1 . Sunny days in Seattle are quite rare. I’d planned to spend my weekend in the sun, potting flowers outdoors. But that was before the pair of crows（乌鸦） arrived. Out of nowhere, they had set up their base camp in our backyard.
We first discovered our feathered enemies on Friday morning. It was early, and the sound the birds made traveled through our neighborhood. I figured they’d go away soon. But, no. They were getting louder and probably annoying my neighbors nearly as much as us with the noise. I admit I got a little desperate.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, I looked out of the kitchen window to see our dog Quatchi staring at something on the ground. I went to explore and found a small coal-black bird in the grass. Its eyes were milky, and it stayed perfectly still as my dog walked towards it. Only when Quatchi touched his nose to its head did it walk away. I grabbed the dog and locked him inside and came back with my camera.
It never occurred to me that the young would be hanging out on the ground, growing and gaining strength as its parents guarded it from above. The second I saw this little creature I forgave the crows.
To be honest, I’ve never been much of a bird person. I also have a healthy respect for birds and by healthy, I mean slightly fear-based. They’re basically living dinosaurs.
I wish they’d chosen another backyard. There are only so many sunny days in Seattle, and I still can’t do any gardening out there. But I’m also grateful that I got to see this little bit of nature unfold up close. It’s pretty amazing.
The experience has also strengthened my desire to create a beautiful backyard garden that attracts lots of bees, butterflies, and yes, birds. They are welcome here.
1. The arrival of the two crows ______.| A．disturbed the author’s life | B．frightened the author’s dog |
| C．angered the author's neighbors | D．damaged the author's backyard |
| A．She wanted to take some photos. |
| B．The dog kept making loud noises. |
| C．She wanted to protect the little bird. |
| D．The parent crows were to attack the dog. |
| A．decided to help look after it |
| B．planned to drive the crows away |
| C．fell in love with the pair of crows |
| D．appreciated knowing its growing process |
| A．birds are rare | B．birds are very ugly |
| C．she is afraid of birds | D．she is respectful to birds |
1. How did the woman get to know about third-hand smoke?
| A．From young smokers. |
| B．From a newspaper article. |
| C．From some smoking parents. |
| A．He has just become a father. |
| B．He wears dirty clothes. |
| C．He is a smoker. |
| A．Stop smoking altogether. |
| B．Smoke only outside their rooms. |
| C．Reduce dangerous matters in cigarettes. |
| A．It’s raining. | B．It’s cloudy. | C．It’s sunny. |
4 . Unusual incidents are being reported across the Arctic. Inuit (因纽特人) families going off on snowmobiles to prepare their summer hunting camps have found themselves cut off from home by a sea of mud. There are also reports of sea ice breaking up earlier than usual, carrying seals beyond the reach of hunters. Climate change may still be a rather abstract idea to most of us, but in the Arctic it is already having great effects — if summertime ice continues to shrink at its present rate, the Arctic Ocean could soon become almost ice-free in summer. The knock-on effects (连锁反应) are likely to include more warming, cloudier skies, and higher sea levels. Scientists are increasingly eager to find out what’s going on in the Arctic.
For the Inuit the problem is urgent. They live in unsteady balance with one of the environments on earth. Climate change, whatever its causes, is a direct danger to their way of life. Nobody knows the Arctic as well as the locals, which is why they are not content simply to stand back and let outside experts tell them what’s happening. In Canada, where the Inuit people are trying hard to guard their hard-won autonomy in the country’s newest land, Nunavut, they believe their best hope of survival in this changing environment lies in combining their ancestral knowledge with the best of modern science. This is a challenge in itself.
The Canadian Arctic is a vast, treeless polar desert that’s covered with snow for most of the year. Adventure into this area and you get some idea of the hardships facing anyone who calls this home. Farming is out of the question and nature offers few pickings. Humans first settled in the Arctic a mere 4, 500 years ago, surviving by taking advantage of sea first. The environment tested them to the limits: sometimes the settlers were successful; sometimes they failed and disappeared. But around a thousand years ago, one group appeared that was uniquely well adapted to deal with the Arctic environment. These Thule people moved in from Alaska, bringing dogs, iron tools and the like. They are the ancestors of today’s Inuit people.
Life for the descendants (后代) of the Thule people is still tough. Nunavut is 1.9 million square kilometers of rock and ice, and a handful of islands around the North Pole. It’s currently home to 2, 500 people, all but a handful of them Inuit. Over the past 40 years, most have abandoned their nomadic (游牧的) ways and settled in the area’s 28 isolated communities, but they still rely heavily on nature to provide food and clothing.
Supplies available in local shops have to be flown into Nunavut on one of the most costly air networks in the world, or brought by supply ship during the few ice-free weeks of summer. It would cost a family around ￡7, 000 a year to replace meat they obtained themselves through hunting with imported meat. Economic opportunities are few, and for many people state benefits are their only income.
