It’s the Year of the Rat!

Millions of people crowded onto trains and buses across China on Wednesday. They were hurrying home to be with their families for the country’s most important holiday, the Lunar New Year, or the Spring Festival. Thursday marked the end of the Year of the Pig, and the beginning of the Year of the Rat. But for a while, it looked as if severe winter weather in some regions of China would put a deep freeze on the celebrations. Due to dangerous conditions, airlines, railways and highways across the country were forced to shut down for the past few weeks. Many travelers were worried that they would not make it home for the holidays. Luckily, the crisis started winding down just in time for some roads and railways to reopen on Lunar New Year’s Eve.

More than one billion people worldwide celebrate the Lunar New Year. In China, people from Beijing to Guangzhou enjoy a holiday. Businesses and government offices are closed. Many people go to temples to pray for good fortune for the future. The Lunar New Year is celebrated at the second new moon after the winter solstice（冬至）.

On Lunar New Year’s Eve, the Chinese celebrate with fireworks, family gatherings, and festivals. One of the most popular ways to celebrate the holiday is with the lion dance. The lion is considered a holy animal. During celebrations, dancers dressed as lions（or holding up elaborate paper lions in the air）perform to bring good luck to the people they visit at their homes or businesses. People often wear red, which symbolizes fire. Legend has it that fire can drive away bad luck. The 15-day New Year season is celebrated with firecrackers, dragon dances and visits to friends and families. The celebrations end with the Lantern Festival, when brightly colored lamps are hung in parks around China.

49. When the Spring Festival comes, trains and buses are usually crowed because________.

A. millions of people hurried to go abroad for travelling

B. millions of people are hurrying home to get together with their folks

C. at this time the transportation cost is at the lowest point

D. million of people hurried to send firecrackers to their home

50. Why were many travellers worried whether they would go home for the Year of the Rat?

A. Because a deep freeze hit some regions of China.

B. Because many transportation companies have a holiday

C. Because some roads and railways won’t reopen in a long time.

D. Because businesses and government offices are closed.

51. Where do people usually go to beg for their good luck?

A. Government offices                      B. Business offices

C. Temples                                             D. Beijing

52. In order to bring good luck to the people they visit, dancers dress themselves________.

A. as lions to have a dance  　　B. as tigers to have a dance

C. as rats to have a dance   　　D. as cats to have a dance

 A Swedish man was dug out alive after being snowed in his car on a forest track for two months with no food, police and local media reported on Saturday.

  The 45-year-old from southern Sweden was found on Friday, February17, too weak to say more than a few words.

  He was found not far from the city of Umea in the north of Sweden by snowmobilers who thought they had come across a ruined car until they dug their way to a window and saw movement inside.

  The man, who was lying in the back seat in a sleeping bag, said he had been in the car since December 19.

  “Just incredible that he’s alive considering that he had no food, but also since it’s been really cold for some time after Christmas.” a rescue team member told regional daily Vasterbottens- Kuriren, which broke the news.

  Ebbe Nyberg, duty officer at the Umea police, said police saw no reason to doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time.

  “We would not make up something like this. The rescue services were on site too and saw the same as us.” he told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.

  Umea University Hospital, where the man is recovering after being rescued by police and a rescue team, said in a statement he was doing well considering the circumstances.

  Doctors at the hospital said humans would normally be able to survive for about four weeks without food. Besides eating snow, the man probably survived by going into a dormant-like(休眠似的）state, physician Stefan Branth told Vasterbottens-Kuriren.

  “A bit like a bear that hibernates. Humans can do that.” he said. “He probably had a body temperature of around 31 degrees which the body adjusted to. Due to the low temperature, not much energy was used up.”

  “Why the man ended up under the snow in the forest remains unknown,” police said.

1.Who found the Swedish man in the snow?

    A．Snowmobilers.  B．The police.  C．A rescue team.  D．Local people.

2.“Police saw no reason to doubt that the man had been stuck in the car for a very long time.” implies that 　　　　.

    A．police didn’t think it true         B．police were sure of the fact

    C．police had some doubt on the fact  D．police had reasons to doubt the fact

3.The reason why the man could survive was most probably that 　　　　.

    A．he was only forty-five year old    B．he did not use any energy

    C．he slept in the sleeping bag       D．he was in a dormant-like state

4.Which is the correct order of the following events?

    a．The Swedish man was stuck in the snow.

    b．He was sent to Umea University Hospital.

    c．He was found by snowmobilers.

    d．He was recovering after treatment.

    e．He stayed in his car for nearly two months.

    f．He was dug out by people.

