Do you scream on a roller coaster ride? You slowly climb up a steep slope until an almost vertical(垂直的) drop, and then... Ahhhhhhhh! Thrill-seekers like me are in luck because theme parks are pushing the boundaries of technology to create the fastest, tallest, scariest roller coasters the world has ever known.
Alton Towers in Britain opened the world's first 14-1oop roller coaster a few months ago, called The Smiler. Over in Abu Dhabi, Ferrari World claims to have the world's fastest one. Ferrari World's Formula Rossa ride sends out passengers from 0-240km/h in just 4. 9 seconds. During this rapid acceleration they experience G-forces only fighter pilots usually feel: Up to 4. 8G. The designer of several rides at Alton Towers, said: "While we can stand 6-8Gs for very short periods of time, ff we experience 5G for more than five seconds we're likely to "black out."
On modern roller coasters passengers experience about 3G in tight turns and loops. But while we may have reached the limit in terms of G-forces, there is no technological limit to how fast or how high roller coasters can go---it's all down to money. Alton Towers' The Smiler cost ~18m to build.
Some companies are finding other ways to keep us amused. There's a move towards indoor rides where the experience is improved by audio-visual technologies. For example, a company called Dynamic Structures is currently developing a "coal-mine-themed" ride for a client in Dubai that will combine speed and G-forces with 3D projection effects and robotics, which will trick your brain into thinking you're really falling.
I can't wait to enjoy this one. What about you: Do you like being upside down?The underlined phrase "black out" in the second paragraph probably means .... .
| A．stop breathing | B．lose consciousness for a short time |
| C．lose memory forever | D．bleed to death |
We can learn from the passage that __
| A．all the theme parks are creating the fast roller coasters |
| B．the Smiler sends out passengers from 0-240km/h in just 4.9 seconds |
| C．it is unusual for fighter pilots to feel up to 4.8G |
| D．the more the money is spent, the faster the roller coaster can go |
The feature of the "coal-mine-themed" ride is
| A．3Dtechnologies | B．indoor rides | C．G-forces | D．dynamic structures |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．The Fastest Roller Coaster | B．The Smiler and G-forces |
| C．Screaming for Fun | D．The New Technology |
I have been very lucky to have won the Nobel Prize twice. It is, of course, very exciting to have such an important recognition of my work, but the real pleasure was in the work itself. Scientific research is like an exploration of a voyage of discovery. You are continually trying out new things that have not been done before. Many of them will lead nowhere and you have to try something different, but sometimes an experiment does work and tells you something new and that is really exciting. However small the new finding may be, it is great to think “ I am the only person who knows this” and then you will have the fun of thinking what this finding will lead to and deciding what will be the next experiment. One of the best things about scientific research is that you are always doing something different and it is never boring. There are good times when things go well and bad times when they don’t. Some people get discouraged at the difficult times but when I have a failure, my policy has always been not to worry but to start planning the next experiment, which is always fun.
It is very exciting to make a new discovery. Some people will do the strangest things for this excitement, such as going round the world in a balloon or walking to the North Pole. There are not many new places to explore but there is a lot of new information to be discovered in science and a journey into this unknown area can be much more worthwhile and just as exciting.
I am sometimes asked, “What do you have to do to win a Nobel Prize?” My answer is: “I don’t know. I have never tried.” But I know of one way not to win one. There are some people whose main reason for doing science is to win prizes and they are always thinking about how to do it. Such people don’t succeed. To do good science you must be interested in it and enjoy doing experiments and thinking out problems. And, of course, you must be prepared to work hard and not to be too discouraged by failure.In the writer’s eyes his greatest pleasure in all his lifetime is _______.
| A．to win the Nobel Prize for the first time |
| B．to be awarded the Nobel Prize for the second time. |
| C．in the work itself |
| D．to have a much more important recognition of his work. |
Why did the writer think scientific research to be one of the best things?
