I left university with a good degree in English Literature, but no sense of what I wanted to do. Over the next six years, I was treading(在...上面走) water, just trying to earn an income. I tried journalism, but I didn’t think I was any good, then finance, which I hated. Finally, I got a job as a rights assistant at a famous publisher. I loved working with books, although the job that I did was dull.
I had enough savings to take a year off work, and I decided to try to satisfy a deep-down wish to write a novel. Attending a Novel Writing MA course gave me the structure I needed to write my first 55,000 words.
It takes confidence to make a new start — here’s a dark period in-between where you’re neither one thing nor the other. You’re out for dinner and people ask what you do, and you’re too ashamed to say, “Well, I’m writing a novel, but I’m not quite sure if I’m going to get there.” My confidence dived. Believing my novel could not be published, I put it aside.
Then I met an agent（代理商）who said I should send my novel out to agents. So, I did and, to my surprise, got some wonderful feedback. I felt a little hope that I might actually become a published writer and, after signing with an agent, I finished the second half of the novel.
The next problem was finding a publisher. After two-and-a-half years of no income, just waiting and wondering, a publisher offered me a book deal — that publisher turned out to be the one I once worked for.
It feels like an unbelievable stroke of luck — of fate, really. When you set out to do something different, there’s no end in sight, so to find myself in a position where I now have my own name on a contract（合同）of the publisher — to be a published writer — is unbelievably rewarding.
1.The author decided to write a novel ______ .
A. to finish the writing course B. to realize her own dream
C. to satisfy readers’ wish D. to earn more money
2.How did the writer feel halfway with the novel?
A. Disturbed. B. Ashamed. C. Confident. D. Uncertain.
3.What does the author mainly want to tell readers in the last paragraph?
A. It pays off to stick to one’s goal.
B. Hard work can lead to success.
C. She feels like being unexpectedly lucky.
D. There is no end in sight when starting to do something.
How would you like to sleep with one half your brain asleep and the other half awake? Dolphins sleep this way. Recently, scientists at Indiana State University have discovered that ducks sleep this way too. They found that ducks sleep half awake so they can rest and watch for danger at the same time.
After putting their ducks in a row and videotaping them, some researchers found ducks on the end of each row spent more time asleep with one eye open, apparently looking for predators.
“The more the ducks felt threatened, the more they slept with one eye open,” said lead author Niels C. Rattenborg, a graduate student at Indiana State University, Terre Haute. “The unique aspect is not that they do it, but that they control it. When they sleep at the edge of a group, they tend to realize greater danger, so they spend more time sleeping with one half of their brain.” Ducks with one eye open were still awake enough to detect predators, said the authors of the study, which appears today in the journal Nature.
The researchers studied four groups of four ducks held in plastic boxes, which were arranged in a row. Ducks on the end were found to sleep with one eye open 31.8 per cent of the time, compared to 12.4 percent of the time for ducks in the central position.
Also, ducks in the central position did not open one eye more than the others, while ducks on each end kept the eye facing away from the group open 86.2 per cent of the time. Brain wave readings of the ducks showed that the half of the brain receiving signals from the closed eye indicated that half of the brain was sleeping. Signals from the half of the brain receiving signals from the open eye showed a state between fully awake and asleep.
1.The under lined word “predator” is most likely to mean .
A. an animal that is likely to be friends with ducks
B. a human being who looks after and feeds ducks
C. a scientist who does research work on animals
D. an animal that hunts, kills and eats other animals
2.Ducks at the end of each row sleep with one eye open because .
A. they are looking for food
B. they are watching out for danger
C. they want to enjoy the scenery
D. they are unique in their sleeping habit
3.Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Ducks with one eye open at the edge can still enjoy a certain degree of sleep.
B. Ducks with less sense of duty usually choose to stay in the center of a row.
C. Ducks on the northern end of a row would keep their eye facing the south open.
D. A video tape recorder was the only electronic device used in the experiment.
Once upon a time, on an isolated island in the Java sea, lived short people who dominated(支配, 占优势) the food chain. Standing no more than three and a half feet tall, these human ancestors hunted giant rats, lumbering lizards（笨拙的蜥蜴), and miniature elephants.
It sounds a bit like a fairy tale, but it's true. Unearthed relics on the island uncovered the remains of a race of tiny human ancestors. Homo floresiensis, as the newly discovered species has been named, apparently could date back to 13,000 years ago. This means they have a lot in common with modern humans.
So how and why did these people get so small? Scientists suspect that it's due to the fact that this race lived on an isolated island with limited resources. Take the miniature elephants for example. When elephants first came to the island either by swimming or by some kind of natural land raft, they were probably close to full size. But since there wasn't much to eat, over time smaller elephants lived longer and better. The smaller the elephant was, the less it had to eat to stay strong and healthy.
Scientists call this the "island role", and it can apply to humans as well as animals. Given the island's sparse(稀少) food supply, it makes sense that the early humans living there would have evolved (进化) a body size requiring less food to survive. So bigger isn't always better. In the floresiensis, at least, getting smaller was the way to go.
1.According to the passage, the fact Homo floresiensis are very small is based on________.
