题目内容

Improve the world around you

You may think that inventions are far away from your everyday life. But in fact, almost everyone can invent. It’s just that they do not recognize that their idea could be the start of an invention.

Once inventors see their ideas have some practical value, they don’t let them slip away.

For example, the inventor of the dishwasher, American Josephine Cochrane, loved to give dinner parties. But she found it took too long to wash her dishes by hand and too many of them broke. She decided that a machine could do the job faster and with fewer mistakes. So, in 1886, she set out to make one for herself.

Like Cochrane’s, most inventions are created to solve a problem. So, the first and most important step is to find the problem.

You can start by looking at what is wrong with things you use now. You can ask grandparents or neighbors if they remember ever saying:I wish someone would invent something for…”Or you can look at people in different areas such as on the street, or at school. Then you might notice situations or things in need of improvement.

Remember to record your ideas and work. This will help you develop your invention and protect it when it is completed.

The next step is to think about possible solutions. An invention is a new way of solving a problem. So think of many, varied, and unusual ways.

You can often come up with a solution for a problem by looking at it from a different angle(角度)or thinking about it in a new way.

Example 1instead of thinking of shoes as protecting your feet from the ground, think of using something to protect the ground from your feet.

Example 2instead of thinking about how you can carry oranges home from a store, think of how they can come to you by delivery or growing your own.

Example 3instead of experimenting with only one solution, can you put two or three solutions together, or arrange them in different orders?

And if one solution doesn’t work, can it be put to other uses? That was how yellow post-it notes(N次贴) came abouta failedadhesive(粘合剂)experiment proved a weak adhesive had good uses too!

After all, most inventions are not brand new. They do not come out of nowhere, but come out of things or ideas that already exist(存在).

And the hardest part of inventing, even for a lot of inventors, is coming up with a problem and finding a solution. Once you have an idea, you can always get help building your invention.

This problem-solving technique can also work in your everyday lives. So, why not try it in your studies, in your relationship with others, or even in the way you look at the world?

1. The main idea of this story is________________.

A. how to improve the world around you

B. that you can invent and how you will be able to do so

C. problem-solving technique

D. how inventors invent

2. What makes inventors different from other people is probably that________________.

A. they consider every new idea as an invention

B. they are full of creative ideas

C. they enjoy solving problems

D. they look for problems and try to solve them in a new and better way

3. What made Josephine Cochrane decide to invent the dishwasher?

A. Her love of parties.

B. Her dislike of dishwashing.

C. Her desire for something that could do the dishwashing better.

D. Her love of inventing.

4. Which of the following is one of the ways to find a problem?

A. Look at the world from a different angle.

B. Find out things that people are not satisfied with.

C. Do experiments.

D. Never let a practical idea slip away.

5. The underlined phrasecome aboutprobably means to________________.

A. come into being                    B. put to use

C. work                               D. become

 

答案:BDCBA
提示:

1. B  通读全文可知文章主要讲的是B.

2. D  发明家与其他人的区别在于D。

3. C  参见原文第三段。

4. B  参见原文第五段。

5. A  come about 的意思是形成

 


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请阅读下面应用文和相关信息,按照要求进行匹配,并在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

    首先,请阅读下列广告信息:

A. ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTER

Classes for beginners for 3 months.

Focus on grammar as well as writing and oral English.

3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Small classes with maximum 8 students

Course fee: $300(10% discount for the first to enroll)

Tel: 22325445

B. HALIFAX PLAYHOUSE

Ring’s Cross Street, Halifax.

Oct. 10th –17th on Golden Pond by Emest Thompson.

This is a magical comedy about real people. A well-acted play for everyone.

Don’t miss it.

Performances:7:30 p.m.

Admission:$3.

Tel:3659 9988

C:LONDON COLLEGE OF ENGLISH

Classes for foreign students of all levels.

3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year course.

Focus on spoken language.

Open through all year from 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p.m.

Small class with maximum 12 students.

Course fee for English for one year: $1,200

Discount at shorter period of study.

Tel: 22342381

D:EXHIBITIONS OF OIL PAINTINGS

Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Art

A combination of Eastern and Western Art

8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. from January 3th to 19th

Admission:$2 for adults, $1 for students

Tel:33569875

E: WESTERN ART SHOW

China National Art Museum

  European modern art, Chinese art and African ancient art.

