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Joanna Cole, born on August 11, 1944 in Newark, New Jersey, has been credited to be one of the most popular children’s authors of all time. She has written over 250 books and is famous for writing one of the most popular children's book series. She knew as early as 5th grade that she was interested in writing and science. Cole has owed a large part of her passion to one of her elementary school teachers.
Joanna Cole continued her education by attending the University of Massachusetts and Indiana. She would eventually earn a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the City College of New York in 1967; after graduation Cole decided to take some education courses to become a librarian at a Brooklyn elementary school in 1967. Eventually, she would take jobs working for Newsweek, Seesaw book club.
Cole’s passion for writing and science was still alive and well during this time. In 197l she decided to write her first book, Cockroaches. She did some research and discovered there had never been a book written for children about cockroaches. So she thought she would be the first.
Cole struck gold when she wrote the first Magic School Bus in 1985. The book would go on to be published the following year and quickly became book series and cartoon series due to its success.
Cole continued to write both non-fiction and fiction books for children. She writes in a way that will hopefully inspire children to think like a scientist. She does this by writing ideas instead of just facts. She also tries to ask questions in her books that require children to think and discover the answers as they read. This creates an engaging experience for children, so it is no wonder why younger readers are hooked on her books.
1.When Joanna Cole was young, she ________.
A. got inspired by one of her teachers
B. was very popular with children
C. began her career of writing novels
D. knew what she would do in the future
2.What does the underlined phrase probably mean?
A. Got ideas. B. Made a promise.
C. Made a fortune. D. Obtained help.
3.What do we know about Joanna Cole?
A. She is the most famous woman writer in America.
B. She is an expert at getting science across to readers.
C. She writes novels not only for kids but for adults.
D. She has made great contributions to science.
4.What kind of person is Cole in the passage?
A. Talented and creative. B. Popular and reliable.
C. Serious and honest. D. Positive and brave.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Airplane emissions are a big problem for the climate—and steadily rising. Experts predict that aircraft emissions will triple（增三倍）by 2050 as demand for flights increases. To prevent this terrible situation, a team of scientists at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, along with government and industry partners, is attempting to completely redesign airplanes.
Their idea, called the “double-bubble” D8, could significantly reduce plane’s carbon footprint and improve fuel efficiency if confirmed in full-scale tests. It involves major changes to the standard 180-passenger Being 737 and Airbus A320 aircraft.
The most significant change, though, is where the engines are fixed. Air slows down as it flows over the top of a traditional plane, thus creating drag and making the craft less efficient. But the D8 design moves the jet’s engines from their usual spot underneath the wings to the top of the plane’s body, by the tail—where they suck in and speed up the slow layer of air, greatly reducing drag.
These changes would make the aircraft use 37 percent less fuel than a typical passenger jet. The experts have already built and tested an 11th-scale model of the aircraft in a NASA wind tunnel. Combining the new design with future technological advances could further reduce fuel use and finally add up to 66 percent in fuel savings in two decades.
Other experts note that the D8’s develops must still overcome economic difficulties while ensuring that the engines are strong enough to handle the new design. Still, “it’s a very remarkable idea and design,” says Brian J. German, an aerospace engineer at the Georgia Institute of Technology, who was not involved in the work. The experts are now exploring the development of a half-scale model plane. If the effort succeeds, travelers may fly in one of these jets as soon as possible.
1.Why are airplane emissions steadily rising?
A. Because of the special climate. B. Because of designing new airplanes.
C. Because of the increasing flights. D. Because of the development of industry.
2.What are the most obvious changes of the new airplanes?
A. Their engine shape. B. Their engine weight.
C. Their engine position. D. Their engine power.
3.How do the experts reduce pollution from planes?
A. Using 11th-scale models. B. Saving energy.
C. Inventing stronger engines. D. Improving typical passenger jets.
4.How is the new plane progressing?
A. It meets with economic difficulty. B. It is at the laboratory stage.
C. It may fly as soon as possible. D. It is testing with its new engine.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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Finally, the long-awaited flying car is almost here.AeroMobil, a Slovakian company, plans to start selling its creation, the AeroMobil 3.0, in 2018.
