The great avenues are quiet, and the shops are closed. There’s the smell of fresh bread from a bakery somewhere. It would be hard to say which time of the day in Paris I prefer but this is probably it. Soon the streets will be full of people and traffic. As with most other cities, you see the real Paris when the city wakes up.

There is, however, another part of Paris which is silent and free from people 24 hours a day. Under the city are hundreds of kilometres of abandoned tunnels. During the 19^th century, Paris needed more stones for buildings above the ground, so people dug tunnels beneath the city. After that, many farmers grew mushrooms in them. During World War II, the French soldiers also used them. Since the 1970s, many young people have started spending days and nights below the city in these tunnels. It’s now a place for parties, theatre performances, art galleries – anything goes!A “normal” tourist can visit some parts of Paris’s tunnel system, such as the underground cemetery, where you can see the bones of about six million Parisians. The bodies came from cemeteries above the ground two centuries ago when the city needed more space.

    However, people are not allowed to enter other parts of the tunnel system. It’s very dangerous because some tunnels might collapse and people will be trapped below. Nevertheless, there are people who will take you to visit them. I have found two “unofficial” tour guides who take me through many tunnels. After a couple of hours we arrive at a room which isn’t on any map. The room is comfortable and clean with a table and chairs and a bed. The guide tells me there are many other places like this. “Many people come down here to party, some people to paint… We do what we want here.”

1. What is the writer’s favourite time of the day in Paris?

   A. Early morning.               B. Midday.

   C. Early evening.                D. Late night.

2. Why did French people first start digging tunnels?

   A. For many housing.                       B. For building stones.

   C. For entertainment.                           D. For growing mushrooms.

3. The underlined word “collapse” in the last paragraph in closest in meaning to     . A. disappear            B. close            C. fall down       D. blow up

4. Which of the following is the most suitable title for this passage?

   A. Tunnels under Paris                B. Travel around Paris

   C. The history of Paris                D. The best-known tourist attraction in Paris

What would you do if you saw a mountain gorilla? Most people would probably be very afraid and run away. That’s because gorillas have a very frightening appearance. Firstly, gorillas are huge. They can grow up to 2 metres tall and can weigh more than 200 kilograms (made gorillas weigh twice as much as female gorillas). Secondly, gorillas can make a lot of noise. They can roar, beat their chests and show their teeth. In fact, these angry actions are very rare and mail gorillas only do it when their families are under attack.

The truth is, gorillas are incredibly intelligent, gentle and social animals that stay together in small family groups. The leader is the largest male, and is called the silverback. That’s because of the beautiful silver fur on its back. Gorillas spend almost all their time on the forest floor, eating and sleeping. They are mainly vegetarian, although they eat some insects. Young gorillas often play together. They run around and climb trees. At night, the animals make a nest to sleep in. The lighter gorillas nest in trees, the heavier gorillas make nests on the ground and babies sleep with their mothers. Gorillas rarely attack humans. They only fight when something or someone attacks them or their young. In that situation, they will fight to the death. Hunters looking for baby gorillas may have to kill the whole family to get what they want.      

Sadly, there are fewer than 650 mountain gorillas left in the wild, which means they are an endangered animal. These gorillas only live in the mountain jungles of central Africa. They are endangered because people hunt them for food and for sport. They are also threatened by war, and humans cutting down their forests for farmland, fuel and housing. Life for these gentle giants isn’t peaceful.

5. What is a silverback according to the passage?

   A. Any gorilla with silver fur.        B. Any male gorilla in the group.

   C. The leader in the gorilla family.    D. The oldest gorilla in the group.

6. Where would you expect to find a silverback gorilla sleeping at night?

   A. In the trees.              B. On the ground.

   C. With the baby gorillas.     D. Away from the others.

7. The underline word “they” in Paragraph 2 refers to ________.

   A. fighters                      B. hunters

   C. baby gorillas                      D. gorilla families

8. What is the main purpose of the last paragraph?

   A. To describe the lifestyle of mountain gorillas.

   B. To summarize the details of the passage.

   C. To explain why mountain gorillas are endangered.

   D. To examine the behavior of mountain gorillas.

Would you give up your smartphone for free food? Starting on Monday, family-friendly Italian restaurant Salvatore’s will offer customers two meals for the price of one,   9   they put away their smartphones before taking their seats. According to the owner, Sal Lupoli, “Every diner at the table must agree   10   (hand) in their phone before eating. The phones will be stored safely and returned to   11   when their meals are finished.”

Mr Lupoli thought of   12   idea after noticing that customers “were not speaking to each other while   13   (have) dinner.”

At first look, this seems like just another restaurant promotion (促销). But it might also be a way to encourage people to focus   14   each other and their surroundings instead of putting pictures of their latest meal online. Perhaps it   15   (make) kids actually eat and talk instead of watching  another video on YouTube.

According to a recent Boston Globe article   16   examined the effects of screen time on children's brains, as little as 45 minutes of screen time per day can be   17   (harm), about the length of a typical midday meal. However, Mr Lupli has decided to provide the offer only during day time   18   he thinks most kids will go crazy without their iPads at supper time.

1.      我听说你在中学生英语演讲比赛中荣获一等奖。

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2.    我现在写信祝贺你。

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3.    你不知道我听到这个好消息时有多兴奋。

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4.    你的发音和流利的英语给我留下深刻的印象。

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5.    你可以与我分享你提高英语口语的经验吗？

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