Few of us make money by losing sleep．But three graduate students at Brown University in Providence built a company around sleep deprivation(睡眠不足)．
Jason Donahue, Ben Rubin and Eric Shashoua were working late nights in Brown’s business and engineering schools．They began thinking about ways to sleep better．They discovered they weren’t alone in burning the midnight oil．Around 20％ of Americans get less than six hours of rest a night．
The friends imagined a smart alarm clock that could track how much time people spend in the most restorative(有回复作用的)stages of the sleep cycle：REM(rapid eye movement)and deep sleep．What would it cost to design such a thing? Five years of research, 20 employees, ＄14 million and a whole lot of doubting from investors and scientists．
Their company, Zeo, based in Newton, Mass, launched its product in June, 2009．The Zeo device uses a headband with tiny sensors(传感器)that scan your brain for signs of four sleep states －REM, light, deep and waking sleep．The smart alarm clock displays a graph of your sleep pattern and wakes you as you’re not in REM sleep(which is when you’re least groggy)．In the morning you can upload the data to the company’s Web site, and so track your sleep over time．Most of the feedback comes in the form of Zeo’s ZQ score showing how well you’ve slept．
“Zeo allows people to unlock this black box of sleep,” says Dave Dickinson, a health-care CEO．
Whether any of this actually improves sleep is up to the consumer, who will also need to make lifestyle changes like cutting out alcohol before bedtime or caffeine after 3 pm．
For now the company is selling Zeo online only．Dickinson also plans to spread it to countries such as Australia, where sleep deprivation approaches US levels．
(1)
Who will support Zeo?
[ ]
A．
People full of imagination．
B．
People suffering sleeping problems．
C．
People having access to the Internet．
D．
People having bad lifestyles．
(2)
Why did the three graduate students imagine a smart alarm clock?
[ ]
A．
To wake them up on time in the morning．
B．
To earn enough money for their study．
C．
To improve the quality of people’s sleep．
D．
To enjoy their life while working at night．
(3)
To design the Zeo device, the three graduate students _________．
[ ]
A．
spent much time and money
B．
were widely supported by scientists
C．
worked by themselves all the time
D．
attracted many investors
(4)
What can we know from the passage?
[ ]
A．
Zeo has a direct effect on users’ lifestyles．
B．
It needs more personal efforts to make Zeo function better．
C．
A large quantity of Zeo devices have been sold in Australia．
D．
Consumers can go to the Zeo company to purchase Zeo in person．
A few days ago, he was just Colonel(上校)Yang; few people knew his name or recognized his face．But last Thursday, when he came back to the earth after a 21-hour trip to space, Yang Liwei’s smile was seen across the world above the magic words：“China’s first spaceman”．
The 38-year-old astronaut was sent into space at 9 a. m．Last Wednesday by China’s Shenzhou Ⅴ spacecraft, which orbited the earth 14 times．He landed safely at 6∶23 a. m．The next day, making China the third country successfully send a person into space, after the former Soviet Union and the US．
Yang was satisfied with his job．“I have seen many landing scenes before on video, and I think ours was one of the most successful, ”He said on a special plane to Beijing after landing．Born into an ordinary family in Liaoning Province, he became a pilot in the Chinese Air Force in 1987, spending 1350 hours in the air．He joined the Chinese space programme 11 years later．
While in space, Yang recorded everything he saw as well as showing China’s national flag and the United Nations’ flag to the people watching on TV at home．He also ate a meal of diced chicken and fried rice, before taking a 3-hour nap．The whole project went according to plan, but space exploration is not as easy as it seems．
Anyone who saw the destruction of the US space shuttle Columbia in February this year will know that Yang took a great risk．
He experienced extremely high temperatures, while the gravitation(重力)on take-off and landing were strong enough to force tears from his eyes．
He has spent five years training to become a spaceman．
“I eat all of my meals at the space programme’s dinning room and have never been able to take my son to kindergarten, ”he said．“I’ve never met his teachers．”
But becoming China’s first spaceman has made all the effort worthwhile．
“When I boarded the spacecraft for the first time, I couldn’t help feeling excited,” he said．“I decided that I had to fly it．”
To Chinese people, Yang is now a hero．One visitor to a Xinhua news agency online forum(网上论坛)said, “Yang’s trip is a giant leap forward for China．”
Officials say the next Shenzhou will be launched by 2005．China also plans to develop spacewalking and a space lab．
(1)
What is the main idea of the story?
[ ]
A．
China’s first manned flight．
B．
A hero with great courage．
C．
The first Chinese man in space．
D．
How Yang Liwei became China’s first spaceman．
(2)
How long did each of Yang’s orbits take on average?
[ ]
A．
1 hour．
B．
1.5 hours．
C．
6 hours．
D．
The story didn’t mention it．
(3)
Why did the writer mention the gravitation forces on take-off and landing?
