The wheel was one of man’s first inventions and yet it has also proved one of the most useful. So wide and varied are the uses of the wheels, in machines and vehicles of all kinds, that it is difficult to imagine what the world would be like without them. It is surprising to hear it said, therefore, that the wheel’s importance will perhaps be greatly reduced by the end of the century by an invention so new as to be still unnamed.
The invention is a machine the floats above any surface on a cushion of air. The cushion is formed when air is blown into this saucer, the machine rises to a height that may vary from a few inches to a few feet.
Industry is already using one form of the inversion to deal with heavy loads. It can lift them. with ease and since there are no wheels, and therefore no friction , they can be put into motion with the touch of a finger.
The new invention, however , is having a great effect on transport, Not only does it make expensive road systems unnecessary, but it enables vehicles to travel well over land or water. This unique to reach most destinations has given rise to the prediction that wheeled vehicles may be uncommon at the end the century as aeroplanes were at the beginning.
1. The first paragraph tells us that______.
A. the wheel was man’s earliest invention.
B. the wheel’s usefulness has yet to be proved.
C. wide wheels have a variety of important uses.
D. a new invention may make wheels less important.
2. The phrase “with the touch of a finger” in the third paragraph means______.
A. without difficulty B. by electricity .
C. without friction D. by hand.
3. The passage tells us that the new invention __________.
A. is more important for industry than for transport.
B. will one day be used instead of aeroplanes.
C. makes it possible to travel without using roads.
D. will replace wheeled vehicles using roads.
4. According to the passage, the new invention _______.
A. will soon get a name B. can go almost anywhere
C. is lighter than air D. was uncommon a century ago
Food picked up just a few seconds after being dropped is less likely to contain bacteria(细菌) than if it is left for longer periods of time, according to the findings of research carried out at Aston University’s School of Life and Health Sciences. The findings suggest there may be some scientific basis to the “5 second rule” --- the belief about it being fine to eat food that has only had contact with the floor for five seconds or less. Although people have long followed the 5 second rule, until now it was unclear whether it actually helped.
The study, undertaken by final year Biology students and led by Anthony Hilton, Professor of Microbiology at Aston University, monitored the transfer of the common bacteria from a variety of indoor flooring types (carpet, cement floor etc.) to toast, pasta, a biscuit and a sticky sweet when contact was made from 3 to 30 seconds. The results showed that: Time is a significant factor in the transfer of bacteria from a floor surface to a piece of food; and the type of flooring the food has been dropped on has an effect, with bacteria least likely to transfer from carpeted surfaces and most likely to transfer from cement flooring surfaces to moist(湿的) foods making contact for more than 5 seconds. Professor Hilton said: “Consuming food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk as it very much depends on which bacteria are present on the floor at the time.”
The Aston team also carried out a survey of the number of people who employ the 5 second rule. The survey showed that: 87% of people surveyed said they would eat food dropped on the floor, or already have done so. 55% of those who would eat or have eaten food dropped on the floor are women. 81% of the women who would eat food from the floor would follow the 5 second rule. Professor Hilton added, “Our study showed that a surprisingly large majority of people are happy to consume dropped food, with women the most likely to do so. But they are also more likely to follow the 5 second rule.”According to the passage, which of the following is true?
| A．A toast dropped on the carpet is easier to be polluted than that dropped on the cement floor. |
| B．A sticky chocolate dropped on the carpet is easier to be polluted than that dropped on the cement floor within 5 seconds. |
| C．The food dropped on the carpet shares the same potential of being polluted with the food dropped on the cement floor. |
| D．The food dropped on the cement floor is not as safe as food dropped on the carpet within 30 seconds. |
Eating food dropped on the floor still carries an infection risk because it relies on _________ at that time.
| A．the type of bacteria |
| B．the carpet |
| C．the cement floor |
| D．the surface of table |
The passage is developed probably by __________.
| A．time | B．space |
| C．contrast | D．example |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．The food which is dropped on the floor can be eaten safely. |
| B．The bacteria have no negative effect on the safety of food. |
| C．A research on the safety of food dropped on the floor is undertaken. |
| D．People surveyed in the research are willing to accept the idea. |
Air travel makes some people very nervous. The crowds, the noise and flying itself can cause unease. But there are classes that people can take to help them defeat the fear of flying. And now we are going to talk about similar training for service dogs that suffer from the same problem.
