Winter is dangerous for drivers because it’s so difficult to know what is going to happen and accidents take place easily. Bad weather can be waiting to meet you. Ice might be hiding under the snow, waiting to send you off the road. The car coming towards you might suddenly move across the road. Here are two rules for driving safely on icy roads:
Rule Number One is to drive smoothly. Irregular movements can make a car very difficult to manage. So each time you either turn the wheel, touch the brake or increase your speed, you must be as gentle and slow as possible. Just imagine you are driving with a full cup of hot coffee on the seat next to you. You should drive carefully enough in order that you wouldn’t get the coffee out of the cup.
Rule Number Two is to pay attention to what might happen. The more ice there is, the farther you have to look down the road. Test how long it takes to stop by gently braking. Remember that you may be driving more quickly than you think. Generally speaking, allow double your normal stopping distance when the road is wet, three times this distance on snow, and even more on ice. Try to stay in control of your car at all times, or you will get into trouble.Driving in winter is dangerous because _________.
| A．drivers usually have too much coffee |
| B．people drive three times faster than usual |
| C．unexpected things may often happen |
| D．people drive more gently and slowly |
Rule Number One mainly tells us _________.
| A．to drive fast on snowy roads | B．to increase the driving speed |
| C．to manage your car irregularly | D．to drive smoothly on icy roads |
Why does the writer mention “a full cup of hot coffee” in Paragraph2?
| A．To enjoy the driving with a cup of coffee. |
| B．To explain the importance of careful and smooth driving. |
| C．Because drinks are important for drivers. |
| D．Because he wants drivers to have a rest. |
Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?
| A．Winter Driving | B．Careless Driving |
| C．Traffic Accidents | D．Bad Weather |
Where do you think you might read such a passage?
| A．In dictionaries. | B．In cookbooks. |
| C．In advertisements. | D．In magazines. |
In July 1994 Jupiter, the largest planet in our solar system, was struck by 21 pieces of a comet (彗星). When the fragments (碎片) landed in the southern part of the giant planet, the explosions(爆炸) were watched by scientists here on the earth. But what if our own planet was hit by a comet?
The year is 2094. It has been announced that a comet is heading towards the Earth. Most of it will miss our planet, but two fragments will probably hit the southern part of the Earth. The news has caused panic.
On 17 July, a fragment, four kilometers wide, enters the Earth's atmosphere with a huge explosion. About half of the fragment is destroyed. But the major part survives and hits the South Atlantic at 200 times the speed of sound. The sea boils and an enormous(巨大的) wave is created and spreads. The wall of water rushes towards southern Africa at 800 kilometres an hour. Cities on the African coast are totally destroyed and millions of people are drowned. The wave moves into the Indian Ocean and heads towards Asia.
Millions of people are already dead in the southern part of the Earth, but the north won't escape for long. Tons of broken pieces are thrown into the atmosphere by the explosions. As the sun is hidden by clouds of dust, temperatures around the world fall to almost zero. Crops are ruined. Wars break out as countries fight for food. A year later civilization has collapsed(崩溃). No more than 10 million people have survived.
Could it really happen? In fact, it has already happened more than once in the history of the Earth. The dinosaurs were on the Earth for over 160 million years. Then 65 million years ago they suddenly disappeared. Many scientists believe that the Earth was hit by a space fragment. The dinosaurs couldn't survive in the cold climate that followed and they became extinct. Will we meet the same end?Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the author's description of the disaster in 2094?
| A．The whole world becomes extremely cold |
| B．All the coastal cities in Africa are destroyed |
| C．The visit of the comet results in wars |
| D．The whole mankind becomes extinct |
Why does the author mention dinosaurs at the end of the passage?
| A．Because they could only live in the warm climate |
| B．Because their extinction indicates future disasters |
| C．Because they once dominated(控制) the earth |
| D．Because dinosaurs and humans never live in the same age |
In writing the passage, the author intends to ______.
| A．give an accurate description of the possible disaster in the future |
| B．prove that humans will sooner or later be destroyed |
| C．warn of a possible disaster in the future |
| D．tell the historical development of the Earth |
It can be concluded that the passage is most probably part of a(n) ______.
| A．article of popular science | B．news report |
| C．research paper | D．horror story |
I was waiting for a phone call from my agent. He had left a message the night before, telling me that my show was to be cancelled. I called him several times, but each time his secretary told me that he was in a meeting and that he would call me later. So I waited and waited, but there was still no call. Three hours passing by, I became more and more impatient. I was certain that my agent didn’t care about my work, and he didn’t care about me. I was overcome with that thought. I started to shout at the phone, “Let me wait, will you? Who do you think you are?”
