Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York (NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet (喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when they are moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures (建筑物) float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed, moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something around your head on a string (细绳), it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. ‘Switching off’ gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attached to the Earth would fly off in a straight line. People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things outside would fly off into space. What information can we get from the first passage?
| A．It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly. |
| B．Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind. |
| C．It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY. |
| D．The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic. |
The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means “__________”.
| A．send for | B．move quickly |
| C．come out | D．grow quickly |
It can be inferred that without gravity __________.
| A．buildings and other structures would float away |
| B．trees and buildings would not so easily fly off |
| C．something around your head would not float away |
| D．everything outside buildings would fly off into space |
Which of the following statements is not mentioned in the passage?
| A．It takes seven hours to travel from London to New York. |
| B．The earth is moving at a high speed |
| C．Everything on the earth will float away if there’s no gravity. |
| D．Everything not attached to the earth would fly off in a straight line. |
Where can we most probably read this text?
| A．In a research paper. |
| B．In a short story. |
| C．In a travel magazine. |
| D．In a student’s book. |
阅读理解
You may know that more people drink coffee than tea around the world. And that, after oil, it is the second biggest traded commodity（商品）. You may also know that the drink comes from beans which are first roasted and then ground. But what else do you know about this popular drink?
It is said that the story of coffee started with an Ethiopian goatherd named Kaldi. One day Kaldi was surprised to see that his goats were behaving very strangely. Instead of grazing（吃草） quietly, they were jumping around, almost dancing. He also noticed some red “cherries” from a plant that the goats were eating. He tried some himself and was surprised by the feeling of extreme happiness and excitement. He felt like dancing too!
But it wasn’t used as a drink at first - it was used as food. The coffee berries, mixed with animal fat, were used by monks to stay awake during long hours of prayer. From Ethiopia, coffee was later cultivated in Yemen and the first hot drink was developed there around AD 1000. Three centuries later Muslims were keen coffee drinkers and as Islam spread, so did coffee. Coffee houses appeared in Cairo and Mecca.
For hundreds of years the plants were protected safely. But some beans were smuggled（偷运）out of Arabia and taken to India. In the 17th century, coffee was soon grown in a new continent. From India to Indonesia, a century later the beans were once again smuggled to Brazil. Brazil is now the largest coffee producer in the world.
It was the caffeine（咖啡因）that made the goats dance and kept the monks awake. Although it is found in other soft drinks and tea, coffee has the most caffeine. In the short term, a couple of cups of coffee can prevent fatigue and delay sleep. But several cups a day, every day, can cause anxiety and restlessness.What is the world’s biggest traded commodity?
A. Oil B. Coffee C. TeaWhy did the goatherd want to dance?
A. Because he liked to dance with his goats.
B. Because he found his goats behaving strangely.
C. Because he ate some red “cherries” from a plant. Which of the following events came first?
A. Coffee houses appeared in Mecca.
B. Coffee became a drink.
C. Coffee spread as Islam spread. Which sentence is true?
A. Monks were the first to drink coffee.
B. Too much coffee can make people anxious.
C. Brazilians liked drinking coffee the most. Around the world more people drink coffee than tea because _____.
A. coffee berries can be eaten
B. coffee has the most caffeine
C. coffee can prevent fatigue and delay sleep
阅读理解
I have a friend called Mark. Last Sunday it was a beautiful day. When it got too hot, Mark rolled up his sleeves. I was very surprised to see that he had a tattoo! Then he told me he has lots of tattoos. He has tattoos on his arms, legs, chest and back. So of course I asked him lots of questions about the tattoos!
“It was ten years ago,” he said, “I remember I was on an island in the middle of the sea. I chose a dolphin tattoo because I wanted to have something about the sea.”
“I liked the idea of doing more designs about the sea. So after the dolphin I had an octopus, and then a starfish. These are on my left leg. Then, over my left arm I had lots of fish swimming together. They took a long time to do. I also have a crab and a lobster too!”
“Most recently I got a mermaid. It was finished two weeks ago. I saw a painting of a beautiful mermaid in a museum. I took a photograph and then decided to get a tattoo. I made the design a little simpler.”
“People ask me if getting a tattoo hurts. It depends. If you feel relaxed then it’s OK. But if you’re tired or nervous then you feel it more. It also depends where on the body the tattoo is done.”Where did the writer find the tattoo?
A. On Mike’s sleeves. B. On Mike’s arms. C. On Mike’s body. When was the mermaid done?
A. Ten years ago. B. Last Sunday. C. Two weeks ago. Where did he get the idea for the beautiful mermaid?
A. From the sea. B. From a painting. C. From the cinema. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
A. it’s not good to feel nervous when getting a tattoo
B. people can do anything they like with their tattoos
C. people have different feelings about their tattoos What does “tattoo” mean?
A. 烟草 B. 图片 C. 文身
A friend of mine named Paul received an expensive car from his brother as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Paul came out of his office, a street urchin was walking around the shining car. “Is this your car, Paul?” he asked.
