Thomas Alva Edison was an American inventor, scientist and businessman who invented many things that greatly influenced life around the world, such as the phonograph, the motion picture camera, and a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb. Edison has been recognized as the creator of the first industrial research laboratory. It is he who came up with the concept of providing electricity for home. His first power station was on Manhattan Island, New York.
Edison was born in Milan, Ohio, and grew up in Port Huron, Michigan. He was the seventh and last child of his family. When he was young, Edison stayed at home and was taught by his mother. Edison recalled later, “My mother was the making of me. She was so true, so sure of me; and I felt I had someone to live for, someone I must not disappoint.” During his childhood, he suffered from scarlet fever which affected his hearing.
Young Edison sold candy and newspapers on trains running from Port Huron to Detroit, and he sold vegetables to supplement his income. These jobs, though insignificant, inspired him greatly. He realized that he had a talent for business. These talents eventually made him founder of 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still in existence and is the largest publicly traded company in the world.
Edison started as a telegraph operator and this was the field in which he came up with the first invention. The invention which first gained him fame was the phonograph in 1877. The invention seemed magical, as nothing similar had ever been thought of before. Funded by the successful sale of the telegraph at a price of $10,000, Edison built his own research laboratory in Menlo Park, New Jersey.
The laboratory expanded rapidly over the decade. In 1892, it was confirmed that Edison was the official inventor of the carbon microphones, which was used in all telephones. Although he attempted to make use of X-rays to take radiographs, he quit the project and admitted his fear of X-rays in public.
Thomas Edison died of diabetes at his home in New Jersey, on October 18, 1931 and in honor of his contributions, Life magazine (USA), in a special double issue in 1997, placed Edison first in the list of the “100 Most Important People in the Last 1000 Years”, noting that the light bulb he promoted “lit up the world”.
Title: Thomas Edison—an influential person in the American history
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Edison’s __71__ to society |
◆ He invented many things that greatly influenced life around the world, _72__ the phonograph, the motion picture camera, a long-lasting, practical electric light bulb and the carbon microphone. ◆ He set up the first industrial _73__ laboratory. ◆ He put __74__ the concept of providing electricity for home. ◆ He __75__ 14 companies, including General Electric, which is still in existence and is the largest publicly traded company in the world. |
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The life experience of Edison |
◆ He was born in Milan and was the youngest of seven children in his family. ◆ _76_ of receiving schooling, Edison was taught by his mother at home. ◆ The scarlet fever he suffered _77_ to hearing loss. ◆ To earn a living, Edison sold newspapers, candy and vegetables, which __78__ him and helped him discover his talent for business. ◆ Later, he worked in the field of telecommunication as an telegraph operator, where he invented phonograph in 1877, which gained him great fame. ◆ After he created his research laboratory, he __79__ up the project of making use of X-rays to take radiographs due to his fear of radiation. ◆ He died of diabetes at his home in New Jersey in 1931. |
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The honor given to Edison |
◆ He was placed first in the list of the “100 Most __80__ People in the Last 1000 Years”, noting that the light bulb he promoted “lit up the world”. |
He was 11 years old and went fishing every chance he got from the dock at his family’s cabin on an island in the middle of a New Hampshire lake.
On the day before the bass season opened, he and his father were fishing early in the evening, catching sunfish and perch (鲈鱼) with worms. Then he tied on a small silver lure（鱼饵） and practiced casting. The lure struck the water and caused colored ripples in the sunset, then silver ripples as the moon rose over the lake.
When his peapole doubled over, he knew something huge was on the other end. His father watched with admiration as the boy skillfully worked the fish alongside the dock.
Finally, he very gingerly lifted the exhausted fish from the water. It was the largest one he had ever seen, but it was a bass. The boy and his father looked at the handsome fish, gills playing back and forth in the moonlight. The father lit a match and looked at his watch. It was 10 P.M.-- two hours before the season opened. He looked at the fish, then at the boy.
“You’ll have to put it back, son,” he said.
“Dad!” cried the boy.
“There will be other fish,” said his father.
“Not as big as this one,” cried the boy.
He looked around the lake. No other fishermen or boats were anywhere around in the moonlight. He looked again at his father. Even though no one had seen them, nor could anyone ever know what time he caught the fish, the boy could tell by the clarity of his father’s voice that the decision was not negotiable（可协商的）. He slowly worked the hook out of the lip of the huge bass and lowered it into the black water.
