Concepts from science and nature are filled with our language’s common phrases , idioms and spoken expressions. The unbelieving expression “Well, I’ll be a monkey’s uncle” has its origin in bitter disbelief over Darwin’s writings on evolution. These colourful expressions bring spice(趣味) to our language.

Yet certain well-used phrases from science are just plain wrong! Some are obvious, yet we use them anyhow. For example, a person who acutely shakes her head and says “ A watched pot never boils” while you are waiting second after tiring second for test results to arrive or job offers to come in knows that if she sat down and watched a pot containing water on a stove over high heat for long enough, the water will eventually boil.

However, a few phrases have less obvious scientific inaccuracies. Here are a few for you to consider.

Once in a blue moon: This poetic phrase refers to something that occurs extremely rarely. A blue moon is the term commonly used for a second full moon that occasionally appears in a single month of our solar-based calendars. The problem with the phrase, however, is that blue moons are not so rare. They happen every few years at least, and can even happen within months of each other when the 29.5-day lunar cycle puts the full moon at the beginning of any month but February. The usage of “blue moon” as the second full moon in a month dates back to a 1937 Marine Farmer’s Almanac . But before that, blue moons meant something slightly different. Typically, 12 full moons occur from winter solstice to the next winter solstice, but occasionally a fourth full moon in a season could be observed . In such a case, one of the four full moons in that season was known as “blue”

Where there’s smoke, there’s fire: The phrase means that if something looks wrong, it likely is wrong. But let’s step back. Do you always have to have fire if you see smoke? Answering that first requires defining ‘fire” , Merriam—Webster’s first definition of fire is “ the phenomenon of combustion manifested in light, flame and heat”. Combustion is the chemical reaction that occurs when fuel is burned in the presence of oxygen---denying a fire any of these three things will stop the fire; attempting to start a fire without any one of the three things will be impossible. In complete combustion---what occurs when you light a gas stove--- the fire produces no smoke. However, when most materials are burned, they have incomplete combustion, which means that the fire isn’t able to completely burn all of the fuel . Smoke, then, can be considered to be a product of pyrolysis (高温分解) rather than of fire itself. You’re probably thinking---so what? To get the smoke, a fire needed to be present at some point, right? Not always.

Diamonds are forever: Thanks to the DeBeers slogan , decorating your honey’s neck, wrists and fingers with diamonds means true and timeless love. Of course, no object that you can hold in your hand can last forever. But diamonds have a special reason for being incapable of timelessness. Without the extreme pressures of the deep Earth where they formed, a diamond will slowly turn back into graphite(石墨), which is why the older a diamond is, the more inclusions it’s likely to have.

What common phrases push your buttons when viewed under the microscope of science? Are you curious about the hidden knowledge of some “ big” phrases ? Or perhaps you have the ability to uncover the secret of some unscientific phrases? Let us know!

1.According to the passage, the blue moon _________.

A. appears at the beginning of a month

B. gains its modern meaning before 1937

C. presents itself quite frequently sometimes

D. can never be seen by people in February

2.What can be concluded from the passage?

A. the older a diamond is, the more valuable it’s likely to be.

B. Fire is not necessarily causing smoke

C. Smoke is a product of complete combustion

D. the less obvious scientific inaccuracies of some phrases make them more useful

3. The underlined phrase “push your buttons” in the last paragraph means “_______”.

A. impress you a lot B. frighten you much.

C. surprise you greatly D. make you lose your interest

4. The author’s attitude towards the scientific inaccuracies of the phrases is ________.

A. indifferent B. objective

C. critical D. favourable

任务型阅读,请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡上相应题号的横线上。

Antibiotics, insulin, organ transplantation, HIV treatments and heart-bypass surgeries—it reads like an A to Z of medical progress. But the major progress has something in common: they were all developed and tested by using animals. Actually, animals are used for research in a variety of settings. Whether or not humans should use animals for testing purposes, however, is a controversial subject.

Animal testing allows researchers to develop new medicine and treatments, advancing the field of medicine and improving the health of society. For example, many drugs used to treat or prevent cancer, HIV, diabetes, etc, have resulted from tests performed on animals. Many advocators of animal testing support the practice for this reason, even if they do not support testing, cosmetics or other non-essential substances on animals. No one chooses to use animals where there in no need. In fact, animal research has contributed to 70 percent of Nobel prizes for physiology or medicine.

Animal testing also enables scientists and researchers to test the safety of medicine and other substances with which humans have regular contact. Drugs, for example , may create significant risks to humans, so testing them on animals first gives researchers a chance to determine their safety before human trials are performed. While scientists understand the differences between humans and animals, the similarities are considered significant enough to produce relevant data that they can then apply to humans. This, animal testing reduces harm to humans and saves lives, not only because the exposure to risky substances is minimized, but because some new medicine and treatments have positive effects on humans’ overall quality of life.

