An annoying problem for humans, who like to boast (夸耀) about all the distant planets and moons we have explored, is that we've never taken a good look right under our noses. The inside of the earth is relatively close, but how can we get there?
The deepest oil well enters a mere six miles into the crust (地壳) (the center of the earth is about 4,000 miles deeper). Russian scientists dug the deepest hole in Siberia, but bottomed out at about 7.5 miles below the surface. The Mohole project, a U.S. plan in the 1950s, called for drilling a hole 25 miles down to the boundary between the hard rocks of the crust and the soft mantle (地幔). Sadly the project involved government supporting.
It gets harder and harder to drill deep into the earth because rocks get softer and softer. Hard but easily broken at the surface, rocks become plastic at depth, and the pressure caused by the weight of the overlaying crust --- about 52,800 pounds per square inch at a depth of ten miles, makes further drilling impossible.
What little we know about the inside of the earth (like the fact that there's a crust, a mantle, and a core) comes from indirect evidence, such as the analysis of earthquakes.
So maybe it's time for a thorough new method to explore the earth's inside. Scientist David Stevenson says we should forget about drilling holes. Instead, we should open a crack (裂缝).
Stevenson suggests digging a crack about a half mile long, a yard wide, and a half mile deep (not with a shovel) but with an explosion on the scale of a nuclear bomb. Next, he'd pour a few hundred thousand tons of molten (熔化的) iron into the crack, along with a robot. The iron, thicker than the surrounding crust, would move downward at about 16 feet per second, carrying the robot with it and opening the crack deeper and deeper. The iron mass would drop for about a week and 2,000 miles to the outer edge of the earth core, the robot sending out data to the surface.
Stevenson compares his idea to space exploration. "We're going somewhere we haven't been before,"he says. "In all possibility, there will be surprises.”
This idea can probably be put in the drawer marked with Isn't Going To Happen. The robot would have to survive temperatures that would melt pretty much anything. But Stevenson's idea may inspire a new look at an old problem. Great things can come from what seems like impossible ideas.
72. Going inside the earth is _____ than going into space.
A. more interesting B. more possible C. easier D. more challenging
73. How deep have we gone into the earth until now?
A. 6 miles. B. 4,000 miles. C. 7.5 miles. D. 25 miles.
74. Which of the following is TRUE about David Stevenson's idea?
A. It is an inspiring but not practical idea now.
B. It is a practical proposal that has come into use now.
C. It is a good proposal that will soon be put into practice.
D. It is a false theory that cannot be carried out at all.
75. What might be the most suitable title for the text?
A. An Annoying Problem for Humans
B. To the Center of the Earth
C. The Mohole Project
D. David Stevenson's Proposal
The 87th Academy Award nominations(提名) were announced on Jan 15, and The Grand Budapest Hotel stood out as a favorite with nine nominations, including Best Picture. Check out some other Best Picture nominees to see if you missed any of last year’s top Hollywood films.
The Imitation Game
This historical thriller is about British computer scientist, Alan Turing (Benedict Cumberbatch), the father of artificial intelligence. At the start of World War II, Turing was asked to join a select team of mathematical geniuses to decode（解码） the system the Nazis used to send military messages. Besides the actual breaking of the code, Cumberbatch’s portrayal（扮演）of Turing’s personality, a mixture of decency（正派）and shyness, is also a highlight of the movie.
Birdman
This dark comedy film is about how Riggan Thomson, a faded star once famous for his superhero roles, struggles to regain fame. American actor Michael Keaton, 63, who has a similar experience to Thomson’s, plays the leading role.
Selma
A stellar cast(主要演员) including talk show queen Oprah Winfrey may be one reason to see Selma. But that the film focuses on Martin Luther King Jr.’s struggle for civil rights also makes it worth viewing. Based on the 1965 Selma to Montgomery voting rights marches, the film is a chronicle(编年史) of King’s (David Oyelowo) campaign for political rights for African-American people.
The Theory of Everything
We know English theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking for his significant scientific discoveries, especially his black hole theories. This biographical film reveals the scientist’s (played by Eddie Redmayne) secret romantic relationship with Jane Hawking (Felicity Jones), whom he meets and falls in love with at Cambridge and who later becomes his first wife.
