Hummingbirds have got their name from the distinct “hum” sound made by their rapidly flapping (拍打) wings．The size of the bird decides the number of flaps it can do．The average lifetime of a hummingbird is 3 or 4 years, but some of them have lived beyond 12 years also．They are unique in many ways．Besides the number of rapid flaps they can do per second, they can also fly backwards.

Hummingbirds have an amazing sense of assessing the amount of sugar in the nectar (花蜜) they eat．They feed on the nectar of flowers．Hummingbirds do not feed on flowers whose nectar contains less than 10% sugar．Talk about a sweet tooth! As they cannot sustain themselves on nectar alone because of its poor nutritional value, they also feed on insects and spiders, and hummingbird food mixture that one can make at home.

Attracting hummingbirds to your garden will require a little planning．Plant butterfly bush, mimosa, coral bells, foxglove, morning glory, etc．These flowers attract the hummingbirds due to their high visibility (可见性) and nectar production．Avoid using pesticides (杀虫剂), as it will not only kill the insects around the flowers, but hurt the hummingbirds as well.

A common food for these birds is the sweettasting sugar syrup (糖浆)．Hummingbird food ingredients are just two: sugar and water．Take a large clean bowl, pour in it four cups of hot water, and dissolve one cup of table sugar in it．Stir slowly until all sugar has dissolved．

Hummingbirds, tiny as they are, collect a lot of nutrition．Providing them with hummingbird food mixture made of sugar water is a sure way to get all these beauties humming in your garden.

1.Hummingbirds will have some little animals for their meal when      .

  A．they can't find any green plants

  B．they can't take in enough nutrition

  C．they are bored with eating nectar

  D．they are too old to fly

2.In order to attract hummingbirds, you should      .

  A．plan high trees

  B．grow plants with small flowers

  C．grow plants whose flowers are bright in color

  D．grow plants coming into flower in the morning

3.The main idea of the fourth paragraph is      .

  A．how to prepare food for hummingbirds

  B．where hummingbirds can find delicious food

  C．hummingbirds can't live for long without sugar

  D．hummingbirds like manmade food better than nectar

The beet (甜菜) is a tasty root vegetable that does not require much work to grow. People think of beets as being always dark red，but they can also be pink，yellow or white. Beets are high in nutrients，and both the root and the tops can be eaten. The leaves make good salads when the plants are young，and the greens can be cooked when the plants are older. Beets grow best in full sun and in loose soil that is not too wet.

Remove stones from the soil while preparing the ground，and test it before adding fertilizer Beet seeds can be planted as soon as the soil can be worked at the start of the growing season. Planting them every two or three weeks will provide a continuous harvest into the fall. A beet seed is a fruit containing several seeds. Overcrowding the plants will mean that the roots cannot spread out and grow，so thin the beets by removing the smaller ones and using them as greens.

A specialist named Cindy Haynes says little or no fertilizer is needed in rich soils. Once the seeds are planted，however，she suggests covering the soil to protect it from the rain and during dry periods. She also suggests putting a fence around the plants to keep away rabbits and deer. She says the only work beets need once they have been thinned is weeding and， when the weather is dry，a weekly watering. For best results，beets should be picked when the roots are two and one-half centimeters around. Larger beets can be tough，and have to be cooked for a long time. Beets can be eaten in many ways.

60.What is the second paragraph mainly about?

A. How to test the soil.           B. How to plant beets

C. When to harvest beets.          D. When to plant beets.

61.Smaller beets are often removed in order to       .

A. give other beets space to grow    B. add more fertilizer to the soil

C. plant new seeds                D. use the green，young leaves in salads

62.What may the next part of the last paragraph be about?

A. When to pick beets.             B. How to eat beets.

C. The uses of beets.              D. The taste of larger beets.

63.The passage is most probably from a(n)     .

A. gardening book   B. education magazine   C. science report   D. entertainment magazine

How can a creature weighing over 5 tons and normally taking 150 kilograms of food and 120 liters of water per day survive in a desert environment?

In the southwest African country of Namibia,and the Sahara lands of Mall further north,the desert elephant does just that.

Although not regarded as a separate species from the African elephant,the desert cousin differs in many ways.Their bodies are smaller,to absorb less heat,and their feet are larger for easier walking across sandy surfaces.They are taller,to reach higher branches.They have shorter tusks(象牙),and most importantly,longer trunks to dig for water in riverbeds.

