People all over the world have some strange hobbies, and one of the most unusual in Britain is "trainspotting". 1..You'll see the grown.ups standing around a railway stations and other places where trains pass by, and you'll see them taking photos and exchanging notes with each other. So, what are they doing?
2. - the numbers on the front of the trains, or the make and model of the "locomotive (火车头)" -the part of the train which pulls all the other part. In the same way that some people collect toys or stamps, these men collect and exchange all kinds of details about trains and railways.
The idea goes back as far as 1942. That year, a young man named Ian Allan was working at Waterloo railway station in London.3., and quite a lot of the questions he received were very similar. He found himself getting a little annoyed at sending the sine replies to the same questions .so he had a word with him boss. He asked if he could write a brochure giving the answers to the most frequently asked questions. His boss said if he wanted to waste his time on such a project, that'OK.4..So he did. The brochure he wrote was the earliest version of the FAQs (常见问题) you see on websites nowadays.
The first 2,000 copies were all sold in days, and by the 1950s, a million copies of British Railways Locomotives were selling every year. Ian Allan went to become a successful publisher, and got an Order of the British Empire(OBE,大英帝国勋章) from the Queen in 1995.5..
A.But he should do it in his own time
B.The young man spent much time on it
C.They're looking for the trains they've taken
D.Well, they're collecting information about trains
E.It's usually men over the age of 40, but not always
F.He died in 2015, but his trainspotting hobby lives on
G.It was his job to answer letters from people about trains
The United States space agency, NASA. says its Mars exploration vehicle recently recorded a high level of methane (甲烷) gas on the planet. The discovery is exciting because the presence of methane gas could support the case for life on Mars.
NASA's Curiosity vehicle recently recoded the largest level of methane ever measured during its seven-year Mars mission.
Methane has no color or smell. A special instrument on Curiosity's Man Science Laboratory recorded the increased gas level. The device measures levels of chemical elements and gases in the Marian atmosphere. In addition to methane, the instrument can record levels of water and carbon dioxide.
Nearly all the methane gas found in Earth's atmosphere is produced by living thing. It usually comes from animal and plant life. But it can also be formed by geological(地质的) processes, such as interactions. between rocks and water.
It was not the first time Curiosity had found methane gas in the Martian atmosphere. About a year ago, NASA announced that Curiosity had discovered sharp seasonal increases in the gas. This time, NASA said the measured methane gas level was clearly larger than any others observed in the past. "It's exciting because microbial (微生物的) life is an important source of methane on Earth," NASA said in a statement announcing the discovery.
However, Curiosity's team carried out a follow-up methane experiment that showed a sharp drop in levels of the gas. That number was "close to the background levels Curiosity sees all the time." NASA said. The rise and fall of the methane gas levels left NASA scientists with more questions than answers.
"The methane mystery continues," said Ashwin Vasavada. Curiosity's project scientist, "We're more motivated than ever to keep measuring and put our brains together to figure out how methane behaves in the Marian atmosphere."
1.What do we know about methane go?
A.It is a must to living things. B.It can be found everywhere.
C.It smells like carbon dioxide. D.It's mainly from biological activity.
2.What do the explorations on Mans tell us?
A.Humans have known much about Mars.
B.There will be more methane gas on Mars.
C.There is no progress in the 7 year's research.
D.The level of methane gas on Mars is not stable.
3.What does the discovery mean in NASA's view?
A.There may exist life on Mars.
B.Methane gas on Mars has a sudden increase.
C.The mystery about Mars will be solved soon.
D.They're known how methane as is formed on Mans.
4.How do the NASA's scientists feel about their future exploration?
A.Aimless. B.Confident.
C.Stressed. D.Serious.
Sea otters (海獭) are pretty small compared to other marine mammals (哺乳动物).which means that, despite their fur coats, they tend to lose het quickly, and need lots of energy to keep up their body temperature.
"So they need to eat 25 percent of their body weight each day," says Sarah McKay Strobel, a sensory ecologist at UC Santa Cruz. "But in order to eat that much food, that means sea otters need to find all that food. " She studied the otter's senses, to solve the mystery of how they're such efficient food catchers. Vision isn't reliable, she says- it's pretty dark and muddy underwater, and crabs and other smaller animals tend to hide. Hearing is also tough for otters, in the noisy underwater environment. And sniffing's no good either. "When they're underwater they're holding their breath."
What's left is touch. So Strobel measured the sensitivity of the otters' paws and whiskers (须). She blindfolded an otter named Selka, then presented it with plastic plates carved with tiny grooves (沟槽). Selka's job was to select the plate with two-millimerter grooves, which she'd been trained to associate with tasty food, instead of plates with differently sized grooves.
Tums out, Selka could tell just a quarter millimeter difference in the grooves' with with her paws - above and below water - and hall a millimeter difference with her whiskers. "The fact that she was able to perform so well while moving extremely quickly I think is really interesting and suggests that sea otters have very quick decision-making abilities and very quick sensory processing abilities, which makes sense when you think about the type of lifestyle they lead and how quickly they need to find food."
For the record, humans can feel the difference too, but it takes us 30 times longer, which might make sense. After all, we live in environments where touch is less important in a hunt than sight and sound.
1.Why do sea otters eat much food?
A.To swim faster. B.To stay warm.
C.To keep their fur thick. D.To satisfy their good appetite.
