1、 A large male emperor penguin waddles(蹒跚行走) slowly across the ice to the water. He dives deep into the cold salt water and then springs back onto the ice. Nearby a female penguin sleeps as her baby rests on the top of her feet. The penguins are enjoying another beautiful day of sunshine and freezing temperatures in the Penguin Encounter, a special home built for them in sunny California.The Penguin Encounter is located at SeaWorld in San Diego. It was built to help study the emperor penguin,the l argest of all penguins. The emperor penguins’ natural home is in the Antarctic, near the South Pole. Increases in Earth’s temperatures could cause large amounts of ice to break up. Scientists feared that this drastic(剧烈的) change in the environment could destroy the emperor penguins’ nesting areas. This would cause the number of emperor penguins to greatly decrease. A new home for them seemed to be the perfect solution.Scientists wanted to make the Penguin Encounter a comfortable home for the black-and-white feathered birds. A team of scientists was sent to the Antarctic to learn more about the emperor penguins Scientist Frank Todd led the team. Todd is an expert on penguins. He has spent more than 25 years studying them.Getting close to the emperor penguins in the Antarctic wasn’t difficult for the group of scientists. Sometimes they would waddle close to Todd and his team. The scientists concluded that this behavior could be the result of poor eyesight. Penguins are nearsighted, which allows them to see better in the water than on land. Another possible reason for their behavior was that they had little to fear on the ice. Their enemies, such as leopard seals and killer whales,hunt mainly in the water.Todd and his team spent many months studying the diet and social habits of the emperor penguins. It was easy to get close to the penguins, but it wasn't easy to study them.In the Antarctic, the temperature rarely rises above zero degree, which is perfect for penguins, hut not for scientists. Once Todd and his team had finally gathered enough information, they made plans for a new home in California for a number of emperor penguins. Scientists hoped to study the birds in conditions that were more scientist-friendly. When the "new Antarctic" was completed, Todd and his team brought several hundred emperor penguins to California from the Antarctic. 1.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word in the first paragraph?A.Moves.B.Jumps.C.Holds.D.Flies.2.Why did scientists need to study penguins in the Antarctic before building the Penguin Encounter?A.They were afraid that the emperor penguins’ homes would be destroyed.B.They wanted the Penguin Encounter just to be like the emperor penguins' natural home.C.They wanted to see how the emperor penguins reacted to the rising temperatures.D.They knew it would take long to gather enough emperor penguins for the Penguin Encounter.3.Why do emperor penguins have little to fear on the ice?A.It is easy to see their enemies on the white ice.B.Their enemies usually hunt in the water.C.They can easily escape on the smooth ice.D.It is too cold for other animals to survive on the ice.4.The passage mainly emphasizes _______.A.scientists working as a team in the AntarcticB.a science team finding a way to stop global wanningC.how to protect the emperor penguins at Sea WorldD.scientists building a special home to learn more about the emperor penguins2、From the moment you open your eyes in the morning, you can feel sweat (汗水)running down your body, even if you're barely moving at all. That's what most people in China felt like this summer. In fact, the entire northern hemisphere(半球)saw high temperatures in July. The Arctic Circle(北极圈) was no exception(例外). Temperatures in the city of Norilsk, which is in the Arctic Circle, reached a record high of 32 ℃, The Atlantic reported. Temperatures there are usually just 10 ℃at this time of the year.The heat wave in the Arctic is mainly a long-term result of global warming, according to the Chinese Academy of Meteorological Sciences. In fact, while the whole world is getting warmer, the Arctic is warming twice as fast as the rest of the planet. This is called the polar amplification effect(极地放大效应).The most direct impact(影响)of Arctic warming is the melting of Arctic ice. According to NASA, Arctic sea ice is now disappearing at a rate of 13.2 percent every 10 years. NASA said that if this continues, the Arctic will have no ice by the year 2040. This has put some Arctic animals,like polar bears, in danger. The ice that the bears live on has shrunk(缩小), the Toronto Star reported.Melting ice can also cause sea levels to rise in the long term. Since 1993, sea levels have risen at a rate of 3.2 cm every 10 years, the Guardian reported. Some countries, such as Tuvalu(图瓦鲁)in the South Pacific Ocean and Maldives(马尔代夫)in the Indian Ocean, are at risk of disappearing into the sea.1. Which of the following is true?A. Some countries in the ocean will disappear in 10 years.B. China is the hottest in the northern hemisphere this summer.C. The temperatures in Norilsk used to be lower than this summer.D. The world gets warmer because of the heat wave in the Arctic.2. What does the underlined word "this" in the third paragraph refer to?A. The heat wave in the ArcticB. The result of global warmingC. Getting warmer in the worldD. The Arctic getting warm faster3. What may be the result of the melting of Arctic ice?A. The polar will become dangerousB. Sea levels rise in the long termC. There will be an end of water shortageD. There will be no ice in the world by 20404. What is the main idea of this passage?A. Heat hits ArcticB. Arctic animals are in dangerC. The world became hotter than beforeD. Some countries may disappear into the sea3、Why are photos and videos of cats high-fiving suddenly popping up on social media?Ask Jackson Galaxy, who launched Cat Pawsitive last year, a program that encourages animal shelters to teach cats how to do tricks to make them more attractive for adoption.The idea is simple. A kitty that can sit on command or give a high five shows that it can listen to instructions and connect with others. A high five can make a shy cat open up, Galaxy said.