Paul answered, “Yes, my brother gave it to me for Christmas.” The boy was surprised. “You mean your brother gave it to you and it didn’t cost you nothing? Boy, I wish…”He hesitated.
Of course Paul knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a brother like that. But what the boy said surprised Paul greatly.
“I wish,” the boy went on, “that I could be a brother like that.” Paul looked at the boy in surprise, then he said again, “Would you like to take a ride in my car?”
“Oh yes, I’d love that.”
After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, “Paul, would you mind driving in front of my house?”
Paul smiled a little. He thought he knew what the boy wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big car. But Paul was wrong again. “Will you stop where those two steps are?” the boy asked.
He ran up to the steps. Then in a short while Paul heard him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled brother. He sat him down on the step and pointed to the car.
“There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His brother gave it to him for Christmas and it didn’t cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it …then you can see for yourself all the nice things in the Christmas window that I’ve been trying to tell you about.”
Paul got out and lifted the boy to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older brother climbed in beside him and the three of them began an unforgettable holiday ride.
注：urchin顽童 hesitate犹豫 neighbour邻居
crippled残疾 cent 美分The street urchin was very surprised when _______________
| A．Paul received an expensive car |
| B．Paul told him about the car |
| C．he saw the shining car |
| D．he was walking around the car |
From the story we can see the urchin _______________
| A．wished to give his brother a car |
| B．wanted Paul’s brother to give him a car |
| C．wished he could have a brother like Paul’s |
| D．wished Paul could be a brother like that |
The urchin asked Paul to stop his car in front of his house ___________
| A．to show his neighbours the big car |
| B．to show he had a rich friend |
| C．to let his brother ride in the car |
| D．to tell his brother about his wish |
We can infer（推断） from the story that___________
| A．Paul couldn’t understand the urchin |
| B．the urchin had a deep love for his brother |
| C．the urchin wished to have a rich brother |
| D．the urchin’s wish came true in the end |
The best name of the story is____________
| A．A Christmas Present | B．A Street Urchin |
| C．A Brother Like That | D．An Unforgettable Holiday Ride |
阅读理解
“ Cool ” is a word with many meanings. Its old meaning is used to express a temperature that is a little bit cold. As the world has changed, the word has had many different meanings.
“ Cool ” can be used to express feelings of interest in almost anything.
When you see a famous car in the street, maybe you will say, “It’s cool . ” You may think, “He’s so cool，”when you see your favourite footballer.
We all maximize（扩大）the meaning of “cool”. You can use it instead of many words such as “ new ”or “ surprising ”. Here’s an interesting story we can use to show the way the word is used. A teacher asked her students to write about the waterfall （瀑布）they had visited. On one student’s paper was just the one sentence, “It’s so cool. ” Maybe he thought it was the best way to show what he saw and felt.
But the story also shows a scarcity（缺乏）of words. Without “cool”, some people have no words to show the same meaning. So it is quite important to keep some credibility （可信性）. Can you think of many other words that make your life as colourful as the word “cool”? I can . And I think they are also very cool . We know that the word “ cool ” has had _________
| A．only one meaning | B．no meanings |
| C．many different meanings | D．the same meaning |
In the passage, the word “ express ” means “________”
| A．see | B．show | C．know | D．feel |
If you are _____________ something, you may say, “It’s cool。”
| A．interested in | B．angry about |
| C．afraid of | D．unhappy with |
The writer takes an example to show he is _________ the way the word is used.
| A．pleased with | B．strange to |
| C．worried about | D．careful with |
In the passage, the writer suggests（暗示）that the word “ cool ” _______
| A．can be used instead of many words |
| B．usually means something interesting |
| C．can make your life colorful |
| D．may not be as cool as it seems |
阅读理解
（A）
The students were having their chemistry（化学）class. Miss Li was telling the children what water was like. After that, she asked her students, “What’s water?” No one spoke for a few minutes. Miss Li asked again, “Why don’t you answer my question? Didn’t I tell you what water is like?”
Just then a boy put up his hand and said , “Miss Li, you told us that water has no colour and no smell. But where to find such kind of water? The water in the river behind my house is always black and it has a bad smell。” Most of the children agreed with him.
“I’m sorry, children.”, said the teacher, “Our water is getting dirtier and dirtier. That’s a problem.”The students were having their __________class.
| A．English | B．Chinese | C．chemistry | D．maths |
Miss Li was telling the children what __________ was like.
| A．water | B．air | C．earth | D．weather |
A boy said, “The water in river behind my house is always __________”.
| A．white | B．black | C．clean | D．clear |
Most of the children __________ the boy.
| A．agreed with | B．wrote to |
| C．heard from | D．sent for |
The water in the river has colour and smell because it is getting _______
| A．more and more | B．less and less |
| C．cleaner and cleaner | D．dirtier and dirtier |
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