Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy．After all，you probably sing or whistle when you are happy．

    Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy．However，they sing most of the time for a very different reason．Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.

Do you know what a“territory”is? A territory is an area that an animal，usually the male，claims(声称)as its own．Only he and his family are welcome there．No other families of the same species(物种)are welcome．Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome．If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you，you might shout．Probably this would be enough to frighten him away．

    If so，you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him．A bird does the same thing．But he expects an outsider almost any time，especially at nesting(筑巢) season．So he is screaming all the time，whether he can see an outsider or not . This screaming is what we call a bird’s song，and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away．

    Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs．

    You can see that birds have a language all their own．Most of it has something to do with attracting mates and setting up territories．

21．Some scientists believe that most of the time birds’singing is actually    ．

   A．a way of warning               

B．an expression of happiness

C．an expression of anger            

D．a way of greeting

22．What is a bird’s“territory”?

    A．A place where families of other species are not accepted．

    B．An area which a bird considers to be its own．

    C．An area for which birds fight against each other．

D．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its Voice．

23．Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season?

    A．Because they want to invite more friends

    B．Because they want to find outsiders around．

    C．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away．

    D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears．

24．How does the writer explain birds’ singing?

A．By comparing birds with human beings．

B．By reporting experiment results．

C．By describing birds’ daily life．      

D．By telling a bird's story．

Of all the famous English writers, probably the best known is William Shakespeare. He was born in Stratford-upon-Avon in 1564 on April the 23rd. His father was an important man in town so Shakespeare had a good upbringing. Shakespeare probably went to school (although no records survive to prove this) but not university. He got married when he was 18 to Anne Hathaway and the couple had 3 children.

Shakespeare wrote 38 plays and 154 sonnets (a sonnet is a kind of poem). He began working in his home town of Stratford but by 1592 was writing in London. He became rich enough to buy a house in the capital and one in Stratford.

He wrote sad stories called tragedies, like Romeo and Juliet, funny stories or comedies, romantic stories and stories about historical figures such as Julius Caesar.

Shakespeare died on his birthday in 1616, almost 400 years ago. But why is his work still popular today?

His work looked at common human themes, such as betrayal, murder, lust, power, ambition and love. These themes are as much a part of human nature today as they were all those years ago and are the themes we see in modern soap operas and Hollywood films. Even though his theatre, The Globe, burned down in 1613 it was rebuilt in London in 1997 and you can still see his plays performed there today.

Shakespeare's influence on the English language can still be felt today. We talk about "fair play", meaning honest behavior but this phrase was first used by Shakespeare. He coined the phrase "you can have too much of a good thing". And it was Shakespeare who came up with the expression to disappear "into thin air" which we still use today when we lose something.

Shakespeare’s work has been translated into every major language in the world. And perhaps we'll still be as fascinated by his work 400 years from now as we've been for the last 400.

25. What can be learnt about Shakespeare from Paragraph 1?

A. He wrote more English stories than other writers.

B. His father was the richest in England at the time.

C. He didn’t go to college because he married early.

D. He was taken good care of when he was young.

26. What do we know about Shakespeare’s work?

A. It covers different themes.              B. It mainly talks about love.

C. It is only shown in his theatre.           D. It’s only about the life in London.

27. Why does the passage talk about the phrase “fair play”?

A. To tell readers Shakespeare is an honest man.  B. To show Shakespeare’s influence on English.

C. To encourage people to invent more phrases.   D. To let readers feel the beauty of Shakespeare.

28. What does the last paragraph want to tell us about Shakespeare’s work?

A. It has been put into every language.         B. It will be still popular in future.

C. It will no longer be translated.             D. It was not so popular as today.

The New York Aquarium (水族馆) offers a diverse collection and nice viewing experience for all our guests. Whether you’re observing penguins on their rocky coastline home or swimming underwater, looking at a coral reef (珊瑚礁) under the water, or cheering on California sea lions at the theater, you’ll find plenty to see and do during your visit. Your underwater adventure is waiting for you! This summer, head out to Coney Island to learn about the underwater world at the New York Aquarium.

Just off the Coney Island in Brooklyn, the New York Aquarium features more than 300 marine (海洋的) species, such as dolphins and seals. Meet some of our mammals and fish, and learn about their natural history, biology, and cultural roles.

