The cicada（蝉）has an interesting life cycle, but most of us only become aware of these insects in summer when they reach adulthood and begin their calls. 1.Some, like the Golden Emperor, have complicated songs. The summertime calls of the cicada are made by adult males to attract females. Their eggs are usually laid in scratches cut through the skin of the tree. Once it has been completed, the adults die.
When the eggs hatch, the larvae（幼虫）drop to the ground and live under the soil.2.They spend as little as several months for some species or as long as several years for other species buried under ground, shedding（蜕下）their skin as they grow. They shed their skin for the last time to become adult cicadas with their wings. 3. A few days after coming out of the soil, the males call for mates and cycle begins again.
The Golden Emperor, whose call is quite different from others, is one of Australia's biggest and prettiest cicadas. 4. The Golden Emperor calls in groups, but getting to see one up close is very difficult as they fly away when approached. Also, as their breeding season progresses, they gradually move higher up the tree trunks.5. The Golden Emperor is a delight just to listen to if you can't see the insect itself.
A.Not all cicadas have simple, loud noise.
B.This act makes their calls the only sign that they are still around.
C.The larvae attach themselves to tree roots and feed on their liquid.
D.When they have become mature, they come out of the soil as a group.
E.Their songs call on female to fly to them and fight for next generation.
F.If that happens, they will fly away and go to some place that they really love.
G.Their call starts with two notes and then rises sharply before it suddenly drops down.
New data presented this week at the annual Associated Professional Sleep Societies (APSS) suggest that a student's preferred sleeping schedule has a lot to do with his or her grade-point average in school. In one study, researchers at the University of Pittsburg revealed that poor sleep habits among high schoolers led to lower grades, particularly in math.
It's no surprise that poor sleep habits may negatively impact academic performance. And dozens of studies have linked an increase in nightly sleep to better cognition and alertness. The new research, however, goes a step further, quantifying the impact of erratic or inadequate sleep on grades. These findings are more convincing than saying that if you get more sleep, you'll feel better," says Jennifer Cousins, a lead researcher of the study.
The study involved data from 56 adolescents (34 female) between the ages of 14 and 18 years. They were asked to fill out sleep diaries for one week and wear a special activity monitor on their wrists, which recorded when the students were asleep or awake. Overall, teens with poor sleep habits received lower grades than students who stuck with a more regular sleep routine.
Interestingly, Cousins also found that different sleep habits had different effects on the students' school performance：those who woke up more often during the night did worse in math, for example, while those who slept peacefully through the night tended to get better grades in English.
These findings bring up new questions about teasing out（探讨）the details of what is important about sleep that impacts learning," says Cousins. "Does more sleep improve our ability to deal with abstract concepts found in math, or does sleep quality increase creativity? We don't know the answers, and don't want to draw those conclusions yet. But this helps us understand more about how sleep helps the things we do in daily life. "
Authors of the study point out that the results provide overwhelming evidence of the importance of sleep during a period of development that is critical for adolescents and recommend sleep education as a prevention tool to help increase awareness of the importance of sleep and of the negative consequences of poor sleep.
1.The underlined word "erratic" in the second paragraph probably means______.
A.adequate B.different
C.stable D.irregular
2.We can learn from Jennifer Cousins' research that_____.
A.lower grades in math are related to more awakenings at night
B.the longer you sleep, the better your grades in English will be
C.the findings will cause new insoluble problems about sleeping and learning
D.different sleep habits have similar effects on students' learning
3.Which of the following do you think Jennifer Cousins will NOT agree with?
A.People should understand the importance of sleep for students.
B.Whether greater sleep quality help increase students' creativity is not known yet.
C.Students' grades mainly depend on their sleep quality.
D.The study helps researchers understand how sleep affects learning.
4.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage?
A.The More Sleep, the Better Cognition
B.The Poorer Sleep Habits, the Lower Grades
C.The More Sleep, the Better You Will Feel
D.The More Peacefully You Sleep, the Higher Grades You Will Get
Mom was right! If you say "thank you" for even the smallest gift or slightest show of kindness, you'll feel as happy as Larry.
