The International Space Station allows astronauts to live in space for extended amounts of time, enabling them to explore the outside universe and conduct many experiments. However, nothing like that exists for our oceans, and thanks to the high water pressure, ocean researchers are able to explore what lies undersea for very short periods of time.

They are therefore never able to fully explore the deep inside areas of our oceans. However, if French architect Jacques Rougerie has his way, that will change soon.

    Jacqucs has designed a ship that will allow researchers to spend a long period of time observing the sea life and conducting experiments. The huge 167ft ship, named 'Sea Orbiter', consists of two areas—one above the water where the scientists and crew will live, and a lower pressurized deck (甲板), where scientists will be able to spend as much time as they wish. Since it is powered by sea currents and wind, he expects it to drift (漂流) along the oceans slowly, taking about two years to circumvent the globe.

Jacques will make their life as comfortable as possible in the ship. Besides being equipped with the latest sailing tools and communication equipment, the ship will also have a gym, a television and a DVD player. And these guys will not be eating freeze-dried food like astronauts. Instead, Jacques, an accomplished chef, plans on cooking them delicious meals every day.

    The biggest problem to this giant ship is the cost, which is expected to be over $500 million—per ship! However, Jacques, who strongly believes that the secrets of our oceans may be the key to solving global warming and a vital supply for food and medicine in the future, is confident he will be able to convince governments all over the world to help out, and expects to start construction on not one, but four or five of these amazing ships soon!

1.Why can’t ocean researchers explore the deep oceans for a long time?

    A. Because they can’t stand the high water pressure.

    B. Because it’s too cold in deep ocean.

    C. Because time for experiments is too limited.

    D. Because it’s dangerous to observe the sea life.

2.The underlined word "circumvent" probably means          .

    A. fly away    B. get around     C. travel through     D. move into

3.From the fourth paragraph we can learn that        .

    A. Jacques intends to design the ship mainly for sightseeing and traveling

    B. living a comfortable life helps to do the ocean research quickly

    C. it’s much more expensive to eat freeze-dried food

    D. researchers on Jacque’s ship will live more comfortably than astronauts

4.Which of the following would be the best title for the text?

A. Sea Orbiter—the ship of the future  

B. A new way to explore the deep oceans

C. A great architect—Jacques Rougerie 

D. Travel around the globe in Sea Orbiter

 

They may make us scared, but somehow we just can’t get enough of our favorite monsters．From literature to movies, TV shows to Halloween（万圣节） costumes（服装）, we want more of these blood-drinking, walking-dead, scary creatures!

Here’s a look at a few of them．

Mummy（木乃伊）: All you’ll need is a generous supply of toilet paper of make this instantly recognizable costume．The concept of mummies dates back thousands of years and across many cultures．Mummies are constantly seen in books, movies, and of course, on every Halloween night．

Werewolf（狼人）: The werewolf is known for its superhuman strength and shape-shifting powers．Examples of the werewolf date back to ancient Greek and Roman stories, which were about humans changing into animals and animals changing into humans．With television shows and movies, werewolves are once again having a strong influence on popular culture．

Frankenstein: Mary Shelley created the monster in her 1818 novel．Victor Frankenstein, a scientist who is curious about life and death, uses different body parts to create his works．Shocked by his new scientific creation, however, Victor ran away, leaving the creature to leave the laboratory and go out into the human world．Whether in books, movies, or onstage, this monster is still a costume favorite for people of all ages．

Zombie（僵尸）: Halloween activities would incomplete without zombies to really give people a fright．The zombie earned its title as one of Halloween’s most terrifying creatures after popular films．Zombies still frighten audiences as undead monsters that return to feast on the living．

Dracula（德拉库拉）: This classic vampire（吸血鬼） has terrified audiences for decades, but first appeared as a character in Irish writer Bram Stoker’s 1897 novel．In horror films, Dracula remains the most popular character．He is known for his pale skin, sharp teeth, red lips and son on．

1.According to the article, monsters ______．

A．are scary but at the same time fascinating

B．provide excitement for people who lead dull lives

C．are mysterious and have supernatural powers

D．can change into humans

2.Which of the following statements about monster costume is TRUE according to the article?

