“NOW I just don't believe that. ”Surely all of us, at some point, have watched a movie and thought: It's simply badly researched,or the makers must think we're fools. Recently, The Daily Telegraph ran a humorous piece on untrue tech moments from some top movies. Let’s see what they are all about.
Tom Chiver, the writer of The Daily Telegraph uses his first example from the movie Independence Day, in which a character comes up with a virus(病毒)which destroys Windows the computer system the alien (外星人)spacecraft uses. “It's a good thing that they didn't have Norton Anti-virus,” jokes Chivers.
It's just one case of a movie that takes a lot of license with its science. Another one Chivers mentions is from the movie Star Wars, where the glowing light beams (光束)traveling through space look very impressive. But the problem is that in space there are no air particles (粒子)for the light to reflect off. In reality, they'd be invisible(看不见的), which wouldn’t look so cool on the big screen.
Most people think that the mind—bending Matrix films are made for great viewing. But for Chivers, the science in the movies is a little bit silly. He comments “…the film is based on the idea that humans are kept alive as electricity generators (发电机). This is not just unlikely —it's basically impossible. They would need more energy to stay alive than they would produce. It's just like saying that you'll power the car with batteries, and keep the batteries charged by running a generator from the wheels. ”
And finally, as Chivers points out, DNA is not replaceable. But this bit of elementary genetics passed the makers of the 2002 Bond film Die Another Day by. In the film the bad guy has “gene treatment” to change his appearance and his DNA, which is completely impossible in our real world.Which of the following does the writer agree with about the movie Independence Day?
A.It's a science fiction movie. |
B.It's about the alien spacecraft. |
C.It's produced by Tom Chiver. |
D.It's a jokey and humorous one. |
What is mainly talked about in the 4th paragraph?
A.How we can power the car with batteries. |
B.How Tom Chiver thinks of the Matrix films. |
C.How humans are kept alive as power generator. |
D.How the Matrix films are made for great viewing. |
Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A.The movie Star Wars is about the light beams in space. |
B.The author doesn't take the science in movies seriously. |
C.Nowadays nobody believes in science movies any more. |
D.There is a horrible virus in the movie Independence Day. |
The underlined word “They” in the 4th paragraph refers to ______.
A.human beings | B.car wheels |
C.Matrix films | D.electricity generators |
Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices — television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family’s farm. He did very well in school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.
One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world’s best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.
14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.
Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a receiver. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it “light in a bottle”.
Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo’s drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo’s early idea.
Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. In another room was the first television camera. Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year.
The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
56. Before he was 14 years old, _______________.
A. Philo had formed the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air
B. Philo had learned a great deal in science from his father
C. Philo had helped his parents on their family’s farm
D. Philo had had a very strong interest in science
57. How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?
A. By learning from his science teacher.
B. By reading a story about the idea in a magazine.
C. By thinking hard himself.
D. By using his knowledge about electrons.
58. Philo referred to “ _________ ” when he called something “light in a bottle”.
A. a container sending pictures and sound through the air
B. a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle
C. a receiver that held light and sent it on a line of electrons
D. a way to make electrons send pictures
59. We can infer from the passage that _________________.
A. without his teacher’s help, he would never have become interested in science
B. he made the first working television receiver and the first television camera himself
C. Philo’s early ideas about the television could not be understood by most people of that time
D. his invention was recognized and protected immediately he made it
60. In the passage, the author mainly tells us _______________.
A. that Philo Farnsworth was a great inventor
B. when and where the television was invented
C. who made it possible to create television
D. how Philo Farnsworth invented the television
I never expected that I would be so busy. Why can’t there be 25 hours a day?” complained Lou Ran in Hong Kong as final exams were going on.
The 18-year-old girl was Fujian Province’s ___48__ scorer in last year’s college entrance examination. After leaving school, she chose the Chinese University of Hong Kong __49__ both Peking University and Tsinghus University promised her a place.
“I want to experience a more international school and social life in Hong Kong. I’m __50__ in journalism, so Hong Kong will surely help widen my horizons,” Liu said.
It is about four months since Liu Ran set __51_ on Hong Kong. She missed home a lot at the beginning, because of the food and __52__problems.
“The canteen offers mostly Western or Guangdong food, but it’s convenient to cook for ourselves in our dorm if we like. People speak Cantonese and almost all classes are in English,” Liu explained.
Her English and Cantonese are now improving, but she still needs more __53_ to adapt to the new environment.
“I’m happy that I made the right __54__ to study here. With a mix of the Eastern and Western__55__, there is so much to discover and learn,” she said.
Most people agree that the direct, assertive(过分自信的) American personality is a virtue, but it sometimes surprises foreigners. In many cultures, respect for older people or those in positions of authority keeps others from expressing their true feelings. But in the U.S, children often argue with their parents, students may disagree with their teachers, and citizens may express opposition to the actions of the government. If the soup has a fly in it or the meat is too tough to chew, the diner can complain to the waiter, if the boss makes a mistake, an employee will politely point it out.
Some straight talk about the American character must include the admission that Americans have their faults. The extremely competitive nature of Americans is probably their worst fault. Of course, competition isn’t always bad. As a matter of fact, it promotes excellence by encouraging individuals and businesses to try to do their best. But the desire to get ahead of others sometimes causes people to do things that are unkind and even dishonest. Also, Americans admire what is practical, fast, efficient, and fresh. Sometimes they fail to understand and appreciate practices that have greater respect for more traditional, leisurely ways of doing things. On the other hand, people from other cultures may dislike the practical, challenging American lifestyle.
