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阅读下列短文，从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
The Owl Count
Annie slept in the front of the seat with her father drove through the darkness. ”We’re almost there!” Dad announced cheerfully. “Soon well be observing and counting owls at the state park.” Yawning， Annie nodded and smiled. The time was 4:30 a.m. Looking out into the darkness， Annie remembered learning in school that most owls are active at night，when they hunt for food. During the day they sleep in hard-to-find spots.
“Dad， why do you need to count owls?” she asked. “It’s important for the scientists to have current information about bird populations，” he explained. “We want to know which birds have decreased in number and whether any new kinds of birds are coming into a certain area. You and I will write down the kinds of birds that we see today and keep a record of how many times we see each kind. The we’ll send out a report to a scientific organization that is collecting about birds from people all over the county.”
Dad pulled into the parking lot of the state park. Then，with flashing in hand，they began their hike into the woods. Annie zipped up her coat and tried to keep from trembling. She had not expected the morning to be so frigid. Luckily her gloves were in her pocket.
Suddenly Annie’s father stooped and gestured for her to be still. Obeying，Annie did not take another step. She thought she heard a low crying up head. “That’s certainly a screech owl，” her father whispered. “Let’s get a look at it.” After looking more closely，Annie could see that it was a small owl. Sensing danger，the owl narrowed its eyes and pulled its feathers tightly against its body. Annie carefully wrote down in her notebook that they had seen a screech owl.
Walking a little farther，they came to a tall oak tree. “This looks like a perfect spot to attract owls，” Dad said. “I’m going to play a recording of common call of the barred owl. Maybe we can get one to answer.’ Annie could hardly believe her ear. The recorded all sounded as if the bird were asking，“who cooks for you?” Moments later Annie thought she heard a return call in distance. She held her breath and waited. Suddenly a huge bird landed very quietly on a branch above them.
Annie had long forgotten how cold it was. She stood in wonder，shining her flashlight on the bird and studying it carefully. The barred owl was nearly tow feet tall. Gray feathers surrounded its dark eyes. The bird did not matter. Annie would never forge the image of the powerful barred owl.
1.Why did Annie and her father go to the state park?
A． To take a hike in the woods.
B． To record the call of barred owl.
C． To collect information about birds.
D． To protect the environment for wildlife.
2.The underline word “frigid” in paragraph 3 probably means .
A． dark
B． clear
C． cold
D． nice
3.In paragraph 4，why did Annie’s father stop her suddenly?
A． He noticed a screech owl.
B． He heard somebody crying.
C． He sensed they were in danger.
D． He reminded her to take down note.
4.How did Annie feel when she saw the barred owl?
A． bored
B． Relaxed
C． Frightened
D． Amazed
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Warley Woods Community (社区) Trust
Welcome to our third newsletter of the year!
Our main activity for March is our Walk for the Woods fundraising events on Saturday，17th March，starting any time between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. We will be walking the distance between Warley Woods and Tipperary. It is indeed a long way-80 miles. The more people that you can get sponsor you，the more money we can raise to help look after our beautiful woodland. More information is available at our website.
The Sunday volunteers planted two beeches and on oak last week. This was thanks to the money fro the Big Tree Plant and to Lisa and Gordon Whitiker，whose friends gave money for the big trees instead of for their wedding presents. Thanks to everyone who took part.
There were 15 volunteers at the Oral History Training Day which was led by vey ably by Julia Letts. The group will be meeting again and will start to interview the local people who have offered to tell their stories. We are happy to hear from others who would like to be interviewed about their memories of the Woods for the project. If you or anyone you know is interested，please call Viv Cole at the office. This project is financed by Heritage Lottery Fund.
There was a huge response to the Forest Schools activities held at half term. These will be held again during the Easter holidays on the following dates: 4th April from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. for over 8s. On 12th April form 10 a.m. to 12 noon，there will be a Teddy Bears’ Picnic for the under 8s. All these must be booked in advance.
Finally，don’t forget the Easter Egg Roll on Bank Holiday，9th April，staring at 11 a.m. Bring your own hard-boiled and decorated egg to roll down the hill in the woods. The first past the finishing line will win a large chocolate egg! This year，due to popular demand，there will also be an Adults’ Easter Egg Roll following the children’s competition.
We look forward to seeing you all soon，at one of our many events.
1.Which of the following will be on 9th April?
A． Walk for the Woods
B． Teddy Bears’ Picnic
C． The Easter Egg Roll
D． The Oral History Training Day
2.Heritage Lottery Fund provides money to
A． help look after the wood land
B． collect stories about the community
C． hold activities for the Forest Schools
D． organize the Easter holiday competition
3.The passage is written to
A． inform people of the coming events
B． encourage people to work as volunteers
C． invite people to take part in the competition
D． tell people about some famous organization
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Indoor Plants
As with any house guests，indoor plants require a certain amount of basic，regular attention if they are going to feel at home. The first consideration when purchasing plants is to make reasonably sure that they are suitable for the condition in which they are going to be housed.
