Butterflies are some of the most fascinating and beautiful insects in the world. Adult butterflies will live about 2 to 4 weeks. They use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry enemies.
Butterflies have large compound eyes(复眼), which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a sea of flowers than individual plants. Butterflies do not “see” colors such as red, green, and yellow, but they can sense sunlight, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light（紫外线）, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to honey sources.
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it is not in their nose, since they don't have one. Sense receptors are located in their antennae（触角）, feet, and many other parts of the body. They can help butterflies find their favorite flower honey food, and mates.
Butterflies' feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in flower honey, letting the butterflies know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also carefully choose host plants by tasting to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies feed their babies using a long tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they “hear” sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations（振动）.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet, because their body structure is very different from ours, and therefore difficult to understand, when observed through our own human senses.What can we learn from the 2nd paragraph?
| A．Butterflies have good eyesight. |
| B．Butterflies can see in all directions and don't need to turn heads. |
| C．Butterflies are sensitive to bright colors including red and yellow. |
| D．Butterflies cannot sense the ultraviolet light. |
How do butterflies hear sounds?
| A．Using their feet to sense the vibration of things |
| B．Using their ears to listen directly |
| C．Using their wings to sense the sound vibrations |
| D．Using their antennae to judge the sound |
Why do female adult butterflies carefully choose the host plants?
| A．To find highqualified honey. |
| B．To have a good place for living. |
| C．To make it easier for them to hide from the enemies. |
| D．To find a proper place for their eggs. |
What does the last paragraph imply?
| A．There’s a long way to understand butterflies well |
| B．Butterflies give great help to human beings |
| C．Butterflies are the most beautiful insects in the world |
| D．Butterflies possess more senses than humans |
The text mainly focuses on ________.
| A．butterflies' living habits | B．butterflies' beauty |
| C．butterflies' daily activities | D．butterflies' senses |
We often see wind-horse flags in Tibetan areas. They are long cloths on which pictures of horses and scriptures（经文）are printed. People often put these flags on top of houses, or leave them where a vehicle accident happened. They prevent evil spirits from injuring people again.
A wind-horse flag can be white, yellow, red, green or blue. These five colors symbolize the five elements that form the world; earth, water, fire, wind and sky. Another explanations that red is the sun, green is the grassland, yellow is the earth, blue is the sky, and white is the cloud.
The wind-horse flag originated with a monk who obtained a scripture from India. When he crossed a river, he carelessly dropped the scripture into the water. He quickly saved the scripture and spread it out on a big rock to dry as he sat in meditation（默想）. Suddenly violent thunder sounded like drums. The monk felt liberated（解放的）from all of his sadness, and when he opened his eyes he saw that the scripture had been blown into the sky by a strong wind. Finally, he went straight to heaven.
In order to honor the spirit of the monk and the Buddhist scripture, people printed the scripture on a piece of cloth and hung it up between the sky and the earth as though the scripture was flying in the sky.
We also know why people put the wind-horse flag on the top of mountains and houses. The Tibetan ancestors had a very great idea about chanting scripture. They thought people not only could chant scripture, but also the five elements. The wind-home flag is a good example of how they use the wind to blow the flag, which means that the wind also chants scripture.The second paragraph is mainly about the wind-horse flag’s ________.
| A．colors | B．styles |
| C．materials | D．functions |
What happened when the monk meditated?
| A．He felt very sad about his mistake. |
| B．The scripture was blown into the sky. |
| C．He was punished by the gods. |
| D．Many wind-house flags were flying. |
According to the passage, the origin of the wind-horse flag is based on ________.
| A．a historical event | B．an ancient custom |
| C．a religious tale | D．a vehicle accident |
Why do people put wind-horse flags on the top of mountains and houses?
| A．The wind-house flags are safer there. |
| B．The wind-house flags can be nearer to the sky. |
| C．People can see the wind-house flags more clearly. |
| D．People believe the wind can also chant scripture. |
As we all know, Stephen Hawking writes the book A Brief History of Time that explains the origin of the universe. The book spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List and has sold 10 million copies. He is, most agree, very smart.
In his recently published autobiography My Brief History，Hawking offers four life lessons on
how to become a genius.
1) Don’ t miss opportunities by being too cool
“We showed an air of complete boredom and the feeling that nothing was worth making an effort for. One result of my illness has been to change all that. When you are faced with the possibility of an early death, it makes you realize that life is worth living and that there are lots of things you want to do.” Seize the moment, as Oxford would say.
