1 . Washington, D.C. Bicycle Tours

Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.

Duration: 3 hours

This small group bike tour is a fantastic way to see a world-famous cherry trees with beautiful flowers of Washington, D.C. Your guide will provide a history lesson about the trees and the famous monuments where they blossom. Reserve your spot before availability — the cherry blossoms—disappear!

Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour

Duration: 3 hours (4 miles)

Join a guided bike tour and view some of the most popular monuments in Washington, D.C. Explore the monuments and memorials on the National Mall as your guide shares unique facts and history at each stop. Guided tour includes bike, helmet, cookies and bottled water.

Capital City Bike Tour In Washington, D.C.

Duration: 3 hours

Morning or Afternoon, this bike tour is the perfect tour for D. C. newcomers and locals looking to experience Washington, D.C. in a healthy way with minimum effort. Knowledgeable guides will entertain you with the most, interesting stories about Presidents, Congress, memorials, and parks. Comfortable bikes and a smooth tour route(路线) make cycling between the sites fun and relaxing.

Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour

Duration: 3 hours (7miles)

Join a small group bike tour for an evening of exploration in the heart of Washington, D.C. Get up close to the monuments and memorials as you bike the sites of Capitol Hill and the National Mall. Frequent stops are made for photo taking as your guide offers unique facts and history. Tour includes bike, helmet, and bottled water. All riders are equipped with reflective vests and safety lights.

1. Which tour do you need to book in advance?

A．Cherry Blossom Bike Tour in Washington, D.C.

B．Washington Capital Monuments Bicycle Tour.

C．Capital City Bike Tour in Washington.

D．Washington Capital Sites at Night Bicycle Tour.

2. What will you do on the Capital City Bike Tour?

A．Meet famous people.	B．Go to a national park.
C．Visit well-known museums.	D．Enjoy interesting stories.

3. Which of the following does the bicycle tour at night provide?

A．City maps.	B．Cameras.
C．Meals.	D．Safety lights.

2 . Monkeys seem to have a way with numbers.

A team of researchers trained three Rhesus monkeys to associate 26 clearly different symbols consisting of numbers and selective letters with 0-25 drops of water or juice as a reward. The researchers then tested how the monkeys combined—or added—the symbols to get the reward.

Here’s how Harvard Medical School scientist Margaret Livingstone, who led the team, described the experiment: In their cages the monkeys were provided with touch screens. On one part of the screen, a symbol would appear, and on the other side two symbols inside a circle were shown. For example, the number 7 would flash on one side of the screen and the other end would have 9 and 8. If the monkeys touched the left side of the screen they would be rewarded with seven drops of water or juice; if they went for the circle, they would be rewarded with the sum of the numbers—17 in this example.

After running hundreds of tests, the researchers noted that the monkeys would go for the higher values more than half the time, indicating that they were performing a calculation, not just memorizing the value of each combination.

When the team examined the results of the experiment more closely, they noticed that the monkeys tended to underestimate(低估) a sum compared with a single symbol when the two were close in value—sometimes choosing, for example, a 13 over the sum of 8 and 6. The underestimation was systematic: When adding two numbers, the monkeys always paid attention to the larger of the two, and then added only a fraction(小部分) of the smaller number to it.

“This indicates that there is a certain way quantity is represented in their brains, ”Dr. Livingstone says. “But in this experiment what they’re doing is paying more attention to the big number than the little one.”

1. What did the researchers do to the monkeys before testing them?

A．They fed them.	B．They named them.
C．They trained them.	D．They measured them.

2. How did the monkeys get their reward in the experiment?

A．By drawing a circle.	B．By touching a screen.
C．By watching videos.	D．By mixing two drinks.

3. What did Livingstone’s team find about the monkeys?

A．They could perform basic addition.	B．They could understand simple words.
C．They could memorize numbers easily.	D．They could hold their attention for long.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Entertainment.

B．Health.

C．Education.

D．Science.

3 . If anyone had told me three years ago that I would be spending most of my weekends camping, I would have laughed heartily. Campers, in my eyes, were people who enjoyed insect bites, ill-cooked meals, and uncomfortable sleeping bags. They had nothing in common with me.     1    

The friends who introduced me to camping thought that it meant to be a pioneer.     2     We slept in a tent, cooked over an open fire, and walked a long distance to take the shower and use the bathroom. This brief visit with Mother Nature cost me two days off from work, recovering from a bad case of sunburn and the doctor’s bill for my son’s food poisoning.

I was, nevertheless, talked into going on another fun-filled holiday in the wilderness.     3     Instead, we had a pop-up camper with comfortable beds and an air conditioner. My nature-loving friends had remembered to bring all the necessities of life.

    4     We have done a lot of it since. Recently, we bought a twenty-eight-foot travel trailer complete with a bathroom and a built-in TV set. There is a separate bedroom, a modern kitchen with a refrigerator. The trailer even has matching carpet and curtains.

    5     It must be true that sooner or later, everyone finds his or her way back to nature. I recommend that you find your way in style.

