1 . How much sleep do we need? It’s a fundamental question about a basic human function we’ve been practicing for long, but there’s still no simple answer. But whether you’re a morning or evening person could be guided by your genes. That said, your sleeping pattern will change naturally with age, which is also reflected in the National Sleep Foundation recommendations: it suggests 14-17 hours of shuteye a day for newborn babies and only 7-8 hours for over-65s.
But scientists said it’s about more than simple duration. Teens and people in their early 20s do want to go to bed later and get up later too, something researchers suggest might be to do with changing hormones(荷尔蒙). “On average, there’s about a two-hour difference in preferred sleep times of somebody in their late teens or early twenties to somebody in their late 50s or early 60s,” he said. “So asking a teenager to get up at 7 o’ clock in the morning is the equivalent of asking a 55-year-old to get up at five in the morning.”
At the end of the day, the best way to measure how much sleep you each need is to listen to your own body. Do you rely on an alarm clock to wake up? Do you take a long time to feel awake? Are you dependent on coffee drinks to keep you focused during the day? Are you overly impulsive(冲动的) or do you find yourself running a lot of traffic lights, for instance? All these could be signs that you’re not getting enough sleep.
And that, we know today, is bad. The environment can affect your sleep preferences but your genes stay. Scientists said that the understanding of the importance of sleep was “one of the great achievements of modern neuroscience(神经科学),” and that society was moving away from the all-nighter culture to respect the need for sleep.
1. What’s the writer’s intention of writing the passage?A.To report his research results. | B.To express the importance of sleep. |
C.To list some sleeping patterns. | D.To persuade people to have enough sleep. |
A.Age. | B.Genes. |
C.Hormones. | D.Sleeping pattern. |
A.Not getting enough sleep. | B.Listening to your own body. |
C.Running a lot of traffic lights. | D.Not understanding of the importance of sleep. |
A.Sleeping Patterns |
B.The Importance of Sleep |
C.A Great Achievement of Neuroscience |
D.Different People Need Different Amounts of Sleep |
2 . People made wings and strapped them to their arms. They flapped their arms but couldn’t fly. They built gliders(滑翔机), light aircraft with wings. Some didn’t work, but some did.
The gliders that worked had special wings. These wings were arched on both the top and the bottom. The air pulled the wings from above and pushed the wings from below. When the wings went up, so did the glider! Arched wings help create a force called lift. Lift is the force that keeps the gliders in the air.
Most gliders have long, thin wings. The wings create enough lift to carry the aircraft and its passengers. Gliders usually ride currents of air the same way a hawk soars(飞翔).
Gliders are very light, and long wings and air currents can give them enough lift to fly. But to carry more than just a passenger or two, an aircraft needs a lot more lift. The question is: How do you create more lift?
The engine is the answer!
The engine is a machine that changes energy into movement. The forward movement that an airplane needs to fly is called thrust. More thrust makes an airplane move forward faster. Moving faster creates more lift. And with more lift, an airplane can carry more weight so an aircraft with an engine can carry passengers or cargo.
In 1903 the Wright brothers figured out how to get wings and an engine to work together in order to give an airplane enough thrust to fly. They made the first powered flight at Kitty Hawk, North Carolina.
Since then people have made airplanes that can fly faster than sound can travel. They have made airplanes that can fly all the way around the world without stopping.
Today, thousands of people travel in airplanes every day. People really have learned how to fly!
1. If a flyer wants to stay in the air, it needs enough ________.A.lift | B.thrust |
C.wings | D.engines |
A.The air. | B.The lift. |
C.The thrust. | D.The wind. |
A.the lift | B.the thrust |
C.the sound | D.the engine |
A.how gliders were built | B.how important the engine was |
C.how people learned to fly | D.how the first airplane was made |
A terrible fire began to burn at France’s world-famous Notre-Dame de Paris Cathedral (巴黎圣母院)
Notre-Dame
One man said, “Notre-Dame
4 . In 1949, I just returned home from the war. On every American highway you could see soldiers in uniform hitchhiking (搭便车) home to their families, as was the
I left the hospital
I was too upset to
It got very
My mother
A.concern | B.custom | C.view | D.disadvantage |
A.Surprisingly | B.Obviously | C.Sadly | D.Disappointedly |
A.wanted | B.asked | C.needed | D.desired |
A.immediately | B.gradually | C.frequently | D.actually |
A.valuable | B.common | C.magical | D.rare |
A.banks | B.shops | C.hospitals | D.factories |
A.body | B.blood | C.health | D.identity |
A.success | B.perfection | C.possibility | D.match |
A.crying | B.dying | C.suffering | D.bursting |
A.on purpose | B.in peace | C.in relief | D.in tears |
A.so that | B.in case | C.as though | D.if only |
A.Driving | B.Walking | C.Removing | D.Wondering |
A.road | B.stop | C.place | D.route |
A.ever | B.even | C.never | D.already |
A.anything | B.something | C.everything | D.nothing |
A.peaceful | B.calm | C.active | D.quiet |
A.commanded | B.allowed | C.told | D.persuaded |
A.away | B.in | C.around | D.down |
A.lived | B.died | C.recovered | D.disappeared |
A.stranger | B.rescuer | C.lover | D.angel |
Science for Kids This month’s most popular books. | |
1. Women in Science by Rachel Ignotofsky Price $25 We all know the story of Marie Curie and her many scientific achievements. But many other brilliant female scientists are far less well known. This book is a great introduction to the lives and works of some of the most important and up-to-now unknown women in science. Recommended for Ages: 12-15 【Order Now »】 | Special Offer For this month only, all Besthooks Book Club members will pay 20% less for every book ordered. Join our club for free and save big money! Delivery We bring every book you order right to your door within three days. For Bestbooks Book Club members, this is free. Non-members must pay an extra $2 per book. |
2. First Big Book of How by Jill Esbaum Price $15 An excellent book about sea life for young children. The book is divided into 4 parts, one for each of the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian and Arctic oceans. It focuses on the different animals found in each of these seas, along with interesting facts and amazing pictures. Ages: 5-10 【Order Now »】 | |
3. A Really Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson Price $15 Bill Bryson takes readers on a very funny and educational trip through the history of modern science-from its unexpected successes to its great failures and everything in between. Ages: 14 and over 【Order Now »】 | |
4. National Geographic’s First Big Book of the World by Jan Carn. Price $20 This book is the perfect introduction to the seven continents. It tells young readers about the different animals that live on each of these lands and gives a simple descnption of the people’s history and culture. Ages: 5-12 【Order Now »】 |
A.By price. | B.By popularity. |
C.By reader’s age. | D.By writer’s name. |
A.$24. | B.$26. |
C.$30. | D.$34. |
A.Women In Science |
B.First Big Book of How |
C.A Really Short History of Nearly Everything |
D.National Geo-graphic’s First Big Book of the World |
A.To sell books to young readers. |
B.To attract new book club members. |
C.To encourage students’ interest in science. |
D.To review books young readers might like. |