B
Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.
55. What is the text mainly about?
A. The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.
B. A special fish living in freezing waters.
C. The ice shelf around Antarctica.
D. Protection of the Antarctic cod.
56. Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A. The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.
B. It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.
C. A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D. Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.
57. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A. A type of ice-salt mixture. B. A newly found protein.
C. Fish blood. D. Sugar molecule.
58. What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A. sugar B. ice C. blood D. molecule
The other day, I noticed a message on a friend’s page. It made me very sad. She says she is the one
who reaches out to people, but rarely do they reach out to her. So, after communicating with her for a while, I began to challenge my friends. “Contact someone right now. Send messages or call someone who you haven’t spoken to for a while, or who you only talk to when they message or call you. Let someone who may feel alone in the world right this moment know that they are not alone. That is my challenge to you. Please do it , and let me know once you have. Either by calling me back, or by sending me a message. Be the change that you want to see in the world. ”
The response was great. 28people liked my post, another 10 posted that they did, and I got about a dozen messages telling me that they did. And there was one very special message:
“I just want you to know what has happened. That day, I sent a message to a friend who I hadn’t heard from for a while. She and I talked for a whole day back and forth on messages and then on the phone. She said she was so incredibly sad. Nobody has spoken with her in two weeks. By the tone of her voice, and by the conversations we were having, I think she was about to take her own life(自杀). After our conversation, she has agreed to talk to someone. Your message of kindness has saved her. I can’t wait to tell you how thankful I am for people like you in the world, who care when nobody else will. I am proud to call myself your friend. Thank you! ”
I didn’t quite know what to say after reading the message. I was wondering how best to use it for greater good. I decided that sharing what we have done is the most powerful way. I know that I am a cheerleader when it comes to making the world a better place with kindness, because if I help someone, it makes me feel better. I do it because I need to feel better.What made the author unhappy?
| A．She can’t reach out to anyone. |
| B．No one responds to her friend. |
| C．None of her friends contacts her. |
| D．She has no time to visit her friends. |
What did the author challenge her friends to do?
| A．Turn to their friends for help. |
| B．Visit their families and relatives. |
| C．Contact someone in need of help. |
| D．Share their problems on their page: |
What do we know about the special message?
| A．Someone was saved by her friend. |
| B．People were too busy to talk with others. |
| C．The girl was sad because no one liked her. |
| D．The author helped her friend by calling her. |
Which word can best describe the author?
| A．Determined. | B．Cold-hearted. |
| C．Stubborn. | D．Inspiring. |
Since around the later part of the 1950s, society started to realize that tobacco cigarettes caused health problems. As research progressed along with increasing numbers of people that developed lung cancer, emphysema, and other smoking related illnesses, cigarette smoking has become less accepted and popular. Unfortunately, the nicotine contained in cigarettes is one of the most addictive substances on the planet and makes quitting smoking one of the hardest things to do. In 2003, Chinese pharmacist, Hon Lik invented the electronic cigarette as a safer, and cleaner way to breathe in nicotine after his father, a heavy smoker, passed away from lung cancer attributed to smoking tobacco cigarettes.
Hon Lik applied for his first patent on the electronic cigarette in 2003 and afterwards introduced e-cigs to the Chinese market in the following year through his employer, Golden Dragon Holdings. Golden Dragon Holdings later changed the company’s name to “Ruyan” in order to better match the company’s name(Ruyan means “almost like smoke”)to the new product. Since the renaming, the Ruyan company has continued e-cigarette development and grown to be one of the largest global e-cig manufactures.
Dr.Sam Han, CEO of Cixi E-CIG Technology, Inc, Ltd. also has a number of e-cig related inventions, including four patents in the United States and two in China that are electronic cigarette and e-liquid technology related. Similar to Hon Lik’s father. Dr. Han was a heavy smoker for more than 40 years before beginning to work on electronic cigarette technologies in order to help himself and others make the shift to vapor smoking. Dr.Han continues to market and conduct R&D in e-cig related techonologies to this date.
