WILD WEATHERMAN
Name: Sam Champion
Hot job: TV Weatherman
Where: ABC-TV, New York City
When you were a child, did you plan to forecast wind, rain, and snow on TV?
I wanted to be a foreign journalist. I took courses in weather science at Eastern Kentucky University, but I majored in broadcasting news.
How did you finally become a weatherman?
My first job in the early 1980s was at the local TV station in Paducah, Kentucky. I did everything from turning on the lights in the morning to writing and delivering morning news. I put together weather forecasts, and became interested in them.
Back then, how did you forecast weather?
Independent companies collected computer information that showed, for example, how a single weather system might split into snow or snow mixed with rain. The information was often opposite and the job of a weatherman was to study the information and make the best educated guess about the storm.
Has weather forecasting changed much with new technology?
Advanced computers, satellites, and Doppler radar (sound waves used to track storms) have made forecasting more exact. But we still know very little about how weather is shaped. So far, we just have theories.
Any advice for children who’d like to become weather scientists?
To me, weather is the most exciting field in the world. There are still so many more questions about weather than answers. After all, if we can’t foresee floods or hurricanes, how safe a society are we? Weather forecasting is wide open for scientists who love to solve puzzling problems. The next generation of meteorologists (weather scientists) will unlock many of Earth’s weather secrets. So get a general knowledge of Earth science, and study meteorology in college.
Thanks, Sam.
40. Judging from the writing style, the text is _________.
A. a diary B. an interview C. a news story D. an announcement
41. As a child, ABC-TV’s Sam Champion wanted to be a____________.
A. space scientist B. weatherman C. news reporter D. meteorologist
42. Present weather forecasting technology___________.
A. has made weather report more exact than ever
B. is still not perfect
C. hasn’t changed much in the last 50 years
D. both A and B
43. The study of weather science is called____________.
A. meteorology B. forecasting C. geography D. Earth science
The piano on which Mozart wrote all of his late works returned home to Vienna for the first time since his death in 1791.The piano will stand in his former Vienna home, now a museum, for two weeks, ending in a concert of the works by Mozart.
Mozart bought the instrument from Anton Walter, the most famous piano maker of his time, in 1782.He wrote more than 50 works for the piano on it, many of them in the apartment in Vienna.After Mozart’s death, Constanze, Mozart’s wife, gave the instrument to their elder surviving son, Carl Thomas, who donated it to the Mozarteum Salzburg on what would have been the composer’s 100th birthday.The piano is now part of the permanent exhibition in the Austrian city of Salzburg.
“ It was very hard to let it go,” said Matthias Schulz, director of the Mozarteum Salzburg.“ If we didn’ t know it was in the best hands, we wouldn’ t have done it.” The piano is much smaller and lighter than modern concert ones.Its sound is fresher and brighter than that of a modern piano, with lighter action and hammers (音锤).
Piano restorer Josef Meingast, who has looked after the Mozart piano since 1975, said it was superior to any of its surviving copies.Meingast said he had to fight to replace the existing strings (琴键), dating from a 1973 restoration, with softer ones that produce a rounder sound thought to be more similar to what Mozart would have produced.
Russian pianist Alexander Melnikov, who planned to give a concert of Mozart’ s music on the piano on November 7, said he was privileged to play such an instrument.It’s easily the biggest day of a musician’ s life.”According to the passage, the piano___________.
| A．is now being owned by the Mozart family |
| B．has been kept by Carl Thomas since Mozart died |
| C．is much bigger and heavier than modern ones |
| D．is part of the permanent exhibition in the city of Salzburg |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．The piano has never been repaired. |
| B．Anton Walter was also a very famous pianist. |
| C．Josef Meingast devoted himself to restoring the piano. |
| D．Matthias Schulz doubted if the piano would be well looked af. |
How will Alexander Melnikov feel when playing that piano?
| A．Upset | B．Honored | C．Frightened | D．Creative |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．Mozart’s piano returns home to Vinna. |
| B．Mozart’s piano connects too many artists. |
| C．Mozart’s piano reflects all his wonderful life. |
| D．Mozart’s piano is restored to its original form. |
Are you stuck in a job you don’t like? Many people hold ideas about jobs and careers that are holding them back.Let’s see the truth behind some career myths.
A CV (简历) is the only way to get a job.
To tell the truth, many employers don’t like or actually read CVs.Some employers would prefer to judge a person after a face-to-face meeting, or give them some part-time work first to see what they are truly like in the workplace.
Having an up-to-date CV is important when applying for jobs advertised in the paper, from larger organizations, or when you want to leave some information about yourself for the employers.
I have to make my decision now and stick to it.
There is a great saying: “Life is a journey not a destination.” Journeys are full of options.You make and change your decisions all the time based on new experiences and information.
Yes, you do have to make decisions, but you do not have to be limited by those career decisions by sticking to them.What’s more important is having a go and exploring new things.
I can’t get into the work I like because there are too few opportunities.
I have no doubt getting into work that you really want to do can be challenging.But I do also believe opportunities exist in most career areas because employment needs change all the time.One strategy I’d suggest if you can’t get your dream job is to go after what you want and grab any opportunity that moves you toward your dream job.
It’s the school’s responsibility to talk about careers and work.
