It's Friday morning in the year 2025, and you're running late. You got distracted watching the music video that as playing in the corner of your bathroom mirror while you were brushing your teeth. How will you get to your office at Mega Giga Industries on time?
A quick check of your Internet-connected refrigerator magnet tells you your train which travels at speeds up to 250 miles an hour as it electromagnetically(电磁的) hovers above its guide track is a bit behind schedule, too. So you decide to drive your environmentally-friendly hydrogen(氢气) fuel cell car instead or rather let your car drive you. It's programmed to know the way, and it will get you there without speeding, getting lost, or crashing.
Sealing into your office chair, which changes color to match what you're wearing, you pick up yesterday morning's newspaper. Printed on reusable electronic paper, it instantly rewrites itself with today's headlines. Now it's time for your big meeting. Uh-oh!
You've left your handwritten notes at home. No problem! The digital ink pen you used has stored an electronic copy of what you wrote.
Your wrist(手腕) watch videophone suddenly rings. Your best friend's face pops up on the organic light-emitting diode (二极管) screen asking what you're doing this weekend. Will you slap on your 3D contact lenses and play virtual soccer with the US Olympic team? No, no. Your friend says, so you have to take the new nanotube elevator (made of microscopic fibers many times stronger than steel) 60,000 miles into space.
Could this scene really take place in just a couple of decades? The researchers who are currently developing all this stuff think so. These things may be as common in 20 years as cell phones and DVD players are today.The author wrote the passage to ______.
| A．show picture the life of the future |
| B．introduce some high technology |
| C．tell us the future life is fantastic |
| D．tell us the future life is convenient |
What is the meaning of the underlined sentence?
| A．The car is very good. |
| B．The driver of the car is very clever. |
| C．The car is controlled by yourself. |
| D．The car can run by itself without your control. |
From the passage we know that ______.
| A．you can read the newspaper on TV |
| B．the newspaper is printed on the used paper |
| C．the newspaper can update by itself |
| D．the newspaper is put in the changeable chair |
From the last paragraph we can conclude that ______.
| A．all the imagination can come true now |
| B．it is impossible to see the scene |
| C．it will take us no more than ten years to realize the dream |
| D．the researchers believe the scene will take place in some years |
This site , all-birds. com, is about bird watching. Enjoy your browsing. There is much to learn and see.
Bird Watching Equipment
Some items that might make bird watching more enjoyable are binoculars （ 双目望远镜） , a camera, some kind of system for keeping notes, and maybe a back pack． Birders often keep lists of the birds they see along with notes about the habits． There is some great bird log software that will let you keep records on your computer． For more details on choosing binoculars see our Binocular -Optics page．
Clothes
If you are walking through a wooded area just wear clothes you would wear on any hike or field trip． You are best off wearing clothes with dull colors that mix into the background． Greens, browns, and grays are good． Avoid fabrics that rustle（沙沙响）easily． Depending on the birds you are watching you may want to get rain gear, rubber boots and warm clothing． For birds such as owls that you might look for in the evening a strong flashlight is also handy．
Choosing a Bird Field Guide
Take a good field guide to identify birds． Look for clear color pictures that make it easy to recognize one bird from another． Next to each picture should be detailed descriptions of each bird's anatomy, habits, and what it eats． The guide should have information about what habitat each species uses． Many guides have maps showing the range of different birds along with their migration patterns．
Where and When to see Birds
Learning the habitats of birds in your area will increase the number of birds you see, and make your birding more enjoyable． If you know that Meadow larks are likely to be in open grassy areas, and dippers are forage along stream beds, you may be looking for them if you are in those types of habitats． Edge areas where different types of habitats meet will likely have more species in them． You are more likely to see specific birds at certain times of the day． For example songbirds are easier to see two to three hours after dawn, or just before sunset． This is when songbirds are most actively feeding． Many small birds will be silent or even hidden during the rest of the day． After sunup is the best time to see eagles and hawks． Visibility is best for hunting at this time, and they can soar on the thermal currents from the warmed air． Birds like owls are more likely to be seen in the evening． Many shorebirds and waders rest at high tide and feed when the water rises or falls．
Photographing Birds
Patience in Bird Photography
Most birds are afraid of people, and all species have their own comfort zone． With a little time you can learn the comfort zone of the birds you are photographing． Once they know that you are not a threat you may be able to get closer．
Type or Style
Your reason for photographing birds may determine your style and the kind of equipment you use． If you are just recording the kinds of birds you see you don't need to get as close, and you can use less expensive equipment, then you need for high quality prints.
