The Mystery of the Flashing Fireflies
During summer nights fireflies flash in the darkness. They look like bright spots of light dancing on the breeze. Catching them in a jar for a few minutes can be fun. Fireflies are not really flies, though. They are winged beetles. Scientists are using these special beetles to learn more about our world.
The reason a firefly flashed its light is to find a mate. There are around two thousand species, or kinds, of fireflies. Fireflies mate only with their own species. Each kind of firefly has its own flash pattern. It is important that fireflies recognize this pattern. That way they can find bugs of their own kind. The male firefly flies around in the sky while the female firefly stays close to the ground.
For many years, how a firefly flashes its light was a mystery. Scientists now know that a firefly’s light is a cold light. It gives off all of its power as light. It does not produce heat. A normal light bulb gives off only ten percent of its power as light. The rest of the power is wasted as heat. That is why a light bulb that has been on for a while is very hot. The firefly’s light does not feel hot like a light bulb.
Scientists have also learned that fireflies have a small built-in lantern. This special lantern is located inside a firefly’s body. To create light, a gas flows through tiny tubes. This causes the firefly to light up. A firefly can also turn its light on and off quickly. This puzzled scientists. They learned that short bursts of this gas make the firefly glow. When the gas fades, the light goes out. This process happens very quickly.
Scientists know that what they learn from fireflies will be important. Medical studies using fireflies are helping scientists fight illnesses in human beings. They have made new medicines from the chemicals used by fireflies to make light. Fireflies have also helped with new discoveries. New flashlights and flares have been made based on fireflies. These new flashlights and flares produce a cold light like a firefly. This way all the power makes the light shine. This little bug may be a pleasure to watch, but it is also an important part of our lives.Why did the author most likely include Paragraph 4?
| A．To explain how fireflies make light. | B．To describe different kinds of fireflies. |
| C．To show how much power fireflies use. | D．To describe why fireflies make light. |
Which of these is the best choice for a heading for Paragraph 5?
| A．The Cool Light of Fireflies | B．Watching Fireflies Flash |
| C．Understanding the Patterns | D．Learning from Fireflies |
According to the passage, a firefly’s light is different from a light bulb’s light because the firefly’s light _______.
| A．shines brighter | B．does not fade | C．lasts longer | D．is not hot |
A reader asks this question about the passage: “ How many different kinds of fireflies are there?” Which paragraph from the passage answers the question?
| A．Paragraph 2 | B．Paragraph 3 | C．Paragraph 4 | D．Paragraph 5 |
The author most likely wrote this passage in order to __.
| A．tell why fireflies light up | B．give facts about fireflies |
| C．show how fireflies help doctors | D．compare a firefly to a light bulb |
In her new book, “The Smartest Kids in the World,” Amanda Ripley, an investigative journalist, tells the story of Tom, a high-school student from Gettysburg, Pennsylvania, who decides to spend his senior year in Warsaw, Poland. Poland is a surprising educational success story: in the past decade, the country raised students’ test scores from significantly below average to well above it. Polish kids have now outscored(超过……分数) American kids in math and science, even though Poland spends, on average, less than half as much per student as the United States does. One of the most striking differences between the high school Tom attended in Gettysburg and the one he ends up at in Warsaw is that the latter has no football team, or, for that matter, teams of any kind.
That American high schools waste more time and money on sports than on math is an old complaint. This is not a matter of how any given student who plays sports does in school, but of the culture and its priorities. This December, when the latest Program for International Student Assessment(PISA) results are announced, it’s safe to predict that American high-school students will once again display their limited skills in math and reading, outscored not just by students in Poland but also by students in places like South Korea, Belgium, the Netherlands, Finland, Singapore, and Japan. Meanwhile, they will have played some very exciting football games, which will have been breathlessly written up in their hometown papers.
Why does this situation continue? Well, for one thing, kids like it. And for another, according to Ripley, parents seem to like the arrangement, too. She describes a tour she took of a school in Washington D.C., which costs thirty thousand dollars a year. The tour leader—a mother with three children in the school—was asked about the school’s flaws(暇疵). When she said that the math program was weak, none of the parents taking the tour reacted. When she said that the football program was weak, the parents suddenly became concerned. “Really?” one of them asked worriedly, “What do you mean?”