However, a significant number of animals are harmed or die as a result of experiments and testing. Unfortunately, many of the substances used on animal subjects never receive approval for human use or consumption. Those who oppose animal testing consider this a very important point , because saving humans from suffering is no excuse for the death of laboratory animals. Opponents also argue that animals are dissimilar enough from humans to make the results of animals tests unreliable. Related criticism is that testing causes stress in animals, meaning that they do not react to experimental substances in the same way that they might in natural circumstances, making the results of experiments less valid

Using animals as research subjects is also expensive because they require food, shelter, care and treatment in addition to the costs of experimental substances. Long-term or multi-stage tests can increase the costs of the practice as well. The actual price paid for animals is also worth considering. In this respect, researchers take on an additional burden.

阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

Right after the Second World War, Germany was in ruins. Almost all the houses, factories and schools were destroyed. Plenty of people were homeless as well as jobless. Worse still, the supply of water and electricity was often cut off in the city. Two American journalists interviewed a German family living in the basement. The husband was disabled from the war and the wife was just dismissed from a clothing company. Worse still, there were bills for them to pay—four children to care for and food to buy. Life was hard for them at that time.

After the interview, the journalists chatted with each other on the way back to the company.

“Do you think the Germans could rebuild their homeland?”

“Absolutely.”

“But I can’t see any hope for the country at all. How can you be so certain about that?”

“Have you noticed what they put on the table in the basement? There was a vase of flowers. A nation, suffering at such moment, hasn’t forgotten about flowers. It shows that hopes are not lost. They are still able to dream. A nation with hope can create miracles. They are sure to be able to rebuild their homeland.”

【写作内容】

1. 以约30个词概括上文的主要内容；

2. 以约120个词就梦想改变命运的话题谈谈你的想法，内容包括：

(1) 你赞同文中的观点吗？

(2) 举例证明你赞同或不赞同的原因；

(3) 谈谈你对梦想的看法以及你如何为实现梦想而努力。

【写作要求】

1. 作文中可以使用亲身经历或虚构的故事，也可以参照阅读材料的内容，但不得直接引用原文中的句子；

2. 作文中不能出现真实姓名和学校名称。

【评分标准】 概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，语篇连贯。

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The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid--we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.

However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk. Basilicus, a lizard (蜥蜴) native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we'd need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate "hitting. “

But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a "non-Newtonian" liquid that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(微粒) in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of cornflour.

Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice, if you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink--and take a shower afterward!

1.Walking on water hasn't become a reality mainly because humans _______.

A. are not interested in it

B. have biological limitations

C. have not invented proper tools

D. are afraid to make an attempt

2.What do we know about Basilicus from the passage?

A. It is light enough to walk on water.

B. Its huge feet enable it to stay above water.

C. It can run across water at a certain speed.

D. Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water

3. What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage?

A. To create a thick liquid.

B. To turn the water into solid.

C. To help the liquid behave normally.

D. To enable the water to move rapidly.

4.What is the author's attitude toward the idea of humans' walking on water?

A. It is risky but beneficial.

B. It is interesting and worth trying.

C. It is crazy and cannot become a reality.

D. It is impractical though theoretically possible.

In New York, Ma Yun witnessed the Alibaba Group opening on the New York stock exchange with the largest initial public offering (IPO，新股发行) in American history. “Alibaba, the world’s largest Internet commerce company makes China equal to the US in the rapidly increasing global competition for technological innovation (创新) and economic transformation ” commented the South China Morning Post.

It has also made Ma China’s richest man with a fortune of around $25 billion (153 billion yuan), reported Reuters.

It’s reported that Ma’s rags-to-riches journey is just as spectacular as his Internet Empire. Ma failed the national college entrance exams twice before he was finally in Hangzhou Normal University on his third attempt and failed in finding a suitable job several times. Also, Mr Ma is a big believer in perseverance, which was proved in his English study experience.

However, it was his vision and goals that launched his career.

During a short trip to the US as an interpreter in 1995, Ma first experienced the Internet. He believed in the Internet’s business potential when few other Chinese people did. He started Alibaba in his Hangzhou apartment, with 17 friends and $60,000 of funds. At the time, when e-commerce was unheard of in China, “I called myself a blind man riding on the back of blind tigers,” he once said, according to The Guardian. His unusual ideas earned him the nickname “Crazy Jack Ma”.

Indeed, Ma is different. Although he is very thin and about 160cm tall, “Ma is yet animated and forceful,” said The Guardian. “He is funny, creative, and a compelling (引人注目的) speaker.

