() 7. The patent application cannot be approved unless the product is unique.

() 6. The net was used to avoid the snakes’ biting.

() 5. The frozen bowl and the ice-cubes were used again in the evening because it was quiet at night.

() 4. The frozen bowl and the ice-cubes did not function at all.

() 3. The third method was chosen because it would cause the least harm to the snakes.

() 2. Finding a proper way to trap the snakes was more difficult than expected.

Task II. Read the text and decide whether the following statements are true (T) or false (F) .

() 1. I wanted to show that I was outstanding by inventing something to catch the snakes.

Task I. Read the text and All in the blanks in the chart.

Problems: snakes near the house; removing them without 1. them

Before catching  Preparations: researching their 2. to find the easiest solution

Three findings a. removing their habitat  b. trapping them  c. 3. them and removing them

Three attempts a. Putting a bowl over the snakes’ habitat with 4. The on the top

b. Using the same method in the evening

Result: The snakes were 5. but still tried to bite.

c. Repeating the second procedure,but using a(n) 6.

Patent application Criteria a. 7. invention

Examination a. different from others  b. 8. claim  c. published 18 months later

                                          B

               All parents and schoolteachers know that being able to spell properly is a fundamental skill that young people must develop before they enter the classroom. But,as every parent and teacher also knows,learning spelling can be difficult for children in the early stages. The problem with English spelling is that the letters do not correspond to (与……相对应) speech sounds.

               Good spelling skills are an important part of being able to read and write to a reasonable standard,Reading,writing and spelling are important in the first place because they all help to develop an effective level of literacy (识字).Without this,school coursework would not be completed satisfactorily and end-of-year exams would be failed. Getting good grades in exams,especially towards the end of a person's school life is extremely important if they are looking to go on to college or university before entering the employment market.

               Learning to spell is important because being able to spell correctly adds so much to your skills and abilities,especially when it comes to finding a college or university place,or entering the job market for the first time. Writing a ?decent CV(简历) and completing the application correctly is vital in the effort to make a good impression. It was reported recently that employers rejected the vast majority of 1 ,000 job applications submitted by graduates simply because of bad spelling.

               Could our use of technology be the reason for bad spelling? Although not proven,there have been concerns in recent years that the rise of text messaging and “chatspeak” used in social media could be leading to a reduction in literacy,as abbreviations(缩写) become commonly used by children. Opinions differ on this possibility. Some research suggests that this may not necessarily be true,but other studies have shown that in some cases it is a cause for concern.

                But the end of school education may be too late. Obviously,the main time for learning is during childhood when most people can achieve a reasonable level of spelling to help their overall literacy. But it is perhaps surprising that many adults have extremely poor spelling and struggle with common words such as embarrass,occasion and restaurant.

6. Children’s difficulty in learning spelling lies in the fact that.

   A. they don't know how to read

   B. the rules are difficult to master

   C. many words are long and complex

   D. the letters don't match speech sounds

7. Students looking to enter college need to .

   A. work hard to get good grades

   B. have job application experiences

   C. reach a high standard of speaking

   D. submit a correctly-spelled application

8. The underlined word “decent” in Paragraph 3 can best be replaced by.

   A. quick    B. good-quality

   C. recent   D. well-meaning

9. We may conclude from Paragraph 4 that .

   A. the use of text messaging leads to good spelling

   B. “chatspeak” helps children develop their literacy

   C. the use of technology has caused increasing concern

   D. common use of abbreviations shows children's literacy level

10. What would be the best title for the text?

   A. Why is learning to spell important?

   B. Why do many children have poor spelling?

   C. When should children start to learn spelling?

   D. How should children develop their spelling skills?

阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项。

                                     A 

               Called “the man who shaped America” and “the father of modem industrial design”, Raymond Loewy must be one of the most influential designers of all time. He revolutionized the industry,working as an adviser for more than 200 companies and creating designs for everything from packaging to refrigerators,from cars to the insides of spaceships.

                Loewy's designs all had one thing in common. They were shaped by the MAYA principle — Most Advanced Yet Acceptable. His idea was that people will not accept solutions to design problems if the solutions are too different from current designs.

                Loewy started his career in industrial design in 1929 by re-designing a copying machine for the British manufacturer, Sigmund Gestetner. The 28-year-old designer completed the task in three days and the design of the machine lasted for the next 40 years.

                The Gestetner copying machine was the beginning of many designs which used streamlining (流线型) . He described this as “beauty through function and simplificationHe spent the next 50 years streamlining everything from postage stamps and company logos (商标) to the insides of stores. The famous Greyhound bus and Studebaker car show his use of streamlining in action.

                 He is perhaps most famous for his re-design of the Lucky Strike packaging. In 1940,the President of the Lucky Strike Manufacturing Company,George Washington Hill,bet Loewy $50,000 that he could not improve the appearance of the green and red Lucky Strike packets. Loewy accepted the challenge. He changed the background of the packet from green to white. Then he put the red lucky strike target on both sides of the packet. This made it more eye-catching and greatly increased sales. It is now recognized as a design classic.

                 Loewy's logo design aimed at “visual retention(视觉保持)”.He wanted to make sure that anyone who saw the logo,even for a short while,would never forget it. He designed many highly visible logos for famous companies such as Shell Oil,Exxon,Greyhound and Nabisco.

                 By the mid 20th century,his industrial design firm was so famous that he could say “the average person,leading a normal life ... is bound to be in daily contact with some of the things,services or structures” designed by his firm.

1. Loewy's biggest influence was in.

   A. completely changing the design industry

   B. successfully shaping Americans' taste

   C. changing people's idea about design

   D. building a professional design team

2. Loewy's designs were based on the idea of.

   A. speeding up the design process

   B. providing completely different designs

   C. providing most immediately recognizable designs

   D. offering original but not revolutionary answers to problems

3. Loewy first used streamlining.

   A. in his re-design of the Lucky Strike packaging

   B. when he designed a company logo for the Gestetner

   C. when he re-designed a copying machine for Gestetner

   D. in his design for the Greyhound bus and Studebaker car

4. Loewy's logo designs aimed at .

   A. making the companies well known

   B. bringing freshness for a short while

   C. attracting people to the companies’ history

   D. making company symbols very memorable

5. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

   A. Loewy provided service to ordinary people.

   B. Loewy's designs were famous and influential.

   C. Loewy's design firms existed all over the world.

   D. Loewy was welcomed and respected by the public.