Thousands of puffins(海鹦) live in Maine and on islands in the Gulf of Maine. But the puffins may be in danger. Last summer, the percentage of laid eggs that successfully produced baby puffins took a dive. Scientists also found a decline in the average body weight of the adult and baby puffins on Machias Seal Island, home to the area’s largest colony. Over the winter, dozens of the seabirds from the region were found dead, likely from starvation.
What’s causing the puffin trouble? Scientists think it may be a shortage of food. With ocean temperatures rising, fish populations have moved around. Normally, puffins’ primary food source is herring, a type of fish. A lack of herring in the area could be causing the problem.
Butterfish from the south have become more abundant in the Gulf of Maine and could be a new food source for birds. But Steve Kress says butterfish may be too big and round for baby puffins to swallow.
Puffins spend most of their lives at sea. They come ashore to breed each spring and return to the ocean in August. The chicks swim to sea about 40 days after hatching. Puffin populations stretch across the North Atlantic, from Maine to northern Russia.
Maine’s puffin population has been at risk in the past. In the 1800s, they were hunted for their food, eggs and feathers. By 1901, only one pair of puffins remained in the state. Thanks to the help of local lighthouse keepers and seabird restoration programs, the state’s puffin population has been restored to more than 2,000 birds.
Scientists aren’t sure what will happen to the Gulf of Maine’s puffins. The birds may move further north. Kress says he hopes the Gulf population will sustain itself and then he continued. “You never know what climate change will bring,” Kress said. “Historically fish could move out and more southerly fish could move in, and puffins may adapt to the new fish. Only they will know how the story will unfold.”
【小题1】The underlined phrase “took a dive” means _______.

A．increased

B．arose

C．reduced

D．changed

【小题2】In the scientists’ opinion, ________ is contributing to the puffin trouble.

A．a lack of herring	B．environmental pollution
C．the increase of birds	D．the huge size of butterfish

【小题3】It can be inferred from the passage that _______.

A．Maine’s puffin once nearly became extinct

B．Maine’s puffins’ eggs were of high prices

C．baby puffins grew up quickly

D．the number of Maine’s puffins is worrying

【小题4】Judging from Kress’s words in the last paragraph, we know ________.

A．climate change matters little

B．there is cause for concern

C．the new fish won’t harm puffins

D．puffins may move to the south

【小题5】How is the second paragraph mainly developed?

A．By giving examples.	B．By making comparisons.
C．By following time order.	D．By asking questions

Was the London Olympics a success? Many people hold different opinions．However, one thing is certain, London could win a gold medal for hosting the“greenest”Games ever, BBC News reported．
Previous Olympic hosts have been criticized for the environmental damage they have caused through construction, waste and transport．But things had to be different in London．
What is most impressive is that London considered the construction of the Olympic Park as an opportunity to clean up polluted areas．2 million tons of polluted soils were removed and 200 old factory buildings were torn down, according to sustainablebusiness．com．But that’s not all．99 percent of the debris（废瓦砾）were reused to build the Olympic Park．
As well as using recycled materials, all gymnasiums were built with green building techniques．The Olympic Stadium is the lightest one ever built, which minimized the amount of steel and concrete needed．Also, the handball field has lighting pipes on the roof that reduce electricity use by 40 percent．
The effort that London made to deal with waste also deserves praise．Water used for drinking and watering plants was from collected rainwater or recycled wastewater．In this way, about 30-40 percent less water was used in total．Waste food package were either recycled or processed and turned into renewable energy．
As one of the best connected places in Europe, London tried to solve traffic jams by encouraging the use of public transport．For example, it had trains deliver half of the building materials, instead of cars, which greatly reduced carbon emissions（排放）．
The clean anti-doping result also added to the greenness of the Games．Only one athlete tested positive for a banned drug on the day of competing, which is why the IOC President, Jacques Rogge, has praised anti-doping efforts at the London Games．
【小题1】To make the Olympic Park green, London ________．

A．recycled 2 million tons of polluted soil

B．applied green building techniques to the construction

C．built the Olympic Stadium mostly with recycled materials

D．removed 99 percent of the debris from the city

【小题2】The underlined word“minimized”in the fourth paragraph probably means ________．

A．increased as much as possible	B．made use of
C．reduced as much as possible	D．took little notice of

【小题3】What can we conclude from the article?

