HaveyouheardaboutPostOfficeCat-优题课

What science fiction once told of other worlds far away is now a fact. Astronomers prove another solar system like ours with some planets in the constellation (星座) Andromeda ( 仙女座).
Geoffrey Marcy is a professor of astronomy and physics at San Francisco State University and says, “What we have found now, for the first time ever, is indeed a fully-grown system of planets around the star Upsilon Andromeda. It appears to have three planets, one close in, one at a middle distance, and one farther out.” The star is slightly larger than our sun. The planets are huge, like our Jupiter(木星)
Marcy’s partner in this research, Debra Fischer, describes the solar system, “Here’s the inner planet that goes around every 46 days, the middle planet that goes around every 242 days, and then the outer planet that goes around every three and a half to four years.”
Astronomically, it’s not far away, 44 light years. The sun of that solar system, Upsilon Andromeda, is so near and bright that it can be seen by using no equipment during summer and fall.
For twelve years astronomers searched the skies in the belief that if our sun has planets around it, surely others do, too. Geoffrey Marcy says, “And then starting three and a half years ago, we began finding for the first time planets singly, one planet here around one star.”
“When I look up at the stars now at night, I can imagine easily that every one of them has planets around them,” says Debra Fischer.
It was a tremble in the star that led Marcy to the planets. “The star rocks around due to the gravity of the planet much like a dog owner gets pulled around by a little dog.”
Can they support life? We don’t know, because present technology is not advanced enough to determine what the planets are made of. “That,” Marcy says , “is astronomy’s next challenge.”
1. What’s the relation between Andromeda (A), Upsilon Andromeda system (U) and the mentioned planets (P) ?
2. According to Debra Fischer, in the new solar system, ________.
A. the larger a planet is, the shorter it takes to go around the star.
B. it takes all the planets around three and a half to four years to go around the star
C. the planets move around the star at uneven speeds
D. the farther a planet is from the star, the longer it takes to go around the star
3. What led to Marcy’s discovery of the planets?
A. The tremble of Upsilon Andromeda.
B. That any planet has gravity.
C. That he believes any star has its planets.
D. that he found a dog owner was pulled by his dog.
4. We can infer that the scientists are .
A. to find means to communicate with the living beings on the planets
B. to find means to travel to the planets
C. soon to be able to answer the question of whether there is life on these planets
D. to find out whether the planets can support life.

The old camera Brownie picked up in a charity shop was a splendid find .But the undeveloped film still inside turned out to be even more of a treasure.
New owner Don Roccoforte had it developed and saw in it an attractive dark haired woman in her thirties with two young boys. He immediately determined to try to find out who they were.
A few weeks later the California-based camera collector received the news that left him stunned. The woman was his wife Jaqueline’s aunt in a picture taken around 50 years ago, and one of the boys, her cousin.
The couple have now unraveled（揭开）the astonishing coincidence ,which leads back to Mrs. Roccoforte’s native Lancashire, where many of her family still live. The camera was bought from a shop in Preston by Brownie, a friend of Mr. Roccoforte, who knew of his interest in photography and thought it would be an unusual gift.
Back in California, the contents of his new possession inspired Mr. Roccoforte’s curiosity. Recognizing the water in the background of the photo as a lake in Lancashire; he sent a copy to the local paper in Preston to see if any readers could help.
Another relative recognized the group as Winnie Bamber, still living in the area at the age of 81, her son Tony, Mrs. Roccoforte’s cousin, and Tony’s childhood friend, Mick Murphy.
Yesterday Mrs. Bamber was still gasping（惊讶地吸气）at the turn of events which has reunited two strands（分支）of her family.
She said she remembered taking the boys to the lake and losing the camera. The two boys, both now 58, still live near Preston.
Mrs. Roccoforte’s father is Winnie Bamber’s brother, Billy Charnley.
He and his wife moved to America in the 1960s. Their daughter met Mr. Roccoforte there and they married and moved to Preston for two years before returning to America.
1 Which of the following is the right order of what happened?
a. Don Roccoforte received a special present from his friend.
b. Another relative recognized Winnie Bamber and the two boys.
c. Winnie Bamber ,together with two boys ,went to take pictures at a lake.
d. Don Roccoforte sent a copy of the picture to a paper in Preston.
e. The film was developed.
f. The camera was lost.
g. Brownie bought an old camera in a shop.
A. c→f→b→a→d→g→e B. b→c→a→f→d→e→g
C. c→f→g→a→e→d→b D. a→c→b→f→e→g→d
2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. Tony is the son of Winnie Bamber.
B. Billy Charnley’s daughter was married to Don Roccoforte.
C. Brownie married Winnie Bamber.
D. Mrs. Roccoforte is Winnie Bamber’s niece.
3. The underlined word “stunned” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. disappointed B. shocked C. worried D. satisfied
4. The best title for this passage would be ________.
A. The Film that Waited 50 Years to Be Developed
B. An Unusual Reunion after about Half a Century
C. A Special Present to a Special Friend
D. An Old Camera and the Beautiful Pictures Inside

