Erik Weihenmayer was born with an eye disorder. As a child his eyesight became worse and then, at the age of 13, he lost his sight completely. However, he did not lost his determination to lead a full and active life.
Erik became an adventurer. He took up parachuting, wrestling and diving. He competed in long-distance biking, marathons and skiing. His favorite sport, though, is mountaineering.
As a young man, Erik started to climb mountains. He reached the summit of Mount McKinley in 1995 and then climbed the dangerous 1000-meter rock wall of EI Capitan. Two years later, while climbing Mount Kilimanjaro in Kenya with his girlfriend, they stopped for a time at 13, 000 feet above sea level---in order to get married. In 1999, he climbed Aconcagua, the tallest mountain in South America. And then, on May25, 2001, at the age of 33, Erik successfully completed the greatest mountaineering challenge of all. He climbed Mount Everest, the highest mountain in the world.
Erik invented his own method for climbing mountains. He carries two long poles, one to lean on and the other to test the way ahead of him. The climber in front of him wears a bell to guide him. Erik is a good team member. He does his share of the job, such as setting up tents and building snow walls.
Although he could not enjoy the view, Erik felt the excitement of being on the summit of Everest. He hopes that his success will change how people think about the blind. “When people think about a blind person or blindness, now they will think about a person standing on top of the world.”
60. What was unusual about his wedding?
A. He got married on the summit of Mount McKinley.
B. He got married when climbing Mount Everest.
C. His wedding was held after he prepared a lot.
D. His wedding was held at 13, 000 feet above sea level.
61. What is Erik’s special method for climbing a mountain?
A. He takes his girlfriend with him.                     B. He does his share of his jobs.
C. He uses two long poles to help himself.         D. He keeps a good team around him.
62. Which of the following shows the right order of what happened?
a. He topped Mount McKinley.                            b. He became blind.
c. He challenged Mount Everest.                               d. He reached the peak of Kilimanjaro.
e. He climbed the rock wall of EI Capitan.
A. b, e, d, c, a                    B. b, a, e, d, c          C. b, a, e, c, d          D. b, e, a, d, c

Catherine Destivelle is a rock star. She loves rock, but she can’t sing or play the guitar! She is a rock climber and a big star in France and Italy. She is the most famous woman climber in the world because she often climbs without ropes. She climbs in many countries but most often in the French Alps near Chamonix, where she lives. She started climbing near her home in Paris when she was five. Then, at fourteen, she joined the French Alpine Club to learn more, but immediately she climbed better and more quickly than the older members of the club. She won her first competition in Italy in 1995.

Three years ago she found a new route up the Dru Mountain near Chamonix. The climb took eleven days and for four days the snow was so heavy that she could not move. Last year other climbers tried to follow the new Destivelle Route, but they failed. They are going to try again this year.

People always ask her about her climbing. She says, “I climb because I’m in love with mountains. I like touching the rock and reading the face of the rock. I like it a lot. I felt at home on the side of a mountain. I prepare well before I go, so I’m never worried.”

Catherine chooses new mountains from books—like buying from a shopping catalogue(目录)! “I see a nice mountain and I go to climb it!” Her next mountain is in Pakistan. She is going there next month. “It’s much bigger than the Dru, so it’s going to take longer to climb. An American climber, Jeff Lowe, is coming with me to help.”

1.Catherine Destivelle is called ‘a star’ because ________.

A. she won a competition in 1995        B. she loves rocks

C. she’s a famous woman climber         D. she found a new route up to the Dru Mountain

2.She had great trouble finding a new route up the Dru Mountain because _______.

A. she lost her way                             B. the climb took 11 days

C. she needed help from an American climber    D. there was heavy snow

3.On the side of a mountain she feels _______.

A. independent    B. easy and happy     C. energetic and challenged   D. nervous

4.We can infer from the passage people often ask her “________”.

A. Why do you like climbing?                 B. Are you in love with an American climber?

C. Do you enjoy reading books on mountains?    D. What do you do before you go climbing?

Did you ever wonder who invented products like Liquid Paper, Kevlar or paper bags? Most would think a man invented these items. Guess what? Women invented each of these. What? You don’t believe me? Well, read this:

Liquid Paper was invented by Bette Nesmith Graham in 1951 and originally called Mistake Out. Being a typist, Bette was increasingly irritated with being unable to erase her typing mistakes. The messy business left her hands black and the paper dirty. Bette was good at painting and remembered that an artist paints over mistakes. She applied that same principle to typing mistakes and Liquid Paper was born, making Bette into a self-made millionaire.

Kevlar, yes, the Kevlar of the bullet proof vest（防弹衣）—what police officers and soldiers wear, was invented by Stephanie Kwolek. Stephanie worked for the DuPont Company as a research chemist. She was asked to find a high-performance fiber. Originally, this fiber was intended to be used for car tires (轮胎). However, the fiber she developed in 1964 was amazing and is still used in products such as sailboats, skis, shoes, and yes, bullet proof vests. In 1995 Stephanie was named to the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.

Margaret Knight invented a machine that revolutionized the making of paper bags. Paper bags had been made like envelopes but Margaret developed a machine that would fold and paste（粘）a flat-bottom paper bag, the very same type we still use today. Margaret’s family was poor and she started working at the age of nine. Her first invention at the age of twelve was a safety tool for a loom（织布机）. Later she worked for the Columbia Paper Bag Company. It was there that she worked on improving the making of paper bags. She was issued her patent（专利）in 1870.

