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A report consistently brought back by visitors to the US is how friendly，courteous and helpful most Americans were to them．To be fair，this observation is also frequently made of Canada and Canadians，and should best be considered North American．There are，of course，exceptions．Small-minded officials，rude waiters，and ill-mannered taxi drivers are hardly unknown in the US．Yet it is an observation made so frequently that it deserves comment．For a long period of time and in many parts of the country, a traveler was a welcome break in 
an otherwise dull existence．
Dullness and loneliness were common problems of the families who generally lived distant from one another．Strangers and travelers were welcome sources of diversion，and brought news of the outside world．The harsh realities of the frontier also shaped this tradition of hospitality．
Someone traveling alone，if hungry，injured，or ill，often had nowhere to turn except to the nearest cabin or settlement．It was not a matter of choice for the traveler or merely a charitable impulse on the part of the settlers．It reflected the harshness of daily life： if you didn‘t take in the stranger and take care of him，there was no one else who would．And someday，remember，you might be in the same situation．Today there are many charitable organizations which specialize in helping the weary traveler．Yet，the old tradition of hospitality to strangers is still very strong in the US，especially in the smaller cities and towns away from the busy tourist trails．“I was just traveling through，got talking with this American，and pretty soon he invited me home for dinner—amazing．” Such observations reported by visitors to the US are not uncommon，but are not always understood properly．
1.In the eyes of visitors from the outside world，___________．
A．rude taxi drivers are rarely seen in the US
B．small-minded officials deserve a serious comment
C．Canadians are not so friendly as their neighbors
D．most Americans are ready to offer help
2.It could be inferred from the last paragraph that ___________．
A．culture exercises an influence over social interrelationship
B．courteous convent
ion and individual interest are interrelated
C．various virtues manifest themselves 
exclusively among friends
D．social
interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions
3.Families in frontier settlements used to entertain strangers ___________．
A．to improve their hard life
B．in view of their long-distance travel
C．to add some flavor to their own daily life
D．out of a charitable impulse
4.The tradition of hospitality to strangers ___________．
A．tends to be superficial and artificial
B．is generally well kept up in the united States
C．is always understood properly
D．has something to do with the busy tourist trails
5.What’s the author’s attitudes toward the American‘s friendliness？
A．Favorable． B．Unfavorable．
C．Indifferent． D．Neutral．
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400-year-old plants from the Little Ice Age were brought back to life, which could help us understand how the Earth will deal with climate change.
Moss(藓类植物) found buried beneath the Teardrop glacier(冰川) on Ellesmere Island in Canada has been brought back to life. Findings suggest that these plants could help repopulate regions exposed by melting ice caps. Plants that were buried beneath thick ice in Canada more than 400 years ago and were thought to have frozen to death have been brought back to life by Canadian scientists.
Samples of the moss plant, covered by the glacier during the Little Ice Age of 1550 to 1850 AD, were replanted in a lab at the University of Alberta and grew new stems(茎). Researchers now think these findings can give indication as to how regions can recover as the ice covering them melts.
Biologist Dr. Catherine La Farge and her team at the University of Alberta were exploring the region around the Teardrop glacier on Ellesmere Island. Ice on Ellesmere Island region has been melting at around four meters each year for the past nine years. This means that many areas of land that were previously covered by ice have since been exposed. Many ecosystems that were thought to have been destroyed during the Little Ice Age between 1550 and 1850 AD can now be studied, including many species that have never been studied before.
While examining an exposed area of land, La Farge and her team discovered a small area of moss called Aulacomnium turgidum. It is a type of bryophyte(苔藓类植物) plant that mainly grows across Canada, the US and the Highlands of Scotland.
Dr La Farge noticed that the moss had small patches of green stems, suggesting it is either growing again or can be encouraged to repopulate. Dr La Farge told the BBC, “When we looked at the samples in detail and brought them to the lab, I could see some of the stems actually had new growth of green branches, suggesting that these plants are growing again, and that blew my mind. When we think of thick areas of ice covering the landscape, we’ve always thought that plants have to come from refugia(濒绝生物保护区), never considering that land plants come from underneath a glacier. It’s a whole world of what’s coming out from underneath the glacier that really needs to be studied. The ice is disappearing pretty fast. We really have not examined all the biological systems that exist in the world; we don’t know it all.”
Dr La Farge took samples of the moss and, using carbon-dating techniques, discovered that the plants date back to the Little Ice Age. Dr La Farge’s team took the samples, planted them in dishes full of nutrient-rich potting soil and fed them with water.
The samples were from four separate species including Aulacomnium turgidum, Distichium capillaceum, Encalypta procera and Syntrichia ruralis. The moss plants found by Dr La Farge are types of bryophytes. Bryophytes can survive long winters and regrow when the weather gets warmer.
However, Dr La Farge was surprised that the plants buried under ice have survived into the twenty-first century. Her findings appear in proceedings（论文集）of the National Academy of Sciences.
1.Dr La Farge’s research is of great importance to ________.
A. knowing what the plants during the Little Ice Age were like
B. understanding how ecosystems recover from glaciers.
C. regrowing many species that have been destroyed before.
D. figuring out the effects of melting ice caps on moss.
2.The underlined part “blew my mind” in Paragraph 6 can best be replaced by “________”.
A. surprised me B. greatly frightened me
C. put my doubt out of my mind D. was exactly what I had in my mind
3.According to the passage, Aulacomnium turgidum ________.
A. lives better in small groups
B. is very active in hot weather
C. is strong enough to survive coldness
D. is chosen from Canadian refugia
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A. Bryophyte ecology is greatly affected by climate change.
B. 400-year-old moss’s survival is a mystery to solve.
C. Moss in ancient times was discovered in Canada.
D. 400-year-old plants were brought back to life.
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There are no easy answers to questions brought to us by the rapidly changing world, ________we can try to turn challenges into opportunities．
A．so B．but C．for D．then
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The Floreana tortoise, once considered to ______, is being brought back from the dead with careful conservation.
A.be wiped out B.have been wiped out C.wipe out D.have wiped out
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Will you see to _______ that the luggage is brought back?
A． me B． yourself C． it D． them
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Will you see to ________ that the luggage is brought back?
A．me B．yourself
C．it D．them
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. Will you see to _______ that the luggage is brought back as soon as possible?
| A．me | B．yourself | C．it | D．them |
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Shawn returned to Iowa after the 2008 Games， ， as is known to us， she had been brought up and trained to be a gold medalist of gymnastics.
A. when B. that C .there D. where
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The Columbia has finished the task in the International Space Station and is reported to come back to the earth tomorrow, or to be more _____ , at 3:32p.m. local time.
| A．brief | B．special | C．general | D．specific |
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The famous reporter, who is said to go back to America next month, _____in China for almost twenty years.
A. lived B. was living C. has lived D. had lived
an otherwise dull existence．
ion and individual interest are interrelated
exclusively among friends
interrelationships equal the complex set of cultural conventions