Before he sailed round the world alone, Francis Chichester had already surprised his friends several times. He had tried to fly round the world but failed. That was in 1931.
The years passed. He gave up flying and began sailing. He enjoyed it greatly. Chichester was already 58 years old when he won the first solo transatlantic sailing race. His old dream of going round the world came back, but this time he would sail.His friends and doctors did not think he could do it, as he had lung cancer. But Chichester was determined to carry out his plan. In August 1966, at the age of nearly 65, an age when many men retire, he began the greatest voyage of his life.
Chichester covered 14100 miles before stopping in Sydney, Australia. This was more than twice the distance anyone had previously sailed alone. He arrived in Australia on 12 December, just 107 days out from England. He received a warm welcome from the Australians and from his family who had flown there to meet him. On shore, Chichester could not walk without help. Everybody said the same thing: he had done enough; he must not go any further. But he did not listen.
After resting in Sydney for a few weeks, Chichester set off once more in spite of his friends' attempts to dissuade him. The second half of his voyage was by far the more dangerous part, during which he sailed round the treacherous Cape Horn.After succeeding in sailing round Cape Horn, Chichester sent the following radio message to London: "I feel as if I had wakened from a nightmare. Wild horses could not drag me down to Cape Horn and that sinister Southern Ocean again."
Just before 9 o'clock on Sunday evening 28 May 1967, he arrived back in England, where a quarter of a million people were waiting to welcome him.Queen Elizabeth II knighted(授以爵位) him with the very sword that Queen Elizabeth I had used almost 400 years earlier to knight Sir Francis Drake after he had sailed round the world for the first time.The whole voyage from England and back had covered 28,500 miles. It had taken him nine months, of which the sailing time was 226 days. He had done what he wanted to accomplish.
What can we learn about Chichester?
A.He failed the solo transatlantic sailing race in 1959. |
B.He was a brave and determined man. |
C.The second half of his voyage was not as dangerous as the first half. |
D.The radio message expressed his concern about the sailing. |
【改编】What happened to Queen Elizabeth II after Chichester arrived back in England?
A.She called on the English to learn form him. |
B.She was waiting to congratulate on his success in sailing. |
C.She thought little of his achievements. |
D.She knighted him for praising him. |
【改编】What can we infer from the text ? ____
A.Anyone who had sailed alone traveled less than 7050miles before 1966 |
B.Chichester sailed round the Atlantic in 1931 |
C.Most of the English leave their jobs at the age of 65 |
D.Chichester died of lung cancer in 1967 after he went back to England |
In this voyage I visited my new colony on the island, saw the Spaniards(西班牙人), had the whole story of their lives and of the villains(罪犯) I left there; how at first they treated the poor Spaniards badly,·how they afterwards agreed, disagreed, unired, separated, and how at last the Spaniards were forced to use violence with them; how they gave in to the spaniards, how honestly the Spaniards used them ---- a history, if it were entered into, as full of variety and wonderful accidents as my own part ---- particularly, also, as to their battles with the Caribbeans, who landed several times upon the Island, and as to the improvement they made upon the Island itself, and how five of them made an attempt upon the main land, and brought away eleven men and five women prisoners, by which, at my coming, I found about twenty young children on the Island.
Here I stayed bout 20 days, left them supplies of all necessary things, and particularly of arms, powder, shot, cloths, tools, and two workmen, which I brought from England with me, namely a carpenter and a smith.
Besides this, I shared the Island into parts with them, reserved to myself the property of whole but gave them such parts resoeetively as they agreed on; and having settled all things with them and encouraged them not to leave the place, I left them there.
From then on I landed the Brazils, from where I sent a bark, which I bought there, with more people to the island; and in it, besides other supplies, I sent seven women, being such persons as I found proper for service, or for wives to such as would take them. As to the Englishmen, I promised them to send them some women from England, with a good cargo(船货) of necessaries, if they would apply themselves to planting ---- which I afterwards could not perform. And the fellows proved very honest and diligent after they were mastered and had their properties set apart for them. I sent them also from the Brazils five cows, three of them being big with calf, some sheep, and some pigs, which when I came again were considerably increased.
But all these things, with an account how 300 Caribbeans came and invaded(入侵) them, and ruined their plantations, and how they fought with that whole number twice, and were at first defeated, and one of them killed; but at last a storm destroying most of their enemies’ boats, they destroyed almost all the rest, and renewed and recovered the possession of their plantation, and still lived upon the Island.
All these things, with some very surprising incidents in some new adventures of my own, for ten years more, I may perhaps give a further account of the story.From Paragraph l, we know _______ .
A.the Spaniards were always getting along well with the villains |
B.the Spaniards were always the rulers of the island |
C.the Spaniards and the villains both ruled the island peacefully |
D.the Spaniards and the villains once had battles witll each other |
In Paragraph 2, the place where I stayed was probably ________.
