1 . Over millions of years, penguins（企鹅）have developed a keen sense of where to find food. Once they’re old enough, they set off from the shores on which they were hatched for the first time and swim long distances in search of tasty fish like anchovies and sardines. But they don’t search directly for the fish themselves.

For example, when young African penguins head out to sea, they look for areas with low surface temperatures and high chlorophyll(叶绿素) because those conditions signal the presence of phytoplankton（浮游植物）. And lots of phytoplankton means lots of plankton（浮游动物）, which in turn means lots of their favorite fish. Well, that’s what it used to mean.

Climate change plus overfishing have made the penguin feeding grounds a mirage(海市蜃楼). The habitat is indeed plankton-rich—but now it’s fish-poor. Researchers call this an “ecological trap.”

“It’s a situation where you have a signal that previously pointed an animal towards good quality habitat. That habitat’s been changed, usually by human pressures. The signal stays, but the quality in the environment deteriorates.”

Richard Sherley, a zoologist at the University of Exeter and his team used satellite imaging to track the African penguins from eight sites along southern Africa. Historically, the birds benefited from tons of fish off the coasts of Angola, Namibia and western South Africa, but now they’re going hungry.

“I was really hoping we’d see them going east, and finding areas where the fish had moved to but it ends up being quite a sad story for the penguins.” said Richard.

The researchers calculate that by falling into this ecological trap, African penguin populations on South Africa's Western Cape have declined by around 80 percent.

Some research groups are exploring the idea of moving chicks to a place where they can’t get trapped, like the Eastern Cape. But Sherley thinks that a longer-term solution means making and carrying out rules to create more sustainable(可持续的) fishing industry, something that he says needs public support.

1. How do penguins find their food?

A．They discover fish with their keen sense.

B．They swim long distances directly for fish.

C．They make signals to each other when finding fish.

D．They look for warmer and greener areas.

2. What is an ecological trap for the African penguins?

A．A trap set to catch penguins.

B．A good fish habitat with few fish.

C．A habitat unsuitable for fish.

D．A mirage on the sea.

3. What does the underlined word “deteriorates” in the fourth paragraph mean?

A．Get worse.	B．Get better.
C．Stay the same.	D．Become suitable.

4. What can be done to help the penguins in the long run?

A．Move the penguins to other places.

B．Create nature reserves for penguins.

C．Keep a balanced fishing industry.

D．Increase the population of penguins.

2 . How could we possibly think that keeping animals in cages in unnatural environments, mostly for entertainment purposes, is fair and respectful?

Zoo officials say they are concerned about animals. However, most zoos remain “collections” of interesting “things” rather than protective habitats. Zoos teach people that it is acceptable to keep animals bored, lonely, and far from their natural homes.

Zoos claim to educate people and save endangered species, but visitors leave zoos without having learned anything meaningful about the animals’ natural behavior, intelligence, or beauty. Zoos keep animals in small spaces or cages, and most signs only mention the species’ name, diet, and natural range. The animals’ normal behavior is seldom noticed because zoos don’t usually take care of the animals’ natural needs.

The animals are kept together in small spaces, with no privacy and little opportunity for mental and physical exercise. This results in unusually and self-destructive behavior called zoo-chosis(圈禁性精神病). A worldwide study of zoos found that zoochosis is common among animals kept in small spaces or cages. Another study showed that elephants spend 22 percent of their time making repeated head movements or biting cage bars, and bears spend 30 percent of their time walking back and forth, a sign of unhappiness and pain.

Furthermore, most animals in zoos are not endangered. Captive breeding(圈养繁殖) of endangered big cats, Asian elephants, and other species has not resulted in their being sent back to the wild. Zoos talk a lot about their captive breeding programs because they do not want people to worry about a species dying out. In fact, baby animals also attract a lot of paying customers. Haven’t we seen enough competitions to name baby animals?

Actually, we will save endangered species only if we save their habitats and put an end to the reasons people kill them. Instead of supporting zoos, we should support groups that work to protect animals’ natural habitats.

1. How would the author describe the animals’ life in zoos?

A．Easy	B．Unhealthy
C．Unhappy	D．Dangerous.

2. In the state of zoochosis, animals usually_________.

A．remain in cages	B．behave strangely
C．attack other animals	D．enjoy moving around

3. What point of view does the author hold according to the text?

A．Zoos are not worth the public support.

B．Zoos fail in their attempt to save animals.

C．Zoos should treat animals as human beings.

D．Zoos use animals as a means of entertainment.