A．The London Olympics cost less than the other Olympics ever held．

B．London has possessed the most advanced techniques to deal with waste．

C．Public transport is made good use of in London during the Olympic Games．

D．The anti-doping result in the London Olympics turned out to be dissatisfactory．

【小题4】Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?

A．The effort that London made to deal with waste isn't worthy of praise．

B．In terms of holding the greenest Games, the London Olympics was a success．

C．London tried to solve traffic jams by encouraging the use of private cars for free．

D．The IOC President, Jacques Rogge was unsatisfied with the anti-doping efforts at the London Games．

Something that makes sense is happening in Washington, D.C! Public school kids surrounded by museums and monuments are putting the ready-made learning tools to use — and actually learning. 
A trip to see painter Jacob Lawrence’s Migration Series is one of almost 200 trips that Wheelock will organize this year through the nonprofit group Live It Learn It. “For many kids, school is disconnected,” says one of four full-time workers and tour leaders. “With the program, they see how what they are learning is connected to their communities.”
Seven years ago, Wheelock changed a job as a lawyer for one as a four-grade teacher. When he learned that D.C.’s public schools ranked behind those of other cities in many ways, he knew he had to do something different. He took his class to Capitol Hill for a lesson on the three branches of government — and saw his students’ interest develop quickly.
With seed money from a local couple, Wheelock developed detailed lesson plans for trips to the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, the Lincoln Memorial. The group also has classes for trips to the Anacostia River, boat rides to historical forts. Word spread, and now fourth, fifth, sixth graders from the neediest public schools in the District participate.
“I’m not brave enough to take my class to a museum for over an hour!” says teacher Cathy McCoy, gesturing toward her students. “But look With Live It Learn It, what the kids learn today they’ll remember for a lifetime.”
【小题1】Matthew Wheelock once had an occupation as a _______.

A．teacher

B．printer

C．leader

D．lawyer

【小题2】According to the first two paragraphs, public school kids in Washington D.C. _______.
A. like to have school disconnected
B. are warmly welcomed by museums and monuments
C. are making the resources at hand available
D. are learning by going to different communities
【小题3】Matthew Wheelock started the new change for the reason that _______.
A. he saw his students’ interest develop quickly
B. more graders from the neediest public schools wanted to participate  
C. D.C.’s public schools ranked behind in many ways
D. a local couple sponsored him a sum of seed money
【小题4】What will the lessons be like with Live It Learn It in Cathy McCoy’s opinion?

A．Eye-catching.

B．Challenging.

C．Forgettable.

D．Impressive.

A Smashing tradition: MIT Students Drop Piano
One of the highlights of the school year at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology only lasts a few seconds but has a big influence. Residents of an MIT dormitory dropped an upright piano from their roof on 26^th April to celebrate the last day students can drop classes without having them appear on their college report.
About 200 onlookers watched as the piano crashed into a second piano, a baby grand, positioned on the ground six stories below for a better smash. People scrambled (争先恐后) for souvenir pieces-keys, hammers, strings and splinters. The tradition began in 1972 at the Baker House dormitory and has been observed irregularly until 2006 when it became an annual event.
Crafton Family Comes Back Home after 7 Years at Sea
While most of us will love to go on a vacation for a week or two on a small private sailboat, without doubt, spending seven precious years on sea is something most of us will never imagine or dare to do. However, that is what an American family has done. Tom Crafton and Kathy Crafton along with their three children have traveled across the world on their 43-foot sailboat named Nueva Vida. Over the past seven years the family had sailed 30,000 miles and visited more than 20 different countries. The family has recently come back to their homeland.
_____________________________________________

Living in the limelight（聚光灯）can be difficult but as these splendid pictures show for one bear the tourist train never stops. This arctic animal loves nothing more than an audience and will even climb out of his snowy bed to give the crowd a wave. The funny poses(姿态) of the friendly polar bear were caught on camera by Swedish photographer, Hams Strand.
【小题1】Which of the following is true about the first incident?

