The bristlecone pine is the longest-living thing on the earth. These trees, with their strangely-shaped, wind-beaten limbs(枝干), can live up to 5,000 years. But experts worry that a warming climate in some areas may threaten its future.
Researchers say warmer weather is permitting a similar kind of tree, the limber pine, to take over good growing places from the ancient bristlecone. They say the tree is being crowded out of mountainous areas where it grows.
“The bristlecone pine is the oldest individually growing organism,” researchers say. They grow in high mountain forests in eastern California, Nevada and Utah. In those mountains, the trees face high winds and extreme temperatures, which leave them with twisted limbs and shapes. “Even in such tough conditions,” Brian Smithers, a researcher at the University of California, said, “the limber pine is taking all the good spots.”
The limber pine is the bristlecone’s distant relative and competitor. It can also live a long time——up to 2,000 years. And it is usually found at lower altitudes, where temperatures are warmer. However, according to a three-year study which centered on trees that have started growing in the last 50 years in California’s White Mountains, most of the trees growing at higher altitudes were limber pines.
Scientists compared the competing species to two o1d men in a very slow race up a mountainside. This race between such slow-growing trees takes thousands of years. They say climate change is causing the competition.
Smithers said the bristlecone pines are not in danger of disappearing. But he assumes they could be crowded out of some places where they have grown for thousands of years.
The researchers say the findings show how climate change can affect the two kinds of trees. The information, they say, can help scientists understand more complex forests.
1.What’s the function of Paragraph 1?
A. To introduce a topic. B. To summarize the whole passage.
C. To describe the appearance of a tree. D. To praise the hard work of the experts.
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A. There will be older trees sent out of those mountains.
B. There will be more places covered with bristlecone pines.
C. There will be better limber pines replacing the ancient ones.
D. There will be fewer bristlecone pines growing in those areas.
3.According to the passage, the reason why limber pines can grow at higher altitudes is_________.
A. the high winds B. the difficult conditions
C. the changing climate D. the extreme temperatures
4.What is the researchers’ attitude towards the future of the bristlecone pine?
A. Positive. B. Concerned.
C. Enthusiastic. D. Indifferent.
“An Uber self-driving car hit and killed a woman crossing the street in Arizona，U．S．，”police said on Monday，marking the first death caused by an autonomous vehicle and a potential blow to the technology expected to transform transportation．
The ride services company said it was delaying North American tests of its self-driving vehicles，which are currently going on in Arizona，Pittsburgh and Toronto．
So-called robot cars，when fully developed by companies including Uber，are expected to thoroughly cut down on motor vehicle deaths and create billion-dollar businesses．But Monday’s accident highlighted (凸显)the possible challenges ahead for the promising technology as the cars face real-world situations involving real people．
“This catastrophic accident highlights why we need to be exceptionally cautious when testing and applying autonomous vehicle technologies to public roads，”said Edward Markey， a member of the transportation committee，in a statement．
“Elaine Herzberg，49，was walking her bicycle outside the crosswalk on a four-lane road in the Phoenix suburb of Tempe at about 10 p．m． MST Sunday when she was struck by the Uber vehicle traveling at about 65 kilometers per hour，”police said．The car was in autonomous mode with an operator behind the wheel．U．S． federal safety officials were sending teams to investigate the crash．Canada’s transportation ministry in Ontario，where Uber conducts testing，also said it was reviewing the accident．
“Uber and Waymo on Friday urged Congress to pass a law to speed the introduction of self-driving cars into the united states．However，some congressional(国会的)representatives have blocked the legislation over safety concerns，and Monday’s death could hamper passage of the bill，”congressional assistants said Monday．
1.According to the passage，which is the effect of the accident of the woman’s being killed?
A. People will be cautious while crossing a road．
B. The woman’s family will obtain a billion dollars．
C. The process of transforming transportation will be affected．
D. Self-driving vehicles will cut down on motor vehicles deaths．
2.The underlined word“hamper”in Paragraph 6 most probably mean_________．
A. make B. prevent
C. start D. accelerate
3.What is the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A. To arouse the public concerns over a self-driving safety．
B. To remind car producers to be more careful when testing vehicles technology．
C. To advise the Congress to pass a law to speed self-driving cars test in the U．S．
D. To urge the U．S．federal safety regulators to take measures to look into the accident．
Madison Williams was studying in her bedroom when the door burst open．It was her mother，Leigh williams，with a frightening and incredible story，“A little boy fell into a septic tank(化粪池)，and no one can reach him．”Then she made this request of her 13-year-o1d daughter，“Can you help?”
Madison and Leigh ran to a neighbor’s yard，where they found the boy’s anxious mother and other adults surrounding a septic tank opening．The opening was only slightly wider than a basketball．The boy，who was only two years o1d，had slipped in and was drowning in four feet of waste water inside the tank．
Madison quickly surveyed the situation．She was the only one who could fit through the small ho1e．Without hesitation，she got on her stomach next to the opening，placed her arms out in front of her，and told the adults，“Lower me in．”
Leigh and others held her waist and legs．“I wiggled(扭动)my arms and shoulders until I got through the opening，”Madison said．Inside，the tank was dark，and the air disgusting．Madison jammed her left wrist against a pole，injuring the muscles in her wrist and arm so severely that the hand seemed useless．Madison shot her good hand out and grasped the boy’s foot tightly．“Pull me up!”she shouted to the others above．
As they were pulled to the surface，the boy’s free foot got stuck under the inside lip of the opening．“Lower me down!”she yelled．“I had to wiggle his foot until it was free，”she told Reader’s Digest．Then，ten minutes after Madison had entered the tank，she and the boy were lifted out．
“Madison’s a hero，”Holley，one of her neighbors said “What other teenage girl is going to voluntarily go into a septic tank?”
