Visiting the Arctic
ZHOU Mingfeng, 17, has only stepped out of his birthplace, Qingdao, once to visit the top of the world, the Arctic!
The Senior 2 student from the High School Attached to Ocean University of China joined a two-week journey to the Arctic at the beginning of this month, after he was recommended for the trip. Including his teacher, Wu Jianying, the adventure group consisted of 12 students and teachers from China, Spain, Canada, Britain and the US.
“The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” Zhou said.
Before they landed by air on Canada’s research icebreaker (破冰船) in the Arctic, Amundsen, the group visited an Inuit (英纽特人的) community. Zhou also got the chance to experience dog-sledding for the first time!
He was surprised to find that Inuit people don’t live in snow igloos (圆顶建筑) any longer. “They live in modern, warm wooden houses and travel mostly by snowmobile,” he said.
During the time on board Amundsen, every day was science orientated (以……为主). Zhou and other teenagers were guided by scientists, who work there, to take part in laboratory and field work. Sometimes they went outside to collect ice and snow samples for experiments despite the windy, freezing climate.
As the only Chinese student, Zhou didn’t feel very confident due to his English inefficiency.
“Those students soon got close to the onboard scientists and became involved (参与) in their research,” he recalled in admiration.
However, it didn’t prevent Zhou from enjoying the unique and remote life there.
When the wind died and the sun shone on the frozen desert, Zhou and his new friends recorded their days with photo shoots out on the ice beside the Amundsen!
“The views were breathtaking! Everything around us seemed lifeless, which is shocking,” he said.
But there proved to be something alive, under the ice caps. A seal popped out of the water below the ship and greeted them on the last day of their stay.
“It was the only animal I saw in the Arctic!” he said. “But it’s a pity that I didn’t see a single polar bear in the ‘capital’ of the creature.
59. According to the passage, the students and teachers visiting Artic are most likely to _______.
A. go sightseeing B. take part in some science research
C. learn English D. learn about Inuit community
60. In the passage, Amundsen is _________.
A. an icebreaker B. an Inuit igloo C. a place in Artic D. a dog-drawn sled
61. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Zhou was surprised to find the Inuit lived in modern, warm wooden houses.
B. Zhou visited an Inuit community first.
C. Zhou’s inefficient English made him unable to enjoy the life in Artic.
D. Zhou took many photos with his new friends.
62. The underlined sentence “The trip brought the whole subject of geography and climate change to life,” in Paragraph 3 probably means _________.
A. The trip made what had been learned in geography lessons more vivid or interesting.
B. The trip suddenly started working.
C. The trip completely changed his life.
D. The trip made animals in Artic live.
Scientists believe that one of our most important means of knowing what is going on around us is the sense of sound. We are warned of danger by sounds. Sounds serve to please us in music. Sound has a waste product, too, in the form of noise. Noise has been called unwanted sound. Noise is growing and it may get much worse before it gets any better.
In order to know how noise affects people and animals, scientists have been studying for several years. They are surprised by what they have learned. Peace and quiet are becoming harder to find. Noise pollution is a threat that should be looked at carefully.
Sounds is measured in units called decibels (分贝). At a level of 140 decibels people feel pain in their ears.
Trucks , buses , motorcycles, airplanes, boats, factories---all these things make noise. They trouble not only our ears, but minds and bodies as well.
There is a saying that it is so noisy that you can’t hear yourself think. Doctors who study noise believe that we must sometimes hear ourselves think. If we don’t, we may have headaches, other aches and pains, or even worse mental problems.
Noise adds more tension (紧张) to a society that has already faced enough stress.The sense of sound _________.
| A．makes us feel excited |
| B．helps us hear more clearly |
| C．is something harmful to us |
| D．helps to know what is happening around us |
When sound is turned into noise, ______________.
| A．people grow worse and worse |
| B．it makes us forget all the past |
| C．people don’t know what to do with everyday life |
| D．it will be a kind of pollution to people |
Why does the passage say peace and quiet are becoming harder to find?
| A．Because the world is making more and more noise. |
| B．Because wars and battles happen here and there in the world. |
| C．Because all the sounds are becoming over 140 decibels. |
| D．Because some machines can make noise. |
Doctors say we can hear ourselves think __________.
| A．if we don’t like to hear noise |
| B．if we have no aches or pains in our bodies |
| C．if there isn’t too much noise |
| D．if we can’t be careful of noise |
Once in a busy street, a middle-aged businessman found his wallet missing. There was a lot of money in it. So he made a promise, "If someone finds my wallet and returns it to me, I'll give half the money to him."
