One May morning, 10-year-old Khadab played in the ruins of a school near his home in northern Iraq. He saw something that looked interesting. It was yellow and plastic and looked like a ball. He reached for his new toy and, BANG!
The last thing he remembered was a big noise. When Khadab awoke, he was in hospital. His parents stood sadly by his side. They told him he had picked up an unexploded bomb. When it exploded, Khadab lost an arm.
He was just one of hundreds of Iraqi children who have been injured or killed by stepping on and picking up explosives left over from the war.
These landmines (地雷) and bombs have injured and killed at least 15 people a day since Saddam Hussein's government fell on April 9. And children are the most affected.
Iraq is among the worst landmine-affected countries in the world. Many villages in the war-torn areas are surrounded by minefields (雷区). These landmines lie on the ground between rocks, up in trees and on riverbeds.
Even though the war in Iraq is over, many children have not returned to school. They can be seen walking the streets with the natural curiosity of young kids. Their new playgrounds are places where the fighting took place. Many boys can be seen playing with unexploded bombs. A new game is to throw the bombs and run away. Some of them get away, but too many are killed. They do this for fun, and don't realize the dangers until it’s too late.
UNICEF (联合国教科文组织) has warned children, through the TV, of the dangers of landmines and unexploded bombs in Iraq. They hope to make children aware of the dangers they face.
“I can’t imagine there’s going to be a classroom in the north without scared children in it. It’s so widespread,” said Sean Sutton of the British-based Mines Advisory Group (MAG).
MAG is an organization working to clear unexploded bombs and landmines in war-torn areas.
It is difficult to report the exact number of deaths. Sutton said MAG found 320 injuries in northern Iraq in the first month after April 9. But he said the real figure was probably much higher.
1.What Khadab saw was exactly _______
A. a ball B. a toy
C. an unexploded bomb D. a plastic ball
2.What measures have been taken to remove the dangers of explosives left over?
A. MAG has been working to clear unexploded bombs and landmines in war-torn areas.
B. UNICEF has warned children, through the TV, of the dangers of landmines and unexploded bombs in Iraq.
C. Children have all returned to school.
D. Both A and B
3.What’s best title for the text?
A. Iraq after the war
B. MAG helps Iraq remove the landmines
C. Kids play with death
D. Landmine-affected countries in the world
Native to America, the cane toad (癞蛤蟆) was introduced to Northern Queensland 70 years ago to control sugarcane beetles (甘蔗害虫). The toads failed in that duty but spread across Queensland and into neighboring northern areas.
Now it calmly invades(侵略) the stats of Western Australia and New South Wales ( NSW). NSW wildlife experts fear the amphibians － which have poisonous backs that kill hungry predators (食肉动物) 一will have a terrible effect on native animals.
Those fears may be about to be realized. Australia’s leading government research body, the Commonwealth Science and Industry Research Organization (CSIRO), forecasts that a rise in average temperatures will make NSW an ideal living place for the cane toads.
Tony Robinson, head of CSIRO’s Wildlife, Pests, and Diseases Program, said climate change is increasing the amount of suitable living place for the cane toads.
“With climate change, the cane toads might go down as far as Sydney and some areas of Western Australia,” Robinson said.
Recent estimates put the pace of the toads’ westward march at nearly 17 miles (27 kilometers) a year and slightly slower from north to south.
“More southerly (南部的) cities, such as Melbourne and Adelaide, would likely remain too cold and dry to ever suit the toads,” Robinson noted, “but Perth could expect cane toads in five years’ time.”
Sydney could see their arrival in the next 20 years.
Robinson said there is no method that will keep the toads under control.
The cane toads already cover at least half of Queensland and most of the northern country. The toads are believed to number in the billions.
A Venezuelan virus was tried in the 1990s but had to be given up after it was found to also kill native frog species. Scientists and governmental bodies believe a national approach is needed.
The main threat the toads cause to species such as dingoes, and crocodiles is the poison contained in glands (腺) on each of their shoulders. The poison sprays out when the toads are threatened or handled roughly. The poison is made up of 14 different chemicals.
Cane toads also compete, and usually win, the hunt for food and living space.
"”If the government and other states combine resources, I believe we can achieve a very practical biological-control research program,” Bums said.
1.Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
A. Poison Toads Leap Across Australia
B. Strategies to Keep the Toads under Control
C. The Main Threat the Cane Toads Cause
D. Climate Favours the Spread of Cane Toads
2.It can be inferred from the passage that
A. the cane toad bites its enemy dead when it is threatened or handled rudely
B. the cane toad has already threatened the survival of all the native species
C. scientists and governmental bodies have achieved a successful biological-control program
D. the cane toad likes warm and wet weather
3.The underlined words “the amphibians” in the second paragraph mean _______.
A. hungry predators B. sugarcane beetles
C. the cane toads D. dingos
4.According to the passage, the cane toad is the least likely to live in ______
A. Queensland B. Melbourne
C. Sydney D. Perth
Before I had my son, I spent two years working with children with disabilities. I learnt that shouting and threats of punishment would result in a disaster. Coming up against their behaviour could only make the job harder and their behaviour more extreme. I found something that worked, though.
There was a very naughty boy in the nursery and a teacher who was generally very confident with the children was asked to take charge of him. One day the boy joined a session in the room next to mine. His appearance created an atmosphere of tension. He spent the entire session running around, hitting and kicking, and destroying property.
I was in the craft room working with some other children when my coworker told me that this boy's teacher was in tears, and could not get control of the situation. As we were talking, the boy ran in. I told my coworker that I would take care of him.
I closed the door. He was full of energy, throwing things around and making a huge mess. But I could see that he was doing all these to annoy me. He needed connection, and this was the only way he knew how to ask for it. So I sat back down and kept quiet. Then he slowed down and began making a rocket. I talked to him about it. We continued like this for a few minutes before I slipped into the conversation：
“So what happened today？”
It was purely a question, no blame or anger in my tone. I believe that if I had criticized him, the gate that was slowly opening would have shut firmly closed. He told me that the teacher didn't let him do what he knew well due to safety but asked him to do what he disliked. He also admitted that he had enjoyed making her run around and saw it as a game. I explained that his teacher had not seen it as a game and was very upset. This again was stated simply as a fact. I suggested that next time he had a session, he talk about what he hoped to do at the start, which might be easier for everyone. He agreed and was quiet for a moment. Then he looked at me with tears in his eyes before quietly asking if he could go to find his teacher to apologize.
1.The boy made trouble for his teacher because he ________．
A. was accused of destroying property
B. was told not to yell at other children
C. was made to do things against his will
D. was blamed for creating an air of tension
2.Why didn't the author do anything about the boy's bad behaviour at first?
A. She didn't want to make it worse.
B. She didn't mind the huge mess at all.
C. She was tired of shouting and threats.
D. She hadn't thought of a coping strategy.
3.The author managed to get the boy to talk to her by ________.
A. playing games with him
B. giving him a good suggestion
C. describing his teacher's feelings
D. avoiding making critical remarks
4.Why did the boy have tears in his eyes in the end?
A. He was sorry about his reputation.
B. He was regretful about his behaviour.
C. He was fearful of the author's warning.
D. He was sad for the author's misunderstanding.
One can always manage to do more things, no matter__________full one’s schedule is in life.
A. how B. what
C. when D. where
The young couple, who returned my lost wallet, left___________I could ask for their manes.
A. before B. while
C. after D. since
He is very aware of what topics he should and should not____________at the conference.
A. bring back B. bring about
C. bring up D. bring in
