Born in 1918, in the little town of White Sulphur Springs, West Virginia, Katherine Johnson was simply attracted by numbers. As a child, she counted everything. She counted the steps to the road, the steps up to church, the number of dishes she washed …By the time she was 10 years old, she was a high school freshman, which was truly amazing in a time when school for African-Americans normally stopped at eighth grade. To meet her math potential （潜力），her father drove his family 120 miles to Institute, West Virginia, where blacks could continue high school education. Johnson's excellent performance proved her father's decision was the right one: Katherine skipped grades （跳级）to graduate from high school at 14 and from college at 18.
1953, after years as a teacher and later as a stay-at-home mom, she began working for NASA, which began hiring women to measure and calculate the results of wind tunnel （风洞）tests in 1935. In a time before the electronic computers, these women were called "computer". Even after NASA began using electronic computers, the astronaut John Glenn requested that she should personally recheck the calculations made by the new electronic computers before his flight.
She continued to work at NASA until 1986. Her calculations proved critical to the success of the Apollo Moon landing program and the United States' journey into space. Her story was the basis for the 2016 film Hidden Figures.
Katherine Johnson, a great mathematician, physicist, space scientist and the last computer that wore skirts, passed away on February 24, 2020.
1. What can be inferred from Paragraph 1?| A．Katherine left high school at eighth grade. |
| B．Katherine was gifted in math as a child. |
| C．Katherine was required to count in her childhood, |
| D．African-Americans had a good education in the 1920s. |
| A．18 years. | B．33 year. | C．51 years. | D．81 years. |
| A．Important. | B．Successful. | C．Dangerous. | D．Harmful. |
| A．Scientists at NASA |
| B．Katherine Johnson's Education |
| C．A Great Mathematician's Decision |
| D．Katherine Johnson,a Computer that Wore Skirts |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】If you rent an apartment in Beijing, you also rent the landlord or landlady for at least a year. It's important you find a good match because you have to deal with them in the long term. For me, it was love at first sight with the elderly couple who owns my apartment.
It was quite a tough trying to find the right apartment when I first arrived in Beijing. The apartments were either unsuitable or I find fault with the owners who looked indifferent at best and unfriendly at worst. But that all changed when the renting agent's car stopped in front of a hutong house in the heart of the capital.
I saw an elderly couple, in their 70s perhaps, waving to me. They were warm and welcoming at first glance, and when I saw them attentively hanging up the curtains in what would become my bedroom, I was just sold on the place and the owners!
Chinese people talk about yuanfen, meaning fate that brings people together. Before I met my current landlords, I thought the concept of yuanfen was overrated. A generous landlady who liked me and wanted me to move into her apartment had used the term in reference to me. But it was this lovely couple that changed my mind about the concept.
We have become accustomed to visiting each other at home. The couple's apartment is lovingly decorated, boasting a recent wedding photo of themselves taken in bridal wear. The landlord likes to smoke and sip tea, while the landlady takes great pride in her appearance.
After three years, I dare say they treat me a bit like a "daughter", despite having two grown sons, one of them close by. They give me gifts of tea or clothes, and I bring them souvenirs from my trips. A match made in heaven, indeed!
1. How did the author feel about renting an apartment in Beijing?| A．It was a piece of cake. |
| B．There were lots of unfriendly owners. |
| C．It was worth trying different apartments. |
| D．It was not so easy to find a suitable apartment. |
| A．They looked indifferent and find fault with the author. |
| B．They gave a warm welcome and took good care of the house. |
| C．They liked the author and wanted her to move into their apartment. |
| D．They were nice and gave her gifts of tea or clothes. |
| A．They are newly married. | B．They are nice and easy to get along with. |
| C．They love drinking tea. | D．They live together with their two sons. |
【推荐2】Everyone can be angry. But if you take the time to actually examine your anger instead of just “feeling" angry, you'll have a better understanding of yourself. Knowing why you feel so angry can provide you with some surprising answers. These answers can enable you to suddenly grow spiritually and mentally.
I can give you a personal example. I went to a meeting once and I was verbally（口头地）attacked over an application I supported at my workplace. Various people went on and on about how terrible this system was and that it never worked. That didn't bother me that much. I was used to that but one of the comments that was said was, "Your job is pointless. ” This really upset me and at the time, I was absolutely furious （发怒的）with that comment.
