Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—

Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—

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Scientists who try to predict earthquakes have gotten some new helpers recently—animals.
  That’s right, animals. Scientists have begun to understand what farmers have known for thousands of years. Animals often seem to know in advance that an earthquake is coming, and they show their fear by acting in strange ways. Before a Chinese quake in 1975, snakes awoke from their winter sleep early only to freeze to death in the cold air. Cows broke their halters (缰绳) and tried to escape. Chickens refused to enter their cage. All of this unusual behavior, as well as physical changes in the earth, warned Chinese scientists of the coming quake. They moved people away from the danger zone and saved thousands of lives.
  One task for scientists today is to learn exactly which types of animal behavior predict quakes. It’s not an easy job. First of all not every animal reacts to the danger of an earthquake. Just before a California quake in 1977, for example, an Arabian horse became very nervous and tried to break out of his enclosure. The Australian horse next to him, however, remained perfectly calm. It’s also difficult at times to tell the difference between normal animal restlessness and “earthquake nerves”. A zoo keeper once called earthquake researchers to say that his cougar had been acting strangely. It turned out that the cat had an upset stomach.
  A second task for scientists is to find out exactly what kind of warnings the animals receive. They know that animals sense far more of the world than humans do. Many animals can see, hear, and smell things that people do not even notice. Some can sense tiny changes in air pressure, gravity, or the magnetism of Earth. This extra sense probably helps animals predict quakes.
  A good example of this occurred with a group of dogs. They were shut in an area that was being shaken by a series of tiny earthquakes. (Several small quakes often come before or after a large one.) Before each quake a low booming sound was heard. Each boom caused the dogs to bark wildly. Then the dogs began to bark during a silent period. A scientist who was recording quakes looked at his machine. It was acting as though there were a loud noise too. The scientist realized that the dogs had reacted to a booming noise. They also sensed the tiny quake that followed it. The machine recorded both, though humans felt and heard nothing.
In this case there was a machine to monitor what the dogs were sensing. Many times, however, our machines record nothing extraordinary, even though animals know a quake is coming. The animals might be sensing something we measure but do not recognize as a warning. Discovering what animals sense, and learning how they know it is a danger signal, is a job for future scientists.
小题1:Through the passage the writer hopes to explore __________.
A.why animals send a danger signal before an earthquake
B.how animals know when an earthquake is coming
C.why animals not men have good sense of danger
D.how much animals know about an earthquake
小题2: During an earthquake in China in 1975, _________.
A.chickens refused to go out of their cage
B.snakes were frozen to death in their caves
C.snakes awoke from their winter sleep earlier
D.cows broke their halters and escaped from their sheds
小题3:Which of the following is one of earthquake nerves according to the passage?
A.An Arabian horse tried to escape from his enclosure.
B.A cougar had an upset stomach unexpectedly.
C.An Australian horse was perfectly calm.
D.A cat acted very strangely in a zoo.
小题4:The scientists did an experiment with a group of dogs to _________.
A.find out that the machine could record unusual happenings
B.compare the reactions of animals and those of humans
C.prove that animals could sense more than humans
D.find out what exact warnings animals sent

答案

小题1:B
小题1:C
小题1:A
小题1:C
解析

举一反三
The United States is a sports-loving nation. Sports in America take various forms: organized competitive struggles, athletic games, hunting and fishing. Most sports are seasonal, so that what is happening in sports depends upon the time of year.
Baseball is the most popular sport in the US. It is played throughout the spring and summer, and professional baseball teams play well into the fall.
Football is the most popular sport in the fall. The game originated as a college sport more than 75 years ago. It’s not the same as European football or soccer. In American football there are 11 players as well on each team, and they are dressed in padded uniforms and helmets because the game is rough and injuries are likely to occur. It is still played by almost every college and university in the country.
Basketball is the winner sport in American schools and colleges. Like football, basketball originated in the US, many Americans prefer it to football because it is played indoors throughout the winter and because it is a faster game. And the famous NBA games are considered the best of this game.
Other sports attracting a great many people include wrestling, boxing and horse racing. Although horse-racing fans call themselves sportsmen, the exactness of the term is questionable, as only the jockeys who ride the horses in the races can be considered athletes. The so-called sportsmen are the spectators, who do not come primarily to see the horses race, but to bet upon the outcome of each race. Gambling is the attraction of horse racing.
小题1:Baseball is so popular in America that some professional teams play it until ___________.
A.springB.summerC.fallD.winter
小题2:When playing football, American players are dressed in a special uniforms ___________.
A.to avoid unexpected injuries
B.to play it like European football
C.to make the game rough enough
D.to look like professional players
小题3:Many Americans prefer basketball to football because______.
A.NBA games are very popular
B.it is originated in the US
C.it is much faster than football
D.it is played indoors throughout winter
小题4:Horse-racing fans can’t be exactly considered as sportsmen because they ________.
A.mainly stand and watch the races
B.don’t ride horse in the races
C.are only interested in the results
D.don’t care who wins in the races
小题5:The underlined word “jockeys” in the last paragraph refers to _______.
A.the person who bets upon the the race
B.the person who cares about horse-racing
C.the rider who enjoys watching the race
D.the rider who competes in horse-racing

