It is natural that children are curious about the world around them. For example, they want to know how their hearts beat. They want to know why the ocean water tastes salty.
As children grow up, they become curious about different kinds of things. When they are babies, they are interested in the parts of their bodies and in the smiles of their mothers. They become interested in the physical world around them: the plants, the animals, the sky. Later, they become interested in the things that people have made: wheels, bicycles, cars. And when they are adults, their curiosity continues. Sometimes this curiosity leads to a career (生涯、职业) in science.
Scientists spend their lives trying to find out about the world．Those who work with the earth sciences study the earth, the oceans, and the skies. Other scientists who study living things work with the biological sciences. A third group of scientists study the physical sciences, e. g. physics, chemistry.
These scientists have already discovered a lot about our world．For example, they tell us why your heart beats fast when you run. They say that when you are quiet, your heart normally beats sixty-five or seventy-five times a minute. Your heart is a pump (泵) that pumps blood to all parts of the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrition. When you run, your muscles work very hard and use the nutrition that the blood carries to them. The muscles need oxygen, too . So your brain sends a signal to the heart. The signal means that the muscles need more nutriti
on and oxygen. Then the heart beats fast and sends blood quickly to the muscles. It may beat 90 to 140 times a minute.
Of course, scientists cannot answer all of our questions. If we ask, “Why does the ocean water taste salty” scientists will say that the salt comes from rocks. When a rock gets very hot or very cold, it cracks. Rain falls into cracks. The rain then carries the salt into the earth and into the rivers. The rivers carry the salt into the ocean. But then we ask , “What happens to the salt in the ocean? The ocean does not get saltier every year.” Scientists are not sure about the answer to this question.
We know a lot about our world, but there are still many answers that we do not have, and we are curious.According to the passage, which of the following statements is true
?
| A．People of different ages are interested in different things |
| B．People in different countries are interested in different things. |
| C．Men and women are curious about different things. |
| D．People are curious in the same way. |
Scientists who work with the biological sciences study____.
| A．the earth , the oceans and the sky | B．plants and animals |
| C．man-made things | D．ocean water |
When you run, your muscles need ____.
| A．more nutrition and oxygen | B．more signals | C．more salt | D．water |
A rock cracks _____.
| A．in wet regions |
B．in dry regions |
| C．at very high or very low temperatures | D．when salty water falls in |
People are always curious because ____.
A．they cann ot explain many things |
B．they know nothing about the world |
| C．they know little about the world |
D．they want to be scientists |
If Confucius were still alive today and could celebrate his September 28 birthday with a big cake，there would be a lot of candles．He’d need a fan or a strong wind to help him put them out．
While many people in China will remember Confucius on his special day，few people in the United States will give him a passing thought．It’s nothing personal．Most Americans don’t even remember the birthdays of their own national heroes．
But this doesn’t mean that Americans don’t care about Confucius．In many ways he has become a bridge that foreigners must cross if they want to reach a deeper understanding of China．
In the past two decades，the Chinese study programs have gained huge popularity in Western universities．More recently, the Chinese government has set up Confucius Institutes in more than 80 countries．These schools teach both Chinese language and culture．The main courses of Chinese culture usually included Chinese art，history and philosophy．Some social scientists suggest that Westerners should take advantage of the old Chinese wisdom to make up for the drawbacks of Westerners philosophy．Students in the United States，at the same time，are racing to learn Chinese．So they will be ready for life in a world where China is an equal power with the United States．Businessmen who hope to make money in China are reading books about Confucius to understand their Chinese customers．
So the old thinker’s ideas are still alive and well．
Today China attracts the West more than ever, and it will need more teachers to introduce Confucius and Chinese culture to the West．
As for the old thinker，he will not soon be forgotten by people in the West，even if his birthday is．The first paragraph is mainly intended to_________．
| A．provide some key facts about Confucius |
| B．prove the popularity of modern birthday celebrations |
| C．show great respect for the old thinker |
| D．attract the readers’ interest in the subject |
The reason why few Americans remember Confucius on his birthday is probably that______．
| A．they don’t care about Confucius at all． |
| B．they consider their own national heroes more important． |
| C．he has become a bridge between foreigners and China. |
| D．they don’t pay much attention to the birthdays of famous people． |
We can learn from Paragraph 4 that American students________．
| A．were not interested in Chinese studies before |
| B．take an active part in Chinese competitions |
| C．have a great interest in studying Chinese |
| D．hope to make money in China |
What is the best title for the passage?
