C
A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel.
The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane’s wings stretch 72 meters across.
Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot.
The scientists say they are not trying to change the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.
“We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel,” Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot’s seat is also a toilet.
The plane’s route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.Which of the following is the plan stops of the tour made by the solar-powered plane?
A.Abu Dhabi---Oman---China---the United States--- southern Europe ---the United Arab Emirates |
B.the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India---the United States--- North Africa--- Abu Dhabi |
C.the United Arab Emirates--Oman--- India ---China---southern Europe --- Abu Dhabi |
D.Abu Dhabi--Oman--- India ---China---the United States--- the United Arab Emirates |
What can be inferred from the passage?
A.The plane’s wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun’s energy. |
B.The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are narrower than a Boeing 747. |
C.Bertrand Piccard is one of the co-builders of the plane. |
D.The scientists are trying to change the airplane industry. |
What’s the best title of the passage?
A.Solar Powered Plane Starts World Tour |
B.A Plane Powered By Solar Energy |
C.A Plane’s Route Begins in the United Arab Emirates |
D.A Tour Around the World |
When did you last visit a shopping mall? In many places, the answer would be “last weekend”. Some people go even more often. Why? For one thing, malls offer goods and services that people need all in one place : food, clothing, things for their houses, entertainment,and even medical services. So, are mallsone of the highlights of modern civilization? Environmental activists would say “No!” They would go even further and say that consumer behavior is causing a huge environmental disaster. They cause consumers of ignorance of the side effect of their shopping—urban sprawl (城市杂乱无序拓展的地区).
Social scientists agree that patterns of development have changed the landscape a great deal in the last half century. Prior to 1950,most people lived in towns or cities and either walked to work or took public transportation. Only very wealthy people had automobiles. Farmers lived in rural areas or isolated villages and came into town only when they needed things they couldn’t produce themselves. If you gazed at the landscape you would see towns surrounded by countryside. Then a massive change occurred.
Automobiles became affordable and people were quick to adopt them. Now ambitious workers could live in the suburbs, the areas just outside cities, which started to grow rapidly. As long as there was lots of cheap land in the suburbs, no one paid much attention to the usage of that land. Malls, fast food restaurants, cinemas, and car dealerships spread out in large, flat buildings. These one - storey buildings and their parking lot took up a great deal of space. Well - meaning farmers thought they were better off selling their land than growing crops. In ignorance, no one realized that once the land was built up in urban sprawl, the good farming land would be ruined forever. There was no way to preserve it.
Only in recent years have people come to mourn the old way of life as they have developed insight into the problems of unconditional growth. Now people realize that urban sprawl has come with serious environmental problems. The negative aspects of sprawl include air and water pollution, loss of agricultural land, traffic jams, and the death of businesses in the old town centers. Many scholars think the time has come to analyze the problems better so we can develop appropriate policies to control further sprawl. Some think the best way to do is to educate citizens about their priceless environment.What is mainly discussed in the passage?
A.Urban sprawl | B.Weekend fun |
C.New automobiles | D.Isolated villages |
Who do activists blame for environmental problems?
A.Endangered animals. | B.Unthinking shoppers. |
C.Shopping mall owners. | D.Ambitious farmers. |
What does the underlined word “They” refer to in the first paragraph?.
A.Activists | B.Malls. | C.Farmers. | D.Scientists. |
What is the scholars’ attitude toward urban sprawl?
A.Respectful. | B.Pessimistic. | C.Disapproving. | D.Doubtful. |
Below is some advice on how to sleep better.
1. Maintain a regular bed and wake time schedule
Go to bed at the same time every night. Choose a time when you normally feel tired, so that you don’t toss or turn. Try not to break this routine on weekends when it may be tempting to stay up late. If you want lo changeyour bedtime, help your body adjust by making the changein small daily increments, such as 15 minutes earlier or later each day. As with your bedtime, try to maintain yourregular wake-time even on weekends.
2.Fight after-dinner drowsiness(睡意)
If you find yourself getting sleepy before your bed-time, get off the couch and do something mildly stimulating to avoid falling asleep, such as washing the dishes, calling a friend, or getting clothes ready for the next day. If you give in to the drowsiness, you may wake up later in the night and have trouble getting back to sleep.
3. Keep your room dark and cool
When it’s time to sleep, make sure that your environment is dark. Even dim light —especially those from TV or computer screens —can confuse the body clock. Heavy curtains or shades can help block light from windows, or you can try an eye mask to cover your eyes. The temperature of your bedroom also affects sleep. A bedroom that is too hot or too cold can interfere with quality sleep.
