(Nanowerk News) A villa designed to resist earthquakes with "self healing" cracks in its walls, thanks to nanotechnology applications with selfhealing polymers (聚合物), is to be built on a Greek mountainside. The villa's walls will include special particles that turn into a liquid when squeezed under pressure, flow into cracks, and then harden to form a solid material.
The Nano Manufacturing Institute (NMI) ， based in Leeds University, will play a key role in an EU project to construct the home by December 2010. The project, called "Intelligent Safe and Secure Buildings" (ISSB) is funded under the EU's Sixth Framework program. This potentially life saving scheme is led by German building manufacturer Knauf. The villa will be built in Amphilochia, in western Greece, where Knauf currently runs a manufacturing plant. If the experiment is successful, more tremor resistant (防震) homes could be built in earthquake zones across the globe. NMI chief executive Professor Terry Wilkins said, "What we're trying to achieve here is very exciting. We're looking to use polymers in much tougher situations than ever before on a larger scale." Monitors contained in the villa's walls will be able to collect vast amounts of data about the building over time. Wireless sensors will record any stresses and vibrations, as well as temperature, humidity and gas levels.
The walls are to be built from novel load bearing steel frames and high strength gypsum board. Prof Wilkins said, "If there are any problems, the intelligent sensor network will be able to alert residents immediately so they have time to escape. If whole groups of houses are so constructed, we could use a larger network of sensors to get even more information. If the house falls down, we have got handheld devices that can be used over the rubble to pick out where the embedded (嵌入的) sensors are hidden to get some information about how the villa collapsed. "Also, we can get information about anyone who may be around, so it potentially becomes a tool for rescue.The aim of the passage is to __________.
| A．report a piece of interesting news |
| B．promote tremor resistant homes |
| C．inform us of the nanotechnology development |
| D．tell us about a tremor resistant home |
The villa can resist earthquakes because __________.
| A．it will be built on a special place |
| B．the cracks in its walls can be healed by the polymers |
| C．the special particles can make its walls stronger |
| D．the intelligent sensor network can tell people where there is a crack |
If the tremor resistant home falls down, __________.
| A．no one can be hurt in the earthquake |
| B．the intelligent sensor network will stop working |
| C．rescue work can be done more quickly and accurately |
| D．a warning signal will be given to other residents |
What Prof Wilkins said suggests that __________.
| A．he is doubtful about the project |
| B．he thinks the tremor resistant home is perfectly designed |
| C．he is confident in the tremor resistant home |
| D．the tremor resistant home still needs to be tested in a real situation |
It can be inferred from the passage that tremor resistant home __________.
| A．is still being tried out |
| B．is already under construction |
| C．has been in wide use |
| D．will be put into wide use soon |
Why play games? Because they are fun, and a lot more besides. Following the rules…planning your next move...acting as a team member…these are all “game” ideas that you will come across throughout your life.
Think about some of the games you played as a young child, such as rope-jumping and hide-and-seek. Such games are entertaining and fun. But perhaps more importantly, they translate life into exciting dramas that teach children some of the basic rules they will be expected to follow the rest of their lives, such as taking turns and cooperating (合作) .
Many children’s games have a practical side. Children around the world play games that prepare them for work they will do as grown-ups. For instance, some Saudi Arabian children play a game called bones. Which sharpens the hand-eye coordination（协调）needed in hunting.
Many sports encourage national or local pride. The most famous games of all, the Olympic Games, bring athletes from around the world together to take part in friendly competition. People who watch the event wave flags, knowing that a gold medal is a win for an entire country, not just the athlete who earned it. For countries experiencing natural disasters or war, an Olympic win can mean so much.
Sports are also an event that unites people. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. People on all continents play it—some for fun and some for a living. Nicolette Iribarne, a Californian soccer player, has discovered a way to give people hope through soccer. He created a foundation(基金会) to provide poor children with not only soccer balls but also a promising future.
Next time you play your favorite game or sport, think about why you enjoy it, what skills are needed, and whether these skills will help you in other aspects of your life.Through playing hide-and-seek, children are expected to learn to ________.
| A．be a team leader | B．obey the basic rules |
| C．act as a grown-up | D．predict possible danger |
The underlined part in Paragraph 2 most probably means that games can________.
| A．describe life in an exciting way |
| B．turn real-life experiences into a play |
| C．make learning life skills more interesting |
| D．change people’s views of sporting events |
According to the passage, why is winning Olympic medals so encouraging?
| A．It makes people have a deep love for the country. |
| B．It proves the exceptional skills of the winners. |
| C．It helps the country out of natural disasters. |
| D．It earns the winners fame and fortune. |
Iribarne’s goal of forming the foundation is to _______.
