What can we learn from the special, very successful people in the world who make the impossible possible?
Lesson 1: Ways of creative thinking are needed
Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg both dropped out of college. They prefer to teach themselves because they like to develop their own ways of thinking. They think standard ways of teaching might stop people from being creative and having new ideas.
Lesson 2: The answer might not be what you expect
Find your answers from facts — not start with an expectation of what you will find. Stephen Jacobsen from Northwestern University believed what he was taught: that water on Earth came from icy comets(彗星) or planets which hit into Earth.
However, by studying a special rock, he discovered that it acts like a sponge(海绵). This suggests that Earth's water may have come from inside, driven to the surface to form the oceans, by geological activity.
“I had a pretty hard time making others believe it,” he said. “But thinking about the fact that you may the first person to see something for the first time doesn’t happen very often. When it does, it’s amazing.”
Lesson 3: A little luck goes a long way
Years of planning went into a recent achievement in space travel. The European Space Agency’s “Philae”, a robot landing craft, met up with Comet 67P, which is 480 million kilometers away. The trip from Earth by “Philae” had taken ten years!
The scientists had no idea what the surface of the comet would be like. If the landing failed, it would be impossible to get information from the spacecraft. Twenty years of work would have been wasted.
When “Philae” tried to land, it bounced(弹起) away from the comet’s icy surface twice. Luckily, however, “Philae” landed successfully and began sending information back to Earth.Bill Gates and Mark Zuckerberg didn’t finish college because_________.
A.they preferred to learn by themselves |
B.they needed standard ways of teaching |
C.their teachers didn’t like their new ideas |
D.their teachers weren’t able to teach them |
In Lesson 2, the writer mainly wants to tell us that _________.
A.we should get answers from facts |
B.we can believe what we are taught |
C.it’s hard to make others believe something |
D.an expectation can help get an answer in research |
The example “Philae” in Lesson 3 shows that _________.
A.Comet 67P is not far away from Earth |
B.it took “Philae” 20 years to reach Comet 67P |
C.“Philae” landed on Comet 67P with a little luck |
D.scientists know nothing about the surface of Comet 67P |
The best title for this passage is ______.
A.Ways of discovering | B.Lessons for success |
C.Ways of being special | D.Lessons for experiments |
阅读短文,然后根据短文内容完成任务。
There is a popular club in many US middle schools. It’s homework club. More and more students spend (度过) their afternoons at these clubs.
The US middle school students need a quiet place to study. But games, computers and TV are all around kids at home. So the homework club is just for them to do their homework. The club is quiet and it’s (A)________ for students to study. Some teachers are there, too. They can answer students’ questions and help with their work.
Finish (完成) their homework and then they play games or watch TV happily.
任务一:从方框中选择适当的词填入文中的A处。 good, well _____________
任务二:将划线句子翻译成汉语:________________________________________
任务三:根据短文内容完成句子。There are ____________, ______________ and TV at kids’ homes.
任务四:根据短文内容回答题。What club is a popular one in many US middle schools?
What can students do after they finish their homework?
阅读短文,根据短文内容选择正确的答案。
Coffee has become the most popular American drink. Today people in the United States drink more coffee than(比)people in any of the other countries. People drink coffee at breakfast, at lunch, at dinner, and between meals. They drink hot coffee or coffee with ice in it. They drink it at work and at home. They eat coffee ice-cream and coffee candy(糖果). Coffee is black and very strong. Different people like to drink it in different ways. Some people like coffee with cream or sugar in it. Other people like coffee with both cream and sugar in it. In all ways it is served(提供服务). Coffee has become an international(国际的)drink.Coffee is an ________ drink.
A.interesting | B.international | C.ice-cream | D.America |
Different people like to drink coffee __________.
A.at work or at home | B.in different ways |
C.with cream or sugar | D.between meals |
Today Americans drink ____ coffee than people in any of the other countries.
A.as much as | B.less | C.more | D.most |
“Coffee is black and very strong.” The word strong here means ______.