One of the ironies(讽刺) of the situation is that sports reveal what is possible. American kids’ performance on the field shows just how well they can do when expection are high. It’s too bad that their test scores show the same thing.【改编】The reason why Tom decides to spend his senior year in Poland is that _______.
| A．there are evident differences between the two countries |
| B．Polish kids are better at learning |
| C．he plans to improve his scores |
| D．sports are not supported at schools in Gettysburg |
According to Paragraph 2, we know that _______.
| A．little time is spent on sports in Japanese schools |
| B．too much importance is placed on sports in America |
| C．American high schools complain about sports time |
| D．PISA plays a very important role in America |
The underlined sentence in the last paragraph means _______.
| A．American students’ academic performance worries their parents a lot |
| B．high expectations push up American students’ academic performance |
| C．lacking practice contributes to American students’ average performance |
| D．low expectations result in American students’ poor PISA performance |
【改编】What is the main purpose of this article ?_______.
| A．push public attention to a weakness in American school tradition |
| B．Appeal to American schools to learn from the Polish model |
| C．compare Polish schools with those in America |
| D．explain what is the matter with American schools and provide solutions |
Parents often believe that they have a good relationship with their teenagers. But last summer, Joanna and Henry noticed a change in their older son: suddenly he seemed to be talking far more to his friends than to his parents. “The door to his room is always shut,” Joanna noted.
Tina and Mark noticed similar changes in their 14-year-old daughter. “She used to cuddle up（蜷伏）with me on the sofa and talk,” said Mark. “Now we joke that she does this only when she wants something. Sometimes she wants to be treated like a little girl and sometimes like a young lady. The problem is figuring out which time is which.”
Before age 11, children like to tell their parents what’s on their minds. “In fact, parents are first on the list,” said Michael Riera, author of Uncommon Sense for Parents with Teenagers. “This completely changes during the teen years,” Riera explained. “They talk to their friends first, then maybe their teachers, and their parents last.”
Parents who know what’s going on in their teenagers’ lives are in the best position to help them. To break down the wall of silence, parents should create chances to understand what their children want to say, and try to find ways to talk and write to them. And they must give their children a mental break, for children also need freedom, though young. Another thing parents should remember is that to be a friend, not a manager, with their children is a better way to know them.“The door to his room is always shut” in the first paragraph suggests that the son ______.
| A．is always busy with his studies |
| B．doesn’t want to be disturbed |
| C．keeps himself away from his parents |
| D．begins to dislike his parents |
【改编】What makes Tina and Mark worried most is that ______________.
| A．their daughter isn’t as lovely as before |
| B．they can’t read their daughter’s mind exactly |
| C．they don’t know what they will say to their daughter |
| D．their daughter talks with them only when she is in need of help |
What’s the meaning of “the wall of silence” in the last paragraph?
| A．Teenagers talk a lot with their friends. |
| B．Teenagers do not talk much with their parents. |
| C．Teenagers talk little about their own lives. |
| D．Teenagers do not want to understand their parents. |
【改编】From the passage ,we can conclude that______.
| A．Parents are not satisfied with their growing children. |
| B．Parents have appropriate ways to talk with their teenagers. |
| C．Parents should be patient with their silent teenagers. |
| D．Parents should try to understand their teenagers from their perspective |
Facebook is now used by 30 million people in the UK，about half the population．
Joanna Shields，vice president of Facebook Europe，made the announcement this morning at a media conference in London．
She said: "We can announce today that we have reached 30 million in the UK，which we are really excited about．"
Globally，Facebook has more than 500 million registered users，a milestone it hit last summer．Last July，it also revealed that it had 26 million registered UK users．In the last eight months，it has attracted four million extra UK users，bringing the UK total to 30 million，while in January 2009，Facebook had only 150 million registered users．
Last year，Zuckerberg，Facebook's founder，said it was "almost a guarantee" that the site would hit one billion users．He explained: "If we succeed in innovating，there is a good chance of bringing this to a billion people．．．it will be interesting to see how it comes true．"
One third of women aged 18 to 34 check Facebook when they first wake up，before even going to the toilet，according to research．Twenty-one per cent of women aged between 18 to 34 check Facebook in the middle of the night，while 42 per cent of the same group think it is fine to post drunken photos of themselves onto the social network，a study by Oxygen Media found．
Shields was speaking this morning at the Financial Times Digital Media and Broadcasting Conference about the power Facebook's referrals can bring to media sites，such as newspapers and TV services．
She explained that the average Facebook user has 130 friends who they share links to media sites with on a regular basis．"Media companies which take advantage of that are really seeing the benefits"，Shields said．
Shields refused to say whether Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system and also said it was "silly" that Google had recently disabled the feature（特点）which allowed Google users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends．【改编】From the passage we know that ．
| A．Facebook would develop its own mobile phone operating system |
| B．Google didn't allow its users to sync their contacts with Facebook friends |
| C．Shields refused to admit the power Facebook's referrals could bring |
| D．Google was always silly |
【改编】from the passage,we can know the population in UK. is about___.
