When people want to know about the weather,they usually go to their radios,TVs, newspapers,or to the Internet.However,you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses.Drops in air pressure(压力) produce an effect on small animals in many ways.Mice and deer are good weather indicators.People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that,before a storm,field mice come out of their holes and run around.Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.

Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways.For example,some birds become irritable(急躁的) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread.Other birds chirp(叽叽喳喳) and sing just before a storm.It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two.Birds also seek safe places before a storm.You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building.Pre-storm low pressure makes the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.

It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime,rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn.Watch for other weather signs if you see this.If they fly in the wrong direction,they may be flying ahead of a storm.

By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature,we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.

The word “indicators” in Paragraph 1 probably means ______.

A.maps                                                           B.services

C.signs                                                            D.stations

There will be a storm if birds ______.

A.make more noise than usual

B.fly in different directions

C.come down from tall trees

D.share a piece of bread

How can birds sense the coming of a storm?

A.By feeling a drop in air temperature.

B.By noticing the change of wind directions.

C.By feeling a drop in air pressure.

D.By noticing the movements of other animals.

The best title for the text would be ______.

A.Signs of a Storm

B.Drops in Air Pressure

C.Animals’ Sharp Senses

D.Nature’s Weather Signs

短文改错(满分10分)

Christie was one of my best friend at high school.            61       

At that time, we often spend time together.                  62       

Thank to  her help, I made great Progress in my             63        

study. Last year. she decided to study abroad. In              64         

other words, we would be separated long time.               65         

Before her leaving off, I prepared a gift to show              66          

my best wishes to him. She said it was the best               67         

gift she has ever had. From then on, we’ ve                  68      

kept touch with each other through e-mails. I                 69      

look forward to see her again in the near future.               70      

阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中词语的正确形式填空，并将答案填写在答题卡标号为16—25的相应位置上。

Viennese-born composer Frederick Loewe,     we remember from his classical musicals including “My Fair Lady” and “Camelot”, was not always famous. He studied piano with the great masters of Europe and achieved huge success as a    (music) and composer in his early years. But     he immigrated to the United States, he failed as a pianist. For a while he tried other types of work including gold mining and boxing.    he never gave up his dream and continued to play the piano and write music.

       those difficult years, he could not always afford    (make) payments on his piano. One day, bent over the keyboard, he could hear nothing but the music that he played with such rare inspiration. When he finished and looked up, he was astonished to find that he had  

audience of three moving men who     (seat) on the floor.

    They said nothing and made no movement toward the piano. Instead, they dug into their pockets, pooled together enough money for the payment, placed it on the piano and walked out, empty     (hand). Moved by the beauty of his music, these men recognized excellence and responded to  .

Meeting people from another culture can be difficult.From the beginning,people may send the wrong signal(信号).Or they may pay no attention to signals from another person who is trying to develop a relationship.

Different cultures emphasize(强调)the importance of relationship building to a greater or lesser degree.For example,business in some countries is not possible until there is a relationship of trust.Even with people at work,it is necessary to spend a lot of time in “small talk”,usually over a glass of tea,before they do any job.In many European countries—like the UK or France—people find it easier to build up a lasting working relationship at restaurants or cafés rather than at the office.

Talk and silence may also be different in some cultures.I once made a speech in Thailand.I had expected my speech to be a success and start a lively discussion;instead there was an uncomfortable silence.The people present just stared at me and smiled.After getting to know their ways better,I realized that they thought I was talking too much.In my own culture,we express meaning mainly through words,but people there sometimes feel too many words are unnecessary.

Even within Northern Europe,cultural differences can cause serious problems. Certainly, English and German cultures share similar values;however,Germans prefer to get down to business more quickly.We think that they are rude.In fact,this is just because one culture starts discussions and makes decisions more quickly.

People from different parts of the world have different values,and sometimes these values are quite against each other.However,if we can understand them better,a multicultural environment(多元文化环境)will offer a wonderful chance for us to learn from each other.

In some countries,eating together at restaurants may make it easier for people to .

A.develop closer relationsB.share the same culture

C.get to know each otherD.keep each other company

The author mentions his experience in Thailand to show that .

A.the English prefer to make long speeches

B.too many words are of no use

C.people from Thailand are quiet and shy by nature

D.even talk and silence can be culturally different

According to the text,how can people from different cultures understand each other better?

A.By sharing different ways of life.

B.By accepting different habits.

C.By recognizing different values.

D.By speaking each other’s languages.

What would be the best title for the text?

A.Multicultural Environment

B.Cross-Cultural Differences

C.How to Understand Each Other

D.How to Build Up a Relationship

Some couples spend every waking minute together. Others fill their hours with personal hobbies,outside interests and even part-time jobs, just to keep their distance from each other! "There should be private time and couple time," suggests Dr. Stephen Treat at Jefferson Medical College in Philadelphia."You don't want your latter years to turn into a process where two people unite as one. If you hold too tightly to your partner, it's going to cause resentment and anger. If you're completely separate, you'll both be lonely and disconnected. You need balance. So you have to talk about how you'll achieve that."

The right balance? It's different for every couple. "Having a conversation about time can be difficult,but it's important for both partners to process those feelings out loud," Dr. Treat says. "You should not be accusing and act as a judge—ask the difficult questions, but do it in a loving way. You could say something like, 'How are we going to be as individuals and how are we going to be as a couple?' "

   Barbara and Chris Christensen have achieved the balance that works for them. In addition to daily routines that keep them close—including about 10 minutes for a daily check-in and about a half hour of relaxation time—they each maintain separate interests and friendships.

 "We have found that we need time apart," Barbara says. "I have a group of women friends that I have known for the last 30 years. We have dinner out once a month. We women also have parties and weekend or weeklong vacations as a group at a beach or somewhere. Chris, a former fighter pilot, has many aviation-oriented(航空的) groups and friends and also a poker-playing group of our friends. I may be with him during the poker night, but I don't play, and the wives usually watch a chick flick' DVD or something while the poker group has an evening of fun. We have found it important to have separate time as well as together time."

The author writes the passage to ______.

A. offer some suggestions on how to spend the time after retirement

B. advise couples to develop their separate hobbies

C. warn couples not to be accusing each other

D. give people some advice on how to entertain themselves after retirement

Dr. Stephen suggests that _________after retirement.

A. couples stay together all the time

B. couples express their feelings in a loving way

C. couples be separate

D. wives make many friends

It can be inferred that________.

A. many couples are faced with problems after retirement

B. America has a large population of retired people

C. most people join various social groups after retirement

D. playing poker is a popular activity among retired people

Barbara and her friends do the following EXCEPT_______.

A. having dinner regularly

B. holding parties

C. having weekly vacations at the beach

D. having fun playing poker

The second paragraph is mainly intended to_______.

A. warn the husband not to act as a judge

B. suggest couples have discussions about difficulties

C. suggest how to keep the correct balance

D. require couples to be considerate