Born in a wealthy family, my nephew, Jack, leads such a thoroughly decent and cosy life that he hardly meets with cruel adversities. He has been dreaming of an adventure since he was young. At 18, Jack resolved to join an expedition
2 . I did not go on my first hike until my mid-30s. I could blame it on the fact that I grew up on the Great Plains of South Dakota and North Dakota. But mostly, to be honest, I just wasn't interested.
I went on my first hike a few years back while living in Vernont. At the urging of my wife, and with my two young kids, we walked a beautiful forest path on a cool August morning.
A few weeks ago, my 11-year-old son, my 61-year-old dad, and I hiked Camelbeack Mountain in Phoenix.
Now, just to be clear, by no means would I classify myself as an expert hiker. I love the stillness and calm of an empty path
| A．I've fallen in love with climbing mountains. |
| B．I carried a small backpack with water and snacks. |
| C．If you can climb a mountain, you can do anything. |
| D．I didn't see the value and always shook my head when asked. |
| E．It is healthy physical exercise that creates wonderful memories. |
| F．And I have no plans to climb Mount Kilimanjaro or walk the Appalachian Trail. |
| G．Last weekend, I hiked down the Grand Canyon with my son along the South Kaibab Trail. |
3 . Imagine you are on a cold mountain with steep rocks around. As you climb higher, the air gets thinner and the sun’s rays stronger. Just before you reach the snowline, you find what you came for—a small white flower, the edelweiss, which only grows in alpine areas.
Plants face many challenges living in alpine areas, and only 200 kinds of plants can grow there. Plants rely on oxygen, water, and sunlight to make their own food through the process of photosynthesis. The alpine means less CO2, which makes the process more difficult. It also brings plants closer to the sun. The sunlight is so strong that it can burn a plant’s leaves. There is little water here, so the soil is dry and rocky. You also won’t find high trees because the cold wind would blow them over！
Alpine plants have advantages that help them survive the bad conditions. Like all alpine plants, the edelweiss stays close to the ground to avoid the wind. The cold water is deep underground, so the edelweiss grows very deep roots. Its leaves have a thick covering, which protects the plant from the wind and the sun’s bright rays. All these special characteristics help it grow, but very slowly.
The edelweiss can live in the conditions, but humans can’t. Climbing in the high and cold mountains is dangerous and difficult. This is why the edelweiss became such a special flower. Long ago, a young man would pick an edelweiss flower to prove his love to a girl, although it was risky. Many men died while trying. Getting the flower proved that the man was physically strong, brave, and devoted.
Alpine plants can’t spread seeds, so it’s difficult for new plants to grow. Once all the edelweiss flowers are gone in an area, they will not regroup. Governments help protect the edelweiss because it is considered an endangered plant.
1. The first two paragraphs mainly describe ________ .| A．the process of photosynthesis | B．the appearance of the edelweiss |
| C．the growing environment of the edelweiss | D．the challenge of mountain climbing |
| A．it grows high and strong | B．it can get more sunlight |
| C．its leaves’ covering is thin | D．its deep roots can get water |
| A．It is planted in large quantities. | B．It is a symbol of bravery. |
| C．It is a shade loving plant. | D．It spreads its seeds by wind. |
| A．To introduce a special flower. | B．To compare different alpine plants. |
| C．To warn people not to pick flowers. | D．To encourage people to protect plants. |
4 . A shark attacked a 14-year-old girl near a Florida beach on Saturday, though a surfer tried to save her. The surfer pulled the girl from bloody water and frightened the shark away with his fists（拳头）.
Can sharks really smell blood in the water? Yes. Sharks have a good sense of smell, and blood happens to be a very attractive smell. Sharks also use sight and hearing to discover their food. In particular, hungry sharks like to hear the sounds which are made by swimming fish. They also look for something bright. Attacks on people can sometimes be a case of mistaken recognition. Sometimes, a shark could confuse shining stones for food.
The sharks’ eyes, ears, and nose are all near their mouth. But sharks also search for their food with sensory receptors（感受器）. These receptors can feel any movement in the water. When a shark gets very close to a food, it can use electroreceptive organs（电觉器官）, which sit the wall of little holes on the shark’s nose. Living things in salty seawater produce a weak electrical field（电磁场）that the shark can feel at a short distance, so it allows the shark to find out creatures that bury themselves in the sea floor. Muscle（肌肉）movements also produce little electrical fields that a shark can feel.
