A bra (胸罩) that can be used as a gas mask. Hitting beer bottles over peopled heads. How to turn tequila(龙舌兰) into diamonds? These are just some of the themes for this year’s Ig Nobel prizes—the most unusual scientific award ceremony in the world. And the winners are...
The chemistry prize went to Javier Morales from the National University of Mexico for his research into how to make diamonds from tequila. He used a pressure container to do this.
The public health prize was awarded to Elena Bodnar of Illinois, for patenting a bra that can be changed into a pair of gas masks. “It was inspired by the Chernobyl nuclear accident," said Bodnar, who is originally from the Ukraine.
The physics prize was awarded to Katherine Whitcome at the University of Cincinnati and colleagues. They looked into the question of why pregnant women don’t fall over.
The veterinary(兽医的) medicine prize was awarded to Catherine Douglas and Peter Rowlinson of Newcastle University's school of agriculture. Their research showed that giving cows names such as Daisy increases their milk production. "It’s the highlight of my career, ” said Douglas.
"The work amused the public, but it also addressed a serious problem about the welfare of animals.”
The peace prize went to Stephan Bolliger and his colleagues from the University of Bern in Switzerland. They did experiments to discover whether it’s more painful to hit someone on the head with a full beer bottle or an empty one. “Empty beer bottles are stronger than full ones,” the researchers reported.
And the economics prize went to the officials of four Icelandic banks (Kaupthing bank, Landsbanki, Glitnir bank and Central Bank of Iceland) for demonstrating that tiny banks can be rapidly transformed into huge banks, and vice versa.
It's nice to think that this amazing research is getting the attention it deserves!
1.What prize did Javier Morales win?
A.The chemistry prize. B.The physics prize.
C.The public health prize. D.The economics prize.
2.Why was the public health prize awarded to Elena Bodnar?
A.Because he got inspiration from the nuclear accident.
B.Because he knew how to change tequila into diamonds.
C.Because he patented a bra that can be used as a gas mask.
D.Because he found out why pregnant women don't fall over.
3.According to Paragraph 5, what will happen when cows get names?
A.They will produce more milk.
B.They will grow more quickly.
C.The public will feel amused.
D.A serious problem will become amusing.
4.How did people feel the veterinary medicine prize?
A.Puzzling. B.Amusing.
C.Disappointing. D.Confusing.
The mayor of Flint offered Miss Michigan Emily Sioma high praise on Tuesday for speaking out at this weekend's Miss America conference about the city's water crisis.
“I was really excited for her to do that," Mayor Karen Weaver told TMZ. “I think she was very brave because so many times you say who you are and where you're from and just general information. For her to take that opportunity and use her platform and use her voice to speak up about what‘s going on in Michigan and in Flint, in particular, was just amazing. ”
Emily Sioma,24,introduced herself on stage on Sunday by saying,“From the state with 84 percent of the U. S. fresh water but none for its residents to drink. I am Miss Michigan Emily Sioma.” The brief ‘speech was a reference to Flint, a town with lead-filled drinking water.
Weaver said Sioma's decision to speak about the Flint water crisis demonstrated her impressive character. “I applaud her for being a brave young woman. And it also shows you that she’s not a selfish person," Weaver said. “She could have talked only about herself, but she chose to use this opportunity to bring attention to, and keep attention on, what’s going on in Flint, what’s going on with water quality standards what's going on with this broken infrastructure(基础设施) that we have across the country. "
Ratings showed that 4. 3 million viewers watched the ABC program. Although Miss New York Nia Imani Franklin ultimately won the competition, many Twitter users quickly got behind Sioma, who did not make the final 15, after her introduction.
“Emily Sioma wanted to make an impact,” one Twitter user wrote on Sunday. Regardless of whether you agree with what she said or not- she is shining light on a pressing issue that we have in our state and that is still not solved. That, is a Miss America."
1.What does the underlined word “water crisis'' refer to in Paragraph 1?
