阅读理解Questions are based on the following passage

阅读理解Questions 【B11】 to 【B15】 are based on the following passage. Way back in 1582, some Italian scientists noted, with dismay, that there was something very wrong with their calendar. Watching the position of the sun they knew that there was a certain spot on which the sun should shine on March 21, but it actually got there on March 11ten days too soon. For some time it had been known that the calendar was running fast. Finally, Pope Gregory ⅩⅢ was asked to make an official correction. The Pope agreed that the calendar had to be corrected, and that a better system had to be developed so that it would not run fast in the future. It was easy enough to drop ten days from the calendar to make it correct again with the sun. But, how was the calendar to be kept right in the future, year after year? The scientists figured one way, and then they figured another. But no matter how much mathematics they did, the answer never came out to an even figure. Finally, it was decided to continue counting every fourth year as a leap year (which the early Romans had introduced), but to skip every century year that cannot be divided by 400. For example, the year 1600 was a leap year because it can be divided equally by 400. But 1700 was not; neither was 1800, nor 1900. Is the year 2000 a leap year? Yes, because it can be divided by 400. By this rearrangement of the leap-year schedule the calendar was slowed down. This is the system we now use, and our calendar, named after the pope, is called the Gregorian calendar. Although it is not quite perfect (it is 26 seconds fast each year, according to sun time), it will be nearly three thousand years before our calendar will run fast by one whole day. So it won‟t worry us, that‟s for sure. Most countries now use Pope Gregory‟s calendar, but it took a long time before many were willing to change their old-style calendars. It was not until 170 years later that the English government corrected its calendar. This was done in 1752, and by that time the calendar had to be set back by eleven whole days. The change was made in September so that the day after September 2 became September 14. Of course, some people got confused; some complained; and some were angry. Families who rented houses by the month, or people who had borrowed money on which they paid interest, grumbled that they had been cheated. They had to pay the full rate for a month that had been cut short by eleven days. The difficulty of getting accustomed to the new calendar was increased because, at the same time the eleven days were dropped, a new date was fixed for starting a new year. Instead of March 25, people were told that the new year would start on January 1. The dates for private celebrations, such as birthdays or anniversaries, also had to be adjusted according to the new-style calendar. Eleven days had to be added. For instance, George Washington‟s birthday was February 11 according to the old-style calendar, but according to the new calendar it became February 22. Even today, the letters O.S. appear in many books after certain dates. George Washington‟s birthday may be printed as February 22 (February 11, O.S.). Today, people seem to be content using the Gregorian calendar. There is talk, however, of a new World Calendar in which holidays would always be celebrated on the same day of the week. In order to do this, changes would have to be made in the number of days in each monthchanges which most people would probably rather not make. Questions【B11】 to 【B15】 Complete the summary below with information from the passage, using no more than three words for each blank. In 1582,【B11】 ________ cut down ten days to make an official calendar correction. The scientists decided to continue counting every fourth year as a leap year, but to skip every century year that cannot be divided by【B12】 ________. But even the Gregorian calendar is not accurate because it is 26 seconds fast every year according to 【B13】 ________. In 1752,the English government made the calendar correction in the month of 【B14】________. Due to the changes in calendar, the shortened term O.S., which stands for 【B15】 ________,appeared in many books. Today, people are happy with the Gregorian calendar, though a new World Calendar is being taken into consideration.