A．The typical style of celebration has been kept alive every year since1972.

B．Another small piano on the ground is meant to hold the falling one.

C．The students dropped the piano in celebration of their graduation.

D．The tradition became an annual event for MIT students several years ago.

【小题2】The writer thinks Crafton family’s seven-year sailing is ______.

A．unusual

B．strange

C．common

D．doubtful

【小题3】What would be the best subtitle for the third incident?

A．The Limelight Makes Polar Bear Live Hard

B．Splendid Pictures of Polar Bear Attract Tourists

C．The Tourist Train Would Stop without Polar Bear

D．Polar Bear Says Hello to Tourists with a Friendly Wave

【小题4】The passage is probably taken out of ______.

A．a novel

B．a magazine

C．a diary

D．a report

This year the selfie earned its place as the Oxford English Dictionary’s 2013 Word Of The Year. It has taken over our culture --- and our smartphones. The rise of the selfie has become universal–between presidents, celebrities(名人) and citizens alike–and the trend is only continuing to grow.

A recent survey conducted by the Pew Internet & American Life Project found that 54 percent of Internet users have posted original photos online. And of those hundreds of millions of photos, many are of selfie photos.
For example, currently there are nearly 62 million posted selfie photos on Instagram, the social media tool that has significantly contributed to the personal photo’s popularity. That figure, which continues to rise every day, doesn’t even begin to include the selfies shared on Facebook and Twitter.
What makes the selfie so attractive -- and why do we feel it a must to take one? According to Dr. Pamela Rutledge, psychologist and director of the Media Psychology Research Center, the desire to take, post and get “likes” on selfies goes back to a biological behavior of all humans.
“I think it influences our sense of social connection in the same way as it does when you go to a party and people say ‘Oh I love your dress,’” Rutledge told The Huffington Post. “Biological, social recognition is a real need and there is even an area of the brain that contributes to social activity.”
There is a way to adapt to the growing selfie culture. Whether you’re a selfie novice or an advanced poster, there are always things to be mindful of when you’re posting, Rutledge advises.
She offered two main principles to follow when it comes to posting on social media:
1. The Grandmother Rule
“Don’t post anything online, whether text or visual, that you don’t want grandmother or future employer to see,” Rutledge said. “Selfies especially.”
2. The Elevator Rule
“You wouldn’t say something in an elevator that you or no one else wants to hear -- the whole world of social media is an elevator,” Rutledge said. “Be aware of the breadth (宽度) of platform. It’s easy to think you’re sharing a photo with a few people, but Instagram is public and people can come across things.”
【小题1】What’s the main idea of the first paragraph?

A．The selfie is taking the lead.

B．Many people are fond of smartphones.

C．The selfie will take over everything.

D．The selfie is an important new word.

【小题2】 According to the passage, people like “selfie” so much, because they ___________.

A．want to show off their new dresses

B．need to be acknowledged in social life

C．desire to share good things

D．mean to amuse the public

【小题3】 The underlined word “novice” in Paragraph 6 probably means “________”.

A．greenhand

B．publisher

C．novelist

D．celebrity

【小题4】When it comes to posting on social media, Rutledge advises people to ______.

A．share photos only on Instagram

B．talk about your photos in an elevator

C．be cautious in posting things online

D．follow rules set by your grandmothers

The kindly “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” wearing Han Chinese clothing and holding a fortune bag debuted(亮相) at the Imperial Ancestral Shrine in Beijing on the day after Christmas. The final image of the Chinese gift-giver was selected through a global design competition that cost millions of yuan. Its debut seems to be a sign of competition against “Santa Claus”, according to a report by Guangming Daily.