The surfer who tried to save the girl said he protected himself by frightening away the shark with his fists. Is that a good idea? Some experts think frightening away a shark with fists should only be the last choice. It won’t be wise for you to stay still in water. Swimming away rapidly seems to be a better choice. If you can’t swim away right away, hit the shark on the face or nose—where it has a high concentration of sensory receptors like humans—to drive off your attacker and give you enough time to escape. When you are beside a shark’s face, try sticking your finger in its eyes.
1. Which of the following helps sharks search for food?| A．Swimming quietly. | B．A special kind of blood. |
| C．Working as a team. | D．A good sense of smell. |
| A．Sharks can feel movements from other creatures in seawater. |
| B．Sharks use sensory receptor more than smell to search for food. |
| C．Sharks can’t feel weak muscle movements from other creatures. |
| D．Sharks can’t find and attack creatures hiding in the sea floor. |
| A．Shout loudly and frighten it away. | B．Get away from it immediately. |
| C．Touch the shark’s face gently. | D．Stay still to pretend to be dead. |
| A．Environment. | B．Sport. | C．Science. | D．Health. |
5 . In 2010, Barack Obama was to pay a visit to Mumbai’s Gandhi Museum, where palm(棕榈)trees full of me dotted the grounds. The president knew me well-coconuts (椰子)are a part of life in Indonesia, where he spent his boyhood. Before his visit, Indian authorities, however, removed every last sign of me around the museum. They were afraid the president of the United States would be taken out by one of me falling on his head.
Let’s get this out of the way: My reputation as the “killer fruit” of countless innocents was then and still is a misbelief. A repeatedly misinterpreted 1984 study overstated the number of deaths I caused by hitting people on the head, and the word spread. Today, the only things about me “to die for” are the sometimes too-delicious foods you humans make with me, such as cookies and pies. A decade ago, health experts briefly gave me a halo because some of my fats may raise beneficial cholesterol (胆固醇). But ask a heart doctor today and they’ll tell you that coconut oil will raise your bad cholesterol as much. Death by coconut, indeed!
People have other wrong ideas about me. But allow me to leave you with a sweet presidential tale. A World War II boat commanded by one John F.Kennedy was destroyed in 1943 by a Japanese warship. Kennedy and his surviving crew were stuck on an island. They were suffering from hunger, thirst and injuries when they met two friendly native coast-watchers. Kennedy scratched a message into a coconut shell: “NAURO ISL...COMMANDER...11 ALIVE...NEED SMALL BOAT...KENNEDY.”
The coast-watchers delivered this successfully and all the crew were saved. Years later, the coconut shell was given to the newly elected president. It sat on his office desk throughout his presidency and now is a center-piece of the John F.Kennedy Library in Boston-as the proof that we coconuts don’t take lives, we save them.
1. Why did Indian officials get rid of “me”?| A．To reduce Obama’s fear. | B．To avoid unexpected injuries. |
| C．To show their welcome tradition. | D．To follow the request from the US. |
| A．thought little of me | B．did great damage to me |
| C．made me well-known | D．brought me a good name |
| A．Amusing. | B．Anxious. |
| C．Concerned. | D．Romantic. |
| A．To show a new discovery. | B．To correct people’s misbelief. |
| C．To tell the history of coconuts. | D．To describe a successful rescue. |
As our cities spread, we need
Our
7 . Some ways to help and protect wildlife
There are more than 7 billion people on Earth. Imagine what will happen if every one of us is willing to do one thing — no matter how small — to protect wildlife every day.
Take a walk and see and enjoy the wildlife all around you — the birds, reptiles and small and large mammals (哺乳动物). Spend more time outside appreciating, enjoying and learning about wildlife.
Speak up for wildlife
Pick up litter
Picking up litter can save the life of an animal. Litter isn’t just ugly, it’s harmful. Birds and other animals can trap their heads in plastic rings. Fish can get stuck in nets. Plus, trash pollutes everyone’s natural resources.
Donate or volunteer
When you visit your local zoos and nature reserves, pay the recommended entry fee. Your donations help maintain these conservation areas.
| A．Go outside and connect with wildlife |
| B．Do your part by putting trash in its place |
| C．Become a voice for wildlife on social media |
| D．Find new ways to use things you already own |
| E．If you don’t have money to give, donate your time |
| F．Learn more about our planet’s species from experts |
| G．Even minor actions can have a difference when we all work together |
8 . Improved air quality to reduce ozone (臭氧) pollution may have avoided the loss of 1.5 billion birds during the past 40 years, a study found. That’s nearly 20% of bird life in the United States today.
