Adrian’s “Amazing Race” started early when his parents realized that he, as a baby, couldn’t hear a thing, not even loud noises. In a special school for the hearing-impaired, he learned sign language and got to mix with other disabled children. However, the sight of all the disabled children communicating with one another upset his mother. She wanted him to lead a normal life. So after speaking to an advisor, she sent him to private classes where he learned to read lips and pronounce words.
Later on, Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school. But the headmaster tried to prevent them from doing so, saying regular school couldn’t take care of a special needs students. His parents were determined to take the risk and push him hard to go through his work everyday because they wanted to prove that, given the opportunity, he could do anything. Adrian made the grade and got accepted. It was a big challenge. The pace (节奏) was faster so he had to sit at the front of the class and really pay attention to the teacher, which wasn’t always easy. But he stuck to it and did a lot of extra work after school.
The efforts made by Adrian and his parents paid off. Adrian graduated with good grades and got into a top high school. He also achieved a lot in life outside school. He developed a love for the outdoors and went to Nepal to climb mountains. He even entered the World Yacht Race 05/06--- being the first hearing-impaired Asian to do so.
But none of these achievements would have been possible without one of the most important lessons from his mother.” “If you believe in yourself and work hard, you can achieve great results.” she often said.
1. How did Adrian communicate with other children in the special school?
A. By speaking. B. By using sign language.
C. By reading lips. D. By making loud noises.
2.Adrian’s parents decided to send him to a regular school because .
A. they wanted him to live a normal life
B. they wanted to prove the headmaster wrong
C. he wouldn’t mix with other disabled children
D. he wasn’t taken good care of in the special school
3. How did Adrian finally succeed in his study?
A. He did a lot of outdoor activities.
B. He was pushed hard to study every day.
C. He attended private classes after school.
D. He worked very hard both in and after class.
4. Why is Adrian’s life described as an “Amazing Race”?
A. He did very well in his study.
B. He succeeded in entering a regular school.
C. He reached his goals in spite of his disability.
D. He took part in the World Yacht Race 05/06.
GUATEMALA CITY（Reuters）-----A fish that lives in mangrove swamps（红树沼泽）across the Americas can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals adapted to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.
The Magrove Rivulus, a type of small killifish, lives in small pools of water in a certain type of empty nut or even old beer cans in the mangrove swamps of Belize, the United States and Brazil. When their living place dries up, they live on the land in logs(圆木), said Scott Taylor, a researcher at the Brevard Endangered Lands Program in Florida.
The fish, whose scientific name is Rivulus marmoratus, can grow as large as three inches. They group together in logs and breathe air through their skin until they can find water again.
The new scientific discovery came after a trip to Belize.
“We kicked over a log and the fish just came crowding out,” Taylor told Reuters in neighboring Guatgemala by telephone. He said he will make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.
In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.
Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in an inactive state. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulus and remain active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at Canada’s University of Guelph.
Further studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.
“These animals live in conditions similar to those that existed millions of years ago, when animals began making the transition (过渡) from water onto land,” Wright said.
1.The Mangrove Rivulus is a type of fish that __________.
A. likes eating nuts
B. prefers living in dry places
C. is the longest living fish on earth
D. can stay alive for two months out of water
2.Who will write up a report on Mangrove Rivulus?
A. Patricia Wright B. Scott Taylor
C. Scientists from Belize D. Researchers in Guatemala
3.According to the text, lungfish can____________.
A. breathe through its skin
B. move freely on dry land
C. remain alive out of water
D. be as active on land as in water
4.What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulus?
A. It was made quite by accident
B. It was based on a lab test of sea life
C. It was supported by an American magazine
D. It was helped by Patricia Wright
Architects have long had the feeling that the places we live in can affect our thoughts, feelings and behaviors. But now scientists are giving this feeling an empirical (经验的，实证的) basis. They are discovering how to design spaces that promote creativity, keep people focused and lead to relaxation.
Researches show that aspects of the physical environment can influence creativity. In 2007, Joan Meyers-Levy at the University of Minnesota, reported that the height of a room’s ceiling affects how people think. Her research indicates that higher ceilings encourage people to think more freely, which may lead them to make more abstract connections. Low ceilings, on the other hand, may inspire a more detailed outlook.
In additions to ceiling height, the view afforded by a building may influence an occupant’s ability to concentrate. Nancy Wells and her colleagues at Cornell University found in their study that kids who experienced the greatest increase in greenness as a result of a family move made the most gains on a standard test of attention.
Using nature to improve focus of attention ought to pay off academically, and it seems to, according to a study led by C. Kenneth Tanner, head of the School Design & Planning Laboratory at the University of Georgia. Tanner and his team found that students in classrooms with unblocked views of at least 50 feet outside the window had higher scores on tests of vocabulary, language arts and maths than did students whose classrooms primarily overlooked roads and parking lots.
Recent study on room lighting design suggests than dim (暗淡的) light helps people to loosen up. If that is true generally, keeping the light low during dinner or at parties could increase relaxation. Researchers of Harvard Medical School also discovered that furniture with rounded edges could help visitors relax.
