The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.
Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties(属性)that are beyond human control.
For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration(振动)of a type of radiation sent out by atoms of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.
Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder(铂—铱合金筒)locked away in a container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.
Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.
Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic(电磁的)force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.
So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research.
【小题1】 Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.

A.as accurate as other basic units
B.not universally accepted in the world
C.not defined according to natural properties
D.defined in the same way as other basic units
【小题2】The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.
A.the causes of weight changes had been found
B.such kind of checks had been carried out regularly
C.the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram
D.the consequences of such changes were great in research
【小题3】 According to the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.
A.is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically
B.has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project
C.is not as complicated as people understand
D.has been considered by some scientists as a better approach
【小题4】 Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?
A.Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future
B.Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities.
C.The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors.
D.A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram.


(D)
Between ten and midnight the United States is politically leaderless——there is no center of information anywhere in the nation except in the New York headquarters of the great broadcasting companies and the two great wire services.No candidate and no party can afford the investment on election night to match the news-gathering resources of the mass media; and so, as every citizen sits in his home watching his TV set or listening to his radio, he is the equal of any other in knowledge.There is nothing that can be done in these hours, for on one can any longer direct the great strike for America’s power; the polls have closed.Good or bad, whatever the decision.America will accept the decision——and cut down any man who goes against it, even though for millions the decision runs contrary to their own votes.The general vote is an expression of national will, the only substitute for violence and blood.Its decision is to be defended as one defends civilization itself.
There is nothing like this American expression of will in England or France, India or Russia or China.Only one other major nation in modern history has ever tried to elect its leader directly by mass, free, popular vote.This was the Weimar Republic of Germany, which modeled its unitary vote for national leaders on the American practice.Out of its experiment with the system it got Hitler.Americans have had Lincoln, Wilson and two Roosevelts.Nothing can be done when the voting returns are flooding in; the White House and its power will move to one or another of the two candidates, and all will know about it in the morning.But for these hours history stops.
76.Between ten p.m.and midnight, the United States has no leader because________.
A.the President has resigned
B.the strike for power has ended
C.the polls have closed and the results are not in
D.there has been a revolution
77.“The great strike for America’s power” in paragraph 1 refers to_________.
A.the strike of the mass media    B.the great coal strike
C.striking while the iron is hot   D.the election campaign
78.According to the author only one other major modern nation ever tried to elect its leader by mass, free, popular vote.That nation was___________.
A.India B.Germany  C.Russia      D.England
79.The author believes the decision at the polls will     .
A.lead to anarchy B.result in men being cut down
C.cause violence and blood D.be defended by all Americans

Many people believe Henry Ford invented the automobile (汽车). But Henry Ford did not start to build his first car until 1896. That was eleven years after two Germans developed the world's first automobile. Many people believe Henry Ford invented the production line that moved a car's parts to the worker, instead of making the worker move to the parts. That is not true, either. Many factory owners used methods of this kind before Ford. What Henry Ford did was to use other people's ideas and make them better. And he made the whole factory a moving production line.                      
In the early days of the automobile, almost every car maker raced his cars. It was the best way of gaining public notice. Henry Ford decided to build a racing car. Ford's most famous race was his first one. It was also the last race in which he drove the car himself.
The race was in 1901, at a field near Detroit. All of the most famous cars had entered, but only two were left: the Winton and Ford's. The Winton was famous for its speed. Most people thought the race was over before it began.
The Winton took an early lead. But halfway through the race, it began to lose power. Ford started to gain. And near the end of the race, he took the lead. Ford won the race and defeated the Winton. His name appeared in newspapers and he became well-known all over the United States. Within weeks of the race, Henry Ford formed a new automobile company. In the 1903, a doctor in Detroit bought the first car from the company. That sale was the beginning of Henry Ford's dream. Ford said: "I will build a motor car for the great mass of people. It will be large enough for the family, but small enough for one person to operate and care for. It will be built of the best materials. It will be built by the best men to be employed. And it will be built with the simplest plans that modem engineering can produce. It will be so low in price that no man making good money will be unable to own one."     
The Model T was a car of that kind. It only cost $850. It was a simple machine that drivers could depend on. Doctors bought the Model T. So did farmers. Even criminals.They considered it the fastest and surest form of transportation. Americans loved the Model T. They wrote stories and songs about it. Thousands of Model T's were built in the first few years.
【小题1】
What do we know about Henry Ford from Paragraph 1?

A.He made good use of ideas from others.
B.He produced the first car in the world.
C.He knew how to improve auto parts.
D.He invented the production line.
【小题2】
Why did Henry Ford take part in the 1901 car race?            
A.To show off his driving skills.
B.To draw public attention.
C.To learn about new technology.
D.To raise money for his new company.
【小题3】
“That sale” in Paragraph 4 refers to       .
A.the selling of Ford cars at reduced prices
B.the sale of Model T to the mass of people
C.the selling of a car to a Detroit doctor
D.the sales target for the Ford Company
【小题4】
What was Henry Ford's dream according to the text?   
A. Producing cars for average customers.
B. Building racing cars of simple design.   
C. Designing more car models.
D. Starting more companies.

