Did you ever wonder how some of your favorite foods, products or toys came about? Believe it or not, they may have been an accident, or a failure of some other intention. Below, we found three mistakes we’re thankful for turned out to be what they are.
1. Most historians hold that the Chinese invented fireworks in the 9th century when they
discovered how to make gunpowder. Story has it that a Chinese cook accidentally mixed together what were then considered common kitchen items and noticed they burnt. When put tightly in a bamboo tube and lit, it blew up.
2. In May of 1886, a law led John Pemberton, a pharmacist（药剂师）, to rewrite the formula(配方) for "Pemberton’s French Wine Coca,” his popular headache treatment. Containing sugar instead of wine as a sweetener, the outcome became something for Coke, which was later mixed with carbonated water. His bookkeeper suggested the name Coca-Cola because he thought the two C’s would look good together, which is how what we call Coca-Cola, a world –wide drink came into being.
3. During World War II, scientists at the University of Birmingham invented the magnetron—an important heat-producing part of the microwave oven(微波炉). While working for Raytheon Corporation after the war, the American engineer Percy Spencer was testing the magnetron when a chocolate bar in his pocket melted. He went on to test other foods including popcorn kernels, and found it to be a much more efficient way to cook. In 1947 Raytheon came out with the first restaurant microwave oven, which was six feet tall and weighed 750 lbs. The right time order of the three inventions, according to the passage, should be_________.
| A．fireworks, the microwave and Coca-Cola |
| B．fireworks ,Coca-Cola and the microwave |
| C．Coca-Cola , fireworks and the microwave |
| D．the microwave, Coca-Cola and fireworks |
Percy Spencer found the microwave efficient in cooking when he was _______.
| A．looking for a way to melt his chocolate |
| B．trying to know how a magnetron could cook |
| C．working to know how the magnetron works |
| D．asked to invent a restaurant microwave oven |
What can we learn from the above invention stories?
| A．Experiments make great inventors of our time. |
| B．Nothing is impossible if one tries each day. |
| C．Inventors come out of hard work at any time. |
| D．A small incident may lead to a great invention. |
What’s the best title for the passage?
| A．What great inventions they are! | B．Inventions from Three Countries. |
| C．Stories of Accidental Inventions. | D．The Human Inventions of time. |
From a very early age, some children show better self-control than others. Now, a new study that began with about 1,000 children in New Zealand has tracked how a child’s low self-control can predict poor health, money troubles and even a criminal record in their adult years.
Researchers have been studying this group of children for decades now. They observed the level of self-control the youngsters displayed. Parents, teachers, even the kids themselves, scored the youngsters on measures like “acting before thinking” and “Persistence in reaching goals.”
The study led by Moffitt of Duke University and colleagues followed 1,000 children from birth to age 32 in Dunedin, New Zealand.
“The children who had the lowest self-control when they were age three to ten, later on had the most health problems in their 30s,” Moffitt said，“and they had the worst financial situation. They were more likely to have a criminal record and to be raising a child as a single parent on a very low income.” Moffitt explained that self-control problems were widely observed, and weren’t just a feature of a small group of misbehaving kids.
Moffitt said it’s still unclear why some children have better self-control than others, though she said other researchers have found that it’s mostly a learned behavior, with relatively little genetic influence. But good self-control can be set to run in families because children with good self-control are more likely to grow up to be healthy and prosperous parents. But the good news, Moffitt said, is that self-control can be taught by parents, and through school curricula that have been shown to be effective.From the first two paragraphs we learn that.
| A．the research has been carried out for five years |
| B．self-control in kids tends to determine their future |
| C．self-control was assessed by children’s intelligence |
| D．children’s self-control is almost the same at early age |
Children with low self-control are more likely to .
| A．become wealthy in later life | B．get good school performance |
| C．have better financial planning | D．adopt negative behaviors |
According to Moffitt，.
| A．only good genetic factors can shape their lives in the future |
| B．scientists know well why some children have better self-control |
| C．self-control in childhood has nothing to do with criminal activity |
| D．willpower as a child really influences people’s chances of adulthood |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Self-control cannot be taught in schools. |
| B．The study is restricted within few participants. |
| C．It’s never too late to deal with self-control problems. |
| D．Good parenting can improve self-control and life success. |
Which of the following might be the best title of the passage？
| A．Child’s self-control predicts future health and success |
| B．Kids are encouraged to take risks at an early age |
| C．Children’s development cannot be changed by teachers |
| D．How to teach the kids a bit of self-control in schools |
Most American students go to traditional public schools. There are about 88,000 public schools all over the US. Some students attend about 3000 independent public schools called charter schools.
