We would like to wish all our readers a wonderful winter break. Our January magazine is now in the shops and available digitally. We’re looking forward to sharing more adventures and discoveries with you in 2014, including:

At a crossroads in the Atlantic

As the population of Ascension Island rises up to mark the 200th anniversary of British rule, Fred Pearce wonders what the future might have in store for this strange part of land.

Photostory: On the road again

A selection of images from an exhibition opening this month at the Royal Geographical Society go hand in hand with M Aurel Stein’s early 20th century photographs of the Silk Road.

Dossier: Going underground

Mark Rowe discusses the role that carbon storage can play in the global effort to reduce carbon dioxide emission (排放).

Net loss

Kit Gillet reports from the Gulf of Thailand, whose fisheries (漁場) have been almost destroyed by the commercialization of the Thai fishing industry.

And don’t forget…

…a round-up of the latest geographical and climate science news; a hot spot focus on Turkey; advice on taking photographs in Antarctica; an interview with Lucien Castaing-Taylor, professor of visual arts at Harvard; plus lots, lots more…

Buy your copy now, click here and save up to 35% or call +44 (0)1635 588 496. Geographical is also available in WHSmith and many independent news agents.

1.Who took photos of the Silk Road?

A. M Aurel Stein.      B. Fred Pearce.                  C. Mark Rowe.           D. Lucien Castaing-Taylor.

2.If you want to read something about global warming, you can read         .

A. At a crossroads in the Atlantic                         

B. Photostory: On the road again

C. Dossier: Going underground                  

D. Net loss

3. Which of the following statements is true?

A. Ascension Island has a bright future with more population.

B. Commercialization contributes to the loss of fishery in Thai.

C. The January edition of 2014 is to come out in the winter break.

D. The topics of this magazine focus on geography and interviews.

4.The passage is written to         .

A. share adventures and discoveries                           

B. give advice on taking photos

C. attract readers to buy the magazine               

D. introduce the content of the magazine

The Ocean Institute welcomes people to the City of Dana Point’s Festival of Whales celebration on both weekends．The event celebrates the migration(遷徙)of the whales off our coast．Respected ocean scientists of the ocean Institute introduce visitors to the world of whales．The speakers are arranged as the following．   

Saturday，March 5，12：30 pm

  Dr Gwen Goodmanlowe from Califomia State University is a full-time lecturer in the Department of Biology，and advises students working on degrees in marine(海洋的) biology．She received her doctorate in zoology from the University of Hawaii-Honolulu．   

Sunday，March 6，12：30 pm

    Matt Leslie，from Scripps Institute of Oceanography，has studied whales off the coast of Australia．Some of his current research projects include population structure analysis of whales using performance testing．He will lecture on guides for treatment of marine animals.

Saturday，March 12，12：30 pm

  Dr Merkens，from Scripps Institute of Oceanography，will present her latest research on how sound or music can be used as a means to identify characteristics of whales and to find out how whales communicate with one another in the environment．

Sunday，March 13, 2 pm

  Robert L. Pitman is a marine ecologist working for the National Marine Fishing Service．He began his career 35 years ago，studying seabirds and whales，and spends much of his time at sea on vessels at locations all over the world．His main interest is the ecology of the Antarctic killer whale．

  The Festival will allow visitors to know about new discoveries in marine animal research and to explore a variety of information on whales．Visitors will have the opportunity to listen to underwater whale sounds，and enjoy hands-on activities．Guests will tour the tall ship Pilgrim．

  Cost：$6.50 adults，$4.50 children(ages 4-12)．For more information, please visit www.ocean-institute.org or call(949) 496-2274．

1.What do we know from the passage?

    A．A large number of scientists will attend the Festival of Whales celebration．

    B．The Festival of Whales celebration will be held from March 5 to March 13．

    C．The Ocean Institute will hold the City of Dana Point’s Festival of Whales．

    D．Four ocean scientists will tell visitors some information about whales．

2.What time should you attend the festival if you want to leam how to treat marine animals?

