1 . Passenger pigeons (旅鸽) once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers. Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks(群) so large that they darkened the sky for hours.
It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point, there were more than 3 billion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.
Sadly the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands. Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.
By the closing decades of the 19th century, the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by American’s need for wood, which scattered (驱散) the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.
In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons but by then, no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time, a few birds survived under human care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on September 1, 1914.
1. In the 18th and early 19th centuries, passenger pigeons ________.A.were the biggest bird in the world |
B.lived mainly in the south of America |
C.did great harm to the natural environment |
D.were the largest bird population in the US |
A.escape | B.ruin |
C.liberation | D.evolution |
A.To seek pleasure. | B.To save other birds. |
C.To make money. | D.To protect crops. |
A.It was ignored by the public. | B.It was declared too late. |
C.It was unfair. | D.It was strict. |
2 . Since the first Earth Day in 1970, Americans have gotten a lot “greener” toward the environment. “We didn’t know at that time there even was an environment, let alone that there was a problem with it,” says Bruce Anderson, president of Earth Day USA.
But what began as nothing important in public affairs has grown into a social movement .Business people, political leaders, university professors, and especially millions of grass-roots Americans are taking part in the movement. “The understanding has increased many, many times,” says Gaylord Nelson, the former governor from Wisconsin, who thought up the first. According to US government reports, emissions (排放)from cars and trucks have dropped from 10.3 million tons a year to 5.5 tons .The number of cities producing CO beyond the standard has been reduced from 40 to 9. Although serious problems still remain and need to be dealt with, the world is a safer and healthier place. A kind of “Green thinking” has become part of practices.
Great improvement has been achieved. In 1988 there were only 600 recycling programs; today in 1995 there are about 6,600. Advanced lights, motors, and building designs have helped save a lot of energy and therefore prevented pollution.
Twenty –five years ago, there were hardly any education programs for environment. Today, it’s hard to find a public school, university, or law school that does not have such a kind of program. “Until we do that, nothing else will change!” says Bruce Anderson.
1. According to Anderson, before 1970, Americans had little idea about ___.A.the social movement | B.recycling techniques |
C.environmental problems | D.the importance of Earth Day |
A.The grass –roots level. | B.The business circle. |
C.Government officials. | D.University professors. |
A.They have cut car emissions to the lowest. |
B.They have settled their environmental problems. |
C.They have lowered their CO levels in forty cities. |
D.They have reduced pollution through effective measures. |
A.Education. | B.Planning |
C.Green living | D.CO reduction |
There are thousands of coral reefs (珊瑚礁) in the world; Unfortunately, however, they are now in serious danger. More than one-third are in such bad shape that they could die within ten years.
The first cause is pollution on land. The pollutants run with rainwater into rivers and streams, which carry the poisons into the ocean.
The last factor contributing to the disappearance of coral reefs is people. People sometimes crash into reefs with their boats, breaking off large blocks of coral.
A.Global warming is another reason. |
B.Many might not even last that long! |
C.Divers who walk on reefs can also do serious damage. |
D.Reefs provide a home for 25% of the fish in the ocean. |
E.Chemicals from the poisons kill reefs or make them weak. |
F.Steps must be taken now to stop over-fishing and pollution of the oceans. |
G.When the algae die, the coral loses its color and it also dies in the end. |
4 . Going green seems to be fad (时尚) for a lot of people these days. Whether that is good or bad, we can’t really say, but for the two of us, going green is not a fad but a lifestyle.
On April 22,2011,we decided to be green every single day for an entire year. This meant doing 365 different things, and it also meant challenging ourselves to go green beyond the easy things. Rather than recycle and reduce our energy, we had to think of 365 different things to do and this was no easy task.
With the idea of going green every single day a year, Our Green Year started. My wife and I decided to educate people about how they could go green in their lives and hoped we could show people all green things that could be done to help the environment. We wanted to push the message that every little bit helps.