Open from 7:30 am to 4:00pm from January 6 th to 20 th

 Admission: $3 for adults, $1.5 for middle school students.

 Tel:25545569

F: GRAND THEATRE

Oxford Street, Leeds.

Restaurant and Café.

Sept. 1-19

Admission: Tues-Thurs. $2-6; Fri. & Sat. $4-8

Sue Townsend’s musical play.

Performances: Evenings 7:45. October 10-17, at 2:30 p.m. No Monday performance.

All kinds of drinks offered

Tel: 52011611

然后请阅读下列Wendy 等人的信息,并匹配各人所需要联系的电话号码:

Wendy, a student who is interested in comedy and performing, happens to be free on Oct. 12th and wants to relax herself by enjoying some performances, but she has no more than $4.

Carol happens to be free on October 15th and plans to enjoy some performances while having a cup of coffee.

Jenny,a student who is a major in art is interested in Italian art as well as Chinese ,will be  free after school at 4:30.

Tom will go to study in the USA for a master’s degree. He wants to have a full-time special training for several months to improve his oral English.

Mark,a worker of an export company,needs to improve his writing and oral English. He can only go to the training class after work every day.

56. Wendy             A. 22325445

57 .Carol                     B. 3659 9988

58. Jenny                     C. 22342381

59.Tom                 D. 33569875

60. Mark                     E. 25545569

                                   F. 52011611

The National Outline for Medium and Long Term Education Reform and Development (2010 - 20) was released over the weekend. Here are some of the highlights:

Four – percent effort

The government says spending on education will be 4 percent of GDP by 2012. globally, average spending on education is about 4.5% of GDP. China spend 3,33% in 2008. according to Hu Angang, of Tsinghua University’s Center for China Studies, even if China reaches that goal, it will only rank about 100 th out of 188 countries.

Administrative rank

Administrative rankings for school leaders are to be phased out to tackle the bureaucracy (官僚机构) problem that limits educational development, according to Cheng Fangping, of the national Institute for Educational Research. Areas like teaching programs, scientific research, and technological development will be more independent.

Vocational Education

The system will be free of charge. According to Wu Yan, of Beijing Institute of Educational Sciences, this will be key to developing China’s production capacity and will improve poor people’s lives dramatically.

Entering college

    Universities could eventually have the freedom to choose some of their own high school applicants. Normally, students are accepted based on the uniform national exam scores. Also, students who agree to go to a remote area could be admitted to university under special circumstances. The most likely change could come on the college entrance English test, which might be modeled on the IELTS or TOEFL. Students will be able to take it several times and pick their best score.

56.Which of the following is true in the future according to the passage?

      A.Applicants could take the IELTS or TOEFL instead of the college entrance English test.

       B.Colleges will be given the right to choose all of their own applicants.

       C.Vocational education will be party free to make people’s lives better.

       D.Applicants could sit for the college entrance English test more than once.

57.Which of the following words is closest in meaning to “uniform” in the last paragraph?

       A.formal      B.official     C.same D.united

58.We can learn from the passage even though our country spends 4% of GDP on education in 2012,          .

       A.there will still be 188 countries ahead of China in this aspect

       B.China will certainly overtake the global average spending on education

       C.there might be nearly 100 countries ahead of China in this aspect

       D.China will be the 100 th country to spend over the global average on education

59.From the third paragraph, we can infer that         .

      A.school leaders will have more freedom to manage the school

       B.schools will have more limits from the government

       C.School administrative rankings are to be strengthened to solve the bureaucracy problem

       D.schools and research centers will be fully independent from the government

Over three million people will do their Christmas shopping entirely online this year without once visiting an actual shop, a poll (民意调查) has found. Overcrowding and long queues in shops are forcing people away from the high street as the hassle (烦扰) of Christmas shopping becomes too much.

The number of people turning their backs on the high street is almost one million higher than it was last year, according to the poll by YouGov. Last Christmas 2.4 million shoppers did not do any of their shopping in actual shops. The figure this year is predicted to be around 3.4 million, equal to around 7 percent of the adult population.