Desert elephants can travel over 70 kilometers in search for feeding grounds and water-holes,and have a larger group of families.They drink only every 3-4 days,and can store water in a “bag” at the back of their throat,which is only used when badly needed.Desert elephants are careful feeders—they seldom root up trees and break fewer branches,and thus maintain what little food sources are available.Young elephants may even eat the dung(粪便) of the female leader of a group when facing food shortage.

During drought they are unlikely to give birth to their young but with good rains the birthrate will increase greatly.Desert elephants have sand baths,sometimes adding their own urine(尿液) to make them muddy!

As we continue to overheat our weak planet,it can only be hoped that other animal species will adapt as extraordinarily well to change as the desert elephant.

The underlined part in Paragraph 2 means “_______”.

A.remains in the African countries

B.drinks 120 liters of water a day

C.manages to live in desert areas

D.eats 150 kilograms of food daily

Desert elephants are called careful feeders because they ______.

A.rarely ruin trees

B.drink only every 3-4 days

C.search for food in large groups

D.protect food sources for their young

The author answers the question raised in the first paragraph with ______.

A.stories and explanation

B.facts and descriptions

C.examples and conclusion

D.evidence and argument

What can be inferred from the last sentence in the passage?

A.Overheating the earth can be stopped.

B.Not all animal species are so adaptable.

C.The planet will become hotter and hotter.

D.Not all animals are as smart as desert elephants.

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选项。
The First Americans
There was a time long ago when a land bridge connected Asia and North America．The first settlers in North America crossed this land bridge from what is now Siberia to Alaska．The people who made this initial crossing were probably following the animals they used for food．
Finally, the oceans rose and the land bridge between the continents disappeared．The settlers, who I shall call the "First Americans" , could not return to their homeland．  1  
For the next few thousand years, the First Americans moved south and east throughout North and South America．They made the journey all the way from Alaska to the southern tip of South America, a distance of more than 10,000 miles．    2   
In the far north, above the Arctic Circle, the First Americans became hunters of the ocean．  3 __  In the summer, they gathered berries and other plants．In the winter, they stayed in lodges much of the time preparing for the next summer．It was a hard life, but they learned to survive in these terrible conditions．
Farther south, in what is now Arizona, Utah, Colorado, and New Mexico, the First Americans became cliff dwellers．They began by living in caves that already existed in the cliffs．  4  The dwellings they built in many ways resembled today's apartment buildings．
5    They built a system of dams and canals so they could store and use water almost any time of the year．They were so successful that they could raise fruits and vegetables that were not found naturally in the desert．

Mr. Flower was well-known around for growing the best flowers of the year and his four glass-houses were taken good care of. These glass-houses were close to a public path, which was always used ___36__ children and young people walking to and from __37__. Boys of about thirteen years of age, especially, were often tempted（尝试） to throw a stone or two at one of Mr. Flower’s __38__ . They managed to resist the temptation(抵制诱惑) when Mr. Flower was around, but the temptation often seemed to be too __39__ when Mr. Flower was __40__ to be seen. For this reason, Mr. Flower did his best to be __41__ his glass-houses at the beginning and end of the school days.
However, it was not always possible for him to be on guard at these times.  Mr. Flower had tried __42__ to prevent（阻止） the damage to his glass; but nothing that he had done had been__43__. He had been to the school to complain(抱怨) to the headmaster, but this had not done any__44__. He had hidden in the bushes（灌木丛） and __45__ those boys that threw stones __46__ his garden, but the boys could run __47__ faster than he, and they even __48__ at him at a distance（距离）. He had even walked along the path and picked up all those __49__ that he could find so that the boys would have nothing to __50__, but they soon found others, or threw lumps of earth instead.
Then just as he had given __51__ hope of winning the battle（战斗）, a truly wonderful __52__ came up to him. He set up a large notice board made of good strong wood, some meters away from the glass-houses __53__ it could be clearly seen from the path. On the board he painted the __54__ : DO NOT THROW AT THIS NOTICE. After this, Mr. Flower had no __55__ .The boys were much more tempted to throw stones at the notice board than at the glass-houses.