Not having done physical exercise for some time, I found myself a little low-spirited and couldn't study efficiently, so I decided to do some running the next day. At 6:15 the next morning, my alarm clock rang. Unwilling to rise from my bed, I turned it off and went back to sleep. However, 5 minutes later, I struggled to get up. After washing and brushing, I had my sneakers on and went out.

Wow! The air was so fresh that I couldn't help breathing it deeply. I stretched (伸展)my arms and legs, then started to run. I found all things around me were so attractive. Look, the branches were waving, as if they were welcoming me; the blossoming flowers were bowing, with shyness, just like girls. Listen, the wind was whispering, as if to say “come on, girl”. What's more interesting was those two birds, perching in the tree. They were scared and flew away when I passed them. “Hey, chaps, relax.” I shouted without stopping running. “Let's enjoy the beautiful morning together!” Then miracle(奇迹) happened. The two little creatures seemed to understand what I said. They turned back and twittered(吱吱叫) around me. “Are you singing for me?” I asked. They twittered again and again, sounded like “Yes”. I was delighted to hear that. Ah, what a wonderful morning and how beautiful life is!

Actually, there are a lot of charming things around us. Helen Keller wrote in her famous article Three Days to See, “The seeing see little”. Indeed, many of us ignore the beauty around us, just because we are familiar with them. They always complain that life is boring. But, I just want to say, if you live each day with appreciation of things around, you'll find life is very charming. So, let's enjoy life from now on.

1.According to the passage, the writer went running with the purpose of _____.

A. seeing the beauty of nature

B. making herself more active

C. talking with birds

D. breathing fresh air

2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The writer rose immediately after the clock went off.

B. The writer enjoyed the singing of the two birds.

C. The writer did some warm-up exercises before running.

D. The writer felt refreshed after doing some running in the morning.

3.What does the underlined sentence “The seeing see little” in the last paragraph mean?

A. Those who go out only see little things.

B. Those who can see enjoy nature much more than the blind.

C. People who go sight-seeing can see little.

D. People who can see hardly find the beauty of nature.

4.The purpose of the writer in writing this passage is to tell us that _____.

A. the nature in the morning is very beautiful

B. fresh air is beneficial

C. we should appreciate the beautiful things in life

D. physical exercise is useful

A new pollen (花粉) study showed that drought was responsible for the extinction of civilizations more than 3,000 years ago during the Bronze Age.

The reason behind why the civilizations in and around modern-day Israel suddenly broke down more than 3,000 years ago has remained a mystery up until now. A new pollen study by Tel Aviv University researchers finally solved this Bronze Age mystery.

Prof. Israel Finkelstein showed that owing to serious climate changes, the entire world of the Bronze Age crumbled in a short period of time. The discovery was made on the basis of a high-resolution analysis of pollen grains taken from sediments (沉淀物) beneath the Sea of Galilee and the western shore of the Dead Sea.

Prof. Finkelstein received support from the European Research Council to conduct research aimed at reconstructing ancient Israel. Researchers of the part of the project that dealt with climate change extracted (提取) about 60 feet of samples of gray muddy sediment from the center of the Sea of Galilee in northern Israel. They had to drill through 1,000 feet of water and into 65 feet of the lake bed and were able to recover evidence dating over the past 9,000 years.

“Pollen is the most enduring organic material in nature,” explained Dr. Dafna Langgut, a pollen researcher who carried out the actual work of sampling. “These grains tell us about the plants that grew near the lake in the past and therefore prove the climatic conditions in the region.”

Researchers noted a sharp decrease in Mediterranean trees like oaks and pines in the Late Bronze Age. According to study experts, this could be because of repeated periods of drought. The droughts may have resulted in long famines, forcing people to migrate from north to south.

1.The underlined word “crumbled” in Paragraph 3 means _____.

A. settled B. changed

C. established D. disappeared

2.Prof. Finkelstein conducted the new pollen study to _____.

A. earn some money

B. recreate ancient Israel

C. learn more about local plants

D. discover the ancient civilizations

3.By conducting the study, scientists found _____.