Ma told Time magazine that he was “old for the Internet”. He started to slow down and looked around. According to The Wall Street Journal, Ma “plans to open a tai chi club with the actor Jet Li, build an entrepreneur (企业家) university in Hangzhou and continue to work on several environmental projects.”

1.What made him into e-commerce industry?

A. His English learning experience.

B. His foresight and ambitions.

C. His belief in perseverance.

D. His 17 friends and $60,000 funds.

2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?

A. Ma is a blind man riding on a blind tiger.

B. Ma had no confidence in his business future.

C. Ma knew little about e-commerce.

D. Ma had not enough money at that time.

3.What’s the personality of Ma Yun according to the passage?

A. Funny and competitive.

B. Determined and creative.

C. Rich and different.

D. Attractive and believable.

4.What’s the best title of the passage?

A. The Development of Alibaba Group

B. Ma Yun’s Personal Life

C. Ma Yun’s Crazy Success

D. E-commerce in China

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists have discovered that__1. _(stay) in the cold could help us lose weight. Researchers at the University of California found that exposure to the cold increases levels of a protein that helps form brown fat-the type of fat that produces heat and keeps us warm. Brown fat burns energy, ___2.__ helps us lose weight. White fat stores extra energy, which results 3. weight gain. The researchers said that because air conditioning and heating give us constant, __4. _(comfort) temperatures, our body's need for brown fat has decreased. They found that:“Outdoor workers in northern Finland who___ 5. __(expose) to cold temperature have__ 6._ significant amount of brown fat when___7. __(compare) to same - aged indoor workers.”

The research was conducted on two different control groups of mice.__ 8. __group was injected with the protein that helps create brown fat. This group later gained 30% less weight after both groups were fed high - fat diets. The researchers say this could be good news in the fight against obesity. People who are obese have ___9.__(low) levels of brown fat than thinner people. Head researcher Hei Sook Sul said: "This protein could become an important target for research into the treatment and prevention of obesity and obesity - related diseases.” She added: "If you can somehow increase levels of this protein, you could__10.__(possible) lose more weight even if eating the same amount of food.”

When Charles Stratton was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum. Mr. Barnum thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles' parents along with him, and they traveled the world together.

He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a name, General Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.

During the show, Tom fought battles pretendedly with tall people. He also danced upon a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall. Tom's act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty five.

Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a schoolteacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.

The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about 2000 guests. Crowds filled the streets of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding marriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon just before going to live in Tom's house in Connecticut.

Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country sponsored "Tom Thumb" weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.

1.The underlined words "talk of the town" means________.

A. it was in the newspaper

B. it was the most popular topic

C. people spread bad rumors about it

D. it was discussed in a city meeting

2.What does the author think about Tom's wedding?

A. Tom and Lavinia were stupid.

B. People gave it too much of their attention.

C. It was funny and ridiculous.

D. It helped people cheer up in a dark time.

3.What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine.

B. People are always disappointed during war time.

C. Entertainment can serve an important purpose.

D. People should be married when they are small children.

Death is natural, but do you have any idea of the process of dying? Modern scientists divide the process of dying into two phases --- clinical or temporary death and biological death. Clinical death occurs when the vital organs, such as the heart or lungs, have ceased to function, but have not suffered permanent damage. The organism can still be revived(复活). Biological death occurs when changes in the organism lead to the “breaking up” of vital cells and tissues. Death is then unchangeable and final.

Scientists have been seeking a way to prolong the period of clinical death so that the organism can remain alive before biological death occurs. The best method developed so far involves cooling of the organism, combined with narcotic sleep. By slowing down the body’s metabolism(新陈代谢), cooling delays the processes leading to biological death.

To illustrate how this works, scientists performed an experiment on a six-year-old female monkey called Keta. The scientist put Keta to sleep with a narcotic. Then they surrounded her body with ice-bags and began checking her body temperature. When it had dropped to 28 degrees the scientists began draining blood from an artery. The monkey’s blood pressure decreased and an hour later both the heart and breathing stopped: clinical death set in. For twenty minutes Keta remained in this state. Her temperature dropped to 22 degrees. At this point the scientists pumped blood into an artery in the direction of the heart and started artificial breathing. After two minutes Keta’s heart became active once more. After fifteen minutes, spontaneous(自发的)breathing began, and after four hours Keta opened her eyes and lifted her head. After six hours, when the scientists tried to give her a penicillin injection, Keta seized the syringe and ran with it around the room. Her behavior differed little from that of a healthy animal.

1.For a person who suffers from the clinical death, _________.

