Maybe ten-year-old Elizabeth put it best when she said to her father. “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead.”
Dad, in a hurry to get home before dark so he could go for a run, had forgotten to wear his safety belt — a mistake 11.5% of the US population make every day, according to a survey in 2015.
The percentage doesn’t seem so bad, but the big question is why still so many people ignore it when every day there are reports about car accidents and casualties (a death toll of 37461 in 2016 ).
There have been many myths about safety belts ever since their first appearance in cars some forty years ago. The following are three of the most common.
Myth Number One: It’s best to be “thrown clear”of a serious accident.
Truth: Sorry, but any accident serious enough to “throw you clear”is also going to be serious enough to give you a very bad landing. And chances are you’ll have traveled through a windshield (挡风玻璃) or door to do it. Studies show that chances of dying after a car accident are twenty-five times greater in cases where people are “thrown clear.”
Myth Number Two: Safety belts “trap”people in cars that are burning or sinking in water.
Truth: Sorry again. but studies show that people knocked unconscious (昏迷) due to not wearing safety belts have a greater chance of dying in these accidents People wearing safety belts are usually protected to the point of having a clear head to free themselves from such dangerous situations, not to be trapped in them.
Myth Number Three: Safety belts aren’t needed at speeds of less than 30 miles an hour (mph).
Truth: When two cars traveling at 30 mpb hit each other, an unbelted driver would meet the windshield with a force equal to diving headfirst into the ground from a height of 10 meters.
1.Why did Elizabeth say to her father “But, Dad, you can’t be healthy if you’re dead”?
A. He was driving at great speed.
B. He was running across the street.
C. He didn’t have his safety belt on.
D. He didn’t take his medicine on time.
2.The reason Father was in a hurry to get home was that he_______.
A. wasn’t feeling very well
B. hated to drive in the dark
C. wanted to take some exercise
D. didn’t want to be caught by the police
3.According to the text, to be “thrown clear” of a serious accident is very dangerous because you _______.
A. may be knocked down by other cars
B. may get seriously hurt being thrown out of the car
C. may find it impossible to get away from the seat
D. may get caught in the car door
4.Some people prefer to drive without wearing a safety belt because they believe_______.
A. the belt prevents them escaping in an accident
B. they will be unable to think clearly in an accident
C. they will be caught when help comes
D. cars catch fire easily
5.What is the advice given in the text?
A. Never drive faster than 30 mile an hour.
B. Try your best to save yourself in a car accident.
C. Never forget to wear the safety belt while driving.
D. Drive slowly while you’re not wearing a safety belt.
Barbara McClintock was one of the most important scientists of the twentieth century. She made important discoveries about genes and chromosomes (染色体).
Barbara McClintock was born in 1902 in Hartford, Connecticut. Her family moved to the Brooklyn area of New York City in 1908. Barbara was an active child with interests in sports and music. She also developed an interest in science.
She studied science at Cornell University in Ithaca, New York. Barbara was among a small number of undergraduate students to receive training in genetics in 1921. Years later, she noted that few college students wanted to study genetics.
Barbara McClintock decided to study botany, the scientific study of plants, at Cornell University. She completed her undergraduate studies in 1923. McClintock decided to continue her education at Cornell. She completed a master’s degree in 1925. Two years later, she finished all her requirements for a doctorate degree.
McClintock stayed at Cornell after she completed her education. She taught students botany. The 1930s were not a good time to be a young scientist in the United States. The country was in the middle of the great economic Depression. Millions of Americans were unemployed. Male scientists were offered jobs. But female geneticists were not much in demand.
An old friend from Cornell, Marcus Rhoades, invited McClintock to spend the summer of 1941 working at the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. It is a research center on Long Island, near New York City. McClintock started in a temporary job with the genetics department. A short time later, she accepted a permanent position with the laboratory. This gave her the freedom to continue her research without having to teach or repeatedly ask for financial aid.
By the 1970s, her discoveries had had an effect on everything from genetic engineering to cancer research. McClintock won the Nobel Prize for Physiology or Medicine in 1983 for her discovery of the ability of genes to change positions on chromosomes. She was the first American woman to win an unshared Nobel Prize.
