The report came to the British on May 21, 1941. The German battleship Bismarck, the most powerful warship in the world, was moving out into the Atlantic Ocean. Her task: to destroy the ships carrying supplies from the United States to war-torn England.
The British had feared such a task. No warship they had could match the Bismarck in speed or in firepower. The Bismarck had eight 15-inch guns and 81 smaller guns. She could move at 30 nautical miles(海里) an hour, she was believed to be unsinkable.
However, the British had to sink her. They sent out a task force headed by their best battleship Hood to hunt down the Bismarck. On May 24, the Hood found the Bismarck. It was a meeting that the German commander Luetjens did not want to see. His orders were to destroy the British ships that were carrying supplies, but to stay away from a fight with British warships.
The battle didn’t last long. The Bismarck’s first torpedo(鱼雷)hit the Hood, which went down taking all but three of her 1,419 men with her. But in the fight, the Bismarck was slightly damaged （损坏）. Her commander decided to run for repairs to France, which had at that time been taken by the Germans. The British force followed her. However, because of the Bismarck’s speed and the heavy fog, they lost sight of her.
For two days, every British ship in the Atlantic tried to find the Bismarck, but with no success. Finally, she was sighted by a plane from Ireland. Trying to slow the Bismarck down so that their ships could catch up with her, the British fired at her from the air. The Bismarck was hit. On the morning of May 27, the last battle was fought. Four British ships fired on the Bismarck. And she was finally sunk.
1.The Bismarck sailed into the Atlantic Ocean ______.
A. to sink the Hood B. to gain control of France
C. to cut off American supplies to Britain D. to stop British warships reaching Germany
2.Many people believed that the Bismarck could not be defeated because she ______.
A. was fast and powerful B. had more men on board
C. was under Luetjens' command D. had bigger guns than other ships
3.We learn from the text that on 24 May______.
A. the British won the battle against the Bismarck
B.the Bismarck won the battle against the British
C. the British gunfire damaged the Bismarch seriously
D. the Bismarck succeeded in keeping away from the British
4.Which of the following is the immediate cause of the sinking of the Bismarck?
A. The British air strikes. B. The damage done by the Hood.
C. Gunfire from the British warships. D. Luetjen's decision to run for France
Work your brain!
Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder，it controls everything we say，do or think，who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.
The brain uses 20 percent of our body's oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein，fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells，it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don't die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orangeflavored drinks.
Its intricacies(复杂性)are stunning，far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished(有光泽的) as possible we need to eat right，exercise and keep mentally stimulated(刺激)．
Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone(荷尔蒙)in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.
“It's very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active，” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart.
“People cannot stop aging，but you're able to reduce the damage；you're able to keep the function up.”
Following are Dr.Stewart's advice for improving brain health：
|
Nutrition |
Avoid fast food. Follow the old adage(格言，谚语)：For breakfast，eat like a king；for lunch，like a queen；for supper，like a beggar. |
|
Exercise |
Do a combination of stretching aerobic and musclestrengthening every day. |
|
Mental games |
Try to have a sense of hope about the future. Do puzzles. Listen to music. Reach out to others to make their lives better. |
1.The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.
A. inform us how the brain works
B. give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy
C. tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives
D. show how special the brain is to us
2.The word “stunning” in Paragraph 5 means ______.
A. interesting B. strange C. significant D. amazing
3. According to the text，more exercise ______.
A. keeps our mind sharp
B. helps improve our memory
C. gives our brain a rest
D. is good for brain cells communicating with each other
4. In order to keep brain healthy，we should avoid ______.
A. eating a good lunch B. doing puzzles
C. eating a large supper D. taking aerobic exercise
Geniuses amaze us，impress us and make us all a little jealous. How do they differ from the average person？Scientists are working hard to figure out that answer. Tune in to the National Geographic Channel to find out about the discoveries they’re making in the series My Brilliant Brain.
When Marc Yu was only two years old，he began to play the piano. After a year, he started learning pieces by Beethoven. Now he’s a world-famous concert pianist at age eight. He learns newer and more difficult pieces with ease and can identify any note he hears. He seems to be specially designed for music. In Born Genius, National Geographic looks at the science behind child prodigies （神童） to explain why some children seem to be born without limits.
Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh. His came only after he nearly died from bleeding in his brain. After recovering, McHugh’s head was filled with new thoughts and picture. So, he began to express them in the form of poetry and art. Now, he’s a seemingly unstoppable creative machine. Suffers of brain injury have shown that great mental ability can sometimes come from damage or disease. Accidental Genius explores this puzzling relationship.
