When we look at the sky and see a bright light moving quickly across it or coming towards the earth, we talk about seeing a “shooting star” or a “falling star”. These moving lights are not, in fact, stars at all. They are small pieces of matter from outer space, which burn up as they enter the Earth’s atmosphere. The correct name of them is meteoroids. Any pieces that make it to the Earth’s surface without completely burning up are known as meteorites. A meteor is actually the name given to the light we see when a meteoroid is burning up.
When a meteorite hits the Earth at speeds between 11 and 72 kilometers a second, it can do amazing damage. A very large meteorite could knock the earth out of its orbit. If this happened, all life on Earth would probably become extinct（灭绝）. The path we follow around the Sun would change and as a result the Earth would become either much hotter or much colder. This change in temperature would affect sea levels and the amount of water in rivers. There would either be huge floods, which would cover most of the land with water, or the oceans would dry up and there would be a drought, which means a long period of time without rain. Either way, nothing could survive. If a large meteorite landed in the sea it would almost certainly cause tsunamis, which would race towards the land, destroying everything in their paths.
Although it is unlikely the Earth will be struck by a meteorite large enough to do that kind of damage, there is evidence of fairly large meteorites hitting the Earth in the past. In 1908 a large area of forest in Tunguska, Siberia was destroyed by a meteorite that came apart just before it hit the ground. The moon, however, has about three billion craters陨石坑caused by meteorites impacting影响 its surface. The reason more meteorites have reached the surface of the moon than the surface of the Earth is that the moon does not have enough atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in. some of the meteorites that have reached the Earth’s surface have done considerable damage. Some scientists believe it was a change of climate caused by meteorites hitting the Earth that resulted in the extinction of the dinosaurs and other large prehistoric animals.
Scientists are especially interested in meteorites because they contain information about the solar system. It is widely believed by scientists that most meteorites are produced by collisions（碰撞） between asteroids (small planets). These collisions probably happened many billions of years ago. This means the physical and chemical structure of a meteorite can give scientists information about the early days of the universe.
小题1:The story is about ___. | A．floods caused by meteors | | B．matter from outer space | | C．life on Earth millions of years ago | | D．meteorites that have damaged the moon |
小题2:The Earth has ___. | A．three billion craters | | B．fewer craters than the moon | | C．more craters than the moon | | D．a thinner atmosphere than the moon |
小题3:Some scientists believe the dinosaurs became extinct because ___. | A．they were hit by meteors | | B．meteorites landed on their nests | | C．meteorites landed and changed the climate | | D．they could no longer breathe the atmosphere |
小题4:Meteors are ___. | A．small planets | | B．the same as asteroids | | C．from broken parts of asteroids | | D．the light we see when meteoroids hit our atmosphere |
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小题1:B
小题2:B
小题3:C
小题4:D |
文章介绍了来自外太空的陨石撞击地球可能会导致地球环境的巨大变化，导致物种灭绝。
小题1:B 主旨大意题 文章讲述的是来自外太空的物质——陨石。故B正确。
小题2:B 细节题 根据第三段五，六行. The reason more meteorites have reached the surface of the moon than the surface of the Earth is that the moon does not have enough atmosphere for the meteorites to burn up in.可知地球的陨石坑比月球要少。
小题3:C 推理题、根据文章第三段第五行开始的内容可知人们认为恐龙的灭绝是因为陨石撞击地球，导致地球的环境发生巨大变化，最后恐龙灭绝了。
小题4:D 细节题。根据文章第一段最后一句. A meteor is actually the name given to the light we see when a meteoroid is burning up.可知D正确。 |
核心考点
试题【When we look at the sky and see a bright light moving quickly across it or comin】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Egypt: Bridging the Gap between School English and Real English
Teaching English in Egypt in general and in my town Damietta in particular, is mainly directed towards helping students to pass their final exams. Unfortunately, most teachers do not adopt a long -term approach that guarantees that their students will be able to use English outside the classroom. So students only concentrate on one skill which is writing. Thus their listening and speaking skills are disabled. What is important to them is to pass the exam which is primarily based on writing .Teachers are not only concentrated with providing their students with questions that are similar to those of the final exam, particularly General Secondary Education Certificate (GSEC) Examination, so students spend most of their time answering typical exam questions.
Most students" scores are high; a lot of students get full marks. However, few students are able to communicate in English because their role plays. As a result, a lot of students complain that they are unable to understand and talk fluently with native speakers of English.
To enable students to communicate freely and spontaneously(自然地) in English, I bring features of real communication into language practice, I always ask students about their own experiences, and suggest groups of students practice what they have learned outside the classroom. This helps lower-achieving students absorb language. Furthermore, role play is a very effective way to improve speaking skills particularly if it is connected to the experience of the students.
