When I was six years old, my mom told me that I could find anyone's number in the phone book. I used to look through the phone book for hours trying to find Michael Jordan's phone number. When I couldn't find it, I just dialed seven numbers. When someone answered, I'd ask, "Is that Michael Jordan?" Obviously, I always had the wrong number. A year later I started playing basketball at my local recreation center. It was very big. I never thought in my wildest dreams that a basketball court could be inside a building. The recreation center had a special smell in it, sort of like hot rubber. I guessed it was from the shoes hitting the floor so fast and hard. The atmosphere on the court was carefree. Our biggest excitement of the day was when we actually made a shot. We celebrated wins over ice cream at a fast food restaurant. I got good at it, and my confidence grew. I played it all the time until the sixth grade. As soon as junior high school came, I stopped playing basketball and focused on school. When senior high school started, I tried out for the school team and made it. We worked hard. Every week we did 300 push-ups and 300 sit-ups on our own. Our coach encouraged the sit-ups to keep stomach power, because it gave us so much control when we were playing basketball. If we didn't want to do the sit-ups and push-ups, we could practice dribbling and shooting more. It's just us, the ball, the court and the net. But don't take my word for it. See for yourself. After all, I'm just one kid playing the game. What's the author's purpose in writing this passage? A) To introduce some skills in playing basketball. B) To tell us about his dream of becoming a basketball star. C) To introduce his own experience of playing basketball. D) To tell us how to balance playing basketball and studying.
C
Cat has bright future By day he is just a normal cat but when the lights go out, he glows in the dark. Scientists have genetically modified a cat as part of an experiment that could lead to treatments for diseases. Named Mr. Green Genes, he looks like a sixmonthold cat but, under ultraviolet light, his eyes, gums and tongue glow green. That is the result of a genetic experiment at the Audubon Center for Research of Endangered Species in New Orleans, US. Mr. Green Genes is the first fluorescent cat in the US and probably the world, said Betsy Dresser, the center's director. The researchers made him so they could learn whether a gene could be introduced harmlessly into a cat's genetic sequence. If so, it would be the first step in a process that could lead to the development of ways to treat diseases via gene therapy. The gene, which was added to Mr. Green Genes'DNA, has no effect on his health, Ms Dresser said. Cats are ideal for this project because their genetic makeup is similar to that of humans, said Dr Martha Gomez, a scientist at the center. To show that the gene went where it was supposed to go, the researchers settled on one that would glow. The gene"is just a marker", said Leslie Lyons, an assistant professor at the University of California, Davis. Lyons is familiar with the center's work. "The glowing part is the fun part,"she said. Glowing creatures made international news earlier this month when the Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded to three scientists who had discovered the gene through their work with jellyfish . What can we conclude from the passage? A) Fortunately, scientists have found ways to treat diseases via gene therapy. B) Scientists think cats' genetic makeup is the same as that of human beings. C) Three scientists who had discovered the gene were given Nobel Prize in Physics. D) Scientists have managed to introduce a gene into a cat's genetic sequence.
D
Q: People have strange ideas about food. For example, tomato is a kind of very delicious vegetable. It is one of useful plants that can be prepared in many ways. It has rich nutrition and vitamin in it. But in the 18th century, Americans never ate tomatoes. They grew them in their gardens because tomato plants are so pretty. But they thought the vegetable was poisonous . They called tomatoes "poison apples". President Thomas Jefferson, however, knew that tomatoes were good to eat. He was a learned man. He had been to Paris, where he learned to love the taste of tomatoes. He grew many kinds of tomatoes in his garden. The President taught his cook a way for a cream of tomato soup. This beautiful pink soup was served at the President party. The guests thought the soup tasted really good. They never thought their president would serve his honored guests poison apples. Jefferson never spoke to his honored guests about the fact. Jefferson learned that tomatoes were good to eat _ . A) while he was in Paris B) when he was a little boy C) because his parents told him so D) from books
A: A
There's no better place to be than beside the seaside in the summer. And even in Britainyou can still find beaches away from the crowds with golden sand. COMPTON BAY, ISLE OF WIGHT This wide sandy beach is on the south west coast, between Freshwater and Brook and is part of the TennysonHeritageCoast. There are striking views of the white cliffs further along the coast. A coastal path passes behind the beach, and you can enjoy scenic cliff top walks in either direction. Accommodation: Sandpipers Hotel (01983 758150, www.sandpipersh.tel.com) with doubles fromPS10pp. KINGSGATE BAY,KENT Around the beach round a bend in the coastal road from Ramsgate is white cliffs with KingsgateCastledominating the whole landscape. It is fairly isolated, with few facilities, but is perfect for summer bathing or for bracing winter walks. Accommodation: Fayreness Hotel (0188 86866, www.fayreness.com) with doubles with breakfast fromPS69. 15pp. RINGSTEAD BAY, DORSET A picturesque 210ft crescent of pebbles with clean water that's a perfect escape from some of the busier beaches around Weymouth. You reach it by passing through the village of Upton,then along a narrow country road. Next to the car park is a well stocked shop. The cliffs behind RingsteadBayare an excellent place for fossil hunting. Accommodation: Glenburn Hotel (01305 832318, www.glenburnhotell.com) with doubles fromPS7 9 including breakfast. BRANSCOMBE.DEVON Lying on the EastDevonHeritageCoast, Branscombe has good facilities with toilets and a car park close to the beach, as well as a small picnic area. A well stocked shop sells the most attractive dairy ice cream. Next to the shop is the Sea Shanty restaurant--open every day until 5 p.m. during the summer. Accommodation: The Mason's Arms, Branscombe Village (01297 680300, www.masonsarms.co.uk) with doubles fromPS6 5 pp with breakfast. If you want to know more information about Branscombe, which website can you refer to? _ A) www.fayreness.com B) www.masonsarms.co.uk C) www.glenburnhotel.com D) www.sandpipershotel.com
B