Gratitude, says Robert A. Emmons, a professor of psychology at the University of California, Davis, is an important element of happiness. In his recent book, Thanks!Emmons uses the first major study on gratitude to prove mom's point. In acknowledging and developing this much-ignored expression of thankfulness, he explains how people have benefited-even improved their health.
Expressing gratitude shouldn't be a reaction； it should be a state of mind. To feel grateful when life is a breeze and you have more than you need is easy. To feel grateful in time of crisis-anger, hatred and bitterness-is easier. Also, too many people are aware of life's blessings only after these are lost.
It's crisis and chaos-danger, disease, disability and death-that bring many individuals to realize just how dependent they are on others. Yet it's the way each of us begins life and ends it. It's too bad that so many people waste those decades in between labouring under the illusion that they are self-sufficient, says Emmons.
The abundance of voices expressing gratitude from his studies of individuals with chronic health problems is many. But Emmons goes beyond his groundbreaking" science to make his case for gratitude by including the inspirational writings of philosophers, novelists and saints, as well as the beliefs of various religions and their respective scriptures. Taken together, these observations are summed up quite nicely by famous humanist Albert Schweitzer, who said the secret of life is "giving thanks for everything".
To enable and embrace gratitude, Emmons encourages the readers of Thanks! to keep a gratitude diary. He even provides easy-to-follow directions on how to practice and develop gratitude.
I'm not a reader or advocate of self-help books, but I am thankful for the reference I found in a newspaper article to the research Emmons was conducting on gratitude involving organ donors and recipients. The chance discovery led me to this book.
Mom implied that kindness seems to find its way back to the giver because life really is all about giving, receiving and repaying. So I'll pay attention to her Professional advice and say: Thank you, Professor Emmons.
1.What is the text mainly discussed?
A.There are many ways of being thankful. B.Mom is great for her being thankful.
C.Gratitude is important to happiness. D.Being thankful will keep you fit forever.
2.The author mentions Robert Emmons' book Thanks! in order to prove that_________.
A.Professor Emmons supports mom's study on psychology.
B.mom is as great a psychologist as Professor Emmons.
C.Professor Emmons is a famous psychologist.
D.mom is right about her viewpoint on gratitude.
3.What is the opinion of Professor Emmons?
A.It is enough to thank others orally.
B.Whether you are thankful is always up to you.
C.Remember to be thankful anytime and anywhere.
D.It is easier to be thankful for yourself than for others.
4.In the writer's opinion, Emmons' book Thanks! on gratitude is_________.
A.helpful B.unreasonable
C.puzzling D.one-sided
Philo Farnsworth was a man who made it possible for one of the most important communication devices-television to be created. Philo was born on August 19th, 1906, near Indian Creek in the western state of Utah. He attended a very small school near his family's farm. He did very well at school. He asked his teacher for special help in science. The teacher began helping Philo learn a great deal more than most young students could understand.
One night, Philo read a magazine story about the idea of sending pictures and sound through the air. Anyone with a device that could receive this electronic information could watch the pictures and hear the sound. The magazine story said some of the world's best scientists were using special machines to try to make a kind of device to send pictures.
14-year-old Philo decided these famous scientists were wrong and that mechanical devices would never work. He decided that such a device would have to be electronic. Philo knew electrons could be made to move extremely fast. All he would have to do was to find a way to make electrons do the work.
Very quickly Philo had an idea for such a tube. It would trap light in a container and send the light on a line of electrons. Philo called it “light in a bottle".
Several days later, Philo told his teacher about a device that could capture pictures. He drew a plan for it, which he gave his teacher. Philo's drawing seemed very simple, but it clearly showed the information needed to build a television. In fact, all television equipment today still uses Philo's early idea.
