1 . Unsolved Mysteries About the Planet Earth
◆Mystery 1: Where did all the water come from?
Water covers 70 percent of Earth’s surface and earns it the nickname “the blue planet”. And where did it come from? The most popular scientific theory states that the water came from several violent asteroids (小行星) filled with ice. Another suggests that the water actually has been around since Earth’s formation. However it happened, though, it’s certainly worked out well for Earth’s life forms.
◆Mystery 2 :What about all the oxygen?
Another thing is the planet’s oxygen. Tiny creatures released oxygen as a waste product, filling the atmosphere with it. After that, the level of oxygen in Earth’s atmosphere went wildly up and down until it finally calmed down around 540 million years ago. Since then, it’s remained at about the breathable level we experience today. But what caused it to be suddenly steady?
◆Mystery 3: What caused the Cambrian (寒武纪) Explosion?
The Cambrian Explosion refers to the explosion of complex life forms that occurred on Earth about 540 million years ago. Before then, life had consisted mostly of bacteria. But at the beginning of the Cambrian period, complex creatures began developing at a rate never seen before. Suddenly, life forms had brains, eyes, and bones. Most living creatures today can trace their blood back to the Cambrian period.
◆Mystery 4: Will we ever be able to predict earthquakes?
We still haven’t been able to come up with a way to accurately predict earthquakes. We can certainly try, but our current technology cannot predict them exactly. We know that earthquakes start when rocks crack underground and send earthquake waves toward the surface, but we haven’t figured out why that happens, or how to predict it.
1. Which of the following is true according to the text?| A．Earth is called the blue star because of water coverage. |
| B．The level of oxygen has been steady all the time. |
| C．Complex creatures had rapid development after the Cambrian period. |
| D．We know nothing about predicting earthquakes. |
| A．It is the oldest mystery of the four. |
| B．It will be solved in the near future. |
| C．It is the most difficult mystery to solve. |
| D．It is a matter that is of practical significance. |
| A．A diary. | B．A geography book. |
| C．A novel. | D．A magazine. |
2 . You’re enjoying a quiet evening at home when suddenly your neighbor’s dog starts barking(吠叫)and doesn’t stop. Sure, dogs need to bark every now and then, but if the barking is getting in the way of your daily life, you need to do something.
“Before you take action, make records of when the dog is disturbing,” says expert Sharon Schweitzer. “Record the dates and time when the barking appears to find out the features of the barking. Check them carefully and get your facts straight. You might notice the barking only happens when the owners are at work, or during thunderstorms.”
After two to three weeks, visit your neighbors with the facts. “Since you’re trying to keep a good relationship, you can’t go when you’re angry and frustrated,” says Schweitzer. Plus, your neighbors might not even realize the barking is a problem, for the worst noise may happen when they’re gone.
Explain the time when the barking gets bad, then suggest a way to solve the problem. “You can sit and complain all day, but that will go nowhere,” says Schweitzer. Ask if the dog can stay inside during the storm, or suggest a dog training class. Be open to compromise(妥协)because the owners might have other ideas about how to deal with the noise.
Befriending the dog could help. Have your neighbors introduce you to their dogs. “If they become more comfortable in your presence, they’re less likely to bark when they see you or when they’re in the backyard,”says Schweitzer. You might even be able to use commands such as “quiet” once the dog trusts you.
Avoid gossiping(说长道短)with other neighbors about the dog.“That’s when things escalate.” After all, most people will want to solve the problem.
1. What can you do first when the barking of your neighbor’s dog influences your life?| A．Bring the dog to a training class. |
| B．Show it to your neighborhoods. |
| C．Drive it out of your neighborhood. |
| D．Record the dates and time of the barking. |
| A．They may like the barking. |
| B．They all think their dogs are friendly. |
| C．They have been used to the barking of the dogs. |
| D．They may be out when the worst barking happens. |
| A．Become better. |
| B．Become worse. |
| C．Remain unchanged. |
| D．Become more personal. |
| A．Love me, love my dog. |
| B．Barking dogs seldom bite. |
| C．Good communication is a must. |
| D．Treat violence with violence(暴力). |
3 . The Road Less Travelled
Pennsylvania is one of the oldest states in America full of mysterious places. One of those places has been
My dad chose a 16-mile section of the road for us to ride. Part of it included an old and long tunnel(隧道)called the Sideling Hill Tunnel. To
After a two-hour drive, we reached the road. Then our bike trip started. It went smoothly.
