British Summer Time runs from the last Sunday in March to the last Sunday in October. In the depths of winter the nights in the UK are anything from 15-19 hours long. Longer nights mean frost and fog are more likely to form.
Twice a year the clocks change, forward in the spring and then back again in the autumn. But why? It happens twice a year. We all change our clocks and watches by one hour. In the spring, we add an hour, and go onto what is called British Summer Time, while in the autumn, we do the reverse, and return to Greenwich Mean Time.
Why bother?
It’s all to do with saving the hours of daylight, and was started by a guy called William Willett, a London builder, who lived in Petts Wood in Kent. Basically, he figured that you could improve the population’s health and happiness by putting forward the clocks by twenty minutes every Sunday in April and do the opposite in September.
Economics
His idea was not taken up, even though a “Daylight Saving Bill” was introduced some five years before the outbreak of World War One. But once the war started, it was considered wise to economics, to promote greater efficiency in using daylight hours, and in the use of artificial lighting. And so in 1916, “Daylight Saving Time” was introduced. Even though most countries abandoned this after that war, some eventually decided that it was a good idea, and most of these nations began to keep it throughout the year.
Experiment
Since 1972, Britain has decided to go with Greenwich Mean Time in winter, and British Summer Time in Summer.
But back in 1968, Britain tried a four-year experiment by advancing time one hour ahead of GMT throughout the year.
But those living further north, particularly in Scotland, found it most unsatisfactory, with dark mornings for much of the year, and the experiment was dropped.
But the arguments go on …and on.
1.Why some countries decide to change the clocks after World War One?
A．To improve the people’s health and happiness.
B．To do a certain experiment
C．To save energy to develop economies.
D．All of the above.
2.What can you infer from the passage?
A．The idea of changing the clocks suffered disagreement.
B．The people in Scotland don’t change the clocks.
C．The idea was first thought of by an educator.
D．It’s unnecessary to change the clocks.
3.What is the real meaning of the last sentence of the passage?
A．Nobody in the UK likes the idea.
B．All things need arguments.
C．The British are fond of arguments.
D．Different views of the idea still exist.
Throughout seafaring history, ships and sailors have been lost to storms, accidents and war. Until recently, most of these ships were weak wooden sailing vessel (船只), their skeletons(骨架) quickly eaten away by sea creatures. Now, large vessels made of steel float on the seas. Thousands of these huge ships have been lost in times of war and in times of peace.
The bones of great metal ships, unlike the wooden vessels of old, survive the destruction of the sea long enough to become home and harbor for underwater life of all kinds. Shipwrecks(残骸) often provide the only hard surface and structure at the sandy bottom of the sea, something many sea creatures need.
The ship has been underwater for only five days. Its surface is still clean. Six weeks later, the wreck is covered with a slimy layer of algae(海藻), but it is still recognizable as a ship. Soon, animals that need to attach themselves to a hard surface, like the feather duster worms, make the wreck their home.
In warm waters, coral polyps(珊瑚虫) settle on the wreck and begin the process of building a rock-like crust on the ship. Small fish are attracted on all of these creatures. Larger fish come to feed on these small fish that hide in the wreckage. Eventually, the largest animals are attracted to the rich life on the shipwreck.
Shipwrecks give us valuable information about how sea plants and animals develop. We know exactly how long this wreck has been under water and how long sea life has been growing on it. Yet even the strongest steel shipwreck will finally be destroyed by the flows of water. But long after this wreck has been broken apart, it will still act as a reef (礁石). Layer upon layer of sea life has formed a structure that is now more natural than artificial, and will remain an island of life under the sea.
1.Which of the following is NOT TRUE about shipwrecks?
A．Most ships in ancient times sank easily and become shipwrecks.
B．Shipwrecks, for scientists, are worth researching to get valuable information.
C．The skeletons of old wooden shipwrecks will exist for quite a long time.
D．Some sea animals tend to seek food on the shipwrecks.
2.The writer’s purpose in writing the article is to tell us_____.
A．the differences between the ancient vessels and the modern ones
B．how the ships become shipwrecks at sea
C．how coral polyps live on the wreck in warm waters
D．the value of studying shipwrecks at the bottom of the sea
3.Which of the following is closer to the underlined “crust”?
A．a hard outer covering B．the skin of a rock
C．a hole in a ship D．a small house
4.What will happen to shipwrecks in the end?
A．They will be pulled out of the sea for research.
B．They are likely to disappear and form reefs.
C．They will become an island under the sea.
D．They will be like works of art.
Green is an important color in nature. It is the color of grass and the leaves on trees. It is also the color of most growing plants.