At that time I didn’t realize my wife was looking on. Without showing her surprise, she rushed in, seized the phone, tore off the wires, and shouted at the phone, “Yeah! Who do you think you are? Bad telephone! Bad telephone! ” And she swept it into the wastebasket.
I stood watching her, speechless. What on earth…?
She stepped to the doorway and shouted at the rest of the house, “Now hear this! All objects in this room——if you do anything to upset my husband, out you go!”
Then she turned to me, kissed me, and said calmly, “Honey, you just have to learn how to take control.” With that, she left the room.
After watching a crazy woman rushing in and out, shouting at everything in sight, I noticed that something in my mood had changed. I was laughing. How could I have trouble with that phone? Her antics helped me realize I had been driven crazy by small things. Twenty minutes later my agent did call. I was able to listen to him and talk to him calmly.Why did the author shout at the telephone?
| A．He was mad at the telephone. |
| B．He was angry with his agent. |
| C．He was anxious about his wife. |
| D．He was impatient with the secretary. |
What did the author’s wife do after she heard his shouting?
| A．She said nothing. | B．She shouted at him. |
| C．She called the agent. | D．She threw the phone away. |
What made the author laugh?
| A．His own behavior. | B．His wife’s suggestion. |
| C．His changeable feelings. | D．His wife’s sweet kiss. |
What does the underlined word “antics”(in the last paragraph) refer to?
| A．Smart words. | B．Unusual actions. |
| C．Surprising looks. | D．Anxious feelings. |
In the near future，we may be using our eyes to operate our smart-phones and tablets，even when it comes to playing popular games like Fruit Ninja．
The Gaze Group has been developing eye-controlled computer technology for nearly 20 years．But those devices have been firstly designed to help those with disabilities，and are very expensive．
“After a while，we figured out that probably the best way is to go for a mass-market way，” says Gaze’s Sune Alstrup Johansen．“where everybody would have this available．"
Johansen and some of his colleagues have formed a new company，the Eye Tribe，which is hoping to develop the technology on a mass commercial level．
The technology works with the help of the computing device toward the user’s face． After making sure of the user’s eye movements，the technology is then able to easily find where a person’s eyes are moving，and then allow the eyes to control a cursor（光标）．
“Our software can then determine the location of the eyes and know where you’re looking on the screen to make sure what you’re looking at，“reads an explanation on the Eye Tribe site．
There has been a gradual change toward hands-free technology in recent years， particularly in the gaming world．Recently Xbox released the Kinect device，which lets users control their Xbox and play certain games using only their hands，legs and voices． But still，most of these devices have been more of a gimmick than a practical way to use one’s hands to control a mobile device．Johansen said a replaceable filter（滤光器）would be a cheap，convenient way for most consumers．
And even as companies like The Eye Tribe work to create such a product for the average user, making the eye-controlled technology more accessible and less expensive will have similar benefits for physically disabled users.
For more articles on modern science，please CLICK here．Which of the following is the main idea of the passage?
| A．An introduction of a new device． |
| B．An introduction of smart-phones． |
| C．An introduction of eye-controlling technology． |
| D．An introduction of a new technology for the disabled． |
The underlined word“gimmick” probably means.
| A．a trick | B．a way | C．a lie | D．a dream |
According to the passage，we can learn that.
| A．the eye-controlling technology was first developed for the blind |
| B．the present developing 0f the technology will bring no good |
| C．there is no such a phone as we can use only with our eyes at present |
| D．the eye-controlling technology is only intended for the disabled people |
This passage is probably taken from.
