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A Love of Gardening
“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.” These words come from the author of the book The Secret Garden, first published in 1911. At that time, only the very rich in Britain had gardens. Very soon after this, homes with gardens began to be built. This is what started the British love of gardening！Today, millions of Brits like to say that they have “green fingers”, with around half the population spending their free time gardening.
For many people in the UK, their garden is their own private world. Each spring, children plant sunflowers and wait to see which one is the tallest. Expert gardeners know just the right corner for roses, and others spend hours trying to grow perfect vegetables to enter into competitions. And while many Brits like nothing better than spending their Sunday cutting the grass, some are happy just to sit under the branches of the trees and enjoy the beauty of the world around them.
But in cities, limited space has led to people looking for new solutions. Those without outside space can rent small pieces of land on which to grow things. Today, there are over 4,000 people in London waiting for such pieces of land. One recent idea has been to turn rooftops and walls into private gardens. These gardens have helped make the cities greener and improve air quality.
As well as being good for the environment, gardening is also good for the soul. What other free-time activity allows you to be at one with nature and create more beautiful living things? And if you’re in any doubt about this, take a moment to reflect on this line from The Secret Garden: “Where you tend a rose... A thistle cannot grow.”
1. What inspires a lot of Brits to create their own private gardens?| A．Their hobby for gardens. |
| B．Publishing of The Secret Garden. |
| C．The call of the government. |
| D．Release of working pressure. |
| A．They would like to enjoy their own private life. |
| B．They would like to enjoy their own flowers and perfect vegetables. |
| C．They all want to protect the environment. |
| D．They would like to share their happy time with others. |
| A．They are very competitive. |
| B．They want to have their own private space. |
| C．Gardening can provide a quiet environment for people. |
| D．Greening in Britain is already on the rise. |
| A．Great changes in London. |
| B．A love of gardening. |
| C．The importance of gardening. |
| D．The use of spare time. |
The Monarch’s Journey
Many animals move from one place to another at certain times of the year. This annual movement is called migration. They migrate to find food, seek a partner, or in search of warmer weather. One of the most wonderful migrations in nature is that of the North American monarch butterfly.
Every autumn, millions of these beautiful insects with fine black and orange wings begin a long and difficult journey. Somehow they manage to travel around 4,000 kilometres south and find their way to California or Mexico. However, until recently no one knew how they did this.
A team of scientists led by Professor Eli Shlizerman at the University of Washington has now found the answer. They have found out that the monarch is able to tell the time of day. It uses its eyes to measure the position of the sun. These two pieces of information — the time of day and the point where the sun is in the sky — allow the butterfly to determine the way to go. Eventually, it manages to reach the places where it will spend the winter.
The solution to the mystery of the monarch’s amazing ability comes at a time when it is in serious trouble. Its population has crashed by as much as 90 per cent in the last few years. Sadly, human activity is the main reason why the number of monarch butterflies is falling. In many of the places where the butterfly can be found, people are destroying the natural environment. They cut down trees and use chemicals that kill the plants that monarch caterpillars eat.
The research on the monarch’s behaviour has however led to a greater awareness of this creature. People have been working together to record its migration and make sure that there are enough plants for it to feed on. If this works, there may come a time when the number of monarch butterflies increases once again. The more we know about this lovely creature, the greater the chance it will survive and keep its place in the natural world for a long time to come.
1. What’s the main idea of the text?| A．The routes of the Monarch’s migration. |
| B．The reasons of the Monarch’s migration. |
| C．The significance of the Monarch’s migration. |
| D．The study of the Monarch’s migration. |
| A．To tell us what migration is exactly. |
| B．To tell us the reasons for migration. |
| C．To introduce the topic of the text. |
| D．To tell us how many animals migrate. |
| A．They may lose their way. |
| B．They can’t see anything. |
| C．They can’t find any food. |
| D．They will feel very cold. |
| A．Negative. | B．Neutral. |
| C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
| A．Being caught by humans. |
| B．The destroyed natural environment. |
| C．The bad weather condition. |
| D．Being eaten by birds. |
(1)
(2)
After Twenty Years
The short story “After Twenty Years” is set in New York on a cold, dark night. Most people have left work to go home, and this part of the city is now quiet. A policeman who is checking the area sees a man outside a shop. He goes up to the man and finds he has a scar on his face. They have a chat and the man starts to tell his story.
“Twenty years ago tonight,” said the man, “I dined here at ‘Big Joe’ Brady’s with Jimmy Wells, my best chum, and the finest chap in the world. He and I were raised here in New York, just like two brothers, together. I was eighteen and Jimmy was twenty. The next morning I was to start for the West to make my fortune. You couldn’t have dragged Jimmy out of New York; he thought it was the only place on earth. Well, we agreed that night that we would meet here again exactly twenty years from that date and time, no matter what our conditions might be or from what distance we might have to come. We figured that in twenty years each of us ought to have our destiny worked out and our fortunes made, whatever they were going to be.”
