Sharksareamongtheoldestanimals-优题课

B
When I was a boy, my father told me that he could do anything he wanted to. Dad said that he wanted to be the first to develop color prints in our city. And so he did.
When I was 16，Dad looked closely at the violin I played and announced that he want to make one. He read about violinmaking，and then became a violinmaker at the age of 43. He bought the tools and materials，opened a small store and set Mom up as the shopkeeper，while he worked at a local company. He retired from the company 17 years later and continued to make violins and other instruments.
Dad often guessed why the Stradivarius violins sound so beautiful. Some experts claimed that it was the unique varnish(油漆)that gave those instruments their beautiful sound. Dad argued that chemists could analyze the varnish—if that were the answer.
One of Dad’s friends asked him once which kind of wood was used to make violins. When Dad explained that the top was made of spruce(云杉)，his friend said that he had an old piece of spruce Dad might be interested in.
He worked for the next 12 months making a violin from the wood that his friend had given him. It proved to be a superior violin and it would become Dad’s masterpiece. He was convinced that the secret of the Stradivarius sound was in the wood itself.
Later，the instrument was stolen. Dad’s spirit was broken by the robbery, and he stopped making instruments. But he kept the music shop until he was 80 years old, selling guitars and violins.
My father has been gone for 14 years now. The violin has been missing for more than 25 years. Somewhere a musician is playing a late-20th-century violin with an excellent tone. The owner today may never understand why this ordinary-looking violin sounds so much like Stradivarius.
45. The author mentions his father’s developing color prints____________.
A. to show that his father’s real interest was not in making violins
B. to prove that his father could do anything he wanted to
C. to give an example proving that his father was an inventor
D. to describe the real thing that made the author believe his father
46. What did the author's father think about Stradivarius violins?
A. The varnish was different from the others.
B. The way of making them was special.
C. The wood of the violins was special.
D. They could only be analyzed by chemists.
47. From the underlined sentence, we can learn that the author’s father________.
A. 1iked the violin very much
B. got crazy after this happened
C. 1ost interest in instruments
D. didn't want to become famous
48. We can infer from the last paragraph that the author __________ .
A. really hates the thief
B. misses his father a 1ot
C. really wants to play the violin
D. wonders who’s playing the violin now

第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A
The luxury of eating an apple on Mars could cost as much as US $22,000. That's because it costs about US $120,000 to launch a kilogram of anything into deep space. So getting enough food into orbit is a big problem facing astronauts on a trip to Mars.
After NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) has no current plans to send astronauts to Mars, related research is being carried out—including the production of food. Astronauts on the international Space Station usually eat primarily freeze-dried food to which they add water. However, the weight of the packaging—almost as much as the food inside—costs a lot of money. The biggest problem of all is a psychological one.
Scientists believe that astronauts will suffer without the variety offered by fresh vegetables. The answer is to grow at least some of the food. On a short trip it is imagined that astronauts will eat vegetables such as lettuce, spinach and carrots grown in a refrigerator-sized unit known as a "salad machine". On longer journeys they will actually grow vegetables in greenhouses on Mars. Martian astronauts will eat a vegetarian diet since it will not be practical to raise animals. To make up for the lack of meat, recipes have been created to add as much variety to the diet as possible, using only a basic number of products. It uses heat and mechanical force to transform soybeans into meat and cheese substitutes（代替品）. The prized result of this research is a purely vegetable-based pizza with meat and cheese substitutes .
41. What is the best title for this story?
A. Space Food B. Astronauts' Problem
C. The Packaging of Space Food D. Mars Rover-Spirit
42. What is the main problem with the diet of astronauts on the international Space Station now?
A. The packaging is too expensive.
B. Only fresh vegetables are offered.
C. Too much water is needed for dried food.
D. There are not enough choices of food.
43. What is the "salad machine" in the spaceship for?
A. It stores vegetables. B. It grows vegetables.
C. It cooks green salad. D. It mixes green salad.
44. From the passage we know that the diet plan for Martian astronauts is short of .
A. Vegetables. B. A special kind of Pizza. C. Meat. D. Soybeans

D
I read about it in the paper, in the subway, on my way to work. I read it, and I couldn't believe it, and I read it again. Then perhaps I just stared at it, at the newsprint spelling out his name, spelling out the story. I stared at it in the swinging lights of the subway car, and in the faces and bodies of the people, and in my own face, trapped in the darkness which roared(隆隆响) outside.
It was not to be believed and I kept telling myself that, as I walked from the subway station to the high school. And at the same time I couldn't doubt it. I was scared, scared for Sonny. He became real to me again. A great block of ice got settled in my belly and kept melting there slowly all day long, while I taught my classes algebra. It was a special kind of ice. It kept melting, sending trickles(涓涓细流)of ice water all up and down my veins(血管), but it never got less. Sometimes it hardened and seemed to expand until I felt my heart was going to come spilling(溢出) out or that I was going to choke or scream. This would always be at a moment when I was remembering some specific thing Sonny had once said or done.
When he was about as old as the boys in my classes his face had been bright and open; and he'd had wonderfully direct brown eyes, and great gentleness. I wondered what he looked like now. He had been picked up, the evening before, in a sudden search on an apartment down-town, for selling and using heroin.
I couldn't believe it: but what I mean by that is that I couldn't find any room for it anywhere inside me. I had kept it outside me for a long time. I hadn't wanted to know. I had had suspicions(怀疑), but I didn't name them, I kept putting them away. I told myself that Sonny was wild, but he wasn't crazy. And he'd always been a good boy, he hadn't ever turned hard or evil or disrespectful, the way kids can, so quick, so quick, especially in Harlem. I didn't want to believe that I'd ever see my brother going down, coming to nothing, all that light in his face gone out, in the condition I'd already seen so many others.
67. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to ____.
A. the swinging light of the subway car B. the news of Sonny’s being arrested
C. everything trapped in the darkness D. newspaper
68. We can learn from the passage that ____.
A. the news on the paper was unbelievable.
B. I was too scared to believe the news
C. I was ill because a great block of ice was in my belly
D. Sonny and I hadn’t seen each other for a long time
69. What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Sonny and I were brothers.
B. Sonny had always been a good boy before being arrested.
C. I didn’t care about Sonny.
D. Many young men turned bad in Harlem.
70. Which of the following can best describe the author’s feelings towards Sonny?
A. Concern, affection, expectation. B. Concern, hatred, expectation.
C. Affection, regret, sympathy. D. Regret, understanding, sympathy.