A．This time there was no tent.

B．Things are going to be improved.

C．The trip they took me on was a rough one.

D．I was to learn a lot about camping since then, however.

E．I must say that I have certainly come to enjoy camping.

F．After the trip, my family became quite interested in camping.

G．There was no shade as the trees were no more than 3 feet tall.

4 . Although traditional pet stores are somewhere you buy a(n) _________ to be your friend at home, there’s a new kind of pet store _________ you spend some quality time with the animals and just walk away, without taking _________. What really _________ is the experience.

I visited one of these stores in the Sanlitun area in Beijing. I was targeting call ducks, which are _________ for their cute looks and, of course, their high _________, each of them can _________ cost a few thousand yuan. Since I was not planning to spend so much on a duck, _________ them in one of these—what I’d call “mini-zoos”—seemed to be the _________ option.

There were a __________ of five call ducks at the store—among other animals—and we __________ a good three hours with them. We got to learn much about them.

Call ducks are not easy to get along with, so playing with them would include a lot of running from our side and quacking (呱呱叫) from theirs. Also, don’t expect them to be house-trained, one of the ducks actually pooped (排便) while __________ on my leg. But none of these little incidents reduced the __________ of holding them in my hands and touching their full chests. It was like the whole world’s joy was in my hands, for those call ducks are fun and __________—something I would hardly ever expect from work.

That’s the __________ of animals: You don’t have own them—simply spending time with them is enough.

1.

A．animal

B．apple

C．instrument

D．book

2.

A．that

B．where

C．how

D．which

3.

A．nothing

B．everything

C．anything

D．something

4.

A．matters

B．moves

C．separates

D．keeps

5.

A．endless

B．worthless

C．important

D．famous

6.

A．mistakes

B．words

C．prices

D．feelings

7.

A．slightly

B．easily

C．immediately

D．carefully

8.

A．talking

B．eating

C．visiting

D．painting

9.

A．complicated

B．perfect

C．interesting

D．peaceful

10.

A．extent

B．prevention

C．meaning

D．total

11.

A．bought

B．spent

C．brought

D．cost

12.

A．sitting

B．remembering

C．thinking

D．saying

13.

A．gratitude

B．forgiveness

C．faith

D．pleasure

14.

A．comforting

B．annoying

C．tough

D．anxious

15.

A．envy

B．pity

C．duty

D．magic

6 . Earthquake forecasting is one of the most ancient skills known to mankind. From ancient Greece to the present day, countless scientists have tried to develop tools to predict earthquakes. Their attempts usually focused on searching for reliable evidences of coming quakes.

However, there are many reasons why predicting quakes is so hard. “We don’t understand some basic physics of earthquakes,” said Egill, a research professor at the California Institute of Technology. Scientists have also attempted to create mathematical models of movement, but precisely predicting would require great mapping and analysis of the Earth’s crust. Other challenges include a lack of data on the early warning signs, given that these warning signs are not yet entirely understood. Actually, real earthquake prediction is very similar to the diagnosis of potential human illnesses based on observing and analyzing each patient’s signs and symptoms. As it turns out, quake prediction is extremely difficult.

Many sources show that earthquake forecasting was a recognized science in ancient Greece. Ancient Greeks lived very close to nature and were able to detect unusual phenomena and forecast earthquakes. The first known forecast was made by Pherecydes of Syros about 2500 years ago: he made it as he scooped water from a well and noticed that usually very clean water had suddenly become muddy. Indeed, an earthquake occurred two days later, making Pherecydes famous. Nowadays, seismic and remote-sensing methods are considered to have the greatest potential in terms of solving the earthquake prediction problem.

Currently, Terra Seismic can identify a forthcoming earthquake with a high level of confidence. Generally, Terra Seismic does not predict a quake if the earthquake’s epicenter is located beyond a depth of 40 km. Fortunately, such quakes are almost always harmless, since quake’s energy reduces before reaching the Earth’s surface. “Scientists have tried every possible method to try to predict earthquakes,” Bruneau said. “Nobody has been able to crack it and make a believable prediction.”

1. What do we know about earthquake forecasting?

A．Scientists have been passionate about accurately predicting earthquakes.

B．As long as enough data is collected, earthquakes can be predicted.

C．Mathematical models of motion can simulate and predict earthquakes.

D．Scientists have not yet fully studied the structure of earthquakes.

2. How did Pherecydes successfully predict earthquakes?

A．By seismic and remote-sensing methods.

B．By observing unusual natural phenomena.

C．By living in seismic zones throughout the year.

D．By looking into data on the early warning signs.

3. What was Bruneau’s opinion about the current methods of earthquake prediction?

A．He strongly believed the Terra Seismic can solve the difficult problem.

B．He was sure that humans could accurately predict earthquakes in the future.

C．He considered it harmless to humans for an earthquake deeper than 40km.

D．He thought that scientists had no reliable method to predict earthquakes.

