Elixir
Written by Eric Walter
Twelve-year-old Roth becomes a friend of Dr. Banting and his Assistant,
Mr. Best, who are in search of a cure for diabetes(糖尿病). She finds herself torn between her sympathy for the animals being experimented on and her friendship with Banting and Best.
George Washington Carver
Written by Elizabeth Macleod
Meet the “Peanut（花生）specialist”, George Washington Carver, the inventor
and professor who made over 325 products out of peanuts. Through his agricultural research, he also greatly improved the lives of countless black farmers in the southern United States. See also Macleod’s Albert Einstein：A Life of Genius.
The Inuit Thought of it：Amazing Arctic Innovations
Written by Alootook Ipellie & David MacDonald
Explore more than 40 ideas necessary to Inuit survival. From ideas familiar to us today to inventive concepts that shaped their lives, celebrate the creativity of a remarkably intelligent people. Also see other book：the Chinese thought of it by Tingxing Ye and A Native American Thought of it by Rocky Landon and David MacDonald.
Made in Canada：101 Amazing Achievements
Written by Bev Spencer
What things do we use daily that have a Canadian connection? Here
are 101common things that were invented in Canada or by a Canadian,
including the Blackberry, alkaline（碱）batteries the Blue Box recycling program.
Newton and the Time Machine
Written by Michael McGowan
Ten-year-old boy Newton has invented a time machine to see dinosaurs up
close. But it disappears on a test run with his two huge friends, Ki ng Herbert and Queen Certrude in it! Can he save them before time runs out?Which of the following best describes Roth’s feeling in Book 1?
| A．Painful | B．Curious | C．Frightened | D．Disappointed. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Animals are mentioned in Book 1 and Book 5. |
| B．Book 3 introduces 40 inventive concepts. |
| C．Alkaline batteries were invented by Dr. Banting. |
| D．George Washington Carver was a black farmer in the US. |
In Book 5, King Herbert and Queen Certrude are_______.
| A．Newton’s human friends |
| B．the names of the time machine |
| C．two dinosaurs |
| D．the inventors of the time machine |
Caffeine not only gives us a daily jump start, but new research suggests it also can strengthen long-term memory.
According to the US Food and Drug Administration, nearly 90 percent of people worldwide consume about 200 milligrams of caffeine each day. That' s equivalent to about one strong cup of coffee a day. Writing in " Nature Neuroscience" , Johns Hopkins University researchers say their findings show that caffeine strengthens certain memories for up t0 24 hours after being taken in.
" We've always known that caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects (促智效果) , but its ,particular effects on strengthening memories and making them resistant to forgetting has never been examined in detail in humans, " said senior author of the paper Michael Yassa. " We re- port for the first time a specific effect of caffeine on reducing forgetting over 24 hours. " Conducting a double-blind trial, the researchers worked with a test group of people who didn't regularly consume caffeinated products. Five minutes after studying a series of images, the test subjects were given either a placebo(无效对照剂) or a 200-milligram caffeine tablet.
To check the caffeine levels of their test subjects, the research team took saliva samples (唾液样品) from them before they took their tablets and again one, three and 24 hours after- wards.
Both groups of test participants ( those who took the placebo and those who took the caffeine tablet) were tested the following day to see if they could recognize the images they' d seen the previous day.
The test included showing the test subjects another series of images that included some new images , those that were shown the previous day, as well as other images that were similar, but not the same as those they had viewed earlier.
The researchers found that more members of the group who were given the caffeine tablets were able to correctly identify some of the new images as " similar" to previously viewed images rather than incorrectly identifying them as the same.
"We also know that caffeine is associated with health and longevity(长寿) and may havesome protective effects from cognitive decline like Alzheimer' s disease (阿尔茨海默症). " said Yassa.The purpose of the new research is
| A．to survey how much caffeine people consume a day |
| B．to write the paper " Nature Neuroscience" |
| C．to prove caffeine has cognitive-enhancing effects |
| D．to examine caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects in detail |
During the research ,the researchers did the following things EXCEPT
| A．giving the test subjects placebos or caffeine tablets |
| B．checking the caffeine levels of the test subjects |
| C．encouraging the test subjects to drink more coffee |
| D．showing the test subjects series of images |
How did the test subjects show the caffeine ' s memory-strengthening effects?
