Google has started Google Science Fair (GSF) 2014, its annual online competition for bright, creative and ambitious teenagers who want to change the world with science. While the project is led by Google, it also has the support of the Lego Group and world-famous publications National Geographic and Scientific American. The competition is open for students aged 13 to 18, who can sign-up now, form a team and begin working on a submission(提交申请).
The winner will be rewarded with a ten-day exploration to the Galapagos Islands aboard the National Geographic Endeavor, as well as a VIP tour of “Spaceport America” in New Mexico. Google is also throwing in a $50,000 scholarship and $10,000 for the winner’s school to purchase cutting-edge science lab equipment.
Google suggests that each project should be “an in-depth investigation of a science question or engineering problem” but otherwise, it’s up to students to pick and develop an idea that follows the competition rules.
Completed projects need to be submitted by May 12, 2014 at 11:59 PDT. Google will announce the regional competitors in June, ahead of global finalists in August and the competition winners in September.
Interested? Here are the rules.
If you want to enter the competition as an individual, you should register first. Complete requested information about yourself and your project in the registration section before creating your project. You may edit this later. Click the box stating that you have read, accept, and agree to be bound by these Official Rules and Terms.
Upon completion of registration you may begin working on your project. The project must follow the technical, creative, and legal entry requirements set out in these Official Rules and the Googlesciencefair.com Site. You will be required to complete all sections of the Project Site.
You may begin working on your project after completing the registration process, however, you may not submit it for judging until you have requested and received parental consent (允许). Once you have done this, your parent or guardian will receive an email from Google with instructions on how they can give their consent for you to participate. The project will not be judged unless this consent is received.
1.From the first paragraph, we can learn that .
A. GSF is a science competition
B. teenagers should form a team
C. every teenager can take part in it
D. GSF is organized by Google alone
2. If you win in the competition, you will get the following except .
A. a ten-day exploration to the Galapagos Islands
B. a tour of “Spaceport America” in New Mexico
C. a sum of scholarship of $50,000
D. a school equipped with advanced science labs
3. If you plan to enter GSF alone, .
A. you should create your project as the first step
B. you needn’t follow the official rules at all
C. you should provide some personal information
D. you should start your project before registration
4.What is mainly discussed in the last paragraph?
A. Parental consent.B. Submission time.
C. Registration process.D. Project requirements.
5.The main purpose of the passage is to .
A. explain problems on how to enter GSF
B. provide information about GSF
C. persuade teenagers to enter GSF
D. tell us the importance of GSF
They tell us when to get up or when we’re running late for work and whether we are in danger of missing our favourite TV programme. But while our daily routines rely on clocks that tell us the time, science is discovering that our well-being is influenced by a very different kind of timepiece. Circadian rhythms---the human body’s own internal clock---have a powerful influence on our health and behaviour. They are programmed from birth and control functions ranging from temperature and blood pressure to sleep patterns.
In recent years researchers have also discovered that this built-in mechanism can influence everything from the way we react to medicines to how well we learn music.
The latest example, from experts at Harvard University in the US, shows that the human body clock can even dictate whether or not we are likely to tell the truth. Researchers found it was easier for people to fib（撒小谎） in the afternoon because, as they were tired, the self control that would normally prevent them from lying started to break down. Tiredness made it harder to resist the temptation to tell lies---especially if it meant they got a financial reward at the end.
“The body clock has a great effect on us all,” says Professor Jim Horne from the Sleep Research Centre at Loughborough University. “Most people tend to feel good around late morning and then decline in the early afternoon. But the time most of us will feel our sharpest is between 6pm and 8pm. That’s because sleepiness tends to build up throughout the day. By early evening our body clock kicks in to wake us up. One reason may be to ensure we get home safely. When our ancestors were coming home after hunting all day their internal clocks kicked in to get them home in one piece.”
So what effects do circadian rhythms have and what’s the best time of day to take advantage of them?
1.The underlined word “They” in the first paragraph refers to .
A. our clocksB. scientists and experts
C. our daily routinesD. circadian rhythms
2.The research referred to in Paragraph 3 found that people tend to .
A. tell lies when they are tired
B. tell lies if they are rewarded
C. lose temper as they become tired
D. break down because they are tired
3. According to the passage, when are people most quick-thinking?
A. In the morning.B. Around midday.
C. In the late afternoon.D. In the early evening.
4.What information will the writer probably present following the last paragraph?
A. Some practical suggestions to prevent people from lying.
B. Examples of how the human body clocks control the body.
C. Examples of the most suitable time to do different activities.
D. An explanation of how the human body clock controls the body.
5. What is the best title for the passage?
A. Rebuild your body clockB. Timing is everything
C. Sleep more, lie lessD. Your time is limited
A newly-wedded couple on a four-month honeymoon were hit by six natural disasters, including the Australian floods, Christchurch earthquake and Japanese tsunami (海啸).
Stefan and Erika Svanstrom left Stockholm, Sweden, on December 6 and were immediately stuck in Munich, Germany, due to one of Europe's worst snowstorms.
Travelling with their baby daughter, they flew on to Cairns in Australia which was then struck by one of the most violent cyclones in the nation's history.
From there, the couple, in their 20s, were forced to shelter for 24 hours on the cement (水泥) floor of a shopping centre with 2,500 others.
“Trees were being knocked over and big branches were put down across the streets, ” Mr. Svanstrom told Sweden's Expressen newspaper. “We escaped by the skin of our teeth.”
Mr. Svanstrom said they then headed south to Brisbane but the city was experiencing massive flooding, so they crossed the country to Perth where they narrowly escaped burning bush fires.
