Taking the train is a wonderful way to see America. In the 19th century, train routes appeared from coast to coast, carrying both people and goods Today, a long-distance Amtrak train trip is a different way to experience the United States.
The long-distance Amtrak trains have lots of room. Coach seats have lots of leg room and wide aisles(走廊),sightseeing lounges(休闲室) have large windows, and sleeping areas can provide a good night’s rest. On a train trip, there’s time to talk, play cards or board games, and read to one another. On a car trip, parents have to drive while on a train, parents can sit back and watch the scenery go by. Unlike an airplane, traveling by train is not the quickest way to arrive at your destination; the train is the destination in itself.
Amtrak manages long-distance trains that run through the United States. Routes have different names, such as Empire Builder, California Zephyr, Sunset Limited and Southwest Chief. The long-distance trains have double-decker cars(Superliners), sightseeing lounges, and a real dining car. On shorter trains, such as from New York to Washington. DC, the cars are single level and only have a snack bar. In the Superliner trains, the sightseeing lounge is lined with windows on the second level while on the lower level a snack bar and tables can be found. In the evening, videos are shown in the lounge car—either entertaining movies or documentaries.
Tip: As delays are common on Amtrak trains, always call the station before you go there. Otherwise, you may be cooling your heels(脚后跟) for hours.What’s the advantage of seeing America by train?
| A．There are more services on the train than any other |
| B．Traveling by train is the quickest way to reach your destination. |
| C．Traveling by train gives people more time to see and do things. |
| D．The trains like Amtrak allow people to enjoy the journey cheaply. |
Which of the following can be found on short-distance Amtrak trains?
| A．Sleeping areas. | B．Snack bars. | C．Sightseeing lounges. | D．Coach seats. |
What does the underlined sentence in the last paragraph mean?
| A．You will have to wait. |
| B．You make your heel cool. |
| C．You will have no place to stand on the train. |
| D．Your feet will be hurt on the train. |
Which of the following about Superliners is true?
| A．There are lines of windows on the lower level. |
| B．The snack bar is on the higher level. |
| C．A sightseeing lounge is on the upper level. |
| D．Both levels are equipped with videos. |
【原创】There are no signs of little green men on Mars. But new discoveries offer a bit more hope that some form of life existed there in the past --- and perhaps is still there in the present. Methane gas(甲烷) and water have been found on the Red Plane. The presence of both suggests at least the possibility of life.
According to a new report in the journal, Science, the Mars rover, Curiosity, has detected spikes of methane in the Martian atmosphere. This gas is also found in the Earth’s atmosphere, and comes from animal and plant life, as well as from the environment itself. If there’s methane in Mar’s atmosphere, where is it coming from? Scientists aren’t sure. But it marks a big change. In September 2013, Curiosity found almost no traces of methane in the Martian air. Just weeks later, however, the rover picked up a whiff of(一点点) the gas.
The scientists don’t know whether the methane spikes are caused by some form of biological matter or by the geology of the planet. Christopher Chyba, a professor of astrophysics and international affairs at Princeton, says it’s best not to be too hopeful about biology on the Red Planet. “Hopes for biology on Mars have had a way of disappearing once Martian chemistry has been better understood,” he says. “But figuring out what’s responsible for the methane is clearly a key astrobiological objective --- whatever the answer turns out to be.”
The discovery of water on Mars is nothing new. For decades, scientists have had evidence that it flowed across the surface of the planet billions of years ago. But according to another new report in Science, while the surface water on Mars seems to be long gone, there’s a lot more of it left than most of people realize.
This report is also based on findings from Curiosity. Paul Mahaffy, of NASA’s Goddard Space Flight Center in Maryland, led the study. He says there is enough water on Mars “to cover the surface to a depth of about 165 feet.”
It is not easy to reach this water. Most of it is locked up in ice at the planet’s poles.Why do scientists think there might be life on Mars?
| A．Because the Mars rover has detected water on the planet. |
| B．Because there is evidence that little green men exist on the planet. |
| C．Because the Mars rover has found some plants on the planet. |
| D．Because both methane and water have been found on the planet. |
What is the attitude of professor Christopher Chyba towards life on Mars?
| A．Optimistic | B．Negative |
| C．Neutral | D．Indifferent |
The water on Mars _______________.
| A．still flows on its surface |
| B．covers the whole planet |
| C．is locked up in ice at the planet’s poles |
| D．only existed on it billions of years ago |
In which column of a website can we read this text?
| A．Culture | B．Entertainment |
| C．Science | D．Education |
【原创】A bit shocked with the current rise of airfares? They have gone up not 3% or 5%, but 10%, and sometimes even higher! Yes, it’s sad; conventional traveling has become almost unaffordable to most of us travel junkies(旅游迷)。But here’s the good news! There’s a chance you can travel for free! In fact, you can even get paid while doing so. It’s true. Below are some clever suggestions that you can try to get paid while traveling.