Many Chinese cities have been filled with Christmas neon lights, Christmas songs, Christmas trees, and the images of “Santa Claus” in recent days. As a matter of fact, foreign festivals are becoming more popular than certain traditional Chinese festivals among the Chinese people, particularly the youth. “Certain traditional festivals have died out because people have forgotten their spiritual meanings,” said noted writer Feng Jicai. More and more Chinese people are beginning to exchange gifts on Valentine’s Day and Christmas. However, many of them know nothing about Chinese New Year pictures or sugarcoated figurines(小糖人), and have never heard suona music. Certain folk customs on the Dragon Boat Festival, Tomb Sweeping Day, and other traditional festivals have gradually disappeared. Under such circumstances, even the “Chinese Fortune Grandpa” is unlikely to defeat “Santa Claus”.
However, it is not a bad thing to some extent. It constantly reminds people to restore the “true face” of traditional festivals. China has listed traditional Tomb Sweeping Day, Dragon Boat Festival and Mid-Autumn Festival as legal holidays, which brings more paid leaves to the public, and helps to awaken the public awareness of traditional festivals.
In modern society, festival is a carrier of culture and its meaning largely depends on their understandings and usages by people. Compared with foreign festivals, traditional Chinese festivals are not inferior(次于) in cultural meanings, but lack of fashion sought by modern people. If people do not appreciate the historical culture contained by traditional festivals, and only take pleasure-seeking as the most important, the significance of traditional festivals will fade away and the inheritance(继承) of fine traditional culture will be cut off.
【小题1】The second paragraph implies that______________.

A．traditional festivals should co-exist with foreign festivals

B．all the Chinese festivals are disappearing in the near future

C．western festivals are constantly impacting on our festivals

D．Chinese people have the public awareness of traditional festivals

【小题2】We can learn from the passage that _________.

A．an image design by Chinese people will be displayed

B．many foreigners know nothing about Chinese Festivals

C．the Chinese gift-giver was intended to symbolize traditional culture

D．the Chinese are beginning to exchange gifts on the Mid-Autumn Festival

【小题3】Many Chinese youth dislike traditional festivals because they think _________.

A．traditional festivals are out of fashion now

B．the historical culture is more difficult to understand

C．western festivals contain more cultural meanings

D．the inheritance will cut off their contact with western festivals

【小题4】What would be the best title of the passage?

A．Gone are Chinese Traditional Festivals

B．True Face of Chinese Traditional Culture

C．Foreign Festivals Popular with Chinese

D．Chinese Fortune Grandpa VS. Santa Claus

LONDON, Feb. 18，2014 （Xinhua News agency） —Britain will send experts to East China's Shanghai to learn from the city's experience in maths teaching in an attempt to raise the teaching standards.
British Education Minister Elizabeth Truss is to lead a delegation of experts on a fact-finding mission to Shanghai's schools next week to see how children there have become the best in the world at maths, to get a first-hand look at maths classes and teaching methods there, and particularly to investigate why the performance of almost all children in Shanghai is high, regardless of gender or income.
Britain was last year placed 50th out of 148 countries and regions in the World Economic Forum's competitiveness ranking in quality of maths and science education. Two years ago, Shanghai topped the 2012 international PISA tables for maths, while England was ranked in 26th place. The top five were all in Southeast Asia, with 15-year-olds in Shanghai judged to be three years ahead of their peers in maths.
The education department said: "England's performance in maths has lagged behind while other countries have improved and overtaken us, including Poland and Germany." Actually, it is the latest step in the government's drive to raise standards in maths, looking at what has made schools in the far East the most successful in the world in teaching the subject.
"Shanghai is the top-performing part of the world for maths—their children are streets ahead. Shanghai and Singapore have teaching practices and a positive mind that make the difference. They have a belief that diligence makes up for lack of ability," Truss said. "Our new curriculum has borrowed from theirs because we know it works—early learning of key arithmetic, and a focus on times tables and long division（长除法）, for instance."
She was determined to change the situation as performance in maths is weakening the country's skills base and threatening the productivity and growth. The government is emphasizing maths because of the importance of good grades in the subject to young people competing for good jobs in a global labor market and to the economy more generally.
An education and skills survey released by the Confederation of British Industry last year showed that 30 percent of employers reported dissatisfaction with the standard of school and college leavers' numeracy. More than two-thirds of employers said they wanted both maths and science promoted more in schools.
【小题1】Why does the British government send a delegation of experts to Shanghai?

