Thailand’s capital Bangkok is both attractive and wonderful, a city of glass towers and concrete buildings crowded with nearly 10 million people. The ground beneath is spongy(松软多孔的) and moist. Imagine a brick resting on top of a birthday cake. That’s Bangkok-and it’s sinking into the Earth at an alarming rate.
Thailand’s disaster specialists have been warning of this coming disaster for years. One expert has said he’s worried about Bangkok resembling Atlantis. Another previously told Global post that the city will be under five feet of water by 2030. The latest estimates suggest that Bangkok is now sinking as fast as two centimeters per year in parts of the city. The predictions for 2100 are even more terrible. By then , Bangkok will be fully submerged and unlivable.
Like global warming, which will accelerate the city’s submersion by raising the sea leavel, Bangkok’s sinking problems are repeatedly shrugged off. But the monsoon season, currently underway, tends to bring this crisis to mind. A nasty storm can suddenly turn Bangkok’s streets into gushing streams. Sewers overflow, taxis move through dirty water and, occasionally, kids can pick up displaced fish.
Anond Snidvongs, director of the Southeast Asia Regional Research Center, predicts the city’s outskirts will be the first to go. Parts of the shoreline ebyong Bangkok are already liend with pumps that make noises and help to transform invading seawater. They don’t always work. During heavy rains, salt water flows in the streets of the city.
Bangkok is swallowed up a little more each day. Experts tend to offer two solutions. The first is to pu up a massive seawall that could cost nearly $3 billion-nearly 1 percent of Thailand’s current GDP. The second option is to give up entirely and move the capital to higher ground.
1.Why is Bangkok sinking into the earth?
A. Its buildings are too heavy.
B. It has an overlarge population.
C. Its underground is too loose.
D. It is resting on top of a lake.
2.What is the most likely meaning of the underlined phrase “shrugged off” in Paragraph 3?
A. ignored
B. valued
C. agreed
D. misunderstood
3.What information does Paragraph 4 express?
A. The optimism and wisdom shown by the city people.
B. The present serious situation Bangkok is faced with.
C. The weakness of the pumps to transform water.
D. The huge power produced by the surrounding seawater.
4. What’s the best title of the passage?
A. Bangkok is disappearing
B. The removal of Bangkok
C. Thailand’s capital needs a seawall
D. An attractive city under water
In June 2013 a five-year-old boy, Toby, was walking home from school thinking about the long summer ahead. Money was tight that year and Toby’s parents had told him they would not be able to afford a holiday.
Instead of dreaming about foreign travel, he had been reading a book, Letter to New Zealand, where the author explains what happens in an envelope’s journey from England to the other side of the world. As they neared their house, Toby asked his mum, Sabine, if he could write a letter to New Zealand. After a few more steps he was struck by an even better idea. “Can I write a letter to every country in the world?”
Sabine says she often wonders what would have happened if she had replied differently that day. “It was just one of those typical questions that five-year-olds have,” she says. “ If he had asked me in the evening when I was tired, I might have refused. But as parents you realize there’s a lot of power in just allowing kids to have a go. Also, it seemed a nice way to do some armchair exploration. So I told him” Let’s see how far you get.”
The answer was very far indeed. Toby has since written and posted letters to all 193 UN mumber states, as well as numerous other bad-conditioned areas with comforting ones.
To date he has written 681 letters- the best of which have been selected to appear in a new book called Dear World, How Are You?- although so productive is Toby’ pen that the number will have risen by the time you read this.
“Writing these letters has made me realize that the world isn’t actually all that big,” he says with a grin.
In the future, part of him would like to be a musical director to turn his beloved Star Wars into a ballet. Of course, he also hopes to travel the globe in person to see some of the countries where his letters have ended up.
“We’re so lucky to have this wonderful world, and I hope we can live on planet Earth in peace.”
1. Why did Toby want to write letters to other countries?
A. He was good at writing.
B. He was eager to go abroad.
C. He got inspired by a book.
D. He wanted others to help his family.
2.From Toby’s mother’s words, we know that at first____.
A. she thought her son’s idea was of no value
B. she got tired of her son’s request
C. she believed her son would succeed
D. she thought she should give her son a try
3.What’s the influence of writing letters to Toby?
