A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces(熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can go out. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world．They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed．So far the time being, black hole must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery—but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make use of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could some day be used to swallow earthly waste—a sort of huge waste disposal (处理) in the sky!When the star begins to die ______.
| A．there is no fuel left in it | B．its outer layer goes into space first |
| C．a huge explosion will happen | D．it doesn’t give off light any longer |
Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
| A．The gravity inside the star is very strong. |
| B．The light can’t go out of the star. |
| C．The star becomes smaller and smaller |
| D．The dying star shines very brightly. |
The black hole ______.
| A．continues becoming smaller and smaller all the time |
| B．goes into another universe and becomes a white hole |
| C．can pull in everything we know of in the world |
| D．will appear at another place at a different time |
What’s the best title for this passage?
| A．A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes |
| B．How Do Black Holes Come Into Being? |
| C．What Are Black Holes? |
| D．Travel Through A Black Hole |
Why read, and sometimes even write poetry? That question is not difficult to answer if we change the word poetry to songs.
I sing when I feel good. When I sing my favorite songs, I feel even better. Sometimes when I am listening to music and to the song words, I feel that it was written for me. A good song always makes me feel something. There are songs that I sing in my head between classes and songs that I want to sing when the school bell rings by the end of the day. They help me get through the day.
They are like bright and warm colors in the middle of grays and shades. I like songs about love and friendship. The extraordinary thing is that my feelings are more special when I sing my favorite songs in English.
I also like reading. I used to avoid poetry until an e-friend told me I should recite poems and not look up the meaning of the words. Poetry uses many difficult words and idioms, but the best thing is to just forget about them. In the beginning I felt quite strange. Now I always lock the door. Reading aloud gives you a strange feeling, but when you have some practice and fall into the rhythm, and the sounds of the words, it is really a special experience.
I started with small poems, but now I think I most like long poems. I have different feelings with different poems. When I have had a bad day at school, I read Keats and forget everything. When I am sad I read Wordsworth by the light of a candle. When the poem is finished, I close the book and my sadness is gone.According to the writer, _______.
| A．people like poems the same way they enjoy songs |
| B．poetry is the same form of art as songs |
| C．people always feel the same while reading poems |
| D．the meaning of words is the key to appreciating poetry |
Which of the following statements is closest in meaning to the underlined sentence?
| A．Songs are like different colors in different times. |
| B．Songs can help people better understand colors. |
| C．Songs can describe a mixture of different colors. |
| D．Songs can bring people warmth and comfort. |
What we can infer from the passage is that______.
| A．the writer likes singing songs aloud at any time |
| B．songs and poems can help get over bad emotions |
| C．the writer’s native language is English |
| D．the writer like songs better than poems |
What can we know about the poems of Keats and Wordsworth through the passage?
| A．Keats’ poems are full of bad feelings. |
| B．Wordsworth’s poems contain much sad description. |
| C．Both of their poetry can create positive feelings. |
| D．The themes of their poems are not different at all. |
The message what the "Eat up All on Your Plate" campaign tries to convey is not new. Our ancestors had poems about the importance of frugality (节俭) in the consumption of food. But it makes a lot of sense when many are yet to have the awareness that food waste borders on a crime.
The campaign has been started online and thousands of people have answered the call. Many restaurants have joined the program by announcing that customers are encouraged to order half a dish and take home what they can't finish.
However, it is estimated (估计) that 50 million tons of grain are wasted every year in China, enough to feed 200 million people for a year.
True, official banquets (宴席) paid with public money contribute much to such waste. But it is important that everyone thinks about how they can do their bit to reduce food waste. We need to develop the habit of never ordering or cooking more than we can eat and feeling guilty when we dump our leftovers.
Many people have a bad habit of entertaining guests with more than enough food, believing that they have not satisfied their guests' appetites if there is no food left on the table. In fact, to be a good host they order more than their guests can possibly eat and their guests eat more than they want out of politeness.
Such a mentality needs to change. People need to be made aware that it is impolite to force guests to eat more than they are comfortable with and it is insensible and uncivilized to waste food. Even if one is wealthy, ordering more than one can eat is a bad way to show off one's wealth. The writer thinks the campaign "Eat up All on Your Plate" makes sense because______.
| A．some people have some bad eating habits |
| B．some officials are wasting a lot of food |
| C．wasting food is still rather common in China |
| D．saving food is a traditional virtue of China |
The writer shows how serious the problem of food waste is by_____.
A. Using examples
B. Offering figures
C. Comparing
D. Analyzing people’s attitude
【小题3The problem of food waste can be handled only when_______.
A. officials are forbidden to eat out with public money
B. more similar campaigns like this one have been started
C. restaurants don’t serve all the food people have ordered
D. everyone takes action to fight against food waste
Towards the end of Middle English, a sudden change in pronunciation started, with vowels (元音) being pronounced shorter and shorter. From the 16th century the British had contact (接触) with many people from around the world. This meant that lots of new vocabulary entered the language. The invention of printing also meant that there was now a common language in print. Books became cheaper and more people learned to read. Spelling and grammar became fixed, and the dialect of London became the standard. In 1604 the first English dictionary came out.
Early Modern English and Late Modern English are mostly different in the number of words. Late Modern English has many more words, mainly because of the following two reasons: First, the Industrial Revolution (工业革命) led to the need for new words. Second, the British Empire covered one quarter of the earth’s surface, and the English language took in foreign words from many countries.