The company claims on its site that the vehicle “transforms in seconds from an automobile to an airplane” by using “existing infrastructure created for automobiles and planes.” The vehicle is gas-powered and has wings that fold, which allows it to be parked like a car, though it is nearly 20 feet long.
The company’s web site features a video where the AeroMobil 3.0 drives out of a hangar (飞机库) and goes down a highway, sharing the road with regular cars until it arrives at an airstrip. The car then unfolds its wings and takes off from a stretch of grass, rather than a paved tarmac (停机坪) , and flies through the air like any other small airplane.
AeroMobil spokesman Stefan Vadocz said his company hasn’t nailed down an exact price because it’s not ready yet.
“The prototype is a work in progress,” he said in an email. But he said to expect the price to be several hundreds of thousands of euros, somewhere in between a sports car and a light sports aircraft. The vehicle seats two people — the pilot and a passenger — and its single propeller (螺旋桨) is located to the rear of the plane. The company said the car’s top speed on the road is at least 99 mph and while flying is at least 124 mph. It can fly for 435 miles before running out of gas. It has a steel framework and carbon coating and is powered by a Rotax 912, a four-cylinder aircraft engine from BRP of Austria.
Flying cars aren’t exactly new. The concept has been around since long before “The Jetsons” popularized the idea in the 1960s. It’s been a regular topic in Popular Science ever since the famous pilot Eddie Rickenbacker in World War I wrote about it in 1924. But getting a practical, reliable flying car off the ground has been a serious challenge. Glenn Curtiss, a strong competitor of the Wright Brothers, discovered this in 1918 when he developed the Curtiss Autoplane. It turned out to be more of a hopper than a flyer, so it failed to take off with the public.
The AeroMobil 3.0 has at least one competitor, the Terrafugia Transition, which also runs on gas and has folding wings. Terrafugia has said in the past that it plans to release the Transition into the market this year.
1.The AeroMobil 3.0 has the following features EXCEPT that .
A. it can transform between a car and an airplane quickly
B. it is as convenient to park as a regular car
C. it can share the same road with regular cars
D. it has to be powered by special fuel
2.The underlined word “prototype” in Paragraph 6 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. perfect version B. fashionable design C. original model D. committed engineer
3.We can learn from the passage that __________.
A. Glenn Curtiss was a pioneer in making a flying car
B. since 1924 the flying car has become the most popular topic worldwide
C. the Transition will definitely defeat the AeroMobil 3.0 on the market
D. the AeroMobil 3.0 is expected to be as cheap as a regular car
4.The passage is mainly about _________.
A. the working principles of a flying cars
B. the advantages of the AeroMobil 3.0 over regular car
C. the comparison between different products
D. the introduction to a new invention
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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How to Be a Pleasant Person
We all would love to be appreciated for the positive emotions that are exhibited around our surroundings. Little do we know that it is not a hard task at all. 1.
Be modest. Understand that we all are humans. You might be rich or poor, black or white, short or tall etc. But above all we are all humans, which means we are all emotional beings. So treat others the way you would like to be treated.
2. By offering a seat to an elderly person or throwing the football back to the young child, the inner self-satisfaction you get is priceless. Once you do so, you will feel good about yourself.
Don’t regret. We all are reasonable beings and it is very human to do unreasonable things at times. However, it does not mean that we should regret what we did in the past. Every experience is a lesson which teaches you what to do and what not to do in future. 3.
Forgive and forget. Always living in the past will only make one painful on the inside, which will reflect on the outside. 4. By doing so, your heart becomes light.
Be grateful. Thank God and the Universe for yourself, your parents, your friends, your clothes, jobs, food, home etc. And every small thing makes a difference. 5. It will make you appreciate life.
A. Be helpful.
B. Be inspired.
C. So be proud that you have learnt a lesson on your own.
D. The following steps will help you to be a pleasant person.
E. To have a pleasant emotion around you, it is better to let go.
F. If possible, express your gratefulness for something every day.
G. Throw flowers at others if you wish flowers to be thrown at you.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析