I passed all the other courses that I took at my university, but I could have never passed botany. This was because all botany students had to spend several hours a week in a laboratory looking through a microscope at plant cells, and I could never once see a cell through a microscope. This used to make my professor angry. He would wander around the laboratory pleased with the progress all the students were making in drawing the structure of flower cells, until he came to me. I would just be standing there. “I can’t see anything,”I would say. He would begin patiently enough, explaining how anybody can see through a microscope, but he would always end up angrily, claiming that I could too see through a microscope but just pretended that I couldn’t. “It takes away from the beauty of flowers anyway.”I used to tell him.“We are not concerned with beauty in this course,”he would say.“We are concerned with the structure of flowers.” “Well,” I’d say.“I can’t see anything.” “Try it just once again,” he’d say, and I would put my eye to the microscope and see nothing at all, except now and again something unclear and milky. “You were supposed to see a clear, moving plant cells shaped like clocks.” “I see what looks like a lot of milk.” I would tell him. This, he claimed, was the result of my not having adjusted the microscope properly, so he would readjust it for me, or rather, for himself. And I would look again and see milk.
I failed to pass botany that year, and had to wait a year and try again, or I couldn’t graduate. The next term the same professor was eager to explain cell-structure again to his classes. “Well,”he said to me, happily, “we’re going to see cells this time, aren’t we?” “Yes,sir,” I said. Students to the right of me and to the left of me and in front of me were seeing cells; what’s more, they were . Of course, I didn’t see anything.
So the professor and I tried with every adjustment of the microscope known to man. With only once did I see anything but blackness or the familiar milk, and that time I saw, to my pleasure and amazement, something like stars. These I hurriedly drew. The professor, noting my activity, came to me, a smile on his lips and his eyebrows high in hope. He looked at my cell drawing. “What’s that?”he asked.“That’s what I saw,”I said.“You didn’t, you didn’t, you didn’t!”he screamed, losing control of himself immediately, and he bent over and looked into the microscope. He raised his head suddenly. “That’s your eye!”he shouted.“You’ve adjusted the microscope so that it reflects!You’re drawn your eye!”Why couldn’t the writer see the flower cells through the microscope? .
A.Because he had poor eyesight |
B.Because the microscope didn’t work properly |
C.Because he was not able to adjust the microscope properly |
D.Because he was just playing jokes on his professor by pretending not to have seen it |
What does the writer mean by “his eyebrows high in hope”in the last paragraph?
A.His professor expected him to have seen the cells and drawn the picture of them |
B.His professor hoped he could perform his task with attention |
C.His professor wished him to learn how to draw pictures |
D.His professor looked forward to seeing all his students finish their drawings |
What is the thing like stars that the writer saw in the last paragraph?
A.Real stars | B.His own eye |
C.Something unknown | D.Milk |
In what writing style did the writer write the passage?
A.Realistic | B.Romantic | C.Serious | D.Humorous |
Adult butterflies use their senses of sight, touch, hearing, smell, and taste to survive in the world, find food and mates, lay eggs in an appropriate place, migrate, and avoid hungry predators.
Sight
Butterflies have large, compound (multifaceted) eyes, which allow them to see in all directions without turning their heads. Like most insects, butterflies are very nearsighted, so they are more attracted to a large stand of flowers rather than individual plants. Butterflies do not "see" colors such as red, green, and yellow, but sense polarized(偏振的) light, which indicates the direction the sun is shining, as well as ultraviolet light, which is present on many flowers and guides butterflies to nectar (花蜜)sources.
Smell
Butterflies have a very well-developed sense of smell, but it's not in their nose (since they don't have one). Sense receptors located in their antennae, feet, and many other parts of the body help butterflies find food (usually flower nectar), and mates (the female smells the male's pheromones).
Taste
Butterfly's feet have sense organs that can taste the sugar in nectar, letting the butterfly know if something is good to eat or not. Some females also taste host plants in order to find appropriate places to lay their eggs. Adult butterflies and moths feed using a proboscis, a long, coiled tube. Butterflies force blood into the tube to straighten it out, allowing them to feed. Butterflies get all their food from this tube.
Hearing
Butterflies don't have ears. Instead they "hear" sounds through their wings by sensing changes in sound vibrations.
Butterflies may possess senses we don't even know about yet because their anatomy is very different than ours, and therefore difficult to understand when perceived through our own human senses. From the passage we can know that butterflies can see_____
A.thing beh![]() |
B.thing in the distance |
C.most bright colors | D.flower nectar from a distance |
Butterflies can easily find food resources by using their______.