A.Water transportation. B.Water shortage.
C.Water reservation. D.Water quality.
2.How does the mayor find Emily Sioma?
A.Curious and cautious. B.Brave and unselfish.
C.Proud and admirable. D.Talkative and outgoing.
3.What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 5?
A.Summarize the previous paragraphs. B.Introduce the ABC program.
C.Emphasize Sioma's influence. D.Add some background information.
4.Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A.The Mayor of Flint B.A Twitter Voice
C.The ABC Competition D.A Miss America
It seems that electronic devices just keep getting smaller. Scientists in the United States have announced the creation of the first transistor with only two dimensions（二维）.
A transistor is a small electronic device that transfers or carries electronic current. Scientists hope these new 2D transistors will be used for building high-resolution（高分辨率）displays that need very little energy.
Two groups of scientists created these 2D transistors. They report that the transistors are only a few atoms thick.
Usually transistors are made with the element silicon（硅）. Computer processors, memory chips, TV screens and other electronic devices contain billions of silicon-based transistors. But these very small electrical parts have certain limitations.
Dimitris Ioannou is an electrical engineering professor at George Mason University. He says the traditional transistor has been improved as much as it can be.He adds that researchers have been looking for new materials with special features and they want transistors to be seen through and soft.
“If the layers are very thin, the transistor can become flexible, so it doesn't have to be rigid（坚硬的）, like it would be in a silicon chip. So people can think of applications like wearable electronics, television screens and other things,” said Ioannou.
These new transistors can also carry higher current. They also can move the current much faster than traditional transistors. This is important for high-definition screens.
Dimitris Ioannou says the scientific success could prove very useful in the future. "Now, how good and how useful it will be, it's still in the stage of research, but it certainly is an advance," said Ioannou.
1.Which of the following statements about the newly created transistor is TRUE?
A. They are expected to be used in high-resolution displays.
B. The transistors are made with the element silicon.
C. They are rigid, just like traditional transistors.
D. They have already been put into actual use.
2.What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 5 mean?
A. The traditional transistors have been changed into two-dimensional ones.
B. Many of the traditional transistors have been improved over the years.
C. The traditional transistor has been developed to its fullest.
D. The traditional transistor has been developed quite well.
3.What is Dimitris Ioannou's attitude towards the creation of the new transistors?
A. Negative. B. Neutral.
C. Indifferent. D. Positive.
2010年4月14日7:49青海玉树地区玉树发生地震。
基本情况:
1. 为当地有历史记录以来最强烈的地震
2. 很多人正在睡觉；居民住房大量倒塌；水电供应中断；学校、医院严重损毁
3. 有2, 698人遇难，270人失踪，12, 000多人受伤
4. 政府十分关心灾情，表示要尽一切可能帮助灾区人民重建家园。
参考词汇: 当地的 local
注意:词数:100左右。
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
完成句子
1.Are you afraid that your friend would laugh at you, or would not understand what you are ______ _______?
2.So by the 1600’s Shakespeare was able to ______ ______ ______ a wider vocabulary than ever before.
3.Once she has ______ ______ ______ ______, nothing can change it. Finally, I had to give in.
4.But the one million people of the city, who ______ ______ ______these events, were asleep as usual that night.
5.I felt bad ______ ______ ______ I talked to a group.
单词拼写
1.You have to get ________ (官方) permission to set up a new clinic in this community.
2.I tried to tell her but she ________ (不理睬) me.
3.The sports meet held in our school last week was well ________ (组织).
4.I’m ________ (极其) sorry for the delay.
5.Thousands of houses were ________ (破坏) in the horrible earthquake.
6.She was ________ (决心) to improve her spoken English.
7.Tom ________(辨认出) her voice the moment he answered the phone.
8.It’s not ________ (可靠的) to judge a man only by his looks.
9.He went on ________ (攻击) her until other passengers arrived and told him to stop.
10.Research and teaching are of ________ (相等的) importance.
