Have you ever wondered how we know the things that we know? How do we know, for example, that the stars are really huge balls of fire like the Sun and very far away? And how do we know that the Earth is a smaller ball turning round one of those stars, the Sun?
The key to these questions is “evidence”, which means the facts, signs or objects that make you believe something is true.
Sometimes evidence means actually(实际上) seeing (or hearing, feeling, smelling...)that something is true. Astronauts have travelled far enough from the Earth to see with their own eyes that it is round. Sometimes our eyes need help. The “evening star” looks like bright twinkle in the sky, but with a telescope(望远镜) you can see that it is a beautiful ball. Something that you learn by direct seeing (or hearing or feeling...) is called an observation.
Often evidence isn’t just observation on its own, but observation always hides at the back of it. If there’s been a murder, often nobody (except the murderer and the dead person!) actually observed it. But detectives can gather together lots of other observations which may all point towards the suspect. If a person’s fingerprints match those found on a knife, this is evidence that he touched it. It doesn’t prove that he did the murder, but it can help when it’s joined up with lots of other evidence.
Prediction(预测) helps to look for evidence. Scientists make a guess about what might be true. For example, if the world is really round, we can predict that any of us, going on and on in the same direction, should eventually find ourselves back where we started.
People sometimes say that you must believe in feelings deep inside, but not all the inside feelings are real evidence.
What can we do about all this? When somebody tells you something that sounds possible, think to yourself: “Is there any evidence for that?” And, next time somebody tells you that something is true, why not say to them: “What kind of evidence is there for that?” Remember, always think carefully before you believe a word.
1. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．What you see directly is real evidence. |
| B．Prediction helps to prove something if it is true |
| C．people should always believe their inside feelings. |
| D．Astronauts find the Earth is round with a telescope |
| A．To explain what the prediction is. | B．To tell what observation is called. |
| C．To introduce how detectives work. | D．To prove evidence is not just observation |
| A．finally | B．probably | C．completely | D．luckily |
| A．Evidence speaks | B．Scientists make predictions |
| C．Inside feelings help get ideas | D．Observation offers the facts |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】Do you get angry when your friends sing loudly while you are working? Or when your best friend does not wait for you after school?
If you do, you need to take control of（控制）your feelings and stop getting angry so easily. Getting angry with people can make you lose friends.
Gary Egeberg, an American high school teacher, has written My Feelings Are Just Like Wild Animals to help you control your feelings. It tells teens how to stay cool when bad things happen to them. The book says that getting angry only makes problems worse. It can never make them better. Getting angry is not natured（本性……）way to act. It is just a bad habit, like smoking. The book says you can control your anger easily—all you have to do is telling yourself not to be angry.
When a baby falls over, it only cries if people are watching it. Like a baby, you should only get angry if you are sure it is the right thing to do.
The book gives many tips to help you if you get angry easily. Here are our top three:
①Keep a record. Every time you get angry, write down why you are angry. Look at it and you will see you get angry too easily.
②Ask your friends to stop talking to you when you get angry. This will teach you not to be angry.
③Do something different. When you get angry, walk away from the problem and go somewhere else. Try to laugh!
1. The writer thinks that if you get angry easily you will ________.| A．get ill very easily | B．lose your friends | C．put on weight easily | D．eat less |
| A．story | B．book | C．picture | D．film |
| A．what to read | B．how to read | C．how to stay cool | D．how to learn English we |
| A．the book | B．anger | C．habit | D．the baby |
Count to three.Keeping up enough space between your car and others is certainly necessary.Jim Clark,a California driving instructor,suggests a following distance of at least three seconds.To figure this,pick an object on the roadside ahead.When the car in front of you passes it,start counting one-thousand-one,one-thousand-two,one-thousand-three.If you get to that object before you reach one-thousand-three,you don’t have three seconds of following time—time needed to keep away from accidents.
Let followers pass.“If someone’s driving after you,get out of his way.”Clark advises.“You’re better of being safe than right.”
Expect the worst.In a study,the Federal Highway Administration(联邦公路局) found that 68 percent of drivers do not come to a complete stop at stop signs.When you’re driving and see someone come near to a stop sign,don’t be too sure that the person is going to stop.And when you stop at a crossing and another car comes near with its turning light on,don’t take it true that the driver will turn.Instead,wait until he turns.He may have had the light on for miles.
Stay outside.In the busy traffic,drive in either the outside-left or outside-right lane(车道).As traffic expert Francis Kenel says,that allows you somewhere to go if a problem develops.
