选择知识点

The Bermuda Triangle is an area in the western part of the North Atlantic Ocean， near Florida in the USA， where a number of aircraft and ships are said to have disappeared mysteriously．
①The earliest suggestion of unusual disappearances in the Bermuda area appeared in a September 17， 1950 article． Two years later， Fatemagazine published "Sea Mystery at Our Back Door"， covering the loss of several planes and ships， including the loss of Flight 19． Flight 19 alone would be covered again in the April 1962 issue of American Legion magazine． In it， author Allan W． Eckert wrote that the flight leader had been heard saying， "We are entering white water． Nothing seems right． We don't know where we are．" In the February 1964， the article "The Deadly Bermuda Triangle" argued that Flight 19 and other disappearances were just part of strange events in the area．
②Triangle writers have used a number of supernatural ideas to explain the events． One explanation refers to leftover technology from the mysterious lost continent of Atlantis． Some of the Triangle writers related the events to UFOs． This idea was used by Steven Spielberg for his science fiction film Close Encounters of the Third Kind， in which the lost Flight 19aircrews were taken by aliens．
③But there are also some explanation relating to nature． One of them for some of the disappearances has focused on large fields of a type of natural gas on the continental shelves． Laboratory experiments carried out in Australia have proven that bubbles can sink a large ship by decreasing the density（密度） of the water； any remains rising to the surface would quickly disappear due to the Gulf Stream． It has been assumed that the eruption of volcanoes（火山） may produce large areas of bubbles so that water is no longer able to provide enough supporting power for ships． If this were the case， such an area forming around a ship could cause it to sink very rapidly and without any warning．
④Violent weather is likely to be another reason． Powerful storms forming in tropical（热带的） waters have caused thousands of deaths and caused billions of dollars in damage． These storms have in the past caused a number of incidents related to the Triangle．



According to the passage， the loss of Flight 19 was first covered ______ ．

A. in 1950
B. in 1952
C. in 1962
D. in 1964

The sentence "Persons accepting the Bermuda Triangle as a ‘Death Triangle" have offered a number of ways to explain it．" should be put in ______ ．

A. ①
B. ②
C. ③
D. ④

According to paragraph 4， the direct reason for the disappearance of ships is ______ ．

A. a type of natural gas
B. large areas of bubbles
C. the eruption of volcanoes
D. the decrease of water density

What is the passage mainly about？ ______

A. The truth behind the disappearance in the Bermuda Triangle．
B. The puzzle of the Bermuda Triangle and its explanations．
C. Strange accidents that happened in the Bermuda Triangle．
D. The exploration of the Bermuda Triangle in history．

Nothing could stop Dad．After he was put on disability for a bad back，he bought a small farm in the country，just enough to grow food for the family．He planted vegetables，fruit trees and even kept bees for honey．
And every week he cleaned Old Man McColgin's chicken house in exchange for manure（肥料）．The Smell really burned the inside of your nose．When we complained about the terrible smell，Dad said the stronger the manure，the healthier the crops，and he was right．For example，just one of his cantaloupes filled the entire house with its sweet smell，and the taste was even sweeter．
As the vegetables started coming in，Dad threw himself into cooking．One day，armed with a basket of vegetables，he announced he was going to make stew（炖菜）．Dad pulled out a pressure cooker and filled it up with cabbages，eggplants，potatoes，corns，onions and carrots．For about half an hour．the pressure built and the vegetables cooked．Finally，Dad turned off the stove，the pot began to cool and the pressure relief valve sprayed out a cloud of steam．If we thought Dad's pile of chicken manure was bad，this was 10 times worse．When Dad took off the lid，the smell nearly knocked us out．
Dad carried the pot out and we opened doors and windows to air out the house．Just how bad was it？The neighbors came out of their houses to see if we had a gas leak!
Determined，Dad filled our plates with steaming stew and passed them around it didn't look that bad，and after the first wave had shut down my ability to smell，it didn't offend the nose so much，edible，and we drank up every last drop of soup．



Why did Dad clean Old Man Mocolgin's chicken house regularly？ ______

A. To earn some money for the family．
B. To collect manure for his crops．
C. To get rid of the terrible smell．
D. To set a good example to us．

What can we infer about Dad's stew？ ______

A. It is popular among the neighbors．
B. It contains honey and vegetables．
C. It looks very wonderful．
D. It tastes quite delicious．

What does the underlined word"offend"in the last paragraph mean？ ______

A. To attract
B. To upset
C. To air
D. To shut

What can we learn about Dad form the text？ ______

A. He is an experienced cook．
B. He is a troublesome father．
C. He has a positive attitude to life．
D. He suffers a lot from his disability．

