power to pump water for irrigating crops 4,000 years ago, and sailing boats were around long before that.
Wind power was used in the Middle Ages, in Europe, to grind (磨碎) corn, which is where the term"windmill"
comes from.
We can use the energy in the wind by building a tall tower, with a large propeller on the top. The wind
blows the propellor round, which turns a generator to produce electricity. We tend to build many of these
towers together, to make a"wind farm" and produce more electricity. The more towers, the more wind, and
the larger the propellors, the more electricity we can make. It"s only worth building wind farms in places that
have strong, steady winds, although boats and caravans (大篷车) increasingly have small wind generators to
help keep their batteries charged.
The best places for wind farms are in coastal areas, at the tops of rounded hills, open plains and gaps in
mountains-places where the wind is strong and reliable. Some are offshore. To be worthwhile, you need an
average wind speed of around 25 km/h. Most wind farms in the UK are in Cornwall or Wales. Isolated places
such as farms may have their own wind generators. In California, several"wind farms" supply electricity to
homes around Los Angeles.
The propellors are large, to obtain energy from the largest possible volume of air. The blades can be
angled to cope with varying wind speeds. Some designs use vertical turbines (垂直涡轮机), which don"t
need to be turned to face the wind. The towers are tall, to get the propellors as high as possible, up to where
the wind is stronger. This means that the land beneath can still be used for farming.
B. the source of wind power
C. the nations using wind power
D. the history of using wind power
B. isolated farms don"t have enough electricity
C. there are less human activities
D. the wind is strong and reliable
B. wind farms need no fuel because wind is free
C. the blades can be angled to turn to face the wind wherever it comes from
D. the higher and larger the towers are, the stronger the wind is
B. ABC of the using of wind energy.
C. How to make best use of wind.
D. Wind energy is the best energy.
Stingrays are pancake-shaped fish, and you"d never guess it: they"re close cousins of sharks.The smallest
kinds are about the size of a dinner plate. But some 4-metre stingrays live in the waters near Australia. About
170 different kinds of stingrays live in the oceans around the world. And some live in freshwater too. In South
America, a few kinds swim in the Amazon and other rivers that flow into the Atlantic. One ocean kind, the
Atlantic stingray, also lives in the St. Johns River in Florida.
A stingray has a mouth and nostrils (鼻孔) on the bottom of its body. These nostrils are for smelling, not
for breathing. When water flows into a stingray"s nostrils, the fish may pick up the smells of creatures it wants
to eat. It can also find prey (牺牲者) by sensing the tiny amount of electricity that animals give off. Slowly,
slowly the fish hunts by moving along the ocean or river bottom. When it senses a worm, clam, shrimp, or
other creature, it flaps (拍打) its fins until the prey is uncovered. Then the fish lies down over the prey, sucks
it in, and crunches it with its small teeth. A stingray"s flat shape helps it hide. It stirs up a cloud of sand by
flapping its big, flat fins. When the sand settles down over the fish, everything is covered but its eyes,
breathing holes, and sometimes its tail. Its tail gave the"sting" to a stingray"s name. When a stingray is attacked
by an enemy, it whips its tail around. Then a sharp stinger releases a powerful poison into the enemy. When
stingrays are on the ocean bottom, it"s easy for a diver to step on one by mistake. Then the fish usually stings
the person in the ankle. The poison is very painful, and the wound may hurt for a day or two. Worse yet,
pieces of the stinger can break off and infect the ankle. But stingrays don"t chase after prey or people to sting
them. In fact, divers can swim among friendly stingrays without getting hurt.
B. To give readers facts about an interesting fish.
C. To warn readers about dangers in the ocean.
D. To teach readers how fish hunt their prey.
B. can cover themselves with sand
C. move slowly above the ocean floor
D. live in freshwater as well as in oceans
B. To escape from the prey.
C. To find the prey.
D. To frighten the prey.
B. Pieces of the stinger come loose in the wound.
C. Electricity from the stinger shocks the wound.
D. Fins beside the stinger throw sand into the wound.
You don"t need millions to be happy. In fact, at The Happiness Institute in Australia, a couple of hundred
dollars may be enough.
