1 . The history of microbiology begins with Dutch cloth maker named Antoni van Leeuwenhoek, a man of no formal scientific education. In the late 1600s. Leeuwenhoek, inspired by the magnifying lenses（放大镜）he used to examine cloth, built some of the first-microscopes. He developed technique to improve the quality of tiny, rounded lenses, some of which could magnify an object up to 270 times. After removing some plaque from between his teeth and examining it under a lens, Leeuwenhoek found tiny twisting creatures, which he called “animalcules”.
His observations, which he reported to the Royal Society of London, are among the first descriptions of microbes（微生物）. Leeuwenhoek discovered an entire universe invisible to the human eye. He found different microbes in samples of pond water, rain water, and human blood. He gave the first description of red blood cells, observed plant tissue, examined muscle, and investigated the life cycle of insects.
Nearly two hundred years later, Leeuwenhock’s discovery of microbes helped French chemist and biologist Louis Pasteur to develop his “theory of disease”. This concept suggested that disease originates from tiny organisms attacking and weakening the body. Pasteur’s theory later helped doctors to fight infectious diseases including anthrax, diphtheria, polio, smallpox, tetanus, and typhoid. All these breakthroughs were the result of Leeuwenhoek’s original work. Leeuwenhoek did not foresee this legacy.
In a 1716 letter, he described his contribution to science this way: “My work, which I’ve done for a long time, was not pursued in order to gain the praise I now enjoy, but chiefly from a strong desire for knowledge, which I notice resides in me more than in most other men. And therefore; whenever I found out anything remarkable, I have thought it my duty to put down my discovery on paper, so that the scientific community might be informed thereof.”
1. Which of the following best describes Leeuwenhoek?| A．trained researcher with an interest in microbiology |
| B．A curious amateur who made pioneer studies of microbes |
| C．A talented scientist interested in finding a cure for disease |
| D．A bored cloth maker who accidentally made a major discovery |
| A．the discovery of microbes |
| B．Pasteur’s theory of disease |
| C．Leeuwenhoek’s contribution |
| D．the origin of the tiny organism |
| A．He admitted that many of his discoveries happened by chance. |
| B．He considered his work to be central to later medical breakthroughs. |
| C．He was greatly concerned with improving people’s living conditions. |
| D．He believed the sharing of knowledge was a key to scientific progress |
a. Magnifying lenses were built.
b. The “theory of disease” was put forward
c. Microbes were discovered in samples of waters.
d. Leeuwenhoek’s first microscopes were successfully developed.
e. Leeuwenhoek explained his thoughts upon his own contribution.
| A．a-d-c-e-b | B．d-a-c-e-b | C．a-c-d-b-e | D．d-a-e-b-c |
2 . An elm tree (榆树) was planted in the first half of the 20th century on a farm in Michigan, US.
In the 1950s, the family that owned the farm kept a bull chained to it. The bull walked around the tree. pulling a heavy iron chain, which made a grove (沟) in the tree about a meter off the ground. The groove deepened over the years, thought for whatever reason, it didn’t kill the tree.
After some years, the family sold the farm and took their bull with them. They cut the chain, leaving most of it hanging down from the tree. Eventually, bark (树皮) slowly covered the old chain.
Then one year later, disaster struck Michigan in the form of Dutch elm disease. It left a path of death across vast areas. All of the elms lining the road leading to the farm were infected and dies. Everyone figured that the old elm tree would be next. There was no way the tree could last, with its age and the chain hanging off its trunk.
The present owners considered pulling the chain out and chopping the tree up into firewood before it dies. But they simply couldn’t bring themselves to do it. It was as if the old tree had become a family friend, so they decided to let nature take its course. Amazingly, the tree didn’t die. Year after year, it grew stronger. Nobody could understand why it was the only elm still standing in the whole area.
Experts from Michigan University came to observe the tree later examining the scar left by the iron chain. The experts decided that it was actually the chain that saved the elm’s life. They reasoned that the tree must have absorbed so much iron from the chain that it became immune to Dutch elm disease.
It’s said that what doesn’t kill you will make you stronger. So if you’re ever in Michigan, look for that beautiful elm tree. Look for the wound made by the chain — it serves as a reminder that even with wounds, we can still have hope. Our wounds can give us the resources we need to cope and survive. They can truly make us strong.