4. What can we infer from the text?

A．It’s acceptable to keep animals away from their habitats

B．Visitors can learn a lot about animals after visiting the zoo

C．Zoos often pay much attention to the animals’ natural lifestyle

D．Zoos can earn some money from their captive breeding programs

3 . Tower Bridge is one of London’s most striking     1     (attract) that you shouldn’t miss when visiting the capital. This magnificent piece of Victorian architecture     2     (date) back to the late 1880s, and until the mid - 1970s the main bridge     3     (operate) by a steam engine.

Today Tower Bridge is a splendid landmark typical of London,     4     (surround) by cafes, and bars where tourists and locals alike can sit and enjoy the beautiful bridge,     5     looks like two small castles over the Thames, just like something out of a fairy tale.

It is free to admire Tower Bridge and walk on it     6     any time; it’s striking to look at during the day and magic when lit up at night,     7     don’t miss out on this wonderful scene!

If you’d like     8     (step) inside the towers of the famous bridge, you can book Tower Bridge Exhibition tickets. During the exhibition, you can visit the famed engine rooms and impressive towers and find out     9     the bridge came into existence through digital displays. You can also pay     10     visit to the glass room of Tower Bridge on the high - level walkways. There are even yoga classes available on the glass floor of Tower Bridge!

4 . Jaguar （美洲虎）is an endangered animal. It is said that there are less than 20 jaguars in the world currently, one of which is living in the national zoo of Peru. To protect this jaguar, Peruvians _________ a zone in the zoo for it, where there are groups of cattle, sheep and deer for the jaguar to eat. Anyone who has visited the zoo _________ it to be the “Heaven of Tiger”. _______, strange enough, no one has ever seen the jaguar _______the animals. What we could see is it’s lying in its house sleeping and eating the meat _________by the zoo staff.

Some people thought that the jaguar felt too _________, so they collected money and rented a female tiger to accompany it. Nonetheless, it did not make too much sense. “It is _______ for the jaguar to be lazy in this environment. Tiger is the king of forest but you _______ put some small animals around him. That is why the jaguar shows no _______ in going out. Why don’t you put some __________ around him?”a visitor suggested. The zoo __________his advice and put five wolves into the jaguar’s territory(领地). Since then, it either stands on top of the hill roaring __________goes down from the hill running without sleeping all day，totally getting back to its __________.

In our world, one creature __________ any rival(对手) is lifeless. Actually, this principle also ____________to human beings. If a man lives without competitors, he is sure to be satisfied with the present and will __________before all difficulties. Difficult environment tends to __________successful people. Therefore, we need some rivals to push us with strict requirements and standards, leaving us going ahead in all ____________and challenges. Due to our rivals, we can __________the best in us. Due to our rivals, we will continuously __________our capabilities when competing with them!

1.

A．condemn

B．grab

C．overlook

D．circle

2.

A．praised

B．classified

C．claimed

D．related

3.

A．Therefore

B．Consequently

C．However

D．Moreover

4.

A．feed

B．hunt

C．shoot

D．obey

5.

A．wrapped

B．provided

C．equipped

D．abandoned

6.

A．lonely

B．merciful

C．disturbing

D．awesome

7.

A．understandable

B．changeable

C．reliable

D．unbelievable

8.

A．possibly

B．truly

C．simply

D．actually

9.

A．competence

B．interest

C．qualification

D．attempt

10.

A．cattle

B．sheep

C．deer

D．wolves

11.

A．adopted

B．demanded

C．delayed

D．reformed

12.

A．nor

B．but

C．or

D．and

13.

A．reality

B．nature

C．world

D．position

14.

A．over

B．with

C．without

D．for

15.

A．appeals

B．agrees

C．sticks

D．applies

16.

A．break down

B．hold on

C．hold back

D．break out

17.

A．shape

B．conquer

C．resemble

D．acknowledge

18.

A．instructions

B．curriculums

C．arrangements

D．competitions

19.

A．bring on

B．bring out

C．bring up

D．bring on

20.

A．evaluate

B．appreciate

C．decrease

D．promote

5 . Kitchen waste refers to deserted or uneaten refuse produced by household kitchens. It is heavy in weight and can not easily be disposed(处理)of like other garbage due to dampness.

Separating kitchen waste from other waste can help to reduce organic matter in landfills, reducing smell and waste liquid and protecting disposal equipment. It is therefore necessary to perform garbage classification when disposing of kitchen waste.

There are special garbage trucks to process kitchen waste. Labeled “Kitchen Waste”, the beds of the trucks are covered in a hermetic(密封的) metal topper to contain the smell of the rotting organic waste. There are two sizes of the trucks—the smaller ones are designed to move through narrow streets, especially in the old-fashioned hutong, the larger ones are for wider streets.

