Neil Armstrong took“one small step for man”when he stepped on the moon’s surface while worldfamous physicist Stephen Hawking took a “giant leap (跳跃)”for Earth’s physically disabled when he experienced eight rounds of weightlessness in what he saw as the first step in a personal goal to travel in space.
“It was amazing，”Hawking told reporters afterwards，using his wellknown computerized voice.“The zeroG part was wonderful，and the highG part was no problem.I could have gone on and on.I have long wanted to go into space，and the zerogravity flight is the first step towards space travel.”
Hawking is one of the bestknown scientists because of his bestselling works on the mysteries of black holes and the origins of the universe，and because of his increasing disability.He is almost completely paralyzed (瘫痪的) and can communicate only via facial gestures and a gesturecontrolled computer system.
Thursady’s flight was a test run to find out if Hawking is capable of a rocketpowered journey to the edge of outer space，perhaps aboard the spaceship now being developed for Virgin Galactic.That craft is due to enter service in 2009 or so，and taking such a flight would check off what Hawking has said is his“next step”．“He would have flown more if we let him，”said Noah McMahon，one of Hawking’s coaches.“He was all smiles all the time.”
Zero Gravity had originally planned to bring Hawking back to NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility here after six upsanddowns.Hawking’s performance showed well for more tests.Zero Gravity Corp.cofounder Peter Diamandis said Hawking experienced the flight better than his physicians had expected.He noted that the four minutes Hawking spent in weightlessness was about as much time as he would spend in zeroG during a space flight.By saying“Stephen Hawking took a‘giant leap’” in the first paragraph，the writer means __________．
| A．ordinary people can not do what Hawking did |
| B．Stephen Hawking managed to jump by himself |
| C．it is not easy for a disabled person like Hawking |
| D．Hawking has finished almost all that is needed to do |
The underlined word“zeroG”in Paragraph 2 probably refers to __________．
| A．space travel |
| B．zerogravity |
| C．a personal goal |
| D．the first step |
Which of the following would the writer probably agree?
| A．Hawking was one of the workers in Zero Gravity Company. |
| B．McMahon was not satisfied with what Hawking did in this test. |
| C．Peter Diamandis bought a spaceship for Hawking to travel in space. |
| D．Hawking would spend in zeroG during a space flight for 4 minutes. |
The text mainly wants to tell us _________．
| A．Hawking takes a “giant leap”for Earth’s disabled |
| B．a spaceship will be sent into space before long |
| C．what Neil Armstrong had experienced in space |
| D．common people can also experience space flights |
It was reported last week that developers could take photos from Apple mobile and Google Android devices without the phone owners knowing that the images were being taken. In Apple’s case, developers can also obtain the location information for each photo.
Senator(参议员) Charles Schumer said in a telephone interview that his office had spoken with officials at both Apple and Google on Monday.
“We asked them if they could find a way on their own to prevent Apple from having access to private information,” Mr. Schumer said. “They were friendly and open to the idea that this ought to be changed.”
On Sunday, Mr. Schumer said that he planned to send a letter to the Federal Trade Commission asking the agency to investigate Apple and Google after the privacy concerns came to light. Claudia Bourne Farrell, an F.T.C. spokeswoman, said the agency had received the letter but she could not comment further.
“It worries people to think that one’s personal photos, address book, and who knows what else can be obtained and even posted online without permission,” Mr. Schumer wrote in his letter to the F.T.C. “If the technology exists to open the door to this kind of privacy invasion, then surely technology exists to close it, and that’s exactly what must happen.”
Mr. Schumer said if Apple and Google could not come to an agreement to fix the problem, then he would be forced to take the issue further.
He said other companies had been willing to work with his office to fix issues. “I’m optimistic that we can get this changed without any regulation,” he said. “If it’s not changed, then we’ll turn to the F.T.C., and if that doesn’t work then we’ll consider legislative approach.”