A general rule for most plans being brought indoors for the first time is to ensure that they have reasonable temperature of not less than 60 degrees Fahrenheit，a position out of cold air，safe from pets and not exposed to strong sunlight.
Plants love company. When plants are growing together，they create an atmosphere of damp around themselves which is far more beneficial than hot dry conditions. A group of plants will also present a more pleasing picture and provide an opportunity for a creative arrangement. There is no secret to this. Just rely on your natural feeling for harmony.
Watering and feeding plants are probably the two areas of care that are the least well understood，but，again，if you follow a few simple rules，your plants should do well. Cold Slightly warm water is therefore the answer. It is usually better to pour water on to the soil on the surface of the pot rather than put the water into the pot holder at the bottom. Avoid giving small amount of water at regular intervals- it is much better to wet the soil right through the pot in one go and then to allow it to dry noticeably before giving it a further watering.
The majority of indoor plants will be in active growth from March until October，and during this time，the established ones will benefit from regular feeding. This may mean feeding with a weak liquid fertilizer(肥料) at each watering or at intervals of a week or ten days with fertilizer at a standard strength. It is important，however，to ensure that plants are not fed when growth is inactive，when the soil in the pot is dry，or too soon after the plants has been potted up.
1.In Paragraph 2，the author mainly tells us to___________.
A． but plants that help clean indoor air
B． create a new environment with plants
C． put plants on the sunny side of the room
D． make sure of suitable conditions for plants
2.What’s the benefit of plants growing together?
A． It provides owners good company.
B． It helps the air around them slightly wet.
C． It makes it convenient to look after them.
D． It allows owners to draw a pleasant picture.
3.While watering the plants，what should we remember to do?
A． Use water that is a little warm.
B． Pour the water into the pot holder.
C． Give small amount of water at one time.
D． Consider further watering in dry weather.
4.What is the best time to feed the plants?
A． When the soil is dry.
B． When their growth is active.
C． When the temperature is high.
D． When they have just been planted.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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As people have accurately observed，smiles are absent from early photographs. In 1852，for instance，a girl sat for her Daguerrotype，her head slightly turned，giving the camera an unsmiling look. She is preserved forever as a very serious girl indeed. Charles Darwin，a loving and playful parent，looks frozen in photographs. Why did our ancestors，from unknown sitters for family portraits(肖像画) to the great and famous，because so sad in front of the camera?
The severity is everywhere in Victorian photographs. However，you don’t have to look very long at these unsmiling old photos to see how incomplete the seemingly obvious answer is-that they are freezing their faces in order to keep still for the long exposure times. In Julia Margaret Cameron’s Portrait of Tennyson，the poet dreams，his face a shadowed mask of genius. This is not simply a technique. It’s an emotional choice.
People in the past did not go around in a continual state of sorrow. In fact，the Victorians had a sense of humor even about the darkest aspects of their society. Laughter was not just common in the past but accepted by society far more than it is today，from medieval carnivals(中世纪狂欢节) to Georgian print shops，where people gathered to look at the latest funnies. Far from preventing festivals and fun，the Victorians，who invented photography，also created Christmas as a celebration as it is today. So the severity of people in the 19th-century photographs cannot be the evidence of generalized sadness. This was not a society in permanent desperation. Instead，the true answer has to do with attitudes to portraiture itself.
People who sat for early photographs understood it as a significant moment. Sitting for the camera was cheaper，quicker and meant that people who never had a chance to be painted could now be photographed; but people seemed to have taken it seriously in the same way they would be a painted portrait. Like a portrait painting，it was intended as a timeless record of a person.
To me those unsmiling people probably had as much fun as we do，if not more. But they felt no need to prove it with pictures. Instead，when whey sat for a photograph，they thought about time，death and memory. Perhaps we should stop smiling sometimes，too.
1.What do we know about the people in Victorian times?
A． They laid importance on religious events.
B． They were skillful at portrait painting.
C． They valued their family life.
D． They enjoyed themselves.
2.The author mentions Portrait of Tennyson in Paragraph 2 to__________.
A． prove a theory
B． support his opinion
C． introduce a painting
D． describe a technique
3.The author thinks early people look frozen in old photos because____．
A． they lived in a traditional society
B． they had to stay still for a long time
C． they regarded photography important
D． they held negative views about painting
4.What is the author’s attitude towards people not smiling in old photos?
A． Skeptical.
B． Critical.
C． Neutral.
D． Positive.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
