A Train Floating On Air
A train that floats on air? It's not magic — it's magnets (磁).And it's close to reality.
In Virginia USA the fall of 2002, a train with no wheels traveled on air and carried college students across their campus.In Japan, a whisper-quiet railway engine hovered and raced at 350 miles per hour using magnets and electricity as the power.And in China, a magnet train line linked Shanghai with nearby Pudong Airport.
These trains use magnetic levitation (悬浮) technology, “maglev” for short. They use the same rules as the magnets you pick up at home or school: opposite poles of magnets attract each other, and like poles repel each other.
How does it work?
Powerful magnets on the bottom of the train repel magnets on the track, which is actually just a magnet-filled guiding way. With a magnetic field of sufficient force, the train will go hovering on air, which seemed impossible to us in the past.
When an electrical current is sent through the track, the train moves. Turn the current backwards and the train slows down.
Maglev doesn't rely on the friction (摩擦力) of wheels on track, so it can climb a much steeper hill than a traditional train. And it can travel easily in snow and ice, something that could bring normal trains to a screaming stop. Which of the following is a repelling action?
| A． | B． | C． | D． |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．Electric currents decide the movements of a maglev train. |
| B．A magnet-filled guiding way is formed inside a maglev train. |
| C．Instead of electricity, magnets are used as the power of a maglev. |
| D．Maglev trains can climb hills with the help of magnetwheels. |
What is the difference between a maglev train and an ordinary train?
| A．Floating on a track, a maglev train is faster, quieter than an ordinary railway train. |
| B．A maglev train can climb mountains without power while an ordinary one can’t. |
| C．A maglev train can travel in college campus while an ordinary train is not allowed. |
| D．Travelling without a track, a maglev train is safer and smoother than an ordinary one. |
·The Hotel Portixol，a hotel that oozes(渗透) style and has thoughtful extras in Palma Majorca.
·Location
In the bay of Portixol，a 30-minute walk or 10-minute cycle east of the old town，overlooking Portixol port.
·Character
The square white building，with its blue shutters(百叶窗) and dark wooden balconies，stands out as you approach Portixol. Inside as well as out，Hotel Portixol oozes style － wicker(柳条) sofas in a shade deck. Thoughtful extras include free bicycle hire and telescopes in each room.
·Rooms
Thirteen of the 26 rooms have balconies，overlooking the sea. All have large showers and king-size beds. Our corner room had double glass doors on two sides which created a much-needed breeze.
·Food
Breakfast is a feast，with a huge selection of fresh fruit，yogurts，cereals，meats，cheeses and breads. The lunch and dinner menus mix traditional Mediterranean food with eastern and European classics.
·Why Palma?
Parts of Majorca have a certain reputation，but calm，sweet Palma is a far shout from the island's busy and sometimes tacky(俗气的) beach resorts so popular with hen and buck parties.
The Majorcan capital is also one of the easiest short-break destinations in Europe. The old town is a 10-minute taxi ride from Palma airport，while the tangled(乱蓬蓬的)streets inside the old city wall combine the best restaurants，shopping and culture Majorca has to offer.
While very hot in summer，temperatures remain pleasant during the rest of the year.
·Getting there
Easy Jet flies to Palma from most airports in the UK，from ￡29.99 one way. A taxi from Palma airport to the city centre costs about ￡8; or you can catch a bus which costs a few euros. If you'd like to buy what you like，you had better go to________.
| A．the old city of Majorca | B．Palma beach resorts |
| C．the city centre of Majorca | D．the east of the old town |
How much will be spent if a family of three goes to the city centre of Palma for a round-trip?
| A．Over ￡114. | B．Less than ￡228. |
| C．More than ￡180. | D．Only ￡76. |
The passage is mainly written to those________.
| A．want to travel to Majorcan capital |
| B．enjoy traveling out freely |
| C．will stay in a hotel in Palma |
| D．like to go shopping in the city centre of Majorca |
What's the best title of this passage?
| A．Hotel Portixol，Palma，Majorca |
| B．City Portixol，Palma，Majorca |
| C．The transport in Majorca |
| D．The view in Palma |
Anyone who cares about what schools and colleges teach and how their students learn will be interested in the memoir（回忆录）of Ralph W. Tyler, who is one of the most famous men in American education.
