Have you ever wondered?
1. Why do airplanes take longer to fly west than east?
It can take five hours to go west-east from New York(NY) to London but seven hours to travel east-west from London to NY. The reason for the difference is an atmospheric phenomenon known as the jet(喷射) stream. The jet stream is a very high altitude wind which always blows from the west to the east across the Atlantic. The planes moving at a constant air speed thus go faster in the west-east direction when the air moving with the wind than in the opposite direction.
2. What would happen if the gravity(重力) on Earth was suddenly turned off?
Supposing we could magically turn off gravity. Would buildings and other structures float away? What happened would depend on how strongly the things were attached to the Earth. The Earth is moving at quite a speed moving at over a thousand miles per hour. If you turn something round your head on a string, it goes around in a circle until you let go of the string. Then it flies off in a straight line. “Switching off ” gravity would be like letting go of the string. Things not attacked to the Earth would fly off in a straight line . People in buildings would suddenly shoot upwards at a great speed until they hit the ceiling. Most things would fly off into space.
1.What information can we get from the first passage?
A. It is the jet stream that affects how fast airplanes fly.
B. Planes go slower when they are moving with the wind.
C. It takes more time to fly from NY to London than from London to NY.
D. The jet stream always blows from the east to the west across the Atlantic.
2.The word “shoot” underlined in the 2nd passage probably means“ ”.
A. send for B. move quickly C. come out D. grow quickly
3.It can be inferred that without gravity .
A. buildings and other structures would float away
B. trees and buildings would not so easily fly off
C. something around your head would not float away
D. everything outside buildings would fly off into space
4. Where can we most probably read this text?
A. In a research paper. B. In a short story.
C. In a travel magazine. D. In a students’ book
In 1955, a man named Raymond Kroc entered a partnership with two brothers named McDonald. They opened a popular restaurant in California which sold food that was easy to prepare and serve quickly. Hamburgers, French fries, and cold drinks were the main food there. Kroc opened similar eating places under the same name, “McDonald’s”, and they were an instant success. He later took over the company, and today it is one of the most famous and successful “fast-food” in America and round the world.
Why was his idea successful? Probably the most important reason was that his timing was right. In the 1950s, most married women stayed home to keep house and take care of their children. In the 1960s, many women returned to the workplace. This meant that they had less time or energy to prepare meals, so they spent more on “ TV dinners ” and fast-food restaurants. Single parents also have little time to spend in the kitchen. People living alone also depend on this type of food, since cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth.
Fast-food is not part of the diet of all Americans. Another trend of the 1960s, sometimes called the back-to-nature movement influenced many people to avoid food that was packaged or processed(处理). This preference for natural food continued to this day.
From the success of Raymond Kroc’s fast-food business, we can say that social economic trends influence where and what we eat.
1.The underlined sentence “Cooking for one is often more trouble than it is worth” means that ______.
A. cooking for some people is worth more money
B. it is not worthwhile to take too much time to cook for one person
C. there are more problems when one person cooks
D. divorce (离婚) causes people to change their eating habits
2.An idea implied but not directly stated in the reading is that ________.
A. many married women began to work in the 1960s
B. natural foods are still popular today
C. fast food is not part of the diet of all Americans
D. divorce causes people to change their eating habits
3.McDonald’s success lies in the following causes BUT_________.
A. people living alone tend to depend on fast food
B. single parents have little time to spend in the kitchen
C. many women returned to the workplace in the 1960s
D. Kroc chose the “Mc Donald” brothers as his partners
4.The main idea of the reading is that ________.
A. Raymond Kroc is the most successful fast-food business owner in the world
B. social and economic changes affect eating habits
C. fast-food is easy to prepare and serve quickly
D. Americans eat either fast food or natural food
When I first entered university, my aunt, who is an English professor, gave me a new English dictionary. I was 36 to see that it was an English-English dictionary, also known as a monolingual dictionary. 37 it was a dictionary intended for non-native learners, none of my classmates had one. 38 , to be honest, I found it extremely 39 to use at first. I would look up words in the dictionary and 40
not fully understand the meanings. I was used to the 41 bilingual dictionaries, in which the words are 42 both in English and Chinese. I really wondered why my aunt 43 to make things so difficult for me. Now, after studying English at university for three years, I 44 that monolingual dictionaries are 45 in learning a foreign language.
As I found out, there is, 46 , often no perfect equivalence(对应)between two 47 in two languages. My aunt even goes so far as to 48 that a Chinese “equivalent” can never give you the 49 meaning of a word in English! 50 , she insisted that I read the definition(定义)of a word in a monolingual dictionary 51 I wanted to get a better understanding of its meaning. 52 , I have come to see what she meant.
Using a monolingual dictionary for learners has helped me in another important way. This dictionary uses only a(n) 53 number of words, around 2,000, in its definitions. When I read these definitions, I am 54 exposed to(接触)the basic words and learn how they are used to explain objects and ideas. 55 this, I can express myself more easily in English.
1.A. worried B. sad C. surprised D. nervous
2. A. Because B. Although C. Unless D. If
3.A. But B. So C. Or D. Then
4. A. difficult B. interesting C. helpful D. practical
5.A. thus B. even C. still D. again
6.A. new B. familiar C. earlier D. ordinary
7.A. explained B. expressed C. described D. created
8.A. offered B. agreed C. decided D. happened
9. A. imagine B. recommend C. predict D. understand
10. A. natural B. better C. easier D. convenient
11. A. at least B. in fact C. at times D. in case
12. A. words B. names C. ideas D. characters
13.A. hope B. declare C. doubt D. tell
14.A. exact B. basic C. translated D. expected
15.A. Rather B. However C. Therefore D. Instead
16. A. when B. before C. until D. while
17. A. LargelyB. Generally C. Gradually D. Probably
18. A. extra B. average C. total D. limited
19. A. repeatedl B. nearly C. immediately D. anxiously
20.A. According to B. In relation to C. In addition to D. Because of
— ____.
— Thank you. I certainly will.
A. Happy birthday to you
B. Let me help you with your English
C. Please remember me to your grandparents
D. Don’t forget to post the letter
Dancing is an activity______ sight matters more than hearing.
A. what B. that C. where D. which
I would appreciate _____ if you could remain silent until spoken to.
A. it B. that C. these D. them
