It is a tall tale that terrifies most young children. Swallow a piece of chewing gum and it will remain in your body for seven years before it is digested. An even worse tale is that swallowed gum can wrap itself around your heart.
But what does happen if you should accidentally eat a stick of gum? Chewing gum is made out of gum base, sweeteners, coloring and flavoring. The gum base is pretty indigestible一it is a mixture of different ingredients that our body can’t absorb.
Most of the time, your stomach really cannot break down the gum the way it would break down other foods. However, your digestive system has another way to deal with things you swallow. After all, we eat lots of things that we are unable to fully digest. They keep moving along until they make it all the way through the gut and come out at the other end one or two days later.
The saliva in our mouths will make an attempt at digesting chewing gum as soon as we put it in our mouths. It might get through the shell but many of gum’s base ingredients are indigestible. It’s then down to our stomach muscles一which contract and relax, much like the way an earthworm moves一 to slowly force the things that we swallow through our systems.
Swallowing a huge piece of gum or swallowing many small pieces of gum in a short time can cause a blockage within the digestive system, most often in children, who have a thinner digestive tube than adults 一but this is extremely rare.
Children might feel terrified after swallowing chewing gum mainly because .
A.they believe the tall tales about chewing gum |
B.chewing gum will stay in their body for years |
C.their heart will be wrapped by chewing gum |
D.chewing gum is indigestible for children |
What happens to the food that can’t be fully broken down?
A.It remains in our digestive system forever. |
B.It will be eventually moved out of our body. |
C.It will fight against the power of the gut. |
D.It will stick to the gut for one or two days. |
What would be the best title for text?
A.How does our digestive system work? |
B.Can chewing gum be swallowed by kids? |
C.Does swallowing chewing gum matter? |
D.Why swallowing chewing gum frightens kids? |
Sports can help you keep fit and get in touch with nature. However, whether you are on the mountains, in the waves, or on the grassland, you should be aware that your sport of choice might have great influence on the environment.
Some sports are resource-hungry. Golf, as you may know, eats up not only large areas of countryside, but also tons of water. Besides, all sorts of chemicals and huge amounts of energy are used to keep its courses(球场) in good condition. This causes major environmental effects. For example, in the dry regions of Portugal and Spain, golf is often held responsible for serious water shortage in some local areas.
There are many environment-friendly sports. Power walking is one of them that you could take up today. You don’t need any special equipment except a good pair of shoes; and you don’t have to worry about resources and your purse. Simple and free, power walking can also keep you fit. If you walk regularly, it will be good for your heart and bones. Experts say that 20 minutes of power walking daily can make you feel less anxious, sleep well and have better weight control.
Whatever sport you take up, you can make it greener by using environment-friendly equipment and buying products made from recycled materials. But the final goal should be “green gyms”. They are better replacements for traditional health clubs and modern sports centers. Members of green gyms play sports outdoors, in the countryside or other open spaces. There is no special requirement for you to start your membership. And best of all, it’s free.
Which of the following is the author most probably in favor of?
A.Cycling around a lake. |
B.Motor racing in the desert. |
C.Playing basketball in a gym. |
D.Swimming in a sports center. |
What do we know about golf from the passage?
A.It is popular in Portugal and Spain. |
B.It causes water shortages around the world. |
C.It pollutes the earth with chemicals and wastes. |
D.It needs water and electricity to keep its courses green. |
The author uses power walking as an example mainly because______.
A.it is an outdoor sport |
B.it improves our health |
C.it uses fewer resources |
D.it is recommended by experts |
The author writes the passage to_______.
A.show us the function of major sports |
B.encourage us to go in for green sports |
C.discuss the major influence of popular sports |
D.introduce different types of environment-friendly sports |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
On March 7,1907,the English statistician Francis Galton published a paper which illustrated what has come to be known as the "wisdom of crowds" effect. The experiment of estimation he conducted showed that in some cases,the average of a large number of independent estimates could be quite accurate.
ㅤThis effect capitalizes on the fact that when people make errors,those errors aren't always the same. Some people will tend to overestimate,and some to underestimate. When enough of these errors are averaged together,they cancel each other out,resulting in a more accurate estimate. If people are similar and tend to make the same errors,then their errors won't cancel each other out. In more technical terms,the wisdom of crowds requires that people's estimates be independent. If for whatever reasons,people's errors become correlated or dependent,the accuracy of the estimate will go down.
