Unlike many surfers who sought the perfect wave, my interests always lay beneath the sea' s surface in a world I could only imagine and dream of.When I was twelve, I made my first adventures in the deep.Later I would learn how to dive, expanding my world of exploration many times over.
Perhaps the greatest turning point in my life came when I was in high school and I wrote a letter to the famous Scripps Oceanographic Institution, asking how I might learn more about the sea.A kind scientist answered my letter and told me how to apply to Scripps for a summer scholarship, which I received.During one of their courses that summer, I met Dr.Robert Norris, a marine geologist.He loved the sea almost as much as I did.Soon he suggested I consider his school, the University of California, for my study.One year later I became a member of the freshman class.
Now my love affair with the sea became a serious endeavor(艰苦的努力).If I wanted to be an undersea explorer, I needed to learn as much as I could about the laws of the physical world that controlled the environment I wanted to enter.The undersea world is not our natural world.It is unforgiving to those who make mistakes.At its greatest depths the water temperature is near freezing, the pressure is eight tons per square inch, and it is totally dark.It is easy to get lost in such a world.I needed to learn a lot about geography, navigation, geology, biology, and many other things.
I decided another important thing for me to do was to join the U.S.Navy.If I was going to be an undersea explorer, I would have to lead men and women on dangerous adventures where they might get hurt, and I didn't want that to happen.
In the Navy I learned discipline, organization, and how to motivate and lead people on adventures so that we could explore the wonders of the deep.
Finally, the time came to put all that I had learned to use, to go forth with a team of men and women and explore an adventure I am still on and hope to be on for many years to come.What happened to the author at the age of twelve?
A.He dreamed about undersea exploration. |
B.He began to swim under the deep water. |
C.He surfed on big waves for the first time. |
D.He learned to dive off the cliffs. |
In college, the author took many different types of courses because he
A.was told it was easy to get lost in exploration |
B.was advised to take them by Dr.Robert Norris |
C.thought they were needed to fully understand the ocean |
D.believed it would help him succeed in the Navy |
The author joined the Navy to ______.
A.develop his leadership skills |
B.get along with people under stress |
C.learn about the dangers of the ocean |
D.gather specific information about ocean life |
Which word can best describe the author?
A.Imaginative. | B.Optimistic. | C.Independent. | D.Ambitious. |
About ten men in every hundred suffer from color blindness in some way. Women are luckier; only about one in two hundred is affected in this matter. Perhaps, after all, it is safer to be driven by a woman!
There are different forms of color blindness. In some cases a man may not be able to see deep red. He may think that red, orange and yellow are all shadows of green. Sometimes a person cannot tell the difference between blue and green. In rare cases an unlucky man may see everything in shades of green - a strange world indeed.
Color blindness in human beings is a strange thing to explain. In a single eye there are millions of very small things called “cones”. These help us to see in a bright light and to tell difference between colors. There are also millions of “rods”, but these are used for seeing when it is near dark. They show us shape but no color.
Some insects have favorite colors. Mosquitoes prefer blue to yellow. A red light will not attract insects, but a blue lamp will. In a similar way human beings also have favorite colors. Yet we are lucky. With the aid of the cones in our eyes we can see many beautiful colors by day, and with the aid of the rods we can see shapes at night. One day we may even learn more about the invisible colors around us.The passage is mainly about _____________.
A.color and its surprising effects. |
B.women being luckier than men |
C.danger caused by color blindness |
D.color blindness |
According to the passage, with the help of the “cones”, we can_______________.
A.tell different shapes | B.see in a weak light |
C.kill mosquitoes | D.tell orange from yellow |
Why do some people say it is safer to be driven by women?
A.Women are more careful. |
B.There are fewer color-blind women |
C.Women are fonder of driving than men. |
D.Women are weaker but quicker in thinking. |
Which of the statements about the color- blind is true?
A.Not all of them have the same problem in recognizing color. |
B.None of them can see deep red. |
C.None of them can tell the difference between blue and green. |
D.All of them see everything in shades of green. |
We can attract and kill mosquitoes by using a _____________.
A.red light | B.yellow light | C.blue light | D.green light |
“If you want to see a thing well, reach out and touch it!”
That may seem a strange thing to say. But touching things can help you to see them better.