From around 1600, the English colonization (殖民地化) of North America led to American English. Some English pronunciations and words “froze” when they reached America. In some ways, American English is more like the English of Shakespeare than modern British English. Some expressions that are called “American English” are in fact from British expressions. They were kept in the colonies while lost for a time in Britain. Spanish also had an influence (影响) on American English. For example, words like canyon, ranch, stampede and vigilante are from Spanish. They entered English by the people of Spain who settled in the American West. French words and West African words also influenced American English.
Today, American English has a greater influence, because of the USA’s movies, television, popular music, trade and technology.The main difference between Early and Late Modern English lies in _____.
| A．vocabulary | B．pronunciation |
| C．spelling | D．grammar |
What helped to increase the vocabulary of Late Modern English?
a. the invention of printing
b. the Industrial Revolution
c. the colonization
d. the contact with other countries
| A．a, b, c | B．a, c, d |
| C．a, b, d | D．b, c, d |
From the passage, we can learn the word “canyon” is from _____.
| A．American dialect | B．African dialect |
| C．Spanish | D．French |
The third paragraph mainly talks about _____.
| A．English colonies in North America |
| B．the development of American English |
| C．other languages’ influence on American English |
| D．the difference between American English and British English |
Sports are all about change. A team gets better. A kid practices more and swims a personal best or learns a new move on the basketball court. In 2006, two things happened that got me thinking about change—in sports and in life.
One of them is tennis champion Andre Agassi, who retired in 2006. Agassi was a terrific player who won 60 titles, including eight major championships(冠军称号). But his greatest accomplishment（成就）might have been how much he changed during his career.
When he was young, Agassi was a show off who seemed to care only about himself. He didn't train very hard, but he won matches because of his tremendous（极大的） talent.
Eventually, though, injuries and his bad attitude caught up with him. He fell from No.1 in the world ranking to No.141.
So Agassi changed. He trained harder and became a world-class player again. More importantly, he changed as a person. He was nicer to fans and opponents（对手）. He stopped thinking just about himself and started thinking about others. Through his Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation, he raised more than $60 million to help disadvantaged kids around his hometown of Las Vegas, Nevada. He even started a school, the Andre Agassi College Preparatory Academy, for at-risk kids.
At the start of a new year, lots of people promise themselves they will change. They might vow to get in good physical shape, do better in school or be nicer to others.
Changes such as those can be difficult. But they do happen. Just remember Andre Agassi: It wasn't easy, but he changed, and changed for the better.According to the writer, which of the following may be the greatest achievement for Agassi?
| A．He once ranked No.1 in the world rankings. |
| B．He won 60 titles. |
| C．He changed much during his career. |
| D．He won 8 major championships. |
What does the underlined work “vow” in the 6th paragraph probably mean?
| A．promise. | B．agree. | C．wish. | D．prove. |
What do you know about Andre Agassi Charitable Foundation?
| A．It is intended to help at-risk kids. |
| B．It is a charity school set up by Agassi. |
| C．Some disadvantaged kids can get help from it. |
| D．Agassi runs it with his prize money. |
What might be talked about in the paragraphs following this passage?
| A．What achievements Agassi has made after he changed for the better. |
| B．How we can change for the better. |
| C．Another thing happened in life that got the writer thinking about change. |
| D．Some assessments(评价) about Agassi from different people. |
The mom had died when the rescuers found her after the terrible earthquake. She was covered by a destroyed house. Through gaps(缝隙) of those ruins, the rescuers could see her last posture(姿势). It was something like an ancient person who was kowtowing(叩头), but it just looked strange because she was out of shape by pressure.
The rescuers confirmed(证明) her death by touching her through the gaps of the ruins. They shouted at the ruins again and again, knocked the bricks using various tools, but no reply inside.
Then the rescuing team went to the next building. Suddenly the leader ran back, calling "Come here." He came to the body, put his hands under the woman, feeling and touching, then shouted loudly and gladly, "There is someone, a baby, still living."
Through some efforts, rescuers cleaned up the ruins which blocked her. Under her body lay her baby, who was covered by a small red quilt (棉被)．He was about 3 or 4 months old. Since well protected by his mother's body, he was safe. He was in a deep sleep when the rescuer carried him out, and his lovely and peaceful face warmed everyone around him. The doctor, along with the rescuing team, took the baby out of the quilt to check if the baby was all right, and he found there was a mobile phone in the quilt. The doctor looked at the screen; a written message was already there: "My dear baby, if you could live, doesn’t forget how much I love you." As a doctor, he experienced much of this type of separation；but at this moment, he cried. The mobile phone was passed, and every person who saw this message shed (流出) tears.When the rescuers found the mom, she________.
| A．was using her mobile phone to ask for help |
| B．begged the rescuers to save her baby first |
| C．was struggling with the pressure |
| D．didn't have the normal shape |
Which of the following is true?
| A．The mom was kowtowing when the rescuers found her. |
| B．The rescuers carried the baby out without difficulty. |
| C．The little baby was found behind the mom. |
| D．When the baby was rescued, he was fast asleep. |
The passage is mainly about________.
| A．a story of saving a mother and her baby |
| B．the disaster of a terrible earthquake |
| C．the rescuers' hard work after an earthquake |
| D．the great love of a mother in the earthquake |