Born in Chicago in 1902, brought up and schooled in Nebraska, the 19-year-old college graduate Ralph Tyler became hooked on teaching while teaching as a science teacher in South Dakota and changed his major from medicine to education.
Graduate work at the University of Chicago found him connected with honorable educators Charles Judd and W. W. Charters, whose ideas of teaching and testing had an effect on his later work. In 1927, he became a teacher of Ohio State University where he further developed a new method of testing.
Tyler became well-known nationality in 1938, when he carried his work with the Eight-Year Study from Ohio State University to the University of Chicago at the invitation of Robert Hutchins.
Tyler was the first director of the Center for Advanced Study in the Behavioral Sciences at Stanford, a position he held for fourteen years. There, he firmly believed that researchers should be free to seek an independent spirit in their work.
Although Tyler officially retired in 1967, he never actually retired. He served on a long list of educational organizations in the United States and abroad. Even in his 80s he traveled across the country to advise teachers and management people on how to set objectives（目标）that develop the best teaching and learning within their schools. Who are most probably interested in Ralph W. Tyler’s memoir?
| A．Top managers. | B．Language learners. |
| C．Serious educators. | D．Science organizations. |
The words “hooked on teaching” underlined in Paragraph 2 probably mean ________.
| A．attracted to teaching | B．tired of teaching |
| C．satisfied with teaching | D．unhappy about teaching |
Where did Tyler work as the leader of a research center for over 10 years?
| A．The University of Chicago. | B．Stanford University. |
| C．Ohio State University. | D．Nebraska University. |
Photographs are everywhere. They decorate the walls of homes and are used in stores for sales of different goods. The news is filled with pictures of fires, floods, and special events. Photos record the beauties of nature. They can also bring things close that are far away. Through photos, people can see wild animals, cities in foreign lands, and even the stars in outer space. Photos also tell stories.
Reporting the news through photos is called photojournalism. At times photojournalists tell their stories through a single picture. At other times, they use a group of pictures to tell a story. Each picture is like a chapter in a book, which can do more than record the facts. It can also be a strong force for social change.
Jacob Riis was among the first photojournalists. He took pictures of parts of New York City where the poor lived. Riis believed that poverty caused crime, and he used photos to help him prove his point. A few years later, the photos of small children working in factories by Lewis Hine shocked the public. Hine’s pictures helped bring about laws to protect such children.
Hundreds of pictures may have to be taken in order to get one or two really good photos. It takes science to have the photo come out clearly and art to make a photo that has a good design and expresses feeling. Photojournalists make an actual record of what they see. A photo, however, can be both a work of art and an actual record. It can record an important event as a beautiful or exciting picture.
As historical and artistic documents，photos can become more important over time. Today photojournalists still have their pictures appear in newspapers and magazines. They also publish them in books and on the Internet.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．beauties | B．photos | C．goods | D．events |
The photos of the small children by Hine show us that photos .
| A．are also works of art |
| B．are popular ways of reporting news |
| C．often shock the public |
| D．can serve as a force for social change |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．News with pictures is encouraging. |
| B．Photos help people improve their life |
| C．News photos mean history in a sense. |
| D．People prefer reading news with pictures. |
The text is mainly about .
| A．telling the story through pictures |
| B．decorating the walls of homes |
| C．publishing historical papers |
| D．expressing feeling through pictures |
Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I was eager to see his new place and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are of a tall, handsome successful man devoted to his work and family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him; as a school girl and young adult I feared him and felt bitter about him. He seemed unhappy with me unless I got straight A’s and unhappy with my boyfriends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to struggle to think up things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical (挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this person I knew as my father, who seemed so friendly and interesting be around? What had held him back before?
The next day my dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And in so doing. I’m delighted with my new friend. My dad, in his mew home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was. Why did the author feel bitter about her father when she was a young adult?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He did not love his children. |
| D．He expected too much of her. |
When the author went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.
| A．nervous | B．sorry | C．tired | D．safe |
What does the author think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．More talkative |
| C．Gentle and friendly. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words “my new friend” in the last paragraph refer to ________.
| A．the author’s son | B．the author’s father |
| C．the friend of the author’s father | D．the café owner |
Relax. He is the same little boy you loved yesterday. I smiled trying to hold back the tears. “No, he isn’t. Yesterday I dreamed he would be an astronaut. Today I am hoping he will learn to talk.”
