1 . 语法填空

Global warming is the increase in the temperature of the Earth's near-surface air and oceans. It     1    (cause) by the build-up of carbon dioxide and other     2    (pollute) in the atmosphere,     3     trap the sun's heat and warm up the planet.

Over the past 100 years, average temperatures around the world     4    (rise) by between 0.5℃ and 1℃. Scientists predict     5     temperatures will rise     6     a further 1℃ to 3.5℃ during the 21st century.

Global warming has already caused a wide range of problems. Sea levels are rising due to the     7     (melt) of polar ice sheets. Countries around the world have faced extreme weather conditions, such as hurricanes, floods and heat waves. For example, the south of France and     8     (north) Italy experienced     9     (extreme) heavy rain and 1, 000km/h winds in November 2016. Over 200mm of rain fell in just one night. This resulted     10     the flooding of the River Po near Turin in Italy.

2 . Apart from a simple“hot”, what other ways are there to describe the summer heat? There are many interesting expressions that relate to unbearably hot weather and offer a glimpse into foreign culture.

Dog days of summer

In books and newspaper articles, the period from early July to mid－August is often referred to as the “dog days of summer”. Some think the expression means the weather is so hot that dogs go wild. But in fact, the expression comes from 16th century astrology and refers to the days on which Sirius－the Dog Star, the brightest star in the summer sky and part of the Great Dog constellation－rises at the same time as the sun.

Hotter than a two－dollar pistol

The reason for the expression is that no pistol could cost 2 dollars unless it had been stolen. In English slang, stolen goods are often said to be “hot” and anyone in possession of hot goods is likely to get their fingers burned, in other words, to be arrested.

So hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk

Thousands of curious tourists feel like testing if the saying is true, with the result that sidewalks in Death Valley, California, the hottest place in the U. S. , are now littered with broken eggshells. As long as you use a frying pan with a lid and the temperature is at least 49℃ , it is actually possible to fry an egg on the sidewalk.

Hinges of Hades

For those who believe it exists, hell is undoubtedly the hottest place on earth, so unsurprisingly there are several expressions that refer to hell or Hades, or even the devil himself. “Hotter than the hinges or gates of Hades” is the oldest version , but more amusing variations have become popular, such as “hotter than the devil's underwear”.

1. Which expression relates to the study of stars?

A．Dog days of summer.	B．Hotter than a two－dollar pistol.
C．So hot you can fry an egg on the sidewalk.	D．Hinges of Hades.

2. What's the meaning of “hot” in the expression “Hotter than a two－dollar pistol” in English slang?

A．Popular.

B．Difficult.

C．Illegal.

D．Angry.

3. At which temperature can we fry an egg on the sidewalk?

A．55℃.

B．40℃.

C．39℃.

D．29℃.

3 . Your own backyard may be a fun place to play. You may have trees to climb, and insects to study.     1    . But did you know these things are related to each other through the food chain? Every part of nature belongs to a community where each member uses the lower members to stay alive.

Every part of the world has food chains, including the oceans and the deserts (沙漠).     2    , the whole chain could fall apart. The food chain is most disturbed (扰乱) by people because we build neighborhoods on the land where animals live and we pollute the environment. Both these actions make it difficult for other living things to survive. Still there is a lot we can do to protect the parts of food chains. Here are some ideas that can help:

    3    . Make your backyard a place that other living things can enjoy. Plant more flowers and trees. And, most of all, try not to disturb the places where other animals live.

Do not pollute the environment. Recycle (回收) any material you can.     4    . Having fewer cars on the road means having better air for all of us to breathe.

Keep learning about and respecting (尊重) plants, animals, and the environment.     5    . You may even pass it on to your own children someday. It's important that as many people as possible protect nature and keep the food chain whole.

A．Share your space

B．If you ever want to see it

C．But if one part is taken away

D．We depend on each other for food and survival

E．Ride your bike or walk to places that you need to go

F．You can then pass this information on to your parents and friends

G．Maybe you hear birds singing or see your pet cat sleeping in the sun

4 . Some new comets have been discovered accidentally by amateur (业余的) astronomers. Surprisingly a few bright comets have been discovered with the naked eye (肉眼) by members of the general public. However, a great number of comets are found by comet hunters carrying out telescope searches of chosen areas of the night sky.

As the movement of all comets is directed around the Sun and because these bodies brighten as they move towards the Sun, there is a greater possibility for the discovery of a new comet in the skies towards the Sun rather than away from the Sun's direction. This means that searches should be put on the western sky after evening light and on the eastern sky before morning light.

From the astronomical point there is no time during the year which is the best for the discovery of new comets. A search can be done at any time providing there is no bright Moon.

Studies done on the discovery conditions of comets discovered before show that more comets have been discovered in the morning sky than in the evening sky. Thus the smart comet hunter should make sure that morning activity receives as much if not more attention than any evening effort.

In recent times, the use of advanced CCD technology to discover objects close to the Earth will in the future greatly reduce the chances of new comets being found with small telescopes. An example of the new technology is the very successful LINEAR program operating in New Mexico, However, until a similar system is based in the southern half of the Earth there will continue to be chances for the discovery of new comets which come from the south.

1. What are comet hunters advised to do?

A．Look away from the Sun.

B．Stay where there's bright light.

C．Face the western sky in the daytime.

D．Turn to the east in the early morning.

2. What do we know about the time for the discovery of new comets?

A．Days when they're close to the Earth are great chances.

B．Certain fixed days are best for watching comets.

C．Every day is the same if there's no bright Moon.

D．Days with the Moon should never be missed.

3. Which of the following is a smart idea for comet hunters?

A．Paying more attention in the morning than in the afternoon.

B．Being equally serious both in the morning and afternoon.

C．Being more relaxed in the morning than in the afternoon.

D．Forming a habit of working only in the morning.

4. What can be inferred about the CCD technology?

A．It's similar to a telescope.	B．It'll disappoint comet hunters.
C．It's spreading all over the world.	D．It'll make comet hunters feel lucky.

5 . 语法填空

In the last 500 million years, there have been five mass extinction events on the Earth. In the third event, which     1     (know) as the "Great Dying'', 90% to 96% of all species     2     (die). Of course, species died out due to many causes. But nowadays, human activity     3     (affect) all types of species that we depend     4     for living. We need to take action to avoid the sixth mass extinction. We should take steps to save     5     (danger) animals and plants.

6 . 阅读下面短文,在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

The cheetah(猎豹), an expert hunter, sits     1     (silent) atop a hill and scans the herds of feeding animals looking for the perfect prey(猎物). Finding a target, it moves quietly through the grass until it is close enough    2     (know) it can get its reward.

The cheetah is perfectly built for the kill. Its colouring helps it to disappear into the landscape to avoid    3     (see). And its speed over a short distance, the fastest in the animal world,     4    (allow) it to chase(追逐) its target. Once the prey is killed, the cheetah pulls the carcass(尸体) to a safe place, even    5     (pull) it up into a tree to stop other predators(捕食性动物) from stealing    6    .

However, the cheetah is also a highly    7    (endanger) animal. Once found throughout Asia and Africa, cheetahs today are racing towards    8    (extinct). Loss of habitat and declining numbers of their prey threaten the future of these cats. To change the fall in cheetah numbers, animal lovers are working to protect them.

    9     addition, conservation groups are encouraging local farmers to protect cheetahs    10     come on their land. It will be a sad day if this beautiful animal disappears from our planet.