“It sounds pretty interesting,” said the policeman. “Rather a long time between meets, though, it seems to me. Haven’t you heard from your friend since you left？”
“Well, yes, for a time we corresponded,” said the other. “But after a year or two we lost track of each other. You see, the West is a pretty big proposition, and I kept hustling around over it pretty lively. But I know Jimmy will meet me here if he’s alive, for he always was the truest, staunchest old chap in the world. He’ll never forget. I came a thousand miles to stand in this door tonight, and it’s worth it if my old partner turns up.”
(Excerpts from “After Twenty Years” by O. Henry)
1. What was the man doing when the police found him?| A．He was waiting to dine. |
| B．He was wandering aimlessly. |
| C．He was waiting for a person. |
| D．He was going shopping nearby. |
| A．To see the world. |
| B．To make money. |
| C．To avoid a debt. |
| D．To hide himself. |
| A．Their friendship broke up. |
| B．Jimmy didn't want to leave. |
| C．He had a lot to do in New York. |
| D．He wanted to wait for his friend. |
| A．They kept in touch for at least 20 years. |
| B．They met now and then after saying bye. |
| C．Their friendship came to an end after that. |
| D．They had been out of touch for many years. |
CLICK FOR A FRIEND?
How would you feel if moving to a new town meant losing track of your friends? What if the only way of getting news from faraway friends was writing letters that took ages to be delivered? This was how things worked not very long ago. Thanks to advances in technology, how we make friends and communicate with them has changed significantly.
Nowadays, we can move around the world and still stay in touch with the people that we want to remain friends with. Social media tools let us see what our friends are up to and maintain friendships. All you need is a wi-fi connection.
The digital age also enables us to find people who share our interests, such as collecting model cars or playing an unusual instrument. Whatever our hobbies, the Internet can connect us with others who also enjoy doing them, even if they live on the other side of the world.
But when you “friend” people online, does this mean that they really are your friends?
It depends.
If people always exchange true personal information online, then yes, these friendships can be real and meaningful. But we need to keep in mind that what we see on social media is often not the whole truth about a person.
On social media sites, people tend to post only positive updates that make them appear happy and friendly. But smiling photos can hide real problems. Remember the saying: on the Internet, nobody knows you’re a dog. A young person could be old; a woman could be a man; we could even be sharing our information with criminals.
But this doesn’t mean that we should throw the baby out with the bathwater. Although technology has changed the way we acquire friends, the meaning of friendship and our longing for friends remain the same. As Aristotle said, no one would choose to live without friends, even if he had all other goods.
1. What does the text mainly talk about?| A．Disadvantages of making friends online. |
| B．Making friends on the Internet. |
| C．How to make friends on the Internet. |
| D．How to maintain friendships. |
| A．By writing letters. |
| B．By making calls. |
| C．By sending emails. |
| D．By using social media tools. |
| A．You don't exactly know who the person on the Internet is. |
| B．You may communicate with a dog on the Internet. |
| C．You can pretend to be a dog on the Internet. |
| D．You may have a chance to be a lucky dog on the Internet. |
| A．The author is in favour of making friends online. |
| B．The author thinks technology makes it hard for us to make friends. |
| C．The author thinks technology helps us maintain friendship more easily. |
| D．The author thinks the meaning of friendship has changed. |
6. 细读短文并找出文中的比喻句
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7 . My First Day at Senior High
My name is Li Kang. I live in Shijiazhuang, a city not far from Beijing. It is the capital city of Hebei Province. Today is my first day at Senior High school and I’m writing down my thoughts about it.
My new school is very good and I can see why. The teachers are very enthusiastic and friendly and the classrooms are amazing. Every room has a computer with a special screen, almost as big as a cinema screen. The teachers write on the computer, and their words appear on the screen behind them. The screens also show photographs, text and information from websites. They’re brilliant!
The English class is really interesting. The teacher is a very enthusiastic woman called Ms Shen. We’re using a new textbook and Ms Shen’s method of teaching is nothing like that of the teachers at my Junior High school. She think that reading comprehension is important, but we speak a lot in class, too. And we have fun. I don’t think I will be bored in Ms Shen’s class!
Today we introduced ourselves to each other. We did this in groups. Some students were embarrassed at first but everyone was very friendly and it was really nice. Ms Shen gave us instructions and then we worked by ourselves.
Ms Shen wants to help us improve our spelling and handwriting. We do this in a fun way, with spelling games and other activities. I like her attitude very much, and the behaviour of the other student shows that they like her, too.
There are sixty-five students in my class—more than my previous class in Junior High. Forty-nine of them are girls. In other words, there are three times as many girls as boys. They say that girls are usually more hard-working than boys. But in this class, everyone is hard-working. For our homework tonight, we have to write a description of the street where we live. I’m looking forward to doing it!
1. All of the following are reasons why we like Ms Shen except that________.| A．She is a very enthusiastic woman with a new teaching method. |
| B．We speak a lot and have fun in her English class . |
| C．She helps us improve our spelling and handwriting in a fun way. |
| D．She is beautiful and often plays games with us. |
| A．There are more girls than boys in the class. |
| B．There is a computer with a special screen in the classroom. |
| C．We can watch TV in the classroom. |
| D．All the students are hard-working. |
| A．Excited and nervous. | B．Anxious and frightened. |
| C．Interested and cheerful. | D．Disappointed and uneasy. |
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