Over a third of people said that the main turn-off about shopping on the high street is 0ver-crow-ding. Meanwhile almost a quarter said that long queues at the cheek-out are the worst thing about it.

Of the 2.065 people pored, even those who are stir taking to the shops plan to spend less time in them this Christmas. Around 31 percent of shoppers who plan to spend at least some time on the high street will spend less than half of their shopping time in actual shops, using the rest of the time to shop remotely via the internet. This compares to 28 percent of people last year. Meanwhile the proportion of people spending over half of their shopping time in high street shops has dropped from 41 percent last year to 39 percent this year. Just 2 percent of people said that they are looking forward to dealing wi.th store staff this festival season.

Guy Boxall, senior product marketing manager at Casio Business Solutions Division, which commissioned the research from YouGov, said that despite the fall in people visiting the high street,humans are "social creatures" who actually like spending time together.

"Although the high street is facing a big challenge Christmas, retailers (零售商) should see this research as a challenge to improve the in-store shopping experience, rather than the nail in the coffin. We are social creatures, and the desire to spend time with each other, particularly at Christmas, is never going to go away," said Mr. Boxall.

1.According to the poll, in this year's Christmas       

A.about 7 % of the population will do both online and actual shopping

B.about 31% of shoppers will do half of their shopping in actual shops

C.about 39% of shoppers will do more than half of their shopping in actual shops

D.over three million shoppers will quit actual shopping just because of the long queues

2.What's the meaning of "turn-off" in Para.5?

A.Something that makes people lose heart

B.Something that makes people lose face

C.Something that makes people lose interest

D.Something that makes people lose courage

3.It can be inferred from Mr. Boxall's words that                                                                                                   

A.retailers should reduce their in-store goods.

B.retailers wiR be pessimistic about the result of this research.

C.retailers should focus on the advantage of in-store shopping.

D.retailers will make more profits this Christmas than last Christmas

4.Wheat's the writer's attitude towards Christmas online shopping?

A.Concerned.        B.Doubtful.          C.Approving.        D.Objective.

 

A plane crash in Western Russian killed Polish President Lech Kaczynski and the other 96 political and military officials on board on April 10. The accident has led to huge national mourning in Poland. But it may provide an opportunity for reconciliation (和解) between Poland and Russia, countries that have a troubled relationship.

Many from the political elite were lost in the crash. Beside the president, the dead include the army chief of Staff, the head of National Security Bureau, the national bank president, the deputy foreign minister and other members of parliament.

The Polish delegation was heading to Russia to mark the 70 th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre (屠杀) when the accident occurred. In 1940, about 22,000 Polish soldiers, intellectuals, and officials captured after the Soviet Army invaded Poland in 1939, were killed secretly by Soviet police in the forest of Russia’s Katyn.

The Katyn Massacre had been a sensitive topic between the countries. The former Soviet Union always denied responsibility for the massacre. It was not until 1992 that Russian released archived documents about the killing.

Katyn is merely a short chapter in Poland and Russia’s long and troubled history. In the 18 th century, along with Prussia, (then an important part of Germany) and Austria. Russia participated in three carve – ups of Poland. In 1795, after the third carve – up, the country was erased from the map of Europe. It was in 1918 that Poland regained its independence. But in 1939, at the beginning of the World War II, it was invaded by Germany and the Soviet Union under a secret pact. After the war, Poland became a communist country with close ties to the Soviet Union.

In 1989, Poland switched to capitalism and pursued a pro – West position. The most recent tension between the two countries was in 2008. That year, Poland decided to have a US missile shield (导弹防御系统) on its soil, while neighboring Russia threatened to aim missiles at Poland.

But the plane crash has created a chance for reconciliation, with Russia sharing the sadness of Poland. Russia has declared April 12 a day of mourning for the victims. Flags flew at half – mast in Moscow. And earlier on April 7, Russia Prime Minister Vladimir Putin became the first Russian leader to mark the anniversary of the massacre.

“I think it should improve relations between the two countries, as Russians feel our grief,” said Radek Sikorski, Pland’s foreign minister.

66.Put the following events in order of time.

①The Katyn Massacre

②Poland switched to capitalism.

③Russia divided Poland with Austria and Prussia.

④Poland became a communist country.

⑤Poland was invaded by the Soviet Army.

