When two Bangs meet

SHELDON Cooper is a scientific genius on the popular American TV show, The Big Bang Theory (《生活大爆炸》). He finally met his match last year: Stephen Hawking.

This is not the first time that the scientist has appeared on TV. He has also been on Star Trek (in 1987) and The Simpsons (in 1989). Each time, he played himself.

Hawking, 71, is perhaps the world’s most famous scientist after Albert Einstein. He has spent his whole life studying the beginning and the end of the universe, including the Big Bang (宇宙大爆炸) theory.

The Big Bang theory explains the early development of the universe. According to the theory, about 13.7 billion years ago everything was all squeezed together in a tiny, tight little ball, and then the ball exploded. The results of that explosion are what we call the universe.

Hawking has always tried to make science more popular with people. His book: A Brief History of Time was published in 1988. In the book he shares his understanding of the universe in simple language. The book tries to explain many subjects about the universe to common readers, including the Big Bang, black holes and light cones (光錐).

Hawking’s achievements are even greater if you think about his disability. When he was 21, Hawking caught a bad illness that slowly stopped him from moving or talking. Now he sits on a wheelchair with a computer by his side. To communicate, he moves two fingers to control the computer’s mouse. He chooses his words from the screen, which are then spoken by a voice synthesizer (合成器).

Hawking also believes that there might be aliens in space. However, he believes they are probably very dangerous, so we should not look for them. “I imagine they might exist in very big ships ... having used up all the resources from their home planet,” Hawking said in a British documentary named Into the Universe with Stephen Hawking. 

40. What does the “two Bangs” in the title refer to?

  A. The director of “The Big Bang Theory” and the founder of it.

  B. The director and the actor of “The Big Bang Theory”.

  C. The founder of the “Big Bang” theory and its spreader.

D. The scientific genius on TV show and the one alive in real life.

41. Acting in The Big Bang Theory is Hawking’s _____ time on TV.

A. first                     B. second                   C. third                       D. fourth

42. According to Paragraph 5, Hawking wrote the book A Brief History of Time especially for _____.

A. scientists who study the universe                  B. people who know a lot about the universe

C. people who know little about the universe    D. people who only know simple language

43. The Big Bang theory mainly explains _____.

A. how the universe started                               B. what the universe is like

C. how old the universe is                                 D. how the universe exploded

44. According to the passage, which of the following about Hawking is TRUE?

A. He was born with a disability.                 B. He uses a computer to communicate.

C. He believes aliens are our friends.               D. He encourages people to look for aliens.

練習(xí)冊(cè)系列答案
相關(guān)習(xí)題

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Weather changes when the temperature and the amount of water in the atmosphere change. We can see and feel water coming from the atmosphere when we have rain. But the water must somehow get back to the atmosphere. Meteorologists call this the water cycle.

   There are many stages in the water cycle. Rain falls when water vapour in clouds condenses(凝結(jié)). Drops of water form and fall to the ground. The water soaks into the ground and feeds streams and rivers. A lot of rain falls into the sea. The heat of the sun evaporates some of the water in the ground and in the rivers, lakes, and the sea. It changes the liquid water into water vapour. The vapour rises onto the air. Water vapour is normally invisible. On a very damp or humid day, however, you can sometimes see water vapour rising from a puddle(水坑) or pond in a mist(薄霧) above the water. Water vapour also gets into the air from living things. Trees and other plants take in water through their roots and give off water vapour from their leaves. People and land animals drink water and breathe out water vapour. In all these ways the water returns to the air. There it gathers to form clouds and condenses to form rain. The rain falls to earth, and the cycle starts again. It continues even if snow or hail(冰雹) fall instead because both eventually melt to form water. The amount of water vapour in the air depends on the temperature. The air is more moist(潮濕) in the tropics(熱帶) than in the cold polar regions.

What is the main idea of the passage?

A. Water cycle.    B. Water vapour. C. How rain forms.   D.Water, vapour, rain.

How many ways of the water returning to the air are discussed in the text?

A. Two.   B. Three.   C. Four.     D. Five.

Whether water vapour can be seen or not depends on _______.

A. how much water is evaporated         B. how good your eyes are

C. in which way water is evaporated           D. climate or weather

From the passage we get to know _______.

A. there is more water vapour in the air in the tropics than in cold polar regions

B. there is more water vapour in the air in cold polar region than in the tropics

C. it gets more rain in the tropics than in cold polar regions because there is less vapour

D. the amount of water vapour in the air depends on how often it rains

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Britain’s oldest man made his first visit to London yesterday at the age of 101. Mr John Evans had never found the time or money to make the trip from his home in Forest – fach, near Swansea. But, when British Rail offered him an all – expense – paid birthday treat to the capital he just could not refuse.

