-
Einstein, a great scientist of the age, was almost as strange as his Theory of Relativity.
Once, while riding a street car in Berlin, he told the conductor that he had not given him the right change. The conductor counted the change again and found it to be correct, so he handed it to Einstein, saying, “The trouble with you is that you don’t know your figures.”
Einstein said that there were only twelve people living who understood his Theory of Relativity although a good many books had been written to explain it.
He had nothing but contempt（藐视）for the things most people set their hearts on—for fame and riches（财富）and luxury（奢华）.
He didn’t want money or praise. He made his own happiness out of such simple things as his work and playing the violin and sailing his boat. Einstein’s violin brought him more joy than anything else in life. He said that he often thought in music.
1. The conductor thought Einstein .
A. wasn’t good at maths B. had good memory
C. was either mad or strange D. liked to make trouble
2. Einstein meant that many people .
A. knew his Theory of Relativity well because they could explain it
B. had written to have grasped his theory correctly
C. pretended to have grasped his abstract theory
D. admired him very much
3. The underlined part “set…hearts on” means .
A. believe B. have C. love D. hate
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
Deborah Cohen is a senior natural scientist at the Rand Corp and the author of the book A Big Fat Crisis: The Hidden Forces Behind the Obesity Epidemic and How We Can End It. According to the book, there are lots of misunderstandings of obesity.
1. If you’re obese, blame your genes.
Obesity rates have increased. Yet, between 1980 and 2000, the number of Americans who are obese has doubled—too quickly for genetic factors to be responsible.
At restaurants, a dollar puts more calories on our plates than ever before, because restaurant meals usually have more calories than what we prepare at home, so people who eat out more frequently have higher rates of obesity than those who eat out less.
2. If you’re obese, you lack self-control.
Research shows that if we are faced with too much information, we have a tendency to make poor dietary choices. Our world has become so rich in temptation that we can be led to consume too much in ways we can’t understand. Even the most vigilant(警觉的) people may not be up to the task of controlling themselves.
3. Lack of access to fresh fruits and vegetables is responsible for obesity.
Although the US Department of Agriculture estimates that fewer than 5 percent of Americans live in the “food deserts”, about 65 percent of the nation’s population is overweight or obese. For most of us, obesity is not related to access to more fresh fruits and vegetables, but to the choices we make in supermarkets.
4. The problem is not that we eat too much, but that we don’t exercise.
Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign is based on the idea that if kids exercise more, childhood obesity rates will decrease. But there was no significant decrease in physical activity levels as obesity rates climbed in the 1980s and 1990s. In fact, although a drop in work-related physical activity may account for up to 100 fewer calories burned, leisure physical activity appears to have increased. The problem is that we eat too much.
1.The author mentioned Deborah Cohen’s book in Paragraph 1 to _______.
A. introduce the topic
B. draw readers’ attention
C. introduce the author of the book
D. advertise the book
2.What is the relationship between obesity and the place where you eat?
A. The less you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
B. The less you eat at home, the lower rates of obesity you have.
C. The more you eat out, the higher rates of obesity you have.
D. The more you eat at home, the higher rates of obesity you have.
3.What’s the best title of this passage?
A. Four misunderstandings of obesity.
B. Four rules to help you avoid obesity.
C. Obesity leads to a big fat crisis.
D. Lacking self-control leads to obesity.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
-
At a primary school in a small town in the east of South Carolina, second-grade teachers Garneau and Lynne are convinced that separating elementary-age boys and girls produces immediate academic improvement in both genders（性别）．
David Chadwell, South Carolina’s expert of single gender education says, “Boys and girls learn, hear and respond to their surroundings differently．We can teach boys and girls based on what we now know．”
Male and female eyes are not organized in the same way, he explains．The organization of the male eye makes it sensitive to motion and direction．“Boys understand the world as objects moving through space,” he says．
The male eye is also drawn to cooler colors like silver and black．It’s no accident that boys tend to create pictures of moving objects instead of drawing the happy colorful family, like girls do in their class．
The female eye, on the other hand, is drawn to warmer colors like red, yellow and orange．To attract girls, Chadwell says, the teacher doesn’t need to move as much as in boy’s class．Using descriptive phrases and lots of colors in presentations or on the blackboard gets their attention．
Boys and girls also hear differently．“When someone speaks in a loud tone, girls understand it as yelling,” Chadwell says．“They think you’re mad and can shut down．” Girls are more sensitive to sounds．He advises girls’ teachers to watch the tone of their voices．Boys’ teachers should sound more forceful, even excited．
A boy’s nervous system causes him to be more cautious when he is standing, moving, and the room temperature is around 69 degrees Fahrenheit．Stress in boys, he says, tends to increase blood flow to their brains, a process that helps them stay focused．Girls are more focused when seated in a warmer room around 75 degrees Fahrenheit．Girls also respond to stress differently．When exposed to threat and conflict, blood goes to their guts（肠道）, leaving them feeling nervous or anxious．
These differences can be applied in the classroom, Chadwell adds．“Single gender programs are about making the best use of the learning．”
1.What is David Chadwell’s attitude toward separating elementary-age boys and girls while learning?
A．Supportive B．Worried
C．Concerned D．Uninterested
2.To engage boy in a class, the teacher ______．
A．must have a moving object in this hand
B．needs to wear clothes in warm color
C．has to speak politely
D．had better move constantly while teaching
3.Which of the following shows the organization of the passage?
（ = Paragraph 1 = Paragraph 2 = Paragraph 3 …．．． = Paragraph 8 ）
4.Which of the following students is most likely to be focused?
A．A boy sitting in a warm room
B．A standing boy who is faced with stress
C．A girl standing in a cold room
D．A girl who is facing a lot of pressure
难度: 中等查看答案及解析