1 . My family and I recently went to Australia, to see my grandparents. But before we visited them, we went sightseeing along the Great Ocean Road, on the Australian coast.
Dad had planned to drive, but even though he was used to driving miles without getting exhausted, he then read on the website that the road wouldn’t be an easy drive. Anyway, we thought he deserved to enjoy the fantastic views too, which he couldn’t do as our driver. So instead, we booked discount bus tickets and off we went.
Our first stop was where wild kangaroo lived — and Dad and I were taking a walk when a big one appeared! For a moment, it seemed to consider coming towards us, which made me a little nervous — but then it went off along the road and into the bushes.
That wasn’t the only wildlife we saw. I thought it unlikely we’d see famous Koala bears during our short visit. In fact, at our next stop, we saw roughly six million in that area! Sadly, some gum trees they were in had very few leaves left, which people told us was because of the Koalas, although I’d read that lack of water is indeed the problem.
Dad had booked a campsite for the night, with ready-made tents — for an adventure! I wasn’t sure about that, but they were really luxury tents, within walking distance of some famous rocks and other places we hoped to visit. However, Dad also said the sounds of wild creatures would help us sleep. That sounded worrying — until the “wild creatures” turned out to be frogs! So I was embarrassed by my fears and kept awake by the frogs! But we had fun making meals together.
In fact, this whole trip was fantastic!
1. How did the author’s family choose to travel at last?| A．By car. | B．By bike. | C．By boat. | D．By bus. |
| A．A little excited. | B．A little proud. | C．A little afraid. | D．A little upset. |
| A．heard the sound of frogs | B．was a little cold |
| C．dreamed of some famous places | D．was scared by a dangerous wild animal |
| A．Long. | B．Wonderful. | C．Cheap. | D．Boring. |
2 . Do you love food? Whether you’re a foodie or someone who just likes eating, there is so much to choose from. We know that too much of the wrong kind of food can be bad for our health, but for some people having a food allergy means eating certain things can actually be harmful — and now, it seems, this is affecting more and more of us.
An allergy is caused by the immune system fighting substances in the environment, known as allergens, that it should see as harmless. Food allergies can cause life-threatening reactions, which means people have to spend their lives following strict dietary restrictions and worrying about the ingredients of everything they consume. Allergy specialist Dr. Adam Fox says “if you look back over, say, 30 or 40 years...there are much more allergic problems around now than there were. ”
We often hear about people having allergies to dairy products and to peanuts. Last year a 15-year-old girl died after suffering a fatal allergic reaction from eating a baguette containing sesame seeds. This led to a call for better food-labeling laws.
Research has found that this problem is particularly affecting children. More and more of them are having allergic reactions to certain foodstuffs. Writing for the BBC website, Dr. Alexandra Santos from King’s College London says “food allergy now affects about 7% of children in the UK and 9% of those in Australia, for example. Across Europe, 2% of adults have food allergies. ”
So what might be the cause? Dr. Santos says the increase in allergies is not simply the effect of society becoming more aware of them and better at diagnosing them; it seems to be more environmental. She says possible factors are “pollution, dietary changes and less exposure to microbes, which change how our immune systems respond.” She points out that it’s very common for migrants who move to another country to develop asthma (哮喘) and food allergies in their new location.
A lot of work is being done to try and find a cure, but that’s not easy. So for now allergy sufferers. must watch what they eat and they must rely on clear and accurate labeling.
1. What do food allergy sufferers usually have to do before eating?| A．They need to bring their own food. | B．They have to call for an accurate labeling. |
| C．They have to ask the seller about the goods. | D．They have to look at the ingredients. |
| A．Because she has had a bad baguette. |
| B．Because she has had some sesame seeds directly. |
| C．Because the sesame seeds she had isn’t the right one. |
| D．Because she has had something containing sesame seeds. |
| A．Lily, a girl in a preschool. | B．Lucy, a freshman in a company. |
| C．John, a researcher in an institution. | D．Peter, an old man working on a farm. |
| A．Pollution. | B．Dietary changes. | C．Exposure to the air. | D．Microbes. |
3 . At noon, I would race breathlessly home, a ten-minute walk from my school. My mother was waiting for me with pleasure to have lunch while I shared what happened at school.