Service dogs almost never leave the side of the people they care for. You will see them working on buses, trains and other public transport systems. But the busy environment in an airport can trouble even the best trained working dog.
People with disabilities depend on their dogs. They also need the dogs to remain calmly on duty on the airplane, even when the flight is not smooth. This takes special training. The Air Hollywood K9 Flight School is one place where such help can be found.
The school has a piece of equipment that provides the sights, sounds and even the feel of an airplane in flight. It is called a flight simulator(模拟器). The simulator was built for filming airplane scenes in movies.
Sandy Alexander lives in Newport Beach, California. He has a disability that requires his two-year-old dog, Doc, to be always at his side. Mr. Alexander took the dog to the flight school to get him ready for plane trips. He says Doc did not like the bumpy(颠簸的) part of the flight simulation. “When that started he was pretty agitated and looked up at me and wasn’t sure what was gong on.”
“Dogs need to be exposed gradually and repetitively to stimulation, to the environment, to loud noises, to sounds and other dogs so that when this experience happens to them on a daily basis, they are able to act in a way that they are used to acting and don’t get excitable,” days dog trainer, Mary Segall.
Dog owners who have attended the training say they now feel much more at ease about future flights. Their dogs also seem ready for take-off.The flight simulator________.
| A．can help people to learn how to fly an airplane |
| B．was built for filming airplane scenes in movies |
| C．can’t provide the feel of an airplane in flight |
| D．let service dog owners experience the thrill of flying |
What does the underlined word, “agitated” in the fifth paragraph, probably mean?
| A．Excited | B．Anxious |
| C．Calm | D．Depressed |
Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the text?
| A．There are no school for people to overcome the fear of flying. |
| B．Well-trained working dogs don’t need to attend the training. |
| C．Dogs are exposed to stimulation repetitively in the flight school. |
| D．The training has little effect on service dogs. |
When you get in your car, you reach for it. When you’re at work, you take a break to have a moment alone with it. When you get into a lift, you play with it.
Cigarettes? Cup of coffee? No, it’s the third most addictive thing in modern life, the cell phone. And experts say it is becoming more difficult for many people to curb their desire to hug it more tightly than most of their personal relationships.
With its shiny surface, its smooth and satisfying touch, its air of complexity, the cell phone connects us to the world even as it disconnects us from people three feet away. In just the past couple of years, the cell phone has challenged individuals, employers, phone makers and counselors(顾问) in ways its inventors in the late 1940s never imagined.
The costs are becoming even more evident, and I don’t mean just the monthly bill. Dr. Chris Knippers, a counselor at the Betty Ford Center in Southern California, reports that the overuse of cell phones has become a social problem not much different from other harmful addictions: a barrier to one-on-one personal contact, and an escape from reality.
Sounds extreme, but we’ve all witnessed the evidence: The person at a restaurant who talks on the phone through an entire meal, ignoring his kids around the table; the woman who talks on the phone in the car, ignoring her husband; the teen who texts messages all the way home from school, avoiding contact with kids all around him.
Is it just rude, or is it a kind of unhealthiness? And pardon me, but how is this improving the quality of life?
Jim Williams, an industrial sociologist based in Massachusetts, notes that cell-phone addiction is part of a set of symptoms in a widening gulf of personal separation. He points to a study by Duke University researchers that found one-quarter of Americans say they have no one to discuss their most important personal business with. Despite the growing use of phones, e-mail and instant messaging, in other words, Williams says studies show that we don’t have as many friends as our parents. “Just as more information has led to less wisdom, more acquaintances via the Internet and cell phones have produced fewer friends,” he says.
If the cell phone has truly had these effects, it’s because it has become very widespread. Consider that in 1987, there were only 1 million cell phones in use. Today, something like 300 million Americans carry them. They far outnumber wired phones in the United States.Which of the following best explains the title of the passage?
| A．Cell phone users smoke less than they used to. |
| B．More people use cell phones than smoke cigarettes. |
| C．Cell phones have become as addictive as cigarettes. |
| D．Using cell phone is just as cool as smoking cigarettes. |
The underlined word “curb” in Paragraph 2 means __________.
| A．control | B．ignore |
| C．develop | D．rescue |
The example of a woman talking on the phone in the car supports the idea that .
| A．women use cell phones more often than men |
| B．talking on the phone while driving is dangerous |
| C．cell phones make one-on-one personal contact easy |
| D．cell phones do not necessarily bring people together |
In recent months, a catchy song, A Little Apple, has become such a hit that it has even inspired square-dancing troupes(团) to mimic(模仿) its music video.
When Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon, an adventure comedy featuring the song, was released on July 10, the unusual publicity strategy was applauded. Ticket sales of Old Boys: The Way of the Dragon surpassed 150 million yuan in the first week of hitting the big screen.
Interactive online campaigns involving fans have become a popular way to promote a movie. The first two episodes(集) of Tiny Times, the directing debut(处女作) of author, Guo Jingming, made 800 million yuan at the box office last year, in spite of criticism for its portrayal(描绘) of lavish(奢华的) lifestyles. Before the third episode was shown, fans donated a small sum of money online as “investors” in the movie. Some of the people who donated received film souvenirs, or the chance to visit the film set.
Han Han, Guo’s major competitor, has just released his directorial debut, road-trip comedy, The Continent. Han has over 38 million followers on Sina Weibo, China’s major micro-blogging platform. He has broadcast the filming process of the movie to his followers since he began shooting. The film’s trailer(预告片)was released online in May, only three days after shooting and it has been viewed 4.7 million times.
“I don’t care too much about the surprising numbers online, and what matters more is whether the movie is good or not,” Han once said.
However, when he invited popular singer, Pu Shu, to write the closing song for the movie, he must have had another idea in mind.
Pu, who has been away from the public eye for some 11 years, also brings a new element for the movie claiming to be devoted to young people. The song became very popular as soon as it was released online.
No one knows what other trump cards will be thrown on the table during the tense online campaign this summer.How does the author develop the text?
| A．By giving examples. |
| B．By cause and effect. |
| C．By following the order of time. |
| D．By making comparison. |
How does Guo promote his film Tiny Times?
| A．He takes advantage of his fans to support the movie. |
| B．He has a luxurious lifestyle to attract the attention of people. |
| C．He gives presents to his fans to encourage them to watch it. |
| D．He organizes online activities to increase its popularity. |
Why did Han invite Pu Shu to write the closing song for the movie?
| A．Pu Shu had the same experience as the hero in the film. |
| B．Pu Shu could help increase the popularity of his film. |
| C．Han is a big fan of Pu Shu. |
| D．It was a good chance for Pu Shu’s comeback. |
Where may this article be found?
| A．In a fashion magazine. |
| B．In the advertisement section of a newspaper. |
| C．From an entertainment report in a newspaper. |
| D．From a finance journal. |
In 2005, a local tourist reported seeing a strange object in the Tianchi Lake. 52-year-old Zheng Changchun, his daughter and his son-in-law were enjoying the scenery in the western side of Changbai Mountain. Suddenly, in the middle of the lake, zheng saw a strange, black object showing up from the water and disturbing(搅乱) the calm surface of the lake.
“I was so excited and shouted loudly that there was a monster in the lake,” said Zheng.
Immediately Zheng took his camcorder(摄像录像机) and managed to record the whole process on film, but it quickly disappeared under the water.
Zheng said that when they climbed to the top of the mountain above the Tianchi Lake at about 10 am, it was covered with thick fog which suddenly gave way to bright sunshine. The glassy surface of the lake was perfect for taking photos.
In the one-minute film shot by Zheng, a black object could be seen appearing from the water in the same place three times. It stayed on the water for just a few seconds, before it finally disappeared.
“We were more than 1,000 meters away so it was difficult to see it clearly, but I would say what we saw above water was the size of the head of an adult ox. And I did notice that every time it appeared form the water, there were ripples (涟漪) on the surface of the lake.”Where did the strange object appear? (No more than 9 words)
____________________________________________________________________________How did Zheng Changchun feel at the sight of the strange object?(no more than 3 words)
____________________________________________________________________________What could people see in the one-minute film shot by Zheng Changchun?(no more than 14 words)
___________________________________________________________________________According to the passage, what was the object like?(no more than 7 words)
___________________________________________________________________________