in 1977, Robert Ballard was shocked by a large piece of equipment that crashed onto the deck just three
feet above him. The ship shook with the force of an explosion (爆炸). A drill pipe and its attached equipment
broke and fell into the Atlantic, abruptly ending the explorer"s test to find the RMS Titanic.
"I lost a lot of credibility with sponsors (赞助商), who had lent the $600 000 worth of equipment" for
the 1977 exploration. "It took me eight years to recover from that." But recover he did, despite doubt from
other scientists, failed money-raising efforts and other unfortunate happenings.
After the Seaprobe failed, Ballard says, "I had to come up with another way to search for the Titanic."
He returned to work as a U.S. Navy officer. At a time the geologist cut a deal with Navy officials: He would
offer his expertise (专业知识) if they supported the development and testing of Argo, a camera-equipped
underwater robot, and allowed him to use it for exploration.
The Navy sent Ballard and Argo to search for Thresher and Scorpion, two submarines (潜水艇) that
sank during the 1960s. Those vessels lay in waters not far from the Titanic. After having found the Scorpion
in 1985, Ballard began to look for the lost liner Titanic. And two miles down, in the dark sea at 49°56" W,
41°43" N, he found it.
The oceanographer, who later found the German battleship Bismarck and the liner Lusitania, says simply,
"Failure and success are bedfellows, so I"m ready to fail."
Ballard"s worked in the University of Rhode Island"s Graduate School of Oceanography. Students will join
him on his latest research-exploring ancient trade routes in the Black and Mediterranean seas.
B. the equipment for the exploration broke and sank
C. the sea condition was too terrible for the exploration
D. something was wrong with the drill pipe
B. He became a navy officer in charge of the research on Argo.
C. It took him eight years to seek support from other scientists.
D. He had to work in a university to launch the program once more.
B. They also wanted to find the RMS Titanic
C. They were the sponsors of the 1977 expedition
D. Ballard would offer them his expert skill and knowledge
B. Near the German battleship Bismarck.
C. Just next to the liner Lusitania.
D. Not far from the submarine Scorpion.
Born in Ontario, Canada on January 17th, 1962 to a poor family, young Jim Carrey led a tough life, yet
one good thing came out of it. He developed a great sense of humor to cope with life. At 15, he started
performing at a Toronto comedy club. Later he moved to LA and soon came to the attention of Rodney and
went on his tour.
Jim Carrey got his big break in 1990 0n the comedy show In Living Color. There Carrey perfected many
characters, most widely-known one "Fire Marshal Bill", who always went up in flames. The show stopped
when critics claimed that it encouraged kids to play with fire. This argument put Carrey"s name in the headlines
for the first time.
He broke into feature films in one single successful year, 1994, making it the Year of the Funny Face.
First there was Ace Ventura: Pet Detective, a surprise hit showing Carrey"s wacky (古怪) style. Next came
TheMask, tailor-made for him and a hit with audiences. There was still Dumb and Dumber, which ended up
on top of the box office.
Carrey has slowed down, but his films have continued to make waves if not quite of the previous quality.
There was Barman Forever, then a sequel to Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls, which didn"t quite retake the
sparkle (光彩) of the earlier one: Next came Liar, Liar, a terrific success everywhere, putting him back on
top. Then came The Truman Show, a film which proved Jim Carrey was more than just a funny face. Snubbed
(冷落) by the Oscars, he was clearly considered golden by the fans.
B. Dumb and Dumber
C. The Truman Show
D. Ace Ventura: When Nature Calls
B. His hard early life helped develop his style of humor.
C. He received universal praises for his part in In Living Color.
D. Not many people like his performing style.
B. a film that continues a story
C. a comedy show of a strange style
D. a comment on a funny film
B. Jim Carrey-Famous "Fire Marshal Bill"
C. Jim Carrey"s Great Films
D. Jim Carrey"s Acting Career
win the attention of his very wealthy parents, who preferred his "clever" older brother. At age 8, Horowitz was
sent away to an abusive (虐待的) boarding school in his native England, even though he screamed and pleaded
(恳求) with his parents year after year not to send him. "The thought was, "It"ll be good for him"," Horowitz
recalls(回忆).
It was not. Horowitz did badly in his studies, had few friends and was bullied (欺负) for five years. "My
teachers couldn"t have had a lower opinion of me," he said. "I wasn"t even smart enough to rebel (反抗). The
one thing I remember from the very earliest age was this desire to write. When I was 10 years old, I remember
asking my parents to get me a typewriter for my birthday because I wanted to be a writer."
Now, at 55, Horowitz is one of the world"s most successful children"s book authors. His Alex Rider series
has sold more than 5 million copies, and the eighth book featuring the young spy. Crocodile Tears, came out
this month.
The Alex Rider books tell the adventures of 14-year-old Alex Rider, an agent for the British intelligence
agency MI6.
