Last week my youngest son and I visited my father at his new home in Tucson, Arizona. He moved there a few years ago, and I couldn’t wait to see his new house and meet his friends.
My earliest memories of my father are a tall, handsome, successful man devoted to his work and his family, but uncomfortable with his children. As a child I loved him. He seemed unhappy with me if I didn’t get A’s in my exams and unhappy with my friends if their fathers were not as “successful” as he was. Whenever I went out with him on weekends, I used to try hard to think out things to say, feeling on guard.
On the first day of my visit, we went out with one of my father’s friends for lunch at an outdoor cafe. We walked along that afternoon, did some shopping, ate on the street table, and laughed over my son’s funny facial expressions. Gone was my father’s critical(挑剔的) air and strict rules. Who was this friendly and interesting person now? What had made him so critical before?
The next day dad pulled out his childhood pictures and told me quite a few stories about his own childhood. Although our times together became easier over the years, I never felt closer to him at that moment. After so many years, I’m at last seeing another side of my father. And I’m happy to be with my new friend. My dad, in his new home in Arizona, is back to me from where he was.Why did the writer feel bitter(痛苦) about her father when she was young?
| A．He was silent most of the time. |
| B．He was too proud of himself. |
| C．He expected too much of her. |
| D．He didn’t love his children. |
When the writer went out with her father on weekends, she would feel ________.
| A．safe | B．sorry | C．tired | D．nervous |
What does the writer think of her father after her visit to Tucson?
| A．More critical. | B．Easy-going and friendly. |
| C．More humorous. | D．Strict and hard-working. |
The underlined words in the last paragraph refer to ________.
| A．the writer’s son |
| B．the writer’s father |
| C．the friend of the writer’s father |
| D．the cafe owner |
The Value of Negative Results
We all avoid failure（失败），and most of us fear it.However，without failure，progress would be impossible.What does success usually come after？Failure.It seems that one cannot exist（存在）without the other.
Accepting failure is not easy for many，though we are often unwilling accept failure because our professional fame depends on success.（1） In the past ten years，for example，some scientific magazines have published reports of failed tests.It is believed that scientists can learn more "negative（负面的）"results and that this can finally lead to positive results.
（2） The ABN AMRO bank started an Institute （机构）of Brilliant Failures to learn more about what works and what doesn't in banking.Eli Lilly and Company had failure parties to study the drugs（药物）that don't work.
In fact，one of the business world's most famous failures became one of its biggest successes，in part because the product's makers learned from their mistakes.（3） The product，though unique（独特的）at the time，was expensive and heavy；besides，some of its most important features（特点）didn't work properly.As a result，Apple's CEO，Steve Jobs，believed in the product and he began to find out ways of improving it.In time，this led to the production of the iPhone and the iPad，two of the company's most successful products.
（4） Not only should we try to learn from it if we want to succeed，we must also be persistent（执着的）.Though Apple stopped selling the Newton in 1998，the first iPhone wasn't available until 2007.It took a lot of research and hard work to go from the Apple Newton to iPhone but in the end，the effort became successful.
All in all，there is a lot we can learn by studying mistakes.Perhaps the most important lesson is that failure and success are two sides of the same coin. （5）
A.One truly cannot exist without the other.
B.We are brave enough to face difficulties.
C.In the early 1990s，Apple created a phone called the Apple Newton.
D.The business world already understands the value of negative results.
E.The Apple Newton has won popularity with people all over the world.
F.However，things are slowly changing，especially in business and science.
G.The story of the Apple Newton can teach us an important lesson about failure.
Many scientist once believed that physical similarities between identical twins are genetic（基因的），while their personalities，intelligence and other differences between them are an effect of their environment.Now scientists are discovering that the boundaries（界限）between genes and environment are not so clear.
Twins Jim Springer and Jim Lewis were adopted（领养）as babies and raised by different couples.When the Jims finally met at age 39，they discovered they had plenty in common.Both were six feet tall，180 pounds.They had the same smile and the same voice.When scientist Thomas Bouchard Jr.invited the Jim twins to his lab，people there found it very hard to tell them apart.
But the similarities didn't stop at the physical.They'd both had dogs named Toy.They had both married women named Linda and then their marriage broke up.They'd both been policemen，enjoyed music，and left love notes around the house for their wives.They had so much in common，it seemed unlikely these were just coincidences （巧合）.