1. pieces of advice on road safety are given in this passage.| A．Three | B．Four | C．Five | D．Six |
| A．判断 | B．考虑 | C．想象 | D．依靠 |
| A．that stop signs are completely useless |
| B．that the traffic police do not do their work |
| C．that drivers should always stop at stop signs |
| D．that some drivers do not pay attention to stop signs |
| A．to drive on the left lane | B．not to drive in the middle |
| C．to drive on the right lane | D．not to drive on the outside lane |
| A．what to do at different traffic signs |
| B．how to save lives when accidents happen |
| C．what to do to avoid driving accidents |
| D．how to keep a safe distance from other cars |
1)Always notice the environment around you. You shouldn’t walk alone out. Make sure where the public phones are. If anything dangerous happens, you can find them quickly.
2)Don’t use earphones when running in the schoolyard or on the street. You will keep yourself from the outside world and can easily get into trouble.
3)When taking a bus, school bags should be carried towards the front of your bodies instead of putting them on your backs. When buses are crowded, it is easy enough for thieves to steal the things in the bag on your back.
4)If you are followed by a stranger, cross the street and go in the other direction. Let the stranger know he or she is there. Next, go and get help from others if it is necessary. Don’t go home directly. You are safer in the street than you are in your home or in a lift.
5)If you have to take a bus to a place far away, try to get to the stop only a few minutes before the buses leave. On buses, don’t sit alone. You should sit behind the driver or with friends. Don’t sleep.
6）Don’t play with matches or candles, because it may cause fire. If your house catches fire and you have to escape through smoke, move on your hands and knees with your head 30-60 centimeters above the floor. Please remember there is cleaner and cooler air near the floor during the fire.
根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
1. When you walk alone outside, you’d better .
| A．phone your friends using the public phone first |
| B．sit at the side of the road and have a short rest |
| C．notice the environment around you. |
| D．get help from others |
| A．set fire with matches or candles. |
| B．run home quickly or find a lift to go in |
| C．let him or her know you see he or she is there |
| D．turn back and walk towards him or her directly |
| A．dangerous | B．helpful | C．necessary | D．important. |
| A．sit alone in the back of the bus | B．sleep well in the back of the bus |
| C．sit alone in the front of the bus | D．sit behind the driver or with friends |
| A．on you back | B．beside you |
| C．in front of your bodies | D．behind the conductor |
【推荐1】Do you know digital pickles (电子榨菜)? Recently, this new type of pickle is being discussed. It refers to the videos people watch while eating. Many people think that the videos can make their food more appetizing (有食欲的), just like a spoonful of pickles sometimes making a meal taste much better.
The topic received more than 16 million clicks on Sina Weibo and about 100, 000 people joined in the discussion. Instead of having meals with friends and family members, many young people in China like to watch TV shows or short videos. Many believe that their food is tastier with the “digital pickles”.
Can this habit affect your diet? According to a research paper published in 2019, you may eat more without knowing it. The international research team asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns on four different days. The patterns included eating while looking at the mobile phone, reading magazines and without distraction (干扰). After studying their diets, the team discovered that eating with a distraction increased caloric ingestion (卡路里摄入) by about 15 percent.
To find out the reason, the team also invited two groups of people: one group ate while listening to an audio clip (音频剪辑) about another person eating, and the other listened to a clip that helped them imagine themselves eating. The results showed that the second group ate less since they were more focused on their meals. When we eat with the “digital pickles”, our attention can be distracted, which leads to eating more than expected.
Not only videos and audios but also other tasks can work as digital pickles. A research project led by the University of Sussex, UK, pointed out that activities which require lots of attention trick many participants (参与者) into overeating. The team invited 120 participants to do different tasks while providing them with drinks and snacks. “Our study suggests that if you’re eating or drinking while your attention is distracted by a highly engaging (吸引人的) task, you’re less likely to be able to tell how full you feel,” one of the authors Martin Yeomans explained.
