1 . When you really love a book, or have just scored a new one that you’re dying to read, it can be exciting to pick up a smooth, shiny hardcover copy that creaks (发出吱嘎声) a little bit when you open it. But those hardcover books can be heavy, and new ones aren’t cheap, either. Sometimes, you’d just rather have a portable paperback — but if it’s a new book you’re after, you might have to wait a full year or so to get it in paperback form. Why are books released as hardcovers first?
Not so long ago, hardcover books were the only type of books. Before the appearance of mass production, print runs were limited, and books were hard-bound and expensive. Around the 1930s, that changed with the production of mass-produced paperback books, which consisted with a huge surge in reading as a leisure activity around World War II. Paperback books were more affordable and cheaper to produce, which still holds true today.
Despite the seeming advantages of paperbacks, there are several reasons why the hardcover has persisted. Because of its history, it conveys a bit more legitimacy (正统性) in the book world than the paperback does. “The hardback is a mark of quality...it shows booksellers and reviewers that this is a book worth paying attention to,” Philip Jones, editor at the Bookseller, explains to The Guardian.
But the major reason why books come out as hardcovers is that people buy them, despite their higher cost. The New York Times compares it to movies being released in theaters several months before they arrive on DVD. “Just as film fans like to see films on the big screen, collectors enjoy the hardback’s superior quality,” according to The Times. And because they’re profitable, publishers can gain more from hardcovers, which “will often sell at twice the price of their paperback edition but do not cost twice as much to produce,” Jones explains.
1. What can we learn about hardcover books from the first paragraph?| A．They are heavy but not expensive. | B．They appeal to real book-lovers. |
| C．They take a long time to come out. | D．They are not preferred by book-lovers. |
| A．Increase. | B．Success. |
| C．Difference. | D．Drop. |
| A．They are brilliantly edited. | B．They convey correct information. |
| C．They are worth collecting. | D．They sell better than paperbacks. |
| A．To introduce hardcover books. | B．To present a new social finding. |
| C．To encourage people to read books. | D．To explain a confusing problem. |
2 . Rachel Carson was concerned about what was happenig to the environment. So in her book Silent Spring, she warned that some chemicals were poisoning the air, the water, the earth, and all its creatures. She imagined a time when spring would not bring the rebirth of flowers, trees, and the songs of birds. The book became a bestseller, and Ms. Carson was in great demand as a speaker. People lisened to her because what she said made sense, and because she was a scientist who knew her facts.
Rachel Carson was primarily interested in the world of sea and shore, so she became a marine biologst for the government. She studied and recorded facts about the sea' s plant and animal life, their special characteristics, and the nature of their environments. In 1951, she wrote The Sea Around Us, which brought her honors, fame, and respect around the world.
Ms. Carson then devoted herself full-time to research and writing. One thing much on her mind was the effect of modern technology on the natural environment. One day, a distressed friend wrote her to say that a plane spraying(喷洒) DDT had flown over her yard, and the next day several birds lay dead. Carson decided to act.
For four years she studied the use of pesticides(杀虫剂) in the United States, and then she wrote Silent Spring.
In her book Ms. Carson said that these pesticides would harm much more than insects. She explained that these poisons would pollute the environment. “Even if their effects are not immediately observable, they remain for years in the water and the soil, and they become part of the food eaten by animals and humans.
Besides, after a time, insects develop immunity to pesticides,” she said.
Recent studies have shown that pesticides can affect human brainwave activity and cause loss of memory and inability to concentrate. We should still remember Rachel Carson’s words, “I think we are challenged as we have never been challenged before to prove our mastery, not of nature, but of ourselves.”
1. Silent Spring is a book that__________| A．aims to raise people’s environmental awareness |
| B．stresses the importance of the cycle of nature |
| C．describes the author' s childhood experiences |
| D．asks people to enjoy the beauty of spring |
| A．curious | B．humorous | C．excited | D．worried |
| A．became world-famous due to Silent Spring |
| B．warned against the use of chemicals to kill insects |
| C．had a good knowledge of the planets in the universe |
| D．created a system for improving human brainwave activity |
| A．we should prove ourselves to be the ruler of this world |
| B．it's a chance for us to prove our mastery of nature |
| C．it's time for us to think about what we have done |
| D．settling on the earth is a challenge for humans |
3 . Like clockwork, nearly every fourth February includes one extra day. February 29th, otherwise known as Leap Day, isn’t exactly a holiday. Instead, it’s there to keep your calendar consistent with the earth’s rotation (旋转) around the sun.
According to History, com, Roman emperor Julius Caesar is the “father” of Leap Year. Until he came along, people used a 355-day calendar, which was 10.25 days shorter than the solar year. Roman officials were supposed add an extra month every now and then to keep the seasons exactly where they should be. But that didn’t work out all that well. When special occasions started shifting into different seasons around 45 BCE, Caesar consulted with astronomers and decreed (下令) that the empire should use a 12-month, 365-day calendar, which he named after himself, Caesar’s Julian calendar included a Leap Day every four years.
Though Leap Day keeps your calendar in line with the earth’s rotation around the sun, it causes a different kind of problem for leapsters. When should these February 29th babies celebrate their birthdays during the other three-quarters of their lives? Some party on February 28th, while others prefer a two-day celebration that spans the last day of February and the first day of March.
