Dazzling (眼花缭乱) with their bright colors and eye — catching displays, fireworks light up our night skies during the holidays. However, these crowd -pleasers can have some damaging side effects. Once a firework is set off, it only takes a couple of seconds before smoke, dust and harmful chemicals are let out into the atmosphere. The loud booming noises are caused by gunpowder. While the sounds may excite some people, they can be frightening to domestic and wild animals — as well as some humans.
The pretty colors you see are a result of more chemicals. Barium, added to make green, is known for its poisonous and radioactive qualities. Blue comes from copper compounds. Cadmium, lithium and lead — all found in fireworks — have been linked to diseases, such as allergies and skin rashes in both humans and animals. Acid rain has been linked to gases given off by fireworks, which sometimes go beyond the toxin (毒素) limits of the United States Clean Air Act.
Once all those chemicals come back down to the ground, they can cause problems too. Debris (碎片) from the fireworks falls to the ground, where animals can bum their paws or noses on piping hot pieces. Humans also are at risk of stepping on or picking up something sharp or hot. Meanwhile, debris that finds its way into waterways can damage animal habitats and water supply sources. Instead of setting off fireworks, try to come up with some new ways for fun. Here are some ideas to get you started:
Sky lanterns — a tradition that originated long ago in the most-populated Asian country.
Party crackers — a favorite in the United Kingdom — give you noise and surprises without the mess of fireworks. You can make your own or buy eco-friendly crackers.
Want noise excitement with less volume? Consider a fireworks sound recording beforehand or break out the party horns (号角) and blow up a storm!
1.The advantages of fireworks can be seen below EXCEPT that _________.
A.the special sounds of fireworks excite people
B.the pretty and bright colors add to the beauty of night skies
C.fireworks are enjoyed as one of the crowd-pleasers
D.debris from fireworks can even find its way into water
2.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?
A.Chemicals in fireworks are both poisonous and dangerous.
B.Too much gases from fireworks can result in acid rain.
C.Copper compounds are needed to make green in fireworks.
D.Chemicals in fireworks are harmful in the air and on the ground.
3.What is implied from the passage?
A.Gunpowder in fireworks makes loud booming noises.
B.It must be Indians who first started to hang sky lanterns.
C.Fireworks can even break the balance of nature.
D.Fireworks does less harm in the air than on the ground.
4.What can be concluded as the writer’s attitude towards fireworks?
A.It is not allowed to set off fireworks except during the holidays.
B.Night is the best time to set off fireworks and see the pretty colors.
C.You cannot set off fireworks unless you come up with new ways.
D.Fireworks should be banned and replaced by some other means.
Jack's sister gave him a car as a Christmas present. On Christmas Eve when Jack came out of his office, a street boy was walking around the shiny new car, admiring it. ''Is this your car, Mister? ''he asked. Jack nodded. ''My sister gave it to me for Christmas. '' The boy was astonished. ''You mean your sister gave it to you and it didn't cost you anything? Boy, I wish…'' He hesitated. Of course Jack knew what he was going to wish for. He was going to wish he had a sister like that. But what the kid said made Jack quite surprised.
''I wish,'' the boy went on, ''that I could be a sister like that.'' Jack looked at the boy in astonishment, and then impulsively he added, ''Would you like to take a ride in my automobile?''
''Oh, yes, I'd love that.'' After a short ride, the boy turned and with his eyes shining, said, ''Mister, would you mind driving in front of my house?'' Jack smiled a little. He thought he knew what he wanted. He wanted to show his neighbors that he could ride home in a big automobile. But Jack was wrong again.
''Will you stop where those two steps are?'' the boy asked. He ran up the steps. Then after a little while Jack saw him coming back, but he was not coming fast. He was carrying his little crippled sister. He sat her down on the bottom step and pointed to the car. ''There she is, Buddy, just like I told you upstairs. His sister gave it to him for Christmas and it didn't cost him a cent. And some day I’m going to give you one just like it. . . then you can see for yourself all the pretty things in the Christmas windows that I've been trying to tell you about.”
Jack got out and lifted the kid to the front seat of his car. The shining-eyed older sister climbed in beside him and the three of them began a memorable holiday ride.
That Christmas Eve, Jack learned that it was more blessed to give…
1.Which of the following is FALSE according to the passage?
A.The boy was wishing for a sister like Jack's.
B.Jack's sister gave him a car at Christmas.
C.The boy wanted to show his car to his neighbors.
D.The boy had a disabled sister.
2.What does ''she'' refer to in paragraph 4?
A.The steps. B.The automobile.
C.The girl. D.The woman.
3.Which of the following best describes the boy?