阅读理解 A survey by The Conference Board last summer shows that more and more people feel trapped in a job rut. Those surveyed who were 65 and older had the greatest job satisfaction at 55.4 percent, with the under-25 age group second at 55.2 percent. But satisfactionrapidly declined after age 25, with those 35 -44 in the least satisfied group at 47.4 percent. Putnam and other experts say graduates can avoid that trap with a little thought in advance. Dont look at the market frantically,said Putnam. Step back just long enough to find out about yourself before you step into that first position. Officials at DBM, an international human-resources consulting company, decided that job satisfaction was so important that they created a course, Real World 101, to help college graduates navigate the transition into the working world. Barbara Marchilonis, director of career services cited the example of a recent accounting major.When she got out of school and found out what she was going to do for eight or 10 hours a day, she said, oh, I made a mistake. Working with a career coach, DBM helped her redirect her skills into an entry -level management position where a knowledge of accounting would come in handy, but she wouldnt be doing accounting work all day. This approach even works for traditional social-science majors, who may feel they dont have any skills to offer most employers. When someone goes into social science, they are usually highly gifted communicators,said Marchilonis. Using these skills is highly valued to certain employers.She said graduates should really think about the job being offered. Jeff Gunhus, author of No Parachute Required, a career guide for students, recommends doing informational interviews with people in industries you think you might be interested in. Thats what he did when he graduated as a business/economics and political science major from the University of California. Wall Street was booming and he thought he wanted to be a stockbroker. So he talked to an investment firm to find out what being a stockbroker was like. Gunhus ended up with two job offers to become a stockbroker, but realized it wasnt the kind of work he wanted to do. He eventually went back to National Services Group, a company that uses college students to paint houses. He had worked for the company for several years while in school and decided it offered the kinds of entrepreneurial opportunities he wanted. He is now a general partner of the company, a job that leaves him enough time for his other passion - writing novels. Another way to test the waters, Gunhus said, is to think about how you would feel about the job in the future. Can you imagine yourself waking up and saying, I cant wait to go to work today? Gunhus acknowledges that its not always possible to hold out for the right job. If you have to take a job to pay the bills, do it, but still set aside 20 hours a week to pursue the job you really want,he said. And it could take some time. Its so much harder to find a career than to find a job,he said. Above all Gunhus said, dont let people talk you out of pursuing your dreams.Dream big and try to do the things everybody said you cant do. follow thequestions Answer the following questions with the information given in the passage.

阅读理解Questions 【B6】 to 【B10】 are based on the following passage. Technology changes the way people live. This article is about using thought to control machines. Brain-computer interfaces may change what it means to be human. 【B6】 ________ For William Kochevar, the term is justified. Mr Kochevar is paralysed below the shoulders after a cycling accident, yet has managed to feed himself by his own hand. This remarkable feat is partly thanks to electrodes, implanted in his right arm, which stimulate muscles. But the real magic lies higher up. Mr Kochevar can control his arm using the power of thought. His intention to move is reflected in neural activity in his motor cortex; these signals are detected by implants in his brain and processed into commands to activate the electrodes in his arms. 【B7】 ________. But brain-computer interfaces (BCIs) like the BrainGate system used by Mr Kochevar provide evidence that mind-control can work. Researchers are able to tell what words and images people have heard and seen from neural activity alone. Information can also be encoded and used to stimulate the brain. Over 300,000 people have cochlear implants, which help them to hear by converting sound into electrical signals and sending them into the brain. Scientists have injected data into monkeys, heads, instructing them to perform actions via electrical pulses. 【B8】 ________. Both America‟s armed forces and Silicon Valley are starting to focus on the brain. Facebook dreams of thought -to -text typing. Kernel, a startup, has $l00m to spend on neurotechnology. Elon Musk has formed a firm called Neuralink; he thinks that, if humanity is to survive the advent of artificial intelligence, it needs an upgrade. Entrepreneurs envisage a world in which people can communicate telepathically, with each other and with machines, or acquire superhuman abilities, such as hearing at very high frequencies. 【B9】 ________. But well before then, BCIs could open the door to remarkable new applications. Imagine stimulating the visual cortex to help the blind, forging new neural connections in stroke victims or monitoring the brain for signs of depression. By turning the firing of neurons into a resource to be harnessed, BCIs may change the idea of what it means to be human. 【B10】 ________. The brain is still a foreign country. Scientists know little about how exactly it works, especially when it comes to complex functions like memory formation. Research is more advanced in animals, but experiments on humans are hard. Yet, even today, some parts of the brain, like the motor cortex, are better understood. Nor is complete knowledge always needed. Machine learning can recognize patterns of neural activity, the brain itself gets the hang of controlling BCIS with extraordinary ease. And neurotechnology will reveal more of the brain‟s secrets. Questions 【B6】 to 【B10】 Choose from the sentences AG the one which best fits each gap of 6165.There are two extra sentences which you do not need to use. A. As our Technology Quarterly in this issue explains, the pace of research into BCIs and the scale of its ambition are increasing. B. The degree of drought is largely a function of temperature and drainage. C. Technologies are often billed as transformative. D. These powers, if they ever materialize, are decades away. E. Nintendo is promising there will be 5 to 10 games available for the machine initially. F. Clear the technological barrier, and another one looms. G. An ability to decode thought in this way may sound like science fiction.

