Early this morning, I got up to make a batch of Rice Krispie Treats for my neighbor across the hall. She barely greets me when we see each other, and her sweet little boy, who's now four,  has picked up her mother's manner and will not talk to me, either．
Last Monday, she had called the firefighters when a pan I'd forgotten on the stove caused my flat to fog up while I was out taking a walk. When I came home, the street in front of our apartment house was blocked by a police car, a fire truck and an ambulance! The instant I saw them, I remembered the pan! Luckily, nothing serious had happened, and all my neighbors agreed with the firefighter who said, "It could have happened to anyone．" When I thanked the neighbor who had called the firefighters-let's call her Ivy-and apologized for causing the trouble, she just asked if my cats were all right．When I said they were fine, she said, "Well, that's ok then," and turned into her flat．l felt strangely safe, knowing that even though we don't get along, she'd done the right thing and didn't blame me．So, the Rice Krispie Treats．
Last Christmas, my neighbor carelessly let it out that she was holding a grudge （怨恨） towards me because of an incident we'd had four years ago．I had particularly apologized and asked if there was anything I could do to improve our relationship. She would not accept my apology．
It had taken me a lot of courage to apologize and ask that question instead of insisting that we both shared responsibility for what had happened．Her flat-out refusal to make amends（补偿） really shocked and saddened me．After that, I decided I'd just leave her be-a relationship takes two to work．So, you see, I was really scared she was going to refuse my offer again, leaving me standing on her doorstep, facing the closed door and holding my plate of treats． I know some people have a hard time understanding how the possibility of rejection can make an adult so afraid, but that's just the way I felt．
Then, I reminded myself of how loving and good I had felt yesterday when I'd done some random acts of kindness （thanks to helpothers．org）, after telling myself: Feet the fear,  and do it anyway! So I put the squares of Rice Krispie Treats on a beautiful plate, opened my apartment  door-and there she was, standing in the hallway．I smiled and said, "Hi," but when she saw me, she turned on her heels and went back inside, even though she seemed to have just stepped out．I went after her, regardless, and quickly said, "I'm sorry, I've got something for you ! I just wanted to tell you how grateful I am that you were paying attention on Monday．" When she heard me speaking, she turned around． As I held the plate towards her, explaining these were very sweet American treats, and that she could just try and see whether she and her family would like them, her eyebrows winged up-and she took the plate．l was so happy and excited．We then talked a bit about how she'd become aware of the smoke in my flat, and parted ways．
Back in my place, I did a "happy dance", because I had dared to be kind even though I hadn't been sure at all my kindness would be welcome．I do hope that our relationship will slowly get better; I know I was and still am biased（存有偏见）towards her at times, but even if we don't make amends, I want to be able to be kind without depending on other people's behaviors and reactions .
【小题1】The neighbor held a grudge towards the writer most probably because_____．

Many years ago there lived a young couple in a small town. The husband was out of job for a long time and the wife   36 make a living by sewing for others. They were so poor that there was almost nothing in the house but a jar under a  37 table, in  38 was a little rice  39 from their neighbor for the coming New Year. 40 New Year’s Eve, the wife had already fallen asleep, but the husband was  41  in bed, worrying about the life. Suddenly he heard something. In the darkness he saw a man breaking into the room.
“It  42   be a thief.” He thought, “but it  43   matter, there is nothing that can be 44 .” So he  45  to be asleep and kept watching over the thief.
The thief began to 46 the room. At last he found the rice in the jar.
“But  47 can I take it away?” the thief thought hard. Then he had an idea. He 48 his coat and spread it on the ground between the bed and the table. After that he turned round to take the jar.
Now the husband realized what the thief 49 . He picked up the coat quickly and 50 himself with it while the thief was turning around.
The thief 51 the jar, poured the rice out on the place where he had just spread his coat and squatted (蹲) down to feel it. But to his surprise, his coat had  52  .
“Hey”, he couldn’t help 53  out. The   54  woke up the wife. She asked her husband, “Did you hear any sound? Maybe there is a thief in the room.”
“ Nonsense(胡说)!” replied her husband. “Go back to sleep. There is no thief in the room.”
“No, that’s   55  ,” the thief shouted loudly. “If there isn’t a thief, then, where’s my coat?”

