Nuclear power’s danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be summed up in one word: radiation.
Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected by human senses. It can’t be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can’t detect them or sense them without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can’t sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things.
At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being immediately by killing masses of cells in vital organs. But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no level of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be serious. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed immediately. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years.
This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the victim being aware at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated（辐射）and feel fine, then die for cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak as a result of radiation absorbed by its parents.
Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth.
1.What is the main idea of the passage?
A. How radiation kills a man.
B. How to detect nuclear radiation.
C. The mystery about nuclear radiation.
D. Serious harm caused by nuclear radiation.
2. Which statement about nuclear radiation is true?
A. It is just like common radio waves.
B. It can be harmless if its level is low.
C. It can be detected by human senses.
D. It can cause cancer to human beings.
3. How can nuclear radiation kill an animal?
A. By damaging its heart.
B. By stopping it breathing.
C. By killing many cells in key organs.
D. By destroying its brain.
4. If a man is hit by nuclear radiation, he may _______.
A. die of cancer after many years B. die immediately
C. have a child who may be born weak D. all of the above
Sheldon Cooper is a scientific genius on the popular American TV show---The Big Bang Theory. He finally met his match last year: Stephen Hawking.
This is not the first time that the scientist has appeared on TV. He has also been on Star Trek (in 1987) and The Simpsons (in 1989). Each time, he played himself.
Hawking, 71, is perhaps the world’s most famous scientist after Albert Einstein. He has spent his whole life studying the beginning and the end of the universe, including the Big Bang theory.
The Big Bang theory explains the early development of the universe. According to the theory, about 13.7 billion years ago everything was all squeezed together in a tiny, tight little ball, and then the ball exploded. The results of that explosion are what we call the universe.
Hawking has always tried to make science more popular with people. His book: A Brief History of Time was published in 1988. In the book he shares his understanding of the universe in simple language. The book tries to explain many subjects about the universe to common readers, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones (光锥).
Hawking’s achievements are even greater if you think about his disability. When he was 21, Hawking caught a bad illness that slowly stopped him from moving or talking. Now he sits on a wheelchair with a computer by his side. To communicate, he moves two fingers to control the computer’s mouse. He chooses his words from the screen, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer (合成器).
Hawking also believes that there might be aliens in space. However, he believes they are probably very dangerous, so we should not look for them. “I imagine they might exist in very big ships ... having used up all the resources from their home planet,” Hawking said in a British documentary named Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking.
1.What does the “two Bangs” in the title refer to?
A. The director of the TV show and the founder of it.
B. The director and the actor of “The Big Bang Theory”.
C. The scientific genius on the TV show and the one in real life.
D. The founder of the “Big Bang” theory and Sheldon.
2.The Big Bang theory mainly explains _____.
A. how the universe started
B. what the universe is like
C. how old the universe is
D. how the universe exploded
3.According to the passage, which of the following about Hawking is TRUE?
A. He was born with a disability.
B. He played an artist in Star Trek.
C. He uses a computer to communicate.
D. He believes aliens are our friends.
Dear Santa Claus,
My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me, Santa? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy. I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.
Love, Amy
At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Content. When Amy’s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it wound be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.
The next day, a picture of Amy and her letter to Santa made the front page of the “News Sentinel”. The story spread quickly. All across the country, newspapers and radio and television stations reported the story of the girl in Fort Wayne, Indiana, who asked for such a simple, yet remarkable Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.
Suddenly the postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house. Envelopes of all sizes addressed to Amy arrived daily from children and adults all across the nation. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities; some had been teased as children. Each writer had a special message for Amy. Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who truly cared about each other.
Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and to hold her head high.
Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at South Wayne High School. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing can make others feel.
That year, the Fort Wayne mayor officially declared December 21st as Amy Jo Hagadorn Day throughout the city. The mayor explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught a universal lesson. “Everyone,” he said, “wants to and should be treated with respect, dignity and warmth.”
1.Amy’s letter showed that______.
