1 . A few weeks ago, I sat with a California farmer named Dave Ribeiro. I asked him what he wished more people knew about farmers. He smiled and said, “That we walk among you. We look like you and talk like you. We have advanced degrees and hobbies, just like you.”

Take Dave: He’s a young man with a music degree. And if you walked past him on the street, you’d never think, “There goes a farmer.”

Is someone like Dave who you picture when you think of a farmer? Probably not. I think that most people would picture a man in his overalls. I can tell you, that does not represent Dave or any of the many other farmers I have gotten to know.

Not only do we have to throw out our stereotypes of farmers, but farming as a whole doesn’t look much like it used to either. We recently sent a team out to see what modern farming looks like, and they found farmers to be completely different from our usual ideas about them and also came across them in some unexpected places.

In a parking lot in a neighborhood of Brooklyn, they met a new crop of young farmers who are trying to bring fresh greens closer to eaters in the city by growing them in high-tech indoor vertical farms. In a Florida field under the flight path of an airport, they discovered farmers with university degrees growing algae (藻类) that might someday fuel our cars. And in a modern farm in California, they observed how farmers are using technology to take the best possible care of their animals.

These farmers all spend their days in very different ways — none of them looks like the stereotypical farmer we have in our mind — but they’re all working on new ways to feed our planet. Not only do we need to change our idea of what farming looks like, but we also need to change our view of where solutions can come from. Feeding all of us is going to take all of us working together.

1. How does Dave describe today’s farmers?

A．They often walk on the street.	B．They are leading a very busy life.
C．They are similar to ordinary people.	D．They have little time to make friends.

2. How does the author think most people see farmers?

A．They usually wear overalls.	B．They have interesting hobbies.
C．They are skilled at growing crops.	D．They know modern farming practices.

3. What was the purpose of the team?

A．To deepen connections among farmers.

B．To study different technologies in farming.

C．To report on the new developments of farming.

D．To encourage farmers to use new farming methods.

4. What do the farmers mentioned in Paragraph 5 have in common?

A．They all work in the city.	B．They all use high technology.
C．They all do hard physical work.	D．They all work with universities.

2 . Many people like traveling. Travel in Canada has become exciting as a number of lakes make it attractive. In fact, Canada has more lakes than any other country which contains fresh water. In addition to lakes, Canada has a number of beaches as it has a long coastline on its north, east, and west. Travelers from around the world come in large numbers to enjoy the sunbath on various beaches.

Niagara Falls lies on the border between Canada and the US. It is now popular for its beauty and is a valuable source of hydroelectric power. Niagara Falls is most attractive during the summer season when the weather condition is charming and attractive. At the Canadian side, floodlights illuminate both sides of the falls for several hours after dark and the whole scene becomes magnificent.

When traveling in Canada, travelers can enjoy doing the shopping in Toronto which is considered a leading city. It symbolizes the spirit of independence. Migrants from Europe, Latin America and Asia inhabit the place and make it a plural society. Ottawa, on the other hand, is the capital of Canada and center of political activities.

Vancouver is an enlightening city in Canada which was named after British Captain George Vancouver, who explored the area in the 1790s. The city is a leading industrial place in Canada. Another tourist attraction in Canada is the capital city of British Columbia, Victoria. The city is located on the southern tip of Vancouver Island.

Travel in Canada is being made easy because of a higher standard of transportation facilities. Besides, very few people know that Canada is a country with high wages per hour. In addition to a popular tourist destination, Canada is an economic powerhouse of North America, particularly in agricultural products. The Canadian dairy industry exports milk products around the world.

1. What attracts travelers most in Canada according to the first paragraph?

A．Coastlines and sunbaths.	B．Lakes and beaches.
C．Animals and plants.	D．Mountains and water.

2. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?

A．Canada and the US.	B．The beauty of Niagara Falls.
C．The importance of the falls.	D．The hydroelectric power.

3. What do we know about Toronto according to the passage?

A．It is the political center of Canada.	B．It displays the Canadian bravery.
C．Its people come from different countries.	D．Travelers can buy something cheap there.

4. Why is Captain George Vancouver referred to in the fourth paragraph?

A．To tell us a history story.	B．To compare Vancouver and Victoria.
C．To remind us to keep him in mind.	D．To introduce the city of Vancouver.

3 . By now, we are all aware that social media has had a tremendous influence on our culture, in business, on the world-at-large. Social media websites revolutionized the way people communicate and socialize on the Web. However, aside from seeing your friend’s new baby on Facebook, or reading about Justin Bieber’s latest conflict with the law on Twitter, what are some of the real influences?

