What is the color of the universe? Astronomers did not answer this question until two months ago. This was when two American astronomers reported on their study of all the light in the universe. They said that the universe would appear to the human eye to be a light greenish color, called turquoise(青绿色). Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported their findings in January. They presented research at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. They said that finding the color of the universe was not part of their more serious scientific research. They did it for fun.
However, earlier this month, the scientists admitted to ma
king a mistake. They said their finding was much more colorful than it should have been. They now say the light from our universe is closer to white. It is more like a milky or creamy white color.
The scientists gave a nu
mber to each of the colors of the different star systems. Then they added the numbers together and found the average measurement. The scientists used this average to identify the color of the universe. They said it was a very pretty light green or turquoise color. They called it “cosmic (宇宙的) spectrum (光谱) green.” Many newspapers and television stations reported their finding.
Other scient
ists and color engineers attempted to reproduce the result. Mark Fairchild of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York was the first person to identify a mistake. He discovered a mistake in the computer software program used by the Johns Hopkins scientists.
When the mistake was corrected, the results changed. The new color of the universe is much less colorful. It is very close to white. The scientists apologized for the mistake. They are now working with the Rochester Institute of Technology to produce more images regarding the color of the universe.
48. Why did the scientists do the research?
A. They wanted to win a Nobel Prize. B. It’s required by the government.
C. They did it just for fun. D. It’s part of their research.
49. We can infer that the passage was probably written in _______.
A. January B. February C. May D. March
50. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. None of the researches done by scientists is right.
B. Scientists sometimes may make mistakes in their work.
C. The color of the universe is light greenish.
D. Mark Fairchild apologized for his mistake about the color of universe.
When I was quite young, my father had one of the first telephones in our neighborhood. I remember well the polished old case fastened to the wall. The shiny receiver hung on the side of the box. I was too little to reach the telephone, but used to listen with great interest when my mother used to talk to it.
Then I discovered that somewhere inside the wonderful device lived an amazing person— her name was Information Please and there was nothing she did not know. Information Please could supply anybody’s number.
My first personal experience with Information Please came one day while my mother was visiting a neighbor. I accidentally hit my finger with a hammer. The pain was terrible, but there didn’t seem to be any reason in crying because there was no one home to give sympathy. I walked around the house sucking my hurting finger, finally arriving at the stairway—the telephone! Climbing up I unhooked the receiver and held it to my ear. “Information Please,” I said.
A click or two and a small clear voice spoke into my ear, “Information.”
“I hurt my finger…” I cried. The tears came readily enough now that I had an audience. “Isn’t your mother home?” came the question. “Nobody’s home but me.” I sobbed. “Are you bleeding?” “No,” I replied. “I hit my finger with the hammer and it hurts.” “Can you open your icebox?” she asked. I said I could. “Then chip off a little piece of ice and hold it to your finger.”
After that I called Information Please for everything. I asked her for help with my geography and she told me where Philadelphia was. And there was the time that Petey, our pet canary (金丝雀) died. I called Information Please and told her the sad story. She listened, and then said the usual things grown-ups say to comfort a child. But I was unconsoled. Why is it that birds should sing so beautifully and bring joy to all families, only to end up as a heap of feathers, feet up on the bottom of a cage?
She must have sensed my deep concern, for she said quietly, “Paul, always remember that there are other worlds to sing in.” Somehow I felt better.
Another day I was on the telephone. “Information Please.” “Information,” said the now familiar voice. “How do you spell fix?” I asked.
All this took place in a small town in the Pacific Northwest. Then when I was 9 years old, we moved to Boston. I missed my friend very much. Information Please belonged to that old wooden box in former home, and I somehow never thought of trying the tall, shiny new phone that sat on the hall table.
Yet as I grew into my teens, the memories of those childhood conversations never really left me; often in moments of doubt and sadness I would recall the sense of security I had then. I appreciated now how patient, understanding, and kind she was to have spent her time on a little boy.
A few years later, on my way west to college, my plane put down in Seattle. I had about half an hour or so between planes, and I spent 15 minutes or so on the phone with my sister, who lived there now. Then without thinking what I was doing, I dialed my hometown operator and said, “Information Please.”
Unexpectedly, I heard again the small, clear voice I knew so well, “Information.” I hadn’t planned this but I heard myself saying, “Could you tell me please how to spell fix?” There was a long pause. Then came the soft spoken answer, “I guess that your finger must have healed by now.”
I laughed, “So it’s really still you,” I said. “I wonder if you have any idea how much you meant to me during that time.”
“I wonder,” she said, “if you know how much your calls meant to me. I never had any children, and I used to look forward to your calls.”
I told her how often I had thought of her over the years and I asked if I could call her again when I came back to visit my sister.
“Please do; just ask of Sally.”
