The Mysterious Universe

By Ellen Jackson and Nic Bishop

How did the universe begin? How big is it? What is dark matter? Cosmologist(宇宙哲学家)and expert supernova(超新星)hunter Alex Filippenko hopes that supernovas can help us answer some of these questions. But first we’ve got to find them! Join Alex and his team as they go on the hunt with huge telescopes and banks of computers.

The Time and Space of Uncle Albert

By Russell Stannard

What would you say if your uncle asked you whether you would like to go into space? You’d say, “When do I leave?”, just like the girl in this story. Gedanken is speeding across the universe trying to help her uncle answer some questions, such as “How big is space?” and “Where does gravity come from?” Along the way she also discovers how to get heavier without getting fat, how to live forever without knowing it, and the strange things that can happen when you go really fast.

George’s Secret Key to the Universe

By Lucy Hawking and Stephen Hawking

When George chases his pet pig through a hole in the fence, little does he expect that he will soon be riding a comet(彗星)around Saturn(土星). But just as he discovers the joys of space exploration with the computer Cosmos, which can open doors anywhere in the universe, everything starts to go wrong. When George’s lest-favorite teacher steals Cosmos and traps his friend’s dad in a black hole, can George set things right in time?

A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky

By Michael Driscoll

With a telescope or without one, this book can get you started exploring planets, stars and even strange stuff like time, space, and black holes. The universe is a big place, but this book comes with a handy star finder that you can take out with you at night to help you find your way around the stars. Look up and discover the universe!

1.According to the text, Alex Filippenko ______.

A. invented huge telescopes

B. is looking for supernovas

C. doesn’t need many computers

D. knows a lot about dark matter

2.What do we know about George’s Secret Key to the Universe?

A. It is a sad story

B. It is about a pet pig

C. It is a co-authored book

D. It is based on a real life story.

3.Which book would you read if you want to know about gravity?

A. The Mysterious Universe

B. The Time and Space of Uncle Albert

C. George’s Secret Key to the Universe

D. A Child’s Introduction to the Night Sky.

4.What do the four books have in common?

A. They have the same topics?

B. They are intended for adults.

C. They have the same number of characters

D. They leave many questions to the readers

 

The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina is a wake-up call. It is a call for every American to pay attention to the destruction we risk by allowing human-induced(导致的) climate change to continue. It is impossible to prove that Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming, or even that human activities made the storm more severe. However, a paper published in the scholarly journal Nature reports that the force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50% during the last 50 years. It also reports that a global warming-induced rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface has probably contributed to this increase in dangerous storms, and thus to property(财产) damage and human death.

On August 30, the Los Angeles Times summed up(总结) the view of many scientists who agree that if the frequency of hurricanes does not decrease in the next few years, then we will be fairly certain that humans, and not natural storm cycle, are at the root of the problem. I believe there is at least a chance that by reducing U.S. reliance on fossil fuels for energy, we can prevent future tragedies like Hurricane Katrina. Let the change begin now.

There are many ways to reduce the volume of greenhouse gas emissions. My family drives the most fuel-efficient car we can afford, but I prefer to take public transportation whenever possible. My family buys locally grown food instead of produce that was transported thousands of miles on fuel-burning vehicles. We also replaced our incandescent light bulbs(白炽灯泡)with more energy-efficient compact fluorescents(荧光灯). This might sound like a trivial move, but the Union of Concerned Scientists reports that if every household in the United States replaced one incandescent bulb with a compact fluorescent, it would have the same effect on U.S. carbon-dioxide emissions as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads. Now think if every household replaced not just one but all of their incandescent bulbs!

The United States, with just five percent of the world’s population, is responsible for close to one quarter of greenhouse gas emissions worldwide, yet our country is doing far less than most European nations to fight global warming. We don’t have to sacrifice our lifestyles; Europeans enjoy the same standards of living as Americans. So what are we waiting for? It is time to act.

1. Which of the following is a fact?

A.Hurricane Katrina was caused by global warming.

B.Human activities made the storm more severe.

C.The force of dangerous hurricanes has increased by 50 percent during the last 50 years.

