Palaces are known for their beauty and splendor, but they offer little protection against attacks. It is easy to defend a large building, but usually these buildings are not designed with the comfort of a king in mind. When it comes to structures that are both beautiful and defensive, the European castle is a big success.
Castles were originally built in England by the Normans in 1066. They built towers and walls to secure the land they had taken. These castles provided the Normans with a quiet and safe place. They also served as bases of operation for attacks. In this way castles served both defensive and offensive roles. Besides, castles served as offices for governors. Those that were socially beneath the governor would come to report affairs and express their respect. They would address problems, handle business, feast, and enjoy festivities in castles. So castles served as social centers as well.
The first castles were made from earth and wood, and they were likely to suffer from attacks by fire. Then wooden castles were gradually replaced by stone, which greatly increased the strength of these towers and walls. However, attackers could throw flaming objects into castles through the windows or burn the wooden doors. This led to moving the windows and entrances off of the ground floor and up to the first floor to make them more difficult to access.
During the Middle Ages, attacks increased in regularity, so castle defenses were updated. Arrow-slits were added. They were small holes in the castle, which allowed defenders to fire without being hurt. Towers were built from which defenders could provide fire on both sides. The towers were connected to the castle by wooden bridges, so that if one tower fell, the rest of the castle was still easy to defend. A lot of rings of castle walls were constructed, so that even if attackers went past one wall, they would be caught on a killing ground between inner and outer walls. All of these increased the defense of castles.
The end of castles can be attributed to gunpowder. During the 15th century, artillery, a kind of large guns, became powerful enough to break through stone walls. This greatly made the role of castles less effective. Though castles no longer serve their original purposes, remaining castles receive millions of visitors each year who wish to experience the situations of ancient times.
1.What was the original function of castles according to the passage?
A. They served as tourist attractions.
B. They were important social centers.
C. They marked religious ceremonies.
D. They were built for use in emergencies.
2.The reason why wooden castles were replaced by stone castles was that .
A. stone castles cost less money
B. stone castles offered better defense
C. wooden castles were uncomfortable
D. wooden castles took a long time to build
3.Which of the following showed an improvement in castle defenses?
A. Castles were totally separated by stones.
B. Arrow-slits were made in large quantities.
C. Rings of walls were built to defend the towers.
D. Windows and entrances were moved to the higher floor.
4.What is the best title of the passage?
A. Fancy Living: Learning about Castles
B. Normans: Bringing Castles to England
C. A History of Castles: The Rise and Fall of Castles
D. Defending Castles: Technologies Used to Defend Castles
A Teenage Inventor
The world could be one step closer to quick and inexpensive Ebola detection thanks to a teenager from Connecticut.
Olivia Hallisey, a junior at Greenwich High School, was awarded $50,000 in the Google Science Fair for her new method that detects Ebola, a virus that causes bleeding from different parts of the body and usually causes death. Olivia’s method is to ask patients to put their saliva (唾液) onto a testing card. The card changes color if the person is catching Ebloa. Present Ebloa tests take up to 12 hours and cost $1,000. Olivia’s method, however, can be done just in 30 minutes for about $25. Besides, the sample (样本) doesn’t have to be put in a refrigerator thanks to the silk material Olivia uses to produce the testing cards.
Olivia was inspired to deal with this global problem after watching the news that more than 10,000 people died from Ebola in West Africa. She was particularly worried about the fact that, while the acts of involvement can improve survival rates, present detection methods are costly, time-consuming and require complex tools. Olivia got help from her science research teacher. She drew out directions from past research, and figured out detection systems that have proven to work with other diseases, including Lyme disease and yellow fever.
“What affects one country affects everyone,” Olivia told CNBC. “We have to work together to find answers to the huge challenges which cause harm to the global health.” The Connecticut’s teen, who hopes to become a doctor one day, was named the Google Science Fair winner in the competition of 20 competitors from across the globe. The fair is open to young people between the ages of 13 and 18 in most countries.
Olivia hopes her success will inspire other girls interested in science and computers. “I would just encourage girls to try it in the beginning, and remind them that they don’t have to feel naturally drawn or feel like they have a special talent for maths or science,” she told CNBC, “but just really look at something they are interested in and then think how to improve something or make it more enjoyable or relate it to their interests.”