I had been picked to be the princess in the school play, and for weeks my mother had rehearsed (排练) my lines so hard with me. But no matter how easily I acted at home, hardly had I stepped on stage when every word escaped me. Finally, my teacher asked me to change to a narrator’s (解说员) part. Her word. kindly expressed, still hurt, especially when I saw my part go to another girl.
I didn’t tell my mother what had happened that day. But she sensed my pain. Instead of suggesting we practice my lines, she asked if I wanted to walk in the yard.
Under the rose vine, we could see yellow dandelions (蒲公英), as if a painter had touched our landscape with shades of gold. I watched my mother casually bend down by one dandelion. “I’m going to dig up all these weeds, she said, pulling it up by its roots.” From now on, we’ll have only roses in this garden. ”
“But I like dandelions,” I argued. “All flowers are beautiful-even dandelions.”
My mother asked thoughtfully, “Yes, every flower gives pleasure in its own way, doesn’t it?” I nodded, pleased I had won her over. “And that is true of people too,” she added. I burst into tears, a mixture of relief and regret swelling up as I told her what had happened.
“But you will be a beautiful narrator,” she said, encouraging me as she did. “The narrator’s part is important, too.” Composing myself gradually, I began to accept the narrator’s part. Then came the performance day. I was still nervous, but it was at that very moment that I found a dandelion in my pocket. It was obvious that my mom secretly put the flower there, which magically gave me confidence.
1. What made the author feel hurt?| A．She got changed to the narrator’s part. | B．She disliked the previous role. |
| C．She totally forgot the lines. | D．She lacked practice at home. |
| A．She wanted to know what happened to the author eagerly. |
| B．She insisted on the author practicing the lines there. |
| C．She tried to make the author realize every role counted. |
| D．She wanted the author to dig out all the dandelions. |
| A．Sympathetic but strict. | B．Curious and easy-going. |
| C．Passionate but anxious. | D．Understanding and wise. |
| A．Actions speak louder than words. | B．Every individual can make a difference. |
| C．Constant dripping wears away a stone. | D．All that glitters is not gold. |
4 . Our planet is an amazing place, but it needs our help to thrive! That’s why each year on April 22, more than a billion people celebrate Earth Day to protect the planet from things like pollution and deforestation. You can celebrate and protect the planet at the same time.
Become a waste warrior
The number of garbage trucks Americans fill each year would stretch halfway to the moon. Toilet paper tubes, made from cardboard, take two months to decompose in a landfill. A plastic bottle sticks around for way longer and
Plant a tree
It might seem like it’s everywhere, but clean, drinkable water is a limited resource. In fact, less than one percent of the water on Earth can be used by humans. (The rest is either too salt y or too difficult to access. ) Turning off the faucet when you brush your teeth can conserve up to eight gallons of water a day.
Offer your time
With a parent’s permission, volunteer to pick up trash at a nearby park, start a collection drive for recyclable items, or organize a screening of an environmentally themed movie.
The more people do, the better off our planet will be!
| A．Turn off the light |
| B．By getting involved and working with others |
| C．it can take over 450 years to break down |
| D．Limit your water usage |
| E．To help save even more water, challenge yourself to take a shorter shower |
| F．Check out these Earth Day ideas to help save the planet any time of year |
| G．Researchers estimate roughly 15 billion trees in the world are cut down each year |
5 . Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son. Suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up (依偎) against me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is understanding which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their mind. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental (思想的) break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.