As we approached the Sideling Hill Tunnel, I felt
When we entered the tunnel, the sound of our bikes
Whenever I am going through hardships in life, I remember this
| A．occupied | B．abandoned | C．ruined | D．founded |
| A．familiar | B．dangerous | C．strange | D．open |
| A．explore | B．challenge | C．follow | D．track |
| A．start | B．prepare | C．compete | D．arrive |
| A．turned | B．moved | C．loaded | D．lifted |
| A．content | B．nervous | C．comfortable | D．curious |
| A．persuaded | B．believed | C．encouraged | D．forced |
| A．active | B．energetic | C．silent | D．careful |
| A．light | B．cellphone | C．camera | D．music |
| A．got | B．rushed | C．spread | D．called |
| A．appealing to | B．insisting on | C．waiting for | D．focusing on |
| A．courage | B．pressure | C．expectation | D．honor |
| A．quiet | B．bright | C．dark | D．perfect |
| A．accident | B．past | C．story | D．trip |
| A．hope | B．appreciation | C．interest | D．trust |
4 . “Nature never stops being amazing,” says Rosemary Mosco, master of humorous nature art. Her new book, Birding Is MyFavorite Video Game, combines fascinating facts with charming pictures, and it's guaranteed to make you laugh. In fact, the learning and laughing are both equally important to Rosemary.
“There's so much to love about birds,” notes Rosemary. “I admire that they're real-life, modern dinosaurs! As an artist, I'm captivated by their color variations. Once you get into birds, the interest snowballs. You can find them almost everywhere. You start to notice subtle behaviors and wing patterns. You're never bored again. Teaching a kid to watch birds is a huge gift.”
Birds make regular appearances in Rosemary's nature art comics. She created charts explaining the songs and calls of common eastern and western birds. One of her most popular pieces is a flow chart helping you to decide whether or not to help a baby bird fallen from a nest. And her own personal favorite cartoon is about tiny owls, meant to be both motivational and mildly disturbing. Rosemary explains: “One reader asked me if we had any evidence that these owls can kill and eat a moose. My response was, not yet…”
Rosemary loves other animals, and is especially proud of a poster she drew showing every snake in the US and Canada. She also has a real soft spot for butterflies. “Their behaviors can be surprisingly complex,” she points out. “They defend habitats with dogfights. They have complex relationships with poisonous plants. Some of them eat waste and drink tears. Oh, and it helps that they pose nicely for photos.”
Mostly self-taught, Rosemary has taken a few art courses, even studying video game art for a bit. During her career, she's created many educational charts, and has been working on some children's science books. She also has an upcoming comics novel about the solar system.
“I'm excited to share more stories about the natural world.” Rosemary says about the future of her nature art comics. “Humor gives science wings!”
1. What is the main feature of Rosemary's comics?| A．A novel of ecology and cartoons. | B．A combination of nature art and science. |
| C．A mixture of entertainment and education. | D．A book of interesting facts and behavior charts. |
| A．Puzzled. | B．Attracted. | C．Shocked. | D．Encouraged. |
| A．share the content of Rosemary's comics | B．explain the popularity of Rosemary's art |
| C．prove the hardship of Rosemary's creation | D．disclose the source of Rosemary's inspiration |
| A．Take some art courses. | B．Write a new birding book. |
| C．Draw the sun humorously. | D．Observe moose's behavior. |
5 . Sign language, the primary form of communication of the deaf community, has been in use for hundreds of years. You're probably most familiar with American Sign Language, but sign language is used all over the world and has nearly 150 variations. Sign language interpreters can be seen everywhere from classrooms and graduation ceremonies to major sporting events.