D.A global rise in temperature near the ocean’s surface accounts for more dangerous storms.

2.From Paragraph 2 we can infer that many scientists agree ________.

A.it might be human activities that lead to global warming.

B.natural storm cycles have caused global warming.

C.hurricanes are likely to come more frequently.

D.burning fossil fuels for energy is a better alternative.

3. If every household in the U.S. replaced all their incandescent bulbs, ________.

A.it would have the same effect as removing 7.5 million cars from the roads.

B.it would save 7.5 million tons of carbon-dioxide from going into the air.

C.this would reduce the total output of CO?emissions in huge amounts.

D.cars will be much more environmentally friendly.

4. According to the writer,_______in reducing the volume of greenhouse gas emissions.

A.Europe does a better job.

B.Europe should follow the example of America.

C.he, as an European, wants to see more efforts made by Americans.

D.Europeans should shoulder a greater responsibility.

 

(BBC)The "father of the personal computer" who kick-started the careers of Microsoft founders Bill Gates and Paul Allen has died at the age of 68.Dr Henry Edward Roberts was the inventor of the Altair 8800, a machine that led to the home computer age.

Gates and Allen contacted Dr Roberts after seeing the machine on the front cover of a magazine and offered to write software for it.The program was known as Altair-Basic, the foundation of Microsoft's business."Ed was willing to take a chance on us - two young guys interested in computers , and we have always been thankful to him," the Microsoft founders said in a statement.

Apple co-founder Steve Wozniak told technology website CNET that Dr Roberts had taken " a critically important step that led to everything we have today".

Dr Roberts was the founder of Micro Instrumentation and Telemetry Systems (MITS), originally set up to sell electronics parts to model rocket hobbyists.The company went on to sell electronic calculator parts, but was soon overshadowed by bigger firms.

In the mid-1970's, with the firm struggling with debt, Dr Roberts began to develop a computer kit(配套零件) for hobbyists.The result was the Altair 8800.The $395 kit (around £1,000 today) was featured on the cover of Popular Electronics in 1975, resulting in a flood of orders.

Among those interested in the machine were Paul Allen and Bill Gates.The pair contacted Dr Roberts, offering to write software that would help people program the machine.The pair finally moved to Albuquerque - the home of MITS - where they founded Micro-Soft, to develop their software.

Dr Roberts sold his company in 1977.He died in hospital on 1 April after a long period of pneumonia (肺炎) .

1.Why did Dr Roberts probably decide to sell his company?

         A.Because he was in heavy debt in the mid-1980's.

         B.Because he wanted to take a chance on Gates and Allen.

         C.Because he wanted to develop a computer kit for hobbyists.

         D.Because he had difficulty competing with big companies.

2.What do we know about MITS?

         A.It was set up by Steve Wozniak.

         B.It sold electronics parts to big firms.

         C.It is located in Albuquerque.

         D.It is a technology website.

3.We can learn that Popular Electronics is likely to be  ____.

         A.a newspaper                    B.a magazine  

         C.a Website                 D.an organization

4.What is the best title of this passage?

         A.The story of the Altair 8800

         B.The founder of MITS

         C.Father of the personal computer died

         D.The story of Dr Roberts

 

Is it time to kick Russia out of the BRICs (金砖四国)? If so, it may end up sounding like a famous ball-point pen maker-BIC. An argument is being made that Goldman Sach’s famous marketing device(策略),the BRICs, should really be the BICs.

“Is Russia really worth the name BRICs?” asks Anders Aslund, senior fellow at the Peterson Institute for International Economics, in an article for Foreigh Policy. Aslund, who is also co-author with Andrew Kuchins of “The Russian Balance Sheet”, thinks the Russia of Putin and Medvedev is just not worthy of inclusion alongside Brazil, India and China in the list of future economic powerhouses. He writes:

“The country’s economic performance has fallen to such a weak level that one must ask whether it has any say at all on the global economy, compared with the other members of its group. I have just returned from Moscow, which is always dull around this season. For the last seven years, Russia has taken very few measures to improve its economy. Instead, the state has been living on oil and gas. ”

Economically, Aslund has the numbers on his side. The International Monetary Fund figures that the Russian economy will fall by 6.7 percent in 2009, while China will grow 8.5 percent and India 5.4 percent. There is less of a case for Brazil, with a fall of 0.7 percent, but it is still doing

far better than Russia.

