There has been a dramatic increase in the number of natural disasters over the past few years,and it is assumed that global warming and climate change could cause even more disasters in the future.Some of the world’s leading cities are facing disasters like floods and heat waves.
London
London’s flood defences are getting older. Since 1982, the Thames Barrier(水閘) has protected the city from the threat of flooding,but it was only designed to last until 2030 and close once every two or three years. About 21 years later the barrier now closes five or six times a year and according to Environment Agency predictions, by 2050 the barrier will be closed on almost every tide if the problem is not addressed.
There are 26 underground stations, 400 schools, 16 hospitals, an airport and 80 billion worth of property in London's flood risk area, so large scale flooding would be disastrous.
Paris
Over a six­week period in July and August 2008,more than 11400 — mainly elderly people — died in France from dehydration (脫水) and extremely high body temperature in a deadly heat wave. Heat waves of similar intensity (強(qiáng)度) are expected every seven years by 2050, so what can be done to make sure such a disaster does not happen again?
One solution is to have air­conditioners installed in elderly care homes. But this is considered a short­term solution, as the increase in demand for electricity also increases carbon emissions.
In Paris the local authorities are encouraging architects to design new types of buildings such as the building “Flower Tower”, which uses a covering of bamboo to act as a natural air­conditioner.
Shanghai
Shanghai is the fastest growing city on Earth. It has a population of 18 million and is only 4 meters above sea level. Sea levels are predicted to rise by 20 cm within the next century.
An estimated 250,000 people move to Shanghai every year in search of work, placing extra demands on energy consumption. China relies heavily on coal­fired power stations, but these emissions increase temperatures and, in turn, warmer seas increase the risk of typhoons.
小題1:Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.Big Cities Facing Big DisastersB.Big Disasters in the Future
C.The Increase of Natural DisastersD.Solutions to Natural Disasters
小題2:What problem should be settled now in London?
A.How to protect the city’s property.
B.Where to build its flood defences.
C.How to use the Thames Barrier to protect the city.
D.How to improve the function of the old flood defences.
小題3: Which of the following measures can’t solve the heat wave disaster in Paris?
A.Putting up new types of buildings with a covering of bamboo.
B.Having air­conditioners installed in elderly care homes.
C.Forbidding the city to build “Flower Tower”.
D.Encouraging architects to design new types of buildings.
小題4:The major threats to Shanghai are ________.
A.increasing population and coal­fired power stations
B.rising sea levels and typhoons
C.extremely high temperature and rising sea levels
D.extra demands on energy consumption and typhoons
小題5:The purpose of the passage is ________.
A.to tell us how to protect the big cities
B.to give advice on how to defend natural disasters
C.to explain what causes flood and heat waves
D.to warn us of the increasing natural disasters in big cities

小題1:A
小題2:D
小題3:C
小題4:B
小題5:D

試題分析:全文主要是圍繞著三個聞名于世的大城市面臨的災(zāi)難展開介紹的,目的就是呼吁人們關(guān)注全球變暖和氣候變化對地球的影響,希望引起人們關(guān)注災(zāi)害對大城市的破壞。
小題1:主旨大意題。抓住關(guān)鍵詞,全文主要是圍繞著三個聞名于世的大城市面臨的災(zāi)難展開介紹的,關(guān)鍵詞是big city和disasters。選A。
小題2:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。在介紹倫敦時,第一句話“London's flood defences are getting older.”就點(diǎn)明了倫敦的危機(jī)暗伏的原因是防洪堤老化。所以解決的方法就是改善防洪堤。選D。
小題3:推理判斷題。在介紹巴黎時,說到了解決問題的兩種辦法,一種是使用空調(diào),但這種辦法不是長久之計(jì);另外一種就是在建筑上使用竹子屋頂型的花塔,所以A、B、D三項(xiàng)均正確,而C項(xiàng)forbid正好與文章要表達(dá)的意思相反。
小題4:細(xì)節(jié)理解題。在介紹上海這一城市時,第一段說的是海平面,第二段說的是臺風(fēng)。選B。
小題5:寫作意圖題。作者寫這篇文章的目的就是呼吁人們關(guān)注全球變暖和氣候變化對地球的影響,就全文來說,是希望引起人們關(guān)注災(zāi)害對大城市的破壞。選D。
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Back in old times, people had little knowledge about the universe and nature. Things we now consider to be common sense were mysteries to our ancestors.
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A.to inform people of the knowledge about the universe and nature
B.to introduce major breakthroughs that have been made in science
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D.to explain what were once mysteries to our ancestors
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Her students give the flipped classroom high marks.
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C.Many students took an inactive part in lecture-style classes.
D.Teachers in Lewisville found that there was no need to prepare lessons.
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A.They have more arguments with classmates.
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C.They need to do more homework at home.
D.They have to prepare lectures by themselves.
小題3:What does the underlined word “productive” mean?
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a. Teachers have time to solve deeper problems
b. Students are engaged in a higher level of learning.
c. Students study according to their own schedule.
d. Teachers don’t have to design homework for students
A.a(chǎn), b, c,B.a(chǎn), c, dC.b, c, dD.a(chǎn), b, d

