The year of 2014 saw smart people always busy inventing useful things，which have helped to
make the world better，smarter and a little more fun. Now，let's take a look at some of the inventions.
Super banana
Australian biogeneticist（生物遗传学家）James Dale
visited Uganda，a poor African country，in the early 2000s，
where he found that 15％-30% of children under 5 were at
the risk of going blind because they didn't get enough vitamin
A. Dale also learned that people there love bananas. They
eat 3 to 11 bananas a day. So hecame up with an idea to
plant bananas containing added nutrition in order to improve
Ugandans' health ．With the help of Bill Gates' foundation，Dale developed the“super banana，’·He added a gene to the fruit，making it rich in vitamin A.
Which of the following statements would James Dale agree with?
| A．Children in Uganda should eat fewer bananas. |
| B．Vitamin A is largely found in fruits like bananas. |
| C．Super bananas are definitely a safe biological product. |
| D．People's eating habits can be used to develop new food. |
What is the biggest advantage of the 94Fifty Basketball?
| A．The sensors hidden inside can help players run faster in a game. |
| B．It can help players to improve their shooting and ball-handling skills. |
| C．It allows players to connect to their smartphones while playing basketball. |
| D．The Bluetooth chip inside allows its users to listen to music while playing basketball. |
What can we learn about the hovercraft from the text?
| A．It enables its users to float off the ground freely. |
| B．It can work on many different kinds of surfaces. |
| C．It still needs to improve its power and efficiency. |
| D．It is an affordable means of transport for a family. |
What do the hovercraft and wireless electricity have in common according to the text?
| A．They create magnetic fields to produce power. |
| B．They apply technologies to many things in life. |
| C．They are technologies which can produce electricity. |
| D．They use wireless technology to improve their products. |
Ever since Grumpy Cat first appeared online, the Internet can’t get enough of her. But attention is not the only thing that this cat is getting. Her fortune is estimated at $ 100 million, more than many famous actors and musicians earn.
So how did it all start?
Grumpy Cat’s owner Tabatha Bundesen was working as a waitress when her brother Bryan decided to take a photo of her funny-looking cat and post it on Reddit, the social-news site. In a matter of hours, she became a sensation(轰动).
It got 1 million views on Imgur in 48 hours.
Grumpy Cat’s real name is Tardar Sauce and she actually has a condition called dwarfism, which makes her constantly frowning. But that unique frown turned out to be worth millions of dollars.
Tabatha, who lives in Arizona in US, isn’t complaining. She still remembers that September 22, 2012, when her life turned upside down.
Since her cat became a worldwide phenomenon, she was able to quit her job and devote her life to managing her cat’s modeling career. Sounds unbelievable, but it’s true. She says that her only job now is to book Tardar’s photo shoots, commercials(商业广告), and other appearances.
What are the other benefits of owning a million-dollar cat?
Apart from not having to work, Tabatha can travel all the time. She has time and money to visit her family more often and enjoy her life. She never could have imagined just how huge her cat would become, but she always knew Tardar was very special. And she is glad to see her cat bringing joy to so many people around the world.
As for the millions of dollars Grumpy has earned, they come from all the products, commercials and a best-selling book. She even has her own movie—Grumpy Cat’s Worst Christmas Ever.What does the underlined part “the Internet can’t get enough of her’ mean?
| A．The Internet can’t stand her any more. |
| B．The Internet can’t pay more attention to her. |
| C．People don’t focus on her any longer on the Internet. |
| D．The Internet can’t find enough information about her. |
What made Grumpy Cat become famous?
| A．Her unusual appearance. | B．Her bad temper. |
| C．Her short and fat body. | D．Her unique fur. |
About Tabatha Bundesen, we know that____________.
| A．she now works as a waitress. |
| B．she feels very tired of her famous cat. |
| C．she only manages her can’s modeling career. |
| D．she is too busy to go home to visit her parents |
The general idea of the last paragraph is_____________.
| A．how the cat can become so famous. |
| B．how the cat can make so much money. |
| C．what the film about the cat is named |
| D．how the cat’s owner spend so much money |
A California man who was feeling sick almost died recently from a shocking cause.
26-year-old Luis Ortiz went to a hospital because of a headache and nausea(恶心，作呕). When doctors examined him, they were shocked to find a tapeworm larva(绦虫幼虫) in his brain. The story gets stranger. The larva was still alive.
The creature had caused a cyst(囊肿) to form inside his head. The cyst was restricting the flow of liquids to different areas of his brain. The situation was so serious that doctors said they had to perform an emergency operation to remove the larva.
A doctor who operated on Ortiz told him he had only 30 minutes to live. When the doctor pulled the worm out of his head, it was still moving.
Luis Ortiz was a student at California State University in Sacramento. He began experiencing headaches in late August. But Ortiz said he did not think the headaches were serious.
In September, he visited a friend and his parents in another city. That is when the pain got worse. His mother saw Ortiz throwing up and took him to a hospital emergency room.
The doctors saved Ortiz's life. However, the surgery also affected him. Ortiz had to drop out of school and move back home. For now, he is not permitted to work or drive a vehicle.
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the U.S. has about 1,000 reported cases of tapeworms each year. The CDC adds that tapeworms are more common in developing countries with poor public health systems.
The best way to avoid a tapeworm infection (感染)is to wash fruits and vegetables. Also, make sure meat is cooked thoroughly. The CDC suggests cooking all meats to an internal temperature of at least 63 degrees Celsius.