ㅤBut a new study led by Joaquin Navajas offered an interesting twist (转折) on this classic phenomenon. The key finding of the study was that when crowds were further divided into smaller groups that were allowed to have a discussion,the averages from these groups were more accurate than those from an equal number of independent individuals. For instance,the average obtained from the estimates of four discussion groups of five was significantly more accurate than the average obtained from 20 independent individuals.
ㅤIn a follow﹣up study with 100 university students,the researchers tried to get a better sense of what the group members actually did in their discussion. Did they tend to go with those most confident about their estimates?Did they follow those least willing to change their minds?This happened some of the time,but it wasn't the dominant response. Most frequently,the groups reported that they "shared arguments and reasoned together." Somehow,these arguments and reasoning resulted in a global reduction in error. Although the studies led by Navajas have limitations and many questions remain,the potential implications for group discussion and decision﹣making are enormous.
(1)What is paragraph 2 of the text mainly about? ____
A. |
The methods of estimation. |
B. |
The underlying logic of the effect. |
C. |
The causes of people's errors. |
D. |
The design of Galton's experiment. |
(2)Navajas' study found that the average accuracy could increase even if ____
A. |
the crowds were relatively small |
B. |
there were occasional underestimates |
C. |
individuals did not communicate |
D. |
estimates were not fully independent |
(3)What did the follow﹣up study focus on? ____
A. |
The size of the groups. |
B. |
The dominant members |
C. |
The discussion process. |
D. |
The individual estimates. |
(4)What is the author's attitude toward Navajas' studies?____
A. |
Unclear. |
B. |
Dismissive. |
C. |
Doubtful. |
D. |
Approving. |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出最佳选项。
When John Todd was a child,he loved to explore the woods around his house,observing how nature solved problems. A dirty stream,for example,often became clear after flowing through plants and along rocks where tiny creatures lived. When he got older,John started to wonder if this process could be used to clean up the messes people were making.
ㅤAfter studying agriculture,medicine,and fisheries in college,John went back to observing nature and asking questions. Why can certain plants trap harmful bacteria(细菌)?Which kinds of fish can eat cancer﹣causing chemicals?With the right combination of animals and plants,he figured,maybe he could clean up waste the way nature did. He decided to build what he would later call an eco﹣machine.
ㅤThe task John set for himself was to remove harmful substances from some sludge(污泥).First,he constructed a series of clear fiberglass tanks connected to each other. Then he went around to local ponds and streams and brought back some plants and animals. He placed them in the tanks and waited. Little by little,these different kinds of life got used to one another and formed their own ecosystem. After a few weeks,John added the sludge.
ㅤHe was amazed at the results. The plants and animals in the eco﹣machine took the sludge as food and began to eat it! Within weeks,it had all been digested,and all that was left was pure water.
ㅤOver the years,John has taken on many big jobs. He developed a greenhouse﹣like facility that treated sewage (污水)from 1,600 homes in South Burlington. He also designed an eco﹣machine to clean canal water in Fuzhou,a city in southeast China.
ㅤ"Ecological design"is the name John gives to what he does. "Life on Earth is kind of a box of spare parts for the inventor,"he says. "You put organisms in new relationships and observe what's happening. Then you let these new systems develop their own ways to self﹣repair."
(1)What can we learn about John from the first two paragraphs? ____
A. |
He was fond of traveling. |
B. |
He enjoyed being alone. |
C. |
He had an inquiring mind. |
D. |
He longed to be a doctor. |
(2)Why did John put the sludge into the tanks? ____
A. |
To feed the animals. |
B. |
To build an ecosystem. |
C. |
To protect the plants. |
D. |
To test the eco﹣machine. |
(3)What is the author's purpose in mentioning Fuzhou? ____
A. |
To review John's research plans. |
B. |
To show an application of John's idea. |
C. |
To compare John's different jobs. |
D. |
To erase doubts about John's invention. |
(4)What is the basis for John's work? ____
A. |
Nature can repair itself. |
B. |
Organisms need water to survive. |
C. |
Life on Earth is diverse. |
D. |
Most tiny creatures live in groups. |
ㅤLiving in Iowa and trying to become a photographer specializing in landscape(风景) can be quite a challenge ,mainly because the corn state lacks geographical variation.
