Can noncombustion (非燃烧) technology create a no-pollution way to drive？Imagine pulling into a service station to fuel up your car. But not at the gas pump or electric battery charger —at the air pump! That’s not hot air, either! The next generation of cars may run on thin air. Wouldn’t that be an incredible way to cut both pollution and dependence on foreign oil?

If you’ve ever inflated a balloon and then let it go, you’ve got the basics to test-drive the amazing MiniCAT, currently being developed by Noteur Development International (MDI), headquartered in Luxembourg. Invented by Formula One racing car designer Guy Negre, this experimental vehicle is unlike any car you’ve ever seen. While your family’s traditional car or SUV draws its horsepower using combustion, the only fuel that MiniCAT needs (CAT stands for Compressed Air Technology) is the air we breathe.

Start with about 25,000 gallons of air. Now, press it all into a space smaller than your school locker—because that’s the size of two super-strong, high-pressure air tanks, made from fiber and fixed beneath the air car.

Confining that much air inside those small tanks generates an internal pressure of over 4,000 pounds per square inch. That’s over 300 times normal air pressure.

When this cold, high-pressure air enters MiniCAT’s unique engine, it interacts(交互作用) with warmer air to create pressure waves that pump the engine’s engineered pistons (活塞) to move the car. MiniCAT’s projected top speed is 60 miles per hour, with a range of 120 miles on a full air supply.

1.What is the passage mainly about?

A. Ways to cut down air pollution.

B. Cars that run on thin air.

C. Formula One racing car designer.

D. Dependence on foreign oil.

2.What is MiniCAT according to the passage?

A. The name of a car.

B. The name of a balloon.

C. The name of a car company.

D. The name of a car designer.

3.The underlined world “Confining” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by ___________.

A. Keeping B. Preventing C. Pushing D. Running

4.What does the last paragraph tell us?

A. How much pressure the air creates.

B. How the car works.

C. What the normal air pressure is.

D. How the air gets into the engine.

阅读下面短文，根据以下提示：1）汉语提示，2）首字母提示，3）语境提示，在每个空格内填入一个适当的英语单词，所填单词要求意义准确，拼写正确。

How do you understand happiness? Views on it 1. v from person to person. As far as I’m concerned, happiness doesn’t mean a large amount of money or being in the highest social status but 2. (意味) to obtain something that enriches my mind.

However, many people have seldom experienced happiness. There are several 3.f for it. Some people aren’t good at finding the sun face. They’ve just 4. （抱怨）about their own misfortune or enlarged others’ joy, 5. (看不见) the happiness belonging to them. Some people lack faith. They only keep telling themselves to make money as6.______, not knowing their life’s aims 7. what on earth they really want, 8. can hardly let them have the feeling of happiness. Some people always like to compare with others in every aspect, such as positions, housing conditions and treasure. Some do not know devotion, not understanding helping others will bring them more pleasure. Still some others do not know to meet. Such people 9.u have possessed much but still want to seek more.

In my opinion, 10. s happiness equals pleasure what pleasure for long is happy. Therefore, just keep ourselves cheerful for every minute.

近年来，随着私家车的增加，城市交通越来越拥挤。在中、小学生上学或放学时，校门口以及学校附近拥挤问题更加严重。这给学生、教师、家长和其他市民带来许多不便。尤其值得注意的是，学校附近的交通堵塞也存在不可忽略的隐患。为此，这引起了不少民众的担忧。你作为一名在校学生，署名张小明，根据以下要点写一封英语信，向本校英语报投稿

1. 为什么要写这封英语信。

2. 你们学校门口及附近交通拥挤的原因。

3. 提出二至三条建议。

注意：词数120左右。开头部分已给，不计入总词数。

Dear Editor,

I’m Zhang Xiaoming, a student from Grade 3. I am writing to discuss …

　　Mrs. Green was over seventies, but she still drove her old car like a woman half her age. She loved driving very fast, and was proud of the　　that she had never, in her thirty-five years of driving, been punished　　a driving offence(犯规, 犯法).

Then one day she nearly　　her record. A police car　　her, and the policeman in it saw her　　a red light without stopping. Of course, she was stopped. It seemed　　that she would be punished. When Mrs. Green came up to the　　, he looked at her seriously and said that she was　　old to drive a car, and that the　　why she had not stopped at the red　　was most probably that her eyes had become weak　　old age, so that she had simply not seen it.