| A．an experiment report | B．a science fiction |
| C．a school textbook | D．a science website |
All my life I had loved airports．To me，they were fl kind of magic gateway to the world，but today it seemed like a cold and heartless place．
“Well，here we are，the airport，"my sister said with fl sigh．As 1 watched her unload my luggage，I could see the sadness in her eyes．One last hug and a final good-bye and I would be on my way to a new lire abroad，leaving my beloved sister behind．
I looked at my sister and even though her eyes were filled with tears，she was trying to keep a brave face．“You’d better go or you’ll miss your flight，”she said．
“I am just going to walk away and not look back，” I said． As I held her one last time she whispered，“Don’t worry about me，I’ll be fine．"“I’ll miss you，” I replied with tears in my eyes．As I promised，I did not look back。but 1 was sobbing．To me it was the end of the world．
While boarding the plane 1 was still crying．I did not have the energy to put my bag in the overhead locker, so I put it on the empty seat next to mine．As I settled into my chair， a feeling of sadness overwhelmed（淹没） me．I felt like my best friend had just been taken away from me．
The plane shook heavily and the bag fell，with some stuff spreading on the floor．When I bent over to gather the things up，I saw an unfamiliar little book in the middle of my belongings．It was not until I picked it up that I realized that it was a diary．
Immediately I recognized my sister’s handwriting．“Hi，Sis，What a day it has been today．First you let me know that you are moving abroad and then my boss…”My sister had been keeping a diary for the past month and she was now passing it on to me．I was to write in it for the next couple of months and then send it back to her．Even though a large ocean separated us，at some point it felt like she was actually there．The writer started to cry.
| A．when she watched her sister unload her luggage |
| B．when she held her sister one last time |
| C．when she settled hherself into her chair |
| D．when she was boarding the plane |
what had the writer thought about airports before she separated from her sister?
| A．Airports brought freedom． |
| B．Airports were on the top of her love． |
| C．Airports led to the wonderful world． |
| D．Airports were fl cold and heartless place． |
From the writer’s and her sister’s tears，we can see.
| A．they loved each other very much |
| B．they felt sad about the new life |
| C．they were afraid of the separation |
| D．it was the end of the world to them |
What do we know about the diary from the passage?
| A．The writer’s sister gave it as a gift |
| B．The writer had put it in her own bag |
| C．The writer’s sister received it as a present |
| D．The two sisters would write in it and share it |
As most university students are packing their bags，boarding trains or flying home for the Spring Festival，some will stay behind to spend the holiday on campus．
Zhou Yunyun，22，a senior finance major at Jilin University，has decided that instead of traveling to Hainan province，he will kill the time by playing computer games with his online friends．
“I'm used to chatting and playing with them every day．It’s just fun to make friends this way，”he said．“When I returned home in past years，my relatives always asked me a lot of questions about my plans after graduation．They had high expectations of me，which made me feel stressed，” said Zhou．
The campus，usually lively，will probably turn into a death town，with most restaurants，shops and student centers closed during the break．But there are also a few advantages，according to Jia Debao，2 1，a junior majoring in administration at China Agricultural University．“I might feel a bit lonely，but at least I can stay away from my parents’ complaining and enjoy the peaceful and quiet stay，” he said．“More importantly，I can enjoy the high speed of the Internet，I can always find empty seats in classrooms，and I don’t have to wait to use the bathroorm” But education experts recommend students who stay on campus to come up with more interactive plans．That’s because communication on the Internet can’t replace real life interpersonal relationships．
Society has promoted a kind of“couch potato" or close-in culture among some young people, according to Shi Tongyu, a researcher at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. He warned that this kind of lifestyle can damage students’ mental and physical development.
“When you constantly stare at a computer screen and type on your keyboard，you gradually lose the ability to socialize and survive normally，"said Shi．“A human’s most important task is to survive，which cannot be completed by staying at home all the time． Instead，it must be achieved through real life experience and communication．”What can we learn about Zhou Yunyun?
| A．He feels very lonely on campus． |
| B．He will promote close-in culture． |
| C．He will spend the Spring Festival with relatives． |
| D．He will spend the Spring Festival with on-line friends． |
Spending the Spring Festival on campus for Jia Debao means.
| A．he will miss his parents a little bit |
| B．there will be more seats in classrooms |
| C．he will have a quiet and peaceful break |
| D．the speed of the Internet will get faster |
The underlined phrase“couch potato” is closest in meaning to.
| A．inactive person | B．close friend |
| C．sociable student | D．addicted gamer |
What do education experts recommend students to do?
| A．To do some traveling． |
| B．To stay more with families． |
| C．To find empty seats in classrooms． |
| D．To experience real lire and communication． |