Can normal people be trained to be geniuses? Susan Polger has shown no sign of extraordinary intelligence. Yet, during her childhood, she studied thousands of chess patterns and learned to recognize them immediately. As a result, she was able to beat skilled adult players by age 10 and can now play up to five games at the same time without even seeing the boards. Make Me a Genius examines what is takes to turn an ordinary brain into that of a genius.
If becoming a genius were easy, we’d all be done. Yet, there is much more to super intelligence than simply being born lucky. Learn more about amazing brains this month on National Geographic’s My Brilliant Brain.
1. In paragraph 2, Marc Yu’s story tells us_________________.
A. a child prodigy can work easier than others.
B. a child prodigy is trained by family.
C. a child prodigy has an unbelievable listening skill.
D. a child prodigy always practise his skills.
2.In paragraph 3, the sentence “Geniuses didn’t come naturally to Tommy McHugh.” means that ______________.
A. Tommy McHugh could not be called a genius.
B. Tommy McHugh became a genius when he was young.
C. Tommy McHugh was a robot but not a real human being.
D. Tommy McHugh became a genius after a sudden accident.
3.The writer provides different examples to _____________.
A. show how people can be geniuses. B. show becoming a genius is easy.
C. show geniuses are common. D. show people know how to explain geniuses.
4.The passage may come from_________.
A. a report B. a novel C. a TV program D. a newspaper
It was her giggling that drew my attention．Note taking really wasn't all that funny．
Walking over to the offender, I asked for the 21 ．Frozen, she refused to give it to me．I waited, all attention in the classroom on the quiet 22 between teacher and student．When she finally 23 it over she whispered, “Okay, but I didn't draw it”.
It was a hand-drawn 24 of me, teeth blackened and the words “I'm stupid” coming out of my mouth．I managed to fold it up calmly．My mind, 25 , was working angrily as I struggled not to 26 .
I figured I knew the two most likely candidates for drawing the picture．It would do them some 27 to teach them a lesson, and maybe it was high time that I did it!
Thankfully, I was able to keep myself 28 .
When there were about six minutes remaining, I showed the class the picture．They were all silent as I told them how 29 this was for me．I told them there must be a reason 30 and now was their chance to write down anything they needed to tell me．Then I let them write silently while I sniffed in the back of the classroom．
As I 31 the notes later, many of them said something like, “I've got nothing against you,” or “I'm sorry you were hurt．” Some kids said, “We're 32 of you．” But two notes, from the girls who I 33 were behind the picture, had a list of issues．I was too 34 , too strict…
Reading those notes, I realized that over the course of this year, instead of 35 my students, I had begun commanding them to 36 ．Where I thought I was driving them to success I was 37 driving them away．
I had some apologizing to do．But the next day in the classroom, one boy and one girl each handed me a card．The one 38 by all the boys expressed sincere regret for the ugly joke．The one from the girls asked for 39 .
This was a lesson for both the kids and me．Forgiveness does not change the past, but it does enlarge the 40 .
1.A．note B．advice C．reason D．help
2.A．battle B．competition C．argument D．conversation
3.A．took B．thought C．turned D．handed
4.A．statue B．graph C．picture D．poster
5.A．otherwise B．however C．therefore D．besides
6.A．leave B．cry C．explain D．argue
7.A．good B．harm C．favor D．punishment
8.A．amused B．controlled C．uninterested D．relaxed
9.A．meaningful B．forgetful C．regretful D．hurtful
10.A．aside B．above C．beneath D．behind
11.A．wrote B．finished C．read D．collected
12.A．proud B．fond C．afraid D．ashamed
13.A．figured B．promised C．concluded D．confirmed
14.A．talkative B．mean C．clumsy D．considerate
15.A．forcing B．encouraging C．comforting D．teaching
16.A．appreciate B．apologize C．compromise D．achieve
17.A．actually B．normally C．immediately D．generally
18.A．decorated B．offered C．signed D．bought
19.A．thankfulness B．forgiveness C．compensation D．communication
20.A．friendship B．education C．knowledge D．future
—What do you think I should wear for such a formal press conference?
—Dress _______ you like.
A. how B. what C. whatever D. however
Radium salts，which have been found to ______ in bones，give rise to bone cancer.
A. pile up B. build up C. keep up D. pull up