Just three months later I was back in Seattle…. A different voice answered Information and I asked for Sally.
“Are you a friend?” “Yes, a very old friend.” “Then I’m sorry to have to tell you. Sally has been working part-time the last few years because she was sick. She passed away five weeks ago.” But before I could hang up she said, “Wait a minute. Did you say your name was Paul?”
“Yes!”
“Well, Sally left a message for you. She wrote it down. Here it is. I’ll read it. “Tell him I still say there are other worlds to sing in. He’ll know what I mean.”
I thanked her and hung up. I did know what Sally meant. According to the text, Information Please is actually ________.
| A．a robot | B．the author’s mother | C．a telephone operator | D．the telephone itself |
The author picked up the telephone for the first time to ________.
| A．call his mother who was visiting a neighbor |
| B．call the doctor for his wounded finger |
| C．find out what exactly lived in the telephone |
| D．find someone to give him sympathy |
The underlined word “unconsoled” in paragraph 6 means ________.
| A．too sad to have a talk | B．difficult to deal with somebody |
| C．hard to communicate with somebody | D．unable to accept comfort |
What did Sally mean by saying those underlined words in the message?
| A．The author didn’t need to feel sad for her death. |
| B．She went to another place to make a living as a singer |
| C．The world without her would still be good to the author. |
| D．The author should explore new worlds for his new life. |
Why did the writer never think of trying the new phone after moving to Boston?
| A．He hadn’t got used to the line service in Boston yet. |
| B．There was something wrong with the new phone. |
| C．He missed Information Please in the old phone so much. |
| D．He didn’t like the tall and shiny style of the new phone. |
When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend.” Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place: food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment, even medical services. So, are malls one of the highlights of modern civilization? Environmental activists would say No! They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping—urban sprawl (扩大) .
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Before 1950, most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to the usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one–storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal space. Well– meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
| A．Weekend Fun | B．Urban Sprawl | C．New Automobiles | D．Isolated Villages |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the first paragraph?
| A．Scientists | B．Activists. | C．Farmers. | D．Malls |
Who do environmental activists blame for environmental problems?
| A．Endangered animals. | B．Shopping mall owners. |
| C．Unthinking shoppers. | D．Ambitious farmers. |
What do scholars think should be done about urban sprawl?
| A．Understand the situations better. | B．Follow customary policies. |
| C．Start school in shopping malls. | D．Charge polluters a lot of money. |
What is the scholars’ attitude toward urban sprawl?
| A．Respectful. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
Falling temperatures are no excuse to avoid outdoor exercise with your dog. Along with making sure you are appropriately dressed, your dog should also be properly protected from the elements. Some large breed dogs such as Labrador Retrievers, Golden Retrievers, German Shepherds and Huskies can tolerate the colder weather better than others. These dogs may also develop a thicker coat over time as they are exposed to colder weather.
Smaller breeds, however, like Chihuahuas and Miniature Pinschers, breeds with short coats and puppies should wear some type of protection, i.e, a coat or sweater, if the temperature drops too low. Look for coats or sweaters with high collars or a turtleneck that covers your dog from the base of the tail on top to the belly underneath.
Dog booties (毛线鞋) provide good protection from chemicals or salts on the pavement as well as mud. If you don’t use the booties, be sure to wipe your dog’s paw pads with room temperature water after taking it outside.
Other tips
When you bathe your dog, dry him completely before taking him out in the cold weather for a walk or exercise. It is especially important to keep your dog well groomed (打扮) during the winter months to protect him from the elements.
If your dog frequently participates in outdoor activities during the colder months, increase his food intake, especially protein, to help keep his coat grow thick and healthy. Dogs that are not as active during the winter months may need to have their food consumption reduced.
The amount of time you spend outside with your dog will depend on his size, breed type and age. Remember that ill or elderly dogs are more sensitive to cold weather. Dogs whom cold weather agrees with can spend hours outside without getting cold but some of the smaller and younger dogs’ exercise sessions should be kept shorter. Dogs should not be left outside unattended.
Another activity to consider is doggie daycare, which is an excellent alternative during cold weather months. It’s a great place for your dog to get plenty of physical and mental stimulation while being with other dogs.
