1 . Priscilla Ouchida’s “energy efficient” house turned out to be a horrible dream. When she and her engineer husband married a few years ago, they built a $100,000 three-bedroom home in California. Tightly sealed to prevent air leaks, the house was equipped with small double-paned windows and several other energy-saving features. Problems began as soon as the couple moved in, however. Priscilla’s eyes burned. Her throat was constantly dry. She suffered from headaches and could hardly sleep. It was as though she had suddenly developed a strange illness.
Experts finally traced the cause of her illness. The level of formaldehyde gas in her kitchen was twice the maximum allowed by federal standards for chemical workers. The source of the gas? Her new kitchen cabinets and wall-to-wall carpeting.
The Ouchidas are victims of indoor air pollution, which is not given sufficient attention partly because of the nation’s drive to save energy. The problem itself isn’t new. “The indoor environment was dirty long before energy conservation came along,” says Moschandreas, a pollution scientist at Geomet Technologies in Maryland. “Energy conservation has tended to accentuate the situation in some cases.”
The problem appears to be more troublesome in newly constructed homes rather than old ones. Back in the days when energy was cheap, home builders didn’t worry much about unsealed cracks. Because of such leaks, the air in an average home was replaced by fresh outdoor air about once an hour. As a result, the pollutants generated in most households seldom built up to dangerous levels.
1. It can be learned from the passage that the Ouchidas’ house ________.A.is well worth the money spent on its construction |
B.is almost faultless from the point of energy conservation |
C.failed to meet energy conservation standards |
D.was designed and constructed in a scientific way |
A.Poor quality of the air inside. | B.Poor quality of the construction. |
C.Gas leakage in the kitchen. | D.The newly painted walls. |
A.relieve | B.accelerate | C.worsen | D.improve |
A.Because indoor cleanliness was not emphasized. |
B.Because energy used to be inexpensive. |
C.Because environmental protection was given top priority. |
D.Because they were technically unavoidable. |
A.Energy Conservation | B.House Building Crisis |
C.Air Pollution Indoors | D.Traps in Building Construction |
2 . I can remember when my daughter Maggie, who is now six, used to crawl into my lap and say, “Daddy, read me a story.” Last year she announced, “Daddy, I’m going to read you a story.”
Maggie was a television child. When she first became conscious of anything beyond eating and sleeping, the TV set was right there, and it soon commanded her attention.
A few years ago, we were worried not only that we’d never get the children away from the set long enough to learn to read, but that we’d forget how to read ourselves. But in 1955 there was not only more reading than before TV, but more reading than ever before in history.
Clearly, reading has survived television as it has survived a lot of other things. When I was six, a wail went up about menaces (威胁) to reading at home: motor cars and cinema. When Maggie came along, there was television. The motorcar, the radio, the cinema and television do take up a lot of time.
Well, we’ve got more time. When my mother was a girl, people worked about 60hours a week. Now it’s 44. When Maggie grows up, it’ll be 30. And there’ll be numerous gadgets to do her housework. She’ll have to read. You can’t watch TV all day. At present Maggie is reading about Johnny Woodchuck. Ahead of her—and I’m a little envious—are her first brush with Black Beauty, Alice stepping through the looking glass, Huck and Jim drifting down the Mississippi, the emotional storms of Shakespeare, the spiritual agonies of Tolstoy. For reading isn’t all joy. Like life itself, it’s mixed with many moods, from ecstasy (狂喜) to despair. Maggie will learn to take the rough with the smooth, gathering from the ancient wisdom of long-dead genius a little fire to enrich her spirit.
And some day, if she’s lucky, she’ll get the biggest thrill of all, when a little girl climbs into her lap and announces, “Mummy, I’m going to read you a story.”
