Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they
discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist（药剂师）, to rewrite the formula(配方) for "Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world –wide drink came into being.
3. During World War II, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven(微波炉). While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels, and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs. The right time order of the three inventions, according to the passage, should be_________.
| A．fireworks, the microwave and Coca-Cola |
| B．fireworks ,Coca-Cola and the microwave |
| C．Coca-Cola , fireworks and the microwave |
| D．the microwave, Coca-Cola and fireworks |
Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was _______.
| A．looking for a way to melt his chocolate |
| B．trying to know how a magnetron could cook |
| C．working to know how the magnetron works |
| D．asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven |
What can we learn from the above invention stories?
| A．Experiments make great inventors of our time. |
| B．Nothing is impossible if one tries each day. |
| C．Inventors come out of hard work at any time. |
| D．A small incident may lead to a great invention. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．What great inventions they are! | B．Inventions from Three Countries. |
| C．Stories of Accidental Inventions. | D．The Human Inventions of time. |
For many people, there is only one good reason to go to an amusement park: the roller coaster. But why do People go on roller coasters?
"Where else in the world can you scream at the top of your lungs and throw your arms in the air?" Frank Farley asks. "If you did that in most other places, they'd take you to your parents and probably put you through a psychological evaluation (心理检查)." Farley is a psychologist at Temple University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
Roller coasters are often attractive to kids whose lives are stressful or controlled. "Roller coasters are a way of breaking out of the humdrum (单调 ) of everyday life. You can let it all go and scream and shout or do whatever you want," Farley says. It has been proved that many adults feel the same way.
Compared with skateboarding, extreme mountain biking, and other adventure sports, riding roller coasters is safe. Parents usually don't mind when kids go on coasters. Roller coasters also have a way of bringing people together. Riders share the thrill and adventure of surviving what feels like an extreme experience.
Whether you like to ride a roller coaster may depend on your personality. Psychologists say that there is a certain type of person that naturally seeks out extreme experiences. "They enjoy things like change, variety, and intensity (强度)," says Farley. "These people are actually attracted to thrills." He describes such people as having Type-T personalities ("T" stands for thrill).
He also believes that these thrill seekers are more adventurous and creative than other people. Albert Einstein was a Type T. "If nobody liked to seek stimulation (刺激)," he argues, "the human race wouldn't be where it is today."
1. What is the passage mainly about? 
A. The disadvantages of roller coasters.
B. The characteristics of roller coasters.
C. Why many people enjoy roller coasters.
D. How people act when riding roller coasters.
2. According to Farley, what will most people feel after riding a roller coaster?
A. Scared. B. Confident. C. Nervous. D. Relaxed.
3. If a person is a Type T, he seems to . 
A. enjoy adventure sports
B. dislike riding roller coasters
C. like popular sports
D. work well with others
4. According to Farley, to our society, people with Type-T personalities are __
A. dangerous B. important C. useless D. harmful
The great Alaskan explorer John Muir once wrote that to have dinner with a glacier (冰川) on a sunny day is an excellent thing. It is better to sleep beside one, on an Antarctic island, with just a sleepifig bag for warmth and the sky as your tent.
Our camp-out was in early January of this year on Danco Island, along the Antarctic Peninsula. Midway through a 10-day Antarctic journey, conditions were near perfect. We started our voyage from the Akademik Ioffe in Zodiacs, landing on the wide beach with its fist-sized rocks. At the height of the Antarctic summer, the shore was clear of snow, with plenty of room for the 40 adventurers to spend the night.
Danco Island was charted in 1898 by the Belgian explorer Adrien de Gerlache, who was the first to prove that you could overwinter in Antarctica and survive. De Gerlache paved the way for Lt. Robert Scott's first expedition in 1901. De Gerlache mapped the archipelago (群岛). He later named the island after his team member mile Danco, a geophysicist who died that winter. For one year in the mid-1950s, Danco was known as Base O by the British, who kept a scientific research station there, although all that. remains of it is a foundation and a pile of coal.
Our expedition was organized by Australian tour operator Peregrine Adventures. The weather was extraordinary -- sunny with daytime temperatures of about 1't2. The camping was easy and accessible to all ages. Sleeping under the stars in Antarctica, in just a sleeping bag is pretty amazing.
1. Whom did Adrien de Gerlache have a direct effect on? 
A. John Muir. B. Lt. Robert Scott.
C. The tourists. D. The author.
2. What was Danco Island named after?
A. A place. B. A glacier.
C. A person. D. An ocean.
3. It can be inferred from the passage that .
A. old people can't go 'camping in Antarctica
B. the author went to the Antarctica in winter
C. John Muir might have visited an Antarctic island
D. Lt. Robert Scott built a station in the Antarctic
4. What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Danco Island
B. An expedition to Antarctica
C. Explorers of Antarctica
D. Sleep under the stars in Antarctica
A.I. (人工智能) is just starting to become part of our lives, and books and movies have been talking about A.I. and robots for years. Mostly, in these books and movies, the computers and robots turn out to be the enemies of the human race. Here is a selection of some famous A.I. movies..
2001: A Space Odyssey
In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, HAL is one of the first computers to talk like a human. HAL is very frightening because it speaks in a calm voice as it goes on a killing spree (疯狂杀戮). When the astronauts attempt to hide in a smaller spaceship and switch off the microphones, HAL uses a camera to read their lips and understand what the astronauts are saying.
The Terminator
In The Terminator, a computer thinks that its deadly enemies are human beings. As a result, the computer launches missiles (导弹) to start international wars and then builds killer robots to destroy the human race.
