完形填空

阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从以下各题所给的四个选项中(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。

　　Science is based upon observation. However, observation 1 is not science. Scientists 2 state a problem, which then guides them in their observations. But without observation people generally are not 3 of a problem. This then raises a question 4 comes first, the observation or the problems?

　　Curiosity awakens a need 5 observation. Observation will usually 6 specific questions in the mind of a scientist. To 7 his curiosity he begins to make observations. 8 , he formulates a specific statement that can be tested. This statement is called a hypothesis (假设). It is the starting point for an experiment.

　　 9 experimenting, the scientist tries to show or prove that the hypothesis is true or false. He 10 use good 11 to create an experiment that 12 the problem. The experiment must produce valid information or data. The date 13 during the experiment are observations.

　　Observations can be made directly and indirectly. For direct observation, instruments are 14 used. Some instruments used by modern scientists are quite simple; others are very 15 .

　　To complete his experiment, the scientist must state his observations in numerical 16 . This means that he has to make measurements. With the results from these he can make more 17 comparisons or descriptions to 18 his hypothesis. The results of a scientific experiment 19 on a valid hypothesis can often 20 a better understanding of the world and the universe.

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Thousands of dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky in an Arkansas town on New Year’s Eve after massive injuries, tests by Arkansas officials concluded on Monday. Some 5,000 birds mysteriously fell from the sky in Beebe, Arkansas after dark on New Year’s Eve. “The birds suffered from acute physical injuries leading to internal hemorrhage（大量出血） and death. There was no sign of infectious disease,” the Arkansas Game and Fish Commission said in a statement. The birds were otherwise healthy, it said.

One theory is that birds were frightened by New Year's fireworks and flew into buildings or other objects. “Loud noises were reported shortly before the birds began to fall from the sky,” the statement said, adding that blackbirds have poor night vision and seldom fly at night.

　　Another theory was that severe weather such as lightning accounted for the loud noises but this was discounted because the violent weather had already left the area. “We’re leaning more toward a stress event," said Arkansas Game and Fish Commission spokesman Keith Stephens.

The commission also is trying to determine what caused the deaths of up to 100,000 fish over a 20-mile stretch of the Arkansas River near a dam in Ozark, 125 miles west of Beebe. The fish were discovered on December 30. Stephens said the commission expected results on the fish tests in probably a month. Since almost all the fish were one species -- bottom-feeding drum, Stephens said, the test was very important. Stephens also said: “The events do not appear related.” Both that section of the river and the air at the site of the bird deaths were tested for toxins(毒素). Beebe is a town of about 4,500 people located 30 miles northeast of the state capital.

1.What is NOT the probable reason why the dead red-winged blackbirds fell from the sky?

A. Internal hemorrhage                  B. Fireworks

C. Lightning weather                            D. Murder

2.In the third paragraph, the underlined word discounted probably mean________.

A. not to reduce cost                            B. not to believe

C. to make up a part                            D. to explain mystery

3.According to Stephens, we can infer the probable cause of the dead fish is _________.[来

A. cold weather                                   B. poor management  

C. disease                                    D. lack of food

4.The passage is mainly developed by __________.

A. analyzing causes                             B. making comparisons

C. examining differences              D. following the time order

 

A pill，code-named HT-0712，may make forgetfulness a thing of the past. It is being developed in the US and could go on sale within five years.

According to the newspaper The Sun，the wonder drug has been nicknamed “Mind Viagra”and has already been shown to boost the memory power of mice and flies. Next it will be tested on humans. This is just one of a number of drugs in a pharmaceutical (制药的) race to develop an increased memory pill. At least 12 US companies are believed to be working on similar projects.

Tim Tully，the founder of US drug company Helicon Therapeutics，who is in charge of the HT-0712 project，gave this practical example of its use for students：“If it takes two weeks to memorize a verse of Shakespeare，with one of these drugs you might be able to do it in two or three days. ”

“The memory drug business appears to be set to become a multi-million dollar industry，”experts say. This summer，100 Americans suffering mild memory loss will test HT-0712 in the first experiment on people.

“You don’t think better than you did before，you just get the facts in with less practice. There is a growing belief that memory and memory loss is just another treatable condition，”says Tully.

However，there is some doubt whether the drugs can really improve memory. In a study by the US’s Yale University Medical School，researchers suggested that the drug might affect other parts of the memory.

1.Which of the following can be most likely to replace the underlined word “boost” in the second paragraph?

A.Reduce.　　　 B.Increase.　　　　 C.Kill.　　　　　　 D.Harm.

2.What will happen to the students most probably if they take HT-0712?

A.They will grow taller.

B.They can memorize things easily.

C.They won’t suffer from illness.

D.They will choose whatever universities they like.

3.The future of HT-0712 can be said　　　　 according to experts.

A.dim　　　　　 B.uncertain　　　　 C.bright　　　　　　 D.worried

4.HT-0712 is a pill that　　　　 .

A.has bad effect on the health of mice and flies

B.has been experimented on dozens of animals

C.will be experimented on humans this summer

D.is certain to do no harm to human

5.The purpose of writing the passage is to　　　　 .

