1 . The number of giraffes is becoming smaller across Africa, according to the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. The total population has dropped by 40 percent in the last 15 years. Surprisingly, even scientists haven’t given much attention to giraffes. We are learning more about their ecology(生态), but what we know is still way behind what we know about other species. “It’s a silent extinction,” said Dr. Julian Fennessy, a wildlife scientist.

“The main reason for the smaller number of giraffes is their loss of living places,” said Fennessy, “as an increasing part of land is used for farming. But hunting also has a big influence.” “You might wonder why hunters would focus on giraffes. First of all, once a giraffe is brought down, there is lots of meat with a small amount of effort. Besides, there is another thing encouraging the hunting. In Tanzania, Fennessy says, the latest word on the street is that eating giraffe meat could cure AIDS. Fresh giraffe heads and bones can be sold at prices of up to $140 per piece.

Another widespread misconception about giraffes is that they are everywhere. Look at kids’ books which are full of giraffes. They are always in zoo collections. They can be seen easily, so you don’t think we have to worry about them. But the truth is that they are in danger of extinction. There is a lack of right and true data.

Fennessy and other researchers are now pulling together the data needed to improve the situation of the entire giraffe species and all nine subspecies(亚种). The information will be used to change the giraffe’s listing on the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red list, which now lists the species as of “least concern” but two subspecies as “endangered”. “It’s a lot of work to gather the necessary information,” Fennessy says. “And several other giraffe subspecies will be recommended for endangered listings next year or the year after.” He hopes that the world will finally start to take notice of how endangered these beloved animals have become.

1. By saying “It’s a silent extinction”, Fennessy tells us that ________.

A．giraffes are unpopular in Africa

B．the giraffes is always silent in daily life

C．the ecology of Africa needs more attention

D．the extinction happens without enough attention

2. The misconception in Paragraph 3 can be corrected by ________.

A．preventing illegal hunting in Africa

B．rewriting kids’ books about giraffes

C．providing reliable data about giraffes

D．spreading scientific knowledge of AIDS

3. The final purpose of Fennessy’s great efforts is to ________.

A．collect more information about giraffes

B．raise public awareness of protecting giraffes

C．prove giraffes will disappear in the next few years

D．work with the International Union for Conservation of Nature

2 . 假设你是我校中英班学生Johnson，最近你发现校园里出现浪费水电，塑料垃圾增加等现象，严重影响校园环境以及生活。请你给马校长写信，反映这一现象并就如何改善校园环境、过低碳节能生活提出建议。
要点：1. 现象。
2. 建议（至少3点）。
注意：1. 字数100左右。
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文流畅。
参考词汇：low-carbon life低碳生活
Dear Mr. Ma,
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Yours sincerely,

Johnson

3 . “Birds” and “airports” are two words that, paired together，don’t normally paint the most harmonious picture. So it really raises some eyebrows when China announces plans to build an airport that is for birds.

Described as the world’s first-ever bird airport, the proposed Lingang Bird Sanctuary(保护区）in the northern coastal city of Tianjin is, of course,not an actual airport. Rather，it's a wetland preserve specifically designed to accommodate hundreds-even thousands-of daily takeoffs and landings by birds traveling along the East Asian-Australian Flyway. Over 50 species of migratory (迁徙的）water birds，some endangered, will stop and feed at the protected sanctuary before continuing their long journey along the flyway.

Located on a former landfill site，the 150-acre airport is also open to human travelers.(Half a million visitors are expected annually.) However，instead of duty-free shopping，the main attraction for non-egg-laying creatures at Tianjin’s newest airport will be a green-roofed education and research center, a series of raised “observation platforms” and a network of scenic walking and cycling paths totaling over 4 miles.

“The proposed Bird Airport will be a globally significant sanctuary for endangered migratory bird species, while providing new green lungs for the city of Tianjin.” Adrian McGregor of an Australian landscape architecture firm explained of the design. Frequently blanketed in smog so thick that it has shut down real airports, Tianjin is a city---China’s fourth most populous----that would certainly benefit from a new pair of healthy green lungs•

1. The underlined phrase “non-egg-laying creatures” in Paragraph 3 refers to?

A．Visitors.	B．Designers.
C．Endangered water birds.	D．Planes.

2. What do we know about the airport according to the passage?

A．People cannot watch birds up close here.

B．It is located on a 150-acre landfill site.

C．It functions as an actual airport and a wetland preserve.

D．It provides migratory birds with food and shelter.

3. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The airport will become a permanent home for birds.

B．Tianjin will win worldwide fame in the future.

C．Tianjin’s air quality will improve thanks to the airport.

D．Tianjin will be able to accommodate more people.

4. What is this passage mainly about?

A．Airports shut down and open up.

B．China is to open the first Bird Airport.

C．Airports turn into green lungs.

D．Birds are no longer enemies to airports.

4 . Are you facing a situation that looks impossible to fix?

In 1969,the pollution was terrible along the Cuyahoga River Cleveland, Ohio. It    1    (be) unimaginable that it could ever be cleaned up. The river was so polluted that it    2    (actual) caught fire and burned. Now, years later, this river is one of    3    most outstanding（杰出的）examples of environmental cleanup.

But the river wasn’t changed in a few days    4    even a few months. It took years of work     5    (reduce) the industrial pollution and clean the water. Finally, that hard work paid off and now the water in the river is    6    (clean) than ever.

Maybe you are facing an impossible situation. Maybe you have a habit    7    is driving your family crazy. Possibly you drink too much or don’t know how to control your credit card use. When you face such an impossible situation, don’t you want a quick fix and something to change immediately?

While there are    8    (amaze) stories of instant transformation, for most of us the    9    (change) are gradual and require a lot of effort and work, like cleaning up a polluted river. Just be     10    (patience).