A young man named Charles Lyell had different ideas .He wrote a book about them called Principles of Geology .The earth ,according to Lyell ,was not only thousands of years old ,it was millions of years old .As to（关于）the common belief that changes in the earth's surface happen suddenly because of a single earthquake or flood ,he said that this might happen once in a while ,but usually these changes took place very slowly .He believed that the surface of the earth had been changing from the beginning of time .The changes ,he said ,were caused by the long-term action of the winds and seas ,and by forces such as volcanoes breaking out under the earth's surface .Once in a great while he thought ,a mountain might appear for the first time after an earthquake .But usually mountains would rise slowly and steadily.? Professor Henslow was interested in Lyell's ideas ,but he did not actually believe them .Charles Darwin could not make up his mind about them .But they set him thinking along lines which would later change the beliefs of thoughtful people all over the world.?

At Cambridge ,Charles Darwin studied just enough to pass the examination ,and received his college degree in 1831.During this time ,he had become more and more interested in geology .At the end of the school year ,he went to North Wales with one of his teachers to examine the rock formations（构成） and to search for fossils（化石）.Fossils are the remains of ancient living things .They are usually found fixed in rocks in the earth's crust（地壳）.Fossils may be of animals ,such as fish ,insects ,birds ,or humans .They may be of plants from tiny leaves to huge trees.? When a living creature dies ,it usually decays（腐烂）or is eaten by animals .However ,if it sinks into a riverbed or is quickly covered by the blowing sands of a desert storm ,the bones are kept up in the earth. Over many years the soft inner parts of a bone disappear ,leaving the inside hollow. Water containing mineral enters into the hollow. Slowly the mineral hardens and makes the bone hard and heavy,like stone.

1.According to Charles Lyell, it is mainly _______ that the earth has been formed like today's shape.?

A.from the beginning of time

B.past some experiences of big flood?

C.over a very long period of years

D.because of several big earthquakes

2.Charles Lyell believed the fact that a mountain is formed_______.?

A.more by seas than by volcanoes

B.more slowly than suddenly?

C.more by an earthquake than by winds

D.more steadily than quickly?

3.Unlike Professor Henslow ,Charles Darwin_______.?

A.never thought Lyell's ideas were right?

B.did made up his mind not to accept Lyell's ideas?

C.thought about what the world were then thinking about?

D.thought over Lyell's ideas and developed them?

4.The main purpose of Darwin's going to North Wales was to_______.?

A.make a study of fossils

B.appreciate the rock information?

C.do research work into dead animals

D.look for plants from tiny leaves to huge trees

A study by St.. Louis University has found that a lovable dog named Sparky and a robotic dog, AIBO, were about equally effective at reducing the loneliness of nursing home residents. The study confirmed previous findings that dogs have a good effect on nursing home residents.
Dr. Andrew Smith led the Stanford University team that built a home-assistance robot. “If humans can feel an emotional tie with robots, some day they could be not just our assistants, but also our companions,” he said.
To test whether residents responded better to Sparky, a trained dog, or the Sony-made robotic dog, researchers divided 38 nursing home residents into three groups at three long-term care centers in St. Louis.
One group had weekly 30-minute one-on-one visits with Sparky; another group had similar visits with AIBO; a control group had no contact with either dog. The groups’ respective levels of loneliness were tested by having them answer a number of questions at the beginning and near the end of the visits.
After two months, both groups that had contact with the dogs were less lonely and more attached. Most of the elderly regarded Sparky, a 9-year-old dog, as an audience for their life stories, said investigator Marian Banks.
“He listened attentively, wagged his tail, and allowed them to pet him,” said Banks, who adopted and trained Sparky after finding him in a street behind her home seven years ago.
Those who were together with AIBO took a little longer to warm to the robotic creature. Over time, however, they grew comfortable with him, and petted and talked to him. He would respond by wagging his tail, vocalizing, and blinking his lights..
“AIBO is charming once you start to interact with him,” said the study’s author, Dr. William Banks, “He’s an attractive sort of guy. He gives a feeling of being personal, not just a robot.”
【小题1】Before the new study, it was known that ____.

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy(幻想) literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe(虚假). But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated(隔离的) lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modern technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.
【小题1】The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves       .

