A California family drives a car that could help protect the environment.
When Jon and Sandy go to the store or to their daughters’ soccer games, they drive in high-tech style. They drive a ＄1 million, fuel-cell-powered car. It may be the world’s most expensive car and one of the most environmentally friendly cars.
The FCX is the first fuel-cell-powered car to be used by a family
anywhere in the world. The FCX uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel.
Car makers have been working to develop vehicles that are better for the environment. They are developing cars that use fuel other than gasoline.
what is fuel cell technology?
Fuel cell technology works by changing the chemicals hydrogen and oxygen into water. This process produces electricity, and water vapor which comes out of the exhaust pipe. Most cars release dangerous gases such as carbon monoxide(一氧化碳) and carbon dioxide. Many scientists say these gases are major contributors to global warming.
“The FCX is driven just like any other vehicle on the road, but
without the gases which pollute the environment, ” scientists say.
Fuel cell technology has been around since the 1800s, but scientists have yet been to perfect it. They say it may take years before the technology is ready for widespread use.
Creating environmentally friendly cars
Another earth-friendly car is already on the market.
Hybrid cars use both gasoline and an electric motor. They are becoming more popular with customers because they cut pollution and improve fuel efficiency. Which of the following about the FCX is NOT true?
| A．It may be the most expensive car in the world. |
| B．It is one of the most environmentally friendly cars. |
| C．It releases dangerous gases to pollute the air. |
| D．It uses hydrogen and oxygen for fuel other than gasoline. |
According to the passage, what is the major cause for global warming?
| A．Gases from FCX. |
| B．Water vapor from cars. |
| C．Hydrogen and oxygen. |
| D．Gases from cars. |
From the passage, we know that fuel cell technology _______.
| A．works by water |
| B．has a history for over two hundred years |
| C．works by electricity |
| D．has been widely used since the 1800s |
We can infer from the passage that _______ .
| A．future cars will be environmentally friendly |
| B．there will be no gasoline for cars |
| C．people can’t afford to buy cars in the future |
| D．global warming has been stopped |
Hybrid cars are popular because _______ .
| A．they are the fuel-cell-powered cars |
| B．they are energy-saving and cut pollution |
| C．they are perfect cars in the world |
| D．they produce gases to pollute the environment |
American parents generally can choose any name they want for their children. They may choose a name because it honors a family member. Or they may choose a name just because they like it.
A website called Baby Center lists some unusual names given to American babies born last year. Some were named for characters in old stories, such as Hero, Thor and Ulysses. Other people named their babies after kinds of food, like actress Gwyneth Paltrow. She named her daughter Apple. Other people named their babies Banana, Pumpkin and Cookie.
Still some babies were named for places. These included Brazil, India and Rome. Some parents used names of famous people from history such as Newton and Hannibal. Other parents named their babies after flowers or the weather. These babies were named Buttercup, Iris, Sunshine and Thunder.
Recording artists and movie actors influence some parents’ choices of names. Babies were named Beyonce, Charlize, Reda, Pierce, Shajira and Whitney. Movie actors themselves often give their babies unusual names. For example, Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt named their baby daughter Shiloh. Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes named their little girl Suri.
Some American parents do not want unusual names. They want their baby’s name to honor their religious faith. Such names include Abraham for boys or Sarah for girls. And many people give their babies the same name as a family member or good friend.
The United States Social Security Administration once published a list of the most popular names for American girls and boys born. Many of the top ten boys, names are from the Jewish and Christian Bibles.How did American parents usually name their children?
| A．In a way they please. | B．In a scientific way. |
| C．In a careless way. | D．In a common way |
From the second paragraph, we can infer that _______.
| A．Ulysses is a main person in an old story book. |
| B．the meaning of Gwyneth Paltrow is a kind of fruit |
| C．American parents expect their children to be a hero. |
| D．a girl was named Apple because she liked eating apples. |
What can we know from American children’s name?
