1 . In an effort to discourage people from using plastics, scientists have been hard at work inventing alternative packaging products.

The idea of using seaweed（海草） to make eco-friendly water bottles has been around for a few years. Recently, Ari Jonsson took his invention—a water bottle made from red seaweed—to show off at a festival. The bottles will only hold their shape as long as they are filled. As soon as these bottles are empty they will begin to break down, though they would be perfectly safe to eat. Ari Jonsson's bottles are a step closer to a widely used alternative to the current plastic ones.

The eatable water container is not the only product to add to our image of the future. Narayana Pessapaty has also created eatable spoons. After the success of his spoons, Mr. Pessapaty is ready to expand and introduce forks and chopsticks to his menu. His aim is to largely reduce the amount of plastic waste, which is a huge problem for waste sites all over the world. It is a product that may take up to 500 years to break down, and recycling companies worldwide are struggling to deal with it.

Aside from the obvious benefits to the environment, this new packaging is also cheap to produce and therefore cheap to buy. Even better is the fact that similar eatable cutlery can be made at home, possibly a science project for children or just fun with friends. Why not experiment and create your own recipes?

1. Why do scientists invent alternative packaging products?

A．To make people's life more convenient.

B．To show off their inventive talents.

C．To change the way we picnic outside.

D．To reduce the amount of plastic waste.

2. What makes Art Jonsson's water bottles eco-friendly?

A．They can be made at home.

B．They are cheap to produce and buy.

C．They will hold their shape when they are filled.

D．They will break down themselves when empty.

3. What do Ari and Narayana's inventions have in common?

A．They are convenient to carry.

B．They are safe to eat.

C．They can be used for a short time.

D．They are heavier than plastics.

4. What can be inferred from this passage?

A．Home-made eatable cutlery is likely to be popular.

B． Eatable cutlery will completely replace plastics in the near future.

C．No recycling companies can break down plastic waste.

D．It's unsafe for individuals to invent eatable cutlery at home.

2 . Melbourne,with a population of over 3.5 million,is the second largest city in Austria.It is clean,dynamic and exciting,and well-known internationally for its universities and other educational institutions.The city has well-planned tree-lined wide streets and many beautiful parks and gardens.It has a good transport system of roads, buses,trains and trams.The La Trobe University campus is connected to the Central Business District by trams, express buses,and bus and train connections.Melbourne is a culturally rich city,and is home to large communities of people from all parts of Europe,America,Africa and Asia.The city is famous for its restaurants, theatres, music, opera, ballet,art,culture and shops,and a lively and dynamic nightlife.Melbourne people are enthusiastic about sports, and the city hosts many famous international sports events,Near Melbourne there are beautiful coastlines with excellent beaches,national parks,forests,wineries,winter snowfields and summer resorts.The climate is temperate and comfortable,with warm summers and cool winters.In summer,maximum daytime temperatures range from 26℃ to 36℃,and in winter from 12℃ to 18℃.The weather in Melbourne can be variable from day to day.Melbourne was rated the world’s best city to live in by the Economist Intelligence Unit.

1. Melbourne is well-known in the world for its         .

A．large population	B．educational institutions
C．transport system	D．beautiful parks and gardens

2. According to passage,Melbourne is the city where        .

A．rich people choose to live	B．the best wine is produced
C．various cultures exist	D．Asian food is popular

3. The best title for the passage might be       .

A．In Ideal Place for Shopping	B．A City with the Best Climate
C．The World’s Best City to Live in	D．The world’s Most Beautiful City

3 . As almost everyone knows,     1    (become) extinct is to be gone forever. Natural extinction happens when a species declines in numbers gradually. Even before man's arrival on Earth, some species had died out quite     2    (natural).

The ease of the dinosaurs is    3    most well-known example of natural extinction.    4    (they) disappearance is a natural one and new species of animals evolve (进化）to replace them.

