Science, as we think, was born when the Greek philosopher ( 哲学家 ) Thales ( about 640-546 B.C.) asked a difficult question: What makes up our universe?
No one had a ready answer, so Thales went on studying the earth around him, the sky and the stars. He saw so much water on earth and so much water falling from the sky as rain that he decided water must be the basic substance ( 物质 ) of the universe.
Other Greek thinkers became interested in this question. They suggested other answers. One said that because air lies around the earth, it must be air that makes up all things. Another said that fire, appearing in different forms, was the building block of the universe.
The Greek philosophers were feeling their way towards the ideas on which chemistry is based. Centuries later, scientists proved that the universe is made up of certain basic substances. But the list is much more complicated than the Greeks realized. We now know of 103 basic substances which we call “ elements ( 元素 )”.Thales, the famous Greek philosopher, died when he was about _______________.
| A．94 years old | B．106years old |
| C．40 years old | D．46 years old |
The meaning of the underlined word “complicated” in the last paragraph is “ ____________”.
| A．not difficult | B．not simple | C．not famous | D．not different |
After reading the passage, we can be sure that________________.
| A．nothing ever changes in the universe |
| B．Thales decided that the basic substance of the universe was air |
| C．the universe is made up of four different substances |
| D．the early Greek thinkers did much valuable work for the progress of science |
There’s no danger of 88-year-old Harry Ward forgetting his wife Doris’s Valentine’s Day card – the couple still use the same one he bought her 70 years ago.
When 17-year-old Harry Ward presented Doris with a Valentine’s Day card as he boarded a train to join the wartime effort on February 14, 1941, he must have been fairly confident about his affections(钟爱). After all the couple had been dating since they met in a café three months earlier.
But little can he have imagined that 70 years on, not only would he still be happy about having married Doris, but that every year she would present him with the very same card he gave her that Valentine’s Day. “I bring it out of the cupboard and put it on our mantelpiece（壁炉台）every Valentine’s Day,” she said. “It’s a special to me now as it was 70 years ago. Harry has never bought me one since, because I have this one every year.”
They first met in a café. “Harry was in the café drinking and he said hello. He asked me my name and we got talking happily. He offered to walk me to the bus stop but when we got outside, a bombing raid（突然袭击）had started and we had to run to a nearby air-raid shelter（防空洞）,” Doris said.
Mr. Ward said,“I knew Doris was the one for me the moment I met her. I gave her the Valentine’s card then and she is still my Valentine now.” Mrs. Ward’s card is not the only thing that has endured the passing of time.
“Harry is quite romantic and we are as still in love as the day he first gave me this card,”Dorris said.When did the couple first meet?
| A．In 1940. | B．In 1939. | C．In 1941. | D．In 1942 |
Why does Mrs. Ward always use the same Valentine’s Day card?
| A．She is an environmentalist. |
| B．She can’t afford a new one. |
| C．She values the card very much. |
| D．She doesn’t want to waste money. |
What do we know about the 70-year-old Valentine’s Day card?
| A．It was first given to Doris on a plane. |
| B．It is usually kept in their cupboard |
| C．It was made by hand by Mr. Ward. |
| D．It is sent to Doris by post every year. |
By saying “Mrs. Ward’s card is not the only thing that has endured the passing of time.”, the author means__________.