Charter schools are self-governing. Private companies operate some charter schools. They are similar in some ways to traditional public schools. They receive tax money just as other public schools do. Charter schools must prove to local or state governments that their students are learning. These governments provide the schools with the agreement called a charter that permits them to operate.
Charter schools are different because they do not have to obey most laws governing traditional public schools. Local, state or federal governments cannot tell them what to teach. Each school can choose its own goals and decide the ways it wants to reach them. Class size is usually smaller than in traditional public schools.
The Bush Administration strongly supports charter schools as a way to re-organize public schools that are failing to educate students. But some education agencies and unions oppose charter schools. One teachers’ union has just made public the results of the first national study comparing the progress of students in traditional schools and charter schools.
The American Federation of Teachers criticized the government’s delay in releasing the results of the study, which is called the National Assessment of Educational Progress. Union education experts say the study shows that charter school students performed worse on math and reading tests than students in regular public schools.
Some experts say the study is not a fair look at charter schools because students in those schools have more problems than students in traditional schools. Other education experts say the study results should make charter school officials demand improved student progress.If a private company wants to operate a charter school, it must.
| A．try new methods of teaching | B．prove its management ability |
| C．obey the local and state laws | D．get the government’s permission |
Charter schools are independent because .
| A．they make greater progress | B．their class size is smaller |
| C．they enjoy more freedom | D．they oppose traditional ways |
What’s the government’s attitude toward charter schools?
| A．Doubtful. | B．Supportive. | C．Subjective. | D．Optimistic. |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．More students choose to attend charter schools. |
| B．Charter schools are better than traditional schools. |
| C．Students in charter schools are well educated. |
| D．People have different opinions about charter schools. |
It can be inferred from the text that .
| A．charter schools are part of the education system |
| B．one-on-one attention should be paid to students |
| C．the number of charter schools will be limited |
| D．charter schools are all privately financed |
Not too long ago, a Chicago brewery (酿造厂) introduced a new beer that was supposed to be the least fattening（making people fat） on the market. It was lighter, so they called it LITE. Only two months after the new beer had been on sale, however, strange new ads appeared in the Chicago newspapers. They read ’LITE Tastes Soapy’. The public, of course, was confused. Who wanted a beer that tasted like soap（肥皂）, even if it was non-fattening?
The new ads weren’t talking about LITE beer, however. They were for a product of the LITE Soap Company. The president of the LITE Soap Company, Mrs Ruth Ascott, was very upset with the brewery for taking the name of her high-powered detergent (洗涤剂) and using it as the name of a new beer. LITE Soap had had the same name for 53 years. She wrote to the brewery, insisting that they should not use the word LITE in their beer ads. The brewery replied that they could—and would—because beer and soap were so different. They planned to ignore the ’LITE Tastes Soapy’ ads, since the public knew which LITE was which.
Mrs Ascott then wanted to plan a new campaign. The ads would read ’LITE Is Wonderful for Washing Clothes’.It is clear that _____.
A. the Chicago brewery was sure the soap company would add to its fame
В. the LITE Soap Company is happy to know the name of the beer
С. the ad ’LITE Tastes Soapy’ did harm to LITE the beer
D. the brewery was not surprised at all to see the ad ’LITE Tastes Soapy’It seems that_____.
A. the new beer may lose weightВ. the brewery was right
С. making ads is not difficult D. most beer makes us fatWhen the ad ’LITE Tastes Soapy’ comes out, _____.
A. the beer sold well on the market
В. it confused some consumers of the beer
С. people thought the beer was the least fattening
D. people began to like the product from LITE Soap CompanyWe may conclude that_____.
A. neither of the two products sells well
В. both the two companies get on very well
С. the brewery did wrong to the LITE Soap Company
D. it was wrong of the soap company to have LITE as her own nameWhen the public read the ad in the last paragraph, they _____.
