The heat was intense as we moved down the long corridor. Not only was it a difficult blaze， but the July heat made things even worse as we struggled to get the best of the flames. As we finally made the turn into the apartment where the fire had started, the words of the young mother outside screamed in my brain, ‘Please help! My baby is in there!’
We moved into the bedroom and I started looking in the usual spots where a child might seek refuge: under the bed, in the corners. As I groped my way through the thick smoke, I suddenly fell forward, tripping over something on the floor. It was the child. Ripping off my mask to give mouth-to-mouth resuscitation, I grabbed the child and raced for the stairs. When we reached the waiting Rescue Squad members, I collapsed in a heap in the gutter. The ambulance sped off into the night, its siren wailing. Later that evening, we received word that the child had died in the hospital’s emergency room. Another small life lost in the city.
Why do little children such as that one have to pay the price for the neglect of others? During my career as a fire fighter, I have seen this happen many times. You would think that we would become hard and callous, but we don’t. We mourn each person who dies. What bothers me is that many senseless tragedies could have been prevented. An overwhelming number of deaths in fires can be prevented by just one thing – a smoke detector. It is estimated that fewer than 50 percent of all dwellings in the United States are protected by smoke detectors. Why are so many people ignorant about the need for smoke detectors? Smoke detectors save lives. They are easy to install. Their cost is reasonable, and they offer immediate protection.
People must persuade their communities to provide fire education for everyone. The money spent on fire education reaps a reward that cannot be measured. If you do not think so, then consider your reactions if the child I carried out of that flaming apartment had been a member of your own family. You would probably then be willing to do anything at all to undo that tragedy.The author’s main purpose in the passage is to __________.
| A．advertise a new brand of smoke detector. |
| B．persuade readers to become fire fighters. |
| C．plead for donations from the public. |
| D．encourage fire safety measures. |
In the Section About carrying the child from the building, the author is describing
_________.
| A．a scene the author saw in a movie |
| B．a tragedy in a fire fighter’s family |
| C．a personal experience |
| D．a training course in fire education |
According to this reading, which of the following opinions will the author most
agree with?
| A．People have received enough fire education provided by their communities. |
| B．Many deaths in Fires could have been prevented. |
| C．The fires in apartments are always caused by smoking. |
| D．Fire Fighters don’t have sympathy for those who die in fires. |
The author blames the lack of smoke detectors in households on the reason that________.
| A．smoke detectors are too expensive |
| B．smoke detectors often cannot work properly |
| C．smoke detectors are difficult to install |
| D．people are ignorant about the need for smoke detectors. |
Your smartphone(智能手机) can do a lot of things. It can call people. It connects to the Internet. It enables you to play fun games. But there is a dark side to this smart little device（设备）of yours – it might also spread disease.
“People are just as likely to get sick from their phones as from handles of the bathroom,” Jeffrey Cain, the president of the American Academy of Family Physicians, told The Wall Street Journal.
This may be hard to believe, but scientists reached this conclusion after they tested eight random cell phones from an office in Chicago. All the tested phones showed high numbers of coliforms(大肠菌), a kind of bacteria found in excrement(粪便)，with about 2,700 to 4,200 units of the bacteria on each phone. In drinking water, the healthy limit is less than 1 unit per 100 ml of water. This bacteria can cause flu, pinkeye（红眼病）and diarrhea(腹泻).
Although computers, keys and pens all carry germs(细菌), our smartphones get far dirtier. They touch a lot of stuff, including our hands and the inside of our pocket or purse. We take them almost everywhere: the bus, the subway and who hasn’t played Angry Birds of Fruit Ninja while sitting on the toilet?
“Some things that we think are personal are actually more public than we imagine,” Cain said.
What’s even worse is that after the phone returns from its dirty trip, it then spends most of its time cozying up to our faces. You don’t think about how often you touch your phone to your face, do you? Our noses, mouths and ears are all warm and rich in grease（油脂）, an environment that germs really like.
Compared to traditional keypads（键盘）, touch screens transmit（传播）germs more easily to hands. According to Time magazine’s website, an expert in Australia warned that playing with iPads and iPhones at Apple stores is a health risk.
