DOGS DRIVE CAR

Auckland, New Zealand

    After two months of learning, Monty, and Porter were able to drive an automobile around a racetrack. “We wanted to prove how smart rescue dogs are,” animal behaviorist Mark Vette says. Vette first used voice commands and treats to teach the dogs how to turn a steering wheel and how to change gear (换挡).

    The dogs’ ride only accelerated up to 7.5 miles an hour, and trainers could stop the auto using a remote control.

GOLDEN ZEBRA

Kailua-Kona, Hawaii

    Zoe the zebra’s markings are special. The animal has white and golden stripes. Zoe’s appearance resulted from a rare condition called amelanosis (黑素缺失症). Her body doesn’t make enough melanin, the substance in an animal’s skin and hair cells that produces color. “Only 25 other golden zebras are known to exist in the world,” says Ann Goody, who runs the wildlife refuge where Zoe lives. In the wild, life may be difficult for animals with amelanosis because predators (捕猎者) can easily spot them. But Zoe is protected at her refuge.

COCKATOO MAKES TOOLS

Vienna, Austria

    When Figaro the cockatoo spots food lying just out of reach from his cage, he builds a tiny wooden tool to sweep the tasty prize in his way.

    The bird first revealed his talent when a stone he was playing with rolled out of his cage. The cockatoo couldn’t reach the stone. So he flew away and returned with a small branch, slipping it through the fence to slide the stone toward him.

Wondering if he would do it again, scientists placed a nut exactly where the stone had been. This time, Figaro pulled out a small piece of wood in his cage and dragged the nut toward him.

21. If Zoe the zebra is set free in the wild, she will _____.

A. meet no natural predators                

B. not get along with other zebras

C. manage to make enough melanin        

D. be easily found for her appearance

22.What’s special about Figaro the cockatoo?

A. He is particular about his food.

B. He is extremely fond of stones.

C. He is good at drawing support from outside forces.

D. He can tell the difference between stones and nuts.

23.What is the text mainly about?

A. Amazing animals.                         

B. Ways to help animals.

C. Animals’ unique talents.                

D. Tips on training animals.

Driving on up to Yosemite with my family was exciting but nerve-racking (神经紧张的). I had never been to such an amazing national park before, yet I wasn’t the most athletic person so I knew that I couldn’t stick through all the hiking up and down. It actually ended up being a fun and adventurous experience.

The ride there was definitely long but worth it. As I woke up from my nap, I saw the beautiful scenery of the tall mountains and beautiful streams. The trails were made nicely for visitors. The waterfalls were breathtaking. Climbing up rocks was one of my favorite parts. Even though I fell a couple of times, I still have a lot of fun. The fact that my family and I spent so much time together all trying to find out which route to take and what views to watch really brought us closer together.

The great thing about nature is that, it’s just you, the views, and the people around you. There’s nothing there to bother you and it’s the best way to relax and enjoy yourself. Yosemite has 5 of the world’s highest waterfalls, and about 300 lakes. The structure of each mountain is incredible; it’s formed in ways that almost take your breath away. Some of them are of a deep dark color with waterfalls forming; some are formed with spots of green peeking (窥探) out. It’s definitely something you wouldn’t want to miss.

Yosemite isn’t the only great National Park but based on my experience I highly recommend going out and enjoying nature with family and friends. It’s a great time to bond, laugh, and take in what Mother Nature offers.

24.The author writes the first paragraph mainly to _____.

A. introduce the topic of this passage      

B. offer an example to us

C. tell us his future plan for hiking       

D. describe a national park

25.While climbing up rocks, the author was _____.

 A. nerve-racking         B. injured     C. pleased     D. worried

26.According to the passage, Yosemite _____.

A. is crowded with visitors every day  

B. is the only great National Park

C. is worth travelling to               

D. is nothing but a common destination

27.The author suggests us _____.

A. keeping a good bond with other people

B. visiting Yosemite now and then

C. trying to protect the environment    

D. going out to enjoy the beauty of nature

Should we allow modern buildings to be built next to older buildings in a historic area of a city? In order to answer this question, we must first examine whether people really want to preserve the historic feel of an area. Not all

historical buildings are attractive. However, there may be other reasons — for example, economic reasons — why they should be preserved. So, let us assume that historical buildings are both attractive and important to the majority of people. What should we do then if a new building is needed?

In my view, new architectural styles can exist perfectly well alongside an older style. Indeed, there are many examples in my own hometown of Tours where modern designs have been placed very successfully next to old buildings. As long as the building in question is pleasing and does not dominate (影响) its surroundings too much, it often improves the attractiveness of the area.

It is true that there are examples of new buildings which have spoilt (破坏) the area they are in, but the same can be said of some old buildings too. Yet people still speak against new buildings in historic areas. I think this is simply because people are naturally conservative (保守的) and do not like change.