1. What do “digital pickles” refer to?| A．A new type of vegetables. | B．Electronic products popular online. |
| C．Videos people watch while eating. | D．Digital games suitable for families. |
| A．Young people become more social. | B．Diners watching videos forget to eat. |
| C．People’s cooking skills are improved. | D．Food may turn out to be more attractive. |
| A．eat different food with digital pickles |
| B．eat while reading a colorful food magazine |
| C．eat without listening to or watching anything |
| D．eat while listening to an audio clip about others eating |
| A．Asked 62 volunteers to follow different eating patterns. |
| B．Invited two groups of people to listen to different audio clips. |
| C．Found information on a research paper published in 2019. |
| D．Invited 120 participants to do various tasks while eating. |
| A．To give another case that causes overeating. | B．To describe the effects of “digital pickles”. |
| C．To explain how to judge you are full. | D．To present how to avoid being distracted. |
【推荐2】Historically, most cars have run on gasoline（汽油）, but that may change in the future: cars can also run on other liquid fuels（液体燃料）and electricity.
Gasoline is from oil. The energy in gasoline comes from hydrocarbons（碳氢化合物）. Gasoline provides great power for cars. However, it causes environmental problems, like air pollution and temperature rise. So gasoline can’t be the best fuel.
Another choice is electricity. Electricity cars can be as efficient（效能好的）as cars using gasoline. And they produce less pollution. But electric cars themselves are more expensive. Good news is that the cost has been lower and there are more and more places for the cars to get electricity ever since 2010.
The other choices are other liquid fuels. Many of these can be stored in the same places as gasoline, and used in the same cars. They can also be friendly to the environment.
One way to make such fuels is to get CO₂ from the air and put it in water. Through chemical reaction, hydrocarbons can be created. However, these fuels take up more space.
Another way is to make such fuels from plants which take in carbon from the air. These fuels are greener in use. But not all of them can be as efficient as gasoline.
For a fuel to be the best, people have to be able to afford it. Unluckily, almost every green technology is more expensive than that of using gasoline. Governments and car producers are doing everything they can to cut down the costs. In the end, the best fuel will be both affordable for car users and green for our planet.
1. According to Paragraph 3, we can infer（推测）that electric cars ___________.
| A．produce less pollution | B．will become more and more expensive |
| C．will become more popular | D．are more efficient than those using gasoline |
A． | B． |
C． | D． |
| A．How Do We Protect Our Planet? | B．What Are the Fuels’ Differences? |
| C．What Is the Best Fuel for Cars? | D．How Do we Make Fuels for Cars? |
Chinese scientists found a whale fall (鲸落) for the first time in the South China Sea during a deep-sea expedition (考察) carried out by oceanic research vessel (船) Tansuo-1.
It’s sad to learn that a whale has died in the ocean. However, that’s not the end for the whale. It has a lot to give to other sea animals after death. When a whale dies, it quickly sinks to the bottom of the ocean floor. There, the whale body provides food for deep-sea animals, which are often hungry for food. The remains can last for lots of years and create an ecosystem (生态系统) called a whale fall-an “oasis (绿洲)” of life in the deep sea.
The whale fall ecosystem can exist in the deep ocean because great pressure and cold temperatures there prevent the body from decomposing (腐烂) too quickly. But the depth also makes it hard for scientists to discover them. There are less than 50 known whale falls in the world.
The whale body in the South China Sea is about three meters long. Scientists have found several species of shrimp (虾) and fish near the whale body. Some fish have started to eat the whale’s tail. The whale fall might be quite recent and needs long-term observation (观测), according to Xie Wei, a scientist who took part in the expedition.
By studying the whale fall, scientists can better understand how marine (海洋的) ecosystems support life and how to protect biodiversity (生物多样性) resources in the deep sea.
1. A whale fall is called an “oasis” because it provides food for deep-sea animals.2. It’s hard to find whale falls because of low temperature.
3. The whale fall in the South China Sea may have formed recently.
4. The passage is mainly about the death of whale.
①US singer and actress Barbra Streisand lost her pet dog, Samantha. However, she wasn’t ready to give her up completely. She spent $50,000 and had her dog cloned（克隆）.
②Many people, like Streisand, can’t imagine life without their four-legged friends. So the idea of “bringing your dead pet back to life” sounds wonderful. However, are we really making a good decision to have our pets cloned?
③Cloned animals aren’t created easily. Take Streisand’s dog as an example. It requires the help of female（雌性的） dogs. First, scientists take some cells（细胞）from the dead (or dying) dog. Then, they take special cells from a female dog. The cells of the two dogs are mixed with each other. After that, scientists put the cells into another female dog. The cells will grow into new baby dogs. The baby dogs will usually be born 60 days later. Sometimes, the clones die shortly after birth. Cloning companies will try again and that means more dogs will have to suffer（受苦）.