A．To see how children from rich families have become the best at maths.

B．To investigate why the performance of almost all children in China is high.

C．To get a first-hand look at science classes and teaching methods there.

D．To raise the teaching standards in maths in Britain.

【小题2】Which of the following statements is true according to the two international competition results?

A．British students performed better in 2013 than in 2012.

B．British students did better than the students from Poland in 2013.

C．The students from Singapore did better than the students from Germany.

D．The students from Germany did better than the students from Poland.

【小题3】What has made schools in Shanghai the most successful in teaching maths in the eye of Truss?

A．Curriculum and teaching methods.

B．Teaching practices and a positive mind.

C．Early learning of key arithmetic and times tables.

D．A focus on times tables and long division.

【小题4】How will students’ poor performance in maths affect the country eventually?

A．By threatening the country's competitiveness of economy.

B．By weakening the country's political system.

C．By losing international competitions in education.

D．By failing to find jobs in a global labor market.

【小题5】What can we infer from the news?

A．The students in Britain don’t work hard at Maths.

B．The students in shanghai are the smartest in the world.

C．The education of science in Britain is no better than that of maths.

D．Most British citizens are dissatisfied with teachers’ work.

The world’s oldest person, Ms. Baines, died. She celebrated her 115th birthday with congratulations from Barack Obama, President of the United States.  Over her life she lived through the terms of 21 US presidents.
Gertrude Baines passed away(去世) peacefully in her sleep at the Western Convalescent Hospital in Los Angeles, where she had lived for her last ten years. Emma Camanag , the hospital’s leader ，said she was a respectable lady. "It is really an honor for the hospital to take care of her over the last 10 years and we will greatly miss her. It is just like we have lost a relative（亲戚）," said Emma.
Ms. Baines, who was born in Shellman, Georgia, in 1894, had no living relatives. She grew up in the southern US during difficult times. During that time, African American people were required to use separate, often poor, public services. She married young and later divorced (离婚). Her only child, a daughter, was born in 1909 and died of a terrible disease at the age of 18. Ms. Baines worked as a maid (女佣) in Ohio before moving to Los Angeles where she lived on her own until she was well over 100.
She once told an interviewer（记者）, "As for the secrets of long life, I do not have any disappointments（失望） in my own life."
She gained some fame when she voted for Mr. Obama in the US presidential election（总统大选）, saying she supported him "because he’s for the colored people". It was only the second time in her life she had voted, the first time being for John F. Kennedy.
Ms. Baines became the world’s oldest person in January. Japanese woman, Kama Chien, 114, has now taken over the title.
【小题1】It was an honor for the hospital to take care of Ms. Baines because ________.

A．she was a respectable lady

B．she was a relative of the hospital’s leader

C．she lived in the hospital for years

D．she voted for Mr. Obama in the election

【小题2】Ms. Baines voted for Mr. Obama because he ________.

A．was very popular in the hospital

B．did even better than John F. Kennedy

C．did good things for African Americans

D．congratulated her on her birthday

【小题3】Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Ms. Baines used to serve others in Ohio.

B．Ms. Baines died in a hospital in Los Angeles.

C．Ms. Baines and her husband had only one child.

D．Ms. Baines liked to live alone.

【小题4】The passage is mainly about ________.

