The Internet makes it easier for companies___________________ (和……保持联系) customers and companies in other countries. (touch)

   Elephants and people are in competition for space. In much of Africa, elephants are now put in national parks. Elephants suffered a serious and steady decrease in number in the 1970s.This was the same time when scientists were beginning to learn a great deal about elephants and their behavior. Studies through the 1980s and into the 1990s showed a lot about their sounds and methods of communication.

In Kenya alone, in the 1970s and 1980s, the elephant population decreased from 170,000 t0 25,000. The sharp drop in number was the result of poachers (偷猎者) illegally killing elephants for their ivory. The price of ivory went up from $ 3 a pound to $ 50 to $ 100 a pound. Africa became very attractive to poachers. Bull elephants carried larger tusks (象牙) , so they were more often killed. With males gone and older females killed by poachers as well, there were many young elephants unable to benefit from the wisdom of the older females and matriarchs, who lead the herds.

Kenya took a stand that international trade in ivory was officially forbidden, and $ 3, 000,000  worth of confiscated (没收的)  ivory was burned in Kenya. The following year, only 50 elephants were lost to poachers in Kenya instead of 3,000. But Kenya has the fastest growing human population in the world. People throughout Africa won’t tolerate elephants eating their crops and destroying their livelihoods. In South Africa, elephants live behind the fences of national parks. In some parts of Africa, big-game hunters pay a lot of money to hunt elephants. This keeps their numbers down, and the money goes toward conservation. In Kenya, there are some attempts at birth control to keep the elephant population in manageable numbers to reduce conflicts with people.

Faced with a growing human population, elephants are losing the battle for space. It’s unlikely, though, that they will become extinct(绝种的). They will live in natural parks that bring tourists to Africa as well as India and other parts of Asia. The money from tourism will help elephants to survive.

81. What’s the reason for elephant population decrease?  ( No more than 8 words)

82. Why were bull elephants at higher risk of being killed? (No more than 6 words)

83. How can we reduce conflicts with elephants? (No more than 9 words)

84. Why is it not likely that elephants will become extinct? (no more than 15 words)

Many people are said to have seen the movie “Titanic” over five times；no wonder it has gained more than one billion dollars         ．

    A．until then             B．in time                 C．right away           D．up to now

Journalist:     Hi! May I ask you some questions?

Head Teacher:  Sure!

Journalist:     In what way is your school different from others?

Head Teacher: __6__ A few children are physically disabled and some others have learning difficulties. We have faster and slower learners.

Journalist:    And is yours the only school like this?

Head Teacher: __7__ Disabled children were usually sent to special schools.

They grew up in a different world.

Journalist:  ___8____.

Head Teacher: We realized disabled children had no knowledge of children in ordinary schools.

The opposite was also true. But all human beings should grow together.

Journalist:    Do the slower learners hold up the faster learners?

Head Teacher: ___9___ For some classes, they are separated. In other classes they work together.

Journalist: __10__

Head Teacher:  Well. The faster become skilled as teachers when helping the slower.

Thus the faster learners also do a task more quickly and better.

Journalist:   Thank you!

Head Teacher: You are welcome.

A. Our school is for all children.

B. Well, ours is the only school built for disabled children.

C. That’s correct.

D. What made you decide to start this new school?

E. No.

F. How does that work?

G. Where do they have class?

The audience watched her ____ performance, too ____ to say a word.

A. amazing, surprising                 B. amazed, surprised

C. amazed, surprising                 D. amazing, surprised

Tayka Hotel de Sal

Where: Tahua, Bolivia

How much: About $ 95 a night

Why it’s cool: You’ve stayed at hotels made of brick or wood, but salt? That’s something few can claim. Tayka Hotel de Sal is made totally of salt---including the beds (though you’ll sleep on regular mattresses and blankets). The hotel sits on the Salar de Uyuni, a prehistoric dried-up lake which is the world’s biggest salt flat. Builders use the salt from the 4,633-square-mile flat to make the bricks, and glue them together with a paste (糊) of wet salt that hardens when it dries. When rain starts to dissolve (溶解) the hotel, the owners just mix up more salt paste to strengthen the bricks.

Green Magic Nature Resort

Where: Vythiri, India

How much: About $ 240 a night

Why it’s cool: Taking a pulley(滑轮)---operated lift 86 feet to your treetop room is just the start of your adventure. As you look out of your open window, there is no glass! You watch monkeys and birds in the rain forest canopy(罩篷). Later you might test your fear of heights by crossing the handmade rope bridge to the main part of the hotel, or just sit on your bamboo bed and read. You don’t even have to come down for breakfast---the hotel will send it up on the pulley-drawn “elevator”.

Dog Bark Park Inn B&B

Where: Cottonwood, Idaho

How much: $ 92 a night

Why it’s cool: This doghouse isn’t just for the family pet. Sweet Willy is a 30-foot-tall dog with guest rooms in his belly. Climb the wooden stairs beside his hind leg to enter the door in his side. You can relax in the main bedroom, go up a few steps of the loft(阁楼) in Willy’s head, or hang out inside his nose. Although you have a full private bathroom in your quarters, there is also a toilet in the 12-foot-tall fire hydrant(消防栓) outside.

