us.

Arriving by taxi in our destination in Burkina, we began to unload. With my daypack wedged between my legs, I reached for my larger piece of luggage. Out of the darkness, a motorcycle with two men approached slowly. Without warning, one of the men grabbed my daypack as the motorcycle swept close by and disappeared into the night. The bag had my passport, money traveller's checks, camera in it. I was in deep trouble and the nearest Australian consulate(领事馆) was in Ethiopia. How was I ever going to get a new passport anytime soon? In the weeks that followed, I guarded the rest of my valuables and regarded the locals with suspicion. All I wanted was to leave that terrible place.

Then walking through the Burkina's streets one day, an old woman approached me and thrust her hand in my face. \have no money. A thief stole all my money and now I can't get out of your country. I can't give you anything.\beggar woman listened attentively and pondered my words. Then her face crumpled into a toothless grin as she reached into the folds of her dress. \brown coin in my palm. I looked at it in shock. It was a minuscule amount of money but for this woman the coin represented a meal. At that moment, I felt the shame of affluence and the humility of charity. She had given me a gift disproportionate to anything that I had ever donated.

In the midst of her poverty, she was able to give me something priceless. I saw then, the unexpected beauty of the people and appreciated profoundly the quiet dignity of the poor. 56. The underlined word minuscule in the passage is closest in meaning to . A. unbelievable B. tiny C. unclear D. ordinary 57. Which of the following Statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage? A. The writer complained most about beggars in Niger. B. The writer was an Australian citizen.

C. Two motorists grabbed the writer's valuables out of a sudden. D The writer still treated the locals fairly after the loss of the bag. 58. The writer had a different thought about charity because A. she became too poor herself to help others

B. a local poor lady offered her money out of her scarce own C. the writer got her bag back with the help of the local lady

D. a local lady gave the writer much more money than she had donated

(2) RGS Carnival of the Year! Barbecues, grills, thrills & more Sizzling steaks tasty kebabs & delicious satays Treat your senses to a fiesta of tastes, amoras, sights and sounds[ All are welcome to witness the different activities at Raffles Girls' School on 21 Nov, Sat From 8:30 a.m. To 5:00 p.m. 5

Musical lovers can choose to watch 'Chicken Rice' or 'Mee Goreng' performed by the pupils Venue: Hall Tickets at $5 per person Time: 12:30 p.m. (Chicken Rice) 4 p.m. (Mee Goreng) (no admittance for latecomers) A quarter of the Money collected from the performances will be donated to the RGS Indoors Sports Hall Building Fund Savour delicious home-made food and traditional snacks from up to 30 food stalls Venue: Canteen Have a hand at the traditional game stalls and win attractive prizes! Chances of a lifetime! Dunk the teacher of your choice at \Queue up early to avoid disappointment Teacher's Roster is available at the stall (8 teachers to choose from) Check out our Arcade Corner at the maarquee in the basketball court which houses 20 latest game machines Plant lovers can select from a wide range of potted plants at the area outside the bookshop. Books on gardening are also available. Time: 8:30 a.m. - 4 p.m. Important: Registration for the Parenting Talk & Balloon Sculpturing Workshop starts on 3 Nov. Parenting Talk-Four 1-hour long sessions, last session commences at 3:15 p.m. Warning: The Haunted Houses at the CCA Rooms are not meant for the faint-hearted! Time: 9 a.m. -3:30 p.m. Coupons are available at Raffles Girls' School, 21 Hillcrest Road, General Office Starting from 4 Aug from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Every $20 purchase of coupons entitles you to a chance at our lucky dip. All income will go into RGS Community InvoNement Programme Fund(CIPF). For details, please require at 98763321 or visit our website at www.rgs.moe.edu

59. All the events and activities are available at the carnival except . A. Musicals B. Gardening

C. Parenting Talk D. Balloon Sculpturing Workshop 60. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. We get to barbecue the food that we buy in the RGS General Office.

B. You can choose to dunk any teacher in the school at the 'Slam Dunk' stall.

C. You will have two chances at the lucky dip if you purchase $40 worth of coupons. D. You can win attractive prizes if you try your hand at the game machines in the Arcade Comer. 61. The main aim of the RGS Carnival is to A. select the best RGS activity

B. showcase the pupils' musical talent

C. test hearts of participants with haunted houses D. raise funds for the school's CIPF

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(3)

The amazon is the largest and most diverse rain forest in the world-about 10 percent of all known species on earth dwell there. But it wasn't until recently that researchers were about to see the 'big picture' of the vast rain forest.

The new findings? Almost 400 billion trees belonging to 16,000 different types grow in the Amazon. More than 100 experts analyzed data from 1,170 surveys to come up with the figures.

The vast size and difficult terrain (地形) of the Amazon basin has historically restricted studies of tree communities to a local or regional level, making it difficult to see the big picture. This lack of information has hindered science and conservation efforts, according to experts. The new findings, published in the journal Science, provide the first estimates of the abundance,

frequency and distribution of many thousands of Amazonian trees. Extrapolations based on the data, collected over 10 years, suggest that greater Amazonia is home to around 390 billion individual trees. The area covered includes the amazon Basin and the Guiana Shield, spanning an area roughly the size of the 48 adjoining U.S. States.

While around 16,000 types of trees are believed to exist in the Amazon, half the total number of the types are thought to belong to just 227 species, including Brazil nut, chocolate and rubber. \

very valuable information for further research and policy making,\from the Netherlands.

The study also offers insights into the rarest tree species in the Amazon. According to a

mathematical model used in the study, roughly 6,000 Amazonnian tree types have populations of fewer than one thousand. This would automatically qualify them for inclusion in the International Union for Conservation of Nature Red List of Threatened Species(CNRLTS)-if they could be found and identified.

U.S. ecologist and co-author of the study, Professor Miles Silman said,\much of the planet's biodiversity. It's a real problem for conservation that the species at the greatest risk of extinction may disappear before we ever find them. It's a concem for the whole human race.\62. The underlined word hinder is closest in meaning to A. generated B. blocked C. sponsored D. improved

63. According to the passage, what made the collection of species information so difficult? A. The lack of experienced professionals in the field. B. The dangers of certain types of species.

C. The big area and complicated geographic situation. D. The unfavourable government law in the field. 64. Which of the following statements is TRUE?

A. The amazon rain forest covers 10 percent of the world's dry land. B. The conservation of amazon has been done well.

C. About 8000 types of trees belong to over 220 species. D. About 6000 Amazonnian tree types have died out. 65. The species conservation was made difficult by A. the negative climate of the amazon land B. the possibility of dying of rare species C. the lack of conservation fund

D. the human beings' lack of concern VI．Translation(]0％)

Directions：Translate the following sentences into English，using the word or phrase given in the

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brackets．

1．很难相信他在这么艰苦的环境中活了下来。 (it) 2。学校采取行动增加学生每天的运动时间。 (take) 3．有人绑架了他们的女儿，令那对夫妻焦急万分(which) 4．我相信每天吃鸡蛋对健康有益处。(believe)

5．Jack收到很多大学的邀请去做关于健康饮食的演讲． (receive) VII。Guided Writing(15％)

现今，很多中学生关注于学习和娱乐，很少在家里做家务。就此现象，写一篇100至120字 的作文，谈谈你的看法。

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