1. “The door to his room is always shut” suggests that the son ________.| A．keeps himself away from his parents | B．begins to dislike his parents |
| C．is always busy with his study | D．doesn’t want to be ignored |
| A．Their daughter isn’t as lovely as before. |
| B．They can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly. |
| C．They don’t know what to say to their daughter. |
| D．Their daughter talks with them only when she needs help. |
| A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends. | B．Teenagers do not understand their parents. |
| C．Teenagers talk little about their own lives. | D．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents. |
| A．Parents shouldn’t be angry with teenagers. |
| B．Parents have to talk with children face to face. |
| C．Parents are unhappy with their growing children. |
| D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers. |
6 . How to Turn Your Dreams into a Reality
Do you have dreams, visions or plans about things you’d love to have or achieve? Of course you do! We all do. Unfortunately, dreaming is the easy part.
Turn your dream into a goal.
When you have a goal, you have a true target. For a greater chance of success, your plan should have a deadline and it must be measurable.
Prioritize (优先化) your goal daily.
Difficult goals can rarely be achieved alone; you’re likely to need some help and guidance. Look at the list you made and see what you already have in your life that could help you on your path.
Track your progress.
Measure your progress each day. Use old fashioned paper and pencil or take advantage of the latest smartphone app.
| A．Read and write your goal each day. |
| B．Make a list of negative associations. |
| C．Classify (将……分类) your available resources. |
| D．Tracking is critical to making continued progress. |
| E．Turning those dreams into a reality is the challenge. |
| F．It has been said that dreams are goals without a deadline. |
| G．So make a list of all the negative stuff that slip into your mind. |
7 . If you don’t like to watch films in the theatre, try to make a “home theatre”! Here are some tips for you to prepare your space and get ready!
Choose a space for your “home theatre”. This doesn’t have to be a room specially used to watch films. But it should be a space where you can watch a film undisturbed for a few hours. Ideally, it should be a quiet space with curtains that allow you to block out light. Your bedroom could also work as your “home theatre”.
Move furniture for the best viewing experience, if necessary.
Dim (使……变昏暗) the lights. If you want to have a better experience of watching films at home, a dark environment is important. Don’t forget to turn off or dim your overhead lights and lamps, and close curtains if it’s light outside.
Now everything is ready!
| A．Turn phones off. |
| B．Go and enjoy your film! |
| C．Set up a TV, projector, or computer. |
| D．Create a quiet environment and keep silent. |
| E．A good view of the screen is the key to enjoying a film. |
| F．Watching a film in your bed is a super comfortable option. |
| G．This means you have to separate a room as a “home theatre”. |
8 . The southern New Zealand town of Kaitangata appears the chief example of the countryside landscapes the island is known for; it’s lush (苍翠的), hilly, green, and peaceful. Only about 800 people live there, and it’s a mere eight minutes from the coastline.
For those who prefer the rural, slow lifestyle and community feel in their living environment, it’s basically perfect. And here’s the best part：New Zealand desperately wants you to move there. Seriously.
The small town is heavily involved in necessary industries relating to dairy (乳制品) processing and freezing works, which more than fill the area’s economic needs. In this very unique case, that presents a real problem: there are around 1,000 vacant jobs and too much affordable housing for the residents to fill.
“We have got youth unemployment down to two,” Mayor Bryan Cadogan says, “Not 2 percent — just two unemployed young people.”
So in response to this distinctive crisis, Cadogan and the town’s bank, lawyers, and community services are launching a recruitment (征募) campaign to try and attract candidates to the area with housing and land packages costing only 230,000 NZ dollars, or almost 165,000 US dollars.
According to the local residents, “Kai”, as citizens call it, is warm and mainly concerned with the community.
“This is an oldfashioned community, we don’t lock our houses, we let kids run free,” a local dairy farmer and thirdgeneration native named Evan Dick told The Guardian.
“We have jobs, we have houses, but we don’t have people. We want to make this town vibrant again, and we are waiting with open arms.”
