题目内容
All day long he flew, and at night-time he arrived at the city. “Where shall I put up?” he said; “I hope the town has made preparations.”
Then he saw the statue(雕像) on the tall column.
“I will put up there, ” he cried; “it is a fine position, with plenty of fresh air.” So he flew down and settled just between the feet of the Happy Prince.
“I have a golden bedroom,” he said softly to himself as he looked around, and he prepared to go to sleep; but just as he was putting his head under his wing, a large drop of water fell on him.
“What a curious thing!” he cried; “there is not a single cloud in the sky, the stars are quite clear and bright, and yet it is raining. The climate in the north of Europe is really terrible. ”
Then another drop fell.
“What is the use of a statue if it cannot keep the rain off?” he said; “I must look for a good chimney-pot,” and he determined to fly away.
But before he had opened his wings, a third drop fell, and he looked up, and saw –AH! What did he see?
The eyes of the Happy Prince were filled with tears, and tears were running down his golden cheeks. His face was so beautiful in the moonlight that the little Swallow was filled with pity.
“Who are you? ” he said.
“ I am the Happy Prince. ”
“ Why are you weeping(哭泣) then?” asked the Swallow; “you have quite wetted me.”
“When I was alive and had a human heart, ” answered the statue, “I did not know what tears were, for I lived in Palace of Sans-Souci(无忧宫),where sorrow is not allowed to enter. In the daytime I played with my companions in the garden, and in the evening I led the dance in the Great Hall. Round the garden ran a very high wall, but I never cared to ask what lay beyond it, everything about me was so beautiful. People called me the Happy Prince, and happy indeed I was, if pleasure be happiness. So I lived, and so I died. And now that I am dead they have set me up here so high that I can see all the ugliness and all the misery of my city, and though my heart is made of lead(铅), yet I can’t choose but weep.”
“ What! Is he not solid gold? ” said the Swallow himself. He was too polite to make any personal remarks out loud.
1. The Swallow wanted to put up when he arrived at the city because_______.
A. he saw the Statue of the Happy Prince.
B. he flew into a lovely golden bedroom.
C. he had a whole-day flight and wanted to sleep.
D. it was night and a rain was likely to come soon.
2. Why did the Swallow feel curious when a drop of water fell on him?
A. Because of the heavy rain though there was no cloud in the sky.
B. Because the statue couldn’t keep the rain off though made of gold.
C. Because he thought it was raining despite bright and clear stars.
D. Because he couldn’t understand why the Happy Prince was weeping.
3. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A. Seeing the Prince’s beautiful face, the Swallow had pity on him.
B. The Swallow flew away immediately he found it was raining.
C. The Prince lived happily because he didn’t know what tears were.
D. The Swallow had wanted to find a good chimney-pot but failed.
3. What made the Happy Prince weep according to the passage?
A. The high wall stopping him from going out.
B. His not being able to play with his companions.
C. His sudden death and his statue being too high.
D. The hard life of the people and his inability to help.
C
C
A
D
【解析】
Easter(复活节) is still a great day for worship, randy in baskets and running around the yard finding eggs, but every year it gets quite a bit worse for bunnies.
And no, not because the kids like to pull their ears. The culprit is climate change, and some researchers found that rising temperatures arc having harmful effects on at least five species of rabbit in the US.
Take the Lower Keys March rabbit, for instance. An endangered species that lives in the Lower Florida Keys, this species of cottontail is a great swimmer — it lives on the islands! — but it is already severely affected by development and now by rising levels. According to the Center for Biological Diversity, an ocean level rise of only 0. 6 meters will send these guys jumping to higher ground and a 0.9-meter rise would wipe out their habitat (栖息地) completely.
The snowshoe hare, on the other hand, has a color issue. Most of these rabbits change their fur color from white in the wintertime to brown in the summer, each designed to give them better cover from predators(捕食者). As the number of days with snow decreases all across the country, however, more and more bunnies arc being left in white fur during brown dirt days of both fall and spring, making them an easier mark for predators. Researchers know that the color change is controlled by the number of hours of sunlight, but whether the rabbit will be able to adapt quick enough to survive is a big question. The National Wildlife Federation has reported that hunters have noticed their numbers are already markedly down.