Each time I see a balloon, my mind flies back to a memory of when I was a six-year-old girl. It was a rainy Sunday and my father had recently died. I asked my mom if Dad had gone to heaven. "Yes, honey. Of course." she said.

    "Can we write him a letter?"

    She paused, the longest pause of my short life, and answered, "Yes."

    My heart jumped. "How? Does the mailman go there?" I asked.

    "No, but I have an idea." Mom drove to a party store and returned with a red balloon. I asked her what it was for.

    "Just wait, honey. You'll see." Mom told me to write my letter. Eagerly, I got my favorite pen, and poured out my six-year-old heart in the form of blue ink. I wrote about my day, what I learned at school, how Mom was doing, and even about what happened in a story I had read. For a few minutes it was as if Dad were still alive. I gave the letter to Mom. She read it over, and a smile crossed her face.

    She made a hole in the corner of the letter where she looped the balloon string. We went outside and she gave me the balloon. It was still raining.

    "Okay, on the count of three, let go. One, two, three."

The balloon, carrying my letter, darted upward against the rain. We watched until it was swallowed by the mass of clouds.

Later I realized, like the balloon, that Dad had never let his sickness get him down. He was strong. No matter what he suffered, he'd persevere, dart up, and finally transcend this cold world and his sick body. He rose into sky and became something beautiful. I watched until the balloon disappeared into the gray and white and I prayed that his strength was hereditary. I prayed to be a balloon.

1.When the girl asked her mother if they could write to her father, her mother _________.

A.felt it hard to answer       B.thought her a creative girl

C.believed it easy to do so           D.found it easy to lie

2.When the girl was told that she could send a letter to her father, she _________.

A.jumped with joy

B.became excited

C.started writing immediately

D. was worried that it couldn't be delivered

3.In the eyes of the author, what was the rain like?

A.An incurable disease

B.An unforgettable memory.

C.The hard time her father had.

D.The failures her father experienced.

 

The definition of the standard kilogram is almost entirely wrong. Getting that definition right is a challenge that has tried the patience and intelligence of scientists for decades.

Scientists use just seven basic units to define all the other quantities we use — quantities such as speed or electric power. All of those basic units except the kilogram are themselves defined according to natural properties(属性)that are beyond human control.

For example, the standard second (time) is defined as a specific number of vibration(振动)of a type of radiation sent out by atoms of a special metal. The standard metre (length), in turn, is defined as the length of the path light travels under certain conditions.

Not so the kilogram. This orphan of the basic unit family is simply the mass of a small platinum-iridium alloy cylinder(铂—铱合金筒)locked away in a container maintained by the International Bureau of Weights & Measures in Sevres, France, near Paris. Official bodies around the world have copies of the cylinder.

Embarrassingly, the last time the copies were brought to Sevres for a checkup in the 1980s, officials found that some copies had gained about 20 parts per billion in weight compared to the master cylinder since the previous checkup in the 1940s. This implies that the master cylinder itself may be an inconstant standard.

Several efforts in several different countries are under way to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities such as counting the actual number of atoms of a specific substance in a kilogram or the electromagnetic(电磁的)force that balances a kilogram mass against gravity. A project of the latter type at the laboratories in Gaithersburg, Md., hopes eventually to define mass by means of electrical units.

So far, none of these redefinition projects has borne fruit. They require the very accuracy of measurement and control of experimental conditions. The slightest influence — even a tiny change in weather — can ruin results. You’ve got to hand it to scientists who are willing to devote many years to such painstaking — but extremely important — research.

 

1. Compared with other basic units, the kilogram is ____.

    A. as accurate as other basic units        

B. not universally accepted in the world

    C. not defined according to natural properties

    D. defined in the same way as other basic units

2.The author introduced the examination of copies of a platinum-iridium alloy cylinder in the 1980s to indicate that ____.

    A. the causes of weight changes had been found

    B. such kind of checks had been carried out regularly

    C. the changes in weight challenged the definition of the kilogram

    D. the consequences of such changes were great in research

3. According to the passage, to define the weight of mass by means of electrical units ____.

    A. is the only way to redefine the kilogram scientifically

    B. has been accepted as the only possible redefinition project

    C. is not as complicated as people understand

    D. has been considered by some scientists as a better approach

4. Which of the following cannot be concluded from the passage?

A. Scientists will achieve success in redefining the kilogram in the near future

B. Some scientists are trying to redefine the kilogram according to basic physical quantities.

C. The redefining of the standard kilogram is quite complicated and can be affected by a number of factors.

D. A number of experiments are being carried out to redefine the kilogram.

 

 

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