小题1:Who probably write this passage?| A．a teacher | B．a governor | C．a student | D．a reporter |
小题2:In Egypt, the students only concentrate on ------| A．listening skill | B．speaking skill | C．reading skill | D．writing skill |
小题3:The teachers question their students based on -------| A．what they learn in the class | | B．What their parents expect | | C．The questions that are similar to those of GSEC | | D．The ability that will be used outside the classroom |
小题4:Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?| A．Most of the students can"t get high marks but can communicate with the native speakers of English. | | B． Communicating skill is more important than writing skill. | C．Role play connected to the speaker"s experience is more effective
in improving his skill. | | D．The lower--achieving students can do better in speaking skill than the upper achieving students. |
小题5:Who will responsible for the gap between school English and real English?| A．Their parents | B．The students | C．The school | D．The education sys tem |
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Now let"s look ourselves as a species in relation to ecosystem balance.Modern scientists believe that humankind, like other animals, evolved(进化) through millions of years of changes and adaptations to the environment and that our most direct evolutionary ancestor was probably an earlier species of the primate(monkey, ape) group. Despite this similarity with other creatures, however, the evolution of humankind differs from that of other species in one important and unique way.
In other species, evolution has led to specialization, both in the species abilities and in its place within the environmental structure. For example, the giraffe is much adapted to feeding on treetops, but it is also specialized and thus limited to feeding on trees and shrubs. Only with great difficulty can it bend down to graze on the ground. Similarly, the anteater is extremely well adapted to eating ants but is unable to catch or eat other animals. The same is true for countless other species.
For humankind it is opposite. Our evolution had led to a very generalized ability. Our highly developed intelligence and ability to make and handle tools mean that we can do almost anything. Humans evolved in such a way that we are able to move into every environment on Earth and even into space. No natural competitor offers great resistance, and other natural enemies such as disease have been controlled.
Said another way, we see in humankind a great imbalance between biological potential and environmental resistance. The result is the rapidly increasing world population, frequently referred to as the population explosion. Further, to support our growing population, natural ecosystems are being increasingly displaced by human habitations, agriculture, and other human supporting activities.
小题1:From the passage we can infer that in the course of evolution _______.| A．humankind is very important to earlier species, such as the primate group | | B．human beings are limited by the environment while animals are not | | C．human beings become more and more different from each other | | D．humankind has experienced a generalization rather than specialization in ability |
小题2:According to the passage, primate includes such animals as _______.| A．monkeys and anteaters | B．tigers and apes | | C．apes and monkeys | D．monkeys and giraffes |
小题3:According to the passage, evolution has made it possible for humans to _______.| A．increase the population | | B．resist natural offers | | C．go to the moon | | D．cure all diseases |
小题4:According to the author, imbalance between biological potential and environ mental resistance has resulted in _______.| A．the population explosion | | B．the destruction of human habitations | | C．the growth of natural ecosystem | | D．the specialization of humans |
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You and I have principles. And we also have opinions. I have opinions about what I think is 36 or wrong, good or bad. But they’re only 37 ---I could be wrong! I won’t try to 38 my life around my opinions, but I will try to 39 my principles.
A 15-year-old boy learned a(n) 40 lesson about principles. On his way home he found a 41 that contained $127 and the owner’s identification. 42 hesitation, he hopped(快速跳) onto his bicycle and went over to the owner’s 43 ---about a mile away. He told her that he had 44 her wallet and she gave him a big hug and twenty dollars.
That evening the boy told his parents about what had happened. However, his father said, “I don’t think you should have 45 $20 for doing what you should do. A person shouldn’t be 46 for being honest.”.
He thought about his father’s 47 and decided he would return the money. He returned to the lady’s home and 48 her back the twenty dollars. She didn’t want to take it, but he told her she 49 to , for his father pointed out 50 to him that he had never 51 before.
When principles 52 our decisions and actions, we actually change. These great principles 53 our lives and make us into persons of character. That boy is 54 to be raised by a wise father who had the 55 to say, “Those are my principles.”
| 小题1: | | A．right | B．mistaken | C．good | D．bad |
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| 小题2: | | A．decisions | B．opinions | C．suggestions | D．wishes |
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| 小题3: | | A．waste | B．share | C．build | D．risk |
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| 小题4: | | A．follow | B．make | C．advertise | D．change |
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| 小题5: | | A．difficult | B．easy | C．funny | D．valuable |
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| 小题6: | | A．bag | B．box | C．wallet | D．suitcase |
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| 小题7: | | A．Without | B．In | C．About | D．For |
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| 小题8: | | A．factory | B．school | C．office | D．house |
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| 小题9: | | A．found | B．checked | C．searched | D．threw |
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| 小题10: | | A．received | B．supplied | C．accepted | D．borrowed |
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| 小题11: | | A．blamed | B．rewarded | C．praised | D．forgotten |
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| 小题12: | | A．worries | B．actions | C．excuses | D．words |
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| 小题14: | | A．planned | B．had | C．preferred | D．attempted |
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| 小题15: | | A．anything | B．everything | C．something | D．nothing |
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| 小题16: | | A．realized | B．guessed | C．met | D．taught |
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| 小题17: | | A．interrupt | B．guide | C．confuse | D．allow |
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| 小题18: | | A．limit | B．prevent | C．keep | D．shape |
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| 小题19: | | A．comfortable | B．careful | C．fortunate | D．brave |
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| 小题20: | | A．chance | B．right | C．courage | D．wisdom |
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In some urban centers, workholism is so common that people do not consider it unusual: they accept the lifestyle as normal. Government workers in Washington D. C., for example, frequently work sixty to seventy hours a week. They don’t do this because they have to; they do it because they want to.
