Scott and his four companions were terribly disappointed. When they got to the South Pole, they found the Norwegians had_________them in the race to be the first ever to reach it. After_________ the British flag at the Pole, they took a photograph of themselves _______ they started the 950-mile journey back.
The journey was unexpectedly _________, and the joy and excitement about the Pole had gone out of them. The sun hardly _______. The snow storms always made it impossible to sight the stones they had _________ to mark their way home. To make things _________, Evans, whom they had all thought of _________the strongest of the five, fell badly into a deep hole in the ice. Having _________ along for several days, he suddenly fell down and died.
The four who were __________ pushed on at the best speed they could __________. Captain Oates had been suffering for some time from his __________feet; at night his feet swelled (肿胀) so large that he could __________ put his boots on the next morning, and he walked bravely although he was in great ________. He knew his slowness was making it less likely that __________ could save themselves. He asked them to leave him behind in his sleeping-bag, but they refused, and helped him __________ a few more miles, until it was time to put up the ________ for another night.
The following morning, __________ the other three were still in their sleeping-bags, he said, “I am just going outside and may be __________ some time.” He was never seen again. He had walked out __________ into the snow storm, hoping that his death would help his companions.
1.A.hit B.fought C.won D.beaten
2.A.growing B.putting C.planting D.laying
3.A.after B.until C.while D.before
4.A.safe B.fast C.short D.slow
5.A.rose B.set C.appeared D.disappeared
6.A.taken up B.cut up C.set up D.picked up
7.A.easier B.better C.bitter D.worse
8.A.to B.upon C.as D.in
9.A.battled B.struggled C.speeded D.waited
10.A.left B.lost C.defeated D.saved
11.A.manage B.try C.employ D.find
12.A.ached B.frozen C.harden D.harmed
13.A.hardly B.never C.seldom D.nearly
14.A.pain B.fear C.trouble D.danger
15.A.all others B.some others C.others D.the others
16.A.away B.with C.off D.on
17.A.bed B.tent C.blanket D.sleeping-bag
18.A.while B.since C.for D.once
19.A.missed B.separated C.passed D.gone
20.A.patiently B.lonely C.alone D.worriedly
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
It was a Sunday and the heavy storm had lasted all night. The morning after the storm, though, was beautiful: blue skies, warm air and a calm, inviting sea touching the shore gently.
My father realized it was a good day for fishing and invited my sister and me to go with him. I was only 14 and fishing had never been my thing, but I decided to go all the same. I’m so glad I did.
On the road to the harbor we could see the terrible destruction on the coast, but the harbor itself was in fairly good shape. After all, it was protected by the arms of a bay that had only one tiny channel to the sea. As we got on board, we noticed two big humps (脊背) in the distance.
On approaching them, we saw it was a mother whale with her baby. We couldn’t believe it — there aren’t any whales along the coast here. The storm must have driven them across the ocean into the bay, in which the still water was so badly polluted that nothing could survive.
The little baby whale — actually as big as our boat — was obviously stuck and could not move. The mother dived under the water and came up suddenly, making big whirlpools(漩涡) and waves. “She’s trying to help her baby, but on the wrong side,” my father said. At this point, my father moved our boat in a semicircle to the other side and, heading the boat towards the baby whale, pushed it gently. With our several gentle pushes the big hump turned over and disappeared under water. Then it swam up right beside its mum. They struggled in their desperate attempts to escape but missed the exit and started heading in the wrong direction. We hurried up to the whales and tried to lead them towards the bay channel. Slowly, they let us lead them, some-times rising from the water right beside us to breathe — and to give us a trusting look with those huge eyes. Once they hit their first part of clean water flowing straight from the sea, the mum gave us a wave with her tail and off they swam into the distance.
In the excitement it had felt like only a few minutes, but we had been with those wonderful animals for almost an hour and a half. That was the simple and lasting beauty of the day. Nearly four decades later, I still look back fondly to that golden day at sea.
1.The author says “I’m so glad I did.” (in Para.2) because __________.
A.he spent the weekend with his family
B.be witnessed the whole process of fishing
C.he enjoyed the beauty of the calm sea
D.he experienced the rescue of the whales
2.The harbor survived the storm owing to __________.
A.the long coast line B.the shape of the harbor
C.the arms of the bay D.the still water in the channel
3.The mother whale failed to help her baby because __________.
A.the waves pushed her baby in the wrong direction
B.she had stayed in the polluted water for too long
C.the whirlpools she had made were not big enough
D.she had no other whales around to turn to for help
4.What is the theme of the story?