| A．American children’s names express American history. |
| B．A foreign place may become a name of an American child. |
| C．American parents’ favorite names are those of famous actors. |
| D．American parents expect their children to be different from others. |
If a girl is named Sarah, the name reflects her parents’ _______.
| A．love | B．career | C．expectation | D．religion |
Neumann was the oldest of 3 children of a banker, and his speed of learning new ideas and of solving problems stood out early. At 17, his father tried to persuade him not to become a mathematician because he may lead a poor life being a mathematician, and so Neumann agreed to study chemistry as well. In 1926, at 23, he received a degree in chemical engineering and a Ph. D. in mathematics. From then on, mathematic provided well enough for him, and he never had to turn to chemistry.
In 1930, Neumann visited Princeton University for a year and then became a professor there. His first book was published in 1932. In 1933, the Institute for Advanced Study was formed, and he became one of the 6 full-time people in the School of Mathematics (Einstein was one of the others).
World War II hugely changed Neumann’s areas of interest. Until 1940 he had been a great pure (纯粹的) mathematician. During and after the war, he became one of the best mathematicians who put mathematics theories into practice. During the last part of the war he became interested in computing machines and made several contributions. After the war, Neumann continued his work with computers, and was generally very active in government service. He received many awards, was president of American Mathematical Society and was a member of the Atomic Energy Commission. He died in 1957 of cancer.
Neumann really was a legend(传奇) in his own time, and there are a number of stories about him. His driving ability is a part of this legend. He reported one accident this way: “I was driving down the road. The trees on the right were passing me in an orderly fashion at 60 miles per hour. Suddenly one of them stepped in my path.”According to the text, Neumann’s father believed that __________.
| A．a mathematician needed a good memory |
| B．a mathematician couldn’t earn a lot of money |
| C．Neumann has a gift for solving problems at a high speed |
| D．Neumann had the ability to learn two subjects at the same time |
How did World War II affect Neumann?
| A．He lost interest in chemistry. |
| B．He realized the importance of engineering. |
| C．He began to research how to put mathematics into practice. |
| D．He left college and served at the government department. |
Which of the following is true of Neumann?
| A．He had three children. |
| B．He died from an accident. |
| C．He received many awards in his life. |
| D．He and Einstein were classmates in Princeton University. |
From the last paragraph, we can infer Neumann was ________.
| A．humorous | B．calm | C．intelligent | D．brave |
In a movie, a woman reads a storybook to her friend’s daughter. As they approach the last page, she reads, “… and Cinderella and the prince lived happily ever after.” She closes the book and looks at the young girl, adding, “ You know, things don’t always happen like this in real life, I just think you should know that now.”
We were all raised on fairy tales with glass slippers, brave princes and magic! It didn’t take too long to realize that stories like that aren’t necessarily true. In real life, you learn that glass slippers are really uncomfortable, no prince is perfect and magic doesn’t always work.
So what do you do when the way you planned things is not the way they turned out?
Know that parts of your fairy tale have already been written, and sadly, there’s not much you can do about those first few chapters. You didn’t get the best start. Your trust was unexpectedly betrayed (背叛). You didn’t get the job. Whatever falls and failures happened in your past, there’s still more to the story.
Your life has a lot of contributors (投稿者), and you are the editor-in-chief. You take what’s there and create the masterpiece (杰作). All the good pages and the bad can come together to make a beautiful adventure.
When you find yourself wishing your life was more like the fairy tales, remember that in some ways it already is. There will be dragons, bad witches, great romances, winding roads and friends to help you along the way. Live your life carefully and positively as if you are writing a long story. Whether it’s a comedy, tragedy or a little of both, the pen is in your hand. How it ends is all up to you.According to the first paragraph, we know the woman is __________.
| A．wise | B．cruel | C．brave | D．patient |
Why does the author raise the question in Paragraph 3?
| A．To compare different ideas |
| B．To express the doubts of life. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. |
| D．To describe the conditions in real life |
Which of the following may NOT often appear in fairy tales?
| A．Glass slippers | B．Winding roads |
| C．Sad endings | D．Bad witches. |
What is the message expressed in the passage?
| A．Be positive about life |
| B．Write your own stories. |
| C．Parents should tell fairy tales to their kids |
| D．There are many problems in school education |
Oldest , Youngest , or in the Middle ?