Although we have to respect people’s feelings as fellow users of the buildings, I believe that it is the duty of the architect and planner to move things forward. If we always reproduced what was there before, we would all still be living in caves. Thus, I would argue against copying previous architectural styles and choose something fresh and different, even though that might be the more risky choice.

28.What does the author say about historical buildings in the first paragraph?

A. Most of them are too expensive to preserve.

B. They are more pleasing than modern buildings.

C. They have nothing to do with the historic feel of an area.

D. Some of them are not attractive.

29.Which of the following is TRUE according to the author?

A. Some old buildings have spoilt the area they are in.

B. We should reproduce the same old buildings.

C. Buildings should not dominate their surroundings.

D. No one understands why people speak against new buildings.

30.By “move things forward” in the last paragraph, the author probably means “______”.

A. destroy old buildings                

B. put things in a different place

C. choose new architectural style       

D. respect people’s feelings for historical buildings

31.What is the main purpose of the passage?

A. To explain why people dislike change.

B. To argue that modern buildings can be built in historic areas.

C. To warn that we could end up living in caves.

D. To admit how new buildings have ruined their surroundings.

Love to sink into your chairs and relax when you get to school? Then you will not be happy to hear that schools all over the world are seriously considering exchanging traditional desks for ones with no seats at all — Yes, that means you will be encouraged to stand through those already too long math and science lessons! Why would anyone even think of putting kids to such cruelty? Experts say it improves their health and helps fight obesity. While that may seem a little far-fetched (牵强的) the officials at the few schools around the world seem to agree.

Among them are educators from the College Station Independent School District in Texas, who recently completed a week-long experiment involving 480 students across three elementary schools. The 374 kids that agreed to participate in the study were provided a device that helped record step count and calorie consumption over the entire period.

All 25 teachers involved in the study reported that students appeared to be more alert and concentrate better, when allowed to stand. The one thing that did surprise the researchers was that younger kids were more willing to stay standing than kids in higher grades. They believe this may have something to do with the fact that after years of being asked to “sit still”, older kids have a harder time adjusting to this unexpected freedom.

American schools are not the only ones reporting success with stand-up desks. Four Catholic schools in Perth, Australia, which have been testing them since October 2013, have seen similar results. In May 2014, Grove House Primary School in Bradford, West Yorkshire, became Europe’s first test one, with a seven-week trial that involved the use of desks made by Ergotron in their fifth-grade classrooms. While official results are not out yet, early reactions from both teachers and students, have been extremely encouraging.

The findings of these studies and others done previously, all seem to mean that allowing kids to move around in classrooms is a win-win for students and teachers — it helps kids get healthier and provides educators with a more engaged audience.

32.The students may be unhappy because _____.

A. they have to exchange desks with each other

B. the officials show no sympathy to them at all

C. there are no seats for them to sit in class

D. they have to exchange traditional desks for ones with no seats

33.Older students may not like stand-up desks because _____.

A. they are cleverer than younger students

B. they are easily tired of standing long

C. they have formed the habit of sitting

D. they do badly in class while standing

34.What is most likely to be the result of the seven-week trial?

A. The standing desks can’t be used at all.

B. It is good for students to use stand-up desks.

C. More tests should be done in other schools.

D. The students are different in personality.

35.Why do the teachers like the standing desks?

A. Because the educators can draw the students’ attention.

B. Because the teachers can keep the students healthy.

C. Because the students can have a walk in the classroom.

D. Because the standing desks can keep the students concentrated.

It is necessary to be reasonable and flexible enough to avoid conflicts as much as possible and live in peace with others.   36   If you have done all your best to avoid conflicts and you are still arguing, then read these effective tips on how to avoid conflicts.

Don’t get in the center of the conflict.

Sometimes people can get in the center of conflicts due to their enthusiasm for offering help. Frankly speaking, it is very unwise, because it can make you the main figure of the conflict.   37   You should focus on your own life issues.

Be kind.

  38   Life is full of conflicts and disagreements, that’s why you should find more conservative ways of dealing with them. For example, kindness can lessen the conflict.

Try to be a peacekeeper.

Peacekeepers tend to cooperate with people without bad emotions which usually lead to arguments and even conflicts. “  39  ” This saying is the life motto of a natural-born peacekeeper. Don’t worry if you are not a natural-born peacekeeper; you can gain this skill during life.

Walk off.

When the conflict is gathering pace and you can’t manage to control yourself, you should choose to handle the situation in another way. By all means, try to keep yourself away from stress.   40   You should get away from the situation for a while.

A. The greatest victory is a battle not fought.

B. Conflicts are unavoidable, so try to accept them.

C. Weak people usually desire others to offer help and support.

D. Let other people solve their problems without your presence.

E. It is helpful to put some distance between yourself and the opponent.

F. When someone pushes you to the limit, try to act kindly towards this person.

G. Arguing can either break your friendship or affect your relationship to some degree.