A Train Floating On Air

A train that floats on air? It's not magic — it's magnets (磁). And it's close to reality.

         In Virginia USA the fall of 2002, a train with no wheels traveled on air and carried college students across their campus. In Japan, a whisper-quiet railway engine hovered and raced at 350 miles per hour using magnets and electricity as the power. And in China, a magnet train line linked Shanghai with nearby Pudong Airport.

These trains use magnetic levitation (懸浮) technology, “maglev” for short. They use the same rules as the magnets you pick up at home or school: opposite poles of magnets attract each other, and like poles repel each other.

How does it work?

Powerful magnets on the bottom of the train repel magnets on the track, which is actually just a magnet-filled guiding way. With a magnetic field of sufficient force, the train will go hovering on air, which seemed impossible to us in the past.

When an electrical current is sent through the track, the train moves. Turn the current backwards and the train slows down.

Maglev doesn't rely on the friction (摩擦力) of wheels on track, so it can climb a much steeper hill than a traditional train. And it can travel easily in snow and ice, something that could bring normal trains to a screaming stop.    

60.   This passage is about __________.

         A. maglev                   B. magnets                C. levitation               D. electricity

61.   Which of the following is a repelling action?

         A.                                B.                                C.                                D.

62.   What can we learn from the text?

         A. A magnet-filled guiding way is formed inside a maglev train.

         B. Instead of electricity, magnets are used as the power of a maglev.

         C. Maglev trains can climb hills with the help of magnet wheels.

         D. Electric currents decide the movements of a maglev train. 

63.   What is the difference between a maglev train and an ordinary train?

         A. A maglev train can climb mountains without power while an ordinary one can’t.

         B. A maglev train can travel in college campus while an ordinary train is not allowed.

         C. Travelling without a track, a maglev train is safer and smoother than an ordinary one.

         D. Floating on a track, a maglev train is faster, quieter than an ordinary railway train.

（共5小題；每小題2分，滿(mǎn)分10分）

根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容，從短文后的選項(xiàng)中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項(xiàng)。選項(xiàng)中有兩項(xiàng)為多余選項(xiàng)。

       Is there anything more important than health? I don’t think so. “Health is the greatest wealth,” wise people say.   

       If you have a headache, toothache, backache, or bad pain in the stomach, if you complain of a bad cough, or if you suffer from high or low blood pressure, I think you go to the doctor.

 The doctor will examine your throat, test your blood pressure, take your temperature, sound your heart and lungs, check your teeth or have your chest X-rayed. ___    The only thing you have to do is to follow his advice.

       An old gentleman came to see the doctor. The man was very ill. He told the doctor about his weakness, memory loss and serious problems with his heart and lungs. The doctor examined him and said there was no medicine for his disease. He told his patient to go to a quiet place for a month and have a good rest.       In other words, the doctor advised him to follow the rule: “Eat at pleasure, drink with measure and enjoy life as it is.” The doctor also said that if the man wanted to be well again, he shouldn’t smoke more than one cigarette a day.

       A month later the gentleman came into the doctor’s office.___ He thanked the doctor and said that he had never felt a healthier man.

“But you know, doctor,” he said, “it’s not easy to begin smoking at my age.”

       A. He also advised him to eat a lot of meat, drink two glasses of red wine every day and                 ake long walks.

       B. You can’t be good at your studies or work well when you are ill.

       C. After that he will advise some treatment or some medicine.

       D. All these will cost a lot of money.

       E. He looked cheerful and happy.

       F. He was more worried about his illness.

       G. Speaking about doctor’s advice, I can’t help telling you a funny story.

— What about ______ lecture you attended yesterday?

         — To tell the truth, it was too boring．I can't stand ______ lecture like that．

         A．a(chǎn); the                   B．the; a                   C．the; 不填           D．the; the

It’s difficult to calculate        its price would be if the museum wanted to sell the ancient vase.

A．how many          B．what            C．how          D．whose

A big dust storm covered Sydney for hours, ______ the Sydney Opera House invisible．

     A．made        B．making           

C．make        D．to make

We had a big meal in a fine restaurant last Monday and the total cost_______ five hundred

   dollars．

      A．came through   B．came in    C．came out with  D．came to

Your cold's worse, Ann．Go back to bed and I ____ the school to tell them you can't come．

       A．have rung      B．ring           C．will ring            D．rang

When Japanese invaded China, all the Chinese refused to ____ themselves to their poor status and fought back.