1. Which of the following things used to catch Maggie’s attention too much?A.The motorcar. | B.The radio. | C.The cinema. | D.The television. |
A.They face less working pressure. |
B.There is more time available for reading. |
C.Their parents encourage them more often. |
D.They have a stronger desire for knowledge. |
A.Her exposure to classic reading. | B.Her productive works in writing. |
C.Her wild imagination in daily life. | D.Her spiritual reflection on the books. |
A.Maggie has rich experiences. |
B.Maggie has a good plan for reading. |
C.Maggie will benefit a lot from reading. |
D.Maggie is on the road to becoming a genius. |
A.It is a blessing that reading can be passed down. |
B.More girls like Maggie enjoy telling stories. |
C.Maggie’s daughter brings her the biggest thrill. |
D.Reading makes Maggie a fortunate girl. |
3 . Fanning is a musician and hotel owner born in Ireland, and now he lives deep in the Appalachian Mountains of the United States. “The Irish have a song and play music nearly every day.” Said Fanning. “Every weekend, my family will play music in the house.” Like Fanning, many people in the area continue the traditions from their family’s immigrant history, including a kind of music called old-time.
Old-time music comes from the Appalachian Mountains, a system of mountains along the eastern part of the United States. In the 18th century, many Europeans from Ireland, Scotland, and Germany arrived in the area to begin new lives. Reflecting the cultures that settled there, the roots of old-time music are in the traditional music of these European countries. Although the US became their home, these Appalachian communities continued the European music and dance traditions they loved. Over time, the music mixed with that of African slaves and became what is now called old-time music.
The earliest purpose of the music was for dancing. Life in the mountains was hard work. Music and dancing provided the Appalachians with a much needed break from the labor of the day. And it brought people of different generations together. In small Appalachian towns in the past, there was always a musician in the neighborhood. Young people would study the art under him or her.
Old-time music is learned by ear. It’s a much more arduous kind of music than other music. There’re no written notes, so people have to learn it all by ear and try to reproduce the sound. Therefore, it needs more time and effort to master it. Old-time musicians might not read music, but they can easily put a song together.
Old-time songs mainly describe what happened in the past. Some called “spiritual” are based in the the Christain religion. Others are American civil war songs. And, many are about the life and land that surround the songwriter. But some of the earliest songs go back to the music’s European roots.
These days, oid-time music is not often heard over the radio. But it still lives on strongly in the communities where it came from.
1. What can we learn from Fanning’s words?A.Music is a part of his daily life. |
B.their music is popular in America. |
C.Music reminds them of their history. |
D.Music unites people of different races. |
A.American music and European music. |
B.Ancient European and Indian music. |
C.European music and African music. |
D.Music created in the 18th century. |
A.Killing free time and educating the young. |
B.Entertaining people and linking generations. |
C.Encouraging hard work and recording history. |
D.Building healthy lifestyles and uniting nations. |
A.Traditional. | B.Difficult. | C.Popular. | D.Varied. |
A.Natural beauty. | B.Love stories. |
C.People’s wishes. | D.The history. |
4 . For my 8th birthday my
I bumped into the curb (路缘),
Learning life lesson is
But things are different now.
My husband, Rich,
When the life lessons come along in this New Year you may
A.dream | B.reward | C.gift | D.aim |
A.brothers | B.sisters | C.friends | D.classmates |
A.stuck | B.turned | C.knocked | D.pushed |
A.wildly | B.carefully | C.slowly | D.instantly |
A.jumping | B.flying | C.moving | D.leaving |
A.sadness | B.happiness | C.excitement | D.sympathy |
A.although | B.until | C.because | D.while |
A.passed | B.remained | C.happened | D.changed |
A.crowded | B.busy | C.covered | D.empty |
A.experiments | B.attempts | C.fights | D.conflicts |
A.though | B.even | C.much | D.still |
A.wonderful | B.comfortable | C.dangerous | D.painful |
A.ready | B.perfect | C.wrong | D.strong |
A.forced | B.taught | C.allowed | D.ordered |
A.practice | B.habit | C.development | D.feeling |
A.repair | B.fix | C.steady | D.move |
A.almost | B.usually | C.always | D.seldom |
A.in time | B.in relief | C.in turn | D.in case |
A.accept | B.learn | C.refuse | D.avoid |
A.blame | B.complaint | C.support | D.criticism |
5 . NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC KIDS 2020 PHOTO COMPETITION!
