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Charles Darwin

Early years

Charles Darwin was one of the six children from a big family. His grandfather and father were doctors and the young Darwin went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. However, he hated to see blood and he soon realized that he couldn’t be a doctor. He then went to Cambridge University and discovered that he had a great interest in studying plants, insects and animals. Luckily, one of Darwin's university teachers helped him join the perfect trip for a biologist: a voyage around the world to study nature.

The Beagle

In 1831, Charles Darwin left Plymouth on The Beagle, a ship that took him around the world for five years. While he was travelling, he studied the plants and animals in the countries and on the islands that the ship visited. Darwin also spent his time on The Beagle writing notes about the things he had seen.

When he finally arrived back in Britain, Darwin was already starting to create his famous theory that all living things had a common ancestor （祖先）.

At home at Down House, a place that you can still visit today, Darwin wrote many articles and books about his travels, but he didn’t want to make anything about his theory known to the public. He worked in his study, where he wrote 250,000 words about his theory of evolution （进化论）,but he was frightened about what people might say about his idea that monkeys were the ancestors of humans. He thought the public would be against it and was so frightened that he became ill

with worry. However; when another scientist started to write about similar ideas, Darwin decided to print his book, On the Origin of Species.

Most scientists accepted Darwin's theory and people continue to study it today. On 12th February the day he was born, Darwin Day is celebrated around the world to encourage more people to study the natural world.

(1).What caused Darwin to give up his study of medicine?

A．	He didn't like seeing blood.	B．	He found the studies too difficult.
C．	He found the studies too difficult.	D．	He was advised to study natural science.

(2).Why was the trip on The Beagle important to Darwin?

A．	It helped him to finish his study at the university.
B．	It allowed him to change his mind about his fixture.
C．	It gave him ideas about the beginnings of human life.
D．	It got him to complete his most famous book on the ship.

(3).In what order did the following happen in Darwin's life?

a.He arrived back in Britain in 1836.

b.He thought the public would not support his ideas.

c.He became interested in studying the natural world.

d.He printed his famous book, On the Origin of Species.

e.He received help to get a place on a trip around the world.

f.He studied the plants and animals on the islands he visited.

A．	e→f→c→a→b→d	B．	c→e→f→a→b→d
C．	e-→f→a→c→d→b	D．	c→e→f→d→a→b

(4).Why did the writer include the last paragraph?

A．	To introduce Darwin's famous book.
B．	To tell how people celebrate Darwin Day.
C．	To explain why people accept Darwin's ideas.
D．	To show Darwin's influence on natural science.

Slowly but surely, Amy and her grandparents were making progress. Boxes of all sizes were placed on top of each other throughout the house. Amy's grandparents had lived in the house for years and they had collected many things.

The dining room was foil of memories. Amy's grandfather kept many fine dinner plates （盘子）from his hometown. Amy remembered that they ate from the red, yellow, and blue plates during important holidays.

After carefully wrapping up （包裹）the plates and putting them into a box, Amy lifted it up and moved it out of the way. But the box was too heavy. It suddenly fell from her arms and dropped to the floor. All three of them heard the plates shatter.

"I'm sorry!" Amy apologised.

"It's okay," her grandfather said quietly. "It was an accident? "

They opened the box and, sure enough, many of the plates were broken. Only a few remained whole. Looking at the small pieces, Amy felt really terrible. She knew these plates were passed down from her great grandparents and ...

“Don’t worry,” her grandmother said, patting her on the back. Carefully, they put the broken pieces into a rubbish bag.

They continued packing for a little while, but Amy still felt very sorry. She was trying very hard to think of a way to make it up for her grandparents.

Soon, Amy’s father came.

"I have to go," she said. "Dad is here to pick me up."

She kissed her grandparents both, picked up the bag of the broken pieces and left.

“What's that?” her father asked, as Amy climbed into the car.

Amy looked at the bag in her hands as an idea came to her, "This," she said, "is an art project?,

The following day, Amy went to an art store and bought everything she needed. Then she started to work. She used a thin board as the base. Then she took out the colourful plate pieces and glued them in a creative way on the board. When it was dry, Amy wrapped it up.

A few days later, Amy's family had a big dinner at her grandparents’ new house. She handed her gift to her grandparents.

“This is fantastic, Amy!” said her grandfather.

“I can't wait to hang it up in our new home,” Amy's grandmother said as she gave her a big hug.

(1).What was Amy helping her grandparents do at the beginning of the story?

A．	Move to a new house.
B．	Wrap up some presents.
C．	Collect fine dinner plates.
D．	Prepare a big family dinner.

(2).Why did Amy feel sorry for the broken plates?

A．	They were never used by the family.
B．	They were valuable holiday presents.
C．	They were meaningful family treasures.
D．	They were expensive hometown products.

(3).How did Amy finally deal with the broken plate pieces?

A．	She sent them to an art store.
B．	She put them in her father's car.
C．	She made a special gift with them.
D．	She threw them into a rubbish bag.

(4).Which of the following best describes Amy?

A．	Kind and creative.
B．	rave but forgetful.
C．	careless but helpful.
D．	Funny and hardworking

When you and your friends turn to each other to talk about problems or troubles, you give each other advice and help. One important thing of our growth is to make decisions to help our friends and learn to support each other. This requires us to learn what it means to help friends and how to help them in right ways.

