Passenger pigeons (旅鸽)once flew over much of the United States in unbelievable numbers.

Written accounts from the 18th and 19th centuries described flocks (群)so large that they darkened the sky for hours.

It was calculated that when its population reached its highest point ,there were more than 3 billlion passenger pigeons—a number equal to 24 to 40 percent of the total bird population in the United States, making it perhaps the most abundant bird in the world. Even as late as 1870 when their numbers had already become smaller, a flock believed to be 1 mile wide and 320 miles (about 515 kilometers) long was seen near Cincinnati.

Sadly the abundance of passenger pigeons may have been their undoing. Where the birds were

most abundant, people believed there was an ever-lasting supply and killed them by the thousands.

Commercial hunters attracted them to small clearings with grain, waited until pigeons had settled to feed, then threw large nets over them, taking hundreds at a time. The birds were shipped to large cities and sold in restaurants.

By the closing decades of the 19th century ,the hardwood forests where passenger pigeons nested had been damaged by American’s need for wood, which scattered (驱散) the flocks and forced the birds to go farther north, where cold temperatures and storms contributed to their decline. Soon the great flocks were gone, never to be seen again.

In 1897, the state of Michigan passed a law prohibiting the killing of passenger pigeons but by then,

no sizable flocks had been seen in the state for 10 years. The last confirmed wild pigeon in the United

States was shot by a boy in Pike County, Ohio, in 1900. For a time , a few birds survived under human

care. The last of them, known affectionately as Martha, died at the Cincinnati Zoological Garden on

September 1, 1914.

1.In the 18th and early 19teh centuries, passenger pigeons____.

A. were the biggest bird in the world

B. lived mainly in the south of America

C. did great harm to the natural environment

D. were the largest bird population in the US

2.The underlined word “ undoing” probably refers to the pigeons’ ____.

A. escape B. ruin

C. liberation D. evolution

3.What was the main reason for people to kill passenger pigeons?

A. To seek pleasure. B. To save other birds.

C. To make money. D. To protect crops.

4.What can we infer about the law passed in Michigan?

A. It was ignored by the public. B. It was declared too late.

C. It was unfair. D. It was strict.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余项。

Are you planning to study a course from a foreign university? Well, these tips for studying abroad will make you feel at home in a new city.

Learn about the university.

When you decide to study abroad, it is important to research well. 1. Instead, talk to people who have completed their studies from that country. This way you’ll get some real information about the university you’re applying for.

2.

The more you speak to people, the more you’ll end up driving the blues away. Communicating with others will truly be helpful. Not only will it make it easier for you to face personal interviews but also to interact with the local people and fellow students.

Keep a diary.

Most students feel that the time they spent abroad was the best time of their lives. What better way to keep those moments “alive” forever than by writing them down on a diary?3.

Be prepared for adjustments.

When you land up in a country with a culture that’s completely different from yours, chances are that you’ll experience some level of culture shock. 4. Consider your stay abroad as an opportunity to discover a new culture and learn new things.

Know what to do in an emergency.

5. Get the details of the U.S. Embassy, including the phone number, and register (登记）yourself and your family members with the U.S. Embassy. This way you’ll know whom to reach out to in case you’re in an emergency.

A. Ensure you have all the documents.

B. Develop good communication skills.

C. However, don’t let that discourage you.

D. Don’t just follow the advertisements blindly and choose the university.

E. Make sure that you know what to do in the face of emergency.

F. Keep in touch with your friends at home to avoid homesickness.

G. You can write down every little detail of the beautiful time when you study abroad.

Mary was seven years old. Her parents recently moved to a new town, and so Mary was going to a __ school, which was a few kilometers from the house they lived in now. A school bus going around picked up ____ every morning and brought them back to their ____ every afternoon, and as both of Mary’s parents _____ to go to work, she always went on this bus.

Mary’s parents always ____ their alarm clock for seven o’clock so that none of them would be _____ . But one morning the alarm _____to go off, and it was not until a quarter past eight that Mary’s mother suddenly ___ , looked at the clock and said, “What’s ever happened to that clock?” and then _____ into Mary’s room to wake her up.

“I’m sorry, dear,” she said, “ ____ you’ll have to wash and dress very quickly, have an even ____ breakfast and then I’ll ____ you to school on my way to the office.”

“But how can you find the ____, Mum?” Mary said, “You’ve been to school only once.”

“Yes,” her mother answered, “but you’ve done the _____ several times now on the bus, so you can be my guide to get there, can’t you?”

“Oh, yes,” said Mary, “I suppose so.” She washed, and ____ and had a quick breakfast, and then they set off. Mary told her mother to turn each time they came to a place she___ .In this way she made her mother drive round most of the town ______ they got to her school. When they arrived, her mother saw that it was not really very far from her house.

“Why ever did you make me go such a long way round, Mary, instead of the most ____ way?” her mother asked her.

“Well, Mum,” answered Mary, “it was because I didn’t know ____ else to get here. That’s the way our bus always goes to ____ the other children to school.

