I work as a meteorologist(气象学家) in Tampa, Florida. It’s my job to follow hurricanes(飓风) and provide information about them to scientists.
I was working for the National Meteorological Office in Bracknell, near London, in the autumn of 1995, and I saw a documentary called Stormchasers with family. 1. Two months later I came across an ad for a meteorologist to work in Florida. I was interviewed over the phone, moved to the US, and started to work here in Tampa in May 1996.
2. I have been all over the world hunting hurricanes. It’s exciting to end up in different cities and different countries day after day. If you are a meteorologist, you have to love flying. I also love working with top scientists. 3. For me, it’s like a classroom in the sky.
People often ask me what an average day is like. In fact, there’s no such thing as an average day in my job! 4. We often take off at a moment’s notice to hunt storms.
Next, I would like to join a space program and be the first meteorologist in space. 5. There aren’t any hurricanes!
If you also want to be a meteorologist, study math and science and get a degree in meteorology. I have taken the hurricane hunter path, but you could do research.
A. I have learned so much from them.
B. What I like most about my job is the travel.
C. It’s a wonderful job and the pay is pretty good.
D. It all depends on the weather, and you can’t control that.
E. However, I haven’t come up with an experiment to do in space yet.
F. Because of the job, I’m away from my family who all live in the UK.
G. It was about hurricane hunters and I thought, “Wow, that’s an interesting job!”
Guam is a beautiful, small island in the Pacific Ocean. You’ll find happy songbirds, clear blue water, and leafy forest there. But the small island has a big problem: snakes. There are about 2 million brown tree snakes living in Guam.
The snakes likely arrived in the 1940s. They probably slipped(滑行) unseen onto ships and planes heading to Guam. Once there, the snakes laid eggs. Snake families grew. The snakes have no natural enemies to eat them on Guam. Soon, the island was covered with these snakes.
The brown tree snake has had a devastating effect. The snakes eat birds. There used to be 12 kinds of birds on the island. But these snakes have killed off nine kinds of the birds. The snakes can grow to be 10 feet long. They often bite humans. They climb onto power lines and make the electricity go out. This causes millions of dollars in damage.
Scientists have tried many different ways to control the number of snakes. They have used snake traps and snake-sniffing dogs. Nothing seemed to work. Nothing, that is, until they found a surprising secret weapon: killer mice.
Scientists found out that there is one easy way to kill brown tree snakes. They could give them a medicine called Tylenol. People take Tylenol for headaches and other pains. Even a little bit of Tylenol can kill a brown tree snake.
But how would scientists get the tree snakes to eat Tylenol? They came up with a plan. First, the experts put the medicine into dead mice. Then they attached each mouse to a mini paper parachute(降落伞). Planes dropped the mice over Guam. The parachutes got caught in the trees. The mice became dinner for the snakes that live there.
Has it worked? So far, research shows that there are fewer snakes because of the mice. The worry is that it may be too late to clear the snakes, but Mr. Vice from Guam’s Department of Agriculture says this should not stop the islanders from trying. “Our long-term goal is to kill the snake off completely,” he says.
1.What can we learn about the brown tree snakes?
A. They were shipped to Guam on purpose.
B. They were not native to Guam.
C. They were at risk in the 1940s.
D. They grew very slowly.
2.What does the underlined word “devastating” in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. Magical.
B. Interesting.
C. Short-term.
D. Damaging.
3.What was a more workable way to kill the brown tree snakes?
A. Using snake traps.
B. Putting Tylenol in the trees.
C. Bringing in their enemies.
D. Letting them eat Tylenol carried by mice.
4.What does Mr. Vice think of solving this snake problem?
A. He is proud of it.
B. He is hopeful of it.
C. He is doubtful about it.
D. He is unconcerned about it.
Have you ever imagined taking the SAT or ACT in middle school? Duke TIP(Talent identification Program) gives younger students an opportunity to take these standardized tests, which are used for college admissions(录取).
Since 1979, Duke University has supported Duke TIP, an organization that encourages academic(学业的) achievement. In addition to organizing the exams for excellent students, the program also offers summer enrichment programs, online courses, and need-based help, among other resources.
On May 22, Duke TIP held its Grand Recognition Ceremony at the university in Durham, North Carolina. The event celebrated the achievements of this year’s seventh graders who scored in the highest 4 percent.
Top seventh graders are invited to take part in Summer Studies, where they can take different kinds of courses such as aerospace engineering to web development. While the 7th Grade Talent Search is the highlight of the program, students from grades 4 through 10 are allowed to take part in all kinds of Duke TIP programs.
Duke TIP’s Executive Director, Shawna Young, took part in the program when she was growing up. “I remember always being told I was smart and one day getting that letter in the mail from Duke, this university that was so well known,” she said. “I remember taking the SAT in seventh grade, walking in, and feeling that everybody was bigger than me. Not knowing how to answer all the questions, just trying to do my best. I left that experience more confident. It made me believe that it was OK to be myself.”
Young added that one of the best parts of Duke TIP is the creation of a group of like-minded students.
I was among the 500 seventh graders who were honored at this year’s ceremony, where three excellent Duke TIP alumni(校友) who have made great achievements in their own fields were also recognized. Who knows where the future will lead this year’s stars.
1.What is the main job of Duke TIP?