| A． 30 million | B．60 million |
| C．70 million | D．20 million |
【改编】What kind of people are more interested in Facebook according to the passage?
| A．young people | B．middle-aged people |
| C．all people | D．children |
While I was in my 4th month of pregnancy（妊娠期）with my second child，we were preparing for a trip to Louisiana，where Marshall’s family live，to celebrate Jane’s 2nd birthday．Two days before we were to leave，we got the shocking news that I was going to lose the baby．Not knowing when this would happen，we decided to continue with our trip．
Since Marshall’s family lives on a 600-acre cattle farm，you often find that you have a lot of time to yourself to think when you are there．That is precisely what I did not want to do at this time．I told Marshall that I needed to get a good book to get lost in while I was there．I told him I heard the Harry Potter books were good，so he went out and got the first one for me．
During that trip，I totally got lost in the book，which was of great help during a time when I needed a distraction to forget about the sadness．In the book，I noticed the name “Seamus”．I vaguely remembered it was pronounced “Shamus” and I liked the sound of that．I mentioned it to Marshall and he liked it too．Toward the end of the trip，I had just 5 chapters left and I knew I was about to finish the first book，which I was pretty excited about．
Soon after we put Jane down to bed，I had started labor（分娩），so I was unable to read．The labor lasted 5 and 1/2 hours，but Marshall stayed there with me，sitting beside me and reading aloud the last 5 chapters of Harry Potter．I can never fully explain how much that helped me through the experience．And ever since then，Marshall and I both have been fans of the Harry Potter books．We remember how they helped us get through that time of our lives．
We were sad to have lost the baby，but the name Seamus started our journey toward adoption．And we gave this name to our adopted son．Though our Seamus doesn’t have a drop of Irish blood in him，the name fits him perfectly．【改编】we decided to continue with our trip.the trip is___.
| A．going to Louisiana |
| B．going to China |
| C．going to foreign countries |
| D．going to town |
【改编】Why does the writer cant read these days
| A．because she had started labor |
| B．because she didn't like the book |
| C．because her husband didn't allow reading |
| D．we dont know |
【改编】Which is the best title for the passage?
| A．Funny Stories of My Family | B．Seamus And Harry Potter |
| C．How We Got To Louisiana | D．How My Son Got His Name |
Those who have suffered from insomnia know the sinking feeling of watching the clock tick．Now a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that lying in bed awake may actually contribute to the problem of sleeplessness．
The study of 79 adults（average age 72）with insomnia aimed to determine whether brief behavioral interventions for insomnia would help．Traditional behavioral therapy（疗法）requires at least half a dozen hour-long sessions with a therapist — a costly commitment many patients either can't make or don't have access to．Other options include sleep-aiding medications or supplements．In the current study，the 39 participants in the behavioral therapy group received a 45- to 60-minute instructing session，plus a 30-minute follow-up session and two 20-minute phone calls．
Doctors offered the following behavioral interventions for improving sleep: reduce time in bed; get up at the same time every day，regardless of sleep duration; don't go to bed unless sleepy; and don't stay in bed unless asleep．
The other 40 participants in the study were given printed educational materials about insomnia，which included the same instructions given to the intervention group，but without the individualized sessions with a therapist．Two weeks later，the latter group also got a 10-minute follow-up phone call．
At the end of four weeks，the behavioral treatment group was significantly more likely to show improvements in sleep than the printed-materials group．By that time，55% of those who received behavioral treatment no longer met the criteria for insomnia，compared with 13% of the group that got educational brochures．
The good news comes at the same time as a report on the health effects of insomnia from the U．K．'s Mental Health Foundation．The report，Sleep Matters，suggests a link between insomnia and poor relationships，low energy levels and an inability to concentrate．Poor sleep has already been linked to depression，immune deficiency and heart disease．【改编】What is the disadvantage of traditional behavioral therapy?
| A．It can’t help． |
| B．It costs a lot of money． |
| C．It requires sessions with a therapist． |
| D．It includes sleep-aiding medications． |
【改编】we can know that___.
| A．people don't like sleeping |
| B．we can sleep by medicine |
| C．parents can sleep fast |
| D．Poor sleep has already been linked to depression，immune deficiency and heart disease． |
【改编】We can learn from the text that insomnia may cause the following results except________．
| A．depression | B．concentration |
| C．immune deficiency | D．heart disease |