Stephen Hawking was born in Oxford, England on 8th January, 1942. He went to school in St Allbans, a small city near London. Although he did well, he was never top of his class.
After leaving school, Hawking went first to Oxford University where he studied physics and then went to Cambridge University where he studied cosmology. As he himself admits, he didn't work hard. He was a very lazy student, and did very little work. However. he still got marks.
It was at the age of 20 that Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him. He started to bump into things. When he visited his family at Christmas time, his mother was so worried that she made him see a doctor. Hawking was sent to hospital for tests. Finally, the result came back. Hawking had motor neuron disease, an incurable illness which would make him unable to speak, breathe or move without the help of a machine. Doctor s said they had no way to help him. He would die before 23.
At first, Hawking became very depressed. After a while, though, he began to see his life in a different way. As he later wrote, "Before my illness was diagnosed(诊断), I had been very bored with life. There had not seemed to be anything worth doing. But shortly after I came out of hospital. I suddenly realized that there were a lot of worthwhile things I could do." Hawking married, found a job at Cambridge University as a professor. He strongly believes that his story shows that nobody, how bad their situation is. should lose hope. "Life is not fair." He once said. "You just have to do the best you can in your own situation."As a university student Stephen Hawking _______.
A.worked hard |
B.studied math and physics |
C.was the best student in his class |
D.was lazy and did very little work |
Hawking first noticed something was wrong with him when _______.
A.he was sent to hospital for test |
B.his mother made him see a doctor |
C.he was twenty |
D.he visited his family at Christmas time one year |
In the passage the word "incurable" means _______.
A.无法治愈的 | B.难以确诊的 |
C.常见的 | D.可以治愈的 |
When Hawking was first diagnosed with motor neuron disease, he _______.
A.made up his mind to get married |
B.began to see his life in a different way |
C.thought that nothing in life was worth(值得的) doing |
D.became very sad |
Scott was not happy. He had no money left to buy the new toy train he wanted. Suddenly,he had an idea! "I’ll ask my brother Alan if I can borrow some money. He always has money to lend people. "
Scott found Alan in his room. "Alan,may I borrow $20 from you to buy myself a new train?"
Alan replied,"I just spent all of my money on Mom’s birthday present. I have no money left. You are barking up the wrong tree. "
Scott was very disappointed. He decided to get a job. He went to many stores, but no one had a job for him. He walked and walked from store to store.
Finally,he got a job selling ice cream and he was very happy. "My feet are tired for walking all day,but I can get enough money for a toy train. "Why did Scott need to borrow money?
A. Because he needed to get a job.
B. Because he wanted to buy a new toy train.
C. Because he wanted to buy a present for his mother.The underlined( 划线) phrase "barking up the wrong tree" means______.
A. acting like a dog B. asking the wrong person
C. asking the right personAccording to the story, Scott might work in_______.
A. a dessert house B. a book store C. a clothing storeWhat do you think of Alan?
A. He was unfriendly. B. He was clever. C. He was kind.What can we know from the story?
A. Scott could get a new train.
B. Scott didn't like his brother.
C. Scott's family was very poor.
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Meat dishes mutton ¥60 Beijing duck¥35 beef with potatoes ¥20 rabbit ¥18 fried chicken ¥30 fried fish ¥25 |
Other foods tofu ¥4 cabbage ¥10 eggs and tomatoes ¥ 12 vegetable salad ¥7 egg and tomato soup ¥5 rice ¥ 1/bowl dumplings ¥5/plate noodles ¥5/bowl pie ¥8/plate |
Drinks cola ¥9/bottle green tea ¥ 10/cup coffee ¥30/cup milk ¥3/bottle yogurt¥3/bag orange juice¥ 12/glass |
What food is the cheapest?
A. Noodles. B. Potatoes. C. Rice.What drink is the most expensive?
A. Milk. B. Coffee. C. Orange juice.How many kinds of drinks are there?
A. Six. B. Seven. C. Eight.How much will you spend if you want a plate of dumplings and Beijing duck?
A. ¥35. B. ¥40. C. ¥57.Which of the following will cost you ¥42?
A. Beef with potatoes,a bowl of rice,eggs and tomatoes.
B. Mutton,milk, cabbage and a bottle of milk.
C. Fried chicken, vegetable salad and a bowl of noodles.
“You know, these cups brings to my mind a story I heard,” Mary said to her students.
She poured some tea. There were four of them and there were four completely different cups on the tables.
