Laughter is so familiar to every one of us. There is an English saying that ______, “He who laughs last laughs the hardest.” High School Musical star Zac Efron is laughing a lot these days.
______a young boy, Efron was picked on in school because he was always the smallest in his class and _____ because he had a big space between his teeth. In sixth grade, Efron’s basketball team made it to the league championships. In double overtime(两个加时赛), with three seconds left, he rebounded the ball and passed it-- to the _______ team! They scored and his team lost the game.
But history, as they say, is a thing of the______. Now at 21, Efron is one of People Magazine’s 100 Most Beautiful People, graces the cover of Entertainment Weekly, Hollywood’s most ______ magazine, and is traveling the world ______ the third High School Musical film. Director Adam Shankman _______ Efron as “arguably the biggest teen star in America right now.” Simply google “Zac Efron” and you get more than 14 million _____. Yes, it seems Efron has a lot to smile about these days.
Efron was born and ______ in California. He took school ______ . According to Efron, “I would get crazy if I got a B and not an A in school.” It was his father who encouraged him to act. He took part in school ______ and acted in a local theater group. He also_______ singing lessons. He graduated from high school in 2006 and was _______ to the University of Southern California to study film. But he put it off--why study movies ______ you can star in them?
Now Efron is also earning more than $3 million for his ______ in High School Musical 3. Not bad for a 21-year-old. But Efron ______ remembers those bullies(欺人者). “You always have to remember that bullies want to bring you down because you have something that they _______.” Efron said. “Also, when you get made fun of, when people point you’re your _______, it’s an opportunity for you to rise above.”
Efron has risen all the way to the top of the movie business. And he can now ______ all the way to the bank.
1.A.says B.goes C.reads D.talks
2.A.As B.Like C.For D.To
3.A.teased B.admired C.liked D.hated
4.A.strong B.right C.wrong D.active
5.A.past B.present C.moment D.time
6.A.effective B.respectful C.valuable D.influential
7.A.acting B.promoting C.advancing D.performing
8.A.thought B.served C.described D.treated
9.A.responses B.pictures C.passages D.comments
10.A.hired B.raised C.directed D.trapped
11.A.seriously B.formally C.easily D.cautiously
12.A.meetings B.reports C.lectures D.performances
13.A.taught B.took C.cancelled D.escaped
14.A.admitted B.recognized C.realized D.relieved
15.A.that B.when C.whether D.which
16.A.career B.role C.result D.movie
17.A.even B.yet C.still D.ever
18.A.admire B.observe C.earn D.consider
19.A.excuses B.weaknesses C.strengths D.descriptions
20.A.laugh B.cry C.sing D.run
As scientists probe(探究) the mysteries inside our heads, their discoveries are proving new insights into how we can all sharpen our mental machinery.
Your brain is fat
In fact, you brain is the fattiest organ in your body, consisting of a minimum of 60 percent fat. Fat carries, absorbs and stores vitamins in your bloodstream.1..
We can get smarter as we get older
Rawan Tarawneh, an assistant professor, points out that although some mental processes decline as we age, not all does.2., On the other hand, language functions tend to remain well preserved as we get older, peaking even into our early 70s.
3.
Comparing the brains of great thinkers, writers, and mathematicians hasn’t yielded conclusive evidence that the size of the brain has a connection to intelligence.
Intelligence might start with ignoring distractions
Intelligent people were better at detecting movements of small objects on a screen but worse at movements of large background objects. This may be because in nature, large movements such as the wind in the trees are irrelevant, but the harder-to-see animals is essential.4.
5.
For example, experiments have shown that people who were born blind use the visual parts of their brains for tasks other than seeing.
A.Fat is essential for brain.
B.In our information-laden world, focusing on only what’s important may give some people an edge (优势).
C.The close connection between brain’s size and intelligence.
D.It also helps the immune system function properly.
E.You brain can adapt itself.