The creature swished its powerful body and disappeared. The boy suspected that he would never again see such a great fish.
That was 34 years ago. Today, the boy is a successful architect in New York City. His father’s cabin is still there on the island in the middle of the lake. He takes his own son and daughters fishing from the same dock.
And he was right. He has never again caught such a magnificent fish as the one he landed that night long ago. But he does see that same fish-again and again-every time he comes up against a question of ethics (道德规范).
1. Why did the father ask his son to put the perch back?
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A．Because the father disliked the perch. |
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B．Because the father was afraid of being fined |
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C．Because the ethics must be obeyed. |
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D．Because the son was more experienced in fishing than his father. |
2.When does the architect (the father’s son) think of that perch put back?
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A．When he takes his own and son and daughters fishing from the same dock. |
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B．When he builds many famous buildings. |
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C．When he pays a visit to his old father. |
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D．When he faces some problems about ethics. |
3.Which word can not be used to describe the boy’s father?
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A．honest |
B．noble-minded |
C．caring |
D．generous |
Common sense would tell us that physically active children may be more likely to become active and healthy adults.
In the United States, elementary and middle schools are advised to give students two and a half hours of physical activity a week. That is what the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American Heart Association recommend. They say high schools should provide about four hours of physical activity each week.
Yet many schools across the country have reduced their physical education programs. Just this week, a study reported that life expectancy has fallen or is no longer increasing in some parts of the United States. The situation is worst among poor people in the southern states, and especially women. Public health researchers say it is largely the result of increases in fatness, smoking and high blood pressure. They also blame differences in health services around the country.
In 2006, a study found that only four percent of primary schools provided daily physical education all year for all grades. This was true of eight percent of middle schools and two percent of high schools. The study also found that twenty-two percent of all schools did not require students to take any P.E.
Charlene Burgeson , a health expert says one problem for P.E. teachers is that schools are under pressure to put more time into academic subjects. Also, parents may agree that children need exercise in school. Yet many parents today still have bad memories of being chosen last for teams because teachers favored the good athletes in class.
But experts say P.E. classes have changed. They say the goal has moved away from competition and toward personal performance, as a way to build a lifetime of activity. These days, teachers often lead activities like weight training and yoga.
Some parents like the idea of avoiding competitive sports in P.E. class. Yet others surely dislike that idea. In the end, schools may find themselves in a no-win situation.
1. The underlined word “expectancy” in Paragraph 3 probably means “ ”
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A．quality |
B．length |
C．exception |
D．depth |
2.According to the passage which of the following may not lead to poor health?
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A．Fatness. |
B．Smoking |
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C．High blood pressure. |
D．Health service |
3. What can be inferred after you read this passage?
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A．Physical activities are becoming more and more popular in American schools. |
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B．All the schools provided daily physical education all year for all students. |
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C．Parents think children need physical education for their bad memories. |
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D．Students spent less time on physical education for academic pressure. |
4. What is the main idea about this passage?
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A．P.E. is the most important subject for all students. |
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B．P.E has changed its goal for some reasons in America. |
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C．It introduces us the present situation of P.E in American schools and its cause. |
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D．P.E can help students improve their academic subjects. |
If you want to teach your children how to say sorry, you must be good at saying it yourself, especially to your own children. But how you say it can be quite tricky.
If you say to your children “I’m sorry I got angry with you, but …” what follows that “but” can make the apology ineffective: ” I had a bad day” or “your noise was giving me a headache ” leaves the person who has been injured feeling that he should be apologizing for his bad behavior.
Another method by which people appear to apologize without actually doing so is to say “I’m sorry you’re upset”; this suggests that you are somehow at fault for allowing yourself to get upset by what the other person has done.
These pseudo(虚假的)-apologies are used by people who believe saying sorry shows weakness, Parents who wish to teach their children to apologize should see it as a sign of strength, and therefore not turn to these pseudo-apologies.
But even when presented with examples of true regret, children still need help to become aware of the difficulties of saying sorry. A three-year-old might need help in understanding that other children feel pain just as he does, and that hitting a playmate over the head with a heavy toy requires an apology. A six-year-old might need reminding that spoiling(糟蹋) other children’s expectations can require an apology. A 12-year-old might need to be shown that taking away the biscuit tin without asking permission is acceptable, but that borrowing a parent’s clothes without permission is not.
1.If a mother adds “but” to an apology,________.
