Our boat floated on between walls of forest. It was too thick to allow us a view of the land we were passing through, though we knew from the map that our river must from time to time be passing through chains of hills which crossed the jungle plains. Nowhere did we find a place where we could have landed: where the jungle did not actually spread right down into the river, banks of soft mud prevented us form going ashore. In any case, what would we have gained by landing? The country was full of snakes and other dangerous creatures and the jungle was so thick that one would be able to advance slowly, cutting one’s way with knives the whole way. So we stayed in the boat, hoping that when we reached the sea, a friendly fisherman would pick us up and take us to civilization.

As for water, there was a choice. We could drink the muddy river water, or die of thirst. We drank the water. Men who have just escaped from what appeared to be certain death lost all worries about such small things as diseases caused by dirty water. In fact, none of us suffered from any illness as a result.

One day we passed another village, but fortunately nobody saw us. We did not wish to risk being taken prisoners a second time: we might not be so lucky as to escape in a stolen boat again.

It can be inferred from the passage that the only thing they could see in a boat was _______.     

A. walls  B. chains of hills           C. tall trees            D. vast land

From the passage, we can learn that _______.

A. the country was a civilized society       B. the country was a tropical jungle country

C. they found a place where they could land  D. they were on a journey home

According to the passage, what happened to the people in the boat at last?

 A. They were arrested.                             B. They managed to escape to safety.

 C. They were saved by some villagers              D. The passage doesn’t mention it.

The best title for this passage might be _______.

 A. The Problem of Landing                    B. An Adventure

 C. An Entirely New Experience              D. Escape

．近来，中学聘请(employ)外教之风盛行(trend)，对此大家褒贬不一。请你根据下表内容及自己的观点写一篇短文。

好处（advantages）	弊端（disadvantages）	你的观点(My opinion
1.to make the school famous； 2.to improve one’s spoken English； 3.to know more about foreign culture	1.to be expensive； 2.not to get used to one’s way of life 3.to know little about the way Chinese students learn languages.	。。。。。。

Several years ago, when a foreigner appeared in China, many people would gather round and stare at him or her for a while. Nowadays, however, it’s common to see foreifgers here………..
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Looking for a new weight loss plan? Try living on top of a mountain. Mountain air contains less oxygen than air at lower altitudes, so breathing it causes the heart to beat faster and the body to burn more energy. A handful of studies have found that athletes training at high altitudes tend to lose weight. Doctor Florian Lippl of the University Hospital Of Ludwig-Maximilians-university Munich wondered how the mountain air would affect overweight individuals if they weren’t doing any more physical activity than usual.

Lippl and his colleagues invited 20 overweight men to an environmental research station about 300 meters below the summit of Zugspitze, a mountain around 2,970 meters near the Austrian border. They were allowed to eat as much as they liked. The men also gave blood so that researchers could test for hormones linked to appetite and fatness. At the end of the week, the men, whose mean weight starting out was 105kg, had lost on average about l.5kg. The men’s blood pressure also dropped, which the researchers believed was due to weight lost.

Exactly what caused the weight loss is uncertain. Loss of appetite is common at higher altitudes, and indeed the men ate significantly less than usual—about 700 calories fewer per day. Lippl also notes that because their consumption was being recorded, they may have been more self-conscious about what they ate. Regardless, eating less accounts for just l kg of the l.5 kg lost, says Lippl. He thinks the increased metabolic (新陈代谢的) rate, which was measured, also contributed to weight loss but cannot separate the different effects with the given data.

Appetite loss at high altitudes could certainly be key, notes Damian Bailey, a physiologist at the University of Glamorgan, UK, who recently lost 11 kg during a 3-month expedition to the Andes in Chile.   

Unfortunately, for the average person there is no treatment that can resemble living at high altitude, says Lippl. The only alternative is hypobaric chamber, which exposes subjects to low oxygen and isn’t practical as a treatment. He says, half- jokingly, “If fat people plan their holidays, they might not go to the sea, but maybe to the mountain.”

1.What contributes the most to one’s heart rates according to the first paragraph?

A．our bodyweight                        B．the consumption of energy

C．the rates of our breathing                 D．the amount of oxygen provided

2.Hormones are tested in the research because they can affect ______.

A．one’s bodyweight                      B．one’s blood pressure

C．one’s way of living                     D．one’s metabolic rate

3.What was found about the 20 overweight men in the process of the research?

A．They controlled what to eat self-consciously.

B．They took in much fewer calories than usual.

C．They lost appetite because of lack of physical activity.

D．They were provided with a healthier diet than before.

4.Why does Damian Bailey agree with the idea of appetite loss at high altitudes?

A．He experimented with the new weight loss plan in the Andes.

B．He found no other reasons for his loss of weight in the Andes.

C．He researched the related subject in the Andes.

D．He lost much weight in the high altitude Andes.

5.In what manner does Lippl talk about the way of losing weight by spending holidays on mountains?

A．casual            B．inaccurate         C．uncertain         D．confident

 

MY Chinese friend is going to the US and he is nervous about what to talk about. “Talk about the weather,” is my advice.

“How are you?” is often followed by comments about the weather. “Nice day today.” “Cold/hot enough for you?” “Will it ever stop raining?” “Some winter we’re having.” “Can’t remember a winter/summer so cold/hot.” “Whew, it’s hot out there.”

These introductory statements are often followed by a long conversation entirely about weather conditions. Past, present and – with global warming – speculation (推测) about the future.

Our fascination with weather might seem silly, but the real purpose behind those endless discussions is small talk. Weather’s a safe topic of conversation. As a group, we Americans seem to enjoy chatting with those around us. Whenever we stand in line at the grocery store, we tend to engage in this sort of conversation with other people standing in line with us. If I were seated next to another American on any form of public transport, I’d expect both of us to make some harmless comment about the weather as a way of acknowledging (承认) each other’s presence (存在). At parties, the weather is a common topic, especially with those you are meeting for the first time.

In contrast we are taught to avoid certain topics like religion and politics. Weather is neutral (中性的); you don’t have to have an opinion about it, just make a statement of a fact. What is truly interesting is the fact that we can go on and on about it.

My Chinese friend has a hard time understanding why we put so much effort into this topic – and why I warn him about bringing up much more “interesting” subjects like salaries or how much something costs.

Sometimes it is tricky (复杂的) to wend (行走) one’s way through winding cultural roads, especially those that are never taught in books.

1.What does the writer suggest her Chinese friend should talk about with people in the US? (No more than two words)

2.Why do Americans enjoy talking to people around them about the weather, in writer’s opinion? (No more than ten words)

3.List four topics that people should avoid talking about in the US. ( No more than 5 words)