ㅤAlthough landscapes in the Midwest tend to be quite similar,either farm fields or highway,sometimes I find distinctive character in the hills or lakes.To make some of my landscape shots,I have traveled up to four hours away to shoot within a 10﹣minute time frame.I tend to travel with a few of my friends to state parks or to the countryside to go on adventures and take photos along the way.
ㅤBeing at the right place at the right time is decisive in any style of photography.I often leave early to seek the right destinations so I can set up early to avoid missing the moment I am attempting to photograph. I have missed plenty of beautiful sunsets/sunrises due to being on the spot only five minutes before the best moment.
ㅤOne time my friends and I drove three hours to Devil's Lake,Wisconsin,to climb the purple quartz(石英)rock around the lake.After we found a crazy﹣looking road that hung over a bunch of rocks,we decided to photograph the scene at sunset.The position enabled us to look over the lake with the sunset in the background.We managed to leave this spot to climb higher because of the spare time until sunset.However,we did not mark the route(路线)so we ended up almost missing the sunset entirely.Once we found the place,it was stressful getting lights and cameras set up in the limited time.Still,looking back on the photos,they are some of my best shots though they could have been so much better if I would have been prepared and managed my time wisely.
(1)How does the author deal with the challenge as a landscape photographer in the Midwest?_____
A. |
By teaming up with other photographers. |
B. |
By shooting in the countryside or state parks. |
C. |
By studying the geographical conditions. |
D. |
By creating settings in the corn fields. |
(2)What is the key to successful landscape photography according to the author? _____
A. |
Proper time management. |
B. |
Good shooting techniques. |
C. |
Adventurous spirit. |
D. |
Distinctive styles. |
(3)What can we infer from the author's trip with friends to Devil's Lake? _____
A. |
They went crazy with the purple quartz rock. |
B. |
They felt stressed while waiting for the sunset. |
C. |
They reached the shooting spot later than expected. |
D. |
They had problems with their equipment. |
(4)How does the author find his photos taken at Devil's Lake? _____
A. |
Amusing. |
B. |
Satisfying. |
C. |
Encouraging. |
D. |
Comforting. |
Sitting in the garden for my friend's birthday. felt a buzz(振动) in my pocket. My heart raced when I saw the email sender's name. The email started off:"Dear Mr Green,thank you for your interest" and "the review process took longer than expected." It ended with "We are sorry to inform you…"and my vision blurred(模糊).The position﹣measuring soil quality in the Sahara Desert as part of an undergraduate research programme﹣had felt like the answer I had spent years looking for. I had put so much time and emotional energy into applying,and I thought the rejection meant the end of the road for my science career.
So I was shocked when,not long after the email,Professor Mary Devon,who was running the programme,invited me to observe the work being done in her lab. I jumped at the chance,and a few weeks later I was equally shocked﹣and overjoyed﹣when she invited me to talk with her about potential projects I could pursue in her lab. What she proposed didn't seem as exciting as the original project I had applied to,but I was going to give it my all.
I found myself working with a robotics professor on techniques for collecting data from the desert remotely. That project,which I could complete from my sofa instead of in the burning heat of the desert,not only survived the lockdown but worked where traditional methods didn't. In the end. I had a new scientific interest to pursue.
When I applied to graduate school,I found three programmes promising to allow me to follow my desired research direction. And I applied with the same anxious excitement as before. When I was rejected from one that had seemed like a perfect fit,it was undoubtedly difficult. But this time I had the perspective(视角)to keep it from sending me into panic. It helped that in the end I was accepted into one of the other programmes I was also excited about.
Rather than setting plans in stone,I've learned that sometimes I need to take the opportunities that are offered,even if they don't sound perfect at the time,and make the most of them.
(1)How did the author feel upon seeing the email sender's name?
A. |
Anxious. |
B. |
Angry. |
C. |
Surprised. |
D. |
Settled. |
(2)After talking with Professor Devon,the author decided to .
A. |
criticise the review process |
B. |
stay longer in the Sahara Desert |
C. |
apply to the original project again |
D. |
put his heart and soul into the lab work |
(3)According to the author,the project with the robotics professor was .
