1 . 阅读七选五

Trees around us are extremely important and have always been necessary for improving the human conditions. Our existing forests and trees we plant work to make a better world.    1    . Here is a short list of main reasons trees are necessary for improving our living conditions.

Trees produce oxygen    2    . A leafy tree produces as much oxygen in a season as 10 people inhale in a year. What many people don't realize is that the forest also acts as a giant filter (过滤器) that cleans the air we breathe. Trees help clean the air by preventing airborne particles, reducing heat, and absorbing such pollutants. Trees clean the soil. The term phytoremediation is a fancy word for the absorption of dangerous chemicals and other pollutants that have entered the soil.

    3    . Trees filter sewage and farm chemicals, reduce the effects of animal wastes, clean roadside spills and so on. Trees are carbon sinks. To produce its food, a tree absorbs and locks away carbon dioxide in the wood, roots and leaves.

Carbon dioxide is a global warming suspect.    4    . This locking­up process “stores” carbon as wood and not as a “greenhouse” gas.

    5    Trees block urban noise almost as effectively as stone walls. Trees, planted at strategic points in a neighborhood or around your house, can reduce major noises from freeways and airports.

A．We could not exist as we do if there were no trees

B．Trees help clean the sky

C．A forest is a carbon storage area that can lock up as much carbon as it produces

D．Trees control noise pollution

E．Man has been planting trees to make the planet a more beautiful world

F．The modern human community has other more practical reasons to admire and honor trees

G．Trees can either store harmful pollutants or change the pollutants into less harmful forms

2 .        In some ways, the United States has made some progress. Fires no longer destroy 18,000 buildings as they did in the Great Chicago Fire of 1871, or kill half a town of 2,400 people, as they did the same night in Peshtigo,            Wisconsin. Other than the Beverly Hill Supper Club fire in Kentucky in 1977, it has been four decades since more than 100 Americans died in a fire.
       But even with such successes, the United States still has one of the worst fire death rates in the world. Safety experts say the problem is neither money nor technology, but the indifference(无所谓) of a country that just will not take fires seriously enough.
        American fire departments are some of the world's fastest and best-equipped. They have to be. The United States has twice Japan's population, and 40 times as many fires. It spends far less on preventing fires than on fighting them. And American fire-safety lessons are aimed almost entirely at children, who die in large numbers in fires but who, against popular beliefs, start very few of them.
        Experts say the error is an opinion that fires are not really anyone's fault. That is not so in other countries, where both public education and the law treat fires as either a personal failing or a crime. Japan has many wood houses; of the 48 fires in world history that burned more than 10,000 buildings, Japan has had 27. Punishment for causing a big fire can be as severe as life imprisonment.
        In the United States, most education dollars are spent in elementary schools. But, the lessons are aimed at too limited a number of people; just 9 percent of all fire deaths are caused by children playing with matches.
The United States continues to depend more on technology than laws or social pressure. There are smoke detectors in 85 percent of all homes. Some local building laws now require home sprinklers (喷水装置). New heaters and irons shut themselves off if they are tipped.
1. The reason why so many Americans die in fires is that _____.

A．they took no interest in new technology

B．they did not pay great attention to preventing fires

C．they showed indifference to fighting fires

D．they did not spend enough money on fire equipment

2. It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A．fire safety lessons should not be aimed only at American children

B．American children have not received enough education of fire safety lessons

C．Japan is better equipped with fire equipment than the United States

D．America's large population leads to more fires

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

A．There has been no great fire in the USA in recent 40 years that leads to high death rate.

B．There have been several great fires in the USA in recent 40 years that lead to high death rate.

C．There has been only one great fire in the USA in recent 40 years that led to high death rate.

D．The fire in Kentucky in 1977 made only a few people killed.

