Charles Darwin
Early years
Charles Darwin was one of the six children from a big family. His grandfather and father were doctors and the young Darwin went to Edinburgh University to study medicine. However, he hated to see blood and he soon realized that he couldn’t be a doctor. He then went to Cambridge University and discovered that he had a great interest in studying plants, insects and animals. Luckily, one of Darwin's university teachers helped him join the perfect trip for a biologist: a voyage around the world to study nature.
The Beagle
In 1831, Charles Darwin left Plymouth on The Beagle, a ship that took him around the world for five years. While he was travelling, he studied the plants and animals in the countries and on the islands that the ship visited. Darwin also spent his time on The Beagle writing notes about the things he had seen.
When he finally arrived back in Britain, Darwin was already starting to create his famous theory that all living things had a common ancestor （祖先）.
At home at Down House, a place that you can still visit today, Darwin wrote many articles and books about his travels, but he didn’t want to make anything about his theory known to the public. He worked in his study, where he wrote 250,000 words about his theory of evolution （进化论）,but he was frightened about what people might say about his idea that monkeys were the ancestors of humans. He thought the public would be against it and was so frightened that he became ill
with worry. However; when another scientist started to write about similar ideas, Darwin decided to print his book, On the Origin of Species.
Most scientists accepted Darwin's theory and people continue to study it today. On 12th February the day he was born, Darwin Day is celebrated around the world to encourage more people to study the natural world.
(1).What caused Darwin to give up his study of medicine?
| A． |
He didn't like seeing blood. |
B． |
He found the studies too difficult. |
| C． |
He found the studies too difficult. |
D． |
He was advised to study natural science. |
(2).Why was the trip on The Beagle important to Darwin?
| A． | It helped him to finish his study at the university. |
| B． | It allowed him to change his mind about his fixture. |
| C． | It gave him ideas about the beginnings of human life. |
| D． | It got him to complete his most famous book on the ship. |
(3).In what order did the following happen in Darwin's life?
a.He arrived back in Britain in 1836.
b.He thought the public would not support his ideas.
c.He became interested in studying the natural world.
d.He printed his famous book, On the Origin of Species.
e.He received help to get a place on a trip around the world.
f.He studied the plants and animals on the islands he visited.
| A． | e→f→c→a→b→d |
B． | c→e→f→a→b→d |
| C． | e-→f→a→c→d→b |
D． | c→e→f→d→a→b |
(4).Why did the writer include the last paragraph?
| A． | To introduce Darwin's famous book. |
| B． | To tell how people celebrate Darwin Day. |
| C． | To explain why people accept Darwin's ideas. |
| D． | To show Darwin's influence on natural science. |
Today, I felt terrible.My head was full ofproblems andconfusion（暴乱）.I decided to take a walk even though I didn't know where to go.The most special thing happened when I was out forthis walk.
I saw an old man sitting on a chair. He was a seller of second-hand shoes. I thought he looked at least70 years old. He seemed so tired and nobody was buying his shoes.I wanted to give him something but I had not brought anything with me.
Then, a little girl came toward him. I heard the child say, "Grandfather, may I polish (擦干净) your shoes?" That old man took pity on her,smiledand gave her a shoe to polish.
The girl told him she needed money to buy her brother a new school uniform.
"Oh, little girl. Just stop doing this. Come with me and I will buy you a uniform." Then they walked to a market , and he bought her brother a uniform.
The girl said “thanks” to him and left, leaving the old man smiling.
He walked away from the market, but I stopped him. I whispered in his ear, "You are a hero! Thank you for your kindness!" As I walked away, I looked back and I could see him still smiling.
I was blown awayby the kindness I had just seen. Someone who had so little was so generous! Amazing!My own sadness had completelydisappeared, chased way by the light of this kind act.