So how do you keep your smartphone clean? Alcohol is effective when used to kill germs from the back and side of your phone. But it might harm the screen. There is one simple and reliable way you can reduce the germs on your phone’s surface: wash your hands regularly.The underlined word “dark” in the first paragraph means .
| A．black | B．hopeless |
| C．unclear | D．unpleasant |
By saying “Some things we think are personal are actually more public than we imagine”, Cain meant that .
| A．people love to share their smartphones more than they realize |
| B．our personal items could be as risky to our health as public items |
| C．smartphones are used in public places more than people realize |
| D．most people don’t know how dirty their cell phones are |
Compared with traditional keypads, smartphones .
| A．make contact with our hands more often |
| B．are greasier and need more alcohol to clean |
| C．get warm more easily and are harder to clean |
| D．get much nearer to our faces |
What is the article mainly about?
| A．Tips on the use of smartphones. |
| B．Health problems caused by the use of smartphones. |
| C．The danger of coliforms infection. |
| D．The influence that smartphones have on our life. |
The arts, especially music, should be part of every school's lessons at every grade level. Students would be much smarter if they had some musical experience. They could improve their classroom skills, like paying attention and following directions. People develop all these skills when they learn music. Making music also lets children use their imagination. It provides students with a chance to try out their own ideas.
Music not only makes children better students, but also gives them something positive to do. In a music program, children can be part of a band instead of joining a gang(团伙). Parents can enjoy listening to their children's music instead of seeing them glued to a computer or TV screen. In a school band, students get to be part of a team. They can get along well with old friends and make new friends through music.
Music builds self-confidence, too. It gives children a sense of achievement and success. Making music is something for them to be proud of, and it lets kids practice performing in front of an audience. Music gives children an opportunity for self-expression, and that helps develop their self-confidence.
Once again, music is important because it can make children better students, give them something positive to do, and build their character. That is why music should be offered in every single grade in every school.According to the passage, music could make students smarter by __________.
| A．improving their classroom skills and paying attention |
| B．improving their classroom skills and imagination |
| C．improving their attention, direction and imagination |
| D．learning music, making music and trying out their own ideas |
What does the underlined phrase "glued to" in the second paragraph mean?
| A．unwilling to turn on | B．always looking |
| C．unwilling to leave | D．always playing |
The third paragraph mainly tells us that music could _______________.
| A．give children self-expression and self-confidence |
| B．bring to children achievement and success |
| C．give children something to be proud of |
| D．develop children's self-confidence |
What's the best title of this passage？
| A．Music is a must as a course at school |
| B．Music builds children's self-confidence |
| C．Music makes students much smarter |
| D．Learning music and making music |
第一节：（共15小题；每小题2分，满分30 分）
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The American book Who Moved My Cheese has been a bestseller all over the world. It teaches people how to face changes in their lives. Now its author Spence Johnson has written a book just for teens. The book tells us that when facing change in our lives, like a new school or new friends, don't be afraid. Instead, use this change to make a better life. The book gives an example of a change at school. A school is changing from having two terms to three terms because there are too many students.
Several teens are talking about this. Most of them are unhappy and worried. But Chris is not. He laughs and tells a story about two mice, two “little people” and some cheese.
The four are in a maze looking for the cheese. Here, cheese means something important in life, like moving to a new class or getting into college. But they find the cheese is gone. The mice realize that they can’t change what has happened and have to find more cheese. This means finding different dreams. The little people, however, can’t do this. They are afraid of change so they find no cheese.
After Chris finishes the story, the friends understand one thing: to get more cheese, move in a new direction quickly. His friends understand how this can be used in the changes all teens face, such as doing well at school or having good relationships or just feeling good about yourself.The book Who Moved My Cheese is __________.
| A．written all over the world | B．read across the world |
| C．sold only in America | D．loved only by teens |
What does the text mainly discuss?
| A．Never change in our life. | B．Change whenever you like . |
| C．Change with the changes. | D．Pay attention to the changes, |
The underline word “four”（paragraph 3） refers to __________.
| A．mice and little people | B．students |
| C．cheese | D．readers |
In our lives, we should learn from __________.
| A．mice | B．little people |
| C．Chris | D．Spence Johnson |
Mobile Phones in Schools
Mobile phones have become a problem for middle schools. Some middle schools in Australia have forbidden(禁止) students to carry mobile phones during school hours.
Mobile phone use among children has become a problem for the school this year. Several children have got mobile phones as Christmas gifts and more students will want them.
