1 . In 1620, about half the USA was covered by forests. Today the forests have almost gone. A lot of good land has gone with them, leaving only sand. China doesn’t want to copy the USA’s example. We’re planting more and more trees. We’ve built the “ Great Green Wall” of trees across northern part of our country. The Great Green Wall is 7,000 kilometres long, and between 400 and 1,700 kilometres wide. It will stop the wind from blowing the earth away. It will stop the sand from moving towards the rich farmland in the south. More “Great Green Walls” are needed. Trees must be grown all over the world. Great Green Walls will make the world better.
1. In 1620, about ________ the USA was covered by forests.| A．a third | B．half | C．two thirds | D．a fourth |
| A．sand | B．water | C．wind | D．forests |
| A．7,000 kilometers | B．1,700 kilometers |
| C．7,000 meters | D．400 kilometers |
| A．China | B．the USA |
| C．some countries | D．every part of the world |
| A．The Great Wall | B．Tall buildings |
| C．Great Green Walls | D．Flowers and grass |
| A．Winter. | B．Summer. | C．Spring. |
| A．Cool. | B．Warm. | C．Cold. |
| A．Sunny. | B．Windy. | C．Snowy. |
5 . As many as 10 of the 17 kinds of penguins may be in danger of disappearing. The number of penguins has decreased by 30% since 1987.
Penguins are black and white birds that live in the southern part of the world. They are common in South America, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa. Many live near cold waters. But some live near warm waters in Galapagos Islands. Penguins cannot fly, but they are fine swimmers. Penguins eat fish and krill(磷虾). The warming of the earth is the reason for the decrease in the number of penguins. The heating of the air has caused ocean waters to become warmer. Higher water temperatures have reduced the supply of fish and krill. Some years later these birds are completely unable to reproduce(繁殖). Besides, many adult penguins die of hunger.
Widespread(广泛的)fishing, exploration for oil and oil leaks(漏)also make penguins in danger. Poisonous things in ocean waters are another danger. Penguins also have their enemies, including wild dogs, sharks, seals and sea lions.
News about penguins is not all bad, however. Several years ago, oil leaking from a ship hurt 40% of the penguins in South Africa. The penguins became covered with oil. But thousands of people helped clean and treat the birds well. Then they returned the penguins to the wild. Now these South African penguins are reproducing in higher numbers than before the oil leaking.
1. The first paragraph tells us that________.| A．some new kinds of penguins appear |
| B．all the penguins are in danger of disappearing |
| C．there are twenty-seven kinds of penguins in all |
| D．for more than 30 years, the number of penguins has decreased by 30％ |
| A．Oil leaking. |
| B．Widespread fishing. |
| C．Human's killing. |
| D．Warming of the oceans. |
| A．Protecting our environment |
| B．Ocean waters are polluted |
| C．The decrease in the number of penguins |
| D．Ocean is important for penguins |
6 . A newly discovered planet looks just right for life as we know it, according to an international group of astronomers. Orbiting a star about 500 light-years away, the planet called Kepler-186f is about the same size as Earth. It orbits its star at the right distance for liquid water on the surface. That is a necessary condition for life as we know it.
But it is not exactly like Earth, NASA planetary scientist Elisa Quintana said. "It's more of an Earth's cousin. It's not an Earth's twin. It shares the same characteristics as Earth, but their parent stars are very different," said Quintana.
Kepler-186f orbits a star that is smaller and cooler than our sun. But, writing in the journal Science, the astronomers say the planet appears to be a closer relative than most of the hundreds of others discovered so far. Some are massive gas-covered giants with thick, crushing atmospheres. Others orbit too close to their stars and are too hot for life.
Two planets discovered last year are in the right orbit and might be good candidates for life, Quintana says, but they are a bit bigger than Earth. "For the first time, we can actually say we now have a planet that is both Earth-sized and orbits in its star's habitable zone," she said.
It may be the first time, but it probably is not the last, says Massachusetts Institute of Technology astrophysicist Sara Seager. "We've been waiting decades to understand how common habitable planets might be, and it's looking like they're really common. And this gives us excitement and motivation to take the next step," said Seager.
The next step would be to look for signs of life in the atmospheres of these distant worlds. That would take a more sophisticated (高端的；复杂的) space telescope. But budget cuts threaten that mission, says University of California at Los Angeles astrophysicist Ben Zuckerman, "In principle, we could do this in the next few decades. But in practice, because there's no money, it's not gonna happen. It's not gonna happen in my lifetime, for example."
Leaving earthbound concerns behind, NASA's Elisa Quintana believes that when the next-generation space telescope is launched, it will find that we are not alone in the universe.
1. What does the underlined word "That" (Paragraph 1) refer to________| A．The right distance. | B．Liquid water. |
| C．The right size. | D．A star. |
| A．is more of an Earth's cousin than an Earth's twin |
| B．has a lot in common with Earth, including their parent stars |
| C．is a lot bigger than Earth |
| D．is smaller and cooler than our sun |
| A．Where there is water, there is life |
| B．A planet exactly like Earth found |
| C．Life discovered on Kepler-186f |
| D．New Earth-size planet found |
7 . Bosses trying to quickly increase productivity should give up brainstorming meetings and instead invest in office plant, a study has found.
Green plants in offices increase work output by 15 percent, and challenges the “lean philosophy”(极简哲学)which holds that tidy buildings are best for concentration.
In experiments at two large commercial offices in the UK and The Netherlands, it was found that plants significantly increased workplace satisfaction, levels of focus, and air quality. “Simply decorating an office space with plants help to increase productivity by 15 percent,” said lead researcher Marlon Nieuwenhuis.
