By the time we finished, herring(鲱鱼)covered the bottom of the boat as deep as my calves(腿肚子). For the first time in days, my father seemed happy as a herring choker(捕鲱鱼的人). Then he looked at the western sky, and his smile faded. The storms were sweeping out of Canada hard and fast. No one could predict their arrival. All fishermen feared them.
“We’re going back,” my father said. He pulled the cord and started the motor.
We were only two miles out, but the shoreline looked to me as far away as the moon. Over the distant hills, black clouds ran toward us like wild horses. We made it only halfway home before we met the storm.
The wind came first. It lifted the lake in whitecaps. The weight of the herring made us ride low in the water, and the waves broke over our bow. My father struggled to hold us on course. I’d put on my raincoat, but I had no life jacket.
Then the rain fell so hard we couldn’t see the land. The boat was filling with water. I was scared, but I saw my father sitting straight, holding the boat steady into the wind, and I felt hopeful. He didn’t look hurt at all.
I was starting to think we were going to make it. That’s when the motor died. My father pulled the cord hard, but the motor wouldn’t catch. We would go down in no time.
“Grab an oar(浆),” he cried above the wind. He always carried two oars for just such a moment. We began to pull hard. My father grunted, from pain or effort I couldn’t tell. He dug his oar into the violent lake and bowed into the wind again. With all my strength, I pulled on my own oar.
The wind pushed hard against us. Ws seemed to be fighting the anger of the whole lake. I was tired. My arms felt heavy and on fire. I didn’t know how much longer I could push that oar through the water.
As if he heard my thinking, my father called to me, “I need you, Karl. Only a little longer.”
So I kept rowing.
Just when I thought I had no more strength, I heard it. The sound of waves breaking against the shore. We moved into the shelter of our small cove and rode the swells toward the landing.
My mother rushed through the rain to greet us. “I’ve been so worried,” she said. She hugged me and then my father.
“Nothing to worry about,” he assured her. He put his hand on my shoulder. “You did well, son. How do you feel?”
Tired as I was, I managed a smile. “I feel like a herring choker.”The author’s father decided to go back because______.
| A.the motor didn’t work well |
| B.they couldn’t catch more herrings |
| C.the storm would arrive at any time |
| D.it was too cold for them to stay any longer |
The author created a picture of ______ with the underlined sentence in Para.8.
| A.a rare chance |
| B.a violent struggle |
| C.an exciting trip |
| D.an amazing experience |
According to the passage, what was the main reason Karl kept rowing even though he was very tired?
| A.He did not want to lose all the fish. |
| B.He knew the storm was about to end. |
| C.He knew his mother was waiting on shore. |
| D.He did not want to disappoint his father. |
We can learn from the passage the author felt ______ after arriving home safe.
| A.he were a real man |
| B.he needed his father’s praise |
| C.he shouldn’t have gone out to the lake |
| D.he would be a herring choker when he grew up |
B
I love my job. I’m trying to understand how plants build themselves out of thin air. It’s exciting, and it’s creative. I like working with other people with different views and I like the sharing of ideas and the piece-by-piece building of understanding by careful observations, experiments and analyses. Then there are those rare moments when suddenly something that is understood clearly makes sense and unconnected ideas fit together to make a satisfying whole.
All these motivations for life as a researcher are evident in the results of a survey to examine the culture of scientific research in the U.K. But the survey has also uncovered threats to the vibrancy (活跃) of this intellectual melting pot. With the expansion of the scientific enterprise, the current squeeze on resources and the drive towards more assessment, researchers are spending increasing amounts of time competing for funding and jobs.
Some aspects of research assessment are reasonably objective: Have these experiments been designed carefully? Does this researcher use the techniques? However, many aspects are fundamentally subjective: Are these projects exciting? Will this person revolutionize the field? All these judgments take time and carefulness, and all of them require the judges to accept the subjectivity of the exercise.
Researchers are now assessed almost entirely on the research papers that they have published in peer-reviewed journals. These are easier to assess than important but less-definite qualities such as public engagement and training, and support provided for colleagues. Publishing in important journals is still thought to be the most important element in determining whether researchers gain funding, jobs and promotions or not. It can lead to a wide range of non-ideal practices, such as over-claiming the significance of research findings, sticking to very fashionable areas of science and leaving important but confirmatory results unpublished due to lack of encouragement to spend time writing them up.
If research stops researchers finding out how the world works for the benefit of society, and makes them compete to get their work published in a particular journal, then the most creative and brilliant people will go and do something else. The people who stay in research will be those mostly encouraged by wanting to look good according to some semi-arbitrary standard. This is causing widespread unease in the research community.