阅读理解WHERE TO GO WHAT TO GO Friday Clint black One of the hot new artists on the country music scene ,clint black ,will perform with one of country musics legends merle haggard and up-and-comer Lorrie Morgan at red Rocks amphitheater

阅读理解Biogas: a Solution to Many Problems In almost all developing countries, the lack of adequate supplies of cheap, convenient and reliable fuel is a major problem

阅读理解Like people, each country has unique characteristics

阅读理解Questions 【B11】【B15】 are based on the following passage. As the supply of genetically modified (GM) food increases, many people are unaware that some food they are eating is a product of the GM process. Scientists in a laboratory have artificially changed food by copying genes from one cell and putting them into another cell in order to achieve some supposedly desirable result. Nowadays, there are a variety of GM foods being producedsuch as soybean,nuts, and potato. The reason for the modification process is to make these foods resistant to insects and viruses so that farmers do not need to use much herbicide (除草剂). Taking the example of tomatoes, which are sensitive to the weather, they can be inserted with genes from a type of fish that lives in very cold seas so as to survive frost. Its supporters argue that GM technology is the future of food and has many advantages. They assert that because of GM food‟s stronger resistance to nature‟s forces,farmers can produce better harvests. Moreover, it can increase the worldwide supply of food, which can in turn help those areas suffering from food shortages. In addition,common food such as bananas and tomatoes can be injected with vaccines for illnesses to help prevent the spread of serious diseases. Nevertheless, there has been increased concern about the dangers of GM food.Some people have an unusual reaction to specific proteins called allergens (过敏原).Nuts and soybeans are two of the major sources of these allergies, and reactions to these foods can be life threatening. In addition, the ecosystem might be destroyed by the GM processthe practice of feeding animals with GM crops could lead to health problems related to growth or metabolism(新陈代谢). The U.S., Canada, and Argentina, the world‟s three largest producers of GM foods, have challenged countries that protect against GM products. Meanwhile, the EU has urged for a wise and careful approach to this matter, labeling products containing GM elements, and some European companies have stopped using GM ingredients. GM food is a complex issue associated with both benefits and risks. The debate on it will continue until we fully examine the long-term consequences. Questions 【B11】【B15】 Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage,changing the form where necessary. Genetic modification refers to the process of copying genes from one cell andputting them into another cell, which is aimed at 【B11】 ________ some supposedly desirable result. More and more genetically modified (GM) food is being produced. It can be 【B12】________ to nature‟s forces, insects and viruses, and benefit farmers and areas that 【B13】________ food shortages. Although it has many advantages, there is also increased concern about it. Some countries produce GM foods, while others take measures to 【B14】 ________ GM products. The debate on it will not stop until the long-term consequences are 【B15】________.

阅读理解The Poseidon Effect Late one autumn day at the local swimming pool in Ancenis, France, an 18-year-old named Jean-Francois LeRoy came for his regular evening swim in the 25-metre pool