A．A zombie costume is the choice costume of people celebrating Halloween．

B．A mummy costume is easy to make and can be immediately recognized．

C．Frankenstein’s monster is losing appeal（吸引力） among some people．

D．Because of its uniqueness, the Dracula costume is the most popular for Halloween．

3.We can conclude that ______．

A．Dracula is the only monster who first appeared in a book

B．mummies may come back to life in the future

C．Victor Frankenstein was finally able to get his monster under control

D．Frankenstein’s monster was created using different body parts

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A．Monster Halloween Costumes

B．Monsters and Halloween

C．Monsters Loved by people

D．How Monsters Scare People

 

Children start out as natural scientists, eager to look into the world around them. Helping them enjoy science can be easy; there’s no need for a lot of scientific terms or expensive lab equipment. You only have to share your children’s curiosity(好奇). Firstly, listen to their questions. I once visited a classroom of seven-year-olds to talk about science as a job. The children asked me “textbook questions” about schooling, salary(薪水) and whether I liked my job. When I finished answering, we sat facing one another in silence. Finally I said, “Now that we’re finished with your lists, do you have questions of your own about science?”

After a long pause, a boy raised his hand, “Have you ever seen a grasshopper(蚱蜢) eat? When I try eating leaves like that, I get a stomachache. Why?”

This began a set of questions that lasted nearly two hours.

Secondly, give them time to think. Studies over the past 30 years have shown that, after asking a question, adults typically wait only one second or less for an answer, no time for a child to think. When adults increase their “wait time” to three seconds or more, children give more logical(符合逻辑的), complete and creative answers.

Thirdly, watch your language. Once you have a child involved in a science discussion, don’t jump in with “That’s right” or “Very good”. These words work well when it comes to encouraging good behavior(行为). But in talking about science, quick praise can signal that discussion is over. Instead, keep things going by saying “That’s interesting” or “I’d never thought of it that way before”, or coming up with more questions or ideas.

Never push a child to “Think”. It doesn’t make sense, children are always thinking, without your telling them to. What’s more, this can turn a conversation into a performance. The child will try to find the answer you want, in as few words as possible, so that he will be a smaller target(目标) for your disagreement.

Lastly, show; don’t tell. Real-life impressions of nature are far more impressive than any lesson children can learn from a book or a television program. Let children look at their fingertips through a magnifying glass(放大镜), and they’ll understand why you want them to wash before dinner. Rather than saying that water evaporates(蒸发), set a pot of water to boil and let them watch the water level drop.

1. According to the passage, children are natural scientists, and to raise their interest, the most important thing for adults to do is _______.

A. to let them see the world around

B. to share the children’s curiosity

C. to explain difficult phrases about science

D. to supply the children with lab equipment

2. In the last sentence of the first paragraph, the word “lists” could best be replaced by ______.

A. any questions                          B. any problems

C. questions from textbooks         D. any number of questions

3. According to the passage, children can answer questions in a more logical, complete and creative way if adults ________.

A. ask them to answer quickly

B. wait for one or two seconds after a question

C. tell them to answer the next day

D. wait at least for three seconds after a question

4. In which of the following paragraph(s) does the author tell us what to say to encourage children in a science discussion?

A. The second and third.

B. The fourth and fifth.

C. The fifth and sixth.

D. The seventh.

5. The author mentions all of the following techniques for adults to share with their children’s curiosity except that adults should ________.

A. tell their children stories instead of reciting(背诵) facts

B. offer their children chances to see things for themselves

C. be patient enough when their children answer questions

D. encourage their children to ask questions of their own

(1—5 BCDCA)

Life in 2060

　　Let us suppose it is now about A.D. 2060. Let’s make believe (假装；虚构) it is about sixty years from now. Of course, things have changed and life is very different.