The couple then flew to Christchurch, New Zealand, arriving just after a massive magnitude (震级) 6.3 earthquake attacked the city on February 22.
Mrs. Svanstrom said, “When we got there the whole town was like a war zone. We could not visit the city since it was completely blocked off, so instead we travelled around before going to Japan.”
But days after the Svanstroms arrived, Tokyo was rocked by Japan's largest earthquake since records began.
“The trembling was horrible and we saw roof tiles fly off the buildings,” Mr. Svanstrom said. “It was like the buildings were swaying back and forth.”
The family returned to Stockholm on March 29 after a much calmer visit to their last destination China.
But Mr. Svanstrom --- who also survived the destructive Boxing Day tsunami that hit southeast Asia in 2004 --- said the marriage was still going strong.
He added, “I know marriages have to experience some difficulties, but I think we have been through most of them. We've certainly experienced more than our fair share of disasters, but the most important thing is that we're together and happy.”
1.In Svanstrom's opinion, a marriage .
A. has to go peacefully and happily for all time
B. has to experience many disasters at the beginning
C. must always allow the couple be together and happy
D. should experience difficulties to make it steady
2. Why were Stefan and Erika Svanstrom stopped in Munich?
A. Christchurch earthquake stopped them.
B. Because of Europe's worst snowstorm.
C. The plane was damaged.
D. The trains broke down.
3.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A. The family were stuck in a mall of Australia for twenty-four hours.
B. The family didn't experience any disaster in China.
C. During their stay in New Zealand, they also visited a war zone in the town.
D.The earthquake the family experienced in Tokyo was the largest one recorded in Japan.
4.The Svanstroms thought that Christchurch of New Zealand was .
A. disorderedB. interesting
C. beautifulD. shaking
5.The best title for this passage is .
A. Meeting Disasters During Honeymoon
B. Six Natural Disasters
C. Newly-wed Couple Met Australian Floods
D. Japanese Tsunami
My older brother and I are busy 1. (arrange) a trip to Africa. We will leave London on 15 July, and we’ll be flying to Morocco. We are going to travel on camels 2. the Sahara Desert. After the trip by camel, we’re going to travel down the River Nile. We’ll start at Lake Victoria. A little way down the river from Lake Victoria, the water 3. (actual) gets quite rough. So, we’ll go white-water rafting, 4. is quite dangerous, but very exciting! After white-water rafting, we’re going on a trip to see wild animals in Kenya.
5. we’ll be walking for almost two weeks, I’ll need to buy a large, strong, light backpack 6. advance to carry my 7. (supply) of food and water. It is so dangerous that our guides will have guns 8. (scare) the animals away if they come too near. I really want to see 9. elephant close up. After that, we’ll be moving on to Tanzania, 10. we’re going to climb Mount Kilimanjaro. The African part of our trip will take about four weeks and we will surely have a happy time.
“Now,” Mrs. Virginia DeView said, smiling, “we are going to discover our professions.” The class seemed to be greatly surprised. Our professions? We were only 13 and 14 years old! The teacher must be . “Yes, you will all be searching for your future . Each of you will have to someone in your field, plus give an oral report.”
Each day in her class, Virginia DeView reminded us about this. Finally, I picked print journalism. This I had to go to interview a true-blue newspaper reporter. I was extremely nervous. I sat down in front of him able to speak. He looked at me and said, “Did you bring a pencil or pen?”
I shook my head.
“How about some ?”
I shook my head again.
Finally, I thought he realized I was , and I got my first big tip as a . “Never, never go anywhere without a pen and paper. You never know what you’ll run into.” After a few days, I gave my oral report totally from memory in class. I got an A on the entire project.
Years later, I was in college looking around for a new career, but with no success. Then I Virginia DeView and my desire at 13 to be a journalist. And I called my parents. They didn’t me. They just reminded me how competitive the field was and all my life I had run away from competition. This was true. But journalism did something to me: it was in my blood. It gave me the freedom to go up to total strangers and ask what was .
For the past 12 years, I’ve had the most satisfying reporting career, stories from murders to airplane crashes and choosing my strongest area. When I went to pick up my phone one day, an incredible wave of memories hit me and I realized that had it not been for Virginia DeView, I would not be sitting at that desk.
I was all the time: “How did you pick journalism?”
“Well, you see, there was this teacher …” I always start out. I just wish I could thank her.
1.A. goodB. mad C. careless D. curious
2.A. universitiesB. families C. professions D. lives
3.A. interviewB. please C. admire D. respect
4.A. expressedB. ordered C. expected D. meant
5.A. hardlyB. nearly C. naturally D. eagerly
6.A. drinkB. newspapers C. preparations D. paper
7.A. satisfiedB. comfortable C. terrified D. sorry
8.A. student B. journalist C. teacher D. writer
9.A. called B. recognized C. remembered D. visited
10.A. answer B. promise C. stop D. persuade
11.A. how B. whether C. why D. when
12.A. breaking in B. getting down C. falling off D. going on
13.A. making B. retelling C. covering D. writing
14.A. certainlyB. finally C. doubtfully D. completely
15.A. hurtB. excited C. disappointed D. asked
假设你是星光中学的李华，将参加主题为"Let's Ride Bicycles"的英语演讲比赛。请撰写一份演讲稿，主要内容包括：
1．目前汽车带来的空气污染和交通堵塞等问题；
2．骑自行车的益处，如：节能环保、有利健康等。
参考词汇：低碳生活（low-carbon life）；节能（energy saving）
注意：1．词数：100词左右；
2．演讲稿开头和结尾已给出，该部分不计入总词数。
Good morning, everyone,
I am Li Hua form Xingguang Middle School. The topic of my speech is "Let's Ride Bicycles"．
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