Leonardo da Vinci and Nature
In the modern world, art and science are two very separate activities, but in Leonardo’s time they were closely connected. Science meant mathematics and medical studies. 1. Mathematics included practical work like surveying land for making maps as well as measuring the movements of the stars in the sky. An artist might need to measure the different parts of the body. He could also use mathematics to place things in relationship to each other in a drawing or painting so the scene looked correct. 2.
Mathematics was also connected to music because musical sounds have a fixed relationship with each other that can be described in numbers. 3. More than this, though, Leonardo believed that numbers were a part of all things in the world, including music, and he said that “without them nothing can be done.”
“Nature has kindly given us things everywhere to copy,” wrote Leonardo. In all his activities, Leonardo was trying to discover the rules that control nature. In his search for those rules, he looked very carefully at a lot of examples and details. Actual experience was more important to him than opinion, and he worked from facts to ideas. 4. His purpose was to examine the world so he could copy it in beautiful paintings and sculptures. He also wanted to learn from the clever solutions of nature.
5. His quick little sketches (素描), often done while wandering outside, helped him to catch a movement or a shape. More careful drawings would be done at a desk with a pen and ruler. In July 2001, a small drawing by Leonardo was sold for $12 million. It was the most expensive drawing in the world.
A.Leonardo was always drawing.
B.How could these be connected with art?
C.Leonardo’s ideas were vastly ahead of his time.
D.Mathematicians and doctors worked to discover the unknown.
E.Above all, Leonardo wanted to understand how and why things worked.
F.You will see a good example of such positioning in the painting of The Last Supper.
G.Leonardo himself was a very good musician and liked to play an instrument and sing.
Following the outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (NCP), also named COVID-19 by WHO, there is a general fear of the unknown virus as its full effects remain to be seen. Fever, coughing, sore throat, difficulty breathing —the NCP’s symptoms are similar to the common cold or the flu, but it’s potentially more dangerous.
Viruses could be deadly, like HIV and Ebola. But what are viruses? How can they cause so much trouble?
Viruses are non-living organisms (有机体) approximately one-millionth of an inch long. Unlike human cells or bacteria, they can’t reproduce on their own. Instead, they invade the cells of living organisms to reproduce, spread and take over.
Viruses can infect every living thing – from plants and animals down to the smallest bacteria. For this reason, they always have the potential to be dangerous to human life. Sometimes a virus can cause a disease so serious that it is fatal. Other viral infections trigger no noticeable reaction.
Viruses lie around our environment all of the time, waiting for a host cell to come along. They can enter our bodies by the nose, mouth, eyes or breaks in the skin. Once inside, they try to find a host cell to infect. For example, HIV, which causes AIDS, attacks the T-cells of the immune system.
But the basic question is, where did viruses first come from? Until now, no clear explanation for their origin exists. “Tracing the origins of viruses is difficult”, Ed Rybicki, a virologist (病毒学家) at the University of Cape Town in South Africa, told Scientific American, “because viruses don’t leave fossils and because of the tricks they use to make copies of themselves within the cells they’ve invaded”.
However, there are three main hypotheses (假说) to explain the origin of viruses. First, viruses started as independent organisms, then became parasites (寄生者). Second, viruses evolved from pieces of DNA or RNA that “escaped” from larger organisms. Third, viruses co-evolved with their host cells, which means they existed alongside these cells.
For the time being, these are only theories. The technology and evidence we have today cannot be used to test these theories and identify the most plausible explanation. Continuing studies may provide us with clearer answers. Or future studies may reveal that the answer is even murkier (含糊不清的) than it now appears.
1.What can we learn about viruses from the text?
A.Viruses have nothing to do with the common cold.
B.Viruses are really small living organisms.
C.Viruses can’t reproduce unless they find a host cell.
D.Viruses enter our bodies mainly through the mouth, nose and hair.
2.Which of the following might explain the origin of viruses?
A.They evolved from the fossils of large organisms.
B.They evolved from parasites into independent organisms.
C.They evolved from the T-cells in animals.
D.They evolved along with their host cells.
3.The underlined word “plausible” in the last paragraph probably means ________.
A.reasonable B.common
C.creative D.unbelievable
4.What can we conclude from the text?
A.Viruses live longer in human host cells than in animals’.
B.Viruses will become more like bacteria as they evolve.
C.It may take a long time to understand the origin of viruses.
D.The author is optimistic about future virus research.
While astronauts in space get to do many exciting things，they miss out on ordinary things that we all take for granted—being able to walk on firm ground，hanging out with family and digging into a slice of hot steaming pizza． Though not much can be done about the first two things，there may soon be a solution to the third one，thanks to this cool 3-D pizza printer！
About a year ago，NASA offered $125 ,000 to Anjan Contractor， a 3-D technology expert，to build a device（设备）that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand． The mechanical engineer promised that his invention would produce pies in large quantities that looked， tasted and even smelled like pizza made in common ovens．
Late last year， the engineer presented a video of his first prototype（原型）that begins by creating a single slice of dough（面团）that is cooked and printed at the same time．Then comes the tomato “sauce” — a mix of tomato powder，oil and water and finally，a protein slice that resembles cheese．While the video doesn’t show the baking process，the inventor says that once the pizza is printed，it can be ready to be consumed in 7 seconds．
While the pie in the video looks delicious enough to attract any pizza lover，Anjan Contractor is far from ready for astronauts．That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years．Though that may sound unrealistic，actually it is not．
Anjan Contractor believes that the only way that is possible is that the water is removed from all the ingredients（配料）and then they are reduced to the powder form．This，as you can imagine，will not be so easy．But，while the printer may not be ready for space，it certainly looks ready enough for people on earth．Hopefully，NASA and Contractor will consider selling it to those not fortunate enough to go to Mars！
1.Why does the author mention the things that astronauts in space cannot do？
A.To ask us not to take common things for granted．
B.To show they live a difficult life there．
C.To show their life is boring in space．
D.To introduce the topic of the text．
2.NASA offered $ 125，000 to Anjan Contractor mainly to _______．
A.create some new type of 3-D printer
B.attract more companies to work for NASA
C.help astronauts in space enjoy fresh pizza one day
D.produce pizza in large quantities to earn great profits
3.The biggest challenge that Anjan Contractor is faced with now is probably that _______．
A.he has no money left to go on with his research
B.the pizza doesn’t seem appetizing to pizza lovers
C.he has no way to make pizza that can last for thirty years
D.he cannot make the food container last for decades
4.What’s the best title of the passage？
A.NASA is trying its best to help astronauts eat better
B.Astronauts may soon be able to enjoy steaming hot pizza
C.NASA is working on making pizza for common people
D.A 3-D pizza printer has been used to make pizza
Recently, a group of scientists decided to find out what the funniest joke in the world was. This was obviously a difficult task, as no two people really agree about what is funny and what is not—especially when they are from different countries.
