A team of scientists from University of Freiburg in Germany are developing a shoe with a sensor to automatically tie its laces(鞋带)that could be taken off when users click their heels together．
It’s been 26 years since we saw them magically tightening Marty McFly’s Nike boots in the film Back to The Future．
Now，self-tying shoelaces could actually become a reality this year，proving right one of the film’s fantastical predictions for what 2015 would be like．
Engineers have designed a shoe that can automatically lace up，adjusting itself to the shape of your foot．
Simply slip the controller on and pressure sensors will tell the ‘smart shoe’ when your foot is in position，triggering(触发)a tiny motor in the heel that pulls the laces tight.
When you want to take off the shoes，you click your heels together twice and the motor will release a spring(弹簧)in the shoe’s tongue，which loosens the laces enough for you to slip them off．
And the invention doesn’t even need to be plugged in to charge or have its battery replaced because it runs on power generated by the swing of your foot as you walk.
Engineer K1evis Ylli，of the Institute for Micromachining and Information Technology in southern Gemany，said the shoes could help a variety of different people.
“One focus is that it could be used in shoes for elderly people who have mobility problems，”he said．“But it could also work for children，or as a lifestyle product．”．
The design，which is still in a prototype(雏形)stage，cleverly gets the energy of the foot’s swing when opposing magnets in each shoe move past each other. It then uses that power to charge a battery．An hour of walking is enough to tighten the laces once，and it requires no energy to undo the shoes because that relies on the spring alone.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
| A．A fantastical prediction |
| B．A great invention in Germany |
| C．A shoe with self-tying laces |
| D．A popular lifestyle product |
What can we learn about the shoes?
| A．They can automatically take off． |
| B．They can adjust themselves to your foot． |
| C．They need to be charged once． |
| D．They have been in design for 26 years． |
From the last paragraph we can know ____________．
| A．the shoes have been put into use |
| B．the shoes need power to take off |
| C．the shoes promise to be popular |
| D．how the shoes work to produce energy |
Most people who live in Seattle, Washington, love their city. There is a never-ending flow of fun things to do. But, people who live there do not always enjoy the day-after-day absence of sunshine during the winter months.
It is documented fact that sunshine (or lack of it) plays a major role in how each of us meets the day. It also affects how we perform at school or work. When people are derived of sunlight, they can develop seasonal affective disorder, which makes it difficult for them to feel happy or get things accomplished. No major city in the United States is more affected by the “sunshine factor” than Seattle.
To fight drizzle and fog during the winter months, Steve Murphy created a business that is very popular among the locals. The Indoor Sun Shoppe is more than a little ray of sunshine during the gray days of Seattle’s winter. His shop offers a huge source of plants and artificial lighting for people who are trying to overcome seasonal affective disorder.
Located in Fremont, Washington, The Indoor Sun Shoppe has an amazing collection of exotic plants and “good bugs” in a humid and well-lit environment. At The Indoor Sun Shoppe, you can spend up to $400 for artificial lighting that will chase away the winter blues. It will also keep your plants healthy. You can buy a dawn simulator that will gradually fill your room with a warming wake-up glow. What better way to meet a Seattle morning when real sunshine is nothing more than a happy thought!
Murphy’s in-home waterfalls are also popular with customers. But his plants and lights remain the “main course.” On a cloudy winter day, The Indoor Sun Shoppe is a bright spot in Seattle!Which of the following statements is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Seattle is located in the state of Washington. |
| B．Citizens love Seattle for their colorful city lives. |
| C．Sunshine in Seattle is rare during the winter months. |
| D．People who live in Seattle are used to the sunshine absence. |
Which of the following best defines the term seasonal affective disorder in Para.2?
| A．mild temperature and a general feeling of illness caused by gray winter |
| B．exhaustion, depression and lack of energy caused by a lack of sunlight |
| C．winter-related illness caused by the low temperature and little sunlight |
| D．post-holiday depression that comes when relatives leave after Christmas |
The Indoor Sun Shoppe _____.
| A．attracts people from different parts of the whole country |
| B．aims to create a humid and well-lit environment during winter months |
| C．brings only a little ray of sunshine during the gray days of Seattle’s winter |
| D．offers variety of goods helping people overcome seasonal affective disorder |
Which of the following best explains the use of a dawn simulator?
| A．An alarm clock stimulated by the light rays of early morning. |
| B．A bringer of indoor artificial sunshine when there is none outside. |
| C．An automatic waterfall system helping make indoor plants healthy. |
| D．A better way to meet a Seattle morning with real warming sunshine. |
Once you’ve tasted the joy and freedom of an all-access backstage pass, sitting in the balcony（楼厅） far from the stage has little attraction. In March of 2008, I had the opportunity to tour with a band. The experience was eye-opening.