Sometimes, the word green means young, fresh and growing. Sometimes, it describes something that is not yet ripe（成熟） or finished. For example, a greenhorn is someone who has no experience, who is new to a situation. In the fifteenth century, a greenhorn was a young cow or ox whose horns(角) had not yet developed. A century or so later, a greenhorn was a soldier who had not yet had any experience in battle. By the eighteenth century, a greenhorn had the meaning it has today—a person who is new in a job.
Someone who has the ability to grow plants well is said to have a green thumb. The expression comes from the early nineteen hundreds. A person with a green thumb seems to have a magic touch that makes plants grow quickly and well. You might say that the woman next door has a green thumb if her garden continues to grow long after your plants have died.
The Green Revolution is the name given some years ago to the development of new kinds of rice and other grains. The new plants produced much larger crops. The Green Revolution was the result of hard work by agricultural scientists who had green thumbs.
Green is also the color used to describe the powerful feeling, jealousy(嫉妒). The green-eyed monster is not a frightening creature from outer space. It is an expression used about four hundred years ago by British writer William Shakespeare in his play “Othello”. It describes the unpleasant feeling a person has when someone has something he wants. A young man may suffer from the green-eyed monster if his girlfriend begins going out with someone else. Or, that green-eyed monster may affect your friend if you get a pay rise and she does not.
1.Greenhorn now refers to ____.
A．a person who is new in a job B．a new solider C．a young horse D．a thumb
2.A person who has a green thumb is a person ____.
A．whose garden is greener than others’
B．whose thumbs are in green color
C．who is good at growing plants
D．who is younger than his neighbors
3.The author is actually talking about ____.
A．colors B．language C．politics D．agriculture
4.Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?
A．The green-eyed monster can be used to describe a person who is jealous
B．The Green Revolution may have some connection with green thumbs
C．The green-eyed monster was probably created by William Shakespeare
D．In about the 16th century, a greenhorn meant an experienced soldier
Nick was not the kind of boy I had expected to spend my summer with. I was hoping to have a relaxation the summer before my busy senior year, __36__ my mother asked me to do her a __37__. One of her colleagues needed a full－time __38__. “You planned to volunteer at the local hospital; why not volunteer to __39__ Nick instead？” Then she told me that this six-year-old boy was not a __40__ child.
Nick was a lovely little boy who suffered from many disorders. Normal day-care centers would not __41__ him. As a baby, he had serious ear infections which left him with equilibrium(平衡)problems. He couldn't __42__ or run properly. I was hesitating __43__ I was to take the job when my mother __44__, “Don't you want to be a nurse in the future? I doubt if you even have the __45__.”
Then I told her I was __46__ for the job.
The day started at 7：00 a．m. Nick was my wake-up call! With so much energy and very little __47__ , he was quite a mix.
At the park, when he saw all the other children play on the jungle gym and swings, the boy's face __48__ up—How he wished he belonged to the group of his age! You would think it would be__49__ to get a child to go down a slide. Believe me, it wasn't! It took time, a lot of time. But with patience and support, Nick took one step up the slide each day. We worked together to face his __50__ and gradually he got closer to taking the slide of his life.
Halfway through the summer, he __51__ it to the top of the slide. With my arms __52_ him tightly, we flew down the slide! I waited for his reaction. After realizing that he was safe and sound, he gave me a big __53__ and asked, “May I go down again, alone？”
I had never been happier in my life when I saw this little child climb the ladder and enjoy what other children __54__ for granted.
This __55__ child taught me that being a nurse means respect, kindness and patience.
1. A．and B．however C．so D．but
2. A．service B．business C．favor D．trade
3. A．nurse B．Waitress C．guard D．guide
4. A．protect B．attend C．Defend D．comfort
5. A．Naughty B．clever C．Normal D．happy
6. A．admit B．receive C．Accept D．adopt
7. A．speak B．play C．stand D．walk
8. A．if B．what C．why D．where
9. A．Suggested B．Argued C．Challenged D．commented
10. A．Courage B．energy C．Faith D．time
11. A．eager B．sorry C．Grateful D．ready
12. A．awareness B．knowledge C．balance D．control
13. A．delighted B．cheered C．Lit D．shut
14. A．difficult B．interesting C．simple D．terrible
15. A．fears B．worries C．chances D．situation
16. A．climbed B．got C．Managed D．made
17. A．taking B．holding C．bringing D．greeting
18. A．Kiss B．Clap C．welcome D．surprise
19. A．play B．do C．take D．enjoy
20. A．miserable B．smart C．brave D．special
--- I wonder if I could possibly use your car for tonight?
--- ____. I’m not using it anyhow.
A．Sure, go ahead. B．I don’t know C．Yes, indeed D．I don’t care
--- Not everything that is best for nature is good for people.
--- Yes, would anyone say that economic development should be stopped ______ nature?
A．in need of B．in fear of C．in favor of D．in honor of
