Giraffes Are Being Killed for Their TailsDocu...

Giraffes Are Being Killed for Their Tails

Documentary filmmaker David Hamlin recalls how excited he was at the sight of three giraffes standing in a small clearing when he was flying over the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s Garamba National Park in late June. “Seeing these giraffes from the air was really exciting,” says Hamlin, who was working for National Geographic. That’s because Garamba is huge, extending over nearly 2,000 square miles of mostly forested land, and it’s a rare, lucky event to come across any of its 40 remaining giraffes.

But Hamlin’s thrill at seeing and photographing the giraffes didn’t last long. Twelve hours later, people looking after the national park reported hearing gunshots, and they later discovered three bullet-riddled bodies of dead giraffes in the sun. “It was horrible for me and the team,” Hamlin says “to realize that most likely it was these guys, the ones we’d seen.” Hamlin decided to document the sad event to raise awareness about illegally shooting animals in the park.

Garamba is Africa’s second oldest national park and has been hit hard by illegal shooting in recent years. Its rhinos have been wiped out, and elephants have suffered huge losses. The same goes for its Kordofan giraffes, one of Africa’s nine giraffe subspecies. Fewer than 2,000 now wander central Africa, according to Julian Fennessy, co-director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation. Garamba’s Kordofan giraffes represent the last population in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. “If the number slips in half, then we’re in an extremely serious situation,” Fennessy says. “Every single giraffe is valuable.”

Congolese usually kill the giraffes for one body part, their tails, considered a rank symbol in some communities. Meanwhile men from neighboring South Sudan target the giraffes for their meat to feed poor villagers. But the massive bodies (giraffes can grow to 18 feet and weigh up to 3,000 pounds) of these three giraffes were complete — only the ends of their tails were missing. According to Leon Lamprecht, joint operations director for African Parks, “men use the tail as treasure to the bride’s father if they want to ask for the hand of a bride.” “What an absolute waste!” Lamprecht says.

1.What made Hamlin so excited when he was flying over the park?

A. Filming the huge national park.

B. Reporting the event in the air.

C. Picturing the running rhinos.

D. Spotting the rare animals.

2.What does the underlined part “the ones” refer to?

A. The filmmakers.                    B. The elephants.

C. The giraffes.                    D. The hunters.

3.What did Hamlin decide to do after learning about the event?

A. Uncover the ancient African traditions and customs.

B. Call on people to protect the habitat of wild animals.

C. Improve people’s knowledge of preserving wild animals.

D. Become a volunteer in the animal conservation foundation.

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.

Research revealed one in five parents has ________ old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel （长发公主）in _______of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in_____after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers ______ to read Rumplestiltskin （纺织姑娘）to their kids as the ________ of the story are kidnapping and killing. ______, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be________ on the book shelf as parents felt ______ condones（宽恕）stealing.

The ______ of 2,000 adults was commissioned（委任） to_______ the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM,_____starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six pieces________on traditional fairytales. The poll found a quarter of parents polled wouldn’t ________ reading a fairytale to their child until they had ________ the age of five. And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn’t send a good _________to their children as it describes a young woman _________housework all day.

Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to comfort children and send them off to __________soundly.

Fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s _________that parents worry about reading them to young children. The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to ________stories which might give their children nightmares. ________, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.

1.A. taken up　　 B. put up　　 C. brought up　　 D. given up

2.A. favour　　 B. memory　　 C. honor　　 D. spite

3.A. need　　 B. tears　　 C. debts　　 D. surprise

4.A. agree　　 B. intend　　 C. refuse　　 D. enjoy

5.A. problems　　 B. questions　　 C. sentences　　 D. themes

6.A. Similarly　　 B. Fortunately　　 C. Suddenly　　 D. Immediately

7.A. arranged　　 B. left　　 C. clarified　　 D. sorted

8.A. he　　 B. she　　 C. it　　 D. its

9.A. report　　 B. suggestion　　 C. decision　　 D. survey

10.A. draw　　 B. mark　　 C. paint　　 D. pull

11.A. that　　 B. what　　 C. when　　 D. which

12.A. depended　　 B. stuck　　 C. based　　 D. fixed

13.A. pretend　　 B. consider　　 C. want　　 D. imagine

14.A. arrived　　 B. got　　 C. reached　　 D. increased

15.A. letter　　 B. card　　 C. email　　 D. message

16.A. doing　　 B. cleaning　　 C. making　　 D. taking

17.A. play　　 B. work　　 C. sleep　　 D. school

18.A. understandable　　 B. uncomfortable　　 C. unbelievable　　 D. unchangeable

19.A. read　　 B. avoid　　 C. recite　　 D. repeat

20.A. Therefore　　 B. Besides　　 C. Otherwise　　 D. However

高三英语完形填空困难题查看答案及解析

Traditional fairytales are being abandoned by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found.