1. What is the right order of the events related to the elm tree?a. The new owners left the elm tree as it was.
b. A farmer planted an elm tree on the farm.
c. A bull was chained to the elm tree by the owner.
d. The tree was left behind with most of the chain hanging down.
| A．c d b a | B．b d c a | C．b c d a | D．c b a d |
| A．A heavy iron chain gradually became part of it. |
| B．The scar in the tree was completely healed finally. |
| C．The tree was almost killed by the bull and its chain. |
| D．The tree grew stronger because of the owners’ care. |
| A．Its thicker bark protected it from the disease. |
| B．Infected trees near it were all chopped down. |
| C．It was saved by experts from Michigan University. |
| D．It got enough iron that sheltered it from the disease. |
| A．We should make use of what we have to overcome difficulties. |
| B．Something we consider a weakness can make us stronger. |
| C．Never give up hope on life even in hopeless situations. |
| D．Letting nature take its course is the best way to deal with problems. |
3 . A man in Brisbane, Australia, survived a house fire early Wednesday morning because his pet parrot, named Eric, sounded the alarm.
Anton was asleep when his home caught fire just after 2:00 a.m., according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC). Anton didn’t hear the smoke detector(探测器). Instead, he heard Eric calling his name repeatedly, ABC reported. “I heard a bang and Eric — my parrot— he started to yell so I woke up and I smelled a bit of smoke,” Anton told ABC. “I grabbed Eric, opened the door and looked to the back of the house and saw some flames,” he added. “And so I grabbed my bag and bolted downstairs.” Officials told ABC that Anton’s home did have a smoke detector, but it didn’t go off before Eric started calling “Anton! Anton!” Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Acting Inspector Cam Thomas told ABC that the firemen were able to contain the fire before it spread to other properties(财产).
According to ABC, there may be a crime(犯罪)and policemen are looking into what caused the fire. In the meantime, Anton is glad that he and Eric survived. “I’m in shock but I’m fine,” he told ABC. “Everything’s all right so long as I have myself and the bird.”
1. What is the right order of the following?a. Anton saw some flames.
b. Anton heard Eric calling his name.
c. Anton bolted downstairs.
d. Anton’s house caught fire at midnight.
e. Anton woke up and smelled the smoke.
| A．dbeac. | B．debac. | C．daebc. | D．deabc |
| A．Awkward | B．Lucky. | C．Shocked | D．Annoyed |
| A．Eric got badly injured in the fire. |
| B．The house was burnt to the ground. |
| C．Someone might have set fire to the house. |
| D．The police couldn’t find the cause of the fire. |
4 . Seventy years ago, in the city of Boston, there lived a small girl who had the naughty habit of running away. On a certain April morning, almost as soon as her mother finished buttoning her dress, Louisa May Alcott slid out of the house and up the street as fast as her feet could carry her.
It was a beautiful day, and she did not care so very much just where she went so long as she was having an adventure, all by herself. Suddenly she came upon some children who said they were going to a nice, tall ash heap to play. They asked her to join them. Louisa thought they were fine playmates, for when she grew hungry they shared some cold potatoes and bread crusts with her.
When she was tired of the ash heap she said goodbye to the children, thanked them for their kindness, and hop-skipped to the Common, where she must have wandered about for hours. All of a sudden, it began to grow dark. Then she wanted to get home. It frightened her when she could not find any street that looked natural. She was hungry and tired, too. She threw herself down on some door-steps to rest and to watch the lamplighter, for you must remember this was long before there was any gas or electricity in Boston. At this moment a big dog came along. He kissed her face and hands and then sat down beside her with a sober look in his eyes. Poor tired Louisa leaned against his neck and was fast asleep in no time. The dog kept very still. He did not want to wake her.
Pretty soon the town crier went by. He was ringing a bell and reading in a loud voice, from a paper in his hand, the description of a lost child. You see, Louisa's father and mother had missed her early in the forenoon and had looked for her in every place they could think of. Each hour they grew more worried, and at dusk they decided to hire this man to search the city.
When the runaway woke up and heard what the man was shouting— "Lost— Lost— A little girl, six years old, in a pink skirt, white hat, and new, green shoes" —she called out in the darkness, "Why— that's ME!" The town crier took Louisa by the hand and led her home, where you may be sure she was welcomed with joy.
1. The reason why Louisa thought the children were very nice playmates was that .| A．they had been good friends | B．they asked her to play with them |
| C．they shared with her some food | D．they all liked taking adventures |
| A．A street performer. | B．A milkman. | C．A news reader. | D．A policeman. |
① Louisa couldn't find the way back home.
②Louisa returned home safe and sound.
③Louisa ran away and slid into the street one morning.
④Louisa came across some children in the street.
⑤The town crier searched the street for Louisa.
| A．③④①⑤② | B．③①⑤④② | C．⑤②①④③ | D．⑤②④①③ |
Recently, two researchers, Jose Millan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne, Switzerland, demonstrated (展示) a small robotic wheelchair directed by a person's thoughts.
