When you use crayons, you can color things any way you want. Life wasn’t always so colorful, though. A hundred years ago, all crayons were black. They were used in factories and shipyards. Kids couldn’t use them because they were toxic.
Then a company called Binney & Smith had an idea. They decided to make Crayola crayons for kids and teachers to use in schools. They figured out a formula（配方）that was safe, and they also decided to add colors. The first box of eight Crayola crayons included black, brown, blue, red, purple, orange, yellow, and green. The box cost five cents. The crayons were a huge hit!
Today, many companies make crayons, but Crayola is still the biggest. They take crayons very seriously especially when it comes to colors.
For example, Crayola has a team of seven chemists and chemical engineers who do nothing all day but develop new crayon colors. Their laboratory adds the unique, secret formula to every crayon color. They blend（混合）different colors to come up with new shades（色度）. Once the engineers discover a new color they like, they test it on hundreds of kids and parents to make sure it’s really useful. Only then is a crayon ready for the box.
Then comes the hard part——figuring out what to name a new color. In 1993, Crayola introduced 16 new colors for its “Big box” of 96 crayons. More than two million kids and adults wrote in to advise on the names of the colors. Some winners were tickle me pink (bright pink), timber wolf (gray), purple mountains majesty (purple), tropical rainforest (bright green), granny smith apple (light green), and mauvelous (light pink).Over the years, Crayola has changed the names of some colors.
Around the globe, kids still say that red and blue are their favorite crayon on colors.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
1. The underlined word “toxic” in the passage means “___________” in Chinese.
| A．昂贵的 | B．多彩的 | C．有毒的 |
| A．the first box of Crayola crayons |
| B．the colors of Crayola crayons |
| C．a company called Binney & Smith |
| A．They throw away all the other colors. |
| B．They test it on kids and parents. |
| C．They draw pictures with it. |
| A．Colorful crayons existed a thousand years ago. |
| B．Crayola is the biggest crayon company. |
| C．Red and brown are kid’s favorite colors. |
| A．Some new color names suggested by kids. |
| B．The colors developed by engineers. |
| C．The making and naming of Crayola crayons. |
相似题推荐
Eight hundred years ago, a man in southern Turkey invented an amazing clock. It was more than 7 meters high. At its base was a life-size model elephant. Every half hour, something amazing happened. The whole clock came alive: Model birds, dragons, and people started to move.
The clock’s inventor was an engineer named al-Jazari. He lived in Turkey. Al-Jazari was probably one of the greatest engineers in history. Some historians call him “the father of modern-day engineering.”
We know about al-Jazari mostly from a book that he wrote. They include clocks and hand-washing machines. The book also has drawings that show how each machine works.
Many everyday things today—from toys to car engines（发动机）—still use al-Jazari’s ideas. Without his ideas, we might not have modern-day engineering.
If you travel to Dubai, it is still possible to see what al-Jazari’s elephant clock looked like. A full-size working model is in Dubai’s Ibn Battuta Mall（六国商城）. There, every half hour, al-Jazari’s most amazing invention comes to life once again.
How Does the Elephant Clock Work?
A bowl with a small hole floats（浮）in a water tank（水箱）inside the elephant’s body. As the bowl slowly sinks, it pulls a rope that moves a human figure. His moving pen shows the number of minutes past the hour.
Every half hour, the water bowl becomes full and sinks completely. This causes a ball to fall from the top of the clock. The movement of the ball causes a phoenix to move and make a sound.
The ball then drops out of a falcon’s mouth into the mouth of a Chinese dragon. The weight of the ball causes the dragon’s head to move down and the dragon’s tail pulls the water bowl back up.
Finally, the ball drops out of the dragon’s mouth and into a vase. As the ball lands in the vase, the elephant driver moves and makes a sound. The cycle begins again until there are no more ball in the top of the clock.