The institute opened its doors last year, and, since then, men and women of all ages have been paying A
$ 200 an hour (US $140) for lessons on how to feel great.
" You can actually increase your happiness levels. That"s what we teach," said Timothy Sharp, founder
of the institute.
Experts say that only about 15 percent of happiness comes from income, assets and other financial factors. As much as 85 percent comes from things such as attitude, life control and relationships.
Most of us are significantly better off financially than our parents and grandparents, but happiness levels
haven"t changed to reflect that.
Studies show that once the basic needs of shelter and food are met, additional wealth adds very little to
happiness. Many decades ago, the "sage of Baltimore, Maryland", editor HL Mencken, defined wealth as
earning US $100 more than your “wife"s sister"s husband.”
Behavioral economists now say part of the reason we are richer but not happier is because we compare
ourselves to people better off materially.
"The argument is that if you want to be happy there"s a very simple thing you can do: Compare yourself
to people who are less well off than you- poorer, smaller house, car," said Sharp.
The Happiness Institute aims to show you how to overcome these unhappiness factors by focusing on
" more than just your bank account."
"If I compare myself to Bill Gates then I"m always going to be down," said Sharp.
A better thing to compare with, he said, might be Kerry Packer, Australia"s richest person who has had
a kidney transplant and heart surgery in recent years.
B. Most of us are happier than our parents or grandparents since we earn more.
C. Earning US $100 more than your wife"s sister"s husband if you want to be happy.
D. Both Bill Gates and Kerry Packer are examples of those who are extremely rich but obviously unhappy.
B. 450
C. 350
D. 250
B. unhealthy
C. free
D. wealthy
B. wealth is the foundation of happiness
C. have fun at the Happiness Institute
D. money doesn"t always mean happiness
Childhood is a happy time, right? Not necessarily. Consider these facts.
Depression may occur in as many as 1 in 33 children.
Once a child has an episode(一段情节) of depression, he or she has a 50 percent chance of experiencing
another episode in the next 5 years.
Suicide(自***) is the 6th leading cause of death for 5-to-15-year-olds.
If your child experiences 5 or more of these signs or symptoms (症状) for at least 2 weeks, he or she
may be experiencing depression or another mental illness.
Feeling-Does your child demonstrate: Sadness Emptiness Hopelessness Guilt Worthlessness Lack of
enjoyment in everyday pleasures
Thinking-Is your child having trouble: Concentrating Making decisions Completing schoolwork Maintaining
grades Maintaining friendships
Physical problems-Does your child complain of: Headaches Stomachaches Lack of energy Sleeping
problems ( too much or too little) Weight or appetite changes ( gain or loss )
Suicide risk-Does your child talk or think about: Suicide Death Other morbid (生病的) subjects
Behavior problems-Is your child: Irritable Not wanting to go to school Wanting to be alone most of the
time Having difficulty getting along with others Cutting classes or skipping school Dropping out of sports,
hobbies or other activities Drinking alcohol or using drugs. Sometimes, a child who causes problems at school
or at home may actually be depressed, according to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent
Psychiatry. If you think your child may be depressed, it"s important to have your child treated. Discuss your
child"s problems with his or her doctor. The doctor may suggest a referral to a children"s psychologist (心
理医生) or psychiatrist (精神病医生). Treatment may include individual and family therapy (治疗), along
with an antidepressant medication (抗抑郁药).
B. teachers
C. children
D. psychologists
B. The child always feels tired but sleeps only four hours a day.
C. The child hates to study.
D. The child can not concentrate on one thing for a long period.
B. may have suicide risk
C. may have behavior problems
D. may have physical problems
B. Ask them to take antidepressant immediately.
C. Go to see the doctor.
D. Ask them to have a good rest.
In fact, they warn, drinking too much water could be, in certain cases, harmful.
