Electrical devices(仪器) could soon use power made by human energy. Scientists say they have developed an experimental device that produces electricity from the physical movement of a person walking. British scientist Max Donelan and other scientists in Canada and the United States developed the device.
The device connects to a person’s knee. As the person walks, the device captures energy each time the person slows down. To do this, the device helps with the slowing down movement of the leg. The movements of the walking person push parts of a small machine that produces electricity. Using the device, an adult walking quickly could produce thirteen watts of electricity in just a minute. Donelan says walking at that speed could produce enough power to operate a laptop computer for six minutes.
There are several possible uses for the device. Developers say it could help people who work in areas without electricity to operate small computers. The device could also be used in hospitals to operate heart pacemakers(起搏器). It could even be used to assist in the movement of robotic arms and legs.
The experimental version of the device weighs about one and a half kilograms, but it is too costly for most people to buy. But the researchers hope to make a lighter, less costly version. An improved version shou1d be ready in one year.
The developers hope the device will one day help developing countries. Near1y twenty five percent of people around the world live without electric power.
A similar product was invented in 2005 by Larry Rome of the University of Pennsylvania. He created a bag carried on a person’s back that also produces power from wa1king.
The knee device does not produce as much electricity as the bag. But the bag requires the walker to carry a load of twenty to thirty kilograms.
1.The second paragraph mainly talks about .
A. who developed the device
B. how the device works
C. several possible uses for the devices
D. how much electricity the device can produce
2.Compared with the device designed by Larry Rome, this new device .
A. produces power without adding more loads to the walker
B. can produce more power in a much shorter time
C. needs to be equipped with a battery
D. can help the walker wa1k faster
3.From the passage, we can learn that the electrical device can .
A. help housewives operate the washing machine
B. make it much easier for us to go online
C. produce more electricity than that invented by Larry Rome
D. be applied in medicine to operate heart pacemakers
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. First device powered by walking wi1l soon be on the market
B. Advanced technology brings in a new way to operate heart pacemakers
C. Device gives new meaning to the idea of power walking
D. Human energy will become a main source of electricity
While nature lovers across the world wish all humans to realize the significance of their natural surroundings, many Australians are turning caring for the environment into a way of life.
Julie Astonis, an Australian housewife in Brisbane is one such example. Even though autumn is approaching Australia’s Brisbane in April, one can still watch colorful blooming (盛开的) flowers in Julie’s little garden, as she tells that in her community, “Each of us has a beautiful yard. The whole community, from children to elderly people, takes care of the environment as if they are taking care of their own garden.
“Gardening is the most popular club in our community,” she says. “A lot of retired people don’t just regularly organize gardening lectures, but also personally visit families in the community to provide gardening training. So you can see that flowers continue to blossom in our gardens throughout the year.”
Talking about her people’s sense of care for the environment, Julie says when people in the community take along their dog, they always carry a garbage bag to deal with the dog’s waste. “In our community, you will never experience the embarrassment of stepping on the dirty waste while you are walking on the grass,” says Julie with a smile.“Taking care of the dog’s waste can a1so help to develop children’s sense of responsibility!”
As to protecting water resources, the Australian government has made strict rules for families. Julie says, “We certainly would not use tap water to water the flowers!” She says almost every family in her community has a huge tank used to store rainwater, which is later used as the resource of all outdoor water use, connect the water tank with their toilets.
1.From the first three paragraphs we learn that .
A. gardening is popular in most part of Australia
B. April is a great time for people to enjoy flowers
C. it’s not easy to keep a garden without proper training
D. Julie’s community has a deep sense of caring for nature
2.What do we know about Julie from this passage?
A. She takes pride in her community.
B. She once stepped on a dog’ s waste.
C. She is quite in favor of raising a dog.
D. She finds it embarrassing to walk on the grass.
3.From what Julie says in the last paragraph, we know .
A. rainwater is not the best resource
B. her community owns a public tank
C. her community makes full use of resources
D. it is not necessary to water flowers very often
4.What would be the best title for the passage?
A. Love nature, the Australian way
B. How Australians save resources
C. How Australians lead their life
D. Protect nature, a must of life
Audrey Hepburn (奥黛丽·赫本) won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953. But she is remembered as much for her aid work as for her acting.
Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey’s father was British and her mother was Dutch. Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood. During World War II, she lived and studied in the Netherlands. Her mother thought it would be safe from Gerrnan attacks. Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war. But she realized she wasn’t going to be a ballerina (芭蕾舞女演员). So she began taking acting parts in stage shows. Later she began to get small parts in movies.
But it was Audrey Hepburn’s move to America that brought her true fame. In 1951 she played the character “Gigi” in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise. Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24.
Audrey made more than 25 movies. Among her most popular roles was Holly Golightly in Breakfast at Tiff any’s in 1961. Three years later she played Eliza Doolittle in My Fair Lady.
She was married two times and had one son by each husband. In 1989, the UN Children’s Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador. She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF (联合国儿童基金会) projects. The UN agency said she was a tireless worker. She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects.
Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War II. She said she knew what it was like to be starving and to be saved by international aid. She was a goodwill ambassador until her death in 1993 from colon cancer.
1.In Paragraph 1, “her aid work” means _______.
A. winning an Academy Award as Best Actress
B. taking acting parts in stage shows
C. making her own movies
D. acting as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF
2.The reason why Audrey lived and studied in the Netherlands was that _______ .
A. she wanted to be a ballerina
B. her parents were from Britain
C. it was safe there
D. the education there was excellent
3.We can infer from the passage that _______ .
A. Audrey’s parents lived in Germany during World War II
B. Audrey lived in America in the 1950s
C. Audrey was made to give up dancing
D. the character“Gigi”in the Broadway play was her most popular role
4._______ is the right order for Audrey’s life.
①The first time she began to play in movies.
②She returned to London from the Netherlands.
③She won an Academy Award as Best Actress.
④She travelled all over the wor1d in support of UNlCEF projects.
⑤She played a part in My Fair Lady.
A. ②①③⑤④ B.①②③⑤④
C. ②①⑤③④ D. ①②⑤③④
For my grandmother’s 70th birthday, my family and I visited South Korea. While there, I was attentive to Korean high schools and students.
I was surprised by how different Korea’s public high schools are from America’s. Korean high schools can be all-girls, all-boys or co-ed (男女同校的) unlike our standard co-ed high schools. There are three grades: “go 1” (10th), “go 2” (11th) and “go 3” (12th). ‘‘Go” is the first syllable of the word “go-deung-hakkyo", which, simply translated, is “high school”.
In America, unless you want to go to a private school, you don't have to take an entrance exam. In Korea, however, students must take a test to get in because of the many choices of schools.
Another difference I couldn't help but notice was the students' appearance. With very few exceptions, all wear uniforms. A name tag (标牌) with the student's name, grade and homeroom number must also be worn. Girl's skirts can't be above the upper part of the knee, and it is forbidden to dye (染) your hair or wear accessories (装饰品) except small earrings. There are strict regulations for appearance to achieve neatness, and it seems the only freedom students have is with their choices of hair style, socks and shoes.
The final difference was the setup of the classes. There may be 40 students in a classroom, but the number can be less or even more, depending on the population of the town or city. Although there are many students per classroom, they are very close, which I think is a result of not changing classrooms for different subjects. There are no levels in the subjects and the teachers are the ones who switch classrooms. They just have ten-minute breaks between subjects. In each class, students are ranked by their grades. This causes strict competition, and Korean students do a lot of studying. To help them, all schools have extra study classes after school. One other fact that helped me appreciate living in America is that Koreans have school on Saturdays. Although it's only a half day, I think I speak for most Americans when I say we could never imagine ourselves in school on a Saturday.
Korea's public high schools are clearly different from America's. I had imagined them to be just like our schools, but now I have a clear picture of how different they are.
1.How many main differences are mentioned between Korea's public high school and America's?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6.
2.It seems that the writer_______.
A. is familiar with the education system of high schools in Korea
B. is fond of Korean students' appearance
C. prefers the high school life of America to the one of Korea
D. feels it common to have lessons on weekends
3.What does the underlined word "setup" in paragraph 5 probably mean?
A. Arrangement. B. Size.
C. Number. D. Outline.
4.According to the rules, the students of Korea can _______.
A. go to different high schools without exams
B. wear any clothes except uniforms at school
C. attend different classes as they like
D. have different hair styles
Northern Lights Tour
Located in the middle of the northern lights belt, Tromso can offer some of the highest levels of northern lights activity on earth. Perhaps Tromso is the world's best place for a Northern Lights Tour.