1. ”Something amazing happened in Paragraph 1 refers to ________.| A．The people started to move. |
| B．The whole clock came alive. |
| C．Al-Jazari was born in Turkey. |
| D．The clock is leased on a life-size model elephant. |
| A．He invented an amazing clock. |
| B．He lived eight hundred years ago. |
| C．He wrote a book about machines. |
| D．Without his ideas, we might not have modern-day engineering. |
| A．A quarter. | B．Half an hour. | C．An hour. | D．An hour and a half. |
a. The ball drops into the vase.
b. The ball drops into the dragon’s mouth.
c. The elephant driver moves and makes a sound.
d. After 30 minutes, a ball starts to fall from the top.
e. The bowl moves down in the water and pulls on ropes.
| A．b-d-a-c-e | B．e-d-b-a-c |
| C．a-e-b-d-c | D．c-a-d-e-b |
| A．Art. | B．Animal. | C．Science. | D．Traveling. |
【推荐2】
The Consumer Electronics Show (CES) took place in Las Vegas, US, between 9 and 12 January. The event shows off some of the coolest new inventions that might one day be available to the public.
◆One was a robot to help people around the house. It uses artificial intelligence (AI). The computer can learn from experience and do things with AI.
The robot is designed to control household appliances, keep an eye on pets and even check the safety of the house like a soldier.
◆A smart fridge was made by Samsung. This can tell the differences about 33 food items and suggests recipes that will use up what you have.
◆In video gaming, two companies called Nvidia and Convai used AI to create more natural non-playable characters (NPCs). Usually when you meet a character in a game, what they say to you or how they do will have been decided by the game’s creators. The creators of these new AI characters say they are different now because they can act like a real person.
◆Technology company LG showed a transparent television. It’s wireless (无线的), so it can be put anywhere in a room and because it looks like a piece of glass, it can even be put in front of a window. It also has a screensaver (屏保) that can play relaxing pictures, such as fish swimming around in a tank.
◆Finally, for children, the Droyd Venym electric scooter board (滑板车) is basically a seat, low to the ground, with legs and four wheels that you control with handles. Its top speed is three miles per hour.
Some people may worry about how AI might affect their lives. If AI can create images, music and text, one day artists, musicians and writers could be replaced. To my understanding, AI still shows a bright future and aims to create comfortable lives. It helps us study lots of information and work out what is likely to happen next. It depends on how you use this new technology.
1. How many inventions are mentioned in the above passage?| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six. | D．Seven. |
| A．The robot can look after the babies. |
| B．The fridge can cook by using up what you have. |
| C．The scooter board can run at a speed of three meters. |
| D．The NPCs can talk with you like a human. |
| A．Positive. | B．Uncertain. | C．Negative. | D．Disappointed |
| A．The Use of AI Products | B．AI Makes People Worried |
| C．New Robots Made by CES | D．AI Inventions, In or Out? |
【推荐3】During COVID-19, we wear masks to keep us safe. However, many of us may face a problem we can’t eat when we wear a mask. Now an Israeli company has created a new invention—a mask that we can wear while eating and it keeps us from the virus(病毒).
The mask has a remote-control(遥控的) mouth. You just need to press a button(按钮) to open a hole in the front of the mask so that food can pass through. When you take out your knife or fork, it will close. The company said the mask could protect people from the virus when they eat. It plans to start selling the mask at a price of 6 to 20 yuan higher than that of a common medical mask.
People have different opinions about the mask. Ofir Hameiri, 32, says that it is a must-have because it allows him to eat while staying safe. However, Ron Silberstein, 29, thinks it won’t work when he eats the ice cream. He wouldn’t want to wear it because the mask might get dirty.
What else have people come up with? Some other cool inventions were created during COVID-19. A Chinese company invented a special helmet(头盔). It can check out people with fevers from up to five meters away. At the same time, it can show the person’s name and medical history, and send this information to nearby hospitals. A Belgian 3D printing company created an invention. It allows people to open doors without using their hands. This way helps to avoid touching the virus.
1. How does the mask by an Israeli company work well?| A．By adding a mouth to the mask. | B．By washing itself each time. |
| C．By testing the virus from food. | D．By putting a special fork in the mask. |
| A．To prove everyone likes the mask. | B．To show not everyone likes the mask. |
| C．To tell people how to use the mask. | D．To describe the importance of the mask. |
| A．Killing the virus. | B．Helping us feel great. |
| C．Making our lives easier. | D．Staying away from the virus. |
| A．Everyone should wear a mask to keep safe during COVID-19. |
| B．People have to keep safe and protect themselves during COVID-19. |
| C．A few great inventions were created to keep us safe during COVID-19. |
| D．People have different ideas about a special mask invented during COVID-19. |
| The Longest Bicycle The longest true bicycle was 28.1 meters long and had two wheels. It was built by the students at the Delft University of Technology in the Netherlands. The bicycle was ridden more than 100 meters in Delft on December 11, 2002. | The Most Expensive Jeans A pair of Levis jeans which was over 115 years old then was sold by Randy Knight to a Japanese buyer over the Internet on June 15, 2005. The jeans cost the buyer $60,000. |
| The Heaviest Apple The heaviest apple weighed 1.849 kilos. It was grown by Chisato Iwasaki on his apple farm in Japan. Chisato picked the apple on October 24, 2005. | The Largest Mobile Phone The Iargest mobile phone was the Sony Ericsson W810i. It was 2.50×1.14×0.49m and was measured (量) at the MTN Scien Centre in Cape Town, South Africa, on September 20, 2007. |
