Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago . He studied the observations of comets (彗星) which other scientists had made . The orbit（轨道） of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.

However , Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant (有才华的) mathematician .Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse (椭圆) .

Now Halley set to work .He figured out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart (相隔).

This seemed very strange to Halley. The different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times .The comet had gone away and had come back again.

It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested .In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.

1.Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of         .

    A．some different comets appearing several times

    B．the same comet appearing at different times

    C．three different comets appearing three times

    D．several comets appearing at the same time     

2.Halley made his discovery         .

A．by doing experiments                

B．by means of his own careful observation

C．by using the work of other scientists                 

D．by chance

3.Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year         .

    A．1704       B．1705       C.1706      D．1707      

4.According to the passage, which of the flowing is NOT true?

    A．Newton figured out the orbit of the comet .

    B．Halley figured out the orbit of the comet first.

    C．Newton gave Halley some help .

    D．Halley died before 1758. 

“Colour” and “color”, “favourite” and “favorite”···Have you ever wondered why Americans spell those words without a “u”? Is it because they are lazy?

Of course not. In fact, the difference in spelling was created by Noah Webster (1758—1843). He is a teacher who reformed English to make American identity stronger. Linguists（语言学家） celebrated his 250^th birthday on October 16. After the Revolutionary War(1775—1783), Webster believed that Americans should have their own dictionary, rather than rely on British versions（版本）. He dropped the British “u” in some words. And he changed “centre” into “center” for children to learn English by spelling words more like they sounded.

Webster wasn’t shy about expressing his opinions. In defining（定义） preposterous, he wrote: “A republican government in the hands of females is preposterous.”

Webster spent 28 years on the project before completing the 70,000-word dictionary in 1828 with his American-style spellings. He also added local words. His dictionary was widely used in schools. Linguists believed it helped a new nation achieve unity and cultural independence at a time when most were focused on political freedom.

“He was the shaper of our language and the shaper of American identity,” said Joshua Kendall, who is working on a biography（传记） about Webster. “He at last bonded（联合） us through our language.”

1.          According to the passage, when he worked on his dictionary, Noah Webster did all of the following EXCEPT______.

2.          When did Noah Webster probably begin his project of the dictionary?

3.          Why did Noah Webster create these differences in his dictionary?

4.          Which of the following word can best describe Noah Webster’s work?

5.          Which of the following would probably be the best title for the passage?

Edmund Halley（哈雷）was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets（彗星）which other scientists had made. The orbit（轨道）of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not work it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.

However, Halley had a friend named Newton, who was a brilliant（有才华的） mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse（椭圆）.

Now Halley set to work. He worked out the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by other scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearances had been 75 to 76 years apart（相隔）.

This seemed very strange to Halley. The different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets, as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.

It was an amazing idea! Halley felt certain enough to make a prediction（预言）of what would happen in the future. He decided that this comet would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested.

In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet has been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.

Edmund Halley worked out the orbit of ____________.

A. some different comets appearing several times

B. the same comet appearing at different times

C. three different comets appearing three times

D. several comets appearing at the same time

Halley made his discovery ____________.

A. by doing experiments                

B. by means of his own careful observation

C. by studying the work of other scientists

D. by chance

Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction（预言）in the year ____________.

   A. 1704         B. 1705         C. 1706         D. 1707

This passage in general is about ____________.

A. Halley and other scientists         B. the orbit of a comet

C. Newton and Halley                D. Halley and his discovery  

According to the passage, which of the flowing is NOT true?

A. Newton worked out the orbit of the comet.

B. Halley worked out the orbit of the comet first.

C. Newton gave Halley some help.

D. Halley died before 1758.

Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星)which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.

However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse(椭圆形)．

Now Halley set to work. He figured out(解决；计算出)the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearance had been 75 to 76 years apart.

This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more his thought that there had been three different comets as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.

It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain thought to make a prediction(预言)of what would happen in the future. He decided that this would appear in the year 1758.There were 53 years to go before Halley's prediction could be tested.In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley's comet, in his honour.

6．Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of ______.

A．some different comets appearing several times

B．the same comet appearing at different times

C．three different comets appearing at the same time

 D．several comets appearing at the same time

7．Halley made his discovery ______.

A．by doing experiments

B．by means of his own careful observation

C．by using the working of other scientists

D．by chance

8．Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year______.

A．1704  B．1705  C．1706  D．1707

9．This passage in general is about ______.

A．Halley and other scientists

B．the orbit of a comet

C．Newton and Halley

D．Halley and his discovery

10．Which of the following is TRUE?

A．Edmund Halley was an American scientist.

B．Halley made his discovery by doing experiments.

C．Isaac Newton was a famous mathematician.

D．The orbit of a comet had the shape of a round.

D
Edmund Halley was an English scientist who lived over 200 years ago. He studied the observations of comets(彗星)which other scientists had made. The orbit of one particular comet was a very difficult mathematical problem. He could not figure it out. Neither could other scientists who dealt with such problems.
However, Halley had a friend named Isaac Newton, who was a brilliant mathematician. Newton thought he had already worked out that problem, but he could not find the papers on which he had done it. He told Halley that the orbit of a comet had the shape of an ellipse(椭圆形).
Now Halley set to work. He figured out(解决，计算出)the orbits of some of the comets that had been observed by scientists. He made a surprising discovery. The comets that had appeared in the years 1531, 1607, and 1682 all had the same orbit. Yet their appearance had been 75 to 76 years apart.
This seemed very strange to Halley. Three different comets followed the same orbit. The more Halley thought about it, the more he thought that there had not been three different comets as people thought. He decided that they had simply seen the same comet three times. The comet had gone away and had come back again.
It was an astonishing idea! Halley felt certain to make a prediction(预言)of what would happen in the future. He decided that this would appear in the year 1758. There were 53 years to go before Halley’s prediction could be tested. In 1758 the comet appeared in the sky. Halley did not see it, for he had died some years before. Ever since then that comet had been called Halley’s comet, in his honor.
63. Edmund Halley figured out the orbit of ____.
A. some different comets appearing several times
B. the same comet appearing at different times
C. three different comets appearing at the same time
D. several comets appearing at the same time
64. Halley made his discovery ____.
A. by doing experiments
B. by means of his own careful observation
C. by using the working of other scientists
D. by chance
65. Halley made a surprising, but correct prediction in the year____.
A. 1704          B. 1705     C. 1706           D. 1707
66. This passage in general is about ____.
A. Halley and other scientists        B. the orbit of a comet
C. Newton and Halley             D. Halley and his discovery