Antarctica (南极洲) is the fifth largest continent on Earth. It is also the coldest, windiest, driest and highest. It is an ice-covered place where no large plants grow, and no land animals live there. Antarctica covers an area of more than 13.6 million square kilometres. It is nearly twice the size of Australia, or one-and-a-half times the size of the United States of America.
Antarctica does not belong to one country, and it has no government. People visit Antarctica – usually as tourists, or to do scientific research – but no one lives there all the time.
Antarctica was the last place to be discovered. It is not certain who first saw Antarctica, but sailors began to map Antarctica’s coast from their ships in the 1800s. The first proved landing was in the mid-1890s.
Over the next few years, several men tried but failed to reach the South Pole, which is the Earth’s southernmost point.
Finally, a team led by Norwegian Roald Amundsen reached the South Pole in 1911. By then, countries around the world were becoming more and more interested in the frozen place, and soon Argentina, Australia, Chile, France, New Zealand, Norway and the United Kingdom had laid claim（声称）to parts of Antarctica.
As so many nations had made a claim to govern in Antarctica, it was clear that fighting might break out. Diplomats(外交官) from different countries wanted to stop a war from starting, so they began talking about a treaty for Antarctica. A treaty is a written agreement signed by two or more nations.
Several countries had already set up research stations in Antarctica where scientists could live and work. Most scientists worked during the summer months when it was not as cold as in winter. Scientists hoped a treaty would allow them to continue their work and to exchange information with scientists from other countries.
Answer the following questions. (No more than six words)
1.What’s the area of Antarctica?
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2.When did sailors begin to map Antarctica’s coast from their ships?
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3.What do we call the Earth’s northernmost point?
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4.How many nations had laid claim to parts of Antarctica?
_______________________________________________________________
5.Why did diplomats from different countries begin talking about a treaty for Antarctica?
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Most people have map apps on their phones that can show their locations and guide them to where they want to go. But how do these app systems know your location at any time or place? They find you by using satellite navigation system(卫星导航系统).
A navigation system uses groups of satellites to find the user’s locations. This location information is then sent to a receiver.
The first navigation system is the Global Position System(GPS)(全球定位系统), which belongs to the United States. The system is the world’s famous navigation system. But China’s satellites are important for improving the navigation system. Beidou, has overtaken(超过) GPS in size, Japan’s Nikkei Asian Review reported.
China sent Beidou’s first navigation satellite into space in 2000. China also became the third country to build a navigation system after the United States and Russia, People’s Daily reported. As of right now, over 30 countries in Africa and the Middle East are using the Beidou system.
With its world-leading technology, Beidou is leading Chinese people to a better life by playing important roles in different areas, according to Xinhua News.
For example, over 6.2 million vehicles in China are using Beidou for navigation, according to a report on the Beidou system’s construction and development.
At the newly built Beijing Daxing International Airport, Beidou has been used to keep track of(追踪) loading and unloading vehicles indoors and outdoors. When the airport opens, each baggage cart has Beidou navigation equipment to help passengers get their luggage faster.
For a navigation system, the number of satellites is important for improving the system’s positioning accuracy(定位精度). The more satellites, the more accurate the positioning is. The satellite navigation system is useful in many ways.
1.What does a navigation system use to find a user’s location?
A.A smart phone. B.Several satellites. C.Beidou D.An airport.
2.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A.GPS is the first navigation system in the world.
B.Beidou system has world leading technology.
C.GPS is much larger than Beidou System.
D.To make the positioning more accurate, we need more satellites.
3.Nikkei Asia Review may be _______.
A.a newspaper B.a satellite C.a navigation system D.an airport
4.How many countries have built navigation systems before 2000?
A.Three. B.Two. C.Over 30. D.One.
5.At Daxing International Airport, Beidou helps _______.
A.to open the doors B.to find the luggage more quickly
C.to improve the positioning accuracy D.to build the new airport
Strawberries look nice, but a light pressure can make them out of shape. Nowadays, there are many young people who are just like strawberries. They easily break down when they face difficulties. They don’t know what to do when they are in trouble. They have a common name -- strawberry kids.
Why are many students so easy to break down? Parents and schools are a main reason. Parents do almost everything for them in their daily life, while schools care more about their grades instead of developing their personality.
Liu Yue, 13, is from Fujian. His mom hardly criticizes him and he always feels good about himself . When a teacher criticized him strictly, he felt surprised and sad. He began to doubt his abilities.
Students should do something to make them mentally(精神上) strong. An expert said, “When you are in trouble, don’t ask for help too quickly. You should try to deal with problems first by yourself. I also advise you to take an active part in sports and social activities. That can make you mentally strong.”
Growing up is not just a happy process. Pains also go along with it. The most important thing is to face the pains bravely and learn from them.
1.Some students are called “strawberry kids” because_______.
A.they are out of shape under the great pressure
B.they easily break down in face of difficulties
C.they all like to eat some fruit, for example, strawberries
D.they are weak and need to be protected like strawberries
2.Which is not the main reason for the strawberry kids to break down easily?
A.Schools care about their grades.