A. Mediterranean trees were rare in the Early Bronze Age

B. climate change was to blame for the lost civilization

C. people in the Late Bronze Age starved to death

D. droughts were rare during the Bronze Age

4.The text is most probably taken from _____.

A. a travel magazine B. a history textbook

C. a newspaper report D. an agricultural book

A deal has been signed to turn by-products from a Scottish distillery(酿酒厂)into fuel for cars.

In what is declared to be a world first, the Tullibardine distillery in Perthshire has linked up with a spin-out company from Napier University in Edinburgh. They plan to use bacteria to feed on the "leftovers" from the whisky(威士忌酒)making process. This will produce butanol which can be used to fuel vehicles.

More than 90% of the stuff that comes out of a whisky distillery is not whisky. It is leftovers like draff and pot ales(酒糟)— both produced in the early stages of the process. They are high in sugar and are currently used for things like fertiliser and cattle feed. Napier University's Biofuel Research Centre (BfRC) has already shown that the right bacteria can feed on those by-products to produce butanol—a direct replacement for vehicle fuel. Now the spin-out company, Celtic Renewables, and independent whisky producer Tullibardine have signed an agreement. Together they will apply the process to thousands of tons of the distillery's leftovers.

Professor Martin Tangney, founder of Celtic Renewables, said "Our partnership with Tullibardine is an important step in the development of a business which combines two important Scottish industries — whisky and renewables. This project shows that creative use of existing technologies can utilize resources on our doorstep to benefit both the environment and the economy."

Douglas Ross, managing director of Tullibardine, which spends £250,000 disposing of its by-products every year, said "We are delighted to be partnering Celtic Renewables in this creative business, the obvious benefits of which are environmental. It takes a cost to us and turns it into something that has social as well as commercial value."

The project is being supported by a grant(拨款) from the Scottish government's Zero Waste Scotland initiative. Celtic Renewables said it eventually aimed to build a processing plant in Scotland, with the hope of building an industry that could be worth £60m a year.

1.According to the passage, ______will be used to take the place of petrol.

A. whisky B. whisky leftovers

C. butanol D. draff and pot ales

2. How do people deal with whisky leftovers at present?

A. They throw them away.

B. They use them to feed people.

C. They use them to feed bacteria.

D. They use them for crops or cattle.

3.What does the underlined word “utilize” in the fourth paragraph probably mean?

A. make use of. B. get rid of.

C. use up. D. find out.

4.Which of the following categories does this passage belong to?

a. Health b. Science c. Food

d. Nature e. Environment f. Business

A. b,c,e B. b,e,f C. a,b,f D. a,b,c

According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS),the U.K.has about 7.7 million families with dependent children,of which 3.7 million have just one child,compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more.The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade.As the ONS confirms,“It appears that families are getting smaller.”
One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile.But it could just as well be a matter of choice.Parents must consider the rising cost of living,combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market.And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal,which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet,where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”.
She had received 231 replies,overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit.Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits.Nicola Kelly,a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one,says her 15-year-old son seems more grown-up in many ways than his contemporaries.
Not all products of single-child families are as keen to repeat the experience.In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart”as a reaction to her only-child upbringing.
She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents,whom she punished with a “brattish,wilful” rejection of everything they stood for.Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.
Writer and clinician Dr.Dorothy Rowe,a member of the British Psychological Society,says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted,while other children see the advantages of their situation.
However,the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.
1.The passage is written with the purpose of ________.
A. illustrating the strength and weakness of having an only child
B. analyzing the reasons why having an only child becomes popular
C. presenting us with different opinions about having an only child
D. guiding people to look at the same issue from different perspectives
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 4 mean?
A. Nearly half of families intend to have just one child.
B. All people don’t stand for the idea of having an only child.
C. Some people fail to recognize the advantage of having an only child.
D. People brought up in an only child family resist downsizing the family.
3.From what Dr.Dorothy Rowe said,we know that ________.
A. journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood
B. she has a positive attitude towards Janice Turner’s reaction
C. it’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle
D. some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions
4.What can be inferred from the passage?
A. It’s normal to see the imperfection in character in only children.
B. Mumsnet is an online forum which promotes having an only child.
C. Economic development plays a determining role in the family size.
D. Only children will have difficulty in attending to their parents.

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