COOL INVENTIONS
CHARGE ON THE GO
From school to band practice, the Venturi Eclectic is an Earth-friendly way to get where you want to go. This battery-powered, zero-emission(meaning it doesn’t pollute the air) vehicle runs mainly on renewable energy. Solar panels on the Eclectic’s roof absorb sun rays when you’re driving. On windy days, you can connect a machine to the car’s roof collects energy from the wind while you’re parked. The Eclectic’s top speed is 28 miles an hour; the battery lasts for 31 miles before it needs to be recharged. Zipping (迅速行进)round the neighborhood has never been better.
WATER CLOCK
Here’s an eco-friendly way to tell time: Simply fill the Bedol Water-powered Clock’s tank(箱)with water, add some lemon juice, and the clock will display the time without the need for environmentally harmful batteries. There are two sets of metal electrodes(电极)inside the water tank. Water contains ions(离子)that carry negative and positive charges. These ions complete a charge between the electrodes creating enough energy to power the clock. Just refill the tank every few weeks, and this clock will keep on ticking.
LAND ROCKET
Bloodhound SuperSonic Car (SSC) will be the first car to attempt to break the 1,000-mile-an-hour barrier. (The current record is 763 miles an hour.) a concept for now, the rocket-shaped car gets its initial push to 350 miles an hour from a jet engine. Then a rocket fires up, pushing the SSC past 1,000 miles an hour. In order to keep the car streamlined(流线型的)the driver lies back at a 45-degree angle.
COOL CAMERA
You’re having a blast at your friend’s birthday party. But when it’s time to bring out the cake, everyone crowds around, blocking your view. No worries. Throw the Triops into the air, and this clever camera captures the view from above. The Triops can take three pictures at once, each from different angles. You can also record sounds and command the Triops to start shooting whenever it hears that noise. That’s one smart camera.
1.According to the passage, the Venturi Eclectic______.
A.is popular with businessmen
B.is suitable for a long trip
C.can turn wind into energy
D.has only a little gas emission
2.What is the common characteristic of the Venturi Eclectic and the Bedol Water-powered Clock?
A.They don’t need batteries.
B.They are difficult to operate
C.They can be powered by water
D.They are environmentally friendly
3.The underlined phrase “having a blast” in the last paragraph means______.
A.looking at a picture B.enjoying yourself
C.blowing out a candle D.recording sounds
4.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.The Triops in sensitive to sounds.
B.The driver of the SSC must be of great size.
C.The color of the Bedol Water-powered Clock is like that of lemon
D.The SSC doesn’t have anything to do with a rocket actually.
The famous director of a big and expensive movie planned to film a beautiful sunset over the ocean, so that the audiences could see his hero and heroine in front of it at the end of the film as they said goodbye to each other for ever.He sent his camera crew(摄制组) out one evening to film the sunset for him.
The next morning he said to the men,“Have you provided me with that sunset?"
“No,sir," the men answered.
The director was angry. “Why not?"he asked.
“Well, sir,"one of the men answered,“we're on the east coast here, and the sun sets in the west. We can get you a sunrise over the sea, if necessary, but not a sunset."
“But I want a sunset!"the director shouted.“Go to the airport,take the next flight to the west coast, and get one."
But then a young secretary had an idea.“Why don't you photograph a sunrise," she suggested,“and then play it backwards? then it'll look like a sunset."
“That's a very good idea!" the director said. Then he turned to the camera crew and said, “Tomorrow morning I want you to get me a beautiful sunrise over the sea."
The camera crew went out early the next morning and filmed a bright sunrise over the beach in the middle of a beautiful bay(海湾). Then at nine o'clock they took it to the director. “Here it is, sir," they said, and gave it to him. He was very pleased.
They all went into the studio(摄影棚).“All right,"the director explained,“now our hero and heroine are going to say goodbye. Run the film backwards so that we can see the ‘sunset'behind them."
The “sunset" began, but after a quarter of a minute ,the director suddenly
put his face in his hands and shouted to the camera crew to stop.
“The birds in the film were flying backwards, and the waves on the sea were going away from the beach."
1.One evening, the director sent his camera crew out ________.
A. to watch a beautiful sunsetB. to find an actor and an actress
C. to film a scene on the sea D. to meet the audience
2.Why did the director want to send his crew to the west coast?
A. Because he changed his mind about getting a sunset.
B. Because he was angry with his crew.
C. Because it was his secretary's suggestion.
D. Because he wanted to get a scene of sunset.
3. Which of the following is NOT true?
A. The crew had to follow the secretary's advice.
B. If you want to see a sunrise, the east coast is the place to go to.
C. The camera crew wasn't able to film the scene the first day.
D. The director ordered his crew to stop filming the “sunset".
4.The director wanted to film a sunset over the ocean because ________ .
A. it went well with the separation of the hero and the heroine
B. when they arrived at the beach it was already in the evening
C. it was more moving than a sunrise
D. the ocean looked more beautiful at sunset
5. After the“sunset" began, the director suddenly put his face in his hands ________ .
A. because he was moved to tears
B. as he saw everything in the film moving backwards
C. as the sunrise did not look as beautiful as he had imagined
D. because he was disappointed with the performance of the hero and heroine
HOW TO BOOK
Booking opens for Beckett Shorts on 8 September.
BY TELEPHONE
For credit card(信用卡)bookings. Calls are answered.
BOX OFFICE
01789 295623 9am-8pm(Mon-Sat)
0541 541051(24 hours, 7 days, no booking charge).
BY FAX
For credit card bookings. Please allow at least 48 hours for reply, if required.
