Earlier this year in Norway, people buried a steel bottle with plant seeds, a wristwatch and rock samples (样本) in it. Why did they do this? They were making a time capsule(时间胶囊).
Time capsules are small collections of goods or information that are stored somewhere safe. They can be opened by people many years later, giving future people a view of life in the past.
They may contain (包含) newspaper articles, popular music recordings, and photos. Historians can use time capsules to learn more about societies that lived in the past.
One of the earliest time capsules was the Detroit Century Box. On Dec 31st, 1900, the city picked several photos and letters to be placed in a box. The box was then locked until Dec 31st, 2000. The things inside the capsule give us a look at Detroit in the past. There were photos of people and places, as well as letters written by local people. Some of them even gave predictions for the future. One person predicted that Detroit would have a population of 4 million by 2000. But in fact, the city’s population was about 951,000 that year.
Humans have even sent time capsules into space! The US sent two capsules into space on the Voyager spacecraft (旅行者号航天器) in 1977. They are called the Voyager Golden Records. They contain sounds and pictures that show the diversity of human life and culture. For example, they have music by German composer (作曲家) Beethoven and pictures of plants, insects and landscapes (山水风景画). The Voyager spacecraft has traveled far away from our solar system(太阳系). It is hoped that aliens might find the time capsules someday and learn about us.
1.A time capsule________.
A.is a subject about societies that lived in the past
B.is a small collection of things stored in a safe place
C.collects medicines and buries them deep underground
D.collects music recordings which will be popular in the future
2.The earliest time capsule was locked for________ .
A.23 years B.77 years C.100 years D.218 years
3.From the collections in the Detroit Century Box, we may learn________.
A.what people wore in the past B.what Detroit was like in 1977
C.what would happen to Detroit in the future D.what the population of Detroit is in 2000
4.What does underline word “diversity” in paragraph 5 probably mean in Chinese?
A.思想性 B.普遍性 C.预见性 D.多样性
5.The Voyager Golden Records________.
A.contain pictures and plants B.were sent into space by Germany
C.have traveled far from the solar system D.have been found by the aliens
Batman, Jubilee, the X-Men—all are superheroes. What makes a superhero? Let’s look at seven things that superheroes share.
1. Nearly all superheroes have super-human powers. For example, Superman can fly, and Wonder Woman can talk with animals.
2. A secret identity（身份）helps protect the superhero’s family and friends. In a few cases friends and family know the superhero’s identity—that Spider-Man is really Peter Parker or that Bruce Banner is actually the Hulk.
3. A colorful costume helps the public make out the superhero, and at the same time it hides his or her identity.
4. All superheroes are honest and own a strong moral code（道德准则）. They respect the law but will break it if doing so will lead to the greater good. Superheroes expect no reward and seldom kill people.
5. There are always enemies who have similar powers for Superheroes to fight against.
6. As a child, Bruce Wayne saw a man kill his parents. He began training hard and later became Batman. The backstory tells how the superhero actually became the superhero we know. Superheroes are seldom born that way.
7. A weakness can make a superhero helpless. This is also what makes him or her interesting. To succeed they must overcome this weakness.
The superhero is perhaps not so different from us. It is the purpose of the story that speaks to us. They tell important truths about human nature. The superhero is a symbol of our hopes and goals. These are what we see in ourselves. And the superhero’s enemies are our own fears, such as crime and war. The superhero often loses but never, ever gives up. This is a lesson we can all learn from. Like us, the superhero is not perfect, but that’s exactly what makes a true hero.
1.Which picture best describes “costume” in Paragraph 4?
A.
B.
C.
D.
2.Superheroes have special costumes________.
A.to frighten the enemy B.to hide their identities
C.to show off D.to make out their members
3.What do superheroes have in common?
A.Super powers over animals. B.An identity unknown to their family.
C.A strong moral code. D.Super powers from birth.
4.Why does the writer point out the similarities between superheroes and us?
A.To encourage us to try to be perfect.
B.To advise us to act like superheroes.
C.To show that having weaknesses is of human nature.
D.To prove that superheroes have the same enemies as us.
5.What lesson can we learn from the superheroes?
A.Never give up. B.Never set a life goal.
C.Always hope for the best. D.Always learn to tell stories.
Word Banker English-Chinese is a kind of software which allows users to practice their Chinese vocabulary by several different ways. Although the program isn’t the most convenient one you’ve ever used, it’s helpful to improve your Chinese vocabulary.
The programs interface (界面) isn't very attractive and can sometimes be hard to operate(操作). Each function holds a window, but if you close the window, it will take you back to the main menu or close the program. But if you continue using the program, you will find there are several useful exercises in it. Users can read a word or phrase in English and then click on the matching word in Chinese, hear the Chinese word spoken and choose the matching English word, or see the English word written and then type the Chinese word. We love that the program allows users to practice not only their vocabulary, but also their reading, listening and spelling skills. Once users know a word, they can save it so that it stops appearing in the exercises. The program also allows users to practice vocabulary by seeing the English and Chinese word and hearing the Chinese spoken. The “Help” provides good instructions for users to use.
