Science Fiction
The science fiction type of entertainment is considered by most to be fathered by Jules Verne (A Journey to the Center of the Earth and Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea) and H. G. Wells (The Time Machine and The War of the Worlds). Sci-Fi, as it is commonly shortened, is a fictional story in which science and technology have a significant influence on the characters and plot. Many such works are guesswork about what the future holds and how scientific findings and technological advances will shape humankind.
Writing in the late 1800s, Jules Verne was remarkably successful in his 10 guesses about future technologies of air conditioning, automobiles, the Internet, television, and underwater, air, and space travel. Unbelievably, of all places from which to choose, Jules Verne guessed Tampa, Florida, USA as the launching site of the first project to the Moon, which was only 200 kilometers away from the actual 1969 location at Cape Canaveral, Florida.
One of the best-known science fiction books is Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell. Published in 1949, it was not meant as a prediction, but as a warning: Orwell was describing what he saw as the outcome of the ideas, trends, and emerging technologies of his time. Many invented terms from this novel have become common in everyday use, such as “big brother” and “doublethink”. Even the author’s name has been made into an adjective—Orwellian—and has become a warning descriptor for situations where privacy is lost and the individual becomes sacrifice under a totalitarian(极权主义) government. Nineteen Eighty-Four was translated into sixty-five languages within five years of its publication, setting a record that still stands.
What helps bring science fiction into being is usually a new discovery or innovation. The author creates an analysis of the potential influence and consequences and then wraps it in a pleasant story. For example, the beginning of space exploration was followed a few years later by the Star Trek television program and movie series. Advances in genetics(遗传学) cause fantasies of the end of disease, horrors of eugenics(优生学), and thrillers where creatures disappearing long ago are brought back to life. The science fiction author’s self-determined role is that of field glasses for humanity—searching the world of future possibilities upon the road which we are traveling.
1. What can science fiction offer to people?
A. A forecast of how a new discovery could influence mankind.
B. A thoughtful look at the present drawbacks of technology.
C. An analysis of why a new technology could be used to harm human.
D. A thoughtful look at the past and what brought us to this point in history.
2.Which of the following best summarizes the description of Nineteen Eighty-Four?
A. A prediction of future technologies.
B. A warning of cruel and unfair ruling.
C. The consequence of scientific findings.
D. An imaginary perfect world of freedom.
3.From the passage we can learn that _____.
A. Nineteen Eighty-Four adopted some popular terms
B. H.G. Wells predicted the Internet in the late 1800s
C. Cape Canaveral was mentioned in Jules Verne’s fiction
D. Star Trek movie series were based on space exploration
4.According to the author, what is the role of science fiction in society?
A. A moral compass.
B. A reference of technology.
C. A record of science development.
D. A consideration of possibilities.
Does money buy happiness? Not! Ah, but would a little more money make us a little happier? Many of us smirk(傻笑，假笑) and nod. There is, we believe, some connection between financial fitness and emotional fulfillment. Three in four American college students—nearly double the 1970 proportion— now consider it “very important” or “essential” that they become “very well off financially”. Money matters.
But a surprising fact of life is that in countries where nearly everyone can afford life’s necessities, increasing wealth matters surprisingly little. The connection between income and happiness is “surprisingly weak,” observed University of Michigan researcher Ronald Inglehart in one 16-nation study of 170,000 people. Once comfortable, more money provides diminishing returns(报酬递减). The second piece of pie, or the second $100,000, never tastes as good as the first. Even lottery winners and the Forbes’ 100 wealthiest Americans surveyed by University of Illinois psychologist Ed Diener have expressed only slightly greater happiness than the average American. Making it big brings temporary joy. But in the long run wealth is like health: its complete absence can create suffering, but having it doesn’t guarantee happiness. Happiness seems less a matter of getting what we want than of wanting what we have.