Gamirasu Cave Hotel

Where: Ayvali, Turkey

How much: Between $ 130 and $ 450 a night

Why it’s cool: Experience what it was like 5,000 years ago, when people lived in these mountain caves formed by volcanic ash. But your stay will be much more modern. Bathrooms and electricity provide what you expect from a modern hotel, and the white volcanic ash, called tufa, keeps the rooms cool in summer. (Don’t worry--- there is heat in winter.)

21. What do we know about Tayka Hotel de Sal?

   A. It is located on a prehistoric lake.

   B. It should be protected against the rain.

   C. Everything in the hotel is made of salt.

   D. You have to cross a rope bridge to the hotel.

22. How are the hotels similar?

   A. Expensive.                        B. Comfortable.

   C. Natural.                                  D. Unique.

23. What do the underlined words “Sweet Willy” refer to?

   A. The loft of the hotel.

   B. The name of the hotel owner.

   C. The building of Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

   D. The name of a pet dog of the hotel owner.

24. Which of the hotels gives you a feeling of living in the far past?

   A. Tayka Hotel de Sal.

   B. Gamirasu Cave Hotel.

   C. Dog Bark Park Inn B&B.

   D. Green Magic Nature Resort.

In our daily life, we often meet with difficulties. Some people do nothing but wait, while others try hard to conquer___71___. Personally, we should face with difficulties positively and make every effort to overcome them.

My memory drew me back to five years ago when I was ___72___middle school student. At that time, I had great trouble studying English. First of all, I felt it hard to memorize English ___73___(word). Besides I didn’t dare to say anything in class when I___74___(ask) questions. What annoyed me most was that I failed exams___75___ (constant). I was about to give up___76___ my English teacher found my problems. He encouraged me and gave me some good advice.So ___77___(inspire) by him, I decided to settle my problems. ___78___(follow) his advice, I made progress gradually. I owe my achievement___79___the teacher whose encouragement was of great ___80___ (important).

In the middle of April , if you walk through Jinghong,   61    capital of Xishuangbanna region in Yunnan Province ,    62   (chance) are that you’ll get very ,very wet. The Dai people will be celebrating their water-splashing festival from April 15 to 17, marking the new year for the Dai ethnic minority.

   Lonely Planet , one of the world’s    63      (large) travel brands , has described what happens:“ People race around the streets of Jinghong and the surrounding villages, soaking （浸透）every person  64   sight with buckets of water. ”

    65      (tradition), water would be collected and poured only on family members as a symbolic way   66     (ensure) good luck in the coming year. Dai people believe that the wetter you get, the luckier you will be.

   Although water    67      (play) a vital role in the celebration, there is much more to the festival , especially during the first two days   68     water splashing is comparatively kept under control, according to Lonely Planet. People wear their best clothes , while older women in nearby villages   69      (dress) in special costumes. They gather with their families and visit Dai temple . There , they wash the statues of Buddha with water , a practice    70     (know) as “ Bathing the Buddha.”

Directions: Read the passage carefully. Fill in each blank with a proper sentence given in the box. Each sentence can be used only once. Note that there are two more sentences than you need.
If you shower before bed, you’ve probably wondered whether sleeping with damp hair is a problem. Maybe you’ve heard it could make you sick, or that it can damage your hair or skin.
What’s the truth? Let’s address the “it can make you sick” myth first. “【1】” says Dr. William Schaffner, a professor of medicine. While this idea persists, Schaffner says it was long ago disproved. It’s true that you’re much more likely to catch a common cold during the winter months. But this has to do with the ways respiratory (呼吸的) viruses spread, he says.
【2】 Illness-causing bacteria and viruses don’t appear naturally, and so you’re not going to make yourself ill by getting your pillow a little damp at night, Schaffner says. But there is a possible exception. Some research has shown that pillows—especially those made with synthetic materials—can contain asthma- or allergy-triggering molds (哮喘或致敏菌) and fungus, which tend to do well in damp environments, and so do dust mites, says Dr. Payel Gupta, a spokesperson for the American Lung Association.
Gupta says there’s no evidence that people who sleep with wet hair experience more allergy or asthma symptoms. 【3】 But if you wake up with a stuffy nose, itchy or watery eyes, breathing problems or other allergy or asthma symptoms—or even if you don’t—you should wash your pillow cases and sheets in hot water at least once a week to reduce your exposure to any potential irritants (刺激物).
When it comes to the health of your hair and skin, there may be a few other reasons to worry about wet hair. “Generally, it’s thought not to be good for hair to sleep with it wet,” says Dr. George Cotsarelis, a professor of dermatology (皮肤病学), “【4】”
It’s also worth noting that almost anything you do to your hair—from brushing and blow-drying it to coloring it or exposing it to the sun—can damage it.
A. Hence, any concerns about wet hair are theoretical.
B. In some cases, wet hair may actually be a helpful sleep aid.
C. Over time, it can lead to breakages, as well as a loss of shine.
D. There may be some mild risks associated with going to bed with wet hair.
E. Another wet-hair rumor (谣传) is the idea that harmful bacteria will colonize your pillow.
F. This idea seems to fit into the old bit of custom that getting yourself chilled and wet will cause you to come down with a cold.