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The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added -- a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.
"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire.
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. "A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is the greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
Professor Richard Harrison, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advanced warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.
【小题1】The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to____________ during the 2012 Olympics.
A.the extinguishing of the Olympic torch |
B.the collapse of broadcasting systems |
C.the transportation breakdown in London |
D.the destruction of weather satellites |
A.the sun’s activities have little to do with the earth |
B.the London Olympic broadcasting will be possibly influenced by the 2012 peak of sunspots |
C.the 2012 Olympic Games are during the solar maximum of throwing out greatest number of sunspots |
D.solar explosion will cause strong storms on the earth |
A.The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth. |
B.The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle. |
C.It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth. |
D.The number of sunspots declines after coronal mass ejections. |
A.take images of the solar system |
B.provide early warning of thunderstorms |
C.keep track of solar activities |
D.improve the communications on Earth |
A.Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer |
B.Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger |
C.Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race |
D.Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled |
There is a poster below. Read it carefully.
VISIT SWANSEA ZOO!
Come and see the African elephants and the new tigers from India. The Arctic bears are waiting to meet you, and the monkeys from Zaire are waiting to throw things at you. The hyenas (a flesh-eating animal, like a wolf, with a howl that sounds like wild laughter) from Tanzania are waiting to laugh at you, and the giraffes from Zambia are waiting to look down on you.
Tickets
Adult: $1.20
Children: Over 12: 80 cent
Under 12 : Free
Opening Time: 9: 00a. m. ~4: 00p. m.
Except Fridays: 10: 00a. m. ~3: 00p. m.
KEEP THE ZOO CLEAN!
DO NOT FEED,TOUCH OR GO NEAR THE ANIMALS!
【小题1】If you want to visit the Swansea Zoo, what is the best time to go there?
A.4:00 p. m on Sunday. | B.4:00 p. m on Friday. |
C.9:00 a. m on Friday. | D.9:30 a. m on Sunday. |
much should you pay?
A.$3.60 | B.$2.00 | C.$2.60 | D.$2.40 |
A.To give an orange to a monkey. | |
B.To pat a tiger on the head. | C.To go near a hyena. |
D.To sing a song if you like. |
A.fat | B.small | C.strong | D.tall |
A.grass-eating | B.fruit-eating | C.meat-eating | D.earth-eating |
We’ve reached a strange—some would say unusual—point. While fighting world hunger continues to be the matter of vital importance according to a recent report from the World Health Organization (WHO), more people now die from being overweight, or say, from being extremely fat, than from being underweight. It’s the good life that’s more likely to kill us these days.
Worse, nearly l8 million children under the age of five around the world are estimated to be overweight. What’s going on?
We really don’t have many excuses for our weight problems. The dangers of the problem have been drilled into us by public-health campaigns since 2001 and the message is getting through—up to a point.
In the 1970s, Finland, for example, had the highest rate of heart disease in the world and being overweight was its main cause. Not any more. A public-health campaign has greatly reduced the number of heart disease deaths by 80 per cent over the past three decades.
Maybe that explains why the percentage of people in Finland taking diet pills doubled between 2001 and 2005, and doctors even offer surgery of removing fat inside and change the shape of the body. That has become a sort of fashion. No wonder it ranks as the world’s most body-conscious country.
We know what we should be doing to lose weight—but actually doing it is another matter. By far the most popular excuse is not taking enough exercise. More than half of us admit we lack willpower.
Others blame good food. They say: it’s just too inviting and it makes them overeat. Still others lay the blame on the Americans, complaining that pounds have piled on thanks to eating too much American-style fast food.
Some also blame their parents—their genes. But unfortunately, the parents are wronged because they’re normal in shape, or rather slim.
It’s a similar story around the world, although people are relatively unlikely to have tried to lose weight. Parents are eager to see their kids shape up. Do as I say—not as I do.
