Do you believe that only boys do well in science? Does it seem to you that girls have better language skills than boys? In your opinion, are boys better at building things? If your answer to each of those questions is “Yes,” you are right, according to an article in Current Science." There are exceptions(例外), but here are the facts.
Usually, boys score higher on tests about math, while girls do better in tests about words, spelling and memory. But these differences may not always be true. In the future, a person’s abilities may not be decided by sex. As one scientist says, “Nothing is impossible for a person to be or do.”
A recent study by Jerome Kagan, a scientist at Harvard University is studying the watching ability of children 10 months old. Baby boys and baby girls are watching a “show” while seated on their mothers’ laps. In Act One of the show, an orange-colored ball is lifted from a blue box and moved slowly. Then it is returned to the box. This is repeated six times. Act Six is almost the same, except that the orange ball is smaller.
Baby boys do not seem to notice the difference in the size of the ball, but girls immediately become excited and begin to make noises that sound like language.
It’s also known that baby girls usually talk at an earlier age than baby boys do. Scientists believe that the left side of the brain develops faster in girls than in boys. As a result, by the time they start to school, little girls have an advantage that boys don’t have, but what have the boys been doing in the year before starting school? They have been developing something called aggression. An aggressive person feels strong and independent. He is often the first one to start a fight. It is said that aggression is caused by hormones (荷尔蒙). Scientists believe that hormones are not the only cause. They say aggression in boys is also caused by mothers.
1.According to the article in Current Science, what are girls better at?
A.Finding facts B.Using language C.Learning science D.Building things
2.Which is right about Jerome Kagan’s study?
A.Girls don’t like the show.
B.Boys are strong enough to lift a blue box.
C.Boys and girls have the same watching abilities.
D.Girls quickly notice the difference in the size of the ball.
3.Why do girls have an advantage when they start to school?.
A.Girls become independent earlier. B.Mothers teach girls more patiently.
C.Girls’ hormones develop more completely. D.The left side of the brain develops faster in girls.
4.What does the underlined word “aggression” in Paragraph 5 mean?
A.An angry feeling. B.A good habit. C.A friendly action. D.A strong person.
5.What is the passage mainly about?
A.The research on girls’ advantages. B.The result of school education.
C.The differences between boys and girls. D.The children’s abilities to memorize.
GIY stands for “grow it yourself” and is about a new fashion for growing your own food. There are a lot of reasons why growing your own food is a good idea. GIY helps reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions (排放物). Food in supermarkets travels a long way and that produces a lot of CO2. If you grow as many vegetables as you can at home, you can help save the earth.
Vegetables you grow are also good for your health because they have more nutrients than supermarket vegetables and they don’t have chemicals.
How much money can you save? First of all, seeds are a lot cheaper than vegetables, and secondly, you can save more by planting the most expensive and the most productive (多产的) vegetables. You can give your vegetables to friends and neighbors. It can make you very popular.
Don’t worry if you don’t have much space. To GIY, you don’t even need a garden. You can use pots on your balconies (阳台). And don’t worry if your space doesn’t get much sun. You can plant vegetables that don’t need a lot of sun to grow.
Grow your own vegetables now. You will have both a healthier body and a healthier social life.
1.Food at supermarkets produces a lot of CO2 because of ________.
A.growing B.collection C.transportation D.sun
2.What do people mostly need if they want to grow their own vegetables?
A.Some seeds. B.A garden. C.Some chemicals. D.Some water.
3.From the passage, we can learn that ________.
A.all vegetables need a lot of sun to grow B.vegetables from supermarkets must be a little cheaper
C.we can plant vegetables on our balconies D.the plants on the balconies need enough sun
4.What could be the best title for the passage?
A.Saving Money B.Growing Vegetables Yourself
C.Saving the Earth D.Buying Some Seeds
Zhang Ming is having a trip in America. He lives in New York City Hotel. This is a 4-star hotel. Each room offers a flat-screen TV, CD/DVD player and Wi-Fi. All rooms come with a microwave (微波炉), a mini-refrigerator and dishware. Besides, we have fitness Center, Business Center, Non-smoking Rooms for you.
