Consult the page adapted from an English dictionary and do Questions 53-56.
Important words to learn: E Essential I Improver A Advanced
shoot [ʃu:t]
▲verb (shot, shot) WEAPON→1 E to fire a bullet or an arrow, or to hit, injure or kill a person or animal by firing a bullet or arrow at them: If he’s not armed, don’t shoot. ⊙The kids were shooting arrows at a target.⊙She was shot three times in the head.⊙He has a license to shoot pheasants on the farmer’s land. ⊙A policeman was shot dead in the city centre last night. ⊙ The troops were told to shoot to kill. SPORT→2 A to try to score points for yourself or your team, in sports involving a ball, by kicking, hitting or throwing the ball towards the goal: He shot from the middle of the field and still managed to score. MOVE QUICKLY→3 A to move in a particular direction very quickly and directly: She shot past me several meters before the finishing line. ⊙ He shot out of the office a minute ago ─ I think he was late for a meeting.⊙They were just shooting off to town so we didn’t stop to speak.
shooter ['ʃu:tə] noun[C]He’s thought to be the best shooter in the league.
▲idioms have shot your bolt UK INFORMAL to have already achieved all that you have the power, ability or strength to do and to be unable to do more: He started off the game well but seemed to have shot his bolt by half-time.
• shoot yourself in the foot to do something without intending to which spoils a situation for yourself
• shoot your mouth off INFORMAL to talk too much in a loud and uncontrolled way: It’s just like Richard to go shooting his mouth off about other people’s affairs.
• shoot for the moon US to ask for the best or the most you could hope for: You might as well shoot for the moon and ask for a promotion as well as a raise.
• shoot questions at sb to ask someone a lot of questions very quickly, one after the other: He shot questions at me so quickly that I didn’t even have time to answer.
• shoot the breeze US INFORMAL to talk with someone or a group of people about things which are not important: We sat out on the porch, just shooting the breeze.
▲ phrasal verbs shoot sth down to destroy an aircraft or make an aircraft, bird, etc. fall to the ground by shooting at it: He was killed during the war when his plane was shot down.
shoot sb down to shoot and usually kill someone, showing no sympathy: I saw Tom shoot him down like a dog in the street.
shoot for/at sth US to try to do something: It’s worth taking chances when you’re shooting at a chance of fame and wealth.
shoot out If opposing groups or people armed with guns shoot it out, they shoot at each other until one of the groups or people is dead or defeated.
shoot through AUSTRALIAN INFORMAL to leave a place very quickly, especially in order to avoid having to do something
shoot up INCREASE→INFORMAL to grow in size, or increase in number or level, very quickly: David has really shot up since I saw him last. ⊙Prices shot up by 25%.
▲ noun PLANT→1[C]the first part of a plant to appear above the ground as it develops from a seed, or any new growth on an already existing plant: Two weeks after we’d planted the seeds, little green shoots started to appear. ⊙FIGURATIVE The first green shoots (="hopeful" signs) of economic recovery have started to appear.
FILM→2[C USUALLY SINGULAR] when photographer take a series of photographs, usually of the same person or people in the same place: We did a fashion shoot on the beach, with the girls modeling swimwear. WEAPON→3[C]an occasion on which a group of people go to an area of the countryside to shoot animals
shooting ['ʃu:tiŋ] noun 1 A [U]when bullets are shot from guns or other weapons: We heard some shooting in the night. 2 A [C]when someone is injured or killed by a bullet shot from a gun: There have been a number of shootings in the capital this week. 3[U]the sport of shooting animals or birds: pleasant/grouse shooting ⊙ He goes shooting most weekends.What does the phrase “green shoots” mean in “You will be bound to see that the green shoots of your English level start to grow.”?
| A．Great efforts. | B．Signs of improving. |
| C．Learning ability. | D．Change in method. |
Fill in the blank in the sentence “When it is achieved, there will be other plans to _________.”
| A．shoot at | B．shoot up | C．shoot down | D．shoot through |
If you are suffering from the consequence of the plan without full consideration, we say you are __________.
| A．shooting the breeze | B．shooting your mouth off |
| C．shooting yourself in the foot | D．shooting questions at somebody |
Choose a word to complete the sentence “__________ is one of the oldest sport events, which is popular with people both at home and abroad.”
| A．Shooter | B．Shoot | C．Shot | D．Shooting |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special time—like my wedding (婚礼) and Linda’s. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped “Address (地址) Unknown. ” I had no idea how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman — Linda’s married name. “There must be thousands of Wagmans,” I thought, but J still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. “Mrs Tobin!” she said excitedly, “Linda Evans Wagman is my mother. ”
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other’s lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there’s one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won’t lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans _______.
| A．at the age of 13 |
| B．before she got married |
| C．after they moved to new homes |
| D．before the writer’s family moved away |
They didn’t often write to each other because they _______.
