BERLIN(AP)—A tiger escaped its enclosure at Cologne Zoo in western Germany on Saturday and killed a female keeper before being shot dead by the zoo’s director，police said.
The tiger slipped through a passage between the enclosure and a neighboring storage building，where it fatally attacked the 43yearold keeper，said police spokesman Stefan Kirchner.
“It appears the gate wasn’t properly shut，” Kirchner told the Associated Press.
The zoo was evacuated and a SWAT(特警) team was called in，police said.But before it arrived the zoo’s director managed to kill the tiger by climbing onto the storage building and shooting it through a skylight using a rifle.
Kirchner said it was unlikely that members of the public had witnessed the incident.“This is the darkest day of my life，” the zoo’s director，Theo Pagel，was quoted as saying by Cologne newspaper Express.
The paper said on its website that the Siberian tiger was a 4yearold male called Tltai that came to Cologne Zoo from an animal park in England.In November it fathered three cubs with a 7yearold Siberian tiger called Hanya，according to the zoo’s website.
Police said the zoo reopened after Saturday’s incident，which occurred around noon.However，a planned latenight opening of the zoo has been canceled.
Cologne Zoo is one of the oldest zoos in Germany.It was founded in 1860 and houses some 10,000 animals comprising more than 700 different species.Which of the following can be the best title of the news text?
| A．Tiger Escaped，Killed a Keeper in German Zoo |
| B．Tiger Escaped in German Zoo，Shot Dead |
| C．German Zoo Keeper Shot Escaped Tiger |
| D．People Killed in One of the Oldest Zoos in Germany |
According to the police，what was the direct reason for the incident?
| A．The zoo keeper was a new hand. |
| B．A gate was not closed appropriately. |
| C．The zoo had neglected the secret passage. |
| D．It was very dark when the incident happened. |
What did the zoo do after the incident?
| A．They honored the killed person in a way. |
| B．They paid SWAT for their timely help. |
| C．They returned the tiger’s three cubs to England. |
| D．They called off the latenight opening. |
What can we learn about the Cologne Zoo?
| A．It keeps a large variety of species. |
| B．It is one of the largest zoos in Germany. |
| C．It has a history of more than 700 years. |
| D．No such incident has happened before. |
Few laws are so effective that you can see results just days after they take effect.But in the nine days since the federal cigarette tax more than doubled－to $1.01 per pack－smokers have jammed telephone “quit lines” across the country seeking to kick the habit.
This is not a surprise to public health advocates.They've studied the effect of state tax increases for years，finding that smokers，especially teens，are price sensitive.Nor is it a shock to the industry，which fiercely fights every tax increase.
The only wonder is that so many states insist on closing their ears to the message.Tobacco taxes improve public health，they raise money and most particularly，they deter people from taking up the habit as teens，which is when nearly all smokers are addicted.Yet the rate of taxation varies widely.
In Manhattan，for instance，which has the highest tax in the nation，a pack of Marlboro Light Kings，cost $10.06 at one drugstore Wednesday.In Charleston，S.C.，where the 7 cent a pack tax is the lowest in the nation，the price was $4.78.
The influence is obvious.
In New York，high school smoking hit a new low in the latest surveys－13.8%，far below the national average.By comparison,26% of high school students smoke in Kentucky.Other low tax states have similarly depressing teen smoking records.
Hal Rogers，Representative from Kentucky，like those who are against high tobacco taxes，argues that the burden of the tax falls on lowincome Americans “who choose to smoke.”
That's true.But there is more reason in keeping future generations of lowincome workers from getting hooked in the first place.As for today's adults，if the new tax drives them to quit，they will have more to spend on their families，cut their risk of cancer and heart disease and feel better.The text is mainly about ________.
| A．the price of cigarettes |
| B．the rate of teen smoking |
| C．the effect of tobacco tax increase |
| D．the differences in tobacco tax rate |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
| A．The new tax will be beneficial in the long run. |
| B．Lowincome Americans are more likely to fall ill. |
| C．Future generations will be hooked on smoking. |
| D．Adults will depend more on their families. |
Rogers' attitude towards the lowincome smokers might be that of ________.
| A．tolerance | B．unconcern |
| C．doubt | D．sympathy |
What does the author think is a surprise?
| A．Teen smokers are price sensitive. |
| B．Some states still keep the tobacco tax low. |
| C．Tobacco taxes improve public health. |
| D．Tobacco industry fiercely fights the tax rise. |
With the average temperature for January standing at －50 ℃，it is no wonder the Russian village of Oymyakon is the coldest permanently inhabited settlement in the world.Known as the“Pole of Cold”，the coldest ever temperature recorded in Oymyakon is －71.2 ℃.This is the lowest recorded temperature for any permanently inhabited location on Earth and the lowest temperature recorded in the northern hemisphere(北半球)．
Ironically，Oymyakon actually means“nonfreezing water”due to a nearby hot spring.Most homes in Oymyakon still burn coal and wood for heat and enjoy few modern conveniences.
