Snowflakes! You can catch them on your tongue (舌头) or use them to make a perfect snowball. But have you ever thought about taking pictures of them? Ken Libbrecht did. He is a physics professor from California. Although the weather in California is usually warm and sunny, Ken’s hobby is taking pictures of snowflakes. He travels to cold areas like Alaska and Canada to find snowstorms and take pictures of the snowflakes. “They are often beautiful, and every snowfall brings new surprises,” says Ken.
Ken takes pictures of snowflakes with a high-quality digital camera. He uses a microscope (显微镜) to make the tiny snowflakes larger. To get the best images, Ken built a special photo-microscope just for snowflakes. He collects flakes by letting them fall onto a piece of foam board (泡沫板).
The pictures must be taken outdoors, so Ken wears lots of clothes to stay warm. But his fingers often get cold, because it’s difficult for him to take pictures of a tiny snowflake with gloves.
Each snowflake has shapes and patterns (图案) that make it as unique (独特的) as a person’s fingerprint. The hobby of snowflake photography is also unique. Next time a snowstorm blows through your town, take a closer look at the flakes before you gather them into a snowball. See if you can notice their unique patterns. Millions of snowflakes are waiting for you!
根据材料内容选择最佳答案，并将其标号填入题前括号内。What’s the weather in Ken Libbrecht’s hometown usually like?
| A．Cold and snowy. | B．Windy and rainy. |
| C．Warm and sunny. | D．Cloudy and foggy. |
Which of the following isn’t used when Ken works with snowflakes?
| A．A snowball. |
| B．A digital camera. |
| C．A microscope. |
| D．A piece of foam board. |
Why do Ken’s fingers often get cold?
| A．Because he doesn’t wear enough clothes. |
| B．Because he doesn’t wear gloves. |
| C．Because he likes making snowballs. |
| D．Because there is something wrong with his fingers. |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．It’s always warm in Canada. |
| B．Ken often works with a tiny snowflake at home. |
| C．Ken wears thick gloves when he works outside. |
| D．Every snowflake is different from the other one. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．What we can do with snowflakes. |
| B．Some beautiful pictures of snowflakes. |
| C．Ken Libbrecht’s snowflake photography. |
| D．The unique patterns of snowflakes. |
In the city of Chicago I met a man I will never forget. He drove a bus that ran from downtown to the edge of the city. Each night I watched him. As the passengers got on the bus, he smiled at each one. It was fun to see how many passengers forgot their troubles and smiled back.
There was one passenger, I noticed, that had never smiled back. He usually coughed roughly through his mustache (胡子) as he got on the bus. And he never covered his mouth. But that wasn’t enough to stop the bus driver’s smile. He gave the man with the mustache and the rough cough his biggest smile.
The man with the mustache never seemed to see that smile. He would sit on the edge of his seat and complained about the way that the bus driver was driving. He only complained for a short time, but he spoke loudly enough so everybody could hear. It was enough to make me sick. But the driver never said a word. He just went on smiling at passengers as they got on the bus.
I wanted to get to know this bus driver better. One night I stayed on the bus to the end of the line. I asked the driver, “Why don’t you throw that man with the mustache out of the bus?” The bus driver looked at me and gave me one of his famous smiles. “I don’t care about that,” he said. “Let me tell you about my friend’s dog. The man next door to me has a dog. Every time the moon shines, the dog barks (狗叫) and barks all night.” “Well, what about the dog and the moon?” I asked. “Oh, the moon keeps on shining,” he said.The first paragraph mainly tells us .
| A．the writer was interested in the bus driver |
| B．there was a bus from downtown to Chicago |
| C．each night the writer watched the driver driving |
| D．it was fun for the driver to see passengers smiling |
What did the man with a mustache usually do on the bus?
| A．He never said a word. |
| B．He talked loudly to others. |
| C．He complained about the way to the city. |
| D．He complained that the driver didn’t drive well. |
The writer stayed on the bus to the end of the line because he wanted .
| A．to listen to an interesting story |
| B．to know more about the driver |
| C．to ask about the dog and the moon |
| D．to ask the driver to throw the man out |
What does the passage imply (暗示)?
| A．Bus drivers should smile at passengers. |
| B．It’s no good to be rough to others. |
| C．We should learn to be polite. |
| D．We should learn to be generous（宽宏大量的）. |
If you are a computer game fan, you must have heard of StarCraft. Recently, the University of Florida opened a StarCraft class for students. Maybe you feel confused when you hear of the news, maybe you think I am joking. But that’s true. In our mind, students are not allowed to play computer games by teachers and parents. Don’t you believe that the StarCraft class was set up in the University of Florida? Please read more.
Nowadays, the world is developing in a fast way, so it is very important for students to be good at skills such as solving problems, making decisions and critical thinking(批判性思维). It is said that all these skills appear in StarCraft. Therefore, StarCraft can provide a high effective environment for students to consider and take action in difficult situations.
“A student who gets a university education and goes into the business world could realize that something he learned in his StarCraft class helps him to think in a different way,” said one teacher in the University of Florida.
“The StarCraft class offers a new way to students to study. Study is not only about learning things from books,” said another teacher.
