A Nobel Prize is considered by most people one of the highest international honors a person can receive. As you know, the prizes were started by a Sweden called Sweden Alfred Nobel. Alfred Nobel was born in Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, and lived from 1833 to 1896.
Alfred Nobel was a chemist and inventor. He made two important inventions, so he became very rich. Although he was rich, Nobel was not a happy man. He never married or had children. Also, he was a sick man in large part of his life. Nobel died at the age of sixty-three. When he died, he left a fund of $9,000,000. The money was to be used in giving prizes to those who made outstanding achievement in physics, chemistry, medicine, literature, and the promotion(促进)of the world peace.
The first Nobel Prize were given on December 10th,1901, five years after Nobel’s death. Many famous people all over the world have been given Nobel Prizes for their achievements. Albert Einstein was one of them.
Each prize has three parts. The first part is a gold medal. Second, a winner of a Nobel Prize is given a diploma saying that he has been given the prize. The third part of the prize is a large amount of money---about $40,000.
Often a prize is given to just one person, but not always. Sometimes a prize is shared. It might be given to two or more people who have worked together. It is also sometimes true that a prize is not given at all if there is no outstanding achievement. In 1972, for example, not a Nobel Prize was given. It is the Nobel Foundation in Stockholm that decides whether to give the prize or not. Most people think that Nobel Prize is ____ a person can receive.
A.the highest honor in the world |
B.one of the highest international honors |
C.a higher honor than others |
D.as high as any other honor |
Alfred Nobel who started the Nobel Prize was _____.
A.a rich, happy and lucky man |
B.a poor, unhappy and unlucky man |
C.a poor, happy and lucky man |
D.a rich unhappy and unlucky man |
A Nobel Prize is made up of ___.
A.a gold medal and a large amount of money |
B.a gold medal and a diploma |
C.a gold medal and a diploma and a large amount of money |
D.a diploma and a large amount of money |
A Nobel Prize is given to ___ each year.
A.just one person | B.one person |
C.not always one person | D.three persons |
When he died, Nobel left an amount of money ____.
A.to his wife and children |
B.to the university he used to study in |
C.to his parents and his studies |
D.to be spent on setting five prizes |
Exercise is an important part of a healthy life. It reduces your risk of heart attack and is a good way to control body weight. It is also something you can do with other people, which can be great fun. So, it is important to find time to exercise and be healthier. As well as making time to exercises, another way is to build it into the natural rhythm (节奏) of your day.
· Go for a walk on your lunch break.
Try to find at least three different ways and change them throughout the week. It
might even be possible to find a place to walk inside, for those bad weather days.
· Talk to your employers about improving health at work.
Encourage your workers to cycle to and from work. You might also be able to
encourage them to set up a gymnasium. Sell the idea by pointing out that doing so
will improve productivity (生产率), and make workers happy.
· If you are a student.
Go for walks with friends to talk about your studies. Spend some time in the learning
resource centre reading about sport, exercise and health. The more you know, the
more choices you will have about how to be physically active. Most colleges have
sport and exercise programs that students can take part in. Find out which activities
are being held, and try those you think you might enjoy.Workers are advised to cycle to and from work to ________.
A.make themselves realize the importance of health |
B.work better and bring pleasure to themselves |
C.make themselves become much stronger |
D.reduce the time spent in walking to work |
When a student wants to do exercise at school, he or she had better ________.
A.take part in all the exercise programs |
B.have sports with friends or classmates |
C.choose the one that he or she likes |
D.choose the same one all the time |
We can learn from the passage that ________.
A.walk is most suitable for those who work indoors |
B.one who knows more about health will be healthier |
C.exercising with others will be better for one’s health |
D.combining exercise with daily work can save time to keep healthy |
根据短文内容,从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。The first, and perhaps the most important, is whether to bury the body or cremate(火化) it.
Cremation is the act of burning the body until only the ashes are left. The ashes are placed in a container called an urn(骨灰盒). The urn is often put on display during the memorial service. Or they may bury them in the earth, place them in a tomb or scatter them in a special place.
It is said that cremations were used in almost 35% of funerals in 2009. And the cremation rate is expected to increase to almost 59% by 2025.
While cremation has grown in popularity, most families in the United States still choose to bury their loved ones.
After death, the person’s body is usually embalmed (进行防腐处理) to preserve it until the funeral is held. A traditional full service funeral usually includes a public viewing. This is called a wake. The body is placed in a special burial box called a coffin. The service may include music and comments about the loved one by family members and friends. A religious leader may also talk about the person and offer spiritual comfort to the family. After the service, family members and friends go to the gravesite where the body is buried or placed in a tomb.
A traditional full service funeral averages about 6,000 dollars. Flowers, funeral cars and special burial requests can increase the cost to more than 10,000 dollars. Cremations usually cost thousands of dollars less.
A.Then a memorial service is held. |
B.This was an 11% increase from 1999. |
C.American funerals can be quite costly. |
D.American families are in deep sorrow when a loved one dies. |
E.After the ceremony, the family may keep the ashes in their home.
F.American families have several decisions to make when a loved one dies.
G.More families choose cremations due to environmental protection, though they are more expensive.
A controversial new study has claimed that men really are more intelligent than women.The study concluded that men’s IQs are almost four points higher than women’s.
British-born researcher John Philippe Ruston says the finding could explain why so few women make it to the top in the workplace.
He claims the “glass ceiling” phenomenon is probably due to inferior intelligence,rather than lack of opportunity.