A.sense organs of sight and smell | B.sense organs of sight and taste |
C.sense organs of smell and hearing | D.sense organs of smell and taste |
How do butterflies feed themselves?
A.by using their feet | B.by using a tube. |
C.by using sense receptors | D.by using their wings. |
What is the passage mainly about?
A.The food sources of butterflies. | B.The habits of butterflies. |
C.The unusual body of butterflies. | D.the sense of butterflies. |
In the long discussion of water on the Moon, a new study contradicts(与……相矛盾)) some recent reports that say the Moon had water at the time of its formation. A group of researchers reported in the journal Science that when the Moon was created, some 4.5 billion years ago, there was not much hydrogen(氢气) on it, and therefore no water.
The researchers surveyed and evaluated this by analyzing chlorine isotopes(氯同位素) found in lunar rock samples from Apollo missions. The range of chlorine isotopes in lunar samples was 25 times that found in samples from Earth.
If the Moon had significant levels of hydrogen, as Earth did, this range would have been far less, said Zachary D Sharp, a scientist in the Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences at the University of new Mexico and the study’s lead authour.
The chlorine would have stuck together with hydrogen, forming compounds like hydrogen chloride, and escaped from the Moon’s surface, he said. The abundance of chlorine indicates a lack of hydrogen and water.
“ The amount of water on the Moon was too low for life to possibly have existed there,” he said.
Most scientists believe the Moon was formed when a large object stuck Earth, breaking off a chunk(a vast piece) that has since orbited Earth.
On Earth, goes one theory, water was released as steam form molten basalts(玄武岩) over time, eventually forming bodies of water.
“An understading of whether the Moon was dry or wet will help us understand how water appeared on Earth,” Dr Sharp said. A new study indicates that _____ on the moorn.
A.there is plenty of water | B.water is unlikely to exist |
C.water existed in the past | D.there is a little water now |
The author would like to tell us ______ through the sixth paragraph.
A.why there is no water on the Moon | B.how the Moon was formed |
C.when the Earth struck the Moon | D.where the Moon orbited |
Which is NOT true according to the passage?
A. Zachary D. Sharp, a scientist of New Mexico was in charge of the new study.
B. Chlorine isotopes in lunar samples are 25 time larger than those on the Earth.
C. The more aboundant chloride, the shorter hydrogen and water.
D. The new study is benificial to understand how water appeared on Earth. What can we learn from the passage?
A.There is enough water on the Earth. |
B.Hydrogen chloride easily escaped from the Moon’s surface. |
C.The Earth had significant levels of hydrogen. |
D.Water on the Earth is directly from molten basalts. |
They leap from helicopters or speeding boats, bringing aid to swimmers who get into trouble off Italy’s popular beaches.
For these dog lifeguards, the doggie paddle (狗刨式游法)does just fine.
These “lifedogs” tow a buoy(救生衣) that victims can grab, or a raft they can sit on to be towed back to shore, and unlike their human counterparts(与对方地位相当的人), they can easily jump from helicopters and speeding boats to reach swimmers in trouble.
With millions flocking(人群) to Italy’s crowded beaches each summer, the Italian Coast Guard says it rescues about 3,000 people every year — and their dog helpers are credited with saving several lives.
It takes three years for the canines to reach expert rescue status, and currently 300 dogs are fully trained for duty, said Roberto Gasbarri, who co-ordinates the Italian School of Canine Lifeguards program at a centre outside of Rome in the seaside town of Civitavecchia.
“Dogs are useful in containing the physical fatigue(疲劳) of the lifeguard, to increase the speed at which casualties(遇难者) are retrieved(找到并衔回), to increase the security of both the casualty and of the lifeguard,” Gasbarri said.
The Civitavecchia centre is one of a dozen around the country for the school founded more than 20 years ago in the northern province of Bergamo by Ferruccio Pilenga, whose first trainee was his own Newfoundland.
The school will train any breed(品种), as long as they weigh at least 30 kilograms, but Labradors, Newfoundlands and golden retrievers are most commonly used because of their natural instinct for swimming. Each dog works in tandem with(同 ……合作) a human lifeguard, who also acts as the animal’s trainer.Which of the following can act as the best title fo the passage?
A.Dogs to the Rescue | B.Dogs Are Good at Doggie Paddle |
C.The Wonderful Performance of Dogs | D.Dogs: Our Loyal Friends |
What advantage do these life-dogs have over human lifeguards in a rescue?
