The bristlecone pine is the longest-living thing on the earth. These trees, with their strangely-shaped, wind-beaten limbs(枝干), can live up to 5,000 years. But experts worry that a warming climate in some areas may threaten its future.
Researchers say warmer weather is permitting a similar kind of tree, the limber pine, to take over good growing places from the ancient bristlecone. They say the tree is being crowded out of mountainous areas where it grows.
“The bristlecone pine is the oldest individually growing organism,” researchers say. They grow in high mountain forests in eastern California, Nevada and Utah. In those mountains, the trees face high winds and extreme temperatures, which leave them with twisted limbs and shapes. “Even in such tough conditions,” Brian Smithers, a researcher at the University of California, said, “the limber pine is taking all the good spots.”
The limber pine is the bristlecone’s distant relative and competitor. It can also live a long time——up to 2,000 years. And it is usually found at lower altitudes, where temperatures are warmer. However, according to a three-year study which centered on trees that have started growing in the last 50 years in California’s White Mountains, most of the trees growing at higher altitudes were limber pines.
Scientists compared the competing species to two o1d men in a very slow race up a mountainside. This race between such slow-growing trees takes thousands of years. They say climate change is causing the competition.
Smithers said the bristlecone pines are not in danger of disappearing. But he assumes they could be crowded out of some places where they have grown for thousands of years.
The researchers say the findings show how climate change can affect the two kinds of trees. The information, they say, can help scientists understand more complex forests.
1.What’s the function of Paragraph 1?
A. To introduce a topic. B. To summarize the whole passage.
C. To describe the appearance of a tree. D. To praise the hard work of the experts.
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. There will be older trees sent out of those mountains.
B. There will be more places covered with bristlecone pines.
C. There will be better limber pines replacing the ancient ones.
D. There will be fewer bristlecone pines growing in those areas.
3.According to the passage, the reason why limber pines can grow at higher altitudes is_________.
A. the high winds B. the difficult conditions
C. the changing climate D. the extreme temperatures
4.What is the researchers’ attitude towards the future of the bristlecone pine?
A. Positive. B. Concerned.
C. Enthusiastic. D. Indifferent.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom when the door burst open．It was her mother，Leigh williams，with a frightening and incredible story，“A little boy fell into a septic tank(化粪池)，and no one can reach him．”Then she made this request of her 13-year-o1d daughter，“Can you help?”
Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard，where they found the boy’s anxious mother and other adults surrounding a septic tank opening．The opening was only slightly wider than a basketball．The boy，who was only two years o1d，had slipped in and was drowning in four feet of waste water inside the tank．
Madison quickly surveyed the situation．She was the only one who could fit through the small ho1e．Without hesitation，she got on her stomach next to the opening，placed her arms out in front of her，and told the adults，“Lower me in．”
Leigh and others held her waist and legs．“I wiggled(扭动)my arms and shoulders until I got through the opening，”Madison said．Inside，the tank was dark，and the air disgusting．Madison jammed her left wrist against a pole，injuring the muscles in her wrist and arm so severely that the hand seemed useless．Madison shot her good hand out and grasped the boy’s foot tightly．“Pull me up!”she shouted to the others above．
As they were pulled to the surface，the boy’s free foot got stuck under the inside lip of the opening．“Lower me down!”she yelled．“I had to wiggle his foot until it was free，”she told Reader’s Digest．Then，ten minutes after Madison had entered the tank，she and the boy were lifted out．
“Madison’s a hero，”Holley，one of her neighbors said “What other teenage girl is going to voluntarily go into a septic tank?”
1.Madison was asked to help the boy because________．
A. she was brave enough to help the boy
B. she knew how to survey the situation
C. she could fit through the small hole to get the boy
D. she was willing to help others in trouble
2.According to the text，we can learn that__________．
A. the boy’s mother was too scared to rescue her son
B. a boy was trapped when reaching for his basketball
C. Madison Williams was choked in the disgusting air
D. the two kids got out of danger with the aid of the adults
3.Which might be the main idea of the passage?