Join one of our Northern Lights Holidays this winter. It could become one of the greatest experiences in your life.
DESTINATION Tromso county, Norway.
PRICE $450 per person
WHEN 2th September until 31st March.
PICK-UP Each evening at 6 PM outside your hotel.
DROP-OFF Earliest at 12 AM. When we have a sighting we often stay out later, at no extra cost.
SIZE OF GROUP Maximum 8 participants is recommended and normal, but not absolute. A small group allows more freedom in terms of chasing the northern lights.
INCLUDED
- Transportation each day in a comfortable car
- A meal each day
- All necessary equipment such as snowshoes, flashlight, water-filled bottle, woolen underwear, a warm, hat, warm shoes, warm stockings, and reindeer skin to lie on, if needed.
- A guide who will do anything necessary to find the northern lights.
EXCITING CHASE
A Northern Lights Holiday means an intense and exciting chase--to the coast or deep into the wild, perhaps even to the Finnish border. Each day on a Northern Lights Tour we contact meteorologists shortly before departure to get accurate information. In order to find out where we will have best chances to see the northern lights.
WE GUARANTEE A GREAT TRIP
The northern lights are unpredictable, but we guarantee that we will do everything to find it. Patience is a keyword on Northern Lights Tour.
ECO-TOURISM
We offer ecologically sustainable and responsible tours. Travelling in small groups is an essential part of the ecotourism concept, as small groups have lesser impact on nature and will not disturb the wildlife unnecessarily.
1.A small group is preferred for the following reasons EXCEPT that _______.
A. a small group is free to run after the northern lights
B. a small group has less effect on nature
C. a small group can save the travel cost
D. a small group will not disturb wildlife
2.The underlined word “it” refers to “_______”.
A. the northern light tour B. patience
C. equipment D. the northern light
3.We can infer that_______.
A. if tourists stay out late, they have to pay more
B. every tourist group is not sure to see the northern lights
C. every tourist group get the money back if they don’t see the northern lights
D. the northern lights can be seen every day from 20th September to 31st March
4.The passage is most likely to be taken from a(n) _______.
A. advertisement B. news report
C. science textbook D. tourist brochure
My husband and I arrived in a new country just a month ago. We were sort of about what was waiting for us. However, when we at the airport, a tall man with smiling eyes greeted us. The days and months were made easy for us by this kind man.
He greeted us every day with his smiling face. He us in going to the bank, in buying our groceries, in telling us to buy almost everything. He told us he is our big brother.
, we watched the match in a coffee shop. During the first get-together, he us that we’ re lucky--my husband and I are in this foreign land. He said he has been for eight years now because he rarely sees his family, they are in his home country.
During the second get-together, he told us that we are his family. He said that he loves us and that he will us because he has been given a of 45 days to go back to his home country. That night, he spoke these words which a great impact in my life: “You changed my life…”
That night deep in our hearts we were by our friend’s words. We texted him upon reaching home, him for being a Big Brother to us in the foreign land. We told him that we feel safe in going out when we are with him, to which he , “You are my family here.”
On the first week of October, we’re going to him back from his vacation. We’ll watch the football match again in that shop that holds dear memories.
1.A. curious B. worried C. certain D. crazy
2.A. checked B. dropped C. landed D. settled
3.A. therefore B. instead C. anyhow D. otherwise
4.A. expected B. troubled C. comforted D. accompanied
5.A. when B. where C. why D. whether
6.A. Once B. So C. Twice D. Finally
7.A. informed B. warned C. blamed D. convinced
8.A. together B. nearby C. around D. apart
9.A. sick B. lonely C. cheerful D. scared
10.A. if B. unless C. as D. although
11.A. secretly B. jokingly C. proudly D. sincerely
12.A. remember B. miss C. forget D. respect
13.A. delay B. right C. vacation D. date
14.A. created B. designed C. solved D. received
15.A. puzzled B. touched C. astonished D. flattered
16.A. thanking B. forgiving C. repaying D. punishing
17.A. after all B. as well C. in return D. in advance
18.A. agreed B. objected C. added D. replied
19.A. see B. pick C. call D. force
20.A. book B. grocery C. coffee D. sports