A.坚固的 | B.淡的 | C.强壮的 | D.浓的 |
_____ is the most popular American drink.
A.Black tea | B.Coffee | C.Water with ice | D.Whisky |
阅读短文,根据短文内容判断正(T)误(F)。
I take an after-school Spanish class once a week. One day, when the class was over, there weren’t any buses going to my house, and my parents couldn’t pick me up. So, I had to walk home myself.
It was a long walk but I enjoyed it. The wind was blowing (吹拂) gently. And I saw birds flying and trees changing color. A few times I saw something special, like a small snake near the sidewalk (人行道) and two cars very close to crashing (撞车)! Later, I got used to (习惯) the distance. It became a part of my daily life, like getting dressed.
People always think walking long distances is unimaginable (难以想象的). Cars keep us from nature. But I really enjoy my walk home from school.The writer takes an after-school Spanish class every day.
The writer’s parents asked him to walk home.
The writer didn’t enjoy the long walk.
The writer loves being close to nature.
The writer sees a car accident on his way home.
New York is one of (A)_______ (excite) cities in the world.
You might want to do some shopping in New York. Fifth Avenue is probably New York’s most famous shopping street, but if you go, be prepared to “window shop” only. This is shopping for the rich. There are other, less expensive shopping areas(区域)nearby, and you’ll soon (B)come across famous stores such as Bloomingdales, Macy’s and FAO Schwartz.
And if you’ve brought your rollerblades, then a visit to Central Park is a must. This is a large, open park right in the middle of Manhattan, but if you thought that people came here to relax, sits down for a few minutes and get away from the rush of New York life, then you’d be wrong. Nobody sits in Central Park: they run, jog(慢跑), and most of all they rollerblade.
When you leave New York, you might be tired, even poor and overweight, but the one thing you won’t be is bored!用(A)处所给单词的适当形式填空。(A)_________________________
根据短文内容,回答下列问题。(B)的中文含义
Why would you probably only “window shop” in Fifth Avenue?
_____________________________________________What is Bloomingdales?
_____________________________________________What don’t people do in Central Park?
_____________________________________________
As a father, I always do my best to help my son, Peter. I like to help him with his study. I encourage him to join team sports. I send him to the summer camp if he wants to go. I also teach him to be both a good student and a useful man.
He used to make me feel proud. I often thought he was the best son and I was the best father in the world.
However, things changed two years ago. It was Peter’s 12th birthday. My wife and I bought him a computer as a present. We thought it was necessary for him to learn how to use a computer in the modern world. We knew that some children were addicted (上瘾的) to computer games and that they didn’t study or work at all. Someone said that computers and the Internet were bad for children, but I didn’t worry about it. I trusted (信任) my son. I believed that he could control himself. Peter did very well at first. He played computer games, but for only two hours every week. Most of the time he studied or wrote articles on the computer. We felt very happy to see that.
When we finally learned that Peter was also addicted to computer games, it was too late. He didn’t like studying at all. He no longer joined team sports. Sometimes we even couldn’t find him at night. He spent several days and nights at the Internet cafe. We tried everything to help him, but nothing worked. What should we do?Why did the writer think his son was the best in the past?
A.Because his son joined many team sports. |
B.Because his son was a good student. |
C.Because his son always made him feel proud. |
D.Because his son loved him very much. |
How old is Peter now?
A.10 years old. | B.12 years old |
C.14 years old. | D.16 years old. |
What did the writer buy for his son as a birthday present two years ago?
A.A computer. | B.Some computer games. |
C.Some books. | D.A computer book. |
How long did Peter play computer games at first?
A.About two hours every day. |
B.About two hours every week. |
C.About two hours every month. |
D.The whole day. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.Peter likes to study a lot now. |
B.It wasn’t necessary for children to learn how to use a computer. |
C.Many children have lost interest in studying because of computer games and the Internet. |
D.Children shouldn’t use the computer. |