I live in Hollywood． You may think people in such an attractive， funfilled place are happier than others． If so， you have some mistaken ideas about the nature of happiness．
Many intelligent people still equate happiness with fun． The truth is that fun and happiness have little or nothing in common． Fun is what we experience during an act． Happiness is what we experience after an act． It is a deeper， more long-lasting emotion． Going to an amusement park or ball game， watching a movie or television， are fun activities that help us relax， forget our problems for the time being and maybe even laugh． But they do not bring happiness， because their positive effects end when the fun ends．
I have often thought that if Hollywood stars have a role to play， it is to teach us that happiness has nothing to do with fun． These rich， beautiful actors and actresses have many exciting parties， fancy cars， expensive homes， everything that spells "happiness"． But in memoir （回忆录） after memoir， these stars show the unhappiness hidden beneath all their fun： depression（抑郁症）， alcoholism， drug addiction， broken marriages， troubled children， and longtime loneliness．
The way people hold on to the belief that a funfilled， painfree life equates happiness actually decreases their chances of ever achieving real happiness． If fun and pleasure are equated with happiness， then pain must be equated with unhappiness． But， in fact， the opposite is true． More times than not， things that lead to happiness include some pain．
As a result， many people avoid the very efforts that are the source of true happiness． They fear the pain certainly brought by such things as marriage， raising children， professional achievement， religious commitment， work and self-improvement．



According to the passage， "fun activities" ______ ．

A. are the things we do before we find happiness
B. could provide long-lasting positive effects
C. will lead us to the true happiness
D. may help us relax and forget our problems sometimes

In the author's opinion， those Hollywood stars ______ ．

A. own happiness because they are rich and famous
B. experience almost all kinds of happy things
C. tell us happiness isn't equal to fun using their own stories
D. have to suffer a lot before they become successful

It is difficult for people to find real happiness because ______ ．

A. they believe happiness is the fun life without pain
B. they find pain equals unhappiness
C. they fear to lose what they already have in life
D. They are afraid all their efforts were in vain

The main purpose of the text is to ______ ．

A. describe the difference between happiness and fun
B. show the true meaning of happiness
C. encourage people to pursue fun activities
D. advise people to find their real life

Are you looking for some new and exciting places to take your kids to？ Try some of these places：
Visit art museums． They offer a variety of activities to excite your kids" interest． Many offer workshops for making handmade pieces， travelling exhibits， book signings（签名） by children's favourite writers， and even musical performances and other arts．
Head to a natural history museum． This is where kids can discover the past from dinosaur models to rock collections and pictures of stars in the sky． Also， ask what kind of workshops and educational programs are prepared for kids and any special events that are coming up．
Go to a Youth theatre． Look for one in your area offering plays for child and family visitors． Preshow play shops are conducted by area artists and educators where kids can discover the secret about performing arts． Puppet （木偶） making and stage makeup are just a couple of the special offerings you might find．
Try handson science． Visit one of the many handson science museums around the country． These science playlands are great fun for kids and grownups alike． They'll keep your child mentally and physically active the whole day through while pushing buttons， experimenting， and building． When everyone is tired， enjoy a fun family science show， commonly found in these museums．



If a child is interested in the universe， he probably will visit ______ ．

A. a Youth theatre
B. an art museum
C. a natural history museum
D. a handson science museum

What can kids do at a Youth theatre？ ______

A. Look at rock collections．
B. See dinosaur models．
C. Watch puppet making．
D. Give performances．

Where does this text probably come from？ ______

A. A science textbook．
B. A tourist map．
C. A museum guide．
D. A news report．

In Wiltshire， England， volunteers are being searched for to visit a nature protection area to count the butterflies living there and in nearby fields． The project is started by an environmental protection organization， which has been devoted to improving the living environment for wild animals． Recently， the organization has issued an appeal（呼吁）to help it observe environmental changes based on the record of butterflies and protect the environment．
In the area， the local people have planted many special flowers with the help of the organization． They want to see whether these flowers will interest the rare and beautiful butterflies． The project officer Sarah Marshall says， "It will be a suitable habitat for butterflies． They are great ‘indicator species" as they are easily affected by climate changes． So they make a brilliant early-warning system for the environment．"
She also points out that volunteers are needed to record the number or species of butterflies， and based on the change happening to the butterflies， the hidden environmental problems in the area can be found out in time．
The organization is searching for volunteers to help monitor （监测） butterflies from April through to September． They will walk a fixed route and record the different butterflies they meet along the way． Each visit should take no more than two hours， and each volunteer is expected to visit once a month to count the wildlife． "Staff will provide backup （后备人员）， so if the weather is poor on the day you are to visit （butterflies don't like to fly in the rain， wind or if it's too cloudy） we can have someone else do your job，" Sarah points out．
No previous experience is necessary as training and support will be provided， but a strong interest is essential． If you are interested， please contact Sarah on （01380）725670， ext 278， or email sarahm@wiltshirewildlife．org．