A. might wash their clothes with the beer В. are likely to stop to buy the beer
С. might be more confused than ever before D. may find out which LITE was which
Dick lived in England. One day in January he said to his wife, "I’m going to fly to New York next week because I’ve got some work there." "Where are you going to stay there?" his wife asked. "I don’t know yet." Dick answered. "Please send me your address from there in a telegram (电报)," his wife said. "All right," Dick answered.
He flew to New York on January 31st and found a nice hotel in the center of the city. He put his things in his room and then he sent his wife a telegram. He put the address of his hotel in it.In the evening he didn’t have any work, so he went to a cinema. He came out at nine o’clock and said, "Now I’m going back to my hotel and have a nice dinner."He found a taxi (出租车) and the driver said, "Where do you want to go?" But Dick didn’t remember the name and address of his hotel.
"Which hotel are my things in?" he said, "And what am I going to do tonight?" But the driver of the taxi did not know. So Dick got out and went into a post office. There he sent his wife another telegram, and in it he wrote, "Please send me my address at this post office."Dick flew to New York because ___.
| A．he went there for a holiday | B．he had work there |
| C．he went there for sightseeing (观光) | D．his home was there |
Why did his wife want a telegram from him?
| A．Because she wanted to know where her husband stayed in New York |
| B．Because she wanted to go to New York, too |
| C．Because she might send him another telegram |
| D．Because she couldn’t leave her husband by himself in New York |
Where did Dick stay in New York?
| A．In the center of the city. | B．In a hotel. |
| C．In a restaurant. | D．At his friend’s house. |
Who would send him the name and address of his hotel?
| A．The manager (经理) of his hotel. | B．The police office. |
| C．The taxi driver. | D．His wife. |
Which of the following is Not true?
| A．Dick stayed at a nice hotel in the center of the city. |
| B．Dick didn’t work on the first night of his arrival. |
| C．Dick forgot to send his wife a telegram. |
| D．Dick wanted to go back to his hotel in a taxi. |
NEW YORK CITY?A hurricane warning has been given for New York City．Forecasters say Hurricane Irene could cause widespread flooding, power failure and billions of dollars in damage．About 65 million Americans live in Hurricane Irene’s projected path —many of whom have been evacuated．
In New York City, Mayor Michael Bloomberg has ordered the city’s first-ever evacuation． Roughly 250,000 people have been told to leave their homes in low-lying areas, including the Wall Street financial district．
WASHINGTON D．C．—On Aug．24, 2011, Apple announced that Mr．Steve Jobs, who has battled cancer for several years, was stepping down as the CEO but would serve as chairman．
In January, he had announced that he was taking a medical leave of absence from Apple．In announcing his leave, he turned daily oversight of the company over to the chief operating officer, Timothy D．Cook, and it was Mr．Cook whom Apple named to succeed him as the next CEO of the company．
TRIPOLI—Opposition forces in Libya say they control more than 90 percent of the country．It is still not clear where Moammar Gadhafi is．The opposition has offered more than 1,600,000 dollars for his capture （逮捕）．The head of the opposition forces said his group supports a decision by local businessmen to provide the money in an effort to speed up the capture．Earlier Wednesday, government forces fired onto the former headquarters （总部） of Mr．Gadhafi, which is now controlled by opposition forces．Heavy fighting also continued near Tripoli’s airport and in a town of Zuara．The underlined word "evacuated" probably means ________．
| A．sent away to safer places |
| B．gathered around to higher positions |
| C．flooded off to lower reaches |
| D．left behind to dangerous situations |
Who has been appointed as the new CEO of Apple?
| A．Steve Jobs． | B．Michael Bloomberg． |
| C．Moammar Gadhafi． | D．Timothy |
From the news above, we know that in Libya _______．
| A．the local businessmen have offered money to catch hold of Gadhafi |
| B．the opposition forces suffered a thorough defeat near Tripoli’s airport |
| C．the government forces are defending the headquarters of Mr．Gadhafi |
| D．the town ofZuara is the place where Moammar Gadhafi probably hides |