Are you able to send a letter with pictures and sounds to someone, anywhere in the world without putting a stamp on it? With an e-mail you can just do that. Using computers you can send e-mails quickly and easily. The post is much slower than email. E-mail can send its messages to the other side of the world in seconds.
E-mail is easy to use and it saves time and money. The different time and different parts of the world do not matter when you send an e-mail. It does not matter if your friends are in bed when you send an e-mail to them, or you are seeing a film at the cinema when they send an e-mail back.With an e-mail you can send a letter without putting _____ on it.
| A．an address | B．a message | C．a word | D．a stamp |
The writer wants to tell us something about ______.
| A．computer | B．a letter | C．e-mail | D．a call |
Which of the following is true?
| A．E-mail is not easy to use. |
| B．E-mail saves time and money. |
| C．E-mail comes only at night. |
| D．E-mail is slower than the post. |
When can you send an e-mail to your friend?
| A．In the day. | B．At night. |
| C．At any time. | D．When your friends are at home. |
How long does it take to send an e-mail?
| A．Within seconds. | B．More than one hour. |
| C．A few days. | D．It depends on the distance. |
A 13-year-old American has made a cheap machine that can help blind people read.
The blind can read by using Braille – a system of small bumps (隆起物) that the blind touch to read the letters. The machine that makes these small bumps usually costs at least $2,000. It is called Braille writer. The American schoolboy, Shubham Banerjee, made a new Braille writer from a Lego tool that lets people create robots. Banerjee has called his new machine the Braigo – a combination (组合) of the words Braille and Lego. It costs just $ 350. It works by changing electronic text into Braille and then printing it using a computer or mobile machine.
Banerjee designed (设计) his Braigo last year for a school science exhibition. Since then, he has caught the interest of Silicon Valley in the USA. The big technology company Intel spent money on Banerjee’s machine last November, but they did not say how much money they put in. Banerjee also got $35, 000 from his father to help him start the project. His father works as a computer engineer (工程师) at Intel. He spoke about why he gave so much money to his son, saying:”We as parents started to be interested more, thinking that he’s on to something and this invention has to continue.” Banerjee told the AP News: “My dream would probably be having most of the blind people…using my Braigo.”What is Braile in Line 2?
| A．A system of bumps to help the blind read. |
| B．The name of a new invention. |
| C．A very cheap machine. |
| D．A Lego robot. |
How much will one save if he buys a Braigo instead of a usual Braille writer?
| A．Over $2,000. | B．Less than $350. |
| C．Exactly $35,000. | D．At least $1,650. |
What does the Braigo change into Braille?
| A．Photocopies. | B．Voices. |
| C．Electronic text. | D．Computer languages. |
Why did Banerjee design his invention?
| A．He did it as a hobby. |
| B．Intel told him to do it. |
| C．He did it for a school science project. |
| D．He wanted to get money from his father. |
Banerjee’s parents wanted him to continue to _______.
| A．catch Intel’s interest | B．work on his invention |
| C．be a computer engineer | D．use the new Braille writer |
You know that eating a sensible diet and getting plenty of exercise help make your body healthy and strong.But do you know that there are ways to make your brain healthier and smarter? Here are some steps toward a smarter brain.
Limit your TV viewing
(1) Never spend too much time on TV viewing, for it needs very little brain activities.Your brain will become weak just as your muscles do.If you do watch TV, choose something educational and meaningful.
Travel
Travelling to another country forces you to see and do things in a fresh way, bringing stimulation to the brain.
Learn a new language
Learning a new language involves different learning methods.Learning a language sharpens your brain and helps prevent memory problems that you may meet in later years.
Read often
As you read, take the time to look up people or places that aren’t familiar.Reading makes your vocabulary much larger if you always search for words and definitions that you don’t know.Each week, choose an animal, a bird or fish, and read everything you can about it.Stretch your brain as you become an expert on the subject.
Calculate （计算）when you shop
As you put things in your grocery cart, total everything in your head.See how close you get to the actual total.
Use your non-dominant（不占优势的）hand
If you are right-handed, use your left hand for everyday activities, or use your right hand if you are left-handed.Doing familiar things in a different way will make your brain create new neural （神经）networks.
Wechat（微信）
(2) Read messages from various people.They have different interests.And some say that learning to express yourself in just 100 words is a great brain challenge.
Have a try and do these every day.Little by little you can get into the habit of challenging your brain, and make your brain smarter!将（1）处翻译成汉语
___________________________________________将（2）处合并成一句
___________________________________________Why do you read often according to the passage? (至少两条)
______________________________________How many steps towards a smarter brain are mentioned in the passage?
______________________________________Give a title of the passage.
___________________________________
According to a national study, in the summer of 2013, the long-term(长期的) warm weather in the UK has made the number of butterflies increase.
Around 46,000 volunteers(志愿者) took part in the year’s Big Butterfly Count(统计), and they found 830,000 butterflies.Volunteers were asked to make a record.They would record how many times they found one of 21 different kinds of butterflies.
Later, the scientists used the records to find out how many butterflies of different kinds were found across the country.Then, they compared the results to the year before.They found that there was a rise in the number of 15 kinds of butterflies, and some of them went up by 50% compared to recent years.They said the increase in butterfly numbers was a result of warm weather.