| A．The card records their romance |
| B．The card will still be used in future |
| C．They both treasure the very card |
| D．Their affections are still strong |
Producing money requires both artistic and technological skills. Dollar bills are made so that they are interesting to look at but very hard to copy. In total, there are sixty-five separate steps required to make a dollar bill．
The money making process begins when a yearly order is sent by the Federal Reserve Board. That order will then be divided in half. Half will be done here in Washington, D.C. and the other half will be done in Fort Worth, Texas. Next, the Bureau orders special paper which is actually cloth since it is 75% cotton and 25% linen．
This paper is made so that it can last a long time. And, it is made with details that make it hard to copy. For example, bills contain security threads. These narrow pieces of plastic are inside the paper and run along the width of the bill. This special paper is also made with very small blue and red fibers．
Once the money is printed, guillotine cutters (切纸机) separate the sheets into two notes, then into individual notes．The notes are organized in "bricks," each of which contains forty one-hundred-note packages. The bricks then go to one of twelve Federal Reserve Districts, which then give the money to local banks. Ninety-five percent of the bills printed each year are used to replace money that is in circulation, or that has already been removed from circulation．
You may know that America's first president, George Washington, is pictured on the one- dollar bill. But do you know whose face is on the two, five, ten, twenty, fifty and one hundred-dollar bills? They are, in order. President Thomas Jefferson, President Abraham Lincoln, Treasury Secretary Alexander Hamilton, President Andrew Jackson, President Ulysses Grant and statesman Benjamin Franklin．
The average life span of a one-dollar bill is twenty-one months. But a ten-dollar bill lasts only about eighteen months．The one hundred-dollar bill lasts the longest, eighty-nine months．One popular question is about the two-dollar bill. This bill is not printed very often. This is because many Americans believe two-dollar bills are lucky, so they keep them．During money production, we must consider all EXCEPT that it must.
| A．last a long time | B．be hard to copy |
| C．be done by the president's order | D．be interesting to look at |
We can learn from the passage that the security threads.
| A．are narrow pieces of plastic |
| B．are pressed outside the bills |
| C．are longer than the width of the bills |
| D．are actually made of cotton and linen |
How many presidents are printed on the American money?
| A．Four | B．Five | C．Six | D．Seven |
Why are the two-dollar bills not made often?
| A．Because no one wants them． |
| B．Because they aren't damaged quickly like other bills． |
| C．Because they aren't used in America any more． |
| D．Because their material is a bit more expensive． |
Does Fame Drive You Crazy?
Although being famous might sound like a dream come true, today’s stars, feeling like zoo animals, face pressures that few of us can imagine. They are at the center of much of the world’s attention. Paparazzi (狗仔队) camp outside their homes, cameras ready. Tabloids (小报) publish thrilling stories about their personal lives. Just imagine not being able to do anything without being photographed or interrupted for a signature.
According to psychologist Christina Villarreal, celebrities — famous people — worry constantly about their public appearance. Eventually, they start to lose track of who they really are, seeing themselves the way their fans imagine them, not as the people they were before everyone knew their names. “Over time,” Villarreal says, “they feel separated and alone.”
The phenomenon of tracking celebrities has been around for ages. In the 4th century B.C., painters followed Alexander the Great into battle, hoping to picture his victories for his admirers. When Charles Dickens visited America in the 19th century, his sold-out readings attracted thousands of fans, leading him to complain (抱怨) about his lack of privacy. Tabloids of the 1920s and 1930s ran articles about film-stars in much the same way that modern tabloids and websites do.
Being a public figure today, however, is a lot more difficult than it used to be. Superstars cannot move about without worrying about photographers with modern cameras. When they say something silly or do something ridiculous, there is always the Internet to spread the news in minutes and keep their “story” alive forever.
If fame is so troublesome, why aren’t all celebrities running away from it? The answer is that there are still ways to deal with it. Some stars stay calm by surrounding themselves with trusted friends and family or by escaping to remote places away from big cities. They focus not on how famous they are but on what they love to do or whatever made them famous in the first place.
Sometimes a few celebrities can get a little justice. Still, even stars who enjoy full justice often complain about how hard their lives are. They are tired of being famous already.It can be learned from the passage that stars today________________.
| A．are often misunderstood by the public |
| B．can no longer have their privacy protected |
| C．spend too much on their public appearance |
| D．care little about how they have come into fame |
What is the main idea of Paragraph3?
| A．Great heroes of the past were generally admired. |
| B．Works of popular writers often have a lot of readers. |
| C．Well-known actors are usually targets of tabloids. |
| D．The problem faced by celebrities has a long history. |
What makes it much harder to be a celebrity today?
| A．Availability of modern media. |
| B．Inadequate social recognition. |
| C．Lack of favorable chances. |
| D．Huge population of fans. |
What is author’s attitude toward modern celebrity?
| A．Sincere. | B．Skeptical. | C．Disapproving | D．Sympathetic. |
Below is a housing guide for students going to London.