We hope the findings of the survey will stimulate the debate about how to shift the culture back to its roots in creativity and invention, coupled with strictness and openness. If left unchallenged, the current trends will certainly influence what science gets done and therefore what we learn about the world. This is not just some mysterious academic debate, and it matters to everyone.The results of a survey prove that .
| A.all the researchers can work together |
| B.some research scientists have done makes no sense |
| C.all the aspects of research assessment are reasonably subjective |
| D.researchers are spending amounts of time competing for kinds of motivations |
What most affects researchers’ gaining funding?
| A.How many papers they have published in important journals. |
| B.How much support they have given to their colleagues. |
| C.How many people have quoted from their papers. |
| D.How much they are engaged in research. |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A.The quality of research needn’t be valued. |
| B.The current assessment on research must be used. |
| C.It’s necessary to build a scientific research culture. |
| D.Researchers should spend their funding as soon as possible. |
请认真阅读下列短文,从短文后各题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中,选出最佳选项 。
A
You love photography, but still take average, boring photos?
Don’t worry! Now, I’ve got something NEW for you—Photography Masterclass, the guaranteed fastest way to improve your photography!
Photography Masterclass is a set of 29 videos that will show you how to get the most out of any DSLR camera. Each video thoroughly explains something you need to know to become a better photographer.
Module 1: Mastering your digital SLR camera
Number of videos: 9
Total running time: 2 hours, 26 minutes
Get a general idea of DSLR camera functions; find out the best settings for any situation you’ll experience as a photographer.
Module 2: Photography equipment
Number of videos: 6
Total running time: 2 hours, 33 minutes
Receive a complete introduction to photography equipment; know what gear is essential and what gear should be avoided, and why. These will help you create better photos, save you a lot of time and potentially save you thousands of dollars.
Module 3: Composition and shooting planning
Number of videos: 9
Total running time: 3 hours, 35 minutes
Module 3 is everyone’s favorite. Here I reveal the secrets of the pros (内行): how to create your own brilliant and memorable photographs. This ability can really change your photography for the better.
Module 4: Post-production and software
Number of videos: 5
Total running time: 2 hours, 52 minutes
What software do you need? That depends on how many features you want. In fact, there are hundreds of functions that I don’t use. Instead I focus on tools that deliver the results I want, showing you how to get the most out of your time on the computer.How long are the 29 videos of Photography Masterclass in total?
| A.5 hours 52 minutes. | B.8 hours 36 minutes. |
| C.11 hours 26 minutes. | D.14 hours 13 minutes. |
The underlined word “gear” means ______.
| A.clothing | B.equipment |
| C.furniture | D.composition |
D
Positive Thinking, With a Little Help From Your Phone
Here are some apps (程序)on your phones which can help you think positively or aim at happiness. Examine them, and you can have fun .
Happify is perhaps the most popular positive app available now. By asking some questions about your goals in using the app, it recommends you some tracks.
Each track contains games and activities that guide you to seeing positive aspects of your daily life. It also regularly helps you assess your happiness level, pointing out how you can feel more positive merely by changing your habits. There’s also a community page in the app where you can see inspirational comments by other users and even upload your own .
Happify’s only drawback is that while it’s free to download and use, access to its full range of activities costs $13 a month or $70 a year.
Other apps use a different route to developing positive thinking habits. They simply expose you repeatedly to motivational ideas, quotes and suggestions.
Positive Thinking is a relatively simple attempt at this kind of app. It uses colorful imagery and simple controls, and has a list of motivational quotes and suggestions — everything from “do sports” to “stop thinking ... sit there relaxed.” It’s extremely basic, and there’s not a huge amount of content but you may find it has some good ideas and it’s free.
The app Mood Journal, which costs $2, has a great-looking. Through text-entry controls you can make a diary-style note in the app of when you’re feeling positive, and also add a photo. When you’ve accumulated enough entries, the app presents some analytics in the form of graphs that show your positivity over time. This could help you plan strategies to be more positive. , and also add a photo or a selfie.
If you prefer a more meditative approach to positive thinking, check out Smiling Mind, a free iOS and Android app. You enter data on how you’re feeling, using a number of slide controls that ask if you’re feeling “stormy” or “calm,” for example. Then you listen to a meditation-like voice track that talks you through different programs.How does Happify help you think positive?
| A.By playing through games and activities. |
| B.By exposing you to motivational ideas repeatedly. |
| C.By controlling your negative thoughts. |
| D.By analyzing the changes of your emotions. |
What does “drawback” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A.advantage | B.mistake |
| C.benefit | D.weakness |
Compared with Happify, Positive Thinking _____.
| A.has more content. | B.is more expensive. |
| C.is much simpler. | D.is more popular. |
Who may be interested in this passage?
| A.A primary student who is playful. |
| B.A college student who feels stressed and boring. |
| C.An office secretary who is optimistic. |
| D.A retired teacher who lives a meaningful life. |
How many apps does the writer introduce?
A. Seven B. Five. C Three. D. Four.
C
B Resort & Spa
Disney World presents a dilemma for many people. If you’re there, you’re probably there because you love the children in your life. But should that noble desire to do right by the wee ones automatically put you in a disgusting holiday of six-foot animated characters, wailing toddlers and chicken-finger meals?
