Dogs are known for a strong sense of smell. Their noses can be trained to identify different smells. Dogs are often used in search and rescue operations and to sniff for things like drugs and explosives. Some dogs have even been trained to sniff for cancer in people.
Researchers have been trying to reproduce the extraordinary sense of smell that real dogs are born with. Now, officials at the Glasgow airport in Scotland are testing a new security device called an “electronic sniffer dog”. The electronic sniffer dog represents one of the latest developments in the area of smell technology.
A Scottish company, Cascade Technologies, joined with the French security company Morpho to develop it. The device uses lasers to identify explosive materials in gases in the air. The purpose is to identify explosives that may be hidden on a person’s body.
The machine looks similar to the metal detectors now used at airports. Passengers walk through the machine as the lasers test the surrounding air. People are not required to take off their coats, belts or shoes as part of the security process. And, unlike full-body scanners, the new device does not show images of the passengers.
Officials at Cascade Technologies say the machine can process one person per second and produce almost immediate results. They say future development could cut security processing times at airports by screening all passengers at walking speed.
Professor Yushan Yan, the head of Chemical and Environmental Engineering at the University of California, Riverside, points out that unlike real dogs, electronic devices do not get tired or need to be walked or require food and water. Professor Yan says real dogs also have other needs. “They also need very extensive training that could be expensive. And when they work they have to have a very skilled handler around them.”
But Professor Yan says there is an important area where man’s best friend still wins compared to technology. “In terms of sensitivity and selectivity, the current technology out there is still inferior. The real dog has amazing capability of identifying some really minor amount of explosives.”
1. The electronic sniffer dogs will be used to____
A. replace real dogs to be as pets for people
B. search for and rescue people who are in trouble
C. help people look after patients in the hospital
D. identify drugs and explosives in places like the airport
2.Which of the following is true of the electronic sniffer dog?
A. The device uses lasers to examine for explosive materials.
B. People have to take off their clothes when walking through the device.
C. The device will show images of the passengers.
D. The device can process all passengers at walking speed.
3. The advantages of the electronic sniffer dog over the real dog include the following EXCEPT______
A. its convenience B. its high efficiency
C. its sensitivity D. its low consumption
4.The underlined word “inferior” in the last paragraph most probably has the meaning of_____.
A. concentrating all one’s effort on a specific area
B. not as good as sb. / sth. else
C. that cannot be clearly understood
D. necessary for completeness
The future of pinnipeds (鳍足动物)looks much brighter today than it once did. At one time, about 100 years ago, it seemed certain that many pinnipeds in the world would be destroyed by human hunters. Today, it appears that most species( 物种) of pinnipeds are out of danger.
Hunting was not controlled during the 18th and 19th centuries, because little was known about the lives of pinnipeds. Whales and pinnipeds were hunted for the oil from their body fat. This oil was used in lamps before electric lights were invented. Millions of seals and other pinnipeds were used to provide oil for the lamps of the world. As a result, the numbers of many pinniped species fell rapidly.
Several things happened that helped to save pinnipeds. First, species that were hunted to near extinction (灭绝) were left alone because their numbers were too low and the cost of hunting them went up greatly. At the same time, electric lights were invented and the market for seal oil became smaller. Finally, governments around the world made laws to protect pinnipeds.
As a result of all these things, the numbers of most pinniped species have grown in recent years. With some species, such as Northern fur seals, there may be as many animals alive today as there were before all the hunting began.
However, oil is still a danger to pinnipeds and all sea animals. But this time it’s not because they are hunted for their oil. The oil that puts them in danger is from oil spills(泄露) in the sea. The oil covers their fur and reduces their body temperatures. Oil also sticks to the foods they eat. This modern danger to pinnipeds and their environment is one we must work to prevent.
1. During the 18th and 19th century, _______.
A. people had realized the importance of pinnipeds
B. pinnipeds were hunted for their meat
C. pinnipeds had a better life than today
D. many families were using lamps
2.What does Paragraph 3 mainly talk about?
A. How electric lights were invented.
B. When people began to protect pinnipeds.
C. What governments around the world have done to save pinnipeds.
D. Why the numbers of some pinnipeds have increased.
3.It can be inferred from the passage that________.
A. the market for seal oil is growing
B. Northern fur seals aren’t in much danger now
C. oil spills are the biggest problem for pinnipeds
D. stricter laws need to be made to protect pinnipeds
4.In which part of a magazine can we most probably read this passage?
A. Wildlife. B. Lifestyle.
C. Tourism. D. Environment.
The associates I hired in my bicycle and lawn mower shop like myself were never perfect; however, they were excellent. Working with them as they improved taught me new ways to show forgiveness, understanding, and patience.