The Jim twins were just one of 137 sets of separated twins.Bouchard tested.When they compared the twins' IQ scores，Bouchard and his team reached a surprising conclusion（结论）.They concluded that intelligence was mostly connected to genes rather than to training or education.It seemed the differences in family and environment had little effect.
However，genes can't control everything，argues geneticist Danielle Reed，who also studies twins.Reed's research shows that though nothing can truly change our DNA，environmental differences that a child experiences before birth and in their first year can sometimes affect the way the DNA behaves，making even identical twins into very different people. "What I like to say is that Mother Nature writes some things in pencil and some things in pen， "She explains. "Things written in pen you can't change.That's DNA.But things written in pencil you can. "
（1）How many physical similarities between the Jim twins are mentioned？
| A． |
2. |
| B． |
3. |
| C． |
4. |
| D． |
5. |
（2）What did Bouchard's study find about the twins？
| A． |
Each seemed to be as tall as their twin. |
| B． |
Each had the same hobby as their twin. |
| C． |
Each had almost the same ability as their twin. |
| D． |
Each had about the same IQ level as their twin. |
（3）What is Reed's opinion about genes and environment？
| A． |
Only DNA has an effect on our development. |
| B． |
Environment could possibly change some things about us. |
| C． |
There are no boundaries between genes and environment. |
| D． |
Environmental differences can sometimes change our DNA． |
（4）What is the passage mainly about？
| A． |
The way the DNA behaves. |
| B． |
The similarities between the Jim twins. |
| C． |
The connection between intelligence and families. |
| D． |
The effects of genes on personality and intelligence. |
Eight hundred years ago，a man in southern Turkey invented an amazing clock.It was more than 7 meters high.At is base（基座）was a life﹣size model elephant.Every half hour，something amazing happened.The whole clock came alive Model birds，dragons，and people started to move.
The clock's inventor was an engineer named al﹣Jazari He lived in Turkey.Al﹣Jazari was probably one of the greatest engineers in history.Some historians call him "the father of modern﹣day engineering. "
We know about al﹣Jazari mostly from a book that he wrote._________They include clocks and hand﹣washing machines.The book also has drawings that show how each machine works.
Many everyday things today﹣from toys to car engines（发动机）--still use al﹣Jazari's ideas.Without his machines with moving parts，we might no have modern﹣day robots.
Today，it is still possible to see what al﹣Jazari's elephant cock looked like.A full﹣size working mode is in Dubai's Ibn Battuta Mal.There，every half hour，al﹣Jazari's most amazing invention comes to life once again.
How Does the Elephant Clock Work？
A bowl with a small hole floats（浮）in a water tank（水箱）inside the elephant's body.As the bowl slowly sinks（下沉），it pulls a rope that moves a human figure.His moving pen shows the number of minutes past he hour.
Every half hour，the water bowl becomes full and sinks completely. Thiscauses a ball to fall from the top of the clock.The movement of the ball causes a phoenix to move and make a sound.
The ball then drops out of a falcon's mouth into the mouth of a Chinese dragon.The weight of the ball causes the dragon's head to move down and the dragon's tail pulls the water bowl back up.
Finally，the ball drops out of the dragon's mouth and into a vase.As the ball lands in the vase，the elephant driver moves and makes a sound.The cycle begins again until there are no more ball in the top of the clock.
（1）Why is al﹣Jazari called "the father of modern﹣day engineering"？
| A． |
His ideas are still widely used in machines. |
| B． |
The elephant clock is an amazing invention. |
| C． |
His inventions include some parts of modern robots. |
| D． |
His book about machines is still popular with readers. |
（2）Choose the best sentence to fill in the blank " "in Paragraph 3.
| A． |
He became famous when he was a young man. |
| B． |
He invented a lot of everyday machines in history. |
| C． |
It describes a number of machines fall shapes and sizes. |
| D． |
People in Turkey enjoy reading his books in their free time. |
（3）What does the underlined word "This" in Paragraph7 refer to？
| A． |
The pen moves. |
| B． |
The all drops. |
| C． |
The bowl sinks completely. |
| D． |
The bow pulls the rope. |
（4）How does the elephant clock work？Put the steps in the correct order.
a.The ball drops into the vase.
b.The ball drops into the dragon's mouth.
c．The elephant driver moves and makes a sound.
d.After 30 minutes，a ball starts to fall from the top.
e.The bowl moves down in the water and pulls on ropes.
| A． |
b﹣d﹣a﹣c﹣e |
| B． |
e﹣d﹣b﹣a﹣c |
| C． |
a﹣e﹣b﹣d﹣c |
| D． |
c﹣a﹣d﹣e﹣b |
Today，by carefully choosing dog parents，humans have created many different kinds of dog Each kind has its own look and talents and its own role within human society.Here are three examples of "a dog's life" in the human world.