A.a wild island | B.a deserted downtown |
C.a primitive supermarket | D.a new city |
The underlined word “respectively” in the third paragraph probably means ______ .
A.separately | B.particularly | C.specially | D.surprisingly |
The writer of the story once went to _______.
A.Japan and Brazil | B.England and Brazil |
C.France and Spain | D.Korea and Caribbean |
From the story, we can judge the Writer might be _______ .
A.an invader | B.a carpenter![]() |
C.an adventurer | D.a prisoner |
It happened one morning 20 years ago. A British scientist Alec Jeffrey came across DNA fingerprinting: He identified the patterns of genetic material that are unique to almost every individual. His discovery changed everything from the way we do criminal investigations to the way we decide family law. But the professor of genetics at the University of Leicester, UK, is still surprised, and a bit worried, by the power of the technology he released upon the world.
The patterns within DNA are unique to each individual, except identical twins, who share the same pattern. The ability to identify these patterns has been used to convict(证明…有罪) murderers and to clear people who are wrongly accused. It is also used to identify the victims of war and settle disputes over who is the father of a child.
Jeffrey said he and his colleagues made the discovery by accident while tracking genetic variations(变异). But, within six months of the discovery, genetic fingerprinting had been used in an immigration case, to prove that an African boy really was his parents’ son.·In 1986, it was used for the first time in a British
criminal case: It cleared one suspect after being accused of two murders and helped convict another man.
DNA testing is now very common. In Britain, a national criminal database established in 1995 now contains 2.5 million DNA samples. The U.S. and Canada are developing similar systems. But there are fears about the stored DNA samples and how they could be used to harm a person’s privacy. That includes a person’s medical history, racial origin or psychological profile. “There is the long-term risk that people can get into these samples and start getting additional information about a person’s paternity(父子关系) or risk of disease,” Jeffrey said.
DNA testing is not an unfailing proof of identity. Still, it is considered a reasonably reliable system for determining the things it is used for. Jeffrey estimates the probability of two individuals’ DNA profiles matching in the most commonly used tests at one in a billion.According to the text, DNA testing can NOT be used in _______ .
A.doing criminal investigations | B.deciding faraily law |
C.clearmg wrongly accused people | D.telling twins apart |
DNA samples are not popular with all the people because _______ .
A.the government in Britain establishes a criminal database |
B.the US and Canada develop similar systems |
C.DNA samples can be used to harm![]() |
D.DNA testing is too expensive and dangerous now |
Where will you most probably find this article?
A.In a guidebook. | B.In a storybook. |
C.In a science fiction. | D.In a scientific magazine. |
Which is the best title for the passage?
A.Discovery of DNA testing by Jeffery | B.Practice of DNA testing in court |
C.DNA testing in the present situation | D.Benefits and side effects of DNA testing |
ACTeen-Acting for Teens
The nation’s first on-camera acting program developed for teens(ages 13—15, 16—20). Now celebrating our 30th year. June, July, August, or。Saturday summer academies offer full or part-time curriculum. 14 + electives, including film & television acting, theater, musical theater, auditioning, Shakespeare, speech &voice, movement, script writing.
Working grades, small classes(12 maximum per workshop). Safe, convenient location. Application required. Out of town applicants may submit long distance application.
Cost/Week: $500一$649
Indianhead Ranch
Sharpen your H unting Skills over one or two weeks at Indianhead Ranch in Del Rio, Texas. You will experience the outdoors, expand your knowledge in gun safety and learn practical camping hunting and survival skills.
Cost/Week: $1000一$1999
Vermont Adventure Camps
Six-Day Adventure Camps
We offer 8 six-day adventure camps for teens l1 to 13. The kids go stay in rustic cabins at our camping site in Andover VT and on adventures each day. A discount of 10%will be given to the team with over 3 persons.
Two-Week Adventure Camps
We also offer 4 two-week adventure camps for teens 14 to 17. The teens will go on an adventure each day and then come back to our quaint Adventure Lodge.
Cost/Week: $650
International ESL Camp
The site is in close proximity to New York, Philadelphia, and Princeton University. Campers will receive three hours per day of English language instruction, a full range of planned activities including sports, arts and crafts, and weekly excursions.
Cost/Week: $650一$999According to the passages, which camp offers hunting skills?
A.Vermont Adventure Camps. | B.Indianhead Ranch. |
C.Acting for Teens. | D.International ESL Camp. |
Which of the following statements about ACTeeen is TRUE?
A.Applicants out of town c![]() |
B.There i s no need for application to the camp. |
C.The camp lasts until September. |
D.Its curriculum includes script writing. |
If Tom plans to send his 4 children to join Six-Day Adventure Camps, how much should he pay?
