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“A good book might clarify something you knew little about, transform your world view, or move you in ways you didn’t think possible. The Soul of an Octopus(章鱼)delivers on all three, ”the magazine New Scientist commented.
After writing about birds, pigs and tigers, US naturalist Sy Montgomery decided to choose these many-footed animals as the subject of her latest book, The Soul of an Octopus: a surprising exploration into the wonder of consciousness.
“Here is animal with poisonous liquid like a snake，a beak(喙)like a parrot，and ink like an old-fashioned pen. It can weigh as much as a man and extend as long as a car, yet it can pour its baggy; boneless body through an opening the size of all orange. It can change color and shape. It has a tongue covered with teeth. It can taste with its skin.” Montgomery explained to the National Geographic on why octopuses inspired her.
What Montgomery is able to show in The Soul of an Octopus is that octopuses are creatures who exhibit personality, intelligence and emotion, despite having nervous systems completely different from our own. She uses different experiments to show that they possess consciousness as well as individual personalities. For example, based on her research, she finds out that Octavia, an octopus caught in the wild, is friendly and good at multi-tasking. And Kali, another octopus，who has been living at the New England Aquarium, is playful and loves exploring.
Montgomery is a good storyteller. Through her study of, and communication with, these extraordinary creatures she shares what she learns from both science and her experiences. Her skillful writing presents facts together with personal description, which makes the book very informative but easy to read.
1.Why is The Soul of an Octopus thought highly of ?
A. It is themed with a many-footed animal.
B. It mainly explores consciousness and wonders.
C. It compares octopuses with birds, pigs and tigers.
D. It offers new knowledge and changes your viewpoints.
2.Octopuses impress Montgomery greatly because.
A. they have unique physical functioning
B. their liquid can be used as good ink
C. they behave more like snakes and parrots
D. their body can be shrunk to the size of an orange
3.What does Montgomery think of octopuses according to Paragraph 4?
A. They are friendly with each other.
B. They are similar to humans in a way.
C. They communicate with humans well.
D. They have different nature from humans.
4.Which of the following best describes the book?
A. Vivid but unreal. B. Scientific and readable.
C. Boring and ridiculous. D. Interesting but fictional
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Sharing E Umbrella, a new umbrella sharing company based in Shenzhen, China, recently announced that it had lost most of the 300, 000 umbrellas since it was set up.
China's sharing economy has been growing rapidly, with companies offering anything from bicycles and basketballs to phone batteries for people to rent. Customers make a small deposit（押金）and get to use the thing for a daily cost, with a fine put in place for every day if they fail to return the product in time. It's a simple business model, and market data shows that people see sharing as a cheap and convenient way to cut down waste.
Zhao Shuping founded the Sharing E Umbrella, an umbrella sharing service, in April. By the end of June, he had already started in 11 major Chinese cities, including Shanghai, Nanjing and Guangzhou. While picking up the umbrellas was relatively simple, as they were made available（可得到的）at bus and subway stations, the return system turned out to be a different matter. "Umbrellas are different from bicycles, "Mr. Zhao told Chinese news site ThePaper.cn. "Bikes can be parked anywhere, but with an umbrella you need something to hang it on. "
So instead of bothering to return the umbrellas back to a station, a lot of people just took them home, and Sharing E Umbrella has reportedly lost track of most of the 300,000 umbrellas. Considering that borrowing umbrellas requires a 19 yuan deposit, with a fee of 0.50 yuan per half an hour usage, Zhao says that he suffers a loss of 60 yuan per lost umbrella, so the company is now in the red, but he is not ready to stop it just yet. Zhao announces that Sharing E Umbrella still plans to roll out（推出）30 million nationwide by the end of the year.
1.What do we know about Sharing E Umbrella？
A. It makes people learn to help each other.
B. It needs people to make a small deposit first.
C. It developed faster in the western countries.
D. It produces more waste and causes disorder.
2.What problem did Sharing E Umbrella meet after it was founded？
A. The company had no money to produce umbrellas.
B. Umbrellas are not allowed to hang anywhere.
C. Lots of customers didn't give the umbrellas back.
D. People refuse to pay deposit for the umbrellas.
3.How much did his company lose if an umbrella was lost？
A. 0.5 yuan. B. 19 yuan.
C. 60 yuan. D. 120 yuan.
4.We can infer from the last paragraph that .
A. Zhao has found a way to get the umbrellas back
B. Zhao will continue his umbrella sharing service
C. Most of Zhao's companies have been closed
D. Sharing E Umbrella is a failure for Zhao.
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Back in 1969, it was the Apollo 11 crew who flew to the moon in a spaceship. When U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong and Edwin “Buzz” Aldrin stepped foot on the moon, they were the first. Meanwhile, their fellow astronaut Michael Coilins circled the moon in their spaceship, named Columbia.
When Armstrong and Aldrin were done with their walk，they returned to the command module, and back to Earth. That part of the spaceship is on view at the Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum in Washington, D.C. But, if you cannot get to Washington，soon you will be able to see Columbia on your computer or your smartphone.
Digital scientists are scanning the inside of the spaceship. They are creating an online model, in three dimensions, or“3 D”. By looking at these photographs, you will be able to see outer space，the way the astronauts did. It will be like sitting in their seats.
Want your very own Columbia spaceship? You will be able to print a 3D copy of Columbia. Experts say anyone can make a life-sized model. But they expect most people to make smaller models of the 320×400 cm(11’X 13’)command module.
Scientists are using special 3D technology to scan the inside. They use cameras on long arms to take the photographs. The thousands of photographs taken will be combined with 50 laser scans.
What would it be like to sit inside Columbia and take a look around? All the images will be loaded into software that allows you to look around the module on a computer screen. The user will be able to see the Columbia both inside and out. The Smithsonian says that the 3D technology gives the user ways to see things they cannot see at the museum. And it will give information that even the museum curators(馆长)have not seen before.
“With the Command Module, no one has been inside since it came into the collection,” says Adam Metallo. Smithsonian 3D imaging specialist. “Now the information we capture can give anyone in the world a view of what it looks like inside this incredible piece of history.”
1.The author mentions moon landing of the Apollo 11 to_____________.
A. introduce the topic
B. honour the astronauts
C. mark the milestone event
D. draw attention to space research
2.According to the text，people_______________.
A. are advised to make a life-sized model
B. can clone a spaceship with 3D technology
C. will visit a copy of Columbia in the museum
D. can buy a copied Columbia spaceship in the museum
3.What’s the advantage of a copied spaceship?
A. It can attract more visitors.
B. It can help look far into the universe.
C. It makes 3D technology more popular.
D. It provides more knowledge than the museum.
4.What might be the best title for the text?
A. Apollo 11 Spacecraft lands in your smartphone
B. 3D technology, the new way to explore space
C. Landing on the moon, a milestone in space travel
D. An online model shows you how to land on the moon
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