A recent survey of 2000 parents in Britain showed that they are often afraid of science questions asked by their curious children only because they have no idea what the answer is. Here is a list of some simple questions that you can ask your parents to see if they know the answers.
Q: Why is the sky blue?
A: You probably know white sunlight is made up of seven colors. While it moves in a straight line when going through space, it starts to divide as it hits “raised area” in the atmosphere. The ones with longest wavelengths pass through easily. The blue , however , can be taken in by the gas molecules (分子) because it has a shorter wavelength , which in turn scatters (使分散) it in different directions. That’s why when you look up at the sky, it appears to be blue.
Q:Why does the moon sometimes appear during the daytime?
A: The simple answer to that is because just like any other object it is being lit by the sun. As long as it is around 45 degrees or even 90 degrees off the sun, it will receive light and be able to be seen. The only time it is not able to be seen during its 28-day orbit (轨道) around the earth is when it is right between the earth and the sun. That’s because its back , which is not lit by the sun, is facing us.
Q: Where do birds/ honeybees go in winter?
A: While the bird part is quite easy, since a lot of them get together and travel, the honeybee part is likely to puzzle your parents. It turns out that these busy insects stop being that active when the temperature drops below 50°F. Instead ,they get together in the lower central area of the hive （蜂巢）and form a ball around their queen. This helps keep both warm enough to survive the cold winter months.The sky looks blue mainly because the color blue in the sunlight_______.
| A．has the longest wavelength among all the colors |
| B．cannot be taken in by the gas molecules |
| C．doesn’t hit “raised area” in the atmosphere |
| D．cannot pass through space successfully |
How long can’t the moon be seen during the daytime in a month?
| A．2 | B．28 | C．30 | D．31 |
What do honeybees choose to do when the temperature drops below 50°F?
| A．They choose to be active in the wild. |
| B．They choose to keep themselves warm. |
| C．They choose to travel to a warm place. |
| D．They choose to get together in the upper central area of the hive. |
What is NOT explained in the passage?
| A．Why is the sky blue? |
| B．Why is the moon able to be seen during the daytime? |
| C．Why do birds travel in winter? |
| D．Where do honeybees go in winter? |
Millions years ago much of our earth was covered with blocks (块) of ice. These ice blocks were as tall as high buildings in modern cities. Most of the ice was in the northern (北方的)part of the world.
Then the ice blocks started to move south. Cold and rain came with the ice. Animals and people had to move.
At last, the ice began to melt (融化). After half a million years, most of it had melted. More than half of the earth became covered with water. The climate became much warmer. Things began to grow. The earth began to look the way it looks today. Millions of years ago our earth was very _________________.
| A．warm | B．hot | C．cool | D．cold |
What did animals and people try to do when the ice blocks moved south?
| A．they tried to stop them moving. | B．They tried to melt them. |
| C．They tried to stay ahead of them. | D．They tried to move behind them. |
The melting ice maybe helped to form _____________.
| A．mountains and valleys | B．the sun, the moon and the earth |
| C．cities and countries | D．seas, lakes and rivers |
The underlined word “climate” means _______________.
| A．the freezing ice | B．the weather of the year |
| C．the moving of the ice blocks | D．a plant or an animal |
Which of these things maybe happened because the Ice Age ended?
a. Forests grew b. Food became harder to find
c. Fishing became easier d. The temperature dropped.
| A．a; b | B．b; d | C．c; d | D．a; c |
Mrs White was going to have her first baby very soon. Yesterday her husband took her to a hospital.So Mr White helped her get into car and drove her there. A nurse (护士)took Mrs White to her room and told Mr White that he could go home and she could call him when the baby arrived(出生). But Mr White said he liked to wait at the hospital. The nurse said .“You may wait outside.” Mr White was walking up and down at about midnight（午夜）when the nurse came out of the room and said with a smile.“Which would you like better, a boy or a girl?”“A girl,” said Mr White.“I have an elder sister,and she loves me.”“Well,”said the nurse,”“it’s a boy this time.”“That’s all right，”said Mr White happily,“That’s my second choice.” Why did Mr White take Mrs White to a hospital?
Because they wanted to see an old friend.
Because they wanted to give their child something.
Because Mrs White was going to have her first baby very soon.
Because they needed some help. Mr White was______ all the time.
| A．Waiting outside | B．staying with Mrs White |
| C．waiting at home | D．helping the nurse |
Why did Mr White like to have a girl?
| A．because the girl looked like him. |
| B．Because his elder sister loved him. |
| C．Because the girl looked like Mrs White. |
| D．Because he didn’t have much time to look after a boy. |
Mr White _______.
| A．had a boy |
| B．had a girl |
| C．had a boy and a girl |
| D．told the nurse that Mr White wanted a boy |
Which of the following is NOT wrong?
| A．Mr White didn’t like to have wrong. |
| B．Mrs White told Mr White that they had a baby. |
| C．Mr White was very happy that he had a baby. |
| D．Mr White went to the hospital by bus. |
This is a true story in Guyana. One day, a child took some silver paper from a cigarette box. He rolled it into a tiny ball and pushed it up his nose. He couldn’t get it out again. He ran crying to his mother. His mother couldn’t get the paper out, either. A week later the paper was still in his nose. His nose began to have a bad smell. So his mother took his child to the hospital. The doctor looked up his nose. She put a tiny steel rod（钢棒）into his nose and felt the paper. She said she would have to cut his nose to get the paper out. The child’s mother came home looking sad. She didn’t want her child to have his nose cut. He was a handsome boy and the cut would make him ugly.