A. A boy fell into a septic tank．
B. A mother requested her daughter to save a boy．
C. A neighbor helped a girl out of trouble．
D. A girl rescued a little boy from a septic tank．
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
“An Uber self-driving car hit and killed a woman crossing the street in Arizona，U．S．，”police said on Monday，marking the first death caused by an autonomous vehicle and a potential blow to the technology expected to transform transportation．
The ride services company said it was delaying North American tests of its self-driving vehicles，which are currently going on in Arizona，Pittsburgh and Toronto．
So-called robot cars，when fully developed by companies including Uber，are expected to thoroughly cut down on motor vehicle deaths and create billion-dollar businesses．But Monday’s accident highlighted (凸显)the possible challenges ahead for the promising technology as the cars face real-world situations involving real people．
“This catastrophic accident highlights why we need to be exceptionally cautious when testing and applying autonomous vehicle technologies to public roads，”said Edward Markey， a member of the transportation committee，in a statement．
“Elaine Herzberg，49，was walking her bicycle outside the crosswalk on a four-lane road in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe at about 10 p．m． MST Sunday when she was struck by the Uber vehicle traveling at about 65 kilometers per hour，”police said．The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel．U．S． federal safety officials were sending teams to investigate the crash．Canada’s transportation ministry in Ontario，where Uber conducts testing，also said it was reviewing the accident．
“Uber and Waymo on Friday urged Congress to pass a law to speed the introduction of self-driving cars into the united states．However，some congressional(国会的)representatives have blocked the legislation over safety concerns，and Monday’s death could hamper passage of the bill，”congressional assistants said Monday．
1.According to the passage，which is the effect of the accident of the woman’s being killed?
A. People will be cautious while crossing a road．
B. The woman’s family will obtain a billion dollars．
C. The process of transforming transportation will be affected．
D. Self-driving vehicles will cut down on motor vehicles deaths．
2.The underlined word“hamper”in Paragraph 6 most probably mean_________．
A. make B. prevent
C. start D. accelerate
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To arouse the public concerns over a self-driving safety．
B. To remind car producers to be more careful when testing vehicles technology．
C. To advise the Congress to pass a law to speed self-driving cars test in the U．S．
D. To urge the U．S．federal safety regulators to take measures to look into the accident．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It’s shopping season，which means pulling those credit and debit cards(借记卡)out of your wallet，entering your digits online—the holidays provide identity thieves with countless opportunities to cheat．1.As the Equifax security breach exposed the personal information—including birth dates，credit card numbers，and Social Security numbers．
1，Protect your Social Security number．
2.Of its nine digits，the first three are tied to where you lived，the next two are a group number within that geographical location，and the last four are your serial number．Since it’s not that hard for a criminal to figure out where you were born，it’s really only those last four digits that stand between you and all the problems you’re trying to avoid．So guard your number with your life．
2，Strengthen all your log-in information．
If your passwords and the answers to your reminder questions are easy enough for a thief to guess，then your secure accounts aren’t secure at all. The stealing of Social Security numbers has become such a concern that Medicare has introduced new ID cards for senior citizens that omit the numbers．If you believe that your Social Security number has been compromised，you can change it．3.“They should be ascomplicated as each site’s system can bear and never fewer than 12 characters，”says Richard Roszko，a computer engineer．
3，Lock up your phone．
Always keep your device locked and use a strong，long pass code．Those annoying software updates often address new security issues，so don’t skip them． And don’t let Apps save your passwords．You’ll need two“keys”to access those accounts—usually a password and a security code．You receive the code in a text，an e mail，or a phone call from the App you’re trying to access．So if you’re the one trying to access the account(on，say，your sister’s laptop)，you’ll be fine．4.
4， 5.
Using debit cards for online shopping is a double serving of daring fate．You’re hurt not only because you’re shopping online but also because when a debit card is stolen，you may be out of luck．“If a credit card is hacked(非法侵入)，you owe zero dollars on the fraud，but if your debit card gets hacked，the money is drained(取光)from your account．”
A. Don’t pay with a debit card．
B. That’s an especially big concern this year．
C. Change your password as often as possible．
D. Your Social Security number is not as secure as you would hope．
E. Experts suggest that you have a unique password for every one of your online accounts．
F. But if it’s a thief without your phone，he or she won’t receive the code and will be locked out．
G. As for your password reminder questions，avoid using what could be found by the thieves on the media．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It was the day before my daughter's birthday. I'd just collected her from preschool when she cautioned me to________the elderly person walking across the car park. l was struck by her________and had no idea how much she really________it.
The following day--her birthday-we decided to buy cupcakes for her. After we________the cupcakes, Norah was busy standing up in the trolley(手推车),________waving and happily declaring, "Hi, old person! It's my birthday today!"________I could stop her calling him an old person, the stone-faced man________to hen His expression softened as he replied, "Well, hello, little lady! And how old are you today? "They________for a few minutes, he wished her a happy birthday, and we went our________ways. A few minutes later, Norah asked me if she could take a________with the old man. I agreed. We found the man a couple of shelves over, and I approached him. When I told him Norah's________, his expression changed from________to shocked finally to delighted. He took a step back, steadied himself on his shopping trolley, and________his free hand on his chest. "A photo? With me?" he asked. "Yes, Sir, for my birthday!" Norah begged. And so he did. I________my iPhone, and they posed together. Norah placed her soft hand on top of his hand. He wordlessly stared at her with________eyes as she kept his hand in hers. I asked his name, and he told us to call him Dan. We were________other shoppers, but they didn't care. There was________happening in the supermarket that day, and we could all sense it.