4. Which question does this article focus on?

A．Why do humans predict earthquakes?

B．How to protect oneself during an earthquake?

C．What methods can be used to forecast earthquakes?

D．When to achieve accurate earthquake forecasting?

7 . Two earth scientists at the Indian Institute of Technology Kanpu are calling for flood prevention and warning systems in areas around the Himalayan mountains to protect people from floods or to warn them of the potential disasters. In their Perspectives piece published in the journal Science, Tanuj Shukla and Indra Sen point out that rising temperatures due to global warming are leading to an increase in flood danger for people who live in the area.

As Shukla and Sen note, the Himalayas hold the most ice anywhere on the planet outside of the polar regions — snow-covered mountains and glaciers hold on to massive amounts of water. In the past, as snow and ice have melted in the warmer months, mountain lakes have formed with natural dams holding them in place. But previous research has shown that increases in the amount of water buildup in such lakes and melting of the ice in the rocky material that makes up natural dams can lead to massive floods. Just eight years ago, they note, melting ice in northern India led to an avalanche (雪崩) that pushed the natural dams past its breaking point. The water rushing down the mountain, carrying with it large rocks, trees and other debris, wound up killing over 5,000 people. Such events are common enough to have been given a name-glacial lake outburst floods (GLOFs). They can also be caused by extreme rain events during Monsoon season, which, due to global warming, are happening more often.

Shukla and Sen point out that as the planet grows warmer, more GLOFs are certain to occur. But they also note that the same outcomes are not unavoidable. They suggest that the construction of reservoirs to hold extra rain, structures to change the course of water, detention basins (滞洪区) along with embankments (堤岸) could prevent such flooding. They also suggest improvements in technology could help — upgrading cell service in the region, for example, would allow people upstream to call and warn those living downstream. They also suggest building a satellite network that could be used to monitor troublesome areas. Taken together, such technology could form the basis of an early warning system. Without such action, they warn millions of people could lose their lives in the coming years.

1. What are Shukla and Sen concerned about according to Paragraph 1?

A．The Himalayas holds more and more ice because of flood happened.

B．How to establish warning systems around the Himalayan mountains.

C．How to prevent flood in areas around the Himalayan mountains.

D．More flood caused by global warming may occur around Himalayas.

2. What’s the main idea of the 2nd paragraph?

A．The result of an avalanche.

B．The meaning of GLOFs.

C．The cause of GLOFs.

D．The cause of an avalanche.

3. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．GLOFs can be avoided in Shukla and Sen’s opinion.

B．GLOFs can be prevented by reducing detention basins.

C．Constructing reservoirs is the best way to prevent GLOFs.

D．GLOFs are unpredictable in the future due to global warming.

4. What do Shukla and Sen suggest to prevent GLOFs?

A．To improve the embankments.

B．To make more satellites.

C．To upgrade satellite network.

D．To set up warning systems.

10 . Priest (牧师) had a cat that climbed up a tree in his backyard and then was afraid to come down. The priest persuaded (劝说) and offered warm milk, etc. The kitty would not come down. The tree was not strong enough to climb, so the priest decided that if he tied a rope to his car and drove away so that the tree would bend down, he could then reach up and get the kitty. He did so, checking his progress in the car again and again, then worked out if he went just a little bit further, the tree would be bent enough for him to reach the kitty, But as he moved a little further forward, the rope broke.

The tree went “boing!” and the kitty at once sailed through the air out of sight. The priest felt terrible. He walked all over the neighborhood asking people if they’d seen his kitty. Nobody had seen a lost kitty.

So, he prayed, “God, I just give this kitty to your keeping.” And then he went on about his business.

Several days later he was at the grocery store, meeting one of his church members. He happened to look into her shopping cart and was amazed to see cat food. Before this woman was a cat hater and everyone knew it, so he asked her, “Why are you buying cat food when you hate cats so much?”

She replied ,“You won’t believe this.” and told him how her little girl had been begging her for a cat, but she kept refusing. Then a few days before, the child begged again, so the mom finally told her little girl. “Well, God gives you a cat, you can keep it.” She told the priest, “I watched my child go out in the yard, get on her knees, and ask God for a cat. You won’t believe this, but saw it with my own eyes. A cat suddenly came flying out of the blue sky, with its paws spread out. and landed right in front of her.”

1. The priest drove his car to bend the tree in order to ________.

A．get his kitty down from the tree	B．play with his kitty happily
C．offer the kitty some warm milk	D．see if the rope was strong enough

2. Why was the priest amazed when he saw the woman had bought much cat food?

A．Because he knew clearly that she didn’t like a cat.

B．Because the woman was his church member.

C．Because he thought she would live on cat food.

D．Because he couldn’t imagine she had her own cat.

3. Who gave the girl a cat?

A．God.

B．Her neighbor.

C．The priest.

D．Her church member.

4. What is the best title for the passage?

A．A Flying Cat

B．A Lucky Girl

C．God Sent a Cat to a Girl

D．An Unlucky Priest