Photographing Birds in Flight
Photographing birds in flight can be fun． Many digital cameras have a tracking function． With these you focus on the bird, and then as you track it the lens will keep focus．
Use Your Yard
Choose an open area where the birds will get direct sunlight, showing off their magnificent colors．
Try using props
Birds will often land on a stick or post near a seed feeder before going to the feeder． The background was just an out of focus fence but you can use anything you want for a background, and then wait for a bird to perch.The main purpose of the passage is to_____.
| A．attract more people to photograph birds |
| B．help birders learn how to identify and understand birds |
| C．call on people to set some comfort zones for birds |
| D．inform birders of the results of a scientific research on birds |
Clothes in______are highly recommended when you are going bird watching．
| A．red | B．yellow | C．brown | D．blue |
________are likely to be seen at 7 in the morning．
| A．Owls | B．Shorebirds | C．Songbirds | D．Larks |
Which of the following statement is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．A stick in the yard may scares birds off when you are photographing them． |
| B．It will be wise for birders to hire a guide for themselves． |
| C．Birders have to bring some notebooks to keep records of birds' habits． |
| D．A flashlight will come in handy when you look for owls． |
Half of the world’s population is affected by Asian monsoons（季风）, but monsoons are difficult to predict. American researchers have put together a 700-year record of the rainy seasons, which is expected to provide guidance for experts making weather predictions.
Every year, damp air masses，known as monsoon，produce large amounts of rainfall in India, East Asia, Northern Australia and East Africa. All this wet air is pulled in by a high pressure area over the Indian Ocean and a low pressure area to the south.
According to Edward Cook , a weather expert at Columbia University in New York., the complex nature of the climate systems across Asia makes monsoons hard to predict. In addition, climate records for the area are too recent and not detailed enough to be of much use. Therefore, he and a team of researchers spent more than fifteen years traveling across Asia, looking for trees old enough to provide long-term records. They measured the rings, or circles, inside thousands of ancient trees in more than 300 places.
Rainfall has a direct link to the growth and width of rings on some kinds of trees. The researchers developed a document they are calling a Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas. It shows the effect of monsoons over seven centuries, beginning in the 1300s.
Professor Cook says the tree-ring records show periods of wet and dry weather. “If the monsoon basically fails or is a very weak one, the trees affected by monsoons at that location might put on a very narrow ring. But if the monsoon is very strong, the trees affected by that monsoon might put on a wide ring for that year. So, the wide and narrow ring widths of the chronology that we developed in Asia provide us with a measure of monsoon variability.” With all this information, researchers say they can begin to improve computer climate models for predicting the behavior of monsoons.
“There has been widespread famine and starvation and human dying in the past in large droughts. And on the other hand, if the monsoon is particularly heavy, it can cause extensive flooding.” said Eugene Wahl, a scientist with America’s National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. “So, to get a sense of what the regional moisture patterns have been, dryness and wetness over such a long period of time in great detail, I would call it a kind of victory for climate science.”What’s the passage mainly about？
| A．The effects of Asian monsoons. |
| B．The necessity of weather forecast. |
| C．The achievements of Edward cook. |
| D．A breakthrough in monsoon prediction. |
It is difficult for experts to predict Asian monsoons because _______.
| A．it is hard to keep long-term climate records. |
| B．they are formed under complex climate systems. |
| C．they influence many nations. |
| D．there is heavy rainfall in Asia. |
What can be inferred from the passage?
| A．Long and detailed climate records can offer useful information for monsoon research. |
| B．The Monsoon Asia Drought Atlas has a monsoon record for about 1,300 years. |
| C．The trees affected by monsoon grow fast if the monsoon is weak. |
| D．The rainfall might be low although the monsoon is strong in monsoon-affected areas. |
According to Professor Cook, the rings of the trees _______.
| A．determine the regional climate. |
| B．have a great influence on the regional climate. |
| C．offer people information about the regional climate. |
| D．reflect all kinds of regional climate information. |
Which of the following best describes the tone of this passage?
| A．Matter-of –fact | B．Pessimistic | C．Humorous | D．Friendly. |
Have you ever wondered why birds sing? Maybe you thought that they were just happy. After all, you probably sing or whistle when you are happy.
Some scientists believe that birds do sing some of the time just because they are happy. However, they sing most of the time for a very different reason. Their singing is actually a warning to other birds to stay out of their territory.
Do you know what a “territory” is? A territory is an area that an animal, usually the male, claims as its own .Only he and his family are welcome there. No other families of the same species are welcome. Your yard and house are your territory where only your family and friends are welcome. If a stranger should enter your territory and threaten you, you might shout. Probably this would be enough to frighten him away.
If so, you have actually scared the stranger away without having to fight him. A bird does the same thing. But he expects an outsider almost any time, especially at nesting season. So he is screaming all the time, whether he can see an outsider or not. This screaming is what we call a bird’s song, and it is usually enough to keep an outsider away.
Birds sing loudest in the spring when they are trying to attract a mate and warn others not to enter the territory of theirs.
