ExploretheStateofCaliforniaCal-优题课

It’s good to make mistakes, and here is why.
First of all, mistakes are a clear sign that you are trying new things. It’s always good to try new things because when you are trying new things you are growing. If you never try anything new, how can you improve? How can you expand? The simple answer is “You can’t”. Look around you. With very few exceptions, either everything you see in your physical world or every single detail of every single thing is the result of someone trying something new.
Another good thing about mistakes is this: When you are making mistakes, you are learning. Consider this: Edison failed 10,000 times before he perfected the light bulb. When asked how it felt to fail that many times, he said that he hadn’t failed 10,000 times, but rather had learned 10,000 things that didn’t work．
Finally, when you make a mistake you are much closer to success. Why?
Because when all is said and done, you will have tried some number of things before you succeeded. Every time you make a mistake you eliminate one of those things and are one step closer.
But this all doesn’t mean that you should go ahead without considering the consequences of a mistake. Quite the contrary, when you try something new you have to be willing to set some reasonable limits so that in the event that it doesn’t work out the way you want it to, you will be in a position to try again.
We all have limited resources in the form of time and money so don’t blow them all on one approach to a problem. Realize that it probably won’t be perfect the first time and allocate (分配) these resources appropriately so you can learn, make corrections, and try it again. Only by accepting and using your mistakes in this way can you make significant advances in your business and your career．
There is an old saying that goes, “If you’re not making mistakes, you’re not trying hard enough．”
So go forth and make mistakes. And learn. And grow. And prosper（成功）．
From the second paragraph, we can conclude that _______．

A．mistakes are unnecessary for development

B．we are afraid of trying new things

C．it’s common for people to make mistakes

D．mistakes are better than not trying

The underlined word “eliminate” means _______．

A．avoid

B．Remove

C．accept

D．solve

. According to the article, one thing you should pay attention to about making mistakes is．

A．avoiding making the same mistakes

B．accepting the punishment willingly

C．taking consequences into account

D．trying things out one by one

. What would the writer probably suggest we say to ourselves when we make a mistake?

A．Never mind, I can always try again．

B．I’d better stay out of trouble．

C．Ok! Now I can learn something．

D．Look at this mess. Anyone would be upset．

China in the 21st century is making great progress in space technology. In 2003, the country sent up the manned spacecraft Shenzhou-V. Four years later, Chang’e-I went into orbit (轨道) around the moon. In 2008 a Chinese man did the country’s first spacewalk.
These achievements would have been unthinkable without the contribution of Qian Xuesen, a key scientist on space programs and rocketry (火箭技术) of the People’s Republic of China. This pioneering scientist passed away in Beijing on October 31 in 2009 at the age of 98.
Once called “the father of our space industry”, Qian began working on China’s missile and space technology in 1956, when China had little technology. When asked by General Chen Geng whether the Chinese could develop their own missiles, Qian said Chinese could do anything that foreigners could.
His research helped lead to the explosion of China’s first atomic bomb (原子弹) in1964, as well as to its first man-made satellite in 1970 and its first manned spacecraft in 2003.
Qian was born in Shanghai. He graduated from Shanghai Jiaotong University in 1934.Then he studied in the US at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and later at the California Institute of Technology. During World WarⅡ, Qian’s research contributed to the development of rocket technology that the US military (军队) began using in the 1940s. He was once prevented from leaving the country because it was decided that he knew too much about certain military matters. It was not until in 1955 that Qian returned to China with the help of the late premier Zhou Enlai.
“I plan to do my best to help the Chinese build a nation where they can live with dignity (尊严) and happiness, ” Qian told reporters before sailing for China in 1955. The great scientist devoted all his life to keeping the promise.
What is the article mainly about?

A．It gives a short history of Chinese missile and space programs.

B．It is about how Qian contributed to the Chinese space program.

C．It lists important events that Qian experienced.

D．It is a brief introduction to Qian, a famous Chinese scientist.

. Which statement about Qian is TRUE?

A．He was born in China and brought up in America.

B．He went to America for further study after graduation from university.

C．He returned to his hometown right after finishing his education.

D．He had worked on missiles in the US military before coming back to China.

Qian was personally involved in many historic events in China EXCEPT .

A．the first spacewalk	B．the first man-made satellite
C．the development of missiles	D．the explosion of an atomic bomb

From the article, we can conclude that .

