What is the color of the universe? Astronomers did not answer this question until two months ago. This was when two American astronomers reported on their study of all the light in the universe. They said that the universe would appear to the human eye to be a light greenish color, called turquoise(青绿色). Karl Glazebrook and Ivan Baldry of Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, reported their findings in January. They presented research at a meeting of the American Astronomical Society. They said that finding the color of the universe was not part of their more serious scientific research. They did it for fun.
However, earlier this month, the scientists admitted to ma
king a mistake. They said their finding was much more colorful than it should have been. They now say the light from our universe is closer to white. It is more like a milky or creamy white color.
The scientists gave a nu
mber to each of the colors of the different star systems. Then they added the numbers together and found the average measurement. The scientists used this average to identify the color of the universe. They said it was a very pretty light green or turquoise color. They called it “cosmic (宇宙的) spectrum (光谱) green.” Many newspapers and television stations reported their finding.
Other scient
ists and color engineers attempted to reproduce the result. Mark Fairchild of the Rochester Institute of Technology in New York was the first person to identify a mistake. He discovered a mistake in the computer software program used by the Johns Hopkins scientists.
When the mistake was corrected, the results changed. The new color of the universe is much less colorful. It is very close to white. The scientists apologized for the mistake. They are now working with the Rochester Institute of Technology to produce more images regarding the color of the universe.
48. Why did the scientists do the research?
A. They wanted to win a Nobel Prize. B. It’s required by the government.
C. They did it just for fun. D. It’s part of their research.
49. We can infer that the passage was probably written in _______.
A. January B. February C. May D. March
50. According to the passage, which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. None of the researches done by scientists is right.
B. Scientists sometimes may make mistakes in their work.
C. The color of the universe is light greenish.
D. Mark Fairchild apologized for his mistake about the color of universe.
The secret of carrier pigeons' unbelievable ability to find their way home has been discovered by scientists: the feathered navigators follow the roads just like we do.
Scientists now believe the phrase "as the crow (乌鸦) flies" no longer means the shortest most direct route between two points. They say it is likely that crows and other day birds also choose AA-suggested routes, even though it makes their journeys longer.
Scientists at Oxford University spent 10 years studying homing pigeons using global positioning satellite (GPS) and got a surprising result. The birds often don't use the sun to decide their directions.
Instead they fly along motorways, turn at crossing and even go around roundabouts (绕道) , adding miles to their journeys.
"It really has knocked our research team sideways to find that after a decade-long international study, pigeons appear to ignore their inbuilt directional instincts (本能) and follow the road system," said Prof Tim Guilford, reader in animal behavior at Oxford University's Department of Zoology.
Guilford said pigeons use their own navigational system (导航系统) when doing long distance trips or when a bird does a journey for the first time.
"But once homing pigeons have flown a journey more than once, they can fly home on a habitual route, much as we do when we are driving or walking home from work," said Guilford.
"In short, it looks like it is mentally easier for a bird to fly down a road. They are just making their journey as simple as possible."What would be the best title of the passage?
| A．How Pigeons Find Their Ways Home? | B．Why Pigeons Can Fly long Distance? |
| C．Birds Follow Roads as We Do. | D．Why Crows Fly the Shortest D stance? |
What does the words "the feathered navigators" refer to?
| A．The crows. | B．The pigeons. | C．Day birds. | D．Animals that can fly. |
Scientists used to think that homing pigeons often find their directions ____.
| A．by global positioning satellite | B．by the sun |
| C．by the road system | D．by following other birds |
Why do homing pigeons tend to follow the road system daring the r journey?
| A．Because they don't have their inbuilt directional instincts now. |
| B．Because their own navigational system doesn't work. |
| C．Because it is too hard to use their own navigational system. |
| D．Because it is easier to make journey simple by following road system. |
We were a very motley (混杂的) crowd of people who took the bus every day many years ago. During the early morning ride from the suburb, we sat drowsily (昏昏欲睡地) with our collars up to our ears.
A small grey man took the bus to the center for senior citizens every morning. No one ever paid very much attention to him. Then one July morning he said good morning to the driver before he sat down. The driver nodded guardedly. The rest of us were silent.
The next day, the old man boarded the bus energetically, smiled and said in a loud voice: "And a very good morning to you all!" Some of us looked up, amazed, and murmured "Good morning!" in reply.