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B.how to choose the perfect blanket
C.different materials used to make blankets
D.the history and usage of blankets
小題2:The underlined word “rouse” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to “______”.
A.wake upB.take upC.make upD.pick up
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A.Body temperature rises when we fall asleep
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Can we give a hand to those endangered animals? Yes, we may only do a little bit, but together our small actions add up to a lot.
1. Protect wildlife habitat.
Perhaps the greatest threat that faces many species is the widespread destruction of habitat. Cutting down forests, farming, and development all result in loss of wildlife habitat. In areas where rare species live, habitat destruction can quickly force a species to extinction. By protecting habitat, entire communities of animals can be protected together naturally. Parks and reserves are now all too often the only habitats that are left untouched by habitat destruction.
2. Reduce the threat of invasive (入侵的) species.
The spread of non-native species has greatly reduced native populations around the world. Invasive species compete with native species for resources (資源) and habitat. They can even prey on native species directly, forcing native species towards extinction.
3. Place decals (貼花紙) on windows.
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4. Slow down when driving.
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小題1: What would be the best title for this passage?
A.How animals go to extinction
B.The importance of protecting wildlife
C.What to do to help save wildlife
D.How to protect wildlife habitat
小題2:By writing the underlined sentence, the writer means that _____.
A.more parks and reserves should be built
B.we should have more habitats free of destruction
C.there is a need for improvement in parks and re-serves
D.parks and reserves are good examples of protecting wildlife
小題3:People are advised to put decals on windows to _____.
A.decorate the houses and beautify the environment
B.protect the windows from birds hitting
C.a(chǎn)ttract more birds to make homes nearby
D.a(chǎn)void birds hitting the windows by mistake
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Dear Mayor,
I would like to draw your attention to the depressing state of the environment in our city. Increased vehicles have made the air polluted. Citizens find it difficult to breathe. Dumping toxic chemicals into the river has polluted the drinking water and ground water.
All of us, as concerned citizens, have discussed these problems in various meetings. We have come up with the following proposals(提議).
The green roads are no longer green. Many trees and bushes have been cut. We propose restricting the movement of vehicles. Besides, we should make it compulsory(強(qiáng)制性的)to use anti-pollution devices on all vehicles. We should also plant more plants and trees along roads.
The Bada Nadi River has become a dumping ground of toxic chemicals from some factories. These toxic chemicals have killed nearly all the life in the river and polluted our drinking water and ground water. We propose that the Bada Nadi River be declared a protected water body. All the dumping should be banned and heavy fine should be imposed on the offenders(違法者). To tackle the problem of managing toxic waste, we propose setting up a water treatment plant so that only clean water is discharged into the river. Cleaning up the river and introducing various fishes and plants to the river will bring it back to life.
Lastly, the noise pollution caused by honking(鳴)horns and blaring loudspeakers has caused distress to one and all. Many people have suffered from noise-related illnesses. We propose a blanket ban on the use of loudspeakers. And“no horn zones”should also be declared in residential hospitals and school areas.
I would request you to seriously consider our proposals and act accordingly.
Thank you!
Sincerely yours,
A kind-hearted citizen
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A.express his/her thanks to the mayor
B.complain about the environment
C.share his/her opinions about city life
D.make his/her suggestions on managing toxic waste
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A.a(chǎn)nti-pollution devices should be used on vehicles
B.planting more trees and bushes along roads
C.restricting the movement of vehicles
D.banning dumping dangerous chemicals into the river
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