It was like some sort of cosmic joke. I could still recall the day that determined my fate. It was October in Ottawa and the summer breezes had given way to the autumn rainfall of leaves. The snow would begin soon. The crispness (清爽) of coming frost was in the air. My casually mentioning Wyatt’s behavior to Dr. Martin aroused his worries. He started asking me questions about Wyatt’s activities speech pattern and emotions. I still see clearly in my mind the cleanness of the room and all its belongings when the doctor turned to me and said, “He almost sounds autistic (自闭) .”
I couldn’t face that picture in my mind. I had to run to get away from this all too painful place that was reminding me of what was to be my child’s life-being strange.
I could not remember how many times I told myself, “This is normal. He is a little boy who is not talking yet,” when my asking questions met with his blank-eyed response in a restaurant; how many times I would tell myself, “He loves to play on his own for hours at a time and he never gets into trouble,” when Wyatt was playing games that no one else could imagine, let alone join in while other boys in the park were playing together or in small groups played around a sand pail(桶) or toy truck. My life was changing direction. So was Wyatt’s.
I started to hide Wyatt from my friends and neighbor especially from a good friend. It was too painful to let others know about my boy acting strange.
It was a Thursday afternoon and I found one half of a great pair of kitchen scissors was missing. They were unbelievably sharp and could be taken apart so they could be washed or the blades (刀片) sharpened. I knew Wyatt had taken the missing blade.
“Wyatt,” I began as patiently as I could, “Do you see this?” I held up the blade. “Do you know what this is?”
Wyatt put a bunch of Fruit Loops in his mouth. No response.
“Wyatt!” I forced eye contact with him. “Where are the other scissors? See these.” I showed him the half pair.
He smiled big. Ate Fruit Loops. Turned the TV on and off. Still no response.
I didn’t know what to do. It was really hard. “Wyatt,” I tried once more, “Mommy wants these scissors. Can you go get them for Mommy? It will make Mommy so happy if you bring me the scissors.”
“Watch Spongebob.” Wyatt asked as he slid down from his kitchen stool and ran off, leaving me shaking my head and wondering in exactly which way this situation was going to end badly.
Five minutes later, I turned my head to see Wyatt coming downstairs, his favorite doll in one hand, the missing half pair of kitchen scissors in the other. I immediately ran over and took it from him.
“Wyatt!” I hugged him. “Thank you for bringing me the scissors! Good job! You did it! These scissors need to stay in the kitchen. These are Mommy’s scissors!”
Wyatt laughed, looked at me straight in the eye and said, “Mommy so happy!”
I came close to tears. A realization dawned on me that he was the best gift I had ever gotten even though he was not as normal as other children. And why did I hide him from others as if he were some dark and terrible secret. No! He was my pride. It was a long, hard battle to get him to this point, expressing his wants and needs without turning to violence in embarrassment. With love and patience I have found the beautiful, happy boy who would teach me more about life.
And that is the solution.From the first part of the story we can get to know that the son’s problem was _______ to the mother.
| A．a heavy blow | B．a white lie |
| C．an unforgettable lesson | D．a ridiculous experience |
Why could the mother recall the day so clearly when the doctor told her his son’s illness?
| A．the questions the doctor asked puzzled her. |
| B．the cleanness of the doctor’s room stuck her |
| C．His son’s illness was beyond her wildest expectation. |
| D．The sudden change of weather left her a deep impression. |
According to the passage, which of the following indicates that Wyatt is not normal?
| A．He never gets into trouble |
| B．He responds with blank eyes. |
| C．He plays with others for hours. |
| D．He likes watching TV programmes. |
Wyatt brought the missing half of the scissors back to his mother because ____________.
| A．his mother forced him to do that |
| B．he could get his favorite doll in reward |
| C．he intended to delight his mother |
| D．he realized that the sharp blade would cause danger |
What seems to be the solution at the end of the passage?
| A．Never hiding Wyatt from normal kids. |
| B．Turning to violence in disappointment occasionally. |
| C．Making Wyatt a kind and joyful boy with great care. |
| D．Helping Wyatt learn to talk and become an astronaut. |
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