Young sunflowers face the sun as it rises in the east and follow it across the sky until it sets in the west. Why does this happen? A team of scientists has finally been able to figure 1. how and why young sunflowers move.
Older sunflowers always face east. However, as it 2.(turn) out, an internal（内部的）clock helps young sunflowers track the sun so that they can grow better. US biologist Stacey Harmer and her colleagues had it 3. (explain) in a recent paper published in the journal Science on Aug. 5.
4. (depend) on the time of day, certain growth genes seem to work to different degrees on different 5. (side) of young sunflowers’ stems（茎）. The east side of their stems grows faster during 6. day, causing the stems to 7. (gradual) bend from east to west. The west side grows faster at night, preparing them for the next morning.
All this move is highly 8. (benefit) to sunflowers. The team found that flowers kept away from the sun had leaves 9. were 10 percent smaller on average. According to Harmer, sunflowers which 10. (face) with the sun receive more bees and other insects because they like warm flowers.
My most rewarding experience throughout the past two years was volunteering at the swimming competition for Special Olympics where a disabled friend of my community took part. This had special ______ for me because experiencing it helped improve my leadership skills, develop my character, and support my community.
Firstly, my ______ skills developed when I independently directed each swimmer where to ______ at the platform and ______ each competitor when they needed to swim. I had to make sure that the swimmers were ______ and ready to perform. This kept me on my feet at all times and ______ of each event’s time and location. I learned each swimmer’s name, ______ many of them swam in more than one event.
Secondly, my ______ was greatly influenced. When I saw the swimmers get their awards for winning each swimming event, I was deeply moved. I was ______ that most swimmers could swim better than I. Their ______ attitudes astonished me, whether they won or lost. This also enlarged my view, offering me the opportunity to ______ people I would normally not run into. I went out of my ______ zone and did whatever was needed to be done, even if it was sometimes difficult to me. It was especially ______ when I saw the glowing faces of the competitors.
Lastly, I was of ______ to my community by lending a hand to this organization. To be a part of it gave me a chance to improve my community and become ______ with the people living in this area.
As Winston Churchill once said, “We make a living by what we do, but we make a(n) ______ by what we give.” The importance of ______ should be stressed throughout your life. ______, through the many opportunities my community has offered I was privileged to be ______ in this exciting and important event in these competitors’ lives. I hope to be a(n) ______ again at this event in years to come.
1.A. purpose B. attention C. meaning D. regulation
2.A. learning B. acting C. exercise D. leadership
3.A. pile up B. line up C. put up D. fill up
4.A. informed B. awarded C. taught D. compared
5.A. positioned B. preserved C. presented D. predicted
6.A. full B. ignorant C. aware D. convinced
7.A. because B. if C. so D. though
8.A. technique B. imagination C. figure D. character
9.A. reminded B. impressed C. blamed D. concerned
10.A. various B. controversial C. changeable D. positive
11.A. educate B. gather C. meet D. recommend
12.A. safety B. comfort C. time D. development
13.A. rewarding B. outstanding C. interesting D. relaxing
14.A. wisdom B. courage C. service D. encouragement
15.A. crowded B. combined C. supplied D. acquainted
16.A. exception B. way C. life D. analysis
17.A. evaluating B. volunteering C. traveling D. allocating
18.A. Strangely B. Generally C. Specially D. Fortunately
19.A. involved B. committed C. devoted D. caught
20.A. trainer B. assistant C. judge D. announcer
There are some people who seem to always be surrounded by friends, and there are others who always seem to be standing on the outside, looking in at the crowds of friends. If you are one of the outsiders, it is time to break out of your shell and start making new friends. 1.
1. Be yourself. Nobody likes a phony(虚伪的人). In fact, if you aren’t yourself, others won’t become friends with you. When the time comes that you feel comfortable enough to act like yourself again, you may not be well received, because you are a totally different person. 2.
2. Use technology. 3. For instance, Weibo is a great place to meet new people. It creates experiences and you get to meet like-minded people who share your interests.
