How could we have thought so wrongly of as banana peel that it always hits the garbage? Utility of anything seems to be in the eyes of the beholder. The banana peel hasn't been an exception.
What most of us looked at as waste was converted to a thing of utility by Prithwis Mukhopadlyay, a 14-year-old prodigy. This Bengali boy, nourished in the US, Lake Junior High in Woodbury, Minnesota, has come up with an idea to convert banana peels to biogas.(生物气).
It's well known that almost any organic waste can be converted to biogas. But why biogas from banana peel has hit the news is because it produced five times as much biogas as manure(粪), a commonly used source for producing biogas, in the experiments Prithwis conducted.
He filled two airtight containers, one with manure and the other with banana peels. Then he mixed each content with water and connected them to empty jars via pipes to collect the gas produced. He placed a heater next to each jar and measured the gas collected for 60 days. His studies proved that banana peels produced five times more biogas than manure.
This project titled 'Comparison analysis: Eco-friendly source of energy for the future,' earned him a spot in Discovery Channel Young Scientist Challenge. This weekend, the young whiz is to showcase his research work along with 40 other finalists at Washington. "Initially, I thought of doing a project that would reduce global warming. Things changed after I visited a biogas plant in a village in India during my summer vacations. It was an amazing experience," Prithwis says.
1.Why could Prithwis's finding receive the attention of the media?
A．Because he is a prodigy.
B．Because he is of Bengali descent.
C．Because he used an extremely rare organic waste to produce biogas.
D．Because his research proved that banana peels can produce more biogas.
2.Where did Prithwis derive his inspiration from?
A.Lake Junior High. B Discovery Channel.
C. India. D.His laboratory at home.
3.This article probably appeared in a _________ magazine.
A．gourmet B．science C．computer D．fashion
Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for the toy cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological（生物学的） basis to their preferences（偏爱）.
Psychologists Dr. Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 infants(婴儿) aged nine months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were stereotypically boys' toys - a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys, and could pick whichever toy they liked. Their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (nine to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two-and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.
Dr Brenda Todd said: “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization(社会化). Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colours such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby.”
1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because__________.
A．baby boys are much more active
B．baby girls like bright colours more
C．there is a natural difference between them
D．their parents treat them differently
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all.
B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls.
C．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys.
D．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is.
3.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
A．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings.
B．Adults purposely（故意地） influence their babies preference.
C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting.
D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted.
4.We may read this article in a_________ section of a newspaper.
A．health B．science C．education D．entertainment
“Our aim is to take our art to the world and make people understand what it is to move，” said David Belle, the cofounder of parkour (跑酷)．
Do you love running? It is a good exercise, yet many people find it boring. But what if making your morning jog a creative one？Like jumping from walls and over gaps and ground rolls? Just like the James Bond in the movie Casino Royale? Bond jumps down from a roof to a windowsill and then runs several blocks over obstacles on the way. It is just because of Bond's wonderful performances that the sport has become popular worldwide.
Yes, that's parkour, an extreme street sport aimed at moving from one point to another as quickly as possible, getting over all the obstacles in the path using only the abilities of the human body. Parkour is considered an extreme sport. As its participants dash around a city, they may jump over fences, run up walls and even move from rooftop to rooftop.
Parkour can be just as exciting and charming as it sounds，but its participants see parkour much more than that.
Overcoming all the obstacles on the course and in life is part of the philosophy (哲理) behind parkour. This is the same as life. You must determine your destination, go straight, and jump over all the barriers as if in parkour and never fall back from them in your life, to reach the destination successfully. A parkour lover said，“I love parkour because its philosophy has become my life, my way to do everything.”
Another philosophy we've learnt from parkour is freedom. It can be done by anyone, at any time, anywhere in the world. It is a kind of expression of trust in yourself that you earn energy and confidence.
1.Parkour has become popular throughout the world because of ________.
A．its cofounder, David Belle
B．the film, Casino Royale
C．its risks and tricks
D．the varieties of participants
2.The underlined word “obstacles” in Paragraph 2 is closest in meaning to “________”．
A．streets B．objects C．barriers D．roofs
3.Which of the following is TRUE of parkour?
A．It challenges human abilities.
B．It is a good but boring sport.
C．It needs special training.
D．It is a team sport.
4.Which of the following is the philosophy of parkour?
A．Sports and extremes.
B．Excitement and popularity.
C．Dreams and success.
D．Determination and freedom.
A young student was one day taking a walk with a professor, who was commonly __36_ the students’ friend. As they went 37, they saw lying in the path a pair of old 38_, which they supposed to belong to a poor man who was working in a 39 . The student turned to the professor, saying: “Let us play the man 40: we will hide his shoes, and 41ourselves behind those bushes, and wait to see his 42 when he cannot find them.”
“My young friend,” answered the professor, “we should never 43 ourselvesat the 44of the poor. But you are 45, and may give yourself a much greater 46 by means of the poor man. Put a coin into each shoe, and then we will hide ourselves and 47 how the discovery affects him.” The student did so, and they both placed themselves behind the bushes. The poor man soon finished his work and came 48the field to the path 49 he had left his coat and shoes. While 50his coat he slipped his foot into one of his shoes; but feeling something 51, he bent down to feel 52 it was, and found the coin. Astonishment and wonder were seen upon his face. He then looked around him on all sides, but no person was to be seen. He now put the money into his pocket, and continued to put on the other shoe; but his53was doubled on finding the other coin. He fell upon his knees, looked up to heaven and said aloud a fervent(热烈的) thanksgiving, in which he 54 his wife, sick and helpless, and his children without bread. The student stood there deeply55, and his eyes filled with tears.
1. A．held B．kept C．named D．called
2. A．along B．on C．over D．back
3. A．socks B．gloves C．shoes D．trousers
4. A．field B．factory C．company D．shop
5. A．a game B．a trick C．a joke D．a word
6. A．hide B．have C．let D．make
7. A．pleasure B．sorrow C．disappointment D．anxiety
8. A．make B．treat C．amuse D．laugh
9. A．price B．expense C．value D．pay
10. A．poor B．kind C．honest D．rich
11. A．pleasure B．money C．thought D．good
12. A．notice B．watch C．realize D．find
13. A．about B．across C．into D．by
14. A．where B．that C．there D．which
15. A．wearing B．dressing C．putting on D．pulling
16. A．soft B．terrible C．strange D．hard
17. A．what B．how C．whether D．why
18. A．confidence B．embarrassment C．surprise D．joy
19. A．mentioned B．remembered C．recommended D．reminded
20. A．amazed B．defeated C．puzzled D．affected
______ the students in our school go to college in their teens.
A．A good many B．A great many of
C．A great deal of D．A great deal
She managed to climb out of the car, ______ unhurt.
A．apparently B．occasionally C．freely D．peacefully