I began realizing that I have a lot to be thankful for. I hope, some day, I can show my appreciation (感激) of what I have by following the example of the old man. He only had a little, but shared it so beautifully with someone who had nothing. What did the girl need?
| A．a pair of new shoes | B．a uniform for her brother |
| C．a uniform for herself | D．a pair of second-hand shoes |
Who did the girl clean the shoes for?
| A．her brother | B．the writer |
| C．the old man | D．herself |
From the passage, we know that the old man was .
| A．rich | B．dishonest |
| C．selfish | D． poor |
What would be the best title for the passage?
| A．A kind shoe seller | B．A pair of old shoes |
| C．A clever little girl | D．A girl’s new uniform |
What can we learn from the passage ?
| A．If we have only a little, we shouldn’t help others |
| B．When we have problems, we must ask others for help |
| C．We should learn to be thankful and share what we have with others |
| D．When we meet with difficulties, we should complain about them. |
A farmer carelessly lost an expensive gold watch in the barn on the farm, where he searched for everywhere but failed.
So he put a notice on the gate of the farm: whoever finds the gold watch will be rewarded 100 dollars.
People tried their best to look for the watch in order to get the reward. However, the barn was too large and the straw in the barn was too thick,it was getting dark they were still unable to find it. So they give up the reward of 100 dollars one by one.
But only a small boy was still not discouraged but kept looking for it .He had nothing to eat throughout the day.In order to solve the family problem, he looked forward to finding the gold watch and let his parents,brothers and sisters have a full meal.
The night was already getting late,the boy was also tired. He was lying in the straw to have a rest when he heard a strange “tick--tock ”.
He immediately held his breath and listened carefully,and followed the sound. He found the watch and got the 100 dollars.
Like the gold watch in the barn,success has been around us and spread in every corner of life. Only when we are calm and firmly look for it ,we can find it.If someone found the gold watch, what would the farmer offer him?
| A．100 yuan | B．100 dollars |
| C．100 pounds | D．100 pence |
Why did the boy insist on looking for the gold watch?
| A．Because he liked the gold watch.. |
| B．Because he wanted to own the watch. |
| C．Because he was silly |
| D．Because he wanted to get the reward |
The passage above is probably taken from_________.
| A．A newspaper | B．a science book |
| C．an advertisement | D．a notice |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The boy had no brothers or sisters. |
| B．The boy’s family had a hard life. |
| C．It was easy for the boy to find the watch. |
| D．The farmer didn’t look for the watch for himself |
Of the following,which order is right according to the story?
① The boy succeeded in finding the gold watch
② The farmer offered the boy a reward of 100 dollars
③ A farmer lost a gold watch carelessly
④ Many people tried to find the watch,but they failed.
| A．②①④③ | B．④②③① |
| C．③④①② | D．①③④② |
Some students like to translate(翻译) when they practice speaking English. Translation is a very difficult exercise. During a conversation, we don’t really have time to translate what we understand. When we use translation, we don’t develop the necessary reflexes (反应能力) needed to speak and understand a foreign language. It is important to build up reflexes right from the beginning. It will help you later when your skills are good enough to take a conversation.
Here is some advice on how to build up reflexes when you only have basic words and grammar.
Relax!
No one is checking you except yourself! Look at each communication experience as an adventure. Try to relax first when you speak English. You will pick up on small details.
Context(上下文) is your friend.
What is context？ It means the situation in which something happens and that helps to understand it. (2)We can make good guesses about what is being said by using the context. It will be easy when you think about the context. You will feel much more comfortable and confident if you remember that.
Ask questions what you want to know.
After you have proudly asked for tickets at the train station, the booking-office clerk (售票员) spoke a long sentence to you about the place and the time. You may be a little unclear or have only understood a part of it. However, you can ask questions about what you want to know, such as, “Did you say…?” and “Would you repeat that more slowly?”. So that you can easily move the communication forward. Use body language.
Use body language to go with your words when you __(1)___ to learn a __(1)_____ language. The person you are speaking to only wants to understand you and will be carefully listening to you. As you become more proficient (熟练的) in your second language, you will depend(依靠) more on the language and less on body language. But there is no shame for a beginner.
在(1)处的空白处分别填入一个适当的词使句意完整、上下文通顺。
________ __________ 将(2)句译成中文。
_______________________________________________________________________________回答问题： What does the writer want us to do first when we speak English?
_______________________________________________________________________________ 在文中找出与 Maybe you didn’t hear clearly or understand all of it.意思相同或相近的句子，
并将它写在答题卡上。
_______________________________________________________________________________ 在文中找出最能表达该短文主题的句子，并将它写在答题纸上。
_______________________________________________________________________________
It is true that people with better education are usually able to get better paying jobs. In other words, they have more chances to choose a good job while people with little or no education don’t. It seems that the purpose of education is to make people get jobs. But this isn’t accepted by all people.