What caused Luis Ortiz to feel sick and headaches?
| A．Dirty food eaten in August. |
| B．Travelling for a long way, |
| C．A living creature in his brain. |
| D．Uncooked meat eaten by him. |
If the doctors didn’t have an emergency operation on him , Luis Ortiz was likely to ________ _ .
| A．die of cancer | B．live for only half an hour |
| C．finish studying in school | D．pass the driving tests |
How should people avoid infecting tapeworms?
| A．By washing fruits and vegetable. |
| B．By boiling plates and bowls before meals. |
| C．By cooking meats to at least 63 °C outside, |
| D．By improving the development of economy. |
What did the writer think of the cause of Luis Ortiz’s disease?
| A．Quite frightening. | B．Very dangerous. |
| C．Rather puzzling. | D．Extremely surprising. |
I have been in Limoges for a month now. since living here, I have tried to integrate(融合) into the local community and one way I have found to do this is by following the local rugby team.
I decided to look for information on the local rugby team after the tourism office could not help me. I searched for the club office online and decided to look into it. The following day I went back to the club after speaking with them and decided to get a season ticket for the rest of my stay here. I will now be going to each home game as well as travelling to the away games with the team and the fans. I am sure that it is going to be a great experience during my time abroad here. I will also be travelling through various regions of France so I will be visiting new places throughout the season. There is another team in a town called Brive not so far away who play in the top league in France, but I decided to stay local. I may go and see them with other assistants if possible during our stay.
I witnessed a friendly match on Saturday when they played Stade Dijon in the division below them. The match finished 70-12. After the match, both teams went to the club house to see the Rugby World Cup semi-final between New Zealand and Australia. Both teams respected each others which is something you don’t always see in other sports. I spoke to the president of the club after the game and he told me, “This is a family club.” Hopefully this year will be a good year for Limoges.How did the writer try to combine into Limoges' community?
| A．By taking part in the local rugby team. |
| B．By watching the rugby matches in Limoges, |
| C．By playing often with the people in Limoges. |
| D．By paying close attention to the local rugby team. |
The underlined word “it” in the second paragraph refers to_____________,
| A．the club office | B．the local rugby team |
| C．the tourism office | D．the local community |
Why did the two teams go to the club house aft6r the match?
| A．To show respect to each other. |
| B．To watch the Rugby World Cup semi-final. |
| C．To clean the club together. |
| D．To exchange experience with each other. |
What can we infer from the text?
A. The writer must be a top rugby player.
B. The writer is likely to be a boss of a rugby club.
C The writer is likely to come from Australia.
D. The writer probably works as an assistant in France.
IMAGINE that your parents have bought you the most advanced robot. He looks like a real person. He talks to you and plays with you. He can even think for himself and figure out what you need.
It may feel as if you have a considerate new brother who keeps you company all the time. But come to think of it, can you really trust him?
Ever since the first robot was created decades ago, scientists have kept thinking about the task of making robots more like humans. However, as they have gotten closer to that goal, doubts have grown. According to the BBC, Japanese robot designer Masahiro Mori argues that the more lifelike robots become, the more humans feel a connection to them. But once they become too similar to humans, people begin to feel uncomfortable.
This theory is what led to the creation of a brand new robot in Switzerland earlier this month. Roboy, as the new machine is called, has various human-like abilities such as hand-shaking and bicycle-riding, but instead of a skin-like covering, Roboy is wrapped in shiny white armor (盔甲) that clearly shows its robot status.
“As long as people can clearly see that the robot is a machine, even if they project their feelings into it, then they feel comfortable,” Rolf Pfeifer, the creator of Roboy from the University of Zurich, Switzerland, told the BBC.
But the problem that people have with robots is not just with the way they look. It also has to do with the roles that they play in our lives.
A survey last year of European Union countries showed that 88 percent of those interviewed agreed that robots are “necessary as they can do jobs that are too hard or dangerous for people”, such as space exploration and war fighting. But when it comes to taking care of children, 60 percent said that robots should not be allowed to participate, because as robots become more advanced and complicated, parents may tend to hand over too much responsibility to them.
No matter what, robots will soon enter our homes, Pfeifer said. What is not yet clear is whether they will act more like servants who work for us or companions who live with us.What is the purpose of the text?
| A．To introduce the newly-invented robot, Roboy. |
| B．To discuss problems related to designing robots. |
| C．To explore the roles robots will play in our future lives. |
| D．To argue what kinds of robots appeal to people more. |
Why did Pfeifer make Roboy look like a robot?
| A．To better protect it. |
| B．To make it look cool and modern. |
| C．To make it clearly different from a human. |
| D．To keep its price down. |
Which best describes the author’s tone in the article?
| A．Objective(客观的). | B．Critical(批评的). |
| C．Admiring. | D．Anxious. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The brand new robot in Switzerland can do everything human beings can. |
| B．Scientists have long been dreaming of creating human-like robots. |
| C．Robots in the future will serve as human beings’ good friends. |
| D．People won’t be comfortable with robots like a machine in the house. |
Eating too much fatty food，exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately：the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure（暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problems, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can cause heart attack or stroke（中风） within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one report of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants（污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. Another study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency（EPA）considers to be of “moderate”(良好) quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.
The text mainly discusses the relationship between _________ .
| A．heart problems and air quality |
| B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking |
| D．heart problems and fatty food |
The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means _________ .
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
We can learn from the text that __________？
| A．eating fatty food has immediate effects on your heart. |
| B．the EPA conducted many studies on air quality. |
| C．moderate air quality is more harmful than smoking. |
| D．stricter regulations on pollutants should be made. |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _________ .
| A．inform | B．persuade | C．describe | D．entertain |
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