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.
Stamp collecting is easy when you do it as a hobby. You don’t have to spend a lot of money on it. Sometimes stamps can be got from many sources（来源） for free.
Getting Started
If you have no stamps at all, you might want to buy a packet of 500 or 1,000 different worldwide stamps from a hobby shop or stamp dealer to get stared. One good choice is eBay. Try entering phrases like “worldwide stamps” in the searching box. However, even if you want to specialize in collecting stamps, my advice is not to spend much money on stamps in the beginning. Start off collecting stamps from many source for free until you have collected enough stamps and had enough experience.
Sorting Stamps
Assume (假设) you have some stamps and they are in paper. Before you take them from the paper, you should sort the stamps for example, by country. This is because dealing with stamps is much easier when they are on paper. When you take them off the paper, they become easy to bend, crease and tear easily.
Trimming (修剪) Stamps
Never try to take a stamp off its paper backing by pulling at it, even if it appears to be loose enough to do so. First, trim the paper around the stamp with a pair of sharp scissors making sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. I suggest that you’d better leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp when you trim the paper before you are good at doing it. This passage is written for people who .
| A．have no money to collect stamps |
| B．want to sell their stamps |
| C．want to collect stamps |
| D．don’t know how to sort stamps |
The writer didn’t mention collecting stamps from a .
| A．hobby shop | B．shopping website | C．post office | D．stamp dealer |
According to the writer, at the very beginning, stamp-collecting beginners shouldn’t .
| A．collect common stamps |
| B．borrow some stamps from their friends |
| C．act as an inexperienced collector |
| D．spend a lot of money in buying stamps |
What does the writer suggest not do when trimming stamps?
| A．Pulling at them to take them off the paper backing when they look loose. |
| B．Trim the paper around the stamps with a pair of sharp scissors. |
| C．Leave a quarter inch safety area from the edge of the stamp. |
| D．Make sure not to cut off the edge of the stamps. |
If you are having trouble falling asleep, you are in good company. About 65% of Americans said they have sleeping problems a few nights each week, according to a recent study by the National Sleep Foundation. Sleeping too little can lead to a higher risk of becoming fat and getting depressed(沮丧的). But before you go to a doctor for advice, it is worth examining your sleeping habits one more time. Some of your favorite evening habits may have something to do with the sleeping problems.
1. Setting a Bright Alarm Clock.
The light of your bright alarm clock can prevent you from falling asleep. You can make your room as dark as possible. Cover the bright numbers with a book or consider buying a small travel clock. Your cellphone alarm may also do the trick.
2. Counting Sheep
When you just can't fall asleep, it's useless to stay in bed to count sheep. If you've been trying to fall asleep for more than 30 minutes, the National Sleep Foundation suggests you get up to do some reading or watch TV for a while. Such activities will make you sleepy. Before you know it, you'll be going back to bed really tired.
3. Exercising Late at Night
Daytime workouts(锻炼) will keep you full of energy for hours. That's why you don't want to exercise within three hours of hitting the sack. Fierce(剧烈的)physical activity raise your body temperature and pumps your energy level-both are bad for a good night's sleep.What can we learn from the first sentence of the passage?
| A．It's not good to fail to fall asleep at night. |
| B．People in a good company often have sleeping problems. |
| C．There are many people who have sleeping problems. |
| D．You should find someone to talk to if you can't fall asleep. |
The underlined part "hitting the sack" in the last paragraph means "______".
| A．going back home |
| B．going to bed |
| C．going to the gym |
| D．falling asleep |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned in the passage?
| A．The bad results of getting too little sleep. |
| B．Why the bright alarm clock keeps you awake. |
| C．What to do if you can't fall asleep after 30 minutes. |
| D．Why watching TV and reading books make people sleepy. |
By writing the passage, the writer mainly wants to tell us _______.
| A．why so many people can't sleep well at night |
| B．how to enjoy a good night's sleep |
| C．that sleeping problems are troubling more and more people |
| D．that people may solve their sleeping problems by changing some habits |
Julia Roberts was born on October 28，1967，in Smyrna，Georgia. She is one of the most popular film actresses in the United States．She caught the public’s eye in Mystic Pizza. The next year, she became more famous because of Steel Magnolias．Roberts earned an Oscar nomination(提名)for Best Supporting Actress for her work on the film.
After that，Roberts’ career really took off. ① One of her best known roles was as a hooker who falls in love with a man played by Richard Gere in Pretty Woma n. Roberts then played a variety of dramatic and romantic roles in such films as The Pelican Brief，Michael Collins，My Best Friend’s Wedding，Stepmom, and Notting Hill. In 2000, she made a dramatic breakthrough(突破)with her powerful performance in Erin Brockovich . In the film, she played the title character--a brave，struggling single mom. ② Based on a true story, Brockovich helped lead the fight against a California power company that destroyed a small town’s water supply. Roberts won several awards for that film, including her first Academy Award.
