Amazing Facts About ELF Owls

The elf owl is mostly found in the southwestern parts of the United States and Mexico. During the spring and summer seasons, it moves to Arizona and New Mexico. It returns to Mexico for the winter. The elf owl doesn’t build its own nest. It lives in tree holes

The elf owl is a yellow bird with dark wings. Its eyes are bright yellow and its feet are large. It is the smallest owl of the species, only about 12.5—14.5 centimeters long. It is also the world’s lightest owl, weighing not more than forty grams. In general, female elf owls weigh more than male ones.

The female usually lays three eggs at a time. After the young elf owls are born, their mother will feed them with worms for up to three to four weeks. After 10 weeks, the young ones are fully grown and ready to take flight.

The elf owls are not aggressive birds. When danger comes, they will fly away in the other direction, rather then staying and facing the danger or their enemies. Besides flying, the elf owl can also walk and climb like a parrot. The elf owl is most active duck, during the night and just before dawn. It can produce many different kinds of sounds. It can live for three to six years in the wild. If they are kept in cages, they can live for ten to fourteen years. The elf owls are now in danger because of the loss of habitat. Cutting down trees will result in lack of places for them to live in.

21. According to the first two paragraphs, the elf owl may______.

   A. live in Mexico in winter

   B. have yellow wings

   C. have big and dark eyes

   D. build its nest in trees

22. What can we learn from the text?

   A. The female elf owl lays one egg at a time

   B. The elf owl can live no longer than six years

   C. The elf owl sleeps at night and searches for food during the daytime

   D. The female elf owl provides her young with food for three to four weeks

23. What is a characteristic of the elf owl?

   A. It prefers to live in cages

   B. It has a gentle character

   C. It is not good at climbing

   D. It is most active during the day

24. Where can we most probably find the text?

   A. In a science fiction

   B. In a tourist guide

   C. On a shopping website

   D. In a wildlife magazine

Every year, billions of kilograms of fresh produce are wasted in the United States. Meanwhile, millions of poor Americans go hungry, without access to healthy and affordable meals.

Evan Lutz is enthusiastic about correcting that social injustice. And he combines that goal with enthusiasm for business, Lutz is CEO and founder of Hungry Harvest, a business which collects and sells “ugly” produce. These are fruits and vegetables that most food companies would throw away. More than six billion pounds are wasted each year due to surface imperfections.

So I’ll give you an example.” Lutz says, “ If you go to a grocery store you will see all the produce lineup shiny, perfect, of the same size and color. But on a farm, everything doesn’t grow the same way. So all that stuff that doesn’t grow the same way often gets thrown out. And what we do is take all that normally gets thrown out because of its odd size or shape, box it up and deliver it to our customers once a week.”

For Evan Lutz, giving back to others came from his upbringing.

“When I was growing up my parents taught me the values of giving back, and giving is a lot more powerful than receiving. We sell produce with a purpose and that doesn’t just mean we reduce food from going to waste. We lire people that were formerly in prison or were formerly injured or sick living in homeless shelters. They really wanted to get back on their feet for a second chance in life.”

Evan Lutz is really happy to be realizing great mission that he thinks can really revolutionize the food industry in America.

25. The social injustice in Paragraph 2 refers to the fact that_______.

   A. vegetables and fruits that don’t taste good get wasted.

   B. much produce gets wasted while many Americans starve

   C. grocery stores only sell produce of the same size

   D. poor Americans can not afford healthy food

26. What business does Hungry Harvest mainly do?

   A. Deliver food for free

   B. Raise money for the poor

   C. Collect “ugly” produce and sell it.

   D. Buy “ugly” produce and process it.

27. Why does Evan Lutz hire those people mentioned in Paragraph 5?

   A. To lower labor costs    B To increase productivity

   C. To offer them a job     D. To enjoy a better reputation

28. What can be a suitable title for the passage?

   A. Creating More Jobs for the Less Fortunate

   B. Putting Healthy Food on Dinner Table

   C. Making Profits from Shiny Produce

   D. Giving Unused Produce a Purpose

As the train started to move, I looked around in the car from my seat. Small bags hung from the luggage shelves, swinging from side to side along with the moving of the train. The lights were weak. The smells of oils, sweat, tobacco, socks and toilets filled the car. The window curtains seemed to have been picked up from a garbage can.   Black and yellow marks dotted them. The wooden edge of the window by my seat had come. Black and yellow marks dotted them. The wooden edge of the window by my seat had come off and was oily like a butcher’s counter. Brown and dry apple bites, bread bits and melon seeds mixed with beer out of the can lay on the small table in front of me, so was a used newspaper beside one used chopstick

    I looked down. Five or six passengers sat on the floor, and one child even lay under a seat, sticking his feet out. Moving around the car would become a disaster. Even a brilliant ballet dancer on her tiptoe might find it hard to put her feet on. Most of those sitting on the floor were asleep, or half-sleep. From time to time they opened their eyes , taking a look at their luggage, and moved their bodies to keep their territory( 领地)inviolate.