1. If people move there, they can enjoy ________.| A．too much free housing | B．the rich cooking culture |
| C．getting money without a job | D．the peaceful rural slow lifestyle |
| A．Farming and fishing. | B．Dairy processing and freezing. |
| C．Agricultural processing. | D．The farmed animal industries. |
| A．Lacking labor force. | B．Youth unemployment. |
| C．Poor community services. | D．Public security problems. |
| A．a travel guide | B．a science report |
| C．an advertisement | D．a column of Around the World |
9 . John and Mary had a nice home and two lovely children. John had just been asked to go on a business trip to another city for several days and Mary would go with him too. They hired a reliable woman to care for their children and returned home a little earlier than they had planned.
As they drove into their hometown, they found a home on fire. After having a look, Mary said, “Oh well, it isn’t our fire. Let’s go home.” But John drove closer and said, “That home belongs to Fred Jones who wouldn’t be off work yet. Maybe there is something we could do.”
John noticed an old lady screamed to him, “The children! Get the children!” John grabbed her by the shoulder saying, “Get a hold of yourself and tell us where the children are!” “In the basement,” cried the lady.
In spite of Mary’s disagreement, John soaked (浸湿) his clothes and ran to the basement which was full of smoke. He found the door and grabbed two children. As he left he could hear some more cries. He sent the two badly frightened children into the waiting room and asked how many more children were down there. They told him two more and Mary grabbed his arm and screamed, “John! Don’t go back! It’s dangerous! That house will fall down in any second!”
But he shook her off and went back. It seemed a very long time before he found both children and started back. As he climbed up the endless steps the thought went through his mind that there was something strangely familiar about the little bodies next to him, and at last when they came out into the sunlight and fresh air, he found that he had just rescued his own children. The baby-sitter had left them at this home while she did some shopping.
1. Why did the old lady scream to John?| A．To ask him to get away from the fire. |
| B．To ask for his help to save the children. |
| C．To ask him to rescue her from the fire. |
| D．To ask him to take out valuable things from the fire. |
| A．She disagreed with it. | B．She supported it. |
| C．She misunderstood it. | D．She was unconcerned about it. |
| A．It was clean. | B．It was burned down. |
| C．It was dangerous. | D．It was under repair. |
| A．Two heads are better than one. | B．Where there is a will, there is a way. |
| C．Helping others means helping ourselves. | D．God helps those who help themselves. |
10 . Who do you think was the most important woman of the past 100 years?
Jane Addams (1860— 1935)
Addams helped the poor and worked for peace. She provided shelters, education opportunities and services for people in need. In 1931, Addams became the first American woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize.
Rachel Carson (1907— 1964)
Rachel Carson was born in the rural river town of Springdale, Pennsylvania in America. The popular book Silent Spring by Rachel Carson in 1962 made people realize the dangers and the harmful effects of pollution on humans and on the worlds’ lakes and oceans.
Angela Merkel (1954—)
In 2005, Germans chose Angela Merkel as their first woman head of the country. She had been a scientist in the past. As Germany’s leader, she has had an effect on the whole world.
Margaret Thatcher (1952—2013)
In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Britain’s first woman Prime Minister. She served until 1990, which made her the first British leader to serve three terms in a row. Because of her high standards and strong will, people called her Britain’s Iron Lady.
Marie Curie (1867— 1934)
Polish-born scientist Marie Curie discovered that some types of metal give off energy called radiation. Her research led to new medical treatments and arms. She received the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1903 and in Chemistry in 1911.
1. Who once won the Nobel Prize?| A．Jane and Margaret | B．Jane and Marie |
| C．Marie and Angela | D．Marie and Rachel |
| A．They are famous for being strict |
| B．They once worked for three terms |
| C．They were scientists before coming to power. |
| D．They became the first woman leader of their country |
| A．Help the poor | B．Protect the rights of women |
| C．Protect the environment. | D．Spread physical knowledge |