1. The longest bicycle ______.
| A．was made in the USA. |
| B．couldn't be ridden |
| C．was about 100 meters long |
| D．had only two wheels |
| A．It was sold over the Internet. |
| B．It cost the buyer $60,000. |
| C．It was sold to an American buyer. |
| D．It is more than 100 years old now. |
| A．The heaviest apple was grown. |
| B．The longest bicycle was built. |
| C．The largest mobile phone was made. |
| D．The heaviest apple was picked. |
【推荐2】American people like to say “Thank you” when others help them or say something kind to them. People of many other countries do so, too. It is a very good habit.
You should say “thank you” when someone passes you the salt on the table, when someone walking in front of you keeps the door open for you. When someone says you have done your work well, or you have bought a nice thing, or your city is very beautiful.
“Thank you” is used not only between parents and children, brothers and sisters, husbands and wives.
“Excuse me” is another short sentence they often use. When you hear someone say it behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you.
It is impolite to interrupt (打断) others while they are talking. If you want to speak to one of them, say “Excuse me” first, and then begin talking. You should also do so when you want to cough or make any unpleasant noise before others.
Let’s learn to say “Thank you” and “Excuse me”.
根据短文内容，判断下列各句正 (T) 、误 (F) 。
1. American people like to say “Excuse me” when others help them or say something kind to them.
2. You should say “Thank you” when someone says you have done your work well.
3. “Thank you” is only used between friends and parents.
4. When you hear someone say “Excuse me” behind you, you know that somebody wants to walk past you.
5. You should also say “Excuse me” when you want to cough or make any unpleasant noise before others.
【推荐3】Men have won most of the Nobel Prizes in science in the past. But this year, we saw more female (女性) winners.
Jennifer Doudna from the US and Emmanuelle Charpentier from France shared the Nobel Prize in Chemistry. It’s the first time in history for two women to win the prize without having to share it with a man. At the same time, US scientist Andrea Ghez became the fourth woman to win a Nobel Prize in Physics. Its first female winner was Marie Curie in 1903.
Doudna and Charpentier won the prize for developing CRISPR/Cas9 genetic scissors (基因剪刀), a technology that can rewrite DNA in cells (细胞). It has had a great impact (影响) on the life sciences. For example, it can help us develop crops that can withstand droughts (抗旱). It could also help treat inherited diseases (遗传病) in the future.
On hearing that they were the sixth and seventh women in history to win the Chemistry Prize, Charpentier said that she hopes girls and young female scientists will “understand that nothing is impossible”. They can “find great discoveries (发现)”, whether the man or the woman is.
Ghez, who was awarded for her research on black holes, had the same feeling. “I hope more young women come into the field,” Ghez. said. She is also one of the writers of the 2006 children’s book You Can Be a Woman Astronomer.
1. A pair of women won this year’s Nobel Prize in ________.| A．Physics | B．Science | C．Chemistry | D．Medicine |
| A．How they did their research. | B．When they got the prize. |
| C．What they found in their research. | D．Where they won the prize. |
| A．6. | B．7. | C．4. | D．We don’t know. |
| A．There were more female winners than male winners in the Nobel Prizes. |
| B．US scientist Emmanuelle Charpentier and French scientist Jennifer Doudna shared the Nobel Prize. |
| C．Emmanuelle Charpentier was awarded for her research on black holes |
| D．Ghez is not only a scientist but also a writer. |
| A．Women and the Nobel Prizes | B．Famous women scientists |
| C．More women in the Nobel Prizes | D．Scientists in Physics and Chemistry |
【推荐1】Do you know the story about Vince? It was a true story. Vince was an English boy and he was eight years old. He didn't like soap or water. Three or four times a day his mother said to him, “Vince, your hands are very dirty again.Go and wash them. ” But Vince never washed them well. He only put his hands in the water for a few seconds and then took them out again.