4. Turn off your television
Many people use the television to fall asleep or relaxat the end of the day. You may even have a television inyour bedroom. However, television actually stimulates themind, rather than relaxing it. Part of this is due to content. Late night news and prime time shows frequently have disturbing, violent material. Even non-violent programming can have commercials that are jarring and loud.
5. Exercise early
Exercise helps promote restful sleep if it is done several hours before you go to bed. Exercise can help you fall asleep faster and sleep more soundly— as long asit ’s done at the right time. Try to finish exercising at least three hours before bed or work out earlier in the day.
6. Consult your doctor
Use a sleep diary and talk to your doctor. Note what type of sleep problem is affecting your sleep or if you aresleepy when you wish to be awake and alert. Try these tips and record your sleep and sleep-related activities in a sleep diary. If problems continue, discuss the sleep diary with your doctor. There may be an underlying cause and you will want to be properly diagnosed. Your doctor will help treat the problem or may refer you to a sleep specialist.To prevent yourself from sleeping too much on weekends, you should________.
A.go lo bed 15 minutes earlier than usual |
B.go to bed at usual time |
C.go to bed at any time |
D.make an adjustment to your bedtime |
Which of the following makes it easier for you to have a sound sleep?
A.Watching violent programmesbefore going to bed. |
B.Changing your bedtime only a little every day. |
C.U![]() |
D.Completing your workout just before bedtime. |
The following ways can help fight after-dinner drowsinessEXCEPT_______.
A.making a telephone call |
B.doing some washing |
C.getting clothes ready for the next day |
D.having a rest on the sofa |
If your sleep problems continue, you’d better_____________
A.move into a new house |
B.discuss it with your family |
C.change your present job |
D.turn to the doctor for help |
One of the most famous nursery rhymes(摇篮曲) in the English language is Mary Had a Little Lamb(羔羊). It has touched many children who have read it. It is about the deep love between a young girl and her pet lamb. The poem is from a true story that happened in the early part of the 19th century in the town of Sterling, Massachusetts, in the USA.
Mary Sawyer (1806-1889) lived on a farm with her family. One day, when she was about nine years old, she saw a little lamb that had just been born and left behind by its mother. It was very weak and looked as if it would die at very moment. Mary took pity on the lamb and spent the whole night looking after it. Eventually, it grew strong and became a very close friend with Mary, following her everywhere she went.
One day, the lamb even followed Mary to school. At first she wanted to turn it back but her brother suggested that it would be fun to take the lamb to school. During the class, she hid the lamb under her desk. But when she was called to go to the front of the class, to her surprise, the lamb followed her. Though the students and the teacher thought it was funny to see a lamb at school, the teacher had to ask Mary to keep the lamb outside of the school.
That very day, a young man called John Roulstone was visiting Mary’s school. He was so moved by the love between the child and her little pet lamb that he wrote a poem which he handed to Mary the next day. His poem contained twelve lines.
Later, Sara Josepha Hale added another twelve lines to the poem and published it in 1930 under the title “Mary Had a Little Lamb”. The poem has become a classic, loved by children all over the world. The appeal (吸引力) of the poem lies not only in the funny idea of a sheep going to school but also in the true love between the little girl and her pet. The town of Sterling has honoured Mary’s lamb by building a statue (雕像) of the lamb with Mr Roulstone’s poem below the statue. What is the best title for the passage?
A.Mary Had a Little Lamb | B.The Life of Mary Sawyer |
C.The Origin of a Poem | D.An Animal Friend |
The
underlined word “eventually” in the second paragraph most probably means .
A.fortunately | B.gradually | C.finally | D.kindly |
Why did the poem become a classic?
A.It had another twelve lines added. |
B.It was written by a young man. |
C.It describes the true love between a little girl and her pet lamb. |
D.A statue of lamb was built in the town of Sterling. |
Which could be the right order of the following events according to the passage?
a. The poem “Mary Had a Little Lamb”became popular.
b. Mary’s brother suggested that she take the lamb to school.
c. People built a statue to honor the lamb.
d. Mary found a little lamb.
e. A young man was moved by the story and wrote a poem.
A. d. b. e. c. a | B. d. b. e. a. c |
C. d. e. b. c. a | D. d.![]() |
Which of the following statements can be inferred from the passage?