| A．bring fun to poor kids |
| B．provide soccer balls for children |
| C．give poor kids a chance for a better life |
| D．appeal to soccer players to help poor kids |
What can be learned from the passage?
| A．Games benefit people all their lives. |
| B．Sports can get all athletes together. |
| C．People are advised to play games for fun. |
| D．Sports increase a country’s competitiveness. |
There was once a man called Mr. Flowers, and flowers were his only joy in life. He spent all his free time in one of his four glass-houses and grew flowers of every color, with long and difficult names, for competitions. He tried to grow a rose of a new color to win the silver cup for the Rose of the Year.
Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses were very near to a middle school. Boys of around thirteen of age were often tempted (引诱) to throw a stone or two at one of Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses. So Mr. Flowers did his best to be in or near his glass-houses at the beginning and end of the school day.
But it was not always possible to be on watch at those times. Mr. Flowers had tried in many ways to protect his glass, but nothing that he had done had been useful. He had been to school to report to the headmaster; but this had not done any good. He had tried to drive away the boys that threw stones into his garden; but the boys could run faster than he could, and they laughed at him from far away. He had even picked up all the stones that he could find around his garden, so that the boys would have nothing to throw; but they soon found others.
At last Mr. Flowers had a good idea. He put up a large notice made of good, strong wood, some meters away from the glass-houses. On it he had written the words: DO NOT THROW STONES AT THIS NOTICE. After this, Mr. Flowers had no further trouble; the boys were much more tempted to throw stones at the notice than at the glass-houses.It was Mr. Flowers’ hope to ________.
| A．build glass-houses in his free time |
| B．grow the Rose of the Year in a silver cup |
| C．win a silver cup for growing a rose of a new color |
| D．grow a rose with the longest name. |
Boys were often tempted to ________.
| A．throw stones at Mr. Flowers’ glass-house |
| B．throw stones at Mr. Flowers from their school |
| C．be in or near by Mr. Flowers’ glass-houses |
| D．play with Mr. Flowers near his glass-houses |
Mr. Flowers stayed in or near by his glass-houses _______.
| A．at times when school-boys were walking near them |
| B．all the school day when there were no boys about |
| C．where he could not be seen by the boys passing |
| D．in his free time at the beginning and end of the school day |
Mr. Flowers had tried to ______ to protect his glass.
| A．be on watch in his free time | B．ask the headmaster for help |
| C．pick up all the stones around his garden | D．do all the above |
Mr. Flowers’ good idea was to ______.
| A．write some words on the glass |
| B．put up a large notice to cover his glass-houses |
| C．give the boys something else to throw stones at |
| D．send for policemen |
One day a man found a cocoon（茧）of a butterfly in the forest. He sat there for several hours and watched the butterfly. Suddenly a small opening appeared, and the butterfly made its great effort to force its body through that little hole. Then it seemed to stop making any progress. It appeared as if it had gotten as far as it could and it could go no further.
So the man decided to help the butterfly. He cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon so that the butterfly could come out easily. But to his surprise, the butterfly got a heavy body and very small wings when it came out of the cocoon.
The man continued to watch the butterfly because he expected that the body would grow smaller at any moment and the wings would become larger and be able to fly. But neither happened. In fact, the butterfly spent the rest of its life crawling（爬）around with a heavy body and small wings. It was never able to fly.
The man was in his kindness, but he did not understand the nature rules. Before the butterfly came out of the cocoon, fluid（流体）from its body must be forced into its wings, and then it would be ready for flying. It must have a hard struggle to get through the small opening to get its freedom from the cocoon.
Sometimes struggles are exactly what we need in our life. If God allowed us to go through our life without any difficulties, it would make us fail. We would not be as strong as we could have been; we could never fly.What was the butterfly doing at the beginning of the story?
| A．It was trying to make a cocoon for itself. |
| B．It was struggling to get out of its cocoon. |
| C．It was flying among the trees in the forest. |
| D．It was crawling around quietly on the ground. |
The man cut off the remaining bit of the cocoon .
| A．to take the butterfly home |
| B．to help the butterfly come out easily |
| C．to kill the butterfly |
| D．to stop the butterfly growing bigger |
What do you think of the man?
| A．patient but cruel | B．careful and wise | C．kind but unwise | D．brave and funny |
What does the last paragraph tell us?
| A．Struggles are sometimes necessary in our life |
| B．Nothing is difficult if we put our heart into it |
| C．Every good deed will come back with a good result |
| D．The greatest happiness in the world is to help others |
What is the best title for the story?
| A．The love for the cocoon. | B．The joy of helping each other |
| C．The lesson of the cocoon | D．The expectation for the butterfly |
People have always been dreaming of going to the moon. As long as the year 1901, H. G. Wells, an English writer, wrote a book vividly describing a trip to the moon. On landing there, the explorers discovered that the moon was full of underground cities. Words failed to express their surprise when they spotted so many “moon people”. The “moon people” felt even more surprised. “Why,” they asked, “are you traveling to outer space when you don’t even use your inner space?”