He arrived at Paddington Station and smartly turned out in his best suit, favorite Panama hat and a red rose in his buttonhole. “It’s very exciting. There’s no doubt about it,” he said.

Until yesterday he had never been far from home, except for one trip to Aberdeen. “But I’ve been on the seas to that faraway land called Ilfracombe 21 miles from home,” he joked.

Mr Evans, who spent 60 years working as a miner in South Wales, almost made the journey to London once before, at the turn of the century. “There was a trip to the White City but it was ten shillings return from Swansea – too much I thought. All my money went to the family then,” he said.

During the next two days Mr Evans will be taken on a short tour of London to see the sights. Top of his list is a visit to the House of Parliament organized by his MP, Mr Gareth Wardell.

The only arrangement he does not care for is the wheelchair provided for him if he gets tired. “I don’t like the chair – people will think I am getting old,” he said. His secret for a long and healthy life has been well publicized – no wine, no tobacco and no anger.

Before setting off from Swansea with his 76 – year – old son, Amwell, he said jokingly, “I’m glad to see they’ve given me a return ticket.”

The very reason that Mr. Evans didn’t go to see the world is that                .

       A．he had already been on the seas to Ilfracombe

       B．he was too busy to go too far away from home

       C．he couldn’t afford both the time and the money

       D．he believed “East or west, home is the best”

Mr Evans didn’t like the wheelchair simply because                 .

       A．he was not used to traveling in it

       B．the wheelchair was of poor quality and not easy to operate

       C．he actually preferred walking to sitting in it at home

       D．he thought he was still young enough to manage the trip

Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

       A．Mr Evans had to work hard to raise his family when young.

       B．The trip to London excited Mr Evans very much.

       C．Mr Evans could not really enjoy the trip because of his age.

       D．Humor was one of Mr Evans’ characters.

The probable explanation to Mr Evans’ long life lies in                  .

       A．his good living habits      B．his hard working for the family

       C．his sticking to his hometown   D．his living conditions near the Swansea

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

When I was in high school, I had a recurring(反復(fù)的) dream of my teeth falling out. I dreamt about my teeth just about every night for at least three weeks. Sometimes they would fall out one at a time, sometimes all at once. I became terrified that my dreams meant I would actually lose my teeth. Nine years later and about a million trips to the dreams, I still have a full set of teeth, but I’ve learned that when we’re experiencing stress in our lives, it tends to show up in our dreams as well．

Miller says losing teeth indicates burdens that crush your pride. If your teeth are knocked out, you’ll have sudden misfortune． Other explanations for dreams about lost teeth are that the dreamer is feeling powerless in life and may be in a transitional（過度的） period from one situation of life to another. Some experts believe that dreams of losing teeth today show we’re just as insecure and uncertain as we were in childhood．

When I dreamt about my teeth back in high school, I was trying to choose a college— a stressful decision． The dreams resurfaced when college graduation rolled around four years later and I’m sure they’ll start again when I graduate．

A little of stress in our everyday lives is normal. But sometimes it becomes such a regular occurrence in our lives that it influences our dreams and causes us to lose valuable sleep. Understanding our dreams is key to identifying and ending stress in our waking hours and restoring peace to our nighttime hours．

56．We know from the text that those who dreamt about lost his teeth indicates that________．

A．They will have sudden misfortune．

B．They are feeling powerless in life

C．They are as insecure and uncertain as they were in childhood

D．They are experiencing stress in their lives

57．How many different kinds of explanations are mentioned in the text about losing teeth?

A．Two                      B．Three              C．Four             D．Five

58．The underlined expression “rolled around” means_______

A．came about     B．came down      C．came near       D．rolled out

59．We can infer from the text that___________．

A．Our dream can reflect what we go through in our real life．

B．Dreams can damage our valuable sleep．

C．We only dream when we are under great pressure．

D．Our dreams can show us what will happen in the future．

60．The author wrote the passage to tell us that______.

A．He wanted to show us his strange dreams．

B．He tried to explain why we dream．

C．Different people have different dreams

D．It is important for us to understand the meaning of our dreams

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解

Hi, everybody !

Welcome to our newly-opened Richards Cinema Bookstore!

Now let me introduce to you some of the new film books in our store.

Are you Chinese film fans? OK, here comes the latest 25 New Takes about Chinese films. It is a collection of 25 fresh readings of different Chinese films from the 1930s to the present. In recent years, Chinese films are very popular in the States, such as Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon, Hero, and Flowers of Shanghai.