That afternoon I________the story and a photo of the two of them on the Facebook. Later that night, I received a private________from a local reader who recognized Mr. Dan. He told me Dan's wife had passed away six months earlier and he wanted to let me know that he was certain Dan's heart was touched by my little girl and Dan would never forget that________with my daughter.
1.A. spot B. delay C. mind D. stop
2.A. selflessness B. carefulness C. loneliness D. thoughtfulness
3.A. meant B. ended C. proved D. showed
4.A. kept up B. picked up C. turned up D. put up
5.A. excitedly B. disappointedly C. calmly D. anxiously
6.A. After B. Before C. Since D. Until
7.A. turned B. referred C. appealed D. walked
8.A. hesitated B. chatted C. rested D. waited
9.A. regular B. single C. separate D. natural
10.A. picture B. walk C. rest D. break
11.A. dream B. command C. request D. suggestion
12.A. nervous B. upset C. confused D. impatient
13.A. reached B. placed C. touched D. patted
14.A. pulled out B. put down C. turned off D. glanced at
15.A. glaring B. twinkling C. sharp D. big
16.A. blocking B. delaying C. preventing D. interrupting
17.A. discount B. magic C. incident D. embarrassment
18.A. posted B. wrote C. read D. printed
19.A. note B. gift C. message D. report
20.A. connection B. combination C. construction D. contribution
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空
Last spring，Fiona Presley，a library assistant from Scottish Highlands came across a surprising phenomenon she would never forget．While taking care of her garden，she1.(spot)a bumblebee(大黄蜂)queen crawling around．What surprised her most was that the animal had no wings，2.made it unable to fly．The bumblebee may have been affected by a virus in wing development．The insect had very slim3.(chance)of survival，but this kind-hearted woman came to the rescue．
Fiona created a beautiful mini garden for the helpless animal and treated it4.some sugar water．When it was sunny．Fiona took it out for5.walk and protected the insect from heavy rain by taking it indoors．Soon enough the beautiful friendship unfolded between6.(they)．Every time Fiona stopped by the garden，her tiny new friend would turn up7.(greet)her．The bee cuddled(依偎)with the woman and seemed to light up when Fiona was holding it in her hands．
The earth bumblebees have an average lifespan of only 18 weeks， 8.Fiona was taking care of her new friend so well that it lived much longer． 9.(sad)，the friendship couldn’t last forever since the bee eventually passed away， 10. (leave)a beautiful memory to its rescuer．
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假如你是李华，你将代表你的学校给来自加利福尼亚的学生作一个关于中国传统文化的演讲。请你用英语写一篇演讲稿，主要内容如下：
1．中国传统文化丰富多样；
2．具体列举一例及其活动。
注意：1．词数80左右；
2．可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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难度: 中等查看答案及解析
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
It was somewhere between spring and summer，my mom and I were driving through the countryside．Back then，I was 13 years old，and always felt unhappy with Morn．But little did I know that this trip was going to be a special one．
A pot of flowers sat in the back seat，whose heavenly scent filled the car．
Suddenly，in the middle of nowhere，my mom pulled over．“What are you doing?”I cried，fearing that the car had broken down and we’d be stuck there，so far from home．But that wasn’t the case．My mom hopped out of the car，grabbing the flowers from the back seat．“It’ll just be a minute，”she called back through the open windows．
My eyes impatiently skimmed the edge of the road before settling on a little sign showing that it was a nursing home．I looked back to the building，somewhat annoyed，as my mom reappeared—empty-handed．
Before she started the car，curiosity drove me to ask，“Do you know someone there?”She shook her head．“Then what did you do with the flowers?”She smiled slightly，“I gave them to the receptionist．”“What?”She laughed at my confusion．“I told the receptionist to give the flowers to whoever needed them，especially who hasn’t gotten any in a while．”
I kept silent for a moment．Not long after we continued our driving，I spoke again，“Did you leave your name?”To this she answered instantly，“No．Leaving flowers there for someone who will appreciate them makes me feel good，which is enough of a thank for me．”
Suddenly，still thinking about Mom’s deeds，I heard something burst loudly．It was our car that broke down!Nothing could be worse，because neither my mom nor I understood how to repair it，and we didn’t know where the garage was．It also seemed impossible to wait for any passer-by，since we had seen so few along the way．
注意：1．所续写的短文的词数应为150左右；
2．至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4．续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
We were worrying about what could be done．_______________________________________________
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Paragraph 2：
As we drove along，a flower shop came into sight_____________________________________________
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难度: 困难查看答案及解析