Almost everyone has heard the expression “the calm before the storm.” It is usually used to describe a peaceful period just before a very stressful situation or a tense argument.
British sailors coined the phrase in the late 1600s; they noted that before certain storms the seas would seem to become still and the winds would drop.
Science has given us the reason. According to US website HowStuffWorks, a calm period occurs because many storms, tornadoes and hurricanes draw in all the warm and humid(湿热的) air from the surrounding area. As this air rises into the storm clouds, it cools and acts as “fuel for the storm, like petrol in a car”. Once the storm has taken all the energy it can from the air, it is pushed out from the top of the storm clouds and falls back down to ground level. As the air goes down, it becomes warm and dry. Warm and dry air is stable, so once it covers an area, it causes a calm period before the storm. This same process also causes the “eye of the storm” in hurricanes and tornadoes. In these conditions, the calm occurs in the center of the storm because of the strong rotating (旋转的) winds.
The Weather Network has a tip for working out how far away a storm is. First count how many seconds there are between a flash of lightning and a clap of thunder, roughly three seconds equal one kilometer. So, for example, if you count nine seconds, the storm is about three kilometers away. A good method is that if your count is below 30 seconds, you should seek shelter straight away.
However, due to the complexity of storm system, not all storms take place after calm. Given the right conditions, some storms announce themselves with heavy rain and fierce winds.
So, your best bet is to keep yourself updated with weather reports for any predictions regarding a coming storm in your area. That's the most reliable way to predict the next display(展示) of nature's temper (脾气).
1.What is the function of Paragraph 3?
A.To describe how the eye of the storm comes into being.
B.To stress why tornadoes and hurricanes are destructive.
C.To explain why a peaceful period occurs before some storms.
D.To remind how dangerous a storm can be in certain situations.
2.If you count fifteen seconds between a lightening flash and a thunder clap, the storm may be .
A.one kilometer away B.three kilometers away
C.four kilometers away D.five kilometers away
3.What can we learn from the text?
A.Heavy storms don't usually last long.
B.It is not always quiet before a storm.
C.Storms have a big influence on our life.
D.Weather reports often fail to predict a storm.
4.Where is this text most likely from?
A.A travel journal. B.A science fiction.
C.A literature review. D.A geography magazine.
The U.S. is still out in front of global competitors when it comes to innovation(革新), but American universities-where new ideas often spread - have reason to look over their shoulders.
That's especially true for technologies like 5G phone networks and artificial intelligence. In President Donald Trump's opinion, they're exactly the fields where the U.S. has to lead-and also the ones where Asia, especially China, is catching up. Universities from China get more patents than their U.S. peers in wireless communications, according to a research firm named GreyB Services. In Al, 17 of the top 20 universities and public research organizations are in China, with the Chinese Academy of Sciences topping the list, says the World Intellectual Property Organization in Geneva.
There's a special place for universities in the development of science. Universities educate future scientists and can be incubators(孵化器) for pie-in-the-sky ideas - some of which turn out to be game-changers. The list ranges from Google's search engine to DNA technology that's behind a whole industry of gene-manipulating(基因编辑) treatments.
However, government aids to universities haven't been growing for more than a decade, meaning they've declined in real terms and as a share of the economy, leading to the cost increase for universities and meanwhile somehow discouraging the teaching staff from putting all their hearts into their scientific research.
“If you look at the federal dollars, they've not really changed considerably,” says Stephen Susalka, head of AUTM, a technology transfer association whose members include 800 universities. “Other countries are catching up. We can't be satisfied with what we have achieved?”
1.What does the underlined phrase “look over their shoulders” in Paragraph 1 mean?
A.Watch out. B.Take off.
C.Stand up. D.Hide away.
2.The author mentions 5G phone networks to show .
A.Chinese universities have obtained the most patents
B.Chinese universities get aids from the government
C.wireless communications have changed dramatically
D.U.S. may lose their lead in some high-tech fields
3.What is the main idea of Paragraph 3?
A.Pie-in-the-sky ideas can be revolutionary.
B.Universities can produce game programmers.
C.Gene-manipulation helps to develop DNA technology.
D.Universities play an important role in science development.
4.What's Stephen's attitude to the future development of US universities?
A.Worried. B.Disapproving.
C.Positive. D.Unconcerned.
One year, a newspaper of the United States published an announcement -the Horticultural Institute offered a reward at a high price for the pure white marigold(金盏花). The high reward attracted so many people, but in nature besides golden, the marigold is brown； it is not easy to create the white one. So after they were excited for a time, many people forgot that announcement.
One normal day after 20 years, the Horticultural Institute accidentally received a letter and 100 seeds of pure white marigold. On that day the news spread like wildfire. It proved to be an old woman of over 70 years old. The institute had always been hesitating over the fact that the letter stated with certainty that the seeds could bloom pure white marigold.
Those seeds finally took root in the earth. The wonder appeared after one year: large fields of pure white marigold swung in the light wind. As a result, the old woman became a new focus.
Originally, the old woman was just a flower-lover. When she happened to read the announcement 20 years ago, her heart kept beating wildly. But her eight children all opposed her decision. After all, a woman who never knew the seed genetics(遗传学) couldn't complete what the experts could never accomplish! Still, the old woman didn't change her mind and went on working. Year after year, through many cycles of spring sowing and autumn harvest, the old woman's husband died; her children flew far and high; a lot of things happened in her life but only the desire to grow the pure white marigold took root in her heart. Finally, after 20 years on the day we all know, in the garden, she saw a marigold, which was not nearly white but as white as silver or snow.
