Miss Gorgers taught physics in a New York school. Last month she explained to one of her classes about sound, and she decided to test them to see how successful she had been in her explanation. She said to them, “Now I have a brother in Los Angeles. If I was calling him on the phone and at the same time you were 75 feet away, listening to me from the street, which of you would hear what I said earlier, my brother or you and for what reason?”
Tom at once answered, “Your brother. Because electricity travels faster than sound waves.” “That’s very good.” Miss Gorgers answered, but then one of the girls raised her hand, and Miss Gorgers said, “Yes? Kate.”
“I disagree. Your brother would hear you earlier because when it’s 11 o’clock he
re and it’s only 8 o’clock in Los Angeles.” Kate said.
Miss Gorgers was teaching her class .
| A．how to telephone | B．about electricity | C．about time zone | D．about sound |
Miss Gorgers raised this question because she wanted to know whether .
| A．it was easy to phone to Los Angeles |
| B．her student could hear her from 75 feet away |
| C．her students had understood her lesson |
| D．sound waves were slower than electricity |
Kate thought Tom was wrong because .
| A．clocks in Los Angeles showed a different time from those in New York |
| B．electricity was slower than sound waves |
| C．Tom was not good at physics at all |
| D．Tom’s answer had nothing to do with sound waves |
Whose answer do you think is correct according to the laws of physics?
A. Tom’s. B. Kate’s. C. Both A and B. D. Neither A nor B.
B
(2010·安徽卷)American cities are similar to other cities around the world: In every country, cities reflect the values of the culture. American cities are changing, just as American society is changing.
After World War Ⅱ， the population of most large American cities decreased; however, the population in many Sun Belt cities increased. Los Angeles and Houston are cities where population shifts(转移)to and from the city reflect the changing values of American society. In the late 1940s and early 1950s, city residents(居民)became wealthier. They had more children so they needed more space. They moved out of their apartments in the city to buy their own homes. They bought houses in the suburbs(效区)．
Now things are changing. The children of the people who left the cities in the 1950s are now adults. Many, unlike their parents, want to live in the cities. They continue to move to Sun Belt cities and older ones of the Northeast and Midwest. Many young professionals are moving back into the city. They prefer the city to the suburbs because their jobs are there; or they just enjoy the excitement and possibilities that the city offers.
This population shift is bringing problems as well as benefits. Countless poor people must leave their apartments in the city because the owners want to sell the buildings or make apartments for sale instead of for rent. In the 1950s, many poor people did not have enough money to move to the suburbs; now many of these same people do not have enough money to stay in the cities.
Only a few years ago, people thought that the older American cities were dying. Some city residents now see a bright, new future. Others see only problems and conflicts. One thing is sure: many dying cities are alive again.What does the author think of cities all over the world?
| A．They are alive. |
| B．They are hopeless. |
| C．They are similar. |
| D．They are different. |
Why did American city residents want to live in the suburbs after World War Ⅱ？
| A．Because older American cities were dying. |
| B．Because they were richer and needed more space. |
| C．Because cities contained the worst parts of society. |
| D．Because they could hardly afford to live in the city. |
According to the 4th paragraph, a great many poor people in American cities________.
| A．are faced with housing problems |
| B．are forced to move to the suburbs |
| C．want to sell their buildings |
| D．need more money for daily expenses |
We can conclude from the text that________.
| A．American cities are changing for the worse |
| B．people have different views on American cities |
| C．many people are now moving from American cities |
| D．the population is decreasing in older American cities |
A
The Sahara Festival is a celebration of the very recent past. The threeday event is not fixed to the same dates each year, but generally takes place in November or December. It is well attended by tourists, but even better attended by locals.
During the opening ceremonies, after the official greetings from the government leaders, people who attend the festival begin to march smartly before the viewing stands, and white camels transport their riders across the stands. Horsemen from different nations display their beautiful clothes and their fine horsemanship. One following another, groups of musicians and dancers from all over the Sahara take their turn to show off their wonderful culture. Groups of men in blue and yellow play horns and best drums as they dance in different designs. On their knees in the sand, a group of women in long dark dresses dance with their hair：their long, dark, shiny hair is thrown back and forth in the wind to the rhythm of their dance.
The local and visiting Indian dogs are anxious to run after hares. The crowd is on its feet for the camel races. Camels and riders run far into the distance, and then return to the finish line in front of the cheering people.
Towards the evening, there comes the grand finale of the opening day, an extremely exciting horserace. All the riders run very fast on horseback. Some riders hang off the side of their saddles. Some even ride upside down—heir legs and feet straight up in the air—all at full speed. Others rush down the course together, men arm in arm, on different horses. On and on they went. So fast and so wonderful!The Sahara Festival is a festival which________.
| A．has a very long history in North Africa |
| B．is held in the same place on the same day |
| C．is attended mainly by the people in the Sahara |
| D．is celebrated mostly by travelers from different countries |
Before the races begin, ________take part in the activities during the opening ceremonies________.
| A．musicians, dancers, horses and hares |
| B．camel riders, musicians, dogs and hares |
| C．horseman, dancers, camels and dogs |
| D．musicians, officials, camels and horses |
The underlined word“finale”in the fourth paragraph most probably means the________of the opening day.
| A．first part |
| B．middle |
| C．last part |
| D．whole |
This passage mainly tells readers________.
| A．what happens on the opening day of the Sahara Festival |
| B．how people celebrate during the threeday Sahara Festival |
| C．what takes place at the closing ceremonies of the Sahara Festival |
| D．how animals race on the first and the last days of the Sahara Festival |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
E
What makes a person a scientist? Does he have ways or tools of learning that are different from those of others? The answer is“No”. It is not a tool a scientist uses but how he uses these tools that makes him a scientist. You will probably agree that knowing how to use a power is important to a carpenter. You will probably agree, too, that knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone. The scientist, however, goes one step further：he must be sure that he has a reasonable answer to his question into a large set of ideas about how the world works.
