The temperature of the sun is over 5,000 degrees Fahrenheit at the surface, but it rises to perhaps more than 16 million degrees at the center. The sun is so much hotter than the earth that matter can exist only as a gas, except at the core. In the core of the sun, the pressures are so great against the gases that, despite the high temperature, there may be a small solid core. However, no one really knows, since the center of the sun can never be directly observed.
Solar astronomers do know that the sun is divided into five layers or zones. Starting at the outside and going down into the sun, the zones are the corona, chromosphere, photosphere, convection zone and finally the core. The first three zones are regarded as the sun’s atmosphere ends and the main body of the sun begins.
The sun’s outermost layer begins about 10,000 miles above the visible surface and goes outward for millions of miles. This is the only part of the sun that can be seen during an eclipse such as the one in February 1979. At any other time, the corona can be seen only when special instruments are used on cameras and telescopes to shut out the glare of the sun’s rays.
The corona is a brilliant, pearly white, filmy light, about as bright as the full moon. Its beautiful rays are a sensational sight during an eclipse. The corona’s rays flash out in a brilliant fan that has wispy spikelike (一束束穗状) rays near the sun’s north and south poles. The corona is thickest at the sun’s equator.
The corona rays are made up of gases streaming outward at tremendous speeds and reaching a temperature of more than 2 million degrees Fahrenheit. The rays of gas thin out as they reach the space around the planets. By the time the sun’s corona rays reach the earth, they are weak and invisible.
1.Matter on the sun can exist only in the form of gas because of the sun’s ______.
A. size B. age C. location D. temperature
2.With what topic is the second paragraph mainly concerned?
A. How the sun evolved.
B. The structure of the sun.
C. Why scientists study the sun.
D. The distance of the sun from the planets.
3.All of the following are parts of the sun’s atmosphere EXCEPT the _______.
A. corona B. chromospheres
C. photosphere D. core
4.According to the passage, as the corona rays reach the planets, they become _______.
A. hotter B. clearer
C. thinner D. stronger
5.The paragraph following the passage most likely discusses which of the following?
A. The remaining layers of the sun.
B. The evolution of the sun to its present form.
C. The eclipse of February 1979.
D. Scientists will cost more money on researching the corona.
Barditch High School decided to have an All-School Reunion. Over 450 people came to the event. There were tours of the old school building and a picnic at Confederate Park. Several former teachers were on hands to tell stories about the old days. Ms. Mabel Yates, the English teacher for fifty years, was wheeled to the Park.
Some eyes rolled and there were a few low groans (嘟嚷声) when Ms. Yates was about to speak. Many started looking at their watches and coming up with excuses to be anywhere instead of preparing to listen to a lecture from an old woman who had few kind words for her students and made them work harder than all the other teachers combined.
Then Ms. Yates started to speak:
“I can’t tell you how pleased I am to be here. I haven’t seen many of you since your graduation, but I have followed your careers and enjoyed your victories as well as crying for your tragedies. I have a large collection of newspaper photographs of my students. Although I haven’t appeared in person, I have attended your college graduations, weddings and even the birth of your children, in my imagination. ”
Ms. Yates paused and started crying a bit. Then she continued：
“It was my belief that if I pushed you as hard as I could, some of you would succeed to please me and others would succeed to annoy me. Regardless of our motives, I can see that you have all been successful in your chosen path. ”
There was a silence over the crowd for a few seconds and then someone started clapping. The clapping turned into cheering, then into a deafening roar. Lawyers, truck drivers, bankers and models were rubbing their eyes or crying openly with no shame all because of the words from a long forgotten English teacher from their hometown.
1.What activity was organized for the school reunion?
A. Sightseeing in the park.
B. A picnic on the school playground.
C. Telling stories about past events.
D. Graduates’ report in the old building.
2.What can be inferred from Paragraph 2?
A. Some graduates were too busy to listen to Ms. Yates’ speech.
B. Many graduates disliked Ms. Yates’ ways of teaching.
C. Some people got tired from the reunion activities.
D. Most people had little interest in the reunion.
3.We can learn from Ms. Yates’ speech that she .