[ ]
A．
Because it was the most dangerous part of the space flight．
B．
Because it was a very special experience．
C．
To stress how much training he had to do to prepare for the flight．
D．
To show that Yang is brave．
(4)
Why did the writer use “giant leap” in the title?
[ ]
A．
Because the space flight marked China’s great progress in the field of space exploration．
B．
Because Neil Armstrong said it was a “giant leap” for mankind when he first set foot on the moon．
C．
Because the space flight was a huge success．
D．
Both A and B．
(5)
This passage is most likely to appear in __________．
[ ]
A．
newspaper
B．
textbook
C．
science magazines
D．
biographies(传记)
阅读理解
When Joe Bates was twelve years old, he lost interest in school．He stopped listening in his classes．Some of his teachers began to consider him a problem．
But a few of Joe’s teachers thought that Joe might have lost interest in schoolwork because he already understood it．They proposed that Joe try taking a university class in computer science．Joe did．He was the best student in the class．Later tests showed that his intelligence and knowledge were far greater than most children of his age．He entered university when he was thirteen, about four years earlier than most children．And by the time he was in his early twenties, Joe was teaching computer science at a university．
Joe’s story shows what can happen when a child’s unusual ability is recognized．Sadly, however, not all gifted children get this recognition．And educational experts say unusually gifted children may waste their abilities if they do not get help to develop them．
Studies show that almost twenty percent of students who fail to complete high school in the United States are gifted children．
This is because gifted children can have special problems as well as special abilities．Teachers may not recognize their abilities or may not know how to keep them interested．Or they may consider such students to be troublemakers or rebels．
Gifted children may feel lonely or different because they do not know other children who share their interests．
Educators say there are more than two million gifted children in the United States today．But they say fewer than half are taking part in special education programs designed for them．
One of the most successful programs is held every summer at John Hopkins University in the state of Maryland, where Joe Bates went to school．It started in 1980 when educators saw that there must be many children like Joe．
At first, only 100 children took part in it, and now more than 1,000 children between the ages of nine and sixteen are students in the summer program．
The John Hopkins program provides studies in math and science．It also has classes for children with unusual ability in language and writing．The children study the same subject every day for several weeks．It could be biology, or history, or English literature．In those few weeks, they learn as much as in a normal nine-month school year．
William Durden, the director says the program succeeds because it permits children to make progress more quickly than in a traditional program．And the children get to meet others like themselves．
(1)
Joe Bates stopped listening in his classes because ________．
[ ]
A．
he lost interest in school
B．
he hated those teachers who considered him a problem
C．
he had already understood what he was taught
D．
he wanted to take a university class
(2)
When a child’s unusual ability is recognized, ________．
[ ]
A．
he can do whatever he likes
B．
he will no longer be considered to be a troublemaker or rebel
C．
he may have more success than most children of his age
D．
he will certainly take part in a special education program
(3)
According to the passage, the most important thing is to ________．
[ ]
A．
recognize and develop gifted children’s unusual abilities
B．
design and support special education programs for gifted children
C．
help gifted children get to meet others who share their interests
D．
encourage gifted children instead of treating them as a problem when they lost interest in school
(4)
Quite a lot of gifted students fail to complete high school in the United States because ________．
[ ]
A．
they take part in traditional education programs
B．
their unusual abilities are not recognized
C．
their teachers don’t know how to keep them interested in schoolwork
D．
they have special problems as well as special abilities．
阅读理解
Many people like the feeling of the gentle wind in spring．Many like to see the falling leaves dancing in the wind in autumn．But sometimes, when the wind becomes a storm, it can be very destructive(毁灭性的)．
A series of such storms struck the US last month and caused very serious damage and human pain．
Every year, major storms cause many problems around the world．There is nothing people can do to stop these powerful forces of nature．But new techniques are helping scientists to predict(预测)how, when, and where big storms will happen．The more exact scientists' warnings are, the better people can prepare for the storms．
Predictions are improving．“We've gotten better over the years, especially the last few years,”says Phil Klotzback, a scientist at an American university．How is a storm formed? Even if scientists know where a storm will happen, winds can suddenly change, carrying the storm to a new direction．“For a hurricane to happen, conditions have to be just right,”Klotzback says．
First, the ocean water needs to be warm enough so that it evaporates and rises into the air．As it rises, the vapor(水蒸气)cools and turns back into liquid．This process gives off heat．This produces energy like an engine that causes winds to increase．It drives the formation(形成)of a hurricane．
If wind speeds reach 40 miles per hour, the system is called a“tropical storm”(热带风暴), and it gets a name．At 75 miles per hour, it becomes a hurricane．
Hurricanes that hit the US start when a thunderstorm forms off the coast of Africa．Storms also develop over tropical waters in other parts of the world．
On average, 60 or 70 storms form off Africa every year．About 10 of them get names．There are usually about six hurricanes．Two tend to be very big, with winds of 115 miles per hour or higher．
The hurricane season lasts from June to November．Ninety percent of all hurricanes hit in August, September, and October．
(1)
According to the passage, hurricanes usually ________．
[ ]
A．
form off the coast of Africa and America
B．
travel at 40 miles per hour and get its name
C．
hit parts of the world in summer and autumn
D．
cause sea winds to rise and blow over the sea
(2)
The underlined word“evaporates”(in Paragraph 5)probably means“________”．
[ ]
A．
begins to move
B．
changes into a gas
C．
becomes hot
D．
gets lost
(3)
Which of the following about the information of a hurricane is in the correct order?