F.Some of our brain functions, such as short term memory show some decline with aging.
G.Bigger isn’t necessarily better.
For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such messages.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescope to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth. In addition, they will scan (扫视) the entire sky to “listen” for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy, scientists find that five percent are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution (进化) of life. Based on the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn’t been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family in only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billions years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilizations are much more advanced than ours. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking.
1.According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?
A.15 billion. B.10 billion.
C.5 billion. D.200 billion
2.The first paragraph in this passage is mainly about ________.
A.why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
B.how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
C.where scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
D.when scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets
3.The underlined word “monitor” in the passage means “________”.
A.find B.follow
C.form D.check
4.Which of these statements is True based on the information in the passage?
A.Scientists are tying different ways to find signs of life on other planets.
B.Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets.
C.The earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy.
D.Scientists don’t believe that there might be life on other planets.
“Could your weekend lie-in(睡懒觉) kill you?, asked the Daily Mail. It is said in a study that sleeping more at weekends can increase the risk of heart disease. Since most of us change our sleep schedule depending on whether it’s a work or non-work day, it’s an interesting question. Is the lie in really so dangerous? Researchers say that changing sleep pattern cause social jet lag. Is that even a thing?
Changing our sleeping hours causes the effect of crossing a time zone-it makes us sleepy the day. People who changed their sleep patterns were also more likely to gain weight during the study and more suited to going to bed and waking late because of the change of their biological clock. They were more at risk of these changes than earlier sleepers and risers. The study also shows an association switching sleep patterns and changes in some blood results. It does not show that anyone’s developing heart disease was because they had lie-ins.
Jim Horne, one of the professors of the Sleep Research Center, says the concept of social jet lag is likely to feed our anxiety about sleep, so we should really stop worrying so much and have a limited weekend lie-in. Worry is bad for sleep and we naturally compensate for not getting enough rest in the week by lying-in at weekends, so we shouldn’t stop doing it. However, we should limit the time.
Studies show that if you accumulate a five-hour sleep debt during the week, then you only need one and a half hours of extra sleep on your days off to make up for it. It would be a shame to be scared of lie-in. Studies of sleep and risk factors for heart disease can struggle to tell between poor sleep causing stress and stress disrupting sleep. Sleep is the test for the state of one’s health, and the most important thing that happens when you don’t get enough of it is that you feel sleepy.
1.What’s the consequence of switching sleep patterns?
A.You’ll feel more energetic.
B.Some blood results will change adversely.
C.You will become earlier sleepers and risker.
D.The chance of putting on weight will enhance.
2.What does the underline phrase “doing it” refer to?
A.Lying-in. B.Worrying.
C.Limited Sleeping. D.Compensating for the limit.
3.What is Horne’s attitude to the weekend lie-in?
A.Negative. B.Doubtful.
C.Ambiguous. D.Supportive.
4.What can we infer from the text?
A.The sleep debt should be paid off completely.
B.The weekend lie-in is more healthy than harmful.
C.Social jet lag occurs when you don’t get enough sleep.
D.Poor sleep may result from and cause stress in turn.
Alibaba co-founder and chairman Jack Ma on Monday announced in an open letter that he would step down, with the company CEO Daniel Zhang taking over as the chairman of the board. Zhang, is known as a key architect of Alibaba’s “Singles Day”, the Nov. 11 event that has become the world’s largest online shopping event. In the letter entitled “Happy Teachers’ Day,” Ma said he would retire as the chairman of the board on Sept. 10, 2019. Ma said he would work closely with Zhang to ensure a smooth transition and stay on the Alibaba board of directors until the annual shareholders meeting in two years. After he steps down, he will continue to be part of the “Alibaba Partnership”, which has the ability to nominate the majority of directors on the company’s board. He also wants to return to education and charity, which gives him excitement and blessings.