A.2,340. | B.2,600. | C.260. | D.2,860. |
Kenya wants to organize a major international conference to discuss how to fight piracy(海盗) off the coast of Somalia. The conference may also deal with ways to rescue Somalia from seventeen years of civil war. More than forty percent of its people depend on food aid.
Kenyan Foreign Minister Moses Wetangula says the world cannot end piracy and civil war without dealing with Somalia’s political problems.
Somali pirates operate in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. The Gulf of Aden connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean by way of the Suez Canal. The pirates have fast boats, modern weapons and equipment like satellite phones and global positioning systems.
Pirates hijacked the Sirius Star off the coast of Kenya and moved it to waters off Somalia.
The tanker Sirius Star, at three hundred thirty meters long, is the biggest ship ever known to have been captured by pirates. It also happened farther south than most attacks, and farther out at sea ---- more than eight hundred kilometers from land.
The ship was headed for the United States with two million karrels of oil, worth an estimated one hundred million dollars. A Saudi Arabian company owns the tanker. The pirates have reportedly demanded twenty-five million dollars in negotiations to release the ship and its crew of twenty-five.
Somali pirates generally do not steal goods or kill hostages. They are believed to be holding seventeen ships with about three hundred crew members. Among the ships is a Ukrainian vessel hijacked(劫持) in September with a load of military weapons including tanks.
The increase in piracy is raising the cost of insuring ships. Also, oil from the Middle East and exports from East Asia could take longer to arrive.
Some of the world’s heaviest shipping traffic passes the Somali coast. But major shipping companies have begun to consider new routes. One of the world’s biggest shippers, A.P, Moeller Maersk, says it will avoid the Gulf of Aden. A move away from the Suez Canal could hurt Egypt’s economy.
American and other foreign navy ships are now watching for pirates. This week the Indian Navy destroyed a heavily armed “mother ship” in the Gulf of Aden. But the area to protect covers more than one hundred sixty million square kilometers. According to the passage, which of the following is the key to solving the piracy in Somalia?
A.Providing lots of money. | B.Ending Civil war. |
C.Supplying enough food. | D.Handling Somalia’s political problems. |
Somali pirates do the following things except that _______.
A.they demand money | B.they hold the ships with crew |
C.they kill some of the hostages | D.they hijack ships with military weapons |
What can we infer from the passage?
A.The cost of ship ![]() |
B.The routes of some ships might change. |
C.Nothing has been done to fight against the piracy. |
D.The Suez Canal is of no importance to Egypt’s economy. |
During the last twenty years there has been increasing concern with the quality of the environment. Along with air and water pollutions, noises pollution has been recognized as a serious pollutant. As noise levels have risen, the effects of noise have become more apparent.
Noise is defined as "unwanted sound". Causes of noise pollution include traffic, aircraft, rock bands, barking dogs, televisions, garbage trucks, and noise from neighbors, voices, alarms, and watercrafts. Studies show that over forty percent of Americans are disturbed at home or lose sleep because of noise pollution.
Noise has bad effects on people and the environment. Noise causes hearing loss, interferes (妨碍) with human activities at home and work, and is in various ways dangerous to people's health and well being.
When we think, talk, listen to music, or sleep, we need quiet. Even low levels of noise can be annoying or frustrating. Sudden increases in volume can make sounds annoying. The quieter the background is, the more penetrating a noise can be.
Noise can also make instructions or warning unclear, resulting in accidents. Louder noise bursts can be more disruptive (破坏性).Continued stress can lead to high blood pressure, which is the major cause of some diseases.
Long exposure to noise levels above eight-five decibels (分贝) can damage inner cells and lead to hearing loss. Noise can result in the involuntary fear response and can cause adrenaline (肾上腺素) to be pumped into the bloodstream, the heart rate to quicken, muscles to tense, breathing to increase, and the digestive system to slow down.
Local government has the responsibility to fight noise pollution. For example, it can regulate the speed of trains through their community. On the other hand, a responsible citizen will never make noise pollution wherever he is. How many kinds of environmental pollution are mentioned in the text?
A.Two | B.Three | C.Four | D.Five |
According to the text, noise pollution may be caused by .
A.parties and meetings | B.zoos and theaters |
C.schools and factories | D.vehicles and animals |
What does the underlined word "penetrating" in paragraph 4 mean?
A.High and exciting | B.Sharp and shocking |
C.Loud and unpleasant | D.Clear and comfortable |
In the last paragraph, the writer suggests that .
A.individuals and government should work together to reduce noise pollution |
B.the government should offer it's people better education on noise pollution |
C.the government should be responsible for noise pollution |
D.people who make noise pollution should be punished |
Which of the following is not related to noise pollution?
A.hearing loss | B.speeding the digestive system |
C.high blood pressure | D.accidents |