题型：阅读表达 题类：常考题 难易度：普通
北京市西城区2019-2020学年八年级上学期英语期末考试试卷
Butterflies at Risk
What's causing problems for these beautiful insects?
Something is harming the monarchs. One of the largest butterflies in North America, monarchs are famous for their long migrations(迁徙)covering thousands of miles. Yet the number of monarchs is dropping. Bad weather conditions, putting the butterfly population in danger. Some butterfly experts say that the number of monarch butterflies has been cut by 25 percent. In recent years, unusually cold temperatures and rain have caused monarchs to die in large numbers. These conditions have also caused new butterflies not to hatch(孵化).
Will they return?
Monarchs are very sensitive(敏感的)to change because of the long distances they travel. They cover thousands of miles each year, flying between their winter homes in Mexico or Southern California and their summer homes in the Midwest. Other animals also migrate. And many travel much farther. A bird called the Arctic tern goes round trip between the Arctic and the Antarctic every year. Like the Arctic tern, a type of gray whale has a long migration. It travels 12,400 miles from Baia California in Mexico to waters off Alaska and back. The longest migration ever recorded is by the sooty shearwater. Every year this bird flies 40, 000 miles from New Zealand to the northern part of the Pacific Ocean to find food.
The monarchs don't travel as far as animals like the Arctic tern and the sooty shearwater, but their journey isn't safe. Every year as many as 100 million monarch butterflies leave Mexico for the first leg of the migration. It's hard to imagine that such a large number might be in danger. Yet many scientists tell us that the danger is very real.
In Mexico people are destroying the natural environment. They cut down the trees where millions of monarchs, spend the winter and use chemicals to kill the milkweed, the monarch's favourite food. Monarchs spend the winter in Mexico and California. In both places, development is destroying these winter homes. Unless steps are taken to protect their habitats, the monarchs' migration could become a thing of the past.
"If we lose the whole migration, we lose one of the nation's most magnificent phenomena," said Chip Taylor, a professor at the University of Kansas. These butterflies are the symbol of richness of biological diversity(生物多样性).
What is DIY? Why do many people like it? Yang Chen works for a computer business in Beijing. He enjoys his work, but it is not easy for him to relax(放松) after work. One day when he saw many toy dogs in a toy shop, he had an idea. "Why not make them myself?" Then he began to make model planes, model ships and something else. He was interested in it because it brings him lots of fun and makes life colourful. So what is DIY? Yes, it is making or creating (创造) things by yourselves, with your own hands.
It may take much time, but some people, now known as DIYers—do-it-yourselfers, enjoy doing it very much. They enjoy it because it is fun. And they also say it helps them save money, too. What's more, they think it is a good way to protect the environment (环境). It is a kind of green life. In fact, DIY is not a modern thing in China. Many people remember when it was once a way of life in the past. During the 1960s and 1970s, when there were not enough living things for people to live on, they had to use their own hands to do many things. If you wanted something, you had to do it yourself, and if you needed something, you made it yourself.
Times have changed and DIY also has different meanings.
What is DIY | It is making or creating things by{#blank#}1{#/blank#} |
Why do people like DIY | It is fun. It helps people {#blank#}2{#/blank#} money. And it is a kind of {#blank#}3{#/blank#}life. |
Chinese people's memory (记忆)about DIY | DIY is not a modern thing in China. It was once a {#blank#}4{#/blank#} of life. People had to choose DIY {#blank#}5{#/blank#}there were not enough living things. They had to do many things {#blank#}6{#/blank#}their hands. |
Yang Chen's story | Yang Chen works for a {#blank#}7{#/blank#}business in Beijing. It is {#blank#}8{#/blank#}for him to relax after work. He had the idea of DIY and soon was {#blank#}9{#/blank#}in it. DIY brings him fun and makes life{#blank#}10{#/blank#} |
What do they think of doing the chores?
A. The girl's duty.
B. Keeping healthy and learning life skills.
C. Dirty and no time.
D. Boring
E. Being happy to help parents.
F. Easy and not taking too much time.
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（1）I never mind doing the chores. I like sweeping the floor. It's easy and doesn't take to much time. I always feel happy and comfortable when seeing a clean house.{#blank#}1{#/blank#} |
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（2）I can't stand doing the chores. I think doing the chores is not only dirty, but also wastes too much time. And I'm always busy with my study. So how can I get a little more time for the chores?{#blank#}2{#/blank#} |
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（3）I love to do the chores because it can help me get on well with my parents. It's a great way to show my love to them. And I like to do the dishes most. I am very happy to help my parents do the housework.{#blank#}3{#/blank#} |
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（4）I like to do the chores because it can help me keep healthy. And I can also learn some life skills from doing them. So when you are free and feel bored, why not try to do some chores?{#blank#}4{#/blank#} |
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（5）I hate to do the chores. I think doing the chores is the girl's duty. But my mother always makes me make the bed, fold the clothes, clean up the rooms and so on. So many chores makes me upset. Why not make Mary do these? She is a girl.{#blank#}5{#/blank#} |
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