A.Mary’s mother was also fond of the little lamb. |
B.Mary and the little lamb developed a very close friendship. |
C.Mary wrote to John Roulstone and asked him to write the poem. |
D.All children were allowed to take their pets to school in America. |
TODAY, Friday, November 12
JAZZ with the Mike Thomas Jazz Band at The Derby Arms. Upper Richmond Road West, Sheen.
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco. Free at The Lord Napier, Mort lake High St., from 8a. m. to 8p.m.
Tel: 682—1158.
SATURDAY, November 13
JAZZ Lysis at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 60p.
MUSICAL HALL at The Star and Garter, Lower Richmond Road, Putney, provided by the Aba Daba Music Hall company. Good food and entertainment fair price. Tel: 789—6749.
MFAMILY night out? Join the sing-along at The Black Horse. Sheen Road, Richmond.
The John Bennett Big Band at The Bull’s Head, Barnes. Admission 80p.
ATHE DERBY ARMS, Upper Richmond Road West, give you Joe on the electric accordion(手风琴).
Tel: 789—4536
SUNDAY, November 14
DISCO Satin Sounds Disco, free at The Lord Napier, Mort Lake High Street, from 8 am to 8 p.m.
FOLK MUSIC at The Derby Arms, Upper Richmond Road. The Short Stuff and residents the Norman Chop Trio. Non-remembers 70p. Tel: 688—4626.
HEAVY MUSIC with Tony Simon at The Bull, Upper Richmond Road. Where and when can you hear the Norman Chop Trio?
A.At the Bull’s Head on Sunday. |
B.At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
C.At the Bull on Saturday. |
D.At the Black Horse on Saturday. |
Where and when can you hear the Mike Thomas Jazz Band?
A.At the Derby Arms on Friday. |
B.At the Black Horse on Friday. " |
C.At the Star and Garter on Saturday. , |
D.At the Derby Arms on Sunday. |
You want to enjoy the electric accordion on Saturday. Which telephone number do you have to ring to find out what time it starts?
A.789—6749. | B.789—4536. | C.682—1158. | D.688—4626. |
You want to spend the Saturday by joining the entertainment with your family.
Where should you go?
A.Disco at The Lord Napier. |
B.The sing-along at The Black Horse. |
C.The electric accordion at The Derby Arms. |
D.Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
You want to spend the same day at two different places and don’t want to cross any street. Which of the following is your best choice?
A.The sing-along at the Black Horse and Jazz at The Bull’s Head. |
B.The sing-along at The Black Horse and Folk Music at The Derby Arms. |
C.Folk Music at The Derby Arms and Heavy Music with Tony Simon at The Bull. |
D.Musical Hal lat The Star &Garter and Disco at The Lord Napier. |
People need to relax and enjoy themse1ves.One way they can have a good time is to watch a baseball game or another sports event.Even thousands of years ago,groups of people gathered to watch skilled athletes(运动员).
Over 2000 years ago in Greece,certain days in the year were festival days.These were holidays when people stopped work and enjoyed themselves.They liked to watch athletes take part in races and other games of skill.
The most important festival was held every four years at the town of Olympia.It was held in honor of the Greek God Zeus(Zus).For five days,athletes from all parts of the Greek world took part in the Olympic Games.At the Olympic Games,people could watch them box(拳击),run,jump and so on.There was a relay race between two teams of men in which a lighted torch(火矩)was passed from runner to runner.The Olympic Games were thought to be so important that cities which were at war with one another had to stop fighting.Just then people were allowed to travel to the games safely.Thousands of people came to Olympia from cities in Greece and from her colonies(殖民地)in Africa,Asia and Italy.They met as friends to cheer their favorite athletes and to enjoy themselves.What happened in Greece over 2000 years ago?
A.People needn’t to work. |
B.There were often against one another in cities. |
C.People watched baseball games. |
D.People didn’t go to any games at all. |
What were those countries in Africa?
A.Friends. | B.Enemies. | C.Colonies. | D.Relatives. |
What did people do at the games?
A.They fought. | B.They just talked to friends. |
C.They cheered for their favorite athletes. | D.They tried to find friends. |
Greek cities then were fighting so they_____.
A.were weak | B.were safe |
C.couldn’t go to other cities freely | D.could see each other |
The best title for the story is“_____”.
A.Greece at War | B.To gather for the Games |
C.Stop Fighting | D.Sport |