When you think of sign language, you most likely imagine signers using their hands to form words and letters. However, hands are only one of the many different body language techniques that signers use to get their meaning across. In fact, much of the grammatical structure of sign language is not indicated by the signer's hands.
While the hands are responsible for forming the words themselves, markers called "non-manual elements" control much of the languages' grammatical structure. Non-manual elements (or markers) are body language techniques that don't use the hands. These include head movements, body positioning and facial expressions. Used together with the signs. these elements give sign language a subtle and extremely complicated grammatical structure. Linguist Andrea Lackner from Alpcn-Adria University in Austria did a study that shows just how important these non-manual elements are to sign language users.
The study assessed just how many different things non-manual elements can do. For this study, all participants were deaf users of Austrian Sign Language. They watched a video of someone using sign language, and they had to describe the purpose of each non-manual element. The results were very complicated. For instance, things as subtle as the direction of the signer's gaze can indicate whether or not a statement is hypothetical(假设的). A single head movement can indicate the emotion of a statement, a conditional or if situation, or a signer's feelings toward a hypothetical question. Body language is always important, but in sign language, it can change the entire meaning of a sentence!
1. What do signers use their hands to do mostly?| A．To know people's words and letters. | B．To understand people's meanings. |
| C．To form the grammatical structure. | D．To form words and letters. |
| A．Words, sign language and body language. |
| B．Head movements, body language and signs. |
| C．Head movements, body positioning and facial expressions. |
| D．Body positioning, facial expressions and signs. |
| A．The main function of the non-manual elements. |
| B．The importance of the non-manual elements. |
| C．The influence of body language on sign language. |
| D．The influence of sign language on body language. |
| A．Non-manual Elements Counts in Sign Language | B．Ways to Avoid Being Misunderstood |
| C．Grammatical Elements in Sign Language | D．The Importance of Sign Language |
6 . “A blue whale's heart is as big as a Volkswagen Beetle(大众甲壳虫),” I told a group of wide-eyed, open-mouthed second-graders. “It is so big that you could walk around inside of it.” Then I asked a big question-“Why does a blue whale have such a big heart?”—and let the adventure begin.
I was bringing SOLE to my classroom-the Self-Organized Learning Environment.
My students began their investigations and, after 40 minutes, they shared their discoveries.
“Blue whales can call to each other over almost a thousand miles.” said Heavenly. “They need a big heart to talk to each other.”
“They swim all over the world,” said Ki'ara. “So they need a big heart to be their motor.”
“They swim together in pairs.” said Amare. “So they need huge hearts to care for each other.”
“Yeah,” said Isaac. “That's true. It takes a huge heart to care for somebody.”
“Hmmm,” I said. “How can we have big hearts for each other instead of small hearts?”
Then the students made a list of it.
I was teaching compassion—to model ways we can care for each other and other living things. This SOLE lesson took a beautiful turn when Amaze connected the heart of the blue whale to community and to caring.
Perri Klass, in a brief essay for the New York Times titled “Understanding How Children Develop Compassion”, writes about the importance of modeling compassion to children so those things are part of their experience long before they know the word.
Around my school, however, nine out of 10 families live in a destructive poverty that makes it difficult to model compassion, to nurture community and caring. My students often come to school knowing more about the survival of the fittest than the survival of the kindest. Yet here were my 7 and 8-year-olds working together in a community, talking about caring for each other and exploring ways we can have big hearts instead of small hearts for each other.
On that day, the blue whale and the second-graders modeled compassion for all of us. This SOLE lesson brought heart to my classroom.
1. How did the students get the answer in the SOLE class?| A．By looking at a blue whale. | B．By finding the answer themselves. |
| C．By questioning each other. | D．By taking a dangerous a trip. |
| A．The ways to care for each other. | B．The ways to learn from each other. |
| C．The disadvantages of having small hearts. | D．The importance of having big hearts. |
| A．The students were used to SOLE lessons. | B．The students were mostly from poor families. |
| C．The students had too much to do at school. | D．The students were fond of working together. |
| A．SOLE Lessons-a Way to Care for Each Other |
| B．Discoveries about a Blue Whale's Heart |
| C．How Blue Whales Taught Children about Compassion |
| D．How Children Learned Science in SOLE Lessons |
7 . For those who can stomach it, working out before breakfast may be more beneficial for health than eating first, according to a study of meal timing and physical activity.
