MOST of you may have heard about the Nobel Prize. But do you know the Ig Nobel Prize (搞笑诺贝尔奖)?The awards are given each year to 10 unusual achievements in science. It is to “honor achievements that first make people laugh, and then make them think.
This September the 2014 winners of the Ig Nobel awards came out! Research into why bananas are slippery(滑的) won the Ig Nobel for physics.
A team of scientists from Japan, tested 12 different banana skins. They then used sensors to measure the friction(摩擦力) between the slippery side of banana skin and the ground. They found that when someone steps on a banana skin, a special chemical, polysaccharide follicular gel(囊泡多糖凝胶), is set off. This chemical reduces friction by one-fifth. Later, scientists also compared banana skin with apple skin and orange skin and showed why apple and orange skins are not quite so dangerous. Friction was about 60 per cent higher on an apple peel.
Polysaccharide follicular gel is also found in the membranes (薄膜) where our bones meet. “This idea will help to design a joint prosthesis (人工关节),” Kiyoshi Mabuchi, the lead scientist, told the BBC news.
The Ig Nobel Prize in Medicine went to doctors from the Detroit Medical Center, US. They used salt pork to stop a young child’s nose bleed. Other interesting research includes whether owning a cat was bad for your mental health and looking at ugly art can be painful.
While Ig Nobel Prizes are mostly funny, great scientific breakthroughs(突破) can be made. In 2006, a team found that a type of mosquito(蚊子) is equally attracted to the smell of feet and cheese. As a result, mosquito traps were made using cheese to fight against malaria in Africa.
1.Ig Nobel Prize awards are mainly given for achievements in _____.
A. chemistry B. Science
C. medical research D. Arts
2.Which of the following is True about the banana skin research?
A. The test led to the invention of a joint prosthesis.
B. Stepping on apple and orange skins are not dangerous.
C. The test showed that apple skin is more slippery than banana skin.
D. The chemical inside the skin mainly causes the banana’s slipperiness.
3.Which research has won 2014 Ig Nobel for Medicine?
A. Looking at ugly art can be painful.
B. Salt pork can be used to treat nosebleeds.
C. Mosquitoes like the smell of feet and cheese.
D. The influence cats have on their owner’s mental health.
4.What’s the best title for this passage?
A. Fun science that makes people think
B. Science is dry and humorless but meaningful
C. Ig Nobel Prizes： Think First, Then Laugh
D. Ig Nobel Prize given out to silly scientists
The judge(法官) thought Geoffrey Payne killed his wife. Now for the first time Payne wrote to a magazine from the prison about what happened on the night of 13 October 1999.
I had to stay late at the hospital that night to do an operation. I finally left at about 11p.m.. I drove home slowly because the wind was blowing and it was raining heavily. I was running into our road when a man suddenly ran in front of my car. I almost hit him but I stopped just in time. I was scared and the man looked scared, too. I got out of the car but he ran away before I could ask if he was all right. It was very strange.
When I got home, the lights were on but it was very quiet. I called to my wife but there was no answer. Then I remembered that she was out at a concert.
I was still very unhappy about what happened on the road, so I made myself a drink. Then I went upstairs to have a bath. I saw that the window in the bedroom was open. This was strange because my wife always locked the doors and windows before she went out. She was afraid of burglars. When I went to close it, I found Ellen. She was lying on the floor. There was blood everywhere. I rushed over for her pulse but she was dead. I was so scared. I sat on the floor beside her body without knowing what to do.
The next thing I knew was that the sky was getting light. I can’t remember a thing about that night. In the morning I phoned the police. They arrived half an hour after I phoned them. But it seemed like hours. During that time I tried hard to remember anything I could about the night before. I couldn’t stop thinking about the man in the road. What was he doing at that time of night in our quiet neighborhood?
1.When Payne got home, he found ______________.
A. a burglar in his house
B. the bedroom window closed
C. Ellen lying on the floor, blood all over
D. Ellen waiting for him in the concert hall
2.After he found Ellen dead, Payne .
A. called out for help
B. called the police at once
C. was too scared to do anything
D. tried to find out the murderer
3.Which of the following is NOT true?
A. Payne called the police the next morning.
B. Payne ran away after his car bumped into the man that night.
C. Payne couldn’t remember clearly what had happened that night.
D. Payne wondered what the man was doing in his neighborhood that night.
4.In this passage Payne tried to .
A. show he was sorry for his wife’s death
B. show he was guilty for murdering his wife
C. tell why his wife was killed that night
D. say the man in the road was probably the murderer
He is a child in a grown man’s body. Everywhere he goes, he makes his fans laugh so much. He is the lead character of the hugely popular film and TV series of Mr. Bean(憨豆先生), created by British comic actor Rowan Atkinson.
Since its TV show made the first appearance in 1990, its 14 half-hour programs have been sold to more than 200 TV territories worldwide. This year sees Mr. Bean celebrate its 25 th anniversary(周年纪念日).
Why has the character enjoyed success with people of different cultures?