Boyhood
American Director Richard Linklater did an experiment in this film, using the same cast for 12 years to record a boy’s growth. In two and a half hours, we see Mason, a Texas boy from a divorced family, grow from 6-year-old boy to a freshman in college. How many Best Picture nominees are mentioned in the text?
| A．Five | B．Six | C．Eight | D．Nine |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Michael Keaton became famous overnight after starring in the movie Birdman. |
| B．Alan Turing is a talented and outgoing man in The Imitation Game. |
| C．Selma is the story of Martin Luther King Jr.’s fight for voting rights for African-Americans. |
| D．The Theory of Everything is about how Stephen Hawking discovered his black hole theories. |
What is Boyhood mainly about?
| A．How Richard Linklater did his decade-long experiment. |
| B．The wonderful life of Mason. |
| C．The growth of a young boy. |
| D．How Mason spent his college years. |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To analyze why these films were nominated for the 87th Academy Awards. |
| B．To give a brief introduction to the 87th Academy Award nominees. |
| C．To list some of the best nominees in the Academy Awards’ history. |
| D．To prove that the Academy Award nominees cover a broad range of topics. |
Because I will be away for a few days after Spring Break, I am writing this during the actual holiday, when I can use time to catch up on a number of purely administrative (管理的) items.
First of all, you should have received the letter I sent out on April 2 advising of the transition (过渡) arrangements to new leadership at ISM (International School of Moscow). In that letter I pointed out that Dr. Paul Malone will be arriving in Moscow on Monday, May 4th, and that I will work with him during that week to ensure smooth transition. My last day at ISM will be Friday, May 8th.
Several people have asked me why I required Dr. Malone to come early. There are many problems facing ISM at the moment which have major implications (影响) for the future, and it makes sense for the new director to come aboard before the end of the school year. This will give him the chance to play a major role in the planning process for 2014—2015 and beyond. The fact that Paul Malone is able to arrive in early May is good for the school. I have been working closely with him, and will do everything possible to see that he can move in easily when I leave. From here I will go to Hong Kong for a couple of weeks to spend time in my new situation, and then I will return to the United States for a few weeks’ vacation.
In the most recent edition of the Compass(a kind of paper of ISM), I wrote briefly what I consider to be the major challenge for ISM in the future. I am sure that the new leadership of the school will be able to face those challenges in an active manner, which will ensure a strong future for the school. I shall certainly watch the progress of the school with interest. The results of the school for the past few years have been quite outstanding, and I fully expect that level of performance to continue. We can infer from the text that the writer was the ________ of ISM.
| A．director | B．employee |
| C．teacher | D．student |
Why should Dr. Malone come to ISM early?
| A．To work closely with the author. |
| B．To do everything possible for the school. |
| C．To move in easily when the author returns. |
| D．To work with the author for a few days and make a future plan. |
From the text, we learn that ________.
| A．Paul Malone is a capable man |
| B．the writer is a best friend of Paul Malone’s |
| C．Paul Malone will work with the writer for several years |
| D．the writer will do his best to help Paul Malone to work well at ISM |
There are two kinds of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy and the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, hurt many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. If this turn of mind was founded in nature, such unhappy persons would be the more to be pitied. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation. It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people hurt many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. This frequently puts them in bad temper and draws them into arguments. If they aim at getting some advantages in social position or fortune, nobody wishes them success. Nor will anyone start a step or speak a word to favor their hopes. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrongdoings. These should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they do not, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.People who are unhappy _______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
| C．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
The phrase “sour the pleasure of society” most nearly means “_______”.
| A．has a good taste with social life |
| B．makes others unhappy |
| C．tend to scold others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the passage that _______.
| A．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life |
| C．we should pity all such unhappy people |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons |
If such unhappy persons insist on keeping the habit, the author suggests that people should _______.
| A．show no respect and politeness to them |
| B．persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
| C．prevent any communication with them |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
The sight of a mosquito can mean trouble to people in many parts of the world. The bite of the mosquito can be deadly. The insects carry serious diseases like malaria (疟疾). It is estimated that almost 630,000 people died from malaria and malariarelated causes in 2012, and most of these cases were in African countries.