American pikas or rock rabbits, a relative of rabbits and hares, might be the firs' of these species to go extinct due to climate change. About 7-8 inches long, pikas live high in the cool, damp mountains west of the Rocky Mountains. As global temperatures rise, they would naturally migrate (迁徙) to higher ground — but they already occupy the mountaintops. They can't go any higher. The National Wildlife Federation reports that they might not be able to stand the new temperatures as their habitat beats up.
The volcano rabbit has the same problem. These rabbits live on the slopes of volcanoes in Mexico, and recent studies have shown that the lower range of their habitat has already shifted upward about 700 meters, but there are not suitable plants for them to move higher, so they are stuck in the middle. Scientists are concerned about their populations.
Native to the US, pygmy rabbits weigh less than 1 pound and live in the American West. They are believed to be the smallest rabbits in the world. Their habitats have been destroyed by development. Several populations, such as the Columbia Basin pygmy, almost went extinct and were saved by zoo breeding programs. Pygmy rabbits also rely on winter cover by digging tunnels through the snow to escape predators, but lesser snowfall is leaving them exposed.
All of this gives new meaning to dressing up in a giant bunny costume this Easter.
【小题1】The writer mentions Easter at the beginning of the passage in order to_______.
A.show the importance of Easter Day |
B.introduce the issue about bunnies |
C.remind people of Easter traditions |
D.discuss the relationship between Easter and bunnies |
A.criminal | B.judge | C.victim | D.producer |
A.are exposed lo more skillful hunters |
B.have moved to habitats with fewer plants |
C.haven't adapted themselves to climate change |
D.can't change their fur color into white in the fall and the spring |
A.both are affected by 1ess snow |
B.both are affected by rising sea levels |
C.neither can find enough food |
D.neither can migrate to higher places |
A.Approving. | B.Concerned. | C.Enthusiastic. | D.Doubtful. |
Holidays are really important. Many of us will have childhood memories of summer holidays where we were taken away from home to experience new environments and learn in different ways.
But holidays are expensive and, for those on low wages or living on benefits, they are often unobtainable. Even the cheapest holidays require travel and other additional costs that are difficult for many families to meet.
For working parents, the long summer break can be a very difficult problem for childcare. When an annual leave allowance amounts to only five weeks, there is a need to spread this across the year. Couples can find themselves taking leave in turn in order to care for children who are on holiday. For some ’ this makes even an affordable family holiday difficult.
The schools that I visit in Nottingham are full of experienced staff committed to giving our children a caring and inspiring learning environment. The number of children receiving free school meals is quite large in Nottingham and many schools have breakfast clubs to make sure that children get a healthy start to the day. Most schools undertake programs of group or individual educational support. Schools also have an important role in sofeguaiding children's welfare through the ongoing touch and support with their pupils. During the long summer holidays, much of this is missed.
While teachers are holidaying in the UK, many of their pupils spend the whole six weeks on the street where they live. The lack of free school meals for six weeks can result in pressure on a family budget and an inability to afford the inspiring experiences that help children to continue their learning.
In setting out its plans for a five-term year, Nottingham City Council (委员会)is seeking to reduce the summer holiday down lo four and a half weeks, with a more balanced five terms of roughly eight weeks, each followed by a two-week break. We believe this will give real “down time" for school staff and pupils alike but will be short enough not to cause a real break in learning.
We acknowledge that this change may be difficult for some school staff, particularly whose own children are educated in other authorities. However, this must be weighed against the benefits for city children for whom we all have the greatest duty of care.
【小题1】 The passage is probably written by .
A.an experienced teacher | B.a working parent |
C.an inspired student | D.a city council member |
A.environments | B.holidays | C.wages | D.benefits |
A.2 weeks | B.4.5 weeks | C.5 weeks | D.6 weeks |
A.obtain the cheapest holidays without additional costs |
B.get a chance to spend six weeks a term with teachers in school |
C.benefit more from the caring and inspiring learning environment |
D.have more school days to receive free school meals |
A.working parents can enjoy a five-week break to care for their children |
B.the suggested plans for a five-term school year can hardly be carried out |
C.the long summer holiday gives teachers and students real "down time" |
D.some school staff will say “ No" to the plans for a shorter summer holiday |