When the judge had finished what he was　　, Mrs. Green opened the big handbag she was　　and took out her sewing. Without saying a word, she　　a needle with a very small eye, and threaded it at her first attempt.

When she had　　done this, she took the thread out of the needle again and handed　　the needle and the thread to the judge, saying, “Now it is your　　. I suppose you drive a car, and that you are quite sure about your own eyesight. ”

　　The judge took the　　and tried to thread it. After half a dozen tries, he had still not succeeded. The case against Mrs. Green was　　, and her record　　unbroken.

1.A. fact　　　B. action　　　C. skill　　　D. age

2.A. aboutB. onC. toD. for

3. A. keptB. wonC. missedD. lost

4. A. watchedB. chased

C. followedD. stopped

5.A. passB. goC. runD. rush

6. A. sureB. ableC. certainD. like

7. A. policeB. judgeC. officerD. captain

8.A. soB. veryC. tooD. quite

9.A. causeB. reasonC. matterD. trouble

10.A. lightB. lampC. signD. one

11. A. withB. becauseC. forD. of

12. A. speakingB. saying

C. talkingD. telling

13. A. holdingB. getting

C. carryingD. bringing

14. A. tookB. broughtC. pickedD. chose

15. A. almostB. hardly

C. successfullyD. successful

16. A. bothB. allC. neitherD. either

17. A. timeB. turnC. chanceD. job

18. A. threadB. glassesC. needlesD. needle

19. A. dismissedB. passed

C. settledD. studied

20. A. wasB. kept

C. seemedD. remained

In the future your automobile will run on water instead of gas! You will be able to buy a supercomputer that fits in your pocket! You might even drive a flying car!

For each prediction that has come true today, several others have missed by a mile. Many of these predictions didn’t consider how people would want to use the technology, or whether people really needed it in their lives or not. Let’s look at some predictions from the not-too-distant past.

Robot Helpers

Where’s the robot in my kitchen? Nowhere, of course. And he’s probably not coming anytime soon. Robots do exist today, but mostly in factories and other manufacturing environments.

Back in the 1950s, however, people said that by now personal robots would be in most people’s homes.

So why hasn’t it happened? Probably because robots are still too expensive and clumsy. And maybe the idea of robots cooking our dinners and washing our clothes is just too weird. At home we seem to be doing fine without them.

Telephones of Tomorrow

In 1964 an American company introduced the video telephone. They said by the year 2000 most people would have a video phone in their homes. But of course the idea hasn’t caught on yet.

Why? The technology worked fine, but it over-looked something obvious: people’s desire for privacy. Would you want to have a video phone conversation with someone after you just step out of the shower? Probably not—it could be embarrassing! Just because a technology available doesn’t always mean people will want to use it.

And finally, how about that crazy prediction of the flying car? It’s not so crazy anymore! But a flying car remains one of the most fascinating technology ideas to capture our imagination. Keep watching the news, or perhaps the sky outside your window, to see what the future will bring.

1.The whole passage is mainly about　　　.

A. predictions that have come true

B. predictions that haven’t come true

C. why predictions don’t come true easily

D. what technology will bring about

2. The author of this passage won’t believe that　　　.

A. predictions needn’t consider people’s practical use of technology

B. the future isn’t always easy to guess

C. not all past predictions have come true

D. many of the high-tech things our parents thought we’d be using by now simply never appeared

3.The underlined word “weird” in Para. 5 probably means　　　.

A. wonderful　　　　　　　　B. stupid

C. practicalD. strange

4.What does the author think of the flying car?

A. It is too difficult to imagine.

B. It is too crazy an idea.

C. It is likely to be made.

D. It is often reported in the news.

People often talk as if shyness is a disease or mental condition that can be cured. I prefer to think of it as an emotional disability. It’s something we are born with and something we carry with us in our entire lives. There are too many people, however, who seem to be determined to find some way of doing away with their shyness. In my opinion, it’s a waste of time. I don’t mean that we should do nothing about it; quite the contrary, I think we need to separate the basic fact of our shyness from our ability to take part in a social environment.