Unlike most people in comedy today, Mr. Bean doesn’t make much use of dialogue, so there is no language barrier (障碍) in his work. Mr. Bean can talk ---sometimes does--- but what he does is much more important than what he might say. For example, in a TV episode, Mr. Bean becomes a barber and makes a terrible mess of the customer’s hair. This doesn’t need any translation.
But there’s a deeper reason. Although he is British and the stories generally take place in British settings, people from different cultures laugh at Mr. Bean for the same reason earlier generations (一代人) laughed at comic star Charlie Chaplin.
As Atkinson told the newspaper： “The essence (本质) of Mr. Bean is that he is self-centered and in fact doesn’t care about the outside world.” Mr. Bean breaks social rules wherever he goes – he jumps the queue, tries to cheat(作弊) in exams – we all secretly want to do but generally don’t.
1.The article is mainly about ______.
A. the influence of Mr Bean on British culture
B. the reasons behind the success of Mr Bean
C. the importance of humor in British culture
D. the most successful British film director
2.Why has Mr Bean been popular with people of different cultures?
A. Because he looks lovely and smart.
B. Because he can solve any problem in a special way.
C. Because people can quite often see him on the screen.
D. Because people can easily understand his humour.
3.Charlie Chaplin is mentioned in the second-to-last paragraph to ______.
A. make clear his importance in comedy history
B. show his popularity in Britain before Mr Bean
C. show he and Mr Bean have something similar
D. show that he and Mr Bean are British heroes
4.According to Atkinson, which of the following is an important characteristic of Mr. Bean?
A. Being selfish. B. Being childish.
C. Being generous. D. Being dangerous.
“Sesame Street” has been called “the longest street in the world. That is because the television program by that name can now be seen in so many parts of the world. It first appeared in New York in 1969.
In the United States more than six million children watch the program regularly. Tests have shown that children from different backgrounds have benefited(受益) from watching it. Those who watch it five times a week learn more than occasional (偶然的) viewers. In the US the program is shown at different hours during the week in order to increase the number who can watch it regularly. The programs all use songs, stories, jokes, and pictures to give children a basic understanding of numbers, letters and human relationships.
Why has “Sesame Street” been so much more successful than other children’s shows? Many reasons have been suggested. People mention the educational theories （理论）of its creators, thethe support by the government and private (私人的) businesses, and the skillful use of all kinds of TV tricks. Perhaps an equally important reason is that mothers watch it along with their children. This is partly because famous adult stars often appear on it. But the best reason for the success of the program may be that it makes every child watching feel able to learn. The child finds himself learning, and he wants to learn more.
1.Why is Sesame Street shown many times during the week?
A．More children can benefit from it.
B．Children can watch it 5 times a week.
C．Many schools can use it in classes.
D．Children can watch it again and again.
2.What can children learn from Sesame Street mainly?
A. Singing skills. B. Drawing skills.
C. Basic knowledge. D. Storytelling.
3.What is the most important reason for Sesame Street to be successful?
A. Because it is supported by the government and businesses.
B. Because it is based on educational theories.
C. Because it gives parents chances to see famous stars.
D. Because it gets children interested in learning.
完形填空
阅读下列短文，从文后各题所给的四个选项中选出一个最佳答案 。
Friends play an important role in our life. Most people ________ friendship to last forever. ________, even the best friendships can come to an end.
As time goes by, many friendships end because of a(n) ________ in personality or way of life. Tommy wrote, “I didn’t even know the friendship was over ________ I caught myself thinking of Alan as a former(以前的) friend.”
Peter explained, “We ________ seeing each other less and less. The friendship was just over.” Sometimes friendships ________ suddenly following a disagreement or move to another place.
Alice said, “Friendship slowly loses importance. I moved from one side of the city to the other. Since then we ________ made a phone call. We met less and less. At last our friendship got lost.”
Jack said, “ When I moved to Seattle after college, our friendship died. Both of us were always having difficulty ________ new jobs, so we didn’t keep in touch with each other. Our friendship was so ________ that I didn’t call him even if I went home.”
It’s true that the biggest ________ to a friendship is change. Generally, friends will accept each other if they both ________ what they were when they met, or change in similar directions. If they change or grow in ________ ways, the friendship will probably be lost.
There is always ________ pain of loss in a broken friendship. When ________ can be done to keep the friendship, it is important to ______ the pain and move on to build new friendships.
1.A. hope B. expect C. decide D. prefer
2.A. Unluckily B. Unfairly C. Improperly D. Incompletely
3.A. interest B. experience C. change D. suggestion
4.A. before B. while C. till D. until
5.A. finished B. practiced C. continued D. started
6.A. miss B. survive C. end D. lose
7.A. seldom B. often C. always D. never
8.A. hoping for B. dealing with C. guarding against D. making up
9.A. dangerous B. dead C. lasting D. strong
10.A. value B. clue C. problem D. answer
11.A. remain B. stay C. keep D. have
12.A. different B. similar C. strange D. popular
13.A. no B. any C. little D. some
14.A. anything B. everything C. Nothing D. something
15.A. regret B. forget C. imagine D. blame
—Excuse me! May I use your computer now?
—________I'm typing an important letter.
A. Will you? B. I hope so.
C. Why not? D. I'm afraid not.
