Sports shoes that work out whether their owner has done enough exercise to warrant time in front of the television have been devised in the UK.
The shoes- named Square Eyes- contain an electronic pressure sensor and a tiny computer chip to record how many steps the wearer has taken in a day. A wireless transmitter passes the information to a receiver connected to a television, and this decides how much evening viewing time the wearer deserves, based on the day’s efforts.
The design was inspired by a desire to fight against the rapidly ballooning waistlines among British teenagers, says Gillian Swan, who developed Square Eyes as a final year design project at Brunel University in London, UK. “We looked at current issues and childhood overweight really stood out,” she says. “And I wanted to tackle that with my design.”
Once a child has used up their daily allowance gained through exercise, the television automatically switches off. And further time in front of the TV can only be earned through more steps.
Swan calculated how exercise should translate to television time using the recommended daily amounts of both. Health experts suggest that a child take 12,000 steps each day and watch no more than two hours of television. So, every 100 steps recorded by the Square Eyes shoes equals precisely one minute of TV time.
Existing pedometers(计步器) normally clip onto a belt or slip into a pocket and keep count of steps by measuring sudden movement. Swan says these can be easily tricked into recording steps through shaking. But her shoe has been built to be harder for lazy teenagers to cheat. “It is possible, but it would be a lot of effort,” she says. “That was one of my main design considerations.”According to Swan, the purpose of her design project is to _____.
| A．keep a record of the steps of the wearer. |
| B．deal with overweight among teenagers. |
| C．enable children to resist the temptation of TV. |
| D．prevent children from being tricked by TV programs. |
Which of the following is true of Square Eyes shoes?
| A．They regulate a child’s evening TV viewing time. |
| B．They determine a child’s daily pocket money. |
| C．They have raised the hot issue of overweight. |
| D．They contain information of the receiver. |
What is stressed by health experts in their suggestion?
| A．The exact number of steps to be taken. |
| B．The precise number of hours spent on TV. |
| C．The proper amount of daily exercise and TV time. |
| D．The way of changing steps into TV watching time. |
Compared with other similar products, the new design ___.
| A．make it difficult for lazy teenagers to cheat. |
| B．counts the wearer’s steps through shaking. |
| C．records the sudden movement of the wearer. |
| D．sends teenagers’ health data to the receiver. |
Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
| A．Smart Shoes Decide on Television Time |
| B．Smart Shoes Guarantee More Exercise |
| C．Smart Shoes Measure Time of Exercise |
| D．Smart Shoes Stop Childhood Overweight |
Students who say they never or hardly ever used dictionaries often speak English well but usually write poorly, because they make many mistakes.
The students who use dictionaries most do not learn especially well either. The ones who look up every new word do not read fast. Therefore they do not have time to read much. Those who use small two-language dictionaries have the worst problems. Their dictionaries often give only one or two words as translations of English. But one English word often has many translations in a foreign language and one foreign word has many translations in English.
The most successful students are those who use large college edition dictionaries with about 100,000 words but do not use them too often. When they are reading, these students first try to get the general idea and understand new words from the context. Then they reread and use the dictionary to look up only key words that they still do not understand. They use dictionaries more for writing. If they are not sure how to spell a word, or divide it into syllables, they always use a dictionary. Also, if they think a noun might have an unusual plural form, they check these in a dictionary.The writer thinks that .
| A．choose a good dictionary, and you’ll be successful in learning English |
| B．dictionaries are not necessary to the students who learn English. |
| C．it is very important for students to use good dictionaries properly |
| D．using dictionaries very often can’t help to improve writing |
According to the passage, which of the following is wrong?
| A．Dictionaries have little effect on learning to speak English. |
| B．Whatever new words you meet while reading, never use dictionaries. |
| C．Small two-language dictionaries have serious disadvantages. |
| D．Reading something for the first time, you’d better not use dictionaries. |
This passage mainly tells us ． .
| A．that students shouldn’t use small two-language dictionaries |
| B．what were the defects of small two-language dictionaries |
| C．why students should use large college edition dictionaries |
| D．what dictionary students should choose and how to use it |
Which is not mentioned in this passage?
| A．How to make good use of a dictionary. |
| B．When to use a dictionary. |
| C．How to improve spoken English. |
| D．How to practise reading fast. |
Looking back on my childhood, I believe that naturalists are born and not made. Although we were all brought up in the same way, my brothers and my sisters soon gave up their flowers and insects. Unlike them, I had no ear for music and languages. I was not an early reader and I could not do maths well.
Before World War I we spent our summer holidays in Hungary. I have only the dim memory of the house we lived in, of my room and my toys. Nor do I remember clearly the large family of grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins who gathered next door. But I do have a crystal clear memory of the dogs, farm animals, local birds, and above all, insects.
I am a naturalist, not a scientist. I have a strong love for the natural world and my passion has led me into varied explorations. I love discussing my favorite topics and enjoy burning the midnight oil reading about other people’s observations and discoveries. Then something brings these observations together in my mind. This has resulted in my publishing 300 papers and books.
