Imagine the situation. You are driving along a desert or on a mountain. You have no idea where you are. You passed the last house two hours ago. Then your car breaks down. It is night and it is cold. You have no mobile phone. What do you do? Well, next time take a GPS with you. This invention may be able to help you. It is a device (装置) which uses satellites (卫星) to find the user’s position (位置). It can find your position to within 20 metres. A GPS cannot start your car, but at least you will know where you are.
GPS, which means Global Positioning System, is a small radio receiver. It looks like a mobile phone. It is sometimes put into a watch or a telephone. We also find GPS devices in cars, planes, or boats. Some of these devices have electronic maps, so you know where you are. For example, in a city they can tell you the name of the street.
There are three parts to the Global Positioning System. The first part is the receiver. You can hold it in your hand, or have it fixed into your car, plane, etc. The second part is a group of satellites orbiting(环绕…运行) the Earth. The receiver contacts at least four of the satellites and calculates its position. The third part of the system is a network of ground stations. They are all over the world. They control the satellites and make sure they are working well.
Some people think that in the future the GPS will be as common as the mobile. They are becoming cheaper and more and more accurate. Also there will be new uses for the GPS. Perhaps they will become like watches. Everyone will have one and you will never be lost anywhere.GPS can help you find your position, can’t it?
What does a GPS look like?
How many things are mentioned that GPS devices can be put into?
Why do some people think GPS devices will be popular in the future?
What is the use of ground stations?
What is the author’s purpose of writing this passage?
Reading is the key to school success and, like any skill, it takes practice. A child learns to walk by practicing until he no longer has to think about how to put one foot in front of the other. An excellent sportsman practices until he can play quickly, correctly and without thinking. Educators call it “automaticity (自动性)”.
A child learns to read by sounding out the letters and finding the meaning of the words. With practice, he stumbles less and less, reading by the phrase (短语). With automaticity, he doesn’t have to think about the meaning of words, so he can give all his attention to the meaning of the text.
It can begin as early as first grade. In a recent study of children in Illinois schools, Alan Rossman of Northwestern University found that automatic readers in the first grade not only read almost three times as fast as the others, but also got better results in exams.
According to Rossman, the key to automaticity is the amount (数量) of time a child spends reading , not his IQ. Any child who spends at least 3.5 to 4 hours a week reading books, magazines or newspapers will probably reach automaticity. It can happen if a child turns off TV just one night for reading at home.
You can test yourself by reading something new which is suitable (适合) for your level. If you read aloud with expression, with a sense of the meaning of the sentences, you probably are an automatic reader. If you read brokenly, one word at a time, without expression or meaning, you need more practice.“Reading is the key to school success” means that reading .
| A．helps school develop faster |
| B．is a key to a successful school |
| C．helps students go to a key school |
| D．can improve students’ learning results |
Children with “automaticity” can read faster because they .
| A．know how to read the words |
| B．do not have to think while reading |
| C．read by themselves without any help |
| D．pay attention to the meaning of the text |
Rossman tells that any child who will possibly be an automatic reader.
| A．turns off TV one night 4 weeks |
| B．reads books by the word quickly |
| C．spends an hour reading every day |
| D．gets the same grades as others in exams |
The underlined word “stumble” in the passage means “” in Chinese.
| A．结结巴巴地读 | B．全神贯注地读 |
| C．心不在焉地读 | D．声情并茂地读 |
The best title for the passage is “”.
| A．IQ Is the Key to the Automaticity |
| B．TV Is Bad for Children’s Reading |
| C．Automaticity Depends on Practice |
| D．Automatic Reads Will Be Successful |
Welcome to Shawnee Mountain, a great place for skiing! All people can have a wonderful time here. For more information, you can visit www.shawneemt.com or call 570-421-7231.
| Some price as Shawnee Mountain Skiing Last year! 3 Minutes to the Top LIFT（电梯）TICKETS |
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| Winter 2011-2012 Price |
Midweek (open to close) |
Weekend/holiday (open to close) |
Night (3 pm to close) |
|
| Adult(成人)（Ages 19 to 61） |
$43 |
$50 |
$29 |
|
| Young Man*(Ages 18&under) |
$32 |
$36 |
$29 |
|
| Child (46cm tall & under with paying adult) |
FREE |
FREE |
FREE |
|
| College Student College ID(身份证)needed |
$33 |
$44 |
$29 |
|
| Soldier (active duty ID needed) |
$33 |
$44 |
$29 |
|
| Elders*(Ages 62 to 69) |
$33 |
$44 |
$29 |
|
| Super Elders*(Ages 70+) |
FREE |
FREE |
FREE |
|
| *proof(证明)of age may be needed |
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| Holiday periods: 12/25/2011 through 1/2/2012；2/21/2012 through 2/25/2012 |
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| Lift Hours |
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| Monday-Friday 9am-9pm Saturday8am-10pm Sunday8am-9pm |
Christmas Day Noon-5pm Night skiing 3pm-close Mid December-March |
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Shawnee Mountain is a wonderful place for
| A．staying | B．skiing | C．climbing | D．visiting |
Two parents and a child of 45cm tall will payfor the lift ticket on weekend.
| A．$100 | B．$86 | C．$50 | D．$43 |
If a soldier goes to the mountain,should be shown for a lift ticket.
| A．the proof of age | B．the college ID |
| C．the phone number | D．the active duty ID |
It is known that people can go to Shawnee Mountain.
| A．with expensive tickets at night | B．for 6hours on Christmas Day |
| C．from Mid December to March | D．just from Monday to Friday |
Which is NOT TRUE according to the passage?
| A．There are 2 holiday periods during a winter |
| B．The prices now are not the same as last year. |
| C．People over 70 are also welcome to be there |
| D．people can go to the mountain in the afternoon. |
Saturday, June 16th
In the morning, we went camping along a path in Green Natural Park. We were happy because it was a sunny day. We were expecting an enjoyable two-day holiday. On the way, we kept singing and making jokes.
