As we all know ,trees are important to our life. They provide us with food, wood and most importantly, oxygen. Now there is one more thing we can add to this list—blocking out harmful bacteria in water.
The discovery was made by some scientists and high school students who were seeking for a natural water filter(过滤器)—one that could help people in developing countries that don’t have access to modern water systems.
The researchers, led by Rohit Karnik, a professor ,decided to turn to trees for help because they were able to allow liquid to flow through while blocking out air bubbles(气泡).
They began by cutting 1.5-inch-wide sections of tree bark from the branch of a white pine tree. The researchers then tested the wood’s filtering ability by pouring water containing red dye particles(染料颗粒)of different sizes through. To their surprise, they found it was effective in trapping all the particles. Encouraged, the team did another experiment, this time with water containing bacteria. Sure enough, the bark held back 99%of the bacteria, allowing only 1% to flow through.
Mr. Karnik said the bark was able to filter water containing much smaller particles. This means that it can be used to get rid of most of the bacteria. However, what troubles them is that tree bark cannot hold back viruses, which tend to be much smaller.
Though the experiment is successful, we must remember one thing—the bark only works when damp. This means that before this natural filter can be put to practical use, the researchers will have to figure out how to keep the bark damp, or find a way to keep the bark’s great filtering ability even when it’s dry.
But the study is not done. The researchers plan on testing other types of trees, including those flowering trees. They think those may be more effective in trapping smaller particles and even viruses.
1.How will the discovery affect the world?
A. No harmful bacteria will be found in water.
B. There will be no water pollution around the world.
C. More pine trees will be planted around the world.
D. Clean water will be more accessible in developing countries.
2.What problem troubles the researchers when using the trees bark as a water filter?
A. Viruses cannot be prevented.
B. Tree bark should be wet.
C. It’s hard to remove air bubbles.
D. Not all bacteria can be held back.
3.Why does the team plan to do other experiments?
A. To find other natural water filters.
B. To improve the filtering ability of other trees.
C. To find a way to keep the bark wet.
D. To test the filtering ability of other trees.
4.In which column of a newspaper can we read this text?
A. Culture. B. Science.
C. Lifestyle. D. Society.
There is a common ,usually round object that you can see every day and it appears in many expressions—buttons! Buttons, which are made of metal or plastic, are found on all sorts of clothing. They fasten or connect one piece of clothing to another to make sure your clothes don’t fall off.
To be cute as a button is an old saying, which means to be attractive or sweet, but in a small way. Babies are often described as cute as a button. Language experts don’t know why. But they do say the expression dates from the late 1860s.
Here is another expression associated with button: button-down. People often wear button-down shirts to the office. Button-down as an adjective means to be conservative. People described as button-down stay as close as possible to the normal way of dressing and behaving.
When buttoning a button, you slip it into a buttonhole. A buttonhole traps the button. So, to buttonhole someone means you have trapped him in a spoken conversation. Now, let’s say you find yourself buttonholed in a conversation at a party. Someone just keeps talking and talking and talking! Finally, you can’t stand it any longer. You tell him to button it! This is a direct, but a little rude way of saying “Stop talking!”Button your lip is another equally rude way to stop a person who talks too much.
Another kind of difficult person is someone who pushes one’s buttons. To push one’s buttons means to know how to get that person annoyed or upset. People who like to push other people’s buttons usually do it for selfish reasons.
1.What do you think of someone who wears a button-down shirt to the office?
A. Crazy. B. Traditional.
C. Funny. D. Fashionable.
2.What will you probably say to get rid of a long and boring talk?
A. Be cute as a button.
B. Push your button.
C. Button your lip.
D. Be button-down.
3.How does the fourth paragraph mainly develop?
A. By giving examples.
B. By making contrasts.
C. By listing figures.
D. By analyzing cause and effect.
4.What does the underlined phrase in paragraph mean?[
A. Shouts loudly.
B. Learns of one’s secret.
C. Gets someone to lose his temper.
D. Argues with someone.
“Go to get help, quick!”I ordered my six-year-old brother Nicholas. Nicholas ran away, when I slipped onto the ice.
