Last spring, members of Alaska's Troop 34, based in Fairbanks, trudged out into the snowy wilderness to take part in their state's Take a Kid Trapping program. In many parts of the state, beavers are pests and need to be controlled. The 10-to-12-year-old girls found out where beavers lived, set traps, and skinned the two animals they caught. The girls hope to catch ten more beavers so that the entire troop can make mittens and hats with the fur. They also want to cook beaver meat. Troop leaders and members say the Scouts are doing a good deed by helping control the state's beaver population. But animal-rights activists say trapping is cruel. They want the Girl Scouts to stop in their tracks. Beavers aren't only causing a problem in Alaska. Residents in Sampson County, N.C., have turned to a local committee to help them battle the growing beaver population there. County landowners are frustrated after the county spent more than $ 50,000 in eight years trying to reduce the beaver population through a government program. The joint state and federal program included paying money to trappers for every beaver carcass they trapped. Many local residents say that the program didn't work because there were too few trappers. That's why the county set up its own committee to investigate other ways to control the area's beaver population. The county will rely on its own beaver-trapping program. It has hired a trapper to set traps in various areas. The county will pay $10 for every beaver carcass. Why do many people say that beavers are a nuisance? For beavers to survive, they need lots of water. Water provides the large rodent with a place to hide from meat - eating animals. Beavers also store food underwater for the winter. When there's not enough water in a particular area, beavers get busy building dams. Beaver dams can cause major flooding and damage to the surrounding countryside as the animals cut down trees to use in their construction projects. Beavers build canals to transport heavy objects. Local residents hate beavers because they can _ . A) cause damage to dams B) block up canals with heavy objects. C) do great harm to construction projects. D) badly damage the environment and cause floods.
D
(Question)
World Expo 2010 Shanghai China is to be staged in Shanghai from May1 to October 31, 2010. If you plan to visit the Shanghai Expo this summer, China Pavilion is a must-see area for you. China Pavilion, which is called Oriental Crown , is located at the center of the Expo site. Standing 63 meters tall, the China Pavilion takes the shape of an emperor's crown, with the upper layers larger than the lower ones. Covering 160,000 square meters in floor space, the pavilion consists of a national hall and a regional hall. Construction on the China Pavilion began on December 18, 2007. The design of the China Pavilion was picked from a total of 344 designs put forward by Chinese from around the world. The pavilion possesses both traditional and modern features, which helps develop the theme of the 2010 Expo: " Better City, Better Life". For example, it is red in appearance, which contains the elements of traditional Chinese culture, and it is green indoors, with the use of energy-saving techniques. The Shanghai World Expo is expected to attract 70 million visitors from across the globe. It is estimated that 400,000 people will visit the Expo and its 140 pavilions every day during the period, but the China Pavilion is only able to receive about one tenth of the total. How to accommodate so many people in the pavilion remains a tough task. Luckily, the China Pavilion is built as a permanent landmark. During the Expo, the main structure will be used for an exhibition based on the theme of " Chinese wisdom in urban development" by explaining the values of harmony, nature and spirit. The three-story pavilion has three sections. The top floor's "Footprint of the East" will show some of the changes in Chinese cities. There, you can see a film which shows how Chinese cities have changed, especially in the past 30 years. According to Lu Chuan, director of the film, the scenery is like something from Lord of the Rings. On the second floor, "Journey of Wisdom" will explain China's four great inventions. And the ground's... Which of the following words can be used to describe the China Pavilion? A) Tiny B) Round C) Exotic D) Environmentally-friendly
(Answer)
D
Ques: Last Tuesday, a group of Washington, D.C. middle school students took a trip to New Zealand, learning, cooking and eating. The students were part of A Taste of New Zealand at the Blair House, the President's guesthouse. The event was hosted by USA Chief of Protocol, Ambassador Capricia Marshall, and featured the New Zealand Ambassador to the United States, the Right Honorable Michael Moore. Ambassador Moore was also previously the Prime Minister of New Zealand. New Zealand is an island in the South Pacific near Australia. It's composed of, as Ambassador Moore joked, around 4.5 million people and 40 million sheep. It also has nice multi-cultural food and traditions, which the students experienced firsthand. The local students were joined by kids from the New Zealand embassy and they all got their hands messy cooking some of the favorite dishes in New Zealand. The menu included lamb chops, fish and chips, and a Kiwi-style vegetarian mini-pie. The food was delicious and beautifully crafted with some help from the Blair House chief cooks and a special guest cooks from a New Zealand-style restaurant in Washington. For dessert, there were several delicious things to choose from. But what stood out from the rest was the Pavlova, a treat made with fruit and others. Not only was the Pavlova nice to look at, but it's also a dish with some controversy. Peter Macaulay, an adviser to the Embassy of New Zealand who attended with his two children, Brianna and Fraser, cheerfully explained why the Pavlova was so controversial. Named after a Russian ballet dancer who visited the country in 1927, the Pavlova was created by the New Zealanders in honor of their special guest. The hullabaloo started when the dancer was honored with the same exact dish when she visited Australia. Ever since, a friendly competition has carried on over which country should take credit for originating the dessert. "We say that we did. And I would stick with our story!" said Ambassador Moore, when asked about the dish. A Taste... From the passage, we can infer that _ . A) raising sheep is a big business in New Zealand B) New Zealanders each have more than 10 sheep C) sheep are what New Zealanders live on D) Pavlova was a special guest to Australia for a ballet performance
Ans: A
I will never forget the lesson about my window. Four years ago, I moved to a house in a large town. One of my new neighbors' house was only a few feet away from mine. There lived a woman. Through one of my windows, I could see her reading by her window every afternoon. Several months later, I found I couldn't see the woman clearly. I thought her window was too dirty. I said to myself, "Why doesn't she clean her window? It looks terrible!" One afternoon, I decided to clean my house including the window. I felt tired after three hours of hard work. So I sat down by the window for a rest. What a surprise! I could see the woman reading there clearly again! By that time, I realized that my own window was too dirty, not hers! I really felt _ for myself. I had been watching her through my dirty window in the past days! The experience is very important for me. So I try to clean the window of my heart before judging others. According to the passage, the writer has learnt how to _ . A) clean the house B) judge others C) help neighbors D) learn English
B