Look at one of the most famous shy people of them all, Johnny Carson. This man is painfully shy, yet for decades he made a living talking and associating with different people every night, in front of a national audience. Carson has never done away with his shyness, but he has successfully found a way to deal with it to the extent that he could be, not just a talk show host, but a legend among talk show hosts. Look also at Sally Fields, who has recently admitted her problem with shyness. This is a woman who has appeared in many films, TV shows and interviews, yet in her early years she was so shy that she turned down a lunch invitation from Jane Fonda because she was terribly afraid of meeting her.

I guess that our shyness is there because each of us is born with some insecurity and this insecurity prevents us from reaching out to others the way people with a more open personality do. As we grow up and become adults, we allow our social skills to grow and develop. But we are still stuck in kindergarten or elementary school or wherever it was when our shyness took root in our soul.

1.In the author’s view, shyness can be explained as　　　.

A. a not very normal mental condition

B. a disease that can be easily cured

C. something we pick up after birth

D. a kind of emotional disability

2.From the passage, we know that Johnny Carson　　　.

A. has dealt with shyness very successfully

B. has done away with his shyness carefully

C. is described as a hero in some legend books

D. failed to become a good talk show host

3. The passage tells us that Sally Fields was　　　.

A. proud all the time

B. close to Jane Fonda

C. impolite when young

D. shy in her early years

4.The author thinks that our shyness is there because　　　.

A. we are not open enough

B. we don’t feel secure at heart

C. we try to reach out to others all the time

D. we lack some social skills

Tom: Hi, Cathy. 1. 

Cathy: I have to finish my project on the history of the Internet. What about you?

Tom: 　 2.　If it’s fine, we’ll go camping. Would you like to join us?

Cathy: I’d like to, but the deadline for my project is next Monday.

Tom: What a pity! 3. 

Cathy: Yes, please. Can you suggest any good reference books?

Tom: You may want to read Origins of the Internet and The Digital Future.

Cathy: I’m reading the two books. 　 4. 

Tom: Go to the Science Museum website, and you’ll find lots of up-to-date information.

Cathy: Good idea. Thanks for your help.

Tom: 　 5. 

A. Never mind.

B. Don’t mention it.

C. Any other suggestions?

D. Will you come next time?

E. It depends on the weather.

F. Anything I can do for you?

G. What are you up to this weekend?

A. Learn to Listen and Speak

B. Develop Healthy Relationships

C. Arrange Some Time to Go Out

D. Respect Each Other

E. Agree to Disagree

F. Learn Every Day

Healthy Relationship Tips

Healthy relationships are effortless, if both the people involved take equal effort to maintain it. Here are a few healthy relationship tips to help you build the dream of your life.

1.Communication is an art of putting your thoughts into words, so that they are exactly understood by the opposite person. Communication does not mean going on talking unnecessarily. This is the first mistake that couples make. One person in the relationship assumes the role of talker and the other becomes the listener. Their roles remain so forever. The talker forgets to listen and the listener becomes used to listening and not reacting. If your partner takes time to open up, help them out by asking questions. So hear them out and give proper reactions. You will obtain the benefits of a healthy relationship through increased confidence in both of you to open up and hear things out.

2.Regular conversations take the form of heated arguments amongst many couples. Understand that not every statement needs a reaction. Maybe a certain reaction may lead to an argument with your partner. Just agree with whatever it is and there will be no harm done. Try and reach a mutual(相互的)agreement. If that’s not possible leave the topic for later. If you give it time, maybe both of you will be able to think about it rationally.

3.Every single day is a blessing. Each moment with your partner is a moment to learn something new and discover the finer nuances(细微差别)of your relationships. Each one of us keeps changing every day, the circumstances around us change every day and with that our attitude also needs to change. The same applies when you are living with a person. Learning every day and taking every day as a challenge will help you perfect healthy relationship tips.

4.This tip is especially meant for couples with children on how to maintain healthy relationships. After a certain period, couples complain about romance being lost. To keep your relationship healthy, take some time out from your day-to-day routines to spend some quality time with your partner. This can be done as dinners, indulging in outdoor activities or just hanging out at a coffee shop like old times.

5.Respect has to be earned. It can be earned only if you learn to respect. Often, one of the partners plays the role of a dictator to give orders, while the other simply follows. Both sides involved are equally responsible for this mistake. Learn to respect each other and understand that both of you are equally responsible for the relationship.