The Matr/x
In The Matrix, a computer takes over the world and uses human beings for energy. The computer keeps people alive by making them think that they are still living normal lives. A few brave rebels (叛逆者) decide to fight against the computer. 
Star War movies
In the Star War movies, computerised robots are used as servants and soldiers. R2-D2, a small cylindrical (圆柱形的) robot, and C-3PO, a tall talking robot, help some humans defeat the evil ruler, Darth Vader, in a dangerous battle between the forces of good and evil.
1, In the movie 2001: A Space Odyssey, the astronauts switch off the microphones to
A. prevent HAL hearing whom they axe calling
B. prevent HAL hearing what they are saying
C. force HAL to use a camera
D. force HAL to speak loudly
2. If you want to know how an intelligent computer uses human beings for energy, you should watch __
A. The Terminator. 
B. 2001: A Space Odyssey'
C. Star War movies
D. The Matrix
3. R2-D2 and C-3PO stand for
A. the scientific forces
B. the natural forces
C. the good forces
D. the evil forces
4. What do the four movies have in common?
A. They all have the same ending.
B. They are about a similar theme.
C. They are all based on science fiction books.
D. They started heated discussions about A.I.
第三部分 阅读理解（共20小题，；每小题2分，满分40分）
On Nov.18, 1995, Itzhak Perlman, the violinist, came on stage to give a concert in the Avery Fisher Hall at the Lincoln Center in New York City.
If you have ever been to a Perlman concert, you know that getting on stage is no small achievement for him. He was stricken with polio (小儿麻痹症) as a child, and so he has braces (支架) on both legs and walks with the aid of a pair of crutches (拐杖).
He walks painfully until he reaches his chair. Then he sits down slowly, puts his crutches on the floor, undoes the clasps (扣压环) on his legs, pushes one foot back and extends the other foot forward. Then he bends down and picks up the violin, puts it under his chin, nods to the conductor and begins his play.
But this time, something went wrong. Just as he finished the first few notes, one of the strings on his violin broke — it went off like gunfire across the room. We figured that he would have to get up, put on the clasps again, pick up the crutches and limp his way off stage — to either find another violin or else find another string for this one. But he didn't. Instead, he waited a moment, closed his eyes and then signaled the conductor to begin again.
The orchestra began, and he played from where he had left off. When he finished, there was an extremely impressive silence in the room. And then people rose and cheered. He smiled, wiped the sweat from his brow, raised his bow to quiet us, and then he said in a quiet tone, "You know, sometimes it is the artist's task to find out how much music you can still make with what you have left."
1. What does the author mean when he writes the underlined part in Paragraph 2? 
A. It's very difficult for Perlman to get to the stage.
B. It's' hard for Perlman to play a violin with three strings.
C. It's not easy for Perlman to face such a large audience.
D. Pefiman plays the violin with three strings successfully.
2. The third paragraph describes .
A. how Perlman deals with his disability
B. Pefiman's attitude towards the concert
C. the various stages of Perlman' s performance
D. the difficulties Pefiman had before playing
3. What does the underlined word "one" in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A. String. B. Crutch.
C. Violin. D. Orchestra.
4. Itzhak Pefiman can be best described as a man who is .
A. intelligent B. strong-willed
C. humourous D. highly skilled
Tamiflu(达菲-一种抗病毒药) does not kill but prevents H1N1 from further proliferation (繁衍) till the virus limits itself in about 1-2 weeks (its natural cycle)．H1N1, like other Influenza A viruses, only infects the upper respiratory tract and proliferates (only) there．The only way of entry are the nostrils(鼻孔) and mouth/ throat．In a global epidemic of this nature, it's almost impossible not coming into contact with H1N1．
Contact with H1N1 is not so much of a problem as proliferation is．
While you are still healthy and not showing any symptoms of H1N1 infection, in order to prevent proliferation, some very simple steps can be practiced:
1．Frequent hand-washing．
2．"Hands-off-the-face" approach．Resist all temptations to touch any part of face (unless you want to eat or bathe)．
3．Gargle(漱口) twice a day with warm salt water (use Listerine if you don't trust salt)．H1N1 takes 2-3 days after initial infection in the throat/ nasal cavity to proliferate and show characteristic symptoms．Simple gargling prevents proliferation．In a way, gargling with salt water has the same effect on a healthy individual that Tamiflu has on an infected one．Don't underestimate this simple, inexpensive and powerful preventative method．
4．Similar to 3 above, clean your nostrilsat least once every day with warm salt water，Which is very effective in bringing down viral population．
5．Strengthen your natural immunity with foods that are rich in Vitamin C ．If you have to supplement with Vitamin C tablets, make sure that it also has Zinc to boost absorption．
6．Drink as much of warm liquids as you can．Drinking warm liquids has the same effect as gargling, but in the reverse direction．They wash off proliferating viruses from the throat into the stomach where they cannot survive, proliferate or do any harm．
7．All these are simple ways to prevent, within means of most households, and certainly much less painful than to wait in long queues outside public hospitals．
1．What part of a person’s body do H1N1flu viruses mainly infect?
A．one’s lung B．the upper respiratory tract
C．one’s heart D．one’s throat and lung
2．H1N1 flu viruses go into our bodies by ________．
A．touching B．diet C．breathing D．dirt
3．What does the underlined word “underestimate” mean ?
A．assign too low a value to
B．drop the cost of
C．pay more attention to
D．calculate the number of money
4．The author presents this passage by ______．
A．telling an interesting story
B．testing an idea by reasoning
C．introducing some practical methods
D．describing some activities in a natural order
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