William Herschel was born on November 15th, 1738 in Hanover in a family of musicians. In 1757,he fled to England and began earning a living as an organist and later composer and conductor. In 1772, he convinced his sister Caroline to join him as a singer. In their spare time the brother-sister team became occupied in astronomy. William died at his home in Slough, near Windsor on August 25th,1822,and Caroline on September 1st,1848.
Herschel’s first major discoveries were to show that Mars and Jupiter exhibit axial rotation(绕轴自转). Herschel struck fame in 1781,when on March 13th he discovered the planet Uranus(天王星) while engaged in work aimed at determining stellar parallax(恒星视差).This being the first new planet discovered since ancient times, Herschel, until then a mere amateur astronomer relatively unknown even in England, became world-famous. Adopting a historically proven strategy, Herschel named the new planet Georgium Sidum,in honor of the then ruling English king GeorgeⅢ. The trick worked once again, as King GeorgeⅢ gave William and Caroline the titles of“The King’s Astronomer”and“Assistant to the King’s Astronomer”, an honor which came with a life’s pension for both. In 1782 they moved to Bath, and shortly thereafter to Slough, and from this point on William and Caroline could devote themselves entirely to astronomy. The Herschels went on to discover two moons of Uranus in 1787.
While Caroline became increasingly occupied with the search for comets at which she was quite successful, William became for a time interested in the Sun. Inspired by Wilson’s 1774 work, he put forth the theory of sunspots(太阳黑子),an opinion that continued to exist well into the nineteenth century. In 1800,he became interested in the solar spectrum(太阳光谱),and uncovered the first evidence for solar energy output outside of the visible spectrum, in what is now known as the infrared(红外线).In 1801, he published two papers that effectively started the field of solar influences on Earth’s weather.
【小题1】Herschel made himself known to the world mainly by .

A．discovering the planet Uranus

B．determining stellar parallax

C．discovering two moons of Uranus

D．uncovering the evidence for the infrared

【小题2】It can be inferred from the passage that George Ⅲ .

A．liked science and technology

B．liked Herschel’s naming of the new planet

C．was interested in astronomy

D．gave Herschel a lot of useful suggestions

【小题3】What do we know about Caroline from the passage?

A．She was successful in music.

B．She was given the title of“The King’s Astronomer”.

C．She died later than her brother.

D．She published two papers.

【小题4】This passage mainly tells readers .

A．some information about Herschel and his sister

B．how Herschel and his sister discovered the planet Uranus

C．Herschel and Caroline got along well with each other

D．Herschel and Caroline’s major scientific publications

语法填空

I was in the ninth grade when I began to suffer depression（精神忧郁）. My parents noticed but felt that since I'd always been 【小题1】 good child, this was temporary（暂时的）.

【小题2】（unfortunate）, it was not to be so. I didn't have friends. Hardly could I share my problems. Deep worry began to destroy my 【小题3】（confident）. Finally I refused to attend classes, 【小题4】（shut）myself in my room for hours.

The examination was coming near, but I simply didn't care. My parents and teachers were 【小题5】（surprise）at my bad performance. One morning, 【小题6】 a particularly severe lecture from my father, I stood at the school gate, sad. Then as the other students went to their classrooms, our headmaster called me. The next forty-five minutes was one of the 【小题7】（wonderful）moments in my life. She said she 【小题8】（notice）a big change in me and wondered why.

At first she took my hands in 【小题9】（she）and listened patiently as I mentioned my worries. Then she hugged me as I wept. Months of frustration and loneliness disappeared.

No one had tried to understand what the real problem was except the headmaster, 【小题10】 helped me out simply by listening and hugging.

Most people need to hear “I love you”. Once in a while, they hear them just ______ .
I met Connie the day she was ______ to the hospice ward (病房) ,where I worked as a ______. Her husband, Bill, stood nervous nearby as she was ______ to the hospital bed. While Connie was in the final _____ of her fight against cancer, she was ______.
Connie was a ______. As we became acquainted , she confided (吐露) how ______ it was to be married 32 years to a man who often called her “a silly woman”.
“I know Bill loves me. “she said.” But he has never been one to say he loves me, or send cards to me. I’d give anything if he’d say ‘I love you’, but it’s just not in his ______.”
Soon, when Connie had fewer ______ moments, I began spending more of my volunteer time with Bill.
One day, I got him on the ______of women, how we need romance in our lives and how we love to got sentimental cards.
“I don’t have to,” he said. “She knows I do!”
“I’m sure she knows,” I said, “but she needs to hear what she has ______ to you all these years. Please think about it.”
Two days later I walked down the hospice ward at noon. There stood Bill, leaning ______the wall in the hallway and staring at the floor. I already knew Connie had ______ at 11 a.m.
When I saw Bill, his face was wet with ______ and he was ______.
He said, “I have to say how good I feel about telling her. He stopped to ______ his nose. “This morning I told her how much I loved her…and loved being married to her. You _______have seen her smile!”.
I went into the room to say goodbye to Connie. There, on the bedside table, was a large Valentine ______ from Bill, ______ : “To my wonderful wife…I love you.”

