Inventor, physicist, surveyor, astronomer, biologist, artist... Robert Hooke was all these and more.
Some say he was the greatest experimental scientist of the seventeenth century.Once he worked with
renowned(有名聲的) men of science like Christian Huygens, Antony van Leeuwenhoek, Robert Boyle,
Isaac Newton and the great architect, Christopher Wren.
     Hooke's early education began at home, under the guidance of his father.He entered Westminster
School at the age of thirteen, and from there he went to Oxford, where he came in contact with some
of the best scientists in England.Hooke impressed them with his skill at designing experiments and
devising(發(fā)明) instruments.In 1662, at the age of twenty－eight, he was named Curator of Experiments
of the newly formed Royal Society of London.Hooke accepted the job, even though he knew that it had
no money to pay him!
     Watching living things through the microscope was one of his favorite occupations.He devised a
compound microscope for this purpose.One day while observing a cork (軟木) under a microscope, he
saw honeycomb－like structures.They were cells-the smallest units of life.In fact, it was Hooke who
coined the term "cell" as the boxlike cells of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery(修道院).
     Perhaps because of his varied interests, Hooke often left experiments unfinished.Others took up
where he left off and then claimed sole(獨(dú)占的)credit.This sometimes led to quarrels with colleagues.
One work that he finished was his book MICROGRAPHIA, a volume that reveals the immense potential of the microscope.The book also includes, among other things, ideas on gravity and light which may have
helped scientists like Newton while they were developing their own theories on these phenomena.
     Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too.A crater(隕石坑) on the moon is named after
him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science.

1. From the first paragraph, we can know that Robert Hooke __________.

A. was famous because he worked with many scientists
B. liked making friends with the famous people
C. received a lot from other scientists
D. made contributions to many different fields

2. Robert Hooke probably went to school in __________.

A. 1647      
B. 1634          
C. 1662      
D. 1640

3. Robert Hooke made himself known to some of the best scientists in England by __________.

A. learning by himself with his father's help
B. introducing himself to them
C. designing experiments and instruments
D. refusing any reward from Royal Society of London

4. Robert Hooke couldn't get along well with his colleagues because __________.

A. he couldn't finish his work on time sometimes
B. he had all kinds of interests in his daily life
C. he was too proud to look up to them
D. the other scientists took the fruits of his experiments

     Most people know that Marie Curie was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize, and the first person
to win it twice. However, few people know that she was also the mother of a Nobel Prize winner.
     Born in September, 1987, Irene Curie was the first of the Curies' two daughters. Along with nine
other children whose parents were also famous scholars, Irene studied in their own school, and her
mother was one of the teachers. She finished her high school education at the College of S?vign? in Paris.
     Irene entered the University of Paris in 1914 to prepare for a degree in mathematics and physics.
When World War I began, Irene went to help her mother, who was using X-ray facilities to help save the
lives of wounded soldiers. Irene continued the work by developing X-ray facilities in military hospitals in
France and Belgrum. Her services were recognized in the form of a Military's Medal by the French
government.    In 1918, Irene became her mother's assistant at the Curie Institute. In December 1924,
Frederic Joliot joined the Institute, and Irene taugh him the techniques required for his work. They soon
fell in love and were married in 1926. Their daughter Helene was born in 1927 and their son Pierre five
years later.
     Like her mother, Irene combined family and career. Like her mother, Irene was awarded a Nobel
Prize, along with her husband, in 1935. Unfortunately, also like her mother, she developed leukemia
  because of her work with radioactivity, Irene Joliot-Curie died from leukemia on March 17, 1956.

1. Why was Irene Curie awarded a Military Medal?

A. Because she received a degree in mathematics.
B. Because she contributed to saving the wounded.
C. Because she won the Nobel Prize with Frederic.
D. Because she worked as a helper to her mother.

2. Where did Irene Curie meet her husband Frederio Joliot?

A. At the Curie Institute.          
B. At the University of Paris.
C. At a military hospital.          
D. At the College of Sevigne
.
3. In which of the following aspects was Irene Cuire different from her mother?