阅读理解Question are based on the following passages

阅读理解There is nothing worse than someone who is always late

阅读理解Questions 【B11】to 【B15】are based on the following passage. It‟s handy to have a weekthose seven days and seven nightsbecause it means we can plan what to do on certain days, and have order in our lives. But where did our week come from? It is thought the idea of a week first came about because the farmers and tradesmen needed a certain amount of time within each month to bring their products to market. Meat, vegetables, and fruit would not stay fresh if there were long periods between market days. Among some west-African tribes, for example, a four-day week was observed, and the word for week was the same as that for market. In Central America, the market week was five days. The ancient Assyrians, who lived in what is now part of northern Iraq, had a market week of six days, and the Incas, who lived in ancient Peru, used a ten-day interval. Before the time of Julius Caesar, the Romans observed an eight-day period between market days. Scheduled market days may have been where the concept of the week began. But how did the seven-day week develop? Could it be that seven was in some way a magical number? For reasons lost in antiquity, seven has always been a symbol of perfection. There are seven supreme virtues and seven deadly sins. In Japan, there were seven gods of happiness. There are seven hills of Rome. Looking towards the heavens, ancient people also saw seven stars in the constellation Pleiades and seven heavenly bodies other than the fixed stars. These seven heavenly bodies played a large role in the development of the week. They were the sun, the moon, and the five known planets: Mercury, Venus, Mars, Jupiter, and Saturn. Like the sun, all of these objects or bodies appear to move through the zodiac constellation, each at its own speed. These heavenly bodies were believed to control the affairs of people and the world around them, and for that reason the positions and movements of these bodies was carefully studied and recorded. Superstition and magic were powerful influences in early cultures and the ancient art of astrology had its beginnings here. The belief that there were only seven heavenly objects other than the fixed stars served to strengthen the belief that seven was a special number. Another possible reason for the seven-day week goes back nearly 3,000 years when the Babylonians began to use a seven-day week. They based it on the seven-day phases of the moon which held a mystery and magic for them. Actually these phases: from new moon to half-moon, from half-moon to full, from full moon to half, and from half-moon to newtakes just over seven days, but that did not bother the Babylonians. At some point the Babylonians began observing the 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th days of each month. These days, called the sabattu were considered unlucky days, and everyone was supposed to refrain from certain activities. Eventually the sabattu days became rest days. In 586 B.C. the Babylonians conquered the Jews who adopted the Babylonian customs, including the observance of the sabattu days. In time the Jews developed their Shabbat, or day of rest. By the first century B.C., Shabbat was observed by Jews every seventh day. It no longer fell on specific dates of the month as the Babylonian sabattu had done, but instead came on any day, as it does today. Some say the Jews further established the seven -day week when they wrote their story of the beginning of the world. In the Bible they divide time into seven-day periods: God creates the world in six days, and then He rests for a day. These people contend that as the Bible became the most read book, if not the most important book of all time, it influenced other nations to adopt the custom of dividing time into weeks of seven days. Whatever the reason, slowly in other parts of the world, the seven -day week became part of the calendar. Today the week is probably the most strongly rooted part of our calendar. Long forgotten is the fact that it originated from a superstitious belief in the magic of the number seven. ​​​​​​Questions 【B11】to 【B15】 Complete the summary below with information from the passage, using no more than three words for each blank. Throughout history the idea of a week originated from the legend that people needed some time to take their 【B11】________ to market, though the amount of time varied from four days to as long as 【B12】 ________. One of the reasons for the seven-day week is that ancient people saw seven stars in 【B13】________. Babylonians looked at the 7th, 14th，21st and 28th days as 【B14】________. What is forgotten is that ancient people believed,superstitiously, that seven in some way was 【B15】 ________.

阅读理解Questions are based on the following passage

阅读理解I was in a student coffee bar during my first week at university when a lad from Oldham, of conspicuously cool and languid manner, announced calmly that he intended to get a first in classics

阅读理解Questions 【B11】【B15】 are based on the following passage. What are the basic requirements of life and what do we need next after those? When you answer these questions, you are doing the same kind of work that American psychologist Abraham Maslow did in his hierarchy (层次) of needs theory. The theory states that we must progress through various levels, satisfying the needs of each before being able to move on to the next. He thought individuals could eventually fulfill their potential if they could just satisfy their fundamental needs. These most basic needs form the bottom of Maslow‟s hierarchy and are referred to as physiological needs. These needs include our needs for water and shelter. Unless these are satisfied, we cannot move to the next level, safety needs. We need to feel secure in our environments, and this feeling of security usually means protection and freedom from fear. The third level is the need for love and belonging. People satisfy this need through their families and homes, as well as by joining and forming groups, making friends, and being a part of a team. In the fourth level, the need for esteem refers to the need of people to be recognized. Here, they want to feel that others think highly of them; they may need praise and want to feel good about themselves. They may try to accomplish this by achieving set goals. Self-actualization, the fifth level, is the summit of Maslow‟s hierarchy of needs. It is the quest (追求) to reach one‟s full human potential. In this process people tend to have needs such as truth, justice, wisdom, and spiritual fulfillment. Despite the appealing logic of Maslow‟s hierarchy, it seems to have some limits.Extensive research has suggested that there is little evidence for the ranking of levels and the argument of a definite hierarchy. Moreover, the concept of self-actualization is not clear, and there is no evidence to show that every individual can reach it. Maslow was the first psychologist to carry out academic research on human needs.He believed everybody should be encouraged to discover their vocations (使命) in life and try their best to make life better. These are still important lessons today. Questions 【B11】【B15】 Complete the summary with a maximum of two words from the passage, changing the form where necessary. American psychologist Abraham Maslow used his hierarchy of needs theory to show that we must meet a number of 【B11】________ before we can fulfill our potentials. At the lower levels, we need food and shelter, the feeling of 【B12】________, and a sense of belonging. After those, we need to seek【B13】 ________ for our abilities before finally【B14】________ to the state of self-actualization. Although there are problems with Maslow‟s approach, it still offers 【B15】 ________ today.

