Today, roller skating is easy and fun. But many years ago, it wasn’t easy at all. Before 1750, people never tried skating on wheels. That changed because of a man named Joseph Merlin. Merlin’s work was making instruments. In his free time he liked to play the violin. Merlin was a man with many ideas and many dreams. People called him a dreamer.
One day Merlin received an invitation to go to an important party. He was very pleased and a little excited. As the day of the party came near, Merlin began to think. He wanted to find a way to make a wonderful entrance at the party. Merlin had an idea. He thought that he would attract a lot of attention if he could skate into the room.
Merlin tried different ways to make himself roll. Finally, he decided to put two wheels under each shoe. These were the first roller skate shoes. Merlin was very proud of them. He dreamed of arriving at the party and skating into the room while playing the violin. He was sure that everyone would be very surprised.
On the night of the party Merlin rolled into the room, playing his violin. Everyone was really surprised to see him. There was just one problem. Merlin had no way to stop his roller skating. He rolled on, playing the violin. Then, with all eyes on him, Merlin hit into a huge mirror on the wall. The mirror broke into many pieces with a very loud noise.
Nobody forgot Merlin’s wonderful entrance after that. The story tells us that people began to enjoy roller-skating _______. .
| A．before the year 1750 | B．before the invitation |
| C．because of Joseph Merlin | D．because it was dangerous |
People called Merlin a dreamer because ___________. .
| A．he slept and dreamed a lot |
| B．he was full of different ideas |
| C．he invented the first roller skates |
| D．he always made people’s dreams come true |
What was Merlin’s problem after he rolled into the room?
| A．He couldn’t stop his roller-skating. |
| B．He couldn’t attract a lot of attention. |
| C．Everyone was surprised at him. |
| D．He couldn’t play the violin while rolling. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．Joseph Merlin’s Story | B．How Roller Skating Was Invented |
| C．A Surprising Entrance to the Party | D．Roller Skating |
Everybody has had at least one experience from which he knows the meaning of life．This time, which took place several years ago, but seems as if it just happened．
On an afternoon several years ago, my brother-in-law opened the bottom drawer of my sister's dress and picked out a beautiful skirt．"Jan bought this the first time we went to New York, at least 8 or 9 years ago．She never wore it．She was saving it for a special occasion．" he said．I guess this was the occasion: it was the funeral (葬礼) of my sister, after her unexpected death．
He took the shirt and put it on bed, with the other clothes we were taking to the funeral．Then he closed the drawer and turned to me, "Don't ever save anything for a special occasion．Every day you're alive is a special occasion．"
I'm thinking about his words, and they've changed the way I live my life．I'm spending more time with my family and friends and less time in committee meetings．Whenever possible, life should be a kind of experience to enjoy, not to suffer．"Someday" and "one of these days" are losing their importance on my vocabulary．If it's worth seeing or hearing or doing,I want to see and hear and do it now．
Ever since that day, I have been trying very hard not to put off, hold hack or save anything that would add laughter and color to our lives．Every morning when I open my eyes．I tell myself that every day, every minute, every breath, truly is a gift．So cherish every day and find the true meaning of your life．Why did Jan buy the beautiful skirt but didn't wear it?
| A．She waited for a special occasion to wear it on． |
| B．She wanted to keep it for someone else． |
| C．She saved it till she grew up． |
| D．She would give it to herself as a gift some day． |
What does the underlined word "cherish" mean?
| A．Treasure． | B．Waste． | C．Own． | D．Save． |
From his experience, the author learns that _______．
| A．everybody can have a happy life through efforts |
| B．every day in our lives is worth cherishing |
| C．enjoying ourselves is the most important thing in our lives |
| D．everybody will have some things left to do after his death |
What does the author write this passage for?
| A．To show how to make good use of every day in life． |
| B．To explain the true meaning of his brother-in-law's words． |
| C．To tell people to cherish every day and find the meaning of life． |
| D．To encourage people to waste time and enjoy themselves in life． |
What's the best title for this passage?
| A．Every Day Is a Gift |
| B．My Sister Jan |
| C．What Is the Meaningful Life Like |
| D．The Most Important Time in Your Life |
Too much TV-watching can harm children’s ability to learn and even reduce their chances of getting a college degree, new studies suggest in the latest effort to examine the effects of television on children.
One of the studies looked at nearly 400 northern California third-graders. Those with TVs in their bedrooms scored about eight points lower on math and language arts tests than children without bedroom TVs.