3 . California Condor’s Shocking Recovery

California condors are North America’s largest birds, with wind-length of up to 3 meters. In the 1980s, electrical lines and lead poisoning(铅中毒) nearly drove them to dying out. Now, electric shock training and medical treatment are helping to rescue these big birds.
In the late 1980s, the last few condors were taken from the wild to be bred(繁殖). Since 1992, there have been multiple reintroductions to the wild, and there are now more than 150 flying over California and nearby Arizona, Utah and Baja in Mexico.
Electrical lines have been killing them off. “As they go in to rest for the night, they just don’t see the power lines,” says Bruce Rideout of San Diego Zoo. Their wings can bridge the gap between lines, resulting in electrocution(电死) if they touch two lines at once.
So scientists have come up with a shocking idea. Tall poles, placed in large training areas, teach the birds to stay clear of electrical lines by giving them a painful but undeadly electric shock. Before the training was introduced, 66% of set-freed birds died of electrocution. This has now dropped to 18%.
Lead poisonous has proved more difficult to deal with. When condors eat dead bodies of other animals containing lead, they absorb large quantities of lead. This affects their nervous systems and ability to produce baby birds, and can lead to kidney(肾) failures and death. So condors with high levels of lead are sent to Los Angeles Zoo, where they are treated with calcium EDTA, a chemical that removes lead from the blood over several days. This work is starting to pay off. The annual death rate for adult condors has dropped from 38% in 2000 to 5.4% in 2011.
Rideout’s team thinks that the California condors’ average survival time in the wild is now just under eight years. “Although these measures are not effective forever, they are vital for now,” he says. “They are truly good birds that are worth every effort we put into recovering them. ”
1. California condors attract researchers’ interest because they _________.

A．are active at night

B．had to be bred in the wild

C．are found only in California

D．almost died out in the 1980s

2. Researchers have found electrical lines are _________.

A．blocking condors’ journey home

B．big killers of California condors

C．rest places for condors at night

D．used to keep condors away

3. According to Paragraph 5, lead poisoning _________.

A．makes condors too nervous to fly

B．has little effect on condors’ kidneys

C．can hardly be gotten rid of from condors’ blood

D．makes it difficult for condors to produce baby birds

4. This passage shows that _________.

A．the average survival time of condors is satisfactory

B．Rideout’s research interest lies in electric engineering

C．the efforts to protect condors have brought good results

D．researchers have found the final answers to the problem

4 . Visitors to the dry, hot Sonoran Desert of the southern Arizona and northern Mexico are amazed at the many­armed giants. They are the saguaro cacti (树形仙人掌), a giant which gives the landscape its _____ appearance. In the dry desert the saguaro cacti can live for more than 200 years, grow to a _____ of 60 feet, and have as many as 50 arms.

More _____， the saguaro cacti still persist despite the unbearable desert climate. Those that have grown to old age have _____ droughts, freezes, flash floods, and bush fires as well as the _____ caused by groups of rats that eat their seedlings (秧苗). Like all other desert _____， these leafless giants can store water for use during the desert's long dry seasons by _____ water through their long roots.

Naturally, the great saguaro cacti are a(n) _____ part of the desert life. Actually the giants may be _____ to many animals, including woodpeckers, owls, doves, bats and insects. In addition, after a saguaro ______ the age of 50 or so, cold­resistant flowers ______ at the top of the plants once a year. These flowers ______ birds, bats and bees, which come for the honey and for the tasty flowers with their black seeds.

______ the splendid saguaros are plentiful in the Southwest, they are unfortunately ______. These giant cacti have great value in landscape gardening, and the thieves can earn thousands of dollars by uprooting and ______ them to nurseries (苗圃). To protect these southwestern ______， agents for the Arizona Department of Agriculture go around and ______ the desert. It's a most important job though a hard one. But without the saguaro cacti, many desert animals would suffer a lack of ______ and loss of nesting sites. The Southwest, too, would ______ something of unique importance, since these desert giants have become a ______ of the dry region.

1.

A．general

B．basic

C．unique

D．lovely

2.

A．length

B．height

C．size

D．width

3.

A．pleasingly

B．inspiringly

C．interestingly

D．amazingly

4.

A．lived through

B．broken through

C．cut through

D．got through

5.

A．crisis

B．damage

C．destruction

D．load

6.

A．plants

B．lives

C．animals

D．creatures

7.