“Big life changes can lead to cats losing their confidence, an d we help those cats to feel more confident and to feel safe interacting with new people.” Christie Rogero, program manager for Cat Pawsitive, said.And Stephen Holdeman, training manager at the KC Pet Project, added: “All we need to train a cat to do tric ks is the right amount of patience, timing and motivation.” He uses a technique called “operant conditioning (操作性条件反射)”, which associates a cat’s action with getting a reward such as a favorite food or treat.He also uses a clicker—a training device that m akes a clicking noise. “In the initial stage, we get the cat used to the idea that when it hears the sound of the clicker, one of its favorite treats appears. After we have bridged these two ideas together we can use the clicker to reinforce different acti ons the cat does to let it know that if it repeats the action, it will get a treat.”After several repetitions, the cat starts to link everything together. Now all you need to do is let your extended hand be the target, and we’ve got a high five.1.According to the text, how can learning tricks benefit cats at animal shelters?A.It is a good way for shelters to raise money.B.It allows them to pick up skills to stay safe.C.It helps them interact more with each other.D.It helps them build confidence and get adopted.2.According to the text, what should be done from the start to train cats to learn tricks?A.Teaching them different actions.B.Teaching them how to use a clicker.C.Making them patient enough to repeat actions.D.Helping them connect the sound of a clicker with treats.3.What does the underlined word “reinforce” in paragraph 6 probably mean?A.recordB.strengthenC.ignoreD.reward4.What is the main purpose of the article?A.To explain how to train cats to perform tricks.B.To show how cats are treated at animal shelters.C.To describe the popularity of cats on social media.D.To inform us of a program that trains cats to do tricks.4、The majority of people on this planet live through ego(自我意识). They feel that they are themselves special, apart from the crowd in some way. Also, they aren't willing to acknowledgeother people's specialness, and feel that they are threatened by the people who are different from them.Besides, there are many different 'exclusive clubs' which people join under certain conditions, like Colour of skin clubs, Sports clubs, and so on. What many people fail to acknowledge, however, is that there is in fact only one club The Human Being club.Our diversity is what makes life interesting. I love watching people who dance or create music beautifully, draw out emotions through their acting skills, or are accomplished athletes. I also understand myself well enough to know that I don't have enough passion for any of these things to make the sacrifices necessary to come close to their level of excellence.I believe that it is human nature to communicate and cooperate with people who are like us, but what a lot of people see as 'like us' is narrowed down to very superficial(表面) characteristics.I remember my Jamaican friend's sister being most put out. She had been the only black woman in her company and then another black woman was employed. They were automatically put to work together because they were both black and obviously had a lot in common - so thought the employer! The truth was that they had nothing in common, didn't come from the same country and actively disliked each other. It's always a mistake to assume anything on a purely superficial basis.I have many friends who are members of a variety of the above mentioned clubs and each one of them has taught me so much about different cultures and life styles, and has enriched my life in the process. I encourage anyone to strike up a conversation with someone who doesn't look like them - you might be surprised at exactly how much you have in common.1.According to the first two paragraphs people tend to _________.A.feel they are specialB.feel they are lack of egoC.admit others are specialD.admit only one club exist2.How is the Paragraph 3 mainly developed?A.By analyzing causes.B.By setting an example.C.By giving a description.D.By making comparisons.3.The author mentioned his Jamaican friend’s sister to sh ow ___________.A.black women have a lot in common indeedB.it is human nature to cooperate with peopleC.people understand “like us” in a narrow wayD.people often make mistakes in judging others4.What does the author advise people to do in the last paragraph?A.To enrich their own life.B.To join an exclusive club.C.To talk to different people.D.To experience different life.5、People generally like to feel happy, but achieving a state of happiness takes time and effort. Aekyoung Kim of Rutgers University in the U.S. and Sam Maglio of the University of Toronto Scarborough in Canada have conducted four studies in which they studied how the pursuit of happiness as well as the state of being happy influenced people’s perception (看法) of time.In the studies, some participants were either instructed to list things that would make them happier or asked to try to make themselves feel happy while watching a boring movie about building bridges, thus showing happiness as a goal to pursue. The other participants came to think of happiness as a goal that they had already accomplished, achieved by watching a comedy or listing things showing that they were already happy. Afterwards, all participants reported how much free time they felt they had.The researchers’ main finding showed that a person’s perception of time scarcity (缺乏) is influenced by their pursuit of (often unattainable) happiness. The feeling that time was scarce became less strong for participants who said that they had attained their goal of being happy to some degree.