So far scientists have focused mainly on public buildings. “We have a very limited number of studies, so we’re almost looking at the problem through a straw (吸管),” architect David Allison says. “How do you take answers to very specific questions and make broad, generalized use of them? That’s what we’re all struggling with.”
1.What does Joan Meyers-Levy focus on in her research?
A. Light. B. Ceilings.
C. Windows. D. Furniture.
2.The passage tells us that ___________.
A. the shape of furniture may affect people’s feelings
B. lower ceilings may help improve students’ creativity
C. children in a dim classroom may improve their grades
D students in rooms with unblocked views may feel relaxed
3.The underlined sentence in the last paragraph probably means that __________.
A. the problem is not approached step by step
B. the researches so far have faults in themselves
C. the problem is too difficult for researchers to detect
D research in this area is not enough to make generalized patterns
Researchers are placing robotic dogs (机器狗) in the homes of lonely old people to determine whether they can improve the quality of life for humans. Alan Beck, an expert in human-animal relationship, and Nancy Edwards, a professor of nursing, are leading the animal-assisted study concerning the influence of robotic dogs on old people’s depression, physical activity, and life satisfaction. “No one will argue that an older person is better off being more active, challenged, or stimulated (刺激),” Edwards points out. “The problem is how we promote (使……成为现实) that, especially for those without friends or help. A robotic dog could be a solution.”
In the study, the robot, called AIBO, is placed for six weeks in the houses of some old people who live alone. Before placing AIBO in the home, researchers will collect baseline data for six weeks. These old people will keep a diary to note their feelings and activity before and after AIBO. Then, the researchers will review the data to determine if it has inspired any changes in the life of its owner.
“I talk to him all the time, and he responds to my voice,” says a seventy-year-old lady. “When I’m watching TV, he’ll stay in my arms until he wants down. He has a mind of his own.”
The AIBOs respond to certain orders. The researchers say they have some advantages over live dogs, especially for old people. Often the elderly are disabled and cannot care for an animal by walking it or playing with it. A robotic dog removes exercise and feeding concerns.
“At the beginning, it was believed that no one would relate to the robotic dog, because it was metal and not furry, ” Beck says. “But it’s amazing how quickly we have given up that belief.”
“Hopefully, down the road, these robotic pets could become a more-valuable health helper. They will record their masters’ blood pressure, oxygen levels, or heart rhythms. AIBOs may even one day have games that can help stimulate older people’s minds. ”
1.The purpose of Beck and Edwards’ study is to __________.
A. understand human-animal relationship
B. make lonely old people’s life better
C. find the causes of old people’s loneliness
D. promote the animal-assisted research
2.In the research, the old people are asked to ____________.
A. note the activities of AIBOs
B. keep AIBOs at home for 12 weeks
C. record their feelings and activity.
D. analyze the collected information
3.What is the advantage of AIBO over live dogs?
A. It is easier to keep at home.
B. It can help the disabled people.
C. It responds to all the human orders.
D. It can watch TV with its owner.
4.The author seems to suggest that the future robotic dogs may _____________.
A. cure certain diseases
B. keep old people active
C. change people’s beliefs
D. look more like real dogs
After the birth of my second child, I got a job at a restaurant. Having worked with an experienced for a few days. I was to wait tables on my own. All went that first week. When Saturday night came, I was luckily the tables not far from the kitchen. , I still felt it a little hard to carry the heavy trays (托盘).
Before I knew it, the was full of people. I moved slowly, every step. I remember how I was when I saw the tray stand near the tables; it looked different from the one I was on. It had nice handles, which made it to move around. I was pleased with everything and began to I was a natural at this job.
Then, an old man came to me and said, “Excuse me, dear, my wife and I loved you work. It seems your tray stand has been very to you, but we are getting ready to now, and my wife needs her back.”
At first his did not get across. “What was he talking about!” Then, I got it. I had set my trays on his wife’s orthopedic walker (助步器). I stood frozen as ice, but my face was . I wanted to get into a hole and .
Since then, I have learned from many mistakes such as the one I just . I have learned to be more and not to be too sure of myself.
1.A. manager B. assistant C. cook D. waitress
2.A. promised B. invited C. allowed D. advised
3.A. well B. quickly C. safely D. wrong
4.A. left B. given C. brought D. shown
5.A. Therefore B. However C. Otherwise D. Finally
6.A. kitchen B. street C. restaurant D. table
7.A. minding B. changing C. taking D. saving
8.A. angry B. calm C. sad D. happy
9.A. fixed B. trained C. loaded D. waited
10.A. slower B. lighter C. easier D. quieter
11.A. believe B. agree C. regret D. pretend
12.A. letting B. making C. watching D. having
13.A. useful B. familiar C. unusual D. interesting
14.A. rest B. order C. eat D. leave
15.A. bag B. walker C. tray D. coat
16.A. idea B. praise C. message D. need
17.A. cold B. full of joy C. pale D. on fire
18.A. lie B. hide C. defend D. stay
19.A. repeated B. discovered C. corrected D. described
20.A. careful B. patient C. honest D. practical
Sean’s strong love for his country is ______ in his recently published poems.
A. reflected B. relieved
C. responded D. recovered