You can see that birds have a language all their own. Most of it has to do with attracting mates and setting up territories.What is a bird‘s “territory”？
| A．A place where families of other species are not accepted. |
| B．A place where a bird may shout at the top of its voice. |
| C．An area for which birds fight against each other. |
| D．An area which a bird considers to be its own |
.Why do birds keep on singing at nesting season？
| A．Because they want to invite more friends. |
| B．Because their singing helps frighten outsiders away. |
| C．Because they want to find outsiders around. |
| D．Because their singing helps get rid of their fears. |
How does the writer explain birds‘ singing？
| A．By comparing birds with human beings. | B．By reporting experiment results. |
| C．By describing birds’ daily life. | D．By telling |
Have you ever seen any students whose trousers hang so low that you can see their underwear? What do you think of that? Fashionable? Some of today’s teenagers are big fans of such a look. But recently this trend has been at the center of an argument in Italian middle schools. The headmaster of a school in central Italy has asked students to stop wearing low-rise jeans that expose underwear and parts of the body. His request came after a class trip, when he saw one boy's baggy trousers slide to his feet. He pointed out that this way of dressing is not suitable for school. But in Italy, a nation that takes fashion very seriously, the suggestion caused a debate among parents, teachers and students. The issue is whether the headmaster's request will limit students' freedom— or whether dress in Italian schools is too casual. A parents' group praised the move in favor of good taste, while others advised schools to stop worrying about fashion and fix up old school buildings. “We do not want to kick fashion out,” the headmaster explained, “but extremes of fashion like this are not right in school.” Many other schools have now requested that their students also stop wearing such trousers. Most students have simply ignored the request. Ludovica Gaudio, 14, wore extremely low trousers exposing orange underwear in class. It was cold, so she wore a matching orange scarf. Another 14-year-old said she would probably respect the request, simply for practical reasons. “I don't really feel comfortable in those sort of jeans，” said Sarah Lattanzi, “in winter, when dressed like that, it's quite cold and I am afraid my stomach will ache.”What led to the argument in Italian middle schools？______
| A．Students' craze for fashions. | B．Clothes that are too exposing. |
| C．Students' ignoring dress codes.（规则） | D．Students' underwear. |
Which of the following supports the headmaster's request?___
| A．Fashion should be taken seriously. |
| B．Fashion should not be followed in school. |
| C．Students should have their freedom in choosing what they wear. |
| D．Students should be encouraged to have good taste in clothes. |
The argument against the headmaster's request is that ______.
| A．dress in Italian schools is too casual |
| B．fashion should not be followed in school |
| C．schools should pay attention to things more important than students' clothes |
| D．low-rise jeans can do harm to youngster's health |
The purpose of this story is to ________
| A．show Chinese students that wearing very fashionable clothes in school is under attack in other countries, too. |
| B．show that dress code is necessary even in a country like Italy |
| C．let us see that Italian students react differently to schools' requests. |
| D．tell us that a debate started in Italian middle schools over the way students dress in School |
A relationship is defined as a state of connectedness between people. Although in today’s society with its crazy rhythm of everyday life, when people tend to live in thickly populated cities, spending most of their time in the office and hardly knowing their neighbor’s name, we still find ourselves in some kinds of relationships-with friends, family, or colleagues.
Family relationships are the first relationships people enter. Parents and relatives influence our emotional development by creating a model that we are sometimes bound to follow all our lives, often subconsciously （潜意识地）. In day-care, at school, then in the office we spend a lot of time among fellow students and co-workers. We learn to keep business relationships, to work in a team environment, then form smaller groups of like-minded people and finally select some of them as our friends.
What is a true friendship? How does it start? Are we destined to become friends with certain people or can we actually plan whom to be friends with？
“Everybody‘s friend is nobody’s.” said Arthur Schopenhauer. Unlike a companionship based on belonging to the same team or group, friendship is a very personal and selective type of relationship. It calls for trust, sincerity, and emotional bonds.
Sociologists believe that most people are looking for similarities in views, social status, and interests when choosing friends. No wonder that our friends are often people of the same age, sex, and education. Another important factor is joint activity and solidarity. This is the reason why many of us befriend our colleagues and other people who work in the same field.
Most people would agree that a friend is someone who always listens and understands. Understanding in this context implies a lot of meanings-compassion, sympathy, and emotional closeness. It’s a process in which your friend reads your emotional state, shares your feelings, identifies himself or herself with you.What is the best title of this passage？_______
| A．Family and Relationships |
| B．How to Make Friends with Colleagues |
| C．What is a True Friendship |
| D．People and Relationship |
According to the passage, which of the following affects us most when choosing friends？
| A．Kindergarten. | B．Family. | C．School. | D．Office. |
Why are our friends usually of the same age，sex，and education？
| A．Because they are clever and well-behaved. |
| B．Because most of us are looking for similarities in views，social status, and interests when choosing friends. |
| C．Because they help us with our work and share our happiness and sorrow. |
| D．Because they cooperate with us well. |
Which of the following statements is NOT true？
| A．A companionship is based on belonging to the same team or group. |
| B．Friendship needs trust, sincerity, and emotional bonds. |
| C．Relationships are friendships between people. |
| D．Understanding is a process in which the friend reads our emotional state, shares our feelings, identifies himself / herself with us. |