Bexley Middle School eighth-graders won the grand prize at the 2009 National Engineers Week Future City Competition (TM) on Feb. 18 in Washington, D.C. They competed with 37 other schools across the country.
The students qualified for the national competition by winning a regional competition on Jan. 17 in Columbus. By winning the national event, the students earned an all-expenses paid trip to Space Camp in Huntsville, Ala., according to a Bexley school district news report.
Future City aims to stir (激发) interest in science, technology, engineering and math among young people. Bexley team members were Tom Krajnak, Abby Sharp, Wyatt Peery, Elizabeth Maher, Aaron Hutchinson and Truman Haycock. They work in teams under the guidance of a teacher, Margaret Englehardt, and a volunteer engineer, Mark Sherman, design and build a city of tomorrow. Mayor John Brennan presented the students during a recent Bexley City Council meeting. Each team in the Future City competition plans its city using Sim City software and creates a model to show a physical representation of one section of the city. Team members must write both an essay about the yearly theme and an abstract about their city. They also must make a presentation to judges.
Focusing on eco-responsibility, the Bexley team built “Novo-Mondum,” an Icelandic city in the year 2171. Krajnak said the team’s project included a new water system for each resident unit and a 500-word essay on using bacteria to purify water. “We used our essay and abstract (摘要) to build a model,” he said. “It was hard to organize which building would go where, what each building does and how to make it look good.”
Englehardt said her students did a good job answering impromptu (即席) questions during the regional competition. “They can think on their feet,” she said. Principal Harley Williams said the school is very proud of the students’ performance... From the passage we can learn that the grand prize winners will _________.
A．receive scholarship for further studies  |
| B．get a free trip to Space Camp in Huntsville |
| C．earn a large sum of money for their designs |
| D．be admitted to universities without exams |
.The goal of the Future City competition is to _________.
| A．make the Sim City software popular |
| B．test the students’ knowledge of city planning |
| C．select future engineers from young students |
| D．make students become interested in engineering |
. Each team must do the following EXCEPT _________.
| A．write brief abstracts describing their city |
| B．present and defend their designs before judges |
| C．build a future city in Iceland by themselves |
| D．create model cities using the Sim City software |
. According to Margaret Engl
ehardt, the students _________.
| A．always stand still in the competition |
| B．react very quickly to the questions |
| C．prepare for the questions in advance |
| D．take pride in the advisers’ performance |
The porter(行李搬运工) brings your bags to your room and helpfully explains all you want to know．Then he points to the phone and says：“If there’s anything else you need, just call．”All this time you have been thinking of one thing：“How much should I tip(付小费)him?” To make your next trip a little easier, here’s guide to tipping across some Asian countries.
Bangkok(曼谷)
In general, the more westernized the place is, the more likely you will be expected to leave a tip．Some top-end restaurants will add a 10％ service charge to the bill．If not, waiters will appreciate your tacking on(附加)the 10％ yourself．However, if you’re eating at a lower-end restaurant, a tip is not necessary．If you’re staying at one of Bangkok’s many five-star hotels, expect to tip the porter 20 to 50 baht(泰国货币单位),depending on how many bags you have．Taxis are now metered in Bangkok．Local custom is to round up(凑整数)the fare to the nearest five baht．
Hong Kong
Tipping is customary in this money-mad metropolis(大都市)．Most restaurants add a 10％ service charge to the bill, but the extra money often ends up in the pocket of the owner. If the service is good, add another 10％ to the bill, up to HKMYMl00 in an especially nice restaurant．For HK MYM10 hotel porters should do it at all but the nicest hotels where a new HKMYM20 bill may be more acceptable．When in a taxi, round up to the nearest dollar．
Kuala Lumpur（吉隆坡）
Tipping in Malaysia is limited to the expensive westernized hotels, which often add a 10％ service charge to your meal or hotel room．If you are at a hotel restaurant, expect a 10％ service charge．
But at local restaurants, there’s no need to add a tip. At five-star hotels, one or two ringgit(马来西亚货币单位)will satisfy a porter. At lower-end buildings don’t feel you have to tip Like Bangkok, many taxis are now metered so you can just round up to the nearest ringgit．
Seoul
Tipping is not part of Korean culture, although it has become a matter of course in international hotels where a 10％ service charge is often added．If you’re at a Korean barbecue joint(烧烤处), there’s no need to add anything extra．But a nice Italian restaurant may require a 10％ contribution．
If you’re at a top-end hotel, so expect to pay 500～l,000 won per bag．Taxi drivers don’t accept a tip．Keep the change for yourself．Which of the following is NOT the unit of money?．
| A．Charge | B．Baht | C．Won | D．Ringgit |
In which of the following cities is it unnecessary to tip the taxi-drivers?