1.Madison was asked to help the boy because________．
A. she was brave enough to help the boy
B. she knew how to survey the situation
C. she could fit through the small hole to get the boy
D. she was willing to help others in trouble
2.According to the text，we can learn that__________．
A. the boy’s mother was too scared to rescue her son
B. a boy was trapped when reaching for his basketball
C. Madison Williams was choked in the disgusting air
D. the two kids got out of danger with the aid of the adults
3.Which might be the main idea of the passage?
A. A boy fell into a septic tank．
B. A mother requested her daughter to save a boy．
C. A neighbor helped a girl out of trouble．
D. A girl rescued a little boy from a septic tank．
临近年底，很多人因为忙不完工作而被迫进入循环加班模式。请根据你对下面这幅图的理解，以"Should people get paid for their overtime work？"为题，用英语写一篇作文。
你的作文应包括以下内容：
1、简要描述这幅漫画的内容；
2、你觉得老板和员工会各自持怎样的观点；
3、阐述你对 "Should people get paid for their overtime work？"这个问题的看法。
注意：
1、可参照图片适当发挥；
2、作文词数150左右；
3、作文中不得提及有关考生个人身份的任何信息，如校名、人名等。
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单词拼写
1.He stood on the stage to give a speech， r_____ to his notes now and then．
2.There were over 500 athletes p_____ in the marathon last month．
3.A good laugh can drive away n_____ feelings like depression， nervousness， anxiety and disappointment．
4.Much to our surprise， the witness's a_____ of the traffic accident differed from the official version in several aspects．
5.Parents should take the responsibility to educate their kids how to b_____ themselves in some formal occasions．
6.I am living with my parents， but it is only _____(临时的) because next month I will go abroad．
7.In the future I'll be more _____(成熟) and be able to make my own decisions and do things by myself．
8.The boy tried his best to study hard to live up to his parents' _____(期望)．
9.You're actually already in _____(拥有) of one of your most important gifts： time．
10.A large sum of money has been _____(分配) for buying new books for the school．
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词．注意：每个空格只填1个单词．请将答案写在答题纸上相应题号的横线上．
Mastering Storytelling Fundamentals
Whether you're telling a joke， telling a fairy tale， or trying to persuade someone with a little empirical evidence， telling a story well is an important skill． While it comes naturally to some， for others this skill is a learned one． Never fear． Just get started with the steps below．
1.Engage your audience．
Interact （互动） with your audience or do something to grab their attention． Ask them a question， even if it's just rhetorical， that relates to the conclusion， twist， or context for the story you’re going to tell． Alternatively you can make a grabbing statement that catches their attention （setting your hook， the equivalent of a click﹣bait headline）． This forces their attention to focus on the idea of your story and makes them want to hear more．
2.Build the scene．
Throughout your storytelling， you want to create an immersive experience． You want to tell your audience the story in a way that makes them feel like they're there． Start by giving them context when you start your story． Continue to create the scene by using details which help them picture the action and feel the things you felt． You'll also want to carefully tailor your language: use words which create very strong， very specific emotions．
3.Build tension and release tension．
Of course， the entire arc of a story should be building tension and releasing tension， until the climactic point in the story and the falling action of the conclusion． But what you need to remember is that a release of tension should come between the tension points． Without this release of tension， a story can feel rushed or too list﹣like． Real life includes moments between the things that happen to us． Stories should too． This release can be a description of the scene， and quick filling in of semi﹣relevant details， or a joke if the story is meant to be a bit funny．
4.Focus on what's important．
When telling a story， it is important to include details， to create that sense of immersion． However， you don't want the story to take on a "rambling" feel． This is why it's very important to focus on what's important． Cut the details that aren't important for the story， leave the ones that make the story．
5.Keep the flow logical．
This is where knowing your story and practicing become important． You know that person that tells a story and they get partway in and then they're like， "Oh， I forgot to mention…"？ Yeah， don't be that guy． Don't stop to back up． This breaks the listener's experience of the story． Tell the story in a way that is logical and flows smoothly．
6.Make it feel conclusive．
It's awkward when an audience isn't sure if you're done or not so make the conclusion of your story feel conclusive． There are a number of ways to do this， for example：
Ask a question and give an answer． "How crazy is that？ I know I'm sure not going to try that again．"
Mastering Storytelling Fundamentals
Introduction | The skill of telling a story _______ a lot to many people， whether in telling a joke， a fairy tale or persuading someone with a little empirical evidence． Some people are _______ with storytelling skill， while others should acquire it by learning． |
_______ to improving your storytelling skill | Engage your audience． You can _______ with your audience or do something to attract them when you start your storytelling． As an alternative， you keep them interested in your story by making a grabbing statement that attracts their _______. |
Build the scene． Building the scene means that you create a scene where your audience can picture the action and feel the things you felt． Remember to carefully tailor your language． | |
Build tension and release tension． In order not to make your story feel rushed or too list﹣like， you'd better let the release of tension come between the tension points because real life includes moments between the things _______ to us． | |
Focus on what's important． Omit the unnecessary _______ and leave the important ones to help you create a sense of immersion． | |
Keep the flow logical． _______ stopping to back up， which breaks the listener's experience of the story． Instead， tell the story in a logical and smooth way． | |
Make it feel conclusive． You feel _______ when an audience doesn't realize that your story come to an ________ so you'd better make a conclusion． |