A. she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest
B. she is more independent than before
C. she is often ignored in and out of class
D. her schoolmates can’t understand her disability
2.The postman was a regular at the Hagadorn house because ____.
A. he went to encourage Amy frequently
B. he was quite curious about Amy
C. he had to send letters to Amy daily
D. he was moved by Amy’s story
3.We may infer from Amy’s story that_____.
A. the disabled hate those who laugh at them
B. the news media played a key role in helping Amy
C. Amy will still be made fun of by her classmates
D. there are few disabled people in Amy’s country
4.The mayor officially declared Amy Jo Hagadorn Day _______.
A. to tell how bad teasing can make others feel
B. to encourage people to hold their heads high
C. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish
D. to call on the public to treat everyone properly
Homework will not be a concern for pupils attending a pioneering new secondary school in Norfolk. Instead, the 1,100 children will stay longer at school, doing extra study at school as part of the extended school day, which could last until about 5 pm.
Rather than setting homework that pupils could struggle with at home, where there may be limited access to computers, they will do that as independent study in the day. When they go home they should enjoy quality family time. That has been really well received by parents who respect the fact that family time will be family time. But the school would still expect youngsters to study at home ahead of important exams.
Independent learning at school would ensure equality because kids who get help with homework from parents might rely on others too much.
Peter Devonish , a teacher at the school, said, “Having the children at school a bit longer to strengthen their learning is a really good idea, because they can have their time with the family.” But he warned. “A disadvantage is that our school is in the countryside, which means it’s not so perfect to get children home at that time.”
Mr. Devonish said they also set pupils project-based homework, such as looking at an energy-efficient house, which allowed them to combine independent study with working with their parents.
Craig Morrison, another teacher, said, “A large problem with homework has been that not enough is done with it. With homework, a lot of effort can go into it, so it’s about celebrating what children do rather than processing it in terms of marking it and handing it back.”
1.How will students spend their longer days at school?
A. They will do homework on computers.
B. They will study all by themselves.
C. They will have fun with teachers.
D. They will prepare for exams.
2.Why is the new idea well accepted by some parents?
A. Because it helps kids with their homework.
B. Because kids will be educated well at school.
C. Because kids will enjoy quality family time.
D. Because parents can have more time to rest.
3.What is Mr. Devonish worried about?
A. The students may get home late.
B. No staff would like to stay till 5 pm.
C. More teachers will be needed.
D. The students may dislike the idea.
4.The passage is mainly about _______ .
A. teachers who are asked to stay at school longer
B. a school where children stay longer for homework
C. homework which students have to deal with
D. students who like spending time with teachers
临近高考，为了帮助高三学生顺利复习，在高考中取得好成绩，某中学英文报开辟了“HEART-TO-HEART” 专栏。假设你是该专栏的编辑 James , 收到一封署名为Anxiety的求助信。信中该同学向你诉说了自己的焦虑及困扰:近日脾气暴躁，压力大，晚上睡不着觉，白天无心听课，严重影响了正常的学习与生活。请用英文给该同学写一封信。
内容要点如下：
1．表示理解并给予安慰；
2．提出建议并说明理由；
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．信中不能出现与本人相关的信息；
3．信的开头与结尾已为你拟好，不计入总词数;
Hi Anxiety,
I am sorry to know that you’re having such a bad time at the crucial moment.
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
James
短文改错 (共10小题；每小题1分,满分10分)
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏词符号(∧), 并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改： 在错的词下画一横线, 并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1、每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2、只允许修改10处, 多者(从第11处起) 不计分。
On a snowy winter night, a bus with 45 passenger had an accident because the wet road. And all of them were trapping in the bus and what is worse, the bus ran out of gas and it was very cold in it. They could do nothing but to wait for help. A man who lived nearby saw that had happened. He and some villagers succeeded in open the door and helped all of them out of the bus. He took them to his home but offered food and water and even some warm clothes to the children. They spent two days in their home and finally help came. All of them were thankfully for their help.