④If you have ever considered having your dog cloned, you should think it over now. Many scientists are against pet cloning. Some of them say cloning companies are taking advantage of people who miss their pets. Some are worried that if people clone their pets, they will never adopt （收养）other pets. Millions of dogs and cats are waiting for a home.
⑤Companies that offer pet cloning services are selling a dream of never having to say goodbye to our pets. But this is an unhealthy dream, both for the pet owner and for those female animals that are used as tools.
⑥______▲______. But why should we spread the suffering to other animals just because we love our pets? Why should we make our relationship with animals all about ourselves?
1. At the beginning of the passage, the writer leads in the topic by ________.| A．telling a story | B．answering questions |
| C．showing a picture | D．giving an example |
| A．Cloning might bring harm to animals. |
| B．Streisand’s cloned dog lived a short life. |
| C．It takes scientists 60 days to clone animals. |
| D．Cloning companies usually try to clone animals twice. |
| A．Losing a pet is sad for most of us. |
| B．We always have a good time with our pets. |
| C．The cloned animals may die soon and easily. |
| D．We hope our pets can stay with us for a long time. |
| A．To encourage people to adopt pets. |
| B．To advise people to give up cloning pets. |
| C．To ask us to take good care of pets when they are alive. |
| D．To introduce a new way of bringing dead pets back to life. |
Dubai(迪拜) is a good place to travel to. There, you can find many tall building, taste lots of delicious food and experience some interesting things. Have you ever been to this city? If you go to Dubai during the summer holiday, you may see special kind of “taxi”. It is a drone(无人机). It flies in the sky by itself! It is said that Dubai plans to use Chinese-made drones as a self-flying air taxi in July.
The drone taxi is named EHang 184. A Chinese company made it. The city of Dubai will start using it in July. It will be the world’s first passenger drone, according to Yahoo News.
The drone taxi can fly up to 3,500 meters high. It can fly at a top speed of 160 kilometers an hour. It can only take one person.
How do you call an Ehang 184? You use its app(应用程序) on your phone.When the drone comes, you choose the place you want to go to on a touch screen. There is no pilot in the drone. But some people on the ground will be watching it. They will make sure your trip is safe. You don’t have to worry about it.
EHang 184’s battery(电池)can only keep about 30 minutes.So it cannot take you further than 50 kilometers.
Would you like to take a trip in this flyin drone? Don’t wait. Let’s go!
1. EHang 184 was made by a(n) ______company.| A．Dubai’s | B．American | C．Japanese | D．Chinese |
| A．There is a pilot in it. | B．It’s battery can keep around half an hour. |
| C．It can fly up to 4,500 kilometers. | D．The trip in it isn’t safe. |
| A．On the Internet. | B．In a guide book. | C．In a story book. | D．In a novel. |
| A．The Exciting Vacation | B．The Special Trip |
| C．The Drone Taxi | D．The Computer Company |
【推荐3】There are many useful machines（机器）in the world. One of them is the computer. A computer can do many things. A computer can do math problems. People can do math problems too. But people can’t do it as fast as a computer. Computers can remember (记住) things.
Computers remember everything people tell them. People can’t remember as many things as computers do. Computers also help to tell what the weather will be like.
A computer is a useful machine. It can not only help us work but also offer(提供)all kinds of games. But if we sit in front of the computer for too long, our eyesight will become worse and worse (越来越差).We may even forget how to read and write.
1. A computer can do things.| A．a lot | B．much | C．a few | D．a lot of |
| A．people | B．machines | C．computers | D．games |
| A．what | B．how | C．why | D．which |
My favorite great book isThe Adventure of Tom Sawyerby Mark Twain. Tom Sawyer is a smart but naughty (调皮的) young boy living in the small town on the Mississippi River. He is an orphan (孤儿) and lives with his aunt. He has many clever ideas, but doesn’t like school, and always likes to escape the school to fish. Tom has a trusted friend, Huck Finn, who few of the adults approve of (赞同). Tom Sawyer and Finn have great adventures on the Mississippi River, pretending to be pirates (强盗), attending their own funeral (葬礼), and witnessing a murder. Tom overcomes fear and appears in court (法庭) and speaks out the murderer. He and his friends finally discover a lot of treasures and they become millionaires.
My favorite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time, and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is surprised to see him but they’re also pleased to see him alive.
