The majority of astronauts from America have been men. At the start of the space programme there was strong resistance from some people against having women in space. However, some women were very keen to become astronauts and in the end they were successful. In 1978, NASA began the first training programme for women astronauts.
Judy Resnick and Christa McAuliffe were both astronauts and they were both women, but in many other ways they were very different. Both of them were on Flight STS-5L-L. Judy Resnick was born in 1949 and studied engineering at university and went on to obtain a PhD in 1977. She was a member of the first group of women selected for astronaut training in 1978, and in 1984, she became the second woman in space. During that flight, she helped to launch three new satellites and she carried out a programme of research. She was, in many ways, a professional astronaut whose whole life was devoted to space travel.
Christa McAuliffe was born in 1948 and she was an astronaut almost by accident. In 1984, NASA decided to find a teacher who could accompany astronauts into space. They hoped that she would be able to communicate with students from space and encourage every one of them to be interested in space travel. Christa was a secondary teacher in history and social studies. She was a gifted teacher and she was selected from over 11,000 applicants to go on flight STS-51-L. She was also a very good communicator and she immediately established a very good relationship with the news media(radio, television and newspapers）. It was partly because of this that there was a great deal of interest and excitement about the flight. Thousands of students in schools and universities all around the country were looking forward to communicating with Christa in space. Millions of people were watching her flight with great interest. It is partly because of the excitement over McAuliffe's place in the flight that the disaster in 1986 had such an effect on people. We can learn from the first two paragraphs that ___________.
| A．Judy was against the idea of having women in space at first |
| B．Judy was the first woman selected for astronaut training |
| C．Judy helped to launch three new satellites at the age of 35 |
| D．Judy carried out a programme during her second space travel |
Christa McAuliffe was chosen for training because _______.
| A．she was popular with the news media |
| B．she expected to give history lessons in space |
| C．she was an excellent teacher and communicator |
| D．she made the students in space very excited |
The reason why there was great interest in Flight STS-51-L is that ________.
| A．both Christa and Judy got PhD degrees in the same year |
| B．a young secondary school teacher was on the flight |
| C．students were going to learn more about space travel |
| D．it was the first time for women to travel in space |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．Two Astronauts | B．Flight STS-51-L |
| C．Travelling in Space | D．The Training Programme |
Ways to Deal with the Problem of Energy
There are different ways in which people try to deal with the problem of energy.One way is the greater production of common energy sources,such as coal,oil and gas.The trouble with these sources,however,is that they are not renewable.
Another way is energy conservation(节能),which means using energy more efficiently.In some very cold countries people build special houses to save energy.They place materials between the inside and the outside of the walls of the house to keep the cold out and warmth in.The house is heated by the lights,the body heat of the people and the other equipment in it.
Finally,renewable energy sources are used even though they are often expensive to develop.One form of these is geothermal energy.In certain parts of the world the temperature of the earth increases thirty degrees centigrate with each kilometer down.At six kilometers,therefore,it rises to nearly 200degrees.To get the heat,water is pumped down into the rocks and back up to the surface.Heat from the earth is already used in certain countries.The writer tells about “the special houses”because they______.
| A．show the excellent skills of the builders |
| B．serve as an example of the energy conservation |
| C．are heated by different sources of energy |
| D．are warmer than other types of energy |
The underlaned words”geothermal energy”in the third paragraph mean____.
| A．renewable source | B．underground source |
| C．heat inside the earth | D．temperature of the earth |
At a place where the surface temperature is 15degrees centigrade,how deep do you have to dig so as to get a temperature of 75 degrees centigrade?
| A．One km. | B．Two km. | C．Three km. | D．Four km. |
At five he was collecting old newspapers to make money.And when he was fifteen he signed his schoolmates up to start a baby-sitting circle(保姆中心).
Now 20,third- year Cambridge University student,Peter Blackburn is the managing director of company with a 30,000 pounds plan.And he thinks he will make more than $15,000 by next summer.
He set up Peter Blackburn Company last year to bring out a new color term-planner(学期计划)that now students all over the UK are using.
“I felt that most of the planners going around were pretty unimaginative,”he says.”I believed that I could do a better job and decided to have a go.”
Blackburn agrees that he is putting far more effort into business than his computer studies course at university.While fellow students are out with their friends,he keeps in touch with his business office in Lancashire by mobile phone.Before he set up the company he spent one holiday preparing a plan that would persuade the bank to lend him money.
“Most students work hard for a good degree because they believe that will help them get a job to support themselves,”he says.”I work hard at my company,because that is what will support me next year,after I leave college.”
Friends believe that Blackburn will make one million pounds within five years.
He is not quite so sure,however.”There is a lot to be done yet,”he says.When he was quite young,Blackburn______.
| A．already made a lot of money |
| B．already had a business brain |
| C．was already a managing director of a company |
| D．already set up his own business |
The underline expression in the fourth paragraph “have a go”means______.
| A．give up his job and have a new one |
| B．leave the company |
| C．have a try |
| D．develop my business quickly |
Which of the following best explains why Blackburn works hard at his company?
| A．He wants to do more business practice before he leaves college. |
| B．He wants to make more money before he leaves college. |
| C．He wants to get a good job like most students after he leaves college. |
| D．He depends on the company for his living in the future. |
Choose the right order of the facts given in the passage.
a.He spent his holiday preparing a plan.
b.He collected newspapers.
c.He set up his own company.
d.He asked the bank for money
e.He set up a baby-sitting circle
| A．e,b,c,a,d | B．b,e,a,d,c | C．b,e,d,a,c | D．b,e,c,a,d |
To communicate well with other people,you must learn to speak well,right?