Nothing is perfect. Word Banker English-Chinese has many advantages and certain disadvantages as well. We can use it according to our needs.
1.Who will be interested in Word Banker English-Chinese?
A.Native English speakers who want to learn Chinese.
B.Native English speakers who want to improve their English.
C.Native Chinese speakers who want to improve their Chinese.
D.Native Chinese speakers who want to learn English.
2.Which is the disadvantage of the program?
A.It’s hard to use sometimes.
B.Users can only practice vocabulary and reading.
C.There are few useful exercises for users to practice.
D.There are no instructions in the program.
3.A user can practice ________skills by using this program.
A.writing B.listening C.counting D.computer
4.What’s the main idea of the second paragraph?
A.How to learn English. B.What is Word Banker English-Chinese.
C.How to learn Chinese. D.What can we benefit from the program.
5.The purpose of writing the article is to ________.
A.introduce a software B.stop people from using a software
C.ask users for help D.announce the close of a program
One Sunday a young father was walking through the park. He was pushing a pram. There was a very young baby in the pram and it was crying loudly. The young father said softly, “Take it easy, Martin. Keep calm, Martin. Control yourself, Martin.” The young father walked on but the child cried louder. The father stopped and took a Teddy bear out of a bag. He gave it to the child.
He said softly, “Take it easy, Martin. Keep calm, Martin. Control yourself. Martin.” The young father started to push the pram again. After a few minutes the child began to cry. It cried louder and longer. The father put his hand into his pocket and took out some chocolate. He gave a piece to the child and said softly, “Take It easy, Martin, Keep calm, Martin. Control yourself. Martin.” The young father walked on. Three minutes later the child started to cry. It cried louder and louder and louder. The father took the baby out of the pram and held it in his arms. He said softly. “Take it easy, Martin. Keep calm, Martin. Control yourself, Martin.” The child did not stop crying. It cried louder and louder.
An old woman was watching the father. She walked across to the young father and she smiled. She said, “You are doing very well, young man. You talk to the child with a calm and quiet voice.” The old woman looked at the child and said, “What’s wrong, Martin. Why are you crying?” The father said quickly, “He is so young that he can’t say and understand what you are talking!”
1.How many times did the young father comfort (安抚) the baby?
A.Three B.Four C.Five D.Six
2.Which picture can describe the underlined word “pram” in Paragraph 1?
A.
B.
C.
D.
3.What did the father take out to comfort the baby?
A.a Teddy bear, candy B.a bag, some chocolate
C.a Teddy bear, some chocolate D.a bag, a Teddy bear
4.The father was_______when the baby was crying.
A.Angry B.Happy C.Sad D.Gentle
5.The old woman said to the baby in order to________.
A.play jokes on the baby B.praise the father C.give the father a hand D.laugh at the baby
There once was a king named Dionysius who ruled over Syracuse, the richest country. Dionysius lived in a palace. There were many beautiful and _______things. Because the king had so much power, there were many people in Syracuse who envied (嫉妒) ______good luck. Damocles was one of them. He was one of Dionysius’s best friends, and he was always saying to him, “How ______you are! You have everything anyone could wish for.” Once after Damocles praised him on his power and abundance ( 富 足 ), Dionysius turned to him and said, “Perhaps you’d like to_______places with me ?” “Oh, I would never ________that,” said Damocles. “ But if I could only have your riches and your pleasures for one day, I should __________want any happiness.”
So the next day Damocles was treated as a________and experienced what Dionysius’s life was like.
Then Damocles enjoyed himself until he noticed a sharp sword(剑) hung over his head, held to the ceiling by only a single horsehair. He wanted to jump up and run, but he was so _______that he couldn’t move. Dionysius laughed when he saw this. “I see it every day, it always hangs over my head, and there is always the chance someone or something may________the slim horsehair. However, if you want to be a leader, you must be willing to take these risks. They come with the_________, you see.”
“Yes, now I do see.” said Damocles. From then on, Damocles never again wanted to change places, even for a moment, with the king.
1.A.useful B.expensive C.colorful
2.A.his B.her C.their
3.A.kind B.lucky C.smart
4.A.try B.change C.provide
5.A.look for B.learn from C.dream of
6.A.never B.always C.sometimes
7.A.king B.friend C.guest
8.A.sad B.disappointed C.frightened
9.A.comb B.color C.cut
10.A.power B.wealth C.happiness
— Oh, my god. It seems that we’ll be late for the meeting.
— _________ We still have fifteen minutes.
A.Take it easy! B.What a pity! C.Bad luck!
