Nuclear power's danger to health, safety, and even life itself can be summed up in one word: radiation.
Nuclear radiation has a certain mystery about it, partly because it cannot be detected by human senses. It can't be seen or heard, or touched or tasted, even though it may be all around us. There are other things like that. For example, radio waves are all around us but we can't detect them, sense them, without a radio receiver. Similarly, we can't sense radioactivity without a radiation detector. But unlike common radio waves, nuclear radiation is not harmless to human beings and other living things.
At very high levels, radiation can kill an animal or human being immediately by killing masses of cells in vital organs. But even the lowest levels can do serious damage. There is no levels of radiation that is completely safe. If the radiation does not hit anything important, the damage may not be serious. This is the case when only a few cells are hit, and if they are killed immediately. Your body will replace the dead cells with healthy ones. But if the few cells are only damaged, and if they reproduce themselves, you may be in trouble. They can grow into cancer. Sometimes this does not show up for many years.
This is another reason for some of the mystery about nuclear radiation. Serious damage can be done without the victim being aware at the time that damage has occurred. A person can be irradiated(辐射)and feel fine, then die for cancer five, ten, or twenty years later as a result. Or a child can be born weak as a result of radiation absorbed by its grandparents.
Radiation can hurt us. We must know the truth.
1.Which of the following statements is true?
A．Nuclear radiation is just like common radio waves.
B．Nuclear radiation can cause cancer to human beings.
C．Nuclear radiation can be detected by human senses.
D．Nuclear radiation can be safe to human beings if its level is low.
2.How can nuclear radiation kill an animal?
A．By damaging its heart.
B．By killing a few cells.
C．By hitting any place in its body.
D．By killing many cells in important organs.
3.If a human being is hit by nuclear radiation, he may __________.
A．die of cancer after many years
B．die immediately
C．have a child who may be born weak
D．all of the above
Art robbery and art forgery (仿造) are both major themes in crime movies and literature.In the 2012 comedy movie Gambit, British actor Colin Firth plays an art curator who cheats his abusive boss into buying a fake Monet. In reality, art crimes are no less interesting and exciting.
According to The New York Times, over the past 15 years, Glafira Rosales fooled two local commercial art galleries into buying 63 false works of art for more than $30 million.She passed off fake paintings as works by 20th century modernist masters such as American artists Mark Rothko and Jackson Pollock.But in fact, these so called “newly discovered works” were all produced by a single man, a Chinese immigrant named Qian Peishen.
The art world was shocked by Rosales' deception.But to the public, it was amusing and most satisfying to see wealthy people get tricked.
So what decides the value of a piece of art? Is it beauty? Is it the artist's talent and craftsmanship? Or is it just because the artist is famous?
We should take beauty out. If the buyers were buying paintings only for their beauty, they'll be content displaying good fakes on their walls. They wouldn't be so upset when a forgery is exposed.
The art market claims that great artists are inimitable, and that this inimitability justifies the absurd price of their works. We can't deny that most famous artists are good at what they do, but forgers like Qian show that their works are imitable.Otherwise, the difference between the original and the copycats would be obvious and Rosales would not be able to fool anyone.
According to an article in the Economist, expensive paintings are what economists call positional goods. They are valuable because other people can't have them. With other goods, a higher price reduces demand.But art turns down the laws of economics. “When the goods that is really being purchased is evidence that the buyer has paid a lot, price increases cause demand to boom，” explained the article.
That's why scarcity and authenticity are so important in the art market. Artists sometimes forget this.Demien Hirst, the British pop artist, is famous for his spot paintings. But they dropped in value when it became clear that they had been produced in quantities so vast that nobody knew how many were out there.The art market lost faith in these paintings because no one could be sure which of them were authentic and which were fake.
1.The first paragraph is meant to tell the readers that ________.
A．movies and literature will be popular with art involved in them
B．art crimes are as interesting and exciting in reality as in movies
C．Gambit is a good movie with art forgery as the major theme
D．real art crime in reality can be adapted into popular films
2.Who is amused and satisfied to see the rich buy forged works of art?
A．The public.
B．Glafira Rosales.
C．Qian Peishen.
D．Mark Rothlo and Jackson Pollock.
3.What kind of art buyers should not be unhappy with its high prices when a forgery is exposed according to the author?
A．Those who buy only for its beauty.
B．Those who buy for its inimitability.
C．Those who 'buy for its authenticity.
D．Those who buy for its scarcity.
4.What is the law of economics theory behind art goods according to the economists?
A．They are valuable goods.
B．High prices reduce the demand of art goods.