Nothing grows there so people eat reindeer(驯鹿)meat and horsemeat.A single shop provides the town's bare necessities and the locals work as reindeerbreeders，hunters and icefishermen.
There are few modern conveniences in the village—with many buildings still having outdoor toilets—and most people still burn coal and wood for heat.When coal deliveries are irregular，the power station starts burning wood.If the power ceases，the town shuts down in about five hours，and the pipes freeze and crack.
Daily problems that come with living in Oymyakon include pen ink freezing，glasses freezing to people's faces and batteries losing power.Locals are said to leave their cars running all day for fear of not being able to restart them.Even if there was coverage for mobile phone reception，the phones themselves would not work in such conditions.
Another problem caused by the frozen temperatures is burying dead bodies，which can take anything up to three days.The earth must first have thawed(融解)sufficiently in order to dig it，so a bonfire is lit for a couple of hours.Hot coals are then pushed to the side and a hole couple of inches deep is dug.The process is repeated for several days until the hole is deep enough to bury the coffin.
Travel companies offer tourists the opportunity to visit the village and sample life in the freezing conditions.From the passage we can infer that people in Oymyakon ________.
| A．prefer meat to any other kind of food |
| B．seldom have fresh vegetables and fruits |
| C．can buy anything in the shop |
| D．might row a boat to catch fish |
Which of the following is the first step when burying a dead body?
| A．The coffin must be put in place. |
| B．A bonfire has to be lit first. |
| C．Hot coals have to be pushed to the side. |
| D．A hole couple of inches deep is dug. |
Mobile phones would not work in Oymyakon because ________.
| A．the batteries are of poor quality |
| B．there was no coverage for phone reception |
| C．batteries can't be charged in such conditions |
| D．the extreme coldness makes the batteries lose power |
Why do the locals have their cars running all day?
| A．They are afraid they can't get the car started. |
| B．They want to keep warm in the car. |
| C．They have abundant oil resources. |
| D．They have little awareness of saving. |
The longest solar eclipse (日食) of the century cast a wide shadow for several minutes over Asia and the Pacific Ocean on 22th July, drawing people outside to watch the sight in the sky.
Day turned into night. Temperature turned cooler in cities and villages filled with fans of astronomy. The total eclipse could be seen starting in India on Wednesday morning and moving eastward across China and parts of the Pacific. Millions cast their eyes towards the heavens to catch an unusual view of the sun’s colorful ring. Cloud in some areas prevented people from fully enjoying the sight. Still, many were frightened.
The total eclipse occurs about twice a year as the moon passes between the earth and the sun on the same plane as earth’s circle.
The local astronomy society gave a flash on how an eclipse happens. Wednesday’s event lasted up to more than six minutes in some places. In India, thousands bathed in the Ganges River in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi to clean their souls. It was sunny sky in Hong Kong for the eclipse, where students, parents and the elderly flooded in a primary school to watch.
In Shanghai, children climbed up ladders to look through two large telescopes on the school roof to catch sight of the moon moving across the sun. Others looked through a pair of glasses covered with solar filter (过滤器) paper, where they could take pictures of the moon moving over the sun.
In some cultures, many old stories are about eclipse. In India, a eclipse was considered unfavorable. In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to frighten off the dog and save the sun.What can we learn about the longest solar eclipse of the century?
| A．Not everyone in the world could see the longest eclipse. |
| B．Any of the Asians was excited to watch the eclipse. |
| C．All people saw the longest solar eclipse on Wednesday. |
| D．The Chinese all caught sight of the total eclipse at the same time. |
What does the text imply about the total solar eclipse?
| A．All people watched the solar eclipse for at least six minutes. |
| B．In ancient China, people couldn’t understand this phenomenon. |
| C．Your eyes must be hurt without filter equipment while watching. |
| D．You can watch the total solar eclipse directly only with your eyes. |
Which of the following statements about eclipse is TURE according to the text？
| A．Most Chinese people used to think eclipses would bring about misfortunes. |
| B．Chinese fathers were pleased to watch solar eclipses. |
| C．Indians think bad fortune will come about along with eclipses. |
| D．The Chinese people are too frightened to go outside when eclipses occur. |
Where can we see the eclipse start?
| A．In Shanghai. | B．In India. | C．In Hong Kong. | D．In the Pacific Ocean. |
(Reuters)—A Malaysia Airlines flight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, and European officials said two people on board were using false identities.