Athletes and scientists have long known that meal timing affects performance. However, far less has been known about how meal timing and exercise might affect general health.
To find out, British scientists conducted a study. They first found 10 overweight and inactive but otherwise healthy young men, whose lifestyles are, for better and worse, representative of those of most of us. They tested the men’s fitness and resting metabolic (新陈代谢的) rates and took samples (样品) of their blood and fat tissue.
Then, on two separate morning visits to the scientists’ lab, each man walked for an hour at an average speed that, in theory, should allow his body to rely mainly on fat for fuel. Before one of these workouts, the men skipped breakfast, meaning that they exercised on a completely empty stomach after a long overnight fast (禁食). On the other occasion, they ate a rich morning meal about two hours before they started walking.
Just before and an hour after each workout, the scientists took additional samples of the men’s blood and fat tissue.
Then they compared the samples. There were considerable differences. Most obviously, the men displayed lower blood sugar levels at the start of their workouts when they had skipped breakfast than when they had eaten. As a result, they burned more fat during walks on an empty stomach than when they had eaten first. On the other hand, they burned slightly more calories (卡路里), on average, during the workout after breakfast than after fasting.
But it was the effects deep within the fat cells that may have been the most significant, the researchers found. Multiple genes behaved differently, depending on whether someone had eaten or not before walking. Many of these genes produce proteins (蛋白质) that can improve blood sugar regulation and insulin (胰岛素) levels throughout the body and so are associated with improved metabolic health. These genes were much more active when the men had fasted before exercise than when they had breakfasted.
The implication of these results is that to gain the greatest health benefits from exercise, it may be wise to skip eating first.
1. The underlined expression “stomach it” in Paragraph 1 most probably means “______”.| A．digest the meal easily | B．manage without breakfast |
| C．decide wisely what to eat | D．eat whatever is offered |
| A．Their lifestyles were typical of ordinary people. |
| B．Their lack of exercise led to overweight. |
| C．They could walk at an average speed. |
| D．They had slow metabolic rates. |
| A．They successfully lost weight. | B．They consumed a bit more calories. |
| C．They burned more fat on average. | D．They displayed higher insulin levels. |
| A．A workout after breakfast improves gene performances. |
| B．Too much workout often slows metabolic rates. |
| C．Lifestyle is not as important as morning exercise. |
| D．Physical exercise before breakfast is better for health. |
8 . What to do, where to go
Take your kids for a walk on science's wild side. These festivals are full of video games, cutting-edge(尖端) tech and fun!
Festival of Learning 16-20 June
Come and join Bournemouth University as we celebrate the joy of knowledge at our Festival of Learning. We'll be sharing our learning and knowledge through 80+ free events that explore our scientific research. Come along, get inspired and learn something new with hands-on sessions, workshops, talks and exhibitions for all ages!
Summer Science Exhibition 2-8 July
Royal Society invites you to its annual exhibition, showing the UK's most cutting-edge scientific research. From the very first3 D model of the Milky Way, to using quantum physics(量子物理学)in solving mental health problems, this is your chance to meet the extraordinary scientists carrying out research that is likely to change our lives. Alongside a host of exhibitions, you can also attend one of 30 talks, family shows and workshops. Join our journey of discovery this July. Evening opening--Tuesday 3 July, adults only.
Power Up 3-19 August
Get your game face on and play awesome games from the past 40 years, from Pong and Pacman to Minecraft and Mario at the Museum of Science and Industry. Whether you're a family dropping in for a 90-minute session or a gamer at an adult-only evening session, test yourself to the limit. Book before 21 June for 20% off selected tickets.
Norwich Science Festival 19-27 October
Celebrate the wonderful world of experiments, discoveries and exploration at Norwich Science Festival. Enjoy inspirational exhibitions hands-on family activities, inspiring talks and cutting-edge discoveries. A festival for all age groups and all levels of knowledge.