B.Parents do almost everything for them.
C.Kids take an active part in sports and social activities.
D.Schools do not care about developing their personality.
3.The underlined word “criticize” probably means “_______” in Chinese.
A.赞扬 B.鼓励 C.批评 D.忽略
4.In the fourth paragraph, the expert asked students to_________.
A.solve problems on their own first
B.look for a chance to talk with parents
C.make friends with all their classmates
D.ask for help quickly when they are in trouble
5.The writer advised students to___________ .
A.pay more attention to study B.face the difficulties bravely
C.care more about their classmates D.ask parents to solve the problem
| Ping Pong Door Do you want a ping-pong table in your room? But you may not have enough space. Now this door is here to help you. It can turn into a ping-pong table when you pull it down. After the ping-pong game is over, it goes back to being a common door. It was designed by Tobias Fränzel from Germany. Cool idea! |
| Dog Watch The dog watch is a “clock for keeping time at a rate(比率) other than human time” and was invented in 1991. With this watch, you can know time at your animal’s rate instead of your own. The watch multiplies（乘）every human time by seven, giving us “doggy time”. If a dog lives to be the age of 14, that translates into 98 human years! |
| Earthquake House Big earthquakes can hit a house, possibly making the people in it get hurt. But Dysinger has found a way, the Earthquake House! His idea is simple. Build a round house that has earthquake sensors(传感器) in it. If the sensors know the big earthquake, the house is free from its chains(链条). Don’t worry. You always remain straight in it. |
| Smell This How do you know if your breath smells nice, or if it smells bad? It’s difficult to know because it’s very hard to smell the air that comes out of your own mouth. Smell This is useful for this situation. You just place the mask on your face, then breathe out through your mouth and breathe in through your nose. |
1.The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refers to __________.
A.the ping-pong games B.your room C.the ping-pong table D.enough space
2.A dog watch helps _______.
A.a dog to know the time B.to know the life of a dog
C.dogs to know the time for meals D.to translate a dog’s age into human time
3.What’s the shape of the Earthquake House?
A.Square. B.Round. C.Triangle. D.Cross.
4.To make sure your breath smells nice, you may need __________.
A.Ping Pong Door. B.Dog Watch.
C.Earthquake House. D.Smell This.
5.This passage is probably from _____.
A.a novel B.a story book C.a newspaper D.a poem
Sometimes I really doubt whether there is love between my parents. They don’t act in the romantic ways that I read in books or I see on TV. For them, “I love you” is too luxurious（奢侈的） to say. Even sending flowers to each other on special days is ______. And my father got angry easily.
One day, my mother was sewing a quilt(缝被子). I silently sat beside her and ______ at her. “Is there love between you and Dad?” I asked her in a very ______ voice. My mother stopped her work and looked at me ______. She didn’t answer my question at once.
I was very worried because I thought I had hurt her. But ______ I heard my mother say the following words.
“Susan,” she said, “ look at this thread (线). Sometimes it ______, but most of the time, it hides in the quilt. The thread really makes the quilt strong and durable(耐用的). If life is a quilt, then ______ should be a thread. It can hardly be seen anywhere or anytime, but it’s really there.”
I listened carefully but I couldn’t understand her ______ the next spring. At that time, my father suddenly got sick ______. My mother had to stay with him ______ for a month. When they returned from the hospital, they both looked very ______. After they were back, every day in the morning and dusk, my mother helped my father walk slowly on the country road. My father had ______ been so gentle. It seemed that they were the most harmonious(和谐的) couple. The sun gently shines through the leaves. All of these ______ the most beautiful picture in the world.
The doctor had said my father would recover in two months. But after two months he still couldn’t walk by himself. All of us were worried about him. “Dad, how are you feeling now?” I asked him one day. “Susan, don’t worry about me.” he said gently. “To tell you the ______, I just like walking with your mom. I like this kind of life.” Reading his eyes, I know he loves my mother deeply.
______ I thought love meant flowers, gifts and sweet kisses. But from this experience, I understand that love is just a thread in the quilt of our life. Love is inside, making life strong and warm.
1.A.impossible B.enjoyable C.fashionable D.acceptable
2.A.shouted B.cried C.looked D.laughed
3.A.exciting B.low C.strange D.happy
4.A.in fear B.in need C.in danger D.in surprise
5.A.at first B.at then C.at last D.at times
6.A.appears B.disappears C.comes D.shows
7.A.money B.friend C.love D.family
8.A.until B.to C.after D.during
9.A.easily B.sadly C.heavily D.seriously
10.A.at home B.in the hospital C.in hospital D.in the country
11.A.pale B.strong C.sad D.happy
12.A.always B.never C.sometimes D.usually
13.A.made up B.looked up C.gave up D.put up
14.A.lie B.reason C.truth D.result
15.A.Once B.And C.Then D.So
—There will be a speech about Chinese culture this evening. But I am wondering _______ .
—By No.10 bus. It’s a fifty minutes’ ride from here.
A.where it will be held B.how I can go
C.how long it takes to get there by bus D.how far it is from here