Over the course of Our Green Year, we completely changed our lifestyles. We now shop at organic (有机的) stores. We consume less meat, choosing green food. We have greatly reduced our buying we don’t need. We have given away half of what we owned through websites. Our home is kept clean by vinegar and lemon juice, with no chemical cleaners. We make our own butter, enjoying the smell of home-made fresh bread. In our home office anyone caught doing something ungreen might be punished.
Our minds have been changed by Our Green Year. We are grateful for the chance to have been able to go green and educate others. We believe that we do have the power to change things and help our planets.
1. What might be the best title for the passage?A.Going Green. | B.Protecting the Planet. |
C.Keeping Open-Minded | D.Celebrating Our Green Year. |
A.they were expected to follow the green fad |
B.they didn’t know how to educate other people |
C.they were unwilling to reduce their energy |
D.they needed to perform unusual green tasks |
A.They tried to get out of their ungreen habits. |
B.They ignore others’ ungreen behavior. |
C.They chose better chemical cleaners. |
D.They sold their home-made food. |
A.The government will give support to the green people. |
B.The couple may continue their project in the future. |
C.Some people disagree with the couple’s green ideas. |
D.Our Green Year is becoming a national campaign. |
The Green family lived in Colorado for less than a year. Before that, they had lived in the same neighborhood in California to which they returned. So Sam had been there before, but only for a short time when he was young.
Several months after the Greens left Colorado, after they were comfortably settled back in California, they heard a scratch at the door. They couldn’t imagine who might be there. It never occurred to them that it might be Sam, because they were sure he was happily set up with his new family back in Colorado. When they opened the door, the Greens saw a dirty, tired dog with very hurting feet. The animal looked a little bit like Sam, but no one could believe that Sam could have walked 840 miles on his own. The tired dog spent the night under the family car. The next day, when he was more rested, he performed some of his old tricks. The Greens knew they had their own dog back.
1. The story suggests that _______ .
A.dog owners have trouble renting |
B.many people treat their pets badly |
C.keeping a dog is easy |
D.dogs are too much trouble |
a. Sam walked to California.
b. The Greens moved to Colorado.
c. The Greens left Sam.
d. The Greens returned to California.
e. Sam spent the night under the family car.
A.b, d, c, e, a | B.b, c, d, a, e |
C.a, c, b, e, d | D.c, e, d, a, b |
A.the cost of living | B.the country of one’s birth |
C.the damage to oneself | D.the place to which one is going |
A.because of his hurting feet | B.from the color and the markings |
C.by the way he walked | D.after he did some tricks |
6 . I take the train to work every morning from a train station near my house. I can get to the station quite
She was short and
She slowly placed her walking stick
There’s so much rubbish and no one ever does
I want to follow her example. I’ve decided to pick up rubbish off the
A.hard | B.early | C.easily | D.late |
A.rubbish | B.boxes | C.bottles | D.paper |
A.walk | B.pass | C.go | D.rush |
A.so | B.until | C.when | D.because |
A.back | B.act | C.mark | D.colour |
A.bike | B.stick | C.dog | D.umbrella |
A.weak | B.rich | C.clever | D.sad |
A.quickly | B.happily | C.angrily | D.slowly |
A.at midnight | B.at noon | C.at last | D.at first |
A.in | B.around | C.against | D.under |
A.searched for | B.threw away | C.reached for | D.looked at |
A.unable | B.difficult | C.different | D.impossible |
A.picked up | B.dropped down | C.put in | D.lifted up |
A.warm | B.enjoy | C.support | D.hide |
A.continued | B.started | C.enjoyed | D.remembered |
A.something | B.anything | C.everything | D.nothing |
A.feel | B.see | C.have | D.let |
A.busy | B.beautiful | C.dirty | D.clean |
A.keep | B.stop | C.mind | D.regret |
A.wall | B.desk | C.ground | D.classroom |
7 . Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately:the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露) to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems,but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风) within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物) were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA)considers to be of “moderate” (良好) quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
1. The text mainly discusses the relationship between ________.A.heart problems and air quality |
B.heart problems and exercising |
C.heart problems and smoking |
D.heart problems and fatty food |
A.relatively high | B.extremely low |
C.relatively low | D.extremely high |
A.Eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
B.The EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
C.Moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking. |
D.Stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
A.inform | B.persuade |
C.describe | D.entertain |
At various times in history, the White House has been known as the “President’s Palace”, the “President’s House”, and the “Executive Mansion”. President Theodore Roosevelt officially gave the White House its current name in 1901.