H. G. Wells could only imagine a travel to the moon. In 1969, human beings really left their footsteps on the moon. People today know that there are no underground cities on the moon. However, the question that the “moon people” asked is still an interesting one. A growing number of scientists are seriously thinking about it.
Underground systems are already in place. Many cities have underground car parks. In some cities, such as Tokyo, Seoul and Montreal, there are large underground shopping areas. The “Channel”, a tunnel connecting England and France, is now complete.
But what about underground cities? Japan’s Taisei Corporation is designing a network of underground systems, called “Alice Cities”. The designers imagine using surface space for public parks and using underground space for flats, offices, shopping, and so on. A solar dome (太阳能穹顶) would cover the whole city.
Supporters of underground development argue that building down rather than building up is a good way to use the earth’s space. The space, they say, can be used for farms, parks, gardens, and wilderness. H. G. Wells’ “moon people” would second it. Would you?The explorers in H. G. Well’s story were surprised to find that the “moon people” .
| A．knew so much about the earth |
| B．understood their language |
| C．lived in underground cities |
| D．were advanced in technology |
What does the underlined word “it” (paragraph 2) refer to?
| A．Discovering the moon’s inner space |
| B．Using the earth’s inner space |
| C．Meeting the “moon people” again |
| D．Traveling to outer space |
What sort of underground systems are already in place?
| A．Offices, shopping areas, power stations. |
| B．Tunnels, car parks, shopping areas. |
| C．Gardens, car parks, power stations. |
| D．Tunnels, gardens, offices. |
We can learn from the text that .
| A．H. G. Wells once went to moon himself. |
| B．Underground cities are more comfortable. |
| C．The solar dome is a necessary part of underground cities. |
| D．More underground systems will be in place in 2013. |
What would be the best title of the text?
| A．Alice Cities — cities of the future |
| B．Space travel with H. G. Wells |
| C．Enjoy living underground |
| D．Building down, not up |
Encouraging early reading skills can build a path to a lifelong love of reading and can help your child get a head start in school. While reading to your child is still the most important thing you can do to build reading skills, there are many techniques that can help.
Make reading fun. Play games with your child as you read. Many traditional children's games can be adapted to encourage reading skills.
While reading or during play, tell your child, "I spy with my little eye, something that begins with the letter "b". Help the child find something on the page or in the room that begins with that letter. For example, “I see a barn.” This can also be used to teach beginning letter sounds.Ｉspy with my little eye something that begins with the sound “s”. Help the child find a word that begins with the "s" sound.
In this variation on the popular game, instruct the child that, "Simon says, point to something that starts with the letter "n". The child can then find an object in the room or a body part, such as the nose, that starts with the letter presented. This can also be used to teach beginning sounds.
Make a game out of rhyming (押韵) words by making up silly words to rhyme with the child's name or favorite toys. This sets the stage for rhyming real words by showing the child the similarities of sounds. As the child masters making up the words, begin rhyming real words to one another.
Tips to raise a successful reader:
Put books in places where the child plays. If books are easily accessible, children are more likely to pick them up.
Let children "read to you" by looking at pictures. Making up stories to go along with illustrations helps children discover how words relate to pictures.
Take books along on trips or even short visits to the doctor's office or grocery store.
Have children help you shop. Reading grocery lists and looking for specific items helps build vocabulary. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．A good reading habit can benefit your child at school. |
| B．Computer games help children develop reading skills. |
| C．You should be careful as for what books to read. |
| D．Children enjoy reading poems to their parents. |
What does the underlined word “accessible” most probably mean?
| A．available | B．beneficial | C．readable | D．worthwhile |
What can we conclude from the text?
| A．The most important thing is to make reading funny. |
| B．Children have a preference for stories with pictures. |
| C．Rhyming games should begin only with real words. |
| D．Children tend to read more if books are at hand. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．Interest is the best teacher |
| B．Practice makes perfect |
| C．Good methods are half done |
| D．Failure teaches success |
What are the intended readers of the text?
| A．Parents. | B．Adolescents. | C．Educators. | D．People in general. |
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