Here I'd like to talk about how to develop your curiosity and make use of it to make discoveries. Asking questions is the first step to make discoveries and find interesting answers when you are curious about something and want to know more about it.
Firstly, write down the subject that you are interested in on a note card or piece of paper. Just put the main idea down, such as “Discover more about dinosaurs.”
Next, think for a moment about what you already know about your subject and list information like the sentences below：
1. Dinosaurs lived long before human beings appeared.
2. Dinosaurs lived on the earth for more than 150 million years.
3. Some dinosaurs fed on plants, some on meat.
Thirdly, ask yourself “What can I do with what I want to learn？” On your paper, start writing down questions about the dinosaurs as you think of them：
1. What's the best weather for dinosaurs to live in?
2. How many kinds of dinosaurs are there?
3. Have dinosaurs really disappeared?
Fourthly, armed_with_your_list_of_questions,_you can now visit the nearest library or turn to computer to begin your research. As you learn more about your subject, you'll probably discover some new questions.
For example, you might discover that dinosaurs disappeared about 65 million years ago. Why? What happened? Asking new questions can help you research your subject more deeply.
The next time you find something interesting to research, take time to organize your thinking by asking good questions. And remember—learning more always bring more questions.While doing some research, you should take the following steps________.
①list what you want to know
②choose a research subject
③list what you already know
④discover new problems
| A．①④③② | B．①②④③ |
| C．②③①④ | D．②①④③ |
What does the underlined sentence “armed with your list of questions” mean?
| A．Taking your list of questions with you to do more research. |
| B．Writing down your list of questions before turning to the computer. |
| C．Discussing your questions with your classmates for solution. |
| D．Putting your questions aside before going to the library. |
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
| A．You can find all the answers online. |
| B．Learn more, and you'll have no questions. |
| C．Asking questions is the only way for research. |
| D．During the research, more questions may arise. |
The best title for this passage is________.
| A．Discovering Dinosaurs |
| B．Asking Good Questions |
| C．Finding Suitable Subjects |
| D．Having Interesting Answers |
Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring. Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn. But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive (毁灭性的).
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain.
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world. There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature. But new techniques are helping scientists to predict how, when, and where big storms will happen. The more exact scientists’ warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms.
Predictions are improving. “We’ve gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,” says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university. How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction. “For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,” Klotzback says.
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air. As it rises, the air containing drops of water cools and turns back into liquid. This process gives off heat. This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase. It drives the formation of a hurricane.
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a “ tropical storm”, and it gets a name. At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane. Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast Africa. Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world.
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year. About 10 of them get names. There are usually about six hurricanes. Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or a bit higher.
The hurricane season lasts from June to November. Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September and October.According to the text, hurricanes usually ________.
| A．form off the coast of Africa and America |
| B．hit parts of the world in summer and autumn |
| C．cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea |
| D．strike the US but cause no damage |
The underlined word “evaporates” (in Paragraph 5) probably means “________ .”
| A．begins to move | B．gets lost | C．becomes hot | D．changes into a gas |
Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is the correct order?
a. The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air.
b. Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase.
c. The vapor cools.
d. The ocean water is warm enough.
e. The vapor changes back into liquid.
f. This course gives out heat.
| A．a, d, e, b, c, f | B．a, b, c, f, d, e | C．d, a, c, e, f, b | D．d, a, b, c, e, f |
Robert Frost was at heart a mean-spirited human being, not the kind of man one would expect to write poetry. He was born in San Francisco. Frost entered Dartmouth University in 1893, but dropped out, and switched to Harvard, which he attended for two years. He started a brief teaching career, where he was inspired to become a poet by some of his students’ work. Frost stopped teaching and became a farmer. During this time he wrote numerous poems, and a couple of short stories. While he was a farmer he started to think seriously about becoming a famous poet.
In almost all of his poems, Frost wrote in the first person. The first widely-read poem that he published was called My Butterfly. At first his audience was very small, but with his Collected Poems he became famous. Robert Frost received almost all the awards that there were for poetry. His poetry describes the forces of nature, and the violence and deep emotional(情感的) needs of human beings, which reflect the experiences of his childhood.
Robert Frost will always be known as one of the best poets in history. His way of putting emotion and violence into words is remarkable(非同寻常的). His talent for poetry is natural-born and he had discovered this when he started to farm. Even though he treated his wife and children terribly, he still became one of the best-known poets of his and our day.We can learn from the passage that ________.
| A．Robert Frost had been a famous writer before he started teaching |
| B．Robert Frost wrote his poems mostly in the first person |
| C．Robert Frost was very famous at the beginning of his writing career |
| D．Robert Frost began to write poems when he was a teacher |
According to the passage, Robert Frost was famous for ________.
| A．his teaching career | B．his life experiences |
| C．showing strong feeling in his poems | D．his interest in poems |
The last paragraph of the passage mainly tells us ________.
| A．why Robert Frost stopped farming |
| B．why Robert Frost was so famous |
| C．about his masterpieces(杰作) |
| D．about the way he treated his wife and children |
From the passage we know that ________.
| A．Robert Frost’s most famous poem is My Butterfly |
| B．Robert Frost began to write when he was in college |
| C．Robert Frost gave up studying at Dartmouth University |
| D．his poetry showed the violence of war and his childhood |
The market is a concept. If you are growing tomatoes in your backyard for sale you are producing for the market. You might sell some to your neighbor and some to the local manager of the supermarket. But in either case, you are producing for the market. Your efforts are being directed by the market. If people stop buying tomatoes, you will stop producing them.