There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” Malaysia Airlines CEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a news conference.
By the early hours of Sunday, there were no confirmed signs of the plane or any wreckage, well over 24 hours after it went missing. Operations will continue through the night, officials said.
There were no indications of sabotage (蓄意破坏) nor claims of an attack. But the passenger list issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans—Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi—who, according to their foreign ministries, were not in fact on the plane.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said: “Our embassy got the information that there was an Austrian on board. That was the passenger list from Malaysia Airlines. Our system came back with a note that this is a stolen passport.”
Austrian police had found the man safe at home. The passport was stolen two years ago while he was travelling in Thailand, the spokesman said.
The foreign ministry in Rome said no Italian was on the plane either, despite the inclusion of Maraldi’s name on the list. His mother, Renata Lucchi, told Reuters his passport was lost, presumed stolen, in Thailand in 2013.
U.S. and European security officials said that there was no proof of any terrorist link and there could be other explanations for the use of stolen passports.What was Ahmad Jauhari Yahya’s attitude?
| A．Uncertain. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Confident. |
According to the passage, the foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna had made sure ______.
| A．two passports had been stolen by two Europeans |
| B．Christian Kozel was the man who kidnapped the plane |
| C．the Austrian on board was actually at home |
| D．Christian Kozel lied to the police |
Which of the following is true about Maraldi?
| A．He was from Austria. |
| B．He was found safe at home. |
| C．His mother was sad when she saw his name on the list. |
| D．His passport was lost in Thailand. |
Who should be responsible for the missing of the plane according to the passage?
| A．Terrorists. | B．Two people using false identities. |
| C．We are not sure. | D．Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi. |
Cyclist Jia Yanmei and a fellow enthusiast covered more than 2,200 kilometers from Beijing to their individual hometowns in Sichuan to celebrate the Lunar New Year with their families, Xu Lin reports.
While others rushed home on high-speed trains or airplanes for the annual Spring Festival, Jia Yanmei spent 16-plus days cycling more than 2,200 kilometers from Beijing to her hometown, Nanchong, Sichuan Province.
Thanks to social media, cycling fans from different cities were able to follow her progress, and some even offered food and accommodation if she happened to be nearby.
“It’s not that I failed to buy my train ticket home. I just want to bring the spirit of cycling to everyone — to do whatever you want to do bravely. As long as you are on the road, you will enjoy yourself, ” says Jia, 26, an English teacher at an educational institution in Beijing.
She started her adventure at 8:30 am on Jan 12, with Wang Yujiang, 47, who works in architecture in Beijing. A cycling friend introduced them because Wang also wanted to cycle to his hometown, Guangyuan, Sichuan Province.
Jia says Wang treated her like his daughter and took care of her on their way. After Wang arrived in Guangyuan, she cycled two days on her own to reach her home.
“I must say that I admire her. She’s not like others. No matter how tired she is, she can soon recover after meals,” says Wang, who is cycling back from his hometown to Beijing now.
“ I’ve improved myself a lot after the cycling. No matter what difficulties I will meet with in the future, I will
have confidence to face them, ” Jia says.
When she posted her plan online on Christmas Eve, many cycling fans supported her, lent her equipment and gave her gifts. She updated her social networks, such as Sina Weibo and WeChat, with news of her cycling adventures, as well as a cycling-related applications that recorded her route.
Four days after her departure, one of her friends learned about the trip in a newspaper and told Jia’s parents. Her mom was so worried about Jia’s safety that she cried and called Jia several times.According to the passage, Jia Yanmei and Wang Yujiang have much in common EXCEPT_______.
| A．They shared the same departure time. |
| B．They work in the same city. |
| C．They had the same arrival time. |
| D． They enjoy the same adventurous spirit. |
She chose to cycle home because _____.
| A．Wang Yujiang invited her to keep company |
| B．Wang Yujiang offered to look after her all the way |
| C．She couldn’t book a train ticket or air ticket in time |
| D．She wanted to do what she liked to do bravely |
Paragraph 3 is used to illustrate .
| A．where she was warmly welcomed |
| B．what happened to her on the way |
| C．how cycling fans supported her adventure |
| D．why social media paid attention to her action |
Which would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Long Way Home. | B．A Cycling Companion. |
| C．Benefits from Cycling. | D．The Power of the Media. |
A new plan for getting children to and from school is being started by a local government in Eastern England. This could end the worries of many parents fearful for their children’s safety on the roads.
