Ever wonder where chocolate chip cookies came from?Or why we use waffles（华夫饼）as ice cream cones?
Mistakes that Worked,written by Charlotte Foltz Jones,award-winning author of non-fiction books for children, offers forty of these unusual tales,along with many interesting drawings and strange and amazing facts.
The book is divided into six parts: food,medicine,toys,accidental things,names,and I find the book great because if not for the book,I would never have known that something was actually accidentally created.Besides,I like to learn real information;I can't stand books with stories that aren't real.Although this is a non-fiction book and is about inventions,it is not a history of technology book;it's more of an easy reading book.This book would be attractive to both boys and girls,and it could actually be either an adult book or a children’s book.
Published in 1991,the book is a bit old and is showing its age now in 2016.Still,it contains lots of great information,even though some facts are not exact.I love the idea of a mistakes book,and I especially like the format, which allows readers to dip in and out of the book easily.However,the entries are not all equally strong. Additionally, if you don’t live in the US,the book makes little sense,since it is full of American references both historically and in terms of customs.
Anyway,Mistakes that Worked is a reminder that failure is not always the end.It is an enlightening book that encourages us to realize that taking risks and learning to experiment is often the best way to learn,even if we don’t end up creating something new and wonderful.
1.What kind of book is Mistakes that Worked?
A. It's a picture book. B. It's a science book.
C. It's an adult book. D. It's a historical book.
2.What can we infer about the author?
A. He reads too little.
B. He is a slow reader.
C. He is a great reader of non-fiction.
D. He enjoys reading books about inventions.
3.Which of the following does the author especially like about the book?
A. Its facts. B. Its organization.
C. Its entries. D. Its reference.
4.What is the author's opinion on the book?
A. It's a fun read. B. It's a perfect book.
C. It makes little sense. D. It's full of factual mistake
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
School of Cinema and Performing Arts
It offers two two-week sessions and one three-week session during the summer.Your teen can participate in the filmmaking,acting,dance,photography programs.He will work with professionals who will teach him the latest technology through hands-on experience.Tuition includes day trips to amusement parks and other Los Angeles tourism sites.Housing and food can be arranged in dorms for an additional fee.
Address: 1600 Campus Road,Los Angeles
Tel: 800-718-2787
ID Tech Camps at UCLA
It offers computer and gaming related camps at the UCLA campus.Teens can join in day camps,overnight camps or weekend gaming camps.Your teen will use the latest technology available to learn video game design,web design and computer programming.Overnight campers will stay in the college dorms.
Address: 405 Hilgard Ave,Los Angeles
Tel: 888-709-8324
Summer Discovery at UCLA
It offers three or six week residential camps at the UCLA campus.Three-week courses can include academic or art classes for enrichment purposes.In this summer camp,your teen will get a taste of what to expect when she enters college.She can choose from sports management,business management,healthy lifestyle programs,ESL-TOEFL programs and more.
Address: 405 Hilgard Ave,Los Angeles
Tel: 516-621-3939
Power Chord Academy
It offers a seven-day course that caters（迎合）to residential or day teens,as well as a three-day course.Teens will meet a touring band,learn technical aspects about the music industry and being a musician in current times,write songs,perform concerts,make a music video,record a CD and meet a touring band.No experience or musical background is necessary.
Address: 7336 Santa Monica Blvd,Los Angeles
Tel: 800-897-6677
1.From the first paragraph,we can learn School of Cinema and Performing Arts .
A. is devoted to healthy lifestyle programs
B. provides free meals for its teen campers at the weekends
C. requests the professionals to teach its teen campers the quickest methods
D. gives its campers a chance to do filmmaking and acting by themselves
2.Which number will you dial if you want to become a businessman in future?
A. 800-718-2787. B. 516-621-3939.
C. 888-709-8324. D. 800-897-6677.
3.What do the four camps have in common?
A. All of them provide accommodation.
B. They lie on the same business area.
C. Teens can go to amusement parks for free.
D. They have latest technology during each session.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It's common for students to hear the same standard,cliched advice:"dream big","follow yours dreams",and "reach for the stars." But Student of the Year judge Alien Ma has something a bit different to add—"be practical".
The judge knows a thing or two about both big dreams and practical applications,and has seen plenty of students achieve both.
"We are looking to nurture talents,in this case technology talents,says Ma,CEO of Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP). "When someone has this kind of crazy idea or brilliant idea—sometimes you can’t tell the difference—they need to find somebody to help them realize their dream."
And with all the big and sometimes crazy ideas Ma has heard from students through HKSTP,he says it is important to find a balance between creative ideas and practical applications.And part of this means being able to see the benefit of patience and long-term goals.
Ma says he sees many students try to get good marks through easy classes,rather than challenging themselves with harder courses that will pay off with knowledge that would be useful for their future.