| A．You will be able to win the Nobel Prize through the scientific research |
| B．You can make as much money as possible by doing the scientific research. |
| C．You may continue doing with something different and exciting, so you can never be tired of doing the scientific research. |
| D．You can get much more chances of promotion by making the scientific research. |
What would the writer do when he had a failure?
| A．He would forget this failure and start the next experiment. |
| B．He used to be worried about it for several days and never forget it. |
| C．He always gave up his study as the result of the failure. |
| D．He used to think out the reasons and then continue to do it again. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
| A．The writer could still keep calm when he heard the news that he had won the Nobel Prize. |
| B．The writer always gave up his courage when he met with some difficulties in the course of his scientific research. |
| C．In the field of science there are still many new things which need to be studied further. |
| D．There are still many exciting places to explore in the world. |
A traveler lost his way and got off the highway to see where he was. As he drove by, he saw rows and rows of pigpens and pigs running in fields. Suddenly, his eyes caught something really strange. It looked like a pig with a wooden leg.
He drove up into the arm, where he met the farmer. “ Excuse me, ” the traveler said. “ I was just driving by and looking at all your pigs, and I just had to stop and ask about it. Tell me, is there really a pig out there with a wooden leg?” The farmer smiled. “ Oh, that would be old Caesar you saw. He’s the finest pig I’ve ever had ---and smart! Well, let me tell you a little about that pig.”
“ One night a couple of years ago I got to drinking and I guess I had more than I should have. I fell down and knocked over a lamp. That started a fire in the house and old Caesar smelled the smoke. He came in the back door, got the wife and kid out, roused me up and got me out. There is no question about it ---- that night old Caesar saved all our lives. You know that I’m not going to forget it too easily.”
“ Why,” the traveler said, “ this is amazing! I have never heard of a pig like this before! This is fantastic! But tell me, how did he get that wooden leg?”
The farmer laughed and said, “ Well, when you have a pig so smart, you don’t want to eat him all at one time!”The farmer thought the pig _______.
| A．very fat | B．very clever | C．very kind | D．very strange |
The passage indicates that _______.
| A．the pig lost a leg in the fire |
| B．the farmer deeply thanked the pig |
| C．the pig had a very good keeper |
| D．the real leg had been eaten by the farmer |
The author wants to _______.
| A．report a piece of news |
| B．tell us a moving story |
| C．tell us a humorous story |
| D．have a joke with us |
Over a period of time, many habitats (栖息地)change with respect to the types of plants and animals that live there. This change is known as succession.
Succession occurs because plants and animals cause a change in the environment in which they live. The first weeds and grasses that appear on a bare field, for example, change the environment by shielding the soil from direct sunlight. As these plants spread, the ground becomes cooler and more moist than it was originally. Thus, the environment at the ground surface has been changed. The new surface conditions favor the sprouting（产生）of shrubs. As shrubs grow, they kill the grasses by preventing light from reaching them and also enhance (增加)the soil. Pine seedlings (苗)soon take hold and as they grow, they in turn shade out the shrubs. They are not able to shade out oak and hickory (山核桃)seedlings, however, that have found the forest floor suitable. These seedlings grew into large trees that eventually shade out the pines.The best title of this passage is _____.
| A．The Importance of Weeds and Grasses |
| B．The Success of Oak and Hickory |
| C．How Environmental Habitats Change |
| D．Animal and Plant Habitats |
It can be inferred (推理) from the passage that ______.
| A．oak and hickory trees grow taller than pines |
| B．weeds and grasses prefer cold climate |
| C．pines and grasses can exist together |
| D．birds encourage the growth of shrubs |
Which of the following is a stage of succession as described in the passage?
| A．A forest cut down to build an airport. |
| B．A flood washing away a crop of wheat |
| C．Wild flowers growing in an unused parking lot |
| D．Animals being tamed (驯服)by children |
My father was Chief engineer of a merchant ship, which was sunk in World War II. The book
Night of the U-boats told the story.