1.Work as a Tour Guide
If you love mingling and hanging around with people, this one is perfect for you. As a tour guide, you can see and study different cultures while leading tourists to historic places around the world. And you can have a substantial income while enjoying foreign cultures. There are always two sides to a coin, though.
2. Teach English
Latin America, the Middle East and Asia have abundant jobs for English teachers. If you are bent on having a cultural and educational trip to a land that has mystified(使惊奇)you for the longest time, teaching could be the thing that can carry you through. In many cases, you’re not required to be certified. Your students just need to know one thing --- that you’re a native speaker.
3. Become a Travel photographer
For those who are camera experts, there’s a huge opportunity to sell the travel photos that they take. One way is to set up a “shop” on websites. Via these platforms, you can sell photos either to a variety of travel magazines, or to business organizations with stock photography collections.
4.Bcome a Flight Attendant
You can also choose to get a nine-to-five job. A great option is working as a flight attendant. These flying professionals make around $25,000 to $50,000 a year. They get fantastic travel benefits which include going on trips with family members if they choose to. The salary may be a bit in the lower range, but remember that the average time on the job for attendants is about hours per month. Cool, isn’t it?According to the author, ____________.
| A．traditional traveling is becoming more and more unpopular |
| B．some clever suggestions can help people get paid while traveling |
| C．the rise in airfares has discouraged a lot of travel junkies from traveling |
| D．traveling is a good way for people to make a lot of money |
A travel photographer can earn money through__________.
| A．teaching photographing online |
| B．setting up some platforms |
| C．selling their travel photos |
| D．working for travel magazines |
What does the author think of working as a flight attendant?
| A．It’s well-paid. |
| B．It needs working long hours. |
| C．It has good travel benefits. |
| D．It needs good spoken English. |
If you’re secretly worried about your smartphone addiction, then the new NoPhone might be just the thing you need．It looks and feels exactly like a smartphone，but it does nothing．It's just a piece of plastic that you can carry around in your hand to fool yourself．
Dutch designer lngmar Larsen came up with the idea as a joke along with his two friends．To their great surprise，the idea received a lot of attention online and people from all over the world stated placing requests for NoPhones of their own．So that’s when the three friends decided to turn to collect enough fund for mass production．
NoPhone is currently a prototype(模型)that will cost only $12 once it hits the market．It is 5.5 inches high，2.6 inches wide and 0.29 inches thick, bringing it quite close to the latest smartphones on the market．It is described as“battery free”，“no upgrades necessary”，“shatterproof(抗震)”，“waterproof'’and“an alternative to constant hand-to-phone contact that allows you to stay connected with the real world”．
“Phone addiction is everywhere．”the designers insist．“It’s ruining your dates．It’s distracting you at concerts．It’s blocking sidewalks．Now，there is a real solution．With a thin．1ight and completely wireless design，the NoPhone acts as a substitute to any smart mobile device，enabling you to always have a phone to hold without giving up potential engagement with your direct environment．”
If you’re interested in NoPhone，but concerned about not being able to take selfies(自拍) anymore．Don’t feel upset．The makers do have an upgrade at no extra charge—the mirror sticker．That way，they say，you can enjoy‘real-time’selfies with your friends when they’re standing right behind you．What can NoPhone do for people according to the text?
| A．It is actually a new kind of real smartphone． |
| B．It can help us stay away from the real world． |
| C．It helps get rid of people’s smartphone addiction． |
| D．It’s just a piece of plastic and can do nothing． |
What is Paragraph 3 mainly about?
| A．The size of Nophone． |
| B．The inventors of Nophone． |
| C．The material of Nophone． |
| D．A brief description of Nophone． |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．NoPhone has received unexpected attention． |
| B．NoPhone can completely replace smartphones． |
| C．The designers have made lots of money from Nophone． |
| D．NoPhone is able to take selfies as smartphones do． |
What type of writing is this passage?