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Every American family has its own traditions on Thanksgiving Day, and mine is no different. Once the national holiday arrives, my mom rises early to make the meal. She puts a turkey in the oven, chops carrots and bakes pies. I’m sorry to say that the men in the family – my dad, my younger brother and myself – rarely pitch in to help. Our job is to wash the mountain of dirty dishes after the meal is over.
Around 2 pm every Thanksgiving Day, family members seat themselves around the kitchen table. Plates of turkey, vegetables, salad, rolls and pies cover it. At this point, we can hardly keep ourselves from drooling (流口水) all over our fancy clothes, but it’s not yet time to eat.
First, we must bow our heads, close our eyes and say a prayer of thanks aloud to God for giving us everything we have. Under normal circumstances, I would have no problem making a list of things I am thankful for. I grew up in a loving family. My parents, who aren’t wealthy, took out loans to help me pay for university.
But, the funny thing is, every time I sit down for Thanksgiving dinner and try to say a prayer of thanks, my mind usually goes blank. I think it has something to do with my growling (咕咕叫) stomach and all of that food sitting right there under my nose.
Eventually, though, we all finish our short prayers and dig in. To be sure, the day includes other highlights – visiting with family and watching football. But usually around 6 pm we are all ourselves stuffed like turkeys and thankful to have a nice warm bed to sleep in.
小题1:The purpose of the text is to ________.
A.tell what the family do for Thanksgiving Day
B.tell how the family spends Thanksgiving Day
C.introduce foods served on Thanksgiving Day
D.introduce the American Thanksgiving Day
小题2:On Thanksgiving Day the author’s family do the following except ________.
A.watching a movieB.making visits
C.having a big mealD.watching football
小题3:Why does the author’s mind usually “go blank” when saying a prayer of thanks?
A.He is too thankful to say a word.
B.His mind is on the food before him.
C.He feels too excited to speak.
D.He is shy to speak in public.
小题4:The underlined phrase “dig in” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to “________”.
A.chat with othersB.make a hole
C.mix things upD.start eating
小题5:What can we conclude from the text?
A.On Thanksgiving Day, men do nothing but eat.
B.The author is a middle school student.
C.The author’s family is not rich, but it’s a loving one.
D.Thanksgiving Day falls on Thursday of December.

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
In many cultures white is often associated with something positive. A white-collar job, for instance, is the kind of job many people look for, working with your brain and not your hands.

White has a clean and pure image. That is why doctors, dentists, and nurses usually wear white uniforms. Babies are dressed in white at baptisms(洗礼)and brides wear white wedding gowns at weddings. White in these cases is the symbol of innocence or purity.
Sometimes white is used in expressions that are not good. “Whitewash” is one such expression. At first, “whitewash” meant to paint over something with white paint to make it look better. However, it means something different today: to hide or to cover up mistakes or failures.
A “white elephant” is another example of white used in a negative way. In ancient Thailand, a white elephant was regarded as a sacred animal, but it was very expensive to keep. The kings of those days presented a white elephant to the people they wanted to ruin. Once they received this holy, royal animal as a gift, they were not allowed to sell or kill it. Today, a “white elephant” means something that is big, useless, and unwanted. In America, when people want to get rid of their furniture or clothes, they often have a “white elephant sale”.
小题1:The text is mainly about________.
A.the meanings of white in English culture
B.the history of some English idioms
C.some interesting customs in English culture
D.some useful English words and expressions
小题2:Which expression has an historical background ?
A.White-wash.B.White-collar.
C.White elephant.D.White elephant sale.
小题3:In which statement does “white” have a negative meaning?
A.A boy is dressed in white at baptisms.
B.A bride wears a white wedding gown.
C.A man whitewashes his crime.
D.A girl finds a white collar job.
小题4:From the text we can learn that _______.
A.a white-elephant sale is useful to the poor
B.the white color is important in our daily life
C.a white-collar job used to be easy to get
D.expressions with white have different meanings
小题5:The author develops the text mainly by ______.
A.analyzing its cause and effect
B.providing typical examples
C.comparing different ideas
D.following the time order