A. his most important organs are damaged.

B. he still has the possibility of getting back to life.

C. he can not avoid final death.

D. he is still very much alive

2.Scientists try to make the time of clinical death longer in order to __________.

A. slow down the body’s metabolism.

B. bring vital cells and tissues back to active life.

C. cool the organism.

D. delay the coming of biological death.

3.How did the scientists put Keta into clinical death?

A. By putting her to sleep, lowering her temperature and draining her blood.

B. By surrounding her body with ice-bags and draining her blood.

C. By lowing her blood pressure and stopping her heart from beating.

D. By draining her blood, lowering her blood pressure and stopping her breathing.

4. All of the following indicate that the monkey has almost restored to her original physical state except the fact that__________.

A. her heart beat again.

B. she regained her normal breath.

C. she rejected a penicillin injection.

D. she acted as lively as a healthy monkey.

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，有两项为多余选项。

Guide for Teenagers

The teenage years can be tough, and it’s normal to feel sad every now and then. But if these feelings don’t go away or become so intense that you can’t handle them, you may be suffering from depression. 1..

Try not to isolate yourself

When you’re depressed, you may not feel like seeing anybody or doing anything. Just getting out of bed in the morning can be difficult, but isolating yourself only makes depression worse. 2.． Spend time with friends, especially those who are active.

Keep your body healthy

Making healthy lifestyle choices can do wonders for your mood. Ever heard of a "runners high"? Physical activity can be as effective as medications for depression, so get involved in sports, ride your bike, or take a dance class. Any activity helps! 3.．As for food, make sure you’re feeding your mind with plenty of fruits, vegetables, and whole grains.

Avoid alcohol and drugs.

You maybe try drinking or use drugs in an effort to escape from your feelings and get a "mood boost," even if just for a short time. However, substance use can not only make depression worse, but can cause you to become more depressed. 4.. You will need special treatment for your substance problem.

5..

Stress and worry can lead to depression. Talk to a teacher if exams or classes seem overwhelming. In addition, if you have a health concern you feel you can’t talk to your parents about, see a doctor. A health professional can help you approach your parents and guide you toward appropriate treatment. If you’re dealing with relationship, friendship, or family problems, talk to an adult you trust.

A. Ask for help if you are stressed.

B. Even a short walk can be beneficial.

C. Turn to your parents for help.

D. As you get out into the world, you may find yourself feeling better.

E. In short, drinking and taking drugs will make you feel worse--not better--in the long run.

F. The more exercise you do, the healthier you will be.

G. Help is available and you have more power than you think.

完形填空,阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A,B,C,D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂上。

I was 14 years old. I was angry and rebellious, with regard for anything my parents had to say, if it had nothing to do with me. Like so many , I struggled to escape from anything that didn’t my picture of the world. As a “ brilliant without need of guidance” kid, I rejected any obvious of love. In fact, I got angry at the of the word “love”.

One , after an extremely difficult day, I into my room, shut the door loudly and fell down onto my bed heavily. As I lay down in the privacy of my , my hands placed under my pillow. There was an envelope. I pulled it out and on the envelope it said, “To when you’re alone.”

I was alone, no one would know whether I read it or not. So I opened it. It said，“Mike，I know life is right now, I know you are frustrated and I know we don’t do everything right. I also know that I love you and nothing you do or say will ever change that. I am here for you if you ever need to talk. If you don’t, that’s also . Just know that no matter where you go or whatever you do in your life, I will always love you and be that you are my son. I’m here for you and I love you-that will never .Love you, Mom.”

Every night as I went to bed, I would put my hands under my , and I remember the _ I felt every time I got a letter. During my teen years, the letters were the calm assurance that I still could be loved my anger and rudeness. Just before I fell I became grateful that my mom knew what I, an angry teenager, needed.

1.A. little B. all C. full D. high

2.A. seldom B. sometimes C. currently D. particularly

3.A. families B. adults C. people D. teenagers

4.A. hang up B. lift up C. agree with D. deal with

5.A. attempt B. offer C. request D. advice

6.A. risk B. proposal C. mention D. point

7.A. night B. day C. morning D. afternoon

8.A. slipped B. stormed C. sank D. slid

9.A. bed B. floor C. closet D. chair

10.A. answer B. seal C. read D. tear

11.A. If B. When C. Though D. Since

12.A. serious B. awful C. amazing D. exciting

13.A. entirely B. gently C. heavily D. personally

14.A. impossible B. terrible C. right D. okay

15.A. nervous B. sorry C. proud D. sure

16.A. last B. change C. happened D. start

17.A. pillow B. book C. desk D. door

18.A. relaxation B. sadness C. relief D. thrill

19.A. in spite of B. instead of C. ahead of D. in need of

20.A. ill B. down C. silent D. asleep