A.③①④⑤② B.③⑤①④②  C.①③⑤④②  D.①⑤②④③

67.After the accident, which of the following did Russia do to share the sadness of Poland?

A.Flags were lowed to half – mast in the capital city of Russia.

B.Russia threatened to aim missiles at Poland.

C.Russia declared the day when the accident happened a day of mourning for the victims.

D.Vladimir Putin marked the anniversary of the massacre.

68.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A.The Katyn Massacre was the very beginning of Poland and Russia’s trouble relationship.

B.In 1939 about 22,000 Polish soldiers, intellectuals, and officials were killed by Soviet police in the forest of Russia’s Katyn.

C.Altogether 96 political and military officials were killed in the accident.

D.The relationship between Poland and Russia has not always been tense since the three carve – ups of Poland in the 18 th century.

69.It can be conclude from the article that        .

A.the relationship between Poland and Russia will be even tenser than before

B.Poland will cancel its plan to mark the anniversary of the Katyn Massacre

C.no Russian leaders have marked the anniversary of the massacre before, though Russia released the truth in 1992.

D.Poland will forgive Russians, for they showed great sympathy after the accident.

70.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.The troubled relationship between Russia and Poland.

B.Poland and Russia united by tragedy.

C.The 70 th anniversary of the Katyn Massacre.

D.A plane crash killing Polish president.

 

第二节:信息匹配(共5小题;每小题2分,满分10分)

请阅读下面应用文和相关信息,按照要求进行匹配,并在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。

首先,请阅读下列广告信息:

A. ENGLISH LANGUAGE CENTER

Classes for beginners for 3 months.

Focus on grammar as well as writing and oral English.

3:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.

Small classes with maximum 8 students

Course fee: $300(10% discount for the first to enroll)

Tel: 22325445

B. HALIFAX PLAYHOUSE

Ring’s Cross Street, Halifax.

Oct. 10th –17th on Golden Pond by Emest Thompson.

This is a magical comedy about real people. A well-acted play for everyone.

Don’t miss it.

Performances:7:30 p.m.

Admission:$3.

Tel:3659 9988

C:LONDON COLLEGE OF ENGLISH

Classes for foreign students of all levels.

3 months, 6 months, 9 months and 1 year course.

Focus on spoken language.

Open through all year from 8:00 a. m. to 5:00 p.m.

Small class with maximum 12 students.

Course fee for English for one year: $1,200

Discount at shorter period of study.

Tel: 22342381

D:EXHIBITIONS OF OIL PAINTINGS

Gallery of the Central Academy of Fine Art

A combination of Eastern and Western Art

8:00 am to 5:00 p.m. from January 3th to 19th

Admission:$2 for adults, $1 for students

Tel:33569875

E: WESTERN ART SHOW

China National Art Museum

European modern art, Chinese art and African ancient art.

Open from 7:30 am to 4:00pm from January 6 th to 20 th

Admission: $3 for adults, $1.5 for middle school students.

Tel:25545569

F: GRAND THEATRE

Oxford Street, Leeds.

Restaurant and Café.

Sept. 1-19

Admission: Tues-Thurs. $2-6; Fri. & Sat. $4-8

Sue Townsend’s musical play.

Performances: Evenings 7:45. October 10-17, at 2:30 p.m. No Monday performance.

All kinds of drinks offered

Tel: 52011611

然后请阅读下列Wendy 等人的信息,并匹配各人所需要联系的电话号码:

56. Wendy, a student who is interested in comedy and performing, happens to be free on Oct. 12th and wants to relax herself by enjoying some performances, but she has no more than $4.

57 Carol happens to be free on October 15th and plans to enjoy some performances while having a cup of coffee.

58. Jenny,a student who is a major in art is interested in Italian art as well as Chinese ,will be  free after school at 4:30.

59.Tom will go to study in the USA for a master’s degree. He wants to have a full-time special training for several months to improve his oral English.

60.Mark,a worker of an export company,needs to improve his writing and oral English. He can only go to the training class after work every day.

56. Wendy            A. 22325445

57 .Carol                     B. 3659 9988

58. Jenny                        C. 22342381

59.Tom                    D. 33569875

60. Mark                     E. 25545569

F. 52011611

 

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