In the United States, a group of California scientists are working to develop a more effective and less costly substance (物质) to protect people from mosquitoes. The researchers are investigating the sense of smell in mosquitoes. They found the insects use the same receptor for identifying carbon dioxide in human breath as they do for the smell of our skin. Anandasankar Ray, who is leading the investigation, says scientists tested more than a million chemical compounds (化合物) until they found a substance called Ethyl Pyruvate. He says Ethyl Pyruvate makes the mosquitoes' receptors inactive. “When we apply Ethyl Pyruvate to a human arm and offer it to hungry mosquitoes in a cage, very few of the mosquitoes are attracted to the human arm because only a few of them are able to smell it out,” said Ray.
Genevieve Tauxe, a member of the research team, says it was not easy to find the neurons (神经元) of noble cells that recognize both the smell of human breath and skin. “With the device used to examine the mosquito, we are able to insert a very small electrode (电极) into the part of the mosquito's nose, where its smelling neurons are and where the smell is happening,” said Tauxe.
Anandasankar Ray says a product based on Ethyl Pyruvate may cost less to produce than DEFT, the most effective chemical treatment now in use. He says DEFT is too costly for most people who live in areas affected by malaria.
“Perhaps by finding smells that can attack other target receptors, we will be able to improve upon DEFT and finally have the next generation of insect behaviour control products,” said Ray.ytytzygx.
The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means ________.
| A．a substance that protects people from mosquitoes |
| B．a sense organ that reacts to changes |
| C．a device that reacts to light |
| D．a piece of equipment that sends signals |
According to the passage, Ethyl Pyruvate can ________.
| A．kill the mosquitoes' smelling neurons |
| B．cause the mosquitoes to lose their senses of smell |
| C．result in the inactiveness of the mosquitoes' receptors |
| D．make the mosquitoes uninterested in human breath and skin smell |
This passage most probably appears in ________.
| A．a textbook of medical schools |
| B．a collection of doctors' essays |
| C．the column of newspaper ads |
| D．the health column of a magazine |
Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Ethyl Pyruvate—an Insect Behaviour Control Product |
| B．Malaria—a Serious Disease Causing 630,000 Deaths |
| C．Scientists Find a New Substance to Fight Mosquitoes |
| D．A New Generation of DEET Has Been Developed to Kill Mosquitoes |
The story began with a young mother who had three sons. Unfortunately, the youngest son developed slow thinking skills, not having the intelligence of his brothers.
With double duty as the mother of the household, she was exhausted, so that the youngest was often the target of anger and annoyance. Bad words, such as “you little fool” and the like, served as a daily meal for the youngest.
The words and curses he got from the mother and ridicule from friends convinced him that he was distressing(使痛苦) and embarrassing his family. Every morning he woke up with his own face staring from the mirror reflection, he started to say quietly and sadly, “The fool is going to school.”
As adult citizens, there was compulsory military service which should be lived. Thus, the youngest son also signed up and started to follow the various tests: a medical, physical ability test and other tests. On the day of the announcement, he was called into the board of examiners.
In his mind, he convinced himself that he was the fool and couldn’t pass the tests this time as he entered the room with his head down. It was not expected at all. The tests turned out to have the highest praise from the board of examiners.
“Congratulations, young man! Your test results are incredible! You are really a great and talented young man. ”Words from the board of examiners became the discovery of a new side of himself that was not known in advance. Voice kept echoing in his mind, such as “I, the great man, am in the shower”, “the great man washes his face”, “The talented young man again brushes his teeth” and so on. Confidence and improved self-image came beyond usual.
20 years later, the youngest established himself as a successful businessman who was admired and respected, and received many awards.
The mindset and belief are the power behind the success that is within us. Whatever we think and believe in or mind continuously, it will eventually materialize in reality. That’s the universally applicable law.tzyzylfx.Why was the youngest often scolded by his mother?
| A．He didn’t behave himself at school. |
| B．He considered himself to be a fool. |
| C．He was not as clever as his brother. |
| D．He didn’t cook meals for his mother. |
From the story we know that the young mother is ____.
| A．selfish and lazy |
| B．gentle and caring |
| C．kind-hearted and diligent |
| D．ill-tempered and impatient |
What happened to the youngest son later on?
| A．He became confident and successful. |
| B．He became an admirable psychologist. |
| C．He received aid from others. |
| D．He developed strange mental diseases. |
From this passage, the author tells us that____.
| A．military service can change a person completely |
| B．mothers’ attitude toward children is important |
| C．think big and you will get big results |
| D．even a fool can become a successful businessman |
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