Homeboy Goes to Harvard University

On January 11, 2007, as students sat and listened, a very important guest speaker named Richard, spoke to the students in the lecture hall. He not only showed the potential（潜能）within young adults, but  encouraged them to work hard at their lessons.

Richard was a young child when his mother died and his father walked out. He was forced into many different foster homes（寄养家庭）where he felt unhappy. He did not know that his life was taking a turn for the worst.

His uncle, after getting out of prison, got him into drugs and alcohol. His uncle taught him that his place in life was either to be in prison or die trying to be “a man.” His uncle’s teaching almost started affecting him until a very important person came into his life: a teacher. This teacher taught him there is a place in the world for everyone and it isn’t related to drugs.

Richard is now a Harvard University graduate and has a great and loving family. Why? He was taught to have respect not only for others, but for himself.

After the meeting, it was hoped that the students realized within them there is a potential, and within everyone around them, is knowledge. As Richard reminded them, “Knowledge is power.”

1.On January 11, 2007, students listened to a speech made by Richard, who graduated from ________.

A．Harvard University                      B．a foster school

C．his teacher’s school                    D．his uncle’s university

2.Richard encouraged the students ______.

A．to love life         B．to be a man        C．to study hard       D．to leave drugs

3.When he was young, Richard lived a（an）_______ life in foster homes.

A．rich              B．unhappy          C．relaxing           D．interesting

4.Who played an important role in Richard’s successful life?

A．His uncle.         B．His teacher.        C．His friends.        D．His parents.

Alexander Richard Pettyfer (born on April 10, 1990) is an English actor. The son of an actor and a former fashion model, he began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modeling for labels such as GAP, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City. He attended Twickenham Preparatory School in Hampton and later the Mall, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy, performed in plays, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

“When you go through such a long process of auditioning you kind of forget about getting it. It’s more like you keep going up and having a little bit of fun,” Pettyfer said.

The film became a hot topic for film critics. One review of Pettyfer’s performance described him as playing the role with an “earnest seriousness”, although another noted that he “isn’t quite at ease as an actor”. Media reports have specified that the film is expected to make Pettyfer a “teen idol”.

After Pettyfer completed filming on Stormbreaker, he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, and decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career, as well as study drama full time at college. Now he is studying at Shiplake College boarding school. Pettyfer likes skiing, dancing, and hockey when not working.

1.What’s the CORRECT time order of these events in Pettyfer’s career?

① He made his first appearance in a film.

② He made his first appearance in a play.

③ He made his first appearance on television.

④ He made his first appearance as a model.

A. ①②③④      B. ①②④③      C. ④③①②      D. ④②③①

2.Anthony Horowitz chose Pettyfer as the main character in Stormbreaker because ____.

A. Pettyfer was born in a family of actors and models

B. Pettyfer made his first public appearance at an early age

C. Pettyfer performed well in Tom Brown’s Schooldays

D. Pettyfer performed best among the 500 boys who auditioned

3.What can be inferred about the film version of Stormbreaker?

A. It was a hit film.

B. All the reviews of this film are positive.

C. Pettyfer didn’t want to play in the film.

D. Pettyfer wasn’t satisfied with his performance in it.

4.Which of the following statements best describes Pettyfer?

A. He’s always ready to help others.

B. He’s too confident of his ability.

C. He prefers drama to films.

D. He likes doing sports in spare time.

The invention of the electric telegraph gave birth to the communications industry. Although Samuel B. Morse succeeded in making the invention useful in 1837, it was not until 1843 that the first important telegraph line was constructed. By 1860 more than 50,000 miles of lines connected people east of the Rockies. The following year, San Francisco was added to the network.

  The national telegraph network strengthened the ties between East and West and contributed to the rapid expansion of the railroads by providing an efficient means to monitor schedules and routes. Furthermore, the extension of the telegraph, combined with the invention of the steam-driven rotary printing press by Richard

  M. Hoe in 1846, revolutionized the world of journalism. Where the business of news gathering had been dependent upon the mail and on hand-operated presses, the telegraph expanded the amount of information a newspaper could supply and allowed for more timely reporting. The creating of the Associated Press as a central wire service in 1846 marked the arrival of a new era (纪元) in journalism.