However, in the afternoon, when we finished our picnic at one o’clock, it was dark and windy. Soon, there was a shower. Unluckily, none of us brought an umbrella. We ran about but we could find no place to hide.
Twenty minutes passed and it was still raining, There were hours to go before we reached the campsite (野营地). It was even worse that our small compass (指南针) showed that we went to the wrong way. We had lost our way!
We had to make a quick decision as it was raining heavily. Chris said we could set up a tent to hide in, so Mary and Tom helped to set up the tent. Chris and I tried to make a fire to keep us warm. But we were unable to light the fire, as everything was wet. We dried ourselves, chatted and waited inside the tent. At about five o’clock, it stopped raining. We decided to give up the camping trip because all of us had been very tired.
This camping trip may not be very successful but we know each other better. And the most important thing I’ve learned from this trip is the importance of team spirit.The writer went camping in Green Natural Park .
| A．for 4 hour | B．for 2 days |
| C．in June | D．in the afternoon |
It was even worse that they .
| A．had no picnic | B．lost their way |
| C．couldn’t light the fire | D．couldn’t know each other |
Chris suggested that they should in the rain.
| A．set up a tent | B．reach the campsite |
| C．keep singing | D．find a place to hide |
Which of the following is NOT true？
| A．It was sunny in the morning. |
| B．None of them had an umbrella. |
| C．They gave up the camping at last. |
| D．They ran about to dry themselves. |
The writer has learned the importance of from the trip.
| A．making a decision | B．working together |
| C．enjoying holidays | D．taking a compass |
阅读短文，按要求完成短文后的各项任务。
The holiday’s upon us．After months of study, you have some time to yourself．So, why not read a book? Well, some people will say, “Why trouble with books? We have the Internet and other media（媒体）that offer a lot more colorful programs．Books are history!”
But don’t be fooled．There’s still a lot to be said for reading-and reading as widely as possible．
One clear reason is that a well-chosen _________is a wonderful collection of _______ and expressions, so long as you have a good dictionary, of course．Believe me, it’s far easier to get new English words and expressions from a book or article than it is from the TV or the Internet．
But an even more important point is that books give you something that modern media simply can not. The webpage（网页）is always full of pictures and the text is often designed（设计） to make it as easy to read as possible．Though “easy” may be welcome, unluckily it’s of little use for any long-time development of reading skills and the general language level．For that, there’s still no substitute（替代品）for a book．
But perhaps the best single reason is that simply choosing what you read and doing it by yourself means that it’s something you do by and for yourself．You can choose what you want to read．It’s hard work, but while you are reading, you’ll find that what once seemed like a duty is now a pleasure．Reading can bring us great pleasure. 在(1)处空白处填上适当的词使句义完整、上下文通顺。_______ _________
将（2）句译成中文 ________________________________________________
回答问题：How many reasons for reading books does the text mention?_________________
在文中找出You can enjoy yourself after studying for months.同意句。__________________
在文中找出最能表达该短文主题的句子。______________________________
Recently, a solar-powered (太阳能动力的) plane took to the sky for the first time. It passed an important test on the way to travel around the world. 
The plane took off from an airport in Switzerland. It slowly rose above the fields and into the sky.
“There has never been an airplane of that kind that could fly — never an airplane so big, so light, using so little energy,” said Bertrand Piccard, a leader of the project.
During the 90-minute flight(飞行), the plane did several turns. It climbed nearly 1.6km above the countryside.
Engineers plan to test a night flight before July. Then they will use the results of the tests to build a second plane. They plan to travel around the world in that plane in 2012.
“We want to fly it day and night with no fuel (燃料),” Piccard said.
Piccard and pilot(飞行员) Andre Borschberg will take the plane around the world. They will make a few stops to change places and rest after a long time in the air — and to show off their airplane.
The plane will fly at 70 km per hour on average(平均). That is faster than a bike and slower than a car. The pilots will keep the plane in the air for up to five days at a time.The passage is probably taken from _____________.
| A．a postcard | B．a newspaper | C．a comic book | D．an advertisement |
The solar-powered plane ________________.
| A．is big and heavy | B．uses much energy |
| C．passed the first test | D．will have a night flight after July |
How long will it take the solar-powered plane to travel 140 km?
| A．About a day and a night. | B．About 5 days. |
| C．About 2 hours. | D．About 90 minutes. |
Which of the following is NOT mentioned(提到)in the passage?
| A．During the 90-minute flight, the solar-powered plane reached a height of 1.6km. |
| B．The solar-powered plane is slower than a car and faster than a bike. |
| C．Maybe the solar-powered plane will fly with no fuel. |
| D．It took a long time to build the solar-powered plane. |
The passage mainly talks about ___________________.
| A．the solar-powered plane |
| B．the speed of the solar-powered plane |
| C．how to make the solar-powered plane |
| D．the world travel of the solar-powered plane |