3. Start with people you know. Reach out and contact new friends, and reconnect with old friends you haven’t seen in a long time. Don’t forget about friends of friends. You may connect with some really cool people just by hanging out with your friends and their friends. 4. If you stay home, you aren’t going to meet people.
4. Keep in touch. 5. With the Internet and social media, there is absolutely no need to worry about that these days. Look up old friends and contact them.
A. There are all kinds of online groups that you can join.
B. Knowing others well is very important.
C. Therefore, let people get to know the real you.
D. If you are invited to go out, go.
E. All too often, people lose touch with one another.
F. Here are some tips that will help.
G. You need to trust yourself, whatever happens.
One evening, author Neil’s son was angry. Neil had said one of those things that parents say, like “isn’t it time you were in bed.” His son looked up at him, angry and said, “I wish I didn’t have a dad! I wish I had … a goldfish!” That conversation gave birth to Neil’s book, “The Day I Swapped My Dad for Two Goldfish”. The book is a funny adventure of a son searching for the dad he swapped.
Whether they realize it or not, fathers play an important role in their children’s development. Roland Warren, Director of the National Fatherhood Initiative, says that, “The shape of their dads has a role in the kids’ soul.” I agree. We live in the best of times and the worst of times for fatherhood. We live in the best of times because fathers who are engaged in their child’s life spend more time than fathers of any previous generation. We live in the worst of times because there are still millions of children who continue to miss the regular presence of Dad.
What difference does a dad make? Are they really that important? For the most part, studies have proved clearly that fathers, whether they live with their children or not, matter in the lives of their children. When fathers are present, they provide economic support for their children and caregiving responsibilities. Well-fathered children are shown to be more emotionally intelligent and socially successful as adults. When fathers are absent, their absence may negatively influence children’s academic achievement, general behavioural adjustment and anger management, especially in males.
Yet just being physically present isn’t enough to be a great father. It is important that a dad be warm and emotionally available to his child. Author and researcher, John Gottman, describes this kind of father as an “emotion coaching father”. Emotion coaches are parents who listen to their children’s feelings, see the sharing of feelings as an opportunity for intimacy（亲密）. It is not just the mere presence of fathers that matters, but how they are present. Most children long for and need a loving, devoted and responsible father.
1.The author introduces his topic by ______.
A. presenting the results of studies B. telling a story
C. making a comparison D. interviewing some experts
2.What does the author mean in Paragraph 2 by saying “We live in the worst of times … ”?
A. Today’s fathers don’t care about their children’s emotions.
B. Lots of children’s fathers have to work every day.
C. Lots of children’s fathers are absent from their lives.
D. Today’s fathers don’t have care giving responsibilities.
3.According to the text, a well-fathered child is more likely to _______.
A. lose control of anger B. obtain high academic achievement
C. have low emotional intelligence D. have good social skills
4.We can learn from the text that an “emotion coaching father” is a father who ______.
A. gives economic support to his child B. shares his child’s emotions
C. tries to change his child’s emotions D. is always available to his child
The discussion on renewable energy has been going on for at least a decade and people have relied on fossil fuels almost entirely for more than a century. However, the situation when fossil fuels were the most efficient and the cheapest source of energy has been left far in the past. Many countries such as Germany and Sweden have already made significant efforts to fix this situation, employing numerous power plants working on the renewable resources of energy. The most effective among these resources is geothermal（地热的）energy.
Geothermal energy does not depend on the world’s economic and political situation as strongly as fossil fuels do. Besides, extracting（提炼）fossil fuels adds to the price of energy produced from them. Therefore, geothermal energy is much cheaper than traditional ones, saving up to 80% of the costs over fossil fuels.
Being a renewable resource, geothermal energy produces less waste and pollution than traditional energy sources. In geothermal systems, carbon dioxide makes up about 10% of air produced. Overall, in order to produce the electricity that can be used for one hour, the geothermal systems produce 0.1 pound of carbon dioxide and other harmful gases. For a comparison, a power plant producing from gas produces up to 2 pounds of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere, and those power plants that work on coal（煤）produce an astonishing 3.6 pounds of greenhouse gases.
