Reading comprehension. The old belief that the universe never changes is qui
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| Reading comprehension. |
The old belief that the universe never changes is quite wrong. Even before the invention of the telescope,
astronomers noticed that bright stars suddenly appeared in the sky and then later disappeared. These stars
were called "novae" because they were thought to be new. In fact we now know that they are really old stars
which are slowly dying.
Novae are old stars which are slowly dying. As they do so they let out huge clouds of material, sometimes
as large as the earth, and these explode into space at a speed of about 8 000 000 kilometers per hour. When
this happens, the hotter parts of the star become visible, and this is why novae are so bright. Although the
explosions are so huge on a human scale, they only consume a small part of the dying star"s energy. The death
is a slow one and the star may continue to explode for thousands of years. Indeed, there are even some stars
which explode once every two weeks.
There are other old stars which do not die slowly, but are completely destroyed by one great explosion.
These are known as "supernovae". The explosion of a supernovae is equivalent to about a million, million,
million, million hydrogen bombs going off at the same time. Just before the explosion the star"s density becomes
very great and it spins at a very high speed. A matchbox of materials taken from the star at that time would
weigh about 1 000 tons and the star would be turning at about 16 000 000 kilometers per hour. The explosion
itself occurs suddenly, in the interval of a minute, but the supernovae continues to shine long after the event.
One supernovae which Chinese astronomers observed in 1054 can still be seen by us today. It has been shining
for at least nine hundred years. |
| 1. Novae were originally thought to be _____. |
A. stars that disappear suddenly
B. stars that explode
C. new stars
D. dying stars |
| 2. Supernovae are different from novae because _____. |
A. they are dying stars
B. they die gradually
C. they can be seen from the earth
D. they explode suddenly |
| 3. "As they do so" (line 1, Paragraph 2) means _____. |
A. as they let out clouds of material
B. as they are slowing dying
C. as they explode into energy
D. as they consume the star"s energy |
| 4. The death of a novae is slow because _____. |
A. each novae only explodes once every two weeks
B. the explosion may continue for thousands of years
C. each explosion only consumes a little energy of the star
D. the novae may continue to shine long after the explosion |
| 5. A matchbox of material taken from a supernovae weigh 1 000 tons because _____. |
A. the star spins at a very high speed
B. the density of the star is very great
C. the star explodes all of a sudden
D. the star gives off a lot of material |
答案
| 1-5 CDBCB |
举一反三
| 阅读理解。 |
A seventeen-year-old boy from the northeastern state of Massachusetts has won the top prize in the Intel
Science Talent Search. The competition is the oldest program in the United States that honors the science
projects of high school students. The Intel Science Talent Search is 63 years old this year.
The winners receive a new computer and money for a college education. This year 1 652 students from
46 states entered projects for the competition. Their research involved nearly every area of science, including
chemistry, medicine, physics, mathematics, engineering, computer science and social science.
Forty students were invited to Washington, D. C. for the final judging. A group of well-known scientists
judged them on their research abilities, critical thinking skills and creativity. The judges also questioned the
students about scientific problems before deciding on the winners.
The top winner is Herbert Mason Hedberg of North Attleboro, Massachusetts. The second place winner
is Boris Alexeev of Athens, Georgia and the third place winner is Ryna Karnik of Aloha, Oregon. Herbert
received 100 000 dollars for his college education. He developed a faster, more effective method to tell if a
person has cancer. He explored a way to separate telomerase, an enzyme (酶) found in most cancer cells. His
findings have helped advance research into ways of stopping cancer cells from growing. Herbert said he started
the project after watching his grandmother struggle against cancer. He plans to be a doctor and continue doing,
medical research.
