You’re on the school bus. But as soon as you turn the corner, you find yourself at the end of a very long queue. It’s another traffic jam! It is stop-start for the rest of your journey. Meanwhile, at the same time in Antarctica(南极洲), snow covers the land. A group of emperor penguins crowd together to keep warm, using stop-and-go movements to protect themselves from the winds. Can you see the connection?
Emperor penguins move like cars in traffic jams to keep warm, that’s according to new research by the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marina Research in Germany. A penguin only needs to move 2cm in any direction for its neighbor to do the same thing. These movements then flow(流动) through the whole group of penguins like a “traveling wave”.
These waves also help smaller crowds join bigger groups, keeping more and more of their friends warm. A single Antarctic “traffic jam” has thousands of penguins. Interestingly, the technology used for studying road traffic jams was used to study the penguins. This included studying time-lapse(延时) videos. Scientists also discovered that unlike on the road, these waves can be made by any penguin and in any direction.
With temperatures usually dropping below –50℃, and winds reaching speeds of up to 200km/h, these traveling waves are very important for penguins to keep warm.
These penguins can also teach us a lesson. In big groups, they learn to be orderly and patient, and to never crash into each other. These are skills we should all learn from them when we are on the road!
1. Emperor penguins get together to _____.
A. keep warm B. play games
C. learn from each other D. cross the road
2.In a traffic jam on the road, __________.
A. drivers can drive fast B. drivers can drive carelessly
C. cars are not moving fast D. cars will stop working
3. From the passage, we learn that a “traveling wave” _____.
A. is caused by a traffic jam on the road
B. is caused by the strong wind in Antarctica
C. is formed by the movement of the penguins
D. is made by just one or two penguins
4. If a penguin is in a group, it _____.
A. needs to move orderly
B. can move as fast as it likes
C. will not leave others behind
D. should move as slowly as it can
5. The last paragraph wants to tell us that _____.
A. penguins won’t move together if it is not very cold
B. traffic jams happen probably because people are impatient
C. penguins learn their skills from human beings
D. penguins are likely to crash into each other in a group
What is the hottest English word of 2e takes 013? It’s “selfie”, according to Oxford dictionaries. Selfie is a photo that on of oneself, according to the Oxford online dictionary. People usually take selfies with a smartphone(智能手机) and send them to a social media website.
The word was first used in 2002. In the past 12 months, its frequency (出现频率) in the English language has increased by 17,000 percent, said Oxford dictionaries. Now, almost everybody knows it.
“Almost every day, I take a photo of myself at school, and save it in my Qzone (QQ空间),” said Huang Xu, 13, from Hunan. These photos record her happy and sad moments.
Pop stars also take a lot of selfies. Li Chunping, 14, from Harbin, is a big fan of Yang Mi. “She has used many selfies to tell us what’s going on in her personal life,” said Li.
What makes people love selfies? Some people say it’s narcissism (自恋). “The rise of the selfie is a perfect symbol for our narcissistic culture. We’re crying out: Look at me!” said US psychiatrist(精神科医生) Carole Lieberman.
Young people are using selfies to make friends online, Jonathan Freedland wrote in The Guardian. “The usual purpose of taking a selfie is to share online. They express a human need to connect with others,” wrote Freedland.
Huang Xu agrees with that. “During summer vacation, my classmates and I shared many selfies online. Hair or clothes were not our interests. Through these photos, we got to know each other’s holidays and feelings,” said Huang Xu.
1.According to the story, a “selfie” is _____.
A. a person with a smartphone
B. a smartphone which can take photos
C. a photo taken by oneself
D. an English dictionary
2. When was the word “selfie” first used?
A. More than ten years ago B. In 2013
C. When smartphones appeared D. Nobody knows
3.We can tell from the story that _____.
A. only famous people enjoy taking selfies
B. all people love selfies because of narcissism
C. people love to share selfies online
D. US psychiatrist Carole Lieberman hates selfies
4.We put the sentence “But some people don’t see it that way” at the beginning of _______.
A. Paragraph 4 B. Paragraph 5
C. Paragraph 6 D. Paragraph 7
5.What is the best title of this passage ?
A. Selfies and narcissism
B. Selfies and sharing
C. Selfies and smartphones
D. Selfies, the hottest word in 2013
When the man’s wife died, their youngest baby was 2 years old. They had six other children — three boys and three girls, aged from 4 to 16. The man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to visit.
“We’ve been talking about how to make this work,” they said. “There’s no way you can take care of all these children and work to make a living. So, we’ve decided to place each child with a different uncle and aunt.” The man refused.
Over the next few weeks, he moved the family to a tiny town and opened a small business. His business developed quickly. He was happy to see people and serve them. He became popular with people for his pleasant personality and excellent customer (顾客) service. People came from far away to do business with him. And the children helped both at home and at work.
The children grew up and got married. Five of the seven went off to college. The children’s success was a source (来源) of pride to the father.