Such a difficult problem as even experts couldn't deal with was readily solved by an old woman who didn't understand genetics. Was it a wonder? Take root in the heart and even the most common seed can grow into a wonder!
1.Why was a great reward offered by the Horticultural Institute?
A.White flowers could be sold at a higher price.
B.Pure white marigold was more beautiful in nature.
C.It was very difficult to develop pure white marigold.
D.Scientists wanted to know how marigold grew in nature.
2.What can we know about the old woman from the passage?
A.She got professional support from scientists.
B.She kept trying for years before she succeeded.
C.She was 70 when she first read the announcement.
D.She sent pure white marigold flowers to the institute.
3.The underlined word “readily” in the last paragraph probably means .
A.easily B.quickly
C.willingly D.luckily
4.What is the best title for the text?
A.Seeds Take Root in the Heart B.White Marigold is Hard to Grow
C.Marigolds Grow from Bravery D.White Flowers Bring Success
Watching kids' cartoons can be an effective way to learn a language. The basic plot lines of kids' cartoons are fairly simple and the characters speak more slowly, and the dialogue is typically standard and casual. Here are four worldwide popular kids' cartoons which may help you with your English learning.
Peppa Pig
Peppa Pig, the pink piggy, has gained worldwide popularity. There are even videos showing an American child speaking in a British accent to her mom after watching the popular cartoon.
The Simpsons
The Simpsons in the ' 90s was smart, culturally savvy (有见识的), and unbelievably entertaining TV about an average American family. At its height, no show - animated or otherwise - could reach The Simpsons' greatness. From the cleverness of “Marge vs. the Monorail” to everything Lisa Simpson ever said. The Simpsons was fearless and game-changing television.
Once Upon a Time
Once Upon a Time is a French educational animation, created by Procidis. There are seven series (系列), each focusing on different aspects of knowledge. These are mostly historical, focusing on the overall history of mankind or specified historical fields, such as the lives and achievements of the explorers or inventors.
Sazae-san
Sazae-san is more than a kids' show. It's a cultural institution, a national treasure and the longest- running animated series in the world, ever!
It's about a typical Japanese big family living together in Tokyo. The central character is an outspoken but somewhat clumsy woman in her early 20s, living with her husband, son, father, mother, brother and sister all under one roof.
All of the characters are colorful and funny, and all are named after fish!
1.Why does the American girl speak in a British accent?
A.She was born and brought up in Britain. B.Peppa Pig has strongly influenced her.
C.The British accent is popular in America. D.She wants to make fun of her mother.
2.What will a fan of history choose to watch?
A.Peppa Pig B.The Simpsons
C.Once Upon a Time D.Sazae-san
3.What can you learn about Sazae-san from the text?
A.It is about an average American family. B.It is the longest-running of the four.
C.It is a well-received French cartoon. D.It includes seven different series.
阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。
A gift of gold
It was the winter of 1937, just after Christmas. The Depression was still going on, but I was in good spirits. I was going to graduate from elementary school, but my mother still dressed me in shorts. Most of my classmates had given up wearing shorts. For the graduation ceremony, all the boys were expected to wear white shirts and dark blue wool pants.
I waited until a week before I told my mother. On a cold Monday afternoon I went home from school.
“Mom,” I said, “about graduation...”
“Yes?” she answered.
“They are going to give me the first-prize medal,” I said.
Still working over the stove, she looked over her shoulder at me and smiled broadly. “That’s wonderful, Babe. Dad and I will be both there, and we’ll be the proudest.”
She must have seen by the look on my face that something was wrong. She turned her back and said, “So?”
“So, I have to get long pants,” I said.
“Babe, we don’t have money for new pants right now,” she said.
“Okay,” I burst out.“Then I won’t go to graduation. Plus, I’m running away from home!”
“If I were you, I wouldn’t pack my bags. We’ll solve the problem of pants somehow,” she said.
The following Saturday, when my mother said “Let’s go shopping”, I knew that she had solved the problem. Then we left home. We took the trolley (有轨电车) and got off at Southern Boulevard, the best shopping street. The clothing store was just a couple of blocks away.
But first we walked a short way down the Boulevard and stopped at a place I had never noticed before.
“Wait here,” she said. Then she entered a storefront that looked like a bank and opened the door with the hand with a gold wedding ring on her ring finger.
She went out about ten minutes later with a purse in her left hand, and then we went to the pants store. I chose a pair of pants. After a patient bargain with the seller, my mother bought it at the price of three dollars and fifty cents and handed it to me.
注意：1. 所续写短文的词数应为150左右；
2. 至少使用5个短文中标有下划线的关键词语；
3. 续写部分分两段，每段的开头语已为你写好；
4. 续写完成后，请用下划线标出你所使用的关键词语。
Paragraph 1:
I was holding the pants tightly under my arm when my mother went to pay the money.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2:
We took the trolley back home.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
根据所给汉语或首字母写出空缺处单词的适当形式，使句子完整，语法正确，每空一词。
1.I think I am a little bit color-blind, for I often find it difficult to d________ between blue and green.
2.Doctor Smith finally came to the c________ that the rare disease had little chance of being cured.
3.In the a________ of hard evidence, the thief was set free.
4.It is r________ that people have their teeth examined every year.
5.Much of the information he got is of no p________ use.
6.He___________(忽视) the “no smoking” sign and lit a cigarette in the waiting room, so he was fined.
7.With spring__________(临近), the weather becomes warmer and trees turn green.
8.He___________(抱怨) to me about her rudeness, saying she was the last person that he would like to deal with.
9.I__________(惊慌) when I saw smoke coming out of the engine.
10.No one was injured in the fire, but the building was completely________ (毁坏).
