Living in the desert is really hard! With less than 10 inches of rainfall a year, deserts are dry all year round. Lots of heat from the sun and a shortage of water are just a few of the challenges facing desert animals. Deserts are homes to many animals and plants. Few large animals have got used to life in the desert because their size makes it difficult to find shelter from the heat and they can't store water. In order to survive, desert animals have developed a number of ways to live in their special habitat. The most common way is staying under plants or rocks or digging underground in the heat of the day. And many desert animals stay in shelter during the day and hunt at night when it is cool. Some animals get the water they need from the insects, plants and seeds they eat, and do not need to drink. They do not have sweat glands and pass only small amount of waste water. Some animals develop their own ways of surviving in deserts. The Thorny Devil is a kind of lizard that lives in Australian desert areas. It has a body that channels raindrops directly into its mouth when it rains. Water-holding frogs spend most of the year underground in Australian desert areas, and develop a sort of cocoon that enables them to store water to keep them going through the dry times. When it rains, they come out to lay their eggs in ponds. The eggs hatch within days and develop quickly, before the water dries out. According to the text, the most widely used way for animals to survive in deserts is to _ . A) stay in cool places in the day. B) eat as much as they can in the day C) hunt at night when it is cool D) reduce as many activities as possible
A
(Question)
Surtsey was born in 1963. Scientists saw the birth of this island. It began at 7.30 a.m. on 14th November. A fishing boat was near Iceland. The boat moved under the captain's feet. He noticed a strange smell. He saw some black smoke. A volcano was breaking out. Red-hotrocks, fire and smoke were rushing up from the bottom of the sea. The island grew quickly. It was 10 meters high the next day and 60 meters high on 18th November. Scientists flew there to watch it. It was exciting. Smoke and fire were still rushing up. Pieces of red-hot rock were flying into the air and falling into the sea. The sea was boiling and there was a strange light in the sky. Surtsey grew and grew. Then it stopped in June 1967. It was 175 metres high and 2 kilometres long. And life was already coming to Surtsey. Plants grew. Birds came Some scientists built a house. They want to learn about this young island. A new island is like a new world. The best title of this article probably is _ . A) A New Island B) The Birth of an Island C) A New World D) Scientists Discovered Surtsey
(Answer)
B
Ques: A man stayed in his house as a flood engulfed his town. Two men in a boat came to his house and offered to take him to safety. "No, thank you," said the man, "God will help me." As the waters rose, the man retreated to the second floor of his house. Now, two men in a motorboat came by and offered to rescue him. Again, the man refused, saying, "No, thank you. God will help me. " As the waters rose still higher, the man retreated again to the rooftop of his house. A plane came by, and someone inside it threw down a rope, urging the man to grab it and be pulled up into the airplane. Once more, the man declined and said, "No, thank you. God will help me. " Just then a powerful voice called out to the man, "You idiot! I sent you a boat, a motorboat and now a plane. What more do you want me to do?" What do you think of the man? He was _ . A) very strong B) very silly C) helpless D) useless
Ans: B
(Q).
In tradition education, the teacher may feel that the students are not very grown up. Usually, teachers are older than students, and teachers feel that students are young and do not know much about the world. The teachers feel that they must tell the students what to do most of the time, and that they must also make the students study specific things. In open education, the teacher's methods are very different. These teachers feel that the students are human beings first, and students second. They expect the students to be responsible for the things that they do, just as adults are. A student's ideas and feelings are just as important as the teacher's. The teacher allows the students to decide what they want to do, and does not make them study what they do not want to. The teacher lets them decide what to study and how much to study. It's very important for the teacher to show how he or she feels about students. We can infer that _ . A) students needn't study as hard as they did before B) students can learn more about the world in open education C) most of the teachers don't agree with the idea of open education D) most of the students prefer traditional education to open education
(A).
B
Sarah Outland's weeklong "staycation" gave her a chance to explore her new surroundings after moving to Chicago. A day after moving to the Windy City last year, Outland started a new job and never got a chance to explore her new surroundings. After nine months as a resident, she finally took a week off work to visit famous landmarks, museums and shopping centers that were right under her nose. If you glance through a newspaper or listen to a news broadcast recently, you may hear or spot a strange word, "staycation". Staycation is a new word the American press is employing to describe a vacation very close to your home, or simply staying at home during your vacation. It is a combination of words "stay"and "vacation". According to many news reports, these staycations are achieving great popularity among American families this year. When asked about the reason for their expected staycation, respondents stated "gas prices are too high" (61 percent), "travel in general is too expensive (44 percent). The high price of gas for cars and airplanes has made it very expensive for Americans to travel compared to past years. When you combine this with the weak American dollar, it all adds up to people deciding to stay close to home during their traditional summer vacations. For aggressive young Americans who are trying to balance family and work, a staycation can be a great concept. They want to enjoy their homes and the attractions in their area without the stress of packing or making reservation. They won't be paying high fuel prices either directly, at the pump, or indirectly, in airfare, other than the gas required to drive around town. Absolutely, it's friendlier on the environment when locals take trips to attractions in their own area, and not everyone is game for a vacation that involves staying on a hotel compound. Few people live close enough to a real destination to make this worth their while. Staycations are popular with American people mainly due to _ . A) high traveling expenses B) stress of packing C) relatively low income D) lack of real destinations.
A