A．pouring

B．squeezing

C．pumping

D．absorbing

8.

A．independent

B．vital

C．original

D．mysterious

9.

A．spot

B．field

C．home

D．camp

10.

A．turns

B．takes

C．meets

D．gains

11.

A．come up

B．come out

C．show off

D．show up

12.

A．call

B．trap

C．fascinate

D．stick

13.

A．As

B．But

C．Although

D．Yet

14.

A．in danger

B．in demand

C．in need

D．in control

15.

A．exchanging

B．trading

C．offering

D．selling

16.

A．treasures

B．decorations

C．possessions

D．creations

17.

A．look over

B．hand over

C．watch over

D．turn over

18.

A．food

B．scenery

C．water

D．flavor

19.

A．affect

B．abandon

C．increase

D．lose

20.

A．signal

B．sign

C．mark

D．symbol

5 . Antarctica (南极洲) is like no other place in the world.It is _______. It is very big. It is like the United States and Australia together. Antarctica is the _______ place in the world. The temperature is sometimes -1250F (-87℃). August and September are the coldest months because there is no _______.

Antarctica is the highest continent, about 10,000 feet high. Antarctica also has very strong winds. The wind sometimes _______ as fast as two hundred miles an hour. It is also the driest place in the world.

Antarctica is also _______. There are huge glaciers (冰川) and ice everywhere. A glacier is an area of ice that _______ slowly. The ice and glaciers are beautiful. But most plants and land animals cannot _______ on the ice. There are no trees, no rivers, and no cities in Antarctica.Only penguins and other sea birds live there.

Antarctica does not _______ any one country._______, every country owns Antarctica. More than twenty countries have stations in Antarctica. A station is a place where scientists do experiments. The ________ are the only people who live in Antarctica.

Life on an Antarctica station is ________. It is like life on a space station. The sun shines for six months, and then it is ________ for six months. People usually have problems with sleeping and eating. They eat more ________ they are not busy.In an emergency, it is hard to get ________. Once, an American doctor Nielsen realized she was ________. She had cancer. It was winter, and airplanes could not ________ in Antarctica. Dr. Nielsen had no choice but to ________. An airplane dropped medicine to her, and she ________ herself. Several months later, Dr. Nielsen ________ to the United States to get special medical help.

Today, ships go to Antarctica during the summer months from November to February.People want to ________ this unusual place，but they don’ t want to live there!

1.

A．strange

B．flat

C．terrible

D．unique

2.

A．greatest

B．cleanest

C．coldest

D．worst

3.

A．sun

B．air

C．water

D．food

4.

A．comes

B．blows

C．rises

D．drops

5.

A．empty

B．dangerous

C．noisy

D．important

6.

A．forms

B．happens

C．shakes

D．moves

7.

A．remain

B．produce

C．live

D．change

8.

A．depend on

B．compete with

C．appeal to

D．belong to

9.

A．Above all

B．In fact

C．For example

D．On average

10.

A．scientists

B．hunters

C．fishermen

D．sailors

11.

A．hard

B．interesting

C．normal

D．active

12.

A．day

B．night

C．vacation

D．winter

13.

A．while

B．so

C．though

D．because

14.

A．messages

B．replies

C．help

D．relief

15.

A．alone

B．anxious

C．sick

D．hungry

16.

A．land

B．remain

C．stand

D．fly

17.

A．continue

B．stay

C．work

D．adjust

18.

A．took pride in

B．felt sorry for

C．paid attention to

D．took care of

19.

A．referred

B．traveled

C．returned

D．drove

20.

A．remember

B．visit

C．control

D．save

6 . Can you imagine a world without chocolate? It’s not something I’d like, so I was relived to read that there's a university with a programme to safeguard the future of chocolate!

The university of Reading, in England, has just opened a new clearing house for all the world's new cocoa varieties. They must be quarantined (隔离) before they can be grown. Why? Cocoa production hit a record high of 4.4 million tons last year but about 30% of the precious crop is regularly lost to pests and diseases. Now we don’t want that, do we?

Demand for chocolate has been increasing faster than the world supply of the new crops since 1985, researchers think that new varieties are key to solving this problem.