Total Experience Ticket

Adult                                   $18.00

Child (Ages 3-12)                         $14.00

Senior (65+)                            $15.00

Groups (at least ten visitors)                  $8.00

﹡Includes admission to our 4-D Theater Plus General Admission.

﹡Children under 3 years old are free!

﹡To receive the group rate, you must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance of your group’s visit. Please call 718-741-1818.

Friday Afternoon Special

Admission on Fridays beginning at 3:00 p.m. is by donation. Suggested donation is $13 for adults, $9 for children, and $10 for seniors. Every dollar you give supports our work in caring for animals at the aquarium.

Aquarium Parking

Car                                     $13.00

Bus                                     $13.00

Please note:

﹡Due to rising costs, the Wildlife Conservation Society reserves the right to change all fees without notice.

﹡All Aquarium buildings and exhibits are wheelchair-accessible.

﹡For further information, please call 718-265-3454.

29．Which animal can’t visitors probably see at the New York Aquarium?

A. Penguins.        B. Pandas.      C. Dolphins.        D. Seals.

30．Six adults (including a man of 68) and two children (aged 2 and 10) are going to visit the New York Aquarium on Sunday. They will have to pay ______________ at least.

A. $144          B. $133         C. $119         D. $64

31．The donation is used to ______________.

A. help the poor people          B. help to save the endangered animals in the wild

C. help the disabled visitors       D. care for animals at the aquarium

32．Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?

A. A visitor in a wheelchair can get around at the New York Aquarium.

B. You can visit the New York Aquarium at 5:30 p.m. on Christmas.

C. Visitors can enjoy free parking service on Friday.

D. To enjoy the group rate, visitors must make a reservation at least two weeks in advance by sending an e-mail.

Recently, the documentary(纪录片)“A Bite of China", which takes the fine foods as the theme, has beaten many TV series, becoming extremely popular on the microblog(微博)and turning into the hottest topic. Chinese people are proud of the great food culture of China and some even praise the documentary by saying that “it is a best video that arouses our great love of our country”.

Produced by Chen Xiaoqing, an award-winning documentary maker, “A Bite of China” is filled with mouthwatering images of food ranging from royal cooking to local specialties. It focuses on the beautiful and simplified process of food making and attracts food lovers and ordinary audiences.

“Television is filled with food these days, especially introductions by some professional cooks, even famous TV hosts. We also have some scenes of food-making, but how to create dishes is only one aspect of food culture,” Chen says.

 “The program tries to bring something new by presenting more cultural elements related to dishes, such as eating habits and eating principles,” be adds.

Each series lasts 50 minutes. Every series will focus on different people, who will tell stories about their adventures with food. “A Bite of China” also focuses on social changes while presenting food cultures, such as the dispersion of families that leave the elderly in their hometowns while other members work outside. In such cases food serves as reminders of happy times and expectations of reunions.

33.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The documentary has many different characteristics.

B. The documentary is not only about food making.

C. The documentary also involves social problems.

D. The documentary usually lasts fifty minutes.

34.What does the underlined word “dispersion” probably mean?

A.connection             B.separation

C.communication         D.immigration

35. The purpose of the passage is to       ·

A. attract more people to enjoy Chinese food   B. make people know more about Chinese food

C. introduce a popular TV program           D. deal with some social problems

Why Do We Forget Things?

When it comes to having perfect memories, it is apparent that we humans must have had some faults in our blueprints（蓝图）! Why don’t we remember everything that we want to remember? It makes us feel upset and get discouraged.   36  However, it’s true that we are all forgetful.

  37   These are stored in what we call our “long-term memory”. What about before age three? Sigmund Freud, a doctor of Vienna, discovered the fact that we forget most of our early childhood.  38 They have different opinions. A very good theory, born from the results of experimentation with babies, is that absence of language ability at the time of an event stopped us from describing it to others.

  39   Experts say that you can keep about seven things in your memory at once for up to three days. During that time, you may forget something in order to put something else in its place, or you put it into long-term memory. What goes into short-term memory are things you’ve learned about recently, in the past day or two.   40   For example, you may have met your favorite star last week, and this week you can tell all the details to a friend. A simple example to explain your short-term memory is to look at a list of twenty words for a minute or two. You will discover that you cannot remember more than about seven of them and that they are the ones in the beginning and at the end of the list because your mind has judged them to be more important than those in the middle.