A．the world’s oldest person, Ms. Baines

B．why Ms. Baines voted for Mr. Obama

C．how Ms. Baines lived for so long

D．Ms. Baines and President Obama

NOT all memories are sweet. Some people spend all their lives trying to forget bad experiences. Violence and traffic accidents can leave people with terrible physical and emotional scars. Often they relive these experiences in nightmares.
Now American researchers think they are close to developing a pill, which will help people forget bad memories. The pill is designed to be taken immediately after a frightening experience. They hope it might reduce ,or possibly erase(抹去),the effect of painful memories.
In November, experts tested a drug on people in the US and France. The drug stops the body releasing chemicals that fix memories in the brain. So far the research has suggested that only the emotional effects of memories may be reduced, not that the memories are erased.
The research has caused a great deal of argument. Some think it is a bad idea, While others support it.
Supporters say it could lead to pills that prevent or treat soldiers' troubling memories after war. They say that there are many people who suffer from terrible memories.
"Some memories can ruin people's lives . They come back to you when you don't want to have them in a daydream or nightmare. They usually come with very painful emotions," said Roger Pitman, a professor of psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. "This could relieve a lot of that suffering."
But those who are against the research say that changing memories is very dangerous because memories give us our identity (特质). They also help us all avoid the mistakes of the past.
"All of us can think of bad events in our lives that were horrible at the time but make us who we are. I'm not sure we want to wipe those memories out, "said Rebecca Dresser, a medical ethicist.
【小题1】The passage is mainly about              .

A．a new medical invention

B．a new research on the pill

C．a way of erasing painful memories

D．an argument about the research on the pill

【小题2】The drug tested on people can           .

A．cause the brain to fix memories

B．stop people remembering bad experiences

C．prevent body producing certain chemicals

D．Wipe out the emotional effects of memories

【小题3】We can infer from the passage that           .

A．people doubt the effects of the pills

B．the pill will stop people's bad experiences

C．taking the pill will do harm to people's health

D．the pill has probably been produced in America

【小题4】Which of the following does Rebecca Dresser agree with?

A．Some memories can ruin people's lives.

B．People want to get rid of bad memories.

C．Experiencing bad events makes us different from others.

D．The pill will reduce people's sufferings from bad memories.

Cao Min couldn’t believe she was experiencing exactly what she had seen years ago in the film “Titanic”.
Cao and her two children from Anhui Province were traveling on board the “Liaoludu 7” on February 22. They were among the first people on the ship who were rescued by lifeboats. Cao’s one-year-old son was the youngest passenger on board.
The “Liaoludu 7” was traveling in the Bohai Straits from Lvshun in Liaoning Province to the port city of Longkou in Shandong Province. It suddenly lost its power at 2:30 pm and tilted(倾斜) on its side. With 81 people on board, the ferry began to sink.
“I was so scared that my legs couldn’t move forward. They kept shaking even when I was asked to jump onto a lifeboat,” Cao recalled.
Upon receiving the mayday appeal (紧急呼救), China Marine Search and Rescue Centre immediately informed the State Council. The center sent eight lifeboats to the fishing boats.
After more than four hours of fighting strong winds and freezing ocean water, the passengers were recovered. All but four survived. These four died after spending too long time in the freezing waters, according to a spokesperson for the Beijing-based center.
【小题1】According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?

A．The film “Titanic” had been on show again in Shanghai.

B．Cao Min and her children experienced the terrible accident.

C．“Liaoludu 7” with all passengers on board were saved.

D．The ferry began to sink on the way to the port of Liaoning.

【小题2】From the passage we can infer that                  .

A．China Marine Search and Rescue Centre quickly carried out the rescue task

B．the center sent eight lifeboats and asked for help from the United Nations

C．the passengers were fighting strong winds and freezing ocean water for one hour

D．the ferry sank into the sea immediately it tilted on its side at 2:30 pm

【小题3】According to the passage, ________ passengers on board were still alive.

A．four

B．seventy-seven

C．eight

D．eighty-one