A black hole is created when a large star burns out. Like our sun, stars are unbelievably hot furnaces (熔炉) that burn their own matter as fuel. When most of the fuel is used up, the star begins to die.
The death of a star is not a quiet event. First, there is a huge explosion. As its outer layer is blasted off into space, the dying star shines as brightly as a billion suns.
After the explosion, gravity pulls in what’s left of the star. As the outside of the star sinks toward the center, the star gets smaller and smaller. The material the star is made of becomes tightly packed together. A star is so dense that a teaspoon of matter from it weighs billion of pounds.
The more the star shrinks, the stronger the gravity inside it becomes. Soon the star is very tiny, and the gravity pulling it in is unbelievably strong. In fact, the gravity is so strong that it even pulls light into the star! Since all the light is pulled in, none can flee. The star becomes black when there is no light. Then a black hole is born!
That’s what we know about black holes. What we don’t know is this: What happens inside a black hole after the star has been squeezed into a tiny ball? Does it keep getting smaller and smaller forever? Such a possibility is hard to imagine.
But if the black hole doesn’t keep shrinking, what happens to it? Some scientists think black holes are like doorways to another world. They say that as the star disappears from our universe, it goes into another universe. In other words, a black hole in our universe could turn into a “white hole” in a different universe. As the black hole swallows light, the white hole shines brightly — somewhere else. But where? A different place, perhaps, or a different time — many years in the past or future.
Could you travel through a black hole? Right now, no. Nothing we know of could go into a black hole without being crushed. So far the time being, black holes must remain a mystery.
Black holes are a mystery — but that hasn’t stopped scientists from dreaming about them. One scientist suggested that in the future we might make sure of the power of black holes. They would supply all of Earth’s energy needs, with plenty to spare. Another scientist wondered if a black hole could someday be used to swallow earthly waste — a sort of huge waste disposal in the sky!
1.What do we know about stars in the universe?
A.When a star begins to die, there’s no fuel left in it.
B.After the explosion, a star gets as small as a teaspoon.
C.A star explodes when it dies and then becomes smaller and smaller.
D.A star gets smaller and smaller because the outer layer of a star sinks toward the center.
2.Which of the following doesn’t help produce a black hole?
A.The dying star shines very brightly. B.The light can’t go out of the star.
C.The gravity inside the star is very strong. D.The star becomes very tiny and dense.
3.What can we know from the passage?
A.A star will blast and die when it lacks fuel to support its burning.
B.Man can never travel through a black hole but can make use of its power.
C.A black hole can swallow everything because it becomes smaller all the time.
D.Scientists have found that a black hole goes into another universe and becomes a white hole.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A.A New Scientific Discovery: Black Holes B.How Do Black Holes Come into Being?
C.What Are Black Holes? D.Travel Through A Black Hole
Apple lost its status as the world’s only trillion-dollar public company as shares slumped (下跌) following disappointing results.
The iPhone maker said that it would no longer tell how many iPhones, iPads and Macs it sells each quarter, claiming the figure was no longer relevant to investors. The announcement, combined with a forecast for the vital Christmas quarter, sent shares falling by more than 7 percent in after-hours trading, knocking over $70 billion off its value. If maintained, the drop means Apple’s value has fallen below the trillion-dollar mark for the first time since it reached the milestone in August.
Apple’s fall come despite it posting record profits and sales after it convinced consumers to buy more expensive versions of the iPhone in the three months to the end of September. During this period, it sold 46. 9 million iPhones, flat on the same period last year and below what analysts had expected. However, a huge increase in the price of each phone meant that iPhone revenues (收益) increased by 29 percent. On average, consumers now pay $793 for each iPhone, up from $618 a year ago.
Apple has successfully pushed its users into paying more for newer versions of its iPhone by adding new features and bigger screen sizes, even as sales growth has decreased. Revenues in the quarter increased by 20 percent to $62.9 billion, while profits were up 32 percent to $14.1 billion. Tim Cook, Apple’s chief executive, said sales had been disappointing in some emerging markets such as India, Turkey and Brazil.
Apple sold fewer Mac computers and iPads than a year ago, but said revenues from its software division had increased by 17 percent. Apple said it would continue to say how much revenue it makes from each of its product lines, which it claimed was a more relevant figure than unit sales.
1.What did the iPhone maker’s announcement cause?
A.It caused a stable market. B.It caused a drop in sales.
C.It caused weaker shares. D.It caused an increase in sales.
2.How were the sales of iPhones in the three months to the end of September last year?
A.They were better than this year. B.They were the same with this year.
C.They were not reported to the public. D.They were more terrible than this year.
3.Why did the revenues increase as the shares slumped?
A.The price was increased. B.People supported iPhones.
C.The sales were beyond expectation. D.The iPhone maker started a promotion.
4.What is the situation of the sales in some emerging markets?
A.It has a big market. B.The unit sales are good.
C.It is not very well received. D.It is uneven according to places.
No one is happy about missing his/her bus. When Thomas Daniel missed his school bus last week, he met Officer Lynema. Lynema was with the Grand Rapids Police Department in Michigan early in the morning. He said that he saw the 9-year-old boy running after a school bus. Lynema asked Thomas if he wanted a ride to school, which the young boy gratefully accepted (after his mother nodded).
On the way to school, Thomas invited Lynema to his birthday party that evening. The boy also said that he was afraid that none of his classmates would show up for the party because he was often bullied in school.