Research revealed one in five parents has ditched old classics such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favour of more modern books. One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the horrible details of Little Red Riding Hood. And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and execution. Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing.

The survey of 2,000 adults was conducted to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM, which starts tonight at 9 p.m. on Watch, and sees six episodes(片段) based on traditional fairytales. The poll found a quarter of parents polled wouldn’t consider reading a fairytale to their child until they had reached the age of five, as they prompt too many awkward questions from their offspring(后代子孙).

Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: “Bedtime stories are supposed to soothe children and send them off to sleep soundly. But as we see in GRIMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic tales so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children.”

“As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five year old with an over active imagination could take things too seriously. Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales, as we see in GRIMM, good will triumph over evil and there is always a moral to the story.”

The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares.

However, half of parents said traditional tales are more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids’ books, such as The Gruffalo, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books.

1.Why don’t some parents want to read Rumplestiltskin to their kids?

A. Rumplestiltskin is too long.

B. Rumplestiltskin is too difficult.

C. Rumplestiltskin forgives stealing.

D. Rumplestiltskin may influence Children badly.

2.We can learn from paragraph 3 that Grimm is ___________.

A. a fairytales book

B. a movie for children

C. a play loved by children

D. a drama based on traditional fairytales

3.The underlined word “soothe “in paragraph4 can be replaced by___________.

A. put down                   B. calm down         C. take down                 D. come down

4.What’s the author’s attitude towards traditional fairytales?

A. Optimistic         B. Not mentioned

C. Casual             D. Disapproving

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Traditional fairytales(童话) are being given up by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found．

Research uncovered that one in five parents has got rid of old literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favor of more modern books．

One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood．

And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplesliltshin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing．

Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing．

The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM （ 格林童话剧） , which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairytales．

The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn’t consider reading fairytales to their kids．

And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn’t send a good message to their children as it describes a young woman doing housework all day．

Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to calm children down and send them off to sleep soundly．But as we see in GMMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children．As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five - year - old child could take them too literally．Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales as we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story．"

The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares．The most popular book read at bedtime is now 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle.

However half of parents said traditional tales are "more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffato, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books．

1.Classical works for children are being avoided by parents they think .

2.What does the underlined word "gruesome" mean?

3.Which stories are the popular bedtime stories that parents like to tell their children now?

4.According to Steve Hornsey , adults can see innocence in a fairy tale but a 5-year-old child might ______．

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Traditional fairytales(童话) are being given up by parents because they are too scary for their young children, a study found．

Research uncovered that one in five parents has got rid of old literature such as Snow White and the Seven Dwarves and Rapunzel in favor of more modern books．One third of parents said their children have been left in tears after hearing the gruesome details of Little Red Riding Hood．And nearly half of mothers and fathers refuse to read Rumplesliltshin to their kids as the themes of the story are kidnapping and killing．Similarly, Goldilocks and the Three Bears was also a tale likely to be left on the book shelf as parents felt it forgives stealing．

The survey of 2,000 adults was completed to mark the launch of the hit US drama GRIMM （ 格林童话剧） , which starts tonight at 9pm on Watch, and sees six drama series based on traditional fairytales．

The survey found a quarter of parents questioned wouldn’t consider reading fairytales to their kids．And 52 percent of the parents said Cinderella didn’t send a good message to their children as it describes a young woman doing housework all day．

Steve Hornsey, General Manager of Watch, said: "Bedtime stories are supposed to calm children down and send them off to sleep soundly．But as we see in GMMM, fairytales can be dark and dramatic so it’s understandable that parents worry about reading them to young children．As adults we can see the innocence in fairytales, but a five - year - old child could take them too literally．Despite the dark nature of classic fairytales as we see in GRIMM, good will defeat evil and there is always a moral to the story．"

The study also found two thirds of mums and dads try to avoid stories which might give their children nightmares．The most popular book read at bedtime is now 'The Very Hungry Caterpillar' by Eric Carle.

However half of parents said traditional tales are "more likely to have a strong moral message than a lot of modern kids' books, such as The Gruffato, The Hungary Caterpillar and the Mr. Men books．

1.Classical works for children are being avoided by parents they think .

2.What does the underlined word "gruesome" mean?

3.Which stories are the popular bedtime stories that parents like to tell their children now?

4.According to Steve Hornsey , adults can see innocence in a fairy tale but a 5-year-old child might ______．

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Thirty-two people watched Kitty Genovese being killed right beneath their windows. She was their neighbor. Yet none of the 32 helped her. Not one even called the police. Was this in gunman cruelty? Was it lack of feeling about one’s fellow man?

Not so, say scientists John Barley and Bib Fatane. These men went beyond the headlines to seek the reasons why people didn’t act. They found that a person has to go through two steps before he can help. First he has to notice that is an emergency.

Suppose you see a middle-aged man fall to the side-walk. Is he having a heart attack? Is he in a coma from diabetes(糖尿病)? Or is he about to sleep off a drunk?