“This conclusion doesn't agree with the modern ‘lean’ management techniques, yet it points out a path to a more enjoyable, more comfortable and a more profitable form of office-based workings.” She added, “Our research suggests that investing in decorating the office with plants will pay off through an increase in workers’ quality of life and productivity. It directly challenges the widely accepted business philosophy that a lean office with clean desks is more productive.”
Previous studies have shown that the presence of plants can reduce physiological(生理上的) stress, increase the attention span and improve health and well-being.
Researchers studied offices over several months during which plants were removed and added. Professor Alex Haslam, who also worked on the study, added, “The lean philosophy has been influential across a wide range of organizational fields. Our research questions this widespread belief that less is more. Sometimes less is just less.”
Plants are beneficial because a green office makes employees more physically and emotionally involved in their work.
Another researcher Dr. Craig Knight said: “Psychologically manipulating(处理，操纵)real workplaces and real jobs adds new depth to our understanding of what is right and what is wrong with existing workspace design and management. We are now providing a model of a really smart office.”
1. According to the “lean philosophy”, ________.| A．green plants can increase productivity. |
| B．green plants may disturb people’s concentration. |
| C．a beautiful environment is beneficial to productivity. |
| D．green plants will help bosses come up with new ideas. |
| A．it may create a new way of management. |
| B．it will lead to less investment in offices. |
| C．it may lead to a better form of office-based workings. |
| D．it challenges the widely accepted brainstorming meetings. |
| A．The “lean philosophy” is widely adopted nowadays. |
| B．A green office helps employees focus on their work. |
| C．Green plants will make office workers more efficient. |
| D．When it comes to decorating offices, the less the better. |
| A．blame the “lean philosophy”. |
| B．show how to increase productivity. |
| C．Persuade bosses to remove plants from offices. |
| D．indicate the effects of green plants on works’ efficiency. |
8 . When I was six, Dad brought home a dog one day, who was called "Brownie". My brothers and I all loved Brownie and did different things with her. One of us would walk her, another would feed her, then there were baths, playing catch and many other games. Brownie, in return, loved each and every one of us. One thing that most touched my heart was that she would go to whoever was sick and just be with them. We always felt better when she was around.
One day, as I was getting her food, she chewed up (咬破) one of my Dad's shoes, which had to be thrown away in the end. I knew Dad would be mad and I had to let her know what she did was wrong. When I looked at her and said, “Bad girl,” she looked down at the ground and then went and hid. I saw a tear in her eyes.
Brownie turned out to be more than just our family pet. She went everywhere with us. People would stop and ask if they could pet her. Of course she'd let anyone pet her. She was just the most lovable dog. There were many times when we'd be out walking and a small child would come over and pull on her hair. She never barked (吠) or tried to get away. Funny thing is that she would smile. This frightened people because they thought she was showing her teeth. Far from the truth, she loved everyone.
Now many years have passed since Brownie died of old age. I still miss the days when she was with us.
1. What would Brownie do when someone was ill in the family?| A．Look at them sadly. | B．Stay with them. |
| C．Play games with them. | D．Touch them gently. |
| A．would eat anything when hungry | B．felt sorry for her mistake |
| C．loved playing hide-and-seek | D．disliked the author's dad |
| A．smiled | B．barked |
| C．rushed to them | D．tried to be funny |
| A．Shy | B．Polite | C．Brave | D．Caring |
9 . I used to be crazy about the hunting season. The excitement of waiting for a prey（猎物） and the pride of showing off the kill fascinated me. However, everything changed after that cold morning.
Early on that day of the late fall, I set off alone for the woods, packing a gun, a bottle of hot coffee and three thick sandwiches. After finding the fresh deer’s tracks in the snow, I settled down behind a little bush.
I sat there for about an hour. It was then that I saw him. A deer, a big beautiful deer! There was no cover nearer to him than 30 yards. Surely I couldn’t miss! I waited for him to realize I was there. I waited for him to be shocked and run away. But he fooled me completely. He came to towards me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid - how else can you explain it?
He was not quite young, but a deer in his prime. He must have known about men and guns. But he came closer, putting one foot before the other, slowly and purposefully. His big eyes never moved from my face. Well, that deer walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me!
What happened next is hard to believe, but it’s true. And it all seemed quite natural. Just as when a friendly young deer comes near you, I reached up and scratched（挠）his head. And he liked to be scratched. In fact, he practically asked for more. Then, I fed him my sandwich! Yes, I know what a deer eats, but that deer ate my sandwich. Well, he finally went his way, down the hill and up the deer trail. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t have either, not after that. I just watched him go.
When I was about half way back, I heard two shots, followed by a dull slam（撞击） a few seconds later. Those two shots usually mean a kill. I had forgotten there were other hunters that day.
Those hunters would never know they could have scratched his head.
1. Why didn’t the author kill the deer?| A．He was fooled by the tricky deer. |
| B．He preferred to shoot a shy deer. |
| C．He was too shocked to shoot the deer. |
| D．He was touched by the deer’s closeness. |
| A．It was taken home by the author. |
| B．It managed to escape being shot. |
| C．It was shot to death by someone else. |
| D．It formed a friendship with another hunter. |
| A．Why is man so cruel? |
| B．Why did I quit hunting? |
| C．How can we protect deer? |
| D．When will man stop hunting? |
1.感谢他的关心；
2.介绍情况：
(1)自去年冬天以来已经发生数次雾霾天气；
(2)人们已经认识到雾霾天气的危害，正采取各种措施减少其发生；
(3)你自己为此做了什么或打算做什么。
注意：1.词：80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：haze雾霾 environment 环境 poisonous 有毒的 mask 口罩 measure 措施
Dear Bill,
I' m glad to receive your letter. Thank you for caring for my health and the weather here.
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Your,
Li Hua
