When I was in high school, I didn’t know anything about engineering. At that time, when the car I drove needed repairing, I was afraid to take it to the . Because honestly, the mechanic could have me an electric can opener and said, “This is part of your car and it’s -----pay me to fix it.” Then I wouldn’t have known any better.
At the end of my junior year of high school, I heard about a summer program to interest girls in engineering. The six-week program was free, and students were college credits and a dorm room at the University of Maryland. I applied to the program, not because I wanted to be an engineer, but because I was looking forward to and wanted to stay away from my parents for six weeks.
I was accepted to the program and I earned six engineering credits. The next year I entered the university as an engineering student. Five years later I had a degree and three good job offers.
I can’t help shaking I hear about studies that show women are when it comes to math. They imply that I am a little stupid. I’m not, but I know that if I hadn’t met with that summer program, I wouldn’t be an engineer.
When I was growing up, I was told, as many students were, to do what I was best at. But I didn’t know what that was. Most people think that when you are something, it comes easily to you. But this is what I discovered: just because a subject is to learn, it does not mean you are not good at it. You just have to grit your teeth and work hard to get good at it. Once you do, there’s good that you will enjoy it more than anything else.
A．engineer B．salesman C．factory D．mechanic
A．shown B．given C．brought D．taken
A．old B．broken C．fixed D．dirtied
A．designed B．performed C．controlled D．described
A．sent B．afforded C．offered D．awarded
A．independence B．success C．happiness D．beauty
A．until B．when C．since D．before
A．at a disadvantage B．at a loss C．in a trap D．in a shock
A．never B．do C．hardly D．nearly
A．good at B．bad at C．interested in D．devoted to
A．easy B．funny C．difficult D．interesting
A．will B．feeling C．desire D．chance
Parents who smoke often open a window or turn on a fan to clear the air for their children, but experts now have identified a related threat to children's health that isn't as easy to get rid of: third-hand smoke。
That's the term being 1to describe the invisible yet poisonous mixture of gases and particles(颗粒) clinging(依附) to smokers' hair and 2, not to mention cushions and carpeting, that stays long after second-hand smoke has cleared from a room. The remaining 3heavy metals, carcinogens(致癌物) and even radioactive materials that young children can get on their hands and take in, 4if they're crawling or playing on the floor。
Doctors from MassGeneral Hospital for Children in Boston coined the term "third-hand smoke" to 5these chemicals in a new study that 6on the risks they pose to infants and children. The study was published in the 7issue of the journal Pediatrics。
"Everyone knows that second-hand smoke is bad,8they don't know about this," said Dr. Jonathan P. Winickoff, the lead author of the study and an assistant professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School。
"When their kids are 9the house, they might smoke. Or they smoke in the car. Or they strap(用带子捆扎) the kid in the car seat in the back and crack the window and 10, and they think it's okay because the second-hand smoke isn't getting to their 11. We needed a term to describe these tobacco toxins that aren't 12."
The study reported on 13toward smoking in 1,500 households across the United States. It found that the vast majority of both smokers and nonsmokers were 14that second-hand smoke is harmful to children. Some 95 percent of nonsmokers and 84 percent of smokers 15with the statement that "inhaling smoke from a parent's cigarette can 16the health of infants and children"。
But 17fewer of those surveyed were aware of the 18of third-hand smoke. Since the term is so new, the researchers asked people if they agreed with the statement that "breathing air in a room 19where people smoked yesterday can harm the health of infants and children"。
Only 65 percent of nonsmokers and 43 percent of smokers agreed with that 20, which researchers interpreted as acknowledgement of the risks of third-hand smoke。
( ) 1. A. told B. discussed C. used D. mentioned
( ) 2. A. shoes B. clothing C. body D. mouth
( ) 3. A. includes B. covers C. finds D. improves
( ) 4. A. especially B. specially C. immediately D. regularly
( ) 5. A. name B. call C. explain D. describe
( ) 6. A. focused B. tended C. tried D. worked
( ) 7. A. later B. latest C. best D. previous
( ) 8. A. but B. and C. however D. or
( ) 9. A. alongside B. out of C. in D. beside
( ) 10. A. cough B. talk C. observe D. smoke
( ) 11. A. cars B. seats C. kids D. windows
( ) 12. A. visible B. invisible C. poisonous D. concrete
( ) 13. A. policies B. attitudes C. bans D. habits
( ) 14. A. told B. content C. confident D. aware
( ) 15. A. opposed B. agreed C. fought D. connected
( ) 16. A. harm B. destroy C. improve D. confuse
( ) 17. A. quite B. very C. far D. too
( ) 18. A. chances B. risks C. abilities D. conditions
( ) 19. A. tomorrow B. today C. yesterday D. weekend
( ) 20. A. statement B. mark C. discussion D. prejudice
It is said that Abraham Lincoln searched for exactly the right words to say to his audience in that history-making speech that 1 less than three minutes.