2) Keep it simple
When writing A Brief History of Time，he tried to make science understandable for the rest of
Us. “I was sure that nearly everyone is interested in how the universe operates, but most people
cannot follow mathematical equations(数学公式). ”He has trouble with them, too.“This is partly because it is difficult for me to write them down, but mainly because I don't have an inborn feeling for equations. My aim in the book was to describe these mental images in words. It is such an easy book that everybody can understand it.” The moral: You don't have to be a genius to know everything.
3）Have fun
Hawking has a long history of being a joker，and he has placed lots of bets with other scientists on the nature of black holes. One was with Cal-Tech scientist John Preskill. After paying off his bet by giving Preskill a baseball encyclopedia, Hawking wrote,“but maybe I should have just given him the ashes.” So lighten up! Geniuses like bad jokes too.
4) Always look for a silver lining (even if you are seriously ill)
Hawking's disease has slowly robbed him of the ability to walk，move his arms，even speak.
But, Hawking says，“in some ways I guess my disability has been an assist：I haven't had to lecture or teach students, and I haven't had to sit in meetings. So I have been able to devote myself completely to research.”In other words, Hawking was given lemons, and he made Champagne.The passage tells us the facts about A Brief History of Time EXCEPT that ________.
| A．it explained the origin of the universe |
| B．it has sold 10 million copies up to now |
| C．it spent 147 weeks on the New York Times Best Seller List |
| D．it included Hawking's four life lessons on how to become a genius |
According to the passage，which of the following statements is guiding you to be a genius?
| A．Place lots of bets with your friends. |
| B．Seize the moment to learn everything. |
| C．Find something good even in bad situations. |
| D．Get to know everything including math equations. |
Hawking shows his viewpoint by ____________.
| A．making comparisons |
| B．quoting a famous saying |
| C．listing the numbers and equations |
| D．talking about his own experience |
As computers become all the more popular in China, Chinese people are increasingly depending on computer keyboards to input Chinese characters. But if they use the computer too much, they may end up forgetting the exact strokes (笔画) of each Chinese character when writing on paper. Experts suggest people, especially students, write by hand more.
Do you write by hand more or type more? In Beijing, students start using a computer as early as primary school. And computer dependence is more widely spread among university students. Almost all their assignment and essays are typed on a computer.
All the students interviewed say they usually use a computer.
It’s faster and easier to correct if using a computer. And that’s why computers are being applied more and more often to modern education. But when people are taking stock in computers increasingly, problems appear.
“When I’m writing with a pen, I find I often can’t remember how to write a character, though I feel I’m familiar with it.”
“I’m not in the mood to write when faced with a pen and paper.”
Many students don’t feel this is something to worry about. Now that it’s more convenient and efficient to write on a computer, why bother to handwrite?
Many educators think differently. Shi Liwei, headmaster of a famous primary school in the capital said, “ Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic (审美的) value. But those characters typed with computer keyboards only maintain their practical value. All the artistic beauty of the characters is lost. And handwriting contains the writer’s emotion. Through one’s handwriting, people can get to know one’s thinking and personality. Beautiful writing will give people a better first impression of them.”
To encourage students to handwrite more, many primary schools in Beijing have made writing classes compulsory（必修的）and in universities, some professors are asking students to turn in their homework and essays written by hand.The underlined expression “taking stock in” in paragraph 4 probably means___.
| A．getting bored with |
| B．getting dependent on |
| C．becoming crazy about |
| D．getting curious about |
The students interviewed prefer to write using a computer mainly because____.
| A．computers have become a trend and fashion in China |
| B．they are usually asked to e-mail their homework and essays |
| C．they find it not easy to remember how to write a character |
| D．they can correct the mistakes they make quickly and conveniently |
Which of the following statement is NOT true of the advantage of handwriting?
| A．Handwriting contains the writer’s emotions. |
| B．Chinese characters enjoy both practical and aesthetic value. |
| C．Handwriting can impress people well and build one’s self-confidence. |
| D．The writer’s thinking and personality are shown in his or her handwriting. |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?
| A．To Type or to Handwrite. |
| B．The Importance of Handwriting and Typing. |
| C．Writing by Computer Will Replace Writing by Hand. |
| D．Practical and Aesthetic Value of Chinese Characters. |
An eight-year-old child heard her parents talking about her little brother. All she knew was that he was very sick and they had no money. Only a very expensive operation could save him now and there was no one to lend them the money. When she heard her daddy say to her tearful mother, “Only a miracle can save him now,” the little girl went to her bedroom and pulled her money from its hiding place and counted it carefully.
