The centerpiece of curling(冰壶)is the curling stone. Kays of Scotland has been making curling stones since 1851, when William Kay and his sons Andrew and Thomas set up a workshop in Mauchline, Ayrshire, in southwest Scotland. Kays is still owned by the relatives of the founder, and today it is the only curling stone maker left in Scotland.
Used in a highly competitive sport, the curling stones are made to exact standards. First, stones are sliced and then into round “cheeses”. Finally, the cheeses are shaped and polished into curling stones in a series of steps.
Each stone must weigh 44 pounds. Each must have a maximum diameter (直径) of 36 inches. Polishing is done by hand on a wheel using water, diamond-talcum power, and felt. Finishing the stone’s “running edge” is done entirely by hand with a special kind of paper and a digital measure and magnifying glass (放大镜). Lastly, a handle(把手) is fitted into holes on the top of the stone. Stones are computer-matched into pairs. Sixteen stones----8 pairs----are needed for a game, and since curling game field usually have 6 lanes, each game field needs 96 matched stones!
Kays is a small company, employing less than ten skilled workers. Master craftsman and co-owner James Wyllie is skilled at all phases of curling stone making and is also an enthusiastic curler, as well as active member of Mauchline’s Burns Club, which meets regularly to honor well-known Mauchline residents.
【小题1 】What is true about Kays?
A. It is a family business.
B. It’s a brand(牌子) of curling stones.
C. It’s a place in Scotland.
D. It’s the name of a curling stone dealer(业者).
【小题 2】How many curling stones are needed for two games happening at the same time?
A. 8 B. 16 C. 32 D. 96
【小题 3】What does the underlined word “sliced” mean in Chinese in the second paragraph?
A. 切割 B. 镶嵌 C. 移开 D. 固定
【小题 4】Which of the following statements is NOT RIGHT according to the passage?
A. Kays of Scotland has been curling stone maker for more than 150 years.
B. The weight of each curling stone must be 44 pounds.
C. We use a special machine to polish the curling stone.
D. The workers in Kays are all experienced.
【小题 5】What’s the passage mainly about?
A. The history of curling.
B. How to make a curling stone.
C. The rules of curling.
D. How to become a curling stone maker.
When people want to know about the weather, they usually go to their radios, TVs, newspapers, or to the Internet. However, you can also find many weather signs among wildlife, because of their highly developed senses. Drops in air pressure produce an effect on small animals in many ways. Mice and deer are good weather indicators. People who spend a lot of time outdoors have observed that, before a storm, field mice come out of their holes and run around. Deer leave high ground and come down from the mountains.
Birds are especially good weather indicators because they also show the effect of a pressure drop in many ways. For example, some birds become irritable(暴躁) and quarrelsome and will fight over a piece of bread. Other birds chirp and sing just before a storm. It seems they know they won’t get another chance for an hour or two. Birds also look for safe places before a storm. You will sometimes see birds settling in trees or gathering together on a wire close to a building. Pre-storm low pressure make the air so thin that birds have difficulty flying.
It is unusual to see many birds flying overhead in the summertime, rather than during the periods in the spring or autumn. Watch for other weather signs if you see this. If they fly in the wrong direction, they may be flying ahead of a storm.
By paying closer attention to some important signs in nature, we can become better prepared for any kind of weather.
【小题 1】The word “indicators” in paragraph 1 probably means .
A. maps B. services C. signs D. stations
【小题 2】How can birds sense the coming of a storm?
A. By feeling a drop in air temperature.
B. By noticing the change of wind directions.
C. By feeling a drop in air pressure.
D. By noticing the movements of other animals.
【小题3 】The best title for the text would be .
A. Signs of a Storm B. Drops in Air Pressure
C. Animals’ Sharp Senses D. Nature’s Weather Signs
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Hans Bethe The late German-American physicist Hans Bethe once described himself as “the H-bomb’s midwife（接生婆）”. He left Nazi Germany in 1933, after which he helped develop the first atomic bomb（原子弹）, won the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1967 for his contribution to the theory of nuclear reactions（核反应）and advised controls over nuclear weapons（武器）for the peaceful use of the nuclear energy. |
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Francis Crick The late Francis Crick, one of Britain’s most famous scientists, won the Nobel Prize in Physiology（生理学）or Medicine in 1962. He is best known for his discovery with James Watson and Maurice Wilkins, the double helix structure（双螺旋结构）of the DNA, though he also made important contributions in other fields. He died in 2004. |
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Peter Hall Sir Peter Hall’s life in the theatre has seen him running the Arts Theatre, founding the Royal Shakespeare Company when he was only 29, and directing the National Theatre. He also directed Akenfielf for London Weekend Television and runs the Peter Hall Company, which has 40 productions worldwide to its name. |
【小题 1】The above information is about _________.
A. famous physicists B. great people
C. great directors D. Nobel Prize winners
【小题 2】 Francis Crick won the Nobel Prize before ________ years of his death.
A. 32 B. 24 C. 42 D. 45
Evelyn Glennie was the first lady of solo percussion in Scotland. In an interview, she talked about how she became a percussion soloist（打击乐器独奏演员）in spite of deafness.
“Early on I decided not to allow the 1 of others to stop me from becoming a musician. I grew up on a farm in northeast Scotland and began 2 piano lessons when I was eight. The older I got, the more my passion（酷爱）for music grew. But I also began to lose my 3 . Doctors told me that the nerve damage(神经损伤) was the 4 and by age twelve, I was completely deaf. But my love for music never left me.”
“My 5 was to become a percussion soloist, even though there were none at that time. To perform, I learned to ‘hear’ music differently from others. I play in my stocking feet and can 6 the pitch of a note（音调高低）by the vibrations（振动）I feel through my body and through my imagination. My sound world exists by making use of almost every 7 that I have.”
“I decided to be a musician even though I was deaf, and applied to the famous Royal Academy of Music in London. No other deaf student had 8 this before and some teachers disagreed with me. Because of my performance, I finally entered the academy and went on to 9 with the academy’s highest honors a few years later.”
“I’ve been a soloist for more than ten years. 10 the doctor thought I was totally deaf, it didn’t mean that my passion couldn’t be realized. I would encourage people not to allow themselves to be limited by others. Follow your passion; follow your heart. They will lead you to the place you want to go.”
【小题 1】A. conditions B. opinions C. advantages D. recommendations
A. enjoying B. choosing C. taking D. giving
【小题 3】A. sight B. hearing C. touch D. taste
【小题 4】A. evidence B. result C. excuse D. cause
【小题 5】A. job B. opinion C. promise D. goal
【小题 6】A. tell B. see C. hear D. smell
【小题 7】A. feeling B. effort C. sense D. idea
【小题 8】A. done B. accepted C. advised D. refused
【小题 9】A. study B. offer C. graduate D. educate
【小题 10】A. As B. Although C. Because D. Since
—Jean, I didn’t do very well in this test.
—____. I’m sure you will make great progress if you improve the way you study.
A. Not at all B. Don’t lose heart C. I hope so D. Never mind
—You never stay up till midnight, do you?
—___________. But I think it’s bad for our health.
A. No, never B. No, sometimes C. Yes, never D. Yes, sometimes