1. The Inuit people believe the way to deal with the climate change problem is ________.| A．to change their way of life |
| B．to do as their ancestors |
| C．To try to protect the environment from now on |
| D．to use their ancestral knowledge and modern science |
| A．the first settlers in the Arctic survive there quite easily |
| B．it’s hard to farm in the Arctic due to climate change |
| C．the ancestors of Inuit people stood out among the settlers |
| D．the Thule people from Alaska invented iron tools |
| A．Their nomadic ways of life |
| B．Their conservative thought. |
| C．The severe environment they live in. |
| D．The natural disasters. |
| A．Climate Change and the Inuit |
| B．Climate Change around the Arctic |
| C．Global Warming around the World |
| D．The Inuit and Their Ancestors around the World |
1. What are the speakers talking about?
| A．A way to improve air quality. | B．A problem with traffic rules. | C．A suggestion for city planning. |
| A．Limiting the use of cars. |
| B．Encouraging people to walk. |
| C．Warning drivers of air pollution. |
| A．It’s interesting. | B．It’s worth trying. | C．It’s impractical. |
6 . I’d planned to spend my weekend in the sun, potting flowers outdoors. But that was before the pair of crows. Out of nowhere, they had set up their base camp in our backyard.
We first discovered our feathered enemies on Friday morning. It was early, and the sound the birds made travelled through our neighborhood. I figured they’d go away soon. But, no. They were getting louder and probably annoying my neighbors nearly as much as us with the noise. I admit I got a little desperate.
Then, on Sunday afternoon, I looked out the kitchen window to see our dog Quatchi staring at something on the ground. I went to explore and found a small coal-black bird in the grass. Its eyes were milky, and it stayed perfectly still as my dog inched towards it. Only when Quatchi touched his nose to its head did it walk away. I grabbed the dog and locked him inside and came back with my camera.
It never occurred to me that the young would be hanging out on the ground, growing and gaining strength as its parents guarded it from above. The second I saw this little creature I forgave the crows.
To be honest, I’ve never been much of a bird person. I also have a healthy respect for birds, and by healthy I mean slightly fear-based. They’re basically living dinosaurs.
I wish they’d chosen another backyard. There are only so many sunny days in Seattle, and I still can’t do any gardening out there. But I’m also grateful that I got to see this little bit of nature unfold up close. It’s pretty amazing.
The experience has also reinforced my desire to create a beautiful backyard garden that attracts lots of bees, butterflies, and yes, birds. They are welcome here.
1. The arrival of the two crows ________.| A．disturbed the author’s life | B．frightened the author’s dog |
| C．angered the author’s neighbors | D．damaged the author’s backyard |
| A．She wanted to take some photos. | B．The dog kept making loud noises. |
| C．She wanted to protect the little bird. | D．The parent crows were to attack the dog. |
| A．decided to take it in | B．appreciated knowing its growing process |
| C．fell in love with the pair of crows | D．planned to drive the crows away |
| A．birds are rare | B．birds are very ugly |
| C．she is afraid of birds | D．she is respectful to birds |
| A．show an annoying situation | B．seek advice on dealing with crows |
| C．call on readers to protect birds | D．share a personal experience |
Behind each lovely picture of a cloned cat or dog lie hundreds of animals that were kept in lab cages, receiving bad treatment to produce just that one cloned animal. For all that, you end up with a cloned animal who is unlikely to appear like the original physically or behaviorally and may experience serious health problems. Also, while pet cloning companies are charging customers up to $150,000 for a cloned pet, millions of homeless animals of the same species are available in US animal shelters for around $100. Unfortunately, most of these animals are killed for lack of adopting homes.
With No Pet Cloning campaign, the American Anti-Vivisection Society (AAVS) tries to protect both animals and people from harm. They campaigned until the US companies that sold cloned animals closed their doors. First it was Genetic Savings & Clone Inc. and then it was BioArts International.
When BioArts was closed, its owner, Lou Hawthorne, finally had to acknowledge the problems of pet cloning. According to Hawthorne, he has seen numerous failures during his pet cloning attempts, “One clone—which was supposed to be black and white—was born greenish-yellow where it should have been white (we still have no good explanation for how that happened).”
The AAVS is educating the public about the animal suffering and is seeking regulation of cloning activities. They will continue to take the lead in protecting animals from the threats of pet cloning.
