Far from the land of Antarctica(南极洲), a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein(蛋白质) never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules(分子) held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content. It is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.What is the text mainly about?
A.The terrible conditions in the Antarctic. |
B.A special fish living in freezing waters. |
C.The ice shelf around Antarctica. |
D.Protection of the Antarctic cod. |
Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A.The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃. |
B.It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture. |
C.A special protein keeps it from freezing. |
D.Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃. |
What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.A type of ice-salt mixture. | B.A newly found protein. |
C.Fish blood. | D.Sugar molecule. |
What does “glycol-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A.sugar | B.ice | C.blood | D.molecule |
They wear the latest fashions with the most up-to-date accessories(配饰).Yet these are not girls in their teens or twenties but women in their sixties and seventies.A generation which would once only wear old-fashioned clothes is now favoring the same high street looks worn by those half their age.
Professor Julia Twiggy, a social policy expert,said,“Women over 75 are now shopping for clothes more frequently than they did when they were young in the 1960s.In the 1960s buying a coat for a woman was a serious matter.It was an expensive item that they would purchase only every three or four years—now you can pick one up at the supermarket whenever you wish to.Fashion is a lot cheaper and people get tired of things more quickly.” Professor Twiggy analyzed family expending data and found that while the percentage of spending on clothes and shoes by women had stayed around the same—about 5 or 6 percent of spending,the amount of clothes bought had risen sharply.
The professor said,“Clothes are now 70 percent cheaper than they were in the 1960s because of the huge expansion of production in the Far East.In the 1960s Leeds was the heart of the British fashion industry and that was where most of the clothes came from,but now almost all of our clothes are sourced elsewhere.Everyone is buying more clothes but in general we are not spending more money on them.’’
Fashion designer Angela Barnard,who runs her own fashion business in London,said older women were much more affected by celebrity style than in previous years.She said,“When people see stars such as Judi Dench and Helen Mirren looking attractive and fashionable in their sixties,they want to follow them.Older women are much more aware of celebrities.There’s also the boom in TV programmers showing people how they can change their look,and many of my older customers do yoga to stay in shape well in their fifties.When I started my business a few years ago,my older customers tended to be very rich,but now they are what I would call ordinary women. My own mother is 6l and she wears the latest fashions in a way she would never have done ten years ago.”It can be concluded that old women tend to wear the latest fashions today mainly because___________.
A.they get tired of themselves more quickly |
B.TV shows teach them how to stay in shape |
C. they feel much younger now |
D.clothes are much cheaper than before |
What can we learn about old women in terms of fashion?
A.They are often ignored by fashion designers. |
B.They are now mole easily influenced by stars. |
C.They are regarded as pioneers in the latest fashion. |
D.They are more interested in clothes because of their old age. |
Which is the best possible title of the passage?
A.Age Is No Barrier for Fashion Fans. |
B.The More Fashionable,the Less Expensive. |
C.Unexpected changes in Fashion. |
D.Boom of the British Fashion Industry |
Most people feel lonely sometimes, but it usually only lasts between a few minutes and a few hours. This kind of loneliness is not serious. In fact, it is quite normal. For some people, though, loneliness can last for years. Now researchers say there are three different types of loneliness.
The first kind of loneliness is temporary. This is the most common type. It usually disappears quickly and does not require any special attention. The second kind, situational loneliness, is a natural result of a particular situation — for example, family problem, the death of a loved one, or moving to a new place. Although this kind of loneliness can cause physical problems, such as headaches and sleeplessness, it usually does not last for more than a year.
The third kind of loneliness is the most severe. Unlike the second type, habitual loneliness usually lasts more than two years and has no specific cause. People who experience habitual loneliness have problems socializing and becoming close to others. Unfortunately, many chronically lonely people think there is little or nothing they can do to improve their condition.
Psychologists agree that one important factor in loneliness is a person's social contacts, e.g. friends, family members, co-workers, etc. We depend on various people for different reasons. For instance, our families give us emotional support, our parents and teachers give us guidance, and our friends share similar interests and activities. However, psychologists have found that, though lonely people may have many social contacts, they sometimes feel they should have more. They question their popularity.