Until now the local government has only been prepared to provide bus services for children living more than three miles from their school, or sometimes less if special reasons existed. Now it has been decided that if a group of parents ask for help in organizing transport they will be prepared to go ahead, as long as the arrangement will not lose money and children taking part will be attending their nearest school.
The new plan is to be tried out this term for children living at Milton who attend Impington School. The children live just within the three-mile limit and the local government said in the past that they would not undertake (agree) to provide free transport to the school. But now they have agreed to offer a sum of money for a bus service from Milton to Impington and back, a plan which has the support of the school’s headmaster.
Between 50 and 60 parents have said they would like their children to take part. Final calculations have still to be carried out, but a government official has said the cost to parents should be less than ￡20 a term. They have been able to arrange the service at a low cost because there is already an agreement with the bus company for a bus to take children who live further away to Impington. The same bus would now just make one more journey to pick up the Milton children. The official said they would get in touch with other groups of parents who in the past had asked if transport could be provided for their children, to see if they would like to take part in the new plan.What is the aim of the plan?
| A．To prevent the students’ road accidents. |
| B．To relieve the traffic pressure. |
| C．To save time for the parents and students. |
| D．To help the parents save money. |
How can the local government arrange the new bus service at a low cost?
| A．By letting the bus run in the morning only. |
| B．By limiting the number of the students. |
| C．By getting the support from the headmaster. |
| D．By linking the new bus service with the existing one. |
Which of the following is possible if the plan is carried out?
| A．The bus company will make much more money. |
| B．The children can choose whatever school they like. |
| C．The parents can get rid of their worries. |
| D．The students in Impington School can have free bus rides. |
This passage is most probably____________.
| A．a personal letter | B．an advertisement |
| C．a headmaster’s report | D．a newspaper article |
We might not be alone in the universe. Actually, it may be confirmed as a very crowded place by new computer models developed to help identify habitable planets.
Estimates of places where life can exist have been based on the possibility of them having surface water. But software recently developed by the Aberdeen University allows researchers to identify planets with underground water kept liquid by heat from planets.
Water is fundamental for life and planets too close to the sun lose water to the atmosphere through evaporation. On the other hand, planets located in distant reaches from their star have their surface water locked away as ice.
Sean McMahon, who is carrying out the work, explained: "Traditionally people have said that if a planet is in this Goldilocks zone—not too hot and not too cold—then it can have liquid water on its surface and be habitable."
But this concept might change when considering that planets can receive two sources of heat—heat direct from the star and heat generated deep inside the planet.
It is easy to observe it in our own planet. As you go down through the crust (壳) of the Earth, the temperature gets higher and higher. Even when the surface is frozen, water can exist below ground.
There could be immense quantities of water in fact—full of primitive life.
Professor John Parnell, also from Aberdeen University said: "There is a significant habitat for microorganisms below the surface of the Earth, extending down several kilometres".
"And some believe that the majority of life on Earth could even reside in this deep biosphere."
So the Aberdeen team are developing models to predict which distant planets might harbour underground reservoirs of liquid water with the possibility of alien life.What is considered as the symbol of life existence traditionally?
| A．Solid water on its surface. | B．Solid water below ground. |
| C．Liquid water below ground. | D．Liquid water on its surface. |
Why did John Parnell mention the fact about Earth?
| A．To prove that there is majority of life on Earth. |
| B．To prove that life may also exist in other planets. |
| C．To prove that there is primitive life down through Earth. |
| D．To prove that there is a habitat for microorganisms below Earth. |
What theory is the Aberdeen team’s study based on?
| A．Planets can lose water through evaporation. |
| B．Planets can receive heat direct from the star. |
| C．Planets can have their surface water locked away as ice. |
| D．Planets can receive heat generated deep inside the planet. |
What can we know about the computer models?
| A．They will help identify planets where there is life. |
| B．They will help researchers find Goldilocks zones. |
| C．They have helped find some significant discoveries. |
| D．They have already located some habitats for life. |
The Lunar New Year, which starts in late January this year, is the most important festival for Chinese people as most of them drop any business at hand to go back to their hometown to see their families. It is a tradition that has been cherished since ancient times, but as social mobility increases in modern times, the road to family reunions has become very uneasy.