A. keep track of her students’ progress
B. gave her students advice on their careers
C. attended her students’ college graduations
D. went to her students’ wedding ceremonies
4.What was Ms. Yates’ belief in teaching teenagers?
A. Teachers’ knowledge is the key to students’ achievement.
B. Pressure on students from teachers should be reduced.
C. Hard-pushed students are more likely to succeed.
D. Students’ respect is the best reward for teachers.
5.Which of the following can best describe Ms. Yates?
A. Reliable and devoted. B. Tough and generous.
C. Proud but patient. D. Strict but caring.
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows， there is far more to a family meal than food. Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more.
Lewis and his co-worker carried out their study by videotaping (录像) the families while they are having ordinary meals in their own homes. They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children. But as the number of children gets larger，conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make. That can have an important effect on the children. "In general the more question-asking the parents do， the higher the children's IQ scores，"Lewis says. " And the more children there are， the less question-asking there is. "
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings (兄弟姐妹) . Lewis found that in families with three or four children， dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child， who has the most to talk about, and the youngest， who needs the most attention. “Middle children are invisible,”says Lewis. When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner，chances are for the middle child. "There is, however，one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: ”When the TV is on，"Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event ".
1.The writer's purpose in writing the text is to______.
A. show the relationship between parents and children
B. teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table
C. report on the findings of a study
D. give information about family problems
2. Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because______.
A. they are busy serving food to their children
B. they are busy keeping order at the dinner table
C. they have to pay more attention to younger children
D. they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family
3. By saying" Middle children are invisible" in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children______.
A. get the least attention from the family
B. have to help their parents to serve dinner
C. are often kept away from the dinner table
D. find it hard to keep up with other children
4.Lewis' research provides an answer to the question______.
A. why TV is important in family life
B. why parents should keep good order
C. why children in small families seem to be quieter
D. why middle children seem to have more difficulties in life
5.Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
A. It is important to have the right food for children.
B. It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner.
C. Parents should talk to each of their children frequently.
D. Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner.
We use both words and gestures to express our feelings, but the problem is that these words and gestures can be understood in different ways. It is true that a smile means the same thing in any language. So does laughter or crying. There are also a number of striking similarities in the way different animals show the same feelings. Dogs, tigers and humans, for example, often show their teeth when they are angry. This is probably because they are born with those behavior patterns.
Fear is another emotion that is shown in much the same way all over the world. In Chinese and in English literature, a phrase like "he went pale and begin to tremble" suggests that the man is either very afraid or he has just got a very big shock. However, "he opened his eyes wide" is used to suggest anger in Chinese whereas in English it means surprise. In Chinese "surprise" can be described in a phrase like 'they stretched out their tongues!' Sticking out your tongue in English is an insulting gesture or expresses strong dislike.
Even in the same culture, people differ in ability to understand and express feelings. Experiments in America have shown that women are usually better than men at recognizing fear, anger, love and happiness on people's faces. Other studies show that older people usually find it easier to recognize or understand body language than younger people do.
1.According to the passage, __________.
A. we can hardly understand what people's gestures mean
B. we can not often be sure what people mean when they describe their feelings in words or gestures
C. words can be better understood by older people
D. gestures can be understood by most of the people while words can not
2.People's facial expressions may be misunderstood because __________.
A. people of different ages may have different understanding
B. people of different countries speak different languages
C. people of different sex may understand a gesture in a different way
D. people have different cultures
3.In the same culture, __________.
A. people have different ability to understand and express feelings
B. people have the same understanding of something
C. people never fail to understand each other
D. people are equally intelligent
4.From this passage, we can conclude __________.
A. words are used as frequently as gestures
B. words are often found difficult to understand
C. words and gestures are both used in expressing feelings
D. gestures are more efficiently used than words
5.The best title for this passage may be __________.
A. Words and Feelings B. Words, Gestures and Feelings
C. Gestures and Feelings D. Culture and Understanding
It feels like every time my mother and I start to have a conversation, it turns into an argument. We talk about something as simple as dinner plans and suddenly, my mother will push the conversation into World War 3. She’ll talk about my lack of bright future because I don’t plan to be a doctor. And much to her disappointment, I don’t want to do any job related to science, either. In fact, when I was pushed to say that I planned to major(主修) in English and communications, she nearly had a heart attack.