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A．the child may find the apology easier to accept |
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B．the child may feel that he should apologize to her mother |
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C．she does not realize that the child has been hurt |
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D．she doesn’t feel that she should have apologized |
2.According to the author, saying “I’m sorry you’re upset” most probably means”_______”
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A．You have good reason to get upset |
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B．I apologize for hurting your feelings |
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C．I’m wrong for making you upset |
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D．I’m aware you’re upset, but I’m not to blame |
3.We learn from the last paragraph that in teaching children to say sorry______.
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A．their ages should be taken into consideration |
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B．parents should be patient and tolerant |
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C．parents need to set them a good example |
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D．the difficulties involved should be ignored |
4.It can be inferred from the passage that apologizing properly is _________.
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A．not necessary among family members |
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B．a sign of social progress |
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C．not as simple as it seems |
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D．a matter calling for immediate attention |
As the pace（步速） of life continues to increase , we are fast losing the art of relaxation. Once you are in the habit of rushing through lift, being on the go from morning till night, it is hard to slow down. But relaxation is completely necessary for a healthy mind and body.
Stress is an natural part of everyday lift and there is no way to avoid it. In fact , it is not the bad thing it is often supposed to be. A certain amount of stress is vital to provide motivation and give purpose to life. It is only when the stress gets out of control that it can lead to poor performance and ill health.
The amount of stress a person can withstand(忍受) depends very much on the individual. Some people are not afraid of stress, and such characters are obviously prime material for managerial responsibilities. Others lose heart at the first signs of unusual difficulties. When exposed to stress, in whatever form, we react both chemically and physically. In fact we make choice between "fight" or "flight" and in more primitive days the choice made the difference between life or death. The crises（危机）we meet today are unlikely to be so extreme, but however little the stress, it involves the same response. It is when such a reaction lasts long, through continued exposure to stress, that health becomes endangered. Such serious conditions as high blood pressure and heart disease have established（确定的）links with stress. Since we cannot remove stress from our lives (it would be unwise to do so even if we could), we need to find ways to deal with it.
1.According to the writer, the most important character for a good manager is his ________.
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A．not fearing stress |
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B．knowing the art of relaxation |
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C．high sense of responsibility |
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D．having control over performance |
2.Which of the following statements is true, according to the passage?
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A．We can find some ways to avoid stress |
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B．Stress is always harmful to people’s health. |
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C．It is easy to change the habit of keeping oneself busy with work. |
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D．Different people can withstand different amounts of stress |
3. In the last sentence of the passage, “do so” refers to .
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A．“expose ourselves to stress” |
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B．“find ways to deal with stress” |
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C．“remove stress from our lives” |
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D．“establish links between diseases and stress” |
4. According to the author, the right attitude toward stress is .
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A．to avoid it |
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B．to try to deal with it |
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C．to regard it as a vital motivation |
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D．to find some relaxation |
“Where is the bus? Why is it always late?” I asked myself. I was going to be late ___36___ the manager wasn’t going to be pleased. “Thank God, here it is!” The bus came round the corner and I got on. Ten minutes later I was walking into the ___37___ where I work. “Twenty-five past nine. I ___38___ the manager doesn’t notice.” But I was not ___39___.
“Smith!” shouted the manager. “Late again. What’s your ___40___ this time?” “I am afraid the bus was late, Mr. Brown.” “___41___ up earlier tomorrow! Anyway, go to your place at the counter. We’ll be opening in a few minutes.”
My first customer was a pretty girl wearing a red dress. ___42___ her was a young man of about 25. He seemed very ___43___, and every few seconds he looked towards the main entrance. The girl drew some money and ___44___ about opening an account(帐户). I gave her necessary ___45___ and she went out. ___46___, I noticed a tall man by the door, carrying something ___47___ with brown paper. Turning to my next customer, I was frightened to see a gun sticking out of his coat. The next moment a loud noise ___48___ my ears. Everything went black. I was falling… It seemed to be a long time ___49___ I opened my eyes and I found myself in bed! ___50___ shaking from the memory of this terrible dream, I got dressed and ran out of the house. ___51___, the bus wasn’t on time, and I got to the bank at 9:25.
“Smith!” the manager cried out in a voice like thunder. “___52___ of your excuses! Start work at once!” To my ___53___, the first customer was a girl ___54___ a red dress and behind her stood a man carrying something wrapped in brown paper. The ___55___! Sometimes life is full of coincidences (巧合)!
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