Schools do have a part to play in providing career advice for students, but others also have a responsibility.I would suggest that a student-parent-school partnership approach is a far better way of looking at this.A lot of information is available on the internet, in the newspapers, through relatives and friends.The passage was written mainly to ___________.
| A．tell people how to get a good job |
| B．teach people how to behave in a job interview |
| C．correct some wrong ideas about looking for jobs |
| D．introduce right attitudes towards work |
According to the passage, when you are looking for jobs a CV __________.
| A．is the most important thing |
| B．is no longer popular |
| C．should be given face to face. |
| D．should contain your latest information |
We can learn from the last paragraph that _________.
| A．students should use as many resources as possible when looking for a job |
| B．the school is the main source of career advice to students |
| C．students should rely on relatives and friends to find a good job |
| D．information on the Internet is not necessarily true |
Dear Students,
I am delighted to be your guest.
I would like to tell you about myself.I have been a news reporter for the past fifteen years.I chose this job so I could travel the world, but the job has taught me many unforgettable lessons.The work is sometimes difficult.I have seen famines, wars, earthquakes, poverty and death.But I have also seen courage, hope and happiness.
In India, I visited a city where there were many homeless children.Some were as young as four years old.They lived in the streets and survived by begging or stealing.But then a wonderful lady called Rosa opened a home for them.Within one year, she was looking after two hundred children.She clothed them, fed them, and taught them.She gave them hope.
Another time, I was in Turkey after a terrible earthquake, in one place.I found an old lady whose house was in ruins, her son was missing and rescue workers said there was no chance that he was still alive.But the old lady did not give up hope.For four days, she moved heavy stones one at a time by herself.She did not stop until she found her son.He was alive.
Here in China, I met a young boy with a serious condition.He had undergone twenty operations and spent nearly his whole life in hospital.I thought he would be sad, but when I met him, his smile was so warm and welcoming.
In life, we need role models that we can admire and learn from.When my life is difficult, I try to remember the courage and goodness of these three people.The underlined word “ famine ”in Paragraph 2 means __________.
| A．pleasure | B．joy |
| C．luck | D．extreme lack of food |
What can we learn about Rosa?
| A．She’ s a rich lady and she likes to help the homeless children. |
| B．She’ s a kind-hearted woman and she provides houses for the homeless children. |
| C．She’ s a great mother and she looks after the homeless children. |
| D．She’ s a good teacher and she teaches the homeless children. |
The speaker is giving a speech to students in __________.
| A．China | B．Canada | C．Turkey | D．India |
For what does the speaker admire the Turkish woman and the Chinese boy?
| A．Their bravery. | B．Their strong mind. |
| C．Their age. | D．Their luck. |
There was once a professor of medicine, who was very strict with the students. Whenever he took the chair on the exam committee(担任考试委员会主席), the students would be in fear, because he was seldom pleased with the answers they gave. A student would be lucky enough if he or she could receive a good mark from him. At the end of the term, the students of medicine would take their exam again. Now a student entered the exam room and got seated before the committee. This student was a little nervous as he knew it would not be so easy to get through the exam at all. The professor began to ask. The student was required to describe a certain illness, his description of which turned out to be OK.
Then the professor asked about the cure (药剂) for illness, and the student, too, answered just as right.
“Good,” said the professor, “and how much will you give the patient?”
“A full spoon”, answered the student.
“Now you may go out and wait for what you can get”, said the professor. At the same time, the committee discussed carefully the answers the student had given. Suddenly the student noticed that there was something wrong with his last answer. “A full spoon is too much,” he thought to himself. Anxiously he opened the door of the room and cried, “Mr. Professor, I’ve made a mistake! A full spoon is too much for a patient. He can take only five drops.”
“I’m sorry, sir.” said the professor coldly, “But it’s too late. Your patient has died.”The students were afraid of the professor because .
| A．they often angered and disappointed him |
| B．their answers often astonished him |
| C．their answers seldom satisfied him |
| D．he often misunderstood them and gave them bad marks |
The student’s description of the illness was .
| A．not correct | B．not satisfied |
| C．completely discouraging | D．accepted. |
Before he left the room the student was almost sure that .
| A．he had passed the exam, and the only thing was to wait for the mark |
| B．his last answer was satisfying |
| C．he had made a mistake |
| D．he had not done well in the exam. |
Which of the following is Not true?
| A．The patient will be in danger if he’s taken as much as a full spoon. |
| B．The doctor will be in trouble if he’s given the patient a full spoon. |
| C．Since one spoon is less than five drops, the patient will be all right soon if he takes only one full spoon at a time. |
| D．If the patient wants to remain safe, he should take no more than five drops at a time |
Life in the twenty-first century will be different from life today. Between then and now many changes will take place, but what will the changes be?
The population is growing fast. There will be many people in world and most of them
will live longer than people live now.
Computers will be much smaller and more useful, and there will be at least one in every home. And computer studies will be one of the important subjects in schools then.
People will work fewer hours than they do now and they will have more free time for sports, watching TV and travel. Traveling will be much cheaper and easier. And many more people will go to other countries for holidays.
There will be changes in our food, too. More land will be used for building new towns and houses for all the people. Then there will be less room for cows and sheep, so meat will be more expensive. Maybe no one will eat it every day. Instead they will eat more fruit and vegetable. Maybe p
eople will be healthier.
Work in the future will be different, too. Dangerous and hard work will be done by robots. Because of this, many people will not have enough work to do. This will be a problem.In the next century people don’t have to .
| A．work long hours | B．work fast |
| C．walk on foot | D．eat meat |
People may not eat as much as they do today.
| A．fruit | B．fish |
| C．meat | D．rice |
One big problem in the future is that .
A．m any people don’t have to work |
| B．many people will not be able to find work |
| C．people won’t have enough food to eat |
| D．all the work will be done by robots |
In the future
| A．traveling will be more expensive |
| B．computers will be less important |
| C．people will be too busy to do sports. |
| D．computers will be much smaller. |