After the successful deployment of Ruyan and Cixi E-CIG electronic cigarettes in China and Asia, the products started to be sold in significant quantities on the Internet.How many years is it since the electronic cigarette was first invented according to the passage?
| A．About 5 years. | B．About 11 years. |
| C．About15 years. | D．About 20 years. |
What’s the direct reason why Hon Lik invented the electronic cigarette according to the passage ?
| A．Tobacco cigarettes caused health problems. |
| B．Tobacco cigarettes were too expensive for customers to buy. |
| C．Quitting smoking became one of the hardest things to do. |
| D．His father died from lung cancer due to smoking tobacco cigarettes. |
Since when have Chinese smokers have been able to buy Hon Lik’s electronic cigarettes according to the passage?
| A．2000. | B．2003. | C．2004. | D．2005. |
What’s the correct order of the following events according to the passage?
①Hon Lik applied for his first patent on the electronic cigarette.
②Hon Lik’s father died from lung cancer because of smoking tobacco cigarettes.
③Hon Lik’s electronic cigarettes were introduced to the Chinese market.
④The name of the company Golden Dragon Holdings was changed to “Ruyan”.
| A．①③②④ | B．①④②③ | C．②④①③ | D．②①③④ |
Most musicians agree that the best violins were made in Cremona, Italy, about 200 years ago. They even sound better than violins made today. Violin makers and scientists try to make instruments like the old Italian violins. But they aren’t the same. Why are these old Italian violins so special? Many people think they have an answer.
Some people think it is the age of the violins. But there is a problem here. Not all old violins sound wonderful. Only those from Cremona are special. So age cannot be the answer.
Other people think the secret to those violins is the wood. It must be from certain kinds of trees. It must not be too young or too old. Perhaps the violin makers of Cremons knew something special about wood for violins.
But the kind of wood may not be so important. It may be more important to cut the wood in a special way. Wood for a violin must be cut into the right size and shape. The smallest difference will change the sound of the violin. Musicians sometimes think that this is the secret of the Italians.
Size and shape may not be the answer either. Scientists make new violins that are exactly the same size and shape. But the new ones still do not sound as good as the old ones. Some scientists think the secret may be the varnish (清漆), which covers the wood of the violin and makes it look shiny. It also helps the sound of the instrument. Since no one knows what the Italian violin makers used in their varnish, no one can make the same varnish today.
There may never be other violins like the violins of Cremona. And there are not many of the old violins left. So these old violins are becoming more and more precious.What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．The Secrets of Cremona Violins |
| B．The History of Italian Violins |
| C．Special Musical Instruments |
| D．How to Make the Best Violins |
The main purpose of the first paragraph is to _______.
| A．list some facts | B．raise a question |
| C．give an opinion | D．offer an answer |
What is still unclear about Cremona violins according to the writer?
| A．The shape. | B．The size. |
| C．The wood. | D．The varnish. |
What can we learn from this passage?
| A．Modern things are always better than ancient ones. |
| B．Ancient things are always better than modern ones. |
| C．Once a cultural relic is lost, it can never be recovered. |
| D．Varnish for violins will become more and more precious. |
There are two types of people in the world. Although they have equal degree of health and wealth and other comforts of life, one becomes happy; the other becomes unhappy. This arises from the different ways in which they consider things, persons, events and the resulting effects upon their minds.
People who are to be happy fix their attention on the convenience of things: the pleasant parts of conversation, the well prepared dishes, the goodness of the wine, and the fine weather. They enjoy all the cheerful things. Those who are to be unhappy think and speak only of the opposite things. Therefore, they are continually dissatisfied. By their remarks, they sour the pleasure of society, offend (hurt) many people, and make themselves disagreeable everywhere. The intention of criticizing and being disliked is perhaps taken up by imitation(仿效). It grows into a habit, unknown to its possessors. The habit may be strong, but it may be cured when those who have it realize its bad effects on their interests and tastes. I hope this little warning may be of service to them, and help them change this habit.