Your eyes can tell you that a glass ball is round. But by holding it in your hands, you can feel how smooth and cool the ball is. You can feel how heavy the glass is. When you feel all these about the ball, you really see it. With your skin, you can feel better. For example, your fingers can tell the difference between two coins in your pocket. You can feel a little drop of water on the back of your hand, too. You can even feel sounds against your skin. Have you ever wanted to know why some people like very loud music? They must like to feel the sounds of music.
All children soon learn what “Don't touch!”means. They hear it often. Yet most of us keep on touching things as we grow up. In shops, we touch things we might buy: food, clothes. To see something well, we have to touch it. The bottoms of our feet can feel things, too. You know this when you walk on warm sand, cool grass or a hard floor. All feel different under your feet.
There are ways of learning to see well by feeling. One way is to close your eyes and try to feel everything that is touching your skin. Feel the shoes on your feet, the clothes on your body, the air on your skin. At first, it is not easy to feel these things. You are too used to them!
Most museums are just for looking. But today some museums have some things to touch. Their signs say, “Do touch!” There you can feel everything on show.
If you want to see better, reach out and touch. Then you will really see!By touching things, .
A.you will have a strange feeling |
B.you will learn how to reach out your hand |
C.you can learn more about them |
D.you can tell what colors they really are |
Which of the following can be the best title of the story?
A.Touching by Feeling | B.To See or to Feel |
C.To See Better—Feel | D.Ways of Feeling |
Which of the following parts can tell you the difference between two coins in your pocket?
A.Your fingers. | B.Your eyes. | C.Your skin. | D.Your back. |
What can't your skin feel according to the passage?
A.Sounds. | B.Darkness. | C.Water. | D.Coins. |
Which of the following is NOT true?
A.Touching is helping us to see better. |
B.Our skips may help us enjoy music. |
C.People don't have to learn to feel. |
D.Visitors can't feel the things on show in any museums. |
Let children learn to judge their own work. A child learning to talk does not learn by being corrected all the time; if corrected too much, he will stop talking. He notices a thousand times a day the difference between the language he uses and the language those around him use. Bit by bit, he makes the necessary changes to make his language like other people’s. In the same way, children learn to do all the other things without being taught to walk, run, climb, whistle, ride a bicycle…They compare their own performances with those of more skilled people, and slowly make the needed changes. But in school we never give a child a chance to find out his mistakes and correct them for himself. We do it all for him. We act as if we thought that he would never notice a mistake. If it is a matter in mathematics or science, give him the answer book. Let him correct his own papers. Why should we teachers waste time in such routine(日常的) work? Our job should be to help the child when he tells us that he can’t find the way to get the right answer. Let the children learn what all educated persons must some day learn, how to measure their own understanding, how to know what he does not know.According to the passage, the best way for children to learn things is by_____.
A.listening to skilled people’s advice. |
B.asking older people many questions |
C.making mistakes and having them corrected |
D.doing what other people do |
Which of the following does the writer think teachers should NOT do?.
A.Give children correct answers |
B.Allow children to mark mistakes. |
C.Point out children’s mistakes to them. |
D.Let children mark their own work |
According to the writer, teachers in school should _____
A.allow children to learn from each other |
B.point out children’s mistakes whenever found |
C.correct children’s mistakes as soon as possible |
D.give children more book knowledge |
The passage suggests that learning to speak and learning to ride a bicycle are____
A.different from learning other skills |
B.the same as learning skills |
C.more important than other skills |
D.not really important skills |
The title of this passage could probably be_____
A.Let Us Teachers Stop Work |
B.Let Us Make Children Learn |
C.Let Children Correct Their Exercises |
D.Let Children Learn by Themselves |
There have been big changes in the attitudes of most parents over the last few years. Physical punishment is banned in schools in most countries ,and in many countries, there are moves to ban all physical punishment of children even at home. However, many parents still believe that they have the right to use some physical punishments to deal with certain misbehavior at certain ages.
It ‘seasy to find reasons to allow some physical punishments. One issue is that many parents find it very difficult to abandon physical punishment completely. Parents argue that this was the way they were brought up and that it didn’t do any harm to them. They believe that for the child’s sake they have the right to discipline the child in any way they consider fit ,including using some physical punishments. The other one is that physical punishment can be quick and effective. There is not much point reasoning with a screaming child in the supermarket.