She hurried to a drugstore with the money in her hand.
“And what do you want?” asked the salesman. “It’s for my little brother,” the girl answered. “He’s really, really sick and I want to buy a miracle.” “Pardon?” said the salesman.
“My brother Andrew has something bad growing inside his head and my daddy says only a miracle can save him. So how much does a miracle cost?” “We don’t sell a miracle here, child. I’m sorry,” the salesman said with a smile.
“Listen, if it isn’t enough, I can try and get some more. Just tell me how much it costs.”
A well-dressed man heard it and asked, “What kind of a miracle does your brother need?”
“I don’t know,” she answered with her eyes full of tears. “He’s really sick and mum says he needs an operation. But my daddy can’t pay for it, so I have brought all my money.”
“How much do you have?” asked the man. “$ 1.11, but I can try and get some more,” she answered.
“Well, what luck,” smiled the man. “$ 1.11, the price of a miracle for your little brother.”
He took up the girl’s hand and said, “Take me to where you live. I want to see your brother and meet your parents. Let’s see if I have the kind of miracle you need.”
That well-dressed man was Dr. Carlton Armstrong, a famous doctor. The operation was successful and it wasn’t long before Andrew was home again.
How much did the miracle cost?In the eye of the little girl, a miracle might be_________.
| A．something interesting |
| B．something beautiful |
| C．some wonderful medicine |
| D．some good food |
The little girl said again and again “...I can try and get some more.” That shows ________.
| A．she had still kept some money |
| B．she hoped not to be refused |
| C．There was no need to worry about money |
| D．she thought money was easy to get |
What made the miracle happen?
| A．The girl’s love for her brother. |
| B．The girl’s money. |
| C．The medicine from the drugstore. |
| D．Nobody can tell. |
From the passage we can infer(推断) that___________.
| A．the doctor had great sympathy for the girl’s little brother |
| B．a miracle is sure to happen if you keep on |
| C．the little girl is lovely but not so clever |
| D．the doctor probably didn’t ask for any pay |
A cute invention was revealed this month at the International Robot Exhibition (IREX) in Tokyo. It’s called Jukusui-Kun (“deep sleep” in Japanese) ---a robotic pillow in the shape of a polar bear.
The pillow is in fact a serious technological innovation hidden under a cute cover. It was developed by a group of scientists and engineers at Tokyo’s Waseda University to help people suffering from snoring (打鼾) and those who live with them. This is how the robotic pillow works: a microphone detects the noise level of the snoring, and if the snoring becomes very loud, which can be the sign of sleep apnea (睡眠窒息), the bear will raise its hand and carefully touch the face of the sleeper, leading to a change in the sleeper’s position without waking him or her up.
This is definitely the world’s first anti-snoring machine and an important potential treatment for sleep apnea. This sleeping disorder involves pauses in breathing, and can lead to heart attacks during sleep. In Japan, around 2 million people are struggling with the problem. When a sleeper starts snoring, the sleeper’s blood oxygen level drops. The new device tracks (追踪) the level of oxygen in the sleeper’s blood and wirelessly sends the information to the polar bear. But the only problem is that people not only have to sleep on a bear-shaped pillow with robotic hands, but also have to insert （插入）their hands into a monitor that keeps track of blood oxygen levels. If these levels fall below a certain point, it gives the bear another cue (提示) to lift its hand.
The bear is not yet on sale, and it remains to be seen whether a robotic hand reaching up to touch one’s face is any more effective than one’s partner giving one a good shove (推).What do we learn from the passage?
| A．Snoring can cause the blood oxygen to increase. |
| B．The bear pillow will be available worldwide soon. |
| C．A partner’s shove is more effective than the new robot’s touch. |
| D．With this device, the sleeper’s hands can’t move freely while sleeping. |
What do we learn about the robotic bear?
| A．It’s comfortable to sleep on. |
| B．It stops people snoring by waking them up. |
| C．It’s the first machine made to deal with snoring. |
| D．It uses a monitor to detect the loudness of the snoring. |
We would find the passage in the ________ section of a magazine.
| A．entertainment | B．lifestyle |
| C．technology | D．fashion |
What’s the author’s attitude to the new device?
| A．Positive. | B．Negative. |
| C．Objective. | D．Doubtful. |
What might be the best title for the passage?
| A．A Useful Robotic Polar Bear |
| B．The Disadvantages of Snoring |
| C．The Different Ways to Deal with Snoring |
| D．How New Technology Changes Your Sleep Pattern |
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