　　Voyages to the moon are being made every day. It is as easy to take a holiday on the moon today as it was for the people in 1960 to take a holiday in Europe. At a number of scenic spots on the moon, many hotels have been built. The hotels are air-conditioned, naturally. In order that everyone can enjoy the beautiful scenery on the moon, every room has at least one picture window. Everything imaginable is provided for entertainment (娱乐) of young and old.

　　What are people eating now? People are still eating food. They haven’t yet started to take on heir (继承) supply of energy directly as electrical current or as nuclear power. They may some day. But many foods now come in pill form, and the food that goes into the pill continues to come mainly from green plants.

　　Since there are several times as many people in the world today as there were a hundred years ago, most of our planet’s surface has to be filled. The deserts are irrigated with water and crops are no longer destroyed by pests. The harvest is always good.

　　Farming, of course, is very highly developed. Very few people have to work on the farm. It is possible to run the farm by just pushing a few buttons now and then.

　　People are now largely vegetarians (素食者). You see, as the number of people increases, the number of animal decreases. Therefore, the people have to be vegetarians and we are healthier both in our bodies and in our minds, and we know the causes and cure of disease and pain, and it is possible to get rid of diseases. No one has to be ill any more.

　　Such would be our life in 2060.

36. When was the passage written?

　　A. In about A.D. 2060.   B. In about 1960.

　　C. In about 2000.      D. In about 2004.

37. According to the passage, what will be on the moon in about A.D. 2060?

　　A. Many tourists.    B. Many other animals.

　　C. Many plants.     D. A sea.

38. What will people eat then according to the passage?

　　A. Biscuits in pill form.   B. Foods in pill form.

　　C. Foods in water form.   D. Foods in gas form.

39. The passage tells us that in 2060, ____ on the earth than now.

　　A. there are fewer population   B. there are more pests

　　C. there is less water       D. the crops are getting better

 

Climate change，pollution，overuse of water and development are killing some of the world’s most famous rivers including China’s Yangtze．India’s Ganges and Africa’s Nile．WWF said on Tuesday．At the global launch of its report “World’s Top 10 Rivers at Risk”，the group said many rivers could dry out, affecting hundreds of millions of people and killing unique aquatic（水生的）life．

    “If these rivers die，millions will lose their livelihoods，biodiversity（生物多样性）will be destroyed on a massive scale，there will be less fresh water and agriculture，resulting in less food security，”said．Rayi Singh，secretary—general of WWF—India．The report launched ahead of “World Water Day” today，also cited the Rio Grande in the United States，the Mekong and Indus in Asia，Europe’s Danube, La Plata in South America and Australia’s Murray—Darling as in need of greater protection．

    Rivers are the world’s main source of fresh water and WWF says about half of the available supply is already being used up．Dams have destroyed habitats and cut rivers off from their flood plains．while climate change could affect the seasonal water flows that feed them，the report said．Fish populations，the top source of protein and overall life support for hundreds of thousands of communities worldwide，are also being threatened, it found．．The Yangtze basin is one of the most polluted rivers in the world because of decades of heavy industrialization，damming and huge influxes（流入）of sediment（积淀）from land conversion．

  Climate change，including higher temperatures，also means serious consequences for fishery productivity，water supply and political security in Africa’s arid Nile basin．Tributaries（支流）flowing into the Ganges are drying up because of irrigation，WWF said．

1.hat is the text mainly about?

A．Saving fresh water in our life．   B．How to protect our rivers．

C．An important discovery．   D．World’s top 10 rivers are at risk．

2.We can infer from the text that _____．

A．rivers’ dying out could affect food security

B．there are four Asian rivers mentioned in the passage

C．the Yangtze is polluted thanks to the lack of enough tributaries

D．higher temperatures couldn’t affect fishery productivity

3.The top 10 rivers are fast dying as a result of the following EXCEPT _____．

A．climate change B．wasting water       C．pollution            D．dams

4.WWF is probably a name of _____．

A．an organization        B．a newspaper      C．a magazine         D．a report