Why are special flowers planted in the nature protection area？ ______

A. To attract visitors．
B. To attract butterflies．
C. To improve the environment．
D. To help the local people make money．

According to Sarah Marshall， butterflies are ______ ．

A. reducing in number in Wiltshire
B. particular about their habitat
C. unable to keep up with climate changes
D. sensitive to environmental changes

According to the text， a volunteer ______ ．

A. will take a different route each time
B. must know a lot about butterflies
C. will visit the area 6times in total
D. must have previous experience

What is the purpose of the text？ ______

A. To persuade people to visit Wiltshire．
B. To advertise for volunteers with a project．
C. To encourage people to protect butterflies．
D. To show a way to indicate climate change．

As the nights get longer， those who suffer from the winter blues（冬季忧郁症）will be planning ways to escape to the sunshine． But there may be a much simpler way of cheering yourself up----simply shining a bright light into your ear canal．
Up to one in four Britons suffer from seasonal affective disorder（SAD）， with seven percent of the population having full-blown SAD． It is caused by the brain not receiving enough daylight which is needed to trigger serotonin， a hormone（荷尔蒙）that controls mood． Symptoms（症状） range from mildly sleepy to depression and insomnia（失眠症）， but a cure might be in sight．
Two clinical experiments， run by Valkee who make a device that can shine light into your ear and the University of Oulu in Finland， have found that carefully targeted light can help prevent the condition．
Juuso Nissilä， Valkee's co-founder and chief scientist said： "We presented earlier that the human brain is sensitive to light． These two clinical experiments show that channeling bright light via the ear canal into brain's photosensitive areas effectively prevents and treats seasonal affective disorder．"
The University of Oulu reported that in their first study， 92 percent of the patients with seasonal affective disorder achieved full remission（缓解） after a month of daily 8 to12 minutes" doses （剂量）of light from the Valkee．
Timo Takala， chief physician at the Oulu Deaconess Institute said， "These clinical experiments show that bright light channeled into the brain via the ear canal is an important future method of treating seasonal affective disorder．"
Valkee launched its bright light headset in August 2010． It is classed as a medical device under EU regulations．
The device channels bright light direct to the brain via the ear canal to prevent and cure depression， mood swings and even circadian rhythm（昼夜节律） disorders such as jet lag（时差感）．
It costs £185 and looks like an iPod - only the earphones send out light rather than sound．
Anyone wanting to copy the effects with a flashlight is likely to be disappointed， it emits the wrong kind of light that is apparently too yellow．



What can be inferred from the first two paragraph？ ______

A. Light as well as sound is essential for curing SAD
B. Receiving enough daylight makes for a good mood
C. There's a long way to go for curing SAD thoroughly
D. The number of Britons having SAD continues growing

Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage？ ______

A. Shining a bright light into your ear canal is the only way to treat SAD
B. The device can help one to recover from all physical problems．
C. You might not suffer from jet lag if you wear a bright light headset
D. A flashlight can work exactly as the bright light headset

What can be the best title of the passage？ ______

A. The harmful effects caused by SAD
B. Keep the sunshine in your heart---enjoy a colorful life
C. The most efficient way to prevent and cure SAD
D. Shine a light in your ear---brighten your mood in winter

Do dogs understand us？ Be careful what you say around your dog． It might understand more than you think．
A border collie named Rico recognizes the names of about 200 objects， say researchers in Germany． The dog also appears to be able to learn new words as easily as a 3-year-old child． Its word-learning skills are as good as those of a parrot or chimpanzee（黑猩猩）．
In one experiment， the researchers took all 200 items that Rico is supposed to know and divided them into 20 groups of 10 objects． Then the owner told the dog to go and fetch one of the items and bring it back． In four tests， Rico got 37 out of 40 commands right． As the dog couldn't see anyone to get clues， the scientists believe Rico must understand the meanings of certain words．
In another experiment， the scientists took one toy that Rico had never seen before and put it in a room with seven toys whose names the dog already knew． The owner then told Rico to fetch the object， using a word the dog had never heard before．
The correct object was chosen in seven out of 10 tests， suggesting that the dog had worked out the answer by process of elimination（排除法）． A month later， Rico remembered half of the new names， which is even more impressive．
Rico is thought to be smarter than the average dog． For one thing， Rico is a border collie， a breed （品种） known for its mental abilities． In addition， the 9-year-old dog has been trained to fetch toys by their names since the age of nine months．
It's hard to know if all dogs understand at least some of the words we say． Even if they do， they can't talk back． Still， it wouldn't hurt to sweet-talk your dog every now and then． You might just get a big， wet kiss in return!



