阅读理解

　　Bright comets(彗星) are a rare(罕见的)and beautiful sight. Though we think of them as members of the sun’s family, many comets go far beyond the orbits of the planets. As a rule they return once in a while to travel around the sun

　　A comet seems to be composed of gas, dust and ice. There is a great deal of solid, frozen material. As the mass gets near the sun, the outer frozen parts begin to melt(融化), and more gases form. The pressure of the sun’s radiation(放射) drives the dust and gases outwards in a long, streaming“tail”, perhaps several tails. For this reason the tail always points away from the sun. And when the comet moves farther from the radiation, the tail gets smaller and at last disappears.

　　We owe (把……归于)our knowledge chiefly to Sir Edmond Harley(1656－1742). He saw a very beautiful one in 1682, and it led him to study comets and their orbits.

　　Then he said,“The comet of 1682 was the same one that appeared in 1531 and again in 1607. It will return in 1758 or 1759.”

　　Harley died in 1742, but people waited and watched…And sure enough, Harley’s Comet arrived, big and bright, early in 1759. The comet was named:“Comet Harley”and it comes about every 75 years.

　　Last time it returned in 1986 and was watched by hundreds of millions of people. If you were one of them, I hope you will be lucky enough to watch it again next time it appears.

1．In what way are comets different from planets?

[　　]

A．They don’t travel round the sun.

B．They are not members of the sun’s family.

C．They are nearer to the sun than planets.

D．They go far beyond the sun than planets.

2．What is the long tail of the comet composed of (由……组成)?

[　　]

A．Gas, dust and ice.

B．Radiation of the sun.

C．Solid, frozen material.

D．Dust and gases.

3．

The reason why the tail of a comet always points away from the sun is that ________.

[　　]

A．it is getting nearer to the sun

B．the dust and gases are driven outward by the pressure

C．its outer frozen parts begin to melt

D．it is moving round the sun

4．Which of the following is right?

[　　]

A．Sure enough, Harley saw the comet arrive early in 1759.

B．Harley’s Comet returned in 1758 as Harley had expected.

C．Seventeen years after Harley’ death the comet returned.

D．We’ll see Comet Harley again in 75 years.

5．When will Comet Harley return next time?

[　　]

If you want fully enjoy your vacation, then you’d better check the Durban City Tours! This is actually one of the best choices in South Africa today.

There is nothing more relaxing than to think about that there is a place to go and relax, right? City life is strained, but you can escape this situation and be in the place where there is nothing but relaxation. Here in Durban you will get to see all the amazing tourist attractions. If you love animals and want to see some elephants wandering around the streets, then Durban is the place to go. You can even get to ride one if you want!

Here you will also get to taste all the delicious South African food. You can choose from Italian cooking to its native dishes. Durban is a great place to tour with your friends and family. You will learn a lot about its history through the landmarks you will see down the streets. Tourists and even the local villagers just can’t get enough of these treats!

However, it is important that you make the necessary arrangements. There are actually lots of tour guides that will help you as you make your journey along the streets of Durban. But if you prefer the best tour guides here in Durban, then you’d better choose the Street Scene Tours. Their staff are all well-trained and professional. They will certainly make your stay here an unforgettable one. No wonder tourists prefer the Street Scene Tours when it comes to Durban City Tours.

1.The underlined word“strained”in Para. 2 means ______.

A．easy             B．stressful           C．relaxing           D．wonderful

2.What is the main idea of Paragraph 2?

A．Durban is relaxing city.                   B．People don’t like city life.

C．It is good to have a place to relax.           D．One can have fun riding elephants.

3.If you walk in the streets of Durban, what will impress you most?

A．Tourists from all over the world.

B．The buildings and many kinds of animals.

C．The streets and some wandering elephants.

D．The friendly local people and the scenery.

4.What does the last sentence in Paragraph 3 show?

A．The food can’t satisfy them.              B．They are bored with the streets.

C．They are treated very well here.            D．never get tired of the sights.

Fish Ears Tell Fish Tales
　 Fish have ears. Really. They’re quite small and have no opening to the outside world carrying sound through the body. For the past seven years, Simon Thorrold, a university professor, has been examining fish ears, small round ear bones called otoliths (耳石).
　 As fish grow, so do their otoliths. Each day, their otoliths gain a ring of calcium carbonate (碳酸钙). By looking through a microscope and counting these rings, Thorrold can determine the exact age of a young fish. As a fish gets older, its otoliths no longer get daily rings. Instead, they get yearly rings, which can also be counted, giving information about the fish’s age, just like the growth rings of a tree.
　 Ring counting is nothing new to fish scientists. But Thorrold has turned to a new direction. They’re examining the chemical elements (元素) of each otolith ring.
　 The daily ring gives us the time, but chemistry tells us about the environment in which the fish swam on any given day. These elements tell us about the chemistry of the water that the fish was in. It also says something about water temperature, which determines how much of these elements will gather within each otolith ring.
　 Thorrold can tell, for example, if a fish spent time in the open ocean before entering the less salty water of coastal areas. He can basically tell where fish are spending their time at any given stage of history.
　 In the case of the Atlantic croaker, a popular saltwater food fish, Thorrold and his assistant have successfully followed the travelling of young fish from mid-ocean to the coast, a journey of many hundreds of miles.
　 This is important to managers in the fish industry, who know nearly nothing about the whereabouts of the young fish for most food fish in the ocean. Eager to learn about his technology, fish scientists are now lending Thorrold their ears.
【小题1】What can we learn about fish ears from the text?

