题目内容
While only about 200 astronauts have had the excitement of looking down at Earth and commanding systems on the International Space Station, actually thousands of everyday middle-school students have experienced by Middle School Students, or EarthKAM, a camera system.
EarthKAM is an educational activity and outreach(扩展)investigation that also results in temote Earth sensing and observation. Using the Internet, the students control a special digital camera fixed aboard the space station, enabling them to photograph the Earth's cosastlitnes, mountain ranges and other geographic items of interest from the unique advantage point of space. While EarthKAM offers a powerful way for students to investigate Earth from the unique perspective of space, it is also inspiring the next generation of flight controllers for space programs---involving university students to control and operate the camera system and related activities from the ground.
In the interview, Brion Au, one of the investigation developers at NASA's Johnson Space Centre, said，“EarthKAM is a payload(有效载荷)by students, for students. They are in chaerge. This system provides a viewpoint that the astronauts have……it's just awe-inspiring!”So far, students have captured more than 40,000 photos of the Earth from the space station as it orbited the Earth once every 90 minutes, traveling at 17,500 miles an hour. The team at EarthKAM posts these photographs online for the public and participating classrooms around the world to view.
Au explains that this education investigation is inspiring students to explore the world by examining Earth, while promotion social studies, art, geography, science, technology, and math, DR, Sally Ride, originally flying on the shuttles. The camera is located in the window Observational Research Facility, also known as the WORF, one of many the station's research facilities.
71.How have thousands of students experienced similar excitement as astronauts?
A.In the space station. B.In the spaceship.
C.Using a camera system. D.Teaming up with astronauts.
72.What equipment should the students need for the research?
A.Computer. B.Recorder. C.Telephone. D.Radios.
73. What doesn't belong to the next generation of flight controllers for space programs?
A.University students' controlling the camera system.
B. University students' operating the camera system.
C. University students' related activities from the ground.
D.University students' investigating Earth from space.
74.Who are responsible for EarthKAM?
A.The astronauts. B.The students.
C.The investigation developers. D.The teachers.
75.What's the main idea of the last paragraph?
A.DR.Sally Ride explains the details of EarthKAM
B.Why the team at EarthKAM posts these photographs online.
C.EarthKAM provides a viewpoint that the astronauts have.
D.Brion Au explains the details of EarthKAM.
CADBD
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In the United States, engineering is a profession that has been dominated（支配）historically by men. Even today, it's still true that few women become civil or chemical or mechanical（机械的） engineers, but that's something www.EngineerGirl.org aims to change. Young women who visit the web site can find out about a great career choice they might not have considered.
"Women are very much underrepresented in engineering and in engineering education programs and then of course, down the road, in the engineering workforce. So only about 20 percent of engineering undergraduate degrees go to women, and then only about nine percent of working engineers are women."
Mary Mattis is the National Academy of Engineering, says the EngineerGirl website aims to reach young women around ages 11 through 14, when they are just getting old enough to start thinking about their futures.
"We know from the research that middle-school girls are at a critical（关键的）point in their lives, and that it's a time when we need to reach them, both with an understanding, increasing their awareness of interesting fields in engineering, what a wonderful productive and exciting career you can have as an engineer. But we also need to reach them at that time because you have to take certain courses, and you can't start thinking about taking those courses when you're a junior in high school."
Engineering is a demanding course of study ---there is a lot of science and mathematics, for many girls and even boys, that can be challenging. But Ms. Mattis says that the EngineerGirl website stresses that engineering can also be fun and exciting.
"It's about designing things. It's about changing the world for people. It's about making a difference. And, in addition, you can make a good living, you can be independent economically by 
becoming an engineer. All of those things are messages that girls need to get."
While most engineers go into traditional fields such as mechanical and electrical engineering, the EngineerGirl site also highlights unusual engineering careers in fields such as sports engineering and --- believe it or not --- chocolate engineering.
"There's a section called 'why be an engineer,' and that talks about the many opportunities and increasingly different opportunities li
ke with bio-engineering and environmental engineering, some fields that might appeal to girls who want to make a difference or have a meaning for their careers beyond earning an income."
Even if you are not a girl in the target age group, there’s a lot of interesting information on the site, including biographies（传记）of some notable（显著的）women engineers.
Title : Website（1）______ Girls to learn Engineering
| Present （2）_____ for the engineering profession in the USA | The majority of men take up the profession throughout（3） ______, while only a small number of women work as engineers. |
| （4）_____ of the website | To make young women （5）_____ of interesting fields in engineering and what productivity and（6）_____ the career of being engineers can bring them. |
| （7）_____ of being engineers | * It can be fun and exciting. * It can（8）_____ the world for people. * You can make a good living. * You can gain economic（9）_____ by becoming an engineer. |
| Other fields concerning engineering | Various opportunities are talked about like bio-engineering and engineering (10) _____ to sports, and even chocolate |
Researchers at Sweden’s KTH Royal Institute of Technology say they have found further proof that the wolf ancestors of today’s dogs can be from southern East Asia -- findings that are contrary to theories placing the birth place in the Middle East. Dr Peter Savolainen, KTH researcher in evolutionary genetics, says a new study released Nov. 23 confirms that an Asian region south of the Yangtze River was the principal and probably the only region where wolves were domesticated（驯化）by humans.
