Talking behind someone’s back is considered to be rude and mean. Such a conversation can cover all kinds of criticism, from their looks to their work and personality.
The other day at lunch I was with a group of colleagues, and we were talking about our boss. She is the new headmaster of our middle school.
We talked about how kind she is to us. She handwrites notes to wish us happy holidays or to thank us for jobs well done. She checks on us when she knows we’re facing difficulties outside school with our health or with our families. We talked about the good role model that she is for the young women in our school and the fair but firm way she treats students and parents.
I thought about this after lunch. Sometimes we have the good fortune to be part of another kind of “talking behind someone’s back”. And too often when we say something good about someone behind their backs, they never know about it! That night, I sent her an email to report the conversation. She replied by saying how much she appreciated hearing about this, and how it made a bright spot in a tough week of testing.
Watch for your next opportunity to be the reporter! Make sure you tell them about the nice things said behind their backs! Because how will they know unless we tell them?What do you conclude from the text the writer might be?
| A．A student | B．A teacher | C．A parent | D．A boss |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Conversations about others | B．Rude and mean talking |
| C．Kinds of conversations | D．Talking behind someone’s back |
The author strongly agrees on _________.
| A．Don’t talk behind others’ back |
| B．Talking behind others’ back is rude |
| C．Do tell the person about the nice things said behind his back |
| D．There is no one who never talks behind someone’s back |
Since people first sent rockets into space in the 1950s, we have been leaving behind all sorts of things. Some of them, like the camera, were lost by astronauts while they did work outside their spaceship. But much of the space junk is made up of little pieces of things that were once bigger objects, until they struck each other and broke apart.
Some things we send into space fall back toward the earth and burn up in the atmosphere. But larger pieces sometimes survive the extreme heat and hit the ground or the ocean at great speeds. So there is always concern that something may fall from the sky and do some harm.
But space junk falling on housetops (屋顶) is not the biggest worry. Scientists are concerned about what happens when an empty rocket strikes another while orbiting (绕轨道飞行) the earth. Two big things become many smaller things. They then hit other things. The pieces get smaller and smaller until they form a cloud of junk that blocks the path of future space vehicles.
So what can be done to clean up the space around our planet? Marco Castronuovo, an Italian researcher, talks about sending a satellite into space that would get very close to some of the larger pieces of space junk. The satellite would connect a small rocket to the useless object. When the rocket explodes, it pushes the junk into a lower and slower orbit, nearer the earth. After a time, the junk burns up in the atmosphere.
Mr. Castronuovo has proposed (提议) using a number of small satellites with robotic arms. One arm would catch the space junk, and another arm would connect the rocket. He imagines that each satellite would jump from one large piece of junk to another. He thinks this method could destroy about ten large objects each year.
Scientists have been concerned about space junk for many years. Right now, the costs of the clean-up have been too great. Mr. Castronuovo says his system could be put in place for a much more reasonable amount of money.Much of the space junk _____.
| A．was thrown by the astronauts |
| B．is from broken spaceship |
| C．is made up of small pieces of things |
| D．returns to the earth piece by piece |
Scientists are most worried that the space junk _____.
| A．will stop the future space vehicles |
| B．will do harm to the atmosphere |
| C．will fall on the housetops |
| D．will burn up in space |
What does Marco Castronuovo think of his system?
| A．It can remove space junk completely. |
| B．It can save a large amount of money. |
| C．It can create a large amount of space. |
| D．It can develop robotic technology. |
It’s a sure sign that summer is over and winter is on the way — leaves that were once deep green turn red, yellow and bright orange. It happens every autumn. But did you ever wonder why?
The leaves start changing color when the nights start getting longer and the temperature starts getting cooler. Some scientists think that as the number of daylight hours shrinks, the leaves stop making chlorophyll which makes plants green. The reason is that the process of making chlorophyll requires sunlight. But according to horticulture (园艺) educator Susan Rose from Colorado State University, it turns out leaves don’t really change color at all. “The fall colors are actually there all along,” she said. “But they are covered by the green chlorophyll. As the chlorophyll stops being produced, the other colors can shine through.”
