We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells—but wha
t about the 
less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper (雨刮器)？ Shouldn’t we know who they are?
Joan Mclean thinks so. In fact, McLean, a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range, feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic. In addition to learning “who” invented “what”, however, McLean also likes her students to learn the answers to the “why” and “how” questions. According to McLean, “When students learn the answers to these questions, they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more willing to give inventing a try.”
Her students agree. One young man with a patent（专利）for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’s statement. “If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention,” said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major, “ I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so useful.” Lee is now considering to sell his patent to an umbrella producer.
So, just what is the story behind the windshield wiper? Well, Mary Anderson ca
me up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City. The day was cold and stormy, but Anderson still wanted to see the sights, so she jumped aboard a streetcar. Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield, she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built-in device(装置) for cleaning the window. Sti
ll wondering about this when she returned home to Birminghan, Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions. One of her ideas, a lever (操作杆) on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the ou
tside, became the first windshield wiper.
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations. It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A. Morgan’s traffic light. It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J. Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible. Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
Pure Yoga (菩尔瑜伽）is devoted to serving the yoga community in Asia and beyond，offering a wide variety of classes such as Hatha Yoga，Hot Yoga，Yin Yoga Vinyasa，etc. Our yoga classes are offered and taught by nearly 200 professional yoga teachers. Private Yoga is also available for learners of all levels. Pure Yoga constantly invites world-known teachers to lead guest teacher workshops.
Class Booking
Class bookings can be made 2 days in advance of the class. It is important that you book your class in advance since some classes are more heavily attended than others.
We also limit our class sizes so that they are not overcrowded. If a class you wish to take is full, we will place you on the wait list and inform you of an opening as soon as possible. To create the best experience for yourself and others，please follow these guidelines：
No talking
The yoga studio is a silent room. Please do not talk while in the studio and studio corridors(走廊).
No eating
Do not eat in the studio.
No shoes
Remove your shoes before entering the practice rooms. Keep your shoes in your locker (寄存柜).Shoe lockers are also available for rental.
No mobile phones
Turn your mobile phones off or to “vibrate”（震动）mode. Do not take phones into the practice rooms.
Personal Belongings
Daily lockers are not for overnight use. Locks from any daily lockers that are kept overnight will be cut.Who will teach general learners yoga?
| A．favorite yoga teacher. |
| B．professional yoga teacher. |
| C．world-known yoga teacher. |
| D．private yoga teacher. |
When should you book your class?
| A．One month ahead of time. |
| B．Two months ahead of time. |
| C．Two days ahead of time. |
| D．One day ahead of time. |
In the practicing room，you can .
A.keep your shoes in the locker
B.wear any shoes you like
eat some snacks if you are hungry
C.talk with your friends on the phone
On a cool November afternoon in Fleming Island, Florida, Melissa Hawkinson, 41, was driving her five-year-old twins home from school when she saw a sudden splash in Doctors Lake just ahead. What was that? She thought. As she drove up to the scene, she saw a half-submerged car sinking about 30 yards offshore. “It was going down pretty quickly,” Hawkinson recalls. She stopped the car near the boat ramp and ran toward the water. Water is going to be cold, she thought.
She took off her vest and leather boots, got into the icy water, and swam to the car, where she found Cameron Dorsey, five, trapped into his car as the swirling water rose around him.
Hawkinson tried to open the door, but it was locked. So she pushed and pulled hard on the partially open window until she could reach through and unlock the door. She pulled the boy free, swam to shore, and handed him off to onlookers who were only watching them on a dock. The driver, the boy’s suicidal father, swam back to land on his own. Afterward, Hawkinson sat on the shore wrapped in a blanket. “For ten or 15 minutes, I couldn’t stop shaking,” she said.
There’s nothing visibly extraordinary about Melissa Hawkinson, an energetic stay-at-home mom with brown hair and a sweet smile. Yet something made her different from the dockside onlookers that day. Why do some people act quickly, willing to take a risk for a stranger? What makes them run toward danger rather than away from it? Hawkinson, the Granite Mountain Hotshots (能手，高手)---19 of whom lost their life this past summer in Arizona--- every hero who puts his or her life on the line to save another: what makes them brave?
Moreover, can bravery be learned, or is it a quality with which you are born? The answer is complex. Bravery taps the mind, brain and heart. It comes from instinct, training and sympathy. Today, neurologists, psychologists and other researchers are studying bravery, trying to uncover the mystery.It can be learned from the passage that _______.
| A．Melissa Hawkinson was a 41-year-old nurse |
| B．it was spring when the accident happened |
| C．Melissa Hawkinson was picking up her five-year-old son |
| D．Melissa Hawkinson was kind and courageous. |
What conclusion can we draw from the third paragraph?
| A．Not everyone was ready to risk saving the five-year-old boy.. |
| B．The father committed suicide because of the divorce. |
| C．The father was saved in the end by Melissa Hawkinson. |
| D．No one else was available except Melissa Hawkinson. |
How does the writer find other people on the dockside?
| A．Warm and ready to help | B．Thoughtful |
| C．Kind of cold-blooded | D．Not skillful at swimming |
What is the writer’s purpose of writing this passage?
| A．To set us thinking what makes people brave. |
| B．To call on us to learn from such people as Hawkinson. |
| C．To remind people of risk while saving others. |
| D．To show people bravery can be learned. |
You may not be aware, but digital currency (货币) is a big part of the Internet world. QQ Coins can buy you accessories (配饰) for your QQ images. More importantly, a new digital currency, Bitcoin, is bringing the world’s commerce online.