    A．At 12：30 pm on Saturday, March 5．

    B．At 12：30 pm on Sunday, March 6．

    C．At 12：30 pm on Saturday, March 12．   

    D．At 2 pm on Sunday, March 13．

3.If you only have time after l pm on weekends，you can listen to a lecture delivered by_________ ．

    A．Gwen Goodmanlowe    B．Mart Leslie    C．Merkens    D．Robert L.Pitman   

4.Which of the following things can NOT visitors do according to the passage?

    A．Have close contact with underwater whales．

    B．Leam about new discoveries in marine animal research．

    C．Explore some information on whales．

    D．Tour the tall ship Pilgrim．

5.If a couple and their 13-year-old child attend the event，they would need to pay_________．

A．13 dollars    B．17.50 dollars    C．19.50 dollars    D．11 dollars

C
I chose to study in Madrid because I had a desire to learn Spanish. My first impressions of Madrid were incredible. It was before the New Year that I arrived in Madrid for the first time. While traveling to my Spanish friend’s house in a taxi, I appreciated the buildings along the road which were different from those of my own country.
There are an incredible number of restaurants and bars from all over the world. If you are really into sightseeing, I hope you have rechargeable batteries for your digital camera, because one week really isn’t enough time to see everything here including a number of art, science, and historical museums as well as parks, buildings, and amazing landscapes.
What I liked best about life in Madrid was the fact that if you were frustrated with schoolwork and wanted to have some fun, you can easily go out. The nightlife never seems to stop and the people are all very friendly. You can meet people and practice Spanish while having fun at the same time.
What I liked least was the fact that many people smoked in the streets. Also, coming from the US, I was used to having a big breakfast every morning, but while living with an actual Spanish family, I wasn’t really satisfied with the food in the morning.
I think I have definitely become more independent since I came back from Spain. Living in a big city like Madrid I found that it is necessary to plan ahead and to make a schedule (時間表) for future. There is so much to see, not just in the Spanish World, but in the European World as well.
49. What’s the purpose of the text?
A. To attract people to tour around Madrid.
B. To show how to enjoy Spanish culture.
C. To give advice on how to study Spanish.
D. To describe the author’s life in Madrid.
50. The author went to Madrid to _________________.
A. visit his friend                      B. go on a sightseeing tour
C. study Spanish                       D. complete his trip around Europe
51. Why did the author suggest taking rechargeable batteries?
A. It’s difficult to deal with the used batteries.
B. It’s not convenient to recharge batteries.
C. There are few stores that sell ordinary batteries.
D. You will find lots of places worth taking pictures of.
52. Which of the following in Madrid didn’t please the author?
A. Parks and buildings.            B. Restaurants and bars.
C. Nightlife.                     D. Breakfast.

C
I believe that animals possess greater intelligence than most people think. But plants? I've never considered the possibility of plant intelligence. The idea seems absurd.
Yet I've had friends argue that plant intelligence might exist. "What are the differences between plants and animals?" they ask, and then they argue about certain species that seem to share the intelligence of both plants and animals.
New research suggests that plants communicate via "networks". Plant communication is not idea, and cannot indicate that its is a kind of intelligence, but it is still interesting.
Recent research from Vidi researcher Josef Stuefer at the Radboud University Nijmegen shows that plants have their own chat systems that they can use to warn each other. Therefore plants are not boring and passive organisms that just stand there waiting to be cut down or eaten up. Many plants form internal communication networks and are able to exchange information networks and are able to exchange information efficiently.
Many herbal plants such as strawberries and clovers (三葉草)naturally form networks.
Individual plants remain connected with each other for a certain period of time by means of runners (plant stems that grow along the ground and put down roots to form new plants). These connections enable the plants to share information with each other via internal channels. They are therefore very similar to computer networks. But what do plants chat to each other about?
Recently Stuefer and his colleagues were the first to prove that clover plants warn each other via the network links if danger is nearby . If one of the plants is attacked by caterpillars (毛蟲)，the other members of the network are warned via an internal signal. Once warned the intact (完好無損的)plants strengthen their chemical and mechanical (機體的)resistance so that they are less attractive to advancing caterpillars. Thanks to this early warning system, the plants can stay one step ahead of their attackers. The research has shown that this significantly limits the damage to the plants.
Again, I don't believe this reflects intelligence, but it's is certainly fascinating.
66.The author thinks that the plant communication      .
A.is absolutely a new idea
B.is a sign of plant intelligence
C.is related to animal communication
D.is interesting and fascinating
67.Clover plants warn each other when danger is nearby by       .
A.making sounds
B.releasing chemicals
C.strengthening mechanical resistance
D.sending internal signals
68.Which of the following statements about the research is NOT true?
A.Most plants have no chat system and are passive organisms.
B.Individual plants can also remain connected with each other.
C.The communication between clover plants can protect them from damage.
D.The research is the first to show how clover plants warn each other.
69.The author's attitude towards plant intelligence is   
A. unconcerned        B. doubtful    C. positive      D. hopeful
70" What's the best title for the passage?
A.Does Plant Communication Really Exist?
B.Some Discoveries About Clover Plant
C.Does Plant Communication Imply Intelligence?
D.A New Study on Plant Communication