But curiosity, a keen （敏锐的）eye, a good memory and enjoyment of the animal and plant world do not make a scientist. A scientist, up to a 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 writer .
| 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 writer can’t clearly remember his relatives probably because .
| A．he didn’t live very long with them |
| B．the family was very large |
| C．he was too young when he lived with them |
| D．he devoted himself to observing nature |
It can be inferred from the passage that the writer was .
| A．a scientist as well as a naturalist |
| B．not a naturalist but a scientist |
| C．only a born naturalist |
| D．first of all a scientist |
According to the writer, a born naturalist should first of all be .
| A．good at maths | B．full of passion |
| C．knowledgeable | D．self-controlled |
In 1883, a creative engineer named John Roebling was inspired by an idea to build a great bridge connecting New York with the Long Island. However, bridge building experts thought that this was an impossible project and told Roebling to forget it. But Roebling could not ignore the vision of this bridge. After much discussion and persuasion he managed to convince his son Washington, an engineer, that the bridge could be built.
The father and son developed concepts of how it could be completed and how the difficulties could be overcome. After that, they began to build their dream bridge.
The project started well, but when it was only a few months underway (在进行中) a tragic accident on the site took the life of John Roebling. Washington was also injured and left with a certain amount of brain damage, which made him unable to walk or talk or even move.
Everyone had a negative comment since the Roeblings were the only one who knew how to build the bridge. In spite of these difficulties, Washington was never discouraged and still had a burning desire to complete the bridge. It seemed that there was a message for him not to give up. Suddenly an idea hit him. All he could do was to move one finger and he decided to make the best use of it. By moving it, he slowly developed a code of communication with his wife. Then he used the same method of tapping her arm to tell the engineers what to do. The project was underway again. For 13 years Washington tapped out his instructions with his finger on his wife's arm, until the bridge was finally completed.
Today the Brooklyn Bridge stands in all its glory to the victory of one man's determination not to be defeated by circumstances. This is one of the best examples of a never-say-die attitude that overcomes a terrible physical disability and achieves an impossible goal.
1．When John Roebling had the idea of building the bridge, ________.
A. his son supported him immediately
B. many experts thought it impossible
C. there was no bridge around New York
D. he persuaded the government to support him
2．What is the right order of the following statements?
a. The Roeblings talked about the possibilities of building the bridge.
b. Washington became disabled.
c. John Roebling believed that building the bridge was possible.
d. Washington's wife helped instruct the building.
A. a d c b B. b c d a C. c a b d D. a d b c
3．It can be inferred from the passage that ________.
A. the government did offer much help to building the bridge
B. to go to the long Island, we can go across Brooklyn Bridge now
C. Washington had only one finger after the accident
D. it took 13 years to complete the bridge
4．What is the main idea of the passage?
A. the Roeblings were devoted to their work
B. how the Brooklyn Bridge was built by the Roeblings.
C. a strong will is not to be defeated.
D. success lies in patience and hard work.
BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
Good news
Free museums: No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities(古董).
Pop music: Britain is the only country to rival(与……比敌)the US on this score.
Black cabs: London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them at weekends or night.
Choice of food: Visitors can find everything from Eth
iopian to Swedish restaurants.
Fashion: Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
Bad news
Poor service: “It’s part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have experienced,” says Professor Tony Seaton of Luton University’s International Tourism Research Center.
Poor public transport: Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the over-crowded London tube is inexplicably(不可解的) popular.
Lack of language: Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in the tourist traps.
Rain: Still in the number one complaint.
No air-conditioning: So that even splendidly hot summer become as unbearable as the downpours.
Overpriced hotels: The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
Licensing hours: Alcohol is in short supply after 11 p.m. even in 24-hour cities.What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?
| A．Pop music in Britain is better than that in the US. |
| B．Pop music in Britain is as good as that in the US. |
C．Pop music in Br itain is worse than that in the US. |
| D．Pop music in Britain is quite different from that in the US. |
When is alcohol not able to get?
| A．At 9:00p.m. | B．At 10:00p.m | C．At 11:00p.m. | D．At 12:00p.m. |
Which of the following is true
according to the passage?
| A．You have to pay to visit the museums. | B．It’s very cheap to travel by taxi there. |
| C．You cannot find Chinese food there. | D．The public transport is poor there. |
Harry’s father bought a magazine which gave its readers information about all kinds of products and helped them make the best choice while buying.
Harry borrowed his father’s magazine when he needed a new computer. “I’ll read it and choose the best one.” He said.
The magazine described these computers.
| The DGT PC450 |
The BNK 975XF: AT $3,200 |
The CGP 8PT |
 This computer comes with lots of good software. However it does not have much memory and is rather slow. At $2,850 it’s not very good value for money. |
 This is the most expensive computer we tested. However it is also the most reliable (可靠的). It is very fast and has lots of memory. It is worth the extra money if you can afford it. |
 At only $1,900. It has lots of memory and is quite fast. However it broke down twice while we were testing it and we cannot recommend (建议) it for reliability. |
Harry chose the BNK 975XF. “I know it’s expensive,” he said, “but it will be with me for a long time and do everything I want it to do.” Harry wants to buy a computer, so he borrowed ___________ from his father.
| A．a magazine about all kinds of products | B．a computer magazine |
| C．a shopping book | D．a book about all kinds of computers |
____________ doesn’t have much memory and is rather slow.
| A．The BNK 975XF | B．The DGT PC450 |
| C．The CGP 8PT | D．Harry’s computer |
The CGP 8PT is _____________ among the three kinds of computers.
| A．the fastest | B．the most expensive | C．the cheapest | D．the slowest |
Harry chose the BNK 975XF because _________.
| A．it is the most expensive | B．it has lots of good software |
| C．it has much memory | D．it would work for him for a long time |
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