Vince’s uncle and aunt lived in another city. One day they came to stay with Vince’s parents, and they brought their small son, Toby, with them. Toby was seven years old and he didn’t like soap or water, either.
The boys sat with their parents for a few minutes and then they went outside. When they were playing, Vince looked at Toby's hands and then went back to Toby’s parents and said proudly (骄傲地）， “Toby’s hands are dirtier than mine, ”
“Of course they are，”Toby said angrily. “You are one year older than I am, ”
1. Vince’s mother asked him to______ three or four times a day.| A．wash his hands | B．do his homework | C．clean his bedroom |
| A．sorry | B．proud | C．sad |
| A．dirtier | B．cleaner | C．bigger |
| A．Vince liked soap and water, but Toby didn’t |
| B．Toby liked soap and water，but Vince didn’t |
| C．Vince and Toby didn’t like soap or water |
| A．Four. | B．Five. | C．Six |
Found： Some keys and a red box are in Classroom 1. There is an eraser and a blue watch in the box. Are they yours? Call Laura at 356-7788. | Art Club Have nothing to do after work? Why not come to our club and learn to draw? It's fun. You can also make friends here. Call Sally at 345-1258. Time: 6:00 p.m.-8:00 p.m.(from Monday to Friday) |
Teachers Wanted Are you a teacher? Are you good with children? Can you volunteer to help them with English on weekends? Come to Xinhua School. Call Robert at 378-5378. | Helping Drive Can't drive after drinking? I can help you. I will drive you home and keep you safe. I'm a good driver. And I know the city well. Call Bob at 549-3582 at any time. |
1. The watch in the box is ________.
| A．orange | B．blue | C．red | D．white |
| A．find a volunteer teacher | B．call Laura |
| C．join in the art club | D．make new friends |
| A．356-7788 | B．345-1258 | C．378-5378 | D．549-3582 |
| A．A person who drinks | B．The tour guide |
| C．A person who has lost keys | D．A person who wants to learn English |
【推荐3】Cheating can happen in a lot of different ways. When people cheat, it’s not fair to other people, like the kids who studied for the test or who were the true winners of a game.
Many people like the action of cheating. It makes difficult things seem easy, like getting all the right answers on the test. But it doesn’t solve the problem of not knowing the material and it won’t help on the next test—unless the person cheats again.
Some people lose respect for cheaters and think less of them. The cheaters themselves may feel bad because they know they are not really getting that good grade. And, if they get caught cheating, they will be in difficulty at school, and maybe at home, too.
Some kids cheat because they are busy or lazy and they want to get good grades without spending the time studying. Other kids might feel like they can’t pass the test without cheating. Even when there seems to be a “good reason” for cheating, cheating isn’t a good idea.
If you were sick or upset about something the night before and couldn’t study, it would be better to talk with the teacher about this. And if you don’t have enough time to study for a test because of swim practice, you need to talk with your parents about how to deal with swimming and school.
A kid who thinks cheating is the only way to pass a test needs to talk with the teacher and his or her parents so that they can solve the problem together. Talking about these problems and working them out will help kids feel better than cheating.
根据短文内容，判断句子正（T）、误（F）。1. When people cheat, it’s fair to other people.
2. Cheating can solve the problem of not knowing the material.
3. If they get caught cheating, they’ll be in trouble at school.
4. The fourth paragraph mainly talks about the reasons why kids cheat.
5. The kids could talk with their parents or teachers to solve the problem.
【推荐1】Here are three students talking about the future in 2040.
A holiday trip to the moon will not be a dream. We can also travel to other planets and talk with the spacemen. We’ll have new homes on other planets. By then, I will be about forty years old. Maybe we will have an exciting talk in my new home on another planet!
—By Zhang Li
China will be richer in 2040 than it is now, Shanghai will be ready for the Olympic Games. The sky will be blue and cleaner and the air will be fresher. There will be no pollution. There will be more and more pandas living happily in China.