When Lynema attended the party later in the day, he was heartbroken. He discovered that he and Thomas’s brothers and sisters were the only people who had shown up for the party — and the young boy didn’t even have a cake. The next day, Lynema called together other police officers and returned to Thomas’ house to throw him a second birthday party.
After Thomas got back from school, he was astounded to come home and find presents, a Krispy Kreme donut cake and a band waiting to surprise him. Thomas later said that it was the “best birthday ever”.
The police department posted photos of the boy and his new friends in the hope that it would encourage other people to take action against bullying. “No kid should get bullied, and no kid should worry if anyone will come to his/her birthday party,” wrote the police department Internet page. “Next year, Thomas Daniel, make sure you invite us a little earlier. We wouldn’t want to miss it!”
1.What can we learn from the first paragraph ?
A.Thomas and Lynema met by accident. B.Thomas knew Lynema would help him.
C.Thomas actually disliked going to school. D.Thomas’ mom was worried about his safety.
2.Why was Lynema sad when he attended the party?
A.No other policemen came to the party. B.Thomas’ family was very poor and small.
C.There were only a few people in the party. D.Thomas didn’t invite classmates to his party.
3.What does the underlined word “astounded” in Paragraph 4 mean?
A.frustrated B.awkward
C.astonished D.embarrassed
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true?
A.Lynema organized another birthday party for Thomas.
B.Thomas will probably have a good time on his birthday next year.
C.The police department called on people to fight against bullying through Internet.
D.Thomas invited Lynema to his birthday party because he was often bullied in school.
How many times have you come back and felt terribly tired, feeling like your head is going to explode? Sounds familiar, right? Well, there are several ways to reduce the frequency of headaches, and those are: eating balanced diet through the day, making sure your body is well hydrated (保持身体水分);getting some exercise to remove the negative energy, like helping yourself with a short massage (按摩）on your head. However, preparing an easy recipe will instantly put a smile on your face after your workday.
You will need these simple ingredients (配料)to prepare the magical drink which will stop your headache: Lemon juice; 2 teaspoons of salt (preferably high quality salt); 1 cup of water.
Directions:
Squeeze 2 lemons. Pour the lemon juice into a cup and add 2 teaspoons of salt. Mix the two ingredients. Add a cup of water to the content. Drink the mixture quikly.
How will this drink work and what are the benefits of its ingredients?
Salt:Here is what salt does for your body:
--regulates your blood sugar.
--balances the sugar levels;
--benefits nerve cells for communication and information processing;
—obtains acidity from your body’s cells, especially brain cells;
—works as a strong anti-stress element for the body;
—adds energy in your body's cells.
Lemon Juice: This excellent juice, full of vitamin C and anti-poisons, will release all poisonous substances from your body and give you a sense of lightness. Here’s how the lemon will help you ease your headache and maintain well-being to your whole body:
—balances the pH levels in your body;
—protects your immune system;
—nourishes your brain and nerve cells;
— reduces inflammation (炎症)in your whole body (the headache is a type of inflammation, so the lemon juice fights against it).
Water：
Water is important for hydrating your whole body, including your head. Many of your daily headaches may be caused by dehydratation (脱水)，so keep in mind that you should drink plenty of water throughout the day.
1.How many ways arc mentioned in the text to help relieve headaches?
A. Two. B. Three.
C. Four. D. Five.
2.What do lemon juice and salt have in common in fighting against headaches?
A. Both can benefit our nerve cells a lot.
B. Both can keep our sugar levels balanced.
C. Both have no effect on our immune system.
D. Both balance the pH levels in our body.
3.The author’s main purpose in writing the text is .
A. to explain to us different reasons for headache problems
B. to give readers advice on how to avoid headache problems
C. to warn readers of the bad influence of headache problems
D. to offer an anti-headache recipe and the benefits of its ingredients
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
Missus Sommers one day found herself the unexpected owner of fifteen dollars. It seemed to her a very large amount of money. For a day or two she walked around in a dreamy state as she thought about her choices. Her daughter Janie was wearing worn shoes and needed new ones. She would buy cloth for new shirts for the boys. Her daughter Mag should have another dress. And still there would be enough left for new stockings for her children. The idea about how to spend the dollars made her restless with excitement.
On the day she planned to go shopping with the money, she ate a light meal- no! Between getting the children fed and the house cleaned, and preparing herself to go shopping, she forgot to eat at all!
When she arrived at the large department store, she spotted a pile of silk stockings at the entrance. A sign nearby announced that they had been reduced in price a young girl behind the counter asked her if she wished to examine the silky leg coverings. She smiled as if she had been asked to inspect diamond jewelry, and started to feel the soft, expensive items. Missus Sommers picked up a black pair and looked at them closely. Two red marks suddenly showed on her pale face. She looked up at the shop girl and said proudly, “Well, I will buy this pair.”
Missus Sommers changed her cotton stockings for the new silk ones in the ladies’ rest area. She had let herself be controlled by some machine-like force that directed her actions and freed her of responsibility. How good was the touch of the silk on her skin! Then she put her shoes back on and put her old stockings into her bag. Next, she went to the shoe department, where she tried on a pair of new boots. Her foot and ankle looked lovely. She could not believe that they were a part of herself.
注意：1.所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2.至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3.续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4.续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1：
After buying a pair of new boots, she walked into the clothing department.
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Paragraph 2：
She was about to leave the store when a kid running around reminded her of something.
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假定你是李华，你的英国朋友Alex即将来你校参加国际中学生汉语夏令营，请写一封电子邮件告知其相关信息，内容包括：
1.表示欢迎；
2.介绍活动内容；
3.你的期待。
注意：1.词数80左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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