People cannot reach an agreement on the use of science and technology. For example, will radiation from electronic equipment destroy the environment? Should medical scientists change gene structures to prevent genetic disease or to create “more perfect” human beings? While people are arguing about these and others, technology continues to influence our everyday lives—the home, health and education, entertainment and communication, and so on.
Some people carry on active social lives with computers —their own or the ones in public places like cafes, social centers, libraries, and so on. Communicating with others in chat rooms, computer users can get to know people they might never meet in traditional ways. With live online video connections, two people with cameras in their computers can see and talk to each other from separate places.
With modern telephone technology, most people stopped writing lettters—especially personal letters and notes. But now, writing to communicate has returned in electronic form, or e-mail, which is a way of sending messages from one computer to another. For some computer users, the wish to communicate intelligently or creatively with others makes them want to write better.
Computer technology has also made it possible to run a house electronically. From turning lights on and off to starting the coffee and cooking the hot meal, computers are taking care of people at home. Many modern machines have computer chips that allow their owners to program them. For instance, you can “instruct” a microwave oven how to cook a dish. Most entertainment equipment operates with computer technology too. Computers can even start cars automatically so that on cold winter mornings you can get into a warmed-up vehicle and drive off.
Although much of the technology in our everyday lives has good effects, there are some uses that raise questions. For example, are interactive media ( i.e., a combination of television, telephone, and computer) going to control minds, cause people to forget about family life and personal relationships? What effects will the genentic engineering of food have on people’s health? High-tech medical treatments can make a person live a much longer life, but can they improve the health and happiness of human beings? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, science and technology will continue to move forward. What does the underlined word “ chips” mean?
A.thin pieces of potatoes | B.small holes | C.small pieces of wood | D.central parts |
We can know from the passage that _________.
A.technology never stops changing our everyday lives |
B.with computers each of us can live a comfortable life |
C.people can do more activities with computers |
D.the more you use computers, the better you might write |
What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A.The longer you live, the happier you are. |
B.High-tech medical treatments can’t improve our health and happiness. |
C.High-tech medical treatments can’t help us with everything. |
D.The writer questioned high-tech medical treatments somehow. |
What is the best title for the passage?
A.Science and New Technology | B.Computers Change Our Lives |
C.Everyday Uses of Technology | D.Only Time Will Tell |
When you wake up every day, once again to see this beautiful world, when your parents, teachers and friends give you help, will you know how to be (71)grateful? And when you feel unlucky and make mistakes, will you still be thankful?
Yu Dan, a professor at the Beijing Normal University, made a report about Gratitude Education(感恩教育).It will affect Chinese people, especially the teenagers.
Nowadays, some teenagers only care about things outside.They often behave badly.For example, they fight each other, use phones in class, be rude to their parents and teachers and so on.Most of them don’t know love, respect and gratefulness.
Being grateful or thankful is very important.(73) It is impossible for anyone to be lucky and successful all the time as long as he lives in the world.We should learn how to face failure or bad luck bravely and to try to deal with it.As we know, “Life is a mirror.When you smile in front of it, it will also smile and so will it when you cry to it.” If you are grateful to life, it will bring you shining sunlight.If you always complain about everything, you may own nothing in the end.
I think the teenagers should be grateful to life even when we are unsuccessful or unlucky.We have many reasons for being grateful.For example, being grateful is a way to communicate with adults.And it is a way to sing for our life which comes just from our love and hope.
If each of us has an attitude of being grateful, we’ll lead a better and more beautiful life.So remember, being grateful forever.在文中找出 “grateful” 的同义词。
__________________________________________________________How do some teenagers behave badly according to the passage?
__________________________________________________________请把 (73) 处画线的句子翻译成汉语。
__________________________________________________________List two reasons for being grateful when teenagers are unsuccessful or unlucky.
__________________________________________________________Give a title (标题) to the passage.
__________________________________________________________
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus(马戏表演).____________.This family made a big impression(印象) on me.
There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. ___________.Their clothes were not expensive, but they were clean.The children talked excitedly about the clowns(小丑).It was clearly a very important day out for them.The fat her and mother seemed happy as they could be.
The tickets lady asked how many tickets the father wanted, he proudly answered, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adults’ tickets, so I can take my family to the circus.” The ticket lady told him the price.
The man’s wife lowered her head.There was no longer a smile on the man’s face.He quietly asked, “How much did you say?” _________.The man obviously didn’t have enough money.But how could he tell his kids the bad news? Seeing what was happening, my dad took a $20 note from his pocket and dropped in on the ground.(We were not rich ourselves at all!) He then tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, you dropped this.”
____________.He picked up the money, looked straight into my dad’s eyes, and in tears replied.“Thank you.This really means a lot to me and my family.”
My dad and I went back to our car and drove home. ____________.
A.The ticket lady again told him the price B.The man understood my father was helping him C.We didn’t get to see the circus that night, but we didn’t care D.You could tell (分辨出) they didn’t have a lot of money E.Finally, there was only one family between the ticket office and us F.He was thankful for the kindness |
March 21, 2014
After visiting the Beijing Normal School, Madame Peng took Sasha and Malia, my mother, and me to the Forbidden City, which is right in the heart of Beijing.
For more than 2,000 years (up until 1912), China was ruled by emperors who descended (传递)from many different dynasties, or families, who passed ruling positions on from generation to generation — and for nearly 500 years, the Forbidden City used as the emperor’s home.
