Most of the time, we know what weather is heading our way— thanks to meteorologists (气象学家). 1. Will it be sunny or rainy, hot or cold? And every day, meteorologists work hard to predict what the weather will be like.
For some, an interest in weather starts early. It did for Samantha Gibbons, a 10-year-old girl from the USA.2.. Every week, Samantha studies the science behind weather through the Internet. In January, she was the youngest kid to attend the 2015 American Meteorological Society (AMS) Annual Meeting. During the Q&A discussion at the event, she asked the experts how a halo ( a ring of light around a moon or sun ) appears.3. “ I was very excited to take part in the meeting ! It was like I was meant to be there,” said Samantha.
Not only does Samantha study the numbers behind weather, but she also practices speaking on air.4. “ I love being on TV.” she said.
On September 3, 2014, Samantha made her first TV show on NBC Channel 12 in Phoenix, USA. Before her appearance, she woke up at 4 a.m. to arrive at the station by 5:30 a.m., a typical morning for many meteorologists. “To prepare, I practiced in front of the mirror,” said Samantha. “I learned I needed a lot of practice on camera!”5. What’s her advice for other kids interested in becoming meteorologists? “Ask lots of questions,” said Samantha. “Always believe in what you’re doing and keep making your dream come true.”
A.As a member of her school’s broadcast (电视节目) club, she helps produce the school’s morning programs.
B.Every day, people turn to the TV, computer, or radio to find out.
C.Her future plans are simple: do well in school and practice broadcasting.
D.One of them answered her question.
E.She says she loves watching the weather.
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 (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 31, 1900, the city picked several photos and letters to be placed in a box. The box was then locked until Dec 31, 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, according to historydetroit.com.
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’re 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 classical composer Beethoven and pictures of plants, insects and landscapes (山水风景). The Voyager spacecraft has traveled far away from our solar system. It is hoped that aliens might find the time capsules someday and learn about us.
1.What is a time capsule?
A.A collection of medicine buried deep underground.
B.A small collection of things stored in a safe place.
C.A store selling newspapers from the past.
D.A video where future people can see the past.
2.How long was one of the earliest time capsule, the Detroit Century Box locked?
A.For 50 years. B.For 100 years. C.For 117 years. D.For 200 years.
3.From the things in the Detroit Century Box, we may learn________.
A.what people wore in the past B.what the city was like in 1977
C.what would happen to the city in the future D.the real population of the city in 2000
4.The Voyager Golden Records ________.
A.were sent into space in 2000 B.contain sounds, pictures and insects
C.have traveled far from the solar system D.have been found by the aliens
5.What is the best title for the passage?
A.What does a time capsule contain? B.Why did people make a time capsule?
C.The Detroit Century Box, the earliest time capsule D.The time capsule, a gift for the future
Many people have been making fun of Paris Hilton online recently. The 36-year-old US actress and model said on social media that she “invented” the selfie (自拍) in 2006, posting a photo of her and Britney Spears as “proof”. Internet users immediately proved her wrong, posting evidence (证据)of selfies that appeared much earlier in history.
In one example, a user posted a selfie that Buzz Aldrin, the famous astronaut, took a picture of himself in space in 1966. But perhaps the funniest example was a black-and-white selfie that was taken by American photographer Robert Cornelius in 1839. It is quite possibly the first selfie ever taken in history.
Why do people love to take selfies so much? Is it because we’re naturally vain (虚荣的) and proud? Maybe it’s actually the opposite--perhaps we feel insecure (没有安全感的) or shy. So we take photos of ourselves, post them online and wait for people to give us compliments (称赞).
Taking selfies can be dangerous, though. For example, if you take one while you’re on holiday and post it online, some thieves might see it and know that you aren’t home. They then might break into your home and steal your things while you’re away.
There are even people who have died while taking selfies. According to Forbes magazine, 127 people around the world died while taking selfies from 2014 to 2016. It can be very dangerous to take selfies while standing near high places, like roofs and cliffs (悬崖). Taking selfies underwater or on train tracks is also quite dangerous. So be careful out there if you decide to take some.
1.The underlined word “proof” in Paragraph 1 means ________.
A.消息 B.证据 C.例子 D.历史
2.Which may be the earliest selfie, according to the story?
A.Paris Hilton and Britney Spears’ selfie. B.Buzz Aldrin’s selfie in space.
C.A color photo taken by an American scientist. D.A black-and-white photo of Robert Cornelius.
3.What is the main idea of the third paragraph?
A.Paris Hilton is insecure and shy. B.Why people enjoy taking selfies.
C.Why people are naturally vain. D.Taking selfies is a good way to make friends.
4.What can we learn from paragraphs 4 and 5?
A.Taking selfies can be dangerous.
B.There are no advantages to taking selfies.
C.Every year, 127 people die from taking selfies, on average.
D.Taking selfies near cliffs is more dangerous than underwater.