Social networks offer the opportunity for people to re-connect with their old friends and acquaintances, make new friends, share ideas and pictures, and many other activities. Users can keep pace with the latest global and local developments, and participate in campaigns and activities of their choices. Professionals use social media sites like LinkedIn to enhance their career and business development. Students can work together with their peers to improve their academic and communication skills.

Unfortunately, there are a few downsides too to social networking. If you are not careful, immoral people can target you for cyber bullying and disturbance on social sites. School children, young girls, and women can fall victim to online attacks which can create tension and suffering. If you are a victim of cyber bullying, do not take it lying down, but try to take appropriate legal action against the attacker.

Many companies have blocked social networks as addicted employees can distract themselves on such sites, instead of focusing on work. In fact, studies show that British companies have lost billions of dollars per year in productivity because of social media addiction among employees.

Also, what you carelessly post on the Internet can come back to trouble you. Revealing (泄露) personal information on social sites can make users vulnerable (易受伤害的) to crimes like identity theft, stalking, etc. Many companies perform a background check on the Internet before hiring an employee. If a potential employee has posted something embarrassing on social media, it can greatly affect their chances of getting the job. The same holds true for our relationships too, as our loved ones and friends may get to know if we post something undesirable on social networks.

Social media has its advantages and drawbacks as each coin has two sides. It is up to each user to use social sites wisely to enhance their professional and social life, and exercise caution to ensure they do not fall victim to online dangers.

1. Paragraph 2 mainly shows that social networks ________.

A．help students finish their homework	B．offer professionals good chances
C．benefit users in various ways	D．guide users to make right choices

2. Faced with problems caused by social media, some companies ________.

A．forbid the use of social networks during work time

B．avoid posting embarrassing information

C．refuse to hire potential addicted employees

D．take legal action against the attackers

3. The main purpose of this passage is to ________.

A．share experiences in using social media	B．remind people to wisely use social media
C．provide some advice on social problems	D．raise public awareness of social problems

4. Which of the following shows the development of ideas in this passage?

A．	B．
C．	D．

4 . It was my first day at school in London and I was half-excited and half-frightened. On my way to school I wondered, what questions the other boys would ask me and practiced all the answers: “I am nine years old. I was born here but I haven’t lived here since I was two. I was living in Farley. It’s about thirty miles away. I came back to London two months ago.” I also wondered if it was the rule for boys to fight strangers like me, but I was tall for my age. I hoped they would decide not to risk it.

No one took any notice of me before school. I stood in the center of the playground, expecting someone to say “hello”, but no one spoke to me.

My teacher was called Mr. Jones. There were 42 boys in the class, so I didn’t stand out there either, until the first lesson of the afternoon. Mr. Jones was very fond of Charles Dickens, so he asked several boys if they knew Dickens’ birthplace, but no one guessed right. A boy called Brian, the biggest in the class, said: “Timbuktu” and Mr. Jones went red in the face. Then he asked me. I said: “Portsmouth” and everyone stared at me because Mr. Jones said I was right. This didn’t make me very popular, of course. “He thinks he’s clever,” I heard Brian say.

After that, we went out to the playground to play football. I was in Brian’s team, and he obviously had Dickens in mind because he told me to go in goal. No one ever wanted to be the goalkeeper.

“He’s big enough and useless enough,” Brian said when someone asked him why he had chosen me.

As the boy kicked the ball hard along the ground to my right, I threw myself down quickly and saved it. All my team crowded round me. My bare knees were grazed and bleeding. Brian took out a handkerchief and offered it to me.

“Do you want to join my team?” he said.

At the end of the day, I was no longer a stranger.

1. The writer prepared to answer all of the following questions EXCEPT “________”.

A．How old are you?	B．Where are you from?
C．Do you want to join my team?	D．When did you come back to London?

2. We can learn from the passage that ________.

A．boys were usually unfriendly to new students	B．the writer was not greeted as he expected
C．Brian praised the writer for his cleverness	D．the writer was glad to be a goalkeeper

3. The underlined part “I didn’t stand out” in paragraph 3 means that the writer was NOT ________.

A．eye-catching

B．nervous

C．important

D．surprised

4. The writer was offered a handkerchief because ________.

A．he was in Brian’s team	B．he was no longer a new comer
C．he was beginning to be accepted	D．he pushed a player on the other team

5 . Elephant Transit Home

In both Africa and Asia elephants are being threatened by changes in their natural habitats (栖息地). People are moving into the elephants’ habitats and endangering their survival. In the country of Sri Lanka, there is one place where elephants are not only protected but also respected. It is called the Elephant Transit Home (ETH).

Set up in 1995, the ETH aims to protect and nurture baby elephants that are found injured or living without their mothers in the wild. Every year about 30 baby elephants in Sri Lanka need help. As many as possible are brought to the ETH. There they are given food, shelter, and medical care. Most importantly, they are given the chance to be with other elephants and become part of a herd (象群).