 Do you like French films? Well, here is The French Cinema Book. It covers French films from the 1890s to the beginning of the 21st century. It is written for all lovers of French cinema: students and teachers, specialists and fans, and so on.

 Maybe you are Indian film fans and star-chasers. Then here is Encyclopedia ( 百科全書 ) of Indian Cinema. The book is a complete introduction to all the best Indian films. It also offers a full list of names of the famous and successful film stars in the past ten years. You know, the Indian film industry is the largest in the world after our Hollywood.

 If you like British films, we have The British Cinema Book. It is a good review of British cinema. This book contains a good many nice pictures.

In our bookstore, you can also find books about Mexican, Japanese, Australian, German and Italian films..

Well, please help yourselves to some coffee or tea, and have a good time here!

60. The speaker of the passage is most probably _______.

A. the author of 25 New Takes

B. a tourist in the cinema bookstore

C. the manager of the cinema bookstore

D. a reader of Encyclopedia of Indian Cinema

61. How many Asian countries does the speaker refer to when he talks about the film books?

A. Two.             B. Three.            C. Four.              D. Nine.

62. Which of the following statements is NOT mentioned in the passage？

A. Indian cinema is second only to Hollywood.

B. The British Cinema Book includes a complete list of names of stars.

C. Crouching Tiger and Hidden Dragon is well received in the States.

D. The French Cinema Book covers over a century's French films.

63. The purpose of the speaker is_______.

A. to satisfy the customers' various tastes

B. to keep the authors in the cinema bookstore

C. to offer the tourists chances to meet the film stars

D. to mm the readers into film producers

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2014屆河北容城中學(xué)高三上期第一次摸底測(cè)試英語(yǔ)卷（解析版） 題型：完型填空

閱讀下面短文，從短文后各題所給的四個(gè)選項(xiàng)（A、B、C和D）中，選出最佳選項(xiàng)，并在答題卡上涂黑。

Stephanie McRae was used to driving in bad weather. Although  16  still beat the windshield of her SUV（運(yùn)動(dòng)越野車）, the worst of the day's storm seemed to have passed as she  17  her 11-year-old daughter, Maddie, home at 8:30 pm.

Maddie  18   in front, while two young kids sat strapped into their SUV  19  in back. Driving along the mad by a river, McRae, 39,  20  a terrifying sight: The road just ahead had been craved in and  21  . She stepped heavily on the brake. The SUV  22  into a flooded hole some 6 metres below, and was washed into the   23  , which the storm had turned into a   24  river 30 metres wide. Rocks and fallen tree  25  knocked into her SUV, making it upside down. The pressure blew out the window.

No one was hurt,   26  there was no way to escape either, The SUV was being  27  towards the middle of the river, about 400 metres away. McRae  28  helplessly and prayed aloud with Maddie: “Please, God, please, help us!” The SUV, submerged and   29   with water, came to a stop when it parked at an angle in a logjam（浮木阻塞）. 

It was Maddie who took control. Pushing her way out of the   30  back window, the slight but athletic Maddie  31  onto the top of the SUV, which had righted itself, and yelled to her mother to hoist up the younger children. Soon the  32  were crowded on the top of the SUV’s roof.   33  to hold on as the water swept over them. McRae caught hold of the two-year-old kid to her chest while holding the three-year-old on her leg. Both children were so   34  that MeRac wondered if they were all right. With her mother’s permission, the 11-year-old girl-Meddie got over lots of problems to ask for help in a   35  village and fortunately they were saved.

1.A．rain B．snow   C．wind   D．mud

2.A．walked     B．drove C．ran      D．rushed

3.A．stood        B．lay       C．cried   D．sat

4.A．belts         B．backs  C．seats   D．toys

5.A．worried   B．thought       C．saw     D．feard

6.A．washed away   B．taken away        C．gone away  D．moved away

7.A．changed  B．fell      C．jumped        D．knocked

8.A．sea  B．bank   C．take    D．river

9.A．rising        B．leaving         C．singing         D．falling

10.A．leaves    B．branches     C．skins   D．flowers

11.A．a(chǎn)nd         B．or        C．but      D．so

12.A．carried  B．set       C．turned         D．swept

13.A．begged  B．screamed    C．a(chǎn)sked  D．a(chǎn)pplied

14.A．filling      B．burdening   C．fightening   D．talking

15.A．hidden   B．closed          C．broken        D．covered

16.A．climbed B．slept   C．rolled D．tied

17.A．two         B．three  C．four    D．five

18.A．losing     B．trying  C．finding         D．getting

19.A．noisy      B．happy C．excited        D．quiet

20.A．remote  B．close   C．crowded     D．unknown

 

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習(xí)冊(cè)答案