In the laboratory, Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.
“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord (脊髓) to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles.” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with external world and also to control devices.”
The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp (头皮) and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.
Prof. Millan, the team leader, says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories: communication, and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”
He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients, so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.
1. BCI is a technology that can ________.
| A．help to update computer systems |
| B．link the human brain with computers |
| C．help the disabled to recover |
| D．control a person's thoughts |
| A．By controlling his muscles. |
| B．By talking to the machine. |
| C．By moving his hand. |
| D．By using his mind. |
| A．scalp→computer→cap→wheelchair |
| B．computer→cap→scalp→wheelchair |
| C．scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair |
| D．cap→computer→scalp→wheelchair |
| A．make profits from them |
| B．prove the technology useful to them |
| C．make them live longer |
| D．learn about their physical condition |
| A．Switzerland, the BCI Research Center |
| B．New Findings About How the Human Brain Works |
| C．BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled |
| D．Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries |
6 . If this isn’t true love then we don’t know what it is. High school sweethearts Leonard and Hazel Cherry passed away last Thursday just hours apart, a sweet ending to their 74-year together.
The couple were married in 1942 in Muldoon, Texas. Following their wedding ceremony at the start of World War II, Leonard enlisted in the Army Air Corps and became a B-24 bomber pilot. Luckily for the couple, he was never far from home as he was stationed at Carswell Army Air Corps Base in Fort Worth training others how to fly. Meanwhile, Hazel was a stay-at-home mom taking care of their only son, David. Once the war was over, Leonard worked as an auto body repairman in Fort Worth before opening an auto repair business in 1949, which the couple ran together for 31 years. The couple finally moved to Woodstock, Texas in 1980 to be close to their son and grandchildren.
In their final days, Leonard who was 95, was placed at the St. Catherine Center, a hospice (临终安养院) in Waco, Texas, while 93-year-old Hazel, who was in good health, had just moved into the village at Providence Park, a facility right next door to her husband’s.
Then on October 27, Leonard passed away just before 1 p.m. and his wife died just 10 hours later at 11 p.m.
“Every time I began to think about it, I began to smile because of how much they loved each other. In my mind my grandfather was waiting for her in heaven with open arms,” Craig Cherry told KWTX. “Even in his ninety-fifth year, he still, when he talked about her, had a sparkle (闪烁 的光) in his eye. A memorial service for them is scheduled for this Friday and I’m sure there won’t be a dry eye in the house.”
1. What is the correct order for the events in the story about Leonard?① Leonard got married.
② Leonard became a bomber pilot.
③ Leonard moved to Woodstock, Texas.
④ Leonard opened an auto repair business.
⑤ Leonard worked as an auto body repairman in Fort Worth.
| A．①②⑤④③ | B．①⑤③④② |
| C．②①③⑤④ | D．②①⑤④③ |
| A．Because she wanted to live independently. |
| B．Because she wanted to receive medical care. |
| C．Because she wanted to accompany her husband. |
| D．Because she wanted to be close to her son and grandchildren. |
| A．he felt happy because they lived long |
| B．Hazel died because of her deep love for Leonard |
| C．everyone would feel extremely sorrowful for the loss |
| D．the couple had affection for each other only at their advanced age |
| A．The Loving Couple | B．The Long-lived Couple |
| C．A Sudden Death of Hazel | D．Die Hours Apart for Love |
7 . Mr. and Mrs. March lived together with their four daughters. Amy was very shy. Beth loved being at home. Meg looked very pretty. Jo was tall and thin and she was a tomboy(假小子). Their home was always busy and full of noise and people. Next to them lived old Mr. Laurence and his grandson, Laurie. They lived in a very large and comfortable house. But it was a house without life.
One day, Jo saw Laurie standing at an upstairs window in his house and looking down at their garden. Jo's sisters were playing in the snow there. They were throwing snowballs and having a lot of fun. But Laurie's face was very sad
“Poor boy!” Jo thought. “He's all alone. He needs some friends.” She couldn't stop thinking about him. She wanted to go and see him, but how could she go to the house without an invitation?
Then one snowy afternoon, she saw Laurie's grandpa go out. This gave her an idea. She took a broom(扫帚) from the kitchen.
“What are you going to do, Jo?” asked her sister Meg.
“To clear the garden path.” Answered Jo.
When Laurie saw Jo from the window, a big smile changed his pale, sad face.
Jo laughed and shouted, “How are you? Are you ill?”
Laurie opened the window and said, “I'm better now, thank you. I had a bad cold and had to stay inside for a week”.