“I heard there was a teacher who took all his students for tea. His students were surprised that all the cups on the table were different. They all took a cup and started drinking their tea, each looking at the cups of others. The teacher said, “Did you notice your behavior? You are all looking at each other’s tea cup and some of you even envy(羡慕)the finer cups of others.”
“I put the different cups here on purpose. I want to say life is like this tea. You all have the same thing in your cups——tea. And yet you cannot truly enjoy it in your envy of another’s cup. You forget to enjoy your own life when you envy someone else’s life. We all have the same thing——life. We should care more about the tastes of your own life. So now, taste your own tea. Does it matter from which cup it came from?” Mary finished telling her story and her students all sat in silence for a while, enjoying their tea. And it really did not matter a bit from which teacup they drank. Which of the following statement is TRUE?
A.All of the students had the same kind of cups. |
B.One of the cups is different from others. |
C.All of the cups were filled with the same tea. |
D.There was different tea in different cups. |
What should we learn from the story?
A.Envy others and make progress. | B.All the lives are the same. |
C.Work hard and catch up with others. | D.Try to enjoy your own life. |
Which is the best title for the story?
A.More than tea in a cup | B.The same cups, the same tea |
C.The taste of the tea | D.Different cups, different tea |
Do you play a musical instrument? If so, you may be getting smarter. A recent study shows that taking music lessons can raise a person’s IQ.
Scientists studied 132 children in Canadian schools. At the beginning of the school year, these children took an IQ test. Then they were divided into four groups. One group took singing lessons. Another group took weekly piano lessons. The third group took classes in drams(戏剧). And the last group did no special activities at all.
At the end of the school year, the 132 children took an IQ test again. In all four groups, the average score went up. However, the piano players’IQs went up 7.0 points on average. The average increase for the other three groups was only 4.3 points.
The researchers say that the difference is small and it may not result in better grades for the piano players. However, they still consider the results important. Learning an instrument helps kids becomes better at concentrating and at memorizing things. Therefore, the researchers say, it may be good for brain development in young people.
If you have a chance to learn to play a musical instrument, never miss it. Remember it can make you smarter. Which of the following is NOT true of the study?
A.It was done in Canada. |
B.It was done by some musicians. |
C.It included four groups of children. |
D.It took one school year to complete. |
Which of the following is true?
A.Average IQ scores increased in all the groups. |
B.Only the piano players’ IQs increased. |
C.The average increase for all four groups was 4.3 points. |
D.Most of the children’s IQs did not go up. |
The underlined word “they” in the passage refers to ______.
A. better grades | B.piano players | C.researchers | D.instruments |
What’s the main idea of the passage?
A.It’s good for us to listen to music. |
B.Everyone should learn to play the piano. |
C.Take an IQ test before you learn instruments. |
D.Learning instruments may make kids smarter. |
Having a part-time job is an important part of growing up for American teenagers. It can teach them important skills that will be useful for the rest of their lives. And many teenagers find that making their own money gives them a sense of pride and freedom.
American teenagers are allowed to do part-time jobs at the age of 14. During the school year, teenagers may go to work a few times a week after school, and work for longer at weekends.
In summer, top part-time jobs for teenagers include at camps, swimming pools and amusement parks. These jobs are great for those who want to be active and have fun while making money.
Some of the most stressful jobs include teaching, nursing, and police work. These skills help to prepare teenagers for their later lives. When they grow up, the students with work experience are more likely to succeed than those without work experience.
A favorite job for many teenagers is babysitting, and they can start before the age of 14 if their parents agree. As long as they stay in the house and make sure the kids are okay, babysitters can do their homework, watch TV, or talk on the phone with friends. After the kids go to bed and before the parents come home, babysitters have lots of freedom.
It can be stressful to balance school, homework, and a part-time job. However, many American teenagers value their work experience and the skills they get from the job.Why do American teenagers like to have a part-time job?
A.Because they don’t want to be stressed out. |
B.Because they can learn skills and get money. |
C.Because they can get a good job in the future. |
D.Because they can do anything they like. |
Which kind of part-time job is less stressful for American teenagers?
A.Working at police. | B.Nursing |
C.Working at camps. | D.Teaching. |
Which kind of part-time job can a 13-year-old girl do in America?
A.Working at parks. | B.Working at a swimming pool. |
C.Looking after babies. | D.Doing the dishes in a restaurant. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined word “value”?
A.喜欢 | B.追求 | C.向往 | D.珍视 |