| A．got married |
| B．had little time to do so |
| C．didn’t like writing letters |
| D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she _______.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn’t know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn’t have a friend like Linda to share her happiness or sadness |
The writer was happy when she _______.
| A．read the newspaper |
| B．heard Linda’s voice on the phone |
| C．met a young woman who looked a lot like Linda |
| D．wrote to the woman whose last name was Wagman |
They haven’t kept in touch _______.
| A．for about 40 years |
| B．for about 27 years |
| C．since they got married |
| D．since the writer’s family moved away |
Have you seen Jurassic Park? In this film, scientists use DNA kept for tens of millions of years to clone dinosaurs. They find trouble, however, when they realize that the cloned creatures are smarter and more dangerous than expected. That’s nothing more than a fiction.
But could we really clone endangered animals?
To date, the most successful attempt to do so was the cloning of a gaur, a rare ox-like animal from southeast Asia. Scientists used a cow to bring the cloned baby gaur, named Noah. Two days after birth, however, Noah died from a common bacterial infection. Other endangered species that may be cloned include the African bongo antelope (邦戈羚羊), the Sumatran tiger, the cheetah (猎豹), and the giant panda. Next, could we really clone extinct animals?
In theory? Yes. To do this, you need a well-kept source of DNA from the extinct animals such as wool mammoth (毛象), Tasmanian tiger, or even dinosaur, and a closely related species, still living, which could serve as a surrogate mother.
In reality? Probably not. On the one hand, it’s not likely that extinct animals’ DNA could survive undamaged for such a long time. Cloning extinct animals as wool mammoth, Tasmanian tiger, or dinosaur is much more difficult due to the lack of properly well-preserved DNA. On the other hand, for example, a gaur can have a cow as a surrogate mother, definitely not a monkey. But what about an extinct animal as unique as the panda? What species could possibly serve as a surrogate mother?
Cloning presents many exciting possibilities. However, even if extinct animals are brought back, they could not survive in today’s world. Not only do most extinct animals have no habitat to live in, but the other plants and animals they depended on for food may also be gone as well. It can be learned from the passage that ________.
| A．scientists have cloned the African bongo antelope |
| B．both the cheetah and the giant panda live in Asia |
| C．the gaur lives in Asia and is endangered |
| D．the gaur is an extinct species |
The underlined words “a surrogate mother” probably refer to a female who __________.
| A．contributes its eggs to another female |
| B．gives birth to a baby for another female |
| C．gives birth to a baby of its own |
| D．cannot give birth to a baby |
The difficulty in cloning an extinct species is the lack of ______.
| A．both the well-preserved DNA and plants to live on |
| B．both the habitat to live in and the well-preserved DNA |
| C．both habitat to live in and plants to live on |
| D．both the well-preserved DNA and a surrogate mother |
In the author’s opinion, it is possible that ______.
| A．some extinct species may be cloned, but not survive |
| B．extinct species may be cloned and easily survive |
| C．a gaur can have a monkey as a surrogate mother |
| D．all the extinct species may be cloned |
Which of the following statements is true according the passage?
| A．Jurassic Park is a cloned animal. |
| B．The cloned creatures are the same as the real one. |
| C．We could clone extinct animals in reality. |
| D．We could clone extinct animals in theory. |
The Ministry of Health has called for more awareness from the public on the mental health of the young，as part of efforts to mark World Mental Health Day.
More than 15 percent of the Chinese youth have been found with mental problems，and about 30 million young people under 17 are suffering from depression，the Shanghai-based Wenhui Daily reported.
The World Health Organization estimated that before 2020，the rate of children with mental problems will increase to 50 percent，and mental problems will become a major factor behind death and illness in the young worldwide.
Deng Xiaohong，the spokesperson for the Beijing Municipal Health Bureau，said rapid social change is one of the reasons behind the rising number of youngsters with psychological problems.
If these mental diseases are not addressed on time，occurrence of crime，drugtaking and other dangerous behavior are expected to rise.
Experts said mental disease could be caused by many factors，such as the inability to handle interpersonal relations well，unstable emotions and pressure from the overload of study. A number of experts have also said the one-child policy is another reason leading to poor mental health in the young.