From paragraph 2 we know that ______ ．

A. animals are as clever as human beings
B. dogs are smarter than parrots and chimpanzees
C. chimpanzees have very good word-learning skills
D. dogs have similar learning abilities as 3-year-old children

Both experiments show that ______ ．

A. Rico is smart enough to get all commands right
B. Rico can recognize different things including toys
C. Rico has developed the ability of learning mathematics
D. Rico won't forget the names of objects once recognizing them

Which of the following statements is true？ ______

A. The purpose of the experiments is to show the border collie's mental abilities．
B. Rico has a better memory partly because of its proper early training．
C. The border collie is world-famous for recognizing objects．
D. Rico is born to understand its owner's commands．

Tomas Transtromer， a Swedish poet won the Nobel Prize in Literature on Tuesday． The journalists cheered hearing that Mr Transtromer had won the prize． Mr Transtromer， 80， has written more than 15 collections of poetry， many of which have been translated into English and 60 other languages． Critics （评论家） have praised Mr Transtromer s poems for their accessibility， even in translation， noting his elegant descriptions of long Swedish winters， the rhythm of the seasons and the beauty of nature．
Mr Transtromer was born in Stockholm in 1931． He studied literature， history， religion and psychology at Stockholm University， graduating in 1956， and worked as a psychologist at a youth prison． In 1990， Mr Transtromer suffered a stroke（中风） that left him mostly unable to speak， but he eventually began to write again．
On Tuesday afternoon， Mr Transtromers apartment was filled with journalists from all over the world seeking reaction． Obviously overwhelmed （不知所措） ， Mr Transtromer finally appeared， accompanied by his wife， Monica． Speaking on his behalf （代表） ， she said her husband was most happy， that the prize was awarded for poetry． "That you happened to receive it is a great joy and happy surprise， but the fact the prize went to poetry felt good ，"she said．
There was also a celebration among Swedes， many of whom have read Mr Transtromer since his first book of poems， 17 Poems， placed him on Sweden's literary map when he was just 23． "To be quite honest， it was a relief because people have been． hoping for this for a long time，"said Ola Iarsmo， a novelist and the president of the Swedish Pen Association． "Some thought the train might have already left the station because he is old and not quite well． It felt great that he was confirmed in this role of national and international poet． "



Why was Mr Transtromer awarded the Nobel Prize according to some critics？ ______

A. His poems have been translated into many languages．
B. His poems are mostly about the beauty of nature．
C. The style of his writing is unique．
D. Readers can appreciate his poems easily．

What happened after Mr Transtromer got recovered from the stroke？ ______

A. He began to write poems．
B. He was finally devoted to writing．
C. He was able to return to poem writing．
D. He had to think about his career again．

What can we infer about Mr Transtromerfrom from Paragraph 3？ ______

A. He had been expecting the prize．
B. He was surprised that prize went to poetry．
C. He felt calm when he got the Nobel prize．
D. He remained modest after he got the Prize．

What do Ola Larsmo's words mean？ ______

A. Some people didn't expect Mr Transtromer won the prize．
B. It was unfair for Mr Transtromer to win the prize．
C. The poet had got off the train when the winner was announced．
D. Mr Transtromer couldn't help himself catch the train．

