, villagers have survived severe conditions by carefully protecting every resource available to them. The Tibetans think ecologically because they have no other choice. Neither do we. “We once had the luxury to ignore our impacts,” says Goleman. “Not any more.”
1. Why is it hard for us to decide whether a T-shirt is green or not?| A．The green label tells lies. | B．We lack enough knowledge. |
| C．The economy grows too slowly. | D．We are misled by false data. |
| A．Increase carbon footprints. | B．Give up regular consumption. |
| C．Develop ecological thinking. | D．Deliver information to customers. |
| A．By searching for new resources. | B．By living on plentiful resources. |
| C．By distributing resources reasonably. | D．By treasuring their resources seriously. |
| A．To instruct manufacturers how to go green. |
| B．To introduce and advocate ecological intelligence. |
| C．To warn people of the dangers of ecological crisis. |
| D．To illustrate the origin of ecological intelligence. |
About 75 percent of the city’s factories and buildings, 90 percent of its homes, and all of its hospitals were gone.
But hope was not lost. Soon after the quake, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to dig out those who were
China is willing to continue cooperation
Crowds gathered to say goodbye and catch one final look at Yang Guang and Tian Tian on Wednesday, who for 12 years have enraptured
Since Beijing and London started cooperation in 2011, the two sides have made positive outcomes
This has played an important role in enhancing
| A．making up | B．teaming up | C．packing up | D．giving up |
| A．rescued | B．recognised | C．applied | D．attracted |
| A．natives | B．survivors | C．masters | D．experts |
| A．results | B．reasons | C．means | D．comments |
| A．reducing | B．improving | C．organizing | D．quitting |
7 . While so many birds visit our leafy garden every year, it’s the pair of tawny frogmouths (茶色夜鹰) that have been returning for years to
Last summer the frogmouth family, parents and two babies, was
At first the birds seemed to enjoy the rain and moved out along the branch, fluffing up (抖开) their feathers to
Through the flashes of lightning, we watched in
When I look up at the pair of tawny frogmouths who continue to
| A．monitor | B．save | C．raise | D．teach |
| A．painful | B．risky | C．simple | D．serious |
| A．happily | B．nervously | C．hungrily | D．bravely |
| A．avoiding | B．enjoying | C．expecting | D．following |
| A．chance | B．hope | C．reporting | D．warning |
| A．light | B．heavy | C．freezing | D．seasonal |
| A．pay attention to | B．keep track of | C．get rid of | D．take advantage of |
| A．late | B．slow | C．sudden | D．perfect |
| A．attractive | B．unsafe | C．hiding | D．unimportant |
| A．amazement | B．horror | C．embarrassment | D．regret |
| A．remove | B．distract | C．protect | D．separate |
| A．quietly | B．away | C．back | D．sleepily |
| A．visit | B．decorate | C．approach | D．clean |
| A．restless | B．devoted | C．shy | D．determined |
| A．proud | B．lucky | C．demanding | D．wise |
8 . Keep a Moon Diary
Grab a notebook and your favorite pen or pencil, and you’re ready to begin your very own Moon Diary. You’ll discover all kinds of fascinating things about how the moon travels and notice the various phases of the moon.
Before you start you can collect together some books about the moon to learn about it.
Start your Moon Diary by looking for the moon one night and recording all the things you notice. Note the date, time, and weather. Is the moon full? Half full? Or maybe gone entirely? What color does it seem to be?
It takes about 28 days for the moon to make one complete orbit around the Earth. So after four weeks, you’ll have completed your very own Moon Diary!
| A．Look back over what you wrote and drew. |
| B．You could draw a sad face in the box instead. |
| C．Write and draw your observations in your notebook. |
| D．Every day for a month, look in the sky and find the moon. |
| E．Maybe you’ll decide to keep going with your Moon Diary. |
| F．Picture books and stories are a great way to introduce a topic. |
| G．Predict what shape the moon will be each night for the next month. |
1、环境的现状；
2、为保护环境中学生可以做写什么；
3、倡议大家行动起来。
注意：1.写作词数为100左右。2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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Giant panda Ya Ya arrived at Shanghai Pudong International Airport on Thursday from Memphis, Tennessee.
Ya Ya returned
In December, the Memphis Zoo
The zoo hosted a farewell party for the 23-year-old female panda on April 8, with hundreds of people
In January, Chinese netizens showed their concern for Ya Ya, who appeared somewhat malnourished (营养不良) in pictures and videos
In
In 2006, Ya Ya began to shed fur, a condition