It is not the higher travel costs, nor the expected big spending on gifts and other festival items, but the train ticket that has driven many travelers mad. I’ve heard some colleagues complain that they have tried every means to secure a train ticket, only to find it a mission impossible. Some of them have turned to the latest software to aid online booking; others have sought help from friends to increase the possibility of successful booking.
No doubt chunyun, the Spring Festival travel season, is the largest-scale annual human migration in the world. Last year, 220 million passengers traveled by train during the Spring Festival season, which usually lasts 40 days. It is a huge jump from 10 years ago, when the number was 128 million.
With the big sudden increase in demand, the railway company has increased investment in railway construction; still, it cannot bridge the supply gap, leading to fierce public complaints and criticism.
Admittedly, it is almost impossible for the railway company to suddenly improve its capacity to meet the explosive demand during the Spring Festival holiday. Moreover, any temporary increase in capacity would become unnecessary after the holiday and mean great commercial losses during the off season.
What the company can reasonably do is gradually improve its capacity while focusing on better distribution of its existing resources during the special peak season. At any rate, however, the problem cannot be solved overnight.Compared with ten years ago, the percentage of passengers last year increased by________.
| A．40% | B．58% | C．71% | D．83% |
Which of the following does the author probably agree with?
| A．Social mobility in modern times hasn’t changed much in these years. |
| B．The latest software may increase the possibility of successful booking. |
| C．Higher travel costs discourage travelers from reunions with families. |
| D．People nowadays cherish reunion with their families more than before. |
Which word can be used to best describe the way to solve the problem only by increasing capacity?
| A．Expensive | B．Effective | C．Hopeful | D．Impractical |
What’s the tone of the whole passage?
| A．Optimistic. | B．Objective | C．Subjective | D．Critical |
America's child movie star Shirley Temple Black died late Monday evening at the age of 85. Her fans in China are also deeply saddened. Temple is just one example of movie stars that China adored, and still adores. Here's our editor's pick of the top movie stars who have influenced China.
1. Sylvester Stallone
Oh, Rambo! The first strong American man that China knew. His accented English, easily recognizable even for someone who doesn't speak English, and his eyes that never seemed to smile, makes him someone whom cannot be forgotten. He represented the strong American image, and even stirred a boxing and bodybuilding fever in China.
2.Charlie Chaplin (April 16, 1889 – December 25, 1977)
In the 20th century, it is not too much to say that Einstein made the greatest contributions to science, and not many would disagree that Chaplin did the same for film. He was the first actor that introduced comedy to most Chinese viewers, and politically, he was also a close friend of China’s. His silent films broke the barrier of language and his form of art was recognized by all. It will be a difficult task to find a person in China who does not recognize Chaplin, even today.
3. Shirley Temple ( April 23, 1928 – February 10, 2014)
When Chinese audiences saw this adorable child star for the first time on screen, Shirley Temple had already lived for more than half a century. In her movies, she was always alone or in trouble, but this adorable little blonde(金发女郎) could always resolve anything with her kindness, push away the fogginess and bring about light. The brand "Shirley Temple" was a product of the Great Depression. People watched her act to forget their hardships as Temple entertained the poor, the rich, adults and children alike. Several decades later, when her films were screened in China, the effects were the same.
4. Audrey Hepburn( May 4, 1929 – January 20, 1993)
She will forever be the princess in Chinese people's hearts. Even to this day, a large number of tourists go to Rome to visit the Mouth of Truth with their lovers and eat ice cream on the Spanish Steps. Her sense of style seems to never go out of style. When she was alive, she was living perfection. Even after her death, she has remained an icon. That's something that only Audrey Hepburn is capable of.According to the passage, who was most known for comedy in China?
| A．Sylvester Stallone | B．Charlie Chaplin | C．Shirley Temple | D．Audrey Hepburn |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Sylvester Stallone taught boxing and bodybuilding and caused a fever in China. |
| B．Charlie Chaplin was China’s close friend because he introduced comedy to China. |
| C．Audrey Hepburn’s movie made the Mouth of Truth and the Spanish Steps popular. |
| D．Shirley Temple’s works can only help Americans forget hardships and enjoy life better. |
What does the underlined word “icon” mean in the passage?
| A．symbol | B．sign | C．mystery | D．heroine |
In which part can we most probably read this passage?
| A．Art | B．Columns | C．Music & Theater | D．Film &TV |
More than two decades ago, a 10-year-old schoolgirl threw a bottle into the sea off the coast of Hull as she went on a ship on a family holiday, hoping to get a response from a stranger in a faraway land. Inside the bottle was a scrawled letter from Zoe Lemon, a youngster with a love of "ballet, playing the flute and the piano", who had just boarded a ship heading for a holiday in Germany.
