Betty and Harold have been married for years .But one thing still puzzles (困扰) old Harold .How is it that he can leave Betty and her friend Joan sitting on the sofa ,talking ,go out to a ballgame ,come back three and a half hours later ,and they’re still sitting on the sofa ? Talking ?
What in the world ,Harold wonders ,do they have to talk about ?
Betty shrugs .Talk ? We’re friends .
Researching this matter called friendship ,psychologist Lillian Rubin spent two years interviewing more than two hundred women and men .No matter what their age ,their job ,their sex ,the results were completely clear :women have more friendships than men ,and the difference in the content and the quality of those friendships is “marked and unmistakable .”
More than two –thirds of the single men Rubin interviewed could not name a best friend. Those who could were likely to name a woman .Yet three-quarters of the single women had no problem naming a best friend ,and almost always it was a woman .More married men than women named their wife/husband as a best friend ,most trusted person ,or the one they would turn to in time of emotional distress (感情危机).“Most women ,”says Rubin ,“identified (认定) at least one ,usually more ,trusted friends to whom they could turn in a troubled moment ,and they spoke openly about the importance of these relationships in their lives .”
“In general,”writes Rubin in her new book ,“women’s friendships with each other rest on shared emotions and support ,but men’s relationships are marked by shared activities.” For the most part ,Rubin says ,interactions (交往)between men are emotionally controlled –a good fit with the social requirements of “manly behavior .”
“Even when a man is said to be a best friend ,”Rubin writes ,“the two share little about their innermost feelings .Whereas a woman’s closest female friend might be the first to tell her to leave a failing marriage ,it wasn’t unusual to hear a man say he didn’t know his friend’s marriage was in serious trouble until he appeared one night asking if he could sleep on the sofa .”What old Harold cannot understand or explain is the fact that .
| A.he is treated as an outsider rather than a husband |
| B.women have so much to share |
| C.women show little interest in ballgames |
| D.he finds his wife difficult to talk to |
Rubin’s study shows that for emotional support a married woman is more likely to turn to .
| A.a male friend | B.a female friend | C.her parents | D.her husband |
Which of the following statements is best supported by the last paragraph ?
| A.Men keep their innermost feelings to themselves. |
| B.Women are more serious than men about marriage. |
| C.Men often take sudden action to end their marriage. |
| D.Women depend on others in making decisions. |
The research done by psychologist Rubin centers around________ .
| A.happy and successful marriages |
| B.friendships of men and women |
| C.emotional problems in marriage |
| D.interactions between men and women . |
In summer, millions of people will head for the beach.And while the ocean can be a great place to swim and play, it may also be useful in another way.Some scientists think that waves could help make electricity.
“Have you ever been on a surfboard or boat and felt yourself being lifted up by a wave? Or have you jumped in the water and felt the energy as waves crashed over you?” asked Jamie Taylor of the Wave Energy Group at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland.“There is certainly a lot of energy in waves.”
Scientists are working on using that energy to make electricity.
Most waves are created when winds blow across the ocean.“The winds start out by making little ripples (波纹) in the water, but if they keep on blowing , those ripples get bigger and bigger and turn into waves, ”Taylor said.“Waves are one of nature’s ways of picking up energy and then sending it off on a journey.”
When waves come towards the shore, people can set up dams or other barricades to block the water and send it through a large wheel called a turbine (涡轮) .The turbine can then power an electrical generator (发电机) .
The United States and a few other countries have started doing research on wave energy , and it is already being used in Scotland.
The resource is huge.We will never run out of wave power, besides, wave energy does not create the same pollution as other energy sources, such as oil and coal.
Oceans cover three quarters of the earth’s surface.That would make wave power seem perfect for creating energy around the world.There are some drawbacks, however.
Jamie Taylor said that wave power still cost too much money.He said that its effects on animals in the sea were still unknown.Plus, wave power would get in the way of fishing and boat traffic.
With more research, however, “many of these problems might be overcome,” Taylor said.“Demand for energy to power our TVs and computers, drive our cars, and heat and cool our homes is growing quickly throughout the world.Finding more energy sources is very important, for traditional sources of energy like oil and gas may run out some day.”
In the future, when you turn on a light switch, an ocean wave could be providing the electricity!Which of the following is NOT true?
| A.Wave power costs too much money. |
| B.Wave energy creates the same amount of pollution as other energy sources. |
| C.Wave power affects fishing and boat traffic. |
| D.Wave power may affect marine animals. |
We can infer from the passage that ______.
| A.finding new energy sources like wave energy is important |
| B.wave energy is a resource that will never run out and is used all over the world |
| C.wave power is perfect for creating energy around the world |
| D.wave power doesn’t create any pollution. |
The underlined word “drawbacks” probably means ______.
| A.regrets | B.adventures |
| C.disadvantages | D.difficulties |
What can be the best title for the passage?
| A.How to Get Electricity by Waves. |
| B.A Huge Resource of Energy. |
| C.Can Waves Make Electricity? |
| D.The Disadvantages of Wave Energy. |
Hello, Listeners. Welcome to Henton Hospital Radio. Before our music programme at four, I’m going to repeat some of our hospital rules.