71. The main topic of the passage is        .

A. the history of journalism                                 B. the origin of the national telegraph

C. how the telegraph network contributed to the expansion of railroads

D. the contributions and development of the telegraph network

72. The word "gathering" in line 11 refers to        .

A. people                    B. information                   

C. objects                                     D. substances

73. The author's main purpose in this passage is to         .

A. compare the invention of the telegraph with the invention of the steam-driven rotary press

B. propose new ways to develop the communications industry

C. show how the electric telegraph affected the communications industry

D. criticize Samuel B. Morse

74. This passage would most likely be found in a        .

A. U.S. history book   B. book on trains  

C. science textbook D. computer magazine

75. It can be inferred from the passage that          .

A. Samuel Morse did not make a significant contribution to the communications industry

B. Morse's invention did not immediately achieve its full potential (潜力)

C. the extension of the telegraph was more important than its invention

D. journalists have the Associated Press to thank for the birth of the communications industry

This morning, a Virgin Atantin 747 Jumbo Jet became the first commercial airplane to fly on biofuel. The short flight from London to Amsterdam used a blend of 20% babassu(棕榈) oil mixed with 80% conventional jet fuel.

What was really exciting about the flight was the fact that the engine did not have to be altered in any way for the biofuel to work While this is a great initial step in trying to reduce CO₂(carbon-dioxide)emissions(排放)from airplanes. there are a lot of hurdles (障碍)that still need to be overcome.

First and foremost, unlike the normal fuel used to run airplanes (known as Jet A),biofuel freezes at high altitudes. Also, Jet‘A’fuel burns consistently (at the same pace),which means it provides a safe and reliable fuel for long flights--engineers are not sure if biofuel will be able to do the same.

The biggest hurdle to a full biofuel switch is our ability to be able to grow enough crops that can be converted to biofuel. There are two concerns that scientists have in this matter – the first is that the land to grow the extra crops will come from clearing more of our forests and the second is that since it competes with what we eat, the price of food will go up.

However, Richard Branson of Virgin Airlines, envisions that if biofuel starts to replace oil on a greater basis, it will be manufactured from algae（藻类）produced in sewage treatment plants, not from food sources.

Birgin Airlines is not the only one trying to look for alternative fuel sources. Earlier this year, an Airbus A380 used another alternative fuel－a man-made mix of gas-to-liquid, in one of its four engines. The flight was tested by Rolls Royce (manufacturer of jet engines), in partnership with Shell (an oil company). Rolls Royce is also working with Air New Zealand on a similar project.

While a complete switch to alternative fuel may take years, it is very encouraging to see airlines, oil companies and airplane manufacturers all coming together to try to make it happen!

1.．Why does Virgin Airlines try to replace normal fuel with biofuel?

2.．Which is NOT true for a full biofuel switch of airplanes?

A Biofuel cannot run for long flights.                  

B．Biofuel cannot work at high altitudes.

C．Man has not enough land to grow extra crops for biofuel. 

D．It’s not easy for sewage treatment plants to manufacture biofuel.

3.．One of the hurdles to be overcome for a full biofuel switch is to          .

4.．We can infer from the last paragraph that          .

5.．Which of the following can best serves as the title of this passage?

Alexander Richard Pettyfer (born on April 10, 1990) is an English actor. The son of an actor and a former fashion model, he began his career as a child fashion model at the age of seven, modeling for labels such as GAP, after meeting Ralph Lauren in a toy store in New York City. He attended Twickenham Preparatory School in Hampton and later the Mall, a small private school in Twickenham and as a schoolboy, performed in plays, including Charlie And The Chocolate Factory.

“When you go through such a long process of auditioning you kind of forget about getting it. It’s more like you keep going up and having a little bit of fun,” Pettyfer said.
The film became a hot topic for film critics. One review of Pettyfer’s performance described him as playing the role with an “earnest seriousness”, although another noted that he “isn’t quite at ease as an actor”. Media reports have specified that the film is expected to make Pettyfer a “teen idol”.
After Pettyfer completed filming on Stormbreaker, he did not discuss the film with anyone at his school, and decided to leave school and concentrate on his film career, as well as study drama full time at college. Now he is studying at Shiplake College boarding school. Pettyfer likes skiing, dancing, and hockey when not working.
【小题1】What’s the CORRECT time order of these events in Pettyfer’s career?
① He made his first appearance in a film.
② He made his first appearance in a play.
③ He made his first appearance on television.
④ He made his first appearance as a model.

A．It was a hit film.

B．All the reviews of this film are positive.

C．Pettyfer didn’t want to play in the film.

D．Pettyfer wasn’t satisfied with his performance in it.