A. |
demanding |
B. |
inspiring |
C. |
misleading |
D. |
amusing |
(4)What can we learn from this passage?
A. |
An invitation is a reputation. |
B. |
An innovation is a resolution. |
C. |
A rejection can be a redirection. |
D. |
A reflection can be a restriction. |
Understand the Economic Concept of a Budget Line
The term "budget line" has several related meanings, including a couple that are self﹣evident and a third that is not.
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding
The budget line is an elementary concept that most consumers understand intuitively without a need for graphs and equations it's the household budget, for example.
Taken informally, the budget line describes the boundary of affordability for a given budget and specific goods.
Given a limited amount of money, a consumer can only spend that same amount buying goods. If the consumer has X amount of money and wants to buy two goods A and B, she can only purchase goods totaling X. If the consumer needs an amount of A costing 0.75 X, she can then spend only 0.25 X, the amount remaining, on her purchase of B.
This seems almost too obvious to bother writing or reading about. As it turns out, however, this same concept one that most consumers make many times each day with reflecting on it is the basis of the more formal budget line concept in economics, which is explained below.
Lines in a Budget
Before turning to the economics definition of "budget line", consider another concept: the line﹣item budget. This is effectively a map of future expenditures, with all the constituent expenditures individually noted and quantified. There's nothing very complicated about this: in this usage, a budget line is one of the lines in the budget, with the service or good to be purchased named and the cost quantified.
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept
One of the interesting ways the study of economics relates to human behavior generally is that a lot of economic theory is the formalization of the kind of simple concept outlined above a consumer's informal understanding of the amount she has to spend and what that amount will buy.
In the process of formalization, the concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation that can be applied generally.
A Simple Budget Line Graph
To understand this, think of a graph where the vertical lines quantify how many movie tickets you can buy and where the horizontal lines do the same for crime novels. You like going to the movies and reading crime novels and you have $150 to spend. In the example below, assume that each movie costs $10 and each crime novel costs $15. The more formal economics term for these two items is budget set.
If movies cost $10 each, then the maximum number of movies you can see with the money available is 15. To note this you make a dot at the number 15 (for total movie tickets) at the extreme left﹣hand side of the chart. This same dot appears at the extreme left above "0" on the horizontal axis because you have no money left for books the number of books available in this example is 0.
You can also graph the other extreme all crime novels and no movies. Since crime novels in the example cost $15 and you have $150 available, if you spend all the available money crime novels, you can buy 10. So you put a dot on the horizontal axis at the number 10.
You'll place the dot at the bottom of the vertical axis because in this instance you have $0 available for movie tickets.
If you now draw a line from the highest, leftmost dot to the lowest, rightmost dot you'll have created a budget line. Any combination of movies and crime novels that falls below the budget line is affordable. Any combination above it is not.
(1)Which sentence about the budget line is NOT TRUE?
A. |
It is a limitation of affordability for a given budget and specific goods. |
B. |
Most costumers will be confused with this concept because of its complex. |
C. |
It is the effectively a map of future expenditures. |
D. |
It can be expressed as a mathematical equation. |
(2)What is the purpose of the passage?
A. |
To tell us any concept can be expressed as a mathematical equation. |
B. |
To help us figure out the meaning Budget Line. |
C. |
To tell us we should budget before we buy goods. |
D. |
To give an instruction of drawing a budget Line. |
(3)Assume that each movie costs $10 and each crime novel costs $15, you have $150. Which is RIGHT according to this passage?
A. |
The maximum number of movies you can see is 10. |
B. |
The maximum number of crime novels you can buy is 15. |
C. |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 5 movies. |
D. |
You can buy 7 crime novels and see 4 movies. |
(4)What is the best title of this passage?
A. |
Do we really know the economic concept of a budget line? |
B. |
The Budget Line as an Economics Concept |
C. |
The Budget Line as an Informal Consumer Understanding |
D. |
The Complex Concept Budget Line |
Plastic-Eating Worms
Humans produce more than 300 million tons of plastic every year. Almost half of that winds up in landfills(垃圾填埋场), and up to 12 million tons pollute the oceans. So far there is no effective way to get rid of it, but a new study suggests an answer may lie in the stomachs of some hungry worms.
