In 2018, China became the largest producer and consumer of the fruit in the world. Ninety-two-year-old Wu Mingzhu, a native of Wuhan, is the unknown hero who has helped make this possible.
“About 80 percent of the watermelons and sweet-melons served at people’s dining tables every day are the result of painful efforts made by Wu and her team over more than 60 years,” said Zhang Wenjun, a colleague of Wu’s.
Helping others had long been a dream of hers. And she thought the most beautiful thing in life is that everything you create can serve the people, so she made efforts to grow quality melons, which began paying off in 1973. She is one of the 8, 000 agricultural scientists who have come to Hainan annually from across the country over the past 60 years and have cultivated more than 20, 000 of China’s new seed varieties through off-season breeding.
Using innovative measures such as radiation mutation breeding, double haploid breeding and distant hybridization breeding, Wu and her team developed new germ-plasm (种质) resources, from which they cultivated more than 30 watermelon and muskmelon (香瓜) varieties with better adaptability and stronger disease resistance, said Yi Hongping, former director of the Xinjiang Muskmelon Research Center.
The new melon varieties have been promoted to more than 1.86 million hectares of fields from north to south. Some of these varieties have been promoted overseas, as far as California. Wu’s work has left her a number of honors. The “queen of melons” became an academician with the Chinese Academy of Engineering in 1999 and an honorary citizen of Sanya in 2004.
1. Why did Wu Mingzhu mainly want to grow high-end melons?| A．Because she wanted to make China the largest producer of melons. |
| B．Because China is the largest consumer of melons in the world. |
| C．Because she wanted to create something that could serve people. |
| D．Because Chinese government asked her to grow high quality melons. |
| A．Wu and her team cultivated melon varieties that could resist every disease. |
| B．Wu and her team cultivated high quality melons from the new germ-plasm resources. |
| C．Wu and her team cultivated 30 watermelon varieties from radiation mutation breeding. |
| D．Wu and her team cultivated melon varieties that could adapt to any circumstance. |
| A．She has cultivated more than 20, 000 of China’s new seed varieties. |
| B．She is committed to her work and makes remarkable achievements. |
| C．She helps make China the largest producer of fruit in the world in 2018. |
| D．She is awarded a number of honorary titles due to her contributions. |
| A．A diary entry. | B．A book review. |
| C．A school notice. | D．A news report. |
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【推荐1】Last year, three experienced storm chasers were killed in a tornado(龙卷风)in the US, but despite this the number of people going in search of tornadoes is growing.
What drives them to take risks and look for danger? The man at the wheel glanced in the back-view mirror and then slowly turned around."Don’t put this in your program. "he said.His wife in the passenger seat laughed. He lowered the window and killed the engine.The wind rushed in from surrounding wheat fields.
Then, from behind, the sound of footsteps approached on the dirt road. It was a moment of peace after hours of speedy racing through the American grassland. There had been excited shouts about where a tornado might form and how we would be there if it did. We were crazy on the trail a moment ago. But now, everyone was very coo1. A Kansas state trooper(骑警) introduced himself through the window. There was pretended surprise when he said how fast we had been going. Really? Wow, sorry.
Val Cator handed over his driver’s license. His wife, Amy, took the registration out of the glove box. Val explained they were storm chasers with Channel 9 News out of Oklahoma City—though it was hardly necessary. Their huge black truck has lightning bolts(闪电)and Storm Tracker 9 painted on the sides.
Val pointed to the radar on the laptop open next to him and said those red and green dots suggested a tornado could form this afternoon. The state trooper was untouched. "I've got that in my car too." he said. People here keep a close eye on the weather. It’s part of living in the tornado alley. Every year some town or other is blown off the map by tornadoes that can reach 300 miles an hour.
Val and Amy are just two of hundreds of possibly thousands of trackers who speed around with computers and cameras hoping to catch one of these beautiful, deadly storms. I'd joined them to learn why the number of trackers keeps growing. Why are people taking real risks—beyond the steady diet of rest-stop junk food—to watch weather?
