Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did fools experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

　　Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution (解决办法) to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.

　　Charles Darwin didn’t settle for (满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.

　　Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (紧的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn’t be worth anything.

　　But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present-day understandings of physics, ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set aside some of ancient Greek physics.

Scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.

1. The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ____.

　　A. was a great English scientist

　　B. always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult

　　C. thought even the simplest thing was important

　　D. didn’t get well with others

2. The phrase “set aside” most probably means____ .

　　A. throw away      B. store up

　　C. put to use        D. realize

3. The author of the passage tries to ________.

　　A. convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world

　　B. draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things

　　C. prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed

　　D. draw our attention to everyday happenings around us

4Which of the following is TRUE?

　　A. Darwin really did fools experiments.

　　B. According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments.

　　C. It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple.

　　D. Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics.

Do you suppose Darwin, one of the greatest scientists of all time, really did fools' experiments? Or did he do experiments that were so simple and basic that other people just thought they were foolish?

Sometimes, people think they already know the answer to a question or the solution to a problem. Sometimes, they really do know an answer or a solution, but without thinking they are important.

Charles Darwin didn't settle for (满足于) just thinking he knew something. And, he believed all things could be important however simple they seemed to be.

Suppose you drop sheets of paper that are of exactly the same size and shape. If you drop them at the same time in the same place, they will fall in the same way. Now make one of the sheets of paper into a tight (紧的) little ball and let it drop along with the other sheets. What happens? You have done an experiment that is so simple that you might think it couldn't be worth anything.

But this simple experiment is important. It explains part of our present day understandings of physics ideas that were worked out long ago by Galileo and Newton. And these understandings set_aside some of ancient Greek physics.

The scientist sometimes stops to look at very simple things and to think very hard about them. Even the simplest idea, which we might think is foolish, can shake the foundations of science.

1．The passage tells us that Charles Darwin ________.

A．was a great English scientist

B．always liked doing the experiments that others thought difficult

C．thought even the simplest thing was important

D．didn't get along well with others

2．The phrase “set aside” most probably means “________”．

A．throw away 　　 B．store up

C．put to use 　　 D．realize

3．The author of the passage tries to ________.

A．convince us that Charles Darwin, Galileo and Newton are the greatest scientists in the world

B．draw the conclusion that basic sciences are simple things

C．prove that two sheets of paper, with the same size and shape, will fall at the same speed

D．draw our attention to everyday happenings around us

4．Which one of the following is true?

A．Darwin really did fools' experiments.

B．According to some people Darwin did foolish experiments.

C．It is believed by all the people that things could be important though they seemed to be simple.

D．Galileo and Newton worked out ancient Greek physics.

First I looked at some of the   6   discoveries. One of the earliest discoveries, the famous experiment that proved that bodies of different  7   fall at the same speed, was made by Galileo when he was 26. Madam Curie started her research that  8   to the Nobel Prize when she was 28. Einstein was 26 when he published his world-changing theory of relativity. Well,  9   of that. Yet I  10   if those“best years”were true in other  11   .

Then how about the field of   12   ? Surely it needs the wisdom of age to make a good leader. Perhaps it  13   ,but look when these people  14   their career. Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26. Abraham Lincoln  15   the life of a country lawyer and was elected to government. At what age? Twenty-six.

But why  16   best years some after thirty? After thirty, I  17   ,most people do not want to take risks or try   18   ways. Then I thought of people like Shakespeare and Picasso. The former was writing wonderful works at the ripe age of fifty, while the latter was  19   trying new ways of painting when he was ninety!

Perhaps there is still  20   for me.

1. A. invention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. discovery

C. experiment　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. progress

2. A. mind　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. idea

C. attention　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. thought

3. A. As　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Being

C. However　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Beyond

4. A. Everybody　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. Somebody

C. Nobody　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Whoever

5. A. names　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. ages

C. addresses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. oldest

6. A. modern　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. scientific

C. last　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 &n

bsp;  D. oldest

7. A. heights 　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. sizes

C. weights　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. things

8. A. led　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. meant

C. stuck　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. referred

9. A. plenty　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    　　   B. enough

C. much　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　     D. none

10. A. believed　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. trusted

C. wondered　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. asked

11.A. fields　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. countries

C. courses　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. ages

12. A. agriculture　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    B. politics

C. industry　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        D. society

13.A. is　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    B. will

C. has　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  　　    D. does

14. A. finished　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      B. went

C. started　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　      D. failed

15. A. devoted　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       　　   B. gave up

C. began　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       D. led

16. A. don’t　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. the

C. can   &n
b
sp;　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       D. not

17. A. say　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　       B. know

C. guess　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　        D. agree

18. A. other　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 　　    B. new

C. best　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. their

19.A. always　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    　　    B. still