A. Irene worked with radioactivity.    
B. Irene combined family and career.
C. Irene won the Nobel Prize once    
D. Irene died from leukemia.

      Frederick Law Olmsted (1822－1903), a Connecticut farm boy, saw his first public park in
Liverpool, 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 (沼澤的) land,
bought with about $5 million in state funds.Olmsted's chance of meeting with a project organizer led
to his applying for the job of the 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 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.

1. What is the text mainly about?

A. A history of the planning of Central Park.
B. An engineering plan for Central Park.
C. A biography of Frederick Law Olmsted.
D. A guided walking tour of Central Park.

2. Olmsted became manager of Central Park because of________.

A. his friendship with Calvert Vaux
B. his hard work in clearing the land
C. his winning a design competition
D. a chance of meeting with one of the park's organizers

3. The underlined word "collaborate" in the third paragraph means "________".

A. disagree  
B. comment
C. vote  
D. work together

4. Which of the following is TRUE about Central Park?

A. It is out of date nowadays.
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.

     Earlier this month, the United States Library of Congress named Katherine Paterson the national
ambassador for young people's literature. She is only the second person to hold the position. She
replaces writer Jon Scieszka, who had served since 2008.
     The librarian of Congress, James Billington, said Ms Paterson "represents the finest in literature
for young people". He spoke of the importance of reading in the lives of American young people.
Ms Paterson has written more than thirty books. She is among only five writers to have won two
Newbery Medals. These are among the most important children's book awards in the United States.
     Bridge to Terabithia won a Newbery Medal in 1977. Her book Jacob Have I Loved won
the award in 1981.
     Katherine Paterson's books for children are often quite complex. Bridge to Terabithia includes
adult themes like depression and death. The book has caused debate because of its place on school
library bookshelves. Some parents think it is too adult for young children. Ms Paterson says the idea
for the book came from a real life experience. Her son's best friend died in 1974 when she was struck
by lightning.
     Katherine Paterson is seventyseven. She began writing as a young mother with three children. But
she says her interest in writing came as a surprise. As a child she had thought about becoming a Christian
religious worker in foreign countries like her parents were.
     Katherine Paterson spoke to a gathering of children when she was named ambassador on January
fifth in Washington. She said, "Read for your life. Read for your life as a member of a family, as a part
of a community, as a citizen of this country and a citizen of the world."

1．The Newbery Medal is designed for ________.

A．writers with best books for children
B．children with best books on adult themes
C．writers with best books for grownups
D．children with best books on nature

2．Which of the following is NOT true about the book Bridge to Terabithia?

A．Its topics include depression and death.
B．It won a Newbery Medal in the 1980s.
C．Some people think it's for adults only.
D．The idea for it came directly from real life.

3．As a child, Katherine ________.

A．had bad relations with her parents
B．showed great interest in writing books
C．hoped to take part in religious activities
D．began writing books with serious themes

4．The national ambassador for young people's literature as a position started in ________.

A．1977  
B．1981  
C．2009  
D．2008

    Les Paul is one of the most influential people in modern popular music. He was a skillful guitarist who
played an energetic mixture of jazz and country songs. He was also an inventor.
     The electric guitar and recording devices he created changed the sound of popular music and greatly
influenced rock and roll.
     Les Paul is best known for creating one of the first solidbody electric guitars and the eighttrack
recording device. He also perfected new recording methods to give special effects to his music.
     Les Paul was born Lester William Polfuss (POLLfuss)in 1915 in Waukesha, (WAHkuhshaw)
Wisconsin. By the age of nine, he had taught himself to play the harmonica and had built a radio. He also
learned to play the guitar and banjo. He could not read music, but he could play music that he heard.
And he had a good sense of musical structure.
     Les Paul was soon performing in country bands in the Midwest. He left high school to perform full
time on radio shows. He performed using the names "The Wizard of Waukesha", "Hot Rod Red" and
"Rhubarb Red". He also started playing music influenced by great jazz guitarists including Django
Reinhardt.
     By 1937, he had formed the Les Paul trio. He moved to New York City the next year. Les Pau
l played with many famous performers including the popular singer Bing Crosby.
      Around 1941, Les Paul invented his famous guitar. He wanted to make an instrument that could play
a note longer than notes played on a traditional acoustic guitar. He developed a new kind of electric guitar
that had a solid body. On an acoustic guitar, the strings vibrate and the hollow part of the instrument, or
the sound box, also vibrates. Les Paul wanted an instrument in which only the strings vibrated.
     In the 1970s, Les Paul made two records with the country guitarist Chet Atkins. One was called
"Chester and Lester". It won a Grammy Award in 1976. Starting in the early 1980s, Paul began playing
in jazz clubs in New York City. He kept on performing weekly until a few months before his death.
                