Workholism can be a serious problem. Because true workaholics (工作狂) would rather work than do anything else, they probably don’t know how to relax.
Is workholism always dangerous? Perhaps not. There are, certainly, people who work well under stress. Some studies show that many workaholics have great energy and interest in life. Their work is so pleasurable that they are actually very happy. For most workaholics, work and entertainment keep them busy and creative.
Why do workaholics enjoy their jobs so much? There are several advantages to work. Of course, it provides people with paychecks, and this is important. But it offers more than financial security. It provides people with self-confidence; they have a feeling of satisfaction when they’ve produced a challenging piece of work and are able to say, “I made that.” Psychologists claim that work gives people an identity through participation in work, they get a sense of self and individualism. In addition, most jobs provide people with a socially acceptable way to meet others. Perhaps some people are compulsive about their work, but their addiction seems to be a safe-even an advantageous-one.
小题1:The passage indicates that workaholics ______.| A．just know work but nothing else | | B．are willing to work hard for long hours without pay | | C．find their work provide them more satisfaction and self-confidence than how much they are paid | | D．has the work with more responsibility than others |
小题2:One of the reasons that some people are not willing to quit their jobs even in their eighties and nineties is that ______.
A. they are in the need of financial security
B. they would rather work than be disturbed by domestic affairs
C. they long for a sense of identity and being accomplished
C. they may have health problems from sheer boresom
小题3:This passage is mainly about ______.| A．workaholics are usually successful people, but their lives are in a mess | | B．workholism can lead to serious problems but it can also create a joyful life | | C．people who are absorbed in their work may enjoy movies, sports and other kinds of entertainment | | D．those who work even under difficult conditions may be very happy |
小题4:It can be inferred from the passage that ______.| A．in the eyes of all the common people workaholics are peculiar | | B．to workaholics, work is the sole source of happiness | | C．a piece of challenging work may provide the workaholics a sense of satisfaction | | D．workaholics are as addicted to their job as other people are to drugs or alcohol |
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According to US research, it can take up to ten years to become a near-native English speaker. Asian and Spanish students took between five and ten years to reach native speaker performance in English-only schools. Fluency obviously doesn’t happen overnight. But time can definitely make you a better speaker.
After testing his own memory, German psychologist Hermann Ebbinghaus discovered that humans forget most of what they learn in the first 20 minutes.
So cramming right before a speaking exam is not likely to be as effective as practicing regularly over time. The more you practice, the more familiar new words will become. In the classroom, studies have also shown that repeating oral tasks improves a speaker’s performance.
One of the best repetition exercises is the 4/3/2 technique. Speakers give the same talk to three different listeners with a progressive decrease in delivery time, starting at four minutes, then three, and finally two minutes. This exercise has been proven to help learners speak faster. It can also result in less hesitation and more grammatical accuracy. While time dose make a difference when it comes to speaking perfect English, it would not hurt to brush up on your other language skills.
Studies have also shown that reading can increase your speaking vocabulary. After one month of an extensive reading program, a 27-year-old student of French became more familiar with 65 percent of the new words.
Aside from choosing the right learning methods, having certain personality traits may also help. US linguistics expert Stephen Krashen believes those with high motivation, self-confidence and a low level of anxiety are better equipped for speaking success.
Krashen says students who don’t have these qualities are more likely to have a “mental block”. “Even if they understand the message, the input will not reach the part of the brain responsible for language acquisition,” he writes in his book Principles and Practice in second Language Acquisition.
小题1:According to the passage, if you want to be a near-native speaker, you need _____.| A．long-term speaking practice and much reading | | B．speaking practice for ten years only | | C．long-term speaking practice, much reading and certain qualities | | D．cramming new words every day |
小题2:The author put forward the 4/3/2 technique just to show that _____.| A．you should speak to 3 different people | | B．you should speak to 3 different people at 3 different times | | C．it can prevent you from making grammar mistakes | | D．it is really a good way to make you a better speaker |
小题3:The example of a 27-year-old student of French in the passage mainly means that _____.| A．reading can enlarge your vocabulary for your speaking | | B．reading can make you memorize just 65 percent of the new words | | C．the 27-year-old student of French is very clever | | D．in one month, you can improve your speaking ability |
小题4:The underlined phrase “linguistics expert” means a person who is quite expert at _____.| A．languages | B．spoken language | | C．scientific research | D．teaching English |
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