A. He has traveled to 193 UN number states.
B. He understands more about the world.
C. He becomes productive in writing stories.
D. He has to put his letters into a book.
4.How can we describe Toby?
A. Clever and persistent.
B. Ambitious and kind-hearted.
C. Hardworking and humorous.
D. Brave and strong-willed.
While some music festivals were canceled because the economy isn’t good, plenty remain for music lovers. Here’s a guide to the best rock and jazz festivals this summer.
Krayina Mriy
When and where: June20-21, Kyiv, Pyrohovo folk museum
Lineup, TNMK, Boombox, Vopli Vidoplyasova, Onuka
Krayina Mriy is an annual rock music festival that promotes modern music. Besides music, the festival will offer dances as well as literary and theatrical performances and also playing a traditional music instrument.
Alfa Fest
When and where: June 26-28, Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet
So far all tickets are booked, but a waiting list is available at www.alfajazzfest.com/buyticket. This annual festival held in Lviv will be interesting for experienced jazz lovers. The performers on the lineup come from Ukraine, Japan, Cuba and the US.
Koktebel Festival
When and where:Aug.22-Sep.6. Zatoka village, Odesa Oblast
Koktebel Jazz is the biggest outdoor jazz festival. The Cinematic Orchestra, Parov Stelar, Nino Katamadze, Bonobo, Submotion Orchestra, Billy’s Band were the gala’s superstars in previous years. This year the list of festival’ participants and tickets prices still remain unknown but the organizers revealed that apart from good jazz, the guests will be offered music lectures and movies screenings.
Respublica
When and where: Sep4-7, Kamyanets-Podilsky, Khmelnytska Oblast
Folk music and street art festival Respublica will take place in Kamyanets-Podilsky, one of the most beautiful cities in the west. Kyiv Post staff writer Nataliya Trach can be reached at trach@kyivpost. Com
1. Where can people enjoy the rock music?
A. Kyiv, Pyrohovo folk museum.
B. Lviv Theatre of Opera and Ballet
C. Zatoka village, Odesa Oblast
D. yanets-Podilsky, Khmelnytska Oblast
2.If people haven’t got tickets of Alfa Fest, they ____.
A. can book them right now
B. have to wait for the chance of buying
C. must learn to dance well
D. need to know Japanese
3.What can audience do during Koktebel Festival?
A. They can talk with the superstar from the U.S.
B. They can play a traditional music instrument.
C. They can play a part in the music performance.
D. They can enjoy listening to some music lectures.
据报道2016年全球地表水将面临枯竭的危险，中国同样也面临着水资源严重短缺的问题，请你代表学生会写一份倡议书，呼吁同学们节约用水，防止水污染。
内容包括：1.水的重要性；
2.浪费和污染现象；
3.发出倡议。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3.开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Save Water, Save Life
Dear students,
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Thank you!
Student Union
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用（﹨）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Li Hua and I were neighboures and we went to same school. We always went to school together. We were good friend and had a great deal to share with every day. However, one day, Li Hua copied my homework, which made me such angry that I did not want to be friends with him any long. Then on Monday morning I ran downstairs without realize it was raining, but there was no time to return home to fetch an umbrella. It happens that Li Hua was just around the corner and be offered to share her umbrella with me. He made apology to me in a gently voice. I forgave him but gave him a hug.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
Climate change has caused a rise in sea levels. This has increased the amount of salt in fresh water 1. (use) on coastal farms. As a result, farmers are 2. (gradual) unable to use fields close to the sea.
However, Marc Van Rijsselberg, a farmer in the Netherlands is now using a 3. (mix) of sea and fresh water 4. (grow) healthy and tasty vegetables.
He teamed up with scientists from the Free University and divided a farm 5. eight negated areas. Separate pipes pumped fresh and sea water, and a computer program created water with eight levels of salinity (含盐度).
The water levels and the levels of salinity was 6. (control) by computerized measuring devices called “sensors”. Mr. Van Rijsselberg said he was able to harvest vegetables from most of the eight testing areas. He said the vegetables were smaller than 7. grown in fresh water. But he said they also had more sugar and salt, so they tasted much 8. (good).
He found that potatoes grew better than the other vegetables in the combination of sea and fresh water. Mr. Van Rijsselberg said four kinds of these potatoes would be sent to Pakistan 9. thousands of hectares of land 10. (damage) by salinization last year.
