Saturday,March 24th

We have arrived in the hot, wet city of Bangkok. This is our first trip to Thailand (泰国). All the different smells make us want to try the food. We are going to eat something special for dinner tonight. The hotel we are staying in is cheap and very clean. We plan to stay here for a few days, visit some places in the city, and then travel to Chiang Mai in the North.

Tuesday, March 27th

Bangkok is wonderful and surprising! The places are interesting. We visited the famous market which was on water, and saw a lot of fruits and vegetables. Everything is so colorful, and we have taken hundreds of photos already! Later today we will leave for Chiang Mai. We will take the train north, stay in Chiang Mai for two days, and then catch a bus to Chiang Rai.

Friday,March 30th

Our trip to Chiang Rai was long and boring. We visited a small village in the mountains. The village people here love the quiet life—no computers or phones. They are the kindest people I have ever met. They always smile and say “hello”. Kathy and I can only speak a few words of Thai, so smiling is the best way to show our kindness. I feel good here and hope to be able to come back next year.

1.The diaries above show the writer’s ______ days in Thailand.

A. 3 B. 7 C. 15 D. 30

2.It seems that visitors ______ in Bangkok.

A. can’t take any photos B. often feel hungry

C. can always find cheap things D. can enjoy themselves

3.Which of the following is TRUE?

A. The writer is traveling alone in Thailand.

B. Chiang Rai is a boring city in the mountains.

C. The writer left Chiang Mai for Chiang Rai by bus.

D. Chiang Mai is a beautiful city in the south of Thailand.

4.The people in the village _______.

A. are friendly to others

B. are very weak

C. hope to live in the cities

D. like to speak English

5.The best title of this article is_________.

A. My First Travel B. The Outside World

C. Traveling in Thailand D. A Country on the Train

A 13-year-old American has made a cheap machine that can help blind people read.

The blind can read by using Braille – a system of small bumps (隆起物) that the blind touch to read the letters. The machine that makes these small bumps usually costs at least $2,000. It is called Braille writer. The American schoolboy, Shubham Banerjee, made a new Braille writer from a Lego tool that lets people create robots. Banerjee has called his new machine the Braigo – a combination (组合) of the words Braille and Lego. It costs just $ 350. It works by changing electronic text into Braille and then printing it using a computer or mobile machine.

Banerjee designed (设计) his Braigo last year for a school science exhibition. Since then, he has caught the interest of Silicon Valley in the USA. The big technology company Intel spent money on Banerjee’s machine last November, but they did not say how much money they put in. Banerjee also got $35, 000 from his father to help him start the project. His father works as a computer engineer (工程师) at Intel. He spoke about why he gave so much money to his son, saying:”We as parents started to be interested more, thinking that he’s on to something and this invention has to continue.” Banerjee told the AP News: “My dream would probably be having most of the blind people…using my Braigo.”

1.What is Braile in Line 2?

A. A system of bumps to help the blind read.

B. The name of a new invention.

C. A very cheap machine.

D. A Lego robot.

2.How much will one save if he buys a Braigo instead of a usual Braille writer?

A. Over $2,000. B. Less than $350.

C. Exactly $35,000. D. At least $1,650.

3.What does the Braigo change into Braille?

A. Photocopies. B. Voices.

C. Electronic text. D. Computer languages.

4.Why did Banerjee design his invention?

A. He did it as a hobby.

B. Intel told him to do it.

C. He did it for a school science project.

D. He wanted to get money from his father.

5.Banerjee’s parents wanted him to continue to _______.

A. catch Intel’s interest B. work on his invention

C. be a computer engineer D. use the new Braille writer

You are probably familiar with the saying:An apple a day keeps the doctor away.A recent research carried out by the Chinese University of Hong Kong may change the saying:

An apple a day may keep aging away.

The research chose fruit flies(果蝇), as they share many genes(基因)with humans.The fruit flies were either fed normally or had an apple extract(浓缩物) added to their diet.

It turned out that those fruit flies that were given apple extract lived about 55 days—five days longer than the flies that were normally fed.The research group also found it easier for the flies to walk,climb and move about as they aged.

According to the result, the researchers believed that the antioxidants(抗氧化剂) in the apple extract helped clean up dangerous chemicals(化学物质) that cause illnesses,as well as aging.

In another study,researchers examined diets of thousands of women.They discovered that those who regularly ate apples were 20 percent less likely to suffer heart illnesses and stroke.

The apples’ genetic code(遗传密码) was discovered recently.It allows scientists to develop nicer and healthier fruits.Researchers are already using the information to grow a kind of apples full of antioxidants that can keep eyes and joints healthy and protect humans against heart illnesses and cancer.

Apples that kill the desire(欲望) to eat could also be produced, with the first “extra-healthy’’ apples on supermarket shelves within just four or five years.

The team that keeps studying apple DNA includes 100 scientists from five countries.Their research also suggests that around 65 million years ago, when dinosaurs began to die off the plant,which would finally become today’s apple tree, experienced a great genetic change.The number of many of its genes doubled.The extra genes allowed the apple to get used to worse conditions and go through a different development from peaches,strawberries and other related fruits.

1.Why were fruit flies used for the research?

A.Because they have a similar diet to humans.

B.Because they have a history as long as apples.

C.Because they share a lot of genes with humans.

D.Because they feed on nothing but apple extract.

2.What result did the researchers find out?

A.Apples produce chemicals that can change human genes.

B.Apples have antioxidants that kill chemicals that cause aging.

C.Apples are rich in vitamins that are needed in humans’ bodies.

D.Apples produce chemicals that make apples taste more delicious.

3.What can we infer(推断)from the passage?

A.Eating apples may bring us more advantages than we might believe before.

B.People who have the habit of eating apples don’t need to see a doctor.

C.Apples that kill the desire to eat are already available in supermarkets now.

D.People will eat apples instead of peaches and strawberries from now on.

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网