Weather has a strong effect(影响) on people. It influences health, intelligence (智力) and feelings. In August, it is very hot and wet in the southern part of the United States. People there easily have heart trouble and other kinds of health problems during this month. In the Northeast and the Middle West, it is hot at some times and very cold at other times. People in those states will have heart trouble after the weather changes in February or March.
The weather can also influence intelligence. For example, in a 1983 study by scientists, the IQ scores of some college students were very high during storm, but after the storm, their scores were low. Storms can increase intelligence. Very hot weather, on the other hand, can decrease(减少) it. Students in many schools of the United States often do badly in exams in the hot months of the year(July and August).
Weather also has a strong effect on people’s feeling. Winter may be a bad time for thin people. They usually feel cold during these months. They might feel depressed during cold weather. In hot summer weather, on the other hand, fat people may feel unhappy. At about 65F, people become stronger.
Low air pressure(气压) makes people feel free, but it also increases forgetful- ness. People leave more bags and umbrellas on buses and in stores on low pressure days. There is a“perfect weather”for work and health. People feel best at a tempera- ture of about 64F with 65 percent humidity(湿度).
Are you feeling sick, sad, tired, forgetful, or very intelligent today? The weather may be the reason.
【小题1】Intelligence may be lower______.

A.during a stormB.when it is sunny
C.on a very hot dayD.when you take in an exam
【小题2】 In the third paragraph,“depressed”means         .
A.兴奋的B.愉快的C.忧郁的D.担心的
【小题3】 In“perfect weather”,          .
A.both the fat and the thin are healthy
B.the students do very well in examinations
C.the air pressure is low
D.the humidity is 65 percent and the temperature is about 64F

People cannot reach an agreement on the use of science and technology. For example, will radiation from electronic equipment destroy the environment? Should medical scientists change gene structures to prevent genetic disease or to create “more perfect” human beings? While people are arguing about these and others, technology continues to influence our everyday lives—the home, health and education, entertainment and communication, and so on.
Some people carry on active social lives with computers —their own or the ones in public places like cafes, social centers, libraries, and so on. Communicating with others in chat rooms,  computer users can get to know people they might never meet in traditional ways. With live online video connections, two people with cameras in their computers can see and talk to each other from separate places.
With modern telephone technology, most people stopped writing lettters—especially personal letters and notes. But now, writing to communicate has returned in electronic form, or e-mail, which is a way of sending messages from one computer to another. For some computer users, the wish to communicate intelligently or creatively with others makes them want to write better.
Computer technology has also made it possible to run a house electronically. From turning lights on and off to starting the coffee and cooking the hot meal, computers are taking care of people at home. Many modern machines have computer chips that allow their owners to program them. For instance, you can “instruct” a microwave oven how to cook a dish. Most entertainment equipment operates with computer technology too. Computers can even start cars automatically so that on cold winter mornings you can get into a warmed-up vehicle and drive off.
Although much of the technology in our everyday lives has good effects, there are some uses that raise questions. For example, are interactive media ( i.e., a combination of television, telephone, and computer) going to control minds, cause people to forget about family life and personal relationships? What effects will the genentic engineering of food have on people’s health? High-tech medical treatments can make a person live a much longer life, but can they improve the health and happiness of human beings? Only time will tell, but, in the meantime, science and technology will continue to move forward. 
【小题1】 What does the underlined word “ chips” mean?

A.thin pieces of potatoesB.small holesC.small pieces of woodD.central parts
【小题2】We can know from the passage that _________.
A.technology never stops changing our everyday lives
B.with computers each of us can live a comfortable life
C.people can do more activities with computers
D.the more you use computers, the better you might write
【小题3】What can we infer from the underlined sentence in the last paragraph?
A.The longer you live, the happier you are.
B.High-tech medical treatments can’t improve our health and happiness.
C.High-tech medical treatments can’t help us with everything.
D.The writer questioned high-tech medical treatments somehow.
【小题4】What is the best title for the passage?
A.Science and New TechnologyB.Computers Change Our Lives
C.Everyday Uses of TechnologyD.Only Time Will Tell

Do you sometimes argue about what seems to you to be a simple fact? Do you argue whether it’s cold outdoors or whether the car in front of you is going faster than the speed limit (限速)?

If you get into such arguments, try to think about the story about the six blind men and the elephant. The first blind man who felt the elephant’s trunk (象鼻) said it was like a snake. The second who felt the elephant’s side said it was like a wall, while the third said it was like a spear( 矛 ) as he touched the animal’s tusk. The fourth, who took hold of the elephant’s tail, insisted that it was like a rope. The fifth man said it looked like a tree as he put his arms around one of the elephant’s legs. The last, who was tall and got hold of the elephant’s ears, said it was like a huge fan.