Researchers in Spain and England recently found that the worms of the greater wax moth can break down polyethylene, which accounts for 40% of plastics. The team left 100 wax worms on a commercial polyethylene shopping bag for 12 hours, and the worms consumed and broke down about 92 milligrams, or almost 3% of it. To confirm that the worms' chewing alone was not responsible for the polyethylene breakdown, the researchers made some worms into paste(糊状物) and applied it to plastic films. 14 hours later the films had lost 13% of their mass - apparently broken down by enzymes (酶) from the worms' stomachs. Their findings were published in Current Biologyin 2017.
Federica Bertocchini, co-author of the study, says the worms' ability to break down their everyday food - beeswax - also allows them to break down plastic. "Wax is a complex mixture, but the basic bond in polyethylene, the carbon-carbon bond, is there as well, "she explains, "The wax worm evolved a method or system to break this bond. "
Jennifer DeBruyn, a microbiologist at the University of Tennessee, who was not involved in the study, says it is not surprising that such worms can break down polyethylene. But compared with previous studies, she finds the speed of breaking down in this one exciting. The next step, DeBruyn says, will be to identify the cause of the breakdown. Is it an enzyme produced by the worm itself or by its gut microbes(肠道微生物)?
Bertocchini agrees and hopes her team's findings might one day help employ the enzyme to break down plastics in landfills. But she expects using the chemical in some kind of industrial process - not simply "millions of worms thrown on top of the plastic."
(1)What can we learn about the worms in the study?
A. |
They take plastics as their everyday food. |
B. |
They are newly evolved creatures. |
C. |
They can consume plastics. |
D. |
They wind up in landfills. |
(2)According to Jennifer DeBruyn, the next step of the study is to .
A. |
identify other means of the breakdown |
B. |
find out the source of the enzyme |
C. |
confirm the research findings |
D. |
increase the breakdown speed |
(3)It can be inferred from the last paragraph that the chemical might .
A. |
help to raise worms |
B. |
help make plastic bags |
C. |
be used to clean the oceans |
D. |
be produced in factories in future |
(4)What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. |
To explain a study method on worms. |
B. |
To introduce the diet of a special worm. |
C. |
To present a way to break down plastics. |
D. |
To propose new means to keep eco-balance. |
Reading can be a social activity. Think of the people who belong to book groups. They choose books to read and then meet to discuss them. Now, the website BookCrossing.comturns the page on the traditional idea of a book group.
Members go on the site and register the books they own and would like to share. BookCrossing provides an identification number to stick inside the book. Then the person leaves it in a public place, hoping that the book will have an adventure, traveling far and wide with each new reader who finds it.
Bruce Pederson, the managing director of BookCrossing, says, "The two things that change your life are the people you meet and books you read. BookCrossing combines both."
Members leave books on park benches and buses, in train stations and coffee shops. Whoever finds their book will go to the site and record where they found it.
People who find a book can also leave a journal entry describing what they thought of it. E-mails are then sent to the BookCrossing to keep them updated about where their books have been found. Bruce peterson says the idea is for people not to be selfish by keeping a book to gather dust on a shelf at home.
BookCrossing is part of a trend among people who want to get back to the "real" and not the virtual(虚拟). The site now has more than one million members in more than one hundred thirty-five countries.
9. Why does the author mention book groups in the first paragraph?
A. |
To explain what they are. |
B. |
To introduce BookCrossing. |
C. |
To stress the importance of reading. |
D. |
To encourage readers to share their ideas. |
10. What does the underlined word "it" in Paragraph 2refer to?
A. |
The book. |
B. |
An adventure. |
C. |
A public place. |
D. |
The identification number. |
11. What will a BookCrosser do with a book after reading it?
A. |
Meet other readers to discuss it. |
B. |
Keep it safe in his bookcase. |
C. |
Pass it on to another reader. |
D. |
Mail it back to its owner. |
12. What is the best title for the text?
A. |
Online Reading: A Virtual Tour |
B. |
Electronic Books: A new Trend |
C. |
A Book Group Brings Tradition Back |
D. |
A Website Links People through Books |
In Shanghai's Grand Theater, a fashionable, mainly young audience applauds enthusiastically as Guo Yong takes center stage.He holds a large bushy tree branch with leaves.Blowing on one of the leaves, he produces a sound like the singing of birds as he plays a traditional Buyi folk song.Some other musicians are also playing the traditional instruments from various ethnic groups in China.