Everyday, they stop at the residential(居住的) communities in Xicheng district, pick up their kitchen waste and carry it to the kitchen waste transfer buildings nearby. And Fengrongyuan residential community is one of them. It has 10 residential buildings and 606 families. In the afternoon. Two garbage trucks arrive at the community to collect its kitchen waste. The community now has 31 sets of garbage cans. Every set has three cans in different colors, green for kitchen waste, blue for recyclable waste and grey for other garbage.

Yang Kun, an official of Financial Street office, said that if residents in the community can respect the waste regulations and make it a standard practice in their daily life, they could be rewarded for their efforts.

After the two trucks are loaded with kitchen waste at Fengronfyuan, they will leave for the Xibianmen garbage storage building, where they are weighed before driving to an area to unload. The building has six big boxes to contain the kitchen waste.

To save resources and promote the disposal of household waste, the first step is garbage classification as conducted by residents.

1. What can be learned about kitchen waste from Paragraph1?

A．It is too damp and heavy to easily dispose of.

B．It can be as easily disposed of as other garbage.

C．It helps to reduce organic matter in landfills.

D．It is necessary for garbage classification.

2. What is needed to prevent the organic waste letting out smell?

A．Trucks with a hermetic metal topper.

B．Trucks labeled “Kitchen Waste”.

C．Wider streets for garbage trucks.

D．Waste transfer buildings nearby.

3. Where is the kitchen waste weighed before being unloaded?

A．Old-fashion hutong.

B．Xicheng district.

C．Fengrongyuan residential community.

D．The Xibianmen garbage storage building.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．Kitchen waste does harm to the disposal equipment.

B．It’s a practice to respect the waste sorting regulations.

C．The disposal of kitchen waste is aimed to save resources.

D．The disposal of household waste begins with garbage classification.

6 . Walking down a path through some woods in Georgia, I saw a water puddle (水坑) ahead on the path. I walk around to the side of the path that wasn’t covered by water and _______. As I reached the puddle, I was suddenly attacked! Yet I did nothing for it was so _______. I stepped back and my attacker stopped attacking me. _______attacking more, he flied in the air with its graceful _______ in front of me. Had I been hurt, I wouldn’t have found it amusing but I was unhurt, it was _______ and I was laughing. After all, I was being attacked by a butterfly!

I took a step forward, and my attacker rushed me again. He pushed and _______me in the chest with his head and body over and over again with all his might. It’s just not everyday that _______ is attacked by a butterfly, so I stopped to find out the _______. My attacker moved back as well to _______ on the ground. That’s when I discovered why my ________ was charging me only moments earlier. He had a mate beside the puddle ________ he landed and she was dying.

Sitting close beside her, he opened and closed his wings as if to fan her. I could only ________ the love and courage of that butterfly in his concern for his mate, even though she was ________ dying and I was so large. He did so just to give her those extra few ________ moments of life. Now I knew why and what he was ________. I couldn’t do anything other than reward him by changing my ________ to the more difficult side of the puddle. He had truly ________ those moments to be with her, undisturbed. I cleaned the mud from my boots and left.

Since then, I’ve always tried to remember the ________ of that butterfly whenever I see huge ________ facing me. I use that butterfly’s courage as an inspiration to ________myself that good things are worth striving for.

1.

A．mud

B．grass

C．stone

D．earth

2.

A．unnecessary

B．unpredictable

C．unbelievable

D．understandable

3.

A．Or rather

B．Or so

C．Instead of

D．Other than

4.

A．feet

B．hands

C．feather

D．wings

5.

A．funny

B．surprising

C．shocking

D．exciting

6.

A．grasped

B．hit

C．took

D．seized

7.

A．it

B．ones

C．one

D．that

8.

A．reason

B．purpose

C．origin

D．direction

9.

A．run

B．fly

C．stand

D．land

10.

A．fighter

B．attacker

C．competitor

D．pet

11.

A．what

B．which

C．where

D．why

12.

A．understand

B．give

C．remember

D．admire

13.

A．doubtfully

B．clearly

C．eventually

D．actually

14.

A．previous

B．precise

C．precious

D．preferable

15.

A．fighting for

B．looking for

C．struggling with

D．providing for

16.

A．goal

B．way

C．opinion

D．attitude

17.

A．enjoyed

B．left

C．earned

D．remembered

18.

A．competition

B．intelligence

C．determination

D．courage

19.