The University of Western Ontario psychologist reached his conclusion after scrutinizing the results of university ability tests taken by 1 00,000 students aged 17 and 18 of both sexes.
A focus on the factors such as the ability to quickly grasp a complex concept,verbal reasoning skills and creativity― some of the key factors of intelligence ―showed the male teenagers had IQs that were an average of 3.63 points higher. The average person has an IQ around 100.The findings,which held true for all classes and levels of education, overturn 100 year opinion that men and women average the same in general mental ability. They also conflict with evidence that girls do better in school exams than boys.
But Professor Ruston argues that the faster maturing of girls leads to them outshining boy in the classroom. The report is mainly about ______.
A.a study that shows men are cleverer than women |
B.the “glass ceiling” phenomenon |
C.Professor Ruston’s theory on IQ |
D.the difference between male and female |
The underlined word “scrutinizing” in the fourth paragraph probably means ______.
A.making up | B.carrying out | C.examining carefully | D.looking at |
We can infer that the average woman has an IQ of ______.
A.a little less than 100 | B.100 |
C.more than 100 | D.96.37 |
A sunflower is a sunflower . A mobile phone is a mobile phone . But can you combine the two to do something for your local environment?
As early as next year it may well be possible. When you have finished with your mobile phone you will be able to bury it in the garden or a plant pot and wait for it to flower. A biodegradable (能进行生物递降分解的) mobile phone was, this month, introduced by scientists.
Scientists have come up with a new material over the last five years. It looks like any other plastic and can be hard or soft, and able to change shape. Overtime it can also break down into the soil without giving out any toxic chemicals. British researchers used the new material to develop a phone cover that contains a sunflower seed. When this new type of cover turns into waste, it forms nitrates (硝酸钾). These feed the seed and help the flower grow. Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the seed. They have made sure it only grows when the phone is thrown away. "We've only put sunflower seeds into the covers so far. But we are working with plant experts to find out which flowers would perform best. Maybe we could put roses in next time," said one scientist.
As phone technology is developing so quickly people are constantly throwing their mobiles away. This means manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling them. Some 650 million mobile phones have been sold this year. Most of them will be thrown away within two years, adding plastic, heavy metal and chemical waste to the environment. A biodegradable cover can offer some relief for nature, according to the scientists. "The seed is released and the flower grows in the pot so you don't have to concern yourself with the phone when you have finished using it," said Kerry Kirwan. She leads the research team, which is based at the University of Warwick in Britain. The main idea of the passage is ________ .
A.the relationship between high tech and environment |
B.the phone technology is developing |
C.phone can be turned into flowers |
D.mobile phone and environment |
The purpose of introducing a biodegradable mobile phone is ______ .
A.to encourage consumers to recycle |
B.to prevent consumers from throwing their phones away |
C.to meet consumers’ need |
D.to help consumers know which flower can best perform |
What is the possible meaning of the underlined word ?
A.pleasant | B.poisonous | C.useful | D.new |
Which of the following statements is NOT true ?
A.Engineers have designed a small transparent window to hold the rose seed . |
B.Mobiles with biodegradable covers can do good to nature . |
C.Manufacturers are under pressure to find ways of recycling mobiles . |
D.The flower only grows when the phone is thrown away . |
She is widely seen as proof that good looks can last forever. But, at nearly 500 years of age, time is catching up with the Mona Lisa.
The health of the famous picture, painted by Leonardo da Vinci in 1505, is getting worse by the year, according to the Louvre museum(卢浮宫博物馆)where it is housed.
“The thin, wooden panel on which the Mona Lisa is painted in oil has changed shape since experts checked it two years ago,” the museum said. Visitors have noticed the changes but repairing the world’s most famous painting is not easy. Experts are not sure about the materials the Italian artist used and their current chemical state.
Nearly 6 million people go to see the Mona Lisa every year, many attracted by the mystery of her smile. “It is very interesting that when you’re not looking at her, she seems to be smiling, and then you look at her and she stops,” said Professor Margaret Livingstone of Harvard University. “It’s because direct vision(视觉)is excellent at picking up detail, but less suited to looking at shadows. Da Vinci painted the smile in shadows.”
However, the actual history of the Mona Lisa is just as mysterious as the smile. Da Vinci himself loved it so much that he always carried it with him, until it was eventually sold to France’s King Francis I in 1519.
In 1911, the painting was stolen from the Louvre by a former employee, who took it out of the museum hidden under his coat. He said he planned to return it to Italy. The painting was sent back to France two years later.
During World War II, French hid the painting in small towns to keep it out of the hands of German forces.
Like many old ladies, the Mona Lisa has some interesting stories to tell. The underlined sentence in the first paragraph means the Mona Lisa ________.
A.is losing its value | B.is being damaged after so many years |
C.is getting more valuable with years passing | D.will rot away |
Experts haven’t any repairs on the Mona Lisa because______.
1.
A.it is now in a poor chemical state 2. |
B.they don’t know how to replace the wooden panel 3. |
C.they don’t have the materials Da Vinci used 4. |
D.they are afraid it will be done further damage. |
The smile of the Mona Lisa can only be seen_______.
A.by indirect vision | B.at a distance |
C.by direct vision | D.in shadows |
From the last paragraph, we can infer that______.
A.many interesting stories have been written about the Mona Lisa |
B.people are interested in the stories about the Mona Lisa. |
C.some mysteries still remain to be solved about the Mona Lisa. |
D.Many more stories will be told about the Mona Lisa. |