I was so angry and upset that they would treat me that way. Once I took the time to think about what was really making me so mad, I learned a lot. I realized that the comment was more true than I wanted to admit. In the big scheme of things, my job was pointless. It wasn't what I really wanted to be doing with my life and this was what frustrated me the most. Here I was pouring part of my heart and soul into a job I didn't even really want to do. I was using it as a crutch （拐杖）because I didn't have the confidence in myself to take the scary road towards what I really wanted to do. As soon as I realized that, a lot of my anger just melted away. I also realized that I needed to start focusing on what I really wanted to do.
I now consider this incident as a great gift. It got me back on track to moving in the direction I wanted to go with my life. I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn't taken the time to figure out why I was really so angry.
1. Why did the author feel angry at the meeting?| A．Because the system of the company was terrible. |
| B．Because someone said his work was worthless. |
| C．Because the policy of the company didn't work. |
| D．Because the application he supported was of no effect. |
| A．The apology someone made at the meeting. |
| B．The crutch he used to take the scary road. |
| C．The awareness of the fact that the comment was true. |
| D．The courage he had to overcome the challenges. |
| A．It provided him with confidence in the meeting. |
| B．It helped him get promoted to a higher position. |
| C．It helped him change his character since then. |
| D．It brought him back on track to the goal. |
| A．How to Cope with Verbal Attack in a Company |
| B．Avoid Being Pointless at Work |
| C．Understanding Yourself Better Through Anger |
| D．Anger Is Harmful to Health |
【推荐3】Like almost every set of new parents, Bryan and Elizabeth Shaw started snapping pictures of their son, Noah, practically from the moment he was born. When he was about three months old, Elizabeth noticed something odd.
The flash on their digital camera created the typical red dot in the center of Noah’s left eye, but the right eye had a white spot at the center, almost as if the flash was being reflected back at the camera by something. When Elizabeth took Noah to an eye doctor, Noah was diagnosed with retinal (视网膜) cancer with the white reflection as a sign. He endured months of treatment, but it was too late.
Noah’s cancer is treatable if caught early. Bryan Shaw wondered whether there were signs he’d missed. He went back over every baby picture of Noah he could find and discovered the first white spot in a photo taken when Noah was 12 days old. As time went on, it appeared more frequently. “By the time he was four months old, it was showing up in 25percent of the pictures taken of him per month,” Bryan recalled.
Later, Bryan was determined to put his hard-won insights to good use. He created a database that recorded the cancer’s appearance in every photo of Noah. He also collected photos and compiled the data from eight other children with the same cancer. Armed with that data, he began to work with colleagues to develop a smartphone app that can scan the photos in the user’s camera roll to search for white eye and can be used as a kind of ophthalmoscope (眼底镜). Called White Eye Detector, it is now available for free on Google Play and in Apple’s Apple Store.
“I just kept telling myself, I really need to do this,” Bryan said. “This disease is tough to detect. Not only could this software save vision, but it can save lives.”
1. Why did Bryan and Elizabeth take pictures of Noah?| A．To record his growth. |
| B．To celebrate his birth. |
| C．To test their digital camera. |
| D．To collect evidence of eye diseases. |
| A．Terrified. | B．Regretful. | C．Lonely. | D．Exhausted. |
| A．It serves as a detector. |
| B．It presents expert advice. |
| C．It saves photos on users’ phones. |
| D．It provides a worldwide database. |
| A．How a boy lost his eye. |
| B．How a new app works. |
| C．How a father saved his son. |
| D．How an app came into being. |
【推荐1】A Businessman ordered ten goldsmiths to make ten coins each. Each coin was to weigh exactly ten gram of pure gold.
One of the goldsmiths was a bad man. He decided to cheat. He made all his coins one gram short. Now the businessman heard that one of them had cheated. He also heard that this man had made each of his coins one gram short.
The businessman was a clever person. He took a certain number of coins from each of the smiths, weighed them together once only and found their weight to be 540 grams. This was enough for him to find out which one of the goldsmiths had cheated.