Andrew Yeager of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center was chairman of the judges for the Intel
Science Talent Search this year. He said the competition was an excellent way to discover future leaders in
science and technology. Past competition winners have gone on to receive many of the world"s highest honors
for science and mathematics. |
| 1. Herbert"s way is more effective because _____. |
A. it can kill cancer cells faster
B. it helps to free humans from cancer
C. it can stop cancer cells from growing
D. it can tell faster if a person is a cancer sufferer |
| 2. We can learn from the passage that _____. |
A. the final judging of the competition took place in the state of Massachusetts
B. less than three percent of the competitors entered the final part of the competition
C. critical thinking and creativity are more important than research abilities
D. the scientists judging this year"s competition all work for Intel Corporation |
| 3. What would be the best title for the passage? |
A. Intel Science Talent Search
B. How to Discover Future Scientists
C. Intel Science Talent Search Winners
D. A Very Famous Competition |
| 阅读理解。 |
Searching the Internet may help middle-aged and older adults keep their memories sharp, US researchers
said.
Researchers at the University of California, Los Angeles, studied people doing web searches by recording
their brain activity.
"What we saw was people who had Internet experience used more of their brain during the search," Dr.
Gary Small, a UCLA expert on aging, said, "This suggests that just searching on the Internet may train the
brain and that it may keep it active and healthy."
"This is the first time anyone has simulated (模拟) an Internet search task while scanning the brain," Small
said. His team studied 24 normal volunteers between the ages of 55 and 76. Half were experienced at searching
the Internet and the other half had no web experience. However, the two groups were similar in age, gender
and education.
Both groups were asked to do Internet searches and book reading tasks while their brain activity was
monitored.
"We found that in the book reading task, the visual cortex-the part of the brain that controls reading and
language-was activated," Small said, "In doing the Internet search task, there was much greater activity, but
only in the Internet-savvy (了解) group."
He said it appears that people who are familiar with the Internet can engage in a much deeper level of brain
activity. Activities that keep the brain engaged can preserve brain health and thinking ability. Small thinks
learning to do Internet searches may be one of those activities. |
| 1. Researchers _____ when volunteers were doing web searches. |
A. studied the Internet
B. activated the brain
C. monitored the brain activity
D. recorded their memories |
| 2. The two volunteer groups were _____. |
A. of the same age
B. similar in education
C. good at the computer
D. book lovers |
| 3. According to the passage, we can learn that _____. |
A. searching the web keeps the brain more engaged
B. reading books keeps the brain more engaged
C. watching TV keeps the brain more engaged
D. chatting online keeps the brain more engaged |
| 4. Which of the following is TRUE? |
A. When you read, the whole brain will be activated.
B. Dr. Gary Small is a UCLA expert on brain health.
C. People who read books may have a better memory.
D. Internet searches can preserve brain health and thinking ability |
| 5. What can we conclude from the last paragraph? |
A. Web searching is good for the brain.
B. Web searching damages the brain.
C. Activities are good for the brain.
D. Activities damage the brain. |
| 阅读理解。 |
Driving a large truck over mountain roads is not the usual way that a schoolteacher begins her day-
especially if she is a preschool teacher. But Mrs. Beth Miller does this five days every week. Her unusual
schoolhouse on wheels is actually a truck. The back of the truck has been made into a classroom in order
to carry the advantages of modern education to remote areas of the state of West Virginia. In many rural
areas of this state it is impossible for small children to go to regular schools because of the many hills and
valleys of Appalachian Mountains.
The purpose of the schoolhouse on wheels project is to develop basic skills and social behavior in
children three to five years of age. This is done through games, exercises, toys and simple handcrafts. The
schoolhouse on wheels concept also teaches the young children to recognize 300 to 400 words on the printed
page. This is a great advantage in helping the pupils to learn to read when they begin regular school. In its
three-year history the project has helped about 350 children in an area made up of five counties, an area of
20 000 square kilometers. The schoolhouse on wheels is part of the Appalachian Educational Laboratory, a
research effort paid for by the government. Besides the mobile classroom, other parts of the program include
lessons by television and visits to the homes of the students. The technique is very effective, and one teacher
can do the work of seven in a traditional educational system. As a result the program costs about 50% less
than the regular kindergarten.
All these advantages of the schoolhouse on wheels have made both parents and school officials happy.