Children were said to be too “spoiled” and “selfish” in one-child families. Schools in many cities were reported to roll out measures to help students maintain their mental well-being. Yin Jingmiao，a teacher of the Beijing No. 105 Middle School，told China Daily that the school invites psychologists to provide counseling to students three times a month. “Students can be arranged to have 40-minute counseling sessions，” Yin said. The school also gives lectures on mental health to senior grade students before they take the national college entrance exams，to help ease any anxiety arising from the tests.What is the purpose of the passage?
| A．To urge awareness on mental health of the young. |
| B．To give the details of the problems the Chinese youth are facing today. |
| C．To recommend that schools should invite more psychologists to help solve the mental problems among the youth. |
| D．To show us the causes of the mental problems among students. |
The underlined word “addressed” in the fifth paragraph most probably means ________.
| A．talked about | B．dealt with |
| C．satisfied | D．introduced |
From the passage we can know that the causes of mental problems are mainly the following EXCEPT ________.
| A．one-child policy |
| B．lack of ability to handle interpersonal relations well |
| C．lack of special training in mental health |
| D．heavy burden from study |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．By 2020，about 50 percent of the students in China will have mental problems. |
| B．Mental problems mainly appear among the youth while they are seldom seen among adults. |
| C．China has the largest number of youngsters with psychological problems. |
| D．Many schools have realized the problem and taken measures. |
We can infer that to bring down the occurrence of mental problems among the youth， _______.
| A．Attention should be paid to the education of the only child |
| B．Psychology must be a necessary part of school |
| C．The government will cancel tests to ease the pressure on the students |
| D．Rapid social change plays the leading part in causing mental problems |
One of my wonderful memories is about a Christmas. Unlike other gifts, it came without wrap.
On September 11th, 1958, Mum gave birth to Richard. After she brought him home from hospital, she put him in my lap, saying, “I promised you a gift, and here it is. “ What an honor! I turned four a month earlier and none of my friends had such a baby doll of their own. I played with it day and night. I sang to it. I told it stories. I told it over and over how much I loved it!
One morning, however, I found its bed empty. My doll was gone! I cried for it. Mum wept and told me that the poor little thing had been sent to a hospital. It had a fever. For several days, I heard Mum and Dad whispering such words as “hopeless”， “pitiful”， and “dying”， which sounded ominous.
“Christmas was coming. Don't expect any presents this year，” Dad said, pointing at the socks I hung in the living room. “If your baby brother lives, that'll be Christmas enough.” As he spoke, his eyes were filled with tears. I'd never seen him cry before.
The phone rang early on Christmas morning. Dad jumped out of bed to answer it. From my bedroom I heard him say, “What? He's all right？” He hung up and shouted upstairs. “The hospital said we can bring Richard home！”
“Thank God！” I heard Mum cry.
From the upstairs window, I watched my parents rush out to the car. I had never seen them so happy. And I was also full of joy. What a wonderful day! My baby doll would be home. I ran downstairs. My socks still hung there flat. But I knew they were not empty; they were filled with love!What happened to the author on September 11th, 1958?
| A．He got a baby brother. | B．He got a Christmas gift. |
| C．He became four years old. | D．He received a doll. |
What does the underlined word “ominous” in Paragraph 3 probably mean?
| A．Impossible. | B．Boring. |
| C．Difficult. | D．Fearful. |
The sock the author hung in the living room are probably used to ________.
| A．decorate the room | B．receive gifts |
| C．amuse his doll brother | D．wear on Christmas |
Which word can best describe the feeling of the father when Christmas was coming?
| A．Excitement. | B．Happiness. |
| C．Sadness. | D．Disappointment. |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A． A sad Christmas day | B．Life with a lovely baby |
| C．A special Christmas gift. | D．Memories of a happy family |
American scientists have developed the first material that repairs itself. The material is a form of plastic that has been engineered to fill breaks in its surface.
Plastics are used today in everything. Scientists wanted to find a way to make objects made of plastic last longer. The researchers hope their new discovery can be used to make objects that are difficult or impossible to replace.
The surface of plastic objects breaks over time. Very small breaks develop every time a plastic object is used. The researchers wanted to find out how to stop plastic from developing small breaks that weaken and destroy it. They found the answer in the chemical structure of plastic itself. The research team found a way to make plastic that contains very small balloons filled with monomer(单体) liquid. When the new plastic cracks, the monomer liquid is let out and flows into the crack. Thus the break is repaired. The repaired plastic has seventy-five percent of the strength of undamaged plastic.
The new self-repairing plastic is not yet ready for production. But it has several possible uses. One could be in space vehicles where parts cannot be repaired or replaced. Another possible use might be in bridges. And it could be used in people, to replace bone joints that have become broken or damaged.The passage mainly talks about_______ .
| A．plastic that repairs itself |
| B．the chemical structure of plastic |
| C．permanent material invented |
| D．small balloons that makes plastic stronger |
We know from the passage that the repair is done as_______.
| A．the cracked plastic parts are changed |
| B．the plastic cracks |
| C．the liquid is put into the plastic cracks |
| D．the plastic is made |
The scientist are planning to use the new material in space vehicles, bridges and people because________.
| A．the plastic parts in them are required to last longer |
| B．they want to experiment in these places first |
| C．the new material cannot be used elsewhere |
| D．the plastic parts in them are easily broken or damaged |