Despite culture differences, most foreigners give Americans credit for their virtues. Americans are generally viewed as friendly, adaptable, energetic, and kindhearted. Most newcomers to the U.S. like Americans, and the feeling is usually mutual. Perhaps the greatest American virtue is a deep interest in new ideas and new people. In a nation of immigrants, the foreigner does not remain an outsider for long.
73.Find a word in the last paragraph closest in meaning to the underlined word immigrant?
74.Why is the extremely competitive nature considered as one of American faults?(不超过10个词)
75.What does the passage mainly talks about? (不超过2个词)
阅读理解:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项。
The traditional tent cities at festivals such as Glastonbury may never be the same again. In a victory of green business that is certain to appeal to environmentally-aware music-lovers, a design student is to receive financial support to produce eco-friendly tents made of cardboard that can be recycled after the bands and the crowds have gone home.
Major festivals such as Glastonbury throw away some 10,000 abandoned tents at the end of events each year. For his final year project at the University of the West of England, James Dunlop came up with a material that can be recycled. And to cope with the British summer, the cardboard has been made waterproof.
Taking inspiration from a Japanese architect, who has used cardboard to make big buildings including churches, Mr. Dunlop used cardboard material for his tents, which he called Myhabs.
The design won an award at the annual New Designers Exhibition after Mr. Dunlop graduated from his product design degree and he decided to try to turn it into a business
To raise money for the idea, he toured the city’s private companies which fund new business and found a supporter in the finance group Mint. He introduced his idea to four of Mint’s directors and won their support. Mint has committed around £500,000 to MyHabs and taken a share of 30 per cent in Mr. Dunlop’s business. The first Myhabs should be tested at festivals this summer, before being marketed fully next year.
Mr. Dunlop said that the design, which accommodates two people, could have other uses, such as for disaster relief and housing for the London Olympics.
For music events, the cardboard houses will be ordered online and put up at the sites by the Myhabs team before the festival-goers arrive and removed by the company afterwards. They can be personalized and the company will offer reductions on the expense if people agree to sell exterior (外部的) advertising space.
The biggest festivals attract tens of thousands of participants, with Glastonbury having some 150,000 each year. Altogether there are around 100 annual music festivals where people camp in the UK. The events are becoming increasingly environmentally conscious.
1. “Eco-friendly tents” in paragraph 1 refer to tents _______.
A. economically desirable B. favorable to the environment
C. for holding music performances1 D. designed for disaster relief
2. Mr. Dunlop established his business .
A. independently with an interest-free loan from Mint
B. with the approval of the City’s administration
C. in partnership with a finance group
D. with the help of a Japanese architect
3. It is implied in the passage that _______.
A. the weather in the UK is changeable in summer
B. most performances at British festivals are given in the open air
C. the cardboard tents produced by Mr. Dunlop can be user-tailored
D. cardboard tents can be easily put up and removed by users.
4. The passage is mainly concerned with .
A. an attempt at developing recyclable tents
B. some efforts at making full use of cardboards
C. an unusual success of a graduation project
D. the effects of using cardboard tents on music festivals
5. Which of the following would be the best title for the text?
A. Don’t Use Tents Again
B. The Advantages of Tents
C. How to Produce Tents
D. The Development of Recyclable Tents
阅读理解:阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C和D项中,选出最佳选项。
It is difficult for doctors to help a person with a damaged brain Without enough blood, the brain lives for only three to five minutes
More often the doctors can’t fix the damage
Sometimes they are afraid to try something to help because it is dangerous to work on the brain
The doctors might make the person worse if he operates on the brain
Dr. Robert White, a famous professor and doctor, thinks he knows a way to help He thinks doctors should make the brain very cold. If it is very cold, the brain can live without blood for 30 minutes. This gives the doctor a longer time to do something for the brain.
Dr. White tried his idea on 13 monkeys. First he taught them to do different jobs, then he operated on them. He made the monkeys’ blood back to the monkeys’ brains. When the brain’s temperature was 10℃, Dr. White stopped the blood to the brain. After 30 minutes he turned the blood back on. He warmed the blood again. After their operations the monkeys were like they had been before. They were healthy and busy. Each one could still do the jobs the doctor had taught them.
1. The biggest difficulty in operating on the damaged brain is that_____.
A. the time is too short for doctors
B. the patients are often too nervous
C. the damage is extremely hard to fix
D. the blood-cooling machine might break down w*w
2. The brain operation was made possible mainly by .
A. taking the blood out of the brain B. trying the operation on monkeys first
C. having the blood go through a machine D. lowering the brain’s temperature
3. With Dr. White’s new idea, the operation on the damaged brain .
A. can last as long as 30 minutes B. can keep the brain’s blood warm
C. can keep the patient’s brain healthy D. can help monkeys do different jobs
4. What is the right order of the steps in the operations?
A. send the cooled back to the brain B. stop the blood to the brain
C. have the blood cooled down D. operate on the brain
A. a, b, c, d B. c, a, b, d C. c, b, d, a D. b, c, d, a
5. Which of the following is not true?
A. If there isn’t enough blood, the brain can live for only three to five minutes.
B. If the brain is very cold, it can live without blood for half an hour.
C. Dr. White tried his idea for thirteen times.
D. After their operations, the monkeys were healthy and busy again