The skin which covers the tips of the fingers and thumbs is crossed by numerous ridges (隆起) arranged in different patterns. These patterns are permanent from birth and remain exactly the same throughout a person's life, even when the skin becomes wrinkled and cracked as a result of old age. Such patterns are never passed on from parents to children, and no one in the world has the same patterns as anyone else. Even identical twins have different sets of fingerprints. As a result, fingerprints offer a most useful and foolproof way of identifying people. Any ridged part of the hand and the foot may be used as a means of identification, but finger impressions are usually preferred since they can be taken easily and quickly.
Fingerprints are classified in the ways: by general shapes and contours(轮廓), by the finger positions of the pattern-types, and by size (often measured by counting the ridges in the loops). Every set of fingerprints has different “ridge characteristics” (i. e. the print of each separate finger is different from that of all the other fingers), which belong to one of four basic groups: arches, loops, whorls and composites. All fingerprints can then be divided into 1, 024 groups. By using details in the patterns above, these 1, 024 groups can be further divided into thousands of smaller groups, thus making it possible to find a particular set of fingerprints in a few minutes.
1.According to this passage, the true statement about human fingerprints is that ____.
A．people's fingerprints sometimes can be passed on from parents to children
B．people’s fingerprints are unique but identical twins may have the same fingerprints
C．using fingerprints is the only way to identify people
D．people's fingerprints will not change in all their lives
2.We prefer to use fingerprints to identify people because ____.
A．we can never find the same set of fingerprints among human beings
B．finger impressions can be taken easily and quickly
C．fingerprints offer a most useful and foolproof way of identifying people
D．all of the above
3.The word “foolproof” (Line 7, Para. 1) most probably means ____.
A．that is permanent B．that is acceptable
C．that can not go wrong D．that is not foolish
4.About the classification of fingerprints, which is TRUE? ____.
A．Fingerprints can be classified in three ways
B．All fingerprints can be divided into 1, 024 groups and can not be divided further
C．It is not easy to find a particular set of fingerprints in a short time
D．People can not classify the fingerprints in an effective way
Homemade Ice Cream in a Bag
Difficulty: Very Easy
Average User Rating:★★★★☆(4.3/5)
Milk can become homemade ice cream in five minutes by using a bag! This homemade, creamy treat is a summertime delight for your kids and you alike.
What you’ll need:
1 tablespoon of sugar; 1/2 cup of milk; 1/4 teaspoon of vanilla (香草香精); 6 tablespoons of rock salt; 1 small-sized plastic food storage bag; 1 gallon-sized plastic food storage bag; ice cubes.
How to make it:
l Fill the large bag half full of ice, and add the rock salt. Seal the bag.
l Put milk, vanilla, and sugar into the small bag, and seal it.
l Place the small bag inside the large one, and seal it again carefully.
l Shake until the mixture turns into ice cream, which takes about five minutes.
l Wipe the top of the small bag, and then open it carefully. Enjoy!
Tips:
1/2 cup of milk will make about one spoon of ice cream, so double the recipe if you want more. But don’t increase the amount more than that—a large amount might be too big for kids to pick up because the ice itself is heavy.
Here is another version of the homemade ice cream recipe from another parent!
These are the homemade ice cream ingredients:
1/4 teaspoon of vanilla butter and nuts; 1 tablespoon of sugar; 1/2 cup of milk.
These are the other supplies:
Plastic sandwich bag; 12 salt pellets; 1 dish of ice; large plastic bag.
Put the ice cream ingredients in the small bag, and then put the bag, salt and ice in the big bag. Hold the bag shut and move it around on the floor for about 5 minutes.
When I made ice cream at home last time, although the salt pellets didn’t really dissolve (溶解) that well, I still got ice cream. It was not smooth ice cream, probably because of the low-fat milk. It was incredible that it could be ready in 5 minutes (not counting preparing the ingredients)
Next, I changed the recipe, using a tablespoon of cocoa, a tablespoon of sugar, and a cup of milk. It was a bit too chocolaty, but good!
1.The underlined “that” in “Tips” section refers to ____.
A．1/2 cup of milk B．1 cup of milk
C．1 spoon of ice cream D．2 spoons of ice cream
2.Which of the following things is NOT included in both recipes?
A．Sugar B．Ice C．Plastic bag D．Nuts
3.Which of the following statements about the second parent is TRUE?
A．He/ She doesn’t agree with the first parent.
B．He/ She doesn’t think five minutes is enough
C．He/ She doesn’t like cocoa better than nuts.
D．He/ She doesn’t think the chocolaty tastes bad.
One evening I went out and left my 17-year-old son in charge of his 8-year-old brother and 4-year-old sister. On this occasion, the task was made less troublesome by the presence of his girlfriend. I left with complete confidence that the older children would do a wonderful job of babysitting the younger children and the younger children would do a wonderful job of accompanying the older ones. Later, I discovered that complete confidence was the last thing I should have left home with.
I had decided to return home earlier than planned so that my son and his girlfriend could go out. I called home with this happy news. But instead of hearing his cheerful, grateful voice on the other end of the line, all I heard was the sound of a telephone ringing.