| A．Old Thinker with a Big Future |
| B．Huge Fans of the Chinese Language |
| C．Chinese Culture for Westerners |
| D．Forgotten Wisdom in America |
If you haven’t already, you too should switch to the latest eco-friendly, energy-efficient, energy-saving LED (Light Emitting Diode) lighting. As the world becomes more focused on green issues, everyone should do their part in practicing energy efficiency, recycling, cutting down their CO2 emissions and much, much more. One of the most successful campaigns that started in Australia is the now world-famous“Earth Hour”. 2.2 million of Sydney’s residents turned off their lights for an hour in a mass attempt to save energy. The following year, the same idea was adopted by a whole host of different cities.
This is a great example of a campaign to promote eco-friendly options and energy efficiency. But while it clearly raises awareness, it is not a long-term solution to energy saving across the developed world. A long-term solution can be found in the form of switching to LED lighting rather than the traditional halogen lights(卤光灯) found in a typical home.
Put simply, LED lighting is the future of lighting. LED lamps use up only a fraction of the energy compared to that of regular lamps. They also produce a quality flicker-free light, and will last longer than a regular light with 50,000 hours being realistic. Not only are they longer lasting and more energy-efficient with no sacrifice in light quality, but they may quickly become a possible substitute (替代物) for regular lamps that have been previously installed by homes and businesses.
An ordinary 50 watt low-voltage halogen light on for 4 hours a day would cost $ 25 per year to run. With a life span of around 3,000 hours it will typically stop working at the two-year mark. Compared with the regular one, an LED light of 50 watts operating for the same period will cost roughly $ 6 per year to run and last 50,000 hours. That means it won’t have to be replaced for 24 years! It really is a no brainer to switch to energy-saving LED lighting. Plus, you will be doing your bit for the environment by becoming more eco-friendly.“Earth Hour”is held in the world every year in order to.
| A．ask people to generate more energy for daily use |
| B．call on people to use less energy as much as possible |
| C．remind people to remember the days without lights |
| D．advise people to have a good rest after working hard |
How should we save energy according to the author?
| A．Raise public awareness. | B．Turn off the lights. |
| C．Hold“Earth Hour”. | D．Use LED lights. |
. It can be inferred from the third paragraph that LED lamps.
| A．are more expensive that regular ones |
| B．will take the place of regular lamps completely |
| C．might be used by more homes in the future |
| D．use up more energy and give out more light |
The underlined phrase in the last paragraph“no brainer”probably means a thing that.
| A．needs no consideration. | B．needs deep study |
| C．changes with others | D．connects with others |
When Peng Liyuan stepped off the plane in Moscow, the whole world wanted to know who dressed the elegant first lady．The reporter released the secret—Ma Ke．
Peng Liyuan has been wearing Ma Ke’s designs for more than a decade，a fact that was only highlighted recently when she was on her first state visit，accompanying her husband President Xi Jinping．The elegant and attractive Peng，formerly a popular singer, has been compared with the US’ first lady Michelle Obama and France’s Carla Bruni-Sarkozy, since stepping off the airplane in Moscow on March 22．Suddenly, everyone was curious to know more about the first lady’s wardrobe(衣橱)．
Even so，Ma prefers a low key approach．“If you eat a tasty egg why would you want to see the hen?” she says．
Ma’s relationship with Peng began 10 years ago after a concert in Guangzhou when a reporter told Peng she knew the designer behind the label Exception de Mixmind．Peng asked for an introduction because she was a fan of Ma’s designs and had been wearing them for years．
The two naturally became friends．Ma says：“The painting reflects the painter, and clothes reflect both the designer and the wearer．Someone desires fame and wealth，or love and sympathy；what you have in your heart is reflected in the design．Those who don’t share my philosophy won’t buy my clothes．Peng is a caring person，devoted to charity and environmental protection，which is exactly what I’m doing now．”
However, regardless of the brand，Peng’s support of Chinese labels has surprised millions of Chinese who favor foreign fashion brands．
“Instead she presented a vision of Chinese fashion，desiring to bring Chinese designers to the world stage，”says a western designer．
The first lady’s double-breasted coat and her black leather handbag aren’t available at any of Exception’s shops，though Exception’s physical stores do have seen a rising number of visitors． What does the underlined word in paragraph 1 mean?
| A．opened | B．invented |
| C．forecast | D．hid |
In the underlined sentence in Paragraph 3 Ma Ke mentioned “an egg and the hen” to show ______．
| A．it is hard to explain“ Which came first，the egg or the hen?” |
| B．the designer is more important than the design |
| C．paying such great attention to her was unnecessary |
| D．her satisfaction with the media attention on her dress |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A. First ladies compete with each other whenever they are together.