Only 60 percent of students seeking a bachelor's degree at an American college or university finish their study program within six years． That information comes from the United States Department of Education． It was part of a report released in May． The report talks about full-time students who attended a four-year college or university for the first time in 2008． It states that 60 percent of them completed their degree program by 2014．
Experts say there are many reasons why this number is so low． But many schools are looking for ways to increase the graduation rate． For example， every American college or university requires students to identify the main subject， or "major，" of their studies． After all their requirements have been met， students receive their degree in that major． Some universities require individuals to declare a major at the beginning of their studies． Other schools let students wait until their second year． Changing majors is also acceptable． But some experts argue against changing majors． They note it may cause students to take more time to complete their degree program．
However， a new study suggests that students who change their majors may be more likely to graduate． The Education Advisory Board （EAB） released the report on the study last month． The board studies higher education and tries to help American colleges and universities make improvements． The study was based on information gathered from over 78，000 college students． It looked at the graduation rate of students who changed majors within the first four years of study． On average， their graduation rate was between about four to six percent higher than students who never changed majors． The report also suggests that changing majors within the first three years of study has little to no effect on the average time it takes students to complete their degree．
The EAB's senior director Ed Venit wrote the report． He would not comment on whether or not college students should change majors． But he said that about 80percent of students do change at some point． Venit also said it is not completely clear why changing majors might help students． But he thinks some people become more invested in their studies once they have had time to decide what they truly want to do．
"Students who chose a major early on： maybe they didn't have full information about what they wanted to do． Maybe they just picked something that felt familiar …or their parents pushed them to something， whatever it might be． But maybe they didn't make a full choice early on． …Those students were only， perhaps …just kind of attached to their major， versus students who either wait and explore a little bit longer or have declared something， explored further and found something else that they like even better．"
Venit added that the Department of Education's graduation rate information is not completely correct． It only includes the rates for students studying for the first time -- not for those who have changed schools． These students represent about 40 percent of the university population across the United States．



What is the present condition of American university students？ ______

A. 60 percent is considered as a low graduation rate．
B. Too many extracurricular activities take students study time．
C. Many undergraduates were forbidden to change majors．
D. Most of them can fulfill their degree program on time．

What is the usual way for schools to increase the graduation rate？ ______

A. To offer more time for students to make up their lessons．
B. To offer students a chance to alter their majors．
C. To await students to choose their favorite majors in 2years．
D. To invest more money for the major establishment．

What does the report by Ed Venit tell us？ ______

A. Students who change majors will definitely have a better future．
B. Changing majors can increase graduate rate by over 10percent．
C. Changing majors had better happen in the first two years．
D. Too many undergraduates have no interest in first-chosen majors．

What is the attitude of Ed Venit to major changing？ ______

A. Agreeable
B. Opposed
C. Neutral
D. Sustainable

Boiler rooms are often dirty and steamy， but this one is clean and cool． Fox Point is a very new 47-unit living building in South Bronx， one of the city's poorest areas． Two-thirds of the people living there are formerly previously homeless people， whose rent is paid by the government． The rest are low-income families． The boiler room has special equipment， which produces energy for electricity and heat． It reuses heat that would otherwise be lost to the air， reducing carbon emissions（碳排放）while also cutting costs．
Fox Point is operated by Palladia， a group that specializes in providing housing and services to needy people． Palladia received support from Enterprise Community Partners （ECP）， which helps build affordable housing by providing support to housing developers．
ECP has created national standards for healthy， environmentally clever and affordable homes which are called， the Green Communities Standards． These standards include water keeping， energy saving and the use of environmentally friendly building materials． Meeting the standards increases housing construction costs by 2%， which is rapidly paid back by lower running costs． Even the positioning of a window to get most daylight can help save energy．
Michael Bloomberg， New York's mayor， plans to create 165，000 affordable housing units for 500，000 New Yorkers． Almost 80% of New York City's greenhouse-gas emissions come from buildings， and 40% of those are caused by housing． So he recently announced that the city's Department of Housing and Preservation and Development （DHPD） ， whose duty is to develop and keep the city's supply of affordable housing， will require all its new projects to follow ECP's green standards．
Similar measures have been taken by other cities such as Cleveland and Denver， but New York's DHPD is the largest city developer of affordable housing in the country．



What is the purpose of describing the boiler room in the first paragraph？ ______

A. To show how the environment-friendly building works．
B. To suggest that affordable housing is possible in all areas．
C. To explain the measures the city takes to care for poor people．
D. To compare old and new boiler rooms．

What is an advantage of the buildings meeting the Green Communities Standards？ ______

A. Less air to be lost in hot days
B. Costing less in construction．
C. Lower running costs．
D. Better prices for homeless people．

It can be learned from the text that ______ ．

A. New York City is seriously polluted
B. some other cities have developed more affordable housing than New York City
C. a great number of people in New York City don't have houses to live in
D. people's daily life causes many carbon emissions in New York City

What is the main purpose of this text？ ______

A. To call on people to pay more attention to housing problems．
B. To introduce healthy， environmentally clever-and affordable housing．
C. To ask society to help homeless people and low-income families．
D. To prove that some standards are needed for affordable housing．