The hospital can sleep 800 patients. There’re 8 beds in each ward (病房). The visiting hours are in the afternoon from 2:30 to 3:30 and in the evening from 7:00 to 8:00. But remember only two people can see you at the same time. Sorry about that, but you can see what would happen if we didn’t have these rules.
The other rules are about our hours. We start quite early---you might not be used to that. We wake you at 6 o’clock, and breakfast is at 8 o’clock, lunch is at noon.
There’s tea at 3:30 and supper is at 6 o’clock.
You can see the non-smoking sign---we don’t allow smoking in the wards. I’m sure you understand why. However, if you do need to smoke, there are some smoking rooms where it is allowed.
You will find the radio switch on the wall near your bed, with your own headphones, if you want to listen. It’s our own hospital radio wishing you a quick recovery.Who do you think the listeners might be?
| A.Patients. | B.Visitors. |
| C.Doctors | D.Nurses |
Which is Not allowed in the hospital?
| A.Listening to the hospital radio. |
| B.Visiting patients in the morning. |
| C.Smoking in smoking-rooms. |
| D.Getting up early in the morning. |
What programme will follow this radio talk?
| A.Hospital rules. | B.A weather report. |
| C.A free talk. | D.A music programme. |
A MILLION people on Mars within 100 years. This is the brave vision (展望) of Elon Musk, the founder of the space technology company SpaceX.
“We need to be laser-focused (全神贯注的) on becoming a multi-planet civilization. That’s the next step,” he said in a recent interview with Aeon magazine. Musk expects to see about 80,000 people living on Mars by 2040.
It’s all about protecting the human race from extinction, according to Musk.
The Earth has always been a ticking (滴答作响的) time bomb. As the sun begins to die, it will grow bigger, becoming what is known as a Red Giant. In 500 million years, the sun will have become large enough to kill off any plant and animal life on Earth, according to US scientist Edward Guinan. In a billion years, the Earth will have become a hot planet with little or no water.
The brave dream of getting the human race to Mars is not only Musk’s; others have made plans, too.
A Dutch entrepreneur set up the Mars One foundation in 2011, hoping to be the first project to put humans on Mars. It received over 200,000 applications to become part of the first group of astronauts to go there.
According to Mars One, “human settlement on Mars is possible with existing technologies.”
Water, food, energy, and oxygen are needed for life anywhere. According to Mars One, water that was still in the Martian soil would be boiled and taken out.
By using a process called “electrolysis”, astronauts could split (分离) water into hydrogen (氢气) and oxygen for breathing. Astronauts on the International Space Station have already done similar things.
Food can also be grown in space. Certain plants such as lettuce and onions can be grown using LED light for different color spectrums (光谱) and much less heat. NASA has been researching this to prepare for visiting Mars.
But how will people get there? The Mars One project plans to use SpaceX’s Dragon capsule as part of its mission. But it is rumored (传闻) that Musk already has a design in mind for a giant spaceship. He calls it the Mars Colonial Transporter.According to Elon Musk, the trip to Mars is significant because ______.
| A.Earth is not the only planet that is suitable for human beings |
| B.settlement on Mars could save the human race from extinction |
| C.the environment on Earth will be too harsh for human beings in a few hundred years |
| D.a large amount of water has just been discovered on Mars |
Mars One is a program that focuses on ______.
| A.finding the source of water on Mars |
| B.setting up the first human settlement on Mars |
| C.developing spaceships to send people to Mars |
| D.growing plants for food in space |
According to the article, “electrolysis” is a key technology that ______.
| A.collects and analyzes the soil of Mars |
| B.uses LED lights to help plants grow |
| C.breaks down water into life-supporting elements |
| D.protects life on Earth from the heat of the sun |
We can infer from the article that the author is ______ human settlements on Mars.
| A.doubtful of | B.strongly against |
| C.optimistic about | D.uninterested in |
“Soon, you’re going to have to move out!” cried my neighbor upon seeing the largest tomato plant known to mankind, or at least known in my neighborhood.
One tiny 9-inch plant, bought for $1.25 in the spring, has already taken over much of my rose bed, covering much of other plants, and is well on its way to the front door.
Roses require a good deal of care, and if it weren’t for the pleasure they give, it wouldn’t be worth the work. As it is, I have a garden full of sweet-smelling roses for most of the year. Bushes must be pruned(剪枝) in early spring, leaving ugly woody branches until the new growth appears a few weeks later. It was the space available in the garden that led me into planting just one little tomato plant. A big mistake.