阅读理解Games, movies and soccer do not necessarily have to be the only themes of a students four- year existence, Liu Zhenyu has his own thoughts of how university lifeshould be spent

阅读理解Questions 【B1】【B5】 are based on the following passage. Watercress is rapidly growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plant native to Europe and Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by humans. It is a member of the family Brassicaceae, botanically related to garden cress, mustard, radish and wasabiall noteworthy for their piquant flavor. The hollow stems of watercress will float; the leaf structure is pinnately compound. Small, white and green flowers are produced in clusters and are frequently visited by insects, especially hoverflies such as Eristalis flies. In some regions, watercress is regarded as a weed, in other regions as an aquatic vegetable or herb. Watercress has been grown in many locations around the world. Crisp, green and peppery, watercress is positively packed with healthy vitamins and minerals. It has a long history: the Greek god Zeus was reputed to think that watercress helped in building health and strength, while the father of medicine, was so convinced that watercress was a great healer that he built his first hospital next to a stream so that he could grow a plentiful supply of the glossy green leaves for his patients. The Romans chewed watercress in large quantities, believing that it would cure baldness. Modern-day celebrities recommend a watercress-soup diet as a great way to lose weight healthily. Watercress sandwiches were traditionally a breakfast item in nineteenth-century Europe. The most basic type of watercress sandwich has two pieces of white bread with a mixture of butter and watercress greens. A nickname for the vegetable, in fact, was poor man‟s bread, because watercress was often eaten on its own for breakfast by families that could not afford the bread to go with it. Watercress is a member of the mustard family and, as its name suggests, it‟s grown in waterin warm, shallow streams of flowing spring water. It consists of vitamins C, K and A, and also a valuable source of minerals such as iron, potassium, copper and calcium. Like broccoli and spinach, it has special properties which help prevent cancer. The mustard oils in its glossy leaves and stems contain a chemical compound known as PEITC. Recent research has proved that this compound can inhibit the growth of cancer cells and, in some cases, actually destroy them. The best watercress has silky green leaves without any marks and crisp, undamaged stems. The older the plant the darker are its leaves and the thicker its stems. This means a higher concentration of oils and vitamins. Young watercress, on the other hand, may after only 28 days growth and has a milder flavour. It‟s best to eat watercress fresh and raw, to preserve more of its valuable nutrients, but it can be lightly cooked and used as an alternative to spinachanother dark green vegetablein various recipes. From soups to salads to stir-fries, watercress is now acclaimed around the world as a natural and healthy super food. Watercress can be sold in supermarket in sealed plastic bags, containing a little moisture and lightly pressurized to prevent crushing of contents. This has allowed national availability with a once-purchased storage life of one to two days in chilled refrigerated storage. Questions 【B1】 to 【B5】 Fill in the blanks below with information from the passage, using no more than four words for each blank. Examples of the use of watercress through the ages: ●Zeus thought watercress was good for health and strength. ●Hippocrates grew watercress by his hospital to heal patients. ●Romans ate watercress as 【B1】 ________. ●Watercress sandwiches were eaten for breakfast in 19th-century Europe. ●Celebrities use watercress-soup diet to 【B2】 ________. Health-giving properties of watercress: ●Contains vitamins 【B3】 ________. ●Contains iron, potassium, copper and calcium. ●Contains cancer-preventing PEITC More about watercress: ●the best: silky green unmarked leaves, 【B4】 ________ stems ●older watercress: darker leaves and thicker stems ●young watercress: grown for 【B5】 ________ /mild flavor ●eat it raw or cooked

阅读理解Internet entrepreneur Carl Churchill describes himself as a normal 19-year-old, except that his Internet technology company is currently making ￡ 1 million a year

阅读理解The first small camera was invented in 1685, but it was just a camera

阅读理解Conversation Two