Imagine picking apples on Christmas or going skating on May Day. What about going for a swim on Thanksgiving? Without Leap Day ,which takes place every four years, that could happen. Our calendar is normally 365 days long. It was created to match the cycles of the seasons. But Roman ruler Julius Caesar noticed a problem: The earth doesn't circle the sun in exactly 365 days. It actually cakes 365 and one-quarter days. He figured out that the extra part of a day would cause the calendar to grow apart from the seasons over time. Over 100 years, the seasons would shift about 24 days. Spring would start on April 13 instead of March 20. Caesar used math to figure out a way to stop the calendar from shifting. He decided to add an extra day to the month of February every four years. His idea helped keep the seasons and calendar matched up. Even so, it still wasn't perfect--his calendar was adding too many days. In 1582, Pope Gregory XIII worked on Caesar's idea. His calendar, called the Gregorian calendar, declares that every year that is equally divided by 400 is a leap year. Turn-of-the-century years, or years ending in "00", would not be leap years unless they could be divided equally by 400. These complicated equations help keep the calendar in balance with the orbit of the earth. Today, we still use the Gregorian calendar. In about 3,000 years, the calendar will be only one day out of step with the seasons, It's still not perfect, but mathematicians decided it was as close as we could get. Why was Julius Caesar's calendar not good enough? A) Spring would start twenty-four days later than usual B) It would be only one day out of step with the seasons. C) There would be too many days on the calendar. D) Leap Day would take place every other year.
C
(Question)
It's 2035. You have a job ,a family and you' re about 40 years old ! Welcome to your future life. Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror. "Turn red," you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny pre-programmed electronics are rearranged in your shirt to change its color1. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe you're 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You ' re not even middle-aged! As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear, "To lose weight, you shouldn't eat that," from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. "Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?" A list of possible food appears on the counter as the kitchen checks its food supplies. "Ready for your trip to space?" you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space -- and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trips or longer vacations. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, "The doctor said you need these for space travel." Thanks to medical advances, vaccination shots are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door. It's time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. " My office. Autopilot. "you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video film rather than read it. The strawberries the children eat serve as _ . A) breakfast B) lunch C) vaccines D) nutrition
(Answer)
C
Ques: Xinhua News Agency-The International Conference on Power Engineering (ICOPE) 2013, organized by the Chinese Society of Power Engineering, School of Energy and Power Engineering, China-EU Institute for Clean and Renewable Energy, opened in Wuhan, on Oct 24. More than 300 energy experts, scholars and businessmen from countries and areas including the United States, Japan, the EU, Australia, South Africa, Thailand, Nigeria, Arab and China are attending the three-day academic conference on the world's energy problems. Professor Zheng Chuguang, from the School of Energy and Power Engineering at Huazhong University of Science and Technology, gave a speech on the development of oxygen fuel technology in China, and said that settling the problem of cost ranks highest. George Saxon, vice-president of Conco Systems Inc, US, presented a report on the topic of Energy Engineer to Shape the Future. He said that the company's research and innovation are of great significance for the future and already contribute to reducing costs and improving efficiency . Professor Didier Mayer from the Ecole des Mines de Paris, France, spoke about "Wind Energy R&D Line Based on the Global Renewable Energy Status", and Professor Yasuo Koizumi of Shinshu University in Japan and Li Chun-Zhu of Curtin University of Technology in Australia also gave speeches at the conference. The academic meetings are expected to cover topics from various fields. In addition, the participants will discuss the most advanced academic research around the world, the latest progress and development trends in the various fields. The conference has attracted 232 academic papers, with 176 papers from China, and 56 from abroad. According to Professor Zheng, what matters most about energy problems? A) Reducing cost. B) Using wind energy. C) Saving energy. D) Developing new fuels.
Ans: A
One spring, when I was 10, during one of my father's layoffs, I could tell my mother was dispiriteD.I decided to cheer her up by buying her a special Mother's Day gift. One day after school I rode my bike to the Agins, which, I learned years later, was known for its high-end fashions and style.I introduced myself to Sylvia Agins, telling her I was looking for a Mather's Day present. "Do you think she'd like a purse?" she askeD.I told her.I thought she might. She took out an Italian handbag made of leather. She asked me what I thought, and I told her that my mom would like it. "How much money do you have?" she asked. "Twelve bucks," I said. "You're in luck," she told me. "It's only $11. You have a dollar left over for the card." She gift-wrapped the purse and thanked me for my business, and I rode off home with the package under my arm. When my mother opened the gift the next Sunday morning, she asked in an accusing tone, "Where did you get this?" "I bought it at the Agins. It cost me $11." I said. My mother was shocked into silence. It wasn't until many years later, when I learned that the purse was worth several hundred dollars, that I appreciated just how wonderful Sylvia Agins had been to me. I always felt bad that I never had a chance to properly thank her. "You know, my son, what really amazes me to this day," my mother saiD."Letting you have the purse for just a few dollars was unbelievable enough. But the fact that she let you leave the store with a dollar for the card was a touch of kindness that I'll never forget. " The author bought his mother a purse to _ . A) surprise his mother B) make his mother happy C) show his ability of making money D) thank his mother for buying him a bike
B