The following weeks we were more surprised. Our friend was now dressed in a nice old suit and a wide out-of-date tie. He said good morning to us every day and we gradually began to nod and talk to each other.
One morning he had a bunch of wild flowers in his hand. The driver turned around smilingly and asked: "Have you got yourself a girlfriend, Charlie?" The man nodded shyly and said yes. Every morning after that Charlie always brought a flower.
The summer went by when one morning Charlie wasn't waiting at his usual stop. When he wasn't there the new day and the day after that, we started wondering if he was sick or – hopefully – on holiday somewhere, Later we were told one of his very close friends had died at the weekend. How silent we were the rest of the way to work. The next Monday Charlie was waiting at the stop, a little bit more grey. Inside the bus was a silence similar to that in a church. Even though no one had talked about it, all those of us sat with our eyes filled with tears and a bunch of wild flowers in our hands.From the first paragraph we can inter that the passengers ____.
| A．had a cheerful trip every morning | B．didn't know each other |
| C．seldom talked to each other | D．talked and laughed on the way |
Why were some of the passengers amazed when the old man greeted them?
| A．Because he looked energetic. | B．Because he spoke in a loud voice. |
| C．Because he was holding some flowers. | D．Because they hardly greeted each other. |
How did the passengers feel when Charlie was not there the next day?
| A．Concerned. | B．Pleased. | C．Surprised. | D．Disappointed. |
The underlined word "it" in the last paragraph most probably refers to ____.
| A．the reach for his not taking the bus | B．the death of one of his very close friends |
| C．the reach for his looking more grey | D．the silence on the bus |
You maybe surprised to learn that one of the best steps you can take to protect your health is to step outside and spend some time in the grass, dirt and water．
Our ancestors enjoyed the healing power of na
ture，and now scientists are starting to catch up．According to research in recent years，just having a view of nature has been shown to improve hospital patients' recovery and reduce illness rates among office workers．Also，exposure(曝露) to wildlife，horseback riding，hiking，camping and farms can be helpful for a variety of health conditions in adults and children．
Much of this type of research is focusing on children，and in fact an entire movement has quickly developed to connect kids with the healing power of nature．
Obesity（肥胖）．Rates of childhood obesity have grown sharply in recent years，and this is partly because of reduced outdoor activity time．Increasing the time students spend learning about nature，both in and outside the classroom，would help solve this problem．Such lessons are often more attractive for students and often lead them to become more active outside．
Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder（ADHD）（注意力缺失症）．Exposure to ordinary natural settings in the course of common afterschool and weekend activities may be effective in reducing attention deficit symptoms in children．Participation in green activities—such as nature walks—helped ADHD patients from a wide range of backgrounds to stay focused and complete tasks．
Stress．Access to nature，even houseplants，can help children cope with stress．
Depression and seasonal emotional disorder．Major depression requires medical treatment，but physical activity，especially outdoors，can help ease symptoms．For your average case of winter blues，experts suggest spending time outside every day and，if possible，taking the family to a sunny vacation spot in midwinter．
Experts emphasize that you needn't go to wilderness preserves to enjoy nature's benefits—simply walking in a city park or growing in a rooftop garden can make a difference
．It can be inferred from the first two paragraphs that .
| A．ancient people were not familiar with the healing power of nature. |
| B．modern people are not familiar with the healing power of nature． |
| C．the healing power of nature works better on children． |
| D．the healing power of nature works better on office workers． |
According to Para.4, lessons about nature .
| A．should engage parents in them |
| B．should take place outdoors |
C．are used widely at school s |
| D．are liked by students |
Exposure to green areas in neighborhoods can ．
| A．improve children's skills at learning |
| B．help reduce ADHD symptoms |
| C．treat major depression |
| D．cure winter blues |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph？
| A．You can only enjoy nature's benefits in the wilderness． |
| B．A common natural setting is beneficial to your health． |
| C．A city park and a rooftop garden have different benefits． |
| D．Too many people in the wilderness will reduce the benefits of nature． |
Do you think it is ever a good idea for a teenager to have a credit card?