“Why can’t you be like my co-worker’s son?” she bemoans all the time. Her coworker’s son received a four-year scholarship and is now earning 70,000 dollars a year as an engineer. I don’t know what to answer except that I simply can’t be like Mr. Perfect as I’ve called the unnamed co-worker’s son. I can’t be like him. I am the type of the person who loved to help out in the community, write until the sun goes down, and most of all, wants to achieve a career because I love it, not because of a fame or salary.
I understand why my mother is worried about my future major. I’ve seen my mother struggle to raise me on her small salary and work long hours. She leaves the house around 6:30 am and usually comes home around 5 pm or even 6pm. However, I want her to know that by becoming a doctor, it doesn’t mean I’ll be successful. I’d rather follow my dreams and create my own future.
1.Which of the following topics do the writer and his mother often talk about?
A. the writer’s dreams B. the writer’s future job
C. dinner plans D. wars around the world
2.We can infer from Paragraph 1 that the writer’s mother _____.
A. doesn’t want the writer to major English
B. doesn’t think the writer should be a doctor
C. gets along very well with the writer
D. doesn’t think in the scientific field is a good idea
3.The underlined word “bemoans” in Paragraph 2 most probably means “________”
A. agrees B. shouts C. complains D. smiles
4.Which of the following statements is probably TRUE about the writer?
A. He wants to be like his mother’s co-worker’s son.
B. He wants to find a job in his community in the future.
C. He doesn’t think his mother’s co-worker’s son is perfect.
D. He wants to do something he really likes in the future.
5.We can know from the last paragraph that ____.
A. the writer doesn’t know what his future will be like
B. the writer’s mother works very hard for the family
C. the writer doesn’t think being a doctor is a good job
D. the writer sometimes thinks his mother’s advice is very good.
阅读下面短文，掌握其大意，然后从1～15各题所给的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Carmen’s mother Maria had just survived a serious heart attack. But without a heart transplant(移植)her life was in constant .
Both the mother and daughter knew that the chances were very small: finding a donor heart that Maria’s blood type could take years. However, Carmen was determined to save her mother. She kept hospitals all over the country.
Days stretched out. By Christmas, Maria had trouble from one end of the room to the other. Carmen lost all hope. She fell into a of the hospital, crying.
“Are you okay?” a man asked.
Carmen sobbed as she told the stranger her story. This middle-aged man was named Frank, whose wife, Cheryl, a tender and devoted mother of four lovely children, had been in hospital with a brain disease and wouldn’t it through the night. Suddenly, an idea came to Frank’s mind. He knew Cheryl had always wanted to something from herself. Could her go to Carmen’s mother?
After reviewing the data, doctors Frank that his wife’s heart was by some miracle a perfect fit for Carmen’s mother. They were able to the transplant.
That cold night, when Cheryl was dead, Frank came to knock at Maria’s door. She was for Frank’s family as she had been doing every day recently. Though Maria had never met Frank before, they both felt a strange bond as they hugged and cried.
On New Year’s Eve, Carmen attended Cheryl’s with Frank’s family, who were singing their favorite song “My heart will go on.”
One day later, on New Year’s Day, Maria with Cheryl’s heart. Yes, Cheryl’s loving heart would go on, for it was in another loving mother’s chest.
1.A. change B. danger C. disorder D. pain
2.A. matched B. replaced C. controlled D. cooperated
3.A. finding B. interrupting C. touring D. phoning
4.A. rolling B. running C. walking D. jumping
5.A. corner B. bed C. man D. nurse
6.A. put B. support C. pass D. make
7.A. save B. recycle C. donate D. separate
8.A. heart B. brain C. husband D. spirit
9.A. informed B. warned C. congratulated D. reminded
10.A. give up B. carry out C. search after D. put off
11.A. noticed B. predicted C. found D. declared
12.A. praying B. begging C. decorating D. singing
13.A. funeral B. operation C. performance D. anniversary
14.A. passed away B. left behind C. woke up D. dressed up
15.A. active B. alive C. necessary D. changeable