She told her expected recipients of her pet hamster and fish, both called Sparkle, and her parents who were both teachers.
Miss Lemon, of Salford, Greater Manchester, soon forgot about her act of fantastic, eventually marrying and having a child herself.
But this Christmas she was extremely surprised to receive a reply after 23 years.
It turned out to be a reply to her letter from Piet and Jacqueline Lateur from near Rotterdam. Mr Lateur was walking his dog in the Oosterschelde dykes(坝), near where he and his wife live in Serooskerke, when he found the bottle with Zoe’s letter inside.
Mrs Averianov, 33, who works in a jewellery shop, said: “It’s been a bit crazy really. My parents came to visit on Christmas day and they had this letter from Europe addressed to my maiden name, Lemon.
Since receiving the letter, Mrs Averianov has been in contact with Mr Lateur via email and asked to see photographs of where the bottle was found.
He told her: “I am keeping your little letter on my piano. I know you are no longer a little girl but you asked me to write you so I have.”
Mrs Averianov’s father, John Lemon, 68, had encouraged his daughter to throw the message into the sea on a family holiday and now she is considering doing the same for her five-year-old son Maksim.
She said: “I’ll probably wait until he’s a bit older and can understand and write a letter, but maybe we’ll do it by attaching it to a balloon.”
From http://www.dailymail.co.uk, (Jan,2014)When did Zoe Lemon write the letter?
| A．In 1990. | B．In 1991. | C．In 2013. | D．In 2014 |
What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 6 mean?
| A．her given name | B．her nick name |
| C．family name used before marriage | D．family name used after marriage |
What can we know about the letter written 23 years ago?
| A．Its reply was received by Zoe herself. |
| B．It is still carefully kept by Mr Lateur. |
| C．Zoe was sure it would be replied one day. |
| D．Zoe’s father discouraged her from writing it. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．An Unexpected Letter | B．A Reply Waited for Long |
| C．A Reply from a Stranger | D．A Letter from a Faraway Land |
Guide dogs are going to be available for the children who are unable to see normally in the UK for the first time, as the age limit is to be removed. The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association is to begin training dogs to help blind people under the age of 16.
The association says too many youngsters with impaired eyesight are lacking in independence. They have only a limited social life because of their disability. Giving some of them guide dogs at a younger age is intended to help them to widen their range of activities and to improve their sense of self-confidence and independence. Guide dogs for these teenagers will begin to be provided from next year. There has been an experimental project to test the use of guide dogs with younger people.
Charlotte, aged 14, was among the youngest guide dog owners. She had been gradually losing her eyesight since the age of eight, and lost her eyesight completely this year. She has been assisted by a two-year-old guide dog. Charlotte used to have a long stick to help her move around, but having a guide dog allows her much more freedom and makes her feel safer.
However, the association says there is a worryingly patchy supply of services for the young blind people across the UK, and it calls for national standards to be introduced. As with adult blind people, only a small number of them are likely to be considered suitable for a guide dog. Most will continue to rely on extra help and training from education and social services. We can learn from the text that owning guide dogs .
| A．may meet with difficulties sometimes |
| B．is beneficial to blind children’s development |
| C．became possible in the UK recently |
| D．is quite universal in the UK |
According to the text, Charlotte’s example proves that .
| A．it is necessary to carry out the experimental project |
| B．guide dogs can get along well with disabled people |
| C．the association’s opinion is not quite right |
| D．youngsters need companions and friends |
What does the underlined word “patchy” in the last paragraph probably mean?
| A．Endless. | B．Perfect. | C．Inadequate. | D．Diverse. |
What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Blind people need guide dogs’ assistance in their daily life. |
| B．Age limit for the blind to have guide dogs is to be removed. |
| C．More guide dogs will be trained in the UK. |
| D．The project of using guide dogs is to begin. |
SYDNEY 2005-01-01 08:30—Mother of two, Jillian Searle, had to choose between her children when she made a life—or—death decision.