It's the first time such music has ever been performed in the Grand Theater.But all this is the efforts of Zhu Zheqin, a Cantoneseborn singer, who has made it her mission to help preserve China's traditional ethnic music.
In 2009, after being appointed a United Nations Development Program ambassador, Zhu traveled through some of China's remotest regions in an attempt to document the traditional music of various minority groups.In the course of the fourmonth trip, she recorded more than a thousand songs.But she noticed that many of the best musicians were old, and some of the music was at risk of dying out.
“I was shocked by the beauty of what I heard—it was so good,” she says.“But it needed support.I hope to let people see the beauty of these things in the contemporary times.”
So Zhu decided to introduce some of the musicians to a wider audience.By doing this, she hopes to rekindle(点燃) the interest of the younger generation.“Young people don't like this music much; they prefer pop music and love songs.They think these songs are something their grandma sings.This kind of repackaging gives young people a new door into their heritage.”
Zhu believes China needs to look again at its own roots.“China today is basically all Western art; in our conservatories (音乐学院) Western classical music is the top,” she says.“For China to really contribute to the world, we need to go on our own path.So what can represent China today?” The answer, she suggests, is to move from “made in China” to “created in China”.
From the first paragraph, we learn that________.
A.the audience are all young people |
B.Guo Yong is playing the Buyi folk music |
C.Guo Yong is the only minority performer in China |
D.tree branches make good musical instruments |
Which of the following is true of Zhu Zheqin?
A.She teaches music in a conservatory. |
B.She is helping preserve Chinese ethnic music. |
C.She works as an official in the United Nations. |
D.She's created all the music for the Grand Theater. |
What is Zhu Zheqin's idea about Chinese traditional music?
A.It is completely out of date. |
B.Only old musicians play it well. |
C.It needs changes to attract young people. |
D.It is quickly dying out. |
What does Zhu Zheqin mean in the last paragraph?
A.The traditional music should be repackaged. |
B.Chinese conservatories shouldn't teach Western music. |
C.China has contributed a lot to the Western art. |
D.Only the things created in China can be symbols of China. |
One cold morning in winter, I went alone to a hillside to do some hunting. I sat there waiting for about an hour. Suddenly, a big beautiful deer appeared less than 20 feet away from me. There was no cover near him. Surely I could shoot him.
To my surprise, he came toward me! He was curious, I suppose, or maybe he was stupid. For this was not a youngster, but a fully grown-up one. He must have known about men and their guns. But this deer came closer, and I still waited. His big eyes never moved away from my face. His wonderful head with a set of antlers (鹿角) was clear in sight.
I was getting a bit nervous as he walked closer. A big deer can do a lot of damage. Well, he walked right up to where I was sitting. Then he stopped and looked at me.
What happened next was hard to believe. But it all seemed quite natural. I held out my hands and scratched his head right between the antlers. And he liked it. The big, wild, beautiful deer bent his head.
I scratched and touched his head and body. His nose touched my shoulder. I fed him with my last sandwich. Well, he finally went his way, down the hill. Shoot him? Not me. You wouldn’t, either. Not after that. I just watched him go, a strong deer carrying a proud head.
I picked up my gun, and started walking back. Suddenly, I heard two shots, one after another. If you have hunted much, you will know what two shots mean. They mean a kill. I had forgotten that there were other hunters around. You will now understand why I gave up hunting from that day on.
How the deer behaved toward the writer shows that______.
A.it pretended to be friendly to the writer |
B.it was quite friendly to the writer |
C.it was too scared to run away |
D.it wanted to attack the writer |
You can infer from the passage that ______.
A.the writer had waited for more than an hour before the deer appeared |
B.the writer was a little nervous at first as he had been attacked by a big deer before |
C.the writer felt afraid to kill the deer the moment the deer walked up to him |
D.a grown-up deer usually will not get close to men with guns |
After reading the whole passage, we can know that the passage is written in a(n)_____ tone.
A.sad | B.excited | C.worried | D.happy |
For light sleepers
Millions of people have trouble falling asleep each night, which is why Light Sleeper was created.