Low costs is another reason why using geothermal power plants should be the first choice for many countries. Geothermal heat systems require 25% to 50% less energy for work compared with the traditional systems for heating or cooling. Besides, geothermal equipment is less big: due to the very nature of geothermal energy, geothermal power plants have only a few moving parts, all of which can be easily sheltered inside a relatively small building. What’s more, the life span of geothermal equipment is rather long. All these make geothermal power stations easy to build and keep.
1.Fossil fuels are more expensive than geothermal energy partly because _______.
A. it is free to use geothermal energy
B. the production of fossil fuels costs a lot
C. fossil fuels are nearly used up
D. geothermal energy doesn’t depend on political situation
2.According to Paragraph 3, what can be concluded from the comparison?
A. Geothermal energy is environmentally friendly.
B. Gas and coal are often used to produce electricity.
C. Coal is much more efficient than gas.
D. The geothermal systems don’t produce harmful gases.
3.Geothermal equipment is usually not as big as that of traditional energy because of______.
A. the life span of geothermal equipment
B. geothermal power plants
C. the nature of geothermal energy
D. the small buildings
4.What is the main idea of this passage?
A. Many countries have benefited from geothermal energy.
B. Geothermal energy is well accepted.
C. Fossil fuels are being run out of.
D. Geothermal energy has many advantages.
On the morning of May 20, 1927, Charles A. Lindbergh Jr. took off from a muddy airfield in New York and headed for Paris. During the first fourteen hours of flying, he had had some anxious moments. Sleet had gathered on the wings of the plane and the fog was so thick that he could hardly see the tips of the wings. However, he had come across equally dangerous flying conditions before. Of course, now that he was over the ocean, his parachute（降落伞）was useless. He had only one choice: he had to go on.
Although he had waited a long time to make this trip, he did not feel strange or nervous. He was accustomed to flying alone, and he had flown this route in his imagination many times. The idea of flying across the Atlantic had occurred to him one night when he had been carrying the mail between St. Louis and Chicago. That night, he told himself that a solo non-stop flight between New York and Paris was possible. He knew that airplanes capable of making the long flight over the ocean could be built. A man of skill and endurance could make his dream come true.
As he was recalling that night, he reduced the altitude of the plane. Close to the surface of the ocean, he found that the ice on the wings began to melt and the fog disappeared. For the time being, at least, he was safe. The steady sound of the motor seemed like music in his ears. He had perfect confidence in his plane because he knew that there was not a more dependable plane than his. The Ryan Aircraft Company had constructed the plane to meet his special needs. He had worked with the chief engineer of the company, Donald Hall, to produce the airplane as rapidly as possible. Although Hall had worked with the basic design of the Ryan airplane, he had had to make many modifications. As a result, it was a very special airplane. He had named it “The Spirit of St. Louis,” in honour of the St. Louis businessmen whose financial backing had made the trip possible. Besides their money, he had invested all of his own savings, which came to two thousand dollars, in the venture.
At 12 :10 on the afternoon of May 21, Lindbergh caught sight of the coast of Ireland. Now that the flight was almost over, he began to relax a little. Finally, after thirty-four hours in the air without sleep, he arrived at Le Bourget Field, in Paris.
1.According to Paragraph 2, Lindbergh Jr. didn’t feel nervous about the flight because of the following reasons EXCEPT that _________.
A. he was used to flying alone
B. he had waited a long time for the trip
C. he had imagined flying the route many times
D. his plane was specially designed
2.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
A. The pilot listened to music as he reduced the altitude of the plane.
B. The trip was made possible thanks to the financial support from some businessmen.
C. The plane got its name in memory of a non-stop trip.
D. The chief engineer designed the airplane independently to meet the pilot’s needs.
3.What does the underlined word in Paragraph 3 mean?
A. beautiful decorations B. regular repairs
C. small changes D. careful arrangements
4.Which of the following would be the best title?
A. Wings Across the Atlantic
B. A Solo Non-stop Flight of 24 Hours
C. The Spirit of St. Louis
D. An Outstanding Pilot—Charles A. Lindbergh Jr.
