People in the United States honor their parents with two special days: Mother’s Day, on the second Sunday in May, and Father’s Day, on the third Sunday in June.

Mother’s Day was proclaimed（宣告）a day for national observance by President Woodrow Wilson in 1915. Ann Jarvis from Grafton, West Virginia, had started the idea to have a day to honor mothers. She was the one who chose the second Sunday in May and also began the custom of wearing a carnation（康乃馨）.

In 1909, Mrs. Dodd from Spokane, Washington, thought of the idea of a day to honor fathers. She wanted to honor her own father, William Smart. After her mother died, he had the responsibility of raising a family of five sons and a daughter. In 1910, the first Father’s Day was observed（庆祝）in Spokane. Senator Margaret Chase Smith helped to establish Father’s Day as a national commemorative day, in 1972.

These days are set aside to show love to parents. They raise their children and educate them to be responsible citizens. They give love and care.

These two special days are celebrated in many different ways. On Mother’s Day people wear carnations. A red one symbolizes a living mother. A white one shows that the mother is dead. Many people attend religious services to honor parents. It is also a day when people whose parents are dead visit the cemetery（墓地）. On these days families get together at home, as well as in restaurants. They often have outdoor barbecues for Father’s Day. These are days of fun and good feelings and memories.

1.According to the passage, which of the following about the second Sunday in May is not true?

A. It is a day to show love to mothers.

B. It is a day to wear carnations.

C. It is a day for people to visit the cemetery.    

D. It is a day for many people to attend religious services.

2.Choose the right time order of the following events.

a. The first Father’s Day was observed.

b. Mother’s Day was proclaimed a day for national observance.

c. Father’s Day became a day for national observance.

d. The idea of honoring fathers was put forward.

A. a b c d                     B. d a b c                              C. b a c d                              D. d a c b

3.Who plays the most important role in Father’s Day becoming a national commemorative day?

A. Margaret Chase Smith                                       B.    Mrs. Dodd

C. Ann Jarvis                                                             D. Woodrow Wilson

What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves –but artificial ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用). Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip (硅片) with catalysts (催化剂). Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (电池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prorotype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (转换) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water. This is important for some countries that don’t have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.
【小题1】Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
a. artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
c. the artificial leaves are put in water
d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity

What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves –but artificial ones.

  Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用). Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.

  The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip (硅片) with catalysts (催化剂). Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (电池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.

  Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.

  An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prorotype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.

  The wonderful improvements come from Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (转换) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water. This is important for some countries that don’t have access to pure water.

  With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.

1.Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?

a. artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen

b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell

c. the artificial leaves are put in water

d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity

A. cbad  B. cabd  C. bcad   D. cadb

2.Which of the following statements about new artificial leaves is TRUE according to the article?

A. They are inexpensive but unstable.

B. They are as efficient at carrying out photosynthesis as natural leaves.

C. They can work only in pure water.

D. They need several catalysts to help them work efficiently.

3.The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaves is to         .

A. build-up more power stations in the world

B. provide cheaper energy for developing countries

C. offer people in developing countries access to pure water

D. gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process

4.What is the main point of the article?

A. Introduction to the history of artificial leaves.

B. An invention copying photosynthesis.

C. Giving energy to the poor.

D. A mixture of water power and solar energy.

What will power your house in the future? Nuclear, wind, or solar power? According to scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the US, it might be leaves –but artificial ones.
Natural leaves are able to change sunlight and water into energy. It is known as photosynthesis (光合作用). Now researchers have found a way to imitate this seemingly simple process.
The artificial leaf developed by Daniel Nocera and his colleagues at MIT can be seen as a special silicon chip (硅片) with catalysts (催化剂). Similar to natural leaves, it can split water into hydrogen and oxygen when put into a bucket of water. The hydrogen and oxygen gases are then stored in a fuel cell (电池), which uses those two materials to produce electricity, located either on top of a house or beside the house.
Though the leaf is only about the shape of a poker card, scientists claimed that it is promising to be an inexpensive source of electricity in developing countries. “One can imagine villages in India and Africa not long from now purchasing an affordable basic power system based on this technology,” said Docera at a conference of the American Chemical Society.
An artificial leaf is not a new idea. The first artificial leaf was invented in 1997 but was too expensive and unstable for practical use. The new leaf, by contrast, is made of cheap materials, easy to use and highly stable. In laboratory studies, Nocera showed that an artificial leaf prorotype (原型) could operate continuously for at least 45 hours without a drop in activity.
The wonderful improvements come from Nocera’s recent discovery of several powerful new, inexpensive catalysts. These catalysts make the energy transformation (转换) inside the leaf more efficient with water and sunlight. Right now, the new leaf is about 10 times more efficient at carrying out photosynthesis than a natural one. Besides, the device can run in whatever water is available; that is, it doesn’t need pure water. This is important for some countries that don’t have access to pure water.
With the goal to “make each home its own power station” and “giving energy to the poor”, scientists believe that the new application could be widely used in developing countries, especially in India and rural China.