A. Providing students with online resources.
B. Offering programs for students in Duke.
C. Picking up excellent students for Duke.
D. Supporting gifted students.
2.The honorees(获奖者) of this year will ______.
A. give a speech to 4th to 10th-graders
B. be provided with many courses
C. volunteer in Summer Studies
D. be given big prizes
3.What did Shawna Young think of her taking the SAT in Grade 7?
A. It won her great fame.
B. It made her successful.
C. It made her believe in herself.
D. It allowed her to enter Duke early.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. Duke TIP creates top students
B. Duke TIP celebrates students’ success
C. Students take part in Duke TIP programs
D. Middle school students take standardized tests.
Can you imagine being able to remember every single experience of your life and every word in your favorite book? That’s what Becky’s life is like, and as wonderful as it sounds, it can also be quite terrifying at times.
Three years ago, Becky was reading a newspaper article which mentioned that it was impossible for people to remember the details of their life in the first three years. “What nonsense (胡说八道)!” she thought, because she could clearly remember her life all the way back to when she was just 12 days old. Her parents had carried her to the driver’s seat of their car and laid her down for a photo. But it wasn’t nonsense. She was just one of only 80 known people who have a condition called HSAM(Highly Superior Autobiographical Memory).
Becky’s unusual condition was recently shown on a program called 60 minutes, where reporter Allison tested her ability by asking her questions about her favorite book series, Harry Potter. Allison would pick up a book and open a page and read her a line. Immediately Becky would name the book, chapter number, chapter name and could recite every word until Allison told her to stop.
Being able to remember every little detail is a great ability, but as every person with HSAM will tell you, it can be very hard to deal with. Forgetting is one of the things we use to get over sad experiences in our lives, but it’s something that people like Becky are unable to do. Even walking on the street and lightly bumping(撞) into somebody brings back memories from Becky’s childhood, when a boy knocked her over. She’s taken right back to that time, living the experience all over again. Also, like Becky, people with HSAM never do well in school, because they have problems filtering(过滤) through all the information, remembering only the important bits.
Becky’s special brain could help scientists find a way to treat people with terrible illnesses like Alzheimer’s. Her condition could hold the secret to treating or even preventing Alzheimer’s.
1.What does Paragraph 2 mainly talk about?
A. What people with HSAM feel like.
B. Why HSAM is unfamiliar to people.
C. How Becky knew she was different.
D. How Becky spent her early childhood.
2.Why was Becky asked questions on 60 minutes?
A. To help treat her illness.
B. To advertise Harry Potter.
C. To test her ability to remember.
D. To encourage other kids to read.
3.Which of the following troubles Becky?
A. She can’t forget her painful experience.
B. She feels tired remembering everything.
C. She can’t get along well with other kids.
D. She is different from other kids of her age.
4.Why does Becky do poorly at school?
A. She feels sad every time she studies.
B. She remembers too much information.
C. She can’t deal with difficult problems.
D. She can’t understand the teacher in class.
Some of the world’s finest
Stained glass(彩色玻璃) artwork
Sainte Chappelle, France
While many say that Paris’ must-see cathedral(教堂) is Notre Dame de Paris, Sainte Chapelle should also be high up on the list. Louis IX ordered it to be built in 1239 to house the Crown of Thorns, a famous relic from Constantinople. Within the ceilings of the church are fifteen of the world’s finest stained glass windows. Unfortunately, as a result of the French Revolution, one third of the stained glass had to be replaced.
The Chicago Cultural Center, USA
While the Windy City might not house the nation’s winningest sports teams, it does have one of the world’s most eye-catching displays of stained galss. Today’s Chicago Cultural Center, which was designed as a library in 1887, has a 38-feet-tall Tiffany glass dome(圆屋顶), which is said to be the largest Tiffany dome in the world.
Erawan Museum, Thailand
The Erawan Museum, built in 1994, houses ancient, priceless Thai artworks, all of which are displayed within the building’s three floors, said to symbolize the three levels of the universe. The shiny stained glass is on the second floor, which museum owner Khun Lek Viriyapant considers to be the human level. Designed by German artist Jacob Schwarzkopf, the stained glass artwork shows five continents, with the sun delivering light, and therefore life, into all.
Saint Vitus Cathedral, Czech Republic
While the Czech church whose doors many travelers pass through every day was built way back in 1344, its amazing display of stained glass is a 20th-century donation from well-known Czech Art Nouveau artist Alfons Mucha. The artwork is nothing if not fitting for Prague, the city in which the stained glass is displayed. After all, it is the modern-day Czech Republic from which dreamy Bohemians came.
1.Which of the following has the longest history?
A. Sainte Chapelle.
B. Erawan Museum.
C. Saint Vitus Cathedral.
D. The Chicago Cultural Center.
2.Where should you go if you want to see the Earth-themed stained glass?
A. France.
B. The USA.
C. Thailand.
D. Czech Republic.
3.What is special about the stained glass in Prague?
A. It fits the city well.
B. It is from a Bohemian.
C. It is the largest of its kind.
D. It sits in an ancient church.
假如你是李华，是英国某高中的交换生。学校附近新开了一家中餐馆，味道不错，于是你想邀请你的朋友Tom—起去品尝。请根据下列要点给他写一封信。
1、写信目的；
2、和快餐相比，中餐有什么好处；
3、你推荐该中餐馆的理由。
注意：1、词数100左右
2、可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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