阅读理解

The Pentagon

五角大楼

    美国号称世界头号军事大国，其武力干涉几乎渗透到全球，有人开玩笑说：“只要五角大楼打个喷嚏，整个地球都会震动。”五角大楼是什么? 让我们揭开它神秘的面纱，好好地认识一下这座建筑的运作职能吧。

    The Pentagon，or the headquarters of the US Department of Defense，is one of the largest office buildings in the world，taking up a total land of 583 acres．The five-sided structure itself occupies an area of 29 acres．Each of its five outside wails is 921 feet long．It has three times the floor space as the Empire State Building or half again as much space as either of the New York's World Trade Center towers．

    Working inside this huge building are over 25 000 employees，one half of them being civilians and the other half members of the U．S． armed forces．During the last year of the Second World War there were 37 000 people，both military and civilian，working inside the Pentagon．In the Korean and Vietnam War periods，31 000．The employees are scattered among hundreds of offices that occupy a floor space of 3705793 square feet．

While inside the building they tell time by 4 200 clocks，drink from 685 water fountains，utilize 280 rest rooms，consume 30 000 cups of coffee，6 000 tins of milk and 5 000 bottles of soft drinks of various kinds every day，with a total staff of 600 persons preparing and serving food and drinks to the Pentagon employees，daily．

    Notes

    Pentagon n．五边形；五角大楼　　  civilian n．平民

    military n．军人　　　　　　　　  scatter v．分散

    utilize v．利用；应用　　　　　　 consume v．消耗

    Comprehension question

The building is called “the Pentagon ”because________．

A．it is the largest building in the world

B．it lies in the U．S．A．

C．it has five sides

  D．it is a secret place

1 

October 31, 2009, California

     Tsien Hsue-shen, PhD'39, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died on October 31, He was 98.

     Tsien, born in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, graduated from the National Qinghua University in 1934 and in August of 1935 he left China to study at the Massachusetts Institute Technology. In 1936 he went to the California Institute of Technology to commence graduate studies .Tsien obtained his doctor degree in 1939 and would remain at Caltech for 20 years, becoming the Goddard Professor and establishing a reputation as one of the leading rocket scientists in the United States.

   In 1943, Tsien and two others in the Caltech rocketry group drafted the first document to use the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the Second World War, he was amongst the other scientists participated the "Manhattan Project" .After World War II he served as a consultant to the  United States Army Air Force. During this time, Conlonel Tsien worked on designing an intercontinental space plane. His work would inspire the X--20Dyna-Soar which would later be the inspiration for the Space Shuttle. In1945 Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Jiang Baili--one of the Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai--shen's leading military strategists. But in 1950, the Chinese-born scientist was accused of harboring Communist sympathies and stripped of his security clearance.

   In September 1955 he was permitted to leave for China, where Tsien resumed his research, founded the Institute of Mechanics, and went on to become the father of China's missile program, a trusted member of the government and Party's inner circle, and the nation's most honored scientist, Tsien retired in 1991 and has maintained a low public profile in Beijing, China. The PRC government launched its manned space program in 1992 and used Tsien's research as the basis for the Long March rocket which successfully launched the Shenzhou V mission in October of 2003.The elderly Tsien was able to watch China's first manned space mission on television from his hospital bed.

   In his late years, since the 1980s, Tsien devoted himself to spirituality research, and advocated scientific investigation of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong and "special human body functions".

【小题1】           The underlined word "commence" in this passage probably means ____

A. make up    B. get    C. begin   D. promise

【小题2】           Tsien Hsue--shen got married at the age of ______

A.45          B.28     C. 24      D.34

【小题3】           What is the right order of the events related to Tsien Hsue--shen ?

a. his later life   

b. return to China   

c. career in the U.S.A 

d. his early life and education 

A. a-b-c-d    B. d-c-b-a     C. d-b-c-a     D. c-b-d-a

【小题4】           Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. Tsien Hsue--shen got a doctor's degree in 1939.

B. Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai-shen.

C. Tsien Hsue-shen has made a contribution to the Space Shuttle.

D. Tsien Hsue-shen was interested in traditional Chinese medicine, qigong and "special human body functions" in his later life.

October 31, 2009, California
Tsien Hsue-shen, PhD'39, one of the founders of the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, died on October 31, He was 98.
Tsien, born in the eastern Chinese city of Hangzhou, graduated from the National Qinghua University in 1934 and in August of 1935 he left China to study at the Massachusetts Institute Technology. In 1936 he went to the California Institute of Technology to commence graduate studies .Tsien obtained his doctor degree in 1939 and would remain at Caltech for 20 years, becoming the Goddard Professor and establishing a reputation as one of the leading rocket scientists in the United States.
In 1943, Tsien and two others in the Caltech rocketry group drafted the first document to use the name Jet Propulsion Laboratory. During the Second World War, he was amongst the other scientists participated the "Manhattan Project" .After World War II he served as a consultant to the  United States Army Air Force. During this time, Conlonel Tsien worked on designing an intercontinental space plane. His work would inspire the X--20Dyna-Soar which would later be the inspiration for the Space Shuttle. In1945 Tsien Hsue--shen married Jiang Ying, the daughter of Jiang Baili--one of the Chinese nationalist leader Chiang Kai--shen's leading military strategists. But in 1950, the Chinese-born scientist was accused of harboring Communist sympathies and stripped of his security clearance.
In September 1955 he was permitted to leave for China, where Tsien resumed his research, founded the Institute of Mechanics, and went on to become the father of China's missile program, a trusted member of the government and Party's inner circle, and the nation's most honored scientist, Tsien retired in 1991 and has maintained a low public profile in Beijing, China. The PRC government launched its manned space program in 1992 and used Tsien's research as the basis for the Long March rocket which successfully launched the Shenzhou V mission in October of 2003.The elderly Tsien was able to watch China's first manned space mission on television from his hospital bed.
In his late years, since the 1980s, Tsien devoted himself to spirituality research, and advocated scientific investigation of traditional Chinese medicine, Qigong and "special human body functions".
【小题1】The underlined word "commence" in this passage probably means ____