The University of Reading has been protecting the quality of the new crops since 1985, after it took over the task from the Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, London. And it has improved its facilities. The leader of the institution's cocoa project, Professor Paul Hadley, says, “One of the main issues concerning cocoa improvement is the supply of reliably clean, healthy, increasing cocoa material.”

The cocoa centre has a collection of 400 plant varieties and their green-house uses a lot of energy to keep them in tropical conditions. After up to two years in quarantine, clean and safe seeds are sent to some 20 countries, including several in West Africa. That’s where 75% of the cocoa used for chocolate worldwide comes from. The crop is extremely important for the local economy: it employs about two million people.

Professor Hadley says he works with a small team of skilled technicians who look after the collection. And more of us seem to count on them now.

The scientist says, “there is some concern within the industry that demand is increasing constantly, particularly in countries like China, where the standard of living is increasing and people are getting a taste for different chocolate.”

1. What is the text mainly about?

A．Safeguarding cocoa.	B．Planting cocoa worldwide.
C．Keeping cocoa in greenhouse.	D．Finding the new market for cocoa.

2. The institution’s cocoa project is to_______.

A．have cocoa skin removed	B．offer more jobs to people
C．ensure the quality of cocoa	D．supply cocoa for two million people

3. What does the last paragraph tell us?

A．The taste of chocolate is changing.

B．Demand for cocoa is increasing fast.

C．People are concerned about cocoa varieties.

D．Chinese have a long history of eating chocolate.

4. What's the purpose of the text?

A．To educate.	B．To advertise.
C．To warn.	D．To inform.

7 . In our modern world, when something wears out, we throw it away and buy a new one. The _______ is that countries around the world have growing mountains of _______ because people are throwing out more rubbish than ever before.

How did we _______ a throwaway society? First of all, it is now easier to _______ an object than to spend time and money to repair it. _______ modern manufacturing (制造业)and technology, companies are able to produce products quickly and inexpensively. Products are plentiful and _______.

Another cause is our _______of disposable (一次性的) products. As _______ people, we are always looking for _______ to save time and make our lives easier. Companies ________ thousands of different kinds of disposable products: paper plates, plastic cups, and cameras, to name a few.

Our appetite for new products also ________ to the problem. We are ________ buying new things. Advertisements persuade us that ________ is better and that we will be happier with the latest products. The result is that we ________ useful possessions to make room for new ones.

All around the world, we can see the ________ of this throwaway lifestyle. Mountains of rubbish just keep getting bigger. To ________ the amount of rubbish and to protect the ________, more governments are requiring people to recycle materials. ________, this is not enough to solve (解决) our problem.

Maybe there is another way out. We need to repair our possessions ________ throwing them away. We also need to rethink our attitudes about ________. Repairing our possessions and changing our spending habits may be the best way to reduce the amount of rubbish and take care of our environment.

1.

A．key

B．reason

C．project

D．problem

2.

A．gifts

B．rubbish

C．debt

D．products

3.

A．face

B．become

C．observe

D．change

4.

A．hide

B．control

C．replace

D．withdraw

5.

A．Thanks to

B．As to

C．Except for

D．Regardless of

6.

A．safe

B．funny

C．cheap

D．powerful

7.

A．love

B．lack

C．prevention

D．division

8.

A．sensitive

B．kind

C．brave

D．busy

9.

A．ways

B．places

C．jobs

D．friends

10.

A．donate

B．receive

C．produce

D．preserve

11.

A．adapts

B．returns

C．responds

D．contributes

12.

A．tired of

B．addicted to

C．worried about

D．ashamed for

13.

A．newer

B．stronger

C．higher

D．larger

14.

A．pick up

B．pay for

C．hold onto

D．throw away

15.

A．advantages

B．purposes

C．functions

D．consequences

16.

A．show

B．record

C．decrease

D．measure

17.

A．technology

B．environment

C．consumers

D．brands

18.

A．However

B．Otherwise

C．Therefore

D．Meanwhile

19.

A．by

B．in favour of

C．after

D．instead of

20.