Swept up by mountainous tsunami waves at a Thai resort, she could not hold on to both her young sons and survive. Fighting to stay above the waters, she had to choose which one would have to take his chances in the swirling torrent.
“I knew I had to let go of one of them and I just thought I’d better let go of the one that’s the older,” she told Sky News television in a report broadcast on Thursday. She said she was accompanied by the two, Lachie, 5, and two—year—old Blake, and their father, Brad, who had watched the drama helplessly from their first-floor hotel room, when the waves struck.” And I was screaming, trying to find him, and we thought he was dead.”she told reporters on arrival back in Australia.
Lachie was found alive about 2 hours later clinging to a door and looked uninjured as his mother spoke to reporters.
British surfer Martin Markwell is also a lucky man. He had always dreamed of catching that perfect wave—but when it finally came along, it was a nightmare. He was on his surfboard when he was swept up by a tsunami wave.
“It was really terrible because I was surfing, I was really surfing on a wave I wasn’t supposed to be on,”he said. “As an experienced surfer, when I saw the wave come I realized something was wrong, but I couldn’t escape because my surfboard was tied to my ankle.”
His wife, Vicki and son Jake looked on in horror from a hotel balcony as he crashed towards the shore. Luckily, he stayed atop his board until he reached the hotel, jumped off and got to safety as the ocean rolled back to feed a much larger tsunami wave on its way. The family regrouped and ran to safety just minute before a giant tsunami wave 10 meters high.When the waves struck ,the father Brad________.
| A．reported the disaster to Sky News television |
| B．was watching a drama on TV in the hotel |
| C．tried to find his son lost in the waters |
| D．watched things going on, unable to do anything |
The underlined word”him” refers to ______
| A．an old man | B．Lachie | C．Brad | D．Blake |
Which is not true about Lachie and Martin?
| A．They and their family were at the resort when the disaster happened. |
| B．They both survived from the high waves when tsunami struck. |
| C．They were both travelers from Europe on holiday in Thailand. |
| D．They were both alive owing to their proper judgment and determination. |
Which of the following is the best title?
| A．Narrow Escape | B．Disaster Caused by Tsunami |
| C．Exciting Surfing Experience | D．Struggle Against Tsunami |
Spanish explorers called them Las Encantadas, the Enchanted Isles, and Charles Darwin used his studies of the islands as the foundation for his theory of natural selection. The Galapagos are among the world's most important scientific treasures, a group of volcanic islands surrounded by deserted beaches and inhabited by unique varieties of giant tortoise, lizards, and birds.
Yet life on this United Nations world heritage site has turned sour. Battles have broken out between fishermen and conservationists. Ecuador, which owns the islands, has sent a naval patrol (海军巡逻队) to put down disturbances.
The controversial director of the Galapagos National Park—which controls 97 percent of Galapagos land and the reserve extending to 40 miles offshore—has been fired, while an air of uneasy tension hangs over the islands, as the islanders prepare for election when they pick their representatives in Ecuador’s national assembly.
“It’s a very tense situation,” said Leonor Stjepic, director of the London-based Galapagos Conservation Trust, which raises money to help projects on the islands. “We are watching it with concern.”
The violence has been triggered by an alarming growth in the islands’ population. Puerto Ayora, on Santa Cruz island, housed just 45 inhabitants in the 50s. Today there are more than 10,000, while the islands' total population is more than 19,000 and growing by 6 percent a year, despite recently introduced a law to limit waves of immigrants fleeing the poor areas of Ecuador for a life “in paradise (天堂)”. On top of this, more than 100,000 tourists visit the islands every year.
Such numbers have put the islands, special ecology under intense pressure. Conservationists backed by the Ecuador government, have replied by exercising strict controls to protect the islands* iguanas, blue-footed boobies, and giant tortoises.
These moves have angered many local people, however. They want to exploit (开发利用) the islands’ waters and catch its protected species of sharks, lobsters and sea cucumbers, which can fetch high prices in Japan and South Korea.
Angry fishermen surrounded the Charles Darwin research station on Santa Cruz last February, threatened to kill Lonesome George—the last surviving member of the Pinta Island species of the Galapagos giant tortoise.
The situation got improved after the Ecuador government made concessions (让步) by increasing fishing quotas (配额), which angered conservationists. “It is tragic, the short-term gain of a few fishermen versus the long-term survival of the Galapagos,” said John McCosker of the California Academy of Sciences. “They are killing the golden goose.”