If you’re traveling, you can spend Bitcoins at restaurants and hotels listed at BitcoinTravel.com. In China, Bitcoins can be used to buy goods at about 134 online shops on Taobao. And at a café named 2nd Place in Beijing, you can even buy fresh coffee with Bitcoins.
So what makes Bitcoin so attractive to investors?
First of all, the Bitcoin system is not controlled by anyone. One central authority cannot make policies to change the value of Bitcoins. The fixed amount of Bitcoins also means they cannot lose value through inflation(通货膨胀), as all forms of paper money have done over time.
In addition, accounts in the Bitcoin system are anonymous and transparent. Users can set up an account easily and track every Bitcoin. All of these features seem to make Bitcoins immune(有免疫力的) from loss, but that is not entirely true.
“The value of Bitcoins can vary wildly as no central government makes the price of them steady. If the value drops suddenly, investors cannot get any compensation(赔偿),” Zhao Qingming, a senior researcher at China Construction Bank, told China Economic Weekly. And Bitcoins, unlike company shares, are not backed by any tangible funds, which also adds to their risk.
While China will not recognize the digital currency anytime soon, Xinhua said, lawmakers and officials at a hearing on Nov. 18 in the US made positive comments about Bitcoin.
Ben Bernanke, outgoing chairman of the Federal Reserve, told the Washington Post that “these types of creations, such as Bitcoin… may hold long-term promise, particularly if its system promote a faster, more secure and more efficient payment system.”Bitcoin is ______.
A. actually exactly like QQ Coins
B. only used online
C. a new currency used both online and in real life
D a country’s new digital currency.We can use Bitcoin to buy the following things except ______.
| A．online goods |
| B．goods at 134 online shops on Taobao |
| C．books in physical shops |
| D．coffee at a café named 2nd Place |
What is the disadvantage of Bitcoin?
| A．the value of it can rise and fall wildly. |
| B．It cannot lose value through inflation. |
| C．Every bitcoin in your account can be followed. |
| D．It can even be used at some specific restaurants and hotels. |
The Museum of Childhood is Australia’s most comprehensive collection of childhood items including toys , dolls , infant and school material .
Housed in a modern facility , the displays reflect Australian childhood experience over time including play , child rearing , orphanage childhood , and home , school , and war time experience .
There are many hands –on exhibits and education sessions including the famous ‘lesson’ in the 1920s One Teacher Bush Classroom .
The Museum also hosts national touring exhibitions and conducts special activities on Sundays and school holidays（ring for details ）.
Open: Tuesday- Friday 10am – 4pm , Sunday 10am – 4:30 pm , or by arrangement .
Special activities on Sundays as advertise .
Closed: Public holidays ,16 December-18 January .
Location: Edith Cowan University campus , Bay Road , Claremont (take bus 208 and alight at the Bay Road and Princess Road intersection . The Museum is 15 minutes’ walk from Claremont train station )
Tel :(08) 9442 1373 ; Fax ; (08 ) 9442 1314On you can stay at the Museum until half past four .
| A．Wednesday | B．Friday | C．Sunday | D．Monday |
If you want to attend a special activity , you’d better come on .
| A．Monday | B．Tuesday | C．Saturday | D．Sunday |
When you come on December 20th , Friday ,you will find the Museum .
| A．closed |
| B．holding special activities |
| C．not closed until 4:00 |
| D．not closed until 4:30 |
The main purpose of the Museum of Childhood is to .
| A．display toys , dolls , infant and school material |
| B．reflect Australian childhood experience over time |
| C．host national touring exhibition |
| D．tell you the famous ‘lesson’ in the 1920s |
One hundred and thirteen million Americans have at least one bank-issued credit card. They give their owners automatic credit in stores, restaurants, and hotels, at home, across the country, and even abroad, and they make many banking services available as well. More and more of these credit cards can be read automatically, making it possible to withdraw or deposit money in scattered locations, whether or not the local branch bank is open. For many of us the “cashless society” is not on the horizon----it’s already here.
While computers offer these conveniences to consumers, they have many advantages for sellers too. Electronic cash registers can do much more than simply ring up sales. They can keep a wide range of records, including who sold what, when, and to whom. This information allows businessmen to keep track of their list of goods by showing which items are being sold and how fast they are moving. Decisions to reorder or return goods to suppliers can then be made. At the same time these computers record which hours are busiest and which employees are the most efficient, allowing personnel and staffing assignments to be made accordingly. And they also identify preferred customer for promotional campaigns. Computers are relied on by manufacturers for similar reasons. Computer analyzed marketing reports can help to decide which products to emphasize now, which to develop for the future and which to drop. Computers keep track of goods in stock, of raw materials on hand, and even of the production process itself.
Numerous other commercial enterprises, from theaters to magazine publishers, from gas and electric utilities to milk processors, bring better and more efficient services to consumers through the use of computers.According to the passage, the credit card enables its owner to .
| A．withdraw as much money from the bank as he wishes |
| B．obtain more convenient services than other people do |
| C．enjoy greater trust from the storekeeper |
| D．cash money where he wishes to |
From the last sentence of the first paragraph we learn that .
| A．in the future all the Americans will use credit cards |
| B．credit cards are mainly used in the United States today |
| C．nowadays many Americans do not pay in cash |
| D．it is now more convenient to use credit cards than before |
The phrase “ring up sales” most probably means .
| A．make an order of goods |
| B．record sales on a cash register |
| C．call the sales manager |
| D．keep track of the goods in stock |
It can be inferred that .
| A．computers will bring disaster |
| B．computer industry will not develop faster |
| C．computers will bring about more convenience to people’s life |
| D．None |