Woo-hoo! Get your cameras and smartphones at the ready, because it’s time for this year’s NG KIDS photography competition.
What you need to know
Competition is open only to legal residents (居民) of the UK and Ireland who are between the ages of 7 and 14.
We have THREE categories (类别) in the competition — animals, people and environment (a new category started this year). You can enter as many categories as you like but just ONE photo per category, please!
All photos should be sent through our website. If you’ve not already registered, you or your parent will need to do so at natgeokids. com/uk/ photocomp — it will only take a minute to do!
You can submit (提交) ONE photo for each of the three categories. Photos should be in JPEG format, between 1MB and 5MB in size. Enter at natgeokids. com/uk/photocomp.
Before you submit your photo, make sure you rename it with your full name and the category you are entering. For example, Joe-Bloggs-Animals. jpg.
Don’t forget to tell us your full name, date of birth and the title of your photo!
The prizes
Our Star Prize is a family holiday in Morocco!
And that’s not all! Each category winner will win a number of prizes too, including an amazing Nikon COOLPIX W150 camera, which is built to go anywhere.
The closing date is 23:59 (GMT) on 21 October 2020. Winners will be notified (通知) before 18 November 2020.
1. How is this year’s competition different from that of last year?A.It has a new category. |
B.It lasts about one month longer. |
C.It is open to kids from around the world. |
D.It will give more than one prize to winners. |
A.One. | B.Two. | C.Three. | D.five. |
A.be 14 years old or older |
B.submit their photos on its website |
C.get their parents agreement |
D.Give their photos an amazing name. |
A.The photos can be submitted on 18 November 2020. |
B.All the winners can go for a family holiday in UK. |
C.It will take a long time to register. |
D.One must rename the photo with full name and the category. |
A.A research plan. | B.A science report. |
C.A nature magazine. | D.A tourist guidebook. |
6 . Last Friday, at least 5 people were killed by lightning in Nepal.
Lightning strikes are the second most common cause of deaths during natural disasters in the US. The first is floods. Around 400 people nationwide are struck by lightning each year, and of those, 70 people die. That is, more people are killed by lightning than by tornadoes and hurricanes.
Because lightning kills only one or two people at a time, its danger does not receive as much attention as other disasters.
"If you hear the thunder, you are in danger from lightning," said Rocky Lopes, a disaster educator at the American Red Cross.
"Thunder means that lightning is close enough to hit you at any time, so you should move indoors immediately and stay there until the storm has ended. The most important thing to remember is to seek shelter (遮蔽物), " Lopes said.
Summer is the peak time for lightning storms, so when lightning strikes across the sky, remember these safety tips:
♦ Stop working, fishing, swimming or playing in open fields.
♦ Do not stand under a tree.
♦ Get off bicycle and motorcycles.
♦ Crouch down (蹲下) if there is no shelter.
♦ Avoid open spaces, wire fences, metal objects and electrical objects such as hair driers.
1. In the US, ______ is the most common cause of deaths during natural disasters.A.lightning | B.tornadoes | C.hurricanes | D.floods |
A.400 | B.70 | C.330 | D.5 |
A.stand still in the open spaces |
B.find shelter to hide in |
C.stand under the tree |
D.stop working in the fields |
A.Floods are the most common cause of deaths in the US. |
B.Less than 70 people are killed by tornadoes and hurricanes each year in the US. |
C.If you hear the thunder, you should move indoors right away. |
D.People don't pay as much attention to the danger of hurricanes as that of floods. |
A.The Danger of Lightning | B.Some Safety Tips against Floods |
C.How Lightning Happens | D.5 People Killed by Lightning in Nepal |
7 . Wind power is a very clean source of energy. This is how wind power works. Wind makes windmills spin(旋转). When the windmills spin, they make electricity. Then we can use the electricity.