A．the US military had hoped to take full advantage of Qian’s talent

B．Qian had an important position in the US military in the 1940s

C．when World War broke out, Qian was studying at Shanghai Jiaotong University

D．it was not easy to get Qian back from the US

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余项。
What is your favorite color? Do you like yellow, orange, and red? 71 Do you prefer grays and blues? Then you are probably quiet, shy, and you would rather follow than lead. You tend to be a pessimist（悲观者）. At least, this is what psychologists（心理专家） tell us, and they should know, because they have been seriously studying the meaning of colors preference, as well as the effect that colors have on human beings. 72If you happen to love brown, you did so, as soon as you opened your eyes, or at least as soon as you could see clearly.
73 A yellow room makes most people feel more cheerful and more relaxed than a dark green one; and a red dress brings warmth and cheer to the saddest winter day. 74A black bridge over the Thames River, near London, used to be the scene of more suicides than any other bridge in the area ---until it was repainted green. The number of suicide attempts immediately fell sharply; perhaps it would have fallen even more if the bridge had been done in pink or baby blue.
75It is an established fact that factory workers work better, harder, and have fewer accidents when their machines are painted orange rather than black or grey.

A．On the other hand, black is depressing.

B．They tells us that we do not choose our favorite color as we grow up——we are born
with our preference.

C．The rooms are painted in different colors as you like.

D．If you do, you must be an optimist（乐观者）, a leader, an active person who enjoys

life, people and excitement.
E. Light and bright colors make people not only happier but more active.
F. Life is like a picture or a poem, full of different colors.
G. Colors do influence our moods——there is no doubt about it .

Parents whose children show a special interest in a particular sport feel it very difficult to make a decision about their children’s careers. Should they allow their children to train to become top sports men and women? For many children it means starting school work very young, and going out with friends and other interests have to take a second place. It’s very difficult to explain to a young child why he or she has to train five hours a day, even at the weekend, when most of his or her friends are playing.
Another problem is of course money. In many countries money for training is available from government for the very best young sportsmen and women. If this help can not be given, it means that it is the parents who have to find the time and the money to support their child’s development—and sports clothes, transport to competitions, special equipment, etc. can all be very expensive.
Many parents are worried that it is dangerous to start serious training in a sport at an early age. Some doctors agree that young muscles may be damaged by training before they are properly developed. Professional trainers, however, believe that it is only by training young that you can reach the top as a successful sports person. It is clear that very few people do reach the top, and both parents and children should be prepared for failure even after many years of training.
The underlined phrase“to take a second place”(para1 line4) means_________.

A．to repeat the activities at some other place	B．to become less important
C．all things considered, they are of poor quality	D．to happen again

According to the passage, parents whose children show a special interest in a sport_______.

A．feel uncertain if they should let their children train to be sports men or women

B．try to get financial（财务的）support from the government for their children’s training

C．have to get medical advice from doctors about training methods

D．prefer their children to be trained as young as possible

Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．By starting young, you won't have much time for your school work.

B．Early training may damage your muscles.

C．Most children may become professional sports men after a long period of training.

D．It's very expensive for parents to support their child's development in sports

Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth. There are hundreds of kinds of sharks. Most are about two meters long. The dogfish shark, however, is less than twenty centimeters in length. A shark has an extremely good sense of smell. It can find small amounts of matters in water, such as blood, body liquids and chemicals produced by animals. These powerful senses help sharks find their food. Sharks eat fish, other sharks, and plants that live in the ocean.
Sharks grow slowly. About forty percent of all sharks lay eggs. The others give birth to live young. Some sharks carry their young inside their bodies as humans do. Some sharks are not able to reproduce until they are twenty years old. Most reproduce only every two years. And they give birth to fewer than ten young sharks. For this reason, over-fishing of sharks is of special danger to the future of the animal.
Sharks are important for the world’s oceans. They eat injured and diseased fish. Their hunting activities mean that the numbers of other fish in ocean waters do not become too large. This protects the plants and other forms of life that exist in the oceans.
People hunt sharks for sport, food, medicine and their skin. Experts say the international market for some kinds of sharks has increased because many parts of a shark are valuable.Collectors pay thousands of dollars for the jaws of a shark. Shark liver oil is a popular source of Vitamin A. The skin of a shark can be used like leather.
In Asia, people enjoy a kind of soup made from shark fins. Experts say a fisherman can earn a lot of money for even one kilogram of shark fins. Sharks are among the oldest animals on Earth, but some sharks are in danger of disappearing from Earth. If too many sharks in one area are killed, that group of sharks may never return to normal population levels.
. Which of the following words best describes the situation sharks are in?

A．Good.

B．Endangered.

C．Powerful.

D．Expensive.

Sharks eat other fish, __________.

A．which is a threat to all other forms of life in the oceans

B．which is a protection for plants and other forms of life in the oceans

C．which helps prevent diseases from spreading

D．which helps the number of other fish to grow

According to the passage, many parts of a shark are valuable EXCEPT ________.

A．its jaws

B．its liver

C．shark fins

D．shark teeth

The author thinks that______.

A．sharks are valuable to us and we can make full use of them

B．oceans will become safer with fewer sharks swimming around

C．measures should be taken to protect sharks

D．the shark population is increasing slowly