閱讀下列回函:
Reply letter A
Thank you for your valuable suggestions. We have decided to show the Chinese character along with the Hanyu Pinyin for names of Chinese personages, places and specific things as from the next issue.
Reply letter B
Thank you for your suggestions. Next year will be the 50^th anniversary of the establishment of Xinjiang Uygur Autonomous Region. One of our staff reporters has just returned from Xinjiang and written a long article about her trip. Next year, we will have even more coverage of Xinjiang.
Reply letter C
Other readers have asked us for similar information and we have so far answered them individually. In this issue, we will print an open reply. We discovered after making a survey that there are few books to be found on China printed in English. Most are published by the Foreign Languages Press and China International press, from where it is possible to buy books directly.
Reply letter D
A majority of Chinese tourists travel abroad in order to see different landscapes and various cultures, to appreciate an exotic atmosphere and to get to know local customs. Some Chinese tourists nevertheless go to China towns, because they can eat Chinese food there. For those who don’t know English or the native language of the country they visit, it is convenient to go shopping or find entertainment in a Chinatown.
Reply letter E
We have taken on your suggestions to start a column on personalities. There are kinds of reports, such as movie stars, directors, businessmen, singers and so on. Our reports not only introduce their achievements, but also report their inner world. We hope you will enjoy it.
Reply letter F
Thanks for your appreciation of our magazine. We have mailed your letter and your e-mail address to Tingting. Since both of her two letters were sent by ordinary mail and did not give her e-mail address or telephone number. We could not get in touch with her any other way.
閱讀下列信函,然后匹配相關信息:
Letter A
I have just started reading your magazine regularly and enjoy the articles very much. I have one comment to make. Can you include the Chinese characters for the names of people, places, etc that you mention with the Hanyu Pinyin of Romanized phonetic system that you use? For example, what is “Emei” or “Qitaihe”or “Shaoxing” in Chinese? It’s also helpful for those of us who are learning Chinese.
Letter B.
It was interesting to read the magazine. I wonder if you could start a column which introduces the Chinese elites of art, business, sports, politics, especially directors, actors, anchors(主持人)and singers. I believe readers will also appreciate a livelier style.
Letter C
I am a civil servant in Xinjiang, a region relatively underdeveloped in comparison with other provinces. But this does not mean it belong to another world. Xinjiang could benefit from overseas exchanges as well as contact with people living in other regions. Could you include articles about Xinjiang and its people? I suggest magazines report more about the western regions, especially exotic and charming Xinjiang.
Letter D
I am an avid(熱衷的)reader of your magazine and it has helped me to introduce China to foreign friends. Thank you for great efforts to bring New China to the world. Next month, I may get the opportunity to go to Nigeria, so I must learn more about China’s history and culture. Could you kindly recommend a suitable book in English?
Letter E
It was interesting to read “Chinese Travelers Step out”. It seems a large percentage of Chinese tourists visit the West. In Indonesia, Chinese New Year is an official holiday. How would you assess the level of interest Chinese tourists have in Indonesia? Would they like to visit Chinatowns or other unique attractions in Indonesia?
信函                                         回函
【小題1】LetterA                                  A. Reply letter A
【小題2】LetterB                                  B. Reply letter B
【小題3】LetterC                                  C. reply letter C
【小題4】LetterD                                   D. Reply letter D
【小題5】LetterE                                  E. Reply letter E