Horowitz said he doesn"t try to write for kids; it just comes out that way. "I have a feeling it"s to do with
purity and simplicity. I give as little information as is necessary to describe the room, the character in the room,
and get on with the action," he said.
That style has also made Horowitz a successful writer of television shows for adults in Britain because, he
says, writing books for kids is a lot like writing television for grown-ups. In both cases, it"s all about entertaining
people with a good story.
Now, Horowitz couldn"t be happier with his life. He sums up his success:"... you can be anything you want
to be if you just believe in yourself. I do believe it completely."
B. Horowitz"s miserable childhood
C. Horowitz, a successful children"s writer
D. Horowitz"s special writing style
B. was paid more attention by his parents
C. couldn"t understand why he was sent to the boarding school
D. led a miserable life because of poverty
B. often abused and bullied him
C. taught him how to write stories
D. thought little of his ability
B. He benefited a lot from boarding school.
C. He emphasizes the plot rather than characters in stories.
D. Although he is successful, he isn"t very happy.
B. Hardship teaches valuable lessons.
C. Interest is the best teacher.
D. Diligence is the parent of success.
England, as he accompanied his brother on a walking tour. He was impressed by the park"s winding paths,
open fields, lakes and bridges. Perhaps the most wonderful things of all was that the park was open to
everyone.
A moment beginning in 1840 to set aside park land on New York City"s Manhattan Island had a successful
result in 1856 with the purchase of 840 acres of rocky and swampy (沼泽) land, bought with about $5
million in state funds. Olmsted"s chance meeting with a project organizer led to his applying for the job of
park manager. In 1857 Olmsted was appointed manager of the proposed park, and the clearing of the site
began.
Calvert Vaux, a British architect, asked Olmsted to collaborate with him on a park design, and Olmsted
agreed. Vaux saw the park as a work of art, while Olmsted saw the park as a place for people to escape the
noise of the city. Together they invented a plan that would give the persons and animals living in the city a
quiet, green park and would also preserve and increase the good qualities of the natural features of the land.
The commissioners voted in favor of Vaux and Olmsted"s plan, and in 1858, the two became the official
designers of New York City"s Central Park.
It took millions of cartloads of topsoil to build Central park"s gentle slopes, shady glens, and steep, rocky
ravines. Five million trees were planted, a watersupply system was laid, and bridges, arches, roads and paths
were constructed. The park officially opened in 1876, and today, well over a century later, people still escape
the noise of the city in Olmsted and Vaux"s great work of art.
B. An engineering plan for Central Park C.
A. biography of Frederick Law Olmsted.
D. A guided walking tour of Central park
B. his hard work in clearing the land
C. his winning a design competition
D. a chance meeting with one of the park"s organizers
B. comment
C. vote
D. work together
B. The designers came from the same country.
C. It is an old park in America.
D. It is only for people who can well afford it.
an international cultural ambassador. And he was also a teacher and activist. For more than sixty years,
Mr. Stern performed excellent music. He performed in concerts around the world and on recordings.
Isaac Stern was born in 1920 in Ukraine. His parents moved to California the following year. He began
taking violin lessons after hearing a friend play the instrument. Later, he began studying music at the San
Francisco Conservatory (旧金山音乐学院). He progressed quickly. When he was sixteen, he played with
the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra. The next year, he performed in New York and was praised by music
critics.
Isaac Stern became one of the busiest musicians of his day. He played more than one hundred concerts
a year. He also became one of the most recorded musicians in history. Isaac Stern also supported artistic
development and freedom.
In 1979, ISaac Stern visited China. He met with Chinese musicians and students. He taught them about
classical Western music. His visit was made into a film. It is called From Mao to Mozart: Isaac Stern in China.
It won an Academy Award for best documentary film.
In 1984, Isaac Stern received the Kennedy Center Honors Award for his gifts to American culture through
music. He expressed his thoughts about the part that music plays in life. He said music is an important part of
a civilized life. He said people need music as much as they need bread.
Isaac Stem died in 2001 at the age of eighty-one. He was a major influence on music in the twentieth
century. He leaves the world richer with his many recordings.
B. Difficult.
C. Entertaining.
D. Interesting.
B. advise the readers to take up music
C. introduce more achievements of Isaac Stern
D. show he acted as an international cultural ambassador
B. He had visited many countries to advertise his recordings.
C. He played less than one hundred concerts in all.
D. His excellent music life lasted over 60 years.
B. Isaac Stern was one of the most active musicians of his day
C. Isaac Stern was so busy that he couldn"t spare time to educate the youth
D. Isaac Stern led a rich life in his later life
B. Isaac Stern"s life of pursuing music.
C. Isaac Stern: one of the most honored musicians.
D. Isaac Stern"s visit to China.
After 13 years and 46,000 miles the British traveler Jason Lewis finished the round-the-world journey
using human power alone. He crossed five continents, two oceans and a sea to become the first peson to
go around the globe only depending on himself and using his own power. He finally returned to the UK on
Saturday, crossing the Greenwich Meridian Line (格林威治子午线), in his specially-designed, 8-meter-long,
pedal-powered (脚蹬动力的) boat, "Moksha". It was the same place where his journey began on July, 1994
when he was just 26 years old.
