The Earth Is Getting Greener

NASA has got some good news for us. The world is a greener place today than it was 20 years ago. How does this happen? Well, it appears China and India are leading the change.

NASA researchers compared satellite data(卫星数据) from the mid-1990s to today. They found that the whole world’s green leaf area had increased by 5% since the early 2000s. That’s about the same area as the whole Amazon rain forest. At first, the researchers were unsure what caused the large increase in greening around the planet. After further study, they found that greening was mostly in China and India.

China and India have the world’s biggest population. In the past, they were considered to have harmed the environment seriously. But the two countries have made the largest greening of the planet exist in the past twenty years.

The tree-planting programmes in both countries have made huge contributions to the whole world’s greening trend(趋势). China has carried out the programmes to protect forests and make them larger. These programmes were developed to keep soil in place to reduce air pollution and so on. India continues to break world records in tree planting. It was reported that 800,000 Indians planted 50 million trees in one day in 2016.

The greening trend has also caused by intensive(集中的) agriculture in both countries. Both countries have greatly increased food pollution in order to feed their large populations.

However, the researchers warned that we should not be happy with the situation. Some of the natural green leaf areas in the earth are getting smaller at the same time. The gain in global greenness does not offset(抵消) the losses.

1.How much had the whole world’s green leaf area increased since the early 2000s?

____________________________________________________

2.According to the passage, what has made the whole world’s greening trend happen?

_____________________________________________________

3.Do you think the environment in Suzhou will get better? Why or why not?

______________________________________________________

Differences between colds and flu

Both colds and influenza(flu)(流感) are caused by viruses and the two illnesses can have similar symptoms(症状). At first it can be difficult to tell the difference. In general, the symptoms of influenza are more serious and last longer than those of a cold.

The main difference between cold and flu symptoms is that flu more commonly includes fever: the fever can be 38℃ or higher and last for 3-5 days. The great tiredness caused by flu can last for weeks while cold symptoms are generally not serious and last for about 1 week. Also, runny nose is more common with cold than flu. Vomiting(呕吐) is another key difference: vomiting is not usually connected with the common cold but can be found in flu.

Although the differences above are generally true, it is impossible to know for sure if it is flu or cold. For example, it is possible to have flu without fever.

Antibiotics(抗生素) don’t work against a cold or flu because they attack bacteria(细菌) instead of rinses, You can treat yourself at home by

?getting plenty of rest and sleep (this means staying home from work or school)

?drinking plenty of fluids (especially water)

?and if you have a sore throat, eating soft foods that are easy to swallow.

See your doctor if you have cough and high fever (38℃ or more) that is not improving, trouble breathing, chest pain, or if you have other worries about your symptoms.

1.From Paragraph 1 and Paragraph 2, we know that ________.

A.at first it can be easy to tell the difference between colds and flu

B.compared with the symptoms of a cold, flu’s symptoms usually last longer

C.fever is more common with cold than flu

D.vomiting cannot be found in a common cold

2.Which of the following is suitable for ?

A.Treatment for colds and flu

B.Difference between bacteria and viruses

C.Stopping the increase of colds and flu

D.Advantages of staying at home

3.The writer’s main purpose of writing the passage is to ________.

A.ask us to act to stop the spread of flu and colds

B.warn us of the danger of having flu and colds

C.let us have a better understanding of flu and colds

D.teach us how to stop flu and colds

A doctor entered the hospital in a hurry after being called in for an urgent surgery (紧急手术). He changed his clothes and went directly to the surgery room. He found the boy’s ________ in the hall. On seeing him, the dad yelled, “________ did you come so late? Don’t you know that my son’s life is in ________?” The doctor smiled and said, “I am sorry. I wasn’t in the hospital. I came as ________ as I could after receiving the call... And now, I wish you’d ________ so that I can do my work.” “Calm down? What if ________ son is in this room right now? Will you calm down?” The doctor ________ again and replied, “I will do my best to save your son.” The surgery ________ some hours. The doctor went out happily. “Thank goodness! Your son is saved!” And ________ waiting for the father’s reply, he carried on his way running. “If you have any questions, ask the nurse!” “Why is he in such a hurry?” asked the father when he saw the nurse. The nurse answered, tears coming down her face, “His son died yesterday in a road accident. He was at the burial when he got the ________. And he is running to finish his son’s burial.”

1.A.mother B.sister C.father D.brother

2.A.When B.How C.Why D.Where

3.A.time B.danger C.surprise D.help

4.A.fast B.slowly C.early D.late

5.A.turn down B.calm down C.put down D.sit down

6.A.my B.his C.your D.her

7.A.smiled B.cried C.shouted D.refused

8.A.spent B.cost C.paid D.took

9.A.with B.except C.besides D.without

10.A.gift B.note C.call D.job

Once upon a time, a wealthy old man lived alone in a big house. He was growing weaker day by day and was unable to take care of himself, so he decided to hire a nurse to help with housework and take care of him, One day, the old man interviewed two nurses—Anthony and Peter. Anthony happened to be a handsome young man, while Peter looked quite ordinary. The old man asked Anthony to make tea for him. After Anthony left, the old man turned to Peter and said, “Anthony has given me a very bad description of you. He said you are rude and untrustworthy. Is this correct?”

Peter thought for a minute and said, “If Anthony has a bad opinion of me, there must be something wrong with me. I should take some time to change these things.” The old man was very impressed by Peter's character. Meanwhile, Anthony returned with a cup of tea for the old man. The old man sent Peter to make breakfast for him. He then turned to Anthony and told him, “Peter spoke very poorly of you while you were gone. What do you think about this?” After hearing this, Anthony became angry and started cursing(咒骂).

In the end, the old man hired Peter. Although Peter looked quite ordinary, he had impressive inner (内在) beauty.

1.What did the old man want a nurse to do?

A.Help with housework and look after him.

B.Help with housework and look after his wife.

C.Work as a doctor.

2.What did Anthony look like?

A.Ordinary. B.Handsome. C.Old.

3.The old man told Peter that Anthony _________.

A.had had some bad words of him B.had praised him C.did not trust him

4.How did Peter react(反应) when he heard the old man's words?

A.He was angry. B.He took it seriously. C.He blamed Anthony.

5.What can we learn from the passage?

A.Ordinary people are more trustworthy.

B.Handsome men must be good men.

C.Inner beauty is more important than appearance.

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