Is the smoke coming into the room from a leak in the air conditioning? Is it steam pipes? Or is it really smoke from a fire? It’s not always easy to tell if you are faced with a real emergency.

Second, and more important, the person faced with an emergency must feel personally responsible. He must feel that he must help, or the person won’t get the help he needs.

The researchers found that a lot depends on how many people are around. They had college students in to be tested. Some came alone. Some came with one or two others. And some came in large groups. The receptionist started them off on the tests. Then she went into the next room. A curtain divided the testing room and the room into which she went. Soon the students heard a scream, the noise of file cabinets falling and a cry for help. All of this had been pre-recorded on a tape-recorder.

Eight out of ten of the students taking the test alone acted to help. Of the students in pairs, only two out of ten helped. Of the students in groups, none helped.

In other words, in a group, Americans often fail to act. They feel that others will act. They, themselves, needn’t. They do not feel any direct responsibility.

Are people bothered by situations where people are in trouble? Yes. Scientists found that the people were emotional, they sweated, they had trembling hands. They felt the other person’s trouble. But they did not act. They were in a group. Their actions were shaped by the actions of those they were with.

1. The purpose of this passage is ____________.

A. to explain why people fail to act in emergencies

B. to explain when people will act in emergencies

C. to explain what people will do in emergencies

D. to explain how people feel in emergencies

2.The researchers have conducted an experiment to prove that people will act in emergencies when ____________.

A. they are in pairs　　　 B. they are in groups

C. they are alone　　 　 　 D. they are with their friends

3. The main reason why people fail to act when they stay together is that ____________.

A. they are afraid of emergencies

B. they are unwilling to get themselves involved

C. others will act if they themselves hesitate

D. they do not have any direct responsibility for those who need help

4.The author suggests that ____________.

A. we shouldn’t blame a person if he fails to act in emergencies

B. a person must feel guilty if he fails to help

C. people should be responsible for themselves in emergencies

D. when you are in trouble, people will help you anyway

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be

god for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . "On the pets' side , they are not left on their own and won't feel lonely and unhappy," she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . "My customers love them . they are their favorites ," she said . "They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun ."

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years "working" at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . "BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ," he said .

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is________ .

A．73%  B．27%  C．25%  D．15%

2.We know from the text that "BJ"________

A．works in the Global Hair Salon      B．often greets the passers-by

C．likes to sleep in the sun   D．is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be .

A．Pets Help Attract Customers   B．Your Favorite Office Pets

C．Pets Join the Workforce  D．Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解困难题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work , a move scientists say can be

god for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet . Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets . “On the pets’ side , they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said . A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington . “My customers love them . they are their favorites ,” she said . “They are not troublesome . They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun .”

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain . Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years . “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass ,” he said .

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation . But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable .

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is ________ .

A．73%            B．27%            C．25%            D．15%

2.We know from the text that “BJ”________

A．works in the Global Hair Salon   B．often greets the passers-by

C．likes to sleep in the sun        D．is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be ________ .

A．Pets Help Attract Customers      B．Your Favorite Office Pets

C．Pets Join the Workforce  D．Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Pet owners are being encouraged to take their animals to work, a move scientists say can be good for productivity , workplace morale (士气), and the well-being of animals .

A study found that 25% of Australian women would like to keep an office pet. Sue Chaseling of Petcare information Service said the practice of keeping office pets was good both for the people and the pets. “On the pets’ side, they are not left on their own and won’t feel lonely and unhappy,” she said.  A study of major US companies showed that 73% found office pets beneficial (有益的) , while 27% experienced a drop in absenteeism (缺勤).

Xarni Riggs has two cats walking around her Global Hair Salon in Paddington. “My customers love them. They are their favorites,” she said.  “They are not troublesome. They know when to go and have a sleep in the sun.”

Little black BJ has spent nearly all his two years “working” at Punch Gallery in Balmain. Owner Iain Powell said he had had cats at the gallery for 15 years. “BJ often lies in the shop window and people walking past tap on the glass,” he said.

Ms Chaseling said cats were popular in service industries because they enabled a point of conversation. But she said owners had to make sure both their co-workers and the cats were comfortable.

1.The percentage of American companies that are in favor of keeping office pets is ________ .

A. 73%            B. 27%            C. 25%            D. 15%

2.We know from the text that “BJ”________

A. works in the Global Hair Salon   B. often greets the passers-by

C. likes to sleep in the sun        D. is a two-year-old cat

3.The best title for this text would be ________ .

A. Pets Help Attract Customers      B. Your Favorite Office Pets

C. Pets Join the Workforce          D. Busy Life for Pets

高三英语阅读理解中等难度题查看答案及解析

Their claims _______, the cruel terrorists killed several hostages.

A. were turned down　　 B. being turned on

C. turning out　　 　　 D. turned down

高三英语单项填空困难题查看答案及解析