1.When did McClintock receive a doctorate degree?
A. In 1921. B. In 1923. C. In 1925. D. In 1927.
2.During the great economic Depression in the US, _______.
A. young scientists had trouble finding a job
B. female geneticists were not wanted at all
C. male geneticists were in great demand
D. male scientists were mostly out of job
3.Which of the following jobs may be most beneficial to McClintock’s research?
A. The job as a botany teacher.
B. The temporary job in the genetics department.
C. The permanent position in the laboratory.
D. The job of cancer research.
4.McClintock was awarded a Nobel Prize because of _______.
A. her life-long research in botany and biology
B. her contribution to genetic engineering
C. her discoveries about genes and chromosomes
D. her unshared work in the laboratory
5.The text is likely to appear in _______.
A. a biography B. a history paper
C. a newspaper D. a philosophy textbook
Some of the people who created many popular apps are telling kids to put their phones away — at least, a bit more often. The Center for Humane Technology is made up of people who used to work for big tech companies like Google, Facebook and Twitter. Now they want kids to stop using those apps and websites so much.
In early February, the center started a campaign called The Truth About Tech. Its goal is to teach students, parents and teachers about the dangers of spending too much time on smart phones and computers.
According to studies about kids and technology, more than 95 percent of elementary school-aged children spend at least part of every day using a computer or smart phone. About 78 percent of teens check their phones every hour, and more than half of them sleep with their phones in case they get a call or message during the night.
The Center for Humane Technology says that the apps and websites we use every day are purposely designed to keep us chatting, playing or watching online as much as possible. That includes social media like Snapchat, Instagram, Facebook and Twitter, websites like YouTube and online games. It also says that the tech companies talk only about the good aspects of their products and don’t mention the side effects.
Some physical problems, like headaches, eyestrain (眼疲劳), and neck pain are caused by using phones or computers too much. Students spending too much time online may find it hard to be focused on school work. Children and teenagers are more likely to have these problems because their brains, bodies and social skills are still developing.
One goal of The Truth About Tech campaign is to make sure that kids understand how technology affects them so they can make better decisions. The people behind the campaign also want governments and the tech companies themselves to take steps to protect children. When the leaders of the big technology companies are designing tech tools for kids, they should think about what they would want for their own children.
1.The Center for Humane Technology _______.
A. is made up of people doing voluntary work
B. is an organization working for big companies
C. intends to help people use high-tech products
D. aims to stop children spending too much time online
2.The data in Paragraph 3 are meant to _______.
A. ensure the reliability of the studies
B. show the seriousness of the problem
C. suggest the development of high technology
D. explain the reason for keeping phones at hand
3.According to the center, the purpose of the commonly used apps and websites is to _______.
A. encourage people to communicate more
B. help people learn more knowledge
C. attract people to using them more
D. enrich people’ s life
4.Why are children most likely influenced by the overuse of high-tech products?
A. They lack guidance on necessary social skills.
B. Their determination is not strong enough.
C. They have a lot of spare time after school.
D. Their bodies and social skills aren’t well developed.
5.What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A. It is the kids’ responsibility to protect themselves.
B. Governments strongly disagree with the campaign.
C. Technology companies are to blame for the problems.
D. It takes joint efforts to help kids use hightech products wisely.
We arrived at the hospital to find Dad was very weak, but his smile was as sure as ever. It was another attack of pneumonia (肺炎). My husband and I stayed with him for the weekend but had to return to our jobs on Monday. Local relatives would help Dad get home from the hospital and look after him. But I longed to be able to let him know that we cared too, even when we weren’t with him.
Then I remembered a family tradition when our children were small. When leaving their grandparents’ home after a visit, each child would write a love note to their grandparents. They hid notes in the cereal (麦片) box, under a hairbrush, next to the phone or even in the microwave oven (微波炉). For days, their grandparents would smile as they discovered these signs of our love.
