Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies’ two daughters. Along with nine other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of Sévigné in Paris.
Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics. When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities（设备） to help save the lives of wounded soldiers.Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in France and Belgrum. Her services were recognised in the form of a Military’s Medal by the French government.
In 1918, Irene became her mother’s assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924, Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taugh him the techniques required for his work. They soon fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five years later.
Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia because of her work with radioactivity（辐射能）. Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?
| A．Because she received a degree in mathematics. |
| B．Because she contributed to saving the wounded. |
| C．Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic. |
| D．Because she worked as a helper to her mother. |
Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederio joliot?
| A．At the Curie Institute. | B．At the Cniversity of Paris. |
| C．At a military hospital. | D．At the College of Sevigne. |
When was the second child of Irene Curie and Frederic Joliot born?
| A．In 1932. | B．In 1927. | C．In 1897. | D．In 1926. |
In which of the following aspects was Irene Cuire different from her mother?
| A．Irene worked with radioactivity. | B．Irene combined family and career. |
| C．Irene won the Nobel Prize once | D．Irene died from leukemia. |
Do you know what really troubles me? For some reason, words with silent letters have always bothered me. For example, consider these words: know, design, island, school, wrist, naughty, and salmon. All of these words have at least one letter that is not typically pronounced, and these words are just a very small part of words with silent letters in them.
Some words are even worse, consider this word: colonel. Not only are some letters not pronounced, but letters that are not even there are pronounced.
Even foreign languages, especially French, are guilty of this needless complexity and confusion. I know there must be some main historical reasons why the words are spelled and pronounced the way they are, but that does not mean bad traditions must continue to survive. Especially if they are no longer logical.
Unfortunately, there is very little that anyone can do for it, because there’s no group of people who can change or have the right to change the English language for everyone. However, the only thing we can do is make changes in the way we talk and write in hopes that it catches on. For example, I pronounce the letter “l” in salmon on purpose to make people annoyed and to sound more different or complicated. I even pronounce colonel the correct or French way.
I can only hope these two minor changes to the English language make sense to you, and you will help to keep up these minor changes forever in your everyday life.Which of the following is the main reason for silent letters?
| A．French language. | B．Historical reasons. |
| C．Some linguists | D．Bad traditions. |
The underlined phrase “catches on” probably means “________”.
| A．becomes popular | B．gets across |
| C．follows the fashions | D．doesn’t fall behind |
Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
| A．Troubles in everyday life |
| B．Traps in English words |
| C．Words with silent letters |
| D．Necessary changes of languages |
| HIGHFIELD COMPREHENSIVE SCHOOL SCHOOL REPORT Form Teacher:G. Baker Pupil’s Name: Simon Watkins Term:Summer 2014 Form:Ⅳ B
FORM TEACHER’S REMARKS HEADMASTER |
According to the comments of the Physical Education teacher, Simon_______.
| A．is too talkative in the class |
| B．likes to work with his classmates |
| C．doesn’t exercise his body at the right time |
| D．becomes weak because he doesn’t exercise at all |
Which of Simon’s subjects will attract the headmaster’s attention in future?
| A．Biology and Maths. |
| B．History and French. |
| C．English and Chemistry. |
| D．Physics and Physical Education. |
Which of the following statements best describes Simon?
| A．He has made great progress in language classes. |
| B．His potential has been fully reflected in science classes. |
| C．His grade in maths makes him a born scientist. |
| D．He needs to improve his attitude on certain subjects. |
Based on the school report, which of the following statements is true?
| A．Simon didn’t bother his teacher to revise French. |
| B．Basically, Simon did a good job in science. |
| C．Simon is a determined learner in English. |
| D．Simon is able to pay attention to history for long. |
In 1939 two brothers, Mac and Dick McDonald, started a drive-in restaurant in San Bernadino, California. They carefully chose a busy corner for their location. They had run their own businesses for years, first a theater, then a barbecue(烤肉) restaurant, then another drive-in. But in their new operation, they offered a new, shortened menu: French fries, hamburgers, and sodas. To this small selection they added one new idea: quick service, no waiters or waitresses, and no tips.