1. Which of the following shows the right order of Les Paul's experience?

a. He moved to New York.
b. He had taught himself to play the harmonica.
c. He performed full time on radio shows.
d. He began playing in jazz clubs in New York City.
e. He invented his famous guitar.
A. abcde  
B. bcade  
C. bcdea  
D. bcaed

2. According to the passage, the author develops the passage ________.

A. in order of time  
B. in order of importance
C. by giving examples  
D. by listing reasons

3. Which of the following best describes Les Paul?

A. He is a creative man.  
B. He is a lazy man.
C. He is a naughty man.  
D. He is a crazy man.

4. Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. He influenced Django Reinhardt.
B. He had no good sense of musical structure.
C. He could play and read music when he was a child.
D. He made two records with Chet Atkins in the 1970s.

     Benjamin Banneker was born a few months before another great American-George Washington.
Benjamin was black, but he was not a slave.He and his mother and his grandmother were free.
     Benjamin's grandmother came from England.In America she got a job and worked for many years
to pay for her boat trip across the ocean.After working many more years, she saved enough money to
buy a farm.Benjamin lived with her for a while.She taught him to read and write and do arithmetic.
     Benjamin's neighbors knew that he was clever.They were not surprised when he built a large wooden
clock.He made each piece after studying a small pocket watch.The clock made him famous, for it was
one of the first clocks built in America.People from other places began to send hard problems of all kinds
for Benjamin to settle.
     Thomas Jefferson learned of Benjamin Banneker's ability to settle hard problems.He asked Banneker
to help build the city that was to be the capital of the United States-Washington, D. C.
  Banneker worked hard on the plans for the city.He marked where the  streets and buildings-the Capital (國會大廈), the White House, and many others?should be built.
     Later, L'Enfant, the Frenchman who had designed the new city, had a  quarrel, and went back to
France in anger.He took all of the plans with him.The workmen couldn't build without any plans to follow.
      For a while it seemed that the plans for the capital might have to be  changed.But Benjamin Banneker
remembered the plans he had helped draw.He drew each again just as he once had built each piece of his clock.
      If it weren't for Benjamin Banneker, Washington, D. C.might look very different from the way it does
today.

1. Benjamin Banneker is remembered to this day mainly because________.

A. he made one of the first clocks in America
B. he used to be an assistant to L'Enfant, who had designed the city Washington
C. he designed the city Washington when L'Enfant left
D. he was able to build the city Washington as L'Enfant left with his plans

2. When Banneker built a large wooden clock,________.

A. people in America showed no surprise
B. his name spread all over America
C. he became the first man in America to build a clock
D. people came from other places to congratulate him