Mary Bluett, an official, said mobile phone use is a distraction(分心的事) to students during school hours and it also gives teachers so much trouble in their classrooms. Teachers were also saying that sometimes students might use phone messages to cheat during exams.
She said some schools had tried to forbid mobile phones to be used at school. Some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t get in touch with their children. Many teachers said students should not have mobile phones at school, but if there was a good reason, they could leave their phones at school office. They also said there were many reasons why the students should not have mobile phones at school: they were easy to lose and were a distraction from studies.
Many people say that they understood why parents would want their children to have mobile phones, but they think schools should let the students know when they can use their mobile phones.
| A．because they are students | B．when they are free |
| C．when they are at school | D．because they are children |
| A．the makers and sellers | B．the passers-by and strangers |
| C．their parents and friends | D．some mobile phone users |
| A．聊天 | B．核对 | C．查询 | D．作弊 |
| A．use their mobile phones |
| B．leave their mobile phones at school office |
| C．help the teachers with their work |
| D．get in touch with their children |
| A．students shouldn’t have mobile phones at school except for some special reasons |
| B．it is impossible to forbid students to use mobile phones at school |
| C．some parents felt unhappy because they couldn’t use their phones at school |
| D．parents should teach their children how to use mobile phones during school hours |
Kellyanne O’Niell had not even completed her first aid course when she was called upon to put her skills into action.
Just halfway through her course, which was offered by Kilcooley Women’s Education Group, Kellyanne was walking home when she found herself faced with an emergency.
A youngster on the street had fallen onto broken glass. Describing the situation, Kellyanne said：“I noticed she fell onto some glass, and when she got up, I spotted a big wound starting at the thumb(大拇指)and finishing at the ring finger. I started applying pressure to the bleeding wound at once and sent someone to bring my first-aid box from my house.”
She continued: “I phoned for an ambulance and gave the lady every last detail that she wanted to know. I got another person to keep an eye out for the ambulance. The young girl was in great pain so she couldn’t stay still. I was scared she was not going to respond to me. I held her hand above the heart so that the bleeding could at least stop a little bit.”
“Once the person came back with the bandage, the ambulance was there. The nurse got me to hold a flashlight for her while she bandaged the wound. Once the girl was all bandaged up, I helped her onto the seat in the ambulance and she was taken to hospital.”
Margaret Pridgen, the British Red Cross trainer who had been teaching Kellyanne, was full of praise for her swift action. She said：“I think this is quite an achievement for this young girl, I have really seen her confidence grow during the training and am delighted she had the poise(镇定)to be able to deal with the situation and put her new skills into practice.”We can learn from the text that __________.
| A．Kellyanne is a first-aid worker |
| B．Kellyanne felt proud of herself |
| C．Margaret is the boss of Kellyanne |
| D．Margaret was satisfied with Kellyanne. |
When Kellyanne dealt with the emergency, she was ________.
| A．calm | B．hesitant |
| C．hopeless | D．Frightened |
What’s the correct order of the things Kellyanne did to save the girl?
a. she called for an ambulance.
b. she took steps to help stop the bleeding.
c. she asked someone to fetch her first-aid box.
d. she helped the nurse put the girl into the ambulance.
e. She got someone to keep an eye out for the ambulance.
| A．b-a-c-e-d | B．b-c-a-e-d |
| C．c-a-e-b-d | D．c-a-b-e-d |
“OK,” I said to my daughter as she bent over her afternoon bowl of rice. “What’s going on with you and your friend J.?” J. is the leader of a group of third-graders at her camp-- a position Lucy herself occupied the previous summer. Now she’s the one on the outs, and every day at snack time, she tells me all about it, while I offer the unhelpful advice all summer long.
“She’s fond of giving orders, ” Lucy complained. “She’s turning everyone against me. She’s mean. And she’s fat.” “Excuse me,” I said, struggling for calm. “What did you just said?” “She’s fat.” Lucy mumbled(含糊地说).“We’re going upstairs,” I said, my voice cold. “We’re going to discuss this.” And up we went. I’d spent the nine years since her birth getting ready for this day, the day we’d have the conversation about this horrible word. I knew exactly what to say to the girl on the receiving end of the teasing, but in all of my imaginings, it never once occurred to me that my daughter would be the one who used the F word-Fat.