So next time you use a new product or an old one, will you wonder who made it? Do some research on the web and answer a few questions like: Who invented it? How was it invented? You may be surprised at some of the stories you uncover.

1.The underlined word “irritated” in Paragraph 2 is the closest in meaning to_________.

  A.annoyed             B. excited              C. delighted            D. nervous

2.What do we know about Margaret?

  A.She was a member of the National Inventor’s Hall of Fame.

  B.Her first invention was made when she was twenty.

  C.Her invention was designed to produce envelopes.

  D.She began working when she was very young.

3.which of the following best shows the structure of the passage? (①=paragraph 1, ②=Paragraph 2,… ⑤=paragraph 5)

4.What would be the best title for the passage?

A.How inventions were made

  B.Amazing inventions by women

  C.Women and modern technology

  D.You can also be an inventor

A single night of taking the drug Ecstasy (摇头丸) can cause serious brain damage and speed up the start of Parkinson’s disease, scientists say. Just two or three Ecstasy tablets can permanently destroy brain cells that affect movement and reasoning, according to American research that links the drug to Parkinson’s for the first time.

A study by a team at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, Maryland, involving squirrel monkeys and baboons (狒狒) found that both species suffered permanent damage to key cells, which are lost in Parkinson’s, after receiving three low doses（剂量）of Ecstasy at three-hour periods.

The study is particularly important because baboons are one of the best animal models for the human brain. George Ricaurte, who led the research, said that the widespread abuse of drug might have caused severe damage. “The most troubling result is that young adults using Ecstasy may be increasing their risk of developing Parkinsonism as they get older.”

Alan Leshner, a former director of the US National Institute on Drug Abuse, said, “This study emphasizes the multi-aspect damage that Ecstasy causes to users. We’ve long known that repeated use damages brain cells. But this study shows that even very occasional use can have long-lasting effects on many different brain systems. It sends an important message to young people: don’t experiment with your own brain.”

Janet Betts, a mother whose teenage daughter Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995, said, “This comes as no surprise. But people can’t see the effects at first, and they say it won’t happen to them. We’ll see the symptoms later, just as we have with smoking.”

The article is intended to ______.

   A. explain the bad effects of drugs on people’s health

B. warn young people of the risk of taking the drug Ecstasy

   C. persuade people out of such bad habits as smoking and using drugs

D. tell us the links between the drug Ecstasy and Parkinson’s disease

We know from the passage that a low dose of Ecstasy ______.

   A. won’t cause serious brain damage

   B. can permanently destroy one’s brain cells

   C. will result in immediate symptoms

   D. may bring on Parkinson’s at once

Why are squirrel monkeys and baboons involved in the experiments?

   A. Because their brain is similar to human being’s.

   B. Because these animals usually take drugs.

   C. Because these animals will soon get well after the experiment.

   D. Because there is a model in the animals’ brains.

The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably means that ______.

   A. Leah died after a single Ecstasy tablet in 1995

B. taking drug has the same symptoms as smoking

C. occasional use of the drug can have long-lasting effects on the brain systems

D. people have long known that repeated use of the drug damages brain cells

Tales From Animal Hospital

David Grant

David Grant has become a familiar face to millions of fans of Animal Hospital. Here Dr Grant tells us the very best of his personal stories about the animals he has treated, including familiar patients such as the dogs Snowy and Duchess, the delightful cat Marigold Serendipity Diamond. He also takes the reader behind the scenes at Harmsworth Memorial Animal Hospital as he describes his day, from ordinary medical check-ups to surgery （外科手术）. Tales From Animal Hospital will delight all fans of the program and anyone who has a lively interest in their pet, whether it be cat, dog or snake I !

$ 14.99 Hardback 272 pp Simon Schuster

ISBN 0751304417

Isaac Newton: The Last Sorcerer

Michael White

From the author of Stephen Hawking: A Life in Science, comes this colorful description of the life of the world’s first modern scientist. Interesting yet based on fact, Michael White’s learned yet readable new book offers a true picture of Newton completely different from what people commonly know about him. Newton is shown as a gifted scientist with very human weaknesses who stood at the point in history where magic (魔术)ended and science began.

£8.99 Hardback 320 pp Fourth Estate

ISBN 1857024168

Fermat’s Last Theorem

Simon Singh

In 1963 a schoolboy called Andrew Wiles reading in his school library came across the world’s greatest mathematical problem: Fermat’s Last Theorem (定理). First put forward by the French mathematician Pierre de Fermat in the seventeenth century, the theorem (法则)had baffled and beaten the finest mathematical minds, including a French woman scientist who made a major advance in working out the problem, and who had to dress like a man in order to be able to study at the Ecole

Polytechnique. Through unbelievable determination Andrew Wiles finally worked out the problem in 1995. An unusual story of human effort over three centuries, Fermat’s Last Theorem will delight specialists and general readers alike.

£12.99 Hardback 384 pp Fourth Estate

ISBN 1857025210

1.In Michael White’s book, Newton is described as        .

A．a person who did not look the same as in many pictures

B．a person who lived a colorful and meaningful life

C．a great but not perfect man

D．an old-time magician

2.Which of the following best explains the meaning of the word “baffle” as it is used in the text?

A．To encourage people to raise questions.      B．To cause difficulty in understanding.

C．to provide a person with an explanation.      D．To limit people’s imagination.

3.If a student wants to read a book about a famous scientist and he doesn’t want it too serious to read, which of the three books in the above is suitable?

A．The first.                              B．The second.

C．The third.                             D．Both the first and the second.