Leap Day can be a nuisance in the legal system. In 2006, a court in Massachusetts was deciding whether criminal John Melo could be released a day early since his 10-year sentence included a Leap Day. In the case, the judge decided that since the man was sentenced to prison for years, not days. Leap Day didn’t make a bit of difference.
Though a few timekeepers have pushed for calendars that don’t include Leap Day, almost all astronomers and societies agree that Leap Day is the best method to keep the calendar on track.
1. Why was Leap Day created?| A．To celebrate special occasions. | B．To honor Emperor Julius Caesar. |
| C．To keep pace with the solar year. | D．To keep track of all the seasons. |
| A．It is sometimes delayed. | B．It lasts at least two days. |
| C．It has to be held every other year. | D．It may take place on different dates. |
| A．Joke. | B．Topic. |
| C．Trouble. | D．Mistake. |
| A．Critical. | B．Supportive. |
| C．Doubtful. | D．Cautious. |
4 . Many people feel that dream is unique to humans. However, many dog owners will likely disagree on that. They have noticed that their dogs at various times during the sleep may shake legs, snort (哼) and sometimes growl (低声吼叫) which gives the impression that they are dreaming. These things may wonder us about whether dogs dream.
Scientists confirm that dogs probably do dream. It turns out that dog brains and human brains have many similarities during sleep cycles. Researchers used special machines to measure electrical activity in a dog’s brain and human’s brain. Scientists already knew that when humans dream, a certain part of the brain is active during sleep. Researchers discovered that the same part of the brain is active in sleeping dogs. Scientists have other data that back up these findings.
Many people dream that they are trying to move but cannot. Interestingly, part of that experience is not a dream. When people sleep, the brain produces a chemical that causes the dreamer to become temporarily paralyzed (使麻痹). Researchers think this happens so that people cannot physically act out dreams while they are sleeping. Dog brains make the same chemical. In one study during which this chemical was blocked, sleeping test dogs performed physical activities, such as standing up, sniffing around the room for imaginary rabbits, or chasing imaginary balls.
Because of these similarities, researchers believe that the content of a dog’s dream might come from the same source as a human’s dream. “People’s dreams are usually based on things they did that day,” says Dr. Samantha Hudspith. “So there is reason to believe that dogs dream about the things they’ve done that day. Of course, there will never be a way to prove this. Dogs cannot describe their dreams the way that humans can.”
1. What does the underlined phrase “back up” mean in the second paragraph?| A．Disagree. | B．Support. |
| C．Record. | D．Show. |
| A．It woke up. | B．It stopped dreaming. |
| C．It acted out its dream. | D．It couldn't move its body. |
| A．By telling stories | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By comparing details | D．By listing differences. |
| A．Do Dogs Dream? | B．Why Do Dogs Dream? |
| C．Signs of Dog Dreams | D．Similarities Between Humans and Dogs |
5 . Learning a second language is tricky at any age (and it only gets tougher the longer you wait to open that dusty French book). Now, in a new study, scientists have pinpointed the exact age at which your chances of reading fluency in a second language seems to plummet: 10.
The study, published in the journal Cognition, found that it’s “nearly impossible” for language learners to reach native - level fluency if they start learning a second tongue after 10. But that doesn’t seem to be because language skills go downhill. “It turns out you’re still learning fast. It’s just that you run out of time, because your ability to learn starts dropping at around 17 or 18 years old,” says study co-author Joshua Hartshorne, an assistant professor of psychology at Boston College.
Kids may be better than adults at learning new languages for many reasons. Children’s brains are more plastic than those of adults, meaning they’re better able to adapt and respond to new information. “All learning involves the brain changing,” Hartshorne says, “and children’s brains seem to be a lot more skilled at changing.”
Kids may also be more willing to try new things (and to potentially look foolish in the process) than adults are. Their comparatively new grasp on their native tongue may also be advantageous. Unlike adults, who tend to default（默认）to the rules and patterns of their first language, kids may be able to approach a new one with a blank slate（石板）.
These findings may seems discouraging, but it was heartening for scientists to learn that the critical period for fluent language acquisition might be longer than they previously thought. Some scientists believed that the brief window closes shortly after birth, while others stretched it only to early adolescence. Compared to those estimates, 17 or 18 -- when language learning ability starts to drop off -- seems relatively old. “People fared better when they learned by immersion（沉浸）, rather than simply in a classroom. And moving to a place where our desired language is spoken is the best way to learn as an adult. If that’s not an option, you can mimic an immersive environment by finding ways to have conversations with native speakers in their own communities,” Hartshorne says. By doing so, it’s possible to become conversationally proficient -- even without the advantage of a child’s brain.
1. The word “plummet” in paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “____”.| A．plunge | B．rise | C．end | D．vary |
| A．Age 10 -18 is the best time to learn a second language. |
| B．Children are too young to grasp a second language. |
| C．Communicating with native speakers enables you to master all the language skills. |
| D．Adults go beyond the critical period for learning a second language. |
| A．Adults are less influenced by their mother tongues |
| B．Adults are only too willing to experience something awkward in the process. |
| C．Adults spend more time responding to new information. |
| D．Adults prefer an immersive environment to a classroom in learning a second language. |
| A．the approaches to learning a second language |
| B．the best age to learn a second language. |
| C．why kids learn a second language more easily than adults |
| D．whether adults can learn a second language like their younger selves |