My daughter sat on her bed, and I sat beside her. “How would you feel if someone made fun of you for something that wasn’t your fault?” I began. “She could stop eating so much,” Lucy mumbled, mouthing the simple advice a thousand doctors have given overweight women for years.
“It’s not always that easy,” I said. “Everyone’s different in terms of how they treat food.” Lucy looked at me, waiting for me to go on. I opened my mouth, then closed it. Should I tell her that, in teasing a woman’s weight, she’s joined the long tradition of critics? Should I tell her I didn’t cry when someone posted my picture and commented , “I’m sorry, but aren’t authors who write books marketed to young women supposed to be pretty?”
Does she need to know, now, that life isn’t fair? I feel her eyes on me, waiting for an answer I don’t have. Words are my tools. Stories are my job. It’s possible she’ll remember what I say forever, and I have no idea what to say.
So I tell her the only thing I can come up with that is absolutely true. I say to my daughter, “I love you, and there is nothing you could ever do to make me not love you. But I’m disappointed in you right now. There are plenty of reasons for not liking someone. What she looks like isn’t one of them. ”
Lucy nods, tears on her cheeks. “I won’t say that again,” she tells me, and I pull her close, pressing my nose against her hair. As we sit there together, I pray for her to be smart and strong. I pray for her to find friends, work she loves, a partner who loves her. And still, always, I pray that she will never struggle as I’ve struggled, that weight will never be her cross to bear. She may not be able to use the word in our home, but I can use in my head. I pray that she will never get fat.The underlined sentence in Paragraph 1 indicates that Lucy ______.
| A．often makes fun of her friend J. |
| B．has turned against her friend J. |
| C．gets along well with her friend J. |
| D．has begun to compete with her friend J. |
Why does the author want to discuss with Lucy?
| A．Because she wants to offer some other helpful advice. |
| B．Because she has prepared the conversation for nine years. |
| C．Because she is really shocked at Lucy’s rudeness. |
| D．Because she decides to tell Lucy a similar story of her own. |
What does the author want to tell her daughter?
| A．It is not easy to take the doctors’ advice to eat less. |
| B．People shouldn’t complain because life is unfair. |
| C．She herself was once laughed at for her appearance. |
| D．People shouldn’t be blamed for their appearance. |
It can be inferred from the passage that_________.
| A．the author earns a living by writing stories. |
| B．the author is a fat but good-looking woman. |
| C．the author will stop loving her daughter for what she said. |
| D．the author’s daughter agreed with her from the very beginning. |
We can learn from the last paragraph that_________.
| A．Lucy was deeply moved by her mother’s prayer. |
| B．a mother’s prayer will shape her daughter’s attitude towards life |
| C．the author allows her daughter to use the F word in her head |
| D．the author hopes her daughter will never have weight trouble |
The author’s attitude towards her daughter can be best described as _________.
| A．loving but strict |
| B．indifferent but patient |
| C．satisfied and friendly |
| D．unsatisfied and angry |
Does your local town have a nickname (绰号)? If so, what does it say about the area and the people who live there?
Many cities are recognized across the world by their unofficial titles. New York is the Big Apple, London is the Big Smoke, and Los Angles is famously called La La Land (used to mean that the people who live there are slightly crazy).
Now Britain’s national mapping agency, Ordnance Survey, and the British linguistics charity (语言学慈善机构), the English Project, are launching a project to uncover the nicknames people use for local places.
The project, which got started last week to coincide with English Language Day, is called Location Lingo. It aims to identify the names people use every day, whether it’s a term of endearment(昵称) or a hate name.
The University of Winchester’s Professor Bill Lucas is a supporter of the English Project. He explains that unofficial place names often show what people think about a place. “The name that people create for a place forms an emotional connection,” he says. “So Basingstoke becomes Amazingstoke, Swindon is known as Swindump and Padstow, hometown of chef Rick Stein, is nicknamed Padstein.”
Basingstoke is a town in central England. The local nickname, Amazingstoke, shows the affection that locals seem to have for the area Swindon, on the other hand, is sometimes called, Swindump, showing that some people think it’s a dump (垃圾场). Stanford Le Hope in Essex is called Stanford No Hope by locals. And Padstow in Cornwall is so closely associated with the local celebrity Rick Stein that it’s become known as Padstein.
Since launching the online database last week, the creators have already received 3,000 alternative titles for places and famous buildings.