“Time seems to disappear during the pursuit of happiness, but only when it’s seen as a goal requiring continued pursuit,” explain the researchers. “This finding suggests that the pursuit of happiness can destroy well-being.” According to the researchers, the finding implies that while happiness can hurt positive emotions, it need not necessarily do so. Instead, if someone believes they have achieved happiness, they are left with the time to appreciate this. The research further explains that people have different concepts about happiness, which in turn may well influence how they perceive the time they have to achieve happiness.“Because going through experiences and sharing feelings require more time compared with only, for example, buying material goods, feeling that time is lacking also leads people to prefer material possessions rather than enjoying pleasant experiences,” the researchers continue. “Encouraging people to worry less about pursuing happiness as a never-ending goal might just end up giving them more time and, in turn, more happiness.”1.The tasks given to the two groups of participants differ in __________.A.how they spent their free timeB.how they drew up shopping listsC.what kind of movies interested themD.whether they had acquired happiness2.We can infer from the finding in Paragraph 4 that __________.A.happiness is determined by timeB.happiness is a matter of choiceC.happiness is a never-ending goalD.happiness can hurt positive emotions3.Which of the following would be the best title of the text?A.Will time-saving tasks make you happier?B.Is emotion management training necessary?C.Can pursuing happiness make you unhappy?D.Should you express your unhappiness in hard times?6、A culture's values can be mirrored by its humor.Humor has been evaluated by many great minds such as Thomas Hobbes,who disliked humor,"Laughter is nothing else but sudden glory arising from some sudden thought of feeling far better than others."He thought humor to be a negative quality of human narrow-mindedness.However, Mordechai Gordon,PhD of Education,insists,"Humor allows us to view the world from an angle that is amusing rather than serious."I agree with Gordon.Learning to look at the world through humour is important.In the United States,every four years an election occurs.Without humor as a way to express their feelings,how else would Americans keep from clawing their eyes out and going the way of lemming? Television shows like“The Daily Show”have become importa nt parts of American culture.They are mothering the masses by metaphorically airplane-ing politics into our mouths.They make politics fun.Of course,politics is only one type of humor.Social humor helps people through the twists andturns of the human condition.American pop culture promotes an unhealthy self-image.On the topic of self-image,Hari Kondabolu stands out.He has a joke about the popular musical group“The Pussycat Dolls”,describing their hit song"Don't Cha”as a negative representation of women.He points out an obvious offence in American culture.A study from Loyola University of Maryland has shown that humor is one determining factor for selecting a mating partner.Amongst other things,mates look for an outstanding funny bone in apotential partner.Of course,humor is not always used for good purposes.Humor can be linked to vulgarity and racism,but,like everything else,it has potential to unite human beings by allowing us to laugh at ourselves,our failures and our connection with one another.Though life may seem tough and depressing at times,all I have to do is look in the mirror at my increased wrinkles to know that there is a comedy out there that even Chaplin wasn't aware of.With that in mind,remember to laugh with humanity and sometimes at humanity.1.Hobbes believed that humor___________.A.was only a way to laugh at others to make oneself feel betterB.resulted in narrow-mindedness of human beingsC.had the power to mirror personal glory and national valuesD.was for people to view the world from another angle2.What is the author's attitude towards political humor?A.Worried.B.Disappointed.C.Curious.D.Appreciative.3.The fourth paragraph is developed mainlyA.by exampleB.by processC.by comparisonD.by classification4.What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?A.Chaplin wasn't aware of being laughed at.B.The author feels helpless and sad about getting older.C.Never be the one who laughs at other people.D.The author is determined to face life with a sense of humor.7、Sharks use their good sense of smell to search for prey(猎物). But a new study shows that the rising levels of carbon dioxide in the ocean could reduce sharks' ability to find food. It's bad news for a healthy ocean. Sharks are top predators(掠食动物) and are like the ocea n’s weed controllers.Dixson works at the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution in Massachusetts. Her earlier work has shown that clown fish in acidifying(酸化的) water