The F.T.C. has warned companies to try to be more vigilant(警醒的) in their efforts to protect consumers when it comes to privacy.The senators spoke with officials at both Apple and Google___________.
| A．to urge them not to invade consumers’ privacy |
| B．to discuss whether it is illegal to have access to private information |
| C．to stop them from developing the technology of taking photos |
| D．to keep them from obtaining the location information for each photo |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Privacy invasion from Apple has existed for a long time. |
| B．Mr. Schumer takes the privacy concerns caused by Apple and Google seriously. |
| C．Privacy invasion from Google has existed for a long time. |
| D．Apple and Google have decided to make a change. |
Mr. Schumer’s letter to the F.T.C. mainly shows that the technology to open the door to privacy invasion___________.
A. causes privacy invasion to happen frequently
B. can be used if permitted
C. causes people to worry about the safety of their personal information
D. causes personal information to be posted online without permissionIf the privacy concerns can’t be solved with the help of the F.T.C., ___________.
A. The senators will force the companies not to invade privacy
B. The companies will be closed
C. The companies will be fined
D. The senators will turn to legislationWhere can we read about the passage?
| A．In a newspaper. | B．In a travel brochure. |
| C．In a science report. | D．In a textbook. |
The aims of the Illustrators’(插图画家的)Exhibition, staged as part of the Bologna Children’s Book Fair, organized by BolognaFiere and held from 23to 26 December 2011,are to bring illustrators and publishers together and to promote illustrators and their works among publishers.
QUALIFICATIONS
•Individual illustrators or groups of illustrators of any nationality, if they were born before 31st December 1992, whose artwork is intended for use in children’s books, are qualified to enter the Exhibition, either directly or through publishing houses or schools.
•Please state in the application form whether you are entering work for the Fiction or Nonfiction Category．Illustrators may only enter one category.
•Artwork previously presented to the Exhibition may not be re-entered.
•The confirmation(确认)form must be filled in and a photograph attached, then presented together with illustrations no later than 15 October 2011.
SHIPMENT
Entries may be delivered by post, express delivery service or by hand．From abroad, please use the following forms: Form “A” for registered mail or post by air; Form “B” if using an international forwarding agent or airline．To avoid delays, material should not be sent by normal post．Material should be sent “carriage paid”, including any customs and delivery costs.
BolognaFiere may not be held responsible for the non-arrival or late arrival of artwork．all published works must be accompanied by a declaration bearing the ISBN number, publisher’s name and address.
REQUIREMENTS
The illustrations(i.e. the size of the sheet)must not exceed(超过) the following dimensions:
Fiction: 32×42 cm (or 42 × 32 cm)
Non-fiction: 50 ×70 cm (70 × 50cm)
Illustrations in larger formats will not be considered, nor will they be returned by BolognaFiere．The illustrations must be on paper or flexible board, maximum thickness 2mm ( for scanner separation purposes).
SELECTION PROCESS
All artwork received by the stated deadline and meeting the specified requirements will be examined and selected by an international group (whose decision is final), including five members (from publishing house and art schools) appointed each year by BolognaFiere.
EXHIBITIONS ABROAD
After the Bologna event, the Illustrators Exhibition will travel to Japan under the supervision of JBBY. The Illustrators Exhibition may afterwards be transferred to other venues(场馆) in other countries. The exhibitions of illustrations held abroad follow the same rules and regulations as the Illustrators Exhibition, and the provisions (条款) of the regulations are extended to the organizers of the exhibitions held abroad.
RETURN OF ARTWORK
All the works will be returned to their owners by BolognaFiere or directly by the organizers of the exhibitions and held abroad by the end of July 2013. Which of the following of the Illustrators’ Exhibition is true?
| A．It will last five days in all in July every other year. |
| B．It is intended for college students who are good at painting. |
| C．It is held by the Bologna Children’s Book Fair in BolognaFiere. |
| D．It can strengthen the relationship between illustrators and publishers. |
The illustrators of the Illustrators Exhibition __________．
| A．should be at least 16 and no more than 25 |
| B．may re-enter their artwork after it is returned |
| C．should state the category of their artwork clearly |
| D．may choose to attach a photo to the application form |
Which of the following is unacceptable for delivering entries?