The rate of extinction     5    (speed) up unnaturally over the last 400 years.    6    (rise) sharply since 1900. This increase in the rate of extinction is directly related            7    the increase in the human population over the same period of time. Vast numbers of humans have caused great damage to the planet, as humans have taken over a great many wild            8    (habitat), forcing animals and plants into smaller and    9    (small) areas, until some of them have become extinct. We have also polluted our planet.    10    makes it unfit for wildlife. These causes of extinction are known as indirect destruction.

4 . Growing up in Melbourne, Australia, I was one of those naughty little kids that never, ever stopped asking "Why?”. I used to ask my mum the most __ questions. As a "why" kid, I thought everything __ can be changed and I could make the world better.

When I was in my high school, I __ the chance to go to the Philippines to learn more due to my good ___at school. It was there that I became friends with Sonny, who lived on "Smoky Mountain". But don't let the romance(浪漫）of that name __ you, because it was __ a pile of steaming garbage where kids like Sonny spent hours every single day finding anything of __.

Those days with Sonny changed my life forever. I thought to myself. ''Why should anyone have to __ like this while I have so much? Why should Sonny's life be __ by where he was born?

I later __ that the poverty(贫穷) I’d seen in the Philippines was the result of __ made or not made. That's __, a few years later, I joined with a group of college friends in bringing the Make Poverty History campaign to Australia. And to our __ , the Australian government heard our voices and __ double investment (投资）and fix a problem miles outside of our __ .

Over all these years, I've tried to reconnect with Sonny. __, I've been unable to. I'd love to sit down with him, wherever he is, and __ with him how much the time I spent on "Smoky Mountain"       Thanks to him and so many others, I came to _______ the importance of being part of a group of people who are __ to make the world better, who stand together and embrace (拥抱）the amazing __ of the world we share.

1.

A．encouraging

B．interesting

C．annoying

D．common

2.

A．simple

B．unfair

C．new

D．unfinished

3.

A．found

B．obtained

C．missed

D．lost

4.

A．performance

B．character

C．English

D．habit

5.

A．affect

B．bother

C．impress

D．fool

6.

A．originally

B．hardly

C．actually

D．certainly

7.

A．beauty

B．cleanness

C．interest

D．value

8.

A．live

B．say

C．work

D．study

9.

A．changed

B．created

C．determined

D．challenged

10.

A．admitted

B．explained

C．doubted

D．understood

11.

A．plans

B．excuses

C．wishes

D．decisions

12.

A．where

B．why

C．how

D．when

13.

A．disappointed

B．confusion

C．amazement

D．regret

14.

A．agreed

B．refused

C．begged

D．afforded

15.

A．systems

B．borders

C．networks

D．policies

16.

A．Sadly

B．Luckily

C．Surprisingly

D．Obviously

17.

A．discuss

B．debate

C．share

D．cooperate

18.

A．cheated

B．understand

C．attracted

D．amused

19.

A．hesitating

B．happening

C．afraid

D．willing

20.

A．futures

B．places

C．wonders

D．people

5 . 某英文报社正在开展“低碳生活，从我做起”的征文活动，请给其投稿。内容要点如下：
好处：减少二氧化碳的排放，有利于缓解全球变暖；
具体建议：随手关掉不用的电器，如电灯、电视和电脑；
步行或骑自行车出行；如果路程远，乘坐公交车
购物时尽量使用环保布袋，不用一次性塑料袋。
大家都行动起来，我们就能与环境和谐共处。
注意： 词数不少于100；可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：二氧化碳排放 carbon dioxide emissions；一次性塑料袋disposable plastic bags

Nowadays,it is becoming common to lead a low-carbon lifestyle._______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

6 . Earthquakes are something that people fear. There are some places that have few or no earthquakes. Most places in the world, however, have them regularly. Countries that have a lot of earthquakes are usually quite mountainous.

The most talked about earthquake in the United States was in San Francisco in 1906. Over 700 people died in it. The strongest one in North America was in 1964. It happened in Alaska.