Not all the students can take the StarCraft class. The class is only open to the students who have some knowledge about the game.Why did the University set up the StarCraft class?
| A．Because many students like it. |
| B．Because the world is developing in a fast way. |
| C．Because students can learn some important skills. |
| D．Because students are not allowed to play at home. |
The underlined word “effective” means “_____” in Chinese.
| A．有效的 | B．友好的 |
| C．有用的 | D．真实的 |
Some don’t believe that the StarCraft class was opened in a university because_________.
| A．most students don’t like StarCraft. |
| B．they think StarCraft is not easy to play |
| C．they think that the StarCraft class can’t bring enjoyment to students |
| D．they don’t think students are allowed to play computer games at school |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
| A．It’s about who invented the game, StarCraft. |
| B．It’s about a StarCraft class opened in the University of Florida. |
| C．It’s about the importance of university education. |
| D．It’s about how to be a winner in the business world. |
The Little Prince was written by a French pilot and writer Antoine de Saint—Exupery. It is one of the most famous books around the world. It was published in 1943. This story has been translated into 42 languages and was adapted(改编) into a movie.
The little prince lives on a small planet alone. He leads a happy life. One day the winds brings him a seed. The seed then turns into the loveliest flower he has ever seen. He takes good care of the flower, but finally he decides to leave it and his planet in search for a secret—the most important thing in his life.
During his journey in space, the little prince meets a king, a businessman, a lamplighter and a geographer. They all live alone on different planets. At last he finds out the secret from a fox of the Earth. Before he returns to his planet, he tells his secret to the writer of the book, whom he meets in the desert. The secret is: the power of love.
When you read this touching and sincere story of the little prince, you can’t help smiling and feeling the beauty of life and love in your heart.After reading the passage, we can’t know______.
| A．who wrote the book |
| B．when the book was published |
| C．what is the book about |
| D．who adapted the book into a movie |
Who told the little prince the secret?
| A．A fox. | B．A king. |
| C．A geographer. | D．A businessman. |
The underlined word “ touching” means “_______”in Chinese.
| A．无聊的 | B．感人的 |
| C．惊讶的 | D．失望的 |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The story has been translated into 24 languages. |
| B．The secret is the power of knowledge. |
| C．The little prince met the writer of the book in the desert. |
| D．The king, the businessman, the lamplighter and the geographer live on the same planet. |
Can you imagine living in the desert for a whole year, watching the activities of a group of busy ants? Deborah Gordon did exactly that. She finally found out that there were four main groups of workers in the ant team: cleaners, haulers(搬运工), gatherers and security (安全) ants. Each group did their own job to finish the task of the whole team.
Cleaner ants carried waste food from inside the nest to outside. Hauler ants walked on the top of the nest and cleared rubbish. Gatherer ants went out to find food for the whole team and security ants fought against anyone who wanted to hurt the members of the team.
While she was watching the ants in the desert, Deborah found that the most interesting part was watching the ants dealing with difficulties, such as fighting against other insects that wanted to destroy their nest, or a big fire. At those moments, they would all stop what they were doing and go to help security ants to protect their home.
What do we do when people around us meet difficulties? What have we done to turn our world into a better place? It’s time to think. If there was a fire near their home, the groups of ants would________.
| A．just do their own job |
| B．run away at once |
| C．help to fight against the fire |
| D．go back into their nest |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Cleaner ants carried waste food from outside the nest to the inside. |
| B．Gatherer ants went out to find food for themselves. |
| C．Each group did their own job when meeting difficulties. |
| D．There were some other insects that wanted to destroy their nest. |
The writer mainly wants to tell us____________.
| A．everyone should help others when they meet difficulties |
| B．there were four groups of workers in the ant team |
| C．how Deborah Gordon lived in the desert |
| D．Deborah Gordon is a brave woman |
A city in California has got some new buses. They cost $490,000 each. The new buses are different from the old ones. These new buses are better for the environment. They are called hybrid (混合动力的) buses. They run on diesel (柴油的) and electric power. This will help keep the air cleaner.
The man drove the new bus on Wednesday and noticed a difference right away. “I get to have clean air for a change”, said driver Melvin Day. “I’m smelling diesel all day long when I drive the old ones.”
The company that builds the buses had many good things to say about them. For example, they said they use a lot less fuel (燃料). They also said that they are 90% cleaner for the environment. The buses are very quiet, too.
The buses have a diesel engine in the back and batteries (电池) on top. When the engine starts up, it is powered by electricity. Then the diesel power takes over.
Over time the city would like to use the new hybrid buses instead of all 50 of their buses. They hope to do this over the next three years. The city will give money to help buy the new kind of buses.
One other bit of good news: the price of the bus ticket will not rise because of the new buses.
| A．Because they’re cheaper than the old ones. |
| B．Because they are very quiet. |
| C．Because they run on diesel and electric power. |
| D．Because they are new. |
| A．They use a lot less fuel. |
| B．They can drive faster than the old ones. |
| C．They will help keep the air cleaner. |
| D．The buses are very quiet. |
| A．490. | B．90. |
| C．45. | D．50. |
| A．The driver liked the new buses very much. |
| B．The new buses don’t use fuel at all. |
| C．The city will replace the old buses in a year. |
| D．The price of bus ticket will be high. |
| A．The New Cars. | B．Electric Buses. |
| C．The Advantages of Electric Buses. | D．Buying New Buses. |
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