【小题1】

A．in time B．at times C．on time D．behind time

【小题2】

A．allowed B．committed C．admitted D．acknowledged

【小题3】

A．nurse B．volunteer C．doctor D．cleaner

【小题4】

A．translated B．transformed C．transferred D．transported

【小题5】

A．step B．stair C．state D．stage

【小题6】

A．anxious B．cheerful C．frightened D．worried

【小题7】

A．reminder B．performer C．hostess D．romantic

【小题8】

A．disturbing B．shocking C．frustrating D．annoying

【小题9】

A．mind B．nature C．1ife D．style

【小题10】

A．waking B．yawning C．sleeping D．crying

【小题11】

A．lesson B．point C．subject D．focus

【小题12】

A．meant B．explained C．expressed D．shown

【小题13】

A．on B．against C．by D．over

【小题14】

A．passed by B．passed on C．passed away D．passed down

【小题15】

A．sweat B．rain C．water D．tears

【小题16】

A．trembling B．struggling C．sighing D．sinking

【小题17】

A．scratch B．touch C．blow D．rub

【小题18】

A．would B．could C．might D．should

【小题19】

A．gift B．card C．paper D．package

【小题20】

A．telling B．writing C．reading D．announcing

When I was growing up, I had an old neighbor named Doctor Gibbs. He didn't look like any doctor I'd ever known. He never yelled at us for playing in his yard, but was always very kind.
When Doctor Gibbs wasn't saving lives, he was planting trees. He had some interesting theories about planting trees. He believed in the principle: "No pains, no gains". He hardly watered his new trees, which flew in the face of conventional wisdom. Once I asked why and he told me that watering plants spoiled them because it made them grow weaker. He said you had to make things tough for the trees so that only the strongest could survive. He talked about how watering trees made them develop shallow roots and how, if they were not watered, trees would grow deep roots in search of water. So, instead of watering his trees every morning, he'd beat them with a rolled-up newspaper. I asked him why he did that, and he said it was to get the tree's attention.
Doctor Gibbs died a couple of years after I left home. Every now and then, I walked by his house and looked at the trees that I'd watched him plant some twenty five years ago. They were all tall and strong.
I planted a couple of trees myself a few years ago. Two years of attending these trees meant they grew up weak. Whenever a cold wind blew, their branches trembled. Adversity(逆境) seemed to benefit Doctor Gibb's trees in ways comfort and ease never could.
Every night before I go to bed, I check on my two sons. I often pray that their lives will be easy. But lately I've been thinking that it's time to change my prayer. I know my children are going to meet with hardship. There's always a cold wind blowing somewhere. What we need to do is to pray for deep roots, so when the rains fall and the winds blow, we won't be torn apart.
【小题1】With the trees planted, Doctor Gibbs often __________.

A．paid little attention to them

B．kept watering them every morning

C．talked to them to get their attention

D．beat them to make them grow deep roots

【小题2】What does the author think of the way Doctor Gibbs planted trees?

A．Strange and harmful.

B．Interesting and funny.

C．Cruel and unacceptable.

D．Original and reasonable.

【小题3】Which prayer does the author wish for his sons?

A．Meet people like Dr Gibbs in the future.

B．Be able to stand the rain and wind in their lives.

C．Have an easy life, without too much to worry about.

D．Have good luck, encountering less hardship in their life.

【小题4】Which of the following can be the best title of the passage?

A．Prayers for my sons

B．Doctor Gibbs and his trees

C．Growing roots

D．Watering trees

William just heard the news that his father had died and he was preparing to make flight arrangements. “I have to have my _______  tidy for the funeral,” thought William. “I want to get a _______  haircut.”
When he arrived at the barber’s shop, just like on any other Saturday, it was _______   . Realising he had to get to the airport on time, he _______ one of the barbers if he could get a _______  right away. And he also explained his _______ to her.
Nhanh Pham was the _______  William spoke to, and after she finished with her customer, she asked William to sit in her chair _______  . William said “thank you” to her. While William was  _______   his hair cut, the other barbers came to William to ________  their condolences（慰问）.
Pham finished the haircut and William prepared to ________ her. As he was pulling out his money, Pham ________ the payment. She told him the haircut was free, and she gave him some ________  that the barbers in the shop had collected. They wanted to make sure William would have some money to buy some  ________  for the funeral.
“They didn’t have to do that,” William said  ________. “They have done something beyond their duty.” William used the money to buy his ________ a dozen roses.
“The way I feel is that it was no big  ________ ,” said Rosalie Le, one of the barbers who contributed to the ________. “We are all human and we help each other.”
As for the woman who started the day’s ________ , Pham, she said she had sympathy(同情)for William and wanted to do something ________. Pham summed up her kindness by saying, “I felt sorry for him.”

【小题1】

A．suit B．jacket C．hair D．tie

【小题2】

A．fresh B．funny C．cheap D．strange

【小题3】

A．dirty B．limited C．empty D．crowded

【小题4】

A．demanded B．asked C．waited D．followed

【小题5】

A．haircut B．ticket C．reply D．record

【小题6】

A．position B．thought C．promise D．situation

【小题7】

A．customer B．barber C．teacher D．guard

【小题8】

A．rudely B．suddenly C．politely D．seriously

【小题9】

A．changing B．keeping C．having D．checking

【小题10】

A．express B．share C．begin D．carry

【小题11】

A．stop B．thank C．return D．pay

【小题12】

A．accepted B．refused C．compared D．expected

【小题13】

A．money B．food C．wine D．water

【小题14】

A．pictures B．cakes C．clothes D．flowers

【小题15】

A．hopefully B．gratefully C．luckily D．perfectly

【小题16】

A．mother B．wife. C．father D．friend

【小题17】

A．problem B．trouble C．deal D．signal

【小题18】

A．collection B．practice C．experience D．decision

【小题19】

A．sadness B．safeness C．loneliness D．kindness

【小题20】

A．easy B．nice C．normal D．hard