—By Zhao Yufan
By the year of 2040,cloning（克隆） will be used in many ways. It will bring back animals that disappeared many years ago. The world will be one big family. We might eat pills instead of today’s meals. Everyone will enjoy a longer life. We will live a much easier and better life.
—By Han Jiao
1. When was Zhang Li born?| A．In 2010 | B．In 2005. | C．In 2015. | D．In 2000. |
| A．Dirty and grey. | B．Blue and cleaner. |
| C．Blue and fresher. | D．Blue but polluted. |
| A．Meat. | B．Pills. | C．Vegetables. | D．Noodles. |
| A．The food. | B．The travel. | C．The environment. | D．The future. |
【推荐2】A myth（传说）is something that is not correct, but many people believe. There are a lot of myths about the human brain.
One of the biggest myths is that we only use 10 percent of our brains. The next part of the myth is that if we can learn to use the rest of our brains, we’ll be much smarter. People say this all the time, but it’s not true! The truth is that although we don’t know everything about the human brain, we know that each part of it has an important function（功能）. Modern scientists think the “10 percent myth”ridiculous （荒谬的）.
The other most popular myth is about being “right brained” or “left brained”. According to this myth, people who use the right side of their brains are more artistic and creative. People who use the left side of their brains are better at math and science. This is as popular as the 10 percent myth, and it’s also wrong. In 2013, a study at an American university examined the right brain and left brain myth. According to the study, we use both sides of our brains equally.
It's true that we use different parts of our brains for different things. We use our left side for language more, and our right side when we need to pay attention. But there is no evidence （证据）that creative people use the right side more, or that scientific people use he left side more.
We've talked about myths, so let’s look at a few interesting facts about the brain. First of all, the brain feels no pain. Second, about 75 percent of the brain is made of water. It’s also the fattest organ （器官）in your body. Here’s one more interesting fact about the brain. Around the time you turn 18 years old, it stops growing.
1. The underlined word “This” in Paragraph 4 refers to “________”.| A．The left brain myth | B．The right brain and left brain myth |
| C．The 10 percent myth | D．The study of an American university |
| A．Robert, who is learning English | B．Kate, who is drawing pictures |
| C．Jenny, who is creative | D．Jacob, who is good at maths |
| A．It is growing all life long. | B．The right side is used more by artists. |
| C．Some parts of it are not used at all. | D．About three quarters of it is made of water. |
| A．the growing of the brain | B．right brain and left brain |
| C．myths and facts about the brain | D．different functions of the brain |
My family and friends treated me as everybody else．That was just about the best thing they could have done．It helped me believe in myself, so when troubles came along, I could deal with them．
Like most albinos, I had the terrible eyesight, but the fact that I could hardly see didn’t bother me that much .Kids would make fun of me, calling me“Whitey”． People looked at me when I held the books right at the tip of my nose so that I could see it well enough．Even when I was eight, movie-theater workers started asking me to pay full prices because I“looked older”．The worst thing for me was that because my eyesight was so bad, I couldn’t play sports very well．I didn’t give up trying, though．And I studied harder．Finally, I got better at school and loved it．When I got to university, I was double majoring(双修), going to summer school and busying myself with every activity I could find．I had learned to be proud of being an albino．I did my best to make“albino”a good word．And I decided to make my living with my eyes—and in sports．
I couldn’t see very well to play sports, but with a good education and a drive to do it, I could make a living in the area I loved．I’ve done it now for more than thirty years in video, and now in cyberspace(网络空间)．People make jokes about how I’m the only“blind editor”they know, but the jokes are of goodwill and some of them are signs of respect(尊重)．
I was just a proud albino kid from the country of Pennsylvania．I now realize that being born an albino helped me to overcome difficulties, have confidence, and be proud of my personal achievement .
1. Which is one of the signs of being an albino?
| A．He has a black face. |
| B．He can’t see clearly |
| C．He looks much older. |
| D．He has a little nose. |
| A．Regarding him as the best friend |
| B．Laughing at him |
| C．Treating him as a usual person |
| D．Being afraid to speak to him |
| A．The author has learned to face difficulties. |
| B．The author started to be brave after going to university. |
| C．The author could achieve everything because of his good education. |
| D．The author could play sports well because he never gave up |
| A．To give the reason of causing the albino. |
| B．To tell us how the albino was treated |
| C．To help us deal with kinds of challenges. |
| D．To tell us how an albino succeeded |
