An Experiment
Materials: Newspaper, ‘ACE’ hardware ruler (1/8 “think”), a flat table.
Purposes: We’ll show that there is air pressure pushing on us, from every direction while we’re on this Earth.
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Procedure:
First put a thin ruler on a flat table with a littleless than half of it hanging off the edge of the table
(see the drawing below). Next place a sheet of newspaper
over the ruler flat against the table. Make sure to have
as little air as possible under the paper so that the fold line of the newspaper is at the ruler. Then quickly strike the end of the ruler hanging off the edge of the table. If you strike it quick enough, the ruler will break near the table edge.
What’s going on?
The Earth is covered in a layer of air that is nearly 80 miles thick and at sea level (the bottom) exerts or ‘pushes’ hard almost 15 pounds of pressure per square inch. That means that a full sheet of newspaper laid out flat has nearly 9,300 pounds of air above it.
When you break the ruler above, you are able to break it because of the 'heavy' air pushing down on the paper while you quickly strike the ruler. At first the table is pushing back on the paper, and if you move the ruler quick enough, other air around the edges of the paper can't get under the paper fast enough, so you are trying to lift that 9,300 pounds with the ruler! Some air gets under the paper, but not enough, so the ruler breaks.
1．By doing the experiment, we may realize .
A．that air exits everywhere
B．why there are directions
C．that we live with air pressure
D．how air helps on the earth
2．How many steps are there in this experiment? .
A．2 B．3 C．4 D．5
3．The underlined word “exert” probably means .
A．cover completely B．advocate actively
C．influence gradually D．press heavily
4．The ruler breaks under a quick strike mainly because of .
A．the air pressure on the newspaper B．the heavy weight of the newspaper
C．the heavy weight of the flat table D．the strong power used on the ruler
Parents and kids today dress alike, listen to the same music, and are friends. Is this a good thing? Sometimes, when Mr. Ballmer and his 16-year-old daughter, Elizabeth, listen to rock music together and talk about interests both enjoy, such as pop culture, he remembers his more distant relationship with his parents when he was a teenager.
“I would never have said to my mom, ‘Hey, the new Weezer album is really great. How do you like it?’” says Ballmer. “There was just a complete gap in taste.”
Music was not the only gulf. From clothing and hairstyles to activities and expectations, earlier generations of parents and children often appeared to move in separate orbits.
Today, the generation gap has not disappeared, but it is getting narrow in many families. Conversations on subjects such as sex and drugs would not have taken place a generation ago. Now they are comfortable and common. And parent—child activities, from shopping to sports, involve a feeling of trust and friendship that can continue int0 adulthood.
No wonder greeting cards today carry the message, “To my mother, my best friend.”
But family experts warn that the new equality can also result in less respect for parents. “There’s still a lot of strictness and authority on the part of parents out there, but there is a change happening,” says Kerrie, a psychology professor at Lebanon Valley College. “In the middle of that change, there is a lot of confusion among parents.”
Family researchers offer a variety of reasons for these evolving roles and attitudes. They see the 1960s as a turning point. Great cultural changes led to more open communication and a more democratic process that encourages everyone to have a say.
“My parents were on the ‘before’ side of that change, but today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side,” explains Mr. Ballmer. “It’s not something easily accomplished by parents these days, because life is more difficult to understand or deal with, but sharing interests does make it more fun to be a parent now.” The underlined word gulf in Para.3 most probably means _________.
| A．interest | B．distance | C．difference | D．separation |
Which of the following shows that the generation gap is disappearing?
| A．Parents help their children develop interests in more activities. |
| B．Parents put more trust in their children’s abilities. |
| C．Parents and children talk more about sex and drugs. |
| D．Parents share more interests with their children. |
By saying “today’s parents, the 40-year-olds, were on the ‘after’ side.” the author means that today’s parents _________.
| A．follow the trend of the change | B．can set a limit to the change |
| C．fail to take the change seriously | D．have little difficulty adjusting to the change |
The purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．describe the difficulties today’s parents have met with |
| B．discuss the development of the parent—child relationship |
| C．suggest the ways to handle the parent—child relationship |
| D．compare today’s parent—child relationship with that in the past |
The small number of newborn babies, which has been caused by high prices and the changing social situation of women, is one of the most serious problems in Asia. When people talk about it, you can hear a word invented in Japan, “DINK”, which means Double Income No Kids.
In many major Asian cities like Seoul, Singapore, and Tokyo, the cost of a house is extremely high. A young couple who want to buy their own house may have to pay about $3000,000 (though prices have fallen). For a flat with one bedrooms, one dining-room, a kitchen, and a bathroom, the couple will pay about $900 a month. What’s more, if they want to have a child, the child’s education is very expensive. For example, most kindergarten charges are at least $5.000 a year. In such a situation, it’s difficult to afford children.
The number of married women who want to continue working because they enjoy their jobs. However, if they want to have children, they immediately have serious problems. Though most companies allow women to leave their jobs for a short time to have a baby, they expect women with babies to give up their jobs. In short, if they want to bring up children properly, both parents have to work, but it is hard for mothers to work. Indeed, women who want to continue working have to choose between having children or keeping their jobs.