Banfield Pet HospitalThe underlined word “elements” in the first paragraph probably means ______.
| A．extreme weather | B．potential enemies | C．serious diseases | D．terrible accidents |
Dog owners are advised to ______ in the text.
| A．bathe their dogs less during the winter months |
| B．avoid outdoor exercise with their dogs in cold weather |
| C．make their dogs wear booties for a walk outside every time |
| D．feed their dogs more food if they’re frequently taking them out in winter |
The author thinks dog owners should_________ in the cold weather.
| A．not walk the dog | B．protect their dog pets from being hurt |
| C．stop walking the dog | D．avoid walking the dog |
What can we conclude from the text?
| A．Small breed dogs are usually more tolerant of cold weather than larger ones. |
| B．Smaller and younger dogs tend to become less active in cold weather. |
| C．Dogs’ paw pads should be thoroughly cleaned after outdoor activities in winter. |
| D．A trip to doggie daycare can get dogs better prepared for outdoor activities. |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．How to make your dog exercise in cold weather | B．Walk dogs in the cold weather |
| C．Dogs like to take exercise in winter | D．Take good care of dogs |
Are you carrying too much on your back at school? I’m sure lots of children of your age will say “Yes”. Not only the students in China have this problem, but children in the United
States also have heavy school bags.
Doctors are starting to worry that younger and younger students are having back and neck problems as a result of school bags being too heavy for them.
“It’s hard for me to go upstairs with my bag because it’s so heavy,” said Rick Hammond, an 11-year-old student in the US.
Rick is among students who have common school bags with two straps (带子) to carry them, but many other students choose rolling bags.
But even with rolling bags, getting up stairs and buses is still a problem for children. Many of them have hurt their backs and necks because of the heavy school bags.
But how much is too much? Doctors say students should carry no more than 10% to 15% of their own body weight.
Scott Bautch, a back doctor, said children under Grade 4 should stay with 10%. But it is also important that older children don’t stay with over 15%, because their bodies are still growing. “Children are losing their balance and falling down with their school bags,” he said.
Parents and teachers are starting to tell children to only take home library books they will be reading that night. Some teachers are using pieces of paper or thin workbooks for students to take home.
One of the best answers is, as some children said, to have no homework at all!From the passage we can know that .
| A．only children in China carry too heavy school bags |
| B．both children in China and the US carry too heavy school bags |
| C．children in other countries don’t carry too heavy bags |
| D．only children in the US carry too heavy school bags |
Children feel it hard for them to go upstairs because ________.
| A．they are too young |
| B．they don’t know how to go upstairs |
| C．their school bags are too heavy |
| D．their parents don’t always go upstairs with them together |
If a child carries a heavy school bag, .
| A．his back and neck will be hurt | B．his head and arms will be hurt |
| C．his hands will be hurt | D．his feet will be hurt |
According to the doctor, Scott Bautch, if a child in Grade 5 weighs about 30 kilos, the school bag he carries should not be over ________.
| A．5 kilos | B．3 kilos | C．5.5 kilos | D．4.5 kilos |
Some students think the best answer to his problems is that .
| A．they should have a little homework to do after they get home |
| B．their teachers had better not ask them to do any homework |
| C．they should only take home library books they will read that night |
| D．they should use thin workbooks instead of thick ones |
The other day I heard a few local musicians talking:
"I hate all the pianos in this town and I hate that rubbish they play on the radio .They cannot every understand rhythm（韵律)"
"Nobody wants to pay musicians anything. I'm sick of all the people who want you to play without paying you."
One younger musician said, "There are several clubs who want me to play for a few nights a month and I'm trying to find other places to play .I'm also planning to join in several summer festivals this year."
I really liked what the younger musician said so I made friends with him.
Attitudes are important. Whether they're positive or negative(消极) they're all rubbing off on you,If you're around people who are always complaining or blaming others, it is possible that you will start doing the same as well. If you spend lots of time with people who don't support your dreams, it is time to take a look at the people you call " friends".
There is an easy exercise you can try. Make a list of the people who you often stay with, and simply stop , spending time with the negative ones on your list. Set a new standard for yourself and don't become friends with people who fall below that standard.
Of course, this exercise is entirely different from making friends only for the good of oneself. We really should try to help and spend time with those who are working towards a goal or dream.The musicians' conversation at the beginning is there to show that
| A．musicians' living conditions are not good |
| B．people in that town have poor taste in music |
| C．young people are more likely to succeed |
| D．different musicians have different attitudes |
The underlined part in Para. 6 means________.
| A．they'll have an influence on you | B．they'll help you realize your dreams |
| C．they'll keep you from moving on | D．they'll push you ahead very hard |
Why did the author want to make friends with the younger musician?
| A．He is more active than the others. |
| B．He can earn more than the others. |
| C．His attitude is more positive than the others. |
| D．He has more things to do than the others. |
By doing the exercise mentioned in Para. 7, you can________.
| A．improve your ability to make friends |
| B．make the right kind of friends for sure |
| C．develop a better relationship with your friends |
| D．make some new friends with similar interests |
We can get the following information from the passage EXCEPT________.
| A．the younger musician is a positive person and would be a good friend |
| B．one should avoid making friends with people having lots of difficulties |
| C．the exercise can help you keep close to really helpful friends |
| D．one will start complaining if one spends too much time with negative people |
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