I hadn’t realized how many misconceptions I had about the lifestyle of a world-class musician. Such a life is not as great as it appears. In fact, some aspects are extremely tedious. Hours and hours are spent waiting. The musicians wait for their transportation; they wait for the sound check; they wait to perform. After the show, they wait for the crowds of fans to go away.
When the musicians are not waiting, they are traveling. Sometimes the travel itself can seem attractive and exciting, with the limousines（豪华轿车） and the first-class seats on the plane. However, even these luxuries cannot make up for long, boring hours on the road or in the air. Basic needs are all but ignored. Late-night shows and early wake-up calls make them know the preciousness of sleep. The demanding travel itineraries（行程） and show schedules make regular meals impossible.
In spite of the sacrifices, life on tour has its advantage, at least for the talent. A support team generally travels with the band, with at least one person dedicated to meeting the musicians’ needs at all times. The musicians are expected to perform at the shows, but they are not expected to manage any detail of their lives. When I was with the band, I poured glasses of grapefruit juice, made sandwiches, prepared dressing rooms, and performed all kinds of routine work, such as buying toothpaste and getting money from the ATM. In addition, efforts are made by promoters to keep the musicians happy. Most places offer private dressing rooms for the musicians. There is also usually a green room, a room that is large with comfortable furnishings where the band can visit with friends and family while waiting to go on stage. Before the band goes on, their families and friends file out into the auditorium and find their seats. The house lights go dark and curtain rises. When the lights flash on and the band starts playing, the scene is magical. A behind-the-scenes view makes the experience even more spectacular.The underlined world in paragraph 2 probably means _____.
| A．exciting | B．boring | C．reasonable | D．ridiculous |
We can infer from the third paragraph that _____.
| A．good arrangements always make the trips comfortable and pleasant |
| B．most musicians would rather travel long distance than wait |
| C．most musicians ignore their basic needs because the travel is too luxurious |
| D．the lack of sleep and irregular meals seem to be a part of the life of musicians |
Which might be the best title for the passage?
| A．Behind the Scene. | B．Hard Life of Musicians. |
| C．My Part-time Job. | D．How to Make Musicians Happy. |
My teenage son Karl became withdraw after his father died. As a single parent, I tried to do my best to talk to him. But the more I tried, the more he pulled away. When his report card arrived during his junior year, it said that he had been absent 95 times from classes and had six falling grades for the year. At this rate he would never graduate. I sent him to the school adviser, and I even begged him. Nothing worked.
One night I felt so powerless that I got down on my knees and pleaded for help. “Please God, I can’t do anything more for my son. I’m at the end of my rope. I’m giving the whole thing up to you.”
I was at work when I got a phone call. A man introduced himself as the headmaster. “I want to talk to you about Karl’s absences.” Before he could say another word, I choked up and all my disappointment and sadness over Karl came pouring out into the ears of this stranger. “I love my son but I just don’t know what to do. I’ve tried everything to get Karl to go back to school and nothing has worked. It’s out of my hands.” For a moment there was silence on the other end of the line. The headmaster seriously said, “thank you for your time”, and hung up.
Karl’s next report card showed a marked improvement in his grades. Finally, he even made the honor roll. In his fourth year, I attended a parent-teacher meeting with Karl. I noticed that his teachers were astonished at the way he had turned himself around. On our way home, he said, “Mum, remember that call from the headmaster last year?” I nodded. “That was I. I thought I’d play a joke but when I heard what you said, it really hit me how much I was hurting you. That’s when I knew I had to make you proud.”By saying “Karl became withdrawn”, the author means that the boy changed entirely and _____.
| A．preferred to stay alone at home | B．often escaped school |
| C．refused to talk to others | D．began to dislike his mother |
There was silence on the other end of the line because _____.
| A．the speaker was too moved to say anything to the mother |
| B．the speaker waited for the mother to finish speaking |
| C．the speaker didn’t want the mother to recognize his voice |
| D．the speaker was unable to interrupt the mother |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Children in single-parent families often have mental problems. |
| B．Mother’s love plays an important role in teenagers’ life. |
| C．Being understood by parents is very important to teenagers. |
| D．School education doesn’t work without full support from parents. |
Did you ever look up at the moon and think you saw a man’s face there? When the moon is round and full, the shadows(影子) of the moon mountains and the lines of the moon valleys sometimes seem to show a giant nose and mouth and eyes. At least, some people think so.
If there were a man on the moon—instead of mountains and valleys that just look like the face of a man—what would he be like?