Has our happiness, however, floated upward with the rising economic tide? Are we happier today than in 1940s, when two out of five homes lacked a shower or tub? Actually, we are not. Since 1957, the number of Americans who say they are “very happy” has declined from 35 to 32 percent. Meanwhile, the divorce rate has doubled, the teen suicide(自杀) rate has increased nearly three times, the violent crime rate has gone up nearly four times, and depression has mushroomed. Economic growth has provided no boost to human morale. When it comes to psychological well being, it is not the economy.
I call this soaring wealth and shrinking spirit “the American paradox.” More than ever, we have big houses and broken homes, high incomes and low confidence, secured rights and reduced civility. We are good at making a living but often fail at making a life. We celebrate our prosperity(繁荣) but long for a purpose. We treasure our freedoms but long for connection. In an age of plenty, we feel spiritual hunger.
1. Which of the following statements best expresses the author’s view?
A. The more money we earn, the less returns we have.
B. The more money we earn, the happier we would be.
C. In the long run, money cannot guarantee happiness.
D. In the long run, happiness grows with economy.
2.“The second $100,000 never tastes as good as the first” because _____.
A. it is not so fresh as the first $100,000
B. it is not so important as the first $100,000
C. profit brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000
D. happiness brought by it is less than that from the first $100,000
3.According to the passage, people do well in making a living but don’t _____.
A. have any primary aim B. know how to spend money
C. know how to enjoy life D. keep in touch with other people
4.The things that happened after 1957 are given to show that _____.
A. people’s spiritual needs cannot be fulfilled by wealth
B. family problems become more and more serious
C. young people are not happy about their life
D. social crimes have increased significantly
My favorite English teacher could draw humor out of the driest material. It wasn’t forced on us either. He took Samuel Johnson’s dictionary, Addison’s essays, and many other literary wonders from the eighteenth century and made them hilarious, even at eight o’clock in the morning. The thing that amazed me most was that the first time I read these works on my own some of them seemed dead, but the second time, after his explanation, I couldn’t believe that I hadn’t seen the humor. The stories and poems and plays were suddenly filled with allusions(典故) and irony andhilarious moments. I learned more from him than from any other teacher.
My least favorite English teacher also made people laugh. Some students found him to be wonderfully funny. Many others did not. He assigned journals over a six week period, to be written in every day. At the end of the six weeks I had a notebook full of bits and pieces about my ideas, short stories, reactions to what we had read, and so on. Our teacher announced that we would be grading each other’s journals. Mine was passed to Joe, that class clown, who always behaved in a funny or silly way. He saw it fit to make joke of and said, “This writing isn’t fit to line the bottom of a birdcage.” Our teacher laughed at that funny remark. It hurt me so much that the anger from it has driven my writing and teaching ever since.
So what makes the difference? Humor is one of the most powerful tools teachers or writers have. It can build up students and classes and make them excited about literature and writing, or it can tear them apart. It is true that humor is either productive or counter-productive and self-defeating.
1.The passage mainly discusses _____.
A. teaching B. literature
C. humor D. knowledge
2.The underlined word “hilarious” in Paragraph 1 probably means _____.
A. funny B. tiring
C. inspiring D. brilliant
3.With his favorite English teacher, the writer found it most amazing that _____.
A. his teacher was very learned
B. his teacher was very humorous
C. the works by Johnson and Addison were very humorous
D. few were able to find humor in works by Johnson and others
4.The English teacher the writer disliked most _____.
A. was not able to make students laugh
B. hurt his students’ feelings
C. didn’t let his students do the grading
D. had no sense of humor
Submitting Assignment Online
In order to upload an assignment (work given to students) to the system properly, you must save the assignment using one of the following applications: Microsoft Word, Corel WordPerfect, or Microsoft Excel.
After you complete an assignment, it is important to save your work. This ensures that assignment being uploaded to the system is the most updated version. Your word processing program may attempt to save the assignment to a folder on your computer. We recommend creating a new folder, named after your course, in a location that is easy to remember, such as “My Documents.”
File Name Requirements
Select a file name for the assignment that is easy to remember. The file name must NOT contain spaces. Any spaces used in the file name will prevent the file from uploading to the system. File names using the extensions .rtf, .html, .zip, .jpg, or .exe are NOT allowed.