Visitors worry that London is an expensive city but there really are so many things to do for




free in London from museums and galleries to free music and walking tours.
Art Galleries
Tate Modern and Tate Britain are exceptional national art galleries housing some of the finest artworks in the world. Tate Modern focuses on contemporary art while Tate Britain displays British Art from the sixteenth century to the present day.
Museums
All of London's major museums are free, but most offer some special exhibitions for a fee. My favorite is the Museum of London where you can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. Other great major museums are the British Museum, the V&A, the Science Museum, and the      Natural History Museum. Oh, and I love the Geffrye Museum. And the. Now I can't decide which is the best!
Many of London's major art galleries and museums are open in the evening and often have special evening events. This can be a great way to relax at the end of a busy day seeing the sights. The main London galleries and museums are air-conditioned so it can be a wonderful way to cool down in the height of summer in the city. Galleries and museums are not open late every night so here is a handy list to help you plan your days and evenings.
Royal Parks
Many people say the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens in Regent's Park is their favorite spot in London, and who am I to argue? I would also recommend St. James's Park as it offers one of the best views of Buckingham Palace. Hyde Park is enormous and includes the ever popular Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan Statue.
There are often free talks and guided walks in the royal parks so do check the What's On section of the Royal Parks website.
Changing of the Guard
No visit to London is complete without seeing this military tradition. The Queen's Guard in London changes in the Forecourt inside the gates of Buckingham Palace at 11:30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. Get there early and view the spectacle from outside the front gates.
53. The passage is intended to _________.
A. recommend some free scenic spots to tourists       
B. help visitors save money while visiting Ireland
C. advise travelers how to choose art articles      D. tell readers London’s wonderful history
54. If you visit some museums in London in the evening, you ________.
A. can see all the artworks free of charge               B. have to endure the heat of the summer
C. need to pay admission for general exhibition  
D. may have a chance to enjoy some special events
55. In order to watch Changing of the Guard in summer, visitors have to _________.
A. gain access to the front gates after 11:30 a.m.
B. pay a sum of money to enter the Royal Parks
C. arrive at Buckingham Palace before 11:30 a.m.
D. come through the gates of Buchingham Palace

Visitors worry that London is an expensive city but there really are so many things to do for

free in London from museums and galleries to free music and walking tours.

Art Galleries

Tate Modern and Tate Britain are exceptional national art galleries housing some of the finest artworks in the world. Tate Modern focuses on contemporary art while Tate Britain displays British Art from the sixteenth century to the present day.

Museums

All of London's major museums are free, but most offer some special exhibitions for a fee. My favorite is the Museum of London where you can learn the history of London from Roman times to today. Other great major museums are the British Museum, the V&A, the Science Museum, and the      Natural History Museum. Oh, and I love the Geffrye Museum. And the. Now I can't decide which is the best!

Many of London's major art galleries and museums are open in the evening and often have special evening events. This can be a great way to relax at the end of a busy day seeing the sights. The main London galleries and museums are air-conditioned so it can be a wonderful way to cool down in the height of summer in the city. Galleries and museums are not open late every night so here is a handy list to help you plan your days and evenings.

Royal Parks

Many people say the Queen Mary's Rose Gardens in Regent's Park is their favorite spot in London, and who am I to argue? I would also recommend St. James's Park as it offers one of the best views of Buckingham Palace. Hyde Park is enormous and includes the ever popular Diana Memorial Fountain and the Peter Pan Statue.

There are often free talks and guided walks in the royal parks so do check the What's On section of the Royal Parks website.

Changing of the Guard

No visit to London is complete without seeing this military tradition. The Queen's Guard in London changes in the Forecourt inside the gates of Buckingham Palace at 11:30am every day in the summer and every other day in the winter. Get there early and view the spectacle from outside the front gates.

53. The passage is intended to _________.

 A. recommend some free scenic spots to tourists       

 B. help visitors save money while visiting Ireland

 C. advise travelers how to choose art articles      D. tell readers London’s wonderful history

54. If you visit some museums in London in the evening, you ________.

 A. can see all the artworks free of charge                B. have to endure the heat of the summer

 C. need to pay admission for general exhibition  

D. may have a chance to enjoy some special events

55. In order to watch Changing of the Guard in summer, visitors have to _________.

  A. gain access to the front gates after 11:30 a.m.

  B. pay a sum of money to enter the Royal Parks

 C. arrive at Buckingham Palace before 11:30 a.m.

 D. come through the gates of Buchingham Palace