阅读短文, 根据短文内容回答问题。
Garbage(垃圾) Island
You can’t see it from the air. It’s almost impossible to see from a ship. But somewhere in the North Pacific is a huge island of garbage, just below the water surface.
What is the island made of?
The garbage island is not an island, but a collection of millions of plastic and other objects. The water movements of Pacific Ocean bring the objects together and cause them to go around in a big circle.
Charles Moore found it in 1997 and named it “the Great Pacific Garbage Patch” .
Where does all the plastic come from?
Much of the garbage comes from everyday objects, such as shopping bags and water bottles. Some of these objects finally reach the ocean. Garbage from the western coast of North America takes about six years to reach it. Objects from East Asia take about a year. Other garbage comes from ships passing through the area.
Is the Garbage Patch dangerous?
The larger pieces of garbage are a problem for wildlife. For example, sea turtles（海龟）and seabirds often think the plastic is their food. They eat the plastic and die.
In addition, the plastic stops sunlight from reaching deeper water. Without sunlight, very small sea animals die. Then, there is less food for larger fish to eat.
What can we do to help stop it?
Cleaning up the island isn’t easy. But we can make people realize the problem. One environmentalist(环保主义者), David de Rothschild, is sailing around the world in boat made of plastic bottles to teach people about the problem of garbage in the sea.
Another idea is that we can recycle the plastic garbage. Environmental engineer Cesar Harada is building a robot that collects pieces of plastic. Harada hopes to use his robot in the Pacific. Harada also has a website for reporting environmental problems. He says, “I hope everybody can become an environmental activist.”
1.What is the garbage made of?
2.How long does it take objects from East Asia to reach the island?
3.Is the garbage island dangerous?
4.Why is David de Rothschild sailing in bottle boat?
5.What can you do to help stop garbage island?
Do you know some great inventors and their inventions?
What factors (因素) are needed for their success?
Well, good timing for a start. You can have a great idea which the public simply doesn’t want … yet. The Italian Giovanni Caselli invented the first fax（传真）machine in the 1860s. Although the quality is excellent, his invention quickly died a commercial(商业的) death. It was not until the 1980s that the fax became very common in every office… too late for Giovanni Caselli.
Money also helps. The Frenchman Denis Papin (1647-1712) had the idea for a steam engine （蒸汽机）almost a hundred years before the better-remembered Scotsman James Watt was even born… but he never had enough money to build one.
You also need to be patient (it took scientists nearly eighty years to develop a light bulb which actually worked)… but not too patient. In the 1870s, Elisha Gray, a professional inventor from Chicago, developed plans for a telephone. Gray saw it as no more than “a beautiful toy”. However, when he finally sent details of his invention to the Patent Office(专利局) in February，1876, it was too late. Almost the same invention had arrived two hours earlier and the young man who sent it , Alexander Graham Bell, will always be remembered as the inventor of the telephone.
Of course what you really need is a great idea—but if you haven’t got one, a walk in the country and a careful look at nature can help. The Swiss scientist, George de Mestral, had the idea for Velcro(魔术贴) when he found his clothes covered in sticky seed pods after a walk in the country. During a similar walk in the French countryside some 250 years earlier, Rene Antoine Ferchault de Reaumur had the idea that paper could be made from wood when he found an abandoned wasps’ nest(蜂巢).
You also need good commercial sense. Willy Higinbotham was a scientist doing nuclear (核能的)research in the Brookhaven National Laboratory in Upton, USA. In 1958 the public were invited to an exhibition in the Laboratory to see their work, but both parents and children were more interested in a tiny 120cm screen with a white dot which could be hit back and forth over a “net” using a button and a knob. Soon hundreds of people were ignoring the other exhibits to play the first ever computer game—made from a simple laboratory instrument called an “oscilloscope”. Higinbotham, however, never made money from his invention: he thought people were only interested in the game because the other exhibits were so boring!
1.How many factors do inventors need?
A. 3. B. 4. C. 5. D. 6.
2.The word “ignoring” in last paragraph probably mean?
A. having no idea of B. making no sense to
C. getting no chance of D. paying no attention to
3.What can you learn from the passage?
A. Giovanni Caselli invented the first fax machine in the 1980s.
B. Denis Papin afforded to build a steam engine a hundred years ago.
C. Elisha Gray missed the chance to be the inventor of the telephone.
D. George de Mestral got the idea from a walk in a French countryside.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. How to be a successful inventor.
B. How to get a great idea from nature.
C. How to have good commercial sense.
D. How to make money from inventions.
Next time you hear yourself wishing for something better in your life, remember the word “SMART”. When you’ve decided to take action, read the following first.
S is for specific (具体的): For example, instead of setting a goal (目标): of “I want to lose weight”, set yourself a specific goal like “I want to lose five kilograms”. If you want to climb a high mountain, start your research, set a date and train for the climbing fitness.
M is for measurable (可测量的): Don’t try to “become healthy”, instead, set a goal that can be measured while carrying out an improved eating, exercise or lifestyle plan. For example, try to go to the gym for an hour three times a week, to visit your grandma once a week for an evening meal, or to eat no more than 200 grams of chocolate a week.
A is for achievable(可完成的): If you’ve never exercised in your life, don’t try to take part in the 2020 Olympics. Rather, get walking with a specific goal of how many steps to take a day. No need to try for the stars—baby steps are good.