The kind of color that the leaves are going to change to is determined by the plant’s genetic (基因的) background. In some places, the leaves start changing color in September — before autumn even officially begins. In other places, they don’t change until late October or even November. Some scientists say the leaves have been changing color later than usual in recent years. And they think global warming has something to do with that.
In one study, researchers found that the growing season in the Northern Hemisphere was nearly a week longer, on average, in 2008 than it was in 1982. And a professor from Harvard University found that the leaves, west of Boston, Massachusetts, are changing color about three days later than they used to. However, other scientists disagree with the global warming theory. Susan Rose said the leaves in her part of Colorado are changing “right on schedule.” But the leaves in other parts of that state are running a little late. “The lateness in the mountains may have something to do with the really warm late summer and early fall,” she said. “But I’m afraid that’s just a guess.”According to Susan Rose, _____.
| A．the fall colors are always in leaves |
| B．leaves make chlorophyll all the seasons |
| C．leaves’ changing color have nothing to with the weather |
| D．leaves begin changing color because they start making chlorophyll |
The underlined word “shrinks” in Paragraph 2 could best be replaced by _____.
| A．reduces | B．increases | C．lasts | D．appears |
Scientists guess leaves change color later than usual probably as a result of _____.
| A．genetic background | B．dry weather |
| C．global warming | D．low temperature |
The purpose of the last paragraph is to tell readers _____.
| A．why leaves change color at fall |
| B．leaves change color at different time |
| C．the effects of the global warming on plants |
| D．different opinions on the lateness of leaves’ changing color |
Have you listened to music on an iPod? Used a computer at home? Those are just two of the ways your life was touched by the work of Steve Jobs.
Jobs, one founder of Apple Computers, died on Wednesday, October 5, 2011 at the age of 56. He had been fighting with cancer since 2004.
Steven Jobs was born in Los Altos, California. He and his childhood friend, Steve Wozniak, designed and built the first Apple computer in his parents’ garage in the 1970s. The Apple II, built when Jobs was just 21 years old, was the first personal computer to be widely sold to the public.
Steven Jobs didn’t stop there. He went on to invent more devices (设备) that allowed people to bring their own creativity to computing: the Macintosh, the iPod, the iPhone, the iPad. People found his products beautiful and easy to use.
Jobs also changed the music and film industries. He started Pixar, a film production company in 1986. Toy Story was the world’s first computer-animated feature film (电脑动画电影).
“Steve was among the greatest of American innovators — brave enough to think differently, confident enough to believe he could change the world, and clever enough to do it,” said President Barack Obama. “By making computers personal and putting the Internet in our pockets, he made the information revolution not only easy to reach, but fun ... And there may be no greater praise to Steve’s success than the fact that much of the world learned of his death on a device he invented.”
All around the world, people are talking about the effects that Jobs’ creations have had. By creating products that surprised people, he changed the way people worked and lived their everyday lives.Which of the following about Steve Jobs is NOT true?
| A．He was born in California in 1955. |
| B．He built the Apple II in 1970. |
| C．He set up a film production company at 31. |
| D．He was found to suffer from cancer at 49. |
The underlined word “innovators” in Paragraph 6 could best be replaced by _____.
| A．inventors | B．businessmen | C．producers | D．founders |
According to Barack Obama, the highest praise for Steve Jobs is that _____.
| A．his products are widely used all over the world |
| B．his products are thought to be beautiful and easy to use |
| C．people all over the world are sad at his death |
| D．people learned about his death from his products |
Jobs changed the way we work and live by _____.
| A．building the first personal computer |
| B．making computer-animated feature films |
| C．developing the music industry |
| D．creating surprising products |
Dana Cummings was in his thirties before he first went surfing. But, even more interesting is that Dana Cummings chose to learn the sport after losing a leg in a car accident. Now, nine years later, he helps other disabled (伤残的) people learn how to ride the waves in AmpSurf.