"You should be looking out for your future,"he says.
And for secondary school students,Ma says this means having a broad understanding of the world around them, especially as it relates to Science,Technology,Engineering and Maths (Stem) knowledge.
"I think a lot of students today have this broad,sometimes international understanding,"he says.Ma sees many strong students using their knowledge to help others.And for him,these are the students that really stand out from the crowd,as they're making the connection between their knowledge and how they fit into the world around them."They don’t just study,they’re not just scholars,"he says."They are good scholars,but also good sports players or good musicians,for example,but they also give back to society.That’s what impresses me the most."
1.What do the underlined words mean in Para1?
A. Do not dream big any more.
B. Realizing dreams is equally important.
C. The standard advice is no longer useful.
D. Anyone who dreams big is great.
2.Why does Ma think students need help in realizing their dreams?
A. They are short of patience.
B. They can't balance study and life well.
C. They are far away from being practical.
D. They can’t tell crazy and bright ideas apart.
3.What is Ma' suggestion for students nowadays?
A. Set a goal. B. Fit into society.
C. Begin with easy classes. D. Take the long-term view.
4.What kind of feeling does Ma express in the last paragraph?
A. Politeness. B. Inspiration.
C. Admiration. D. Hopefulness.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
As Artificial Intelligence (A) becomes increasingly sophisticated,there are growing concerns that robots could become a threat.This danger can be avoided,according to computer science professor Stuart Russell,if we figure out how to turn human values into a programmable code.
Russell argues that as robots take on more complicated tasks,it’s necessary to translate our morals into AI language.
For example,if a robot does chores around the house,you wouldn't want it to put the pet cat in the oven to make dinner for the hungry children. "You would want that robot preloaded with a good set of values," said Russell.
Some robots are already programmed with basic human values.For example,mobile robots have been programmed to keep a comfortable distance from humans.Obviously there are cultural differences,but if you were talking to another person and they came up close in your personal space,you wouldn't think that's the kind of thing a properly brought-up person would do.
It will be possible to create more sophisticated moral machines,if only we can find a way to set out human values as clear rules.
Robots could also learn values from drawing patterns from large sets of data on human behavior.They are dangerous only if programmers are careless.
The biggest concern with robots going against human values is that human beings fail to do sufficient testing and they've produced a system that will break some kind of taboo（禁忌）.
One simple check would be to program a robot to check the correct course of action with a human when presented with an unusual situation.
If the robot is unsure whether an animal is suitable for the microwave,it has the opportunity to stop,send out beeps,and ask for directions from a human.If we humans aren't quite sure about a decision,we go and ask somebody else.
The most difficult step in programming values will be deciding exactly what we believe in moral,and how to create a set of ethical rules.But if we come up with an answer,robots could be good for humanity.
1.What does the author say about the threat of robots?
A. It may be a challenge to computer programmers.
B. It accompanies all machinery involving high technology.
C. It can be avoided if human values are translated into their language.
D. It has become an inevitable danger as technology gets more sophisticated.
2.How do robots learn human values?
A. By interacting with humans in everyday life situations.
B. By following the daily routines of civilized human beings.
C. By picking up patterns from massive data on human behavior.
D. By imitating the behavior of properly brought-up human beings.
3.What will a well-programmed robot do when facing an unusual situation?
A. Keep a distance from possible dangers.
B. Do sufficient testing before taking action.
C. Set off its built-in alarm system at once.
D. Stop to seek advice from a human being.
4.What is most difficult to do when we turn human values into a programmable code?
A. Determine what is moral and ethical.
B. Design some large-scale experiments.
C. Set rules for man-machine interaction.
D. Develop a more sophisticated program.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
Rujuta Teredesai grew up in Pune,a city in India.She saw that girls and boys in her community were not treated equally.Girls were responsible for all the household work.1.women didn't have the same rights as men.They often suffered from mistreatment and sometimes even physical violence.
2.But she saw that organizations working to end gender discrimination usually paid attention only to the actions and attitudes of girls. "Nobody talked to young boys about equality," she said.3.The organization,Equal Community Foundation (ECF), now reaches 40,000 people in 20 communities in Pune.
ECF matches small groups of boys,ages 14 to 17,with male mentors for a 15-week period.The mentors talk to the boys about treating girls with respect.4.They discuss times when the boys experienced unfair treatment. Then they work with the boys to come up with ways the boys can help spread tolerance.Boys have completed projects like making maps of the safest routes for girls to walk at night.
"What we have found is that these boys don’t mean to be discriminatory," Teredesai says. "They don't mean to hurt someone.5." When boys work to make girls' lives better,everyone in the community wins.
A.They help boys relate to girls’ experiences.
B.It's part of the solution to end discrimination.