Philo Farnsworth was only 14 years old then. He knew no one would listen to a child. In fact, experts say that probably only ten scientists in the world at that time could have understood his idea.
On September 7th, 1927, Philo turned on a device that was the first working television receiver. In another room was the first television camera. Philo had invented the special camera tube earlier that year.
The image produced on the receiver was not very clear, but the device worked. In 1930, the United States government gave Philo patent documents. These would protect his invention from being copied by others.
1.How did Philo get the idea of inventing a television?
A.By learning from his science teacher.
B.By reading a story about the idea in a magazine.
C.By thinking hard himself.
D.By using his knowledge about electrons.
2.Philo referred to “_________” when he called something Tight in a bottle.
A.a container sending pictures and sound through the air
B.a light box with a line of electrons in a bottle
C.a receiver that held light and sent it on a line of electrons
D.a way to make electrons send pictures
3.We can infer from the passage that_________.
A.without his teacher's help, he would never have become interested in science
B.he made the first working television tube and the first television camera himself
C.Philo's early ideas about the television could not be understood by most people of that time
D.his invention was recognized and protected immediately he made it
4.In the passage, the author mainly tells us_________.
A.that Philo Farnsworth was a great inventor
B.how Philo Farnsworth invented the television
C.who made it possible to create television
D.when and where the television was invented
Inventions make the world better, smarter and even a little bit more fun. Last year, in November, Time magazine published "2018 Top 50 inventions". Here are three of the most interesting inventions for you. Let's take a look.
Lifepack Carry-on Closet
In many cases, traveling is fun, but packing can be quite annoying. No matter how neatly you pack your clothes, you always end up having to pull out everything in order to find what you need. Well, the Lifepack Carry-on Closet designed by the Danish startup Solgaard Design might change that for good.
From the outside, the Lifepack looks like an ordinary suitcase. But inside, it contains a set of retractable shelves to keep clothes in good order and maximize the space. Its shelf system has many extra pockets and is removable. So when you get to your destination, you just need to take out the shelf system and hang it in your hotel closet.
LynQ
Becoming separated from friends in crowds or losing contact with your family in a strange place can be a nightmare.
But now, LynQ, a new location tracker, has a fix.
When you wear LynQ, you use a combination of GPS technology and long-range radio frequencies to find other LynQs to a distance of up to 5 kilometers from you. In addition, an onscreen dot points each user in the right direction, like a compass.
As Time notes, "LynQ solves the three Ws: No more worrying, wandering or waiting around. "
Gravity jet suit
If you're a big fan of Iron Man, you must have been impressed by his amazing jet suit. Now, there is a real gravity jet suit for us to try.
Developed by London-based technology company Gravity Industries, the flying suit is equipped with five power engines—four are built into units close to the hands and one is built into a backpack.
If these engines fuel together, they can provide 1,050 horsepower to make the wearer move at a speed of up to 51 kilometers per hour. So, for people who can balance with the suit on, it's easy to fly.
1.From the description of LynQ, we can learn that_________.
A.it is a traditional advanced GPS system B.it is a wearable device
C.it is based on a compass D.it makes its users worry-free
2.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A.It's easy for people to fly because Gravity jet suit can provide adequate power.
B.You won't worry about losing touch with your family once you wear LynQ.
C.Lifepack Carry-on Closet can make packing easier with unique design.
D.Traveling will become more convenient and cozier with the three inventions.
3.What's the purpose of the passage?
A.To introduce some interesting inventions. B.To comment on the latest technology.
C.To appeal to more consumers. D.To promote some creative products.
假如你是李华。春节临近， 你所在的城市将举行剪纸展览。你得知你的外教Jenny对中国传统文化很感兴趣。请写一封邮件，邀请他参观展览。内容主要包括：
1. 展览的时间和地点;
2. 简要介绍中国剪纸;
3. 简要介绍展览内容。
注意：
1．词数100左右；
2．可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；
注意：开头和结尾已给出， 不计入总词数。
Dear Jenny,
_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Hua