Next day, the child’s mother took him to her friend Sidney. Sidney lived in a house with an old woman called May. She asked to see the child, so the child let her look up his nose. He closed his eyes. “Yes, I can see it,” May said. “It will be out soon!” As she spoke, she shook black pepper on the child’s nose. He gave a mighty sneeze and the paper flew out. His mother was surprised. May told her to take the boy to the sea for a swim. She said the salt water would go up his nose and stop the bad smell. So the child didn’t have to go to the hospital and gave his nose cut.How did the silver ball go into the boy’s nose?
| A．His mother put it into his nose. |
| B．The boy himself pushed the ball up his nose. |
| C．The silver ball rolled into his nose itself. |
| D．The passage didn’t tell us. |
Why did the boy’s nose have a bad smell?
| A．The ball stayed in his nose for too long. |
| B．The boy didn't like to wash his nose. |
| C．His nose is cut and gave a bad smell. |
| D．Because he had a running nose. |
What can help to stop the bad smell?
| A．Some medicine. | B．Some black pepper. | C．Fresh air. | D．The salt water. |
In the last paragraph, the underlined wordmighty means _____________.
| A．有力的 | B．可能的 | C．好笑的. | D．坚硬的 |
Who is reading your blogs or checking out your information online? Two reports show that surfing the Internet and sending personal information to people you do not know could be a problem.
Most sites give users their own webspace where they can write their diaries or post their pictures. The sites encourage users to get their friends to look at their work and to comment（评论）on what are posted on the sites.
Teachers are worried that some children are posting their personal information on websites. This could put them at risk from those who plan to do harm to young people. Teachers are also worried some users think it is OK to use the websites in a way that could get others into trouble.
In a school in Illinois（伊利诺斯州）in the US where some popular sites are used wildly, the school would punish（惩罚）students who posted pictures or information about smoking , drinking and other illegal（违法的）activities on the websites.
The school is now going to encourage its 3,200 students to obey a new rule. The warning is clear. That is, be careful when posting information about yourself such as your age, sex, address and interests on a website that anyone can see.
Another warning about the Internet comes from a report. It shows searchers are leading users to websites that show them spam（垃圾短信）and other dangerous downloads.The words “ free screen savers” were found to be the most dangerous words that people search for.
It is well-known that visiting sites offering free MP3s leave users at serious risk. Spyware（监控软件）should be installed on their computers. So, happy surfing ,but remember not to get caught in the Net!What kinds of pictures or information are not allowed on the websites in a school in Illinois?
| A．Smoking , drinking and exercising. |
| B．Drinking, fighting and playing. |
| C．Smoking, drinking and fighting. |
| D．Chatting, watching and smoking. |
What does the underlined phrase “screen savers” in the sixth paragraph mean?
| A．The program of hurting screens. |
| B．The program of protecting screens |
| C．The program of using screens less. |
| D．The person who uses screens less. |
How do the users avoid the danger of downloading information?
| A．By using spyware. | B．By not going online. |
| C．By getting others into trouble. | D．By being happy. |
What’s the best title of this passage?
| A．Happy but safe surfing. | B．Don’t comment on the Internet. |
| C．Warning about downloads. | D．Activities on the websites. |
Researchers have announced（宣布）the result of two studies on the health effects of the drug aspirin（阿斯匹林）. One study shows aspirin can sharply reduce the chance that a healthy, older man will suffer from a heart attack（心脏病）.
The study offered two new results from earlier findings. It said taking one aspirin pill every other day helped only healthy men over the age of fifty. It also said aspirin gave the greatest protection against heart attacks to men with low blood cholesterol（胆固醇）levels.
Earlier in the United States began a major aspirin study in the early 1980s. It included 22,000 healthy men doctors. All were between the ages of fifty and eighty-four. Almost 11,000 of the doctors took a harmless（无害的）pill that contained no drug. The men did not know which kind of pill they were taking.
The doctors who took aspirin suffered 44% fewer heart attacks than those taking the harmless pill. 139 men who took aspirin suffered from heart attacks. Ten of them died. 239 men who did not take aspirin suffered from heart attacks. Twenty-six of them died.
The researchers said the doctors’ study provided clear proof（证据）that taking aspirin could prevent a first heart attack in healthy, older men. They said, however, the result did not mean every man over the age of fifty should take aspirin. They said aspirin couldn’t help men who did not eat healthy foods, who smoked cigarettes and who were fat. The researchers said men who thought they would be helped by taking aspirin should talk with their doctors first.The passage tells us that the new use of aspirin is ______.
| A．to treat heart disease |
| B．to reduce pain while one suffers from a heart attack |
| C．to help old people to be more healthy |
| D．to reduce the chance of a heart attack in old men |
Aspirin can help those who ______.
| A．work as doctors | B．are under 40 years old |
| C．are fat and smoke cigarettes | D．are older and healthy |
At last the researchers advised us to take aspirin ______.
| A．with care | B．as much as we like |
| C．every day | D．only considering the age |
From the experiment we can know that about ______ of people who suffered from heart attacks without aspirin died.
| A．7% | B．11% | C．19% | D．44% |