C．High prices increase the demand of art goods.
D．They are produced in quantities to satisfy people.
Last November, Nick heard a disorder at a party. A group of people had ____ outside, pointing at something floating in the Bay. As he ran to ____， he soon saw what was wrong: Two kids in a boat were caught in the ____ and being pulled out to sea.
Tim and Jack had climbed into a boat anchored nearby and had rowed out to ____ a football. Reaching beyond the calm waters, the ____ fitted to the boat caught the wind and pulled it into open water. They tried to row back. But they were no ____ for the wind and turned around in circles. Nick dashed to the farthest of land. The boat was already just a ____ on the sea. He knew that the ____ boat would soon be overtaken by the huge waves, and that it was 2 degrees. Nick jumped into the ____ cold water. Every 90 yards, he raised his head to assess his ____. At one point, he considered turning back before managing to yell to them, “Take down the umbrella！”
Tim battled with the ropes holding the umbrella. Finally he loosened the ropes and ____ the umbrella. Then Nick caught up, but soon waves crashed over the boat, which began to sink. Nick ____ it would be faster to pull them toward the nearest bank. They ____ wore life jackets , which Nick held in one hand, swimming ____.“Are we there？” they asked repeatedly. “Yes，” Nick ____ them each time. It was 30 minutes before they got to the bank and stayed as close as possible for ____. Worn out, Nick had hardly arrived when he ____.It was an hour later when he found himself in a hospital that he came to. Asked what it took him to make the ____ move, he replied:
It is ____ to step out of the comfort zone. Being an onlooker is a cautious existence, but ____ we should never be stuck in. Stand by or stand up.
1.A.played B．gathered
C．laughed D．cried
2.A.investigate B．find
C．ask D．join
3.A.sands B．rain
C．waves D．sun
4.A.kick B．borrow
C．buy D．recover
5.A.life jacket B．umbrella
C．rope D．anchor
6.A.match B．strength
C．power D．force
7.A.ball B．dot
C．line D．light
8.A.lost B．delicate
C．old D．damaged
9.A.bitterly B．absolutely
C．fairly D．helplessly
10.A.progress B．weather
C．strength D．energy
11.A.threw B．opened
C．closed D．freed
12.A.decided B．said
C．declared D．recognized
13.A.awkwardly B．carefully
C．slowly D．easily
14.A.hopefully B．cautiously
C．continuously D．desperately
15.A.told B．comforted
C．discouraged D．supported
16.A.food B．pleasure
C．warmth D．help
17.A.passed out B．passed away
C．passed off D．passed by
18.A.warm B．generous
C．proud D．brave
19.A.easy B．tough
C．interesting D．dull
20.A.which B．that
C．one D．it
For the first time, researchers have discovered that some plants can kill insects in order to get additional nutrients. New research shows that they catch and kill small insects with their own sticky hairs near the roots and then absorb nutrients through their roots when the insects are killed and fall to the ground.
Professor Mark Chase, of Kew and Queen Mary, University of London, said: “The cultivated (改良的) tomatoes and potatoes still have the hairs. Tomatoes in particular are covered with these sticky hairs. They do trap small insects on a regular basis. They do kill insects.”
The number of these carnivorous plants is thought to have came up to 50 percent and many of them have until now been wrongly regarded as among the most harmless plants. Among them are species of petunia(矮牵牛), some special tobacco plants and cabbages, some varieties of potatoes and tomatoes, etc. Researchers at Royal Botanical Gardens Kew, which carried out the study, now believe there are hundreds more killer plants than previously realized.
It is thought that the technique was developed in the wild to get necessary nutrients in poor quality soil and even various plants grown in your vegetable garden still have the ability.
The researchers, publishing their finding in the Botanical Journal of the Linnean Society, said: “We may be surrounded by many more murderous plants than we think.” “We are accustomed to thinking of plants as being immobile and harmless, and there is something deeply frightening about the thought of meateating plants，” they added.
1.Tomatoes and potatoes kill insects to ________.
A．get more sticky hairs
B．make themselves grow better
C．make their roots stronger
D．avoid falling down to the ground
2.The word “carnivorous” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ________.
A．fastgrowing B．harmless
C．insectkilling D．nutritious
3.The insectkilling technique of vegetables is developed most probably through ________.
A．evolution of species
B．helps from other garden plants
C．artificial cultivation
D．nutrients preserved in rich soil
4.The text is probably taken from ________.