1.A. big B. nice C. different D. distant

2.A. pupils B. teachers C. parents D. passengers

3.A. offices B. towns C. classrooms D. homes

4.A. seemed B. had C. refused D. used

5.A. found B. set C. cleaned D. fixed

6.A. late B. ready C. lazy D. asleep

7.A. started B. stopped C. failed D. continued

8.A. stood up B. stayed up C. put up D. woke up

9.A. rushed B. stepped C. escaped D. jumped

10.A. but B. and C. so D. then

11.A. later B. quicker C. easier D. heavier

12.A. bring B. fetch C. leave D. drive

13.A. truth B. bus C. way D. guide

14.A. homework B. shopping C. trip D. reading

15.A. rose B. dressed C. moved D. showed

16.A. wondered B. realized C. recognized D. designed

17.A. unless B. after C. if D. before

18.A. comfortable B. helpful C. important D. direct

19.A. how B. when C. what D. which

20.A. look for B. pick up C. drop by D. deal with

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（不少于1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Keeping a diary in English is one of the effective ways to improve our English writing abilities.

1. (compare) with other forms of writing, it is shorter and takes 2. time. It can help us to develop the habit of thinking in English. 3. we persist in this practice, gradually we’ll learn how to express ourselves in English. In keeping a diary in English, we certainly run up against many difficulties. In the first place, it often happens 4. we have trouble finding appropriate words and phrases to give expression to our mind.5.(second), there are many idiomatic ways of saying things in Chinese, 6. it is extremely hard for us to put them into English properly.

As far as I am concerned, my 7. (suggest) is that we should always have a notebook and a Chinese-English dictionary within easy reach. Whenever something 8.(beat) us, we can first put it down in our notebook and then consult our dictionary. We can also turn to our English teacher for help, if necessary. In short, I believe that it is 9.great use to keep a diary in English for 10.development of our writing skills.

Dear Editor,

I'm a middle school student name Li Ming. I'm writing to tell you something. Recently I noticed many of my classmates often go to the cyber cafe near our school. I went there too in the other day. I was surprising to see many students playing computer games, watching films or chat. Some students were even talking about love affairs online. On my opinion, cyber cafes should be a place which we can find much useful information. The Internet should be a window to the outside world rather than place for games. The Internet is good if we make good use of him. Otherwise, it will give us great harm. So the local government should take measure to make sure that students use cyber cafes positively.

假设你是光明中学的高中生李华。你校拟选拔一批优秀学生，利用暑期到蓝天希望小学为学生辅导英语。你希望参加此活动。请根据以下提示，用英语给校评选组写一封申请信：

1. 个人优势（如性格、语言能力等）。

2. 辅导计划

注意：

1.词数120左右；

2.可适当加入细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯；

3. 信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入词数。

参考词汇：

蓝天希望小学Lantian Hope School  小学生pupil

Dear Sir or Madam,

I am Li Hua from Class One, Senior Two. _________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

___________________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________

Yours Sincerely,

Li Hua

I’ve always known that dogs are clever, but even I was surprised when I heard about a dog called Red, at the Battersea Dog’s Home in London.

The home has been caring for lost and unwanted animals for over 140 years. Recently, the workers there got amazed when they came to work in the morning. They found that some of the dogs had got out of their kennels(狗窝) during the night, opened cupboards and taken out of food and toys. And it happened again, and again. The manager described how as many as nine dogs were escaping every night. “When we came in, dogs were running around having fun and games and causing a lot of mess. We couldn’t understand it.”

Someone or something was unlocking the kennels during the night. The manager decided that the only way to know the truth was to put in cameras to record how the dogs were getting out.

When she and her workers played back the recording, they saw Red, a three-year-old dog, put his nose through the bars of his kennel and use his teeth to press the button that opened the door. That was clever enough, but Red did more: he unlocked the kennels next to his and let the dogs out too. The group broke into cupboards and stole dog biscuits and toys to play with.

The manager said, “It’s surprising that Red worked out how to open his own kennel, but also that he then let all his friends out.” I suppose, Red didn’t like to party alone.

The story has a happy ending: after Red was shown on TV, several people came and offered to give him a new home as a family pet.

1.What is the writer’s purpose in writing the text?

A. To ask people to look after unwanted dogs.

B. To describe dogs escaping from the Dog’s Home.

C. To give an example of how clever a dog can be.

D. To introduce the work done by the Battersea Dog’s Home.

2.What did Red do after he go out of his kennel at night?

A. He slept in a cupboard.

B. He let the other dogs out.

C. He took biscuits and toys back to the other dogs.

D. He showed the other dogs how to unlock their doors.

3.What can we learn from the text?

A. Red didn’t like being at the Dog’s Home.

B. Red and his friends had a good time when they escaped.

C. Red and his friends enjoyed being recorded by the cameras.

D. Red and the other dogs escaped because they were hungry.

February 14th is Valentine’s Day! In China, it is only a day for young boyfriends and girlfriends. But my teacher and friends in America told me that Valentine’s Day is a public day.

