The rhinoceros is the second largest land mammal in the world and is found in both Africa and Asia. The five species， two in Africa and three in Asia， are easily distinguishable for their hard， prehistoric features， and the presence of either one or two horns on their faces. The word “rhinoceros” actually means “nose horn” in Greek. All species are extremely endangered， with some species represented by fewer than 50 individuals. The rhinoceros today provides a chilling example of the rapid and accelerating disappearance of wildlife on the planet.

Africa hosts two rhinoceros species， which are confusingly called the “black” and “white” rhinos. Although they cannot be distinguished by color， they can be instead identified by lip shape. Both species survive in very limited ranges， primarily in national parks. The horns of the African rhinoceros species are substantially larger than those of the Asian rhinos， and all African species and subspecies have two horns. The Asian rhino populations used to be wide?ranging， but have been diminished to just a few countries. The Javan rhino is now found only in Indonesia and Vietnam， the Sumatran rhino in only Indonesia and Malaysia， and the Indian rhino is present only in small sections of India and Nepal.

Evidence of prehistoric rhinos can be found right after that of the extinction of the dinosaurs. Though they did not all look like modern day rhinos， their ancestors were distributed widely across the globe， even in Europe， as recently as 20，000 years ago.

Rhinos are vanishing everywhere so fast that they may disappear before their habitat does.

Some losses were just part of climate changes 12，000 years ago. And most dangerous to rhino populations has been the hunting for their horns—used in Asia as a traditional medicine and in the Middle East as ornaments—bringing rapid， large?scale reductions in both population range and numbers.

1. What can we infer from the first paragraph？

A. There are 50 species of rhinos in all. B. Protecting wildlife is urgent.

C. 50 individuals are endangered. D. Asias rhinoceros is the largest.

2. Whats the difference between the Asian rhino and the African rhino？

A. The African rhinos all have two horns.

B. The Asian rhinos horns are larger.

C. The Asian rhino population is larger.

D. The African rhinos can be distinguished by color.

3. Why does the author mention dinosaurs in the third paragraph？

A. To explain why rhinos have different species.

B. To tell rhinos also have a long history.

C. To provide ways of identification.

D. To show how they extincted.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about？

A. How climate changes affect rhinos.

B. The number of rhino populations.

C. Why rhinos are endangered.

D. How to protect rhinos.

If youre the parent of a school?age child， then its likely that you have encountered homework. Its also likely that you have wondered about how much you should be helping.    1   Parents who play an active role in homework are putting their kids in the best position to succeed.

Always look ahead.

Your children should use their school planners or their own schedules to anticipate what they will need to be doing soon. Encourage them to do a little bit extra， even when they seem to be finished with the homework for that day.   2

Keep your notes neat and clear.

They can “kill two birds with one stone” by improving the quality of their notes. Make sure your childrens notes contain all the information they need to know.   3   Notes full of crossed out words and messy ink patches need to be rewritten altogether.

4

Help your children learn to use a computer effectively to apply to their schoolwork. Let them experiment with PowerPoint， Publisher， Front Page， and other programs. Help your children learn to type efficiently and use Word correctly. Install appropriate audio books on their iPads and watch the Discovery Channel and other educational television programs with them.

Communicate with teachers.

5   If there is any doubt about an assignment， contact the teacher. Encourage your children to ask the teacher if they find something to be unclear. Your children can do this after class or the next day. Doing this will also help your children develop important communication skills and build their self?confidence.

A. Use technology.

B. Keep your schoolbag neat.

C. This applies to you as parents as well as to your children.

D. Have them highlight or underline the most important points.

E. You and your students can get the most out of your instruction.

F. If a test is coming up， make sure your children dont leave studying to the last minute.

G. Studies show children spending more time on homework get better grades than those who dont.

Task 3

Together with his wife， Salgado has nearly completed the   1   of a single uninterrupted section of the Atlantic Forest， planting millions of trees over the last two decades.