Then, the Ecuador government appointed Fausto Cepeda as the national park's new director, a post that has become a political football for the mainland government. There have been nine directors in the past 18 months.
This appointment was particularly controversial, however. Cepeda was known to have close ties with the fishing industry, and the rangers (管理员),who run the national park and reserve, rebelled.
More than 300 staged a sit-in at the park’s headquarters and prevented Cepeda from taking up his post. A battle broke out, and at least two people suffered serious injuries. Eventually, Cepeda—with the fishermen’s help- entered the park. “I am in office, i am in control. And I am trying to lower the tension,” he announced.
The Ecuador government took no chances, and sent a patrol boat to maintain the peace. A few days later, Ecuador Environment Minister Fabian Valdivicso met representatives of rangers. After discussions, he told newspapers that he had decided to remove Cepeda from the post.
However, as the population continues to rise, the long-term pressures on the islands are serious and will not disappear that easily.
“We have to balance its special environment with the needs of local people. In that sense, it is a microcosm (缩影) for all the other threatened parts of the world. So getting it right here is going to be a very, very important trick to pull off,” said Stjepic.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
| A．The island’s swelling population. |
| B．The law to limit waves of immigrants. |
| C．A life in paradise. |
| D．The tourists’ visiting the islands every year. |
How significant were the islands for Charles Darwin?
| A．He based his theory on his studies there. |
| B．He built the Charles Darwin research center there. |
| C．He advocated the balance between ecology and people there. |
| D．He found the last surviving giant tortoise there. |
What is the primary contributing factor to the conflict between conservationists and fishermen?
| A．The dismissal of the previous director of the Galapagos National Park. |
| B．The exploitation of the islands. |
| C．The government's support of Galapagos Conservation Trust. |
| D．Cepeda’s close tie with the fishing industry. |
We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．the projects of Galapagos Conservation Trust on the islands are profitable |
| B．conservationists get angry when fishermen are killing a goose |
| C．politicians from the mainland government play football on the islands |
| D．the government is trying to ease the tension |
In Paragraph 13, what does the author mean by “The Ecuador government took no chances”?
| A．The government did not seize opportunities. |
| B．The government made no compromises. |
| C．The government did not run risks. |
| D．The government shrank from responsibilities. |
With the average home in the capital selling for 19,548 yuan a meter in November, a tiny mobile home built by a 24-year-old office worker is creating a stir(震动) online.
Dai Haifei built the 6-square-meter pad(住所) because he could not afford to buy or rent in the capital.
Dai’s new home costs him 6,400 yuan and he has been living in it for nearly two months in courtyard at Chengfu Road, Haidian district.
Dai, who is one of the millions of migrants who moved to the capital from other parts of China seeking a better life and better job, said he realized his financial burden had become too great.
The Hunan native said he simply could not make ends meet(收支相抵) when he became an intern at a Beijing-based construction design company in 2009.
“I rented a home at the very beginning--a small room in an apartment that cost me about 900 yuan per month,” said Dai in an interview with local media. “It was too expensive for me. ”Dai’s father works on a construction site in his hometown and his mother is a cleaner.
Dai, who ended up becoming a formal employee of the company, figured out his own way to solve the problem---with inspiration from a housing design project at his company’s exhibition early this year.
The project, named“An egg given birth to by the city”, included a series of egg-like movable houses, with a karaoke house, chair house and trader’s house in it.
Dai, who borrowed 6,400 yuan from an older cousin and who got additional help from several friends, decided to make one of his own. He spent nearly two months building his“egg house”in his hometown, a village in southeast Hunan that is around 1,700 kilometers from Beijing.Where is this passage probably taken from?
| A．A story book. | B．A cartoon film. | C．A news report. | D．A research report. |
What is Dai Haifei?
| A．An official of government. | B．A journalist. |
| C．An office worker of a company. | D．A manager of a company. |
Why did he build the pad?
| A．Because he will sell it for money. |
| B．Because he has no house to get married in. |
| C．Because he doesn’t have enough money to buy or rent a house. |
| D．Because he wants to get help from the society. |
Which statement is not TRUE?
| A．He comes from a Hunan village. |
| B．He has lived in the egg home for two months. |
| C．He got the idea from a friend. |
| D．He once rented a room. |
What’s the writer’s attitude?
| A．Supporting. | B．Puzzled. | C．Criticizing. | D．Objective. |
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