Last year, a tornado killed three of the most experienced storm chasers. It picked up and threw their car as easily as you would a piece of paper. Dozens of other chasers were hurt in the same storm. They were crowded on a few roads when the tornado suddenly expanded and ate them. Val and Amy were there that day but still, in their words, chase aggressively.
1. Why did everyone calm down after being crazy?| A．Because they reached grassland. |
| B．Because a tornado would come. |
| C．Because a trooper stopped their car. |
| D．Because they were cool on the trail. |
| A．His driver’s license. |
| B．The glove box. |
| C．The signs painted on his truck’s sides. |
| D．The news of Oklahoma City. |
| A．Hard-working. | B．Adventurous. |
| C．Generous. | D．Humorous. |
| A．a program about storm chasers |
| B．the possible dangers that storm chasers face |
| C．the most violent tornado in the US |
| D．some people who want to be close to tornadoes |
【推荐2】A Chinese team claimed victory at an international e-sports (电子竞技)championship held in Paris on Sunday.
Royal Never Give Up beat South Korean team Dragon X 3-1 to lift the crown at the League of Legends Mid-Season Invitational 2018. It marked the first time in 1,106 days that a South Korean team had been defeated by a team from elsewhere at a major international League of Legends tournament (锦标赛).
League of Legends is a multiplayer online battle arena video game that was launched in 2009 and rapidly built a following among members of the competitive gaming community. The tournament in Paris featured teams from 13 countries and regions competing for cash and a place in the global rankings.
Royal Never Give Up entered the contest fresh from their victory at the spring season of the Tencent League of Legends Pro League, the top level of China’s professional League of Legends league system. Their win in Paris was largely owing to star player Jian Zihao, aka Uzi. “I’ve been trying to win this title for six years now,” Jian said on stage following the victory. “I can’t imagine I’m standing here with this trophy. I’m super excited for this moment.” Royal Never Give Up’s victory has boosted confidence in China’s ability to win at major international e-sports events.
E-sports’ popularity has ballooned in recent years, with the International Olympic Committee scheduled to meet in July to further discuss the possibility of including e-sports in future Olympic Games. According to Penguin Intelligence’s 2017 China Game Industry Report, released in June, the annual market value of China’s e-sports sector reached 20 billion yuan ($3.13 billion) in 2016, generated by gamers’ spending, copyright distribution, merchandising and e-commerce. The number of registered online gamers jumped to 220 million in 2017 from 170 million the year before.
1. According to the passage, League of Legends is an ________.| A．e-sports team | B．e-sports game |
| C．e-sports prize | D．e-sports rule |
| A．flowers and applause | B．praise and support |
| C．game coins and cards | D．money and place |
| A．E-sports has become more popular. |
| B．E-sports will be included in Olympic Games. |
| C．More people have registered the e-sports. |
| D．A Chinese team won an international e-sports tournament. |
【推荐3】UK physicist Isaac Newton once said, ''Nature is pleased with simplicity and nature is no dummy (傻子). '' Indeed, Mother Nature can provide almost everything human beings need if we follow her rules. But if we break the rules, she is likely to be cruel and lash out at us.
The outbreak of the novel coronavirus pneumonia (新型冠状病毒肺炎, NCP) in China and some other countries at the beginning of this year is an example. According to Xinhua News Agency, the new coronavirus is similar to a virus found in a bat in 2017 and probably has an intermediate host (中间宿主). It's believed that the virus originated from the Huanan Seafood Market in Wuhan, Hubei province, where live wild animals were sold.
The Wall Street Journal reported that Dr Peter Daszak, president of the US-based health organization EcoHealth Alliance, said, ''This outbreak is a lesson for us. On a global scale, human population density, wildlife diversity, and land use change are what drive new pandemics (流行病). ''
In ancient times, people needed to rely on nature to survive so they held it in awe (敬畏). For example, the American Indians believed that humans are a part of nature and nature is a part of humans. Chinese ancients always pursued the harmony between nature and human beings.
However, as human beings master more knowledge and make more advanced tools, people try to change and even conquer nature. They use more land to make buildings, genetically modify (改变) plants, capture some wild and rare animals to suit their own needs. In this process, humans gradually lose contact with nature and even throw it out of balance. For example, cutting a large number of forests means carbon dioxide must build up in the atmosphere and it contributes to global warming.