Since then, Roberts has taken some light—hearted roles，and appeared with George Clooney in Ocean’s Eleven and Ocean’s Twelve. Roberts also made her first Broadway(百老汇)appearance in Three Days of Rain in 2006.
Roberts has been married to cameraman Danny Moder since 2002. In 2004, the couple welcomed twins ---Phinnaeus Walter and Hazel Patricia, and in 2007, their third child, Henry Daniel, was born. What’s the correct time order of the following films?
1. Ocean’s Twelve 2. Steel Magnolias
3. Michael Collins 4. Pretty Woman
| A．2—4—3—1 |
| B．2—4—l—3 |
| C．4—1—2—3． |
| D．4—1—3—2． |
All of the following are films except ______________.
| A．Mystic Pizza |
| B．Notting Hill |
| C．Three Days of Rain |
| D．Stepmom |
What do we learn about the film Erin Brockovich from the passage?
| A．It was first shown at the end of last century. |
| B．The main character of the film is a childless woman. |
| C．Julia Roberts won her first Academy Award for her performance in it. |
| D．The story of the film takes place in New York. |
Which of the following films did George Clooney star in?
| A．Pretty Woman. |
| B．The Pelican Brief. |
| C．Ocean’s Eleven. |
| D．My Best Friend’s Wedding. |
In the cold, dark waters of the Antarctic hides a creature with eight arms, two super long tentacles（触须）and eyes as big as dinner plates. Sound like something out of a science fiction movie? This sea monster is the real deal.
On February 21, New Zealand fishermen landed a colossal squid the length of a school bus. They had been fishing with long lines for Chilean sea bass in the waters off the coast of New Zealand when they caught the rare squid. With two hours of hard work, the crew skillfully pulled the creature into a net and dragged in aboard their ship.
Scientists estimate(估计) that the animal weighs about a half ton and is about 40 feet long. That would make this colossal squid the biggest on record.
First identified in 1925 after two tentacles were found in a whale’s stomach, the colossal squid has long been a mystery. The animals are not easy to observe because they can go down to ocean depths of 6,500 feet. What scientists do know from studying the bodies of a half dozen colossal squids is that they are fierce hunters. So the recently discovered huge squid has been frozen in order to keep it for scientific study.
It will be transported to New Zealand’s national museum in the capital city of Wellington. Experts believe it to be the first adult male ever caught undamaged. “Scientists will be very interested in this amazing creature,”said New Zealand Fisheries Minister Jim Anderson. “It adds immeasurably to our understanding of the marine(海洋的) environment Why did the fishermen catch the squid?
| A．Because the squid could help them catch Chilean sea bass |
| B．Because the squid is of world-record-breaking size |
| C．They found the squid by accident and caught it |
| D．They caught the squid for scientific research |
According to Paragraph 4 the huge squid may be ___.
| A．hard identified |
| B．easily frightened |
| C．sheep-like |
| D．aggressive |
Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the text?
| A．Scientists had known much about the huge squid’s diet and behavior |
| B．The recently discovered squid will be exhibited around New Zealand |
| C．The recently discovered squid is the first male squid ever caught |
| D．Research on the squid will help us understand the marine environment better |
The best title for the text would be ___.
| A．Science Fiction and the Real |
| B．Fishermen and the Monster |
| C．Huge Squid Caught |
| D．New Research |
The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office；it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them. One machine can perform many tasks at the same time. As technology grows，the size of the new laptop machines is decreasing. Now laptops are lighter，have smaller screen sizes，and perform better. Smaller screen laptops，which are more convenient to take along with，have been specially designed for professionals. Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic(绘画的)designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines，and they can be very expensive. When we spend much money on something，we should take good care of it. I know some people who buy a new laptop every year. The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed. Common problems are the breaking of the screen，the breaking of joints of the laptop，display problems，and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines，and they cannot be avoided(避免)．Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones. However，if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care，they will last for a longer period of time，and they will perform better. This is not a hard thing to do，but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops.According to the first paragraph，the laptop is a machine which________.
| A．is being used by more and more people in the office |
| B．will take the place of desktops sooner or later |
| C．is specially designed for people who like playing computer games |
| D．can be used for both work and entertainment purposes |
The underlined word in the first paragraph means “________”．
| A．becoming smaller |
| B．becoming more important |
| C．becoming more popular |
| D．becoming better |
We infer that graphic designers still use huge display screen laptops most probably because________.
| A．huge display screen laptops are very cheap |
| B．small display screen laptops are not on sale yet |
| C．they can see their drawings more clearly |
| D．they also want to play computer games |
What can we learn from the second paragraph?
| A．That laptops can only be used for one year. |
| B．That laptops are not as good as desktops. |
| C．That the prices for laptops are too high. |
| D．That laptops may have problems which cannot be fixed. |