第三部分阅读理解 (共15小题；每小题2分，满分30分)
请认真阅读下列短文，从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
A “blogger” is a person who writes on an Internet website called a “blog”. The word “blog” is a short way of saying “web log”, or “personal website”. Anyone can start a blog, and they can write about anything they like.
There are millions of blogs on the Internet today. They provide news, information and ideas to the people who read them. They contain links to other websites. And they provide a place for people to write their ideas and react to the ideas of others.
A research company called Perseus has studied more than 3,000 web logs. It says that blogs are most popular with teenage girls. They use them to let their friends know what is happening in their lives. The study also says that more than 100,000 bloggers stopped taking part in the activity after a year.
However, some people develop serious blogs to present political and other ideas. For example, the Republican and Democratic parties in the southern state of Kentucky recently started their own blogs. And American companies are beginning to use blogs to advertise their products.
At the same time, some long-standing blogs have ended. Last week, blogging leader Dave Winer closed his free blog service “weblogs.com”. He said the site became too costly to continue. He started the blog four years ago, and thousands of people had written on it. They are now upset because they did not know that the site was closed.
One blog that is still going strong is called Rebecca’s Pocket. Rebecca Blood created the website in 1999. She wrote about the history of blogs on the site. That article led to a book called The Weblog Handbook. It has been translated into four languages so far.
Miss Blood says Rebecca’s Pocket gets about thirty thousand visitors a month. She writes about anything and everything—politics, culture and movies. She recently provided medical advice. And she wrote about how to prevent being stolen from online bank accounts.
1. The text is mainly written to ________.
A. introduce an Internet website called “blog” B. tell readers about blogs
C. introduce a short way of saying “web log” D. tell readers how to write blogs
2. From the text we can learn that blogs cover almost everything except ________.
A. different ideas B. medical advice
C. advertisements D. account passwords
3. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the text?
A. Politicians don’t use blogs at all.
B. A lot of bloggers no longer write or read blogs.
C. Those who like to use blogs are mostly teenage girls.
D. Dave Winer closed his “weblogs.com” because of the money shortage.
4. The reason why Rebecca’s Pocket is still going strong is that ________.
A. it was created by a woman B. it is about the history of blogs
C. it provides useful information and advice
D. it has editions in at least four different languages