| A．Bangkok | B．Hongkong | C．Kuala Lumpur | D．Seoul |
If you stay at a five-star hotel in Kuala Lumpur, how much will you pay the porter at least?
| A．10％ of service charge | B．Three ringgit | C．Half a ringgit | D．One ringgit |
The writer seems．
| A．to tell the readers how to travel |
| B．to give the readers some advice on how to tip |
| C．to ask the readers to go on a travel to Asian cities |
| D．to make the trip more pleasant |
Here in Alaska, the wolf almost disappeared a few years ago, because hunters were killing hundreds of them for sport. However, laws were passed to protect the wolves from sportsmen and people who catch the animals for their fur. So the wolf population has greatly increased. Now there are so many wolves that they are destroying their own food supply.
A wolf naturally lives on animals in the deer family. People there also hunt deer for food. Many of the animals have been destroyed by the very cold winters recently and by changes in the plant life there. When the deer can’t find enough food, they die.
If the wolves continue to kill large numbers of deer, the deer will disappear some day. And the wolves will, too. So we must change the life cycles there. If we killed more wolves, we would save them from starving. We also save deer and some farm animals.
In another northern state, wolves attack cows and chickens for food. Farmers want the United States government to send a team of scientists to study the problem. They believe it is necessary to kill wolves in some areas and to protect them in places where there is a small population.In Alaska, laws have been passed to ____.
| A．protect people from wolves and deer |
| B．protect wolves from becoming dangerous |
| C．protect wolves from dying out |
| D．keep wolves from killing large numbers of deer |
Why is it that if wolves go on killing a good many deer the wolves will die out?
| A．Because wolves will have no deer to kill. |
| B．Because people will kill them for punishment. |
| C．Because killing deer is dangerous. |
| D．Because wolves mainly live on deer. |
In order to protect more deer from being killed, one way is to ____.
| A．pass a law | B．keep deer away from wolves |
| C．kill more wolves | D．serve wolves more food |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．Some wolves in some areas must be killed, which others should be protected. |
| B．Wolves should be protected, for there’s a small population of it on earth. |
| C．All wolves should be protected, for they eat deer, cows and chicken. |
| D．It is necessary for scientists to protect wolves, or the cycle of life will be changed |
Cars are an important part of life in the United States. Without a car most people feel that they are poor. And even if a person is poor , he doesn’t feel really poor when he has a car.
Henry Ford was the man who first started making cars in large numbers. He probably didn’t know how much the car was going to change American culture. The car made the United States a nation on wheels. And it helped make the United States what it is today.
There are three main reasons why the car became so popular in the United States. First of all, the country is a big one and Americans like to move around it. The car makes the travel the most comfortable and cheapest. With a car people can go to any place without spending a lot of money.
The second reason cars are popular is the fact that the United States never really developed a practical and cheap public travel system. Long distance trains have never been as common in the United States as they are in other parts of the world. Now there is a good system of air-service provided by planes. But it is too expensive to be used often.
The third reason is the most important one, though. The American spirit of independence is what really made cars popular. Americans don’t like waiting for a bus, or a train or even a plane. They don’t like to have to follow an exact timetable. A car gives them the freedom to plan their own time. And this is the freedom that Americans want most to have.