One day the placement officer asked me to interview a young man who was having trouble finding a job. He told me that David was a little shy, did not talk much and was afraid to go on with interviews. He requested that I give David an interview just for practice. He plainly told David that I had no positions open at the time and the interview was just for practice.
When David came in for the interview, he hardly said a word. I told him what we did at the bicycle shop and showed him around. I told David to keep showing up because the number one thing an employer wanted in an associate was dependability.
David was very quiet ( he was evaluated as a slow learner in school). Every ten days or so, for weeks after the interview, David walked into the bicycle shop and stood by the front door. He never said a word, just stood by the door.
One day, shortly before Christmas, a large truck came to the shop, packed with 250 new bicycles. It had to be unloaded right away or the driver would leave.
It was raining. Some of my workers (without physical limitations) chose not to brave the weather to get into work, so I was short-handed. It seemed everything was going wrong and on top of it, David came in the front door and just stood there. I looked at him and shouted, “Well, all right! Fill out a time card and help me unload this truck!”
David worked for my bicycle shop for eighteen years. He came to work every day thirty minutes early. He could talk; however, he rarely chose to. He drove my truck and made deliveries. The customers would praise David, saying, “He doesn’t talk, but he really shows you how to operate a lawn mower!”
1.The author gave David an interview to _______
A. find a person who is reliable
B. find a part-time worker in need
C. give him some practice
D. show sympathy for him
2.The author finally hired David because________
A. there were no other workers in the shop then
B. he needed someone who was willing to work then
C. David kept showing up
D. He realized David was dependable
3.We can infer from the last paragraph that_______
A. some customers just play jokes on David
B. David has had his character changed through work
C. the author prefers David to be more outgoing
D. the author feels lucky to hire David
For about three years now, I have been writing poetry. It was not until my junior year in high school that I developed an interest, love, and skill for writing poetry.
Back in elementary school, I love to write stories. I would write stories on post-it notes and anywhere I could. Yet when I had to write a limerick （五行打油诗）for an assignment, I could not wrap my head around poetry. I had a very hard time figuring out how to rhyme words and have the words make sense. I eventually tossed the paper with the attempted limerick in the trash. I did not try my hand at poetry again until several years later.
Many years later in my freshman year of high school, my English teacher gave my class a poetry project as an assignment. I still remember my limerick assignment and was afraid of doing the poetry. For the project, we had to analyze a poem and write a response to it. I choose to respond to Robert Frost’s poem Fire and Ice. I also wrote my own poem first. I become really excited when writing the poem.
Two years later, I started writing poetry, as a hobby and for fun. To learn how good or bad my poems were, I handed them in to some magazines and contests. I won second place in the North Carolina Poetry Society’s Sherry Pruitt Award Contest with a poem called The Ocean, and had my two poems published as high merit (优等) poems. I have continued to write poetry, and have even self-published three collections of poetry in both print and e-book formats, which can be found at my store on Lulu.
Now, I love writing poetry, but I don’t hate writing short stories. I just find it more difficult and not my style of writing, even though I still write short stories occasionally.
1.When the author was a pupil, he ____.
A. liked writing stories
B. was good at writing poetry
C. could understand poetry well
D. was often praised by his teacher
2.When given the poetry project in high school, the author was ______.
A. excited B. annoyed
C. confident D. worried
3. The author took up writing poetry as a hobby when he ____.
A. was in Grade Three in high school
B. worked as a storekeeper
C. was in Grade One in high school
D. was at college
4. How did the author increase his confidence in writing poetry?
A. He wrote a lot of poems and asked advice from his teacher
B. He published three collections of poetry by himself
C. He submitted his poems to magazines contests
D. He gave up writing stories and only wrote poetry
假如你是李明，最近，你的朋友张华因考试不利，情绪低落，学习消极应付。请你用英语给他写一封email，指出其消极行为可能带来的不良后果，并结合自身实际，提出应采取的积极态度和应对方法，鼓励他努力学习。
词数：100左右。
Dear Zhang Hua，
I'm sorry to hear that
Yours truly，
Li Ming
Show respect for parents is one of the Chinese traditional moral value. As most of the students today are “the only child” in their family, they often regard them as the “centre” of the family, without caring many about their parents. Our school start a programme when the new year came. It is “Respecting parents programme”. Ten “Do’s” have worked out for the students to follow clearly and easily. They include: “Remember your parents’ birthdays and express your the best wishes to them; tell “hello” to your parents see them returning home; and tell your parents where you go when you leave home.” The programme has been successfully.