Your speech probably won't be as long-remembered, 2you can still strive to give your audience the best speech possible by 3these simple tips:
Write and rewrite the material in your speech until it sounds exactly right to your own ears. Don't use words that are hard to 4 . Avoid technical 5or keep them to a minimum whenever possible.
Remember to use descriptive phrases so your listeners can get a mental picture in their 6of what you are talking about. People don't want to be told, they want to be given a 7picture so they can better understand your words.
Avoid using a lot of statistics that will put your audience asleep in their seats. Keep necessary 8in your speech to a minimum amount.
Humor can be an effective way to 9your audience, Humor can also effectively lessen 10, especially yours. You can use short jokes or personal anecdotes for this purpose. Just make sure your humorous material is appropriate for the audience you are 11to.
Your speech will probably either inform or 12your listeners to take action in order to help a charitable organization, etc. Be sure to include localized information in your speech that meet your audience's specific needs.
Read your speech out loud several times to hear how it will sound to your audience. Practice giving your speech in front of a mirror. That way you can see 13you are going to look to the audience. This technique can help you 14and feel more comfortable.
Make sure to speak a little louder than 15conversation when you are giving your speech so that you can be easily heard by the entire 16, not just the first few rows.
When you are giving your speech to your listeners, remember to 17your speech down a little bit and don't rush through the words.
You can arrange to have helpful visual aids 18before, during, or right after the end of your speech. This way the audience will have written information they can take home with them and 19later.
Remember to be an appreciative speaker and to 20the person or persons who asked you to give the speech. Also remember to thank the audience for listening.
( ) 1. A. continued B. lasted C. broadcast D. went
( ) 2. A. but B. though C. and D. therefore
( ) 3. A. accepting B. following C. copying D. remembering
( ) 4. A. pronounce B. understand C. learn D. listen
( ) 5. A. sentences B. terms C. pronunciations D. meanings
( ) 6. A. minds B. notes C. words D. tapes
( ) 7. A. intellectual B. physical C. mental D. visual
( ) 8. A. information B. terms C. statistics D. words
( ) 9. A. amuse B. control C. persuade D. drive
( ) 10.A. attention B. terror C. sorrow D. tension
( ) 11. A. speaking B. referring C. leading D. owing
( ) 12. A. help B. persuade C. force D. trap
( ) 13. A. what B. how C. why D. where
( ) 14.A. sleep B. rest C. comfort D. relax
( ) 15. A. normal B. later C. previous D. intentional
( ) 16. A. speeches B. actors C. friends D. audience
( ) 17. A. slow B. speed C. stop D. burn
( ) 18. A. checked out B. passed out C. brought out D. left out
( ) 19. A. sell B. review C. throw D. mail
( ) 20. A. thank B. find C. teach D. assist
Money, or the lack of it, changes everything, and that includes how people will be working out in 2010.
In these belt-tightening times 1 , cost-conscious workouts（锻炼）at home and at the gym topped the list of fitness trends for this year in a survey, followed 2 by shorter, more time-efficient regimens, such as 3 boot camp（强力集中训练） and circuit training.