| A．Normal post | B．Airline post | C．Registered mail | D．Express delivery |
What is BolognaFiere responsible for?
| A．Paying for the delivery costs | B．Late arrival of artwork |
| C．Confirmation of ISBN number | D．Returning the illustrators’ works |
The illustrators’ works will not be considered if they .
| A．are received after the day of 15 October 2011 |
| B．are smaller than the required size |
| C．have already been published abroad before |
| D．don’t meet the demands of the international experts |
American researchers found females are the more talkative sex because of a special “language protein(蛋白质)” in the brain.
The study, conducted by neuroscientists (神经学家)and psychologist from the University of Maryland, concluded that women talked more because they had more of the Foxp2 protein. The research, published in the Journal of Neuroscience, found that higher levels were found among humans that were women but in rats that were males. Their findings came after it was previously claimed that ladies speak about 20,000 words a day – over 13,000 more than men. “This study is one of the first to report a sex difference in the expression of a language-associated protein in humans or animals,” said Prof Margaret McCarthy, who led the study. In their study, the researchers attempted to determine what might make male rats more vocal than their female friends.
They separated four-day-old rats from their mothers and then counted the number of times they cried out in the “ultrasonic range”, the frequencies higher than humans can hear, over five minutes. While both sexes called out hundreds of cries, the males called out twice as often, they found. But when the pups were returned to their mother’s cage, she fussed over her sons first. Tests conducted on the parts of the brain known to be associated with vocalcalls showed the male pups have up to twice as much Foxp2 protein as the females. The researchers then increased the production in the brains of female pups and reduced it in males. This led to the female rats crying out more often and their mothers showing more interest to them. In contrast, males became less “talkative”.
The researchers then tested samples from ten children, aged between three and five, which showed that females had up to 30 per cent more of the Foxp2 protein than males, in a brain area key to language in humans.
“Based on our observations, we assume higher levels of Foxp2 in girls and higher levels of Foxp2 in male rats is an indication that Foxp2 protein levels are associated with the more communicative sex,” said Prof McCarthy. “Our results imply Foxp2 as a component of the neurobiological basis of sex differences in vocal communication in mammals. “From the second paragraph, we can learn that ________.
| A．women always speak more words than men |
| B．men and male rats have low levels of language protein |
| C．women and male rats have similar levels of Foxp2 |
| D．McCarthy isn’t the first to find females more talkative |
The underlined phrase “fussed over” in the third paragraph probably means______.
| A．paid attention to | B．related to | C．put pressure on | D．counted on |
The researchers carried out the experiments on rats in order to _______.
| A．test which part of the brain is key to language in rats and humans |
| B．prove the levels of Foxp2 protein in humans and rats are different |
| C．determine the reason why female rats are more talkative than male rats |
| D．discover the association between Foxp2 protein and vocal communication |
Which of the following can be the best title for the passage ?
| A．Tests on humans and rats |
| B．Why women are the talkative sex |
| C．Sex differences in Foxp2 protein |
| D．Foxp2 protein determines oral ability |
Yawning sends out certain messages -either “Oh ，this movie is so boring” or “I probably need to get some sleep”. But did you know that a yawn can also help your brain to cool down when it is overheated?
A new study, led by a research team at Princeton University, has indicated that yawning could be the brain’s natural way of regulating temperature. People yawn more often when the temperature outdoors is lower than their body temperature but are less likely to yawn when it is hotter outdoors, according to Sciencedaily. com.
The research team did an experiment on 160 people, 80 in summer and 80 in winter, to examine how often they yawned at different air temperatures. The study found that people yawned more often in winter than in summer. Scientists say that when the air temperature is lower outside the body, there is heat exchange between the overheated brain and the cool air. But when the air temperature is higher than or equal to the body, people are less likely to yawn because the hot air they breathe in will make the brain even hotter.
