Researchers from the University of Michigan have found that astronauts’ brains change shape during spaceflight. It is the first study1.(look) into how the brain changes in space. Researchers looked at high-tech MRI(磁共振成像)pictures of the brains of 26 astronauts who spent time in space. Twelve of the2.(astronaut) spent two weeks on the Space Shuttle, and 14 spent six months on the International Space Station. All of them3.(experience) increases and decreases in the size of 4.(differ) parts of the brain. The longer an astronaut spent in space ,the 5.(big) the size differences were.
The research produced some6.(interest) findings. One was that on gravity means fluids do not drop in the body, 7.there is a shift in the brain’s position inside the skull. The brain becomes either smaller or bigger. The findings could help doctors to treat problems that affect the brain’s function. They could treat people with problems 8.(cause)by long-term bed rest. They could also help those who have a build-up of fluid in the brain, which can lead9.brain damage. We will understand more about 10.neurons(神经元)in the brain connect. The findings will also help future trips to Mars.
When I spent the summer with my Grandpa in Warwick, he sent me to Miss Bee’s store. _______ the counter was Miss Bee. A pair of glasses teetered(摇摇欲坠) on the _______ of her nose, gray hair was _______ on her head.
“Excuse me. I need to get these.” I said. “So?” She pushed her glasses _______ her nose. “There’s no one here except you and me and I’m not your _______. Go get them. If you’re lucky you’ll finish shopping by sundown.” Sundown was five hours _______. I wasn’t sure l would _______ it.
How could I hope to find anything on the packed, jumbled(乱堆的) shelves around me?
I visited Miss Bee several times a week. Sometimes she short-charged me. Other times she overcharged. _______ she sold me a/an _______ newspaper instead of one that was current. Going to the store was more like going into battle.
“That bread is only twenty-nine cents!” I corrected her one afternoon. I had watched the numbers change on the cash register(收款机) closely, and Miss Bee had added 35 cents. She didn’t seem ________ that I had caught her ________. She just looked at me and ________ the price.
All summer I learned the hard way to ________ my list. But she still found ways to ________. me into making mistakes. No sooner had I memorized the items’ location on the shelf than Miss Bee ________ the shelves and made me hunt for ________ all over again. The morning I was to ________ to Brooklyn, I stopped in to get a packet of gum.
“All right,” she said. “What did you learn this summer?” She was mean! I pressed my lips together. To my ________, Miss Bee laughed. “I know what you think of me,” she said. “ but when you get older you’ll be glad our paths ________!” Glad I met Miss Bee? The idea was ________.
Now I grow up and I finally understand I really learned a lot from Miss Bee.
1.A. On B. Under C. Behind D. Over
2.A. bottom B. side C. tip D. middle
3.A. piled B. covered C. grown D. worn
4.A. down B. up C. out D. over
5.A. boss B. guest C. customer D. maid
6.A. before B. away C. about D. off
7.A. make B. depend on C. see to D. keep.
8.A. But B. And C. Or D. So
9.A. new B. bad C. broken D. old
10.A. pleased B. embarrassed C. excited D. satisfied
11.A. paying more B. charging more C. charging less D. paying less
12.A. increased B. rewarded C. corrected D. raised
13.A. add up B. bring up C. look up D. put up
14.A. arguing B. forcing C. persuading D. tricking
15.A. rebuilt B. rearranged C. regained D. reclaimed
16.A. them B. her C. it D. him
17.A. leave B. start C. come D. return
18.A. amazement B. joy C. regret D. disappointment
19.A. led B. crossed C. went D. passed
20.A. reasonable B. instructive C. absurd D. wise
Ebola is a dangerous virus that can cause people to get very sick and even die. The virus is causing the biggest problems in western Africa, where it has spread quickly.1. But it can get worse and cause life-threatening symptoms, such as bleeding and trouble breathing.
2.
Ebola does not spread like colds or the flu because it does not float through the air. Ebola also doesn’t spread through food or water, like some other viruses. Instead, Ebola spreads when someone touches the body fluids (such as spit) of a sick person.
3.
An outbreak is when many people are getting sick with the same illness around the same time. You may have heard of a flu outbreak, which is when lots of people get sick from the same types of flu virus. When an outbreak happens because of a virus, more people could get sick because there is a lot of that virus around.
Where did Ebola come from?
Scientists aren’t sure how the first person gets Ebola at the start of an outbreak. 4.Tropical animals in Africa believed to carry the virus include great apes, chimpanzees, gorillas, monkeys, fruit bats, porcupines, and forest antelope.
What do kids need to do about Ebola?
Ebola is making many people sick in Africa, but no matter where you live, it’s always a good idea to wash your hands well and often. 5.
A. Why do I need to wash my hands?
B. How do people catch Ebola?
C. Ebola symptoms can start with fever and headache, kind of like the flu.
D. But they think that people may pick up the virus by touching or eating infected animals.
E. It’s very important that infected people get treatment right away.
F. Keeping hands clean can help protect you from common illnesses like colds and the flu.
G. What is an outbreak?
The 2016 Rio Olympic Games have come to an end. Without doubt, many Chinese sports fans sat in front of the TV and cheered our athletes on, hoping that they would get as many gold medals as possible.
But sometimes our desire for gold medals can result in the sadness of failure. When Liu Xiang, China’s track hero, pulled out of the Beijing Olympics due to injury, he greatly disappointed many Chinese sports fans.
But things are different now. In the 2016 Rio Olympic Games, we saw a healthier and more lenient Chinese attitude toward the sportspeople, fully in line with the Olympic spirit.