Research data show clearly that dogs are descended from wolves, but there’s never been scientific agreement on where in the world the domestication process began. “Our analysis of Y-chromosomal（染色体）DNA now confirms that wolves were first domesticated in Asia south of Yangtze River -- we call it the ASY region -- in southern China or Southeast Asia,” Savolainen says.
The Y data supports previous evidence from mitochondrial（线粒体）DNA. “Taken together, the two studies provide very strong evidence that dogs appeared first in the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
Archaeological data and a genetic study recently published in Nature suggest that dogs originate from the Middle East. But Savolainen rejects that view. “Because none of these studies included samples from the ASY region, evidence from ASY has been overlooked,” he says.
Peter Savolainen and PhD student Mattias Oskarsson worked with Chinese colleagues to analyse DNA from male dogs around the world. Their study was published in the scientific journal Heredity.
Approximately half of the gene pool was universally shared everywhere in the world, while only the ASY region had the entire range of genetic diversity. “This shows that gene pools in all other regions of the world most probably originate from the ASY region,” Savolainen says.
“Our results confirm that Asia south of the Yangtze River was the most important -- and probably the only -- region for wolf domestication, and that a large number of wolves were domesticated,” says Savolainen.
In separate research published recently in Ecology and Evolution, Savolainen, PhD student Arman Ardalan and Iranian and Turkish scientists conducted a comprehensive study of mitochondrial DNA, with a particular focus on the Middle East. Because mitochondrial DNA is inherited only from the mother in most species, it is especially useful in studying evolutionary relationships.
“Since other studies have indicated that wolves were domesticated in the Middle East, we wanted to be sure nothing had been missed. We find no signs whatsoever that dogs originated there,” says Savolainen.
In their studies, the researchers also found minor genetic contributions from crossbreeding between dogs and wolves in other geographic regions, including the Middle East.
“This subsequent dog/wolf hybridisation（混合淡化技术）contributed only modestly to the dog gene pool,” Savolainen explains.
【小题1】What does Dr. Peter Savolainen believe?
A. Dogs’ ancestors came from the Middle East.
B. Wolves were probably first trained to work for humans in the ASY region.
C. Analysis of Y-chromosomal DNA should be combined with mitochondrial DNA.
D. Samples of the previous studies are enough to support the conclusion.
【小题2】We can learn from the passage that _______.
| A．there is a universal agreement on the place of first domestication |
| B．data from ASY may highlight where dogs came from |
| C．Dr. Savolainen’s research mainly focuses on the Middle East |
| D．the dog/wolf hybridization makes up most of the dog gene pool |
| A．It is only used in studying evolutionary relationships. |
| B．It alone can provide hard evidence for Savolainen’s research. |
| C．It is the most useful in finding out the birth place of dogs. |
| D．It comes from the mother of most animals and plants. |
| A. Weather is to blame B. Divided opinions C. Inheriting（遗传） characteristics D. Home of the redheads E. Greater sensitivity to pain F. Gene mutation（基因变异） |
【小题1】
Britain may be the most red-headed country in the world. About 1 to 2 percent of the world’s population has red hair, but in the UK the numbers are much higher, with 13 percent of Scots, 10 percent of the Irish, and 6 percent of people in England having red hair, according to the BBC.
【小题2】
Scientists have tried to explain why some people have red hair for some time and now they may have found an answer: the dull weather in Britain. The human body needs vitamin D from sunshine, but unfortunately people living in Britain do not have enough of it because of its maritime climate. In fact, Britain gets even more cloud than countries in the far north of Europe. In Sweden, for example, the average daily hours of sunshine is 5.4 . In Scotland it is only 3.1 hours.
【小题3】
To deal with this, the DNA of people living in these areas has changed slightly; scientists call this a mutation. Originally, the coloring on our body is a mixture of two kinds of melanin – black melanin is suppressed while only red / yellow melanin is made. The result is red hair, light skin color, freckles and a greater sensitivity to sunlight.
【小题4】
However, what’ s more interesting is that the redhead DNA mutation is recessive, which means it is hidden and can often skip generations without showing. At least 1.6 million Scots carry a redhead gene mutation, and most are unaware that they do. This is why a person who does not have red hair can still produce red-haired children if he or she is a carrier of this special DNA.
【小题5】
The research on red hair, like many areas of science, is contradictory(不一致). In 2002 researchers showed that redheads are more sensitive to pain, and need more anesthetic during surgery than people with blonde or dark hair. However, in 2005 scientists found that a MCRIR mutation gives redheads a higher tolerance for pain. Research into these aspects of red hair genetics continues. Redheads should though be more careful about their exposure to sunlight as they are at an increased risk of contracting skin cancer. If you are a redhead, the advice is not to stay out of the sun, but to be careful about how much exposure you get, and to cover yourself with a high factor sunscreen.