A．a student book B．a science fiction
C．a scientific repot D．a bulletin board
Brighton: It is a seaside resort on the English Channel. Only 50 miles from London, it offers a good variety of lively entertainment. It is a cheerful place, busy and crowded in the summer, but alive in every season of the year. Its royal pavilion(布莱顿皇宫)is a masterpiece of English architecture.
Durham: Whatever travelers see or don't see in England, they must see this city, in the northeast, just south of NewcastleuponTyne. No one will forget the sight of its cathedral(教堂)and castle rising together on a steep hill overlooking a loop in the River Wear, which almost surrounds them. The cathedral itself is one of the great medieval(中世纪的，公元476～1500)buildings in Europe.
Liverpool: A port in the northwest of England which possesses a quality that is not found in quite the same way anywhere else in England: the quality of grandeur (壮观). Liverpool has this grandeur in its site on the broad River Mersey (more than half a mile wide) with the houses rising near it; in its great dock buildings, its broad streets, and its two enormous cathedrals.
Edinburgh: It has long been the capital of Scotland. Edinburgh Castle is Edinburgh's important building, controlling the city from its perch on a rock over a hundred meters above sea level. Another important building is the Palace of Holyrood House, begun by James Ⅲ around 1500. Between the castle and the palace is the Royal Mile, which was the center of Edinburgh life before the 17th century and is fascinating to visit now.
1.Which is the suitable time to visit Brighton ?
A．Only summer B．All the year around
C．Holidays D．Weekdays
2.Which of the following place mentions both a castle and a cathedral ?
A．Brighton B．Durham
C．Liverpool0 D．Edinburgh
3.From this article, which of the following statements is WRONG?
A．Around the broad River Mersey you can enjoy the unique quality of Liverpool .
B．The sight of Durham's cathedral and castle is probably best seen from the banks of the Riverwear .
C．The Palace of Holyrood House is much older than the cathedral in Durham.
D．Edinburgh Castle was built over a hundred meters above sea level.
4.This article can be found in ________.
A．a travel magazine
B．a daily newspaper
C．a chapter of science fiction
D．a column in the financial press
The first robot rover to land on the Moon in nearly 40 years, China's Jade Rabbit, has begun sending back photos, with shots of its lunar lander(登月飞行器). Jade Rabbit rolled down a ramp lowered by the lander and on to the volcanic plain known as Sinus Iridum at 04：35 Beijing time on Saturday (20：35 GMT)．It moved to a spot a few metres away, its historic short journey recorded by the lander. On Sunday evening the two machines began photographing each other. A Chinese flag is clearly visible on the Jade Rabbit as it stands deployed on the Moon's surface.
Ma Xingrui, chief mander of China's lunar programme, declared the mission (任务)a “plete success”. The first soft landing on the Moon since 1976 is the latest step in China's ambitious space programme, says BBC science reporter Paul Rincon.
The lander will operate there for a year, while the rover is expected to work for some three months. The Chang'e3 mission landed some 12 days after being launched atop a Chinesedeveloped Long March 3B rocket from Xichang in the country's south. The official Xinhua news service reported that the lander began its descent(下降)on Saturday just after 13：00 GMT, touching down in Sinus Iridum (the Bay of Rainbows) 11 minutes later. “I was lucky enough to see a prototype rover(原型月球车) in Shanghai a few years ago it's a wonderful technological achievement to have landed，” Prof Andrew Coates, from UCL's Mullard Space Science Laboratory, told BBC News.
Chang'e3 is the third unmanned rover mission to touch down on the lunar surface, and the first to go there in more than 40 years. The last was an 840kg (1,900lb) Soviet vehicle known as Lunokhod2, which was kept warm by polonium(钋)210. But the sixwheeled Chinese vehicle carries a more sophisticated payload(复杂的有效负荷), including groundpenetrating radar which will gather measurements of the lunar soil and crust.
1.What does the text mainly talk about?
A．China's space and aeronautics industry develops quickly.
B．The importance of China's space and aeronautics industry.
C．China's Jade Rabbit Moon rover sends back first photos.
D．Chang'e3 is the third unmanned rover mission to touch down on the lunar surface.
2.After ________ years' hard and scientific work, the first soft landing on the Moon has made such great progress.
A．nearly 40 B．37
C．64 D．more than 40
3.The purpose that the Chinese moon rover has visited the moon is to ________.
A．do some research about the moon
B．be the first settler on the moon
C．to plant the Chinese flag onto the moon
D．send a lovely jade rabbit onto the moon
4.From the text, we know that the lander began its descent on Saturday just after ________ Beijing time.
A．13：00 B．20：00
C．22：00 D．21：00
