London (CNN) There is no God -- that's the conclusion of the celebrated physicist Stephen Hawking, whose final book is published Tuesday. The book Brief Answers to the Big Questions, which was completed by his family after his death, presents answers to the questions that Hawking said he received most during his time on Earth.
Other bombshells the British scientist left his readers with include the belief that alien life is out there, artificial intelligence could outsmart humans and time travel can't be ruled out.
"There is no God. No one directs the universe," he writes in the book."For centuries, it was believed that disabled people like me were living under a curse by God," he adds. "I prefer to think that everything can be explained another way, by the laws of nature."
While Hawking spoke of his lack of belief in God during his life, several of his other answers are more surprising."There are forms of intelligent life out there," he writes. "We need to be cautious about answering back until we have developed a bit further."
"Travel back in time can't be ruled out according to our present understanding," he says. He also predicts that "within the next hundred years we will be able to travel to anywhere in the Solar System."
In remarks prepared by Hawking and played at the launch of the book in London on Monday, the scientist also turned his attention to the world he was leaving behind. His greatest concern, his daughter said, "is how divided we've become," adding ,"He makes this comment about how we seem to have lost the ability to look outward, and we are increasingly looking inward to ourselves."
Hawking's final message to readers, though, is a hopeful one. Attempting to answer the question "How do we shape the future?", the scientist writes, "Remember to look up at the stars and not down at your feet."
1.Which question is NOT probably included in the book Brief Answers to the Big Questions,?
A. Is there Alien life? B. Does the solar system exist?
C. Is time travel possible? D. Does anyone direct the universe?
2.Hawking mentioned his disability in his book to________.
A. show his confidence. B. complain of God.
C. tell readers about his hardship. D. support his disbelief in God.
3.What was Hawking most concerned about?
A. Artificial intelligence will outsmart humans. B. Allen life will come to the earth some day.
C. Technology will destroy the world. D. Human beings are not united.
4.What did Hawking suggest human beings do?
A. Contact alien life. B. Explore the universe.
C. Develop the earth. D. Respect artificial intelligence.
Limiting kids' recreational(消遣) screen time to less than two hours a day, along with enough sleep and physical activity, is associated with improved cognition(认知), according to a study published in The Lancet Child & Adolescent Health.
The study included about 4,500 US children aged 8 to 11 and measured their habits against the Canadian 24-Hour Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth. It found that 51% of the children got the recommended(建议) nine to eleven hours of uninterrupted sleep per night, 37% met the recreational screen time limit of two hours or less per day, while 18% met the physical activity recommendation of at least 60 minutes of accumulated physical activity a day. Only 5% of the children in the study met all three recommendations; 30% met none at all.
The researchers found that as each recommendation was met by a participant, there was a positive association with global cognition, which includes memory, attention, processing speed and language. Those who met all three had the most "superior" global cognition, followed by those meeting the sleep and screen time recommendation and finally the screen time recommendation alone, according to the study.
Other organizations, such as the American Academy of Pediatrics have guidelines in place to help with the management of children's screen time. The organization suggests putting realistic rules or limits in place for how long your children are on their screens, knowing who they are talking to and what they are doing. The amount of recommended screen time depends on the age of the child. Besides, parents should also make sure to encourage physical activity and have bedroom rules such as creating "tech-free zones".
1.Who are the target readers of this passage?
A. Researchers. B. Teachers.
C. Parents. D. Children.
2.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. A study on children’s screen time is published.
B. US children fail to meet movement guidelines.
C. Organizations are concerned about children’s cognition.
D. Limitation on children's screen time is linked to better cognition.
3.According to the passage, which of the following might contributes least to cognition?
A. Screen time limit. B. Sleep hours.
C. Physical activity time. D. Sleep hours and screen time limit.
4.Why does the American organization suggest creating "tech-free zones”?
A. To make sure children have enough physical playtime.
B. To make sure children have enough sleep time.
C. To make sure children have recreational time.
D. To protect children against radiation.
The Scottish education system has always been different from the rest of the United Kingdom, with a characteristic emphasis on a broad education. Scotland's schools operate a Curriculum(课程) for Excellence which provides knowledge and skills to all nursery, primary and secondary schooling between the ages of 3 - 18. All 3- and 4-year-old children in Scotland have access to a free nursery place. Formal primary education begins at approximately 5 years old and lasts for 7 years. During their secondary education, children in Scotland study Standard Grades, or Intermediate(中级的) qualifications between the ages of 13 and 16 . The school leaving age is 16, after which students may choose to remain at school for one or two years to study for Higher Grade or Advanced Higher qualifications. Then they can have further education by attending colleges or universities.