B. Peng’s suits can be bought in Ma Ke’s clothes stores
C Ma Ke’s opinions are totally different from Peng’s
D Peng had liked Ma’s designs long before they met each other.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
| A．Peng wears the dress designed by a Chinese designer probably to support Chinese brands. |
| B．Many citizens found Peng Liyuan’s choice quite unexpected. |
| C．Black leather handbags like Peng’s are widely sold in bag stores in big cities. |
| D．After Peng Liyuan’s visit to Moscow Ma Ke’s clothes became more popular |
We offer five kinds of courses. Each course has been designed to help students according to their needs.
Course 1: General English
General English is designed to develop students’ basic communication skills in speaking and pronunciation, reading, listening, writing, grammar and vocabulary. Tuesday to Friday: 9:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 288 per week.
Course 2: Academic English
Academic English is for students who want to take the IELTS exam or for those who need to use English in a professional area. Monday to Friday: 4:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 320 per week.
Course 3: High School ESL
Why not make the most of your time studying in Australia with the help from TIES? We have High School ESL classes each week specifically designed for international students. Tuesday to Friday: 8:00 am to 11:00 am, $ 25 per hour.
Course 4: Night Classes
Do you want to improve your English and get the best possible results in your GRE test? We have two night classes each week designed to meet your needs. Tuesday and Thursday evenings: 8:30 pm to 10:30 pm, $ 60 per day.
Course 5: One on One
If you are interested in some One on One lessons with TIES teachers, we can design a course to meet your needs. One on One lessons can improve your English language skills more quickly and help students who want to take TOEFL. Tuesday to Friday: 2:00 pm to 5:00 pm, $ 80 per hour.If you are an English beginner, you’d better choose.
| A．General English | B．High School ESL |
| C．Night Classes | D．Academic English |
Which course would be helpful for students who want to take the IELTS exam?
| A．Course 1. | B．Course 2. |
| C．Course 3. | D．Course 4. |
How much will you pay if you spend two weeks taking the High School ESL course?
| A．$ 200. | B．$ 300. |
| C．$ 500. | D．$ 600. |
What can we learn from One on One according to the passage?
| A．Its lessons are given in the morning. |
| B．It’s especially designed for English beginners. |
| C．It’s more expensive than the other courses. |
| D．Its lessons are designed to only improve writing skills. |
There was a gardener who looked after his garden with great care .To water his flowers, he used two buckets(水桶) .One was a shiny and new bucket. The other was a very old and dilapidated one，which had seen many years of service, but was now past its best.
Every morning, the gardener would fill up the two buckets. Then he would carry them along the path, one on each side, to the flowerbeds. The new bucket was very proud of itself. It could carry a full bucket of water without a single drop spilled (溢出). The old bucket felt very ashamed because of its holes: before it reached the flowerbeds, much water had leaked (漏出) along the path.
Sometimes the new bucket would say,“ See how capable I am ! How good it is that the gardener has me to water the flowers every day! I don't know why he still bothers with you. What a waste of space you are!”
And all that the old bucket could say was. “ I know I am not very useful, but I can only do my best. I am happy that the gardener still finds a little bit of use in me, at least.”
One day, the gardener heard that kind of conversation .After watering the flowers as usual, he said , “You both have done your work very well .Now I am going to carry you back .I want you to look carefully along the path.”
Then the two buckets did so. All along the path, they noticed, on the side where the new bucket was carried, there was just bare（光秃秃的）earth; on the other side where the old bucket was carried, there was a joyous row of wild flowers, leading all the way to the garden.What was the old bucket ashamed of?
| A．His past. | B．His aging. |
| C．His manner. | D．His leaking. |
What does the underlined word “dilapidated” probably mean?
| A．dirty | B．dark |
| C．worn-out | D．ordinary-looking. |
The new bucket made conversations with the old one mainly to _________.
| A．take pity on the old one | B．laugh at the old one |
| C．show off its beautiful looks | D．praise the gardener’s kindness |
Why was the old bucket still kept by the gardener?
| A．Because it was used to keep a balance |
| B．Because it stayed in its best condition |
| C．Because it had its own function |
| D．Because it was taken as a treasure |