act strangely. “We want to expand thisresearch to sharks because we know how important it is for sharks to find their food through their sense of smell," said Dixson.Her team started by placing sharks in each of three different pools for five days. Each pool had a different level of carbon dioxide in it. The first had the same amount as today s ocean water. The second had a level of carbon dioxide that scientists expect to reach by 2050. The third pool had the highest level of carbon dioxide that could develop by the year 2100.Sharks weren't allowed to eat any food while in the pools. This made sure that they would be hungry. Then, Dixson released the sharks—one at a time—into a pool with two side-by-side streams of flowing water. In one stream, the researchers pumped water, in which a dead squid had been overnight. This water smelled strongly of squid. The other stream contained ocean water with no scent(气味). Because each stream flowed at the same rate and in the same direction, the squid smell stayed in its stream. The sharks could choose to swim in either stream.Sharks that had been swimming for five days in pools of regular ocean water spent more than 60 percent of their time in the squid-scented stream. The same was true for sharks that had been in water with the carbon dioxide level that could develop by the year 2050. But sharks exposed to the highest level of carbon dioxide spent just 15 percent of their time in the squid-scented stream.1.Why did the writer mention the sharks’ smell at the beginning of the passage?A.Because the writer appreciates its ability to find food.B.Because the writer considers it dangerous to human beings.C.Because the writer intends to show how to control weed in the ocean.D.Because the writer worries about the sharks in the ocean.2.What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?A.What the ocean in the future will be like.B.Who helped Dixson conduct the study.C.What kinds of pools were used during the study.D.What the levels of carbon dioxide will be at in the ocean in the future.3.The researchers pumped water where a dead squid had been overnight to _________.A.help the sharks look for foodB.test the sharks’ sense of smellC.prove that sharks like eating squidsD.explain why carbon dioxide in the ocean affects sharks4.What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph suggest?A.Sharks like the squid-scented stream better.B.Sharks like the stream with the high level of carbon dioxide.C.Sharks spent 15% of their time in the squid-scented stream.D.The high level of carbon dioxide can affect the sharks’ ability to smell.8、 Today, many people use plants from other places to design their yards. Well, do they have any influence on animals living nearby? As we know, plants supply food for things like insects and plant-eating animals. In turn, birds and meat-eating animals feed on these insects andplant-eating animals. It is easy to see how important plants are.Although foreign plants may look beautiful, they can cause problems when there are too many of them. I live in Virginia, USA, and sometimes see a plant—commonly known as Kudzu —that seems to cover everything in the area, even climbing over whole trees and houses.Kudzu is an unbelievable plant since it grows very fast. It was first brought to the United States from south-east Asia around the 1870’s as a crop that farmers could grow. However, Kudzu quickly came to be considered harmful throughout the southern United States.Since Kudzu grows fast in many different environments, it can completely cover areas of land quickly. The plant is also not eaten by any insects or birds in the United States so it can grow unchecked. Kudzu can cover trees, bushes, and even houses. It costs the United States 500 million dollars a year to just keep Kudzu from growing too fast. The plant is a perfect example of what scientists call an invasive (侵略性的) species, which grows more quickly than other native plants. All foreign plants have the possibility to spread quickly. Not only are they costly, but planting them in gardens actually takes away food from insects. If everyone filled their garden with plants native to where they live, many lovely butterflies and other native creatures would be attracted to their backyards! So, take a look out of your window — how does your garden grow?1.We can learn from the text that Kudzu in Virginia _______.A.is very popularB.is difficult to growC.can cause big troubleD.can make air cleaner2.Which of the following is TRUE of Kudzu?A.It served as food at first in America.B.It came to America in the early 19th century.C.It grows fast in Asia, but slowly in America.D.It is often eaten by insects or birds in America.3.How does the author sound when telling of these foreign plants?A.Sad.B.Worried.C.Proud.D.Excited.4.What does the author mainly discuss in the text?A.Everyone should learn to love nature.B.It is a hard job to grow plants in yards.C.Gardening has become a serious hobby.D.It is important to say no to foreign plants.9、If you have ever had a cat, or have watched one of the many funny cat videos online, you’ll know that cats have a mind of their own. A lot of the things they do are hard to understand—they like to climb up tall furniture, fit themselves in small spaces and attack small objects for no reason at all.Now scientists have managed to figure out what exactly is going on in the brains of our little friends. According to Tony Buffington, a professor at Ohio State University in the US, cats’ strange behavior large ly comes from their way of life back in the wild. “Cats today still have many of the same instincts(本能) that allowed them to