Developed in the United Kingdom, Light Sleeper's makers say it can help a person fall asleep and also help a person fall back to sleep after waking up in the middle of the night.
Light Sleeper works by projecting (投射) a light onto the ceiling while the person is lying down. The idea is to watch the light, because the light moving in a circle has a relaxing effect.
One of the advantages of the product is that it won't disturb other people in the room. The product can be easily moved and will switch itself off after 30 minutes to save power.
Stop the snoring (打鼾)
Here's a new product designed to slow down the frequency and level of your snoring. The Snore Stopper has a sensitive instrument that will detect when you're snoring. Once it does that, it will send a very mild electronic signal to your wrist. This consequently changes your sleeping position to stop you from snoring. The Snore Stopper; won't cause any damage to your body.
Get your true colors
Photoshop features a pen that will copy the color settings of what you are monitoring onscreen to use as a color in your program. Now an off-line product allows you to pick a color when not using the computer software.
The Color Picker is a concept pen. After placing the pen against an object, the user just presses the scan button. Color sensors (感应器) inside the pen send information to a box, which then mixes red, green and blue to produce the desired ink color.
Keep it fresh
More high technology products are showing up in the kitchen. A new Bagel dome (圆顶形物) advertises that it will keep your baked goods fresher for longer periods of time. The product, which is able to remove air, works for bread rolls, cakes and other perishables. To use it, you just push a button at the top.
The Color Picker will probably be used while you're .
A.using the computer | B.drawing pictures |
C.collecting information | D.designing a program |
The underlined word "perishables" in the last paragraph refers to foods which .
A.are easy to keep | B.go bad easily |
C.are rich in vitamins | D.keep you thin |
It can be learned from the passage that .
A.the Color Picker is convenient to use |
B.Light Sleeper was designed by an American |
C.the Bagel dome mainly serves as decoration |
D.few people would like to try the Snore Stopper |
Ballet as a charming dance form has fascinated audiences for many years. It is a form of dance that combines beauty and grace to tell a story in a dance form. Generally performed in theatres, ballet has always been a favored dream of many little girls. While ballet dancers need to work very hard for many years to perform in a professional ballet company, this does not discourage the girls.
Many people think that ballet originated in France, due to the ballet steps that all have French names. However, ballet can be traced back to Italy during the Renaissance period of the 1400s. While this was really just a pioneer to the classical ballet, the dances performed in Italy during this time led to the further development of ballet in France. The first ballet company arose in France and was called The Queen's Ballet Company.
In the 1800s the romantic style of ballet appeared, thanks in part to the ballet La Sylphide. La Sylphide made much use of the toe dancing technique and brought about many changes to ballet.
All romantic ballets focused on women and this encouraged women to take on increasingly to become ballerinas. While ballet prospered in other nations, it started declining in France. The decline could be because ballet was seen as being very worldly with mythical (神话的) steps.
The shift from mythical steps to more reasonable style that could be co-related to human movements came about in the twentieth century. This was because of the many different styles of dance that were becoming increasingly popular. The change that started in the twentieth century continues to transform ballet even today where it mixes different styles of dance.
Some ballets today have even gone so far as to combine another style of dance into the ballet. In 1944 a ballet was introduced called Fancy Free that use Jazz dance with the ballet steps to create a revolutionary ballet, and it was well received.
With time, ballet has developed and changed in many forms. A ballet by professionals continues to charm audiences despite the fact that most of us cannot even dream of performing most of the steps and moves of a ballet dancer.
Why do people think ballet comes from France?
A.Because Frenchmen introduced ballet to Italy. |
B.Because Frenchmen created many ballet steps. |
C.Because the ballet steps are all named in French. |
D.Because the first ballet company was founded in France. |
When did the romantic ballet appear?
A.In the 14th century. | B.In the 19th century. |
C.In the 15th century. | D.In the 2lth century. |
From the last paragraph, we can know ballet becomes more_______________.
A.reasonable | B.romantic |
C.popular | D.professional |
The passage mainly talks about _______________.