Strong earthquakes are not always the ones that kill the most people. In 1755, one of the strongest earthquakes ever recorded was felt in Portugal. Around 2,000 people died.

In 1923, a very strong earthquake hit Tokyo, Yokohama area of Japan. A hundred and forty thousand people died. Most of them died in fires which followed the earthquake.

One of the worst earthquakes ever was in China in 2008. It killed a large number of people. The worst earthquake ever reported was also in China, in which 400,000 people were killed or injured. This earthquake happened in 1556.

Earthquakes worry people a lot. The reason is that we often do not know when they are coming. People cannot prepare for earthquakes.

1. Earthquakes happen ________.

A．in all the places in the world

B．only in the countries that have a lot of mountains

C．regularly in most places in the world

D．only in a few places along the coast

2. When and where was the worst earthquake ever reported?

A．In 1964 in Alaska.	B．In 1556 in China.
C．In 1923 in Japan.	D．In 2008 in China.

3. According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?

A．The stronger the earthquake is, the more people are killed.

B．Earthquakes often come unexpectedly.

C．Earthquakes can cause fires.

D．People still don't know how to tell when an earthquake will come.

4. What may be talked about in the seventh paragraph?

A．How do earthquakes worry people?

B．What will people do to prepare for earthquakes?

C．How can we save people when earthquakes happen?

D．How do earthquakes happen?

7 . 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

8 . Owls(猫头鹰) are mysterious creatures. We often think of them as scary. They sometimes live in abandoned houses. They fly without a sound through backyards at night. In stories, they appear with ghosts. When we hear an owl's familiar “wh­ooo...whooo...”，it can make us feel very frightened. Owls fly silently, without even a whisper of wings moving through the air. It's as though they appear out of nowhere—like ghosts on wings. Owls fly and hunt on the darkest of nights. An owl's night habits make it unique. Do these creatures of the night possess strange powers?
Owls possess unusual powers of sight and hearing, but they are not supernatural powers. They are natural adaptations that let them live most efficiently(高效地) at night. There is no reason to fear owls. Their habits make them helpful to humans. By hunting mice and other rodents(啮齿目动物)，owls help to keep a natural balance between plant and animal life. Without owls, there would be a large number of rodents in farmers' fields and storage barns.
More than 100 species of owls occupy a variety of habitats around the world. A few oceanic islands and the Antarctic have no owls. The world's owls come in large, medium, small, smaller, and smallest. For example, the Eurasian eagle owl—one of the largest—has a body that is two to three feet long, with a wingspan(翼展) of up to five and one­half feet. The North American elf owl (the world's smallest owl) is five to six inches long and has a wingspan that measures slightly more than one foot.
Most male and female owls of the same species look alike, although females are usually larger. In some species, the female's colors are like those of the trees or grass where she makes her nest.
Baby owls, called chicks, stay with their parents until they are about three months old. They soon find their own hunting areas, where they may stay for the rest of their lives. Some owls can live 20 years or more.
1. Most people regard owls as________.

A．clever

B．hard­working

C．terrifying

D．shy

2. Owls help humans in that they________.

A．help preserve the balance of nature

B．frighten rodents away from humans

C．have unusual powers

D．help guard backyards

3. What is special about owls?

A．They fly silently.

B．They are night hunters.

C．They possess supernatural powers.

D．They can be found around the world.

