The Touchstone
When the great library of Alexandria burned, the story goes, one book was saved. But it was not a valuable book; and so a poor man, who could read a little, bought it for very little money.
The book wasn’t very interesting, but between its pages there was something very interesting indeed. It was a thin strip of vellum on which was written the secret of the “Touchstone”! The touchstone was a small pebble that could turn any common metal into pure gold.
The writing explained that it was lying among thousands and thousands of other pebbles that looked exactly like it. But the secret was this: The real stone would feel warm, while ordinary pebbles are cold.
So the man sold his few belongings, bought some simple supplies, camped on the seashore, and began testing pebbles. He knew that if he picked up ordinary pebbles and threw them down again because they were cold, he might pick up the same pebble hundreds of times. So, when he felt one that was cold, he threw it into the sea. He spent a whole day doing this but none of them was the touchstone. Yet he went on and on this way. Pick up a pebble. Cold - throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea. Pick up another. Throw it into the sea.
The days stretched into weeks and the weeks into months. One day, however, about mid-afternoon, he picked up a pebble and it was warm. He threw it in
to the sea before he realized what he had done. He had formed such a strong habit of throwing each pebble into the sea that when the one he wanted came along he still threw it away.
So it is with opportunity. Unless we are careful, it’s easy to fail to recognize an opportunity when it is in hand, and it’s just as easy to throw it away. The man bought the book because _____________.
| A．he wanted to read it | B．it was very interesting |
| C．there was a secret in the book | D．he wanted to find the touchstone |
We can learn from the passage that the touchstone is _________.
| A．pure | B．cold | C．magic | D．big |
Why did the man throw the pebbles into the sea?
| A．Because he didn’t want to get the same pebbles. |
| B．Because he didn’t want others to pick them up. |
| C．Because he didn’t like their ordinary looks. |
| D．Because he didn’t like the cold feelings. |
What does the author want to tell us in the passage?
| A．We should offer opportunities in our life. |
| B．We should seek for opportunities in the world. |
| C．We may seize opportunities when we are watchful. |
| D．We may discover opportunities when forming habits. |
A Frenchman went to a small Italian town and was staying with his wife at the best hotel there. One night, he went out for a walk alone. It was late and the small street was dark and quiet. Suddenly he felt someone behind him. He turned his head and saw an Italian young man who quickly walked past him. The man was nearly out of sight when the Frenchman suddenly found that his watch was gone. He thought that it must be the Italian who had taken his watch. He decided to follow him and get back the watch.
Soon the Frenchman caught up with the Italian. Neither of them understood the other’s language. The Frenchman frightened the Italian with his fist(拳头) and pointed at the Italian’s watch. In the end the Italian gave up his watch to the Frenchman.
When he returned to the hotel, the Frenchman told his wife what had happened. He was greatly surprised when his wife pointed to the watch on the table. Now he realized that by mistake he had robbed the watch and it was the Italian’s.The Frenchman went to a small Italian town _______.
| A．alone | B．with his wife |
| C．with his friend | D．with an Italian |
One night he went out for _______ alone.
| A．a ride | B．a walk | C．a drink | D．rest |
Suddenly he found his_______ was gone.
| A．watch | B．money | C．book | D．ring |
The Italian gave up his watch to him at last because ________.
| A．he had stolen the watch from the Frenchman. |
| B．he understood what the Frenchman wanted |
| C．he had picked up the watch on his w ay from work |
| D．he was afraid of the Frenchman |
Who was robbed of the watch on earth?
| A．The Frenchman was. | B．The Italian was. |
| C．Both of them was. | D．Neither of them was. |
The vast jungles of the Amazon rainforest are home to tribes(部落)mostly isolated(隔绝的)from the outside world，whose way of life，largely unchanged for hundreds of years，is now increasingly threatened by modern civilization．
Now, scientists discover they can monitor these“uncontacted tribes”using satellites，which would allow inexpensive and safe tracking of these tribes in order to protect them from outside threats．
In order to help conserve these uncontacted Indians，researchers need accurate estimates of their populations．One way to collect this data involves flying over their villages，but such overflights are both expensive and could fill these native peoples with fear．Another strategy involves meeting individuals on the ground，but among other risks，scientists could accidentally spread disease to members of the tribes．
Instead，scientists investigated whether satellite imaging could monitor uncontacted tribes. The result was inspiring．They confirmed their locations and measured the sizes of their Village，houses and gardens．“We can find isolated vinages with remote sensing and study them over time．”Walker told Live Science．“We can ask：Are they growing?Do they move?”
