C
Invented in Turkey and patented by Nanopool, a German company, the spray-on liquid glass might become one of the most useful inventions in the field of nanotechnology. The product was tested at the Saarbrücken Institute for New Materials.
It is worth mentioning that the invention is transparent and non-poisonous. The liquid glass can protect any type of surface from damages caused by water, UV radiation, dirt, heat, and bacterial infections. Besides, it is flexible and breathable, which means that the liquid glass can be applied on plants and seeds as well. Researchers found that the spray greatly increases the resistance of plants to bacteria-caused diseases. The trials also showed that the sprayed seeds grew faster.
Depending on the type of surface that is to be covered, researchers can add water or ethanol to the spray. Scientists say that their latest invention has a long-lasting anti-bacterial effect. The spray produces a coating that is just 100nm thick. Trials by food processing plants in Germany have concluded that foods covered with the glass can store longer than those stored in normal condition.
According to Neil McClelland, UK project manager with Nanopool, due to its capabilities, the spray-on liquid glass can become one of the most useful inventions around the world, ending up being used by a lot of industries that will cover their products. At present, the invention is being used by a train company and a hotel chain in the UK, as well as a hamburger chain in Germany that are carrying out tests of the liquid glass for various uses.
The spray-on liquid glass was also tested in a Lancashire hospital, where it showed “very promising” results, being used to cover medical equipment and bandages. The invention could be also used on clothing, because it cannot be seen by the naked eye, thus clothes could become stain resistant. Due to its unique characteristics, the liquid glass can be used to cover bathrooms, sinks and many other surfaces in the home. According to the researchers, the spay-on glass can last for a year. It is expected to hit the DIY stores across Britain at a price of 5 pounds.
51. Which of the following about the liquid glass is NOT true?
A. We can still see an object clearly covered with the liquid.
B. It will cause plants to have some kind of disease.
C. Plants still have access to oxygen when covered by it.
D. It can speed up the growth of seeds.
52. What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 imply?
A. Water or ethanol must be added to the spray to produce the effect.
B. The coating of the spray-on liquid is thick.
C. The liquid glass can protect foods from bacteria.
D. The long-lasting anti-bacterial effect protects the liquid glass.
53. According to Neil McClelland, the spray-on liquid glass_________.
A. are being tested by some industries
B. are being used by various companies
C. can be eaten together with hamburgers
D. are widely used by train companies
54. The writer’s attitude towards the application of the new liquid glass is _________.
A. pessimistic B. doubtful C. cautious D. optimistic
55. What can be inferred from the passage?
A. We don’t have to wash our clothes with the new invention.
B. The liquid glass can be used to wash yourself in the bathroom..
C. The liquid glass will be widely used in many fields.
D. The DIY stores will not welcome the liquid glass.
Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare.
By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript (手稿), none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37.
Burns’s art is at its best in songs such as My Heart’s in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin’ thro’ the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o’ Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces.
Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical (讽刺的), descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Burn had a wealthy childhood. |
| B．Burns was best loved by his parents. |
| C．Burns’s father cared more about his kids’ education. |
| D．Burns wanted to be a poet when he grew up. |
Robert was not officially accepted by readers until______.
| A．1781 | B．1786 | C．1787 | D．1791 |
Robert made his best achievement in art by writing _______.
| A．songs | B．poems | C．stories | D．humors |
What was Robert’s biggest contribution to English poetry?
| A．His satirical style. | B．His descriptiveness. |
| C．His fine sense of humor. | D．His use of Scottish dialect. |
We can conclude from the passage that Robert _______.
| A．majored in agriculture when he was a student |
| B．earned a lot of money by publishing his poems |
| C．was a failure in managing farms but a success in art |
| D．showed much interest in collecting tax before he died |
Kristy, 28, a cook in La Gross, often wondered what she’d do in a life-threatening situation. On August 29, she got her answer. While she was driving on a road, a big truck hit its head on a pickup car. The pickup car burst into flames. Kristy rushed out and ran to the pickup. Two farmers, Dean Berhard, 51, and his brother Donald, 44, were inside.
When she got close, Kristy could see the unconscious driver. The other man was under the passenger seat. Kristy says, “The smells were sickening. I was afraid the truck would blow up and kill us all.”
The driver of the big truck was struggling to open the passenger door, so Kristy rushed to the driver’s side. Finally they opened the door. She reached in, seized the driver and , to her horror, felt her hands sink into his chest. She quickly dragged the man to safety on the roadside, then hurried back. As Kristy stared down the ditch (水沟) with the passenger, the pickup blew up. She jumped on top of him and they both rolled to safety.
When the police arrived a while later, Kristy started crying, “I want my mum.” In fact she cried for the next three months.
Today the two farmers, each the father of two children, are good friends with Kristy. To show their deep appreciation, they bought her a ring with nine diamonds —one for each member of their immediate families, and ninth for her.In which order did Kristy do the following things?
a. Carried Dean and Donald to safety
b. Rushed to the pickup
c. Surprised herself
d. Saw the truck hit on the pickup
e. Got out of her car
f. Wondered what she’d do in danger
| A．e, d, b, a, c, f | B．d, e, b, a, f, c |
| C．f, d, e, b, a, c | D．f, c, e, d, b, a |
When coming to save Donald and Dean Bernard, Kristy never thought that she ________.
| A．could have any help from others |
| B．would fail to save both of them |
| C．might be killed |
| D．would be tested in a dangerous situation |
Which of the following best shows Kristy’s true heroism(英雄行为)?
| A．She remained calm during and after the accident. |
| B．She protected herself as well as the two brothers from harm. |
| C．She put her life “on the line” to save others. |
| D．She was regarded as a member of Dean’s and Donald’s families. |
This sentence “The pickup burst into flames.” in the first paragraph means “_____.”
| A．The pickup was on fire |
| B．The pickup started smoking badly |
| C．A terrifying cry came out of the pickup |
| D．The pickup was broken into pieces |
Kristy cried because she _________.
| A．was badly wounded |
| B．had never experienced such a situation |
| C．was too excited at the result |
| D．regretted not putting out the fire |
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can. Speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can.
