1 . The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.

Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.

Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.

The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business.

To raise money for the idea, he toured the City’s private companies which fund new businesses and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around ￡500,000 to MyHab and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.

Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.

For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhab team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior(外部的) advertising space.

The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonhury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.

1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents              .

A．economically desirable

B．favorable to the environment

C．for holding music performances

D．designed for disaster relief

2. Mr. Dunlop established his business              .

A．independently with an interest-free loan from Mint

B．with the approval of the City’s administration

C．in partnership with a finance group

D．with the help of a Japanese architect

3. It is implied in the passage that               .

A．the weather in the UK. is changeable in summer

B．most performances at British festivals are given in the open air

C．the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored

D．cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users

4. The passage is mainly concerned with              .

A．an attempt at developing recyclable tents

B．some efforts at making full use of cardboards

C．an unusual success of a graduation project

D．the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals

2 . In the 1960s, while studying the volcanic history of Yellowstone National Park, Bob Christiansen became puzzled about something that, oddly, had not troubled anyone before: he couldn’t find the park’s volcano. It had been known for a long time that Yellowstone was volcanic in nature — that’s what accounted for all its hot springs and other steamy features. But Christiansen couldn’t find the Yellowstone volcano anywhere.

Most of us, when we talk about volcanoes, think of the classic cone(圆锥体) shapes of a Fuji or Kilimanjaro, which are created when erupting magma(岩浆) piles up. These can form remarkably quickly. In 1943, a Mexican farmer was surprised to see smoke rising from a small part of his land. In one week he was the confused owner of a cone five hundred feet high. Within two years it had topped out at almost fourteen hundred feet and was more than half a mile across. Altogether there are some ten thousand of these volcanoes on Earth, all but a few hundred of them extinct. There is, however, a second less known type of volcano that doesn’t involve mountain building. These are volcanoes so explosive that they burst open in a single big crack, leaving behind a vast hole, the caldera. Yellowstone obviously was of this second type, but Christiansen couldn’t find the caldera anywhere.

Just at this time NASA decided to test some new high-altitude cameras by taking photographs of Yellowstone. A thoughtful official passed on some of the copies to the park authorities on the assumption that they might make a nice blow-up for one of the visitors’ centers. As soon as Christiansen saw the photos, he realized why he had failed to spot the caldera: almost the whole park—2.2 million acres—was caldera. The explosion had left a hole more than forty miles across—much too huge to be seen from anywhere at ground level. At some time in the past Yellowstone must have blown up with a violence far beyond the scale of anything known to humans.

1. What puzzled Christiansen when he was studying Yellowstone?

A．Its complicated geographical features.

B．Its ever-lasting influence on tourism.

C．The mysterious history of the park.

D．The exact location of the volcano.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The shapes of volcanoes.

B．The impacts of volcanoes.

C．The activities of volcanoes.

D．The heights of volcanoes.

3. What does the underlined word “blow-up” in the last paragraph most probably mean?

A．Hot-air balloon.	B．Digital camera.
C．Big photograph.	D．Bird’s view.

3 . Nature soothes(抚慰)our stressed-out souls. We know that nature is the best prescription, and new research suggests we can gain benefits while visiting parks.

    1    The study published in the International Journal of Environmental Health Research found that spending 20 minutes in a city park can make you happier, regardless of whether you use that time to exercise or not.

"In general,we found park visitors reported an improvement in emotional well-being(幸福感)after the park visit.”the study's lead author and University of Alabama at Birmingham professor Hon K. Yuen said in a statement.“    2    ”Instead, we found time spent in the park is related to improved emotional well-being.”

For the study, 94 adults visited three city parks in Mountain Brook, Alabama, completing a questionnaire about their subjective well-being before and after their visit.     3     A visit of between 20 and 25 minutes showed the best results, with a roughly 64% increase in the participants' self-reported well-being, even if they didn't move a great deal in the park.     4    

The study group was truly small. as the study's co-author and another UAB professor, Gavin Jenkins, acknowledges.     5    The challenge facing cities is that there is increasing evidence about the value of city parks but we continue to see the decrease of these spaces.

A．Something was used to track their physical activity.

B．You usually visit a small green space in your neighborhood.

C．However, its findings pointed out the importance of city parks.

D．If you want to feel happier, you just need to exercise for 20 minutes in a park.

E．The best part is that you needn't visit a national park or go far out of your way.

F．This means people can benefit from visiting a nearby park, regardless of physical ability.

G．But we didn't find levels of physical activity are linked to improved emotional well-being.

4 . Have you ever been into a cave? If not, please follow us and explore some of the most beautiful caves from around the world!

Marble Caves

Located in the center of Lake General Carrera, the Marble Caves in Chico, Chile, are only accessible by boat. The surrounding crystal clear waters allow visitors to see the rock formations beneath them while the rock ceilings above change color(depending on the writer levels and the season). The best time to visit: during sunrise and sunset, when the sun’s rays light up the cave walls, making it an experience to remember.

Reed Flute Cave

Reed F1ute Cave known as “the Palace of Natural Arts” is located in the northwest of Guilin in southern China.The limestone cave offers a grand fairyland of stalactites(钟乳石), stone pillars, stone curtains, birds, plants and animals in fantastic shapes and colors.

Fingal’s Cave

This incredible sea cave is located on the uninhabited island of Staffa in Scotland. The cave’s size, shape, and naturally—arched(拱形的) roof combine with the waves to create strange sounds that enhance its cathedral—like atmosphere.

