跟踪导练（四）③

2015-11-04

时代英语·高二 2015年5期

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When humans and nature go head to head， nature often ends up losing. Rivers get polluted. Trees are knocked down. Natural resources are used up. Thats what makes the Galapagos Islands so special—its one of the few places on the Earth that nature can truly call its own.

A visit to the Galapagos is a real eye-opening experience. Over 1，600 km west of Ecuador， the islands are home to a unique（独一无二的）variety of animals that have absolutely no fear of people. Visitors can play on the beach with sea lions and giant sea turtles， swim with dolphins and whales， and get close enough to the penguins to count the eggs in their nests.

The islands were declared（宣布）a national park over 40 years ago， and the number of human visitors is tightly limited to avoid damaging the environment or putting stress on the animals. Tourists have to pay $100 for the daily fee， and cant step off the boat unless accompanied（陪同）by an official guide. Once on the islands， you have to stay on the special car. The animals are so curious about people that theyll usually come up to say hello.

“Its a little like being in a zoo，” said one traveler. “But instead of us looking at the animals， the animals are looking at us.”

Besides the wildlife， one of the islands more unusual features is its post office. You can send postcards for free， but the problem is that theres no postman to collect them. Instead， travelers pick up mail addressed to people who live near them back home and then hand-deliver the postcards when their trip is finished.

1. The Galapagos Islands are ___ .

A. west of Ecuador B. terribly polluted

C. in the Atlantic Ocean D. independent of Ecuador

2. Which animal is mentioned in the passage？

A. Lions. B. Goats.

C. Sharks. D. Sea lions.

3. What is one of the islands more unusual features？

A. You need to buy stamps to send letters.

B. There are some postmen to collect letters.

C. Travelers deliver the letters by themselves.

D. There are only the wild animals on the islands.

4. Which would be the best title for the passage？

A. A Special Zoo

B. Go Head to Head

C. Human and Nature

D. Ecuador—an Island Country

When families gather for Christmas dinner， some will stick to formal traditions dating back to Grandmas generation. Their tables will be set with the good dishes and silver， and the dress code will be Sunday-best.

But in many other homes， this china-and-silver custom has given way to a stoneware-and-stainless（不锈的）informality， with dresses appearing an equally casual-Friday look. For hosts and guests， the change means greater simplicity and comfort. For makers of fine china in Britain， it means economic hard times.

Last week Royal Doulton， the largest employer in Stoke-on-Trent， announced that it is cutting down 1，000 jobs—one-fifth of its total workforce. That brought to the number of more than 4，000 positions lost in 18 months in the pottery（陶瓷）region. Wedgwood and other pottery factories made cuts earlier.

Although a strong pound and weak markets in Asia play a role in the downsizing， the layoffs（临时解雇）in Stoke have their roots in earthshaking social changes. A spokesman for Royal Doulton admitted that the company “has been somewhat slow in catching up with the trend” toward casual dining. Families eat together less often， he explained， and more people eat alone， either because they are single or they eat in front of television.

Even dinner parties， if they happen at all， have gone casual. In a time of long work hours and demanding family schedules， busy hosts insist， rightly， that its better to share a takeout pizza on paper plates in the family room than to wait for the perfect moment or a “real” dinner party. Too often， the perfect moment never comes. Iron a fine-designed tablecloth？ Forget it. Shine the silver？ Who has time？

Yet the loss of formality has its down side. The fine points of table manners that children might once have learned at the table by observation or instruction from parents and grand-parents （“Chew with your mouth closed” “Keep your elbows off the table”） must be picked up elsewhere.

5. In Britain， the formal traditions at family dinner ___ .

A. show peoples respect for the older generations

B. are mainly preferred in families of the upper class

C. have a long history and are valued by some people

D. will be deserted with the development of economy

6. Royal Doulton in Paragraph 3 is probably ___ .

A. the manager of a fine china factory

B. a company that produces fine china

C. a large region in Britain famous for producing china

D. an organization that determines the use of workforce

7. What is the main reason for less formality at dinner party？

A. Busy schedules dont allow for formality.

B. Hosts care less about their social behavior.

C. Being formal has been out of date at present.

D. Hosts are getting tired of frequent family dinner.

8. What can we learn about informality from the last paragraph？

A. It should be picked up elsewhere.

B. It has resulted in the great loss in British economy.

C. It has reduced parents influence on childrens behavior.

D. It helps table manners become more important than before.

单词训练营

从下列方框里10个单词中选择8个适当单词的正确形式填入下列各句中，使其句意完整。每个单词只使用一次。

create determine establish except force

reputation resemble shallow vivid warn

1. He ____ his father very much in all his ways of action.

2. The difference between the two artists ____ methods is enormous.

3. Each student must answer all the questions during the examination without ____ .

4. I have ____ him that it is not allowed to enter the building because the construction hasnt been finished yet.

5. She is a very ____ woman who always gets what she wants.

6. The boy wont do his homework if you dont ____ him to.

7. This great battle was ____ recorded in the documentary film.

8. Having been ____ for over ten years， our company becomes one of normalization and specialization.

单句改错

下列各句每句有1个错误。

1. Of the two girls who are both working hard in the library， which one do you like best？ ___

2. Though he isnt a soldier， he works as a soldier. ___

3. He said he waited long since he made up his mind to achieve this final goal. ___

4. Almost everyone dreams that he/she can get richness in a short time. ___

单句翻译

1. 越来越多的村民动身离开村庄去城里，决定去那里发财。

2. 汤姆经常捉弄同学。最后他弄得声名狼藉，没人愿意和他待在一起。

3. 我们都警告他可能发生的危险，不要强迫那只大狗做它不想做的事。

4. 我们匆忙赶到教室，却发现那儿没人，但谁也不知道究竟发生了什么事。

完形填空

Tracy Wong is a well-known Chinese-American writer. But her writing 1 was something she picked up by herself. After her first 2 ， teaching disabled children， she became a part-time writer for IBM. 3 ， writing stories was simply a 4 interest. Tracy sent three of her stories to a publisher.

5 ， they immediately suggested that she put them together to make a single long 6 and paid Tracy a $15，000 in advance. “A pretty money，” said the publisher， “for a（n） 7 writer at that time.”

8 Tracys characters are interesting， her stories sometimes 9 readers uneasy： those about the supernatural. “My mother believed I could 10 with the afterlife world，” she told a close friend， “she used to have me speak with my grandmother， who died many years ago.”

“Can I？ I dont think I can.” Tracy said with a laugh. “But I do have 11 when things come to me for no reason.” Once， she was 12 how to complete a 13 set in ancient China.

14 the doorbell rang. It was a FedEx deliveryman（送货人）， with a copy of a book on Chinese 15 . It came without her having 16 them.

Though she has published 45 books， Tracy has remained

17 by her fame. She lives in the same 18 she lived 27 years ago— 19 in a more comfortable home. Theres more room for 20 in her life—and it wasnt just writing.

1. A. skill B. experience C. practice D. idea

2. A. duty B. effort C. job D. task

3. A. Instead B. Normally C. Certainly D. Then

4. A. general B. deep C. personal D. lively

5. A. Interested B. Anxious C. Serious D. Encouraged

6. A. account B. story C. program D. article

7. A. foreign B. popular C. unusual D. unknown

8. A. Now that B. Even though C. Just because D. Except that

9. A. find B. turn C. leave D. hold

10. A. compare B. connect C. deal D. meet

11. A. events B. chances C. feelings D. moments

12. A. wondering B. figuring C. telling D. wanting