Humans have long been interested greatly in the idea of being able to walk on water. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever realizing this dream without artificial aid—we simply weigh too much, and all our weight pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.
However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard (蜥蜴) native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water's surface with its feet. The lizard will reach a speed of 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans, we would need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create enough “hitting”.
But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour(玉米淀粉). By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a special mixture that doesn't behave like normal water. Now, if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles(微粒) in the water get together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of this adequately thick liquid of cornflour.
Fun though all this may sound, it's still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings(救生圈) ready in case you start to sink—and take a bath afterward!
1.Walking on water hasn't become a reality mainly because humans _________.
A. are not interested in it
B. are afraid to make an attempt
C. have not invented proper tools
D. have biological limitations
2.What do we know about Basilicus basilicus from the passage?
A. It is light enough to walk on water.
B. It can run across water at a certain speed.
C. Its huge feet make it able to stay above water.
D. Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water.
3.What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage?
A. To help the liquid behave normally.
B. To turn the water into solid.
C. To create a thick liquid.
D. To make the water move rapidly.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward the idea of humans’ walking on water?
A. It is risky but beneficial.
B. It is impractical though possible in thoery.
C. It is crazy and cannot become a reality.
D. It is interesting and worth trying.
The USA
Well, imagine how my sister felt when she went off for the first time to New York for a business trip. After a few days she was still amazed at how friendly everyone was to her until she took a taxi back to her hotel one night. First she gave just the name of the hotel, but when asked she said the address too. Then she was asked how to get there, but of course she didn’t know. Imagine how frightened she was when the driver started shouting at her for not knowing the way.
The UK
A friend was in London for a conference. He took a taxi and there were no problems: the driver knew the way and was very cheerful. The problem started when he realized he had stupidly left his laptop on the back seat! He called the company up and, in a panic, went straightaway to their Lost and Found office. He was over the moon to find the laptop waiting for him, and then very surprised that it was one of 2,900 left in taxis over the past six months!
Tunisia
Well, my brother took a Mediterranean cruise(巡游) one summer and had a day in Tunis. He spent most of the afternoon in the Medina buying presents when he suddenly realized he’d completely lost track of time and there was only half an hour before the ship left the port. There had been loads of yellow taxis in the centre so he wasn’t too bothered until he stood on the pavement and waited for one to appear——and of course there wasn’t a single one in sight! Nothing! He questioned a passer-by who explained that the cost for the taxi ride goes up in the evening so the taxi drivers disappear until they can charge higher prices! Luckily for my brother the man then offered to give him a lift and he caught the boat on time!
1.What was the author’s sister’s trip by taxi in the US like?
A. Unpleasing and scary. B. Tiring but impressive.
C. Relaxing and exciting. D. Interesting but strange
2.The underlined part “over the moon” in Paragraph 2 can best be replaced by “________”.
A. very happy B. extremely sad
C. quite surprised D. pretty annoyed
3.Why couldn’t the author’s brother find a taxi in Tunis?
A. Because it was too late.
B. Because the weather was bad.
C. Because he didn’t know how to call a taxi.
D. Because the taxi drivers disappeared on purpose.
4.What do the three stories have in common?
A. They are all about taking a taxi.
B. They are all about business trips.
C. They are all about great services.
D. They are all about the author’s family.
Cambridge University Botanic Garden
We run a lively programme of family events, life-long learning courses and much more throughout the year.
Improve your Digital Photography
This course led by award-winning photographer, Pete Murray, will show you how to take control of your camera. Using a proven “step by step approach” you will gain confidence in using your camera.
Date:29/09
Time:10 am—4 pm
Price:￡60
Event Category: Garden Photography
‘Handbag’ Baskets
New to the Botanic Garden, this course will give you the opportunity to make your very own beautiful ‘handbag basket’from a design that local basketry maker, Debbie Hall, developed herself. They have proved very popular since she started teaching the technique.
Date: 07/10
Time: 10 am —4:30 pm
Price: ￡120
Event Category: Weaving & Basketry
Trees and Shrubs(灌木) for Autumn Color
Join Mark Crouch, a specialist in the care of trees, for this course on choosing trees and shrubs to create beautiful autumn displays for your garden. The day will include a talk in our classroom and a tour of the Botanic Garden to look at autumn color and interest across our tree and shrub collection.
Date: 17/10
Time: 10 am —4 pm
Price: ￡50
Event Category: Gardens and Plants
Introduction to Botanical Subjects in Colored Pencil
If you are interested in beginning to use colored pencils to draw botanical subjects, then this is the course for you. Janie Pirie is one of the country’s leading pencil artists and on this one-day course she will show you the basic techniques used when working with colored pencils.
Date: 16/10
Time: 10 am —4 pm
Price: ￡40
Event Category: Botanical Art
1.How much would you pay if you wanted to learn to take better pictures?
A. ￡40. B. ￡50. C. ￡60. D. ￡120.
2.Who is good at making baskets?
A. Janie Pirie. B. Debbie Hall.
C. Pete Murray. D. Mark Crouch.
3.The course that provides an opportunity to tour the garden is held on __________.
A. September 29th B. October 7th
C. October 16th D. October 17th
下图是学校英语网站的新增部分栏目，网站负责人Mr. Black就此向同学们征询意见。假如你是李华，请你根据以下提示用英语给Mr. Black写一封电子邮件。
主要内容包括：
1. 你建议增加的一个栏目及理由，
2. 你对英语网站的建议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾己给出，不计入总词数；
3. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
参考词汇：栏目column
Dear Mr. Black,
I am glad that there will be some new columns in our English website. _______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________________________
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Best wishes.
Yours,
Li Hua
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作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处，每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)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：在错的词下划一横线，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。
Hello, boys and girls! Today, I am going to talk with what you should do when a fire alarm go off. If you hear the alarm, stand in line at the door and wait your teacher to lead you outside. Stay close to your teacher and classmate. Don't panic or get out of line, and trying to remain quiet and calmly. Soon the firefighters will come and put out a fire. If it's a false alarm and there is no fire, your teacher will lead us back to the classroom. If you notice that when someone is missing and hurt, tell your teacher immediately.
阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（1个单词）或括号内单词的正确形式。
The truth 1.________ trees are vital to our life is not a secret. They provide us with food, wood and most 2.________ (important), oxygen. Now there is one more thing we can add to this list—blocking out harmful bacteria from water.
The discovery 3.________ (make) by a team consisting4.________ scientists from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and high school students 5.________ were seeking a natural water filter—one that would help communities in developing countries that do not have access to modern water filter systems.
The 6.________ (research), led by Professor Rohit Karnik, decided to turn to trees for help 7.________ they could allow liquid to flow through, while blocking out air bubbles.
They began by cutting 1.5-inch-wide sections of tree bark from the branches of a white pine tree. The people related then tested the wood’s filtering ability by pouring water containing red dye particles of different sizes through. 8.________ their amazement, they found that it was effective in trapping all the articles. 9.________ (encourage), the team conducted 10.________ experiment, this time with water that contained bacteria. Sure enough, the sapwood held back 99% of the bacteria, allowing only 1% to flow through.