Surprisingly，based on the sizes of the houses and Villages，the scientists find the population densities of these isolated villages are about 10 times greater，on average，than other villages of native Brazilian peoples．This may be due to the fact that they have to live closer together because they are not as good at clearing the forest，since they lack modern devices like chainsaws and tractors，the researchers said．The tribes may also be afraid of spreading out due to fear of being attacked by outsiders，Walker said.
The researchers now plan to focus on 29 more isolated villages to“look at their ecology—that is．distance from rivers and roads—and use this to model where else we can find more isolated villages，”Walker said．What is the main idea of the text?
| A．Amazon tribes are disappearing． |
| B．Scientists found isolated Amazon tribes． |
| C．Modern civilization is threatening Amazon tribes． |
| D．Isolated Amazon tribes are monitored with satellites． |
Scientists don't want to meet the Indians on the ground due to the fear that_______
| A．they can’t get accurate data |
| B．they will be attacked by the Indians |
| C．they could pass disease to the Indians |
| D．they will catch disease from the Indians |
What do scientists find about the tribes?
| A．They live close together． |
| B．Their population is dropping. |
| C．Thev live in distributed areas． |
| D．Their population is increasing fast. |
What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
| A．There are 29 Amazon tribes in total． |
| B．More isolated tribes are yet to be discovered． |
| C．It's easy for scientists to find isolated villages． |
| D．Isolated villages are distant from rivers and roads． |
Close your eyes and picture the city of Paris．Now imagine the city without its most famous landmark：the Eiffel Tower．
The unthinkable almost happened．
When French engineer Gustave Eiffel built this tower for the Paris World’s Fair of 1889，it was controversial．The iron structure contrasted(对比)sharply with the historic stone buildings of Paris．Eiffel’s four-legged iron archway was supposed to last only 20 years．That’s when Eiffel’s permit to operate the building would expire(过期)and the city could choose to tear it down．
Yet from the beginning．Eiffel had a strategy to save his building．If the Tower was linked to important research，he reasoned，no one would dare to take it down．So he would make it a grand laboratory for science．
Scientific research began just one day after the Tower opened to the public on May 6，1889．Eiffel installed a weather station on the Tower’s third(and highest)floor．He connected instruments by wire to the French weather bureau in Paris．With these，he measured wind speed and air pressure．
In 1903，still worried that his building might be torn down，Eiffel got a clever idea．He asked the French military to conduct its own research on radio communications at the Tower．He even paid the army’s costs．
French army captain Gustave Ferrié worked from a little wooden house at the base of the Tower's southern pillar．From there，he made radio contact with forts around Paris．Convinced of the importance of radio communications，the army set up a permanent radio station at the Tower．In 1910，the city of Paris renewed the structure’s permit for another 70 years．
This year marks the iconic structure’s 125th birthday．Over the years，research conducted there has brought dramatic and unexpected payoffs．During World War I，for instance，the French army used the Tower as a giant ear to receive radio messages．It even led to the arrest of one of the war's most famous spies．What does the author mean by“The unthinkable almost happened”?
| A．The Eiffel Tower was almost torn down． |
| B．Gustave Eiffel was more than an engineer． |
| C．It took great efforts to build the Eiffel Tower． |
| D．The Eiffel Tower has served important purposes． |
The Eiffel Tower was controversial because_____________．
| A．it was giant and ugly |
| B．it would expire too soon |
| C．some historic buildings had to be removed |
| D．it didn’t match the historic buildings of Paris |
How did Gustave Eiffel save the Eiffel Tower?