The first step toward helping others is to identify that they need help. We all know that difficulties are part of our daily lives. However, sometimes small things can lead to more serious problems that require more help. Ifs important to make sure when to help a friend. For example, you may pick up some signs that your friends are not acting like themselves. These signs show they may not be well.

The next step toward helping others is to listen. Paying attention to others while listening is very important throughout our life. When we communicate with others, we need to learn when to speak and when not to. As listeners, we should try to understand what the speakers are feeling or experiencing and try to see things from their perspectives. Listening and paying attention to others when they speak is a sign of respect and a skill that will lead to deeper and better relationships.

(1).What is the purpose of the passage?

A．	To discuss why people help each other.	B．	To describe the problems of giving help.
C．	To introduce the advantages of giving help.	D．	To explain how we can help others properly.

(2).What does the underlined word "identity" in paragraph 2 mean?

A．

Require.

B．

Discover.

C．

Suggest.

D．

Remember.

(3).What is the main idea of paragraph 3?

A．	Act as a good listener to your friends.	B．	Learn how to give advice to your friends.
C．	Pay attention to your friends’ unusual acts.	D．	Build good relationships with your friends.

(4).According to the writer, what should you do if your friends don't follow your advice on their

serious problems?

A．	Keep their problems as secrets.	B．	Let them make their own decisions.
C．	Find out the causes of their problems.	D．	Get help from their trusted teachers.

Facial recognition technology （人脸识别技术） is widely used today.For example，the police use it to search for bad guys.It's also used to unlock phones or doors.

Now，a similar technology，known as facial detection （探测），is entering a new field：the business of advertising （广告）.

Such systems are going through tests in a small number of stores.One facial detection system can judge （判断） a person's "happiness" σr "fear" level.Another system can detect whether someone is wearing eyeglasses.If so，stores can send advertisements for new glasses to him.

Facial detection technology is also placed inside some large advertising boards.Cameras in those boards can detect information like people's ages and five levels of feelings --from "very happy" to "very unhappy".

Supporters of the technology say it could improve buyers' experience by showing products theymight like or by offering them products at lower prices.

Some are against the idea of using such systems.Pam Dixon，the head of a privacy （隐私） group，is one of them.She thinks ▲.For example，a store could raise the price of a product according to a person's age and feelings.

However，one store testing the technology explained people's information like names or ages wouldn't be stored.And the advertising board system maker said it didn't keep any personal information or record any videos.

（1）Facial detection technology can judge people's 　　，according to the passage.

A．	weight
B．	feelings
C．	height
D．	hobbies

（2）What does the underlined word " they" refer to？　　

A．	Supporters.
B．	Buyers.
C．	Products.
D．	Prices.

（3）Which of the following sentences can be put in the ▲？　　

A．	nobody likes to have their feelings collected
B．	it is very important to protect people s privacy
C．	the strange actions may cause something unfair
D．	stores may use them to have more customers

（4）We can infer from the passage that facial detection technology 　　.

A．	can detect buyers' names and record them
B．	is put inside some large advertising boards
C．	may be used to sell cheaper goods in all stores
D．	may need some time before being widely used

（5）The best title of the passage may be " 　　".

A．	Facial Recognition Technology Entering a New Field
B．	Facial Recognition Technology Looking for Bad Guys
C．	Facial Detection Technology Going into Advertising Field
D．	Facial Detection Technology Improving Buyers' Experience

When the sun rose and the blue sky came up，my father and I used to climb the mountain near my house.Walking together，my father and I used to have a lot of conversations through which I learned lessons from his experiences.He always told me，"You should have goals （目标） like climbing the mountain." Without the mountain﹣climbing that we both enjoyed，we couldn't have enough time to spend together because my father was very busy.I really got a lot from mountain﹣climbing.It gave me time to talk with my father and to be in deep thought as well as develop my patience （耐力）.

Once we climbed a very high mountain.It was so challenging for me because I was only ten years old.During the first few hours of climbing.I enjoyed the flowers and trees，and the birds' singing；but as time went by，I got a pain in both of my legs.I wanted to quitclimbing.In fact，I hated it at that moment，but my father said to me， " You can always see a beautiful sky at the top of the mountain ， but you can't see it before you reach the top.Only there at the top ， can you see all of the nice things ， just like in life."

At that time，I was too young to understand his words.But later after that，I got new hope and confidence.I found myself standing at the top of the mountain.And there，I could see the whole of the sky，which was as clear as crystal （水晶）.

（1）The passage tells us that mountain﹣climbing was 　　for the father and the son.

A．	hard
B．	enjoyable
C．	painful
D．	comfortable

（2）The word "quit" in the passage means 　　.

A．	keep on
B．	put off
C．	give up
D．	pick up

（3）Which of the following is the closest in meaning to the father's words in the second paragraph？　　

A．	You will get all you need at the top of the mountain.
B．	The sky is always as clear as crystal.
C．	You can find life is full of nice things.
D．	Never give up half﹣way.

（4）We can infer from the last paragraph that 　　.

A．	the writer was very successful in his life
B．	the writer reached the top of the mountain
C．	though the writer was young he could understand his father
D．	the writer used to stop half﹣way when he climbed the mountain

（5）The best title for the passage is " 　　".

A．	Reaching the Top of the Mountain
B．	Standing at the Top of the Mountain
C．	Conversations between the father and the son
D．	How to Get to the Top of the Mountain