When people yawn, their jaw is also stretched ，which increases blood flow and may also help cool the brain
The study showed that the amount someone yawned could be related to the amount of time they spent outside. The longer they spent outside in summer, the less they yawned. Nearly 40 percent of participants yawned within their first five minutes outside, but after that the percentage was reduced to less than 10 percent.
However, the result was the opposite in winter. The number of people who yawned increased when they spent more than five minutes outdoors. But the change was only slight compared to summertime.
According to Gallup, this is the first report to show that yawning frequencies change depending on season. This could help us to understand better the way our brains work. It may also help us understand the reason why frequent yawning can sometimes be a sign of brain disease.The purpose of the experiment is ______.
| A． to prove people yawn in winter and in summer equally |
| B． to indicate brain can regulate temperature naturally |
| C． to find the frequency of people’s yawning |
| D． to show the real reason why people yawn |
The information we get from Paragraphs 5 and 6 is that ______.
| A． longer outdoor summertime results in more yawns |
| B． yawning frequency changes with outdoor time |
| C． yawning frequency increases with outdoor time |
| D． longer outdoor wintertime leads to fewer yawns |
Acorrding to the text ，people yawn more often ______.
A, when the air temperature is lower outside the body
B. when the hot air breathed in makes the brain hotter
C. when the air temperature is higher than the body
D. when the air temperature is equal to the bodyWhat could be the best title for the text?
| A． Yawning Is A Sign of Brain Disease |
| B． Yawning Carries Some Information |
| C． Yawning Benefits Your Body |
| D． Yawning Cools Your Brain |
Some young Cambodians are learning a new sport — skateboarding. The country’s first skateboard park is located on the grounds of a local charity group at the edge of Phnom Penh, the capital.
Sports like Khmer boxing and soccer are wildly popular in Cambodia. But Chea ，who has been skating for 6 months ，says skating has already become his favorite sport.
The skaters are learning tricks like launching off a jump or half-pipe and flying through the air on their narrow wooden boards.
A non-governmental organization called Skateistan Cambodia organizes weekly programs at the park. Skateistan started its work in Afghanistan years ago. Rory Burke is working with the group which expanded to Cambodia last year.
Rory Burke points out, “Yeah, it’s definitely not a typical Cambodian pastime (消遣）.And I think the idea of ‘why skateboarding’is that it’s not been done before here. We want to use skateboarding as something saying, ‘Hey，this is new ，this is something different.，And that kind of itself becomes a little bit of hook. People see it and they think and they say, ‘Wow, what is that?，and they want to get involved. ”
Skateistan partners with local groups that work with young people. The park is on the grounds of the group known as PSE, where children attend school and learn a trade. There are almost one hundred twenty participants. They all come from troubled lives.
Seventeen-year-old Sang Rotha is a student at PSE. “Sometimes I don’t do well on subjects like math,”he says, “I feel bad when I find it hard to keep up with my lessons. So that is why I skateboard -to improve my bad feelings. ’，
He says he began skateboarding more than a year ago. Before he started training, it seemed very easy. But it was very difficult to learn tricks, and he got hurt a lot from falling off.
Rory Burke says learning to deal with the difficulties is part of the lesson for these young skateboarders.According to the passage, PSE is a group ______.
| A． that works with Cambodian students |
| B． for young Cambodians to learn a trade |
| C． for young Cambodians in troubled lives |
| D． for young Cambodians taking skateboarding |
What is said about skateboarding in the passage?
| A． It is easy for young Cambodians to learn. |
| B． It is a good sport to help regain good feeling. |
| C． It originated in Afghanistan years ago. |
| D． It is as popular as Khmer boxing in Cambodia. |
The underlined part a little bit of hook probably means ______.
| A． something strange | B．something quite new |
| C． something different | D．something attractive |
It can be inferred from the passage that skateboarding is becoming ______.
| A． a sport liked by most young Cambodians |
| B． an increasingly popular sport in Cambodia |
| C． a sport used to better young Cambodians’ life |
| D． a good way to train young Cambodians’ learning skills |
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