| A．By asking the army to defend it． |
| B．By showing its importance for tourism． |
| C．By making it a base for scientific research． |
| D．By asking the government to renew its permit． |
The arrest of a famous spy is mentioned to show．
| A．the Eiffel Tower has lost its initial value |
| B．the Eiffel Tower has existed long enough |
| C．research done in the Eiffel Tower had unexpected payoffs |
| D．the Eiffel Tower was successfully preserved during the war |
 Let’s Go Science Show Show Times：Wednesday，November12，2014 at 10：00 am Tickets：$9．00 per person for groups of ten or more；$14．00 for individuals The wacky and talented Professor Smart and Dr. Knowitall join forces for an educational，entertaining，exciting experiment demonstrating the basic principals of science．During the show you and your students will learn about air pressure，figure out flight，and get a handle on the scientific method． Appropriate for Grades l—5 |
 The Wizard of OZ Show Times：Tuesday，December 18，2014 at 9：00 am Tickets：$10．00 per person for groups of 10 or more；$14．00 for individuals Follow the yellow brick road．Join in Dorothy’s adventures over the rainbow with the Tin man，Scarecrow，Lion and，of course，the Wizard himself．More excitement is created when a life-size tornado travels from the stage through the audience．Meet old friends and new in this imaginative fun filled musical. Award-winning lighting and special effects． Appropriate for all ages |
 Charlotte’s Web Show Times：Thursday，December 4，2014 at ll：00 am & 12 noon Tickets：$12．00 per person for groups of 20 or more；$17．00 for individuals Charlotte’s Web is a beloved and memorable children’s classic that comes to life on stage in this musical story．The story is set in a Midwest country farm in the first half of the twentieth century． Meet Fern Arable，an imaginative eight-year-old farm girl，Wilbur，a small lovable pig，Charlotte，a large intellectual spider．and Templeton，a lazy yet clever rat．You’re sure to fall in love． Appropriate for Grades Pre-Kindergarten—3rd grade |
A father with his son to see Science Show will pay______．
| A．$9．00 | B．$18．00 |
| C．$14．00 | D．$28．00 |
A boy who likes stories about wizards will watch the musical at______．
| A．9：00 am | B．10：00 am |
| C．12 noon | D．15：00 pm |
Where does the story of a little girl with several animals take place?
| A．On a farm． | B．On a brick road． |
| C．In a kindergarten． | D．In a college library． |
A broad smile spreads across the faces of Martyn Sibley and Srin Madipalli when asked where they were when they decided to launch an online lifestyle magazine for disabled people．“On the beach．”they reply．“We’ve both travelled a lot but we wanted a real adventure，”Sibley says of the California road trip during which Disability Horizons was conceived(设想)．
Sibley，whose professional background is in marketing，has been writing his own blog since 2009“about what I got up to，everyday stuff about living with disability”，he says．He describes how while“wandering on the beach together”Madipalli suggested branching out beyond a oneperson blog．
Why did they want to create a“lifestyle”magazine for the disabled people?The pair，both in their 20s，say they wanted to produce something“positive and inspiring”that would tell about the lives of disabled people as they actually were．They were especially eager to produce something that showed young disabled people“what it was possible to do with their lives”，says Sibley．
In less than a year，Disability Horizons has had more than 50 regular contributors and attracted a reader base of more than 20，000 people，more than a third of whom are in the US．
Sibley and Madipalli have a genetic disease that causes progressive muscle wasting and loss of movement．They are wheelchair users and have been good friends since growing up in London and Cambridge．Listening to them joke，it makes perfect sense that their shared optimistic outlook has spilled over into the magazine．The site covers topics ranging from books and travel to clubbing and photography．“It’s definitely a mix．”Madipalli says．What has Sibley been writing about in his own blog?
| A．His love for travelling． |
| B．His attitude toward life． |
| C．His suffering from a disease． |
| D．His everyday life with disability． |
For what purpose was Disability Horizons created?
| A．To collect money for the disabled． |
| B．To help the disabled to make friends． |
| C．To organize the disabled to travel around． |
| D．To let people know the real life of the disabled． |
The fourth paragraph is written to tell us that Disability Horizons__________________.
| A．became popular very soon |
| B．was complex in marketing |
| C．became a failure in the US |
| D．was not well received at first |
Which of the following best describes Sibley and Madipalli?
| A．Kind and generous. |
| B．Creative and humorous． |
| C．Disabled but optimistic． |
| D．Adventurous but rude． |