In a study, Dr Stanly Goldfarb and Dr Dan Negoianu, both of the Renal, Electrolyte and Hypertension
Division at the University of Pensylvania, the United States, have denied the popular belief that drinking a lot
of water clears body toxins (毒素) better, improves skin, and helps reduce weight.
Dr Goldfarb and Dr Negoianu say that they found little proof to back the public opinion that drinking 8
glasses of water every day benefits health. At the same time, they fond little proof of harm in drinking 8
glasses of water every day.
It is widely believed that in some cases, such as athletes, people who live in hot, dry environments, and
those with certain medical conditions-drinking a lot of water indeed helps, but no studies have been done to
prove the benefits of this practice in average, healthy people, the website medheadlines.com reports.
The study at the University of Pennsylvania also examined reports that some people experienced increased
headaches when their consumption (消耗) of water was low. In one small study, which the doctors reviewed,
the group drinking the most water reported fewer headaches than the control group,"but the difference in the
number of headaches was so small between the two groups as to be considered unimportant."
The researchers concluded that there is no scientific proof to support that average, healthy people need to
drink at least 8 glasses of water each day. The website medheadlines.com says that, according to an Indian
doctor, drinking too much water is harmful. If water enters the body more quickly than it can be removed,
problems can occur.
B. Whether to drink enough water makes no difference.
C. Drinking too much water may cause headaches.
D. Average, healthy people should drink more water.
B. The Indian doctor.
C. The general public.
D. The website.
B. the study was carried out by two experts with an Indian doctor
C. the two experts performed the study at the University of Pennsylvania
D. drinking 8 glasses of water every day can cure certain diseases
learn, and many scientists are interested in finding ways to improve both teaching and learning processes.
Sian Beilock and Susan Leving, two psychologists at the University of Chicago, are trying to learn
about learning. In a new study about the way kids learn math in elementary school, Beilock and Levine
found a surprising relationship between what female teachers think and what female students learn: If a
female teacher is uncomfortable with her own math skills, then her female students are more likely to
believe that boys are better than girls at math."If these girls keep getting math-anxious female teachers in
later grades, it may create a snowball effect on their math achievement," Levine told Science News. The
study suggests that if these girls grow up believing that boys are better at math than girls are, then these
girls may not do as well as they would have if they were more confident.
Just as students find certain subjects to be difficult, teachers can find certain subjects to be difficult
to learn-and teach. The subject of math can be particularly difficult for everyone.
The new study involved 65 girls, 52 boys and 17 first-and second-grade teachers in elementary
schools in the Midwest. The students took math achievement tests at the beginning and end of the school
year, and the researchers compared the scores. The researchers also gave the students tests to tell whether
the students believed a math superstar had to be a boy. Then the researchers turned to the teachers: To
find out which teachers were anxious about math, the researchers asked the teachers how they felt at times
when they came across math, such as when reading a sales receipt. A teacher who got nervous looking at
the numbers on a sales receipt, for example, was probably anxious about math.
Boys, on average, were unaffected by a teacher"s anxiety. On average, girls with math-anxious teachers
scored lower on the end-of-the-year math tests than other girls in the study did. Plus, on the test showing
whether someone thought a math superstar had to be a boy, 20 girls showed feeling that boys would be
better at math-and all of these girls had been taught by female teachers with math anxiety.
According to surveys done before this one, college students who want to become elementary school
teachers have the highest levels of anxiety about math. Plus, nine of every 10 elementary teachers are
women, Levine said.
B. study students" ways of learning math
C. prove women teachers are unfit to teach math
D. find better teaching methods for teachers
B. study the ways their female teachers behave
C. have an influence on their math-anxious female teachers
D. gain unexpected achievement in such subjects as math
B. Tell their feelings about math problems.
C. Answer whether a math superstar had to be a boy.
D. Compare the students" scores after the math tests.
B. Almost all the girls got lower scores in the tests than the boys.
C. About 30% of the girls thought boys are better at math than girls.
D. Girls with math-anxious teachers all failed in the math tests.
B. The researchers felt surprised at the findings of their study.
C. Beilock and Levine are interested in teaching math.
D. Men teachers are better at teaching math than women teachers.
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