4. The third paragraph is mainly about owls'________.

A．habitats

B．sizes

C．species

D．wingspans

9 . You may think that an underground town of 3,500 people is something out of a science-fiction film. You may not believe that such a town has shops car parks, hotels, restaurants, cafes and much more. Well, Coober Pedy in Australia is just such a place.
Miners and their families choose to live like this, hoping to get rich looking for the precious stones that Australia is famous for --- opals(蛋白石). Living underground is the only way to be away from the sandstorms and the high temperatures above ground. Deep down in the town far below the desert surface, the temperature is between 19℃ and 20℃ and life is cool.
Mary Deane and her husband Jim are among the lucky ones. They live in a home, built with money from the opals Jim has found. “Whenever people hear we live underground, they always imagine a dusty cave,” says Mary, “but they are amazed at my clean kitchen, our furniture and electrical appliances in here.”
However, not everything is perfect in Coober Pedy. Mary has a tiny garden that she is very proud of, but the grass is not real. Plant life is rare. Water is five times more expensive underground than it is overground. Recycling is a way of life, so Jim usually washes his car with bath water and they have a special system to reuse the water from the dishwasher and washing machine.
Even so, most families enjoy life in Coober Pedy. The children can make as much noise as they want and there are no complaints from the neighbors because the thick walls stop sounds from traveling. Adults enjoy the peace and quiet away from the world above.
1. People in Coober Pedy live underground______.

A．because of their secret identities

B．because it is warmer underground

C．so that they can save some money

D．due to the terrible natural environment.

2. Which word can best describe Mary’s life underground according to Paragraph 3?

A．Comfortable.

B．Exciting.

C．Healthy.

D．Lonely.

3. Which is the biggest problem people in Coober Pedy have to face?

A．High living expenses.

B．The awfully dusty environment.

C．Shortage of water and greenery.

D．The extremely high temperatures

4. Children enjoy the life in Coober Pedy mainly because they _____.

A．enjoy traveling around with their parents

B．can get many expensive toys from their parents

C．enjoy the peace and quiet while doing their homework

D．can enjoy themselves without disturbing their neighbors[

10 . Like human beings, dogs may catch cold because of cold weather, wet conditions or can also get it from other sick dogs. If a dog has a running nose and watery eyes,coughs or sneezes(打喷嚏), then it is quite probable that the dog has caught cold.

A dog’s cold can get over after a few days without treatment but it totally depends upon the owner to treat it with medications or improve its immune power (免疫力) to get rid of the cold naturally.Following are some of the things you can do if your dog gets a cold.

You can improve its immune power by giving it proper nutrient diet.Healthy food can really do wonders. Try to give it food which is either suggested by the vet (兽医) or is healthy for your pet. Increase the intake of food which is rich in vitamins A, C and E.

Keep your dog warm. The best place for your dog in winter is inside your house. Do not keep your dog outside when it is cold and wet. At home you can also keep the dog warm with the help of carpets. This will make him comfortable and help him to recover fast.

Increase the fluid (流质) intake as it helps a lot. Water can be the best choice but you can also add brot (肉汤) in water which will give your dog strength. Warm water will make your dog more comfortable and will also keep the dog away from the respiratory infections (呼吸道感染).

Steam treatment is considered to be effective in getting rid of cold. It makes the nasal(鼻的) passage wet,which helps proper breathing. Just fill your bathroom with steam and leave your dog inside the bathroom for 15 minutes. Do it nearly 2 to 3 times a day and you will see your dog recovering.

These are some of the things you can do to help your dog recover from cold. However, if you are not able to find any improvement in its health, then turn to the vet for help immediately. Take your dog for regular checkups so as to avoid complications (并发症)

1. From the first paragraph we know about         .

A．the difficulty in keeping a dog as a pet

B．characteristics of sick dogs

C．the similarities between dogs and human beings

D．causes and symptoms (症状) of cold in dogs

2. When your dog catches cold, you should feed it on        .

A．its favorite food

B．the suggested food by the vet

C．some meat and water

D．food rich in vitamin B

3. When a dog catches cold, it is wrong to        .

A．keep it inside during cold and wet weather

B．leave it inside the bathroom full of steam

C．let it eat too much solid food

D．keep it sleeping on rugs at home

4. It can be learnt from the text that        .

A．a dog’s cold can always disappear naturally

B．it’s quite easy to make a sick dog recover from cold

C．treating a dog’s cold sometimes needs a vet’s help

D．cold in dogs won’t spread between each other.