A.It’s vital to protect the environment
B.Saving lives brings people a sense of happiness
C.Fishing provides excitement for children
D.It’s necessary to live in harmony with animals
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Far from the land of Antarctica, a huge shelf of ice meets the ocean. At the underside of the shelf there lives a small fish, the Antarctic cod.
For forty years scientists have been curious about that fish. How does it live where most fish would freeze to death? It must have some secret. The Antarctic is not a comfortable place to work and research has been slow. Now it seems we have an answer.
Research was begun by cutting holes in the ice and catching the fish. Scientists studied the fish’s blood and measured its freezing point.
The fish were taken from seawater that had a temperature of -1.88℃ and many tiny pieces of ice floating in it. The blood of the fish did not begin to freeze until its temperature was lowered to -2.05℃. That small difference is enough for the fish to live at the freezing temperature of the ice-salt mixture.
The scientists’ next research job was clear: Find out what in the fish’s blood kept it from freezing. Their search led to some really strange thing made up of a protein never before seen in the blood of a fish. When it was removed, the blood froze at seawater temperature. When it was put back, the blood again had its antifreeze quality and a lowered freezing point.
Study showed that it is an unusual kind of protein. It has many small sugar molecules held in special positions within each big protein molecule. Because of its sugar content, it is called a glycoprotein. So it has come to be called the antifreeze fish glycoprotein. Or AFGP.
1.What is the text mainly about?
A.The terrible conditions in the Antarctic.
B.A special fish living in freezing waters.
C.The ice shelf around Antarctica.
D.Protection of the Antarctic cod.
2.Why can the Antarctic cod live at the freezing temperature?
A.The seawater has a temperature of -1.88℃.
B.It loves to live in the ice-salt mixture.
C.A special protein keeps it from freezing.
D.Its blood has a temperature lower than -2.05℃.
3.What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 5 refer to?
A.A type of ice-salt mixture. B.A newly found protein.
C.Fish blood. D.Sugar molecule.
4.What does “glyco-” in the underlined word “glycoprotein” in the last paragraph mean?
A.sugar B.ice
C.blood D.molecule
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively(不引人注目地) and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully-equipped campsite(野营地) seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access: walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy and minimum influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot. When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite is found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.
1.You needn’t ask for permission when camping in ________.
A.national parks in England B.most parts of Scotland
C.crowded lowland Britain D.most parts of England
2.The author thinks that a good campsite is one ________.
A.with easy access B.used previously
C.with modern conveniences D.far away from beaches
3.The last paragraph mainly deals with ________.
A.protecting animals B.building a campfire
C.camping in woodland D.finding a campsite with privacy
4.The passage is mainly about ________.
A.the protection of campsites B.the importance of wild camping
C.the human influence on campsites D.the dos and don’ts of wild camping
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
Most people, when they travel to space, would like to stay in orbit (轨道) for a few days or more. And this stands to reason, if you’re paying $ 20,000 for your trip to orbit! So in order for tourism to reach its full potential there’s going to be a need for space hotels. What would a space hotel actually be like to visit? Hotels in orbit will offer the services you expect from a hotel — private rooms, meals, bars. But they’ll also offer two unique experiences: impressive views — of Earth and space — and the endless entertainment of living in zero gravity — including sports and other activities that make use of this.
The hotels themselves will vary greatly — from being quite simple in the early days to huge luxury (奢侈的) structures at a later date. It’s actually surprising that as later as 1997, very few designs for space hotels were published. This is mainly because those who might be expected to design them haven’t expected the costs to come down far enough to make them possible.
Lots of people who’ve been to space have described vividly what it’s like to live in zero gravity. There are obviously all sorts of possibilities for dancing, gymnastics, and zero-G sports. Luckily, you don’t need to sleep much living in zero gravity, so you’ll have plenty of time for relaxing by hanging out in a bar with a window looking down at the turning Earth below.
Of course all good things have come to an end, unfortunately. And so after a few days you’ll find yourself heading back to the earth. You’ll be thinking how soon you can save up enough to get back up again-or maybe you should change jobs to get to work in an orbiting hotel!
1.When traveling in space, most people would like to stay in orbit for a few days because ________.
A.it is expensive to travel in space
B.they would find the possible life in other star systems
C.they could enjoy the luxury of space hotels
D.they want to realise the full potential of tourism
2.Which of the following is a unique experience that space hotels will offer?
A.The gravitational pull. B.The special views.
C.The relaxation in a bar. D.The space walk.
3.Which of the following is NOT discussed in the passage?
A.When was the space traveling made possible?
B.What are the unique experiences that space hotels will offer?
C.Why were there not many published designs for space hotels?