Salgado grew up on a 1，750?acre farm in the state of Minas Gerais 70 miles inland from Brazils Atlantic coast. When he was only a boy， the Atlantic Forest   2   half his familys farm and half the Rio Doce Valley. But that wasnt the   3   when he came home in the mid 90s.

“The land was as   4   as I was—everything was destroyed，” Salgado told The Guardian. “Only about 0.5% of the land was covered   5     trees. Then my wife had a   6   idea to replant this forest，” he recalled.

The couple   7  Instituto Terra and in September of 1998， they gave a tour of their farm to a forestry engineer named Renato de Jesus， who had run replanting   8   for Brazil. He told them that the soil had been   9  ， but as with any other piece of land， it could be   10  . The Salgados then hired two dozen workers who started   11   the invasive African grasses.

The restoration of Atlantic Forest in the Rio Doce Valley was a   12   for the Salgados. After the first planting， three?fifths of the seedlings   13   in the ground. They had to   14    fight off invasive species. But their hard work

15   fruit.

Bringing a forest back to life isnt   16  ， especially when youre running a non?profit organization. While the Salgados were able to secure   17  from both national and provincial governments， they often had to pay out of pocket to keep their   18   alive.

The Instituto Terra Reserve is very small on the   19  of Brazil or the planet， but it is proof that its never too late to start undoing all the damage weve   20  to the environment.

1. A. campaign    B. recovery    C. growth        D. dream

2. A. volunteered        B. served      C. covered    D. shared

3. A. sight    B. forecast      C. agenda    D. principle

4. A. secret    B. new        C. wrong    D. sick

5. A. beyond    B. around    C. on    D. in

6. A. calm        B. fair        C. perfect        D. curious

7. A. clarified    B. founded    C. simplified      D. confirmed

8. A. challenges        B. experiments    C. steps    D. programs

9. A. relaxed        B. defeated    C. destroyed    D. astonished

10. A. covered        B. impressed    C. restored    D. provided

11. A. fearing    B. hating    C. removing    D. collecting

12. A. battle            B. control        C. attention    D. problem

13. A. depended          B. faded    C. died        D. disappeared

14. A. frankly  B. firmly     C. sadly     D. fortunately

15. A. bore        B. selected    C. questioned    D. promised

16. A. defensive    B. attractive    C. sharp        D. cheap

17. A. credits    B. donations    C. decisions    D. comments

18. A. project        B. change        C. coincidence    D. faith

19. A. contrast        B. finding    C. source    D. scale

20. A. caused        B. claimed    C. permitted    D. demanded

Task 4

第一節   语法填空

July 30 is the United Nations International Day of Friendship. Read about the importance of friendship and find out 1.           the UN decided to give it a special day.

Friends come in all shapes and 2.           （size）. They may be someone we met as a child， a classmate at school， someone we met at work or through other friends. They may be friends who live at 3.           distance in another country or virtual friends weve made online. Whoever they are， however we met them， there is a special connection 4.           （base） on a shared history and interests， enjoying  5.

（do） things together or simply talking and understanding each other. Friends are there 6.           （help） us at difficult times and to

celebrate the good times. Doctors say that friends are very important for both our physical and mental health at all stages in life.

But friends 7.          （be） not only important on an individual level. Friendship can also be important on a global level. Friendships 8.           cross borders can help bring peace and avoid war. Learning to treat other people who are different from us as our friends helps us work together to build a culture of peace

9.          （wonderful）. Thats why the UN declared 30 July as its 10.          （office） International Day of Friendship.

第二節  书面表达

假定你是李华，就读于一所国际学校。你原本计划与你的英国同学Elmer暑假一起去海南岛旅游，因故无法前往，请写一封信告诉他，内容包括：

1. 询问学习近况;

2. 旅游因故取消;

3. 表达诚挚歉意。

注意：

1. 词数100左右;

2. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。