A. resign             B. adjust                        C. devote          D. owe

An old problem is getting new attention in the United States—bullying．Recent cases included the tragic case of a fifteen-year-old girl whose family moved from Ireland．She hanged herself in Massachusetts in January following months of bullying．Her parents criticized her school for failing to protect her．Officials have brought criminal charges against several teenagers．

Judy Kaczynski is president of an anti-bullying group called Bully Police USA．Her daughter Tina was the victim of severe bullying starting in middle school in the state of Minnesota．She said, "Our daughter was a very outgoing child．She was a bubbly personality, very involved in all kinds of things, had lots of friends．And over a period of time her grades fell completely．She started having health issues．She couldn't sleep．She wasn't eating．She had terrible stomach pains．She started clenching her jaw and grinding her teeth at night．Didn't want to go to school．"

Bullying is defined as negative behavior repeated over time against the same person． It can involve physical violence．Or it can be verbal — for example, insults or threats．Spreading lies about someone or excluding a person from a group is known as social or relational bullying．

And now there is cyberbullying, which uses the Internet, e-mail or text messages．It has easy appeal for the bully because it does not involve face-to-face contact and it can be done at any time．

The first serious research studies into bullying were done in Norway in the late 1970s．The latest government study in the United States was released last year．It found that about one-third of students age twelve to eighteen were bullied at school．

Susan Sweater is a psychologist at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and co-director of the Bullying Research Network．She says schools should treat bullying as a mental health problem to get bullies and victims the help they need．She says bullying is connected to depression, anxiety and anti-social behavior, and bullies are often victims themselves．

From the case of Tina, we can know that            ．

         A．bullying is rare                     B．victims suffered a lot

         C．schools are to blame                   D．personalities are related

Which of the following is NOT bullying?

         A．To beat someone repeatedly．                  B．To call someone names．

         C．To isolate someone from friends．  D．To refuse to help someone in need．

Why is cyberbullying appealing to the bully?

         A．Because it can involve more people．      B．Because it can create worse effects．

         C．Because it is more convenient．               D．Because it can avoid cheating．

According to Susan Sweater,           ．

         A．bullies are anti-social                            B．bullies should give victims help

         C．students are not equally treated      D．bullies themselves also need help

Which of the following can be the best title of the text?

         A．Bullying—Old Irish Girl Committed Suicide

         B．15-Year-Old Irish Girl Committed Suicide

         C．Cyberbullying-Taking Off in Schools  

D．How to Find Bullying among Teens

Psychiatrists(精神病專(zhuān)家)，who work with older parents say that maturity can be an asset(資產(chǎn)) in child raising----older parents are more thoughtful, use less physical discipline and spend more time with children. But raising kids takes money and energy, many older parents find themselves balancing their limited financial resources, declining energy and failing health against the growing demands of an active child. Dying and leaving young children is probably the older parents’ biggest and often unspoken fear. Having late-life children, says an economics professor, often means parents, particularly fathers, “end up retiring much later.” For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream.

Henry Metcalf, a 54-year-old journalist, knows it takes money to raise kids. But he’s  also worried that his energy will give out first. Sure, he can still ride bikes with his athletic fifth grader, but he’s learned that, young at heart doesn’t mean young. Lately he’s been taking afternoon naps to keep up his energy.” My body is aging,” says Metcalf, “You can’t get away from that.”

Often, older parents hear the ticking of another kind of biological clock. Therapists who work with middle-aged and older parents say fears about aging are nothing to laugh at. “They worry they’ll be mistaken for grandparents, or that they’ll need help getting up out of those little chairs in nursery school.” Says Joann Galst, a New York psychologist .But at the core of those little fears there is often a much bigger one. “that they will not be alive long enough to support and protect their child, ” she says .

Many late-life parents, though, say their children came at just the right time. After marrying late and undergoing years of fertility(受孕) treatment, Marilyn Nolen and her husband, Randy, had twins. “We both wanted children,” says Marilyn, who was 55 when she gave birth. The twins have given the couple what they desired for years, “a sense of family.”

Kids of older dads are often smarter, happier and more sociable because their fathers are more involved in their lives. “The dads are older, more mature,” says Dr. Silber, “and more ready to focus on parenting.”

Why do psychiatrists regard maturity as an asset in child raising?

A Older parents can better balance their resources against children’s demands.

B Older parents are usually more experienced in bringing up their children.

C Older parents are often better prepared financially.

D Older parents can take better care of their children.

What does the author mean by saying “For many, retirement becomes an unobtainable dream”

A They have to go on working beyond their retirement age.

B They can’t get full pension unless they work some extra years.

C They can’t obtain the retirement benefits they have dreamed of.

D They are unwilling to retire when they reach their retirement age

The author gives the examples of Henry Metcalf to show that______.

A many people are young in spirit despite their advanced age

B taking afternoon naps is a good way to maintain energy

C older parents tend to be concerned about their aging bodies

D older parents should exercise more to keep up with their athletic children

What’s the biggest fear of older parents according to New York psychologist Joann Galst?

A Being laughed at by other people           B Slowing down of their pace of life

C Being mistaken for grandparents           D Approaching of death

What do we learn about Marilyn and Randy Nolen?

A They thought they were an example of successful fertility treatment

B Not until they had the twins did they feel had formed a family

C They believe that children born of older parents would be smarter.

D Not until they reached middle age did they think of having children.