1 . Location

St Helena is one of the remotest islands on Earth. The subtropical (亚热带的) British Overseas Territory sits in the middle of the South Atlantic Ocean, 1,200 miles from the west coast of Africa and 1,800 miles from the east coast of South America.

Size Population

St Helena is only 16 km long and 9 km wide and the population is 5,000. This is 1/3 the size of the Isle of Wight, and the same size as Disney World Orlando. This is also the same size as San Francisco-yet the island has just 0.5% of San Francisco’s population. With an extremely low-crime community, you can freely explore the island’s natural and built attractions in peace.

Climate

As a subtropical island, St Helena’s temperature is 15-28℃ all year round. While the four seasons are not recognized on St Helena, the “cooler months” are generally June to September and the “hotter months” are December to March. St Helena is free from extreme weather events, with even thunderstorms only occurring perhaps once a decade.

Accessibility

Until 2017, St Helena did not have an airport and was only accessible by sea. Reaching the island meant a five-day ship voyage from Cape Town, South Africa. However, since October 2017, the island’s first and only airport has enabled passengers to reach the island in just a six-hour flight.

1. In what aspect are St Helena and San Francisco alike?

A．Climate.

B．Population.

C．Crime rate.

D．Area.

2. What can best describe the climate of St Helena?

A．Tropical.

B．Mild.

C．Dry.

D．Extreme.

3. How could visitors gain entry into St Helena before 2017?

A．By plane.

B．By car.

C．By ship.

D．By train.

3 . In 1620, about half the USA was covered by forests.   Today the forests have almost gone.   A lot of good land has gone with them, leaving only sand.   China doesn’t want to copy the USA’s example.   We’re planting more and more trees.   We’ve built the “ Great Green Wall” of trees across northern part of our country. The Great Green Wall is 7,000 kilometres long, and between 400 and 1,700 kilometres wide.   It will stop the wind from blowing the earth away.   It will stop the sand from moving towards the rich farmland in the south.   More “Great Green Walls” are needed.   Trees must be grown all over the world.   Great Green Walls will make the world better.

1. In 1620, about ________ the USA was covered by forests.

A．a third

B．half

C．two thirds

D．a fourth

2. A lot of good land has gone with ________.

A．sand

B．water

C．wind

D．forests

3. The Great Green Wall in China is ________ long.

A．7,000 kilometers	B．1,700 kilometers
C．7,000 meters	D．400 kilometers

4. Trees must be grown in ________.

A．China	B．the USA
C．some countries	D．every part of the world

5. ________ will make the world better.

A．The Great Wall	B．Tall buildings
C．Great Green Walls	D．Flowers and grass

5 . Animals are natural resources that people have wasted all through our history. Animals have been killed for their fur and feathers, for food, for sport. Thousands of kinds of animals have disappeared from the world forever. Hundreds more are on the danger list today. About 170 kinds in the United States alone are considered in danger.

Why should people care? Because we need animals. And because once they are gone, there will never be any more. Animals are more than just beautiful and interesting. They are more than just a source of food. Every animal has its place in the balance of nature. Destroying one kind of animal can create many problems. For example, when farmers killed large numbers of hawks, the farmers’ stores of corn and grain were destroyed by rats and mice. Why? Because hawks eat rats and mice. With no hawks to keep down their numbers, the rats and mice increased quickly.

Luckily, some people are working to help save the animals. Some groups raise money to let people know about the problem. And they try to get the governments to pass laws protecting animals in danger. Quite a few countries have passed laws. These laws forbid the killing of any animals or plants on the danger list. Slowly, the number of some animals in danger is growing.

1. Animals are important to us mainly because ________.

A．they give us a source of food	B．they are beautiful and lovely
C．they keep the balance of nature	D．they give us a lot of pleasure

2. What has happened to the animals on the earth?

A．Only a few animals have disappeared.

B．Many kinds of animals have died out.

C．About 170 kinds of animals have disappeared forever.

D．All kinds of animals are in danger.

3. Which of the following is NOT true?

A．People care much about animals because they need them.

B．Once a certain kind of animals is gone forever, there will never be any more.

C．Killing all rats and mice may cause some problems.

D．People must not kill any animals.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．Every person will know the importance of protecting wild animals.

B．Animals in danger will not be killed any more.

C．The number of some animals in danger will increase.

D．Animals in danger will be kept away from people.

8 . While beach vacations may be a great way to take your mind off work, lakes surrounded by mountains make for an even more wonderful experience. If you are looking for some peace on your vacation, we have some recommendations for you in the Caucasus (高加索).

Lake Sevan

Lake Sevan is located in the central part of Armenia, in the Gegharkunik province. It is the largest lake in Armenia, 6,200ft above sea level. Along the lake shore, there are various accommodations such as resorts and hotels with plenty of activities to take part in such as windsurfing, swimming and sunbathing. While there, do not forget to visit one of the famous cultural sites with remarkable history, the Sevanavank Monastery, and it offers a great view of the lake as well.

Paravani Lake

Paravani Lake, 6,801ft above sea level, is in the south of Georgia, near the Javakheti Plateau. At this level, altitude sickness can appear and it is a good idea to be prepared to adapt to it properly, or bring medicine for altitude sickness. Being a volcanic lake makes for a more interesting experience. The lake is best known for fishing. Do not come here during the winter months when the lake freezes.