In a word, Asian governments must take steps to improve the present situation as soon as possible.What is the main problem being discussed in the passage?
| A．The small number of newborn babies. | B．The changing social situation of women. |
| C．The high prices of houses and education. | D．The necessary steps of Asian government. |
According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．It is easy for a couple to afford a child in Asia. |
| B．The prices of in Asia are quite low now. |
| C．Fewer and fewer married women want to have a job. |
| D．The word “DINKS” appeared in an Asian country. |
To buy a flat and send a child to kindergarten, how much will a couple pay each year?
| A．85,000 | B．85,900 | C．$10.800 | D．$15.800 |
The writer seems to believe that Asian governments should ________.
| A．let women stay at home and have a baby | B．allow one of the parents to go out to work |
| C．care for the growing needs of women for job. | D．the companies that permit women to leave. |
Some people think that as more and more people have televisions in their homes, fewer and fewer people will buy books and newspapers. Why read an article in the newspaper, when the TV news can bring you the information in a few minutes and with pictures? Why read the life story of a famous man, when a short television program can tell you all that you want to know?
Television has not killed reading, however. Today, newspapers sell in very large numbers. And books of every kind are sold more than ever before. Books are still a cheap way to get information and enjoyment. Although some books with hard covers are expensive, many books are printed today as paperbacks (平装本), which are quite cheap. A paperback collection of short stories, for example, is always cheaper than an evening at the cinema or the theater, and you can keep a book for ever and read it many times.
Books are a wonderful provider of knowledge and pleasure and some types of books should be in every home. Every home should have a good dictionary. A good encyclopedia (百科全书), though expensive, is useful, too, because you can find information on any subject. Besides, you can have such books as history books., science textbook, cookbooks, and collections of stories and poems. Then from time to time you can take a book of poems off your shelves and read the thoughts and feelings of your favorite poets.It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
| A．TV programs are a chief provider of knowledge |
| B．cinemas are the best choice in getting information |
| C．reading is a cheap way of learning and having fun |
| D．newspapers are an expensive way to enjoy oneself |
What does the sentences “Television has not killed reading, however ” underlined in the second paragraph suggest?
| A．People only need reading, though. | B．Reading is still necessary today. |
| C．Reading is more fun than television. | D．Watching television doesn’t help reading. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Fewer and fewer people will buy books. |
| B．A good dictionary should be kept in every home. |
| C．Books with hard covers sell better than paperbooks. |
| D．More people like TV programs about famous men. |
Americans, generally speaking, make an effort to be friendly with their colleagues, neighbours and other people they often run into. This often takes the form of a simple greeting like “How’s it going?” or “What’s up ?” This is simply a way of saying I see you and I recognize you.
Americans also show this friendliness in “small talk”. Small talk is a casual conversation that Americans engage in when they meet on the street, in the shop or in the office before a meeting. Usually the topics of such small talk will be something that everyone is familiar with, the weather, sports, traffic, hobbies or what’s on television. The topic of the conversation is not as important as the effort make to spend a few minutes with the other person. Small talk shows that you are a considerate person who is interested in others and who is willing to take the time to get to know people.
Small talk is used in the business world to create a friendly atmosphere and to put everyone at ease before the serious matters of business are discussed. Often businessmen will spend a few minutes talking about the weather or sports before a meeting. This form of small talk only lasts a few minutes before the American businessman wants to “get down to business.”
Asians are very skilled at making casual conversation. However, they often find it difficult to make small talk with Americans because they don’t know what to say, how to say it and who to say it to. Americans may see Asians who are reluctant to make small talk as unfriendly and cold. American people ask others how it is going because .
| A．they are curious about others’ affairs |
| B．they are eager to help others |
| C．they want to start a long conversation |
| D．they only want to show their kindness |
Businessmen talk about weather before a meeting .
| A．so that everyone present will feel relaxed |
| B．in order that everyone will be warned against the possible bad weather |
| C．because weather is very important to American people |
| D．in order to make people fresh |
The word “reluctant” means .
| A．willing | B．eager | C．unwilling | D．skilled |
Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
| A．You should keep the conversation short. |
| B．Asians are not friendly and don’t like to talk with others |
| C．“To get down to business” means to start the work. |
| D．The topics of the small talk are not very important. |
Looking back on my childhood, I am convinced that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and sisters soon left their pressed flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do mental arithmetic.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim(模糊的) memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I recall clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a clear memory of the dogs, the farm animals, the local birds, and above all, the insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love of the natural world and my enthusiasm had led me into varied investigations（调查研究）. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something happens that brings these observations together in my conscious（清醒的） mind. Suddenly you fancy you see the answer to the riddle, because it all seems to fit together. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books, which some might honor with the title of scientific research.
But curiosity, keen（敏锐的） eyes, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist: one of the excellent and essential qualities required is self-discipline, a quality I lack. A scientist, up to a certain point, can be made. A naturalist is born. If you can combine the two, you get the best of both worlds.The first paragraph tells us the author ______.
| A．was interested in flowers and insects in his childhood |
| B．lost his hearing when he was a child |
| C．didn’t like his brothers and sisters |
| D．was born into a naturalist’s family |
The author can’t remember his relatives clearly because _______.
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was extremely large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he was fully occupied with observing nature |
It can be inferred from the passage that the author was _______.
| A．a scientist as well as a naturalist | B．a naturalist but not a scientist |
| C．no more than a born naturalist | D．first of all a scientist |
The author says that he is a naturalist rather than a scientist probably because he thinks he _______.
| A．has a great deal of trouble doing mental arithmetic |
| B．lacks some of the qualities required of a scientist |
| C．just reads about other people’s observations and discoveries |
| D．comes up with solutions in a most natural way |
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