Camels are large animals living in dry areas. There are two species of camels; the Arabian camel with a single hump(驼背) from the dry desert areas of West Asia, and the Bactrian camel with two humps from Central and East Asia. Camels are over 7 feet tall and weigh over 1,600 pounds. They will live up to 40 to 50 years. Most camels are domesticated(驯化) and fed by people. Camels are plant-eaters．
Camels are very strong animals with wide, padded feet. They have thick leathery pads on their knees and chest. Camels have nostrils(鼻孔) that can open and close, protecting them from the desert environment. Bushy eyebrows and two rows of long eyelashes protect their eyes from sand. Their mouth is extremely tough, allowing camels to eat thorny(带刺的) desert plants. Their widened feet help them move without sinking into the sand. Their thick coats reflect sunlight, and also protect them from the intense heat from desert sand. Their long legs help by keeping them further from the hot ground.
Camels can go without food and water for 3 to 4 days. They do not store water in their humps as is commonly believed．The humps are actually a container of fat. Camels are incredibly well-adapted to their environment. When conditions heat up, camels can increase their own body temperature, which prevents sweating and therefore water loss. They may not sweat at all during the day.
Camels are sometimes called “ships of the desert” because people ride them around the hot, dry deserts of the world. However, the number of camels is becoming smaller for various reasons.
1.According to the passage, camels usually live in ________.
A. Asia B. Africa
C. America D. Australia
2.Paragraph 2 is mainly about ________.
A. camels are useful animals
B. camels are clever animals
C. camels’ body structure and function
D. camels’ characteristics and habits
3.The reason why camels lose little water in deserts is that they ________.
A. get water from green foods
B. can adjust their temperature
C. store enough water in the humps
D. can manage without water
4.What will the author probably talk about following the last paragraph?
A. Ways to protect camels.
B. Habitats of camels.
C. Reasons for raising camels.
D. Functions of camels.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Instagram is containing so many photos of food — now a pop-up diner in London is taking advantage of this new trend by letting people settle the bill for their meals simply by uploading photos of their dishes to social networks.
I always thought people's taking pictures of their food was kind of silly, but at this new pop-up restaurant in the UK, I'd probably do it too. The Picture House' is the world's first pay-by-photo restaurant—you order, click a photo of the food, share on Instagram and eat for free!
The restaurant belongs to frozen food giant (巨人) Birds Eye, who came up with the idea to cash in on people's addiction to photographing food and sharing the pictures online. They conducted a survey and found that more than half of the British population regularly took pictures of their meals. So they realized it was a better way to advertise their new dining range.
The pop-up diner was open in Soho, London for three days in May, and is now moving to other major UK cities. They serve two-course meals that customers don't have to pay for, if they photo and Instagram it.
The restaurant is a part of Birds Eye's ‘Food for Life' campaign, a new marketing project that aims at changing the way people look at frozen food. "Taking photos of food enables people to show off and to share their mealtime moments—from the everyday to the special," said marketing director Margaret Jobling.
The reaction to The Picture House has been great so far. And the pay-by-picture concept has proven to be an effective way. Alternative payment methods are actually gaining popularity among a lot of businesses. Last year, in a cafe in Germany customers paid by how much time they spend there, not by what they eat.
1.Instagram probably is ________.
A．a restaurant free of charge
B．a program used to share photos
C．a new marketing project
D．a campaign of “Food for Life”
2.“The Picture House” encourages sharing photos of its food to ________.
A．create a new social media trend
B．raise the price of frozen food
C．attract more customers
D．reward the regular customers
3.Which of the following can serve as the best title for the passage?
A．No Need to Pay B．The Pop-up Diner
C．Food for Life D．Pay by Picture
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
We all know what a brain is. A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head. It controls our body’s functions, movements, emotions and thoughts. But a brain can mean so much more.
A brain can also simply be a smart person. If a person is called brainy, she is smart and intelligent. If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say “She’s the brains in the family.” And if you are the brains behind something, you are responsible for developing or organizing it. For example, Bill Gates is the brains behind Microsoft.
Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice. Word experts say the phrase “brain trust” became popular when Franklin D. Roosevelt first ran for president in 1932. Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues facing the U.S. These professors were called his “brain trust.”
These ways we use the word “brain” all make sense. But other ways we use the word are not so easy to understand. For example, to understand the next brain expression, you first need to know the word “drain”. As a verb, to drain means to remove something by letting it flow away. So a brain drain may sound like a disease where the brain flows out the ears. But, a brain drain is when a country’s most educated people leave their countries to live in another. The brains are, sort of, draining out of the country.
However, if people are responsible for a great idea, you could say they brainstormed it. Here, brainstorm is not an act of weather. It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic. For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems.