Although in fact it is chiefly an act of the imagination, it has serious results in life since it brings on deep sorrow and bad luck. Those people offend many others; nobody loves them, and no one treats them with more than the most common politeness and respect. If they bring on themselves public objections, no one will defend or excuse them, and many will join to criticize their wrong doings. These people should change this bad habit and be pleased with what is pleasing, without worrying needlessly about themselves and others. If they don’t, it will be good for others to avoid any contact with them. Otherwise, it can be disagreeable and sometimes very inconvenient, especially when one becomes mixed up in their quarrels.People who are unhappy ______.
| A．always consider things differently from others |
| B．usually are affected by the results of certain things |
| C．usually misunderstand what others think or say |
| D．always discover the unpleasant side of certain things |
The underlined phrase “sour the pleasure of society” in the second paragraph means ______.
| A．have a good taste with social life |
| B．make others unhappy |
| C．tend to scold others openly |
| D．enjoy the pleasure of life |
We can conclude from the second paragraph that_______.
| A．we should pity all such unhappy people. |
| B．such unhappy people are dangerous to social life. |
| C．people can get rid of the habit of unhappiness. |
| D．unhappy people can not understand happy persons. |
If such unhappy person insists on keeping the habit, the author suggests people should______.
| A．prevent any communication with them. |
| B．show no respect and politeness to them |
| C．persuade them to recognize the bad effects |
| D．quarrel with them until they realize the mistakes |
Ballet as a charming dance form has fascinated audiences for many years. It is a form of dance that combines beauty and grace to tell a story in a dance form. Generally performed in theatres, ballet has always been a favored dream of many little girls. While ballet dancers need to work very hard for many years to perform in a professional ballet company, this does not discourage the girls.
Many people think that ballet originated in France, due to the ballet steps that all have French names. However, ballet can be traced back to Italy during the Renaissance period of the 1400s. While this was really just a pioneer to the classical ballet, the dances performed in Italy during this time led to the further development of ballet in France. The first ballet company arose in France and was called The Queen's Ballet Company.
In the 1800s the romantic style of ballet appeared, thanks in part to the ballet La Sylphide. La Sylphide made much use of the toe dancing technique and brought about many changes to ballet.
All romantic ballets focused on women and this encouraged women to take on increasingly to become ballerinas. While ballet prospered in other nations, it started declining in France. The decline could be because ballet was seen as being very worldly with mythical (神话的) steps.
The shift from mythical steps to more reasonable style that could be co-related to human movements came about in the twentieth century. This was because of the many different styles of dance that were becoming increasingly popular. The change that started in the twentieth century continues to transform ballet even today where it mixes different styles of dance.
Some ballets today have even gone so far as to combine another style of dance into the ballet. In 1944 a ballet was introduced called Fancy Free that use Jazz dance with the ballet steps to create a revolutionary ballet, and it was well received.
With time, ballet has developed and changed in many forms. A ballet by professionals continues to charm audiences despite the fact that most of us cannot even dream of performing most of the steps and moves of a ballet dancer.Why do people think ballet comes from France?
| A．Because Frenchmen introduced ballet to Italy. |
| B．Because Frenchmen created many ballet steps. |
| C．Because the ballet steps are all named in French. |
| D．Because the first ballet company was founded in France. |
When did the romantic ballet appear?
| A．In the 14th century. | B．In the 19th century. |
| C．In the 15th century. | D．In the 2lth century. |
From the last paragraph, we can know ballet becomes more_______________.
| A．reasonable | B．romantic |
| C．popular | D．professional |
The passage mainly talks about _______________.
| A．the development of classical ballet |
| B．the popularity of classical ballet |
| C．the meaning of classical ballet |
| D．the techniques of ballet dancing |