Then came grandchildren. No one enjoyed grandchildren more than this man. As they became toddlers (学走路的孩子), he invited them to his workplace and his small home. They brought each other great joy.
Finally, the youngest daughter, who was 2 years old when the mother died, got married. With his life’s work done, the father died.
This man’s work had been the lonely but joyful task of raising his family. This man was my father. I was the 16-year-old, the oldest of seven.
1.There were ______ children in the man’s family.
A. eight B. seven
C. six D. five
2.The man’s parents and his wife’s parents came to his house to ______.
A. suggest placing each child with a different aunt and uncle
B. talk about finding a new wife for him
C. give him money to support the family
D. help take good care of his children
3. Which of the following is TRUE?
A. Nearly half of the man’s children went to college.
B. The man wanted to give his children to their uncle.
C. The man moved his family and opened a business.
D. The man thought life was hopeless after his wife died.
4.The father died _________________.
A. before his youngest daughter got married.
B. after his youngest daughter got married.
C. before his children went off to college
D. after his children went off to college
5. The story mainly talks about ______.
A. why the father didn’t give up his family
B. how the children succeeded after their mother died
C. why the father was lonely
D. how the father raised his large family
Once you open the book, you will become a good speaker. Susan Weinschenk’s excellent ideas on how to make a perfect speech are very helpful to you. With the help of the book, you will be confident to know how to give your speech. Also, you will learn how to attract your audience during the speech. |
Car and Driver is the world’s most popular automotive magazine. The people who like cars can get information and entertainment from it. It offers the best vehicle tests in the business. The magazine also covers the latest developments in car technology. |
There are four parts in IELTS: listening, speaking, reading and writing. Listening is very important. Are you confident? Have you made good preparation? The book IELTS Listening is helpful for your preparation for IELTS. |
The book offers healthy and delicious food. These dishes can all be completed in less than half an hour, and in many cases, in just a few minutes. Sisson and Meier show you how to delight your family or guests every time with quick, delicious meals using local materials: meats, healthy fats (yes, and real butter) and common herbs and spices. |
1. Who wrote Designing Effective Speech Interfaces?
A. Susan Weinschenk B. Sisson
C. Meier D. Jack Smith
2.Suppose you will join in an English talk show, which of the following can you refer to (参考)?
A. Designing Effective Speech Interfaces.
B. Car and Driver
C. IELTS Listening.
D. Quick & Easy Meals
3.We can find the latest developments in car technology in the _________ of Car and Driver.
A. newspaper B. magazine
C. passage D. article
4.The book Quick & Easy Meals teaches us how to make ____________ in a short time.
A. Chinese food B. fast food
C. common herbs and spices D. healthy and delicious food
5.What’s the meaning of the word “delight” in Quick & Easy Meals?
A. To cook the food well B. To invite people to dinner
C. To make people happy D. To show people how to cook.
I have always wanted to share this story because it is one of the things that I will remember for my whole life. And I’m sure the other person feels the same.
We had a new teacher in my middle school World History class. She was very nice and excited to see us. She told a story about her fighting in a war and brought a picture of him. After about fifteen of her talking, the class started talking softly to each other they were getting bored. Looking , she asked “So, you guys don’t really want to hear any more?” No one dared to say “no” to her loud one kid. He said, “No, not really!” a disrespectful(无礼的) way. Some kids were a little and thought that it was rather rude.
I felt really bad for this teacher. No one should be in such a disrespectful manner. Therefore, near the end of the class I went up and said to her for the guy’s rude behavior. I told her I had been listening, and even though I may not really like , I was grateful to her for sharing her story. I asked her about her father and asked to see the picture of him. We had a very nice, sincere conversation about her father.
The teacher was touched. She thanked me for coming up and actually treating her with the respect(尊敬) that she deserved. I felt at full peace with knowing that I did the right thing and I was super happy that I made her day. Even though I didn’t really care for history, I listened, and I hope that others in different situations will do the same. Listening means a lot to the people sharing; it really . If I had just left the class without saying a word, I would have felt very and would have a constant reminder, probably to this day, that justice(公义) was not served and I had left a person in their time of need.
1.A. father B. husband C. uncle D. brother
2.A. hours B. minutes C. seconds D. days
3.A. even if B. as if C. because D. so
4.A. hurt B. funny C. proud D. worried
5.A. besides B. except C. as well as D. along with
6.A. in B. with C. on D. by
7.A. interested B. excited C. pleased D. shocked
8.A. treated B. considered C. blamedD. taught
9.A. thanks B. goodbye C. sorry D. hello
10.A. geography B. art C. music D. history
11.A. nothing B. little C. less D. more
12.A. me B. myself C. I D. mine
13.A. ever B. even C. still D. seldom
14.A. means B. makes C. is D. does
15.A. happy B. guilty C. lucky D. empty
---Mum, I got the first prize in the photo competition. ----_______________.
A. Good luck. B. Don’t be too proud
C. Congratulations D. It’s nothing indeed.