R is for relevant (恰当的): Many of us choose goals that seem right, but are in fact wrong. They may go on for a few weeks before they fail. Try to avoid making the same mistake—rather choose goals that really speak to you.
T is for time-conscious (心中有数的): Finally, be very clear in your mind about how much time you are giving yourself to achieve the goal. That way, you know when you’ve succeeded, failed or whether you need to work harder to finish it before the last day.
1.According to the passage, the writer tells us how to_______.
A. lose weight B. take exercise
C. set a goal D. spend time.
2.What does the word “SMART” mean in the passage?
A. Five exercise plans. B. Five suggestions.
C. Five training steps. D. Five big letters.
3.Which of the following is not true according to the passage?
A. Specific numbers should be included in the goals you set.
B. You should begin with small steps while achieving a goal.
C. In order to make the goal fit for you, you should be careful.
D. More time should be given for you to achieve your goal.
Charles Dickens was an English writer. He was born in 1812. He created some of the world’s best-known characters and many readers think he is the most important writer of the Victorian era (1837-1901). Some of his famous novels are Oliver Twist, David Copperfield and Great Expectations. Most people in his novels lived in London.
In 1824, Dickens’ father went to prison(监狱) because he couldn’t pay money to someone. In those days, a man’s wife and young children went to prison with him. Charles was 12, so he left school to work in the prison. Life was hard, and a lot of children worked in those days. Dickens’ own experience helped him to write about poor children without a mother or father. Dickens' success began with the publication (出版) of The Pickwick Papers in 1836. And his book Oliver Twist is about a boy without father. Important people were more interested in the problems of poor people after reading Dickens’ books.
Dickens’ novels are often very long and he wrote them in different parts for a newspaper each week. His novels have a lot of exciting and sad things in them. He wanted his readers to buy the newspaper every week. And the readers wanted to finish the story! Dickens’ novels are popular because many of his stories are about social(社会的) problems and family life. Dickens was successful in writing and he has been praised by other writers for his style and characters.
1.When was Charles Dickens born?
A. In 1812. B. In 1824. C. In 1836. D. In 1901.
2.Where did Dickens work when he was 12?
A. In the prison. B. At a school. C. On a farm. D. In an office.
3.Dickens’ novels are popular because_______.
A. they have a lot of exciting and sad things
B. they are about social problems and family life
C. he has been praised for his style and characters
D. he is the most important writer of the Victorian era
Happiest Memories We asked people to send us a photo and write about their happiest childhood memory. | |
| My happiest memory is of my great-grandmother. She always used to keep candy in her pockets, and she’d always give us some when we came to visit. My dad used to play jokes and say, “Grandma, don’t give them any candy!” But she did it anyway. — Rosa, Mexico |
| All my aunts and uncles used to come over for Sunday dinner and there were always about 12 of us around a huge table. Sugar was my favorite food and I would eat some with my cousin and then play games. I was an only child, so it was nice to be part of a big family. — Sally, Russia |
| My sister and brother-in-law used to live next door. I was only a little older than my sister’s kids, so I grew up with my niece and nephew. I used to go over there a lot, eat chocolate together and play chess. I was their favorite aunt. — Haruka, Japan |
| I used to love playing basketball with my four brothers. I grew up in a blended family(重组家庭). After my parents got divorced, my father married a woman with two sons, and they had two more kids together. Anyway, the five of us used to play basketball on a team. Besides, we all had the same taste, that is, we liked bread a lot. — Justin, Canada |
1.Who has the happiest memory about Sunday dinner?
A. Rosa. B. Sally. C. Haruka. D. Justin.
2.What did Haruka use to eat with her niece and nephew?
A. Candy. B. Sugar. C. Bread. D. Chocolate.
3.What did Justin and his brothers play?
A. Jokes. B. Games. C. Chess. D. Basketball.
The Train Story
I was travelling by train one morning. Quietly reading, I found myself suddenly listening to the announcements(广播). When the trainman makes an announcement, it’s often quite boring. But this one was ________.
As I looked up from my paper, I ________ others also listening. Not only that, they smiled!
Why was so much attention being paid to this message?
As best I can remember, the trainman said, “Good morning. Ladies, Gentlemen and _______. It’s 7:35 a.m. and you'll be glad to know that we are right on time. What a lovely morning it is in Sydney today. The sun is shining, the temperature is about 21 degrees, birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. Thanks for ________ my train and I hope to see you again. Have a great day!”
Wow! Have you ever heard an announcement like that? I certainly hadn’t. As well as getting everyone smiling, there were quite a few people who started talking to one another about how good the message had made everyone feel.
The moment I got off the train, I ran into the young trainman and started to ________ him. He seemed a bit ________ at first. Continuously I said, “Well, I just wanted to thank you for your brilliant message on the way. It got everyone's attention and smile. Thank you so much for giving us such a good ________ to the day.”
That day I got two messages. The first is that people’s happiness at work shows in what they do and say. Also, the story tells me what you can get from thanking people for something they’ve done, ________ when it's not expected. Can you imagine the conversation that trainman would have when he got home, “Guess what happened to me today—a passenger thanked me!”
1.A. different B. famous C. bad D. easy
2.A. heard B. noticed C. got D. kept
3.A. Guides B. Teachers C. Parents D. Children
4.A. buying B. taking C. visiting D. passing
5.A. thank B. miss C. trust D. meet
6.A. mad B. tired C. surprised D. proud
7.A. lesson B. idea C. trade D. start
8.A. finally B. properly C. especially D. clearly