Here is Zhang Ming’s room card.
The front
Welcome to New York City Hotel
Phone number: (626) 555-1212
Website: http://www.Newyorkcityhotel.com
Buses to the hotel: Bus 705, Bus 11, Bus21
The back
Usage:
Keep the card close to the response area (反应区) on the door until the green light is on. Then open the door.
Notice:
1. Take the card with you. It will be a help if you get lost.
2. If the card is lost during your stay in the hotel, please call our service center.
3. Give the card back to the service center when you leave.
1.Zhang Ming lives in ________ now,
A.MGM Grand Hotel B.Mirage Hotel C.New York City Hotel D.Caesars Palace Hotel
2.If Zhang Ming gets lost, he can ________.
A.take Bus 750 to the hotel B.wait until the light is green
C.go back to the hotel to search the Internet D.call the hotel at the phone number on the card.
3.Which sentence is true according to the passage?
A.New York City Hotel is a 5-Star hotel.
B.Guests in the hotel can’t use Wi-Fi.
C.You can still keep the card when you leave the hotel.
D.There is a park across from the New York City Hotel.
Be thankful that you don’t already have everything you want.
If you did, what would there be to look forward to?
Be thankful when you don’t know anything.
For it gives you the chance to learn.
Be thankful for the difficult times.
During those times you grow.
Be thankful for your disadvantages.
Because they give you chances for improvement.
Be thankful for each new challenge.
Because it will build your strength and character.
Be thankful for your mistakes.
They will teach you valuable lessons.
Be thankful when you’re tired and bored.
Because it means you’ve made a difference.
Be thankful for your past relationships.
Someone better suited to you is waiting out there.
Gratitude (感谢) can turn a negative into a positive.
Find a way to be thankful for your troubles, and they can become your blessings.
1.Why should you be thankful for the mistakes?
A.Because we can make a difference.
B.Because they give us chances for improvement.
C.Because we can never make mistakes in the future.
D.Because we can get valuable lessons from the mistakes.
2.What can we infer from the poem?
A.The writer lives a hard life. B.The writer is active and positive to life.
C.The writer is afraid of making mistakes. D.The writer is never thankful for what he had.
3.What’s the poem mainly talking about?
A.Valuable lessons B.Being thankful C.Making a difference D.New challenge
Rudi Matt lived in a small village in the Swiss Alps in 1865. What he wanted most in the world was to climb the highest peak (峰) in the Alps. Rudi's mother and his uncle, Franz, a mountain guide, wanted him to stop_______and start working in a hotel. Rudi would not_______his dream and secretly got in touch with an English mountain climber_______was planning to climb the highest peak.
Franz was very angry when he found out what Rudi had done, but he finally agreed to let Rudi go if he went climbing,_______. Franz also didn't want to see Emil Saxo, a guide from another village, got to the top_______him.
Rudi turned out to be a very good climber,_______as they got close to the top, the Englishman got sick and could go no farther. Franz stayed behind to take care of him, but Saxo continued, wishing to be the_______to the top. Rudi went after Saxo, hoping to beat him to the top. When they met, Saxo fought with Rudi and fell down by accident. Saxo was helpless and hurt. Rudi must_______whether to carry Saxo back down to safety or to continue alone to the top.
He decided Saxo's life was more_______than his dream and helped him down. During that time, the Englishman and Franz____________the climb, and finally they reached the top. Later, when they returned to the village, they told people that Rudi was the real conqueror (征服者) of the mountain.
1.A.learning B.playing C.climbing D.talking
2.A.try out B.give up C.go over D.work out
3.A.what B.which C.whom D.who
4.A.again B.too C.once D.instead
5.A.after B.behind C.before D.over
6.A.but B.so C.or D.for
7.A.first B.second C.third D.last
8.A.wonder B.remember C.ask D.decide
9.A.important B.successful C.popular D.interesting
10.A.stopped B.continued C.enjoyed D.finished
—I wonder ________. —Yes, of course.
A.why we will visit the museum B.how we will get to the museum
C.what we can see in the museum D.whether the museum is worth visiting