“I'm sorry,” said Jo. “Are you bored?”
“Yes, very.” he replied.
“Don't your friends come to visit you?”
“No. But I don't want to see anybody. Boys are noisy and they give me a headache.”
“Girls are quiet.”
“I don't know any girls.”
“You know us.”
“That's true! Can you come and visit me?” cried Laurie.
“I'm not quiet, but I'd like to come,” replied Jo. “I must ask Mother first.” She ran back into her house.
A few minutes later, she returned and rang the bell on the door of Laurie's house. A servant took her upstairs.
“Here I am!” she said brightly. “Mother sends her love and my sisters gave me this blancmange(牛奶冻) for you.”
“That looks delicious,” Laurie said. He was very happy to see Jo.
Jo looked around. There were lots of books on the shelves.
“A nice room!” she said. “I can read to you if you like.”
“No, let's talk,” replied Laurie.
“All right,” said Jo, “I can talk for hours. My sisters say I never know when to stop.”
“You have three sisters-Amy, Beth and Meg.” Laurie continued
“How do you know this?” Jo was surprised.
“You call each other's names when you are in the garden. Sometimes I can see you all around the table with your mother. She has a very kind face. I like looking at her. I haven't got a mother.”
Jo felt sad when she heard this
“Why don't you come and visit us?” she said, “It isn't good for you to stay in this house all the time.”
“Thank you. I'd like to come very much.” Said Laurie.
“We know all our neighbours except you.” Jo said, “I'm glad we're friends now.”
She told him about all the interesting things in her life. She said, “Besides(除了……之外) plays, I also love books.” Laurie loved books too, and offered to show her the library in the house. The library was a wonderful room. Jo loved it.
“Wow!” she said, “All those books!”
Laurie said, “A person needs more than books.”
(Adapted from Little Women)
1. From the first paragraph, we know____________.| A．Jo's family had five members | B．Jo and Laurie were neighbors |
| C．Laurie and his grandpa were busy | D．the four sisters had the same hobby |
| A．she wanted to visit his large house | B．Laurie invited her to play with snowballs |
| C．she felt he was lonely and needed friends | D．Laurie was seriously ill and needed her care |
a. Jo saw Laurie standing at an upstairs window in his house.
b. Jo and Laurie were having a talk happily at Laurie's home.
c. Jo went to Laurie's home after telling her mother.
d. Jo couldn't stop thinking about Laurie.
| A．a-b-c-d | B．b-a-c-d |
| C．b-d-a-c | D．a-d-c-b |
| A．Kind and friendly | B．Generous but rude |
| C．Quiet and smart | D．Funny but carless |
| A．People need to stay in their own houses. |
| B．People should learn much more from the books. |
| C．People need love and friendship besides books. |
| D．People should relax themselves besides reading |
| A．Mean and strict | B．Quiet but cold |
| C．Quick and learned | D．Warm and kind |
8 . Imagine having a ear made out of an apple. It seems like a crazy idea from a horror movie. But it could happen in the near future.
Canadian biophysicist Andrew Pelling used an apple to grow a human ear. He think fruit and vegetables can be used to cheaply repair human body parts in the future.
Scientists have been trying to grow organs(器官)in labs to replace our old ones. But it is a hard job. For example, liver cells(肝细胞) can grow in a lab, but he cells still need things like blood vessels(血管) to actual work. These things have to grow inside a scaffold(支架).
In the past, scientists have used man-made materials, animals parts and even dead people as scaffolds. But that has proved to be difficult and expensive.
Pelling and his team, however, found the apple to be a cheap and easy-to-use scaffold.
They first cut an apple into the shape of an ear. Then they used a special way to take out the apple make it a scaffold. The team then added human cells to the apple, and watched it grow.
“You can implant these scaffolds into the body, and the body will send in cells and a blood supply and actually keep these things alive.” Pelling said during a Ted Talk speech.
The team put the apple scaffold inside a living mouse and the mouse’s cells slowly took over the pieces of apple.
Now Pelling is thinking of other fruit, plants or vegetables to use.
He says that the shape of flower petals could be perfect for repairing skin And asparagus(芦笋)could fix a broken spine(脊柱).
Now, Pelling and his team are trying hard to put these crazy ideas into reality.
1. Pelling’s idea of man-made ear seems crazy because he use as scaffolds.| A．animal parts | B．dead people |
| C．man-made materials | D．ordinary apples |
| A．pick | B．put |
| C．produce | D．protect |
a. put the apple scaffold inside a mouse
b. add human cells to the apple scaffold
c. cut an apple into the shape of an ear
d. make the apple ear a scaffold
e. take out the apple’s cells in a special way
| A．a-b-c-d-e | B．b-c-d-a-e |
| C．c-e-d-b-a | D．c-d-a-e-b |
| A．to make human ears | B．to repair burnt skin |
| C．to fix a broken spine | D．to make body parts |
9 . We all know that eating junk food can make us fat. However, a new study suggests that it can do more than that—it can also make us lazy.