Here is the joke which the experts decided was the funniest joke in the world：
Two hunters were out in the woods. One of them fell to the ground. He didn’t seem to be breathing; his eyes were closed. The other hunter took out his mobile phone and called the emergency services.
“My friend is dead!” he cried to the operator. “What can I do？”The operator said，“Don’t worry. First, make sure he’s dead.” There was a silence, and then a shot was heard. Bang! The hunter’s voice came back on the line. He said, “OK, now what?”
This is perhaps amusing. Culturally, it depends on us knowing that often hunters are not considered to be very intelligent people, and that often they are quite violent. But perhaps this is not so all over the world. It’s also quite a “black” joke—a joke about something which isn’t really a funny subject. The experts also found the second funniest joke in the world. Here it is：
Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson went on a camping trip. After dinner, they went to sleep. Some hours later, Holmes woke up. “Watson, look up at the sky and tell me what you see.” “I see millions of stars, Holmes,” replied Watson.
“And what do you infer from that? ”
“Well, there are billions of stars ... we are a small part of the universe ...”
“Watson, you idiot!” he said. “Someone has stolen our tent!” I personally think this is better.
Can scientists in the end decide what is funny? Some things are much too complicated, even for scientists.
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph?
A.Few jokes can make scientists laugh.
B.Only scientists can find out the funniest joke.
C.There are different jokes in different countries.
D.People hold different opinions about what is funny.
2.What does the author think of the first joke?
A.It is not so funny as the experts thought.
B.It is really the funniest joke he has ever heard.
C.It can greatly affect readers’ attitudes toward hunters.
D.It shows that not all hunters are brave and intelligent.
3.We can learn that a person’s understanding of a joke can be affected by ________.
A.the reader’s feeling B.the length of the joke
C.the reader’s cultural background D.the language that the teller uses
4.Which of the following is the best title for this passage?
A.Uninteresting jokes B.Different kinds of jokes
C.The funniest jokes in the world D.Tips on how to make others laugh
SALISBURY
Summer School
2020 TRAVEL FORM
Please complete and return
Student’s Name:________ Cell number: ________
Travel Plans: Please specify the means of traveling to and from the school.
Students traveling with parents by car should plan to arrive on Sunday, July 1 and depart Salisbury School on Saturday, August 4, the next day after Progress Day. Please indicate:
Students will be arriving and departing with parents.
Students will be traveling by train or bus to/from the school.
New York City — via Train:
(Metro-North Railroad — Harlem Line: Wassaic Station & Grand Central Station)
The Wassaic Station is the closest to the school — approximately 10 miles. Contact information: 845473-8424 or http:// www.mta.info/mnr.
Bus Line from NYC:
The Bonanza bus stop in Canaan, CT is approximately 5 miles from the school. Schedules can be accessed at http://www.bonanza-bus.transit-info.com.
Local Taxi Services:
Lakeville Taxi 860-435-8000 and 800-675-0670
Airport Pickup, Saturday, June 30
Please note: My child will travel to JFK Airport (New York City) where a Salisbury representative will pick students up.
The shuttle (班车) will leave from JFK at 6 o’clock in the afternoon for the return to Salisbury. Please provide all flight information in the space below including the cell phone contact number for your child. We will provide the cell phone number of the representative later. This is the preferred arrival date for all students from home and abroad traveling through JFK, which can be guaranteed by taking the airplane.
Airline & Flight # :_________ NYC Arrival time:_________
Please note: My child will depart on August 4 by shuttle through JFK.
Depending on flight times, students may experience a long wait for their flight departures. Airline & Flight # :_________ Departure time:_________
1.What day is Progress Day?
A.Thursday. B.Friday.
C.Saturday. D.Sunday.
2.What should students keep in mind to take the shuttle on June 30?
A.Booking a bus ticket in advance. B.Arriving before 6 pm.
C.Waiting for a long time in the airport. D.Choosing a Salisbury representative.
3.Whom is this form mainly intended for?
A.The students’ parents. B.Teachers of the school.
C.The driver of the shuttle. D.Home and foreign students.
假如你是李华，你的美国网友Tom对遍布中国大街小巷的扫码支付很感兴趣，特意给你写信想了解一下。你根据以下提示给他回信：
1．中国扫码支付的现状；
2．扫码支付方法：在智能手机上打开支付宝或微信app，扫描二维码；
3．扫码支付的好处。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
参考词汇：扫码支付Scan to Pay；支付宝Alipay；微信WeChat；二维码QR code
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