| A．By recognizing images they ' d seen the previous day. |
| B．By taking the caffeine tablets instead of placebos. |
| C．By identifying the new images as the same. |
| D．By telling the differences between new images. |
What will the next part of the text possibly talk about?
| A．Ways to achieve health and longevity. |
| B．The effects caffeine has on health. |
| C．The treatment for Alzheimer' s disease. |
| D．The harmful effects of cognitive decline. |
The preventive measures for forest fires include some preemptive(抢先)methods that can help reduce the risks of fires and control their severity and spread，and thus, maintain ecological balance and protect resources．Close monitoring of forest fires caused by natural factors can help prevent their spread to a large extent．To contain forest fires，fire departments usually use water and chemical fire retardants(抑制剂)that can be dropped from planes and helicopters．To control the spread of a wildfire．firefighters usually create a control line by removing all fuel from an area so that the fire cannot travel across it．
Controlled burns are often employed by government authorities to reduce fuel buildup，and clean up the fallen leaves，and thus，prevent the spread of forest fires to a vast area．Regular controlled burns can also help maintain biodiversity(生物多样性)，as the smoke and heat produced in the process can facilitate(促进)the growth of seeds of certain plant species．Apart from these，responsible human behavior can help reduce the number of forest fires to a great extent．In fact，we can reduce the number of wildfires dramatically by not leaving behind any source of fire in the forest.
Forest fires can affect climate and weather to a great extent，besides causing severe damage to valuable trees．Wildfires can increase the level of greenhouse gases(water vapor, carbon dioxide，etc)，and therefore increase pollution and global warming．However, they are also an important part of the ecosystem，and many plants depend on the heat and smoke generated by wildfires for their growth and reproduction．But large wildfires can cause extensive damage to the ecosystem，which again highlights the importance of effective control and prevention of forest fires·What may be the best title for this passage?
| A．Control and Prevention of Forest Fires |
| B．How to Keep Ecological Balance |
| C．Effects of Forest Fires |
| D．Methods of Fire Spread Control |
Firefighters get rid of all fuel in all area in order to ____________．
| A．keep close monitoring of forest fires |
| B．prevent the forest fire from occurring |
| C．protect the animals there |
| D．stop the wildfire from spreading |
The government arranges some controlled burns to_______________．
| A．burn the rubbish and keep the forest clean |
| B．help keep ecological balance of nature |
| C．reduce fuel buildup and limit forest fires spread |
| D．provide reasonable conditions for some plants’growth |
A controlled forest fire may play a positive role because ________________.
| A．a new forest will appear soon |
| B．it promotes the development of some seeds |
| C．nature keeps its balance only by wildfires |
| D．it makes the trees grow faster than before |
The last paragraph tells us that _______________．
| A．the greenhouse gases are caused mainly by wildfires |
| B．wildfires have both positive and negative effects |
| C．people should be aware of the necessity of wildfires |
| D．all the valuable trees disappear owing to wildfires |
Scientists have been puzzled by the phenomenon that migrating birds fly not just in groups all the time, but in "V" formations and they have tried to figure out what benefit birds get from this particular formation. Now, a research group from University of London may have found the answer ― migrating birds fly in a "V" to save energy, according to a study published in the journal Nature.
When a bird flaps(振翅) its wings, it stirs the air around it and causes it to move indifferent directions. Scientist found in the study that the air creates an upward-moving wave at the tips of the wings, which means that if a bird flies around the wingtips of another bird, it can get a boost（抬高） from the rising air and therefore use less energy to stay in the air.
Apart form the "free ride" strategy, scientists were also surprised to observe that migrating birds timed their wing beats and adjusted their positions in a very precise way to maximize the lifting effect while avoiding areas where the air move downward.
"They're able to sense what's going on from the bird in front, where this 'good air' is coming from and now how to position themselves perfectly in it," lead researcher Steven Portugal told BBC.
In fact, the "V" formation has long thought to help birds fly more efficiently(效率搞地). A previous study showed that birds' heart rates went down when they were flying together in a "V" formation. Jet fighters were also found to be able reduce their energy use by up to 18% by staying near the wingtips of other jet fighters. Both of these findings led scientists to suspect that the "V" formation had an efficiency purpose, but until now they still lack proof.