A．spending

B．collecting

C．repairing

D．advertising

8 . Around the world there is an increase in the demand for reforestation. This is because the consumption of the forests has affected not only the animals living in the area but also the people. And reforestation is about the rebuilding of the forests that have been severely destroyed. It can offer a lot of benefits when the recreation is successful.

    1    This includes collecting seedlings (幼苗) that are native in the area to make sure that there is a natural reconstruction of the area. Some additional trees which are not native in the area also need to be planted.     2    The importance of having multiple species of trees is considered to make sure that the needs of other species that will live and grow in the area are met.

Destroying a forest is easy but rebuilding it is really hard.     3    The plan must include accurate spacing on plants and trees. This is to ensure that they won’t cover each other while they grow.     4    

The forest greatly helps in the reduction of the air pollution. Trees are responsible for the production of oxygen and absorption of carbon dioxide.    5    It is there for a reason just like everyone else on this planet.

There cannot be a better way to restore the balance of nature than to increase the forest area. We must remember that the forest is a natural habitat of wide variety of animals and plants. In this manner, there is no substitute for reforestation.

A．And global warming will speed up the destruction of forests.

B．Keep in mind that you can’t just plant the seedlings anywhere.

C．Recreations won’t work until all these details have been considered.

D．So a good plan is needed to make the reforestation a successful one.

E．The forest also protects us from typhoons and other natural disasters.

F．There are many things to be done when it comes to this type of effort.

G．It is important to make sure that they are suited to the climate and the type of soil.

9 . 阅读理解。
Where should an adventurous tourist go? After you've done sightseeing in London, shopping in New York, tasted the local food in Paris, and danced to your heart's content at the Brazilian Carnival, where else can you go? What exotic (异国风情的) tourist destination awaits you?

Well, Antarctica sounds like the holiday of a lifetime! It's considered the last great wilderness on Earth. Just a few scientists in research stations share the icy landscape with penguins and other animals which can cope with the low temperatures.
Tourism began in Antarctica in the 1950s and it's still a small scale. About 37,000 tourists are expected there this season, but many won't even leave the boat.
The BBC's Juliet Rix visited the frozen continent and asked herself if she should be there at all, causing potential problems to such a sensitive environment. Her tour guide admitted that all visitors leave footprints and they all go to the same place, the accessible coastline, which is also where the penguins and seals go to breed.
But some people believe that if carefully controlled, tourism can be good for Antarctica. It has no native population and it needs advocates. Visitors to the icy continent might be ready to support and even to fund its preservation. And they're likely to engage in the discussion about global warming, which has led to the melting of glaciers.
According to Rix, guidelines are followed when you're about to set foot in Antarctica and tourists have to disinfect (为……消毒) their boots to make sure no alien species are introduced.
And once on land, there's no eating or smoking. Rocks, bone fragments — nothing should be taken as a souvenir and nothing should be left behind. Tourists fortunate enough to visit Antarctica must be aware that this is not their home and keep their fingers crossed that future generations will also be able to enjoy such breathtaking views.
1. According to the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.

A．Antarctica has become the best place for people to travel

B．only scientists can be allowed to go to Antarctica

C．Antarctica is less affected by human activities

D．no animals can survive in Antarctica except penguins

2. Juliet Rix's travel in Antarctica mentioned in the fourth paragraph indicates that ________.

A．governments should take measures to stop tourists from going to Antarctica

B．whether tourists should go to Antarctica or not should be considered carefully

C．the animals' habitat in Antarctica has been seriously affected by tourism

D．only journalists begin to pay attention to the environmental protection in Antarctica

3. Which of the following statements is TRUE according to Rix?

A．Tourists can eat and smoke in Antarctica.

B．Tourists can take something they like from Antarctica.

C．Tourists can throw away something they don't need in Antarctica.

D．Tourists can enjoy the beautiful scenery in Antarctica.

4. Which of the following is the best title of this passage?

A．Why can't tourists go to Antarctica?

B．How can tourists go to Antarctica?

C．Should tourists go to Antarctica?

D．Are tourists allowed to go to Antarctica?