China didn’t win any gold medals on the first day. But, instead of criticizing the athletes who failed to finish on top of the podium(领奖台), the majority of fans were happy with their efforts. “Reacting in the right way when an athlete misses out on gold shows the maturity of a person, and is also a challenge for a country to face up to in the process of development,” commented CRI.
Swimmer Fu Yuanhui won fans’ hearts, even if she only won a bronze medal in the 100m backstroke final. Her fans on her Sina Weibo micro blog have increased 100,000 to over 6 million. Many sports fans appreciated her straightforward character and attitude toward competition.
“The warm support from Internet users shows that public attitude toward competitive sport and the Olympics have gotten to a higher level,” said an article in the People’s Daily.
1.From passage 2, what can we know about Liu Xiang?
A. He is still a famous athlete.
B. He didn’t complete his event in the Beijing Olympics.
C. The audience desired him little.
D. He was required to give up the competition.
2.What does the underlined word “lenient” mean in Paragraph 3?
A. unhappy B. serious
C. complaining D. tolerant
3.People like Fu Yuanhui because of her ________.
A. kindness to the fans
B. winning a bronze medal
C. attitude to competition
D. Weibo mirco blog
4.What does the author mainly want to tell us in this passage?
A. Learning how to face up to challenge.
B. Winning gold medals is important.
C. Changing attitude to athletes is a must.
D. Getting as many gold medals as possible.
Hummingbirds(蜂鸟) are one of nature’s most energetic fliers and the only birds to hover(盘旋) in the air by relying on their strength alone.
Now scientists have found that it is the ratio(比值) of the bird’s wing length to its width that makes them so efficient. The discovery is helping experts compete with 42 million years of natural selection to build helicopters that are increasingly efficient.
David Lentink, an assistant professor at Stanford University in California, tested wings from 12 different species of hummingbirds, which he sourced from museums. He placed them on a machine used to test the aerodynamics(气力学) of the helicopter blades(桨叶). Professor Lentink’s team used the same machine to test the blades from an advanced micro-helicopter used by the UK’s army. They found that the micro-helicopter’s blades are as efficient at hovering as the average hummingbirds.
But while the micro-helicopter’s blades kept pace with the average hummingbird wings, they could not keep up with the most efficient hummingbird’s wing. The wings of Anna’s hummingbird were found to be about 27 percent more efficient than the man-made micro- helicopter’s blades.
While Professor Lentink wasn’t surprised at nature’s superiority, he said that helicopter blades have come a long way. “The technology is at the level of an average hummingbird,” he said. “A helicopter is really the most efficient hovering device that we can build. The best hummingbirds are still better, but I think it’s amazing that we’re getting closer. It’s not easy to match their performance, but if we build better wings with better shapes, we might match hummingbirds.”
Professor Lentink said that we don’t know how hummingbirds maintain their flight in a strong wind, how they navigate(确定方向) through branches, or how they change direction so quickly. He thinks that great steps could be made by studying wing aspect ratios-the ratio of wing length to wing width. Understanding these abilities and characteristics could be a benefit for robotics and will be the focus of future experiments.
1.What did the scientists find about hummingbirds?
A. Their wings are long and wide
B. They can hover in the air for a long time
C. The ratio of their wing length to wing width is very important
D. They are the most energetic flier in nature
2.Which is the right order of Professor Lentink’s research?
①Tested wings from different species of hummingbirds
②Got resources from museums
③Analyzed the results and drew a conclusion
④Tested the blades from a micro-helicopter
A. ①②③④ B. ②①③④
C. ②④①③ D. ②①④③
3.According to Professor Lentink, what will be the focus of future experiments?
A. To know how hummingbirds can fly in a strong wind
B. To know how hummingbirds change direction so quickly
C. To develop a new kind of helicopter
D. To study the secrets of hummingbirds
I’m part of the Roots & Shoots program founded by Dr. Jane Goodall. The program is intended to make and promote positive changes in the world. As Dr. Goodall says, “What you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you want to make.”
In Bulgaria, where I live, homeless dogs are everywhere. Many people here turn a blind eye to them. But I cannot ignore the life of a street dog whenever I see one wandering in the street, looking for something to eat. That’s why I’m no longer a food waster. When I see wasted food, I always think of a hungry dog climbing to garbage bins, searching for food that people have thrown there. When eating in a restaurant, I’m not afraid to take leftover food to feed stray cats or dogs.
A week ago, I saw a homeless dog around the garbage bins. Immediately I knelt down, spoke to her softly and ran my hands over her. I could see that she had had puppies. I couldn’t imagine how she could have been able to care for them. Hours earlier, I’d bagged up a plate of leftover fish. As I unwrapped it, she wagged her tail and sniffed at it. She ate all the fish in no time.
It’s sad, isn’t it? I can’t understand why many of us waste so much and think little of it. These homeless animals have taught me that food is precious. Even when I don’t have leftovers with me, I’ll take the time to get something from the grocery store to feed them.
I know my power is small, so I hope that next time you see wasted food, do turn it into worthy food. You have the power to save a life!
1.The author uses what Dr. Goodall says to show__________.
A. how we can develop our business
B. why it is important to be great
C. why the program is popular globally
D. how we can change the world positively
2.What can be concluded from the text?
A. There are few homeless dogs where the author lives
B. The author takes homeless dogs home and raises them
C. Seeing homeless dogs makes the author never waste food
D. People throw food into garbage bins to feed homeless dogs
3.The author took the leftover fish with him to____________.
A. feed a homeless dog he met
B. eat it when he was hungry
C. look for more homeless animals
D. set an example to those who throw away food
4.The author wrote the text to ask us to__________.
A. value our food B. treat dogs as our friends
C. save wasted food for homeless dogs D. raise homeless dogs and cats