Memories
In September, 1940, my mother, sister and I went to Swansea, where my father’s ship was getting ready to sail. We brought him a family photograph to be kept with him at all times and keep him sail.
Then I remember my mother lying face down, sobbing. She had heard from a friend that the ship had been sunk by a torpedo(鱼雷).
I can remember the arrival of the telegram(电报),which in those days always brought bad news. My grand- mother opened it. It read, “Safe, Love Ted.”
My most vivid memory is being woken and brought down to sit on my father’s knee, his arm in a bandage.
He was judged unfit to return to sea and took a shore job in Glasgow for the rest of the war. For as long as I can remember, he had a weak heart. Mother said it was caused by the torpedoes. He said it was because of the cigarettes. Whichever, he died suddenly in his early 50s.
Ten years later I read Night of the U-boats and was able to complete the story.
Torpedo
One torpedo struck the ship. Father was in the engine room, where the third engineer was killed. He shut down the engines to slow the ship making it easier for it to be abandoned.
By the time he got on deck (甲板) he was alone. Every lifeboat was gone except one which had stuck firm. When he tried to cut it free it swung against the ship, injuring his hand and arm. He had no choice but to jump—still with the photograph in his pocket.
Three days later, he and other survivors were safe in Glasgow. All 23 with him signed the back of the photograph.
In my room is the book and the photograph. Often, glass in hand, I have wondered how I would have dealt with an explosion, a sinking ship, a jump into a vast ocean and a wait for rescue? Lest（以免）we forget, I have some more whisky and toast the heroes of the war.We can infer(推断) that the mother and children went to Swansea ________.
| A．to meet a friend |
| B．to see the father off |
| C．to take a family photo |
| D．to enjoy the sailing of the ship |
What did the author learn about the father from the telegram?
| A．he was still alive. |
| B．His knee was broken. |
| C．His ship had been sunk. |
| D．He had arrived in Glasgow. |
What can we know about the author’s father after his ship was attacked?
| A．He lost his arm |
| B．He repaired the engines. |
| C．He managed to take a lifeboat. |
| D．He was the last to leave the ship. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．A group of forgotten heroes |
| B．A book describing a terrifying battle. |
| C．A ship engineer’s wartime experience. |
| D．A merchant’s memories of a sea rescue. |
To Chinese immigrants, in the mid-1800s, California was “The Land of the Golden Mountain.” In their homeland they had heard the words, “There’s gold in California.” They sailed 7,000miles to join the gold rush and strike it rich. Between 1849 and 1882, more than 30,000 Chinese came to California. Most were men. They had been farmers in China. They came here to be miners and laborers. They ended up doing many other jobs, too.
Like many other immigrants, they did not plan to stay in America. They came because of their ties to their homeland and their families. They planned to return to China with their fortunes and help their families.
Only a few Chinese gold miners struck it rich. Most picked over the areas that had been mined already. But still, white miners resented the Chinese. Slowly, they drove the “yellow peril” from the mining camps.
By the end of the 1850s, many Chinese returned home. Those who stayed found other jobs.
Few women had come west in the gold rush. The Chinese saw a good business opportunity. They began doing the jobs women would have done. Many became house servants. Many more opened laundries.
The Chinese opened restaurants. Chop suey and show mein are popular Chinese-American dishes. The Chinese probably created these dishes to serve to the white miners. Other Chinese became fishermen, farmers, and even cigar makers. Why did Chinese go to America in the mid-1800s?
| A．Because they could find good jobs there. |
| B．Because they had found gold there. |
| C．Because they could open laundries and restaurants there. |
| D．Because they heard there was gold there. |
The underlined word “resented”(L.2,Para.3 ) mean “________”.
| A．liked | B．helped | C．hated | D．served |
Which should be the title of the passage?
| A．Early Chinese immigrants in America |
| B．Dream to strike it rich |
| C．The difference between men and women |
| D．Gold miners in America |
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