Although we don't know for sure what first caused the NCP outbreak, Brian Lamacraft at Medium said it's time for people to ''reflect on our relationship with our planet'' and ''reconnect with this world and everything that we've been given''. After all, according to US poet Gary Snyder, ''Nature is not the place to visit. It's our home. ''
1. What does the phrase ''lash out at'' in Paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．punish | B．control |
| C．test | D．challenge |
| A．Bats are one of the most dangerous wild animals. |
| B．It's impossible to prevent new pandemics globally. |
| C．We should stop the wildlife trade around the world. |
| D．Humans should live peacefully with nature. |
| A．How human beings become their own masters. |
| B．How human activities cause global warming. |
| C．How human beings break the balance of nature. |
| D．How humans use technology to improve their lives. |
| A．To reflect on the NCP outbreak. |
| B．To explain what led to the NCP outbreak. |
| C．To describe experts' predictions on new pandemics. |
| D．To compare ancient and modern attitudes toward nature. |
【推荐1】Science is a dominant theme in our culture. Since it touches almost every facet of our life, educated people need at least some acquaintance with its structure and operation. They should also have an understanding of the subculture in which scientists live and the kinds of people they are. An understanding of general characteristics of science as well as specific scientific concepts is easier to attain if one knows something about the things that excite and frustrate the scientist.
This book is written for the intelligent student or lay person whose acquaintance with science is superficial; for the person who has been presented with science as a musty storehouse of dried facts; for the person who sees the chief objective of science as the production of gadgets; and for the person who views the scientists as some sort of magician. The book can be used to supplement a course in any science, to accompany any course that attempts to give an understanding of the modern world, or – independently of any course – simply to provide a better understanding of science. We hope this book will lead readers to a broader perspective on scientific attitudes and a more realistic view of what science is, who scientists are, and what they do. It will give them an awareness and understanding of the relationship between science and our culture and an appreciation of the roles science may play in our culture. In addition, readers may learn to appreciate the relationship between scientific views and some of the values and philosophies that are pervasive in our culture.
We have tried to present in this book an accurate and up-to-date picture of the scientific community and the people who populate it. That population has in recent years come to comprise more and more women. This increasing role of women in the scientific subculture is not an unique incident but, rather, part of the trend evident in all segments of society as more women enter traditionally male-dominated fields and make significant contributions. In discussing these changes and contribution, however, we are faced with a language that is implicitly sexist, one that uses male nouns or pronouns in referring to unspecified individuals. To offset this built-in bias, we have adopted the policy of using plural nouns and pronouns whenever possible and, when absolutely necessary, alternating he and she. This policy is far form being ideal, but it is at least an acknowledgment of the inadequacy of our language in treating half of the human race equally.
We have also tried to make the book entertaining as well as informative. Our approach is usually informal. We feel, as do many other scientists, that we shouldn’t take ourselves too seriously. As the reader may observe, we see science as a delightful pastime rather than as a grim and dreary way to earn a living. Vocabulary
1. According to the passage, ‘scientific subculture’ means| A．cultural groups that are formed by scientists. |
| B．people whose knowledge of science is very limited. |
| C．the scientific community. |
| D．people who make good contribution to science. |
| A．it is not easy to understand the things that excite and frustrate scientists. |
| B．Science affects almost every aspect of our life. |
| C．Scientists live in a specific subculture. |
| D．It is easier to understand general characteristics of science. |
| A．are intelligent college students and lay person who do not know much about science. |
| B．are good at producing various gadgets. |
| C．work in a storehouse of dried facts. |
| D．want to have a superficial understanding of science. |
| A．English is a sexist language. |
| B．only in the scientific world is the role of women increasing rapidly. |
| C．women are making significant contributions to eliminating the inadequacy of our language. |
| D．male nouns or pronouns should not be used to refer to scientists. |
| A．a book review. |
| B．the preface of a book. |
| C．the postscript of a book. |
| D．the concluding part of a book. |
【推荐2】The Nobel Prize is considered as one of the most recognizable and admirable awards possible, honoring people of the world for their outstanding achievements in different fields.