However, scientists also said that the number of butterflies was in decline(下降) as a whole, and that we might not see the same result the next year.
Richard Fox, who works for Butterfly Conservation, said, “UK butterflies are in long-term decline.Studies have been done since the 1970s.They show that UK butterflies have declined in type and number.”
He added, “We must halt the long-term decline of these beautiful creatures(生物).The only way is by stopping the damage that has been done to the butterflies’ habitats(栖息地) across the UK.”The volunteers were asked to ______.
| A．study 830,000 butterflies |
| B．help scientists take notes |
| C．record the number of each kind of butterfly |
| D．find how many kinds of butterflies there are |
What can we learn from the study?
| A．There were 20 kinds of UK butterflies. |
| B．50% more UK butterflies were found in 2013. |
| C．The number of 15 kinds of UK butterflies increased. |
| D．There was a long-term increase in UK butterfly number. |
What does the underlined part “the same result” in Paragraph 4 mean?
| A．The weather is cold. |
| B．The weather is warm. |
| C．UK butterfly numbers decline. |
| D．UK butterfly numbers increase. |
The underlined word “halt” in the last paragraph means “_________”.
| A．stop | B．study | C．make | D．plan |
What would be the best headline of the passage?
| A．Different kinds of butterflies in the UK. |
| B．Big Butterfly Count in the UK in 2013. |
| C．UK Scientists made butterfly numbers increase. |
| D．Warm weather made UK butterfly numbers increase. |
Children today would rather read, do housework or even do homework than play outside--- and they get out half as much as their parents did when they were young.
According to a UK study, those growing up during the 1970s and 1980s enjoying more than two hours of outdoor activities each weekday, and nine hours on weekends—whatever the weather is.But their children play outside for just over one hour each weekday, and fewer than five hours on Saturdays and Sundays.
So, the UK started an activity to encourage children to give up 30 minutes of screen time a day to play outdoors.
The Wild Network, born on September 25, 2013, is joined by more than 300 organizations, large or small.It tries to attract children away from television and computer screen and into woods and parks.
It is the biggest ever activity to reconnect children with nature and outdoor activities, and it plans to help improve children’s health.
Suggestions on how to get more time in nature including collecting fruits, camping, watching autumn colour on trees and so on.
This is not the first time the message of less screen, more play has been brought up.Children in the 1980s were encouraged to do the same by BBC TV show Why Don’t You, which encouraged children to “turn off your TV set, and go to do something less boring instead”.
You can learn more about the activity by visiting Http://www.Projectwildthing.com.We can learn from the second paragraph that _______.
| A．today’s children have more free time |
| B．today’s children spend more time outdoors |
| C．the parents had more free time when they were young |
| D．The parents spent more time outdoors when they were young |
The Wild Network was started to __________.
| A．encourage children to spend more time outdoors |
| B．encourage children to play with their parents outdoors |
| C．encourage children to spend more time on their studies |
| D．encourage parents to spend more time with their children |
What can we learn about the Wild Network?
| A．It was set up this year |
| B．It was the best ever activity |
| C．Both large organizations or small can join it |
| D．You can learn about it from the show Why Don’t You |
Which of the following activities is not mentioned?
| A．Camping | B．Collecting fruits |
| C．Bird watching | D．Autumn clour watching |
The underlined part “do the same” can be replaced by _______.
| A．start an activity | B．play outdoors |
| C．do homework | D．do housework |
Last weekend, our family went to have Christmas dinner in a restaurant.We were the only family with a baby in the restaurant.Suddenly, my baby Erik became excited when we were enjoying our meal.I looked around and saw an old man with old clothes and dirty old shoes.His hair was unwashed.He was smiling at my Erik.
“He might hurt my Erik,” I thought.Everyone in the restaurant looked at us and the old man.Then we decided to leave.The old man sat between the door and us.
As I walked closer to the man, I turned my back.Suddenly, Erik leaned(倾斜) over my arms, reaching with both arms in a baby’s pick-me-up position(姿势).Before I could stop him, Erik had escaped(逃跑) from my arms to the man’s.Soon the very old smelly man and my young baby developed a kind of friendship.
Erik put his little hand on the man’s face, and I saw the old man closed his eyes and tears running down his face.His aged hands held my baby so gently(温柔地).A moment later, the old man opened his eyes, passed me my baby and said, “Thank you, Madam.You’ve given me the best Christmas gift.”
I cried, with my face burning hot.A child saw a soul(灵魂), but a mother saw only a kind of clothes.At first, the writer thought the old man was ______ .
| A．terrible | B．friendly |
| C．impossible | D．wise |
The family decided to leave the restaurant because they ______.
| A．had finished the meal already |
| B．had some important things to do |
| C．thought the food there was bad |
| D．worried about their baby’s safety |
We can learn from the passage that Erik _______.
| A．showed kindness to the old man |
| B．had seen the old man before |
| C．was popular in the restaurant |
| D．was hurt by the old man |
Why did the old man thank the writer?
| A．Because the writer bought food for him |
| B．Because the writer said Merry Christmas to him |
| C．Because staying with the baby made him feel happy |
| D．Because the writer asked him to play with her baby |
What is the best title of the passage?
| A．A special restaurant |
| B．A lovely baby |
| C．Soul and clothes |
| D．Parents’ influence on babies |