He would not be like anyone you know. He would not be like anyone anybody knows.
If the man on the moon were bothered by too much heat or cold the way Earth people are, he could not stay on the moon.
The moon becomes very, very hot. It becomes as hot as boiling water. And the moon becomes very, very cold. It becomes colder than ice.
Whatever part of the moon the sun shines on is hot and bright. The rest of the moon is cold and dark.
If the man on the moon had to breathe to stay alive, he couldn’t live on the moon because there’s no air there. He’d have to carry an oxygen tank, as astronauts do. There’s no food on the moon, either. Nothing grows—not even weeds（grass）.
If the man on the moon liked to climb mountains, he would be very happy. There are many high places there, such as the raised land around the holes, or craters(火山口), of the moon. Some of these rims are as tall as Earth’s highest mountains.
But if the man on the moon liked to swim, he would be unhappy. There is no water on the moon—just dust and rock.
When you think of what it’s like on the moon, you may wonder why it interests our scientists. One reason is that the moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor—it is the easiest place in space to get to.
Going back and forth between the moon and Earth, astronauts will get a lot of practice in space travel. Things learned on moon trips will be of great help to astronauts who later take long, long trips to some of the planets.
Scientists are also interested in the moon because it has no air. The air that surrounds Earth cuts down the view of the scientists who look at the stars through telescopes. A telescope on the moon would give them a clearer, closer view of the stars.（words: 411）What is the reason why our scientists are interested in the moon.?
| A．The moon is beautiful. |
| B．The moon is different from the earth. |
| C．The moon is Earth’s nearest neighbor—it is the easiest place in space to get to. |
| D．The moon is the easiest place in space to get to and it has no air, unlike Earth. |
The underlined word “rim” in the Paragraph 8 means _________ .
| A．ball | B．hill | C．round edge | D．height |
What is the main thought of the passage?
| A．We can learn much from research on the Moon. |
| B．There may be human beings on the moon. |
| C．If there were a man on the Moon, there would be many similarities between the man on the Moon and on the Earth. |
| D．A telescope on the Moon would help scientists have a clearer, closer sight of the stars. |
Everyone has got two personalities(性格)—the one that is shown to the world and the other that is secret and real. You don’t show your secret personality when you’re awake because you can control your behavior, but when you’re asleep, your sleeping position shows the real you. In a normal night, of course, people frequently change their position. The important position is the one that you go to sleep in.
If you go to sleep on your back, you’re a very open person. You normally trust people and you are easily influenced by fashion or new ideas. You don’t like to upset people, so you never express your real feelings. You’re quite shy and you aren’t very confident.
If you sleep on your stomach, you are a rather secretive(不坦率的)person. You worry a lot and you’re always easily upset. You’re very stubborn, but you aren’t very ambitious(有雄心的). You usually live for today not for tomorrow. This means that you enjoy having a good time.
If you sleep curled up(卷曲), you are probably a very nervous person. You have a low opinion of yourself and so you’re often defensive（提防的）. You’re shy and you don’t normally like meeting people. You prefer to be on your own. You’re easily hurt.
If you sleep on your side, you have usually got a well-balanced personality. You know your strengths and weaknesses. You’re usually careful. You have a confident personality. You sometimes feel anxious, but you don’t often get depressed（压抑）. You always say what you think even if it annoys people.（words: 278）According to the writer，you naturally show your secret and real personality _______.
| A．only in a normal night |
| B．only when you go to sleep |
| C．only when you refuse to show yourself to the world |
| D．only when you change sleeping position |
Which is NOT mentioned in the second paragraph about a person’s personality?
| A．He or she is always open with others. |
| B．He or she always likes new ideas earlier than others. |
| C．He or she is always easily upset. |
| D．He or she tends（倾向） to believe in others. |
Point out which sentence is used to show the personality of a person who is used to sleeping on his or her stomach?
| A．He or she is careful not to offend（冒犯） others. |
| B．He or she doesn’t want to stick to his or her opinion. |
| C．He or she likes to bring others happiness. |
| D．He or she can’t be successful in any business. |
Maybe you don’t want to make friends with a person who sleeps curled up. Why?
| A．He or she would rather be alone than communicate with you. |
| B．He or she is rarely ready to help you. |
| C．He or she prefers staying at home to going out. |
| D．He or she wouldn’t like to get help from you. |
It appears that the writer tends to think highly of the person who sleeps on one side because __________.
| A．he or she always shows sympathy for people |
| B．he or she is confident，but not stubborn |
| C．he or she has more strengths than weaknesses |
| D．he or she often considers annoying people |
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