    A．e, a, c, d, f, b         B．a, e, c, f, b, d

 C．a, f, c, e, b, d         D．e, c, f, a, d, b

5.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

    A．A Traffic Accident              B．A Long Sleep in Winter

    C．An Incredible Survival           D．A Successful Rescue

Early this year, thousands of migrant _______ workers cancelled their insurance due to the lack of _______ policy to transfer insurance between difference regions.

Herds of zebra, impala and giraffe from South Africa’s Kruger Park found a new home as part of the Great Limpopo Transfrontier Park (GLTP) wildlife relocation project.

  About 1,000 animals, from the large blue wildebeest to the stocky warthog, have been relocated to the park straddling South African, Mozambican and Zimbabwean territory.

  The game from South Africa arrived in the Massingir area of Mozambique’s southern Maputo province after a one-and-a-half-hour trip by truck.

  South African National Parks chief executive Mavuso Msimang and the Peace Parks Foundation officially handed over the animals to Mozambican representatives.

  “This project is not only about the management of an ecosystem, but also about community empowerment and tourism,” Msimang said.

  Border fences are coming down with the establishment of the park, which will be the world’s biggest game reserve, to allow elephants and other herds to follow ancient migration routes.

  The park, due to be officially opened next year, will be bigger than the Netherlands, covering some 38,600 square kilometers(15,440 square miles).

  Under a three-year plan, about 6,000 animals are to be moved into the area, where wildlife was decimated（大批杀害）during Mozambique’s 25-year civil war.

  African Wildlife Foundation community development officer Jeremiah Machavi said 62 communities living in the area would be affected by the establishment of Transfrontier Park. Tourists will be able to travel across international boundaries in the park without having to show their passports.

The relocation process started in October last year when about 30 elephants were released into the park.

8. ______ is being established to relocate some African animals.

A. Kruger Park                                  B. GLTP        

C. South African National Park            D. African wildlife Foundation    

9. How many more animals will be taken to Transfrontier Park?

A. about 1,000              B. about 6,000              C about 5,000        D. about 7,000

10. What will not be affected by the establishment of GLTP?

A. the ecosystem and tourism              B. tourism and communities

C. international boundaries                  D. African wildlife

11. From the passage we can conclude that ______.

A. the herds of animals mentioned in the first paragraph were the first to be taken to the park

B. the Great Limpopo Transfrontier is located in Mozambique

C. no border fences will be seen inside the park so that animals can migrate

D. the Netherlands is the second largest reserve

Pierre is a 25-year-old penguin at the California Academy of Sciences. Due to his old age, he was going bald, which made him feel too cold to swim in the pool. Therefore, biologists at the academy had a wetsuit created for this penguin to help him get back in the swimming pool.

Unlike marine mammals, which have a layer of fat to keep them warm, penguins depend on their waterproof feathers. Without them, Pierre was unwilling to jump into the swimming pool and ended up trembling on the side of the pool while his 19 peers played in the water.

"He was cold; he would shake," said Pam Schaller, a senior biologist. Schaller first tried a heat lamp to keep Pierre warm. Then she got another idea: if wetsuits keep humans warm in the cold Pacific, why not make one for Pierre?

Schaller designed the suit, which covered Pierre’s body and had small openings for his flippers.

“I would walk behind him and look at where there were any gaps, and cut and refit and cut and refit until it looked like it was extremely suitable,” she said.

One concern was that the other penguins would reject Pierre in his new suit, but in fact, they accepted his new look. He swam freely and got along with others well, although he was the only penguin with a black stomach.

Schaller couldn’t say for sure whether the wetsuit allowed Pierre to recover his fine feathers, but “certainly we were able to keep him comfortable during a period of time that would have been very difficult for him to stay comfortable”.

Pierre will take off his suit after his new feathers grow back.

1.Pierre felt too cold to swim in the pool because of _____.

A. not having a layer of blubber

B. having few feathers due to old age

C. having no wetsuit

D. others penguins rejecting him

2.The idea of making a wetsuit for Pierre came from _____.

A. total invention

B. waterproof feathers

C. the use of wetsuit on humans

D. the use of heat lamp

3.Schaller followed Pierre in order to see _____.

A. whether other penguins would reject him

B. if anywhere of wetsuit needed to be cut and refit

C. if the wetsuit kept warm

D. whether the wetsuit would keep the feathers from recovering

4.The best title of the passage is _____.

A. Wetsuit for An Old Penguin

B. Old Penguin Getting Bald

C. Unwilling to Swim

D. Strange Look of PierreＢ