New York Helmsley Hotel
New York City, NY
KAYAK members are specially offered the New York Helmsmen Hotel, a world – class hotel located in the heart of Midtown Manhattan, within walking distance of Times Square, Grand Central Station and the United Nations, as well as the Theatre District and Rockefeller Center.
Gaylord Palms
Orlando, FL
Gaylord Palms Hotel and Convention Center offers excitement to KAYAK members with world – class restaurants, dynamic on – site recreation, and breathtakingly beautiful gardens under glass. The Gaylord offers great room and food service close to the world’s most trilling places – Disney, Sea World, and Universal.
Affinia Chicago
Chicago, IL
Steps from the Magnificent Mile, the Affinia Chicago is best known for its perfect location at the Windy City’s center of shopping, entertainment, culture and business. Known for its fast pace, famous museums, amazing buildings, and action – packed sporting events, Chicago offers something for every KAYAK member.
The Liaison Capitol Hill, An Af finia Hotel
Washington DC
KAYAK members seeking the typical DC experience are offered the Liaison Capitol Hill. Having a great location on Capitol Hill, The Liaison Capitol Hill is the closest hotel to the U. S. Captiol. The Smithsonian, Union Station and dozens of the country’s most visited museums and monuments are within walking distance.
1．What do these hotels have in common?
A．They are all near shopping center.
B．They are all favorably located.
C．They all have world – class restaurants.
D．They all attract people with their low prices.
2．Which might be the best place for parents with kids to spend their holiday?
A．Orlando, FL B．Chicago, IL
C．Washington DC D．New York City, NY
3．If you are interested in museums, which may be your best hotels to stay in?
A．New York Helmsely Hotel and Affinia Chicago.
B．The Liaison Capitol Hill and Gaylord Palms.
C．The Liaison Capitol Hill and Affinia Chicago
D．Gaylord Palms and New York Helmsley Hotel.

Hillary Rodham Clinton arrived at the White House after serving as First Lady of Arkansas for twelve year. On many occasions, Hillary Clinton has spoken about the need to find the right balance in our lives. For her, the elements of that balance are family, work, and public service.
Hillary Diane Rodham was born in Chicago, Illinois, on October 26, 1947. An excellent student. Hillary also enjoyed sports and was always interested in politics. Graduating from Wellesley College with high honors, she entered Yale Law School, where she developed her special concern for protecting the best interests of children and their families. It was there that she met Bill Clinton, a fellow student.
In 1973, Hillary became a lawyer for the Children’s Defense Fund. In 1975 Hillary left Washington and followed her heart to Arkansas, marrying Bill Clinton. The couple taught together in the University of Arkansas. Their daughter. Chelsea, was born in 1980. As First Lady of Arkansas, Hillary continued to work tirelessly for the benefit of children and families. She introduced a program training parents to work with their preschool children. Because of her efforts, Hillary was named Arkansas Mother of the Year in 1984. Hillary Rodham Clinton brings her own special talents, experience, style and interests to the role of First Lady of the US. She played a leading part in national Health Care Reform.
Hilary Clinton was elected to the US Senate (参议院) in 2000, becoming the first Lady elected to public office and the first female senator to represent New York. In 2006, Senator Clinton won re-election to the Senate, and in 2007 she began her historic campaign for President. In 2008, she campaigned for the election of Barrack Obama and Joe Biden, and in November, she was chosen by President elect Obama as Secretary of State.
1．What do we know from the first paragraph?
A．Hillary Rodham Clinton never finds it hard to balance herself in life.
B．Family, work and public service are all important to Hillary Clinton.
C．The experience as First Lady of Arkansas led her to the White House.
D．Before entering the White House, Hillary had worked for the First Lady.
2．Why did Hillary leave the Children’s Defense Fund?
A．Because she wanted to marry Bill Clinton who was in Arkansas.
B．Because she married Bill Clinton and had to move to Arkansas.
C．Because she found she fell in love with Arkansas.
D．Because she was offered a better job in the University of Arkansas.
3．Where did Bill Clinton get his high education?
A．At Wellesley College.
B．At the Children’s Defense Fund.
C．At the University of Arkansas.
D．At Yale Law School.
4．Which is the right order of the following events?
a. Hillary was elected to the United States Senate.
b. Hillary was chosen as Secretary of State.
c. Hillary served as the First Lady.
d. Hillary supported Obama in his presidential election.
e. Hillary began her campaign for President.
A．c, a, e, d, b B．c, e, d, b, a C．a, e, c, b, d D．b, e, c, d, a