A. the islanders in the Java Sea B. the human ancestors
C. a newspaper report D. the unearthed relics
2.The underlined word "miniature" in the first paragraph most probably means______.
A. tiny B. active C. rare D. wild
3.People on the island got so small because____________.
A. they gradually developed for lack of food.
B. they did not have enough food to eat.
C. they shared less food with elephants.
D. they remained alive as the elephants.
4.What might be the most suitable title of the passage?
A. The history of short people B. Short people on an isolated island
C. The proofs on short people D. Short people from a fairy tale
5.According to the passage, getting smaller can make people and animals ____
A. run quickly B. live weaker C. live longer D. run slowly
Bicycle Safety
Operation Always ride your bike in a safe, controlled manner on campus(校园). Obey rules and regulations. Watch out for walkers and other bicyclists, and always use your lights in dark conditions.
Theft Prevention Always securely lock your bicycle to a bicycle rack---even if you are only away for a minute. Register your bike with the University Department of Public Safety. It’s fast, easy, and free. Registration permanently records your serial number, which is useful in the possible recovery of the bike stolen.
Equipment
Brakes Make sure that they are in good working order and adjusted properly.
Helmet A necessity, make sure your helmet meets current safety standards and fit properly.
Lights Always have a front headlight---visible at least 500 feet in front of the bike. A taillight is a good idea.
Rules of the Road
Riding on Campus As a bicycle rider, you have a responsibility to ride only on streets and posted bicycle paths. Riding on sidewalks or other walkways can lead to a fine. The speed limit for bicycles on campus is 15km/h, unless otherwise posted. Always give the right of ways to walkers. If you are involved in an accident, you are required to offer appropriate aid, call the Department of Public Safety and remain at the scene until the officer lets you go.
Bicycle Parking Only park in areas reserved for bikes. Trees, handrails, hallways, and sign posts are not for bicycle parking, and parking in such posts can result in a fine.
If Things Go Wrong
If you break the rules, you will be fined. Besides violating rules while riding bicycles on campus, you could be fined for:
No bicycle registration---------------------------------------------------$25
Bicycle parking
banned--------------------------------------------------$30
Blocking path with bicycle
---------------------------------------------$40
Violation of bicycle equipment requirement
-------------------------$35
1.Registration of your bicycle may help you _____________.
A. get your serial number B. find your stolen bicycle
C. receive free repair services D. settle conflicts with walkers
2.According to the passage, what bike equipment is a free choice for bicycle riders?
A. Brakes. B. A helmet. C. A taillight. D. A headlight.
3.If you lock your bicycle to a tree on the campus, you could be fined _________.
A. $25 B. $30 C. $35 D. $40
4.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Directions for bicycle tour on campus.
B. A guide for safe bicycling on campus.
C. Regulations of bicycle race on campus.
D. Rules for riding motor vehicles on campus.
Adventure is in my blood. And I had been considering how I was going to celebrate my high school graduation. I didn’t just want a small in the backyard. I started thinking about doing a solo somewhere out of the ordinary. I took out and drew the 1,500-mile route along which I would be from the northernmost point in Norway to the southernmost section of Sweden. When I my plans with my dad, he as I thought he would. Because I get my adventurous from him, he was all for it.
I had only been away from my three days now, but there was an inner going on inside of me. Part of me was homesick and doubting whether I could make it. The other part of me was ready to to myself and my family that I could do it by myself.
On the road, I met another who was quite a bit older than I was. He had started his journey by bike at the southern part of Norway and had just finished. I could tell he had a great sense of . It encouraged me not to .
As I listened to my artists on my MP4 player, I pedaled (踩踏板) with my feet. There was around me for miles. , that wasn’t entirely true. There were mosquitoes--- millions of them. My arms were so dotted with that they looked like a topographical map (地形图). But, however it would be, nothing could stop my advance towards the destination. As you know, adventure is in my blood.
1.A. meeting B. party C. conversation D. lecture
2.A. flight B. interview C. trip D. performance
3.A. instructions B. maps C. magazines D. newspapers
4.A. walking B. biking C. flying D. running
5.A. shared B. compared C. prepared D. changed
6.A. left B. sighed C. agreed D. cried
7.A. stories B. hobbies C. skills D. spirits
8.A. home B. school C. hotel D. office
9.A. request B. activity C. battle D. discussion
10.A. certainly B. reasonably C. usually D. really
11.A. turn B. reply C. prove D. adapt
12.A. driver B. jogger C. bicyclist D. pilot
13.A. slowly B. alone C. patiently D. worriedly
14.A. humour B. direction C. satisfaction D. balance
15.A. calm down B. break down C. speed up D. give up
16.A. personal B. favourite C. professional D. successful
17.A. nobody B. everybody C. anything D. everything
18.A. Firstly B. Eventually C. Actually D. Fortunately
19.A. wounds B. cuts C. dots D. bites
20.A. boring B. difficult C. complex D. confusing
_________the answer, the boy, who asked the question, still stood with his hand ______.
A. Giving, raised B. Giving; rising
C. Given; risen D. Given; raised
