It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbour we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbour itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big hums(脊背)in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it –---there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale----actually as big as our boat----was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡)and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, sometimes rising from the water right beside us to breathe –---and to give us a trusting(信任的) look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
1.The author says “I’m so glad I did.”(in para.2)because______.
A. he witnessed the whole process of fishing
B. he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea
C. he experienced the rescue of the whales
D. he spent the weekend with his family
2.The harbour survived the storm thanks to ______.
A. the shape of the harbour B. the arms of the bay
C. the still water in the channel D. the long coast line
3.The mother whale failed to help her baby because _______.
A. she had stayed in the polluted water for too long
B. the whirlpools she had made were not big enough
C. she had no other whales around to turn to for help
D. the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction
4.What is the theme of the story?
A. Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness.
B. Fishing provides excitement for children.
C. It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals
D. It’s vital to protect the environment.
Live in Cave
Kokopelli’s Cave Bed &Breakfast, Farmington, New Mexico.
The idea may seem very stone age, but this lone unit, which was carved into a 65-million-year-old sandstone rock, is filled with modern amenities(便利设施). The Travel Channel says these “cave comforts” include a comfortable bedroom, large fire circle, and rainfall shower. Plus, the views of the La Plata River and nearby mountains are breathtaking.
$260/ night;bbonline.com
Sleep below the Surface
Jules’ Undersea Lodge, Key Largo, Florida.
This hotel, which is named after20,000 Leagues Under the Sea author Jules Verne, is the world’s only underwater hotel. Lonely Planet says that this former research station has been turned into a pleasant hotel. Guests must make the 21-foot dive to its two rooms, fully stocked kitchen, and showers. Don’t want to cook? The staff will dive and bring your food to you.
$400/night; jul.com
Sail into History
The Queen Mary, Long Beach, California
Wish you could experience the greatness of a ship like the Titanic? According to CNN Travel, here’s your chance. Book a room to get a taste of a bygone time on this ship-turned hotel. You may not be able to sail into the sunset like Kate and Leo, but you can enjoy onboard attractions like original 1930s artwork and tours of strange and mysterious hot spots.
$129/night;queenmary.com
1.What can you enjoy in Kokopelli’s Cave Bed &Breakfast?
A. The original 1930s artwork.
B. The pleasure of cooking .
C. The excitement of diving.
D. Beautiful views of a river and mountains.
2.The Queen Mary used to be a _____.
A. cave B. ship
C. kitchen D. research station
3.In which part of a website can we find the text?
A. Literature. B. History.
C. Travel. D. Science.
假定你是李华，你的新西兰朋友Terry将去中国朋友家做客，发邮件向你询问有关习俗。请你回复邮件。内容包括：
（1）到达时间；
（2）合适的礼物；
（3）餐桌礼仪。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
During my last winter holiday, I went to countryside with my father to visit my grandparents. I find a change there. The first time I went there, they were living in a small house with dogs, ducks, and another animals. Last winter when I went here again, they had a big separate house to raise dozens of chicken. They also had a small pond, which they raised fish. My grandpa said last summer they earned quite a lot by sell the fish. I felt happily that their life had improved. At the end of our trip, I told my father that I planned to return for every two years, but he agreed.
阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C和D四个选项中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。
During my second year at the city college, I was told that the education department was offering a "free" course, called Thinking Chess, for three credits. I _______the idea of taking the class because, after all, who doesn't want to _______a few dollars? More than that, I'd always wanted to learn chess. And, even if I weren’t _______enough about free credits, news about our _______was appealing enough to me. He was an international grandmaster, which _______I would be learning from one of the game's _______. I could hardly wait to _______him.
Maurice Ashley was kind and smart, a former graduate returning to teach, and this _______was no game for him: he meant business. In his introduction, he made it _______that our credits would be hard-earned. In order to ________the class, among other criteria, we had to write a paper on how we plan to________what we would learn in class to our future professions and, ________to our lives. I managed to get an A in that ________and learned life lessons that have served me well beyond the ________.
Ten years after my chess class with Ashley, I'm still putting to use what he ________me: “The absolute most important ________ that you learn when you play chess is how to make good ________. On every single move you have to ________a situation, process what your opponent(对手) is doing and ________the best move from among all your options.” These words still ring true today in my________as a journalist.
1.A. put forward B. jumped at C. tried out D. turned down
2.A. waste B. earn C. save D. pay
3.A. excited B. worried C. moved D. tired
4.A. title B. competitor C. textbook D. instructor
5.A. urged B. demanded C. held D. meant
6.A. fastest B. easiest C. best D. rarest
7.A. interview B. meet C. challenge D. beat
8.A. chance B. qualification C. honor D. job
9.A. real B. perfect C. clear D. possible
10.A. attend B. pass C. skip D. observe
11.A. add B. expose C. apply D. compare
12.A. eventually B. naturally C. directly D. normally
13.A. game B. presentation C. course D. experiment
14.A. criterion B. classroom C. department D. situation
15.A. taught B. wrote C. questioned D. promised
16.A. fact B. step C. manner D. skill
17.A. grades B. decisions C. impressions D. comments
18.A. analyze B. describe C. rebuild D. control
19.A. announce B. signal C. block D. evaluate
20.A. role B. desire C. concern D. behavior
D
We may think we're a culture that gets rid of our worn technology at the first sight of something shiny and new, but a new study shows that we keep using our old devices(装置) well after they go out of style. That’s bad news for the environment — and our wallets — as these outdated devices consume much more energy than the newer ones that do the same things.
To figure out how much power these devices are using, Callie Babbitt and her colleagues at the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York tracked the environmental costs for each product throughout its life — from when its minerals are mined to when we stop using the device. This method provided a readout for how home energy use has evolved since the early 1990s. Devices were grouped by generation — Desktop computers, basic mobile phones, and box-set TVs defined 1992. Digital cameras arrived on the scene in 1997. And MP3 players, smart phones, and LCD TVs entered homes in 2002, before tablets and e-readers showed up in 2007.
As we accumulated more devices, however, we didn't throw out our old ones. "The living-room television is replaced and gets planted in the kids' room, and suddenly one day, you have a TV in every room of the house," said one researcher. The average number of electronic devices rose from four per household in 1992 to 13 in 2007. We're not just keeping these old devices — we continue to use them. According to the analysis of Babbitt's team, old desktop monitors and box TVs with cathode ray tubes are the worst devices with their energy consumption and contribution to greenhouse gas emissions（排放）more than doubling during the 1992 to 2007 window.
So what's the solution（解决方案）? The team's data only went up to 2007, but the researchers also explored what would happen if consumers replaced old products with new electronics that serve more than one function, such as a tablet for word processing and TV viewing. They found that more on-demand entertainment viewing on tablets instead of TVs and desktop computers could cut energy consumption by 44%.
1.What does the author think of new devices?
A. They are environment-friendly. B. They are no better than the old.
C. They cost more to use at home. D. They go out of style quickly.
2.Why did Babbitt's team conduct the research?
A. To reduce the cost of minerals.
B. To test the life cycle of a product.
C. To update consumers on new technology.
D. To find out electricity consumption of the devices.
3.Which of the following uses the least energy?
A. The box-set TV. B. The tablet.
C. The LCD TV. D. The desktop computer.
4.What does the text suggest people do about old electronic devices?
A. Stop using them. B. Take them apart.
C. Upgrade them. D. Recycle them.