Glen Hart, Ordnance Survey’s head Of research, says the information could be very helpful to the emergency services. For example, “By having the most complete set of nicknames we could help the emergency services quickly locate the right place, and maybe even save lives,” he says.According to Bill Lucas, unofficial place names ___________.
| A．are mostly positive |
| B．make many people confused |
| C．don’t show the real condition of a place |
| D．are a good way for people to express their feelings |
We can learn from the passage that Swindump is probably ___________.
| A．a hate name | B．a place of interest |
| C．a term of endearment | D．a famous person’s name |
In the opinion of Glen Hart, Britain’s nickname survey ___________.
| A．is of little value |
| B．has a practical use |
| C．will face lots of difficulties |
| D．will honor local celebrities |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．London is called La La Land. |
| B．Swindon has many nicknames. |
| C．People consider Basingstoke a dangerous place. |
| D．People in Stanford Le Hope are disappointed with it. |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．Organizations collect unofficial place names. |
| B．Cities across Britain have special features. |
| C．Unofficial titles are bringing cities trouble. |
| D．People have a great affection for their cities. |
Self-control can make you happier not only in the long-run, but also in the moment.
The research showed that self-control isn’t about giving up desires, but more about managing conflicting goals. Since most people consider highly self-controlled ones as being more task-centered, the scientists decided to find out the connection between self-control and people’s happiness to determine if being self-disciplined leaves people feel less joyful.
Through a set of tests-including one that assessed 414 middle-aged participants on self-control and another that randomly interviewed volunteers on their smart phones about their mood and any desires they might be experiencing, researchers found a strong connection between higher levels of self-control and satisfaction.
The smart phone experiment also showed how self-control may improve mood. Those who showed the greatest self-control reported more good moods and fewer bad ones. But this didn’t appear to be linked to being more able to resist temptation(诱惑)—it was because they exposed themselves to fewer situations that might inspire desires in the first place. They were doing a number of things that bring them happiness and avoiding problematic desires and conflicts.
That became clear in the study’s last experiment, which looked into how self-control affects the way people handle goals that conflict with one another. In particular, the researchers were interested in how self-disciplined and less-disciplined people differed when it came to choosing among “virtues” and “vices” like the pleasure of eating sugar cookie vs. the pain of gaining weight. Participants were asked to list three important goal conflicts they experienced regularly and were also questioned on how they managed to balance the goals.
The highly self-controlled showed an obvious difference from those with less discipline over their lives. They tended to avoid creating situations in which their goals would conflict, and reported fewer instances of having to choose between short-term pleasure and long-term pain. As a result, they experienced fewer negative emotions.
And self-control doesn’t always mean self-denial: it may mean saving now to get big payoff later. For dieters, it means making choices to avoid entering a bakery since you are more likely to buy a cupcake. Granted, self-control isn’t the best way to instant satisfaction, but it may bring something even better: long-term contentment.According to the research, the self-controlled people _____.
| A．enjoy less pleasure of life |
| B．focus less on completing their tasks |
| C．make others feel less delighted |
| D．are better solving problems and conflicts |
From the smart phone experiments, the researchers found self-controlled people _____.
| A．like to challenge more goals |
| B．may have more good moods |
| C．are easier to resist temptation |
| D．are less satisfied with their life |
Different from the less-controlled ones, the highly self-controlled people_____.
| A．rarely prefer pleasures |
| B．often create conflicting goals |
| C．like to put up with pain |
| D．stay away from negative emotions |
The underlined word ‘self-denial’ in the last paragraph probably means______.
| A．self-sacrifice |
| B．self-help |
| C．self-confidence |
| D．self-improvement |
Here is some information about several famous local bakeries(面包烤房) in Indiana, the US. They serve as a social gathering place for locals.
Maple Lane Bakery
At 8260 S. State Rd. Claypool, IN. (574) 566-2917, it offers a variety of cooked pies, cookies, and bread. With 20 years’ experience Maple Lane Bakery has specialized in the making of pies. The menu includes peach pie $7.19, berry pie $7.70, apple pie $7.19 and banana pie $6.99. Feel free to place an order at least 24 hours in advance.
Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop
At 816 E. Winona Avenue Warsaw, IN. (574) 269-1231, it specializes in cakes and offers cookies and candies. The chocolate cookies are sold at $8.99 a dozen. Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop, started half a century ago, specializes in wedding cakes and birthday cakes. Buying a cake from Betty’s will not disappoint you as they are always excellent.