D.How can the travelers enjoy themselves in space hotels?
4.This passage is mainly about ________.
A.traveling in space B.the ways of living in space hotels
C.zero gravity and space hotels D.the description of space hotels
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
Thirteen vehicles lined up last March to race across the Mojave Desert, seeking a million in prize money. To win, they had to finish the 142-mile race in less than 10 hours. Teams and watchers knew there might be no winner at all, because these vehicles were missing a key part－drivers.
DARPA, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency, organized the race as part of a push to develop robotic vehicles for future battlefields. But the Grand Challenge, as it was called, just proved how difficult it is to get a car to speed across an unfamiliar desert without human guidance. One had its brake lock up in the starting area. Another began by throwing itself onto a wall. Another got tied up by bushes near the road after 1.9 miles.
One turned upside down. One took off in entirely the wrong direction and had to be disabled by remote control. One went a little more than a mile and rushed into a fence; another managed to go for six miles but stuck on a rock. The “winner,” if there was any, reached 7.8 miles before it ran into a long, narrow hole, and the front wheels caught on fire.
“You get a lot of respect for natural abilities of the living things,” says Reinhold Behringer, who helped design two of the car-size vehicles for a company called Sci-Autonics. “Even ants (蚂蚁) can do all these tasks effortlessly. It’s very hard for us to put these abilities into our machines.”
The robotic vehicles, though with necessary modern equipment such as advanced computers and GPS guidance, had trouble figuring out fast enough the blocks ahead that a two-year-old human recognizes immediately. Sure, that very young child, who has just only learned to walk, may not think to wipe apple juice off her face, but she already knows that when there’s a cookie in the kitchen she has to climb up the table, and that when she gets to the cookie it will taste good. She is more advanced, even months old, than any machine humans have designed.
1.Watchers doubted if any of the vehicles could finish the race because_____.
A.they did not have any human guidance
B.the road was not familiar to the drivers
C.the distance was too long for the vehicles
D.the prize money was unattractive to the drivers
2.DARPA organized the race in order to_____.
A.raise money for producing more robotic vehicles
B.push the development of vehicle industry
C.train more people to drive in the desert
D.improve the vehicles for future wars
3.From the passage we know “robotic vehicles” are a kind of machines that _____.
A.can do effortlessly whatever tasks living thing can
B.can take part in a race across 142 miles with a time limit
C.can show off their ability to turn themselves upside down
D.can move from place to place without being driven by human beings
4.In the last paragraph, the writer implies that there is a long way to go______.
A.for a robotic vehicle to finish a 142-mile race without any difficulties
B.for a little child who has just learned to walk to reach the cookie on the table
C.for a robotic vehicle to deal with a simple problem that a little child can solve
D.for a little child to understand the importance of wiping apple juice off its face
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
语法填空
1.When I got to New York, I had to attend a school for students __________first language was not English.
2.Reading books, _____________ takes the reader to other worlds, is a wonderful way to enjoy life.
3.Luckily, we brought a road map, _______________ the help of __________ we could find the way.
4.The pen, _______________ I paid two dollars, was lost.
5.—I can't find Mr. Smith. Where did you last see him this morning?
—It was in the hotel _______________ he visited yesterday.
6.—I can't find Mr. Smith. Where did you last see him this morning?
—It was in the hotel ____________ he stayed yesterday.
7.___________ was reported in the paper, people in mainland China sent materials to help the flooded area in Taiwan Island.
8.我画的没有她好。
I___________________________________________ she does.
9.他的房子是我的三倍大。
His house is___________________________________mine.
10.它是世界上最吵的鱼了。(noisy)
You won't find a _______________________ fish in the world.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
根据首字母和英文释义填空
1.Tickets are a__________(able to be bought or got) from the box office.
2.After fighting the fire continuously for 12 hours, the firefighters were e___________ (extremely tired).
3.I finally p___________ (to make someone decide to do something through reasoning or argument) her to change her mind.
4.She is still r____________ (to get well again after being ill or hurt, etc) from her operation.
5.Parking is b___________ (to say that something is not allowed) around the harbor in summer.
6.You may not like her, but you have to a___________ (to agree unwillingly that something is true or that someone else is right) that she is good at her job.
7.Before boarding the plane, the security officers need to check every piece of your l________ (the cases, bags etc that you carry when you are travelling).
8.She was extremely a________(feeling worried or nervous) about the results of the final exams.
9.Only 12 of the 140 passengers s_________ (to continue to live after an accident, war or illness) in the horrible air crash.
10.The full-sized double bed o__________ (to take up a space or area) almost the whole room.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析