A．barriers

B．equals

C．rivers

D．deaths

20.

A．request

B．permit

C．remind

D．forbid

7 . What’s going on under Liverpool?

A Rainy Day in Liverpool

Dark clouds appear over the River Mersey and a cold wind is blowing. A few rain drops are beginning to fall. We’re in the famous city of Liverpool and we’re going to spend this rainy day in the Williamson Tunnels.

An Interesting Life Story

Joseph Williamson was born into a poor family in 1769，but left home and went to work for a tobacco company aged 11. He began at the bottom, and finally became head of the business.

An Unsolved Mystery

Nobody knows why Williamson dug tunnels under most of Liverpool, but many think it was to create jobs. Perhaps half of Liverpool’s population worked for him. The industry of war had made enormous amounts of money, but now Liverpool was in a terrible financial situation.

The King of Edge Hill

I went on a guided tour starting close to where his empire began in Edge Hill. In the tunnels, the steps leading from rooms below ground to those buildings, which no longer exist, seem particularly ghostly.

Incredible Engineering

We go into the Double Tunnel. It’s just been discovered that it’s actually a triple tunnel - but nobody knows why the three tunnels were built on top of each other.

We finish the tour and decide we’ll have a coffee in the Williamson Tunnels Cafe Bar. There, I notice lots of flyers for bands and theater groups that are coming to play there.

Why Liverpool?

Apart from the obvious attractions like the football clubs, or anything to do with the Beatles, Liverpool has a lot to offer. Princes Park and Croxteth Park were royal hunting grounds and the trees are 200 years old. Renshaw Street displays are an unusual mix of architecture styles. The nightlife is exciting. If you want to experience a part of the British Isles with a character entirely different from London, you should definitely come to Liverpool.

1. Which of the following is TRUE about Joseph Williamson?

A．He was born in the early 1700s.

B．He left home when he turned 18.

C．He worked for a tobacco company when he was young.

D．He started his business by himself but ended up broke.

2. Where did Williamson start his business?

A．Princes Park.	B．Edge Hill.
C．Croxteth Park.	D．Renshaw Street.

3. What can you do in Liverpool?
a. Join football clubs.
b. Enjoy Beatles music.
c. Visit famous tourist spots.
d. Enjoy the beautiful beach.

A．abd	B．bcd
C．acd	D．abc

8 . Rainforests, it turns out, are not created equal. Take the Amazon rainforest, an area that covers about 7 million square kilometers. But within that huge expanse are all kinds of ecological zones, and some of these zones, says Greg Asner, are a lot more crowded than others.

“Some forests have many species of trees,” he said, “others have few. Many forests are unique from others in terms of their overall species composition…” And all of these different small areas of forest exist within the giant space that is the Amazon Rainforest.

So Asner, using the signature technique called airborne laser-guided imaging spectroscopy, began to map these different zones from the air. “By mapping the traits of tropical forests from above,” he explains, “we are, for the first time, able to understand how forest composition varies geographically.”

The results show up in multicolored maps, with each color representing different kinds of species, different kinds of trees, the different kinds of chemical they are producing and using, and even the amount of biodiversity, the animal and plant species that live within each zone.

Armed with this information, Asner says decision-makers now have “a first-time way to decide whether any given forest geography is protected well enough or not. If not, then new protections can be put in place to save a given forest from destruction.”

Asner says the information is a great way for decision-makers to develop a “cost-benefit ratio type analysis.”   Conservation efforts can be expensive, so armed with this information, government leaders can ensure they are making the most of their conservation dollars by focusing on areas that are the most biologically diverse or unique.

The next step, Asner says, is to take his project global, and to put his eyes even higher in the sky, on orbital satellites. “The technique we developed and applied to map Peru is ready to go global.” Asner said. “We want to put the required instrumentation on an Earth-orbiting satellite, to map the planet every month, which will give the best possible view of how the world’s biodiversity is changing, and where to put much needed protections.

1. Unequally-created rainforests refer to the fact ______.

A．how crowded they are

B．where they are located

C．when they came into being

D．what kinds of species they have

2. What can government leaders learn from Asner’s mapping?

A．The cost to conserve forests.

B．The chemicals needing for certain forests.

C．The forest areas needing special protection.

D．The number of animals living in a forest.

3. What is Asner planning to do now?

A．To send a satellite to map the world.

B．To track the change of biodiversity in the world.

C．To develop technology for mapping the globe.

D．To advertise his project around the world.

4. What does the passage mainly talk about?

A．Using eyes in the sky to map biodiversity.