Alfred Nobel was born in 1833 to a family of engineers in Stockholm, Sweden. In 1850, he met Ascanio Sobrero, the inventor of nitroglycerin (硝酸甘油) in Paris. Interested in its unpredictable nature of exploding under pressure or heat, Nobel started to find a way to control it and make a usable explosive. After years of efforts, in 1867, Nobel invented dynamite, which is much easier and safer to control than nitroglycerin.
During his lifetime, Nobel invented and patented various explosives. He built up his wealth from his 355 inventions, from which dynamite was the most important.
When Alfred’s brother Ludwig died in 1888, a French newspaper mistakenly published Alfred’s obituary (讣告). Reading his own obituary, Nobel was disappointed to find out his public image. The newspaper strongly blamed Nobel for inventing dynamite, giving him the nickname of “the merchant of death” and saying “Dr. Alfred Nobel, who became rich by finding ways to kill more people faster than ever before, died yesterday.”
To Alfred, this obituary was a warning. He spent his lifetime alone inventing things and was deeply concerned with how he would be remembered. This unfortunate event inspired him to make changes in his will, so as to improve his public image, and to be remembered for a good cause. In 1895, one year before his death, Nobel made the last will, saying clearly that his wealth would be used to create a series of prizes for those who have made great contributions to mankind in physics, chemistry, physiology or medicine, literature, and peace. To widespread astonishment, Dr. Alfred Nobel gave away 94% of his total wealth to found the five Nobel Prizes.
1. What led to Nobel’s invention of dynamite according to Paragraph 2?| A．The strong desire to make money. | B．His great curiosity and devotion to science. |
| C．His lifetime dream of achieving success. | D．The valuable help from his family. |
| A．34. | B．40. | C．42. | D．55. |
| A．Optimistic. | B．Satisfied. | C．Upset. | D．Supportive. |
| A．To be remembered as “the merchant of death”. | B．To prove the importance of his inventions. |
| C．To publish his findings of scientific research. | D．To leave a good name to the public. |
【推荐3】Madame Curie, the youngest of the five children, was born in Wersaw, Poland in 1867. Marie Curie's maiden name was Manya. Her parents were teachers, and she learned the importance of education at a very early age. No higher education was offered to women in Poland at that time, so Manya took a job as a tutor. She sent part of her income to Paris to help pay for her elder sister's medical studies. Her sister qualified as a doctor and married a fellow doctor in 1891. Manya went to joined them in Paris, changing her name to Marie.
She entered the Sorbonne（now the University of Paris）and studied physics and mathematics, graduating at the top of her class. For the research she wanted to do, she was introduced to another young scientist, Pierre Curie. Later, they fell in love with each other.
After she was rewarded the Nobel Prize, fame troubled Marie Curie and also her husband, because science was their world and in this world of science, fame and honor to persons had no value. One day when a writer for a newspaper tried to ask Marie about herself, her thoughts and her beliefs, she answered him, "In science we must be interested in things, not in persons." Much of the real character and spirit of this unusual woman was found in these few words, which she was later often to repeat. One evening, at a big party, a friend asked if she would like to meet the King of Greece, who was also a guest. She answered in her simple manner, "I don't see the value of it." Then, seeing that she hurt the feeling of her friend, she quickly added, "But…but…of course, I shall do whatever you please. Just as you please."
1. What did Marie Curie once do to help pay for her elder sister's medical studies?| A．She was a teacher. | B．She was a doctor. |
| C．She was a tutor. | D．She was a waitress. |
| A．Science and research. | B．Fame and honor. |
| C．Character and spirits. | D．Persons and things. |
| A．things | B．Marie Curie |
| C．Marie's husband | D．persons |
| A．The King was angry with Marie Curie. |
| B．For the sake of her friend Marie Curie met the King of Greece. |
| C．The King of Greece wrote a letter to invite Marie Curie to meet him. |
| D．Marie Curie held another party for the King. |