Today，many hospitals let specially trained dogs in to bring love and cheer to patients.Shaynee is a therapy（治疗）dog.She visits children who are in hospital.Dogs like Shaynee help patients feel calm and at peace which can be hard in a busy hospital.They help both children and adults stay strong during long hospital stays，and，some suggest，even help them get better.
Today some beagles（小猎犬）work in airports for the government They are part of the program called he Beagle Brigade.A beagle is good or the work because of its powerful nose，and ability to follow smells.The Beagle Brigade's job is to smell everything that comes into the country.They make officers notice illegal（非法的）fruits.vegetables，and other foods in luggage or in mail.The beagles do the job far better than any human could.
While some dogs are working hard others are free to spend their days resting and playing Across the world，many pet dogs are treated like children.Many have their own rooms and all the things a dog could want Some even have their own clothes.Many of these pets spend their days playing，learning to follow or even going to classes.Their owners give them the best，and enjoy doing so.
Whether as workers or objects of affection（钟情）dogs have become helpful to humans in many ways.There are plenty of advantages for the dog，too.Many kinds of wild dogs have nearly disappeared from the Earth.However，the domestic dog's special place as "man's best friend" has allowed it to survive （存活）in a human world.
（1）What is the main idea of Paragraph 2？
| A． |
Hospitals need many special dogs. |
| B． |
Dogs can take care of patients. |
| C． |
Patients need love in the hospital. |
| D． |
Doctors are too busy to see patients. |
（2）What does the underlined word " domestic" in Paragraph 5 mean？
| A． |
Trained. |
| B． |
Smart. |
| C． |
Hungry. |
| D． |
Valuable. |
（3）What's the purpose of the passage？
| A． |
To ask people to treat dogs as their own children. |
| B． |
To explain why humans need beagles in their work. |
| C． |
To tell people about the history of dogs' development. |
| D． |
To show a good relationship between dogs and humans. |
（4）Which of the following best shows the structure of the passage？
British adventurer（冒险家） Alastair Humphreys had ridden his bike around the world，walked cross India，and rowed （划船）from Africa to South America.In 2011，however，Humphreys had some of the biggest adventurers of his life﹣and he never even left the United Kingdom.
For a year，Humphreys went on microadventures ﹣ small，low﹣cost trips close to home.Why did he do this？ "I started to think that it was possible to have an adventure anywhere." He explains.For his first trip，he went hiking with a friend around the M25﹣a 188﹣kilometre road that goes all the way around London.Other adventures included swimming in the River Thames，sleeping outside on a hill，and going on a mountain biking trip.Humphreys learned something important from his microadventures：We find adventures when we try something new.
Humphreys wanted other people to make this discovery，too，so he decided to share his idea.He challenged people to go on microadventures and send him four﹣minute videos of their trips.He asked them to do things like climb a hill，go away for a weekend，or choose a random （任意的）place on a map and go there.People from all over the world accepted his challenge and posted their videos on Twitter.
（1）Which of the following belong to microadventures？Check and choose the right answer.
①Walk across India.
②Sleep outside on a hill.
③Go away for a weekend.
④Swim in the River Thames.
⑤Row from Africa to South America.
⑥Hike around the road around London.
| A． |
①③④⑤ |
| B． |
①④⑤⑥ |
| C． |
②③④⑥ |
| D． |
②③⑤⑥ |
（2）What can we know about Humphreys' personality according to the passage？
| A． |
Brave，creative and active. |
| B． |
Proud，humorous and kind. |
| C． |
Careful，quiet and hard﹣working. |
| D． |
Confident，strict and warm﹣hearted. |
（3）What would be the best title for the passage？
| A． |
A Big Challenge |
| B． |
An Amazing Travel |
| C． |
Keep a Trip Record |
| D． |
Go for a Microadventure |
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