A.Dog can swim very fast | B.Dogs can finish rescue work with ease. |
C.Dogs can finish the great work free of charge. | D.Dogs can easily be trained |
Which of the following is TRUE about the Civitavecchia center according to the text?
A.Any breed can be trained there. |
B.The ones who have the gift for swimming are welcomed. |
C.After a better training, the dogs can work alone. |
D.It is the only place for training dog lifeguards in the school. |
What does the writer want to tell us in the 4th paragraph?
A.Without the dog lifeguards, 3,000 people would lose their lives every year. |
B.The buautiful beaches attract millions of people every year. |
C.Dog lifeguards play an important part in a rescue. |
D.Italy is a famous place of interest. |
One morning more than thirty years ago, I entered the Track Kitchen, a restaurant where everyone from the humbles(卑微的) to the most powerful came for breakfast. I noticed an empty chair next to an elderly, unshaven man, who looked somewhat disheveled. He was wearing a worn-out hat and was alone. I asked if I might join him. He agreed quietly and I sat down to have my breakfast.
We cautiously began a conversation and sopke about a wide range of things. We never introduced ourselves. I was concerned that he might have no money and not be able to afford something to eat. So as I rose to go back to the counter and buy a second cup of coffee, I asked.
“ May I get you something?”
“A coffee would be nice.” Then I bought him a cup of coffee. We talked more, and he accepted another cup of coffee. Finally, I rose to leave, wished him well, and headed for the exit, at the door I met one of my friends. He asked.
“How did you get to know Mr. Galbreath?”
“Who?”
“The man you were sitting with. He is chairman of the Board of Churchill Downs.”
I could hardly believe it. I way buying, offering a free breakfast, and feeling pity for one of the world’s richest and most powerful men!
My few minutes with Mr. Glbreath changed my life. Now I try to treat everyone with respect, no matter who I think they are, and to meet another human being with kindness and sincerity.
What does the underlined word”disheveled’ mean?
A.Unfriendly | B.Untidy. | C.Gentle. | D.Kind. |
The author bought coffee for the old man because ______.
A. he thought the old man was poor B. he wanted to start a conversation
C. he intended to show his politeness C. he would like to thank the old man How did the authr probably feel after he talked with his friend?
A. Proud. B. Pitiful. C, Surprised. D. Regretful.
What is the message mainly expressed in the story?
A.We should learn to be generous. |
B.It is honorable to help those in need. |
C.People in high positions are not like what we expect. |
D.We should avoid judging people by their appearances. |
It is a hot summer day,and you feel thirsty.A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade.How do you feel when you see the glass? Will you describe your feeling as happiness or as pleasure? I believe you will say it is a feeling of pleasure.There is a connection between these two kinds of feelings,and sometimes one causes the other,but they are not the same.Pleasure is a more dependent on the five senses while happiness is independent of them.
When you are happy,little unpleasant events usuallv do not disturb you.When you are unhappy,you feel as if everything is against you.You may compensate for it by eating chocolate and sweets because this gives you pleasure,yet you stay unhappy.A person may smoke cigarettes because it gives him pleasure,yet this does not make him happier,especiallv if he knows the fact that it is not good for his heahh.
The physical world is always in a changing state.At each moment a new thing is being created,changed,transformed and then destroyed.This is the normal state of things and no one can change it.If we stay still in a certain state,we are sure to experience unhappiness sooner or later.0n the other hand, if
we adjust to the environment,nothing can influence our moods.Then outer events have nothing to do with our inner joy of mind.
The room of the mind is filled with worry or fear.If you are free of thinking about them,the room has been emptied,and then you will see what is happening and experience it.When your mind stays quiet,you will see that happiness comes from the inside.
What does t
he underlined phrase”compensate for“in Paragraph 2 most probably mean?
A.to make a suitable payment for |
B.to let out your anger for |
C.to provide with a balancing effect for![]() |
D.to solve the problems for |
According to the passage,in which of the following situations can you feel happy?
A.A friend gives you a glass of cold lemonade when you feel thirsty. |
B.You eat chocolate and sweets when you feel as if everything is against you. |
C.Smoke cigarettes even though you know the fact that it is not good for your health. |
D.You are free from worry or fear when your mind stays quiet. |
We call learn from the passage
A.happiness is more dependent on the five senses |
B.pleasure sometimes arouses happiness |
C.you feel happy when nothing around you changes in a certain state |
D.you feel unhappy because you have to adjust to the environment |
Which can be the best title for the passage? ]
A.Pleasure Leads to Happiness |
B.Happiness Changes Us |
C.Happiness Is Within Us |
D.Stay a Quiet Mind |