West Virginia plans to increase the program and to include it in the public school system so that more than
4500 preschool children can have this valuable learning experience. |
| 1. Mrs. Beth Miller usually _____. |
A. walks to begin her work
B. drives a large truck to begin her work
C. drives her car to the school
D. carries the classroom to the school |
| 2. Children in many rural areas of West Virginia cannot go to regular schools because _____. |
A. large trucks cannot go in mountainous areas
B. there are no schoolhouses on wheels there
C. there are many hills and valleys there
D. preschool teachers don"t like to work there |
| 3. The best title for this passage is _____. |
A. Schoolhouse on wheels
B. West Virginia
C. Effective educational system
D. Educational laboratory |
| 阅读理解。 |
Alaskan black bears hibernate for up to seven months a year, during which time they do not eat or drink,
before waking up in virtually the same physical state they fell asleep in.
Now experts hope to develop methods of putting humans into a similar state which could help astronauts
survive long missions and lead to new ways of treating severely ill patients.
While many studies have examined hibernation in mice and hedgehogs, little research has been done into
the same condition in larger mammals such as bears.
But new research conducted at the Institute of Arctic Biology at the University of Alaska monitored the
animals" body temperature, heart rate and muscle movements while they slept.
The research results showed that during a five-month hibernation the bears" body temperatures varied
between 30~C and 36℃ in cycles that lasted between two and seven days-a pattern that was previously
unknown in hibernating animals.
The research project leader said, "If our research could help by showing how to reduce metabolic (新陈
代谢的) rates and oxygen demands in human tissues, one could possibly save severely ill patients. We simply
need to know how to turn things on and off to take advantage of the different levels of hibernations."
Craig Heller, of Stanford University, who contributed to the study, added, "There has always been a thought
that, if there is ever long-distance space travel, it would be good to be able to put people into a state of lower
metabolism or a state of hibernation. That"s almost science fiction but you can see the logical basis." |
| 1. We know from the text that _____. |
A. during winter Alaskan black bears sleep for more than half a year
B. researchers have examined hibernation in humans
C. experts have got no results from their research
D. Craig Heller is a leader from the Institute of Arctic Biology |
| 2. The best topic of the text should be _____. |
A. The Latest Research Results
B. New Methods of Putting Humans into Hibernation
C. Alaskan Black Bears Hibernate
D. Astronauts Could Hibernate Like Bears |
| 3. According to the text, we can infer that _____. |
A. many studies have examined hibernation in mice and bears as well
B. humans" body temperatures vary between 30℃ and 36℃ while they sleep
C. research into hibernation in animals may help deadly patients stay longer
D. scientists have already take advantage of the different levels of hibernation in space missions |
| 根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。 |
It"s not that hard to be a better writer. Seriously, it"s especially true if you"re starting as a non-writer
who"s just trying to be competent for day-to-day tasks.
1. Have a structure. 1_____ Your body should consist of paragraphs that are grouped according to
topic, each one dealing with a single element of your subject.
2. 2_____ When you say a car runs "fast", don"t leave it at that. Show me how fast it is by detailing
the vehicle"s top speed and acceleration, along with listing other cars it leaves in the dust. Do the same
with every other significant modifier (修饰语) you use.
3. Don"t pad words. 3_____ Most of the time, this ends up turning what"s essentially nice writing into
unreadable nonsense. You"ll see this with heavy use of unnecessary adjectives and adverbs, along with
useless phrases that can easily be cut off without losing meaning.
4. Choose good words. Sometimes, the way your text reads comes down to word choice. Don"t say
"converse" when you can say "speak"; don"t write "adjudicate" when you say "decide". 4_____
5. Use a writing software. Notice that we didn"t give any advice on grammar. That"s because using
a quality proofreading software can help you on that end. 5_____ |
A. Try not to use adjectives and adverbs without providing an explanation.
B. Don"t let anything keep you from it!
C. Many inexperienced writers tend to pad words to meet word count goals.
D. Regardless of what you do, your writing should have an introduction and a conclusion.
E. Basically, put your words to good use and find words that will make the experience easier for your readers.
F. Some ideas can be quite correct.
G. Sure, a few mistakes might slip in now and then, but a good tool will take care of most of them. |
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