A day at the ETH begins early in the morning when the baby elephants are given their first feeding of milk. During the day, each baby will drink an average of 13 gallons of milk. Older elephants are fed mostly coconut leaves and other native plants. Then the elephants are allowed to walk around, eating the grass and forming a herd. The cost of caring for the baby elephants is high. The ETH spends about $125,000 each year on powdered milk for the baby elephants.

At the ETH, workers try to reduce human connection with the elephants. They also try to increase bonds (联系) between the elephants. It usually takes three years for a baby elephant to be set free into its natural habitat. The elephants are sent back to the wild together with other orphans with whom they have bonded. This program helps them return to the wild as members of a herd that will communicate with each other and take care of each other.

The ETH is considered one of the best animal protection sites in the world. Not only are the elephants cared for, they are treated with respect. Most importantly, they go back to live in the wild, where they belong.

1. What does the underlined word “nurture” in Paragraph 2 mean?

A．Set free.

B．Relate to.

C．Focus on.

D．Care for.

2. What do we know about the ETH?

A．It changes elephants’ habitats for the better.

B．It receives about $125,000 each year.

C．It helps to keep baby elephants safe.

D．It protects 30 elephants every year.

3. Why do the workers reduce human connection with the elephants?

A．To study them better in a natural environment.

B．To help them make it in the wild as a herd.

C．To provide them with more living space.

D．To train them to stay away from hunters.

4. What’s the purpose of the passage?

A．To introduce an animal protection site.

B．To show the ways of wildlife protection.

C．To explain the threat baby elephants face.

D．To persuade the readers to protect elephants.

6 . Urban Wildlife

Cities are diverse ecosystems. In addition to visitors, a large number of species share our urban areas. As our cities spread, we need to think about what it is like for other species to have human neighbors.

Cities are built for humans.     1     For example, most city parks are kept neat and tidy so that humans will find them beautiful. But when we cut grass or plants, we destroy natural habitats, which leads to the imbalance of ecology.  

    2     When a bridge in Austin, Texas was repaired, engineers added small gaps running the length of its bottom. This made a good home for bats, and soon the bridge was home to thousands of bats.     3     Now, they have come to value their winged neighbors. The bats become an attraction, and they eat lots of bugs every night.  

There are also structures built with the aim of bringing wildlife into the city. The Olympic Forest Park in Beijing is a good example. The park used native plants, and created open and natural spaces for wildlife. The result is a zone in Beijing with over 160 species of birds. In many ways, the park is the opposite of a zoo.     4    

If we learn to share our space, we can become better neighbors of the wildlife around us.     5     Our own future will be endangered too.

A．They are built to protect birds.

B．Our actions sometimes help other species.

C．If we do not, more species will become extinct.

D．They do not always provide suitable habitats for wildlife.

E．Instead of being kept in cages, wildlife can move more freely.

F．At first, people were afraid of the bats and tried to get rid of them.

G．They would sit on it and their droppings would fall into the water.

7 . Lots of people find it hard to get up in the morning and put the blame on the alarm clock. In fact, the key to easy morning wake-up lies in resting your body clock     1    . Here is how to make one.

•     2     In order to make a change, you need to decide why it’s important. Do you want to get up in time to have breakfast with your family, get in some exercise or just be better prepared for your day? Once you are clear about your reason, tell your family or roommates about the change you want to make.

• Rethink mornings. Now that you know why you want to wake up, consider re-arranging your morning activities. If you want time to have breakfast with your family, save some time the night before by setting out clothes, shoes, and bags.     3     That’s a quarter-hour more you could be sleeping if you bought a coffee maker with a timer.

• Keep your sleep/wake schedule on weekends. If you’re tired out by Friday night, sleeping in on Saturday could sound wonderful. But compensating (弥补) on the weekends actually feeds into your sleepiness the following week, a recent study found.     4    .

• Keep a record and evaluate it weekly. Keep track of your efforts and write down how you feel. After you’ve tried a new method for a week, take a look at your record.     5     If not, take another look at other methods you could try.

A．Get a sleep specialist.

B．Find the right motivation.

C．A better plan for sleep can help.

D．And consider setting a second alarm.

E．If the steps you take are working, keep it up.

F．Stick to your set bedtime and wake-up time, no matter the day.

G．Reconsider the 15 minutes you spend in line at the cafe to get coffee.

8 . Praise not only brings joy to those who ______ (praise) but also adds pleasure to those who praise.

9 . During your life journey, some people you meet may let you down ______ more will help you grow.

10 . ______ the important exam around the corner, I became busier and busier.