If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean. To brainwash means to make someone accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way. Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way.
1.Why did Roosevelt successfully win the election according to the passage?
A．Because word experts were popular.
B．Because he got his brain trust.
C．Because he was smart at giving advice.
D．Because he was the brains behind Americans.
2.According to the text, if you’re the CEO of Bai Du you can be called ________.
A．the organ of Bai Du
B．the brain drain of Bai Du
C．the brains behind Bai Du
D．Bai Du’s brain trust
3.Which of the following expressions is always used in a negative way?
A．Brainstorm. B．Brain trust. C．Brainwash. D．Brain drain.
4.What’s the main idea of this article？
A．The origin of the word “brain”.
B．The word “brain” and its stories.
C．What is the brain.
D．The difference between “brain trust” and “brainwash”.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
A Japanese telecom company has released a robot that it says has emotions. But rather than run in fear from it, we’ve welcomed it into our homes: Pepper, the “emotional robot,” sold out within a minute of going on sale.
Created by Aldebaran Robotics and Japanese mobile giant SoftBank, Pepper went on sale to the general public in Japan June 20. It is “the first humanoid(类人的) robot designed to live with humans,” Aldebaran says on its website. Pepper costs about ＄1,600. And like all good mobile products, there’s a ＄120 per month data fee, as well as an ＄80 per month damage insurance fee. According to a news release, Pepper can pick up on human emotions and create his own using a “multi-layer neural(神经的) network.” Pepper’s touch sensors and cameras are said to influence its mood, which is displayed on the tablet-sized screen on its chest.
Pepper will sigh when unhappy, and can go around your house recording your family’s daily activity. Aldebaran says Pepper can feel “joy, surprise, anger, doubt and sadness,” but it doesn’t say how strongly it can feel these emotions. What happens when Pepper is having a bad day? Will it, like many humans, become uncooperative? Will it ask for some time alone? What happens if it figures out that its purpose in life is just to engage in small talk? Thankfully, Pepper is only about four feet tall, with roller balls instead of legs, so if it is angry with and even turns on its owners, you’ll be safe if you can make it upstairs.
Aldebaran says in reality, they’re probably quite a few decades away from artificial intelligence that could generate real emotions. Aldebaran wasn’t immediately available for comment on when Pepper will be available outside of Japan, but additional sales are scheduled for July after the first 1,000 units sell out. SoftBank currently uses the robots in its stores as greeters, and it plans to offer Pepper to other stores in the future. Hopefully “boredom” is not an emotion Pepper can feel.
1.According to the author, Pepper ________.
A．is very popular among customers
B．can not only run but also show fear
C．is going to be sold all over the world
D．can deal with many kinds of housework
2.How much do you need to pay for Pepper’s data and damage insurance fee each year?
A．80 dollars. B．120 dollars.
C．1,440 dollars. D．2,400 dollars.
3.Pepper’s height and roller balls are mentioned to ________.
A．introduce its appearance
B．tell Pepper won’t get angry
C．show that safety isn’t a big issue
D．explain robots have strong emotions
4.What can we infer from the last paragraph?
A．Pepper cannot produce real emotions.
B．Pepper can feel joy, surprise and boredom.
C．Pepper will be sold in other countries next year.
D．Pepper is being used as waiters in some restaurants.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有两项为多余选项。
The Science of Risk-Seeking
Sometimes We decide that a little unnecessary danger is worth it because when we weigh the risk and the reward, the risk seems worth taking.1.Some of us enjoy activities that would surprise and scare the rest of us. Why? Experts say it may have to do with how our brains work.
The reason why any of us take any risks at all might have to do with early humans. Risk-takers were better at hunting, fighting, or exploring. 2.As the quality of Risk-taking was passed from on generation to the next, humans ended up with a sense of adventure and a tolerance for risk.
So why aren’t we all jumping out of airplanes then? Well, even 200,000 years ago, too much risk-taking could get one killed. A few daring survived, though, along with a few stay-in-the-cave types. As a result, humans developed a range of character types that still exists today. So maybe you love car racing, or maybe you hate it. 3.
No matter where you are on the risk-seeking range, scientists say that your willingness to take risks increases during your teenage years. 4. To help you do that, your brain increases your hunger for new experiences. New experiences often mean taking some risks, so your brain raises your tolerance for risk as well.
5. For the risk-seekers, a part of the brain related to pleasure becomes active, while for the rest of us, a part of the brain related to fear becomes active.
As experts continue to study the science of risk-seeking, we’ll continue to hit the mountains, the waves or the shallow end of the pool.
A．It all depends on your character.