But the BRICs are not just about economy. As is mentioned above, it is a marketing device to encourage investors to focus on the big promising players. From an investment standpoint, it could be argued that Russia is leading the BRICs. Its stock(股票)market is up 128 percent this year while around 80 percent is for the other three.

At very least, however, Russia’s economic underperformance and stock market outperfoumance does suggest it is indeed one of the group.

1.According to the passage, which country will enjoy the biggest increase in 2009?

A.China.

B.Russia.

C.Brazil.

D.India.

2.According to Aslund, Russia shouldn’t be a BRIC partly because_______.

A.Russia’s economic performance is far worse than the other three

B.Russia’s leaders are not good at managing economy

C.Russia has taken effective measures to improve its economy

D.Russia will no longer attract investors from other countries

3.From the passage we know that ________.

A.Anders Aslund is working for the Russian government

B.Russia outperfoumed the other three countries in stock market

C.most people disagree Russia is included in BRICs

D.the BRICs would end up being the BICs sooner or later

4.The author seems to ________.

A.suggest it’s time to kick Russia out of the BRICs?

B.feel worried about the economy of the BRICs

C.think Russia is worth being one of the group

D.show disappointment to Russia’s economy

 

Edinburgh Mela

Time: 25th – 31st August 2008

Tel / Fax: 0131 557 1400

E-mail: info@edinburgh-mela.co.uk

Website: www.edinburgh-mela.co.uk

Each year Edinburgh Mela is Scotland's biggest multicultural(多文化的) arts festival that celebrates in Scotland. Although Edinburgh Mela's roots are in South Asian cultures, this is a festival for everybody. Music, color, dance, art, fashion, food, children's activities, the Mela bazaar(集市)and much more!

Edinburgh International Book Festival

Time: 9th – 25th August 2008

Tel: 0131 718 5666

Fax: 0131 226 5335

E-mail: admin@edbookfest.co.uk

Website: www.edbookfest.co.uk

Edinburgh International Book Festival is the world's biggest book festival. We present different programs for both adults and children including discussions, lectures, debates and workshops, all in one of Edinburgh's most beautiful spaces, Charlotte Square Gardens.

Edinburgh International Festival

Time: 8th – 31st August 2008

Tel: + 44 (0) 131 473 2000

Fax: +44 (0) 131 473 2002

E-mail: eif@eif.co.uk

Website: www.eif@eif.co.uk

Each year the Edinburgh International Festival stages one of the greatest celebrations of the arts, attracting audiences from around the world to the city's exciting atmosphere. The festivities offer a special opportunity to experience the excitement of live performance by internationally well-known artists as well as the joy of discovering new and unfamiliar works.

Edinburgh International Science Festival

Time: 25th March-5th April 2008

Tel: 0131 558 7666                                

Fax: 0131 557 9177

E-mail: esf@scifest.demon.co.uk

Website: www.sciencefestival.co.uk

The UK's largest Science Festival is back with one of the most exciting line-ups in the Festival's 16-year history. The Science Festival is an unbelievable place for everyone, with events at all levels, all ages and all purses. On offer are 10 days of non-stop shows, workshops, presentations, hands-on activities, exhibitions and tours designed to amuse and entertain. Call our ticket hotline on 0131 557 5588.

1.According to the passage, the four festivals         .

A. are all about arts                      B. all happen in 2008 only

C. are all celebrated in Edinburgh D. are all mainly for children

2. What do we know about Edinburgh Mela?

A. It is deeply rooted in Edinburgh.      

B. It is a place to buy and sell things.

C. It shows kinds of cultures in Scotland.    

D. It offers a chance for you to buy books.

3. How many ways are available for you to get the information about each festival?

A. Only one.   B. Two.   C. Three.       D. Four.

 

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