a．The ocean water evaporates and goes into the air．
b．Heat creates energy and causes winds to increase．
c．The vapor cools．
d．The ocean water is warm enough．
e．The vapor changes back into liquid．
f．This course gives out heat．
[ ]
A．
a, d, e, b, c, f
B．
a, b, c, f, d, e
C．
d, a, b, c, e, f
D．
d, a, c, e, f, b
(4)
Which of the following statements is NOT true?
[ ]
A．
One out of six or seven storms get names．
B．
Every year at least 60 storms form off Africa．
C．
The speed of the biggest two hurricanes reaches 115miles per hour．
D．
About one third of the hurricanes tend to be very big．
阅读理解
A few days ago I asked my son's governess(女家庭教师)Julia to come into my study．“Be seated, Julia,”I said, “Let's settle our accounts．I guess you most likely need some money, but maybe you're too polite to mention it．Now then, we agreed on thirty dollars a month…”
“Forty．”
“No, thirty．I made a note of it．I always pay our governess thirty．Well, um, you've been here two months, so…”
“Two months and five days．”
“Exactly two months．I made a special note of it．That means you have sixty dollars coming to you．Take off nine Sundays…you know you didn't work with Tom on Sundays, you only took walks．And three holidays…”Julia was biting her finger nail nervously, her face red, but－not a word．
“Three holidays, therefore take off twelve dollars．Four days Tom was sick and there were no lessons, as you were occupied(从事)only with Dick．Three days you had a toothache and my wife gave you permission not to work after lunch．Twelve and seven-nineteen．Take nineteen off…that leaves…hmm…forty one dollars．Correct?”
Julia's left eye reddened with tears welling up．Her chin trembled; she coughed nervously and blew her nose, but－still not a word．
“Around New Year's Day you broke a teacup and a saucer; take off two dollars．The cup cost more, it was a treasure of the family, but － forget it．When didn't I take a loss! Then, due to your neglect(疏忽), Tom climbed a tree and tore his jacket; take away ten．Also due to your carelessness the maid stole Dick's shoes．You ought to watch everything! You get paid for it．So, that means five more dollars off．The tenth of January I gave ten dollars．”
“You didn't．” sobbed Julia．
“But I made a note of it．”
“Well…if you say so．”
“Take twenty seven from forty one－that leaves fourteen．”
Both her eyes were filled with tears．Beads of sweat stood on the thin pretty little nose．Poor girl!
“Only once was I given any money,” she whispered, her voice trembling, “and that was by your wife．Three dollars, nothing more．”
“Really? You see now, and I didn't know that! Take three from fourteen－that leaves eleven．Here's your money, my dear．Three, three, three, one and one．Here it is!”
I handed her eleven dollars．She took them and pocketed them．
“Merci(法语：谢谢),”she whispered．
I jumped to my feet and started pacing the room．I was overcome with anger．“For what, this ‘merci'?” I asked．
“For the money．”
“But you know I've cheated you－robbed you! I have actually stolen from you! Why this ‘merci'?”
“In my other places they didn't give me anything at all．”
“They didn't give you anything? No wonder! I played a little joke on you, a cruel lesson, just to teach you．．．I m going to give you all the eighty dollars! Here they are in the envelope all ready for you．．．Is it really possible to be so spineless(懦弱)?Why didn't you protest? Why were you silent? Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws(爪)－to be such a fool?”
Embarrassed, she smiled．And I could read her expression, “It is possible．”
I asked her pardon for the cruel lesson and, to her great surprise, gave her the eighty dollars．She murmured her little “merci” several times and went out．I looked after her and thought, “How easy it is to crush(压榨)the weak in this world !”
(1)
What shocked the writer was Julia's ________．
[ ]
A．
nervousness in front of her boss
B．
acceptance of injustice(不公平)
C．
shyness when talking about money
D．
unwilling to express herself
(2)
The writer said, “Is it possible in this world to be without teeth and claws?” He was actually telling the governess ________．
[ ]
A．
to be more aggressive(侵略的)
B．
to be more careful in her work
C．
to protect her right
D．
to live independently
(3)
At the end of the story, the writer said, “How easy it is to crush the weak in this world!” to show ________．
[ ]
A．
his understanding of Julia's anxiety
B．
his worry about Julia's future
C．
his concern on the living condition of working - class people
D．
his sympathy(同情)for the mental state of the weak
(4)
From the story, we can tell that Julia's employer was ________．
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