Sitting across from his teacher, Edgar Martinez repeated the word he couldn't quite pronounce: "situation"．The teacher, LisaMojsin, hired to help Martinez reduce his accent, said the word slowly; "Sit-chew-a-shun．" "I wish he had taught me this 20 years ago．" said Martinez, 37, who comes from Mexico and lives in Los Angeles．In private tutoring classes throughout the nation, immigrants are focused on sounding more American．

    Accent reduction classes have been around for years, but experts say．"As our workforce becomes more and more global, these classes are becoming more and more popular．" Private tutors said they answer calls almost daily from students, when just a few years ago the phones rang only occasionally．Author Amy Gillett said that sales of her book and CD set, "Speak English Like an American", have increased three times in the last few years．Judy Ravin, President of the Accent Reduction Institute, said she has hundreds of students who follow her program, "Lose Your Accent in 28 Days"．

    Though there is a general tolerance for diversity, experts said, reality has made some immigrants who sound different feel unwelcome．If someone speaks with an accent associated with an Asian language, they may work as engineers or computer scientists．If someone speaks with certain Spanish accents, people may think they are recent immigrants working in landscaping or the hospitality industry （招待性行业）．A French accent gives images of romance．An Australian accent brings to mind adventure and fun．

    Accent reduction students said they are aware of how they sound and whether their accents limit their job opportunities or spoil their social lives．Jennie Lo, aged 43, said her accent has been an embarrassment．Sometimes people couldn't even understand her when she said her name．While in college in Oklahoma, Lo said she didn't make many friends, tearing that no one could make out her words．Lo is now taking accent reduction classes and hopes to apply for a manager position at work．"I just want to feel good about myself," she said．"If I really work hard, if I practice every day, I can't be perfect．But I can be better．"

1.In the whole passage, the first paragraph serves as a（n） _____．

    A．introduction                         B．comment          

    C．explanation                          D．background

2.What does the author want to express in the second paragraph?

    A．The effect that popular accent reduction classes have．

    B．The fact that accent reduction classes become popular．

    C．The steps how accent reduction classes become popular．

    D．The reasons why accent reduction classes become popular．

3.If someone speaks with certain Asian accents, people may think _____．

    A．they are romantic                    B．they are hospitality workers

    C．they are computer scientists         D．they love adventure and fun

4.What is Jennie Lo's attitude towards her taking accent reduction classes?

    A．Confident．          B．Helpless．         

    C．Proud．              D．Anxious．

Artistic Skates

Artistic roller skates are made up of a leather boot, very strong sole plate, and a jump bar that adds extra force. The boot sits a few inches above the ankle, providing more support for the foot.

Jam Skates

Jam skates are the most different roller skates because of their special low-cut design and lack of toe stop. That’s right: there is no brake. But the original jam skate design was different, resembling an artistic skate. Jam skating is more about personal expression rather than speed skating. The free-flowing movements of jam skating have been given many names. But regardless of its name, jam skating has always been about expression and passion.

Speed Skates

A speed skate resembles a shoe. The cut of the boot is lower. Speed skates typically offer lightweight plates to reduce exhaustion for skating long distances. Jam skates have preferred speed skates because they offer a similar design and freedom of movement. The most obvious difference is that a speed skate features a toe stop, unlike a jam skate that uses a toe plug.

Rhythm Skates

Rhythm skates are similar to jam skates. The difference between them lies in the boot design. In fact, the boot design looks very similar to an artistic skate, essentially providing you with the ankle support benefits of an artistic skate, but the freedom of movement of a jam skate. If you want a skate that allows you to move to the beat, which added ankle support, the rhythm skate is the ideal choice.

1.Which of the following is NOT a feature of jam skates?

A．They have no brake

B．They lack a toe stop

C．They have no toe plug.

D．They have a unique, low-cut design.

2.If you want to skate to music, which of the following is the best choice?

A．Rhythm skates      B．Jam skates         C．Speed skates       D．Artistic skates

3.Speed skates are popular with jam skates because _____.

A．they have a high boot cut

B．they allow free-flowing movement.

C．they are able to stabilize the foot

D．they can help jam skates reduce tiredness.

4.What is a common feature of rhythm and jam skates?

A．They both offer some support for the ankles.

B．They both have a similar boot design.

C．They are both suitable for free-flowing movement.

D．They are both about personal expression and passion.

5.What can you learn from the passage about jam skates?

A．The original jam skate design has hardly changed.

B．The original jam skate design was similar to an artistic skate.

C．Jam skates have gradually become a type of speed skate.

D．Jam skating has many names because it’s about expression and passion.