At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than a million lions worldwide. Today there are less than 30,000 in the wild. The remaining lions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, hunting and activities to protect farms and cattle.

For generations, Masai tribesmen on the large African plains in southeastern Kenya have hunted lions — to protect their farms and cattle. Today they celebrate the lions’ life.

Noah is an elder in the Masai community. “We have decided as a community of the Masai to lay down our spears, and there will be no more killing of lions in our community.” He is part of a group of Masai visiting the United States promoting (推广) the Predator Compensation Program.

Conservation International’s Frank Hawkins explains, “The Masai have been living with wildlife for many generations and it has been a conflicting ( 有冲突的) relationship in many ways. They compete with the animals for food as lions eat their cattle. We’re trying to find ways in which the wildlife will become something useful to them.” They had the Predator Compensation Fund founded in 2003. After much discussion, a group of Masai farmers agreed to protect lions. In turn, if lions or other predators kill their cattle, the Masai owner will be paid market value for the dead animals from the fund.

One man said that in the past, when a lion killed cattle, they killed it immediately. And now, after the start of the program, the Masai see the lion population growing. Since 2003, only four lions have been killed here.

1.What is the aim of the Predator Compensation Program?

A．To protect people in the wild.              B．To protect Masai’s farms.

C．To protect lions only.                     D．To protect the wildlife.

2.According to the passage, why haven’t Masai tribesmen killed many lions since 2003?

A．Because lions don’t eat their cattle any more.

B．Because they will be fined if they kill lions there.

C．Because the fund will pay for dead animals killed by lions

D．Because there are less than 30,000 lions in the wild now.

3.What do you think of the Masai ?

A．Wise.            B．Mean.            C．Generous.         D．Stupid.

What is the greatest reward of being alive? Is it chocolate, ice cream, tropical vacations, hugs from children, a perfect night’s sleep, or the satisfaction of a job well done?    1.   . But one supreme pleasure that includes all people is laughter.

Little can compare to the feeling of a deep, complete, heartfelt time of laughing.    2.  , no matter your age, wealth, race, or living situation.

   3.    . Research finds that humor can help you cope better with pain, improve your immune(免疫) system, reduce stress, even help you live longer. Laughter, doctors and psychologists agree, is an basic part of a healthy, happy life.

As Mark Twain once said, “Studying humor is like dissecting (解剖) a frog. You may know a lot but you end up with a dead frog.” Nonetheless, we’re giving it a try. Here are some tips for getting — or growing — your sense of humor, based partly on the idea that you can’t be funny if you don’t understand what funny is.

First, regain your smile.    4.  , but they do live in the same neighborhood.

Treat yourself to a comedy festival. Rent humorous movies. Reward yourself frequently with the gift of laughter, Hollywood style.   5.  . Then find the humor in them. Now practice telling stories describing them in a humorous way.

Read the comics(连环画) every day and cut out the ones that remind you of your life.

Every night at dinner, make family members share one funny or even embarrassing moment of their day.

a)  Life is also healthier

b)  Recall several of the most embarrassing moments in your life

c)  A thousand people, a thousand different answers

d)  Life is good when laughter is frequent

e)  Humor is everywhere

f)  A smile and a laugh aren’t the same thing

g)  Humor is a way to make yourself relaxed from stress

At the beginning of the 20th century there were more than a million lions worldwide. Today there are less than 30,000 in the wild. The remaining lions are increasingly threatened by habitat loss, hunting and activities to protect farms and cattle.
For generations, Masai tribesmen on the large African plains in southeastern Kenya have hunted lions — to protect their farms and cattle. Today they celebrate the lions’ life.
Noah is an elder in the Masai community. “We have decided as a community of the Masai to lay down our spears, and there will be no more killing of lions in our community.” He is part of a group of Masai visiting the United States promoting (推广) the Predator Compensation Program.
Conservation International’s Frank Hawkins explains, “The Masai have been living with wildlife for many generations and it has been a conflicting ( 有冲突的) relationship in many ways. They compete with the animals for food as lions eat their cattle. We’re trying to find ways in which the wildlife will become something useful to them.” They had the Predator Compensation Fund founded in 2003. After much discussion, a group of Masai farmers agreed to protect lions. In turn, if lions or other predators kill their cattle, the Masai owner will be paid market value for the dead animals from the fund.
One man said that in the past, when a lion killed cattle, they killed it immediately. And now, after the start of the program, the Masai see the lion population growing. Since 2003, only four lions have been killed here

1. 1.