Less oil has caused a big problem for Americans. But the answer will not be a bigger system of public transportation. The real answer will have to be a new kind of car, one that does not use so much oil.We can learn from this passage that Americans ______.
| A．spend a lot of money traveling by car | B．travel a lot in their cars |
| C．seldom travel by plane | D．use public traffic often |
Which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．In the United States even the poor own cars. |
| B．In the United States all the poor have no cars. |
| C．When an American has a car, he will never be poor. |
| D．An American will feel poor unless he has a car. |
In the writer’s opinion, cars are popular in the United States mainly because ___.
| A．Americans like to plan their own time |
| B．The United States does not have enough public transportation |
| C．Americans will not feel poor when they travel in their cars |
| D．Americans cannot move around without their own cars |
“A nation on wheels” in the second paragraph means that _______.
| A．everyone in the United States owns a car |
| B．the United States produces most of the cars in the world |
| C．cars play an important part in American’ life |
| D．the United States depend on car industry for its development |
We experience different forms of the Sun’s energy every day. We can see its light and feel its warmth. The Sun is the major source of energy for our planet. It causes the evaporation (蒸发) of water from the oceans and lakes. Sunlight also provides the energy used by green plants to make their own food. These green plants then provide food for all organisms(生物) on the Earth.
Much of the energy that comes from the Sun never reaches the Earth’s surface. It is either reflected or absorbed by the gases in the upper atmosphere. Of the energy that reaches the lower atmosphere,30% is reflected by clouds or the Earth’s surface. The remaining 70% warms the surface of the planet, causes water to evaporate, and provides energy for the water cycle and weather. Only a tiny part, approximately 0.023%, is actually used by green plants to produce food.
Many gases found in the atmosphere actually reflect heat energy escaping from the Earth’s surface back to the Earth. These gases act like the glass of a greenhouse in that they allow energy from the Sun to enter but prevent energy from leaving. They are therefore called greenhouse gases.
When sunlight strikes an object, some of the energy is absorbed and some is reflected. The amount reflected depends on the surface. For example, you’ve probably noticed how bright snow is when sunlight falls on it. Snow reflects most of the energy from the Sun, so it contributes to the low temperatures of winter. Dark-coloured surfaces, such as dark soil or forest, absorb more energy and help warm the surrounding air.According to the passage, the root( 根本的) cause for weather changes on the Earth is .
| A．the atmosphere surrounding the Earth |
| B．water from oceans and lakes |
| C．energy from the Sun |
| D．greenhouse gases in the sky |
Only a small part of the Sun’s energy reaches the Earth’s surface because most of it is .
| A．absorbed by the clouds in the lower atmosphere |
| B．reflected by the gases in the upper atmosphere |
| C．lost in the upper and lower atmosphere |
| D．used to evaporate water from the oceans and lakes |
We learn from the passage that .
| A．all living things on the Earth depend on the Sun for their food |
| B．a forest looks dark in winter because it absorbs solar energy |
| C．only 0.023% of the energy from the Sun is made use of on the Earth |
| D．greenhouse gases allow heat energy to escape from the Earth’s surface |
A volcanic eruption in Iceland has sent ash across northern Europe. Airlines have stopped or changed the flights across the Atlantic Ocean, leaving hundreds of passengers stuck in airports.
Grimsvom is one of the largest and most active volcanoes in Europe. What makes Grimsvom different is that it lies under a huge glacier（冰川）of ice up to 12 maters thick. The hot volcano heats up the ice above it, which then forms a layer（层）of water between the glacier and the volcano This layer of water puts pressure on the volcano, keeping it stable, As the water flows out from under the glacier, the pressure lifts. The lava（岩浆）from the volcano then comes up to the surface. This is exactly what happened today.
Now, airlines have to make changes to their flights so as not to fly through the clouds of volcanic ash. According to KLM. one of Europe’s biggest airlines, airplanes cannot go under the cloud or over it. Going through the cloud can result in ash getting stuck in the airplane’s engines, causing damage to the plane.
The eruption has also caused problems for animals in Iceland. The volcano left ash and sharp. Glass-like rocks all over the countryside. Farmers are keeping their animals inside to stop them from eating ash- covered grass to the sharp object.What makes Grimsvom different from other volcanoes?
| A．It is below ice. | B．It lies under the sea |
| C．It is the largest volcano | D．It is lava affects the airlines |
What keeps Grimsvom still?
| A．The slow flow of water | B．The low water temperature |
| C．The thick glacier | D．The water pressure |
Which of the following is the result of the volcanic eruption?
| A．People stop traveling in Europe |
| B．Airlines suffer from the loss of planes |
| C．It becomes dangerous for animals to eat outside |
| D．Farmers have lost many of their animals |
This text is most probably taken from_____
| A．a research paper | B．a newspaper report |
| C．a class presentation | D．a geography textbook. |