Jason used many kinds of transport methods during his great joumey,such as riding, swimming, boating,
and skating. His journey took him west from Britain to the USA and then to Australia, Asia, and Africa before
returning to Europe from the east.
The journey was not without dangers: in Colorado Jason was knocked down by a truck whose driver had
drunk a lot of wine while riding at the side of the road. He spend six weeks in hospital and nearly lost one of
his legs. After the accident, Jason was robbed (抢劫) and beaten several times on his journey, sent to prison
(监狱) by the Australian army that considered him to be a spy, and ran after by a lion in Egypt. But on the
way he raised money to help the poor children around the world. He also developed an education program for
schoolchildren while he was on his journey.
Next the world traveller may have a rest for a while. "I"ve seen enough deserts. I"ve climbed beautiful
green hills. I have slept in the open air in Australia and sat by the fire drinking a bottle of beer," said Jason.
"but I do miss our British. It"s really nice to be with the people who are always smiling to each other."
a. riding a bike
b. taking a bus
c. skating on the ice
d. swimming in the sea
e. taking a plane
f. pedaling a boat
B. acdf
C. abcd
D. bdef
B. He would set out to climb the Himalayas in Asia.
C. He would go camping in the open air in Australia.
D. He would have a picnic with his British friends.
B. Because he stole others" money and hit others.
C. Because he was thought to be a spy.
D. Because he ran after a lion and wanted to kill it.
B. using many kinds of transport methods during the journey
C. starting his journey from the Greenwich Meridian Line
D. having a specially designed boat "Moksha"
B. It was because he drunk a lot of wine that he was knocked down by a truck.
C. He paid more attention to children"s education.
D. He was very disappointed at the journey which took him 13 years.
- 1在不透明的袋子中有四张标有数字1,2,3,4的卡片,小明、小华两人按照各自的规则玩抽卡片游戏。小明画出树形图如下:小华列
- 2关于平抛运动,下列说法正确的是A.不论抛出位置多高,抛出速度越大的物体,其水平位移一定越大B.不论抛出位置多高,抛出速度
- 3关于图中的两类滑轮甲和乙,下列说法正确的是 [ ]A.甲能改变拉力的方向 B.甲是等臂杠杆C.甲比乙省力 D.甲
- 4以下所给出的现象中,物体运动状态不发生改变的是( )A.在弯曲的路上汽车匀速转弯B.小孩沿笔直的滑梯匀速下滑C.熟透的
- 5若4是关于x的方程x2-6x+c=0的一个根,则这个方程的另一个根是[ ]A.2B.-2C.5D.-5
- 6分解因式:m2+n2+2mn-p2=______.
- 7【题文】欣赏漫画《决心》,然后回答下面的问题(1)请用简练的语言描述一下这幅漫画的画面内容。 (3分)
- 8为了保护地下钢管不受腐蚀,可使它与( )A.直流电源负极相连B.铜板相连C.锡板相连D.直流电源正极相连
- 9光在真空中的传播速度是______米/秒。常温下,声音在空气中的传播速度是_____米/秒。
- 10填入下面一段文字中横线处的语句,与上下文衔接最恰当的一句是( )经过两年多的朝夕相处,张老师和我们建立了深厚的感情。张老
- 1请听下面一段材料,回答第1-3题。1. Who is the man probably?A. A taxi driver
- 2根据句子意思, 用括号中所给汉语提示或单词的适当形式填空。(每空一词)小题1:All the students go t
- 3下列化学仪器需垫加石棉网才能用酒精灯加热的是( )A、试管 B、烧杯 C、燃烧匙
- 4下列各式能用完全平方公式分解的是[ ]A.x2-4y2B.x2-2xy+4y2C.-x2-4xy+4y2D.9(
- 5阅读下面这首明诗,回答问题。寄彭民望①李东阳 斫地哀歌兴未阑,归来长铗尚须弹②。秋风布褐衣犹短,夜雨江湖梦亦寒。木叶下时
- 6(1)从诗题《观书有感》可以看出,这首诗不是单纯的风景诗,诗人通过具体景物的描写,表达了关于 的心得体会。
- 7用所给词的适当形式填空。1. Would you mind____ (wait) for me for a fe
- 82002年,我国发现首个世界级大气田,储量达6 050亿立方米,6 050亿立方米用科学记数法表示为______立方米(
- 9设数列前项和为, 满足 .(1)求数列的通项公式;(2)令 求数列的前项和;(3)若不等式对任意的恒成立,求实数的取值
- 10冬天,教室要经常通风换气,若长时间紧闭门窗,很多同学会感到头晕,原因是( )A.温度太高B.二氧化碳浓度太高,缺氧C.