A second study, looking at nearly 1000 grown-ups in New Zealand, found lower education levels among 26-year-olds who had watched lots of TV during childhood. But the results don’t prove that TV is the cause and don't rule out that already poorly motivated youngsters(年轻人）may watch lots of TV.
Their study measured the TV habits of 26-year-olds between ages5 and 15. These with college degrees had watched an average of less than two hours of TV per weeknight during childhood, compared with an average of more than 2 1/2 hours for those who had no education beyond high school
In the California study, children with TVs in their rooms but no computer at home scored the lowest while those with no bedroom TV but who had home computers scored the highest
While this study does not prove that bedroom TV sets caused the lower scores, it adds to accumulating findings that children shouldn't have TVs in their bedroomsAccording to the California study, the low-scoring group might_____
| A．have watched a lot of TV |
| B．not be interested in math |
| C．be unable to go to college |
| D．have had computers in their bedrooms |
What is the researchers' understanding of the New Zealand study results?
| A．Poorly motivated 26-year-olds watch more TV. |
| B．Habits of TV watching reduce learning interest |
| C．TV watching leads to lower education levels of the 15-year-olds. |
| D．The connection between TV and education levels is difficult to explain |
What can we learn from the last two paragraphs?
| A．More time should be spent on computers. |
| B．Children should be forbidden from watching TV. |
| C．'IV sets shouldn't be allowed in children's bedrooms, |
| D．Further studies on high-achieving students should be done |
What would be the best title for this text?
A. Computers or Television
B Effects of Television on Children
C. Studies on TV and College Education
D. Television and Children's Learning Habits
Mosquitoes(蚊子) ruin countless American picnics every year, but around the world, this bloodsucking beast isn’t just annoying— it causes a health problem. More than a million people die from the spread of mosquito-borne diseases like malaria and yellow fever each year. Attempts to control populations via insecticides like DDT have had ruinous side effects for nature and human health. Neurobiologist Leslie B. Vosshall has a different solution for stopping the insects and the spread of disease. “I believe the key to controlling mosquito behavior is to understand better how they sense us,” she says.
At their Rockefeller University lab, Vosshall and her colleagues are studying the chemical sensory processes by which mosquitoes choose hosts. How do they sense heat, humidity, carbon dioxide, and body odor(气味)? What makes some people more attractive to a mosquito than others? It takes blood and sweat to find out. To study how mosquitoes assess body odor, Vosshall and her teammates might wear stockings on their arms and keep from showering for 24 hours to create sample smells, Then comes the hard part. They insert their arms into the insects’ hidden home to study how mosquitoes land, bite, and feed and then they document how this changes. This can mean getting anywhere from one bite to 400, depending on the experiment. Studying male mosquitoes is more pleasant. Since they don’t feed on blood, the lab tests their sense of smell using honey.
Vosshall and her team have also begun to study how genetics contribute to mosquitoes’ choice of a host. She’s even created a breed that is unable to sense carbon dioxide, an important trigger for the insects. “By using genetics to make mutant(变异的) mosquitoes, we can document exactly how and why mosquitoes hunt humans,” Vosshall says.
Once Vosshall figures out what makes mosquitoes flock to us, she can get to work on making them leave us alone. Many of her lab’s proposed solutions sound simple enough, including bracelets(手镯) that carry long-lasting repellants(驱虫剂) or traps that can reduce populations, but the breakthroughs, when they come, may save millions of lives in the developing world—and a lot of itching everywhere else.Vosshall and her colleagues are mainly studying mosquitoes’ ______
| A．appearance | B．size |
| C．behavior | D．change |
By saying the underlined part “Then comes the hard part”, the author probably means that______.
| A．the insects smell terrible |
| B．the experiment will last long |
| C．The researchers will probably suffer |
| D．the researchers have to study lots of documents. |
Why is it less challenging to study male mosquitoes?
| A．They are not bloodsuckers. |
| B．They are afraid of stockings. |
| C．They have a poor sense of smell. |
| D．They are protective of their hosts. |
It can be inferred from the last paragraph that Vosshall’s research______.
| A．looks very promising |
| B．has saved millions of lives |
| C．is facing great difficulties |
| D．is quite simple to carry out. |
ith its 775 rooms, Buckingham Palace makes regular houses look tiny. Now home to Queen Elizabeth II, it’s been the British Monarchy’s official London digs since 1837. National Geographic Kids slipped behind the guarded gates to find the palace’s coolest features.
1. FANCY FEAST
For special dinners, a team of 21 chefs whips up dishes that are served on solid gold plates. Even Her Majesty’s pet dogs receive meals of lamb and cabbage in silver bowls. Good thing the kitchen is well stocked--- the Queen welcomes about 50,000 dining guests every year.