1. The word “goldsmith” means .| A．a person named Smith who sells articles(物品) made of gold |
| B．a thief who steal gold |
| C．a worker who makes articles of gold |
| D．a person who works for the man named Smith |
| A．looking each man in the eye |
| B．weighing one coin after another |
| C．weighing coins |
| D．asking who hadn't made coins according to his request |
| A．fifty | B．fifty-four | C．fifth-five | D．sixty |
| A．first | B．sixth | C．ninth | D．tenth |
【推荐2】What is Small-sided Soccer?
Small-sided Soccer starts with games of 3-on-3 from the youngest participants and progresses to 4-on-4, 7-on-7, 11-on-11, in a graduated manner for the older groups. Out school's training course will give kids a better chance to take part in the game and get excited about the game of soccer. The small-sided approach gives each child more individualized attention so they can each improve their skills. And, it's FUN!
Some general practical information
• Cafeteria is open.
• We supply participants with soccer clothes and football boots.
• Please bring a water bottle for your child.
Soccer season training times
| Team | Saturday | Sunday |
| Tykes | 10:00-11:00 | |
| PeeWees | 11:00-11:50 | |
| BoysE&F | 12:30-14:00 | 13:00-14:00 |
| Girls | 12:30-14:30 |
Costs
The cost is $70 per month for Tykes and PeeWees and $115 for all the other teams.
Those who enter online will get a 10% discount.
Volunteering
Can I coach?
Of course! Our training course is always looking for volunteer coaches. We will provide coaches with plans for activities and training, and help set up the small-sided fields. It's a great opportunity to get involved with kids and help develop their love for sports.
How can I volunteer in other ways?
It's your club and you are welcome to volunteer! There are volunteer opportunities with programs, fields, publicity, facilities, uniforms, website development and the board, to name a few. Let us know how you'd like to help—and we'll put you to work!
Do parents stay?
Yes. Parents are strongly encouraged to stay and support their children and the club. The club is a volunteer-run organization. Parents and athletes are encouraged to help with clean-up and . set—up activities.
If you have any questions about program specifics, please contact recreational soccer coordinator协调者）,Pablo Vercelli, at recreationalsoccei@abfsport.nl Tel: 043-239-4409.
1. What do you know about the training course?| A．Coaches will make plans for activities and training. |
| B．Parents can volunteer for the training course. |
| C．It offers three meals a day for free. |
| D．It teaches students according to their interest. |
| A．$70 | B．$63 | C．$115 | D．$103.5 |
| A．Pablo Vercelli was the founder of Small-sided Soccer. |
| B．Parents who help with clean-up don't need to pay for the course. |
| C．Both Tykes and BoysE&F have classes on Sunday. |
| D．Both Tykes and PeeWees have the same charging standard . |
| A．In a science fiction. | B．In a medical magazine. |
| C．In a newspaper. | D．In a guidebook. |
【推荐3】The Best UK Festivals of 2020
We’ve picked this year’s best UK festivals——find your favourite and get out there this summer.
All Points East
Returning for a third year after its successful 2018 launch,All Points East is a general 10-day festival that takes over Victoria Park in late May.The opening and closing three-day weekends are given over to music.
Place: Victoria Park
Time: May 22,2020-May 31,2020
Ticket: Adult￡35; Age19-24 with ID￡28;Under18 years old, free
Isle of Wight
Huge headliners is one of the UK’s biggest rock festivals.Now in its 52nd year,the modern-day Isle of Wight festival is a far cry from the hippy(嬉皮士) love-in that landed back in 1968.Nowadays,big-name headliners and commercial rock and pop favorites are the order of the day.
Place: Seaclose Park, Newport
Time: Jun 13-14. 12:00 a.m.-15:00 p.m.
Tickets:￡25 Adult;￡15 Age19-24 with ID; ￡10 under 12 years old, under7, free
Love box
Consistently one of the finest festivals in London,catering for cool kids and party monsters alike,Love box has expanded again to become a three-day event in 2020.This year will be its second in west London’s Gunnersbury Park.
Place:London’s Gunnersbury Park
Time:July12-14. 1:30 p.m.-2:30 p.m.