5.If you are the writer, what will you write at the end of the passage?
A.Selfies have been around for longer than you think.
B.There is no need to take selfies near high places.
C.No selfie is worth risking your life for— no matter how good it might look.
D.People will lose their lives while taking selfies.
Do you know where J.K. Rowling wrote the Harry Potter books? She wrote the first books in a coffee shop. Was it because she felt more creative when working there? The answer might be yes!
Scientists from the University of Illinois found that moderate (适度的) noise can make people more creative, the New York Times reported.
Scientists did tests on students. They divided them into four groups. They then asked the students to do certain tasks involving creative thinking. But each group did the task with different volumes (音量) of background noise.
They found that students did best when working under moderate noise —70 decibels (分贝). This is about the same volume of background noise in a cafe. Students did worse in low noise (50 db). This is the volume of a quiet room. They did the poorest when in a high-noise (85 db) environment. This is the noise level in a factory.
Moderate noise can distract (分心) people just enough so that they think more creatively. “It helps you think outside the box,” Raci Mehta, a lead researcher in the study, said to the Business Standard.
On the one hand, working in a very quiet place can strengthen our focus. But it also stops us from thinking abstractly (抽象地).
“This is why if you are too focused on a problem and you can’t solve it,” said Mehta, “You leave it for some time and then come back to it and you get the solution.”
However, the scientists said that when you need to do detailed things, like proofreading (校对) a paper, a quiet place is better than a noisy one.
1.What can we tell from the first paragraph?
A.J.K. Rowling likes drinking coffee. B.Drinking coffee helps people become creative.
C.The best novels are born in coffee shops. D.Moderate noise makes people creative.
2.The underlined word “involving” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by the word “________”.
A.referring to B.including C.in order to D.even
3.Which volume of background noise helps students do the best at creative tasks?
A.85 db. B.70 db. C.50 db. D.0 db.
4.Which of the following is TRUE when working in a very quiet place?
A.It can help people think outside the box. B.It can make people think abstractly.
C.It can help people find the solution easily. D.It can help people focus on their work.
5.What is the main idea of the story?
A.How to work under a moderate noise level.
B.Why J. K. Rowling likes to write stories in a coffee shop.
C.Why moderate noise is good for creative thinking.
D.How scientists tested students’ learning abilities.
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1.With Fashion Shop, you ________.
A.don’t need to pay for what you want
B.don’t have to wait for a long time to pay for what you buy
C.can buy anything at the lowest price
D.can become tired of buying so many things
2.If you________, you can learn any language in a very short time.
A.go to Shop B.go to Happy Every Day
C.join the Smart Learning Program D.call someone at 8855-6731
3.Suppose the cost of the course at Computer World is 800 yuan. If Li Ming goes there on July 30 for the second time, he only needs to pay ________.
A.320 yuan B.480 yuan C.400 yuan D.800 yuan
4.According to the passage, we know ________.
A.old people can’t take the computer courses at Computer World
B.we can eat something delicious at Happy Every Day
C.Smart Learning Program offers service twelve hours a day
D.we can call 8855-6731 to get some information about how to cook
5.The passage above is probably from________.
A.TV B.newspapers
C.the food magazine D.the shop on the Internet
Long ago, people happily lived under the rule of a king. The people of the kingdom were very happy, as they were wealthy and had no problems.
The king decided to travel and visit faraway places of great historical importance. He chose to travel by foot ___________he could talk to his people. People from these areas were very happy to have a__________ with their king.
After several weeks, he returned to the palace. He was quite happy to have visited many places and seen his people. However, he felt a lot of pain in his feet because it was his first long-distance trip on foot. He __________ to his ministers (大臣) that the roads were covered in stones and weren’t comfortable . He said he was very worried about the people who walked along them.
He made an order to__________ the roads of the whole country with __________so that people would feel happier and more comfortable. His ministers were very surprised to hear his order as thousands of cows would have to be killed for their skins and it would also cost a lot of money.
A wise man from the ministry came to the king and said he had another idea. The minister asked the king, “Why do you want to kill so many cows? Why not cut a piece of leather in the right _________ to cover your feet?”
The king was__________by this idea and praised the minister. He ordered that a pair of leather shoes were to be made for himself and for each of his countrymen.
Many of us criticize (批评) our surroundings and never understand that we can make a __________ourselves. Changes are unavoidable, and they should_________ us. We cannot or should not__________others to make them.
1.A.as if B.so that C.while D.before
2.A.meeting B.trip C.discussion D.conversation
3.A.shouted B.said C.explained D.complained
4.A.cover B.replace C.build D.repair
5.A.stones B.sand C.cotton D.leather
6.A.place B.position C.shape D.order
7.A.puzzled B.disappointed C.shocked D.amazed
8.A.chance B.purpose C.rule D.change
9.A.benefit from B.come from C.refer to D.go with
10.A.depend on B.work with C.decide on D.believe in