However, there are several reasons why we should stop using physical punishment. One point is that most parents are not trained to deal with misbehaving children. They don’t have enough resources or choices to handle the situation. As a result, they immediately react by hitting the child even if there are other solutions to the problem. Another point is that unless people are challenged or forced to change their belief, they may keep following negative habits. An example is seat belt use ——now most people wear seat belts without thinking, while years ago the idea of using seat belts was strange to most people. In the same way, banning physical punishment will force people to change their habits.
In conclusion, parents have to change some of their belief and ideas about how children should be raised. It is possible to avoid the use of physical force,and doing so will help us move closer to the dream of removing violence from our society.According to the first paragraph, many parents think that _____
A. they are free to use physical punishment on their children |
B. most of the children behave badly in their daily life |
C. they have changed their attitudes towards their children |
D. physical punishment is effective to educate their children |
Many parents won’t give up physical punishment because _____.
A. they are disappointed with their children |
B. they were brought up just in the same way |
C. they don’t want to hurt their children badly |
D. they don’t know what to do with their children |
The author gives the example of using seat belts in order to show _____.
A. most people are used to wearing seat belts |
B. it’s not difficult to change some negative habits |
C. seat belts are really very necessary and useful |
D. people won’t change their old habits unless forced |
The main purpose of the author in writing this passage is to _____.
A. talk about a ban on using physical punishment |
B. tell us we should educate our children in other ways |
C. advise parents to give up using physical punishment |
D. suggest physical punishment should be used at home |
“ Dining out”, or “ eating out ”,is a phrase people use in Britain when they eat in a restaurant or a pub. Eating out is more popular in Britain today than ever before.
However, eating out can be expensive. Restaurants are normally more expensive than pubs, though many pubs serve very good ,simple food. As British people don’t dine out every night of the week ,eating in a restaurant is often seen as a special occasion. When going for the first date, or if celebrating an anniversary or a birthday, many people like to go to a restaurant. People often eat in a restaurant before going to the cinema or the theatre.
As in all cultures, there are many rules of etiquette (礼节)surrounding food and eating, and nowhere is this more pronounced than when eating in a smart restaurant. People are almost always expected to eat with a knife and fork and these should be held in the correct hand and used in the correct way. It is also impolite to have your elbows on the dining table when you are eating.
There’re many such “unspoken” rules — they are normally only important when eating in a very elegant and expensive restaurant, and vary slightly from restaurant to restaurant and place to place. A recent nationwide survey showed that there was a divide in manners between the north and south of Britain ---the “worst” manners were in Scotland and the northeast, and the “best” in Wales and the southeast! However, this survey was almost certainly conducted by someone in the southeast, so it may not be entirely fair.
Naturally, restaurants vary greatly in quality and price. However, almost all British cities have a vast range of food and cooking styles to choose from as well as traditional British food, from the very cheap to the very expensive — French, Italian, Indian, Greek, Thai, Japanese and many more. In fact, when asked what their favorite food is, many British people say an Indian curry (咖喱菜)rather than any other dish!
As well as dining in a restaurant ,when people are too tired to cook after work they often get a “takeaway”. This means they order from a takeaway or takeout restaurant by phone, then go to collect it and take it home to eat. Many takeout restaurants also deliver to your house. While you can normally find a takeout restaurant for almost any cuisine, the most popular are Italian, Indian and Chinese — and all you have to do is to open the door, pay and eat! What can be concluded from the first two paragraphs?
A. The British spend more eating out than cooking at home. |
B. The British pay great attention to eating in a restaurant. |
C. The British often dine out when celebrating festivals. |
D. People tend to eat in a restaurant after watching a movie. |
The underlined word “pronounced" in Paragraph 3 probably means “_____
A. polite | B.expensive | C.strange | D.obvious |
According to the passage, which of the following statements is true?
A. There exist great differences of rules in different restaurants. |
B. People from Wales and southeast Britain are the most polite. |
C. Your order in a takeout restaurant can be sent to your home. |
D. Traditional British food is seldom served in British restaurants. |
What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.Restaurant culture in Britain. |
B.Table manners in Britain. |
C.Different restaurants in Britain. |
D.Traditional and foreign foods in Britain. |