Tickets:￡185(adult three-day weekend);￡70(adult day ticket)
Junction 2
Calling all technology heads:in 2020,this big festival is spreading out over two days again following last year’s successful expansion.Junction 2 is a meeting of some pretty serious music minds.
Place:Boston Manor Park
Time:July 15-16
Tickets:￡45 for all ages
1. Which of the following is the earliest festival of the year?| A．All Points East. | B．Isle of Wight. | C．Love box. | D．Junction 2. |
| A．￡65. | B．￡60. | C．￡45. | D．￡40. |
| A．Victoria Park. | B．Seaclose Park. |
| C．London’s Gunnersbury Park. | D．Boston Manor Park. |
【推荐1】A man who dined regularly in his favorite restaurant complained about the bread. “It wasn’t fair,” he emphasized, “that other restaurants served lots of bread.” But here he got only one piece. So the next time he came in, they served him four pieces. He still complained it wasn’t enough.
On his next visit his server brought him a dozen piece. The man still complained, “The other restaurants give all the bread you can eat.”
The restaurant decided to be ready for him the next day. They had an enormous loaf of bread prepared. It was six feet long and two feet wide. Four people carried the loaf to his table. They put it down in front of him. It took up half the table and hung over both sides. The chef stood back to see how the customer would react.
He looked over the loaf and commented, “So, we’re back to one piece again, aren’t we?”
Like this man, we volunteer to be victims, but in more suitable ways. We believe life is unfair, people are untrustworthy and that we are getting a bad shake. We think everyone should know just how terrible things are and we feel responsible to tell them. The problem is that life sometimes is unfair and we can be victimized, but the greater truth is that people can decide whether they are victims or victors. They can feel helpless and miserable, or they can try to feel strong. Happy people have learned that they cannot always control their circumstances, but they can often control how they will respond.
Lewis Dunning said, “What life means to us is determined not so much by what life brings to us as by the attitude we bring to life; not so much by what happens to us as by our reaction to what happens.”
1. What did the man complain about the enormous bread?| A．It was still not enough to eat. | B．It returned to one piece again. |
| C．It was overbaked by the chef. | D．It was too large to eat at a time. |
| A．He wanted to play tricks. | B．He hoped to get more bread. |
| C．He might have a mental disorder. | D．He took a negative attitude to life. |
| A．To be a victim or a victor? | B．Little actions, big impact |
| C．Make your choice count | D．What is the meaning of life? |
【推荐2】After an earthquake most survivors can be expected to recover over time, particularly with the support of family and friends. Some families will be able to return to their normal life quickly, while others will have to contend with the destruction of their homes, medical problems, and injury to family members. Children especially will need time to recover from the loss of a loved one or a pet or from the closing down of their school.
Children often turn to adults for information, comfort and help. Parents should try to remain calm, answer children’s questions honestly and remain understanding when they see changes in their children’s behavior.
Children react differently to an earthquake depending on their ages, developmental levels and former experiences. Some will respond by withdrawing (不与人交往), while others will have angry outbursts (爆发). Parents should remain sensitive to each child’s reactions. Parents should spend time talking to their children，letting them know that it’s OK to ask questions and to share their worries. Although it may be hard to find time to have these talks, parents can use regular family mealtimes or bedtimes for them. They should answer questions briefly and honestly and be sure to ask their children for their opinions and ideas. Issues may come up more than once and parents should remain patient when you answer the questions again. For young children, parents, after talking about the earthquake, might read a favorite story or have a relaxing family activity to help them calm down. Parents should also tell children they are safe and spend extra time with them. They could play games outside or read together indoors. Most importantly, be sure to tell them you love them.
1. The underlined phrase “contend with” in Paragraph 1 can be replaced by “________”.| A．deal with | B．make up | C．put off | D．turn back |
| A．read a favorite story to comfort them |
| B．ask them to help do some housework |
| C．be patient and answer the question again |
| D．take them out to play games |
| A．Keep a close watch on children’s behavior. |
| B．Tell the children they are safe. |
| C．Tell the children you love them. |
| D．Ask educational experts for help. |
| A．All people will recover from an earthquake quickly. |
| B．Children may need a longer time to recover after an earthquake. |
| C．Children should turn to their classmates for help after an earthquake. |
| D．Children react in the same way as adults do to an earthquake. |
【推荐3】I'd gone snowboarding with my brother,and what we lacked in skill.we made up for in enthusiasm(热情）.That day,fresh snow falling, we were in high·spirits. I let my brother disappear into the trees ahead, figuring I would soon catch up.
