阅读理解 When a storm is coming, most people leave the area as quickly as possib
there are a few people who will get into their cars and go straight for the center of the storm．These
people are willing to risk being killed by floods or 100-Kilometer- an-hour winds for the excitement of
watching the storm close up．
"Storm chasing (追逐)"is becoming an increasingly popular hobby,especially in the Midwest of the
United States, where there are frequent storms betwee
n March and July．A storm chaser begins the dayby checking the Internet for the latest weather reports, and then drives up to l,000 kilometers to where the
storm will be and waits for it to develop．
Although anyone can do it,storm chasing is extremely dangerous．The power of a big storm can throw
a cow into the air or destroy a whole house in seconds．Storm chasers are also often hurt in accidents
caused by driv
in
g in a heavy rain．If you are a beginner, it is much safer to join a group for storm - chasing vacations during the storm season．
Even then,storm chasing is not all adventure and excitement．"Storm chasing is 95％driving,"says
Daniel Lynch,who spends most of his summer storm-chasing．"Sometimes you
Can sit around for hours waiting for something to happen,and all you get is blue sky and a few light
showers."
However,for storm chasers,it is all worth it. "When you get close to a storm,it is the most exciting
sight you will ever see in your life,"says Jasper Morley．"Every storm is an example of the power of
nature．It is the greatest show on Earth．"
B. get into the car for safety
C. wait patiently for the storm to develop
D. collect information about a coming storm
y rain B. to do it in an organized way
C. not to get too close to a storm
D. to spend more time on it in summer
means that _____.B. storm chasing is worth hours of waiting
C. efforts in storm chasing are well paid
D. a storm presents the greatest show on Earth
B. Many storm chasers get killed in the storms．
C. Storm chasing is becoming popular around the world．
D. Storm chasing is only fit for young people
Along the river banks of the Amazon and the Orinoco there lives a bird that swims before
it can fly, flies like a fat chicken,eats green leaves, has the stomach of a cow and has claws
on its wings when young.They build their homes about 4.6 m above the river, an important
feature (特征) for the safety of the young.It is called the hoatzin.
In appearance, the birds of both sexes look very much alike with brown on the back
and cream
and red on the underside.The head is small, with a large set of feathers on the
top,bright red eyes, and blue skin.Its nearest relatives are the common birds, cuckoos.Its
most striking feature, though, is only found in the young.
Baby hoatzins have a claw on the leading edge of each wing and another at the end of
each wing tip.Using these four claws,together with the beak(喙),they can climb about in the
bushes, looking very much like primitive birds must have done.The hoatzins, however, live
in the modern world.
During the drier months between December and March hoatzins fly about the forest in
groups of 20 to 30 birds, but in April,when the rainy season begins, they collect together in
smaller living units of two to seven birds for producing purposes.
When danger comes in the form of a snake or a monkey, the young hoatzins-maybe
three in one family-jump over the side and into the river.They swim about under the water
until it is safe to return and then, using their claws, lift themselves up through the branches
and get back home.When they have learned to fly they lose their claws and escape enemies
not by swimming but by flying off, in a slow and heavy way, to a neighbouring tree.
B．The relatives and enemies of hoatzins.
C．Primitive birds and hoatzins of the Amazon.
D．The appearance and living habits of hoatzins.
B．they have claws on the wings
C．they eat a lot like a cow
D．they live on river banks
B．They could fly long distances.
C．They had four wings like hoatzins.
D．They had a head with long feathers on the top.
B．To protect themselves better.
C．To keep themselves warm.
D．To produce their young.
outside the classroom and the experience of being part of a British home.
What to Expect
The host will provide accommodation and mea
ls.Rooms will be cleaned and bedcovers changed at least once a week.You will be given the house key and the host is there to
offer help and advice as well as to take an interest in your physical and mental health.
Accommodation Zones
Homestays are located in London mainly in Zones 2, 3 and 4 of the transport system.
Most ho
sts do not live in the town centre as much of central London is commercial and not residential(居住的)．Zones 3 and 4 often offer larger accommodation in a less
crowded area.It is very convenient to travel in London by Underground.
Meal Plans Available
◇Continental Breakfast
◇Breakfast and Dinner
◇Breakfast, Packed Lunch and Dinner
It"s important to note that few English families still provide a traditional cooked
bre
akfast.Your accommodation includes Continental Breakfast which normally consists of fruit juice,cereal (谷物类食品), bread and tea or coffee.Cheese, fruit and cold meat
are not normally part of a Continental Breakfast in England.Dinners usually consist of meat
or fish with vegetables followed by dessert, fruit and coffee.
Friends
If you wish to invite a friend over to visit, you must first ask your host"s permission.You
have no right to entertain friends in a family home as some families feel it is an invasion of
their privacy.
SelfCatering Accommodation in Private Homes
Accommodation on a roomonly basis includes shared kitchen and bathroom facilities
and often a main living room.This kind of accommodation offers an independent lifestyle
and is more suitable for the longstay student.However, it does not provide the same family
atmosphere as an ordinary homestay and may not benefit those who need to practise English
at home quite as much.
