A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.

Grirmsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川） of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer（层）of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava（岩浆） from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.  

Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM. one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.  

The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object.  

What keeps Grimsvom still? 

A. The slow flow of water       B. The low water temperature 

C. The thick glacier            D. The water pressure 

Which of the following is true? 

A. People stop traveling in Europe   

B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes 

C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside 

D. Farmers have lost many of their animals 

This text is most probably taken from_______________.

A. a research paper            B. a newspaper report 

C. a class presentation          D. a geography textbook.  

A sign can be found in the front yard of a house in the US. The people living here want to let their dog play outside and ensure it won’t run into the street. So, they hire a company to set up an “invisible fence”, an electric wire buried in the ground around the yard. The dog wears a special collar and when it walks near to the “fence”, the wire will send out a small shock. The dog quickly learns to stay away from the edge of the yard. As it says at the bottom of the sign, the fence will keep your dog “safe” (away from the street) and “at home” (contained inside the yard).

    The small word “BRAND” printed in blue means that “Invisible Fence” is registered as the company’s brand name. Similarly, the “TM” printed after “your dog safe at home” stands for “trade mark”, a slogan registered specifically to one company.

The people set up an “invisible fence” _________.

     A. to let their dog play outside their house

     B. to keep their dog away from the edge of the yard

     C. to keep their dog inside their yard

     D. to warn others not to enter their house

Which is NOT true about the “invisible fence”?

     A. The fence does not exist at all.

     B. The “Invisible Fence” is the name of a company.

     C. Without the special collar, the fence won’t work on the dog.

     D. Science and technology play an important part in it.

A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.  

Grirmsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川） of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer（层）of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava（岩浆） from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.  

Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM. one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.  

The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object.  

What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes? 

A. It is below ice.  

B. It lies under the sea 

C. It is the largest volcano 

D. It is lava affects the airlines 

What keeps Grimsvotn still? 

A. The slow flow of water 

B. The low water temperature 

C. The thick glacier 

D. The water pressure 

Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption? 

A. People stop traveling in Europe 

B. Airlines suffer from the loss of planes 

C. It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside 

D. Farmers have lost many of their animals 

This text is most probably taken from_ 

A. a research paper 

B. a newspaper report 

C. a class presentation 

D. a geography textbook.

On the outside Betsy Lueth’s school looks like any other in Minneapolis. Yet inside, it is

Yinghua Academy, a public school where elementary（小学）students study subjects ranging from

math to American history in Chinese.

    Yinghua, the first such immersion（沉浸式）program in the Midwest is on the leading edge (前沿) of a movement that in recent years has seen Chinese language programs spread rapidly throughout the U.S.

The idea behind Yinghua is to introduce kids to the language and culture as early as possible —ideally, before age 12. Kindergarteners and first graders are taught in Chinese and a single period of English is introduced in second grade. By sixth grade, kids are learning half in English and half in Chinese, with the expectation of fluency in both. In Yinghua’s classrooms, the walls are covered not with ABCs but with pictures and Chinese characters.

There are many challenges at Yinghua. Most teachers come from Taiwan or mainland China, and cultural misunderstandings are very common. Lueth’s teachers are learning to be tolerant of local customs — as well as a lot more parental input (家长看法) than they are used to. “In China, teachers are respected. They are not questioned,” says Luyi Lien, Yinghua’s Taiwan-born director. “In America, parents are more expressive of their opinions.”

Research has shown that in the long run, immersion programs can provide benefits, including more flexible, creative thinking. Though students from the programs fall behind for a few years in English, by fifth grade they perform as well as or better than their monolingual（单语言）peers on standardized reading and math tests. For multicultural families, the psychological (心理上的) help can also be important. Lueth, a former teacher, co-founded the school as a way to expose her adopted Chinese daughter Lucy to her native culture. Lucy used to be annoyed when cousins asked why her skin color was different from theirs; before she started at Yinghua, she resisted exploring anything related to China. Now, Lueth says, Lucy proudly answers her cousins, “Yeah, I was born in China.”

Yinghua is different from other schools in Minneapolis in the way that_________.

    A．it offers subjects to students mostly in Chinese

    B．its language program is popular in the U.S.A

    C．kids there begin to learn Chinese at the age of 12

    D．its students learn subjects half in English and half in Chinese

．One of the challenges at Yinghua is that_________.

    A．most parents do not respect its teachers

    B．teachers need to get used to the local culture

    C．its students are mostly from nontraditional families

    D．there is misunderstanding between teachers and students

We can learn from the last paragraph that immersion program _________.

    A．enables students pass tests more easily

    B．benefits students in learning psychology

    C．helps some students accept the local customs

    D．contributes to the better development of students

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

    A．Teachers in Yinghua have difficulty in understanding the local culture.

    B．Parents are discouraged to speak out their opinions of the school in Yinghua.

    C．The students in Yinghua are expected to speak English and Chinese fluently.

    D．Yinghua is the first school in the USA to introduce Chinese culture to students.

On the outside Betsy Lueth’s school looks like any other in Minneapolis. Yet inside, it is
Yinghua Academy, a public school where elementary（小学）students study subjects ranging from
math to American history in Chinese.
Yinghua, the first such immersion（沉浸式）program in the Midwest is on the leading edge (前沿) of a movement that in recent years has seen Chinese language programs spread rapidly throughout the U.S.
The idea behind Yinghua is to introduce kids to the language and culture as early as possible —ideally, before age 12. Kindergarteners and first graders are taught in Chinese and a single period of English is introduced in second grade. By sixth grade, kids are learning half in English and half in Chinese, with the expectation of fluency in both. In Yinghua’s classrooms, the walls are covered not with ABCs but with pictures and Chinese characters.
There are many challenges at Yinghua. Most teachers come from Taiwan or mainland China, and cultural misunderstandings are very common. Lueth’s teachers are learning to be tolerant of local customs — as well as a lot more parental input (家长看法) than they are used to. “In China, teachers are respected. They are not questioned,” says Luyi Lien, Yinghua’s Taiwan-born director. “In America, parents are more expressive of their opinions.”
Research has shown that in the long run, immersion programs can provide benefits, including more flexible, creative thinking. Though students from the programs fall behind for a few years in English, by fifth grade they perform as well as or better than their monolingual（单语言）peers on standardized reading and math tests. For multicultural families, the psychological (心理上的) help can also be important. Lueth, a former teacher, co-founded the school as a way to expose her adopted Chinese daughter Lucy to her native culture. Lucy used to be annoyed when cousins asked why her skin color was different from theirs; before she started at Yinghua, she resisted exploring anything related to China. Now, Lueth says, Lucy proudly answers her cousins, “Yeah, I was born in China.”
【小题1】Yinghua is different from other schools in Minneapolis in the way that_________.