2.What does paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A.An introduction to Selka. B.The use of plastic plates.
C.An experiment on Selka. D.The function of otters' touch.
3.What did Strobel find about sea otters' senses?
A.Hearing is useless. B.Touch is the most elective.
C.They have no vision. D.Their smell works very well.
4.What can we learn from the text?
A.Sea otters have enough food to eat.
B.Humans are more sensitive than sea otters.
C.Sea otters respond very quickly in hunting.
D.Sea otters' whiskers work better than paws.
A young female athlete in the Philippines recently won multiple gold medals for her school during a provincial sports despite not having proper running shoes.
Rhea Ballos, an 11-year old student of Salvacion Elementary School in Balasan, Iloilo, was only wearing bandages around her feet when she competed at the Iloilo Schools Sports Meet.
Facebook user Valenzuela posted images of the girl with her feet wrapped in brown plaster (石膏) bandages bearing the famous Nike logo. Ballos even wrote the word "NIKE" on the sides of her "shoes" to complete the "Nike running shoes" look. The bandages were tightly wrapped around her feet, creating a thin protective layer against the track.
While she was virtually (实质上) barefoot during the races, she was still able to defeat her opponents (对手) who all wore proper footwear intended for running. According to the post, Ballos bagged the top awards in the 400-meter dash, the 800-meter run, and the 1500-meter run in the inter-school sporting event held in Iloil, central Philippines.
When images of her "Nike" footwear were spread widely, Filipinos on social media showered her with praises for her dedication and character. Many noted that instead of wallowing in self-pity. she was even able to make light of the situation by drawing the Nike logo on her "running shoes."
Some of the commenters of Valenzuela's post expressed how the girl deserved to be recognized by Nike and that the brand should actually give her a new pair of real Nike shoes. It did not take long for Jeffery Cariaso, a famous coach, to take notice of Ballos' outstanding performance. He immediately made an effort to get in touch with the young track runner to help her.
1.In fact, Ballos "shoes" are .
A.an ad B.a bargain
C.a copy D.a substitute
2.Which of the following is closest in meaning to "wallowing in" in paragraph 5?
A.Being lost in. B.Being proud of.
C.Making use of. D.Giving ignorance to.
3.What made Cariaso offer to help Ballos?
A.Her super power. B.Her determination.
C.Her attitude to the event. D.Commenters' suggestions.
4.Which can be the best title for the passage?
A.A Lucky Runner B.A Pair of "Nike" Shoes
C.A Creative Brand D.An Eye-catching Game
How to spend a holiday without sending your savings into a nosedive? Take a look at these heavenly and affordable hideaways in Bahamas.
Pigeon Cay Beach Club, Cat Island
Pigeon Cay Beach Club is located on the largely undeveloped Cat Island, where it's possible to wander the very beautiful coastline for miles without spotting a soul - or a boat, dock (码头) or Jet Ski. TVs. AC, and Wi-Fi are all happily off-duty, leaving guests to explore the island by bike, canoe. or kayak (皮艇) (all free to use) or quietly drop by the honor-system beach bar.
Unique Village, Eleuthera
This 14-room hotel stands proud over the quiet Poponi Bench, which is rarely crowded despite being well-known for is pretty pink sands. Unique Village has a casual open-air restaurant and an outdoor pool, and its spacious (宽敞的). air-conditioned rooms have simple sand bright island decoration, free Wi-Fi, and outdoor balcony- all facing the ocean.
Stella Maris Resort Club, Long Island
If you're looking for casual, cheerful, and cheap, the beachfront Stella Maris Resort Club more than fits the bill. The large, family-owned complex on beautiful and remote Long Island is a bargain for is competitive rates, free activities, and accommodations that can suit larger parties (there are 27 hotel rooms, cottages. houses). One of the highlights of the resort (度假胜地) is its range of activities, many of which are free, including day rips, boating. nature walks, caving, kayaking. and wine parties.
St Francis Resort, Stocking Island
Stocking Island is just about as remote as you can get. The island is only accessible by boat, and has little human development; no cars, no roads, and about two dozen residents. The quiet and homey St Francis Resort fits right in with its surroundings, offering eight spacious rooms overlooking the ocean, two beaches, and free kayak. In-room breakfast, Wi-Fi, and transport from George Town are all free.
1.Which is the best choice if you want to have a quiet drink?
A.Pigeon Cay Beach Club. B.Unique Village.
C.Stclla Maris Resort Club. D.St Francis Resort.
2.What may attract you mot in Stella Maris Resort Club?
A.Unique sands. B.An outdoor pool.
C.Diverse activities. D.A quiet beach bar.
3.What do Unique Village and St Francis Resort have in common?
A.Limited development. B.Free Internet access.
C.An outdoor restaurant. D.Means of being reached.
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个符号(^),并在下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线( \)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意: 1. 每处错误及其修改均仅限一词;
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
Keeping hands clean is one of the most basic ways of prevent illness. Yesterday, I teach my three-year-old sister how to wash hands proper. Firstly, I asked her to wet her hand under running water and apply soap to them. Before, she rubbed hands well with soap for at least twenty seconds, I told to her to wash off all of the soap. Lastly, I gave him a clean towel to dry her hands. She very glad and showed me her clean hands. Looked at her smiling face, I felt such happy that I gave her a new storybook.