B Resort & Spa has solved this problem. Stay here and you’ve got easy access to “the happiest place on Earth” without sacrificing your adult sensibilities.
There’s 80-minute B Indulged massages to be had at the Aveda spa, complete with footbaths for your weary feet, and adventure tours to nearby Boggy Creek to observe tigers in their natural habitat. Even the mini-bar is stocked with a nod to grownup tastes (think Boulder Canyon natural, kettle-cooked chips).
location
B is right inside Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort, just a short, free shuttle from Downtown Disney. This means you don’t have to stay in the kid zone all day long.
If you have a car at your disposal, it’s also well worth a trip out to the East End Market, where you’ll find the best of Orlando’s local food scene, along with a superb Basque eatery, Txokos, whose famous cook Henry Salgado has been nominated twice for a James Beard Award.
Eat in or eat out?
Room service is exceptional for breakfast: quick and delicious, with perfectly poached eggs and house-made sausage so tasty you’ll find yourself craving it for weeks to come. For dinner, American Q has tasty house-made barbecue sauces and all-you-can-eat, Brazilian-style carved meat dishes from across the U.S. The foods here will keep everyone in the family happy, and good pineapple wine should mellow out the grownups after a long, crazy day at Disney.Who may be interested in the passage?
| A.Parents | B.Teachers . |
| C.Children . | D.Adolescents. |
Living in B Resort & Spa, you can _____.
| A.visit Disney World for free |
| B.have breakfast without leaving your room |
| C.enjoy meals cooked by Henry Salgado |
| D.watch tigers closely |
Why does the writer think Disney World is a dilemma?
| A.Because Disney World is like a trap for adults. |
| B.Because adults are forbidden to enter Disney World. |
| C.Because adults can get little joy from Disney World. |
| D.Because Disney World is full of animated characters. |
Which is not mention in the passage?
| A.Transportation. | B.Location. |
| C.Food. | D.History. |
Where can you find this passage ?
| A.In a science book. |
| B.In a travel magazine. |
| C.In a government work report |
| D.In a news report |
B
Australian scientists say an organic compound used by Indian women to paint dots or bindi on their foreheads could hold the key to a breakthrough in cancer treatment. Rose Bengal (玫瑰红)was first used in the early 1900s as a dye for food, textiles and cosmetics. But now it is proving to be a useful weapon in the fight against skin cancer.
Television advertisements constantly warn of the dangers of overexposure to the fierce sun. Among them is the possibility of the disease melanoma(黑瘤), a type of skin cancer. More than 1,200 Australians die every year from the disease.
Initial trials of a solution of Rose Bengal injected into some melanoma cells have had a 75 percent success rate in controlling the disease. Professor John Thompson, the director of the Melanoma Unit at the University of Sydney, says this organic dye could become a powerful cancer-fighting treatment.
“We believe it works by getting into the tumor(肿块) cells and causing them to self-destruct. But the exact mechanism by which it works is not totally clear. It’s not useful for people who have a primary melanoma. The treatment of primary melanoma is surgical excision(切除),”he said. “It’s useful to inject tumors for people who have recurrences; when the primary treatment has failed and when recurrence in the area, or at more distant sites has occurred.”
About 90 percent of Australians who develop melanoma survive thanks to early diagnosis and treatment. If left untreated, however, the disease can be fatal.
Convincing younger people in Australia about the dangers of overexposure to the sun is a battle campaigners are constantly waging.
Veronica Manock, a 21-year-old student, had two major operations to remove a cancerous tumor from her leg.
“I’ve had a lot of friends who just said ‘I thought it was just, you know, I’ll get a mole(痣) cut out and that’s it’, whereas I don’t think people realize how much danger they’re putting themselves into and how easy it is to stop something like this happening to you just from doing little things,”said Marock.
Other researchers in Australia are investigating genetic treatments to skin cancer. There is a pressing need for such research to produce effective treatments. Australians, the majority of whom are fair-skinned(浅肤色的), are four times more likely to develop a melanoma than people in Canada, the United States or Great Britain.Which can be the best title of the passage?
| A.Rose Bengal—the cause of skin cancer. |
| B.Rose Bengal—a tool to fight against skin cancer. |
| C.Skin cancer—the first killer. |
| D.Melanoma—the threat to health. |
What does the underlined word “fatal” mean?
| A.Curable. | B.Serious. |
| C.Deadly. | D.Self-healing. |
From what Veronica Manock said , we can know _______.
| A.people haven’t realized overexposure to the sun is dangerous |
| B.mole on the leg is dangerous. |
| C.people can do nothing to protect themselves from melanoma |
| D.nothing can be done to deal with the disease. |
Who are likely to develop a melanoma?
| A.Englishmen. | B.Canadians. |
| C.Americans. | D.Australians. |
In which section of a newspaper does the passage possibly appear?
| A.Economy. | B.Health. |
| C.Agriculture. | D.Fashion. |