"People are looking 4 for ways to accomplish as much as possible with as little 5 time and money as necessary," said Cedric X. Bryant, chief science officer of the American Council on Exercise (ACE), which conducted the online poll of fitness professionals.
"Last year money was on the list but this 6 year the majority of the respondents put 7 it as one of the top," he added.
Bryant said some 600 ACE-certified fitness 8 professionals responded to the annual poll 9 , which the non-profit organization has been conducting for a decade.
Other money-saving measures 10 , such as the shift from personal training sessions to small group training 11 classes and in-home workouts 12 using smaller, more portable equipment, also made the list.
"Personal trainers are seeing they've got to respond to market needs 13 . Working with two to four clients at a 14 time they can charge less 15 but still get their hourly fee," Bryant said.
Boot-camp workouts and circuit training, both of which burn 16 calories while building strength and endurance（持久性）, will be among the most popular trends in 2010, as time-constrained（受压制的）consumers 17 seek shorter, more intense activities.
One bright spot is the rise of exergaming-type systems, like Nintendo's Wii Sports, Wii Fit and the PC-based Dancetown. Bryant says the fitness-based video games areturning up 18in health clubs and senior centers.
Functional training workouts, which are geared to improving the quality of life and the ability to perform everyday tasks, will remain strong 19 , and the use of computerized tracking and online training and scheduling tools will increase 20in the coming year.
( ) 1. A. times B. years C. centuries D. societies
( ) 2. A. caught B. followed C. covered D. conducted
( ) 3. A. such like B. in other words C. such as D. that is to say
( ) 4. A. taking B. developing C. opening D. looking
( ) 5. A. little B. much C. many D. few
( ) 6. A. that B. next C. this D. previous
( ) 7. A. manage B. put C. try D. organize
( ) 8. A. medicine B. train C. economy D. fitness
( ) 9. A. poll B. conference C. observation D. reception
( ) 10. A. measures B. procedures C. policies D. systems
( ) 11. A. speaking B. training C. exercising D. processing
( ) 12. A. work B. workouts C. rest D. race
( ) 13. A. changes B. prices C. needs D. habits
( ) 14. A. some B. no C. any D. a
( ) 15. A. less B. fewer C. more D. much
( ) 16. A. produce B. burn C. cut D. add
( ) 17. A. professionals B. students C. consumers D. trainers
( ) 18. A. turning up B. turning down C. turning around D. turning out
( ) 19. A. weak B. useful C. strong D. possible
( ) 20. A. decrease B. appear C. increase D. want
Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't 1it to be blue - the name has nothing to 2the color of our closest celestial（天体） neighbor.
A full moon 3on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
"If you're in Times Square, you'll see the 4moon right above you. It's going to be that brilliant," said Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be 5in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up 6New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse（月蚀） on New Year's Eve when 7of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The 8will not be visible in the Americas.
A full moon occurs 929.5 days, and most years have 12. 10, an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The 11time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't12again until 2028.
Blue moons have no astronomical 13 , said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"`Blue moon' is just a 14in the same sense as a `hunter's moon' or a `harvest moon,'" Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon 15after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misunderstood the Maine Farmer's Calendar and marked a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the calendar 16a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.
Though Sky & Telescope corrected the 17decades later, the definition caught on. For purists（语言纯正癖者）, however, this New Year's Eve full moon doesn't even qualify as a 18moon. It's just the first full moon of the winter season.
In a tongue-in-cheek essay 19on the magazine's Web site this week, senior contributing editor Kelly Beatty wrote: "If skies are clear when I'm 20celebrating, I'll take a peek（眯着眼睛看） at that brilliant orb（天体） as it rises over the Boston skyline to see if it's an icy shade of blue. Or maybe I'll just howl."