In the study, researchers at the University of California, divided 32 female rats into two groups. The first group was fed a diet of healthy food such as corn and fish, while the second was given a diet of highly processed food rich in sugar, namely “junk food”.
Within three months, the rats in the second group were already much fatter than those on the healthy diet. And when researchers trained the rats to do simple tasks, they found even more differences between the two groups rather than weight.
During the task—pushing a lever (杠杆) to receive a reward of sugar water—the rats on the junk food diet were found to be less willing to move, and they took longer breaks between each push than the lean (瘦的) rats did.
“It is as if the rat is thinking ‘This is too much work’,” Aaron Blaisdell, leader of the study.
But what about the possibility that the fat rats were less passionate about getting sugar water because they were already eating lots of sugar in their daily diet? That’s why researchers repeated the tests by rewarding fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty. However, the results came out just the same.
The experiment didn’t end there. After six months, the rats’ diets were switched, and the overweight rats were given a healthy diet for nine days. However, this change didn’t help reduce their weight or improve their ability to perform tasks, which means the effects of their junk food diet continued. “There’s no quick fix.” said Blaisdell.
For a long time, we’ve believed that people become fat because they are lazy. But this study has proven the opposite to be true as well, which indicates that laziness and obesity (肥胖) are a “vicious cycle (恶性循环)”.
So, if you constantly feel tired, lacking any urge to get up from your chair, it could be that you’ve been studying too hard. But you should also pay attention to your diet.
1. What is the correct order of the research?a. Researchers changed the rats’ diet.
b. Researchers divided 32 female rats into two groups.
c. Within three months, rats on junk food were much fatter that rats on healthy food.
d. Researchers rewarded fat rats with plain water when they were extremely thirsty.
| A．bcda. | B．badc. |
| C．bacd. | D．bcad. |
| A．Most females are probably finding it hard to say no to junk food. |
| B．Sugar in water as well as in junk food serves the same vicious role in making us fat. |
| C．Your diet means most to you if you feel tired and don’t want to move from your chair. |
| D．There is no short cut for losing weight and overcoming laziness after eating too much junk food. |
| A．relaxed | B．concerned |
| C．optimistic | D．passive |
| A．People | B．Entertainment Weekly. |
| C．Science and Life. | D．Economists. |
| Dear Mrs. Nugget, You may remember that we have discussed the noise your children make while practicing the piano in your home. You agreed to make sure that they would stop practicing in the evening. You can imagine my astonishment (惊讶) then when I realized that nothing had changed at all and the situation was continuing as before. I find it difficult to stay in my house and I invent excuse to go out for the evening to be away from the terrible noise. Much as I like music, I have had enough and to tell you the truth, I am not prepared to put up with the situation any more. I think it is high time you realized your responsibilities (责任) as a member of the society, and I must warn you that unless you do something about the situation. I will be forced to take legal (法律) action. We all make noise in our day-to-day lives. However, noise which is unreasonable and is likely to disturb others is not acceptable. I will keep a Noise Record Sheet from today on and contact the council when necessary. And I have also sent a copy of this letter to my lawyer. Yours sincerely, R.G.Barge |
1. Why did Barge write this letter?
| A．Because Mrs. Nugget’s children played the piano so badly. |
| B．Because Mrs. Nugget refused to listen to his complaints.(投诉) |
| C．Because Mrs. Nugget didn’t tell the truth as Barge did. |
| D．Because Mrs. Nugget refused to keep her promise. |
| A．Mrs. Nugget agreed to do something about the noise problem. |
| B．Barge is astonished to see that the situation is going from bad to worse. |
| C．Barge has great interest in music. |
| D．Barge is often forced to go out for the evening with reason for noise. |
| A．change | B．improve |
| C．suffer without a word | D．raise the problem at the lawyer |
a, Barge talked with Mrs. Nugget about the noise her children had made
b, Mrs. Nugget’s children played the piano loudly in the evening.
c, Mrs. Nugget promised to stop them doing so.
d, Barge wrote this letter to Mrs. Nugget, warning that he might take legal action if nothing hanged.
e, Mrs. Nugget’s children continued making such noise.
| A．a,b,c,e,d | B．b,c,a,e,d |
| C．e,d,c,b,a | D．b,a,c,e,d |