Some people may think that a person should spend the best years of his life to get education only for a way of living. This was probably one of the earliest reasons of education. In fact, if education is just a way of making a living, people don’t need to spend so much time in school. People can get education for a living in a short time. Subjects like history and geography need not be taught to everyone. Even language and maths need not be taught in detail, either. Here it is clear that education is much more than teaching a man to get a way of living.
Education is well-rounded and it is mainly for improving a man. It is not only to teach him to speak, read and write, but also to develop his creative thinking and other abilities. After that, it is to make him a wise man and thankfully enjoy the achievements of human. Educationis to make a man lead a better life. Educated people are expected to be able to listen to good music, read good books, watch plays and take an interest in the world.
I would agree that making a good living is an important reason for education, but certainly not the most important or the main reason.
People with little education usually.
| A．spend a long time in school |
| B．have a good chance to get a job |
| C．spend the best years to choose jobs |
| D．have fewer chances to get a good job |
The earliest education was probably to.
| A．make a man lead a better life |
| B．teach a man to write and read |
| C．make people get a way of living |
| D．teach people to read good books |
The underlined word “well-rounded” in the passage means “ “in Chinese.
| A．圆满的 | B．崭新的 |
| C．公平的 | D．全面的 |
It is expected that educated people will be able to .
| A．accept education as a way of living |
| B．take an interest in the whole world |
| C．develop their abilities to make plays |
| D．learn subjects like language and math |
The passage mainly tells us that.
| A．education should make a man improve |
| B．people can get education in a short time |
| C．people should be able to get good paying jobs |
| D．all subjects are so important for a way of living |
June 11,2013 was another big day for Chinese space exploration. Shenzhou X, China’s fifth manned spacecraft, was sent into space. Three astronauts, Nie Haisheng, 49, Zhang Xiaoguang, 47, and Wang Yaping, 33, stayed in space for 15 days.
Tiangong-1 is China’s first space module(舱). It was sent into space in 2011. It will be developed into a large space station around 2020. A space station is a lab for scientific studies.Shenzhou X performed its first docking（对接）with Tiangong-1 on June 13. It docked twice during the 15 days.
The US, Russia, Japan, Canada and Europe are working together on the International Space Station (ISS).China wanted to join the ISS but was refused by the US. China decided to build its own space station.
Shenzhou X flew around the Tianggong-1 lab for the first time. This was to make sure that spacecraft could dock from more than just one direction. The astronauts carried out repair work and did experiments on the Tiangong-1.
Teaching from space
Wang Yaping, China’s second woman astronaut, taught high school and primary school students about space science. Wang talked about how things move in a micro-gravity(微重量)environment. This helped the students better understand some physics ideas, like Newton’s Law. The lessons aimed to encourage more students to learn about the universe and science.
Life up in space
The three astronauts followed a work and rest schedule（作息时间）that is similar on the Earth. They had Chinese dishes, such as Kung Pao Chicken and fried rice. The food was kept in special bags. At the time of the Dragon Boat Festival, they had Zongzi.
Tiangong-1 is _______ which was sent into space in 2011.
| A．a space module | B．a manned spacecraft |
| C．a space station | D．a space lab |
China decided to build its own space station because________.
| A．China was very rich |
| B．the US refused China to join the ISS |
| C．the astronauts wanted to stay there |
| D．Chinese scientists wanted to do experiment in space |
Wang Yaping taught the lesson to encourage students to________.
| A．become the next Newton |
| B．experience micro-gravity |
| C．know more about the life of astronauts |
| D．learn more about the universe and science |
From the last paragraph, we can learn that the three astronauts _______.
| A．had a different time schedule in space |
| B．cooked Chinese food for dinner |
| C．celebrated Dragon Boat Festival by having Zongzi |
| D．slept in special sleeping bags |
According to the passage, which of the following is not right?
| A．Among the three astronauts in China’s fifth manned spacecraft, Nie Haisheng is the oldest. |
| B．In about 2020, Tiangong-1 will become a space station where astronauts can do science research. |
| C．It is true that Shenzhou X could dock with Tiangong-1 from only one direction. |
| D．In space, Wang Yaping taught the students how things go in a micro-gravity environment. |