live in the wild for millions of years.” he said in a TED Talk. “To them, our homes are their jungles.”In the wild, cats are hunters. Their bodies and great balancing abilities allow them to climb to high spots to better look at the environment. Even though they don’t have to hunt anymore in human houses, they still keep the old habit of viewing the living room from, for example, the top of the refrigerator.Cats’ hunting instinct is also what makes them attack small things like keys and USB drives. In the wild, they hunt whatever they can get, and most of the animals they kill are small.However, cats can also be prey. This explains why they like to stay in small spaces like drawers or washing machines—they are hiding, or they think they are hiding, from more dangerous animals. This is also why cats prefer a clean box: a smelly one could easily show enemies where they are.Knowing how cats’ minds work is not only useful for better understanding them. It may also help cats’ owners to better meet cats’ needs. For example, owners could try to make climbing easier for cats by moving their furniture around. They could also use “food puzzles” to make eating feel more like hunting instead of just giving food to the cats.1.According to Tony Buffington, .A.cats’ strange behavior is hard for people to understandB.cats are more used to living in the wild than in humans’ homesC.cats behave strangely mainly because of some instincts in the wildD.cats’ instincts are as helpful to them today as they were millions of year ago2.Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?A.Cats like to climb up high because they want to hide from dangerous animalsB.Cats attack keys and USB drives because they have a habit of hunting small animalsC.Cats enjoy staying in small spaces because they usually live in small caves in the wildD.Cats’ preference for a clean box probably has something to do with their hunting instincts3.The underlined word “prey” in Paragraph 5 probably means .A.an animal that is too lazyB.an animal that likes hiding gamesC.an animal that keeps itself cleanD.an animal that is hunted4.This article is mainly written to .A.explore the reasons behind cats’ strange behaviorB.describe cats’ past wild experience to readersC.tell cat owners how to make life easier for catspare cats’ behavior in human homes with that in the w ild10、Runners who encounter visual and auditory(听觉的) distractions may be more likely to suffer leg injuries, according to research by the Association of Academic Physiatrists in Las Vegas. Runners often seek distractions from the task at hand. Whether it is music, texting, daydreaming, taking in the sights,or propping a book up on the treadmill(跑步机),more often than not a distraction is welcome. But, researchers from the University of Florida have recently discovered that those distractions may lead to injury.Daniel Herman, MD, assistant professor at the University of Florida, and his team conducted research on the effects of visual and auditory distractions on 14 runners to determine what effect these distractions would have on things such as the heart rate, how many times a runner breathes per minute and how much oxygen is consumed by the body.The runners were all injury-free at the time of the study and ran 31 miles each week. Dr. Herman^ team had each participant run on a treadmill three separate times. The first time was without any distractions. The second time added a visual distraction, during which the runnersconcentrated on2 a screen displaying different letters in different colors with the runners having to notice when a specific letter-color combination appeared. The third time added an auditory distraction similar to the visual distraction, with the runners having to notice when a particular word was spoken by a particular voice.When compared to running without distractions, the participants had faster application of force to their left and right legs, called the loading rate, with auditory and visual distractions. They also experienced an increased amount of force from the ground on both legs, called ground reaction force, with auditory distractions. Finally, the runners tended to breathe heavier and had higher heart rates with visual and auditory distractions than without any distractions at all.“ Running in environments with different distractions may unfavorably affect running performance and injury risk," explains Dr. Herman. "Sometimes these things cannot be avoided, but you may be able to minimize potentially cumulative(累积的) effects. For example,when running a new route in a chaotic environment such as during a marathon, you may want to skip listening to something which may require more attention—like a new playlist."Dr. Herman’s team will continue to investigate the potential relationship between distracted running and leg injuries, and any effect this relationship has on different training techniques that use auditory or visual cues.1.Paragraph 2 tells us the research ______.A.processB.questionsC.resultsD.reflection2.Based on the research, runners with auditory distractions tended to ____.A.breathe heavier and have lower heart ratesB.gain a faster speed with slower loading ratesC.apply more force with less oxygen consumptionD.get an increased amount of ground reaction force3.What can we infer from the passage?A.Running with distractions becomes uncommon nowadays.B.Listening to a new song while running guarantees performance.C.Runners are advised to minimize distractions in a destination of marathon.D.Runners are more likely to get injured in an environment without distractions.4.What is probably the next task for Dr. Herman's team?。