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. It is also the most neglect (忽视). Common reasons for not eating breakfast include having no time, not feeling hungry, traditional dislike and dieting.

Breakfast simply means “break the fast’’. Your body spends at least 6 to 12 hours each night in a fasting state. In the morning your body needs energy for the day’s work ahead. 

A good breakfast should provide 1/3 of your total calorie(卡路里)needs for the day. On average, we eat 400 less calories for breakfast than for dinner. If breakfast doesn’t appeal (吸引) to you in the morning, try eating a lighter dinner earlier in the evening or save half of your dinner for breakfast in the morning.

If you still aren’t hungry in the morning, start with something small like juice or toast or have a nutritious (有营养的) mid-morning snack (小吃) later when you are hungry.

So, you say you are on a diet. Some people fear that eating breakfast will make them hungrier during the day and they will eat more. It is true that eating breakfast is likely to make you feel hungry throughout the day. That is because your body is working correctly. Although you may feel as if you are eating more all day long, in reality you are probably not.

Not eating breakfast can also cause you overeat, since a fall in blood sugar often makes you feel very hungry later. To make matters worse, since your body is in a slow state, it will not be able to burn those extra calories very efficiently (有效). If you feed your body healthy snacks and meals throughout the day, you are less likely to become hungry and stuff (填饱) yourself as soon as you begin to eat.

Since breakfast is the first and most important meal of the day, choosing the right food is important. The best breakfast foods are fruits, juice, lean meat and grain products such as bread, rice, noodles and cereals.

1.What is the meaning of the word “fast” in the phrase “break the fast”? 

A．movement                            B．going without food

C．quickness                             D．certain kind of food

2.If you don’t want to have breakfast in the morning, according to the writer’s suggestion, you should________.

A．see a doctor to have an examination

B．have a little supper

C．go to a restaurant to enjoy a good meal

D．have a good supper

3.Eating breakfast, in fact, makes your body_________.

A．work out of order                       B．produce too much energy

C．work well                             D．feel hungry quicker

4.In the last paragraph the writer mainly_________.

A. persuades us to have a good breakfast

B. tell us what food isn’t suitable for breakfast

C describes when and how we should have our breakfast

D .tell us what food we should have for breakfast

Next autumn, studying for a degree in Britain will become more expensive, and the results are already clear. This week, figures from UCAS(the Universities and College Admissions service)show a 15-percent downturn in applications(申请) from this time last year. With fees having reached ￡9,000 a year, some students are beginning to consider other ways of getting higher education—including distance learning, which allows them to get a degree while still living, and earning money, at home.

That is important, because fees are only part of the picture. The National Union of Students says that UK students pay an average of ￡4,900 a year for basics such as rent, food, books, equipment, field trips and the like. If those costs can be reduced, the burden of fees will be lessened. Therefore, many people are thinking not only about what and where to study, but how—that is, whether they have to be on campus to get a degree.

Distance learning is best suited to certain subjects and to ultra-motivated(极有主动性的)student, according to Carrie-Anne Rice of Resource Development International(RDI).“The advantage is that the fee system is more flexible(灵活的), and you can have full-time work while studying, Rice says.”“You graduate three years ahead of possible competitors(竞争对手)— with the same degree, but with three years of work experience and without the debt.”

“I left school and went straight into work. But at the age of 23, I changed career and soon realized I needed a degree to advance. Because of lack of money ad time, full-time university wasn’t a good choice, but I discovered that distance learning was financially flexible and enabled me to work and gain skills from my workplace without affecting the quality of my life,” Andy Cain, a distance learning student says.

Although distance learning has many advantages, a campus-based university experience remains the dream of most school-leavers. There is no question that “being there” is not only fun, but rich in shared experience, pooled knowledge, and—perhaps most importantly—friendships that will go on long after the degrees have been awarded.

1.The number of students applying to universities    compared to this time last year.

A．has increased greatly                    B．has decreased

C．hasn’t shown any change                D．has become zero

2.Students who study on campus spend      each year, on average.

A．￡9,000          B．￡4,900           C．￡13,900          D．￡4,100

3.Which of the following is NOT the benefit of distance learning?

A．Lower debt levels                       B．A head start on the job market.