My kids watch closely as I swipe the card through the register．They’ve seen me do it hundreds, thousands of times．Cool．They are itching to swipe it through the machine themselves． When we walk out of the store with our groceries or pet food, or whatever, it’s almost as though money has not changed hands, painless, easy．
So it shouldn’t be shocking to discover that teenagers are becoming card carrying consumers in their own right．The question is, should they?
While some argue it’s best to teach kids how to use a credit card while still living under the family roof, not everyone agrees． Dave Ramsey, financial expert says getting a credit card for your teenager is actually, “an excellent way to teach him or her to be financially irresponsible．”
Now parents are required to co-sign on credit cards for children under 21．“If their name is on the credit card, then the parent may say, ‘Hey, my name is on this．Don’t get me into trouble,” says Mary Beth Pinto, a marketing professor．“When parents were the co-obligors（共同借贷人），the children caused less debt．If the parents are the co-obligors, the tendency is that the parents were explaining how to use the cards．” Still, Pinto believes parents should start
the process much earlier．“Yes, there has to be teaching going on and it has to start when they’re younger． You’re not going to get rid of credit cards．They are here to stay． You have to have them． You can’t fight progress,” Pinto said．
Ramsey, however, disagrees．“Throwing teens into a pool of （credit）sharks is a sure way to guarantee a life-time of heartache,” he said．“You can make online purchases and rent a car with a credit card．Of course, you must have money in your bank account before you can make a purchase with a credit card．But paying for things with money is what you are supposed to do．”The author mentioned her experience in Para 2 mainly to______．
| A．prove the convenience of using credit cards |
B．tell what impression credit cards le ave on kids |
| C．give advice on using credit cards wisely |
| D．explain the pleasure credit cards bring to customers |
The underlined word in Para 2 can be replaced by __________．
| A．eager | B．afraid | C．embarrassed | D．thankful |
What’s Ramsey’s attitude towards teens’ using credit cards?
| A．He feels it is worth a try |
| B．He is very supportive |
| C．He is strongly against it |
| D．He considers it as a pleasant experience |
Pinto will most likely agree that __________．
| A．parents should let teens own their credit cards earlier |
| B．you shouldn’t be in control of credit cards |
| C．it is never good for anyone to get a credit card |
| D．learning to use credit cards is practical |
Tuesday
October 23 11:00 am
World Tree Day; World Tree Cuisine
For World Tree Day, Snook gives out badges（徽章）to everyone who is nice to the tree, but Bob can’t think of what to do -until he comes up with a song．Also: Madge and Snook plan a party to celebrate the World Tree's birthday．
Wednesday
October 21 11:00am
The Sloth Must Be Crazy; Smarter than You Think
Bob investigates a shiny green object that fell from the sky, and, with Madge's help, figures out what it is． Also: Winslow fears that everyone else is smarter than he is．
Thursday
October 22 11:00 am
Fish out of Water; Burdette's Nest
Bob fears that Ick is stuck inside a rock, but soon learns that the rock is a fossil; Smooch and Snook help patch Burdette's nest．
Friday
October 23 11:00 am
Bones; Food and Plenty of It
After Winslow injures his arm, he refuses to slow down and winds up hurting his leg too．Also: Burdette is upset when the nuts on her favorite tree disappear．
Thursday
November 5 11:00 am
The Sting; Growing
Wartz's frog friend Greenie is frightened by Stripey the bee; Madge and Snook think about everything that's occurred at the World Tree during the past year．
Friday
November 6 11:00 am
The Big Race; You Are What You Are
Winslow, Smooch and Snook organize a relay race(接力赛) for all the animals of the World Tree．Also: Wartz wonders if fish and plants are related since they both need water to survive．The information above is most probably about _________．
| A．different science fiction films shown each day |
| B．a series of TV programmes for parents |
| C．a series of TV programmes for children |
| D．different children's films shown each day |
The theme of the song that Bob comes up with is probably about_________．
| A．protecting animals | B．birthday celebration |
| C．alien legend | D．protecting trees |
If Jane wants to know how Winslow gets injured, she will be interested in _____．
| A．The Sloth Must Be Crazy; Smarter than You Think |
| B．Bones; Food and Plenty of It |
| C．The Sting; Growing |
| D．The Big Race; You Are What You Are |
What is TRUE of Wartz?
| A．Wartz has many foolish ideas. | B．Wartz is not clever as others. |
| C．Wartz is curious and imaginative. | D．Wartz wins a relay race. |