There were also noses. There was laughter and arguments of four men in their poker game. Two women, standing beside quarreled. A boy, excited, blew his whistles hard. An old lady seemed t lecture her grandson, who tore a hole in his trousers.

Suddenly, the train came to a stop. An apple flew away from a hanging bad, bounced off a woman’s shoulder, and hit the head of a man sitting on the floor. Bottles were broken. Swearing, crying and shouting all came into an explosion

29. Which of the following can best describe the environment on the train?

   A. Warm, comfortable but noisy

   B. Messy, dirty and crowded

   C. Quiet, harmonious but smelly

   D. Bright, busy and pleasant.

30. What did the author see o n the coach?

   A. A ballet dancer standing on the floor

   B. A table shaped like a butcher’s counter

   C. A newspaper and a chopstick lying on the table

   D. The train curtains picked up from a trash can

31. How does the author develop the passage?

   A. By describing real scenes

   B. By following space order

   C. By comparing different behaviors

   D. By following time order.

When people find out that I am a journalist, they often ask me: What do you think about the future of newspapers?

I tell them that I think the future of communications is moving online. People expect me to be fearful for the future of print. After all, in some people’s minds I wouldn’t be able to build a career in journalism if it all moves online. However, strangely enough, I’m actually comforted by the fact that online journalism is becoming usual. I am a blogger who has always been able to find a home for my writing online

Since I began writing blogs, I have become aware of how many people you can reach with online writing. Compare this to the newspapers circulation base, and you will have a strong reason for online journalism.

In her successful blog post titled The Job I have spent the last year learning is not the one I will have, author Jenny Surane states, “Print is an expensive product to love. And general managers, publishers and editors must now figure out a profitable way to get their news into readers’ heads,” She goes on to state that people don’t feel like picking up a newspaper now and would rather scroll(滚屏)through their Twitter feed, and get new from many different sources.

If print is dying, then a new form of communicating information is being born. The need for information has not died. If anything, it has increased. What has died, rather, is the way in which information is presented.

Now more than ever, in this age of information, there is a desire for stories on the same topic from different points of view. The printing industry can keep pace with the need of providing a variety of sources, if it chooses to.

Now more than ever, in this age of information, there is a desire for stories on the same topic from different points of view. The printing industry can keep pace with the need of providing a variety of sources, if it chooses to.

Is the future of print grim? Maybe. But is the future of journalism of communicating information to people, grim as well? Definitely not.

32. According to Paragraph 2, the author feels______

   A. confident about the future of his career

   B. worried about the future of print

   C. tired of being a newspaper journalist

   D. embarrassed about online writing

33. What information is conveyed in Jenny’s blog post?

   A. Twitter is not very popular

   B. It is hard to manage online journalism

   C. Print still has its own advantages

   D. People have more options to get information

34. What does the underlined word “grim” in the last paragraph probably mean?

   A. Promising    B. Depressing

   C. Unforgiving   D. Encouraging

35. What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?

   A. To explore the future of journalism

   B. To analyze the cause of print decline

   C. To explain the bright future of a journalist

   D. To introduce a successful blog post about print

Conflict Resolution(解决)

Conflict is a normal part of any healthy relationship. After all, two people can’t be expected to agree on everything all the time.  36

Conflicts may be resolved in positive or negative ways. When they’re handled in a positive way, they provide an opportunity to strengthen the bond.  37  The following is a practical five-step process for conflict resolution

◆Agree that you disagree. Make clear the issue that is causing the disagreement. Answer the question “What is this disagreement about?”

◆Take turns talking and listening. Use talking and listening skills to have a conversation about the problem. 38 Each person should also have an opportunity to listen to the other person’s point of view.

◆Restate what you hear. Reflect what the other person says to figure out his or her thought and feelings. 39___

◆Come up with a solution. Think of ideas that may solve the problem. You both should agree on the solution you choose.

◆  40  If you are unable or unwilling to reach a solution, contact an unbiased(无偏见的)person who can offer objective and practical suggestions.

A. Get outside help if you need it

B. State your point of view to others

C. Ask questions if you don’t understand

D. But when mismanaged, they can damage a relationship

E. Each person should have an opportunity to say what he thinks

F. Learning how to resolve conflicts helps relationships run more smoothly

G. And when handled in a respectful way, they contribute to the relationship.