1. 1.

   Which of the following order correctly shows how the artificial leaf is used to produce electricity?
   a. artificial leaves split water into hydrogen and oxygen
   b. the hydrogen and oxygen gases are stored in a fuel cell
   c. the artificial leaves are put in water
   d. the fuel cell uses hydrogen and oxygen to produce electricity

   1. A.
      cbad
   2. B.
      cabd
   3. C.
      bcad
   4. D.
      cadb
2. 2.

   Which of the following statements about new artificial leaves is TRUE according to the article?

   1. A.
      They are inexpensive but unstable.
   2. B.
      They are as efficient at carrying out photosynthesis as natural leaves.
   3. C.
      They can work only in pure water.
   4. D.
      They need several catalysts to help them work efficiently.
3. 3.

   The aim of the scientists at MIT in developing the new artificial leaves is to         .

   1. A.
      build-up more power stations in the world
   2. B.
      provide cheaper energy for developing countries
   3. C.
      offer people in developing countries access to pure water
   4. D.
      gain a deeper understanding of the photosynthesis process
4. 4.

   What is the main point of the article?

   1. A.
      Introduction to the history of artificial leaves.
   2. B.
      An invention copying photosynthesis.
   3. C.
      Giving energy to the poor.
   4. D.
      A mixture of water power and solar energy.

Li Lu’ou thought he did the right thing by calling 110 when he saw his two classmates in trouble on the corner of a dark street.

Li and his classmates from NO.2 Middle School Affiliated to Beijing Normal University spent this year’s Valentine’s Day selling roses on the street.As night approached，they cycled back with over 200 yuan in their pockets.

Suddenly，a gang of robbers jumped out at them.The five robbers were tall and strong，so Li ran away to call the police.He thought it would be the most practical thing to do and he was right.His classmates returned safe and sound.

So，what would you have done in Li’s situation？Would you have got off your bike and fought the robbers to rescue your friends?

A new Beijing student code does not encourage you to risk your life to help them.

The new code was introduced to more than 1.7 million primary and middle school students in the city at the start of the new term.

It has cut words which might encourage youngsters to risk their lives for others dangerous situations.Gone are the old calls，which had been in place since 1987，for students to“fight criminals courageously”and “sacrifice themselves to save others”．

Children’s heroic acts usually left them injured or even dead because they failed to fully foresee the dangers of their actions.

A well­known example was Lai Ning，who was listed among the “top 10 model young pioneers” in 1989 after he lost his life trying to put out a fire at the age of 14.

The deaths connected to teenagers’“heroic acts” started a nation­wide debate about the protection of youngsters.

Wei Lusheng，a parent in Beijing，said schools must first teach children how to protect themselves，before learning from heroes.

But educators thought the spirit of courage should not be thrown away in the new student code.

“Getting rid of the words‘fight criminals courageously’do not mean we deny the spirit of‘fearlessness’and ‘readiness’to help others.”said Li Jing，an official in Beijing.“But，we should be more rational about the spirit of sacrifice.”

Li Lu’ou agreed.“Cherishing life is no reason to be a coward，” he said.“but you need make sure you are able to offer help.For example，it would cause more trouble if I jumped into water to rescue someone drowning，but didn’t know how to swim.In that situation it’s better to call the police or an adult.”

41．Which is true about Li and his classmates?

A．They bought roses for each other on Valentine’s Day.

B．They called 110 immediately when they were held up by a gang of robbers.

C．Li risked his life for his classmates in the dangerous situation.

D．Instead of fighting the robbers Li thought it right for him to call the police.

42．The new student code was introduced in Beijing because______.

A．students are facing more danger than they used to

B．the old student code didn’t include the spirit of courage

C．the old one didn’t tell students how to protect themselves while helping others in trouble

D．the old student code encouraged students to sacrifice themselves to save others.

43．Which can be inferred about Lai Ning?

A．He was one of the top 10 model young pioneers in 1987.

B．If it weren’t him，the forest fire would not have been put out.

C．According to the new code，he shouldn’t have risked his life to put out the fire.

D．His deeds did not agree with what the old student code encouraged.

44．The underlined word“deny ”in the second last paragraph means“________”．

A．agree with                                          B．disagree with

C．connect with                                      D．object to

45．According to the new student code which of the following statements is right?

A．There will be more criminals after the new student code was introduced.

B．The police in Beijing will have a more difficult time in keeping order.

C．The spirit of“fearlessness”and “readiness”help others will be thrown away.

D．Teenagers are advised to make sure they are able to offer help when they want to.