Soil conditions made just perfect for roses turn out to be even more perfect for tomatoes. The daily watering coupled with full sun and regular fertilizing(施肥) have turned the little plant into a tall bush. The cage I placed around it as the plant grew has long since disappeared under the thick leaves.
Now the task I face in harvesting the fruit is two fold(方面): First, I have to find the red ones among the leaves, which means I almost have to stand on my head, and once found I have to reach down and under, pick the tomatoes and withdraw my full fist without dropping the prize so dearly won. Second, I found two full-blown white roses completely hidden as I picked tomatoes in June, but they were weak and the leaves already yellow for lack of light.
Here I am faced with a painful small decision: To tear up a wonderful and productive tomato plant that offers up between ten and twenty ripe sweet tomatoes each day or say goodbye to several expensive and treasured roses. Like Scarlett in Gone With the Wind, I’ll think about that tomorrow.What are the requirements for the healthy growth of roses?
| A.Frequent pruning and fertilizing. |
| B.Tomato plants grown alongside. |
| C.Cages placed around the roots. |
| D.A lot of care and the right soil. |
The writer planted the tomato because ____.
| A.there was room for it in the garden |
| B.it cost only $1. 25 |
| C.the soil was just right for i |
| D.the roses’ branches needed to be covered |
This year the writer’s roses were ____.
| A.removed from the rose bed |
| B.picked along with the tomatoes |
| C.largely hidden under the tomato plant |
| D.mostly damaged by too much sunlight |
By saying “the prize so dearly won” in paragraph 5, the writer wants to ____.
| A.show the hardship of growing the roses |
| B.show the difficulty in picking the tomatoes |
| C.express her liking for the roses |
| D.express her care for the tomatoes |
Unlike chemists and physicists, who usually do their experiments using machines, biologists and medical researchers have to use living things like rats. But there are three Nobel prize-winning scientists who actually chose to experiment on themselves – all in the name of science, reported The Telegraph.
● Werner Forssmann (Nobel prize winner in 1956)
Forssmann was a German scientist. He studied how to put a pipe inside the heart to measure the pressure inside and decide whether a patient needs surgery (手术).
Experiments had been done on horses before, so he wanted to try with human patients. But it was not permitted because the experiment was considered too dangerous.
Not giving up, Forssmann decided to experiment on himself. He anaesthetized (麻醉) his own arm and made a cut, putting the pipe 30 centimeters into his vein (血管). He then climbed two floors to the X-ray room before pushing the pipe all the way into his heart.
● Barry Marshall (Nobel prize winner in 2005)
Most doctors in the mid-20th century believed that gastritis was down to stress, spicy food or an unusually large amount of stomach acid (胃酸). But in 1979 an Australian scientist named Robin Warren found that the disease might be related to a bacteria (细菌) called Helicobacter pylori. So he teamed up with his colleague, Barry Marshall, to continue the study. When their request to experiment on patients was denied, Marshall bravely drank some of the bacteria. Five days later, he lost his appetite and soon was vomiting (呕吐) each morning – he indeed had gastritis.
● Ralph Steinman (Nobel prize winner in 2011)
This Canadian scientist discovered a new type of immune system cell (免疫细胞) called the dendritic cell. He believed that it had the ability to fight against cancer.
Steinman knew he couldn’t yet use his method to treat patients. So in 2007, when doctors told him that he had cancer and that it was unlikely for him to live longer than a year, he saw an opportunity.
With the help of his colleagues, he gave himself three different vaccines (疫苗) based on his research and a total of eight experimental therapies (疗法). Even though Steinman eventually died from his cancer, he lived four and a half years, much longer than doctors had said he would.The main purpose of the article is to ______.
| A.list some famous Nobel prize winners. |
| B.introduce a few Nobel prize winners who did experiments on themselves. |
| C.describe some dangerous experiments that Nobel prize-winners did on themselves. |
| D.list some difficulties that scientists go through to make important discoveries in biology . |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the article?
| A.Forssmann’s experiment ended in failure. |
| B.Forssmann had the pipe pushed all the way into his heart. |
| C.Barry Marshall succeeded by drinking some Helicobacter pylori. |
| D.Barry Marshall was given full responsibility for the study on gastritis at first. |
The underlined word “gastritis” in Paragraph 5 probably means ______.
| A.a kind of stomach disease | B.a kind of immune cell |
| C.a new type of therapy | D.a type of leg cancer |
From the text, we can conclude that Ralph Steinman ______.
| A.had his request to experiment on patients denied |
| B.believed that cancer comes from stress and spicy food |
| C.discovered a new type of cancer cell called the dendritic cell |
| D.tried different therapies containing the dendritic cell on himself |