Their hamburgers sold for fifteen cents. Cheese was another four cents. Their French fries and hamburgers had a remarkable uniformity(一致性), for the brothers had developed a strict routine(程序) for the preparation of their food, and they insisted on their cooks sticking to their routine. Their new drive-in became surprisingly popular, particularly for lunch. People drove up by the hundreds during the busy noontime. The self-service restaurant was so popular that the brothers had allowed ten copies of their restaurant to be opened. They were content with this modest success until they met Ray Kroc.
Kroc was a salesman who met the McDonald brothers in 1954, when he was selling milkshake-mixing machines. He quickly saw the special attraction of the brothers’ fast-food restaurants and bought the right to franchise(特许经营) other copies of their restaurants. The agreement included the right to duplicate(复制) the menu, the equipment, even their red and white buildings with the golden arches(拱门).
Today McDonald’s is really a household name. In 1976, McDonald’s had over $ l billion in total sales. Its first twenty-two years is one of the most surprising success stories in modern American business history.This passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．the development of fast food services |
| B．how McDonald’s became a billion-dollar business |
| C．the business careers of Mac and Dick McDonald |
| D．Ray Kroc’s business talent |
Mac and Dick managed all of the following businesses except _______.
| A．a drive-in | B．a theater |
| C．a cinema | D．a barbecue restaurant |
We may infer from this passage that _______.
| A．Mac and Dick McDonald never became wealthy for they sold their idea to Kroc. |
| B．the place the McDonalds chose was the only source of the great popularity of their drive-in |
| C．forty years ago there were lots of fast-food restaurants |
| D．Ray Kroc was a good businessman |
The passage suggests that _______.
| A．creativity is an important element of business success |
| B．Ray Kroc was the close partner of the McDonald brothers |
| C．Mac and Dick McDonald became broken after they sold their ideas to Ray Kroc |
| D．California is the best place to go into business |
In opposing President Barack Obama's opening to Cuba, Florida's Republican senator, Marco Rubio, explained, "This entire policy shift announced today is based on an illusion, on a lie, the lie and the illusion that more commerce and access to money and goods will translate to political freedom for the Cuban people." Rubio has correctly touched on the hottest issue. But theory, logic and history suggest that he's wrong in his conclusions.
I would recommend to Rubio one of the classics of conservative(保守的) thought, Milton Friedman's "Capitalism and Freedom." He doesn't have to spend too much time on it. The first chapter outlines the "relation between economic freedom and political freedom." The point Friedman makes in the book is one that America's founding fathers well understood. Drawing on the political philosopher John Locke, they believed that the freedom to buy, sell, own and trade were primary elements of human freedom and individual autonomy(自治). As they expand, liberty expands.
This is not just theory, of course. Over the last two centuries, the countries that embraced "more commerce and access to money and goods" in Rubio's phrase -- Britain, America, then Western Europe and East Asia -- have moved toward greater prosperity, but also political freedom. If you exclude oil-rich countries, where money is not earned but dug from the ground, on the whole there has been a strong connection between economic freedom and political freedom.
In Latin America today, democracy(民主政治) and markets have acted to strengthen each other, transforming the continent, which 30 years ago was almost entirely ruled by dictatorships(独裁) to one that is today almost entirely ruled by democracies. After opening up its economy in the 1970s, Chile began to grow, but that growth then produced a stronger civil society that over time contributed to the end of the dictatorship within the country. Yet Cuba is an outlier, one of the last regimes in Latin America that has embraced neither markets nor ballots. The Obama administration is acting on the theory that more commerce, capitalism, contact, travel and trade will empower the people of Cuba and thus gives them a greater voice in their political future. And so the first point to make is that it will help Cubans economically -- it will raise their incomes, their standard of living, and boost access to technology. These are all good things in and of themselves.