Psychologists are trying to find ways to help habitually lonely people for two reasons: they are unhappy and unable to socialize and there is a connection between habitual loneliness and serious illness such as heart disease. While temporary and situational loneliness can be a normal, healthy part of life, habitual loneliness can be a sad and sometimes dangerous condition.How would you treat temporary loneliness according to the passage?
A.Talk to friends. |
B.Just ignore it. |
C.Go to see a doctor. |
D.Ask your teachers for guidance. |
"It" in the last sentence of the second paragraph refers to _____.
A.a physical problem | B.sleeplessness |
C.temporary loneliness | D.situational loneliness |
The topic of the 4th paragraph is that____.
A.lonely people don't have many social problems |
B.we depend on various persons for different reasons |
C.one problem of loneliness is a person's social contacts |
D.lonely people don't have many friends |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.How to Get Rid of Loneliness |
B.Loneliness and Diseases |
C.Loneliness and Social Contacts |
D.Three Types of Loneliness |
Charles Blackman:Alice in Wonderland
An Exhibition at the National Gallery of Victoria (NGV),Australia
10 June —12 August 2015
Venue (地点) The Ian Potter Centre
Admission Free entry
Charles Blackman is famous for his beautiful painting of dreams. In 1956, he heard for the first time Lewis Carroll’s extraordinary tale of Alice in Wonderland –the story of a Victorian girl who falls down a rabbit hole, meets a lot of funny characters and experiences all kinds of things. At that time, Blackman’s wife was suffering form progressive blindness. The story of Alice moving through the strange situations, often disheartened by various events, was similar to his wife’s experiences. It also reflected so much of his own life. All this contributed to the completion of the Alice in Wonderland paintings.
Illustrator Workshop
Go straight to the experts for an introductory course in book illustration. The course includes an introduction to the process of illustration and its techniques, workshop exercise and group projects.
Dates Sunday 17 June &Sunday 5Aug.10am—1pm
Venue Gas Works Arts Park
Wonderful World
Celebrate the exhibition and Children’s Book Week with special activities just for the day, including a special visit from Alice and the White Rabbit
Date Sunday 24 June, 11am—4pm
Venue Exhibition Space, Level 3
Topsy-Turvy
Visit the exhibition or discover wonderful curiosities in artworks in the NGV Collection and make a magic world in a box. Alice and the White Rabbit will be with you. Walt Disney’s Alice in Wonderland will be screened.
Dates Sunday 8,15,22,29 July, and Tuesday 24-Friday 27 July, 12noon—3pm
Venue Theatre, NGV Australia
Drawing Workshop
Distortions of scale ( 比例失真) can make artworks strange but interesting. Find out how Charles Blackman distorted scale in his paintings to create a curious world. Then experiment with scale in your own drawings. More information upon booking.
Date Friday 27 July, 10:30am-3pm
Venue Foyer, Level 3Charles Blackman’s paintings come from ________.
A.his wish to express his own feelings |
B.his dream of becoming a famous artist |
C.his admiration for Lewis Carroll |
D.his eagerness to cure his wife’s illness |
Which two activities can you participate in on the same day?_________
A.Illustrator Workshop and Drawing Workshop. |
B.Topsy-Turvy and Drawing Workshop. |
C.Wonderful World and Topsy –Turvy. |
D.Illustrator Workshop and Wonderful World. |
To understand the Alice in Wonderland paintings, you should go to ________.
A.Exhibition Space .Level 3 | B.Gas Works Arts Park |
C.Theatre, NGV Australia | D.Foyer, Level 3 |
Activities concerning children’s books are to be held
A.on July 24, 2015 | B.on July15, 2015 |
C.on June 24, 2015 | D.on August 5, 2015 |
At the age of ten I could not figure out what this Elvis Presley guy had that the rest of us boys did not have.I mean,he had a head,two arms and two legs,just like the rest of us.About nine o’clock on Saturday morning I decided to ask Eugene Correthers,one of the older boys,what it was that made this Elvis guy so special.He told me that it was Elvis’ wavy hair and the way he moved his body.
About half an hour later all the boys in the orphanage(孤儿院)were called to the main dining-room and told we were all going to downtown Jacksonville,Florida to get a new pair of Buster Brown shoes and a haircut.That is when I got this big idea,which hit me like a ton of bricks. If the Elvis hair cut was the big secret,then that’s what I was going to get.