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
On June 17, 1774, the officials from Maryland and Virginia held a talk with the Indians of the Six Nations. The Indians were invited to send boys to William and Mary College. In a letter the next day they refused the offer as follows:
We know that you have a high opinion of the kind of learning taught in your colleges, and that the costs of living of our young men, while with you, would be very expensive to you. We are sure that you mean to do us good by your proposal(提议); and we thank you heartily. But you must know that different nations have different ways of looking at things, and you will therefore not be offended(冒犯) if our ideas of this kind of education happen not to be the same as yours. We have had some experience of it. Several of our young people were formerly brought up at the colleges of the northern provinces: they were taught all your sciences; but when they came back to us, they were bad manners, ignorant(无知的)of every means of living in the woods–they were totally good for nothing.
 We are, however, not the less thankful by your kind offer, though we refuse to accept it; and, to show our grateful sense of it, if the gentlemen of Virginia will send us a dozen of their sons, we will take care of their education, teach them in all we know, and make men of them.
小题1:The tone(语气) of the letter as a whole is best described as________.
A.angryB.pleasantC.politeD.ambitious
小题2:The Indian chief’s purpose of writing the letter seems to be to ____.
A.politely refuse a friendly offerB.express their opinions on equal treatment
C.show their prideD.describe Indian customs
小题3:According to the letter, the Indians believed that ____.
A.it would be better for their boys to receive some schooling
B.they were being insulted by the offer
C.they knew more about science than the officials
D.they had better way of educating young men
小题4:Different from the officials’ view of education, the Indians thought ____.
A.young women should also be educated
B.they had different goals of education
C.they taught different branches of science
D.they should teach the sons of the officials first

题型:不详难度:| 查看答案
San Francisco has long been a favorite place for travelers who are ready to learn languages.The mild (温和的) year-round climate, shops and restaurants, bars and night-life, and some of the most beautiful scene in the US attract many visitors to this relaxing and welcoming city.Students are sure to find the San Francisco Bay Area an interesting, safe and friendly place in which they can live and study.This is the most important.
English School in San Francisco is located in the heart of the city.It is one of the best San Francisco English language schools.You can see views of the city from your classroom! Many buses stop less than a five-minute walk from the school, which is also just a two-minute walk from the famous Union Square, San Francisco Shopping Centre, the Financial District, Yerba Buena gardens and the Museum of Modern Art.The school is minutes away from the cable cars (缆车) to Chinatown and Fisherman’s Wharf and a boat ride on the bay.
San Francisco is a great place to study English and learn about American culture, offering excellent opportunities in sports, entertainment and arts.The city borders (接近) excellent beaches, and you can sail or surf all year round.
San Francisco has more restaurants than any other city in the US, and is the home of many theaters, music and dance companies, as well as museums.Just walking through the many areas of San Francisco, you are certain to find something wonderful.
小题1:That San Francisco attracts students most might be ______.
A.the mild year-round climate
B.its beautiful scenery
C.shops and restaurants, bars and night-life
D.a good place to live and study in
小题2:It is only a two-minute walk from English School to ______.
A.a bus stopB.the beaches
C.the Financial DistrictD.Fisherman’s Wharf
小题3:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.English School has the most beautiful scenery in the US.
B.Most of the restaurants in the US are located in San Francisco.
C.In San Francisco, one can experience one part of American culture.
D.English School in San Francisco is one of the best in the US.
小题4:The author mainly wants to tell us ______.
A.about English schools in the US
B.the places around English School
C.about the beautiful scenery in San Francisco
D.San Francisco is a good place to learn language

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