C
Arthritis, stroke, osteoporosis(骨关节炎), heart disease and dementia are what we’ve got to look forward to in old age. But conditions like these don’t have to be impossible to avoid, says New Zealand cook Robyn Martin. She firmly believes that we are what we eat and we can choose to consume foods that can slow the aging process and even prevent certain illnesses. That’s why her latest cookbook is devoted to recipes that use ingredients with a large number of anti-aging benefits. Stop the Clock—the Anti-Aging cookbook looks at a variety of health problems—from brain decline and joint aches and pains to heart disease and high cholesterol(胆固醇)—then lists foods that can improve or prevent them and offers a selection of recipes using those ingredients. “I wrote this book so I can offer people lots of information about foods that can give them a better old age.”
Six foods that can help slow the aging process:
1. Lentils
The important substance included in lentils is the one that can help you avoid the unpleasant symptoms of menopause(更年期), like mood swings.
2. Blueberries
Blueberries slow and, in some cases, reverse damage in aging brains. They are also rich in some chemicals which keep your looking young and help relieve arthritic(关节炎的) pain.
3. Carrots
Carrots have high levels of beta-carotene, which changes to vitamin A in the body. So they may help with memory, do good to the skin and are also thought to lower cholesterol.
4. Oats
The protein, calcium and phosphorus in oats all help build strong bones and connective tissue. The fibre they contain helps lower cholesterol and high blood pressure.
5. Spinach
Spinach is a good source of two important substances involved in protecting the DNA in our cells from oxication(氧化). It not only helps to strengthen the memory and turn off genes that can step up aging, but also can help improve the symptoms of osteoarthritis.
6. Soy
Soy products help lower blood pressure and cholesterol levels and are rich in phytoestrogens, which can help prevent hormone-related cancers. Soy can also be helpful to the skin, making it firm and youthful.
Did you know? Tomatoes contain a powerful substance which is not only useful for preventing problems in the heart, and lungs, but also prevents diseases like cancer. To gain the most benefit, tomatoes should be cooked.
64. If memory often fails you, which of the following combination will be good to you?
A. soy and carrots B. oats and soy
C. lentils and blueberries D. carrots and spinach
65. This passage mainly deals with _____.
A. foods and ingredients B. foods and health C. foods and nutrition D. foods and diseases
66. The passage is written _____.
A. to tell the readers recipes play an important role in keeping healthy
B. to advertise the foods mentioned in the passage
C. to tell the readers how to slow the aging process
D. to tell the readers how to cure some diseases by taking right foods

B
I am a person who does not like to wait in line. However, I realize anger will get me nowhere. Considering this, I have decided to turn my frustration(沮丧) to productive ends. In short, I am constantly hunting around for what I call “waiting in line books”, especially those that are designed for being read in snippets(文摘), so there is no extended story line to lose track of. Another requirement is that they be small enough to slip neatly into my back pocket.
The other day I went to the supermarket and was surprised to see that the place was crowded with shoppers, but no worries. I parked my cart behind five others and pulled out my vocabulary builder. Within a few seconds I was totally absorbed, and rather than seething at the 15 minutes it took to advance to the cashier, I learned that nankeen is “a yellow cotton cloth”, or, in the plural, “trousers made of it”. The acquisition of new words led me into a place where I would otherwise not have enjoyed myself so much.
Once, at a yard sale, I found two small pocket books titled Sidelights on American History (copyright 1919). The seller approached as I looked through the pages. “You want them?”
“First I need to see if they fit,” I told him. He watched as I slipped Volume 1 into my back pocket. “Perfect. I’ll take them.”
10 minutes later, I was at the carwash, where the waiting line was six vehicles long. Thank goodness for my books! By the time my car was being soaped and power sprayed, I had learned about the Annapolis Convention, the early life of Aaron Bur.
The more the world demands that I wait, the more I learn from my waiting library. In fact, I have become so fond of my “waiting” books that my spirits actually rise when I see a long line I must stand in. It is most likely I would be regarded as a bookish, lonely soul. But little would they realize that I was enjoying the company of those “waiting” books. And just as Disraeli said, “Everything comes if a man will only wait”.
60. When buying a book the writer _____.
A. has his own rules B. prefers books of small size
C. chooses books by famous writers D. has no particular appetite
61. The truth behind the story is that the writer wants to tell us _____.
A. reading is not only important but also practical
B. one is expected to learn to adjust oneself rather than complain
C. reading is the best way to kill time
D. knowledge is power and wisdom is fortune
62. The underlined expression in paragraph 3 “seething at” probably means _____.
A. angry at B. delighted at C. surprised at D. excited at
63. The sentence in Paragraph 2 “there is no extended story line to lose track of” shows that _____.
A. what the writer reads is not difficult to understand
B. the writer likes to read interesting stories while waiting in line
C. the writer can stop wherever needed with no plot to leave out
D. the writer does not necessarily reach his understanding