On the coast of Maine, he is working with 27-year-old Matthew Fish, who is partly blind. Cummings takes hold of Fish and leads him into the ocean. The surfboard floats next to them. Fish lies on the surfboard. He tries to stand up on it. After a few attempts (尝试) he is up and riding all the way back to land. “That was exciting,” Fish says.
A car accident in 2002 took Dana Cummings’ leg. He says the crash changed him more than just physically. “Losing my leg made me realize how precious (珍贵的) life is and get off the couch and start living. I do more things now than I ever did before. Next week I am going to compete in a contest in Hawaii,” Dana says.
One year later Dana Cummings formed AmpSurf. AmpSurf is a group that volunteers to hold surfing classes and events for people with all kinds of disabilities.
Recently, AmpSurf took its training programs to the East Coast. Eleven students attended the class in Maine. They came from all over the northeastern United States.
Dana Cummings thinks AmpSurf can change the way a disabled person thinks. “Most people with disabilities consider himself or herself unlucky and useless, but we want them to see what they can do. Who cares you lose your leg or you are blind, whatever? Have fun. Just enjoy life. Take the most advantage of it you can,” Dana says.Matthew Fish thinks learning to ride the waves is _____.
| A．boring | B．easy | C．interesting | D．difficult |
When did Dana Cummings set up AmpSurf according to the text?
| A．In 2002. | B．In 2003. | C．In 2008. | D．In 2011. |
According to Dana Cummings, AmpSurf can _____.
| A．ease the physical pain of the disabled |
| B．help the disabled learn to get used to their life |
| C．change the attitude of the disabled towards life |
| D．make the disabled pay more attention to their disabilities |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Dana Cummings — a great surfer |
| B．AmpSurf — a training group |
| C．How to learn to live with disabilities |
| D．Disabled surfers ride the waves |
The Production Department can be a fun place to work in a TV station. It can also be quite stressful if the station broadcasts a significant amount of live programming. There can be a number of interesting positions in this department. Here is a list of the core ones:
The Production Manager heads the department, and is the person to contact if you are interested in working in this area. He or she oversees all activities in the studios, hires and fires workers, meets with customers who want to produce an advertisement, and monitors expense budgets for the department. The person in this position may also sometimes act as a Director, Producer, Camera Operator, or any other role in which they are proficient.
Directors lead the crew during a production session. Over a headset, the Director tells Camera Operators what shots to get and the Technical Director (TD) what audio and video to put on the air. Directors work closely with the Producer of each program, ensuring that the final product meets with the Producer’s demands.
A Technical Director is a master at “punching” up the correct video source. In other words, if the Director calls for camera one, the Technical Director puts camera one on the air. The TD sits in front of a massive board called a “swicher” during production sessions, which allows him or her to literally switch between video sources. Since this can be a high-pressure, fast-moving job, the best Technical Directors are people who can stay even-tempered and in control.
The Stage Manager is responsible for everything that goes on in the television studio. This person makes sure all of the equipment is in good working order, oversees the building and placement of all staging, and may even set the lighting for all productions. Really efficient Stage Managers take pride in their studios, and it would not be unusual to see this person sweeping the floor or cleaning the sets between productions. This is a leadership position, which often leads to promotion to the position of Production Manager.According to the writer, working in the Production Department _______.
| A．is an interesting experience |
| B．is always very stressful |
| C．needs much professional knowledge |
| D．is the best choice to work in a TV station |
The Production Manager ______.
| A．seldom takes part in producing programs |
| B．is also called “Producer” |
| C．usually trains new workers in person |
| D．is responsible to deal with advertisers |
The Technical Director _______.
| A．decides what shots to get |
| B．works closely with the Producer |
| C．meets the demands of Camera Operators |
| D．carries out the orders by the Director |