Baby girls make their way directly for dolls as soon as they can crawl, while boys will head for cars, a study has shown. The findings, the first to show differences in very young babies, suggest there is a biological basis to their preferences.
Psychologists Dr Brenda Todd from City University London carried out an experiment involving 90 babies aged 9 months to 36 months. The babies were allowed to choose from seven toys. Some were typically boys’ toys ---- a car, a digger, a ball and a blue teddy. The rest were girls’ toys: a pink teddy, a doll and a cooking set. They were placed a meter away from the toys；and could pick whichever toy they liked their choice and the amount of time they spent playing with each toy were recorded.
Of the youngest children (9 to 14 months), girls spent significantly longer playing with the doll than boys, and boys spent much more time with the car and ball than the girls did. Among the two and three-year-olds, girls spent 50 percent of the time playing with the doll while only two boys briefly touched it. The boys spent almost 90 percent of their time playing with cars, which the girls barely touched. There was no link between the parents’ view on which toys were more appropriate for boys or girls, and the children’s choice.
Dr Brenda Todd said, “Children of this age are already exposed to much socialization. Boys may be given ‘toys that go’ while girls get toys they can care for, which may help shape their preference. But these findings agree with the former idea that children show natural interests in particular kinds of toys. There could be a biological basis for their choices. Males through evolution have been adapted to prefer: moving objects, probably through hunting instincts（本能）, while girls prefer warmer colors such as pink, the colour of a newborn baby.”
1.Baby boys and girls have different toy preferences probably because ________.
|
A．baby boys are much more active |
|
B．baby girls like bright colours more |
|
C．their parents treat them differently |
|
D．there is a natural difference between them |
2.Both baby boys and baby girls like to play with ________ according to the study.
|
A．a ball |
B．a teddy |
C．a car |
D．a doll |
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 3?
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A．Nine-month-old baby boys don’t play with dolls at all. |
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B．Two-year-old baby girls sometimes play with cars and balls. |
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C．The older the babies are, the more obvious their preference is. |
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D．Parents should teach their babies to share each other’s toys. |
4.What conclusion did Dr. Brenda Todd draw from the results of the study?
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A．Adults purposely influence their babies’ preference. |
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B．Babies’ preference isn’t affected by social surroundings. |
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C．Baby boys preferring to moving toys will be good at hunting. |
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D．Baby girls preferring warmer colors will be warm-hearted. |
With the growth of the European Union and increased globalisation, English is increasingly the lingua franc a（通用语） in European businesses, and those who speak it have become the elite （精英）of the workforce．
In the past, only a few specialists in a company were needed to communicate with foreign businesses．However, in these days of multinational companies, where workers are required to communicate with other employees from several countries, a common language is essential and English has become the logical choice．
Nowadays, even blue-collar workers in many companies are required to speak English．For example, just over three years ago, a Dutch company．United Pan-European Communications （UPC）, was contracted to build a TV studio in Amsterdam．The job involved many electricians—more than the company could find in the Netherlands．There were plenty of qualified electricians in nearby France and Belgium, but the American and Dutch executives of UPC wanted everyone on the job to speak and understand the same language．So, the UPC hired British electricians and flew them to Amsterdam every Monday, accommodating them in hotels all over the city, and flying them home on Friday evenings．
Increasingly, workers who can speak English earn salaries 25-35% higher than those who can' t．They are also eligible （有条件被选中的） for a wider range of high-level jobs．
The problem is that, while the ability to speak English is fast becoming essential for getting a good job, there is a shortage of people who can speak it．According to a recent European Commission report, only about 41% of continental Europeans can speak English, and only 29% speak it well enough to carry on a conversation．Many companies are solving this problem by setting up English language schools within the workplace．English language schools all over Europe are expanding at a huge rate, and governments are looking at ways to improve English tuition in schools．
One result of this modem urge to learn English is that a generation gap is appearing． According to a European Union study, 67% of Europeans between 15 and 24 say they can speak English while only 18% of those over 55 say they can．Increasingly, all over Europe, it is the children who are leading the parents．
1.In European companies, workers who speak English ________．
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A．find it easy to carry on a conversation |
B．have an advantage over other workers |
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C．must be white-collar workers |
D．travel to many different countries |
2.Why did the UPC hire the British electricians?
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A．There were not enough electricians in nearby France and Belgium． |
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B．British electricians were more qualified than those in the Netherlands． |
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C．The UPC wanted all the employees to speak English． |
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D．The UPC meant to show they were rich enough to accommodate and fly them． |
3.What can you learn from the passage about European people?
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A．More young people can speak English well than older people. |
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B．67% Europeans can speak English very well． |
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C．18% of the people over 55 can't speak English． |
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D．Over half the people can speak English． |