University accommodation (住所)offices
Many university accommodation offices have their own list of registered landlords (房东). Others also provide information on accommodation agencies and other housing organization. The advantage of using your university accommodation office is that you can get some support if you have a problem. The disadvantage is that they are unluckily to have enough registered landlords to houses all their students.
Property papers: Loot and Renting
Loot is an important source (来源) of information about private housing for co-renters. The offers are from private landlords, agencies and individuals looking for other co-renters. They also have a website: www.loot.com. The advantage of using Loot is that there are some excellent bargains. The disadvantage is that there is no quality control over the offers.
Renting is another useful paper. The offers in this paper are mainly from accommodation agencies. Their website is at www. renting.co.uk.
Accommodation agencies
The majority of rented accommodation in London is probably advertised through accommodation agencies. The advantage of using accommodation agencies is that you will have access to a large number of accommodations. A good agent will listen to your requirements and can save you time in looking for the right accommodation. The disadvantage is that they will make a range of charges to potential renters.
Noticeboards
Around the universities you will find a number of noticeboards where offers of accommodation will be posted. These will either be from landlords or from students. Some universities will also have online noticeboards where students can advertise to other students. Advertisements from students can be an excellent way to find accommodation. However, advertisements from landlords can be problematic.
Word of mouth
Some of the best housing in London is never advertised but is passed on from one group of students to another by word of mouth. It might be that you can find out about good offers from final year students. However, don’t suppose that just because you have found out about housing from a friend it is necessarily going to be better than that found through any other source.
Family
Faced with the very high rents charged in London, some students and their parents will consider buying as an alternative. In some cases this might be a good choice. What is the advantage of using Loot?
| A．It has more offers from accommodation agencies than Renting. |
| B．It gives you personal information about other co-renters. |
| C．Their website is designed mainly for students. |
| D．There are some good bargains. |
The information passed on by word of mouth is important because.
| A．it is better than that found through any other source |
| B．it helps you find some of the best housing never advertised |
| C．the landlords have little valuable information |
| D．the final year students always offer better information |
For students going to London for the first time, which of the following provides the most reliable information?
| A．University accommodation offices. | B．Loot and Renting. |
| C．Notice boards. | D．Family. |
The world is filled with smart, talented, educated and gifted people．We meet them every day. A few days ago, my car was not running well．I pulled it into a garage and the young mechanic had it fixed in just a few minutes．He knew what was wrong by simply listening to the engine．I was amazed．The sad truth is that great talent is not enough．
I am constantly shocked at how little talented people earn. I heard the other day that less than 5 percent of Americans earn more than $100,000 a year. A business consultant who specializes in the medical trade was telling me how many doctors and dentists struggle financially. It was this business consultant who gave me the phrase, “They are one skill away from great wealth．”
There is an old saying that goes, "Job means 'just over broke（破产）"．And unfortunately, I would say that the saying applies to millions of people．Because schools do not think financial intelligence is intelligence, most workers "live within their means"．They work and they pay the bills．Instead I recommend to young people to seek work for what they will learn, more than what they will earn．
When I ask the classes I teach, “How many of you can cook a better hamburger than McDonald's?” almost all the students raise their hands. I then ask, “So if most of you can cook a better hamburger, how come McDonald's makes more money than you?” The answer is obvious: McDonald's is excellent at business systems. The world is filled with talented poor people. They focus on perfecting their skills at building a better hamburger rather than the skills of selling and delivering the hamburger.The author mentions the mechanic in the first paragraph to show that．
| A．he is just one of the talented people |
| B．he is ready to help others |
| C．he has a sharp sense of hearing |
| D．he knows little about car repairing |
The underlined part in the third paragraph can be best replaced by____．
| A．spend more than they can afford |
| B．1ive within what they earn |
| C．1ive in their own circle |
| D．do in their own way |
Why do talented people earn so little according to the author?
| A．They don’t work hard enough． |
| B．They have no specialized skills． |
| C．They don't make full use of their talents． |
| D．They lack financial intelligence． |
The main purpose of the author is to tell us____．
| A．how young people can find a satisfactory job |
| B．What schools should teach about finance |
| C．why so many talented people are poor |
| D．how McDonald's makes much money |