But easing the embargo(贸易禁止) will also help Americans, who will benefit from being able to trade with a neighbor. This is the reason that conservatives have long understood that free trade is not a gift bestowed on someone. It helps both countries and in particular, helps the United States. That's why the Wall Street Journal's editorial page -- bastion of conservative thought -- has been an advocate on lifting the trade embargo against Cuba, which is a far larger step than Obama's normalization. What message does the writer try to deliver through this passage?
| A．President Obama is making a wrong move opening to Cuba. |
| B．Marco Rubio is making a mistake criticizing Obama’s normalization policy. |
| C．Obama’s policy will benefit both Cubans and Americans economically and politically. |
| D．Obama’s decision agrees with the fact that economic freedom grows with political freedom. |
How does the writer prove his point in paragraph 3 and 4?
| A．by analyzing cause and effect |
| B．by giving examples |
| C．by making comparison and contrast |
| D．by raising questions |
What does the underlined phrase “translate to” most probably mean?
| A．connect with | B．adapt to |
| C．get down to | D．lead to |
It is implied in the passage that_____________
| A．The Obama administration wants to help people in Cuba, so President Obama decided to open to Cuba. |
| B．Chile is different from other countries in Latin America in that it has both economic and political freedom. |
| C．America’s founding fathers based their ideology on the theory of Milton Friedman. |
| D．The conservatives and the Wall Street Journal are on the same page on free trade. |
Who doesn’t believe that democracy and markets strengthen each other?
| A．the writer | B．President Obama |
| C．Milton Friedman | D．Marco Rubio |
Rabindranath Tagore(泰戈尔) was an Indian writer and poet, who was the first non-European to win the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1913. Composed of 326 short verses, Stray Birds(飞鸟集) is a collection of short verses translated from Bengali into English by the poet himself, where Tagore spiritualizes nature into the experiences of human existence while demonstrating his love for nature and simplicity through poetic words.
Now read the following verses taken from Stray Birds(1916) and try to answer the questions.
·Man does not reveal himself in his history, he struggles up through it. (verse 52)
·The cloud stood humbly(谦逊的) in a corner of the sky.
The Morning crowned it with splendour(光辉). (verse 100)
·Man is worse than an animal when he is an animal. (verse 248)
·Bees sip honey from flowers and hum their thanks when they leave.
The gaudy butterfly is sure that the flowers owe thanks to him. (verse 127)
·The stream of truth flows through its channels of mistakes. (verse 243)
·Let him only see the thorns who has eyes to see the rose. (verse 230)
·Set bird’s wings with gold and it will never again soar in the sky. (verse 231)
·Men are cruel, but Man is kind. (verse 219)
·Let me not put myself wrongly to my world and set it against me. (verse 206)
·Wrong cannot afford defeat but right can. (verse 68)
·“I give my whole water in joy,” sings the waterfall. “though little of it is enough for the thirsty.” (verse 69)
·The woodcutter’s axe(斧头) begged for its handle from the tree.
The tree gave it. (verse 71)
·Thank the flame for its light, but do not forget the lampholder standing in the shade with constancy of patience. (verse 64)Which of the verses sing praise for those who are ready to sacrifice(奉献) themselves without asking anything in return?
| A．verse 248 &69 | B．verse 71 & 100 |
| C．verse 69 & 71 | D．verse 100& 52 |
Which of the verse makes strong comparison and contrast between two opposite types of persons?
| A．verse 68 | B．verse 248 |
| C．verse 127 | D．verse 243 |
Which of the verses has similar meaning to the saying “All is not gold that glitters(闪光); but gold will glitter forever.”?
| A．verse 100 | B．verse 69 |
| C．verse 230 | D．verse 206 |
Which of the verses might be most suitable said to parents, telling them not to spoil their children with wealth?
| A．verse 231 | B．verse 71 |
| C．verse 127 | D．verse 100 |