( ) 1. A. wish B. wait C. hope D. expect
( ) 2. A. deal with B. do with C. develop with D. form into
( ) 3. A. occurred B. came C. ran D. went
( ) 4. A. full B. half C. bright D. part
( ) 5. A. out of sight B. visible C. big D. clear
( ) 6. A. until B. when C. before D. since
( ) 7. A. part B. all C. any D. none
( ) 8. A. moon B. eclipse C. sun D. shadow
( ) 9. A. each B. every C. either D. all
( ) 10. A. On the whole B. Generally speaking C. On average D. In addition
( ) 11. A. last B. next C. other D. another
( ) 12. A. go B. see C. come D. look
( ) 13. A. point B. evident C. theory D. significance
( ) 14. A. name B. object C. phenomenon D. tradition
( ) 15. A. created B. came about C. made D. copied
( ) 16. A. named B. called C. introduced D. defined
( ) 17. A. error B. name C. reality D. number
( ) 18. A. blue B. red C. yellow D. grey
( ) 19. A. published B. posted C. printed D. written
( ) 20. A. in B. out C. away D. on
What is Math Anxiety?
Math anxiety or fear of math is actually quite common. Math anxiety is quite 1to stage-fright. Why does someone suffer 2? Fear of something going wrong in front of a crowd? Fear of 3the lines? Fear of being judged 4? Fear of going completely blank? Math anxiety conjures（使现出） up fear of some type. The fear that one won't be able to do the 5or the fear that it's too hard or the fear of failure which often stems(起因于) from having a lack of 6. For the most part, math anxiety is the 7about doing the math right, our minds draw a 8and we think we'll fail and of course the more frustrated and anxious our minds become, the 9the chance for drawing blanks. Added pressure of having time limits on math tests and exams also cause the levels of anxiety grow for many students.
Where Does Math Anxiety Come From?
Usually math anxiety stems from 10experiences in mathematics. Typically math phobias have had math presented in such a fashion that it led to limited understanding. Unfortunately, math anxiety is often 11poor teaching and poor experiences in math which typically leads to math 12. Many of the students I've encountered with math anxiety have demonstrated an over reliance on procedures in math as opposed to actually understanding the math. When one tries to memorize procedures, rules and routines without much 13, the math is quickly forgotten and 14soon sets in. Think about your experiences with one concept --- the division of fractions（小部分）. You probably learned about reciprocals（倒数） and inverses. In other words, 'It's not yours to reason why, just invert（反转） and multiply'（乘）. Well, you memorized the rule and it 15 . Why does it work? Do you really understand why it works? Did anyone every use pizzas or math manipulative（巧妙处理的） to show you why it works? If 16 , you simply memorized the procedure and that was that. Think of math as memorizing all the procedures -- 17if you forget a few? Therefore, with this type of strategy, a good 18will help, but, what if you don’t have a good memory. Understanding the math is critical. Once students 19they can do the math, the whole notion of math anxiety can be overcome. Teachers and parents have an important 20to ensure students understand the math being presented to them.
( ) 1. A. different B. similar C. far D. familiar
( ) 2. A. speech B. performance C. threatens D. stage-fright
( ) 3. A. understanding B. memorizing C. forgetting D. reading
( ) 4. A. poorly B. crazily C. well D. publicly
( ) 5. A. Chinese B. math C. English D. physics
( ) 6. A. wish B. conscience C. determination D. confidence
( ) 7. A. fear B. joy C. pleasure D. doubt
( ) 8. A .failure B. choice C. blank D. death
( ) 9. A. further B. greater C. less D. smaller
( ) 10. A. unpleasant B. unfair C. pleasant D. successful
( ) 11. A. because B. thanks to C. resulting in D. due to
( ) 12. A. fear B. anxiety C. failure D. misunderstanding
( ) 13. A. forgetting B. use C. understanding D. knowledge
( ) 14. A. panic B. excitement C. disappointment D. encouragement
( ) 15. A. opens B. works C. starts D. runs
( ) 16. A. so B. possible C. not D. any
( ) 17. A. Where B. Why C. When D. What
( ) 18. A. memory B. method C. brain D. body
( ) 19. A. fill B. realize C. confirm D. recognize
( ) 20. A. task B. aim C. appointment D. role