Yes,but speaking isn’t everything.Some experts say that only thirty percent of communication comes from talking.Your gestures and other non-verbal(非语言的)actions matter,too.But in different cultures,the same action can have different meanings.
When you have to meet someone from a different culture,be prepared.Do you know what kind of gestures and customs are appropriate(合适的)？If you understand culture differences,you’ll be a better communicator—even before you open your mouth!
In many Western cultures,men stand up before they are introduced to someone important.Standing up shows politeness and respect.After that,somepne usually offers to shake hands.
But in the east,typical(典型的)introductions often begin and end with bowing(鞠躬)rather than shaking hands.Sometimes even a small nod(点头) of the head is enough.Some Westerners visiting Asia misunderstand shaking hands as a sign of unfriendliness.Such a mistake could be harmful to the start of a new frienship.According to the passage,which of the following is true?
| A．All experts agree that only 30% of communication comes from talking. |
| B．Typical introductions often begin and end with shaking hands in Western culture. |
| C．In different countries,the same gesture may mean different meaning. |
| D．If you don’t know the culture of a country , you will not misunderstand the gesture. |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Misunderstanding will stop the frienship from developing. |
| B．Nodding is just OK. |
| C．Introduction can build friendship. |
| D．Shaking hands is most important. |
Which is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．You must stand up when you are introduced. |
| B．You should show your politeness when you are introduced. |
| C．You will do the same when you are introduced. |
| D．Our gestures and other nonverbal actions are very important. |
How do you understand the underlined sentence?
| A．Before you speak. |
| B．Knowing the different cultures is clever. |
| C．As soon as you talk. |
| D．Understanding the different cultures can help you communicate well. |
In the past,when people had problems,they went to their families or friends to get advice.Today it is possible to get advice from radio shows.TV programs or telephone hot lines,too.A hot line is a telephone line that offers a direct way of getting in touch with advicers.Most hot lines are completely anonymous(匿名的)—callers do not have to say their names or telephone numbers.Most hot lines are usually free,too.Callers do not have to pay for their advice or the phone calls—even if the calls are long distance.At some hot lines,the advicers are volunteers.Other hot lines pay their advicers for their work.Usually the advicers are full-job people with years of education and experience,but sometimes the advicers have only taken a short class before starting to work on the hot line.All the advicers listen to the people and help them solve their problems.A hot line is a telephone line ______.
| A．that is hot |
| B．through which people get advice |
| C．whose number no one knows |
| D．through which callers take a short class |
When people call the hot line advicers,they______.
| A．often give their names and telephone numbers |
| B．generally have to pay for the long distance calls |
| C．usually pay nothing for most of the calls and advice |
| D．always try to get in touch with the volunteer advicers |
The advicers working at hot lines______.
| A．are not all paid |
| B．have all been trained for a short time |
| C．are all volunteers |
| D．all have years of education and experience |
The writer of the article seems to think that______.
| A．with hot lines people won’t get advice from their families and friends |
| B．hot lines help the callers a lot |
| C．people had better pay for the advice and phone calls |
| D．the hot line advicers will solve all of the callers’ problems |
Education cuts(削减) have become routine (惯常的) over the past few years, which has made it difficult for students to learn. The results of a survey of 1,850 Los Angeles County high school students show just how much the cuts are affecting students.
Because of teacher layoffs (解雇), class sizes at some high schools have risen to 50 students — even in math and English classes. Some 37 percent of students report that they sometimes don’t have a desk to sit at. Sixty-seven percent say crowded classrooms make them feel the teachers don’t have enough time to teach, and 30 percent say they’ve not been able to join in a program because it’s no longer offered at their school.
At a time when technology is an important skill, 52 percent of students say there aren’t enough computers. Or they’re often broken, and there’s no one to fix them. Fifty-one percent say they’ve had to share textbooks with a classmate because there aren’t enough copies to go around. Fifty-seven percent say they’ve had to copy information because their school doesn’t have enough paper to make copies.
“We have only one science teacher for the entire(整个的) high school,” writes Felix Ruano, a 16-year-old student. He goes on to describe how that teacher, who is only qualified to teach chemistry, is teaching physics — or, at least, is trying to do so. “He shows physics videos and we teach ourselves from our textbook,” says Ruano. And, as has been seen elsewhere, “all but one of the restrooms” at Ruano’s school “have been closed because we don’t have enough people to clean them.”
Ruano notes that though faced with the challenges, 97 percent of students say they plan to go to college. But without “properly trained teachers and the best resources,” says Ruano, it’s not likely that every student will achieve that goal. “Unless schools fix these problems,” he says, “students could lose hope.”According to the text, education cuts have led to the following results EXCEPT that _____.
| A．class sizes at some high schools have risen |
| B．some students don’t have a desk to sit at |
| C．some students have to share textbooks |
| D．some students have to leave school |
The underlined word “qualified” in the fourth paragraph can best be replaced by “_____”.
| A．fit | B．willing | C．bored | D．worried |
According to Ruano, _____.
| A．he is good at teaching himself |
| B．most students plan to go to college |
| C．his school is going to be closed |
| D．most students are hopeful about their school |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．What caused education cuts? | B．Education cuts, right or wrong? |
| C．Education cuts have hurt students | D．How to deal with education cuts |