| A．A traveI guide． | B．A scientific report． |
| C．A medical record． | D．An official document． |
Film director James Cameron first became interested in sea exploration when he was a little boy．His love for the ocean grew after he made the 1989 undersea adventure film The Abyss and the 1997 blockbuster Titanic，one of the most successful movies of all time．Following that big success，James Cameron decided to put his film career on hold to become an explorer．
In 2012，James Cameron made a journey to the deepest spot in the Mariana Trench，known as Challenger Deep．And now the great journey has been made into a documentary film，named James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D．
In James Cameron’s fantasy films，such as Avatar and The Abyss，the unexplored areas are decorated in colors and full of danger．But on his dive into Challenger Deep，the reality proved far different: white, deserted and dull．
“I felt like I had gone to another planet,”Cameron said after returning from the cold and dark place in the Western Pacific Ocean，nearly 7 miles below the surface．“I really have a sense of being separated and realize how tiny I am down in this big, black and unexplored place．”
Cameron captured(获取)the moon-like landscape of the deep sea and documented the sea creatures he observed in the ocean．
James Cameron’s Deep—sea Challenger 3D tells the story of Cameron’ s journey．It is a film about determination，danger and the ocean’S greatest depths．The movie shows a unique insight into Cameron’s world when he makes his dream reality and makes history by becoming the first person to travel alone to the deepest point on the planet．
It’s an exciting film and inspiring reminder that our beautiful planet still has a lot to explore．When did James Cameron become interested in the ocean?
| A．When he was in his childhood． |
| B．After his films The Abyss and Titanic． |
| C．After he achieved great Success in movies． |
| D．When he began to explore the deep sea alone． |
What is the unexplored ocean like?
| A．Colorful and dangerous． |
| B．Boring and deserted． |
| C．White and attractive． |
| D．Small and dull． |
What can we know about James Cameron’s Deep-sea Challenger 3D?
| A．It is a film about the exploration of ocean creatures． |
| B．It is a story about Cameron’s film-making dream． |
| C．It aims to attract more people to explore the deep sea． |
| D．It tells us about James’ journey into Challenger Deep． |
What is the best title for this passage?
| A．The great dream of a film director |
| B．A film director exploring deep sea |
| C．James Cameron and his documentary film |
| D．The first person to make films about the deep sea |
Coral reefs(珊 瑚 礁)are not just beautiful to look at，but also very useful．They shelter nearly 25％ of ocean life and provide food for billions of people．However, like many other species，this amazing ecosystem(生态系统)is in danger of dying out!
There are two main reasons for the destruction—the rising carbon dioxide levels caused by global warming as well as human influences like bottom operation．While not much can be done about the former，the loss caused by the latter can be reduced．
Bottom operation involves dropping nets to the ocean bed and then dragging them up when filled with fish．This action damaged the ocean floor，causing the coral branches to separate from the reefs．While that is very discouraging，the good news is that if these branches are found quickly，they can be saved．At present，that work is being performed by volunteer divers. But the method has only limited success because they cannot stay long underwater, nor reach depths of over 200 meters where some of the deep-sea coral grows．
However，this is not the case for Coral bots—the robots that can constantly seek out broken branches．A team of ‘coral bots’，each individually working to simple rules will piece together’ damaged bits of coral, allowing them to regrow. They are programmed to be able to distinguish between other things and the coral．The robots work together in groups，similar to bees．If one coralbot is damaged then the others will still be able to complete the task．
Dr Lea-Anne Henry said：“The project of using coral bots offers us the possibility to restore(修复)the function of reefs．It is in the final stage of testing．Once ready, the researchers hope to build hundreds of them and use them effectively in the waters off Scotland and then hopefully in the oceans across the world．”Which of the following is a cause of the danger that coral reefs are facing?
| A．The appearance of new creatures． |
| B．The seriously polluted sea water． |
| C．The activities of volunteer divers． |
| D．Human activities like bottom operation． |
Compared with volunteer divers，coralbots ______________．
| A．can stay longer underwater |
| B．must work as bees do |
| C．can distinguish what is coral |
| D．can never be damaged |
What does the underlined word“them”in the last paragraph refer to?
| A．Coralbots． | B．Broken branches． |
| C．working bees． | D．Bits of coral． |
We can infer from the passage that _______________．
| A．bottom operation has affected most underwater creatures |
| B．broken branches of coral can regrow if saved in time |
| C．hundreds of the coralbots have worked well in the oceans |
| D．with the coralbots all damaged coral reefs can be restored |