I began to pick up speed when suddenly thrown off balance and then ran into a large tree.
It was like hitting a wall. I knew immediately that.my back was broken and quickly realized the situation was serious.Nobody would be coming past. There was no phone signal. It was snowing and cold. If I waited, I would probably be saved in the end. But the chance of freezing（冻）to death before that happened was too high for me to risk staying put.
I tried to stand but fell down with great pain. I managed to get the board off from my.feet and moved it under my stomach so İ was lying on it. I faced down the mountain and used the board to slowly slide my body down the tree-lined slope·(斜坡）.
It took about two hours before a skier found me. The rescue team came,with my brother arriving shortly afterwards.
A helicopter (直升机）took me to hospital. I had broken one of my backbones,so I had an operation.The lasting pain was unbearable, but it wasn’t as bad as seeing the pain and worry I put my family through.
The recovering road was tough , but I was lucky . Gradually, I was able to walk, then swim, then then cycle and run. I haven't been back to the slopes yet, but it might happen someday. Anyway,enthusiasm remains for ever.
1. What led to the accident that happened to the writer?| A．Losing balance when speeding up. |
| B．Suffering from the cold weather. |
| C．Losing sight of his brother. |
| D．Seeing nobody coming past. |
| A．I was unable to move with coldness. |
| B．I couldn't stand the great pain in my back. |
| C．Staying there waiting,I would die of coldness. |
| D．If I stayed there waiting, I would probably be saved. |
| A．Eager. | B．Sorry. | C．Confused | D．Relaxed |
| A．He will recover fully without any difficulty. |
| B．He will develop interest in other sports. |
| C．He will avoid going snowboarding again. |
| D．He will stay enthusiastic about snowboarding. |
【推荐1】Any foreigner who has tried to learn Chinese can tell how hard it is to master the tones required to speak and understand.And anyone who has tried to learn to play the violin or other instruments can report similar challenges.
Now researchers have found that people with musical training have an easier time learning Chinese.Writing in the online edition of Nature Neuroscience, researchers from Northwestern University say that both skills draw on the same parts of the brain that help people discover changes in pitch(音调)．
One of the study's authors, Nina Kraus, said the findings suggested that studying music “actually tunes our sensory system”．This means that schools that want children to do well in languages should hesitate before cutting music programs, Dr.Kraus said.She said music training might also help children with language problems.
Mandarin speakers have been shown to have a more complex encoding(编码)of pitch patterns in their brains than English speakers do.This is because in Mandarin and other Asian languages, pitch plays a central role.A single－syllable word can have several meanings depending on how it is intoned.
For this study, the researchers looked at 20 non－Chinese speaking volunteers, half with no musical background and half who have studied an instrument for at least six years.
As they were shown a movie, the volunteers also heard an audio tape of the Mandarin word “mi” in three of its meanings: squint, bewilder and rice.The researchers recorded activities in their brain stems to see how well they were processing the sounds.Those with a music background showed much more brain activities in response to the Chinese sounds.
The lead author of the study, Patrick C．M.Wong, said it might work both ways.It appears that native speakers of tonal languages may do better at learning instruments.
1. Why does Chinese learning have something to do with music training?| A．Because there is the same difficulty in learning Chinese and music. |
| B．Because skills to learn the two make use of the same parts of the brain. |
| C．Because music training might help people with language study. |
| D．Because people who do well in Chinese study do well in music. |
| A．created | B．spelled |
| C．seemed | D．pronounced |
| A．Mandarin Speakers Are Smarter Than English Speakers |
| B．Skilled Ear for Music May Help Language Study |
| C．Pitch Plays a Central Role in Chinese Learning |
| D．Schools Need to Develop Music Programs |
【推荐2】Conservationists have long known that using pandas, tigers and other charismatic(有号召力的) species to front their campaigns is a good way to raise money. But some people argue that focusing on these “flagship” animals can ignore equally threatened but less cute ones.