Crepes’ Quality Bakery
At 217 S. Cavin Street Ligonier, IN. (260) 894-3024, this third generation bakery is located downtown Ligonier. It offers cookies and cupcakes, and specializes in rolls and bread. If you plan to buy cookies for the office or work area, you had better get there early as the building workers arrive just before 5:00 am waiting for the doors to open.
Olympia Candy Kitchen
At 136 N. Main Street Goshen, IN. (574) 533-5040, it has been welcoming visitors for almost a century in its unchanged location in downtown Goshen, Indiana. Its tradition began in 1912 when Greek Nicholas began making his own chocolates. Today this family-owned operation offers all kinds candies and boxed candies.
If you need an order, you should call ahead of time to see if they can meet your request.Which of the following pies is the most expensive?
| A．Banana pie. | B．Berry pie. |
| C．Peach pie. | D．Apple pie. |
If you want to order a birthday cake, you are advised to call _________.
| A．(574) 533-5040 | B．(574) 566-2917 |
| C．(260) 894-3024 | D．(574) 269-1231 |
Which of the following bakeries has the shortest history?
| A．Maple Lane Bakery | B．Crepes’ Quality Bakery |
| C．Olympia Candy Kitchen | D．Betty’s Cakes & Candy Shop |
The author wrote this passage mainly to __________.
A. warn customers to order bakeries in advance
B. tell readers some travel information
C. make the bakeries better known to readers
C. persuade more people to eat pies
Everywhere I look outside my home I see people busy on their high-tech devices（装置）, while driving, walking, shopping, even sitting in toilets. When connected electronically, they are away from physical reality.
People have been influenced to become technology addicted. One survey reported that “addicted” was the word most commonly used by people to describe their relationship to iPad and similar devices. One study found that people had a harder time resisting the allure of social media than they did for sleep, cigarettes and alcohol.
The main goal of technology companies is to get people to spend more money and time on their products, not to actually improve our quality of life. They have successfully created a cultural disease. Consumers willingly give up their freedom, money and time to catch up on the latest information, to keep pace with their peers or to appear modern.
I see people trapped in a flu-like relationship with time-sucking technology, where they serve technology more than technology serves them. I call this technology servitude. I am referring to a loss of personal freedom and independence because of uncontrolled consumption of many kinds of devices that eat up time and money.
What is a healthy use of technology devices? That is the vital question. Who is really in charge of my life? That is what people need to ask themselves if we are to have any chance of breaking up false beliefs about their use of technology. When we can live happily without using so much technology for a day or a week, then we can regain control and personal freedom, become the master of technology and discover what there is to enjoy in life free of technology. Mae West is famous for claiming the wisdom that “Too much of a good thing is wonderful.” But it’s time to discover that it does not work for technology.
Richard Fernandez, a former CEO at Google acknowledged that “we can be swept away by our technologies.” To break the grand digital connection people must consider how life long ago could be fantastic without today’s overused technology.The underlined word “allure” in Paragraph 2 probably means ______.
| A．advantage | B．attraction |
| C．adaptation | D．attempt |
From the passage, technology companies aim to ______.
| A．attract people to buy their products |
| B．provide the latest information |
| C．improve people’s quality of life |
| D．deal with cultural diseases |
It can be inferred from this passage that people ______.
| A．consider too much technology wonderful |
| B．have realized the harm of high-tech devices |
| C．can regain freedom without high-tech devices |
| D．may enjoy life better without overused technology |
What’s the author’s attitude towards the overusing of high-tech devices?
| A．Objective | B．Positive |
| C．Disapproving | D．Sympathetic |
Would it surprise you to learn that, like animals, trees communicate with each other and pass on their wealth to the next generation?
UBC Professor Simard explains how trees are much more complex than most of us ever imagined. Although Charles Darwin thought that trees are competing for survival of the fittest, Simard shows just how wrong he was. In fact, the opposite is true: trees survive through their co-operation and support, passing around necessary nutrition “depending on who needs it”.
Nitrogen（氮）and carbon are shared through miles of underground fungi（真菌）networks, making sure that all trees in the forest ecological system give and receive just the right amount to keep them all healthy. This hidden system works in a very similar way to the networks of neurons（神经元）in our brains, and when one tree is destroyed, it affects all.