1. From the passage, we know that ____.
| A．pets are often deserted by their owners |
| B．more and more people have joined the AAVS |
| C．most American are against cloning pet animals |
| D．the American Anti-Vivisection Society is supported by the government |
| A．carry on scientific studies |
| B．get economic interests |
| C．protect pet animals |
| D．comfort animal lovers |
| A．To tell the truth behind pet cloning. |
| B．To show the method of pet cloning. |
| C．To compare pet animals with homeless ones. |
| D．To save the animals kept in labs and shelters. |
| A．accept | B．study | C．admit | D．manage |
| A．getting most countries to fight against pet cloning |
| B．improving the technology of pet cloning |
| C．saving lots of animals from bad situations |
| D．stopping US companies’ selling cloned animals |
Julie, an Australian housewife in Brisbane is one such example. Even though autumn is approaching Australia's Brisbane in April, one can still watch colorful blooming (盛开的) flowers in Julie's little garden, as she tells that in her community,“Each of us has a beautiful yard. The whole community, from children to elderly people, takes care of the environment as if they are taking care of their own garden.”
“Gardening is the most popular club in our community,” she says. “A lot of retired people don't just regularly organize gardening lectures, but also personally visit families in the community to provide gardening training. So you can see that flowers continue to blossom(开花) in our gardens throughout the year.”
Talking about her people's sense of caring for the environment, Julie says when people in the community take along their dog, they always carry a garbage bag to deal with the dog's waste. “In our community, you will never experience the embarrassment of stepping on the dirty waste while you are walking on the grass,” says Julie with a smile. “Taking care of the dog's waste can also help to develop children's sense of responsibility!”
As to protecting water resources, the Australian government has made strict rules for families. Julie says, “We certainly would not use tap water to water the flowers!” She says almost every family in her community has a huge tank used to store rainwater, which is later used as the resource of all outdoor water use, including car washing and watering the garden. This year, they also asked people to connect the water tank with their toilets.
1. From the first three paragraphs we learn that_______.
| A．gardening is popular in most parts of Australia |
| B．April is a great time for people to enjoy flowers |
| C．Julie's community has a deep sense of caring for nature |
| D．it's not easy to keep a garden without proper training |
| A．Families are taught how to take care of their gardens. |
| B．Gardening lessons are often given by professors. |
| C．The local government provides free gardening training. |
| D．There is enough rainwater to water the flowers regularly. |
| A．She finds it embarrassing to walk on the grass. |
| B．She once stepped on a dog's waste. |
| C．She is quite in favor of raising a dog. |
| D．She takes pride in her community. |
| A．rainwater is not the best resource |
| B．her community makes full use of resources |
| C．her community owns a public tank |
| D．it is not necessary to water flowers very often |
| A．How Australians save resources |
| B．Love nature, the Australian way |
| C．How Australians lead their life |
| D．Protect nature, a must of life |
9 . Although similar in appearance to hyenas, African wild dogs are nevertheless true wild canine. They are a mixture of black, yellow, and white in such a wide variety of patterns that no two individuals look exactly alike. African wild dogs are widely distributed across the African plains but they do not live in jungle areas.
They are social animals, living in groups of usually from 2 to 45 individuals. A hierarchy exists within the group, but the animals are friendly to one another. The young and the infirm are given special privileges within the group.
African wild dogs use their sense of sight, not smell, to find their prey. They can run up to 55 km/h for several kilometers. In eastern Africa, they mostly hunt Thomson’s gazelles, but they will also attack calves, warthogs, zebras, impalas, and the young of large antelopes such as the gnu.
Growing human populations have decreased or degraded the African wild dog’s habitat and also diminished their available prey. Road kill and human persecution have also had a negative impact on African wild dog populations. This species is also susceptible to a variety of diseases such as distemper, which is controlled in domestic dogs. Conservation of the African wild dog’s natural habitat must have the highest priority, as these dogs suffer in habitats modified by human intrusion.
1. What does the underlined word “susceptible” mean?| A．easily affected or suffered | B．badly doubtful |
| C．seriously harmful | D．highly dangerous |
a. the distribution of the dogs b. social living
c. highly increasing human populations d. human’s killing the dogs
e. many diseases f. the changes of their habitats
g. domestic dogs h. food reduction
| A．a. b, c, d, e | B．b, c, d, e, f | C．c, d, e, f, h | D．d, e, f, g, h |
| A．African wild dogs are completely different from domestic dogs in size, weight |
| B．African wild dogs are living in groups |
| C．African wild dogs use their eyes mostly when sleeping to guard |
| D．African wild dogs use their noses to find their food in most cases |
| A．In a pack there may be about 90 wild dogs and no leader. |
| B．There are no such wild dogs that are different. |
| C．African wild dogs can run at a speed of about 15 m/s for a long distance. |
| D．All African wild dogs kill zebras, impalas, and antelopes as their food. |
| A．African wild dogs are not in danger, because there are such a wide variety of patterns. |
| B．African wild dogs are not in danger, because are widely distributed across the African plains. |
| C．African wild dogs are in danger, because human’s activities have a great effect on them. |
| D．African wild dogs are in danger, because their habitats have been changed much. |