Ozone, a gas that appears in nature, is also produced by human activities, including by power plants and cars. The ozone in the upper atmosphere protects the Earth from the harmful ultraviolet rays (紫外线) of the sun. But ground-level ozone is harmful and pollutes the air we breathe.
To examine the relationship between bird populations and air pollution, the researchers used models that connected bird observations from the Cornell Lab of Ornithology’s eBird program with ground-level pollution data. They tracked monthly changes in bird populations, air quality, and regulation status (治理现状) for 3,214 US counties over a period of 15 years. The findings suggest that ozone pollution is most harmful to the small birds — such as sparrows, warblers and finches — that make up 86% of all North American land-bird species. Ozone pollution directly harms birds by damaging their breathing systems, and indirectly harms their food sources.
“Not only can ozone cause direct physical damage to birds, but it also can harm plant health and reduce numbers of the insects that birds eat,” said co-author Amanda Rodewald. “Not surprisingly, birds that cannot get high-quality habitat or food resources are less likely to survive or reproduce successfully. The good news here is that environmental policies intended to protect human health and return important benefits to birds too.”
This work contributes to our ever increasing understanding of the connection of environmental health and human health.
1. How many birds are there in the United States now?| A．0.75 billion. | B．1.5 billion. |
| C．3 billion. | D．7.5 billion. |
| A．Ozone pollution harms birds’ food sources indirectly. |
| B．86% of North American land-bird species are extinct. |
| C．3,214 counties in America have effective regulations. |
| D．The researchers have observed birds for many years. |
| A．Worried. | B．Positive. |
| C．Uncaring. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Ground-Level Ozone Makes up Most of the Air We Breathe |
| B．Environmental Policies Intend to Protect Human Health |
| C．Reduced Ozone Pollution May Have Avoided Bird Deaths |
| D．Regulations Bring Important Protection Benefits to Birds |
Miracles are occurring in northwest China where stretches of deserts are turning green with thriving trees and luxurious grass. Decades of efforts have resulted
The eco warriors have come up with a series of
China has the largest desert area in the world，with the largest number of people
Since 1949，the government
Major ecological projects have been carried out to green the country. The Great Green Wall is the biggest tree-planting project in the world，
10 . Shark attacks in the screen are amazing. That’s because your actual chances of ever being attacked by a shark are merely one in 11.5 million. That’s the same as your chances of winning an Oscar, which makes shark attack survivor, Mike Coots both incredibly unlucky and lucky: When Mike was 18, he lost his leg to a shark bite.
“I was attacked by a tiger shark in late October 1997. It was near my home on the island of Kauai — an autumn morning with friends. The waves were really good, so nothing was stopping us.” But then a large shark came right up under Mike and sank his teeth into Mike’s lower leg. As he tried to free himself, the shark bit down harder, shaking its head back and forth and threw Mike around like a rag(破布) doll. Mike did what he could do: He struck the shark in the face, again and again until the shark let him go. As Mike swam back into shore, he realized his lower right leg was gone. Witnesses who saw the terrible scene were shocked. Mike’s friends rushed to his aid, and sent him to the hospital.
When Mike recovered, he didn’t weep for his experience and instead he did what many of us might consider unthinkable: he started riding the waves again. In fact, his first time back was near the site of his attack. Meanwhile, he was curious — why was he attacked? His curiosity led him to research sharks and Mike did learn something essential that would change his life: Humans are far more dangerous to sharks than the other way around.
He began working with the Hawaii state government to help pass a ban on shark products. “I partnered with other like-minded shark attack survivors and biologists, and we headed to Washington to call on officials to create a nationwide law to protect sharks.”
1. Why does the author show the chances of being attacked by sharks in the first paragraph?| A．To teach readers of some related knowledge. |
| B．To show Mike’s unusual experience of the shark attack. |
| C．To attract people to watch shark attacks in the screen. |
| D．To show everyone has the chance of winning an Oscar. |
| A．By hitting the shark hard constantly. |
| B．By swimming to the shore as quickly as possible. |
| C．By shouting loudly for his friends’ help. |
| D．By shaking its head up and down to get away. |
| A．To overcome his fear of tiger sharks. |
| B．To research on how sharks attack humans. |
| C．To prove humans are more dangerous than sharks. |
| D．To find out the reason for his being attacked. |
| A．Humorous and kind. | B．Brave and kind-hearted. |
| C．Generous and honest. | D．Reliable and creative. |