Like the name suggests, the Forbidden City is large enough to be a city of its own — it includes nearly 1,000 buildings and nearly 10,000 rooms.
In 1925, the new Chinese government turned the Forbidden City into a museum so that visitors like us from all over the world can stroll (闲逛) through many of the beautiful rooms and outdoor spaces.
The Forbidden City is too large to go fully around in a single visit, but highlights include the following: The Hall of Union and Peace has almost 14,000 ornamental dragons.The Hall of Supreme Harmony is where the emperor watched birthday celebrations and coronation (加冕) ceremonies from his Dragon Throne.And then there are the Imperial Gardens, where you can walk along the paths and pavilions, admiring the beautiful rock arrangements, flowers and cypress (柏树) trees.
While we loved our visit to the Forbidden City, we only wish we had more time to see everything.But then again, I’m not sure there could ever be enough time to fully enjoy all of the art and history in this wonderful place.
(The First Lady’s Travel Journal: Touring the Forbidden City)The writer visited The Forbidden City with _____________.
A.her daughters | B.her husband |
C.her mother | D.her mother and two daughters |
The Forbidden City is a _____________.
A.city | B.palace |
C.village | D.garden |
The Forbidden City was used as _____________ for nearly 500 years until 1912.
A.a museum |
B.the emperor’s short-lived home |
C.a place of interest for public |
D.the emperor’s home |
What does the word “highlights” mean?
A.景观亮点 | B.聚光灯 |
C.光亮 | D.最大的部分 |
According to the passage, we can infer(推断) that _____________.
A.They had enough time to visit every room |
B.The Forbidden City served as a museum until 1925 |
C.The first lady enjoyed all of the art and history in this wonderful place |
D.There are more than 1,000 buildings and less than 10,000 rooms |
AnimalsUnited
Animals United is a 3D German cartoon which is directed by Reinhard Klooss and Holger Tappe.It is a story about animals that get together to find water.Along their journey, lots of funny things happen, and of course, they have a lot of adventures.
The animals in the grasslands in Africa are waiting for the coming flood.However, this year's flood(洪水) seems to come later than in other years.The animals become upset and worried.At the same time, some animals from other places come to the grasslands to look for peace.However, the situation seems worse because the water is becoming less and less.So they decide to look for the river.
Finally, they find the reason why they don't have any water to drink.A dam(大坝) has been set up so that humans can have a better life.After a long fight with humans, they let the world know that animals are in danger.
This film is about environmental matters.The humans are the bad and the animals are the good.This film is to give humans a warning that they must not destroy the homes of animals or damage nature in order to improve their own life.Humans should know that animals also have their own world.ThestoryofAnimalsUnitedtookplace in _____________.
A.Asia | B.Africa |
C.America | D.Germany |
Theanimalsbecomeworried,because _____________.
A.theyear'sfloodiscoming |
B.theywillhavenowatertodrink |
C.thereisgoingtobeafightwithhumans |
D.theirgrasslandsweretakenupbyotheranimals |
Alongtheirjourneytolookfortheriver,theanimalsfind _____________.
A.humanssetupadam |
B.theriverisbecomingdry |
C.alltheanimalsareindanger |
D.theworldisgettingwarmer |
Humansarewarnednotto_____________.
A.damagenature |
B.killanyanimals |
C.pollutetheenvironment |
D.improve their own life |
Thestoryofthecartoonfilmmainlytellsus_____________.
A.the humans are bad |
B.it'sourdutytoprotectanimals |
C.humansshouldcareabouttheenvironment |
D.humansandanimalscan not liveinpeace |
China’s Manned Space Program
Spaceship: Shenzhou V |
Time: October 15th, 2003 Main events: Chinese spaceman Yang Liwei was sent up into space.He went around the earth 14 times in his one-day flight.China became the third country to succeed in manned space flight. |
Spaceship: Shenzhou Ⅵ |
Time: October 12th, 2005 Main events: Chinese spacemen Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng were both sent up into space.On October 17th, the two Chinese space heroes safely returned to the earth. |
Spaceship: Shenzhou Ⅶ |
Time: September 25th, 2008 Main events: Chinese spacemen Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng were sent up into space.Zhai Zhigang made our country's first spacewalk.This spacewalk took 20 minutes. |
Spaceship: Shenzhou Ⅹ |
Time: June 11th, 2013 Main events: Chinese spacemen Nie Haisheng, Zhang Xiaoguang and the second spacewoman Wang Yaping were sent up into space and connected with the space station Tiangong I.Wang Yaping gave a space lesson about micro-gravity (微重力) to all Chinese teenagers.This space lesson lasted 40 minutes. |
According to the article, the Chinese spaceman traveling in space twice is ____________.
A.Yang Liwei | B.Fei Junlong |
C.Nie Haisheng | D.Zhai Zhigang |
Shenzhou V went around the earth in space _____________.
A.Once | B.4 times |
C.5 times | D.14 times |
Fei Junlong and Nie Haisheng stayed in space for _____________.
A.1 day | B.4 days |
C.5 days | D.14 days |
Zhai Zhigang made our country’s first spacewalk in _____________.
A.2013 | B.2008 |
C.2005 | D.2003 |
The space lesson about micro-gravity to all Chinese teenagers lasted _____________.
A.one day | B.three days |
C.15 minutes | D.40 minutes |