Compare your pronunciation with the master version（原版）to see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each time is better than last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don't get stuck by a word you don't know.
Practise improving ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously（本能地），even if you don't know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to make yourself understood.
Language learning is also about intuition（直觉）．
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren't expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, and then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun! What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To tell us the importance of practicing speaking as often as we can. |
| B．To tell us a few tips to help us learn a new language well. |
| C．To tell us that guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. |
| D．To tell us that a wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the first part?
| A．Have another try or attempt. |
| B．Move away from a place to another. |
| C．Enter a certain state or condition. |
| D．Follow or take a certain course. |
To learn English well, we shouldn’t _______ according to the passage.
| A．practice speaking as often as possible |
| B．study frequently, for short periods of time to build up our vocabulary |
| C．try to understand everything and stop when we meet a new word |
| D．try to persuade a friend or family member to study with us |
According to the passage, to learn a new language well, the most important thing is ______.
| A．speaking as much as possible | B．having fun |
| C．a wide vocabulary | D．guesswork |
There is a wonderful story about a young girl who had no family and no one to love her.
One day, feeling very sad and lonely, she was walking through a grassland when she noticed a small butterfly caught in a thorn（荆棘）bush. The young girl carefully released the butterfly. Instead of flying away, the little butterfly changed into a beautiful fairy. The young girl rubbed her eyes in disbelief.
“For your wonderful kindness,” the good fairy said to the girl, “I will give you any wish you would like.” The little girl thought for a moment and then replied, “I want to be happy.”
The fairy leaned toward her and whispered in her ear. Then the fairy disappeared.
As the little girl grew up, there was no one in the land as happy as she. Everyone asked her secret of happiness. She would only smile and answer, “The secret of my happiness is that I listened to a good fairy when I was a little girl.”
When she was very old and on her deathbed, the neighbors all gathered around her， that her unbelievable secret of happiness would die with her. “Tell us, please,” they begged, “Tell us what the good fairy said.” The lovely old woman simply smiled and said, “She told me that everyone, no matter how secure they seemed, no matter how old or young, how rich or poor, had need of me.” ______ the girl felt sad and lonely.
| A．There were many friends but |
| B．There was nobody to love her so |
| C．There was nothing to do |
| D．Seeing the butterfly was caught |
Noticing the butterfly was caught by the thorn, the orphan girl ______.
| A．helped the butterfly escaped from the thorn |
| B．felt sorrow, but she didn ‘t go up to help it |
| C．fell down on it too |
| D．failed to help it release from the thorn |
The only thing that the little girl wanted was________.
| A．to be rich |
| B．to have her own parents |
| C．to have a lot of friends |
| D．happiness |
The neighbors all gathered around the old happy woman when she was dying, because ______.
| A．they loved this woman deeply and they didn‘t wanted her to die |
| B．the woman had lots of money to be shared as soon as she died |
| C．they wanted to know the secret of her lifetime happiness |
| D．they wanted to pray for her after her death |
If you do not use your arms or your legs for some time, they become weak. When you start using them again, they slowly become strong again. Everybody knows this. Yet there are many people who do not seem to know that one’s memory works in the same way. When someone says that he has a good memory, he really means that he keeps his memory in practice by exercising it regularly. When someone else says that his memory is poor, he really means that he does not give it enough chance to become strong.
If a friend complains that his arms are weak, we know that it is his own fault. But if he tells us that he has a poor memory, many of us think that his parents are to blame, or that he is just unlucky, and few of us realize that it is really his own fault. Not all of us can become very strong or very clever, but all of us can improve our memory by the same means — practice.
Have you ever noticed that people who cannot read or write usually have a better memory than those who can? Why is this? Of course, because people who can’t read or write have to remember things: they cannot write them down in a little notebook. They have to remember dates, prices, names, songs and stories, so their memory is exercised all the time.
So if you want a good memory, learn from those who cannot read or write: practise remembering. According to the passage, few people know that _____.
| A．arms or legs become weak if they are not used for some time |
| B．when they start using their arms or legs again, they slowly become strong again |
| C．a person’s memory becomes weak if he does not practise remembering things |
| D．it is their own fault if their arms or legs are weak |
The author thinks that if a person has a poor memory, _________.
| A．it is his own fault |
| B．his parents are to blame |
| C．he is just unlucky |
| D．his arms must be weak |
From Paragraph 3, we can learn that _________.
| A．people who can’t read are cleverer than those who can |
| B．people who can’t write are cleverer than those who can |
| C．a little notebook helps people who cannot read or write get a better memory |
| D．people who practise remembering regularly have a better memory |
The passage mainly tells us ____________.
| A．how to get our arms and legs stronger |
| B．how to improve our memory |
| C．how to read and write |
| D．how to remember dates and prices |