C．Valuable friendships                     D．A flexible fee system.

4.Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A．The change in fees has had no effect on school-leavers.

B．Distance learning has the same advantages as campus-based learning.

C．Distance learning is so attractive that nobody wants to go to university any more.

D．Distance learning doesn’t suit all subjects or all students.

XI'AN - China's conservation work for the endangered crested ibis（朱鹮）is facing new challenges, including an increasing mortality rate due to inbreeding, and the conflict between the need to expand natural habitats and local communities' economic interests, bird experts have warned.

The crested ibis, once widespread in Japan, China, Russia and the Korean Peninsula, almost became extinct in the first half of the 20th century.

Before 1981, when seven crested ibis were accidentally found in Yangxian county, in Northwest China's Shaanxi province, academics thought the species had been extinct in China for almost 17 years.

Due to the huge effort put into species protection since 1981, the number of crested ibis in China has risen to an estimated 1,617, including 997 in the wild, the State Forestry Administration said at a meeting on crested ibis protection in Xi'an on Monday.

However, although the ibis population exceeds 1,000, the birds are still not free from the threat of extinction, said Fang Shengguo, director of the State Conservation Center for Gene Resources of Endangered Wildlife at Zhejiang University.

“Ornithologists used inbreeding in the early stages of protection so that numbers of the precious birds could increase quickly, but that method had consequences,” Fang said.

"Studies have proved that as a result of inbreeding, crested ibis have the lowest genetic diversity of all endangered birds," Fang said.

"It means a high mortality rate and more physical defects for hatched chicks."

“The government should collect genetic information from all crested ibis and establish a genetic database as soon as possible, then design a scientific mating plan for the species,” Fang said.

So far, about 90 percent of crested ibis live in Shaanxi province, and fewer than 140 ibis live in three zoos in other parts of the country, including Beijing Zoo, according to Liu Dongping, an assistant researcher at the National Bird Banding Center of China, which is affiliated to the Chinese Academy of Forestry.

The bird has lost the ability to migrate, he said, adding that if an unexpected natural disaster occurred in Shaanxi province or an infectious disease spread through the area, the ibis population could be greatly reduced.

Experts also warned that the increased population of ibis, whether in the wild or in captivity, requires a larger and more varied natural habitat.

Rampant hunting, the massive loss of habitat caused by deforestation and the overuse of pesticides, which killed aquatic insects on which the ibis feed, are believed to be the main reasons for the sharp reduction in the ibis population before 1981.

So, in 1983, a State-level natural reserve was set up in Shaanxi province to protect the bird. But the struggle for living space between human and animal has never stopped, said Lu Baozhong, deputy director of the Shaanxi Crested Ibis Conservation Station.

"For example, ibis often look for loaches in farmers' rice fields. Sometimes their claws trample the rice seedlings. In another case, villagers discovered some land with abundant mineral resources which happened to be a habitat for ibis," said Lu, who has devoted 30 years to ibis protection.

A long-term win-win solution for ibis and local communities needs to be developed, one that would provide ecological compensation for local residents, Lu said.

1..    What’s the best title for the passage?

  A. The Rare Bird in China             B. New Problems for the Crested Ibis

  C. The Way to Save the Crested Ibis     D. The Reason for the Crested Ibis’s Extinction

2. Which of the following statement is TRUE ?

A. The crested ibis is a native of China.

  B. Before 1981, the crested ibis was extinct in China.

  C. The crested ibis is now free from the threat of extinction.

  D. Most of the crested ibis are in Shaanxi province.

3.. Why did the experts adopt the way of inbreeding to protect the crested ibis?

  A. To increase the mortality rate.

  B. To increase the number of the crested ibis.

  C. To get more physical defects for hatched chicks

  D. To have the lowest diversity of the endangered bird.

4.. What may be the reason for the reduction in the population of the crested ibis before 1981?

  A. inbreeding                  B. economic development

  C. over hunting                D. sandstorm

5.. What can we learn from the passage?

  A. Due to our great efforts, the crested ibis lives in the wild well.

  B. Scientists will choose a better habitat for the crested ibis.

  C. The problems of the crested ibis have not been solved now.

  D. The government has established a genetic database of the crested ibis.