Each man’s idea of the animal came from his own experience. So if someone disagrees with you about a “simple fact”, it’s often because his experience in the matter is different from yours.

To see how hard it is for even one person to make up his mind about a “simple fact”, try this simple experiment. Get three large bowls. Put ice water in one. Put hot water in the second. Put lukewarm water (温水)in the third. Now put your left hand in the hot water. Put your right hand in the lukewarm water. Your right hand will tell you the water is cold. Your left hand will tell you it is hot.

1.There were _______ blind man who were trying to tell what an elephant was like in the story.

A.two

B.four

C.five

D.six

2.The man who touched the elephant’s ears must be very_______.

A.heavy

B.thin

C.tall

D.strong

3.The underlined word “it” in the last line of the paragraph refers to ___.

A.your left hand

B.your right hand

C.the water

D.the bowl

4.What makes people think about simple facts differently?

A.People’s wrong ideas.

B.People’s different experience.

C.Simple facts are different sometimes.

D.People often disagree with each other.

5.It can be inferred from the passage that we should__________.

A.learn from the blind men

B.not agree about simple facts

C.never think about simple facts

D.never decide anything with one side

 

Cats are the most popular pets among Americans. So it is not surprising there are many expressions about cats. Do you know any of them? Now let me introduce some to you.

Some cats like to catch small birds, like canaries. If someone looks very proud or satisfied with himself, we say he looks like the cat that ate the canary.

Sometimes, a cat likes to play with a small animal it catches. So if you play cat and mouse with someone, you change between different kinds of behavior when dealing with another person. For example, a child might offer something sweet to her little brother, and then take it away when reaches for it.

A cat will often catch a small animal and present it to its owner. The saying that looks like something the cat dragged in describes something in bad condition.

A fat cat is a person with a lot of money.

    There are many other expressions about cats in America. How interesting! Which kind of cat are you, or which kind would you like to be?

1.Americans like ________ best as pets.

    A. dogs             B. pigs         C. cats         D. mice

2.The canary is a kind of ________.

    A. dog              B. cat          C. bird         D. fish

3. If you have much money, we can call you ________.

A. a fat cat            B. a happy cat      C. a thin cat       D. a sad cat

4.If someone always thinks highly of himself, we can say _________.

    A. he plays cat and mouse with someone

    B. he looks like the cat that ate the canary

    C. he is a lazy cat

    D. he has dragged in something

5.The passage introduces us ________ expressions about cat.

    A. one              B. two          C. three            D. four

 

Gordon Williams’s hobby may seem strange to people when they meet it for the first time. But it is a traditional craft(手艺).He builds model ships inside old bottles.

  Gordon has always loved ships, especially sailing ships from the old days. His interest in this hobby began many years ago when he visited a museum in Ottawa, Canada, where there was a display of model ships in bottles. Gordon thought the display was wonderful. But he wondered how the craftsman got the ship through the thin neck of the bottle. Gordon decided to find it out.

  He found an old master craftsman who was willing to teach him the necessary skills. First, Gordon takes an old bottle. Then he puts in a layer of putty(一层油灰),carefully shaped and painted it look like the sea. Next he builds the ship. To get the ship through the neck of the bottle, Gordon holds down the masts(桅杆).Once the ship is inside the bottle, he takes a long, thin tool to raise the masts.

  Gordon has completed well over one hundred models. His wish is to build bigger model ships, such as aircraft carriers. This will be more challenging, as he will have to build the ship actually inside the bottle. His hobby certainly needs time, patience and a steady hand.

  根据短文内容,选择最佳答案,并在答题卡上按要求作答。

1.What’s their opinion when people first meet Gordon’s hobby?

A. Useful.            B. Traditional.          C. Interesting.         D. Unusual.

2.How did Gordon become interested in this hobby?

  A. He met a craftsman who would like to teach him.

  B. He saw a show of model ships in bottles.

  C. He had a journey to Canada.

  D. He has collected many sailing ships.

3.For Gordon, the most difficult step that he wanted to learn was _______.

  A. to shape the bottle like a ship

  B. to paint the layer of putty like the sea

  C. to get the ship through the neck of the bottle

  D. to put the layer of putty into the bottle

4.Which of the following pictures shows the last step of Gordon’s work?

 

5.Gordon’s new plan is more challenging because he will _______.

  A. build a bigger model ship inside the bottle

  B. build more than one hundred ships

  C. put a bigger model ship inside the bottle

  D. make an aircraft carrier

 

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