Assignment Upload Procedure
Make sure you save the assignment using one of the applications previously identified and ensure that it meets the file name requirements described above. When the file is ready to upload, follow these steps:
1. Sign in the system.
2. Enter your address information and click the CONTINUE button. You will be routed to the “Directions” screen.
3. Review the directions and click the CONTINUE button. You will be routed to the “Special Assignment Upload” screen.
4. Click the SEARCH button. The “Choose File” pop-up window appears.
5. Find the location on your computer where you saved your assignment, and select the file.
After you have selected the file, click the UPLOAD button to upload your assignment to the system. Assignment Submission Dates
Assignments must be submitted by midnight on the specified due date. Submit your assignment on time so that it reaches the system on or before the due date. No late assignments will be accepted or marked. Assignments delivered after the due date will not be assessed and will be failed. Please manage your time carefully as family and work demands will not be accepted as excuses for late or non-submissions. Tutors and administrators do not have the authority to grant extensions.
1.Which of the following file names is acceptable for submitting assignment?
A. research paper.doc B. research paper.pdf
C. researchpaper.doc D. researchpaper.rtf
2.Students are advised to save an assignment to a specific folder in order to _____.
A. sign in the system
B. remember where the document is
C. choose the appropriate application
D. remember the document name quickly
3. If you summit your assignment late, you _____.
A. can have a second chance
B. should ask a tutor for help
C. may apply for an extension
D. will get a fail for the work
根据下面提供的背景和要求，写一篇英语短文。
你班开班会选班长，假如你想选李华，请你说出你选他的理由，不少于3点优点。
注意：
1. 词数120左右；
2. 开头已为你写好，不计入总词数。
As everyone knows , Li Hua is the best student in our class and I think he is the most suitable candidate for the monitor .
Firstly, …
阅读下面短文并回答问题，然后将答案写到答题卡相应的位置上（请注意问题后的词数要求）。
[1]Oops! In your rush to get to school, you drop a piece of toast on the floor. Do you throw it away or decide it’s still OK to eat? If you’re like most people, you eat it. Maybe you follow the “5-second rule”, which claims foods are safe to eat，if you pick them up within 5 seconds of dropping them. But you might want to think again. Scientists now say that 5 seconds are all it takes for foods to become contaminated with enough bacteria to make you sick.
[2]Bacteria can cause many kinds of illnesses. Some kinds of bacteria can grow on food. If we eat foods on which these bacteria are growing, we can become sick. One of these food-borne bacteria is Salmonella. It makes 1.4 million people sick every year. Earlier this year, 370 people became sick after eating peanut butter that had been contaminated with Salmonella at the manufacturing factory. Salmonella are often found in raw eggs and chicken. Cooking kills these bacteria, which is why it is so important to cook eggs, chicken, and other foods carefully.
[3]Being a good housekeeper is another good way to prevent infection. If household surfaces aren’t washed thoroughly, they can support Salmonella for weeks. A team of scientists at Clemson University in South Carolina have tested the 5-second rule, using sandwich ingredients. First, they placed a known amount of Salmonella cells on three surfaces: wood, tile, and carpet. They then placed a slice of bread and a slice of bologna(博洛尼亚大红肠) on each surface for 5, 30, or 60 seconds. After just 5 seconds, both the bread and bologna picked up enough bacteria to make you sick.
[4]So forget the 5-second rule. If your toast lands on the floor, throw it away. Stick a fresh slice of bread in the toaster. And this time, be careful not to drop it!
1. What is the “5-second rule” mentioned in the first paragraph? (no more than 18 words)
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2.Why is it important for us to cook food carefully?(no more than 5 words)
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3.What advice is given to prevent infection in the last paragraph? (no more than 10 words)
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4.Why did the scientists at Clemson University carry out that test? (no more than 15 words.)
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5. What is the author’s attitude towards the 5-second rule? (one word)
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