C
Several studies have been done to find out the reason behind the stripes and many theories(理论) have been suggested. According to a recent study, the type of stripes changes depending on the temperature where zebras live. The warmer the place is, the more stripes they may have. From this study, scientists believe that stripes may help to keep a zebra cool in warmer places.
According to the cooler temperature theory, when air hits a zebra, the movements of air are stronger and faster over the black parts and slower over the white. This is because black color takes in more heat than white. So at the point where the black and white meet, there is cooling airflow. It can quickly cool a zebra’s skin! In fact, scientists have noticed that heavily striped zebras have 5.4 F lower skin temperature than other animals without stripes in the same area.
Some scientists believe that stripes may be an adaptation(适应) by zebras to defend (防卫) themselves from the horseflies that follow zebras. The cooler temperature theory holds merit here too, since disease-carrying flies like it hot. Flies also don’t like landing on striped surfaces.
There also have been many other theories that have been suggested for why zebras have stripes. Some explanations are very common. One of them is that stripes may help zebras hide in grass especially from lions. Lions are color blind and even if they are not far away they may see stripes as grey and be confused by them. What’s more, zebras are a large group of animals living together. When a number of zebras stand or move together, stripes may confuse lions into thinking it is one large animal.
48. Stripes are helpful for zebras to ________.
A. stay cool B. move together
C. live in cold places D. fight against diseases
49. How do zebras’ stripes protect them from lions?
A. Lions may be frightened away by stripes.
B. Lions may see stripes as many animals.
C. Stripes can prevent zebras from being seen.
D. Stripes may make lions confused.
50. The underlined words “holds merit” in Paragraph 4 mean “_______”.
A. works well B. sound unreasonable
C. causes disagreement D. needs supporting facts
51. What is the passage mainly about?
A. Why lions can’t eat zebras B. How horseflies keep away from zebras.
C. Why zebras have stripes. D. How animals adapt to nature.
D
Entertainment(娱乐)is a developing business. Its popularity continues to grow as it keeps up with technology. More are willing to pay for entertainment with their time and money. Sometimes entertainment is a form of escapism(逃避). It takes us away from our reality and gets us into another world—not our own.
l Why do we want to escape?
Boredom or loneliness: The boredom of daily life gets to us and we feel we need some excitement and a bit change. A TV running in the background, and maybe catching our attention every now and then, keeps us company.
Fear and avoidance: We don’t want to face something we fear, or can’t bring ourselves to move past the fear and do something about it. We’re scared to go for what we want, so we choose to turn on the TV.
Struggle: Life sometimes feels like a battle—traffic, work, taking care of ourselves and keeping up with what’s going on. At the end of the day all we want to do is forget about all of it and sit mindlessly in front of TV.
Escaping has never been easier than today. We have many forms of escape. And the most favored is entertainment.
l __________________________
Easy to reach and affordable: You can stay at home and watch TV, or surf online all day long.
Social connection: One can line up for a new movie and socialize with other people or go to a ballgame and cheer for his or her favorite team. Entertainment has become something people have in common and can talk about.
All forms of entertainment are okay if we know what we’re doing. And more importantly, we have complete control over when entertainment comes to an end.
l To face our fears and reality or to escape?
If you tried escaping before and it didn’t help, it’s time to deal with the problems you face.
Before watching a TV show, make sure that the important thing is taken care of. Leave your favorite show to the end of the day, after you’ve taken care of what matters to you. This will allow you to enjoy every minute.
There is nothing wrong with entertainment, if we don’t place a higher value on it than our own reality and what matters to us.
When we entertain ourselves mindfully, we won’t need to escape. We turn entertainment into the reality of the moment. And when we’re done, we move on—with no regret. And that can be a lot of fun.
52. One reason why we want to escape is that______.
A. we are eager to get over our fear B. we prefer to sit mindlessly before TV.
C. people are willing to pay for their entertainment. D. people need some excitement and change in daily life.
53. Which of the following sentences might be the best to fill in the blank?
A. Who can we socialize with? B. What’s the best form of escapism?
C. Why is entertainment in such great need? D. How does the entertainment business develop?
54. Which of the following can explain the underlined sentence?
A. We can stop entertaining when we want to. B. It’s more important to control our daily life.
C. Entertainment leads to the loss of self-control. D. We need to learn about all forms of entertainment.
55. The writer may agree that ______.
A. escape from life is more difficult than ever B. entertainment is the best way for us to enjoy life
C. the popularity of entertainment depends on technology
D. we can truly entertain ourselves with real matters done
七、阅读短文，根据短文内容，从短文后的五个选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项(共10分，每小题2分)
Following Their Dreams
Florence lived in the countryside of Kenya(肯尼亚) in Africa. When she was 12, she wanted nothing more than to finish school. But for many girls like her, school is not a choice. ___56___. Families will probably spend money educating boys. Many girls are forced to marry.
__57___. It was Beads for Education, started by Lisa Stevens, that helped realize her dream. Beads has provided many girls with the best education possible. Florence was the first of 320 Kenyan girls in third grade.
__58___. During her visit, she heard that many women made and sold baskets. They used the money to send their daughters to school. Two years later, she started to help sell the Kenyan crafts(工艺品) in the U.S. In 1998, Stevens began helping girls continue their education.
__59___. In January, 2015, she opened the fourth one. “I want to provide the girls with the best education possible and prepare them for college and beyond,” Stevens said.
The new high school is named Tembea, which means “to walk”. Florence is walking toward a bright future. __60___. “Florence is the first in her family to finish high school and college,” says Stevens. “She is an example for all girls in Kenya.”
八、阅读短文，根据短文内容回答问题。(共10分，每小题2分)
Our views towards life change over the time. When I was around five years old, I was in a car accident. At that time, I did not realize the seriousness of it and how lucky I was to still be alive. As I look back to think what happened on that night, I now realize how lucky my family members and I were to not have gotten serious injuries.
The day of the accident started out great. My brother, Troy, and I had spent the night before at JoAnn’s house, with Heather, and JoAnn’s husband Gary. The next day we spent playing inside the house, because it was cold, windy and rainy outside. At night, JoAnn told us we were going out and that where we were going was a surprise. The five of us climbed into an old car, and we set off for our surprise. It was still cold, windy, and raining cats and dogs outside when we left. Troy, Heather and I sat in the backseat together happily. The next thing I knew was that everything was chaos(混乱) ! The road was so slick(滑的) that the car lost control. Glass was flying everywhere, and it sounded like there was noise all around us. Then it was totally quiet, except for the sound of the rain and wind. Troy, Heather and I were all lying on top of one another. The three of us were crying, not knowing what had happened. JoAnn and Gary were trying to calm(使平静) us down and kept asking us if we were all right. Luckily, none of us was injured, just a few cuts. After that I only remember sitting there in the cold, dark night waiting for Gary to get back with people to help us. We never got to the surprise that night. But at least we were able to go home in one piece.
After my brother and I got home that night, I remember my parents let us stay up as long as we wanted to. I guess my parents were realizing just how close they came to losing us that night. As I think of the tragedy(悲剧) that could have happened on that night, I realize how precious(宝贵) life is. I treasure my family and friends, and hope that we will share a loving, caring, and rewarding lifetime together. Things seldom go the way I plan them to, but I take a deep breath, try to laugh, and make the best of it.
61. Did the accident happen at night?
62. What was the weather like when the accident happened?
63. How did the accident happen?
64. What was the writer doing when Gary asked for help?
65. What is the passage mainly about?
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