C. seldom　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　      D. enjoying

20. A. discovery　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   　　    B. problem

C. wish　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　     D. hope

The media has a great effect on us in our daily life. Believe it or not. I will tell you a true story of my own.

Last evening I was watching the evening news on television. The news was about a prize for scientific   1  ; I forgot what it was. The announcer, whose name was Ralph Story, said something, that caught my   2  . “All great discoveries, ”he said, “are made by people between the ages of twenty-five and thirty. ”  3   a little over thirty myself, I wanted to disagree with him.   4   wants to think that he is past the age of making any discovery. The next day I happened to be in the public library and spent several hours looking up the   5  of famous people and their discoveries. Ralph was right.

First I looked at some of the   6   discoveries. One of the earliest discoveries, the famous experiment that proved that bodies of different  7   fall at the same speed, was made by Galileo when he was 26. Madam Curie started her research that   8   to a Nobel Prize when she was 28. Einstein was 26 when he published his world changing theory of relativity. Well,   9   of that. Yet. I   10  , if those“best years”were true in other   11  . How about the field of   12  ? Surely it needed the wisdom of age make a good leader. Perhaps it   13 , but look when these people   14   their career. Winston Churchill was elected to the House of Commons at the age of 26. Abraham Lincoln  15   the life of a country lawyer and was elected to the government at what age? Twenty-six.

But why  16   the best years come after thirty? After thirty, I  17  , most people do not want to take risks or try   18   ways. Then I thought of people like Shakespeare and Picasso. The former was writing wonderful works at the ripe age of fifty, while the latter was   19   trying new ways of painting when he was ninety!

Perhaps there is still   20   for me.

1. A. invention　　　　　　　　　　  B. discovery　　　　　　　　 C. experiment　　　　　　　　　　  D. progress

2. A. mind　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. idea　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. attention　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. thought

3. A. As　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   B. Being　　　　　　　　　　   C. However　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. Beyond

4. A. Everybody　　　　　　　　   B. Somebody　　　　　　    C. Nobody　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. Whoever

5. A. names　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. ages　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. addresses　　　　　　　　　　    D. education

6. A. pleasant　　　　　　　　　　   B. scientific　　　　　　　　  C. last　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. oldest

7. A. heights　　　　　　　　　　    B. sizes　　　　　　　　　　    C. weights　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. things

8. A. led　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. meant　　　　　　　　　　   C. stuck　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. referred

9. A. plenty　　 　　　　　　　　　　 B. none　　　　　　　　　　    C. much　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. enough

10. A. believed　　　　　　　　　　 B. trusted　　　　　　　　　　　　    C. wondered　　　　　　　　　　    D. asked

11. A. fields　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. countries　　　　　　　　  C. courses　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. ages

12. A. agriculture　　　　　　　　  B. society　　　　　　　　　　　　    C. industry　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. politics

13. A. is　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  B. will　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. has　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. does

14. A. finished　　　　　　　　　　  B. went　　　　　　　　　　    C. started　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. failed

15. A. devoted　　　　　　　　　　  B. gave up　　　　　　　　    C. began　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. led

16. A. don’t　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. the　　　　　　　　　　　　   C. can　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. not

17. A. believe　　　　　　　　　　   B. know　　　　　　　　　　   C. guess　　　　　　　　　　　　　　  D. agree

18. A. other　　　　　　　　　　　　 B. new　　　　　　　　　　　　 C. best　　　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. their

19. A. always　　　　　　　　　　   B. still　　　　　　　　　　　　  C. seldom　　　　　　　　　　　　    D. enjoying

20. A. discovery　　　　　　　　   B. problem　　　　　　　　    C. wish　　　　　　　　　　　　　　   D. hope