Simard talks about “mother trees”, usually the largest and oldest plants on which all other trees depend. She explains how dying trees pass on the wealth to the next generation, transporting important minerals to young trees so they may continue to grow. When humans cut down “mother trees” with no awareness of these highly complex “tree societies” or the networks on which they feed, we are reducing the chances of survival for the entire forest.
“We didn't take any notice of it.” Simard says sadly. “Dying trees move nutrition into the young trees before dying, but we never give them chance.” If we could put across the message to the forestry industry, we could make a huge difference towards our environmental protection efforts for the future.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Trees Communicate Like Humans |
| B．Young Trees Are In Need Of Protection |
| C．Trees Contribute To Our Society |
| D．Trees Are More Complex Than You Think |
In Simard's opinion, trees _______.
| A．compete for survival | B．protect their own wealth |
| C．depend on each other | D．provide support for dying trees |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．“mother trees” are usually of no use to other trees. |
| B．Charles Darwin had the same thought as Simard. |
| C．if “mother trees” are cut down, the survival for the entire forest will be affected. |
| D．people know much about the complex “tree societies”. |
The underlined word “it” in the last paragraph refers to .
| A．how “tree societies” work |
| B．how trees grow old |
| C．how forestry industry develops |
| D．how young trees survive |
For one tired out from work, autumn is one of the best times to step into the open air to kick back and enjoy some great music. And that’s what many Beijingers have done this past weekend.
Family, friends, laughter; beautiful grass, fresh air and live music echoing (回响) off the forest and the Great Wall that surround this place. A weekend in this music paradise（乐园） just seems too short. Besides, a brand new world-class outdoor theater has just been open at this year’s festival, which will surely make the festival a better and more permanent experience.
A full house is before the new outdoor amphitheater (圆形剧场). Even the thunderstorm couldn’t break up the crowd completely absorbed in the music. Thanks to the new theater, this year’s Great Wall Forest Festival offers even more superb acoustics（音效的）and an overall outdoor theatrical experience, even though the project is still half complete.
The festival is now in its fourth year. Since its first show in 2010, the festival has seen a steady increase in festival-goers and has expanded its length from two days to four days, divided over two weekends. It has also been experimenting with a variety of styles, from classical to pop, with this year’s theme “Celebrating 20 Years of Chinese Folk Song.” Folk Song legend Lao Lang explains how folk songs have helped encourage more amateur folks to express themselves through music.
“Before music was reserved for the professionals. But folk songs made young people realize that they can express themselves through music as well. And that’s what characterizes folk songs. It’s popular music and it always has a story.” said Lao Lang.
Unlike some of the other outdoor festivals, the Great Wall Forest Festival appeals to a wide range of audiences. It’s a rare place where teens, parents and families can all enjoy the outdoors and have a great time.
Great music and scenery aside, many children’s workshops, master music classes, and interactive art activities have also been introduced this year. If music is the reason to come to the festivals, you’ll find even more reasons not to leave.What is the meaning of the underlined phrase “kick back” in Paragraph 1?
| A．to hit with legs. | B．to work harder |
| C．to relax oneself | D．to make people leave |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．The place where the Festival is held is near the Great Wall. |
| B．The completed project adds to the attraction of this year’s Festival. |
| C．The audience attending the festival bury themselves in the music. |
| D．The year 2010 saw the beginning of the Great Wall Forest Festival. |
The 2014 Great Wall Forest Festival has got improved in the following aspects except that _________.
| A．it has included different types of music |
| B．it has attracted a wide range of audiences |
| C．it has introduced more activities besides music |
| D．it has been expanded from 2 days to 4 days in a week |
According to Lao Lang, we can know that _________.
| A．folk songs can help amateur singers become famous easily |
| B．folk songs are the ones just intended for the professionals |
| C．a folk song, always with a story, belongs to popular music |
| D．popular songs are used by the young to express themselves |
It is a wonderful morning, as I write this: hot, but without being too hot. Outside my window, I can see the sunniest sky of the year reflected in a huge natural expand of water. It is the kind of sun that makes you well aware of summer's temporary nature a reminder that if I am ever to go around to book this year's holiday, time is running out.