The scientist's knowledge must be exact. There is no room for half right or right just half the time. He must be as nearly right as the conditions permit. What works under one set of conditions at one time must work under the same conditions at other times. If the conditions are different, any change file scientist observes in a demonstration must be explained by the change in the conditions.
This is one reason that investigations are important in science. Albert Einstein, who developed the theory of relativity, arrived at this theory through mathematics. The accuracy of his mathematics was later tested through investigation. Einstein's ideas are shown to be correct. A scientist uses many tools for measurements. Then the measurements are used to make mathematical calculations that may test his investigations.“...knowing how to investigate, how to discover information, is important to everyone.”The author says this to show________.
| A．the importance of information |
| B．the difference between carpenters and ordinary people |
| C．the difference between scientists and ordinary people |
| D．the importance of thinking |
A sound scientific theory should be one that________.
| A．works under one set of conditions at one time and also works under the same conditions at other times |
| B．leaves no room for improvement |
| C．does not allow any change even under different conditions |
| D．can be used for many purposes |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Scientists are different from the ordinary people. |
| B．The theory of relativity. |
| C．Exactness is the secret of science. |
| D．Exactness and way of using tools is the key to the making of a scientist. |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
D
Most people around the world are“righthanded”. This also seems to be true in history. In 1979, scientists studied works of art made at different times from 1500 B．C. to the 1950s. Most of the people shown in these works are righthanded so the scientist guessed that righthandedness has always been common through history. Today, about 10% of 15% of the world's population is lefthanded.
Why are there more righthanded people than lefthanded ones? Scientists now know that a person's two hands each have their own jobs. For most people, the left hand is used to find things or hold things. The right hand is used to work with things. This is because of the different work of the two sides of the brain. The right side of the brain, which makes a person's hand and eyes work together, controls the left hand. The left side of the brain, which controls the right hand, is the centre for thinking and doing problems. These findings show that more artists and doing problems. These findings show that more artists should be lefthanded, and studies have found that lefthandedness is twice as common among artists as among people in other jobs. No one really knows what makes a person become righthanded instead of lefthanded. Scientists have found that almost 40% of the people become lefthanded because their main brain is damaged when they are born. however, this doesn't happen to everyone, so scientists guess there must be another reason why people become lefthanded.
One idea is that people usually get righthanded from their parents. If a person does not receive the gene(基因)for righthandedness, he/she may become either righthanded or lefthanded according to the chance and the people they work or live with. Though righthandedness is more common than lefthandedness, people no longer think lefthanded people are strange or unusual. A long time ago, lefthanded children were made to use their right hands like other children, but today they don't have to.After studying works of art made at different times in history, the scientists found________.
A．the art began from 1500 B．C.
B．the works of art ended in 1950s
C．most people shown in the works of art are righthanded
D．most people in the works of art the lefthandedWhat is the left hand for most people used to do?
| A．It's used to find or hold things. |
| B．It's used to work with things. |
| C．It's used to make a person's eyes and hands work together. |
| D．It's the centre for thinking and doing problems. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT true?
| A．No one really knows what makes a person become righthanded. |
| B．Lefthandedness is cleverer than righthandedness. |
| C．Today children are not made to use their right hands only. |
| D．Scientists think there must be some reason why people become lefthanded |
阅读下面的短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C、D)中，选出最佳选项。
C
William Shakespeare, the great English writer of drama(戏剧), was born in 1564 in StartfordonAvon. We do not know everything about Shakepeare's early life. But we know that he studied at the Grammar School in Stratford, and that he became interested in the theatre when he was still a boy. In 1586, Shakespeare went to London, where he worked in a theatre for some years before he began to write his own plays. Shakespeare soon became wellknown in London. Every play he wrote was very good and new to the people of the capital. Queen Elizabeth liked Shakespeare's plays. By the end of the 16th century, Shakespeare and his friends had enough money to build their own theatre. But we must think that Shakespeare had no difficulties in his life. Some writers were against him because their plays were worse than his.Shakespeare is________in England.
| A．a scientist |
| B．an inventor |
| C．a play writer |
| D．a story writer |
The writer thinks________.
| A．we don't know Shakespeare's boyhood at all |
| B．we know Shakespeare's childhood a little |
| C．we know Shakespeare's boyhood a lot |
| D．we should know Shakespeare about his early life well |
Shakespeare worked in the theatre________.
| A．when he started to write his plays |
| B．after he left the Grammar School |
| C．when he was twentytwo years old |
| D．after he liked the theatre very much |
Some writers were against Shakespeare because________.
| A．they hated him |
| B．their plays were less famous than his |
| C．they wrote fewer plays than he |
| D．their money was less than his |