The wallet was found by a dustman in a dustbin. He sent it back to the loser. But the businessman changed his mind.
"There was still a diamond ring in my wallet," said the loser, "I won't give half the money in my wallet to you until you return it to me!"
"I've never seen a diamond ring in the wallet," said the dustman.
They began to quarrel. The businessman refused to do what he had said. The dustman became angry and took him before a judge.
After the judge heard what had happened to them, he said to the businessman, "I'm sure you are an honest man. It's true that you have lost a wallet in which there was a diamond ring. But it's also clear that there is only a lot of money in this wallet. I don't think it's yours. Wait for some time. Perhaps someone will be able to return your wallet to you!"
Then the judge turned to the dustman and said, "Take the wallet home. If the loser doesn't go to get it back in three days, it will belong to you!"The wallet the businessman lost ________.
| A．was found in a shop |
| B．was sent to the judge |
| C．was found in a dustbin |
| D．was never to be found |
The businessman was eager to get back the wallet because _________.
| A．there was the address of an important judge in it |
| B．he put in it a diamond ring he had just bought |
| C．there was a lot of money in it |
| D．it was a very expensive one |
Having heard what had happened, the judge _________ .
| A．took the side of the businessman |
| B．did not know what to do |
| C．took pity on the loser |
| D．made a wise decision |
Last summer I went through a training program and became a literacy volunteer. The training I received, though excellent, didn't tell me how it was to work with a real student, however. When I began to discover what other people’s lives were like because they could not read, I realized the true importance of reading.
My first student Marie was a 44-year-old single mother of three children. In the first lesson, I found out she walked two miles to the nearest supermarket twice a week because she didn't know which bus to take. When I told her I would get her a bus schedule, she told me it would not help because she couldn't read it. She said she also had difficulty once she got to the supermarket because she couldn't always remember what she needed. Also, she could only recognize items by sight, so if the product had a different label, she would not recognize it as the product she wanted.
As we worked together, learning how to read built Marie’s self-confidence. She began to make rapid progress and was even able to take the bus to the supermarket. After this successful trip, she reported how self-confident she felt. At the end of the program, she began helping her youngest son, Tony, a shy first grader, with his reading. I found that helping Marie to build her self-confidence was more rewarding than anything I had ever done before.
As a literacy volunteer, I learned a great deal about teaching and helping others. In fact, I may have learned more from the experience than Marie did.What did the writer do last summer?
| A．She worked in the supermarket. |
| B．She helped someone to learn to read. |
| C．She helped some single mothers. |
| D．She was trained by a literacy volunteer. |
Why didn't Marie go to the supermarket by bus at first?
| A．Because she liked to walk to the supermarket. |
| B．Because she didn't have a bus schedule. |
| C．Because she couldn't afford the bus ticket. |
| D．Because she couldn't find the right bus. |
How did Marie use to find the goods she wanted in the supermarket?
| A．She knew where the goods were in the supermarket. |
| B．She asked others to take her to the right place. |
| C．She managed to find the goods by their looks. |
| D．She remembered the names of the goods. |
Which of the statements is TRUE about Marie?
| A．She could do many things she had not been able to before. |
| B．She was able to read stories with the help of her son. |
| C．She decided to continue her studies in school. |
| D．She helped to build up my self-confidence. |
When my sister Gina was born, she had a problem with her heart. Her heart was pretty bad in the beginning and she stayed in the hospital for a month. The first few years were very difficult because she was very sick. She had five operations before she was three years old. She had trouble walking, playing with other children, and going to school.