Now Jennifer McGowan at Macquarie University in Sydney and her colleagues suggest that we can have it both ways, after finding that funding for flagship species also helps other threatened species in the surrounding areas. McGowan’s team first drew up a list of 534 flagship species in wildlife-rich hot spots around the world. The biodiversity areas were each split into grids (网格) of 100 by 100 kilometre squares. The researchers then compared two conservation approaches across eight simulated scenarios(模拟场景) which assumed different levels of human activity and protected areas.
The first focused on protecting flagship species, while the second aimed to protect the maximum number of species in an area, regardless of their fundraising potential. Their study has found that targeting grid squares with flagship species also protected 79 to 89 per cent of the non-flagship species in that area. The figure rose to 97 per cent in some scenarios. “The findings could help when choosing which species to promote. Flagship species are very effective at getting the public to care,” she says.
Morgan Trimble, the author of a paper that has found scientists also have a bias towards charismatic animals, says the results don’t surprise her. “While I think it’s important that we don’t lose sight of the bigger picture --- conserving species is about conserving all the component parts of ecosystems, even the not-so-cute species --- I think highlighting flagship species in fundraising and education is a practical idea and appeals to human nature,” she says. Trimble also asks what the alternative to using flagship species would be: randomly picking species? McGowan’s study found a random approach to choosing where to spend conservation funds only protected 39 to 55 per cent of the non-flagship species.
1. What kind of animals do conservationists usually use to raise funds?| A．Less attractive animals. |
| B．Endangered flagship animals |
| C．Threatened but not necessarily cute species. |
| D．Charismatic but not necessarily threatened species. |
| A．It’s fair enough to focus on flagship species. |
| B．There are very few flagship species in grid squares. |
| C．Non-flagship species are poorly protected in general. |
| D．Flagship species are getting more than enough attention. |
| A．It needs to be further confirmed. | B．It is in line with her expectations. |
| C．It is beyond her comprehension. | D．It goes right against human nature. |
| A．How to choose a charismatic species |
| B．The effects of human activity on animals |
| C．How to best channel conservation efforts |
| D．The role of fundraising in saving animals |
【推荐3】While the Internet has met the needs of sight and sound, it has not reached touch, taste, and smell yet.
Several groups are trying to break those barriers. Immersion is developing a system called “TouchSense”. With the plug-in they provide for free at their site and the correct type of mouse, one can actually “feel” the sensation of different things online.
The sense of smell is not far down the line either. Another company, DigiScents is developing technology that will allow folks to literally download smells. The sense of smell plays an important role in further involving the user in the virtual world.
But what does this all mean to society? Will people be so won over by the technology and the experiences there that they will forget about the “read world”?
There are several books, games and TV series based on the idea of “cyberaddiction”. For example, a popular science fiction book, Neuromancer by William Gibson, goes to great lengths to describe the addiction of living in a VR (Virtual Reality) world. A movie, Strange Days, has a person dealing in recorded emotions and experiences to sell to a VR addicted market.
But can those things really happen? I believe so. I believe if we don’t watch ourselves we will fall into that state of addiction where VR becomes “Better-Than-Life”. The world around us is filled with so many painful things that the Internet and the temptation (诱惑) to escape through VR are quite strong.
Over the last couple of years as I’ve run various games online, I’ve seen more and more people join in and participate. People are more accepting of “playing” in these virtual worlds.
The world is different now and the Internet, all it has to offer and all it will offer in the future, will increasingly become our lifelines. If we’re not careful, fiction will become reality. The addiction is already there.
1. What can we know about DigiScents’ technology?| A．It will encourage people to focus on themselves. |
| B．It will drag more and more people into cyberaddiction. |
| C．It will allow people to experience different senses together. |
| D．It will make more and more people interested in technology. |
| A．They are set in imaginary computer-based societies. |
| B．They are about people using VR for marketing. |
| C．They are famous for their well-made plots. |
| D．They are popular with young people. |
| A．Curious. | B．Doubtful. |
| C．Cautious. | D．Appreciative. |
| A．The effect of virtual reality | B．How will we treat VR addiction |
| C．How to survive in the virtual world | D．Reach out and touch someone online |