C.It's just that they don't realize they’re doing it.
D.Many families didn't send their daughters to school.
E.Unfair treatment of girls and women is a problem in India.
F.Teredesai wanted to make a difference for girls and women.
G..So she decided to create a space for boys to learn about girls' rights.
难度: 困难查看答案及解析
I was working at the toy counter of a "dime" store in Orlando, Florida.I was 15, and the year was 1952. I had to____about my age to get a job,and I barely supported myself on the $25/week salary.But this was the South,and it was a time when things were______for everybody.
It was a few days after Christmas,and we had a lot of dolls left______on the toy counter,as well as many more dolls in a storage closet. My young voice trying to______the passing shoppers to our sale didn't seem to get anyone's____—shoppers continued to walk by,ignoring me.
Suddenly,a small girl walked by,and I handed her a doll.Her mother stopped to find out______her daughter had this doll.and I explained our______sale.The girl had stars in her eyes and nothing was going to make her______this doll.I had made my first______.
I continued,handing anyone walking by,______their age,a doll,and soon I had the two______behind the counter rushing to ring up all the sales.I was feeling very______,and confident about the success.
Then I handed a doll to a small,______dressed girl.Her eyes lit up.I explained to her mother about the wonderful sale.______, her mother took the doll away from the little girl and handed it back to me. Quickly ____
filled the little girl's eyes as her mother explained gently that there was no______to buy this doll and apologized to her.I______her that this was a really good______,but the mother just shook her head.
Just then a well-dressed,middle-aged woman said, "Wait—let me______this doll for your little girl." She took the doll from my hands and handed it______back to the little girl.
1.A. care B. talk C. lie D. argue
2.A. rough B. tight C. rare D. valuable
3.A. undone B. unpacked C. unsold D. untouched
4.A. guide B. invite C. recommend D. attract
5.A. attention B. praise C. recognition D. comment
6.A. when B. why C. what D. where
7.A. abundant B. convenient C. popular D. economic
8.A. take up B. figure out C. give up D. pick out
9.A. sale B. attempt C. decision D. step
10.A. as for B. regardless of C. owing to D. according to
11.A. receptionists B. cashiers C. waitresses D. customers
12.A. relaxed B. confused C. energetic D. proud
13.A. shabbily B. elegantly C. strangely D. neatly
14.A. Fortunately B. Accidentally C. Sadly D. Hopefully
15.A. surprise B. tears C. pity D. horrors
16.A. money B. point C. need D. reason
17.A. convinced B. showed C. taught D. reminded
18.A. bargain B. present C. choice D. opportunity
19.A. send B. prepare C. purchase D. exchange
20.A. calmly B. anxiously C. excitedly D. carefully
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Pets Comer is a company with dozens of pet stores and more than 600 employees around the UK.It is planning 1.(provide) the first-ever pet and human first aid course for its staff.
To develop the2.(special) designed course,training teams3.(organize) by now.The course will begin next month.The full-day course will cover two parts with the first part4.(deal) with humans and the second with dog and cat first aid.Topics covered will include different5.(situation) in our daily life which require first aid skills such as minor injuries,shock and unconsciousness.
Lucy Ross,Head of Training at Pets Comer,said, "At Pets Comer,we have always tried to apply an honest and moral approach to everything6.we do.This includes having the best trained staff in the industry.Every human customer as well as their pet animals7.(be) welcome in our stores.It s our duty to provide all of our staff8.the tools and knowledge they need to feel9.(confidence) in helping both pets and customers.Therefore,10.makes sense
that our staffs first aid knowledge is beyond all your expectations."
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下短文。短文中共有10处错误，每句中最多有两处。错误涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在此符号下面写出该加的词。
删除：把多余的词用斜线（＼）划掉。
修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。
Advertising informs consumers of newer products available on the market.It gives us information with everything from shampoo and toothpaste to computers and cars.But there is one serious problems with us.The information are actually very often misinformation.It tells us the products' benefits but hides its advantages. Advertising not only leads us to buying things that we don.t need and can’t afford,but it confuses our sense reality. "Zoom toothpaste prevents bad teeth and gives you the white teeth!" the advertisement tells us.And it doesn’t tell us the complete truth that a health diet and a good toothbrush will have the same effect.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
假设你是红星中学的高中生李华，你校选拔一批优秀学生，利用周末的时间到幸福村辅导留守儿童（left-behind children）的英语，你希望参加此活动。请根据以下提示，用英语给校评选组写一封申请信：
●对此活动的认识 ●个人优势 ●你的计划
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可适当增加细节，以使内容充实、行文连贯；
3.信的开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
Dear Sir or Madam,
I'm Li Hua from Hongxing High School._______________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
________________________________________________________________
Looking forward to your reply!
Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
难度: 中等查看答案及解析