There are fifteen Scottish universities, some of which are among the oldest in the world. These include the University of St Andrews, the University of Glasgow, the University of Aberdeen and the University of Edinburgh—many of which are ranked among the best in the UK. Proportionally, Scotland had more universities in QS' World University Rankings' top 100 in 2012 than any other nation. Also, the country produced 1% of the world's published research with less than 0.1% of the world's population. Scotland’s University Courts are the only bodies in Scotland authorized to award degrees.
Besides Scotland's universities, Further and Higher Education is provided by 43 colleges as well. Colleges offer National Certificates, Higher National Certificates, and Higher National Diplomas. These Group Awards, alongside Scottish Vocational（职业的） Qualifications, aim to ensure Scotland's population has the appropriate skills and knowledge to meet workplace needs. In 2014, research reported by the Office for National Statistics found that Scotland was the most highly educated country in Europe and among the most well-educated in the world in terms of higher education attainment.
1.What do we know about Scottish education?
A. Students can go to university directly after finishing Standard Grades.
B. Students of all ages receive free education.
C. A university student is at least 17 years old.
D. Only knowledge is taught at schools.
2.The underlined word “proportionally” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
A. Considering Scotland’s population B. regardless of Scotland’s history
C. in terms of the number of universities D. despite its education system
3.Scottish college awards and vocational qualifications serve to ________.
A. improve the employment B. award the students with degrees
C. prepare the workforce with proper skills D. compete with universities home and abroad
4.The purpose of the text is to ________.
A. compare B. introduce
C. advertise D. persuade
Welcome to The Metropolitan Museum of Art (MET)
HOURS
Open seven days a week
SUN-THU, 10 AM-5:30 PM, FRI, SAT 10 AM-9 PM
Closed Thanksgiving Day, December 25, January 1, and the first Monday in May.
ADMISSION
Members and Patrons(赞助人) visit free and enjoy express admission.
General Admission: Adults, $25; seniors (65 and older), $17; students,$12; and children under 12, free. General admission tickets include special exhibitions and are valid（有效） for three days.
For New York State residents with valid ID, Connecticut, and New Jersey students: The amount you pay is up to you. Please be as generous as you can.
All ticket holders must go through security.
PARKING GARAGE
80 th St. and Fifth Ave. Discount for Members and Patrons.
GROUP VISITS
Call 212-570-3711 or visit metmuseum. org/groupvisits.
FREE GUIDED TOURS
Audio Guide
Listen to the stories behind thousands of artworks in The Met collection and select exhibitions. Rent an Audio Guide device (with a headset or neck loop): adults, $7,; Members, $6; children under 12 $5; and free to visitors who are blind, partially sighted, deaf or have hearing loss. Transcripts in standard and large print are available for selected tours. Learn more at metmuseum. org/audioguide.
Daily tours with Guides
Check at any information desk or visit metmuseum.org/mettours for free gallery talks and tours presented by staff, outside scholars, and trained volunteers.
ACCESSIBILITY
For information about accessibility and services for visitors with disabilities, contact accesss@metmuseum. org or call 212-650-2010, or visit metmuseum.org/access.
1.Normally on which day can a visitor stay at the MET for the longest time?
A. Saturday. B. Wednesday .
C. Monday. D. Thanksgiving Day.
2.How much should a middle aged woman and her 14-year-old daughter from China pay to visit the MET?
A. $12. B. $25.
C. $29. D. $37.
3.How can people inquire about access to the MET?
A. By calling 212-570-3711. B. By calling 212-650-2010.
C. By visiting metmeseum.org/group visits D. By contacting metmuseum.org/mettours.
All hope was not lost. Soon after the quakes, the army sent 150,000 soldiers to Tangshan to help the rescue the workers. Hundreds of thousands of people were helped. 1.. To the north of the city, most of the 10,000 miners were rescued from the coal mines there. 2.. Fresh water was taken to the city by train, truck and plane. Slowly, the city began to breathe again.
The last thirty years have seen the greatest number of laws stopping our rights and progress, 3.. 4., or fight the government. We chose to attack the laws. We first broke the law in a way which was peaceful; when this was not allowed, 5..
1.Typhoons, sandstorms, droughts and tornados are all d____________.
2.The research he d_________ himself to has produced good results.
3.Dead and i________ people lay everywhere after the terrible accident.
4.Tom is good at spoken English and speaks f________ English.
5.J_________ from the way he laughed as Tom told it, it was meant to be humorous.
6.Don’t let yourself be _________(说服)into buying things you don’t really want.
7.Nowadays the movies are full of ________ (暴力), which is very harmful to the kids.
8.It seems as if people talking into their micro phones are _________ (包围) by an invisible wall.
9.We should use information technology as a tool to make our daily ________ (交流)more fruitful.
10.Damaged but not __________(击败), he was still ahead of me.