1.According to the passage, present Ebola detection methods ______.
A. must use a large amount of samples
B. may detect other deadly viruses as well
C. have proven to be ineffective in practice
D. require samples to be kept in refrigerators
2.What can we learn about Olivia’s method?
A. Time-consuming. B. Cheap.
C. Complex. D. Out-of-date.
3.What does the underlined word “drawn” in Paragraph 5 probably mean？
A. Attracted. B. Controlled.
C. Admitted. D. Exposed.
4.The Google Science Fair is intended for ______.
A. students B. doctors
C. inventors D. scientists
Planning to get away? Think passport first
If you’re planning to get away from it all this year, you should think passport first. Checking you have a valid passport before you book your trip takes minutes but could save you the trouble and cost of not being able to go.
Renewing (更新) your passport before it runs out
You can renew your passport up to 9 months before it can no longer be legally used. So take the time now and save the tears later.
Applying for a passport for the first time
Our eligibility (资格) checks mean that it takes a minimum of one week to issue (颁发) a passport. So make sure you don’t leave it to the last minute, and apply in plenty of time.
Help with your application is just around the corner
Selected Post Office branches and Worldchoice travel agents offer a Check and Send service that helps you with your application. It’s convenient and you should receive your passport within 2 weeks.
If you need to apply for or renew a passport, you can either:
Pick up a Passport Application Form at Selected Post Office branches and Worldchoice travel agents.
Or call the Application Form Request line on 0901 4700 100 or visit www.passport.gov.uk
If your need is urgent, call 0870 521 0410 for an appointment at one of our offices. We can’t guarantee to see customers without an appointment.
From 14th January a guaranteed same day (passport renewals only) or one week service will be available from passport public counters.
*Calls will be charged 60p per minute and the cost per call should not normally be more than 90p.
*Calls are charged at national rates.
1.When applying for a passport for the first time, you need to know that ______.
A. passports can be legally used forever
B. passports are issued at the last minute
C. application checks take at least one week
D. applications are selected by post office branches
2.According to the passage, you can meet your urgent need by ______.
A. going to the offices directly
B. making a call for an appointment
C. visiting www.passport.gov.uk for a guarantee
D. getting in touch with Worldchoice travel agents
3.What is the passage mainly about?
A. Certain types of passports.
B. Different functions of passports.
C. Advantages of holding passports.
D. Instructions on applying for passports.
假设你是李华，你校拟举办茶文化讲座。请你给留学生朋友Robert写封邮件邀请他参加。内容包括：
1．讲座的时间、地点和活动安排；
2．喝茶的好处。
注意：1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
3．开头及结尾已为你写好，不计入总词数。
Dear Robert,
______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1．每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2．只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
The charity shop around the corner has a few volunteers. They’re some locals who can’t find jobs or have learning or other difficulty. As I know how important it is of them to feel respected and appreciated, I took the time to talk to them.
Yesterday, it came to his notice that one of them had the sadness in his eyes. Approached him I thanked him for his work here. In spite of his condition he was respectfully. I stayed for a while and we talked a lot. They were clearly happy be noticed. I have no idea that their stories are and what they may be going through, yet I hope this little bit of kindness helped them.
阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。
My 8-year-old son took it upon himself to plan a 10th anniversary 1. （celebrate）for my husband and me this weekend. He planned the whole day, 2.（start）with what he thought to be the 3.（good）breakfast to prepare for my husband as a surprise. Then he suggested going on 4. romantic picnic on the beach, 5.（follow）by a family game time to celebrate the family that resulted from our happy marriage in the first place.
He 6.（thoughtful）included a “card-making” station he had set up with markers and construction paper to help each of his parents to privately create loving anniversary cards 7. each other. He also recreated the special moments from our wedding day, with music he 8.（select）beforehand and foods and drinks.
He had also spent all week before the anniversary making paper hearts. He then 9.（ask）me to string them all over the house on the morning of the anniversary, so that he and I could surprise his dad/my husband with all the love. It was such a kind gesture for a little boy to think of. I left the whole thing in his little hands, 10. turned out beautiful! He told me he wanted to make an “unforgettable” day for his parents.
