On a Saturday morning earlier this September, the world got its first look at the Strati. This electric vehicle is unlike any other currently on the road. It rolls on four wheels, but its body and chassis weren't built in a factory. Instead, Strati's designers used a technology called 3-D printing. It created those parts of the car in one piece, from the ground up. "Compared to a typical vehicle on the road, the Strati definitely looks different," says Greg Schroeder, a senior research engineer at the Center for Automotive Research in Ann Arbor, Mich. He did not work on the new car. His organization studies trends and changes in the auto industry. It took 44 hours to print the new car at the International Manufacturing Technology Show in Chicago. Over the next few days, the car's designers installed additional parts. These included the car's engine, brakes and tires. Then, early on September 13, Jay Rogers climbed into the car, started its engine and drove the vehicle onto the street. Rogers helped found Local Motors. It's the Arizona-based company behind the Strati. Two weeks later, his team printed a second Strati, and just as fast, at a fair in New York City. Justin Fishkin, a local Motors official, sees the Strati as a window into the future. Today, car buyers are limited in their choice of a vehicle. They can order only what car companies have already designed. But in the future, he says, you may be able to design your own car online and then get it printed to order. Manufacturing experts say 3-D printing has begun to revolutionize how they make things. The technology has been around for decades. But these machines used to be so expensive that only large companies could afford them. In the last few years, though, that has changed. Many of the machines are now inexpensive enough for small companies--or even individuals --to own. Some local libraries make them available to the public. High Schools are beginning to use them in classrooms. Wide access to these printers means people can now design and print... Which of the following can be the best title for this passage? A) 3-D Printers Are Coming B) 3-D Printers Are Becoming Well- Known C) 3-D Printers Are Becoming Cheaper D) 3-D Printers Are Making Cars
D
(Question)
Hidden in our subconsciousness is a perfect mental picture. We see ourselves on a long trip that goes across the continent. We are traveling by train. Out the windows, we think in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways, of children waving at a crossing, of cattle feeding on a distant hillside, of smoke pouring from a power plant, or row upon row of corn and wheat, of flat lands and valleys, of mountains and rolling hills, of city skylines and village halls. But uppermost in our minds is the final destination. On a certain day at a certain hour, we will pull into the station. Bands will be playing and flags waving. Once we get there, so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle. How restlessly we pace the aisles , condemning the minutes for loitering --waiting, waiting, waiting for the station. "When we reach the station, that will be it!" we cry. "When I'm 38." "When I buy a new 450SL Mercdes Benz!" "When I put the last kid through college." "When I have paid off the loan!" "When I get a promotion." "When I reach the age of retirement, I shall live happily ever after! " Sooner or later, we must realize there is no station, no one place to arrive at once and for all. The true joy of life is the trip. The station is only a dream. It constantly outdistances us. "Relish(appreciate) the moment" is a good motto, actually it isn't the burdens of today that drive man mad. It is the regret over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow. Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today. So stop pacing the aisles and counting the miles. Instead, climb more mountains, eat more ice cream, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets, laugh more and cry less. Life must be lived as we go along. Then the station will come soon enough. Why does the author describe the mental picture? A) To lead us into a perfect world. B) To let people enjoy the scenery. C) To introduce an actual trip of his. D) To compare it to our life's journey.
(Answer)
D
Ques: People's Daily Online: On the night of February 5, 2009, CCTV - 1 broadcasted the "Moving China in 2008" award ceremony. The ceremonybroke its tradition, presenting the special award this year to the whole Chinese people. In the award presentation speech, the committee noted that, "In 2008,prefix = st1 /Chinawent through many sad and happy moments. In resisting the snowstorm, earthquake relief, the Olympic Games and the space walk by one of the Shenzhou VII taikonauts, Chinese people displayed courage and wisdom, demonstrating to the world their amazing national strength." Compared with the ceremony before, the biggest change in the award presentation was that this year's award presentation ceremony was divided into four parts, according to the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The awards were presented to the ten winners according to the time order. The year of 2008 was not a _ year for Chinese people. A) peaceful B) different C) good D) happy
Ans: A
Maybe you are an average student. You probably think you will never be a top student. However, anyone can become better if he or she does his or her best. Here are some tips to help you. Plan your time carefully. You should plan your time for things such as eating, sleeping and dressing. Then make a good, regular time for studying. But don't forget to set enough time for entertainment. Keep your _ quiet and clean. The study should have a desk, a chair and some study materials, but no games, no radio and no television! When you sit down to study, you can put your heart into it. Make good use of your time. Listen to everything that the teacher says. Listening carefully in class means less work later. Taking notes will help you remember what the teacher says. After you get home from school, go over your notes. Review the important points. If you know what your teacher is going to discuss next day, read the material. It will help you study better. Develop a good attitude to tests. The purpose of a test is to show what you have learned about a subject. It helps you know what you are not good at. The world will still go on even if you fail in a test, so don't be too worried. Which is a good place for studying? A) A clean and beautiful place. B) The place with a computer. C) The place with a television and a radio. D) A quiet place with a chair, a desk and some study materials.
D