Although Gina couldn’t laugh and talk, we all knew that she just needed love and care. Our parents wanted to take Gina to a special place in Florida. There she could swim with dolphins. Gina was afraid of swimming with them because she had never been around dolphins before. We had also never traveled that far as a family. When we got to Florida, we saw where the dolphins lived. It was a place where kids with special needs like Gina could come and spend time. I thought it was going to be a vacation, but it wasn’t. Gina had to work hard every day for a week.
The trip was amazing. Gina laughed and clapped when she saw the dolphin. The dolphin splashed（溅起水花） when it saw Gina. They swam together all day. Gina was able to move her body more than she normally did at home. Mom and Dad were proud of Gina. I was , too.We know from the text that Gina_________.
| A．experienced five operations in a month |
| B．got along well with other children |
| C．stayed in the hospital before three |
| D．was born with a heart disease |
The author’s family went to Florida to _______.
| A．treat Gina for her illness. |
| B．have a family trip |
| C．see the dolphins |
| D．learn to swim |
How did Gina feel about swimming with dolphins at first?
| A．Excited | B．Frightened | C．Angry | D．Proud |
The text is written to tell us that ________.
| A．Learning to walk is hard work |
| B．dolphins can treat many illnesses |
| C．families should travel together often |
| D．help sometimes comes in unusual forms |
For as long as they can remember Jynne Martin and April Surgent had both dreamed of going to Antarctica．This winter，they each made it to the icy continent as guests of the National Science Foundation(NSF)．Bm they didn’t go as scientists．Martin is a poet and Surgent is an artist．They went to Antarctica as participants．in the NSF’s Artists and Writers program．The NSF is thegovernment agency that funds scientific research in Antarctica．But it also makes it possible for artists，including filmmakers and musicians，to experience Antarctica and contribute their own points of view to our understanding of the continent.
The mixing of science and art in Antarctica isn’t new．Some of the earliest explorersbrought along painters and photographers．Edward Wilson was a British painter，doctor，and bird expert who journeyed with RobertFalcon Soott on two separate Antamtic expeditionsmore than 100 years ago．Herbert Ponting was a photographer who also accompanied Scott on one of those expeditions．In hundreds of photos，Pontingcaptured the beauty of the continentand recorded the daily lives and heroic struggles of the explorers．
Today’s scientists write articles forscientificjournals．Unlike theearly explorers’journals，scientific papers can now be very difficult for non-scientists to understand．Writers in Antarctica workto explain the research to the public．Peter Rejcek is editor，writer，and photographer for the Antarctic Sun，an onlinemagazine devoted to news about the U．S．Antarctic Program．Rejeck began his career in the Antarctic in 2003 by spending a year at the South Pole．He has returned everyyear since，interviewing，scientists about research at Palmer，McMurdo，and South Pole stations．
There are also scientists in Antarctica who work hardto explain their research to the public．Scientist Diane McKnight wrote The Lost Seal，a children’s book that explains the research she and others are doing in an unusual ice-free area in Antarctica called the Dry Valleys．
Antarctica is full of stories and wonders that are scientific，historic．and personal. People such as Martin，Surgent，Rejcek，and McKnight are devoted to bringing those storiesto asmany peopleare they can.“Some people are going to be scientists，some people are goingto be journalists，some people are going to be artists，but we can all work together，’saysSurgent,“tocelebrate，thisextraordinary place．”What do we know about the NSF?
| A．It is a government agency． |
| B．It only funds scientists in Antarctica． |
| C．It encourages the understanding of human nature． |
| D．It enables the mixing of science and art for the first time． |
Why didn’t some earliest explorers bring writers along?
| A．Writers were not funded at that time． |
| B．Writing can’t capture the beauty of the continent． |
| C．Writers were not interested in popularizing science． |
| D．Early explorers’journals can be easily understood by the public． |
By mentioning Diane McKnight，the author may try to suggest that_____．
| A．scientists should explain their research to children |
| B．writers are not necessary since scientists can tell stories as well |
| C．telling stories to children is more important than knowing the truth |
| D．no matter what role we play，we can work together to appreciate Antarctica |
What would be the best title for this article?
| A．Antarctica：A Land for All |
| B．The NSF：A Program for All |
| C．Antarctica：A Land of Beauty and Stories |
| D．The NSF：A Program for Artists and Scientists |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号