A lot of people think that wind power is new, but that’s not true. For thousands of years, people have used wind to sail boats and move water. We still do those things today, but these days we mostly use wind power to make electricity.
Wind power is a very popular source of energy. Most people think that we should use it more and more. First of all, it’s clean. Windmills don’t pollute the environment at all. Second, we can use wind power forever. After all, we will always have wind. Also, wind power is cheap, and it’s getting even cheaper.
A lot of people don’t understand wind power very well. They believe that there are problems with wind power, but many of those problems are not real. For example, some people say that windmills are dangerous for birds. They used to be true, but it isn’t true anymore. Old windmills killed birds because they spun very fast. New windmills spin slowly, and they aren’t dangerous for birds.
However, there are real problems with windmills. One problem is that many people think windmills are very ugly. This is a problem for people, because windmills are often in very pretty areas. Also, wind doesn’t blow all the time, so we can’t use wind power all the time. Finally, windmills are noisy.
Wind power is becoming more and more common. Right now, more than 80 countries use wind power. About 2.5 percent of the world’s power comes from the wind. For some countries, that number is a lot higher. Wind power gives Denmark more than 25 percent of its electricity.
1. Why DON’T new windmills kill birds? Because ________.A.birds don’t fly near them | B.they are shorter than old windmills |
C.they spin slowly | D.new windmills don’t spin |
A.Over 1,000 years ago. | B.About 500 years ago. |
C.About 80 years ago. | D.About 25 years ago. |
A.We can’t use windmills at night |
B.Windmills break all the time |
C.Wind doesn’t blow all the time |
D.Windmills are too expensive to use all the time |
A.Most people don’t like it. | B.Denmark doesn’t use it. |
C.It’s getting more expensive. | D.It’s getting cheaper. |
A.Dangerous Birds | B.Popular and Clean Wind Power |
C.Cheap and Clean Energy | D.Expensive Windmills |
8 . When we talk about intelligence, we do not mean the ability to get good scores on certain kinds of tests or even the ability to do well in school. By intelligence we mean a way of living and behaving, especially in a new or upsetting situation. If we want to test intelligence, we need to find out how a person acts instead of how much he knows what to do.
For instance, when in a new situation, an intelligent person thinks about the situation, not about himself or what might happen to him. He tries to find out all he can, and then he acts immediately and tries to do something about it. He probably isn’t sure how it will all work out, but at least he tries. And, if he can’t make things work out right, he doesn’t feel ashamed that he failed; he just tries to learn from his mistakes. An intelligent person, even if he is very young, has a special outlook on life, a special feeling about life, and knows how he fits into it.
If you look at children, you’ll see great differences between what we call “bright” children and “not-bright” children. They are actually two different kinds of people, not just the same kind with different amount of intelligence. For example, the bright child really wants to find out about life—he tries to get in touch with everything around him. But the unintelligent child keeps more to himself and his own dream world; he seems to have a wall between him and life in general.
1. According to this passage, intelligence is ________.A.the ability to know what to do |
B.the ability to do well in school |
C.the ability to deal with life |
D.the ability to get high scores on some tests |
A.knows more about what might happen to him |
B.is sure of the result he will get |
C.concentrates on what to do about the situation |
D.cares more about himself |
A.try not to feel ashamed | B.learn from his experiences |
C.try to find all he could | D.make sure what result he would get |
A.are two different types of children |
B.are different mainly in their degree of cleverness |
C.have difference only in their way of thinking |
D.have different knowledge about the world |
A.how to determine what intelligence is |
B.how education should be conducted |
C.how to solve practical problems |
D.how an unintelligent person should be taught |
9 . The big fire inside her flat did not stop the brave grandmother. The 70-year-old only had thoughts of saving her mentally-unsound son as she dashed right into the sea of fire.