I moved towards the hole where the three boys fell. I reached my hand in but felt nothing. I put my face in to see if I could see anything, but I saw nothing .So I decided to go in.”Ah!”I screamed as I fell in the cold water. I saw Conner face down in the water. I caught him by the arm and pushed him to the surface. He lost his consciousness. I went down again with two hockey sticks(曲棍球球棍)this time, I saw Wilson searching for something to hold. I quickly swam to him, and he caught hold of my hand. When we finally came to the surface, Wilson became unconscious too. Morgan was left. I didn’t see him. I was about to give up when I saw him about fifteen feet away. I caught him, but his foot was caught in some weed. I managed to pull his leg free. I grabbed the hockey stick, but I was out of breath. I hit the ice with the stick with all my strength. Finally, it broke. I never thought I’d see the sun again! I brought Morgan to the surface, where firefighters had already saved Wilson and Conner.
The next thing I knew was that I was in hospital.“Hi, my boy, you could have died,” cried my mom.“Hi, mom,” I said.“They were going to die if I didn’t help them, and the nearest help was about a mile away. How are the boys?” “Everyone is OK. You are our hero,” said my father.
I won the Hero prize from my town for saving the boys. Now we are all best friends.
1.What did the author’s father think of his son?
A. Terrible. B. Normal.
C. Respectable. D. Creative.
2.What did the author do when he couldn’t see the boys from the hole?
A. He asked Nicholas to ask for help.
B. He called firefighters at once.
C. He struck the ice with hockey sticks.
D. He jumped into the water without hesitation.
3.What’s the best title of the passage?
A. An admirable hero.
B. Look before you leap.
C. Handling emergencies calmly.
D. How to save drowning people.
Moochie the Soochie Visits the Peace People
By Quinton Crawford
Price:$3.00 Words:2,800
Language: English
This is a two-story children’s book. Story 1:Moochie visits children on every continent to learn a little of their languages. Story 2:Moochie travels through human history to find people in times of peace. Kids can learn greetings in over nine languages from around the world in the book.
Jokes Series 4(Fruits)
By BodhaGuru Learing
Price: Free Words:21,320
Language: English
This is a book on funny jokes for children and is a colorful picture book. It has many jokes on fruit. Fruit keeps us healthy and now it has come to make us laugh. Let us laugh with funny jokes on fruit.
Three Wolves
By Chris Sheerin
Price:$4.99 Words:50,440
Language: British English
Two officers secretly enter Yellowstone National Park and steal a female wolf from her den(兽穴).Little do those men realize, however, that the female wolf is highly valued by her pack(一群),and that they will do anything to find her.
Three Wolves is told not through the eyes of man, but through wolves. It is a story of hope and courage, of dreams and superstitions(迷信),in which you might at last be persuaded that wolves know more about nature than man.
The Officer’s Whistle
By Matthew Howorth
Price:$3.20 Words:24,540
Language: English
Simon is in his last year at prep school(预科学校)and always seems to be in trouble. He finds a feeling of comfort in history lessons .When doing a homework task,he finds an old box dug out by his father.It holds secrets of a relative who fought in World War I . Looking through it, Simon discovers the story of Tom Beal, who applied to fight in 1914 and finds an old whistle. What story does it hold?
1.What makes the book Joke Series 4(Fruits)different from the other three?
A. It’s written in a different language.
B. Readers don’t have to pay to get it.
C. Its main characters are not humans.
D. It’s the only book written for children.
2.What can we learn through Three Wolves?
A. Wildlife protection
B. The beauty of nature
C. Nature through wolves’ eyes
D. Basic facts about Yellowstone.
3.What can we know about Simon in The Officer’s whistle?
A. He learns about Tom Beal from his father.
B. He has a great interest in history lessons.
C. He does homework with the help of his father.
D. He discovers the whistle mystery with Tom Beal.
4.In which book can readers learn foreign language?
A. Three Wolves.
B. Joke Series 4(Fruits).
C. The Officer’s Whistle.
D. Moocie the Soochie Visits the Peace People.
假定你是李华,你的美国笔友Tom来信说要来你所在的城市旅行。请用英语给他写一封电子邮件,内容包括:
1.发出邀请;
2.介绍你所在的城市;
3.提议陪同期间的活动。
注意:
1.词数100左右;
2.可以适当增加细节,以使行文连贯;
3.开头和结尾已为你写好,不计入总词数。
Dear Tom,
I’m very glad to learn that you are coming to my city for travel.
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
___________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to meeting you earlier
Sincerely yours,
Li Hua
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧),并在句子右边的横线上写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉,并在句子右边的横线上写出该词并也用斜线划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线,并在句子右边的横线上写出修改后的词。
注意:每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。
1.I suggested that we went out to eat and enjoy ourselves.
2.If you want to swim in the river, ask permission first.
3.We’re obviously going to need her help and she is quite clearly.
4.To solve the problem, we should first to go out to plant trees.
5.His child is lost, for that he is to blame.