Alan took an early interest in gardening---first on his grandfather's Yorkshire allotment in Ilkley, and then in his parents' back garden. Small polythene greenhouses appeared in the back garden, and cacti were bought from church markets. Alan left school at fifteen with one 'O' level in Art and took a job as an apprentice gardener in Ilkley Parks Department nursery, studying for his City and Guilds in Horticulture in the evening. He went on to horticultural college at Oaklands in Hertfordshire where he studied for one year full-time, being awarded the National Certificate in Horticultural. This was followed by three years at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, resulting in the award of the Kew Diploma. After two years as supervisor of staff training at Kew, Alan entered journalism where he became first a gardening books editor, and then Deputy Editor of Amateur Gardening magazine. He appeared regularly on BBC Radio and Television in programs such as Nationwide , Breakfast Time, Open Air, Pebble Mill, Songs of Praise, Titchmarsh's Travels, and the Chelsea Flower Show. He presented the 100th edition of The Word for Channel 4, and hosted the quiz show Ask the Family. Gardeners' World and the hugely popular Ground Force, second only to Easterners in the BBC1 ratings, are broadcast as far as Australia, New Zealand and North America. After leaving both programs, Alan worked on two other series for the BBC to be transmitted in 2003 and 2004, one of them a landmark series on the natural history of Britain. Alan writes for the Daily Express, Sunday Express, Radio Times and BBC Gardeners' World magazine, and has more than thirty gardening books to his credit. His four novels, as well as a book about his own life, have been best sellers. Alan, 53, gardens organically, and lives with his wife, two daughters and a medley of animals. We know that Alan _ in his school days. A) was good at writing novels B) loved Horticulture very much even C) didn't do so well in his studies D) decided to be an apprentice
C
If you're looking for the place that has everything, there's only one place to visit, and that's New York. It's a whole world in a city. The World of Theatre: All of New York is a stage. And it begins with Broadway. Where else can you find so many hit shows in one place? Only in New York! The World of Music: Spend an evening with Beethoven at Lincoln Center. Swing to the great jazz of Greenwich Village. Or rock yourself silly at the hottest dance sports found anywhere. The World of Art: From Rembrandt to Picasso. From Egyptian tombs to Indian teepees. Whatever kind of art you like, you'll find it in New York. The World of Fine Dining: Whether it's a roast Beijing duck in Chinatown, lasagna in Little Italy, or the finest French coqauvin found anywhere, there's a world of great taste waiting for you in New York. The World of Sights: What other city has a Statue of Liberty ? A Rockefeller Center? Or a Bronx Zoo? Where else can you take a horse-drawn carriage through Central Park? Only in New York! What the writer really wanted to do is to _ . A) try to persuade readers to pay a visit to New York B) give readers some information about New York C) supply readers with some wonderful programmes in New York D) help readers to get a better understanding of New York
A
Q: In the eyes of dog lovers, the dog is man's best friend. But for much wildlife, loose dogs may be a dangerous enemy, according to a study by a biologist from Utah State University in the US. Based on much existing research and their own case studies, Julie Young of Utah State University and four other scientists conclude that loose dogs may represent a huge danger to wildlife, especially endangered species, by hunting down or worrying them and by spreading diseases. They also found that dogs, their worldwide numbers around 500 million, can cause more damage to wildlife and livestock than wolves and other enemies of these animals. Young gave examples from the US state of Idaho, where research showed the presence of dogs reducing some deer populations. On the Navajo American Indians' reservation in northeastern Arizona, packs of loose dogs are chasing livestock. They have killed populations of small animals such as rabbits and act as a disease carrier for rabies among people and other animals, she said. Loose dogs also were to blame for distemper outbreak leading to a die-off of endangered black-footed ferrets in northwestern Wyoming in the 1980s. The phenomenon is not just limited to US; it's a global problen. Julie Young once studied three endangered species in central Asia: wild sheep, gazelles and antelope. The rate of injury and death to these animals by loose dogs was very high. In another case, Young found that dogs, not wolves, as originally suspected, were responsible for a large number of livestock killings in the mountainous Basque country between Spain and France. Authors of the new study said the problem is likely to worsen as communities expand. Then how to deal with it? Indeed, in many countries, leash laws permit punishment of dog owners whose pets chase wildlife. But lawbreakers are rarely punished because the police lack both people and money. Young has low-cost solutions to the problem for dog lovers, though. They include public dog-training programs and vaccinating dogs against rabies... . What is the main point of the article? A) A global disaster caused by loose dogs. B) What makes the dog man's greatest friend. C) The problem of loose dogs and the possible solutions. D) The danger of the increasing numbers of dogs.
A: C
Red squirrels have been wiped out from a large area of northern Italy, threatening a further biodiversity crisis for the species similar to its near extinction in the British Isles. There are now no red squirrels left in an area of more than 1,150 square kilometres (sq km) in Piedmont, according to research from the universities of Turin, Genoa and Varese. On the edge of this large region, the species is also under threat from the invasions of grey squirrels. If the spread of the grey squirrel continues uncontrolled, the species could spread as far as France, the scientists fear. They are calling for more research and control and conservation measures aimed at preserving the remaining red squirrel populations and containing the spread of the greys. Grey squirrels were introduced into Italy ly recently, in 1948. They were a gift from the US ambassador and kept in Turin, but escaped into the wild and rapidly colonized the surrounding area - despite warnings from the UK, where importing grey squirrels was forbidden from before the Second World War, when the destructive effects of having imported greys in the 1880s had become clear. Grey squirrels are not only more aggressive than the native European red squirrel, which causes them to invade red-dominated areas and take over, but they also carry a deadly virus, the squirrel pox. While greys are largely immune to the virus, it is deadly to red squirrels, which typically die within one or two weeks of being infected. From only four animals in 1948, at Stupinigi near Turin, the greys spread rapidly in recent years. Until 1970 the distribution of greys was limited to the Stupinigi woods, occupying an area of about 12 sq km. By 1990 this area had expanded to more than 200 sq km, stretching mainly southwards into the Cuneo province. By 2000, grey squirrels occupied 900 sq km and this year, fresh research from the three universities shows that their distribution now extends to more than 2,000 sq km. In more than half of that area, the native reds have been entirely... Which of the following about red squirrels is wrong? A) They could spread as far as France. B) They die out in a 1,150 sq km of Piedmont. C) They call for more research and control and conservation. D) They often die of a virus that is introduced by grey squirrels.
A