BOX OFFICE
01789 261974 or 01862 387765
BY POST
Please enclose(附上)a cheque or credit card details together with an SAE or add 50p to the total amount(总额)to cover postage. Please send to the Box Office, RST, StratforduponAvon, CV376BB.
Booking opens for all other plays on 19 September.
IN PERSON
BOX OFFICE
RST hall, 9∶30am-8pm(Mon-Sat)(6pm when theatres are closed).
OVERSEAS BOOKING
The easiest method of payment is by credit card.You can also pay by: Eurocheque(
up to £500)with your card number written on the back.
PAYING FOR YOUR TICKETS
CREDIT CARDS
We accept Visa, Master card, American Express and Diners Club. Please give t
he card number, name and address of cardholder.
CHEQUES
Cheques and postal orders should be payable to: Royal Shakespeare Theatre.
1.In which of the following ways of booking does one probably have to pay extra money?
A.In person. B.By telephone. C.By fax. D.By post.
2.One has to wait for 2 days or longer for a reply if he/she pays__________.
A.in person B.by telephone C.by fax D.by post
3.What is a useful number to call at 11am Sunday?
A.01789 295623 B.0541 541051 C.01789 261174 D.01862 387665
Some time ago I discovered that one of my chairs had a broken leg. I didn't think there would be any difficulty in getting it mended, as there are a whole lot of antique(古董) shops near my home. So I left home one morning carrying the chair with me. I went into the first shop expecting a friendly reception(接待). I was quite wrong. The man wouldn't even look at my chair.
The second shop, though slightly more polite, was just the same, and the third and the fourth—so I decided that my approach must be wrong.
I entered the fifth shop with a plan in my mind. I placed the chair on the floor and said to the shopkeeper, “Would you like to buy a chair?” He looked it over carefully and said, “Yes, not a bad chair. How much do you want for it, sir?”“Twenty pounds,”I said. “OK,”he said. “I'll give you twenty pounds.”“It's got a slightly broken leg,” I said. “Yes, I saw that, it's nothing.”
Everything was going according to plan and I was getting excited. “What will you do with it?” I asked. “Oh, it will be easy to sell once the repair is done.”“I'll buy it,” I said. “What do you mean?” “You've just sold it to me,” he said. “Yes, I know but I've changed my mind. I am sorry. I'll give you twentyseven pounds for it.” “You must be crazy,”he said. Then, suddenly the penny dropped. “I know what you want. You want me to repair your chair.” “You're right,”I said. “And what would you have done if I had walked in and said,‘Would you mend this chair for me?’”“I wouldn't have agreed to do it,”he said. “We don't do repairs, not enough money in it and too much trouble. But I'll mend this for you, shall we say for a fiver?” He was a very nice man and was greatly amused(感到有趣) by the whole thing.
1.We can learn from the text that in the first shop the writer_________.
A. was rather impolite
B. was warmly received
C. asked the shopkeeper to buy his chair
D. asked the shopkeeper to repair his chair
2.The underlined word “approach” in the second paragraph means _________.
A. plan for dealing with things
B. decision to sell things
C. idea of repairing things
D. way of doing things
3.The expression “the penny dropped” in the last paragraph means the shopkeeper _________.
A. changed his mind
B. accepted the offer
C. saw the writer's purpose
D. decided to help the writer
4. How much did the writer pay?
A. £5. B. £7. C. £20. D. £27.
5. From the text, we can learn that the writer was _________.
A. honest B. careful C. smart D. funny
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1.What kind of people will probably answer this advertisement?
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2.Which major is NOT mentioned in the advertisement?
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doing full time learning at school
working in some big famous companies
studying in their spare time
studying abroad for two years
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Laptop (便携式) computers are popular all over the world. People use them on trains and airplanes, in airports and hotels. These laptops connect people to their workplace. In the United States today, laptops also connect students to their classrooms.
Westlake College in Virginia will start a laptop computer program that allows students to do schoolwork anywhere they want. Within five years, each of the 1,500 students at the college will receive a laptop. The laptops are part of a $ 10 million computer program at Westlake, a 110yearold college. The students with laptops will also have access to the Internet. In addition, they will be able to use email to “speak” with their teachers, their classmates, and their families. However, the most important part of the laptop program is that students will be able to use computers without going to computer labs. They can work with it at home, in a fastfood restaurant or under the trees—anywhere at all!
Because of the many changes in computer technology, laptop use in higher education , such as colleges and universities, is workable. As laptops become more powerful ,they become more similar to desktop computers. In addition, the portable computers can connect students to not only the Internet, but also libraries and other resources.State higher education officials are studying how laptops can help students. State officials also are testing laptop programs at other universities, too.
At Westlake College,more than 60 percent of the staff use computers. The laptops will allow all teachers to use computers in their lessons. As one Westlake teacher said,“Here we are in the middle of Virginia and we're giving students a window on the world. They can see everything and do everything.”
1.The main purpose of the laptop program is to give each student a laptop to ________.
A. use for their schoolworkB. access the Internet
C. work at home D. connect them to libraries
2.Why is the word “speak” in the second paragraph in quotation marks?
A. They don't really talk.B. They use the computer language.
C. Laptops have speakers. D. None of the above reasons is correct.
3.Which of the following is true about Westlake College?
A. All teachers use computers.
B. 1,500 students have laptops.
C. It is an old college in America.
D. Students there can do everything.
4.A window on the world in the last patagraph means that students can _______.
A. attend lectures on information technology
B. travel around the world
C. get information from around the world
D. have free laptops
5.What can we infer(推断)from the passage?
A. The program is successful. B. The program is not workable.
C. The program is too expensive. D. We don't know the result yet.