If you take care of a sick person to earn money, you are producing for the market. If your father is a steel worker or a truck driver or a doctor or a grocer, he is producing goods or service for the market.
When you spend your income, you are buying things from the market. You may spend money in stores, supermarkets, gas stations and restaurants. Still you are buying from the market. When the local grocer hires you to drive the delivery truck, he is buying your labor in the labor market.
The market may be something abstract (抽象的). But for each person or business that is making and selling something, it is very concrete. If nobody buys your tomatoes, it won’t be long before you get the message. The market is telling you something. It is telling you that you are using energies and resources in doing something the market doesn’t want you to do. Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
| A．Selling and Buying. | B．Everything you do is producing for the market. |
| C．What is the market? | D．What the market can do for you. |
All of the following acts are producing for the market except________.
| A．working in a bank | B．volunteering at a nursing home |
| C．driving a taxi | D．growing beans for sale |
You are buying from the market when you________.
| A．borrow a book from the library | B．drive to the seaside for a holiday |
| C．look after your children | D．dine at restaurant |
The word “concrete” in the last paragraph may most probably mean________.
| A．serious | B．important | C．necessary | D．real |
The 92-year-old, thin, calm and proud lady, who is fully dressed each morning by eight o’clock, even though she is nearly blind, moved to a nursing home today.
Her husband of 70 years recently passed away, making the move necessary. After many hours of waiting patiently in the hall of the nursing home, she smiled sweetly when told her room was ready.
As she walked slowly to the elevator, I provided a true description of her tiny room, including the old sheets that had been hung on her window. “I love it,” she said with the happiness of an eight-year-old having just been presented with a new puppy.
“Mrs. Jones, you haven’t seen the room…just wait.”
“That doesn’t matter,” she replied. “Happiness is something you decide ahead of time. Whether I like my room or not doesn’t depend on how the furniture is arranged. It’s how I arranged my mind. I have already decided to love it. It’s a decision I make every morning when I wake up. Each day is a gift, and as long as my eyes open I’ll focus on the new day and all the happy memories I’ve stored away.” She went on to explain, “Old age is like a bank account. You take what you’ve put in. So, my advice to you would be to put in a lot of happiness in the bank account of memories. Thank you for your part in filling my memory bank.” And with a smile, she said, “All my memories are happy ones.”
Mrs. Jones was always happy in the nursing home and she died at the age of 108. We can infer from the passage that the author________.
| A．is one of Mrs. Jones’ children | B．is a relative of Mrs. Jones |
| C．works in the nursing home | D．is the owner of the nursing home |
The room in which the old lady will live________.
| A．is very comfortable | B．is fairly big |
| C．isn’t well equipped | D．is equipped with new furniture |
Mrs. Jones was very happy when told about her room because she________.
| A．couldn’t see what her room was like |
| B．thought the nursing home was her home |
| C．would have to live in the nursing home |
| D．had already made up her mind to be happy |
Which of the following words can best describe Mrs. Jones?
| A．Proud. | B．Cheerful. | C．Determined | D．Honest |
Literature is a term used to describe written as well as spoken material．Generally speaking, it is often used to describe anything from creative imagination, including works of poetry, drama and fiction．
Then why read literature, since it is often imaginary and seems unconnected with real life?
A lot of us read literature for pleasure and relaxation．It’s always pleasant to read some interesting books, such as comedies and novels, in our spare time．In a modern life full of pressure, it is our common desire to read some imaginary works and seek relaxation from the stress in life．
Reading literature is more than fun; it also enables us to acquire knowledge．As a general rule, literature represents a language or a people, and it often gives us an insight（洞察力）into the traditions, customs, beliefs, attitudes and values of the age in which it was written．
Sometimes literature can even offer us new, creative ways to have a better understanding of the world．It helps us make sense of the world around us．It introduces us to new worlds of experiences．We enjoy the comedy and the tragedy of poems, stories and plays; and we may even grow through our literary journey with books．Eventually, we may discover meaning in literature by looking at what the author says and how he/she says it．In a sense, we explore the human condition and analyze how and why people think the way they think and feel the way they feel．Literature enables us to think analytically and promotes open minds．We see the world through the eyes of different cultures and in turn learn the ways to deal with things that happen around．
So we can definitely say literature is of great importance to us．Why not get going with one poem, drama or fiction at once?
| Topic |
|
of literature |
It describes anything, whether written or spoken, by using creative imagination． |
| Types |
|
| ▲To get pleasure and relaxation to get ▲To gain ▲To offer people ways to ▲To help us think analytically and make us |
|
| Why not start to read literature right now? |