2. CLASSY COACH
The Queen’s most attractive ride may be the Gold State Coach, parked in the palace’s Royal Mews building and used in the crowning of a king or queen, since 1821. Covered with heavy gold, it’s pulled by eight horses.
3. MOVIE NIGHT
The royal family hosts private screenings of movie in their very own cinema, sometimes seeing new films before they hit theaters.
4. WHAT’S UP, DOC?
Forget a medicine cabinet (药品柜). Buckingham Palace houses a doctor’s office run by the Queen’s physician. And surgeons have performed operations in other parts of the palace. In 1902, for instance, doctors operated on King Edward VII in a room facing the garden.
5. BEDROOMS
The palace has 52 bedrooms. Rooms such as those inside the Belgian Suite contain chandeliers(枝行吊灯),gold-gilded mirrors, fireplaces, canopy beds, and more.
6. TOP- SECRET TUNNELS
Rumor has it that secret underground tunnels connect the royal residence to other buildings in London. The paths were reportedly built during World War II when enemy bombs regularly pounded the city. Weaving deep under London’s busy streets, the tunnels would have provided the royals safe passage during an attack. But even now officials won’t reveal much about these under- the- radar routes.The underlined part “whips up” probably means_______.
| A．enjoys | B．selects | C．cleans | D．cooks |
According to the text, in Buckingham Palace________.
| A．there are eight horses altogether |
| B．stocks of food in the kitchen hardly run low |
| C．the Queen’s pet dogs are fed with simple meals |
| D．there’s no suitable place to perform operations |
What do we know about the tunnels in Buckingham Palace?
| A．They are not well- protected. |
| B．They were heavily bombed. |
| C．They are not open to the public. |
| D．They are linked with other cities in Britain. |
ohn Cruitt, 62, spent decades tracking down his third- grade teacher.
He wanted to talk with Cecile Doyle about 1958--- the year his mother, who was seriously ill, passed away.
Her death came just days before Christmas. Cruitt had been expecting to go home from school and decorate the Christmas tree.
“When I found out she died, I could certainly relate to that, because when I was 11, my own father died,” Doyle tells Cruitt at StoryCorps in Monroe, N.Y. “And you just don’t know how you’re going to go on without that person.”
When Cruitt returned to school, Doyle waited until all of the other children left the room at the end of the day, and told him that she was there if he needed her.
“Then you kissed me on the head,” Cruitt says. “And I felt that things really would be OK.”
“Well, Cruitt, I’m so glad that I could be there with you for that time,” says Doyle, 82.
Decades after his mother’s death, Cruitt began to think more and more of Doyle. He finally wrote a letter:
Dear Mrs. Doyle,
If you are not the Cecile Doyle who taught English at Emerson School in Kearny, N.J., then I’m embarrassed, and you can disregard the letter.
My name is John Cruitt, and I was in your third- grade class during the 1958-1959 school year. Two days before Christmas, my mother passed away, and you told me that you were there if I needed you. I hope life has been as kind to you as you were to me.
God bless you.
John Cruitt
Doyle says his letter, which arrived in February, could not have come at a better time. Her husband, who passed away this August, was struggling with Parkinson’s disease.
“And I had just come home from the hospital, and I read this beautiful letter, and I just was overwhelmed,” she says.
“Well the funny thing is, when I finally wrote to you again after 54 years, I typed the letter--- I was afraid my penmanship wasn’t going to meet your standards,” Cruitt says as Doyle laughs.
“John, what can I say--- I’m just glad that we made a difference in each other’s life.”After Cruitt’s mother’s death, ________.
| A．Cruitt totally relied on his father |
| B．Doyle’s words brought him comfort |
| C．Cruitt didn’t go to school regularly |
| D．Doyle asked his classmates to help him |
Before Cruitt wrote the letter, he______.
| A．knew Doyle’s husband had passed away |
| B．believed Doyle was leading a happy life |
| C．considered it embarrassing to write to Doyle |
| D．was unsure whether Doyle could receive the letter |
Doyle believed the letter_____.
| A．was a belated gift |
| B．came at just the right time |
| C．lifted her confidence greatly |
| D．served as a reminder of her husband |
Why did Cruitt type the letter?
| A．Doyle had taught him typing. |
| B．He was better at typing than writing. |
| C．Doyle would be able to read it without difficulty. |
| D．He was afraid Doyle would be dissatisfied with his writing. |
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