DiscoverNewsmagazineofscienced-优题课

I have a rule for travel: Never carry a map. I prefer to ask for directions.
Foreign visitors are often puzzled in Japan because most streets there don’t have names. In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions in stead of street names, For example, the Japanese will say to travelers, “Go straight down to the corner. Turn left at the big hotel and go past a fruit marks. The post office is across from the bus stop. ”
In the countryside of the American Midwest, usually there are not many landmarks. There are no mountains, so the land is very flat. In many places there are no towns or buildings within miles. Instead of landmarks, people will tell you directions and distance. In Kansas or Iowa, for example, people will say, “Go north two miles. Turn east, and then go another mile.”
People in Los Angeles, California, have no idea of distance on the map. They measure distance by means of time, not miles. “How far away is the post office?” You ask, “Oh,” They answer, “It’s about five minutes from here.” You say, “Yes, but how many miles away is it?” They don’t know.
People in Greece sometimes do not even try to give directions because visitors seldom understand the Greek language. Instead of giving you the direction, a Greek will often say, “Follow me.” Then he’ll lead you through the streets of the city to the post office.
Sometimes a person doesn’t know the answer to your question. What happens in this situation? A New Yorker might say, “Sorry, I have no idea.” But in Yucatan, Mexico, no one answers, “I don’t know.” People in Yucatan think that “I don’t know.” is impolite. They usually give an answer, often a wrong one. A visitor can get very, very lost in Yucatan!
One thing will help you everywhere --- in Japan, in the United States. In Greece, in Mexico, or in any other place. You might not understand a person’s words, but maybe you can understand his body language. He or she will usually turn and then point in the correct direction. Go in that direction, and you may find the post office!
1 The passage mainly tell us that ____ .
A. never carry a map for travel
B. there are not many landmarks in the American Midwest
C. there are different ways to give directions in different parts of the world
D. New Yorkers often say, “I have no idea,” but people in Yucatan, Mexico, never say this
2 The passage says, “In Japan, people use landmarks in their directions. “The word “landmarks” means ____ .
A. building names
B. street names
C. hotels, markets and bus stops
D. buildings or places which are easily recognized
3 In which place do people tell distance by means of time?
A. Japan B. American Midwest C. Los Angeles, California D. Greece
4 In the passage, ____ countries are mentioned by the writer.
A. seven B. four C. eight D. five
5 Which of the following is wrong?
A. Travelers can learn about people’s customs by asking questions about directions.
B. A person’s body language can help you understand directions.
C. People in some places give directions in miles, but people in other places give directions by means of time.
D. People in different places always give directions in the same way: They use street names.

第二部分阅读理解 (满分30分)
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项 (A、B、C和D) 中，选出最佳选项。 (每小题2分)
Wang Hao and Wang Liqin, two of China’s top tennis players, both saw the World Table Tennis Championships as a chance to prove themselves. But there was only one champion and Wang Hao, 25, won it last Tuesday in Yokohama, Japan.
Wang Hao, who won the men’s doubles title with Chen Qi last Monday, played with spirit to best Wang Liqin 11-9, 13-11,11-5,11-9.
Wang Hao said it was his mental toughness (心里稳定) that made the difference. “I was disappointed by my performances in past championships and the last two Olympic Games. But I have tried to pull myself together and prepared well. This is the result.”
Wang Hao said he always understood the importance of physical training and technical skills. Now he knows the need for mental preparation as well. Having two Olympic silvers had left him feeling bitter (痛苦的). The bitterness perhaps explains why he has not always played at his best in the past.
“I’ve come to understand that you can learn important lessons (教训) from failure,” he said. “Losing can build your character and make you a stronger player.” His next goal, or dream, is to win the medal at the London Olympics in 2012.
Liu Guoliang, head coach of China’s table tennis team, sang the praises of Wang Hao’s victory. “This is just the beginning of his rise,” said Liu. “It’s the confidence-booster he needs to make further progress.”
1 According to the passage, Wang Hao won ____ gold medals in the World Table Tennis Championships in Yokohama, Japan.
A. only one B. two C. three D. four
2From Wang Hao, we can know the main reason for his beating Wang Liqin is his ____ .
A. technical skills B. physical training C. mental toughness D. past experience
3What is the next goal of Wang Hao?
A. To win the title of the champion at the 2012 Olympics.
B. To beat Wang Liqin again.
C. To prove himself in the future competitions.
D. To win more goals in future.
4 What can we learn from Wang Hao?
A. Failure is the mother of success.
B. Never give until you succeed.
C. Where there is a will, there is a way.
D. A good beginning makes a good ending.
5 The passage is mainly about how to ____ .
A. get gold medals B. beat Wang Liqin C. play table tennis D. beat Chen Qi