A.warn people the harm of HT-0712

B.introduce to people the advantages of HT-0712

C.tell people something about HT-0712

D.doubt whether it is worth developing HT-0712

 

Birthdays often involve surprises. But this year's surprise on the birthday of the great British playwright William Shakespeare is surely one of the most dramatic.

On April 22, one day before his 441st birthday anniversary, experts discovered that one of the most recognizable portraits of William Shakespeare is a fake. This means that we no longer have a good idea of what Shakespeare looked like. "It's very possible that many pictures of Shakespeare might be unreliable because many of them are copies of this one," said an expert from Britain's National Portrait Gallery.

　 The discovery comes after four months of testing using X-rays, ultraviolet light, microphotography and paint samples. The experts from the gallery say the image —commonly known as the "Flower portrait"— was actually painted in the 1800s, about two centuries after Shakespeare's death. The art experts who work at the gallery say they also used modern chemistry technology to check the paint on the picture. These checks found traces of paint dating from about 1814. Shakespeare died in 1616, and the date that appears on the portrait is 1609.

　"We now think the portrait dates back to around 1818 to 1840. This was when there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays," Tarnya Cooper, the gallery's curator (馆长), told the Associated President.

　　The fake picture has often been used as a cover for collections of his plays. It is called the Flower portrait because one of its owners, Desmond Flower, gave it to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

　　"There have always been questions about the painting," said David Howells, curator for the Royal Shakespeare Company. "Now we know the truth, we can put the image in its proper place in the history of Shakespearean portraiture."

Two other images of Shakespeare, are also being studied as part of the investigation (调查) and the results will come out later this month._________________

1.What makes the birthday of Shakespeare dramatic this year?

A．It was found that he painted a portrait in 1814 instead of in 1609.

B．The Flower portrait has been found to be a fake.

C．Three portraits of Shakespeare are being tested to identify a real one.

D．It was found that there was a renewed interest in Shakespeare's plays around 1818 to 1840.

2.Which statement is True according to the passage?

A．Portraits of Shakespeare are all unreliable.

B．"Flower portrait " was a portrait of Shakespeare given to Desmond Flower.

C．1814 might be when the portrait was drawn.

D．The Flower portrait is not often used as a cover for Shakespeare's play.

3.How many methods were used to test the portrait?

A．Not mentioned.     B．Two              C．Three            D．At least four.

4.The best title for this passage is _________.

A．Birthdays often involve surprises　

B．The surprise on the 441st birthday of Shakespeare

C．One portrait of Shakespeare is a fake

D．How can we know Shakespeare's appearance?

5.Which is the best sentence to fill in the blank in the last paragraph?

A．Soon we'll know which portrait is reliable.

B．Maybe we cannot find a real portrait of Shakespeare.

C．If the two portraits are found to be false, they will test more.

D．For now what Shakespeare really looked like will remain a mystery.

 

Though different educational systems have different purposes, one thing is certain: all students should take part in examinations.

___1___ the English educational system, students take ___2___ very important ___3___. The first is the eleven-plus, which is taken at the age of eleven ___4___ past. At one time the ability ___5___ on the eleven-plus would have determined ___6___ a child stayed in school. ___7___, however, all children continue in “comprehensive”(综合性的) schools, and the eleven-plus determines which courses of study the child will follow. At the age of fifteen or sixteen, the students are tested for the Ordinary Level of the General Certificate(证书) of Education. This examination covers a wide ___8___ of subjects; once students have passed this exam, they are ___9___ to specialize, so that two-thirds or ___10___ of their courses will be ___11___ physics, chemistry, classical language, or ___12___ they wish to study ___13___. The ___14___ examination, at eighteen, covers only the ___15___ of the special subjects. ___16___ the universities, students study only in their concentrated area, and ___17___ students ever venture(冒险) outside ___18___ subject again; ___19___, the English boy or girl is a specialist ___20___ the age of fifteen.

1. A. On  B. In       C. To      D. For

2. A. four       B. three   C. two     D. one

3. A. subjects  B. languages   C. courses       D. examinations

4. A. somewhat      B. or else C. or so   D. or rather

5. A. seen       B. heard  C. shown D. known

6. A. when      B. if C. that     D. how

7. A. But B. Then   C. So      D. Now

8. A. number  B. part    C. range  D. collection

9. A. allowed  B. passed C. forbidden   D. admit

10. A. much    B. many  C. more   D. most

11. A. in  B. of       C. with    D. on

12. A. whenever     B.however      C.whatever D. wherever

13. A. at all costs    B. at the same time      C. at the least   D. at great length

14. A. late      B. later    C. early   D. final

15. A. context B. content　　       C. book   D. lesson

16. A. Even so       B. Even if      C. Even then   D. Even at

17. A. few      B. no      C. some   D. any

18. A. that      B. their   C. its       D. which

19. A. in any case   B. in all C. in a sense   D. in the end

20. A. of B. from C. at       D. under