A11 the way to town I told everybody, including the matron(女管家)from the orphanage who was taking us to town,that I was going to look just like Elvis Presley and that I would learn to move around just like he did and that I would be rich and famous one day, just like him.
When I got my new Buster Brown shoes, I could hardly wait for my new hair cut and now that I had my new Busier Brown shoes I would be very happy to go back to the orphanage and practice being like Elvis.
We finally arrived at the big barber shop,where they cut our hair for free because we were orphans(孤儿).I looked at the barber and said,“I want an Elvis hair cut. Can you make my hair like Elvis?”I asked him,with a big smile on my face.“Let's just see what we can do for you,little man,”he said.I was so happy when he started to cut my hair.Just as he started to cut my hair, the matron signed for him to come over to where she was standing.She whispered something into his ear and then he shook his head,like he was telling her “No”.Then he told me they were not allowed to give us Elvis hair cuts.Then I saw my hair falling onto the floor.In the author’s eyes,Elvis Presley was_________.
A.disgusting | B.admirable |
C.ambitious | D.dynamic |
From the passage,we can know that______________.
A.Buster Brown was more appealing than Elvis Presley |
B.An Elvis hair cut cost the orphans a lot of money |
C.The matron did not want the boy to have an Elvis hair cut |
D.The barber was unwilling to give the boy an Elvis hair cut |
We can learn from the underlined sentence that the boy was______.
A.excited to have an Elvis hair cut |
B.worried to think about the secret |
C.anxious to remove the ton of bricks |
D.careful to seize the chance |
How would the boy probably feel when he walked out of the barber shop?
A.Delighted. | B.Guilty. |
C.Self-satisfied. | D.Depressed. |
We can't tell a contestant is winning because he is really talented or because there is no comparison
Hunan Satellite TV is losing its leading position? There's a reason for saying this. In 2012, the reality talent show, the Voice of China, on the Zhejiang Television became the most popular program in China.
The reason for its popularity was really because of its excellent quality?
The administrative department really contributed a lot in the popularity of the Voice of China. In the past, there were no other draft shows(选秀节目) ranked as high as Super Girl and Super Boy. Even though there were some draft shows which seemed to share the popularity, it never turned out true. All the other draft shows were shadowed by the ones on Hunan TV. One example was that since draft shows of Hunan TV were broadcast on Friday night, the draft shows of other stations were shifted to Saturday or Sunday. However, Hunan TV didn't get their permission for broadcasting shows in 2012.
And if this were not bad enough, SARFT did a great favor for it. SARFT issued a regulation, saying that all draft shows should be broadcast after 10:30 pm at night. Zhejiang TV declared long before the regulation that since was “no audition(海选), no PK, no rise in rank, no voting, no champion”, its program was never a draft show. So, in 2012, all the opponents of Zhejiang TV had to broadcast their draft shows after 10:30 pm while the Voice of China was permitted to be broadcast in prime time.
If you really think about it, there's no essential difference between a draft show and the Voice of China. It also selected people from all over the country, how did they say this was different from a draft show? No PK, really? PK doesn't mean one versus one! A team versus a team is called PK too. And “no rise in rank” is just a switch of concepts because at the end of every game, some left the stage and some stayed. If there was really “no champion”, how come there was only one “good voice of China” at the final round? All these were rising in rank, in disguise(隐性).
Under such circumstances, the Voice of China even got praise. We are not saying that it is not a good show; we are saying that there's regret about the show since it had no opponent.The following factors are important in making the Voice of China popular EXCEPT _______.
A.the unique quality of the voice of China |
B.the policy support from SARFT and the administrative department |
C.the favorable broadcasting time |
D.the shortage of good opponents |
The passage mainly tells us _______.
A.the voice of China is not a real draft show |
B.the draft shows of Hunan Satellite TV still cause our attention |
C.the advantag2s of the Voice of China |
D.the reasons why Hunan Satellite TV is losing its leading position |
What's the author's attitude towards the voice of China?
A.supportive | B.doubtful |
C.optimistic | D.hopeful |
Which is TRUE according to the passage?
A.SARFT issued a regulation, saying that all draft shows should be broadcast after 10:30 pm at night. |
B.Draft shows of Hunan TV were broadcast on Sunday night. |
C.In the past, there were some draft shows ranked as high as Super Girl. |
D.The Voice of China is a program of Hunan Satellite TV. |