When I was eight years old, Mother told me to put my coat on because we were going somewhere ______. Usually, that meant we were going to see someone important. I would at least get a new toy. I asked which one it would be that day, and she told me that I would get something ______ than a toy. She said I would get “access (通道) to a world of toys.”

I had no idea what she meant. Did that mean we were buying a toy ______?

But we did not end up at any toy store. Neither did we finally see anyone we knew. ______, mother pulled her car into a parking lot in front of a building that looked like something out of the past. It didn't have a modern ______ at all.

We took stone steps up to the entrance. Only then I found out what this place was, because there was a sign that ______“Marcy Public Library”. We pushed the door open, and mother led me to the front desk. “I'd like to get my daughter a library card”, she told the man ______ the desk. He asked her to fill out a form. “What kind of books do you like to read?” he asked. I was too shy to ______. I only smiled. “Well, you’ll find it out in time,” he said.

I do not remember ______ I picked out that first day, but I know that in the years that followed I read through the books on history, books of poetry, and books about art. The library opened up a world that I ____ knew that day.

So my mother was right. Getting a library card was like getting access to a world of toys.

1.A.special B.strange C.lovely D.strict

2.A.worse B.better C.cheaper D.uglier

3.A.model B.car C.card D.store

4.A.Otherwise B.However C.Moreover D.Instead

5.A.smell B.look C.taste D.feeling

6.A.said B.printed C.spoke D.named

7.A.over B.above C.on D.behind

8.A.choose B.reply C.borrow D.scream

9.A.what B.how C.when D.why

10.A.ever B.always C.never D.already

Characters:

Buck —a dog

Judge (法官) Miller—Buck's owner

Buck did not read the newspapers, or he would know that trouble was coming.

In fact, trouble was on its way for every strong dog with warm long hair. This was because men, going throw the Arctic (北极的) darkness, had found a yellow metal—gold. And because shipping and transportation companies were advertising the discovery, thousands of men were rushing into the Northland. These men wanted heavy dogs, with strong muscles for working and thick coats to protect them from the cold.

Buck lived at Judge Miller’s house in the sunny-kissed Santa Clara Valley. There were big stable (马厩), long grape fields, fruit gardens and a big swimming pool. Buck ruled over the whole kingdom. Here he was born and here he had lived the four years of his life. He protected the judge's sons and daughters on long midnight or early morning walks. On cold winter nights, he lay at the Judge's feet in front of the warm library fire. He was king—King over everything, crawled (爬行), walked, or flew at Judge Miller's place, including humans.

Buck was this kind of dog in the autumn of 1897 when the discovery of gold in the Klondike pulled men from all over the world into the frozen North. But Buck did not read the newspapers. He did not know that Manuel, one of the gardener's helpers, was not to be trusted. Manuel loved to gamble (赌博). He believed he could win but he was doomed (注定) to failure.

On the night of Manuel's betrayal (背叛), no one saw him and Buck go off through the fields. Buck imagined it to be a relaxing walk. They arrived at a little train. A man talked with Manuel and money passed between them. Manuel tied a piece of thick rope around Buck's neck. Buck accepted it quietly. To be sure, it was unwanted, but Buck had learned to trust men he knew. However, when the ends of the rope were placed in the stranger's hands, he barked. Then, the rope tightened (收紧) painfully, his tongue hanging out of his mouth. Then his strength disappeared, his eyes grew dim (浑浊), and he knew nothing when the train pulled up. Two men threw him into the baggage car.

(Adapted from The Call of the Wild by Jack London)

1.Why were thousands of men rushing into Northland?

A.Because they could live a better life there.

B.Because they might discover gold there.

C.Because they could find the dogs they needed there.

D.Because they wanted to enjoy the beautiful views there.

2.Which description about Buck is NOT TRUE according to the story?

A.The Judge's family betrayed him so he ran away quietly.

B.He had lived in Judge Miller's house since he was born.

C.Life before the autumn of 1897 was enjoyable for him.

D.Manuel could take him out of Miller's house because he trusted Manuel.

3.The story is mainly about ___________.

A.animal's trust in humans B.people's discovery of gold

C.Buck's early life at Judge Miller's D.the turning point of Buck's life

Spring is here, the colourful flowers are seen everywhere but it is a pity that many of us are not able to smell them while enjoying the colourful flowers.

Growing levels of air pollution from the factories and cars have reduced flower fragrances(芳香) by up to 90 percent in the US, compared with pre-industrial levels 100 years ago.

But if the trend is simply unpleasant for human noses, it may be life-dangerous for bees and butterflies.

Many insects find flowers by following the scent produced by those flowers.

The increasing pollution makes it difficult for them to find the flowers and feed on their nectar (花蜜).

Scientists have already found that flowers produce scent molecules (气味分子) that mix with polluted things, which breaks down the plants’ sweet smell.

With more pollution in the air, the scent molecules don’t remain powerful as long and travel shorter distances on the wind. In the mid-19th century, when pollution levels were first recorded, scent molecules would have been able to travel some 1,000 to 1,200 meters. Today, in the polluted air of large cities, scents may only make it some 200 to 300 meters.

Also, pollution from polluted air may fool the bee’s “nose”, making their search for flowers all the more difficult.

In a paper published recently in Scientific Reports, scientists said that the nitric oxide (NO) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2) in polluted air could change many chemicals that work together to give a flower its special smell.

“This”, researchers said, “could prevent honeybees from reaching their flowers and prevent the pollination (授粉) of some of the world’s food crops.” Or, this could put in danger agricultural harvests worldwide.

But the bees seem to have learned to get used to the changing world. “In nature honeybees use their special eyes and flower smell to find out where a flower is for the first time,” the researchers said.

1.According to the article, researchers have recently found that ________.

A.reduced flower fragrances have resulted in the dying out of many bees and butterflies

B.reduced flower fragrances are connected to growing levels of air pollution

C.polluted things in the air prevent flowers from producing scent molecules

D.flowers today can’t produce enough nectar because of air pollution

2.What do the underlined words “the trend” in Paragraph 3 refer to (指的是)?

A.Increasing air pollution.

B.Reduce flower fragrances.

C.Human beings’ worse sense of smell.

D.A growing number of power plants and cars.

3.The scent molecules a plant produces are mainly to ________.

A.help flowers to produce nectar B.prevent insects from eating the plant

C.draw attention from bees and butterflies D.clear up polluted things in the air

4.We can infer (推断) from the article that ________.

A.future food crops won’t depend on bees to complete their pollination

B.bees have great advantages in their senses compared to humans

C.world food crop production is likely to fall greatly in the near future

D.some bees have successfully get over the challenge of reduced flowers fragrance

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