The White House receives approximately 6,000 visitors a day.
With five full-time chefs, the White House kitchen is able to serve as many as 140 guests and hors d’oeuvres (开胃菜) to more than 1,000 people.
The White House requires 570 gallons of paint to cover its outside surface.
For recreation, the White House has a variety of facilities available to people who live in, including a tennis court, a jogging track, a swimming pool, a movie theater and a bowling lane.
The first US President to live in the White House was John Adams. Adams and his family moved to the White House in 1800, when the decoration of the building was not finished. And it was not until during Thomas Jefferson’s term (1801-1809) that the decoration was finally completed.
President John Tyler (1841-1845) was the first president to have his photo taken. President Theodore Roosevelt (1901-1909) was not only the first president to ride in an automobile, but also the first president to travel outside the country when he visited Panama (巴拿马). President Franklin Roosevelt (1933-1945) was the first president to ride in an airplane.
1. In normal cases, how many people visit the White House per day?
A.1,000. | B.6,000. | C.140. | D.570. |
A.John Adams. | B.John Tyler. |
C.Thomas Jefferson. | D.Theodore Roosevelt. |
A.Between 1801 and 1809. | B.Between 1901 and 1909. |
C.Between 1841 and 1845. | D.Between 1933 and 1945. |
9 . One moment it was quiet and calm in the forest, the next, the air was charged with tension. The elephant had heard the distant alarm calls of animals and her mood suddenly changed. I urged the elephant deeper into the forest. We sounded like a forest fire-crackling, snapping, trailblazing. But through all the noise came a sharp warning cry. The elephant stopped and we heard it again — the tell-tale call of a spotted deer.
I looked quickly around the shadows of the forest. Rays of sunlight shone through tree branches, beneath which the patchwork (交错) of green plants and shadows-within-shadows would make tiger stripes (条纹) look more attractive. Apart from an occasional noise from the elephant’s stomach, the forest was silent.
Gradually, the tension slipped from our bodies. The elephant seized a nearby branch and put it into her mouth. I reached forward and gently moved my hand over the elephant’s neck; there was a soft part, free of wrinkles and hairs, behind her ear.
This was my fourth time to sense the aura of the forest in Corbett, although I saw no tigers in the end. Located at the foot of the Himalayan mountains, Corbett is home to about 135 Bengal tigers, but the forest seemed to be guarding their whereabouts(出没处), a silent reminder of their secrecy and rarity. Still, I was happy enough touching the elephant behind the ear. If I had so desperately wanted to see a tiger, I could have gone to a zoo. After all, spotting tigers merely confirms their beauty; tracking them can make you aware of something more.
1. Which of the following was a clear signal of alarm?A.The elephant stopped. |
B.A spotted deer called. |
C.The elephant seized a branch. |
D.The forest was silent for a while. |
A.describing various sounds |
B.comparing different animals |
C.listing different activities |
D.introducing various plants |
A.To see the diversity. |
B.To enjoy the scenery. |
C.To feel the atmosphere. |
D.To experience the freedom. |
A.Seeing a Bengal tiger is quite thrilling. |
B.It is very time-consuming to travel in Corbett. |
C.It is really worthwhile to study the animals in Corbett. |
D.The process of finding Bengal tigers is most appealing. |
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下画一横线,并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
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When I was a child, I hoped to live in the city. I think I would be happy there. Now I am living in a city , but I miss my home in countryside. There the air is clean or the mountains are green. Unfortunately, on the development of industrialization, the environment has been polluted. Lots of studies have been shown that global warming has already become a very seriously problem. The airs we breathe in is getting dirtier and dirtier. Much rare animals are dying out . We must found ways to protect your environment. If we fail to do so , we‘ll live to regret it .