It was, I should point out, after 10 p.m., when the two younger children should have been in bed, and when the two older children should have been answering the phone. “I’ll give him a lesson,” I said. I decided they must be outside. Why they might be outside at 10:30 on a wintry night I had no idea, but it was the only explanation I could come up with.
Finally, in desperation, I called his girlfriend’s house. After what seemed like countless rings, his girlfriend answered. “Yes,” she said brightly, “He’s right here.”
He came on the phone. I was not my usual calm, rational self. After all, one of the rules of survival for modern parents is that you can’t trust modern teenagers. “Where are the children?” I said. He said they were with him. They had done nothing wrong. My son had taken the younger children over to his girlfriend’s house just for ice cream and cake. This was too favorable to be believed. Well, it turned out that I shouldn’t have believed it. It was only part of the truth.
The following Saturday evening we were at my parents’ home, celebrating my birthday. My oldest son gave me the children’s gifts. Mounted(裱装) and framed were a series of lovely color photographs of my children, dressed in their best clothes, and wearing their most wonderful expressions. They are pictures to treasure a lifetime, all taken by the father of my son’s girlfriend.
That was the most precious gift of all.
1.Shortly after the author left home one evening, she discovered that ____.
A．her son had brought his girlfriend home
B．the father of her son’s girlfriend had come to her home to take photos of the children
C．she shouldn’t have completely trusted her son
D．she should have taken the children along with her
2.According to Paragraph 3, “it” means ____.
A．the two younger children have been in bed
B．the older children have been answering the phone
C．the author will give her older son a lesson
D．the older son has gone outside with his girlfriend
3.The sentence “It was only part of the truth.” (Para. 5) implies that the children not only enjoyed ice-cream but also ____.
A．had a birthday party B．framed some photographs
C．had their pictures taken D．showed off their best clothes
4.Which of the following possible titles best expresses the main idea of this passage?
A．Puppy Love B．Brotherhood
C．Mother and Children D．A Precious Birthday Gift
Once in Japan there lived two frogs, one of whom made his home near the town of Osaka, while the other lived in Kyoto. 36 , they didn’t know each other. Bothof them liked to see a little of the world: the Kyoto frog wanted to visit Osaka, and the Osaka frog wished to go to Kyoto.
So one morning they 37. However, the journey was more 38 than they had expected, for they didn’t know much about traveling. Half-way between the two towns, at the top of a mountain, the two frogs 39 each other! Soon they fell into 40 .
“What a(n) 41 we are too small, ” said the Osaka frog. “Otherwise, we could see both towns from here, and 42 if it is worth our going on.”
“Oh, that is easily 43 ,” replied the Kyoto frog. “We have only got to stand up on our hind (后面的) legs, and hold on to each other 44 we won’t fall down, and then we can both look at the towns we are 45 to.”
This idea 46 the Osaka frog; he stood up and put his front paws on the 47 of the other frog, who had risen also. There they both stood, stretching themselves as 48 as they could. The Kyoto frog turned his nose towards Osaka, and the Osaka frog, towards Kyoto, but the 49 frogs forgot that when they stood up, their eyes were in the backs of their heads, and that 50 their noses pointed to their destinations, yet their eyes looked at the places 51 which they had come.
“Dear me!” cried the Osaka frog. “Kyoto is 52 like Osaka. It is certainly not worth such a long journey.”
“If I had known that Osaka was only a 53 of Kyoto I should never have traveled all this way,” 54 the frog from Kyoto. Then they started off for their 55 again.
1. A．Surprisingly B．However C．Fortunately D．Undoubtedly
2. A．showed off B．left out C．turned away D．set out
3. A．wonderful B．dangerous C．exhausting D．exciting
4. A．endangered B．encouraged C．encountered D．embarrassed
5. A．conversation B．disagreement C．competition D．consideration
6. A．shame B．surprise C．shortcoming D．coincidence
7. A．doubt B．wonder C．show D．tell
8. A．finished B．managed C．imagined D．prepared
9. A．as long as B．in case C．so that D．unless
10. A．turning B．traveling C．settling D．adapting
11. A．worried B．disturbed C．confused D．pleased
12. A．legs B．shoulders C．head D．nose
13. A．high B．wide C．far D．quickly
14. A．adventurous B．close C．smart D．foolish
15. A．because B．though C．since D．if
16. A．from B．to C．around D．in
17. A．hardly B．partly C．mostly D．exactly
18. A．corner B．part C．copy D．spot
19. A．exclaimed B．announced C．hesitated D．thought
20. A．destinations B．dreams C．homes D．countries
---Would you like some wine?
--____.
A．Yes, just little B．No. Thank you just the same
C．No. I don’t want D．Yes, I’d like
–With the final examination approaching, I’m getting anxious. As a consequence, I have no appetite for anything and even can’t fall asleep.
-- Don’t worry. Things will pick up if you ____ yourself.
A．trust B．rescue C．sacrifice D．relax