The Blue Grotto

The Blue Grotto is the symbol of Capri. It is a sea cave found on the coast of the island and is a well-known spot to all who visit the area. This cave is unique for its brilliant blue light which comes from two sources: the entrance to the cave and a bigger hole beneath the entrance. When viewed from inside the cave, the entrance appears as a brilliant white light just above the waterline, while the underwater hole, which is the larger source of light, provides a blue light.

1. Why is sunset the best time to visit Marble Caves?

A．Because it has enough light in it.

B．Because it has the most beautiful scenery.

C．Because it is surrounded by clear waters.

D．Because boats are only available at sunset.

2. Which cave will you go to if you want to enjoy the strange sound?

A．Reed F1ute Cave.	B．Marble Caves.
C．The Blue Grotto.	D．Fingal’s Cave.

3. What is special about the Blue Grotto?

A．C1ear waters.	B．Various birds and animals.
C．Bright blue light.	D．Strange shapes.

5 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Lake Hillier is a saltwater lake on the edge of Middle Island, a large island off the south coast of Western Australia. It is pink in color, due     1     a plant that causes the salt     2    ( produce) a red color. There' s a long strip of land     3     separates the lake from the ocean. It was first written about in 1802, when Matthew Flinders hiked one of the island’ s highest     4    ( mountain). He named the lake after William Hillier, an     5     (explore) who had previously visited Middle Island. In 1889, Edward Andrews moved to the island with his two sons. They began to mine the lake for salt, and soon other miners came. However, the mining was     6     (eventual) stopped, as the salt wasn' t fit to eat or use in other products because it was    7    ( poison). In 2002, the lake was recognized as     8     wetland, and in 2012, it became a     9    (protect) area. A walking trail     10    ( build) around it for tourists to use. Even though the lake contains a lot of salt, it is still safe to swim in.

6 . 下面一篇文章中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1. 每处错误及修改均仅限一词；

2. 只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

A big storm destroyed two villages in South Africa on last Friday, causing 4 death. Over 200 people became homeless as a result of the storm. A farmer said the storm began early in the morning and last one hour. He said, “I was in the kitchen with my wife and children while we heard a loud noise. A few minutes late, our house fell down. I managed to climb out, but much to my shocking, one of my boys were missing. I quickly went back inside and found them safe but frightened.” Soldiers came to rescue those burying under the ruins, and the government provided food, clothes, and shelters for homeless.

7 . On a cool morning, Wilson Kasaine heads out along a dirt path in southern Kenya. His calmness makes it easy to forget that he’s tracking one of the most dangerous animals in the world. Kasaine is tracking lions—especially one lion called Marti, who is the real-life Lion King of Selenkay Conservancy.

Tracking lions on foot may sound like a death wish, but Kasaine has been doing it for most of his life. Born into a traditional Maasai family he quickly grew to understand the beauty and danger of wildlife. Living with big wild animals forces him to develop a good sense of where they have been and where they may be going. During his 12-kilometer walks to and from school, he learned how to tell the paw prints (爪印) of a lion from those of other animals.

Growing up, Kasaine knew that improving his tracking abilities would help him avoid surprise meetings with dangerous animals. For many Maasai, tracking is mainly a matter of self-protection. But Kasaine is tracking lions to meet them and to protect them. He leads a small group of wide-eyed tourists over the red sandy path, searching for the lion that has left upon it his prints.

Each year, thousands of tourists crowd Kenya’s national parks to try to have a look at the＂big five＂; elephants, rhinoceros, leopards, buffaloes and lions. The international draw of these animals matters a lot because the nation’s economy is tied to the protection of its wildlife. If Kenya’s wildlife disappears, so does its second-largest source of income.

Wildlife protection efforts in Kenya meant marking off land exclusively(专门地)for animals. But it also meant that the people who had originally lived in the area were forced to leave their land and into smaller surrounding areas. They are also finding it increasingly hard to keep a traditional Maasai lifestyle. But people are glad that it really makes a difference to wildlife protection.

1. How did Kasaine track lions?

A．By working together with tourists.

B．By running after them all the time.

C．By going to school every day.

D．By studying their paw prints.

2. What can we learn from Paragraph 4?

A．Maasai people are born animal lovers.

B．Tourism is a big threat to Kenya’s wildlife.

C．Kenya benefits a lot from its wildlife protection.

D．Small animals are not included in their protection policy.

3. What does the underlined word ＂it＂in the last paragraph refer to?

A．Kenya’s economic development.

B．People’s leaving their original homes.

C．Kenya’s second-largest income source.

D．Kenyan people’s traditional Maasai lifestyle.

4. What is the best title for the text?

A．Wildlife protection in Kenya

B．Meeting a dangerous animal

C．Wilson Kasaine’s wise choice

D．Learning to live with lions

8 . 阅读下面的短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空。

Chengdu has dozens of new millionaires, Asia’s biggest building, and fancy new hotels. But for tourists like me, pandas are its top     1    (attract).

So it was a great honour to be invited backstage at the not-for-profit Panda Base, where ticket money helps pay for research. I     2    (allow) to get up close to these cute animals at the 600-acre centre. From tomorrow, I will be their UK ambassador. The title will be     3    (official) given to me at a ceremony in London. But my connection with pandas goes back     4     my days on a TV show in the mid-1980s,     5     I was the first Western TV reporter     6    (permit) to film a special unit caring for pandas rescued from starvation in the wild. My ambassadorial duties will include     7    (introduce) British visitors to the 120-plus pandas at Chengdu and others at a research centre in the misty mountains of Bifengxia.

On my recent visit, I held a lively three-month-old twin that had been rejected by     8    (it) mother. The nursery team switches him every few     9    (day) with his sister so that while one is being bottle-fed,     10     other is with mum—she never suspects.