Mark Twain’s writing was based on his own childhood and his personal experience. What makes this story great is that Tom Sawyer represents everything that is great about childhood. It is a story filled with action, adventure, ingenious (巧妙的) ideas, love, and schoolyard politics. The whole story is like acombinationof what Twain did and wishes he had during his childhood.
Why do I thinkThe Adventure of Tom Sawyeris a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it’s still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it’s only a story. Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th century, so it sounds very real. Today it’s thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on — read it! I know you’ll enjoy it, too.
1. What can we know about Tom Sawyer from paragraph 1?| A．He has many friends. | B．He doesn’t have a parent. | C．He does everything well in daily life. |
| A．They were frightened and happy. |
| B．They were worried and excited. |
| C．They were surprised and pleased. |
| A．冒险 | B．结合 | C．缺乏 |
| A．There is everyday English of 19th century in the book. |
| B．Tom Sawyer prefers fishing to going to school. |
| C．The story is about Mark Twain’s personal experience. |
| A．To ask us to read the book. |
| B．To tell us how popular the book is today. |
| C．To tell us when Mark Twain wrote the story. |
【推荐2】James Gray started a no-homework policy at Hamilton Elementary School four years ago when he was the head teacher of the public school.
“My attitude changed a lot after I had my own kids,” said Gray, whose two oldest children still attend Hamilton. He remembered a time when his daughter and wife were arguing (争吵) about piano practice, which made him think of the family fights over homework time. While his daughter wasn’t forced to play the piano, many students are forced to do their homework.
“It made me think a lot about what schools do to families,” he said. “I heard from parents over the years about this big fight that happens at night. It leads to this poor relationship between parents and children. It didn’t seem worth it for what schools are trying to get out of homework,” Gray added.
After researching and finding little evidence (证据) that students get much from homework, Gray decided to do away with homework at Hamilton in 2014. At first the policy was only for Grades 1 and 2. Then it spread through fourth grade and remains in place at the school, even though Gray left at the end of the 2016-2017 school year.
“Kids can become unhappy with school easily,” Gray said, explaining the family time at night is better for young students. “Learning happens all the time at home, whether you’re cooking a meal, playing a game or reading a book,” he said.
“This policy was well-received,” he said. While he was expecting different opinions, he heard none. “Parents would tell me, ‘We played a game last night, and it was so nice to sit down for an hour.’ or ‘My child sat down and read a book on his own.’”
Gray said he heard from parents and educators in other schools in the city and across the country wanting to develop their own no-homework policies.
1. What we can learned about Gray’s kids is ________.| A．they all learn to play the piano |
| B．they don’t like doing their homework |
| C．they argue with their parents sometimes |
| D．they often fight during their homework time |
| A．it is quite necessary | B．children need teachers’ help with it |
| C．it does students much good | D．it hurts the parent-child relationship |
| A．the evidence | B．the policy | C．the school | D．the research |
| A．some parents would be against it |
| B．students would get out of control |
| C．students would act better in school |
| D．other schools would have the same policy |
| A．A School’s Beautiful Future | B．A Head Teacher’s Difficult Years |
| C．A Successful No-Homework Policy | D．A Poor Kid-Parent Relationship |
【推荐3】Doing homework not only can help children master the knowledge they have learned, but also can train their abilities of finishing the work alone, planning the time and doing the duties. But some children don’t like to complete the work. Why? There are some reasons.
Some children feel it is very difficult to do their homework, because they can’t understand their teacher clearly, and can’t follow their teacher’s teaching process. Maybe there is something wrong with their intelligence.
But some children’s intelligence is normal. They are even cleverer, but they don’t listen to the teacher carefully. It is hard for them to sit well and pay attention to anything. It needs to carry on the attention centralized（集中注意力）training to help the children.
Some children love their teacher and then they like the subject. Their interest depends on the teacher who teaches them. So every teacher should be helpful and kind. It can make children love you and the subject you teach. So they can do their homework happily.
1. Doing homework can help children ___________.| A．master the knowledge | B．train their abilities |
| C．learn new lessons | D．Both A and B |
| A．They can’t understand their teacher clearly. |
| B．They can’t follow their teacher’s teaching process. |
| C．The intelligence of all the students isn’t normal. |
| D．They don’t listen to the teacher carefully. |
| A．作业 | B．智商 | C．思想 | D．方式 |
| A．a teacher | B．a subject |
| C．attention | D．homework |
| A．Some children don’t like their teacher. |
| B．Children’s homework is very difficult |
| C．Why don’t some children like to do homework? |
| D．Why can’t some children study the subjects well? |