A new report says the number of foreign students at colleges and universities in the United States increased by three percent last year. This has been the first obvious increase since 2001.
American schools last fall had 583,000 foreign students. The record is 586,000. That was set in 2002 after many years of gains. But after that the numbers fell. The terrorist attacks on September 11th, 2001 led to more visa (签证) requirements. Now stronger efforts are being made to get more foreign students to study in the United States.
China remained in second place in front of South Korea but behind India, which sent almost 84,000 students last fall. The number of Japanese fell sharply by nine percent, although it remained in fourth place.
There were three percent drops from Indonesia and Kenya, the only African country in the top twenty last year. But there were obvious increases from Saudi Arabia, Nepal and Vietnam. The number of Saudi students more than doubled, rising to nearly eight thousand.
For a sixth year, the University of Southern California in Los Angeles had the most foreign students. Columbia University in New York was second. Other schools in the top five were New York University, the University of Illinois and Purdue University.
Unlike American students in other countries, who often choose history and language study, the leading area of study in the USA was business and management. Second was engineering.
The new report also says more than 220,000 Americans studied in other countries. That was during the 2005-2006 school year. It was a record number, and an increase of eight and a half percent from the year before. But only five percent of them stayed for a full year.
1 After 2002, the number of foreign students in the USA fell mainly because ____ .
A. Americans were worried that foreign students might attack them
B. few American universities welcomed students from abroad
C. their own countries could offer them a better education
D. it was harder for foreign students to get permission to study in the USA
2 Which of the following Asian countries has the largest number of students studying in the USA?
A. China. B. Japan. C. South Korea. D. India.
3 Which subject is the most attractive to foreign students in the USA?
A. Business and management. B. History.
C. Engineering. D. Language.
4We can learn from the passage that ____ .
A. Kenya is the only African country that has students in the USA
B. now foreign students are encouraged to study in the USA
C. the number of students studying in America always increases
D. the number of foreign students in the USA will keep increasing in the future
5 In which section of a newspaper could you most probably read this passage?
A. Culture. B. Science. C. Education. D. Business.

If you want to keep healthy, you should have good habits. What is a habit? It is something we do very often. We don’t even think when we do it. It has become a part of our lives.
“Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise.” This is an old English saying. Do you know what it means? It means that we must go to bed early at night and get up early in the morning. If we do, we shall be healthy, rich and clever.
Is this true? Perhaps it is. We know the body must have enough sleep. Boys and girls need eight or nine hours’ sleep every day.
Some people go to bed late at night and get up late in the morning. This is a very bad habit. Then you will not think or do your work well. Of course, you can’t be healthy, wealthy or wise.
When we get up early in the morning, we can go out and do morning exercises. Exercise means doing things with the body. Walking, running jumping, swimming, and playing ball games are all exercise. If we don’t exercise, our body will become weak.
Exercise helps the blood (血液) to move around inside our body. Blood takes food to all parts of our body.
Our body also needs air to breathe. Without air, we will die. We must have lots of clean fresh air if we want to be healthy. That is why many people like to go out to do morning exercise.
1 From the passage we know that it is good for our health to ____ .
A. eat a lot B. go to bed early C. get up late D. go to bed late
2 How long should young boys and girls need to sleep a day?
A. More than ten hours B. Over eleven hours.
C. Less than seven hours. D. Eight hours or so.
3 If we want to keep healthy, we must ____ .
A. eat more food B. sleep more C. get up late D. take enough exercise
4 Which of the following habits is NOT GOOD?
A. Don’t go to bed until twelve o’clock..
B. Take a walk after supper.
C. Run in the open air early in the morning.
D. Climb hills for half an hour early in the morning.
5 Which sport is NOT mentioned in the passage?
A. Jumping. B. Swimming. C. Riding. D. Running.

第二部分阅读理解 (满分35分)
第一节　阅读理解下面的短文，然后根据短文内容，指出能完成所给句子或回答所提问题的最佳答案。(每小题2分)
What makes a house a home? A home is a place of companionship with people in it who love each other, who are harmonious (和谐的) and closer with one another than with those in the workplace or with classmates at school. A home is a place that’s so magnetic that it’s difficult to leave. In a home there is love, sharing and appreciation, and the members help one another.
I have seen families on the street. But if they live, sleep, talk, and eat together, they are a family, even if they are poorly off. You don’t need a roof to make a home. The truly homeless are some of the rich people who build multi-million-dollar houses and are too busy to really live in them. The truly homeless are those who have turned their home into a hotel lobby. The parents work and the children misbehave. They don’t talk and eat together every day. They rarely see each other. The truly homeless people are those with babysitters, caretakers, gardeners and maids. However, people are unaware of this, as they are too busy making money outside the home that they don’t live in. This is another way of looking at the rich and the homeless. Who is to be pitied?
Control of the computer and the Internet is also important to make a house into a home. If the computer is on all the time, the house turns into an office, even if everyone is at home. Many homes these days are just offices. Human communication has stopped. The computer eats up all the time that one should be giving to others within the home. Using the computer moderately gives us time for play and communication, not with a screen, but with other people.
1 Which of the following may serve as the best title for this passage?
A. How to make a house a home? B. What makes a house a home?
C. Who are truly homeless? D. What is a home for?
2 The purpose of the first paragraph is to tell us ____ .
A. that where there is home there is love B. how to have a happy home
C. what people think a home is D. the author’s concept of home
3 The underlined word “those” refers to ____ .
A. people who build multi-million-dollar houses
B. people who don’t spend time with the family
C. people who have lost their family members
D. homeless families living on the street in America
4Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A. Computers and the Internet are important for a happy home.
B. A home is a place where you are willing to stay.
C. Sometimes it’s the rich that should be pitied.
D. Even the poorest people can have a happy home.
5 According to the passage, which is NOT mentioned as an element (要素) of a home?
A. Communication.B. Appreciation. C. Kindness. D. Companionship.

A．Wired and InStyle.	B．Discover and InStyle.
C．Self and Discover.	D．Self and Wired.

A．In Style.	B．Self.
C．Wired.	D．Discover.