I fell in love with England because it was quaint (古雅)—all those little houses, looking terri­bly old-fashioned but nice, like dolls’ houses. I loved the countryside and the pubs, and I loved London. I’ve slightly changed my mind after seventeen years because I think it’s an ugly town now.

Things have changed. For everybody, England meant gentlemen, fair play, and good man­ners. The fair play is going, unfortunately, and so are the gentlemanly attitudes and good man­ners—people shut doors heavily in your face and politeness is disappearing.

I regret that there are so few comfortable meeting places. You’re forced to live indoors. In Paris I go out much more, to restaurants and nightclubs. To meet friends here it usually has to be in a pub, and it can be difficult to go there alone as a woman. The cafes are not terribly nice.

As a woman, I feel unsafe here. I spend a bomb on taxis because I will not take public trans­port after 10 p. m. I used to use it , but now I’m afraid.

The idea of family seems to be more or less non-existent in England. My family is well united and that’s typically French. In Middlesex I had a neighbor who is 82 now. His family only lived two miles away, but I took him to France for Christmas once because he was always alone.

1.The writer doesn’t like London because she ______.

A. is not used to the life there now

B. has lived there for seventeen years

C. prefers to live in an old-fashioned house

D. has to be polite to everyone she meets there

2.Where do people usually meet their friends in England?

A. In a cafe. B. In a restaurant.

C. In a nightclub. D. In a pub.

3.The underlined part “it” (in Para. 4) refers to______.

A. a taxi B. the money

C. a bomb D. public transport

4.The writer took her neighbors to France for Christmas because he ______.

A. felt lonely in England

B. had never been to France

C. was from a typical French family

D. didn't like the British idea of family

The largest land animal remaining on the earth, the African elephant is of much importance to African ecosystem. Unlike other animals, the African elephant is to a great extent the builder of its environment. As a giant plant-eater, it significantly shapes the forest-and-savanna (大草原) surroundings in which it lives, therefore deciding the conditions of existence for millions of other animals that live in its habitat.

It is the elephant’s great desire for food that makes it both a disturber of the environment and an important builder of its habitat. In its continuous search for the 300 pounds of plants it must have every day, it kills small trees and underbushes, as well as pulls branches off big trees. This results in numerous open spaces in not only deep tropical forests but also the woodlands that cover part of the African savannas. In these open spaces are numerous plants in various stages of growth, which attract a variety of other plant-eaters.

Take the rain forests for example. In their natural state, the spreading branches overhead shut out sunlight and prevent the growth of plants on the forest floor. By pulling down trees and eating plants, elephants create open spaces, allowing new plants to grow on the forest floor. In such situations, the forests become suitable for large-hoofed plant-eaters to move around and for small-sized plant-eaters to obtain their food as well.

Scientists are worried now that the African elephant has become an endangered species. If the elephant dies out, scientists say, many other animals will also disappear from vast areas of forest and savanna, greatly changing and worsening the whole ecosystem.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Disappearance of African elephants.

B. Forests and savannas as habitats for African elephants.

C. The effect of African elephants' search for food.

D. The eating habit of African elephants.

2.The African elephant influences the ecosystem in the following ways except that .

A. it creates open areas in deep tropical forests as well as woodlands

B. it pulls off the branches and leaves, shutting out the sunshine

C. its eating habit can be made use of by large-hoofed and small-sized animals

D. it encourages some kinds of plants growing in an indirect way

3.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?

A. Numerous grown plants are the favorites of plant-eaters.

B. The extinction of the African elephant has nothing to do with the ecosystem.

C. Quantities of plants are consumed by African elephants, including branches and underbushes.

D. The forest floor in rain forests is scarcely dotted with new shoots.

4.The passage is developed mainly by .

A. presenting the changes in time order

B. making comparisons and giving examples

C. classifying similarities and differences

D. showing the effect and then explaining the reasons

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