It is now close to four years since I last took a holiday. This is because I have come to the conclusion, over the course of my adult life, that I am not very good at it. You might say this sounds like saying you are not very good at drinking tea or listening to music. What could possibly be difficult about the natural act of putting your working life on hold for a couple of weeks and going somewhere to do nothing?
So what is my problem? On the surface, I'm probably a bit of homebody. And I just find the pressure of being on holiday too severe: it always feels like having a gun held to my head and being forced to have fun. Somehow, packing a carefully itemized （详细列举的 ）list of possessions and meeting a scheduled flight has none of the excitement of suddenly deciding to take a day off and driving somewhere for the fun of it.
Thankfully, I am not alone. This summer, most of my friends have decided not to have a break. And a recent survey highlighted the downside（负面）of holidays, with the results showing that nearly two thirds of people found that the calming effects of a holiday wore off within 24 hours, as stress levels returned to normal. And this year's the Idler magazine published its book, Awful Holidays. Here you will find a list of the five most
ecologically-damaging vacations it's possible to take, along with 50 horrible holidays experiences voted for on the idler website. Over the last decade, The Idler has become well known for promoting the idea of an easy, lazy life. The leisure（休闲）industry might seem an unlikely target of its criticism, but Dan Kienan, the book’s editor, says that he was flooded with entries from readers for his list of awful holidays.According to the first paragraph we can know that the writer .
| A．has a strong desire to book a holiday |
| B．wishes that the weather would change |
| C．finds it is too late to enjoy the sunshine |
| D．realizes it's time to decide whether to go on a holiday |
The reason why the writer dislikes going on holidays is that .
| A．it usually costs too much money |
| B．he is tired of making preparations too much for holidays |
| C．it is far less enjoyable than breaks planned in advance |
| D．he feels embarrassed when other people are having fun but he isn't |
We can learn from the survey that .
| A．most people pretend to enjoy their holiday |
| B．all people fail to relax while they are on holiday |
| C．a lot of people feel that the benefits of going on holidays are limited |
| D．many people have made the same decision as the writer and most of his friends |
The writer takes the book of Awful Holidays as an example to .
| A．damage the reputation of the magazine |
| B．prove the idea of living an easy, lazy life to be wrong |
| C．indicate that his dislike of holidays is widely shared |
| D．focus entirely on bad personal experiences of holidays |
A prosperous moneylender bought a house located right next door to the house of a tanner(鞣皮匠)．From morning till evening the tanner change hide(兽皮) into leather by treating it with tannin(单宁)．From day one the moneylender was put off by the unpleasant smells of the tannery.
So，he visited the tanner's house and offered to buy his house.“I would love to sell the house if you buy it，” said the tanner.He didn't want to do any such thing but he liked to play tricks.“Give me a week or so to deal with some things，will you？”The moneylender agreed and went away.
A week later，the overpowering smell coming from the tannery brought the moneylender to the tanner's doorstep again.“I understand sir，” said the tanner with wideeyed sympathy.“But my mother is visiting me this week.I can't sell the house until she goes away.Please wait for a month.”
The moneylender agreed with great reluctance.He began to wait eagerly for the guest's departure.In the beginning he counted each day，impatiently waiting for one to finish and the other to begin.After a while，he found he was no longer so interested in the month coming to an end.He had simply forgotten about it.
He did not ask the tanner to leave when they met next，either.You see，by then the moneylender had become accustomed to the tanyard's smell.“What have you done to drive away that terrible smell？” he asked the tanner.“Have you reduced the solution？”
The tanner smiled and nodded.He had been waiting for the day the moneylender would get used to the smells from the tannery and stop bothering him.That was why he had asked the moneylender to wait in the first place.After a week's waiting，the moneylender's feeling became________.
| A．angry | B．calm |
| C．nervous | D．anxious |
How many times did the moneylender ask the the tanner to leave?
| A．1. | B．2. |
| C．3. | D．4. |
Why did the tanner asked the moneylender to wait? Because________.
| A．he wanted to make some repairs to his house |
| B．he wanted to do some cleaning to his house |
| C．his mother would live in his house for a month |
| D．he wouldn't sell his house from the bottom of his heart |
At last the moneylender________.
| A．moved to another place |
| B．was adapted the smell |
| C．went to quarrel with the tanner |
| D．managed to buy the house |
From the passage we can know the tanner was______.
| A．a funny man | B．a wise man |
| C．an honest man | D．a friendly man |
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