“There’s only Bill Gates who has done the same. No other tech founder in the world has just resigned like that at the top,” said Rupert Hoogewerf, which publishes an annual influential list of China’s richest people. Hoogewerf added that in China, Ma was a figure like no other, with friends ranging from movie stars to billionaires, though he often outshone them all. “He’s the big one, he’s the one that brings them together.”
The company was founded at a time when the industry was still dominated by state-owned firms and entrepreneurship was seen as a risky career path. Alibaba, previously recognized as an on-line shopping company, also has investments in sports content, microchips and facial recognition technology and has been positioning itself as a serious player in cloud computing. Mr. Ma said in the letter, “The one thing I can promise everyone is this: Alibaba was never about Jack Ma, but Jack Ma will forever belong to Alibaba.”
1.What do we learn about Abibaba from this passage?
A.It was founded by Jack Ma alone.
B.It is nothing more than an on-line shopping company.
C.It was founded at the time when private-owned firms was in a minority.
D.Its shareholders meeting holds twice a year.
2.What can we infer from paragraph 2?
A.Hoogewerf speaks highly of Jack Ma’s firm.
B.Bill Gates and Jack Ma have a lot in common.
C.Other than stars and billionaires, Jack Ma makes few friends.
D.Jack Ma is an influential person to unite his friends.
3.Jack Ma will do the following things after stepping down except________.
A.Helping people in need.
B.Ensuring the company’s transition.
C.Education career.
D.Suggesting candidates for the board.
4.What’s the best title for this passage?
A.The Brief Introduction of Jack Ma
B.Daniel Zhang to Take Over Alibaba
C.Alibaba’s Development
D.Jack Ma to Step Down as Alibaba’s Head
China’s Scariest Outdoor Attractions
As the world’s most populous nation with the world’s second-biggest economy, China is finding new and increasingly adventurous ways to attract and entertain tourists.
Fuxi Mountain, Henan
Guinness World Records receives 2,000 applications from China a year -- more than any other country. And the latest potential record-breaker is the 3,000-ton glass-and-steel skywalk at Fuxi Mountain in Henan province, central China. Visitors who dare walk on this U-shaped bridge can look straight through the glass to the valley floor about 360 meters below. The new bridge extends 30 meters beyond the cliff edge, trumping other U-shaped wonders such as Arizona’s Grand Canyon Skywalk over the epic US gorge.
Shilinxia, Beijing
32.8 meters over the edge of a 396-meter valley, the Shilinxia Viewing Platform stretches a whole 11 meters farther than Grand Canyon Skywalk. It’s constructed with titanium alloy, the material used in airplanes and space shuttles, so it can apparently hold a maximum load of 150 tons and 2,000 people. It’s a hefty 1.5-hour hike from the valley floor to the platform. Or taking the cable car up is an option.
East Taihang, Hebei
The glass walkway at the East Taihang Scenic Area in northern Hebei Province gained popularity last year when video emerged showing a terrified tour guide falling to his hands and knees as the glass apparently started cracking under his weight. Shattered glass fragments were placed underneath solid panels to make the walkway look and sound as though it’s cracking when trodden upon. While the unique walkway of Taihang Mountain is therefore safe to traverse, tourists were quick to point out that at 1,180 meters above sea level, it could still induce thrill.
1.To arrive at the platform in Shilinxia, you can .
A.walk B.take cars
C.take cable cars D.both A and C
2.Which of the following attractions is likely to break the world record?
A.Grand Canyon Skywalk
B.Walkway at East Taihang
C.U-shaped bridge at Fuxi Mountain
D.Viewing platform at Shilinxia
3.What do we know about the tourist attractions mentioned in the passage?
A.Travelers won’t feel frightened since the glass walkway at Taihang isn’t cracking.
B.Both attractions at Fuxi Mountain and Shilinxia extend farther than Grand Canyon skywalk.
C.The viewing platform at Shilinxia can hold more than 2000 people.
D.The material used in airplanes is applied to the glass walkway at East Taihang.