B．Those are the risks you should jump to take.
C．Being better at those things meant a greater chance of survival.
D．Thus, these well-equipped people survived because they were the fittest.
E．This is when you start to move away from your family and into the bigger world.
F．However, we are not all using the same reference standard to weigh risks and rewards.
G．New brain research suggests our brains work differently when we face a nervous situation.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
When I was 13 my only purpose was to become the star on our football team. That meant _________ Miller King, who was the best _________ at our school.
Football season started in September and all summer long I worked out. I carried my football everywhere for _________ .
Just before September, Miller was struck by a car and lost his right arm. I went to see him after he came back from _________ . He looked very _________ , but he didn’t cry.
That season, I _________ all of Miller’s records while he _________ the home games from the bench. We went 10-1 and I was named most valuable player, _________ I often had crazy dreams in which I was to blame for Miller’s _________ .
One afternoon, I was crossing the field to go home and saw Miller _________ going over a fence—which wasn’t _________ to climb if you had both arms. I’m sure I was the last person in the world he wanted to accept _________ from. But even that challenge he accepted. I _________ him move slowly over the fence. When we were finally _________ on the other side, he said to me, “You know, I didn’t tell you this during the season, but you did _________ . Thank you for filling in for _________ .”
His words freed me from my bad _________ . I thought to myself, how even without an arm he was more of a leader. Damaged but not defeated, he was _________ ahead of me. I was right to have _________ him. From that day on, I grew _________ and a little more real.
1.A．cheering for B．beating out C．relying on D．staying with
2.A．coach B．student C．teacher D．player
3.A．practice B．show C．comfort D．pleasure
4.A．school B．vacation C．hospital D．training
5.A．pale B．calm C．relaxed D．ashamed
6.A．held B．broke C．set D．tried
7.A．reported B．judged C．organized D．watched
8.A．and B．then C．but D．thus
9.A．decision B．mistake C．accident D．sacrifice
10.A．stuck B．hurt C．tired D．lost
11.A．steady B．hard C．fun D．fit
12.A．praise B．advice C．assistance D．apology
13.A．let B．helped C．had D．noticed
14.A．dropped B．ready C．trapped D．safe
15.A．fine B．wrong C．quickly D．normally
16.A．us B．yourself C．me D．them
17.A．memories B．ideas C．attitudes D．dreams
18.A．still B．also C．yet D．just
19.A．challenged B．cured C．invited D．admired
20.A．healthier B．bigger C．cleverer D．cooler
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Swedish businessman Nile Bergqvist is delighted with his new hotel, the world’s first igloo(冰屋) hotel.
1. (build) in a small town, it has been attracting lots of visitors but soon the fun will be over. In two weeks’ time，Bergqvst’s ice creation 2. (be) nothing more than a pool of water. “We don’t see it as a big problem,” he says. “We just look forward to 3. (replace) it.”
Bergqvist built his first igloo in 1991 for an art exhibition. It was 4. successful that he designed the present one, 5. measures roughly 200 square meters. Six workmen spent more than eight weeks 6. (pile) 1,000 tons of snow onto a wooden base；when the snow froze, the base 7. (remove).
After their stay, all visitors receive a survival certificate recording their success. 8. no windows, nowhere to hang clothes and temperatures below 0°C, it may seem more like a survival test 9. a relaxing hotel break. “It’s great fun,” Bergqvist explains, “as well as a good start in survival training.”
The 10. (popular)of the igloo is beyond doubt：it is now attracting tourists from all over the world. At least 800 people have stayed at the igloo this season even though there are only 10 rooms.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
短文改错
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（\）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意： 1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
I’d like to share with you my progresses on study in these three years. To be honest, I was not so good at my study when I came to high school, often feel tired out and at loss. Sometimes, I am even on the point of giving up. Therefore, my change happened when my teachers and my classmates as well as came to encourage me one day in Senior Two. It was their encouragement and my own thinking that resulted in my mchievements in study final.
Still not a top student although I am now, I have found myself filled with greatly confidence to face any difficulty and challenge. There is no doubt that I am bound to fight with my dream to the end in the coming months！
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
书面表达
面对繁重的学业负担，很多学生出现了不同程度的心理和身体方面的不适。鉴于此种情况，中学生应该学会放松。假如你是中学生李华，请以“How to Relax Ourselves”为题写一篇文章给《21世纪英语报》投稿。内容包括：
1．为什么要学会自我放松；
2．自我放松的途径（如看电视、上网、体育锻炼、旅游等）；
3．你更喜欢哪种自我放松方式及原因。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．文章开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。
How to Relax Ourselves
Faced with heavy learning burdens, many of us students _____________________
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析