   What is the aim of the Predator Compensation Program?

   1. A.
      To protect people in the wild
   2. B.
      To protect Masai’s farms
   3. C.
      To protect lions only
   4. D.
      To protect the wildlife
2. 2.

   According to the passage, why haven’t Masai tribesmen killed many lions since 2003?

   1. A.
      Because lions don’t eat their cattle any more
   2. B.
      Because they will be fined if they kill lions there
   3. C.
      Because the fund will pay for dead animals killed by lions
   4. D.
      Because there are less than 30,000 lions in the wild now
3. 3.

   What do you think of the Masai ?

   1. A.
      Wise
   2. B.
      Mean
   3. C.
      Generous
   4. D.
      Stupid

Alice Walker makes her living by writing. And her poems, short stories, and novels have won many prizes for her. She was born in Eatonton, Georgia. She went to public schools there, and then to Spelman College in Atlanta before coming to New York to attend Sarah Lawrence College, from which she graduated in 1966. For a time she lived in Jackson, Mississippi, with her lawyer husband and small daughter. About Langston Hughes, American Poet, her first book for children, she says, “After my first meeting with Langston Hughes, I promised I would write a book for children someday. Why? Because I, at twenty-two, knew next to nothing of his work, and he didn’t scold me; he just gave me a pile of his books. And he was kind to me; I will always be thankful that in his warmth he fulfilled my deepest dream (and need) of what a poet should be.”

“To me he is not dead at all. Hardly a day goes by that I don’t think of him or speak of him. Once, just before he died, when he was sick with the flu, I took him a basket full or oranges. The joy I felt in giving that simple gift is undiminished (没有减弱) by time. He said he liked oranges, too. ”

56.What is the main topic of the passage?

A.Langston Hughes’ books about Alice Walker.

B.The childhood of Alice Walker and Langston Hughes.

C.Langston Hughes, American poet.

D.Alice Walker’s reflection (印象，评论) on Langston Hughes.

57.In the passage, Alice Walker is ________.

A.a researcher at Sarah Lawrence College　 B. a professor at Sarah Lawrence College

C.a prize-winning writer D. a writer of plays for children

58.From the passage we can conclude that Alice Walker was twenty-two years old when______.

A.she moved to Jackson, Mississippi　 B. she moved to New York

C.she first met with Langston Hughes D. Langston Hughes died

59.What did Alice Walker mean when she says Langston Hughes “is not dead at all”?

A.Langston Hughes believed in eternal life (永生).

B.She hadn’t been told of Langston Hughes’ death.

C.For her, Langston Hughes had never really existed.

D.Langston Hughes is still present in her thoughts.

One day last summer, watching the boys and girls trying to catch butterflies I remembered something happened when I was young．When I was a boy of 12 in South Carolina, something happened to me that cured me forever of wanting to put any wild creature in a cage.
We lived on the edge of a wood, and every evening at dusk the mockingbirds would come and rest in the trees and sing. No musician can sing more beautiful than the birds. I decided that I would catch a young bird and keep it in a cage and in that way would have my own private musician.
I finally succeeded in catching one and put it in a cage. At first, the bird flied about the cage, but eventually it settled down in its new home. I felt very pleased with myself and looked forward to some beautiful singing from my tiny musician.
I had left the cage out, and on the second day my new pet’s mother flew to the cage with food in her mouth. The baby bird ate everything she brought to it. I was pleased to see this. Certainly the mother knew better than I how to feed her baby.
The following morning when I went to see how my bird was doing, I discovered it on the floor of the cage, dead. I was shocked! What had happened! I had taken good care of my little bird.
Arthur Wayne, the famous ornithologist, happened to be visiting my father at the time, hearing me crying over the death of my bird, explained what had occurred. “A mother mockingbird, finding her young in a cage, will sometimes bring it poison berries. She thinks it better for her young to die than to live in cage.”
Never since then have I caught any living creature and put it in a cage. All living creatures have a right to live free.
【小题1】Why did the writer catch a mockingbird when he was a boy of 12?