B．Making a map of big forests in the world.

C．Learning about the biodiversity of Amazon forest.

D．Protecting the forest from being destructed.

9 . Small and round transparent water bottles filled with natural water could help provide a solution to London's plastic waste problem, according to Skipping Rocks Lab, the company in the British capital that produces them. They added that the balls have been made of plant and seaweed extracts and will decompose（分解）after four to six weeks if not consumed.

With many cities struggling to get rid of vast numbers of used plastic water bottles, the ‘Ooho’ has begun to meet the thirst of consumers in San Francisco and London. A report published last Thursday said more than 4,000 plastic bottles had been removed from the River Thames in a month last year, proving the scale of the waste problem.

"We think Ooho may not be the solution for all the applications that plastic bottles have, but definitely for short term consumption it could be a solution," said Rodrigo, the founder of Skipping Rocks Lab. In a trial near London Bridge last Wednesday, Ooho drew a mixture of surprise, amusement and delight among those who sampled them. London's city assembly said Ooho was a step forward. "It could be part of the solution but not the only solution. You also need to be able to refill bottles at railway stations for example," said Leonie Cooper, the Chair of the assembly's environment committee.

The company aims to target, among other consumers, marathon runners, who will be able to eat the Oohos mid-race without concerns about the environment. It is also considering sealing alcohol for a whole new market. "People see these small round bubbles and they just think ‘shots’. So that's definitely something we're looking at," said Skipping Rocks Lab Chief Operating Officer Lise. "We have sealed alcohol, we want to perfect it, and hopefully this will be the great change of the future."

1. ‘Ooho’ can help solve the plastic waste problem because ________.

A．it is small and transparent	B．it is filled with natural water
C．it is made of plant and seaweed	D．it can disappear some time later

2. How is Rodrigo's comment on ‘Ooho’?

A．Subjective.	B．Unreal.
C．Objective.	D．Ridiculous.

3. In which column can we find the text?

A．Technology and Invention.	B．Health and Medicine.
C．Industry and Economy.	D．Tourism and Development.

10 . One of America’s best-known artist colonies, the MacDowell Colony, will turn 110 next year. It is a place where artists of all types can sweep away distractions (令人分心的事物) and just create.

MacDowell’s operations are funded by foundations, corporations and individuals. Writers, composers, photographers, filmmakers and sculptors — both famous and unknown —compete for the 32 free studios at the place. Once accepted, an artist can stay for as little as a couple of weeks, or as long as a couple of months.

When they arrive, artists find a kind of isolation (隔绝) hard to find in our world. There’s no phone. No fax. No friends. No family. It’s just a cabin in the snowy woods.

Writer Emily Raboteau lives in New York City. She came to MacDowell to work on a novel. She received a desk, chairs, pencil and paper — and ice grippers. The walk from one isolated, one-room studio to another is icy, so colony residents (居住的人) fasten the ice grippers to the bottom of their shoes.

Another colony resident, Belfast composer Elaine Agnew, plays a piece called “To a Wild Rose,” written by Edward MacDowell. She says it’s so famous that every pianist in the world has played the tune. A hundred years ago, Macdowell owned the land where the colony now sits. He liked its isolation and his ability to get work done there. After his death, his wife, Marion, encouraged other artists to come.

And for the last century, artists have accepted the invitation, coming to step outside of their daily lives for a short time. Privacy is respected, but cooperation and discussion is common.

Screenwriter Kit Carson — who wrote Texas Chainsaw Massacre 2 and the film adaptation of Sam Shepherd’s play Paris, Texas — has visited MacDowell twice. He says that the interdisciplinary (学科间的) discussion there is valuable.

“You sit around at dinner, talking, and then somebody runs off and brings you back some stuff and shows it to you,” he says. “That, I didn’t realize, was part of the magic here, because people are really open to showing their opinions here.”

1. What do the colony residents have in common?

A．They find it hard to survive the loneliness.

B．They usually stay in the colony for months.

C．They are already famous in their own field.

D．They are nearly cut off from the outside world.

2. Why does the author mention Elaine Agnew?

A．To show the wide range of the residents.

B．To introduce the origin of the colony.

C．To admire her great musical talent.

D．To show respect for MacDowell.

3. Where does the magic of the MacDowell Colony lie according to Kit Carson?

A．It has a homely feel.	B．It values work-play balance.
C．It encourages privacy greatly.	D．It has an idea-sharing atmosphere.

4. What would be the best title for the text?

A．Wonderland for artists	B．Creativity at work
C．Happy birthday!	D．Power of silence