Tales From Animal Hospital
David Grant
David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital . Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated ,including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess , the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond . He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day , from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery (外科手术). Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet ,whether it be cat , dog or snake I ! $ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster
ISBN 0751304417
Isaac Newton : The Last Sorcerer
Michael White
Form the author of Stephen Hawking : A Life in Science , comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist . Interesting yet based on fact , Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him . Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic (魔术)ended and science began.
£8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857024168
Fermat’s Last Theorem
Simon Singh
In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem : Fermat’s Last Theorem (定理). First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds , including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem , and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole  Polytechnique . Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995 . An unusual story of human effort over three centuries , Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike .
£12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate
ISBN 1857025210
【小题1】What is Animal Hospital ?

A.A news story .B.A popular book .
C.A research report .D.A TV program .
【小题2】In Michael White’s book , Newton is described as        .
A.a person who did not look the same as in many pictures
B.a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life
C.a great but not perfect man
D.an old-time magician
【小题3】Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text ?
A.To encourage people to raise questions .
B.To cause difficulty in understanding .
C.to provide a person with an explanation .
D.To limit people’s imagination .
【小题4】What is the purpose of writing these three texts ?
A.To make the books easier to read B.To show the importance of science
C.To introduce new authors D.To sell the books .

Some of the best-known names in the entertainment industry have taken part in an unprecedented telethon to help victims of the terrorist attacks in the United States.

    The benefit(义演), called “America: a Tribute to Heroes,” was sponsored by all four major U.S television networks, ABC,CBS, FOIX and NBC. It was broadcast by three-dozen television, cable and radio networks across the country and aired live to more than a hundred countries around the world.

    Hollywood stars joined music entertainers in asking listeners and viewers to pledge cash donations to charities helping the victims of the September 11th attacks.

    Actors, including Tom Hanks, Julia Roberts, tom Cruise and Clint Eastwood, told stories of heroic acts by people who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali made a rare public appearance in show of support. The appeals alternated with performances by such popular entertainers a Bruce Springsteen, Mariah Carey, Steve Wonder, Paul Simon and the rock band U—2. They appeared on stages in New York, Los Angeles and London, decorated with hundreds of burning candles.

    Singer Billy Joel sang “ New York State of Mind” with a New York City firefighter’s hat on his piano. Sting dedicated his song “ Gragile” to a friend who died in the World Trade Center. Stevie Wonder condemned hatred in the name of religion before singing his song “ Love’s in Need of Love today”. Pledge phones were manned by dozens of other celebrities, including Jack Nicholson, Meg Ryan, Whoopic Goldberg, Cindy Crawford, Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone.

    Organizers say the two-hour telethon raised millions of dollars. All participants, from stars to stagehands, worked without pay.

1.Those who appeared on stages were ______.

  A. some best-known names in the USA

  B. some famous singer, film stars and other music entertainers

  C. People who tried to save others from the burning World trade Center and the Pentagon.

  D. Former heavyweight champion Muhammad Ali and Hollywood stars

2.The underlined word “ telethon” most probably means ______.

A. a performance to raise money      

B. a concert held by some television networks

C. a television program which lasts a long time

D. a television program for entertainment

3.Which of the following statements is true?

A. Four major U.S. television networks broadcast the benefit

B. The former heavy weight champion Muhammad Ali sang a song to show his support

C. Billy Joel, wearing a firefighter’s hat, played the piano for the listeners and viewers

D. The organizers, stars and people who worked for the benefit didn’t get any money for themselves.

4.The best title for the news report is ______.

A.U.S Telethon Raises Money for Attack Victims

B. Best-known names Pledge Donations

C. Seeking More Support         

D. More People Join

 

No one else knew about the extra club in Zach Nash’s golf bag. It belonged to a friend, and Zach forgot it was there as he played his way to victory in a junior tournament(锦标赛)last summer in Wisconsin, US.

The 14-year-old accepted his medal, celebrated with his grandparents who had come from a long way to watch. But when he stopped by his country club to share the news, a professional player noticed something wrong. “Count your clubs,” he told the teenager.

Fifteen—one more than allowed. Zach’s eyes filled with tears.

If Zach had just won a basketball championship or a soccer game and someone had discovered a violation after the win, it would not have mattered. It is nothing unusual for a soccer player to dive to the turf to draw fouls(假摔以使对方犯规).

Golf is different. In a win-at-all-costs world, the game holds itself to a higher standard. Golf isn’t a game where referees watch closely. In golf tournaments, dozens of competitors are spread across acres of land, so officials cannot hope to see each shot. Competitors call penalties(处罚)on themselves.

 “It was a sport for gentlemen, and gentlemen did not care about winning. They care about doing the right thing,” said Robert Simon, a golf coach at Hamilton College in New York.

Honesty became a medal of honor. When one of the game’s early stars, Bobby Jones, was praised for calling a penalty on himself at the 1925 US Open, he replied: “You might as well praise a man for not robbing a bank.”

So even the error had no effect on Zach’s final score—he has never used the extra club, the teenager packed up his medal and dropped it in the mail. “But this is golf, and rules are rules. I just knew what I had to do,” he said.   

Then came another tournament. Before teeing off(开球), Zach counted his clubs—four times.

1.What can we infer from the text?  

   A. A friend put an extra club in Zach’s bag.     

   B. Zach returned the medal that he had won.    

   C. Zach’s grandparents encouraged him to play fair.

   D. Zach regretted meeting with the professional player.

2.According to Robert, golf is different from other sports in that ______.

A. honor comes before victory

B. players are superior to coaches

C. referees have to watch each shot     

D. players needn't care about medals

3. What can be learned from the underlined sentence?

   A. One should be praised for not robbing a bank.

B. Bobby looked down upon bank robbers.

C. Little did Bobby care about the penalty.

D. Observing rules demands no praise.

4. Why did Zach count his clubs four times before the following tournament?

A. He remembered the lesson.                                                 B. He lacked self-confidence.

C. He felt a little too nervous.                            

D. He was no good with numbers.

 

 

Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales

  Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).

  As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.

  Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.

  The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.

  Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.

  In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.

  This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.

1.What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

 A. They are small soft rings.

 B. They are not seen from the outside.

 C. They are openings only on food fish.

 D. They are not used to receive sound.

2.Why does the writer compare the fish to trees?

 A. Trees gain a growth ring each day.

 B. Trees also have otoliths.

 C. Their growth rings are very small.

 D. They both have growth rings.

3.Why is it important to study the chemistry of otolith rings?

 A. The elements of the otoliths can tell the history of the sea.

 B. Chemical contents of otoliths can tell how fast fish can swim.

 C. We can know more about fish and their living environment.

 D. Scientists can know exactly how old a fish is.

4.How would you understand “fish scientists are now lending their ears”?

 A. They are very interested in Thorrold’s research findings.

 B. They want to know where they can find fish.

 C. They lend their fish for chemical studies.

 D. They wonder if Thorrold can find growth rings from their ears. 

 

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