3. Thomas Jefferson asked Banneker to help build the city Washington because he was told that
    Banneker was________.

A. famous    
B. clever
C. hardworking  
D. serious

4. In building the city Washington, Banneker showed ________.

A. he had a good memory  
B. he was never tired of working
C. he feared no difficulties
D. he was good at drawing

     Lucille Clifton, the AwardWinning Poet, was the First African American Poet Laureate of Maryland.
Critics call her one of the greatest writers of our time.
     Lucille Clifton was born Thelma Lucille Sayles in Depew, New York in 1936. She was named
Thelma after her mother. Lucille was the name of one of her father's ancestors. When the younger one
got older she chose to call herself Lucille.
     Lucille Clifton began writing poetry when she was about ten years old. She had developed an interest
in poetry because of her mother, Thelma Sayles. Her mother was also a poet although her poems were
never published. As a child Lucille would sit on her mother's lap and listen as she read poetry. She
learned to love words and the power of words. That stayed with her as she grew.
    While her mother taught her to love poetry, her father gave her the gift of storytelling. He would tell
Lucille interesting stories about her ancestors, especially the one named Lucille who was his grandmother. Samuel Clifton said she was the first black woman to be legally hanged in the state of Virginia. Lucille
Clifton wrote about it in her poem called "Lucy".
     She often talked about her love for words. She loved the sound of words and the way the words felt
in her mouth. She loved finding interesting ways to use words to express what was happening in the
world.
     Unlike her mother, Lucille Clifton's poetry was anything but traditional. Her poems do not rhyme or
follow a special kind of pattern. They do not use fancy words. They do not deal in makebelieve. Her
poetry is known for being simple, truthful and direct. It is written the way people speak, in a casual,
relaxed language. There is very little punctuation(標(biāo)點(diǎn)) and even less capitalization. Many of the poems
are uncomfortably honest. Lucille Clifton often said that she tried to comfort the afflicted and afflict the
comfortable. Over the years, she seems to have perfected that art.
1. Which of the following may be the reason why Lucille Clifton chose to call herself Lucille instead of
    Thelma?

A. To show her love to her mother.
B. To show her love to her beloved teacher.
C. To show respect to her greatgrandmother.
D. To show her respect to a great poet.

2. From the passage, we know that Lucille Clifton is ________.

A. funny  
B. creative  
C. selfish  
D. beautiful

3. What is the main idea of the last paragraph?

A. Lucille Clifton's great works.
B. Lucille Clifton's poem background.
C. Lucille Clifton's poem style.
D. Lucille Clifton's poem words.

4. The underlined word "it" in the fourth paragraph probably refers to ________.

A. Samuel Clifton
B. Samuel Clifton's experience
C. Samuel Clifton's grandmother
D. Lucille's great grandmother's story

     Tom Whittaker, born in England in 1949, is an amazing example of a Can Do person. The young man
came to the United States in 1975, where he studied for a Master's in Arts. Although studying took up
much of his time, he traveled throughout the US and Canada climbing many different types of rock walls.
Thus, he made friends with many people with the same interest.
     However, on Thanksgiving Day in 1979, a car driven by a drunk driver lost control and suddenly
turned into his lane(車道), striking the head of his vehicle. The injuries to both of his legs and feet resulted
in the removal of one of his kneecaps(膝蓋骨), and the amputation(截去)of his right foot.
      It wasn't easy, but after some time, with great effort and strong will, Tom rebuilt his hope for life. The
report of his story moved the whole nation of America. Eventually he earned another master's degree and
founded the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group. This program's success sent Tom
around the world to spread his message that "it is not the falling down, but the getting back up that matters". He became a professor in Adventure Education at Prescott College in Arizona, where he taught the
top outdoor leadership program in the nation.
     After 25 years of experience as a mountaineer, on May 27, 1998, Tom achieved his greatest
accomplishment so far:reaching the peak of Mt. Everest. Tom was actually the first person with a disability to ever climb and stand on the peak of Mt. Everest. He realized that reaching the peak of Mt. Everest
could do nothing to change his disability, but it could do a lot to change attitudes. Tom Whittaker wanted
people to realize that disability is as much an attitude as it is a condition.

1. For what did Tom Whittaker go to the US?

A. To improve his climbing skills.
B. To take his master's degree.
C. To become a professional mountaineer.
D. To meet other mountaineers in the US.

2. What led to the accident that caused Tom Whittaker's disability?

A. That his car was out of control.
B. That he was driving on a wrong lane.
C. That a drunk driver ran his car into Tom's.
D. That he got drunk on Thanksgiving Day.

3. When did Tom become a mountaineer?

A. Shortly before he reached the peak of Mt. Everest.
B. Two years before he went to the US.
C. Shortly after he arrived in the US.
D. After he recovered from the car accident.

4. Which of the following events made Tom first widely noticed by the American public?

A. Teaching outdoor leadership program at college.
B. Climbing Mt. Everest in spite of his disability.
C. Founding the Cooperative Wilderness Handicapped Outdoor Group.
D. His determination to fight against his disability.