A.Kind-hearted and generous. B.Kind-hearted and thoughtful.
C.Honest and generous. D.Honest and hardworking.
4.What can we learn from the passage?
A.Having a rich sister is important. B.It's unlucky to have a disabled sister.
C.It's better to give than to receive. D.God helps those who help themselves.
The brain, rather than our eyes, may be more important for sight, researchers studying fruit flies have discovered. The discovery could change the way we think about vision.
Researchers in the University of Virginia have found that the very simple eyes of fruit fly larva (幼虫), with only 24 total photoreceptors (感光细胞) (the human eye contains more than 125 million), provide just enough light input to allow the animal’s large brain to make that input into images. Their discovery shows that vision may be less important to “seeing” than previously thought—and in fact it is the brain’s ability to process points of light into complex images that is key.
“It blows open how we think about vision.” said Barry Condron. “This tells us that visual input may not be as important to sight as the brain working behind it.”
Condron’s graduate students, Elizabeth Daubert, Nick Macedonia and Catherine Hamilton, conducted a series of experiments to test the vision of fruit fly larvae. They found that when a larva was tied to the bottom of a dish, other larvae were attracted to it as it attempted to free itself. After several further experiments to understand how they sensed the motion, the researchers learned that the nearly blind animals likely were seeing the action.
“The answer must be in the brain of these animals.” Condron said. “They are able to take just a couple dozen points of light and then process that into recognizable images; something like when an astronomer with a small telescope is able to use techniques to improve a limited image into useful information about a star.” Condron believes the animals are able to assemble useful images by rapidly scanning their heads and, in doing so, gather up enough light points to allow the brain to compose an image clear enough to “see”.
The researchers tested this by presenting larva with a video (therefore no sound and no smell) and found that the larvae still sensed and sought out the struggling larva on the video. This provides us with a good model for trying to understand the role that the brain plays in helping organisms, including humans, to process images, such as recognizing faces.
1.The writer mainly wants to tell us that __________.
A.the brain may be more important for sight than people thought
B.people should depend on brain rather than eyes for sight
C.using the fruit fly larva to test the eyes is the best way
D.some methods can keep our eyesight accurate and normal
2.The researchers chose the fruit fly larva because it __________.
A.doesn’t move very quickly B.has a very wise brain
C.only has a few photoreceptors D.doesn’t have large limbs
3.Condron used the example of “an astronomer with a small telescope” in Para. 5 to show __________.
A.how the larvae gather up enough light points
B.why the larvae moved their heads side-to-side
C.the brain helps process the light points into images
D.how we can get useful information about a star with a small telescope
4.The underlined word “assemble” in the fifth paragraph may mean “__________”.
A.observe enough actions B.receive useful information
C.choose proper equipment D.put together separate parts
Five years ago, famous writer Mike became very ill. His body ached and he felt constantly tired. It was difficult for him to even move around. His doctor told him that he would lose the ability to move and _______ die from the disease. He was told he had only a 1 in 500 chance of survival.
Despite the diagnosis (诊断), Mike was _______ to overcome the disease and survive. He had always been interested in medicine and had read a book, which discussed the idea of how body chemistry and health can be damaged by emotional stress and negative _______. The book made Mike think about the possible _______ of positive attitudes and emotions. He thought, “Is it possible that love, hope, faith, laughter, confidence, and the _______ to live have positive treatment value?”
He decided to concentrate on positive emotions as a way to treat some of the symptoms of his disease. In addition to his traditional medical treatment, he tried to put himself in situations that would _______ positive emotions. “Laugh therapy” became part of his treatment. He _______ time each day for watching comedy films, reading humorous books, and doing other activities that would draw out _______ emotions. Within eight days of starting his “laugh therapy” program his pain began to _______ and he was able to sleep more easily. He was able to return to work in a few months’ time and actually __________ complete recovery after a few years.
1.A.hurriedly B.eventually C.gradually D.suddenly
2.A.able B.determined C.willing D.positive
3.A.attitudes B.beliefs C.goals D.positions
4.A.shortcoming B.benefit C.honor D.interest
5.A.emotion B.pain C.fear D.will
6.A.bring about B.set about C.put up D.make up
7.A.afforded B.appointed C.offered D.arranged
8.A.positive B.approving C.strong D.mixed
9.A.escape B.decrease C.shrink D.end
10.A.covered B.situated C.wanted D.reached
—_________ I don’t think I’ve got what you said.
—I was saying that I’d like there to be a wonderful party.
A.What? B.Repeat. C.Once again. D.Sorry?
_________ early and you can see the beautiful sunrise on the horizon.
A.Getting up B.To get up C.Get up D.Got up