So as I tidied Dad’s kitchen and made up a bed for him downstairs in the living room, I wrote some notes. Some were practical, “Dad, I put the food in the fridge so it wouldn’t spoil.” Some expressed my love, “Dad, I hope you will sleep well in your new bed.” Most notes were downstairs where he would stay for several weeks until he recovered strength, but one note I hid upstairs under his pillow, “Dad, if you have found this note, you must be feeling better. We are so glad!”
Just like his medicines strengthened him physically, these “emotional vitamins” would improve his spiritual health. Several weeks later, in one of our regular phone calls, I asked Dad how he was doing. He said, “Pretty good. I just found your note under my pillow upstairs!”
1.We can infer from the text that the author’s father _______.
A. got home from hospital alone
B. lived with his relatives
C. asked her to return to work
D. had suffered from the same illness before
2.The children hid notes in their grandparents’ home in order to _______.
A. follow a family tradition
B. play tricks on their grandparents
C. show their gifts to their grandparents
D. give their grandparents a pleasant surprise
3.Following the family tradition, the author _______.
A. often called her father
B. wrote some notes to her father
C. longed to visit her father
D. worried about her father’s health
4.Having heard what her father said, the author would feel _______.
A. surprised B. lucky C. pleased D. sad
5.What do we know about the author from the text?
A. She attempted to comfort her father with love.
B. She wanted to set an example to her children.
C. She enjoyed communicating with her father with notes.
D. She believed that a family tradition was very important.
阅读下面短文，从短文后所给各题的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Jenna, a popular girl from Westwood Middle School, had graduated first in her class and was ready for new 1 in high school.
2, high school was different. In the first week, Jenna went to tryouts(选拔赛) for cheerleaders(拉拉队队员). She was competing against very talented girls, and she knew it would be 3 for her to be selected. Two hours later, the 4 read a list of the girls for a second tryout. Her heart 5 as the list ended without her name. Feeling 6, she walked home carrying her schoolbag full of homework.
Arriving home, she started with math. She had always been a good math student, but now she was 7. She moved on to English and history, and was 8 to find that she didn’t have any trouble with those subjects. Feeling better, she decided not to 9 math for the time being.
The next day Jenna went to see Mrs. Biden about being on the school 10. Mrs. Biden wasn’t as 11 as Jenna. “I’m sorry, but we have enough 12 for the newspaper already. Come back next year and we’ll talk then.” Jenna smiled 13 and left. “Why is high school so 14?” she sighed.
Later in 15 class, Jenna devoted herself to figuring out the problems that had given her so much 16. By the end of class, she understood how to get them right. As she gathered her books, Jenna decided she’d continue to try to 17 at her new school. She wasn’t sure if she’d succeed, but she knew she had to 18. High school was just as her mom had said: “You will feel like a small fish in a big pond 19a big fish in a small pond. The challenge is to become the 20 fish you can be.”
1. A. processes B. decision C. challenges D. exercises
2. A. Therefore B. However C. Otherwise D. Besides
3. A. difficult B. easy C. boring D. interesting
4.A. editor B. boss C. candidate D. judge
5. A. jumped B. sank C. stopped D. raced
6.A. strange B. happy C. awful D. lonely
7. A. struggling B. improving C. working D. complaining
8. A. ashamed B. disappointed C. shocked D. relieved
9.A. put up B. prepare for C. worry about D. give up
10.A. committee B. newspaper C. radio D. team
11. A. enthusiastic B. artistic C. sympathetic D. realistic
12.A. speakers B. readers C. cheerleaders D. writers
13.A. widely B. weakly C. excitedly D. brightly
14. A. similar B. ordinary C. different D. familiar
15.A. physics B. history C. English D. math
16.A. pleasure B. hope C. trouble D. sorrow
17.A. fit in B. look out C. stay up D. get around
18. A. swim B. try C. ask D. escape
19. A. in return for B. in case of C. in terms of D. instead of
20.A. slimmest B. smallest C. best D. gentlest
Although ______ the support of the banks, Mike managed to save his company with the help of his friends.
A. lacking B. lacked C. being lacking D. being lacked