Were you the first or last child in your family? Or were you a middle or the only child? Some people think it matters where you were born in your family. But there are different ideas about what birth order means.
Some people say that oldest children are smart and strong-willed. They are very likely to be successful. The reason for this is simple. Parents have a lot of time for their first child. They give him or her a lot of attention. So this child is very likely to do well. An only child will succeed for the same reasons.
What happens to the other children in a family? Middle children don’t get so much attention. So they don’t feel that important. If a family has many children, the middle ones sometimes get lost in the crowd. The youngest child, though, often gets special treatment. He or she is the “baby”. Often this child grows up to be funny and charming.
Do you believe these ideas about birth order? A recent study saw things quite differently. This study found that the first children believed in family rules. They didn’t take many chances in their lives. They usually followed their own ideas . They took chances. And they often did better in life.
Which theory about birth order do you believe? Look at your own family or you friends’ families. Decide which idea fits what you see.This passage is about __________.
| A．why the oldest children in a family usually succeed |
| B．why some children refuse to follow orders |
| C．ways in which birth order may affect how children grow up |
| D．how people have a lot of trouble agreeing about ideas |
The statement that middle children “ sometimes get lost in the crowd” means that _________.
| A．they have a poor sense of direction |
| B．they don’t get a lot of attention |
| C．they have a strong desire to be leaders |
| D．they can’t get along with others |
The underlined word “ theory “ means ________.
| A．idea | B．comparison | C．evidence | D．surprise |
There is an old saying about volunteer work that goes like this: “ No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.”
Today, many people volunteer their time and energy to help others. There are a lot of ways to meet other people’s needs. For example, some volunteers provide help after a disaster. Others are happy to get dirty while repairing homes or planting trees or flowers in poor neighborhoods. Young people see suffering and loneliness around them and find ways to help. And history lovers help archeologists(考古学家) search for ancient objects to help deepen our knowledge of the past.
Volunteers work in many areas around the world, including Haiti. More than two years have passed since a 7.0 earthquake shook the nation. The exact number of people who died may never be known. Thousands of survivors of the Haitian earthquakes still live in temporary(临时的) shelters. Last year, former American President Jimmy Carter and his wife Rosalynn joined five hundred volunteers in the town of Leogane to build houses.
Organizations do not have to be large to get volunteers. An activist group in Dharamsala, India is a good example, Jodie Underhill from England arrived in northern India several years ago. She planned to volunteer for an environmental project. She could almost not believe how much rubbish was ruining some of the area’s most beautiful sights. Jodie Underhill learned about how to deal with the rubbish while taking part in other volunteer projects. But soon enough she formed her own group, Mountain Cleaners. Jodie Underhill says the work is very hard. But she praises the group’s efforts as a wonderful experience. The young Englishwoman says the Indian media started calling her “Garbage Girl”. And she says she was pleased with the name.
American teenagers also volunteer in many ways .The first paragraph serves as a(n) ___________.
| A．explanation | B．introduction |
| C．comment | D．background |
What did former American President Jimmy Carter do as a volunteer?
| A．He planted trees and flowers in Haiti. |
| B．He gave some money to the poor in Haiti. |
| C．He helped archeologists search for ancient objects. |
| D．He helped to build houses after the earthquake in Haiti |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．It is difficult for small organizations to get volunteers. |
| B．The number of people died in Haiti’s earthquake is unclear. |
| C．Most of the volunteers are good at collecting money. |
| D．History lovers mainly learn about history from ancient objects. |
What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
| A．How to join in a volunteer group |
| B．Why people offer their services to others |
| C．The benefits that volunteers can gain |
| D．The volunteer work that American teenagers do. |