59. What is the “strange” point mentioned in the first sentence? A
A. The good life is a greater risk than the bad life.
B. Starvation is taking more people’s lives in the world.
C. WHO report shows people’s unawareness of food safety.
D. Overweight issue remains unresolved despite WHO’s efforts.
60. Why does the author think that people have no excuse for being overweight?
A. A lot of effective diet pills are available.
B. Body image has nothing to do with good food.
C. They have been made fully aware of its dangers. C
D. There are too many overweight people in the world.
61. The example of Finland is used to illustrate ______. C
A. the cause of heart disease
B. the fashion of body shaping
C. the effectiveness of a campaign
D. the history of a body-conscious country
62. Which would be the best title for the passage? A
A. Actions or Excuses?
B. Overweight or Underweight?
C. WHO in a Dilemma
D. No Longer Dying of Hunger
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Habits, whether good or bad, are gradually formed. When a person does a certain thing again, he is driven by some unseen force to do the same thing repeatedly, then a habit is formed. Once a habit is formed, it is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to get rid of. It is therefore very important that we should pay great attention to the formation of habits. Children often form bad habits, some of which remain with them as long as they live. Older persons also form bad habits lasting as long as they live, and sometimes become ruined by them.
There are other habits which, when formed in early life, are of great help. Many successful men say that much of their success has something to do with certain habits in early life, such as early rising, honesty and so on.
Among the habits which children should not form are laziness, lying, stealing and so on. These are all easily formed habits. Unfortunately older persons often form habits which could have been avoided(避免).
We should keep away from(远离) all these bad habits, and try to form such habits as will be good for ourselves and others.
【小题1】________ are formed little by little.
A.Good habits | B.Bad habits |
C.Both good habits and bad habits | D.Either good habits or bad habits |
A.bad habits | B.good habits | C.children | D.other persons |
A.to form bad habits; to form good habits |
B.to form good habits; to form bad habits |
C.to form such habits as will be good; to get rid of bad habits |
D.to get rid of bad habits; to form good habits |
A.Because habits are of great help to every one of us. |
B.Because a man can never get rid of a habit. |
C.Because it's hard and sometimes even impossible to throw away bad habits. |
D.Because we are forced to do them again and again. |
A.has something to do with success |
B.is an easily formed habit |
C.is such a habit as should have been avoided |
D.is such a habit as will be kept |
Tourism probably started in Roman times. Rich Romans visited friends and family who were working in another part of the Roman empire. But when the empire broke down, this kind of tourism stopped.
In the early 17th century, the idea of the“Grand Tour”was born. Rich young English people sailed across the English Channel. They visited the most beautiful and important European cities of the time, including Paris in France, and Rome and Venice in Italy. Their tours lasted for two to four years, and the tourists stayed a few weeks or months in each city. The“Grand Tour”was an important part of young people’s education—but only for the rich.
In the 18th century, tourism began to change. For example, people in the UK started to visit some towns, such as Bath to“take the waters”.They believed that the water there was good for their health. So large and expensive hotels were built in these towns.
In the 19th century, travel became much more popular and faster. When the first railways were built in the 1820s,it was easier for people to travel between towns, so they started to go for holidays by the sea. And some started to have holidays in the countryside as cities became larger, noisier and dirtier.
Traveling by sea also became faster and safer when the first steamships were built. People began to travel more to far away countries.
The 20th century saw cars become more and more popular among ordinary people. Planes were made larger, so ticket prices dropped and more people used them.
Thus tourism grew. In 1949, Russian journalist Vladimir Raitz started a company called Horizon Holidays. The company organizes everything—plane tickets, hotel rooms, even food—and tourists pay for it all before they leave home. The package tour and modern tourist industry was born.
The first travel agency in China was set up as early as 1949.But tourism did not take off until 1978.In 2002,the industry was worth 500 billion Yuan and became an important part of China’s social development.
【小题1】In the early times, the travelers ________.
A.all came from Roman | B.were very young and strong |
C.had lots of money | D.traveled by boat |
A.Education | B.Money | C.Transportation | D.People’s ideas |
A.in 1949 | B.in Roman times |
C.in the early 17th century | D.in the 19th century |
A.a plane rising into the air | B.develop very fast |
C.remove hats and clothes | D.bring down the prices |