B．foreigners hoping to build British culture
C．travellers planning to visit families in London
D．English learners applying to live in English homes
C．Free transport.D．Physical training.
B．The business centre of London is in Zone 1.
C．Hosts dislike travelling to the city centre.
D．Accommodation in the city centre is not provided.
B．Fruit and vegetables.
C．Bread and fruit juice.
D．Cereal and cold meat.
Humpback whales are sometimes called performers of the ocean.This is because they can make
impressive movements when they dive.The name “humpback”, which is the common name for this whale,
refers to the typical curve shape the whale"s back forms as it dives.
Sometimes the humpback will dive with a fantastic movement known as a breach.During breaching
the whale uses its powerful tail flukes to lift nearly twothirds of its body out of the water in a giant leap.A
breach might also include a sideways twist with fins stretched out like wings, as the whale reaches the
height of the breach.
A humpback whale breathes air at the surface of the water through two blowholes which are located
near the top of the head.It blows a double stream of water that can rise up to 4 metres above the water.
The humpback has a small dorsal fin located towards the tail flukes about twothirds of the way down
its back.Other distinguishing features include large pectoral fins, which may be up to a third of the body
length, and unique black and white spots on the underside of the tail flukes.These markings are like finger
prints: no two are the same.
Humpback whales live in large groups.They communicate with each other through complex “songs”
| Quick Facts | |
| Size: | 14m18m in length; 3050 tons in weight |
| Living environment: | Open ocean and shallow coastline waters |
| Migration: | From warm tropical (热带的) waters, where they breed, to cold polar waters, where they eat |
| Diet: | Shellfish, plants and fish of small size |
| Hunting: | Sometimes in groups, in which several whales form a circle under the water, blowing bubbles that form a “net” around a school of fish.The fish are then forced up to the surface in a concentrated mass. |
| Current state: | Endangered: it is estimated that there are about 50007500 humpback whales worldwide |
| 阅读理解. | |
| Don"t you think your schoolbag is too heavy to bear? The e-schoolbag will free you from the weight. It is said that e-schoolbags are going to be brought into use in Chinese middle schools soon. An experiment with several hundred e-schoolbags will begin in seven cities: Beijing, Shanghai, Dalian, Shenzhen, Chongqing, Taiyuan and Shijiazhuang. And the e-schoolbags are going to cover all over China if the experiment shows to be successful. In fact, the e-schoolbag should perhaps be called an e-notebook. It is a small hand-held computers for school students. Heavy schoolbags have long been a serious problem for school students. The average schoolbag of middle school students weighs up to 5 kilos. But the e-schoolbag will change everything. It is much lighter than a usual schoolbag, weighing under 1 kilo. Also, it is no bigger than a usual book, but it can still hold all the things for study, such as a textbook, a notebook and exercise book. They could be made into chips that are as small as a stamp. The students can read the text page by page on the screen. They can still take notes using a special electronic pen. If they want to know the meaning or the pronunciation of a new word, or even e-mail their teachers, it"s just a press of a button. In some foreign countries, it is becoming common. But it is hard to tell when people will receive this new form of study. Some say that e-textbooks can easily be broken, some say that it is not  good to students" eyesight to look at the screen for long.But onlytime will tell. | |
| 1．The e-schoolbag has many functions EXCEPT _______. | |
| A. It can pronounce the words. B. It can send e-mails. C. It can be used as a dictionary. D. It can phone somebody. | |
| 2．According to the passage, the e-schoolbags _______. | |
| A. are not heavy as before but still large B. are used as an experiment in Tianjin C. are made of metal D. are going to cover China if it shows to be successful | |
| 3．Which of the following statement is TRUE? | |
| A. All the students in China will use this new schoolbag. B. We can do a lot of work based on the programmers of the chips. C. The e-notebooks are very perfect. D. We will not make notes because the e-notebook can make all by itself. | |
| 4．Which of the following can be the general title of the passage? ______ | |
| A. An Experiment In China B. Please Change Your Schoolbag C. A New Invention, A New Schoolbag D. Chips | |
| 阅读理解. | |
"If you talk to the plants, they will grow faster and the effect is even better if you"re a | |
| 1．What does the passage talk about? | |
| A. Plants enjoy men"s voices than women"s. B. A botanical experiment in a museum. C. Voice"s influence on plant growing. D. Strange phenomenon at Royal Horticultural Society. | |
| 2．What does the underlined sentence in paragraph 4 mean? | |
| A. Plants need sound as well as rain and light. B. Sound is basic for the plant to grow. C. Sound has a good effect as rain or light does. D. Plants c  an"t live without sound, rain or light. | |
| 3．Sarah Darwin is most likely a (an)_____. | |
| A. botanist B. gardener C. astronomer D. environmentalist | |
| 4．What can we learn from the passage? | |
| A. The experiment ended in May. B. Scientist can explain the findings clearly. C. Plants enjoy listening to the passages from masterpieces. D. The findings are of great importance to human beings. | |
aves that reach the plant. "Sound waves are an 
kespeare"s A Midsummer"s Night Dream and