Humans are naturally drawn to other life forms and the worlds outside of our own. We take delight in the existence of creatures and even whole societies beyond our everyday lives.
This sense of wonder is universal. Look at the efforts that scientists have made to find out whether life of some kind exists on Mars, and the popularity of fantasy literature or movies like The Lord of the Rings. This sense of wonder draws us to each other, to the world around us, and to the world of make-believe. But have we gone so far in creating worlds of fantasy that we are missing the pleasure of other worlds that already exist all around us?
Human beings, as biologists have suggested, possess an inborn desire to connect with and understand other life forms. However, people, especially in big cities, often lead rather isolated lives. In a study of British schoolchildren, it was found that children by age eight were much more familiar with characters from television shows and video games than with common wildlife. Without modem technology, a small pond could be an amazing world filled with strange and beautiful plants, insects, birds, and animals. When we lack meaningful interaction(交互) with the world around us, and sometimes even with our families and friends, we seek to understand and communicate with things that exist only in our imaginations or on a computer screen。
The world of make-believe is not necessarily bad. But when the world of fantasy becomes the only outlet(出路) for our sense of wonder, then we are really missing something. We are missing a connection with the living world. Other wonderful worlds exist all around us. But even more interesting is that if we look closely enough, we can see that these worlds, in a broad sense, are really part of our own.
【小题1】The popularity of The Lord of the Rings proves     

Humans have sewn by hand for thousands of years. It was said that the first thread was made from animal muscle and sinew (腱). And the earliest needles were made from bones. Since those early days, many people have been involved in the process of developing a machine that could do the same thing more quickly and with greater efficiency.

Charles Wiesenthal, who was born in Germany, designed and received a patent on a double-pointed needle that eliminated the need to turn the needle around with each stitch (缝合) in England in 1755. Other inventors of that time tried to develop a functional sewing machine, but each design had at least one serious imperfection. [来源:学,科Frenchman Barthelemy Thimonnier finally engineered a machine that really worked. However, he was nearly killed by a group of angry tailors when they burned down his garment factory. They feared that they would lose their jobs to the machine.

American inventor Elias Howe, born on July 9, 1819, was awarded a patent for a method of sewing that used thread from two different sources. Howe’s machine had a needle with an eye at the point, and it used the two threads to make a special stitch called a lockstitch. However, Howe faced difficulty in finding buyers for his machines in America. In frustration, he traveled to England to try to sell his invention there. When he finally returned home, he found that dozens of manufacturers were adapting his discovery for use in their own sewing machines.

Isaac Singer, another American inventor, was also a manufacturer who made improvements to the design of sewing machines. He invented an up-and-down-motion mechanism that replaced the side-to-side machines. He also developed a foot treadle(脚踏板) to power his machine. This improvement left the sewer’s hands free. Undoubtedly, it was a huge improvement of the hand-cranked machine of the past. Soon the Singer sewing machine achieved more fame than the others for it was more practical, it could be adapted to home use and it could be bought on hire-purchase. The Singer sewing machine became the first home appliance, and the Singer company became one of the first American multinationals.

However, Singer used the same method to create a lockstitch that Howe had already patented. As a result, Howe accused him of patent infringement（侵犯）. Of course, Elias Howe won the court case, and Singer was ordered to pay Howe royalties（版税）. In the end, Howe became a millionaire, not by manufacturing the sewing machine, but by receiving royalty payments for his invention.

1.Barthelemy Thimonnier’s garment factory was burned down because _____________.

A. people did not know how to put out the fire

B. Elias Howe thought Thimonnier had stolen his invention

C. the sewing machines was couldn’t work finally

D. workers who feared the loss of their jobs to a machine set fire

2.Which of the following is NOT TRUE according to the passage???

A. Singer is an American inventor and manufacturer.

B. The Singer sewing company became more practical.

C. The foot treadle helped to make the sewer’s hands free.

D. Singer made improvements to the design of sewing machines.

3.Why did the court force Isaac Singer to pay Elisa Howe a lifetime of royalties?

A. Because the judge was against Singer for his surly attitude.

B. Because Howe had already patented the lockstitch used by Singer.

C. Because Singer had borrowed money from Howe and never repaid it.

D. Because Singer and Howe had both invented the same machine.

4.Which of the following would be the best title for this passage?

A. A Stitch in Time Saves Nine

B. The Case between Howe and Singer

C. Patent Laws on the Sewing Machine

D. The Early History of the Sewing Machine