Lake Cildir

Lake Cildir is in the Ardahan province, east Turkey, near the borders of Georgia and Armenia. It is a large freshwater lake of eastern Turkey, and many tourists don’t notice this beautiful attraction. Lake Cildir is surrounded by mountains of the Caucasus. The lake freezes during late November. If the winter is not extremely cold, you can try some lake activities like ice skating and ice fishing.

Lake Van

Lake Van is the must visit of all lakes in this list, the largest lake in Turkey. Lake Van is on the eastern shore of Turkey and is also the most accessible lake there. It’s 5,380ft above sea level, and unique to many lakes around the world: the water is high in salt content.

1. If you want to visit some historic sites during your travel by a lake, you can go to________.

A．Lake Cildir

B．Paravani Lake

C．Lake Sevan

D．Lake Van

2. What challenge are travelers most likely to face while visiting Paravani Lake?

A．Lack of medicine.	B．Altitude sickness.
C．Volcano eruptions.	D．Low temperature all the year.

3. What is special about Lake Van?

A．Its water is high in salt.	B．It is a volcanic lake.
C．It is globally the largest lake.	D．It is surrounded by mountains.

9 . “Why did the fox steal my shoes?” sounds like the start of a brain teaser (脑筋急转弯) or an annoyingly hot song. But for people in Berlin, it was a real question that a local fox was behind a series of shoes thefts.

About two weeks ago, Meyer, a resident of Berlin, noticed that one of his new running shoes had disappeared from his porch, and he decided to examine the theft, a German news site reported.

Meyer quickly learned that he was not the thief’s only victim, and a tip helped him catch the fox. Days later, Meyer spotted the fox again; he followed it and discovered the fox’s secret place of more than 100 shoes.

Meyer got a photo of the thieving fox and its ill-gotten shoes, which he shared on Twitter. The shoes contained sneakers, and slippers in range of colors, shapes and sizes, though the most numerous shoes by far were Crocs.

This isn’t the first time that an urban fox has demonstrated a seeming shoe fetish (恋物). In August 2019, a fox in Melbourne, Australia, repeatedly visited a woman’s porch and stole three boots over the course of a week. In a small town in western Germany, a female fox stole about 110 to 120 shoes in just one night, presumably “for her babies to play with”, according to Reuters.

It’s unknown whether all of these foxes were acting independently or whether their actions were linked, perhaps as part of an international shoe-stealing group with a bad purpose that humans can only imagine.

1. What can we know about Meyer according to the passage?

A．He had his shoes stolen.

B．He was physically attacked by a fox.

C．He moved out of Berlin and settled in a new place.

D．His favorite shoes were Crocs.

2. What did Meyer do when he found the fox’s hiding place?

A．He drove the fox away.

B．He took a picture and posted it on social media.

C．He sent some food to the fox.

D．He followed the fox and found many other foxes.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to the underlined word in paragraph 5?

A．Totally.

B．Partly.

C．Definitely.

D．Possibly.

4. How does the author sound in the last paragraph?

A．Delighted.

B．Serious.

C．Humorous.

D．Terrified.

10 . The world' s largest iceberg is floating toward the island of South Georgia in the southern Atlantic Ocean. Scientists fear the iceberg could crash into the island and block major feeding areas for a large population of penguins and seals.

The huge iceberg, named A68a, broke away from Antarctica's Larsen C ice shelf in 2017. It has since floated toward South Georgia, a British overseas territory. Satellite images show the iceberg has remained in one piece, about 150 kilometers long and 48 kilometers wide, which is traveling at one kilometer an hour and is on a path to hit South Georgia in around 30 days.

The British Antarctic Survey says it is concerned that if the iceberg hits the island, it could prevent the penguins and seals from reaching food supplies. Professor Geraint Tarling, an ecologist with the Survey, says right now is the time of year when seals and penguins spend a lot of time caring for their young. This means the distance that parents have to travel to find food is important.

Ecologists say an iceberg crash would also disturb materials settled on the seabed, possibly polluting the surrounding seas. As the iceberg melts （融化），it would also release large amounts of fresh water into the ocean. This could affect krill （磷虾）populations that are a major source of food for the island's wildlife. Tarling says the iceberg could remain for 10 years and change the area's whole ecosystem.

These are globally significant populations of these species. If these species fail in this particular area, then the numbers globally are going to go down quite dramatically. ”

The breaking off of icebergs from Antarctica is a natural process. But the process is changing with climate change. "What we' re seeing with models and some observations now is the rate at which this is happening is increasing. And so, this might become more of a usual thing into the future, “ Tarling said. The iceberg also could damage South Georgia's valuable fishing industry. Fishers pay for the rights to catch Patagonian toothfish, icefish and krill in waters off the island.

Officials are hoping that changing weather patterns could direct the iceberg out into the open ocean, where it would, in time, break up and melt.

1. How will the floating iceberg probably affect penguins?

A．It will force them to move away.

B．It will destroy their food supplies.

C．It will occupy their feeding areas.

D．It will prevent them from getting food.

2. Which species plays the most important role in the whole ecosystem of this area?

A．Krill.

B．Seal.

C．Icefish.

D．Penguin.

3. What do officials hope to do to reduce the effect of the floating iceberg?

A．Break it into pieces.	B．Lead it to the open ocean.
C．Stop it from moving.	D．Sink it to the bottom of the sea.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．A Floating Iceberg Puts Wildlife at Risk

B．A Floating Iceberg Causes Weather Change

C．A Floating Iceberg Pollutes the Surrounding Seas

D．A Floating Iceberg Damages the Whole Ecosystem