1. Which event should you attend if you're a game lover?| A．Power Up. | B．Festival of Learning. |
| C．Norwich Science Festival | D．Summer Science Exhibition |
| A．Attend workshops | B．Do hands-on activities |
| C．Go to evening sessions | D．Watch fun family shows |
| A．They offer discounts to tour groups. | B．They require early booking. |
| C．They are intended for kids. | D．They are science-themed. |
9 . Alice Moore is a teenager entrepreneur(创业者), who in May 2015 set up her business AilieCandy. By the time she was 13, her company was worth millions of dollars with the invention of a super-sweet treat that could save kids’ teeth, instead of destroying them.
It all began when Moore visited a bank with her dad. On the outing, she was offered a candy bar. However, her dad reminded her that sugary treats were bad for her teeth. But Moore was sick of missing out on candies. So she desired to get round the warning, “Why can’t I make a healthy candy that’s good for my teeth so that my parents can’t say no to it?” With that in mind, Moore asked her dad if she could start her own candy company. He recommended that she do some research and talk to dentists about what a healthier candy would contain.
With her dad’s permission, she spent the next two years researching online and conducting trials to get a recipe that was both tasty and tooth-friendly. She also approached dentists to learn more about teeth cleaning. Consequently, she succeeded in making a kind of candy only using natural sweeteners, which can reduce oral bacteria.
Moore then used her savings to get her business off the ground. Afterwards, she and her father secured their first business meeting with a supermarket owner, who finally agreed to sell Moore’s product—CanCandy.
As CanCandy’s success grows, so does Moore’s credibility as a young entrepreneur. Moore is enthusiastic about the candy she created, and she’s also positive about what the future might bring. She hopes that every kid can have a clean mouth and a broad smile.
Meanwhile, with her parents’ help, Moore is generally able to live a normal teenage life. Although she founded her company early on in life, she wasn’t driven primarily by profit. Moore wants to use her unique talent to help others find their smiles. She donates 10% of AilicCandy’s profits to Big Smiles. With her talent and determination, it appears that the sky could be the limit for Alice Moore.
1. How did Moore react to her dad’s warning?| A．She argued with him. | B．She tried to find a way out. |
| C．She paid no attention. | D．She chose to consult dentists. |
| A．It is beneficial to dental health. | B．It is free of sweeteners. |
| C．It is sweeter than other candies. | D．It is produced to a dentists’ recipe. |
| A．To earn more money. | B．To help others find smiles. |
| C．To make herself stand out. | D．To beat other candy companies. |
| A．Fame is a great thirst of the young. |
| B．A youth is to be regarded with respect. |
| C．Positive thinking and action result in success. |
| D．Success means getting personal desires satisfied |
There has always been a gap between generations, but more people talk about it now. Old Mr. Ellis thinks he understands what has happened.
“When I was a boy, I thought the world was a beautiful place. My life was very pleasant. But when I was older, I learned about people who were treated badly and people who didn’t have enough to eat. I wanted to help them, and I married a girl who wanted to help them, too. We went to meetings and talked a lot, but it didn’t seem to make much difference. ”
“Our children grew up in a world at war. They didn’t know when the fighting would stop. They wanted their children to have nice clothes and toys. They didn’t want to think about the future. They thought nothing could be done about it.”
“Now I have grandchildren, and they have their own ideas. They are trying to make the world better. They are trying to help other people. They’re making people listen to them. I am proud of their generation.”
1. The wise man mentioned in the text told people to bury him on his face so that when everything is turned upside down he will _____.
| A．lie on his stomach | B．lie on his back |
| C．stand quietly | D．sit in peace |
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation |
| B．His children’s generation |
| C．His grandchildren’s generation |
| D．None of the above. |
| A．Mr. Ellis’ generation. |
| B．His children’s generation. |
| C．His grandchildren’s generation. |
| D．None of the above. |
| A．Unacceptable. | B．Awful. |
| C．Funny. | D．Common. |