The fire happened in the morning at an apartment block in Hong Kong. The grandmother, identified as Madam Guan, had gone for Mandarin lessons at her local community centre. When she returned home at around 10 a.m., she heard her neighbors calling for the firefighters the moment she stepped out of the lift.
When Madam Guan realized it was her flat that was on fire, she got frightened. Inside the flat was her second son Mr. Feng, diagnosed with depression when he was 15 and also with problems with his vision.
Guessing that her son was probably trapped in the fire, Madam Guan rushed into the flat even though it was already covered in smoke. She found him moving on the floor of his room, with his face and hands badly burnt. She quickly helped her son up and half-carried him as they made their escape.
The firefighters arrived soon after and put out the fire. Mr. Feng was later sent to the hospital, with 20 percent burns on his body. Madam Guan was unhurt. Mr. Feng is the only child still living with her since her husband died more than 10 years ago. Mr. Feng is jobless, preferring to stay in his room.
After the fire was put out, she was reportedly so distraught upon seeing the scene.
“I’ve really lost everything this time.”
The fire at her flat is believed to have been caused by a short circuit(电路).
1. When did Madam Guan realize her house caught fire?A.When she went for her lessons. |
B.At about 10:00 p.m. |
C.After she stepped out of the lift. |
D.When she saw her son moving on the floor. |
A.liked to work at home |
B.had been ill for many years |
C.was only injured a little |
D.often stayed at home alone |
A.20 percent of Mr. Feng’s face was badly burned. |
B.Madam Guan’s house was seriously destroyed. |
C.With the firefighters’ help Mr. Feng escaped from the fire. |
D.When found, Mr. Feng was finding his glasses. |
A.worried | B.angry | C.happy | D.disappointed |
A.A Brave Grandmother in a Big Fire |
B.A Big Fire |
C.A Lucky Escape |
D.Granny, 70, Rescues Son from Burning Flat |
10 . A strong feeling of shock and fear caught the heart of the World War I soldier as he saw his lifelong friend fall in battle.Caught in a trench (战壕)with continuous gunfire flying over his head , the soldier asked his lieutenant(中尉) if he might go out into the “No Man’s Land” between the trenches to bring his fallen friend back.
“You can go,” said the Lieutenant , “but I don’t think it will be worth it. Your friend is probably dead and you may throw your own life away.” The Lieutenant’s words didn’t matter, and the soldier went anyway.
Surprisingly he managed to reach his friend, pick him up onto his shoulder, and bring him back to their company’s trench. As the two of them tumbled in together to the bottom of the trench, the officer checked the wounded soldier, and then looked kindly at his friend. “I told you it wouldn’t be worth it,” he said. “Your friend is dead, and you are badly wounded.”
“It was worth it, though, sir,” the soldier said.
“How do you mean, ‘worth it?’” responded the Lieutenant. “Your friend is dead!”
“Yes sir,” the soldier answered. “But it was worth it because when I got to him, he was still alive, and I had the satisfaction of hearing him say, ‘Jim, I knew you’d come.’”
1. When the Lieutenant allowed the soldier to go to carry his friend, the soldier was________.A.disappointed | B.angry | C.willing | D.fearful |
A.was still alive |
B.was still fighting against the enemy |
C.had died in battle |
D.was hiding in a place |
A.They ran across the enemy’s trench. |
B.The soldier was safe and sound. |
C.The soldier’s friend was shot to death. |
D.The soldier’s legs weren’t badly wounded. |
A.He knew his friend needed him to go. |
B.He wanted to get reputation among the soldiers. |
C.He thought he’s strong enough to do the rescue. |
D.He thought his friend was still alive. |
A.The soldier. | B.The Lieutenant. |
C.The soldier’s friend. | D.The enemy. |