"For scientists, the new study provides an insight into an interesting natural phenomenon. But it could mean even more for aircraft companies — helping them understand how they can imitate that with their plane formations to save fuel, said Portugal."What is the author's purpose in writing this article?
| A．To explain how birds benefit from migration. |
| B．To introduce how migrating birds find their way. |
| C．To tell some applications of migrating birds' "V" formations. |
| D．To report new findings about migrating birds' "V" formations. |
According to the recent study, when birds migrate .
| A．they don't change their lead birds during the whole journey |
| B．they fly in "V" formations to protect themselves against enemies |
| C．they form the shape of a "V" to make best use of the lifting effect |
| D．the air they stir around makes it hard for the birds behind to fly fast |
What is the significance of the new study according to this article?
| A．It might inspire aircraft companies to think of ways to improve efficiency. |
| B．It has proved that the "V" formation can improve in efficiency in many fields, |
| C．It has led scientists to discover that birds' heart rates go down when they fly in a "V". |
| D．It shows that the best formation of jet fighters in battle should be a "V" formation. |
The underlined word "imitate" in the last paragraph most probably means "".
| A．use | B．copy | C．change | D．learn |
Scientists in UK have grown a living human "brain". The team at Aston University created tiny bunch of cells which act like a mini nervous system.
They believe it could help find a cure for worse mental conditions like Parkinson’s disease. Professor Michael Coleman is leading the research program. He explained, "We are aiming to be able to study the human brain at the most basic level, using an actual living human cell system. Cells have to be alive and operating efficiently to enable us to really understand how the brain works. "The experiment involves changing cells from a cancer tumour (肿瘤）and making them behave like brain cells.
Although far from finished, researchers hope the false brain cells will give them a greater understanding of how real brains work. This, in turn, could significantly further research into conditions which affect the brain. Neil Hunt, chief leader of the research group, said, "It is still very early days, but in the future the research could lead to a useful tool for looking into dementia (痴呆)."
The technique could also provide a way to carry on animal test and is being supported by the Humane Research Trust (HRT). The scientists predict that over the next ten years a million people will develop dementia. Professor Coleman believes their findings could change this. He said，"We hope our research will provide scientists with a new and highly relational human experimental model to help them understand the brain better and develop new drugs to control the related disease. However, the biggest challenge at present is that we are greatly short of fund, which will slow our research."UK scientists grow a living human "brain" in order to ______.
| A．study the structure of human brain |
| B．make use of living human cell system |
| C．discover how human brain really works |
| D．separate cells from a cancer tumour |
According to Neil Hunt, research into brain cells ______.
| A．will get finished as early as possible |
| B．will make people discover dementia |
| C．will affect the brain growth in many ways |
| D．will help to treat some diseases in nerve system |
From the last paragraph，we can know that ______
| A．the technique provided by HRT is immature |
| B．animal tests are no longer allowed by law |
| C．a million people suffer from brain diseases |
| D．the research program lacks financial support |
The text is intended to ______.
| A．tell us about a breakthrough in medical research |
| B．introduce a research program in human's brain |
| C．introduce the progress of drugs for dementia |
| D．tell us about health problem in nerve system |
What’s the purpose of the author in writing the text?
| A．To introduce his favorite food to the readers． |
| B．To introduce some steakhouses in New York． |
| C．To provide guidance on eating in America． |
| D．To offer some advice on running restaurants． |
Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
| A．All the four restaurants are open on weekends． |
| B．Bruno is the owner of Peter Luger’s Steakhouse． |
| C．The beef in AJ Maxwell’s is from South Dakota． |
| D．You can enjoy family hospitality in Ben and Jack’s． |
If you don’t like having dinner indoors，you can go to _____________．
| A．Aged—New York City | B．Club A Steakhouse |
| C．Ben and Jack’s on 5th Ave | D．AJ Maxwell’s Steakhouse |
If you have to drive，you are NOT advised to go to ____________．
| A．255 5th Avenue，New York | B．240 East 58th St．，New York |
| C．2398 Broadway，New York | D．57 West 48th Street，New York |
What do the four restaurants have in common?
| A．Restaurant style． | B．Privacy protection． |
| C．Minimum expense． | D．Seafood service． |