This was my first Valentine’s Day in America. I didn’t understand the customs(风俗) clearly. Maybe I didn’t need to send any gifts. I watched others to see what they did, so next time I can understand.

On that day, when we began the reading class, Mr. Peters gave every student some chocolates and said, “Happy Valentine’s Day!” I was very happy the teacher gave his students gifts and blessings. I never saw that in China. Maybe American teachers are very different. I didn’t buy a gift for the teacher, so I owed(欠) a gift to the teacher. Anyway, I want to say, ”Thank you, Mr. Peters, and I’m sorry.”

When we had a break, one of my classmates gave me a Pokemon card. It was very funny and I felt thankful, but I thought I owed a gift again.

When we were coming to our grammar class, suddenly I heard someone calling me. ”Shelly!” I stopped. Another classmate who had only been in our class one day gave me some chocolates. She said, “These are for you and your friends. Have a good day!” I was looking at her leaving and thinking that we were in the same class only one day, but now we are friends. That’s very great, but I owed a gift again.

When I came home, my Chinese friend sent some roses and chocolates. I was surprised and happy because I had never received roses in my past life, but I hoped it was the last gift. I didn’t want to owe more gifts.

1.Before the writer left China, she thought Valentine’s Day _______.

A. was a day for the young

B. was different in America

C. was a festival for all the people

D. was a holiday for the students

2.By saying “I never saw that in China,” the writer would like to tell us that in China _________.

A. the students gave gifts to the teachers

B. the teachers didn’t like the students at all

C. the students never received any gifts and blessings

D. the teachers wouldn’t give their students any gifts

3.The writer felt sorry probably because she ________.

A. made a mistake in class

B. didn’t like chocolate

C. had no gift for Mr. Peters in return

D. had no money to buy gifts

4.What was the first gift the writerreceived from his classmates?

A. A toy. B. A card. C. Some chocolates. D. Some roses.

Recently I read the Human Development Report．I couldn't help thinking about another problem why the world is facing hunger．According to the report，2400 people are dying from hunger every day；nearly 13 million in southern Africa will be worried about their food supply because of earthquakes，floods or wars．

In a word，hunger remains the biggest problem of the world today．It's strange to see that man can travel to the moon，but still doesn't know how to feed himself．You may ask，“Who steals our bread？”The first thieves should be population growth，poverty and loss of rich farmland．

In less developed areas like South Africa，the population grows faster than the crops．It is almost impossible for its government to feed so many people and provide education for them．So it is very important to control the population growth and protect their farmland in countries whose people are suffering from hunger．

According to the report，the world's food production is enough to feed everyone if it is given away well．But the problem is that the developed countries are eating food that should be given to the poor．Although they are just using their own earning，the fact is that they are coldly watching others starving away．

Luckily，some developed countries such as Netherlands，Norway and Sweden have done a lot to help those hungry people in African countries．We hope other developed countries will follow them．

1.According to the passage，which of the following cannot help make fewer people hungry？

A. Poor countries control their population growth.

B. Poor countries protect their rich farmland.

C. Rich countries produce more food to feed themselves.

D. Rich countries give some food to the poor ones.

2.The fourth paragraph mainly tells us________．

A. poor countries are cold and going to die out

B. rich countries notice the problems of the poor countries

C. rich countries are trying their best to help poor countries

D. rich countries aren't willing to help poor countries

3.According to the last sentence，the writer hopes________．

A. poor countries should learn from rich ones

B. more rich countries will help the hungry people

C. more countries will give help to Norway

D. more countries will be as rich as Sweden

Tips for cooking on a Tight Schedule

From my experience, there are three main reasons why people don’t cook more often: ability, money and time.1.. Money is a topic I’ll save for another day. So today I want to give you some wisdom about how to make the most of the time you spend in the kitchen. Here are three tips for great cooking on a tight schedule:

1.Think ahead. The moments when I think cooking is a pain are when I’m already hungry and there is nothing ready to eat. So think ahead of the coming week. When will you have time to cook? Do you have the right materials（材料） ready?2.

2.Make your time worth it. When you do find time to cook a meal, make the most of it and save yourself time later on. Are you making one loaf of bread?3.It takes around the same amount of time to make more of something. So save yourself the effort for a future meal.

3.4.This may surprise you, but one of the best tools for making cooking worth your time is experimentation(实验). It gives you the chance to come up with new ideas and recipes（食谱） that can work well with your appetite（食欲） and schedule. The more you learn and the more you try, the more ability you have to take control of your food and your schedule.

Hopefully that gives you a good start. 5.And don’t let a busy schedule discourage you from making some great changes in the way you eat and live!

A. Try new things.

B. Make three or four instead.

C. Ability is easily improved.

D. Understand your food better.

E. Cooking is a burden for many people.

F. A little time planning ahead can save a lot of work later on.

G. Let cooking and living simply be a joy rather than a burden.