Creating a healthy relationship takes equal effort from both sides. Sharing, caring, being apologetic, forgiving and having realistic expectations are some of the important ingredients to the recipe of a healthy relationship.

It was the district sports meet. My foot still hadn’t healed(痊愈)from a(n)　　injury. I had　　whether or not I should attend the meet. But there I was, 　　for the 3, 000-meter run.

“Ready. . . set. . . ”The gun popped and we were off. The other girls rushed　　me. I felt　　as I fell farther and farther behind.

“Hooray! ”shouted the crowd. It was the loudest　　I had ever heard at a meet. The first-place runner was two laps(圈)ahead of me when she crossed the finish line. “Maybe I should　　, ”I thought as I moved on. 　　, I decided to keep going. During the last two laps, I ran　　and decided not to　　in track next year. It wouldn’t be　　it, even if my foot did heal.

When I finished, I heard a cheer—　　than the one I’d heard earlier. I turned around and　　enough, the boys were preparing for their race. “They must be cheering for the boys. ”I was leaving　　several girls came up to me. “Wow, you’ve got courage! ”one of them told me.

“Courage? I just　　a race! ”I thought. “I would have given up on the first lap, ”said another girl. “We were cheering for you. Did you hear us? ”

Suddenly I regained　　. I decided to　　track next year. I realized strength and courage aren’t always　　in medals and victories, but in the　　we overcome(战胜). The strongest people are not always the people who win, 　　the people who don’t give up when they lose.

1.A. slighter　　B. worse　　C. earlier　　D. heavier

2. A. expectedB. supposed

C. imaginedD. doubted

3. A. lateB. eagerC. readyD. thirsty

4.A. from behindB. ahead of

C. next toD. close to

5.A. ashamedB. astonished

C. excitedD. frightened

6.A. cheerB. shoutC. cryD. noise

7.A. slow downB. drop out

C. go onD. speed up

8. A. ThereforeB. Otherwise

C. BesidesD. However

9. A. with delightB. with fear

C. in painD. in advance

10. A. playB. arriveC. raceD. attend

11. A. worthB. goodC. valuableD. close

12. A. weakerB. longerC. lowerD. louder

13. A. wellB. sure

C. surprisinglyD. strangely

14. A. whileB. whenC. asD. since

15.A. finishedB. wonC. passedD. lost

16.A. cheerB. hopeC. interestD. experience

17. A. hold onB. turn to

C. begin withD. stick with

18.A. measuredB. praised

C. testedD. increased

19. A. sadnessB. struggles

C. diseasesD. tiredness

20.A. orB. norC. andD. but

Many people think that the most popular way of communicating with other people is through the mouth. But what they don’t know is that actual communication using the mouth accounts for(占……比例)only around 10%(or even less)of all the means to communicate a message.

Moreover, you can never determine the truthfulness or honesty of people by what they say alone. In fact, words expressed through the mouth often do not reflect what people really think or feel. The more reliable way you can determine their true inner feelings and thoughts is by reading their body language. Everybody communicates using these gestures and if you understand the gestures and their meanings you will be able to read people and know what they are really communicating to you. One researcher even went as far as to say that we speak to hide what’s on our minds. But gestures cannot lie.

Have you ever wondered what it would be like if you can “see through” the emotions of other people? Let’s say you ask a person whether he can do an important task. He says “OK”. But deep inside, you are questioning yourself, “Is he really willing to do this job? ” or “Does he have the confidence in finishing this task? ”You can’t question him directly because that would be like belittling him. And even if you ask him those questions, his replies will not tell you what he really feels or thinks. So the most useful way is to observe his body language. Expressions like smiling, frowning(皱眉), pouting(撅嘴), facial reddening, sweating, toe curling and sideways glances are visible hints that can help you make a right judgment.

1. According to the passage, we know　　　.

A. words through the mouth are the most common way in communication

B. body language is the quickest way to help people understand each other

C. expressions are the most powerful tool to judge whether a man is confident or not

D. you may know what a person really thinks with the help of reading his body language

2.What does the underlined sentence mean in the second paragraph?

A. We can express ourselves well by body language.

B. We use words to prevent others knowing our true thoughts.

C. Spoken words can fully reflect our true self.

D. We use body language to help express ourselves.

3.The underlined word in the third paragraph can be replaced with　　　.

A. looking down upon　　　B. speaking highly of

C. laughing atD. believing in