A.the development of classical ballet |
B.the popularity of classical ballet |
C.the meaning of classical ballet |
D.the techniques of ballet dancing |
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的四个选项(A.B.C和D)中,选出最佳选项,并标在答题卷的相应位置。
A
Once, the Paiter-Surui tribe(部落)lived a happy life in the heart of the Amazon rainforest in Brazil. But after the tribe’s first meeting with Westerners several decades ago, they were nearly wiped out; diseases brought by outsiders reduced the Surui’s numbers from 5, 000 to about 250.
Today, some 1, 300 tribe people live in 23 villages across 600, 000 acres. Though they are as likely to wear T-shirts and jeans as feathered headdresses, the Surui are determined to preserve and protect the tribal culture of their homeland. Now they are under threat again, from illegal logging and deforestation(滥伐), but this time it’s different. The Surui have put aside their bows and arrows and taken up a new weapon: the Internet.
The tribe people learned to use the Web from their leader, Chief Almir Narayamoga. “We decided to use computers and technology to bring attention to our situation, ”says Narayamoga, 36. The first in his tribe to attend college, Chief Narayamoga learned how to use computers at the Federal University of Goiás in Goiânia, a city of 1. 2 million. In 2007, he fled the Surui homeland after his fight against loggers who placed a $100, 000 reward on his head. He traveled to the United States and paid a visit to Google headquarters in California. He came armed with a big idea.
Narayamoga’s visit to Google was considered a great success. And Google sent teams to the Amazon to train the Surui in using computers, cameras, and smart phones to photograph logging sites, which could be pinpointed using GPS technology and then uploaded to Google Earth. The Surui have now mapped the entire reserve and recorded the biodiversity and the rainforest within it.
Why are the Surui under threat again ?
A.The population were reduced greatly by diseases from outsiders. |
B.They want to preserve and protect their tribal culture. |
C.The rainforest where they are living are suffering from wildly illegal logging and deforestation. |
D.Chief Narayamoga fled the Surui homeland. |
Chief Narayamoga fled his homeland because .
A.he owed a large debt |
B.the loggers wanted to kill him |
C.he wanted to learn computers |
D.he failed to fight against logging |
What kind of idea did Chief Narayamoga have after he returned to his homeland?
A.He could ask the US government for help. |
B.He could negotiate with the loggers. |
C.He could save their land with the Internet. |
D.He could make a map of their land. |
What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A.Deforestation has been stopped in Amazon. |
B.Narayamoga’s efforts are paying off. |
C.The Internet is still something new to the tribe people. |
D.Logging has been stopped due to the use of GPS technology. |
Jasmine Meyers had the last laugh when the ocean swallowed her SUV Monday morning and brought it up an hour later, damaged, on the beach. Meyers was staying in Campbell River’s Eagles Nest Motel(汽车旅馆)during the wild storm that attacked the east coast of Vancouver Island early this week.
“We woke up to my mom screaming ‘Your car! Your car! Your car’s about to go in the water,’”she said Wednesday.
She’d parked her car in the hotel’s parking lot that she described as a sort of a sea wall.
The storm that swept throughout coastal areas hit extra hard in the Campbell River area.
At about 8:30 am the bank below the parking lot gave way. Huge waves caught hold of the Toyota and took it into the water.
Her mother took pictures while the terrible waves pulled the car out to sea. Then Meyers and her family members could only watch helplessly as the car was struck and pushed around in front of the hotel.
“It floated around out there for about an hour.”
Then the ocean spit the car back up on the beach. Meyers said it sat there until Wednesday, when a tow truck finally recovered the destroyed car.
That’s the crazy part of the story. The fun part is what happened next.
“I went mad,” said Meyers. “I didn’t cry because I knew that I had insurance, but I went mad and I didn’t know what to do.”
Yeah, insurance: not just insurance, but replacement insurance.
“Replacement insurance only ever lasts for three years,”said Meyers. “Mine ends on Nov.22 I would have been crying if it had been 10 days later.”
Who witnessed the disaster first according to the passage?
A.Jasmine Meyers. |
B.Jasmine Meyers’ husband |
C.Jasmine Meyers’ mom |
D.The hotel manager |
What can we learn about the motel from the passage?
A.It has a large car park. |
B.It is not far away from the coast. |
C.It sells cars and insurance. |
D.It can stand a storm. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.Jasmine is very brave. |
B.The car is very expensive |
C.The mother enjoys taking pictures |
D.The insurance company will pay for Jasmine’s loss |
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