Module 5?The Conquest of the Universe

词汇短语园地

1. accustomed adj. 习惯的

搭配：

be accustomed to （doing） sth = be used to （doing） sth 习惯于（做）某事

Im accustomed to the school life here now.

现在我习惯这儿的学校生活了。

I have been accustomed to going to bed early and getting up early for years.

我已习惯于早睡早起数年了。

accustom v. 使……习惯于

It took a while for me to accustom myself to all the new rules and regulations.

我花了一段时间才适应所有新的规章制度。

2. witness v. 目擊，亲眼看见；亲身经历

Did you witness the accident？

你亲眼看到那场事故了吗？

（1） witness v. 作证（常与against，for，to等连用）

I think she will witness against him.

我认为她会作证他有罪。

He witnessed to having seen the man enter the building.

他作证说曾看到此人走进大楼。

（2） witness n. 目击者；见证人

He was one of the witnesses at our wedding.

他是我们婚礼的证婚人之一。

（1） be （a） witness to sth 目击某事发生；为某事提供证据

（2） bear/give witness （to sth） 为……作证；证明

3. assume v. 假定，假设

搭配：

（1） assume + sth/that从句 假定，认为……

We cant assume anything in this case.

在这种情形下我们无法做出任何揣测。

I assume that you always get up at the same time.

我想你总是在同一时间起床。

（2） assume sb/sth to be... 假设某人/某物是……

Hes not such a fool as you assumed him to be.

他并非你所认为的那样愚蠢。

assumption n. 假定，假设

on the assumption that... / assuming that... 假定……

Assuming that/On the assumption that the proposal is accepted， when are we going to get the money？

假定这个建议被采纳，我们何时能拿到钱？

4. patience n. 耐心

The work requires both skill and patience.

这项工作既需要技术又需要耐心。

搭配：

be out of patience with... 耐不住…… ；对…… 忍无可忍

have no patience with... 对……不能容忍；对…… 没有耐性

have patience to do sth 做某事有耐性

be patient with sb 对某人有耐心

be patient of sth 忍耐某事

patiently = with patience 耐心地

5. burst v. 爆炸

I carry a spare tyre in the boot of the car in case one bursts.

我带了一个备用轮胎放在后备厢里，以防爆胎。

（1） burst into tears/laughter/cheers 突然大哭/大笑/欢呼起来

（2） burst out crying/laughing/singing 突然哭起来/笑起来/唱起来

（3） burst into the room 闯入屋里

（4） burst with anger 勃然大怒

（5） burst with joy/happiness 非常高兴

（6） burst in 突然插嘴；打断

“I dont see why we should do that，” Peter burst in.

皮特突然插嘴说：“我不明白我们为什么要这么做。”

（7） burst open （使）猛然打开

Firefighters burst the door open and rescued them.

消防队员撞开门，把他们救了出来。

6. acknowledge v. 承认；认为

搭配：

（1） acknowledge+sth/that从句 承认……

（2） acknowledge doing... 承认做过……

（3） acknowledge...as/to be... 认为……是……（常用于被动形式）

（4） Its widely/universally acknowledged that... 大家普遍认为……

They acknowledged their responsibility for the bombing. =They acknowledged that they were responsible for the bombing.

他们承认对这起爆炸事件负责。

Zhang Yimou is acknowledged as one of the best movie directors in China nowadays.

= Its acknowledged that Zhang Yimou is one of the best movie directors in China nowadays.

张艺谋被公认为是中国当今最优秀的电影导演之一。

acknowledge v. 告知（收到）；感谢

She walked right past me without acknowledging me.

她从我身旁走过，连个招呼也没打。

His long service with the company was acknowledged with a present.

公司送他一份礼物，答谢他为公司的长期服务。

7. defeat n. 失败

I never consider the possibility of defeat.

我从未考虑有失败的可能性。

defeat v. 击败；战胜

辨析：

比较beat， defeat和win

（1） beat和defeat都表示在战斗或竞赛中“战胜、击败（对手）”，后接竞争对手。

The news that he has been defeated/beaten in the election is not true.

他在大选中被击败的消息不属实。

（2） win“战胜、赢得”，其宾语通常是比赛、战争、奖品或表尊重、崇拜之类意义的词。竞争对手不能作其宾语。

win a game/match/race 在游戏/比赛/赛跑中获胜

win a gold medal （在比赛、竞赛中）赢得金牌

win support 赢得支持

8. accuse v. 指責

搭配：

accuse sb of sth/doing sth 控告某人某事/做某事

The police accused him of murder.

警方指控他谋杀。

She accused him of stealing her watch.

她控告他偷她的表。

辨析：

比较accuse， charge和blame

（1） accuse指当面指控或指责，不一定诉诸法庭。

（2） charge指因犯较大错误或重大罪行而进行正式法律控诉，可构成charge sb with sth的搭配，意思是“控告某人某事”。

The police are going to charge him with murder.

警察准备控告他谋杀。

（3） blame指对不好的事物或对做错事的人给予责备，可构成blame sb for （doing） sth或sb is to blame for sth的搭配。

The driver was to blame for the accident.

这起交通事故的责任应归责于这个司机。

9. relief n. 安慰；宽慰

To my great relief， I wasnt late.

我庆幸的是没有迟到。

搭配：

Its a great relief to do sth 做某事让人宽慰

Its a great relief to find you here.

见到你在这儿我就放心了。

to ones relief 使某人感到庆幸或宽慰的是

in relief 如释重负地

bring/give relief to... 给…… 带来宽慰

10. consult v. 咨询；请教

搭配：

consult sb about sth 就某事向某人征求意见

He consulted his lawyer about the case.

他就此案向律师做了咨询。

（1） consult a doctor 看医生

（2） consult with sb 与某人商量

（3） consult a map/dictionary 查阅地图/词典

（4） consult ones notes 查看某人的笔记

11. in spite of 不管

In spite of the heavy snow， he drove downtown.

尽管下着大雪，他还是开车去了城里。

搭配：

in spite of/despite the fact that... 不管…… 的事实

辨析：

比较in spite of和although/though

in spite of是介词短语，后接宾语。although/though是连词，后接从句。

They had a wonderful holiday in spite of the bad weather.

= They had a wonderful holiday though/although the weather was bad.

尽管天气不好，他们还是度过了一个美好的假期。

regardless of 不管；不顾

12. set out 开始做；着手进行

搭配：

set out to do sth = set about doing sth = get down to doing sth

着手、开始做某事

At five in the morning he set out to do （set about doing） his work.

清晨五点他就开始工作。

set out for... = set off for... = leave for... 动身去……

Having said goodbye to their friends， they set out （set off） for Paris.

他们向朋友告别后，就动身去巴黎了。

Two Birds

Teacher： Here are two birds. One is a swallow， and the other is a sparrow. Now who can tell us which is which？

Student： I cannot point out but I know the answer.

Teacher： Please tell us.

Student： The swallow is beside the sparrow and the sparrow is beside the swallow.

跟蹤导练

阅读理解

A

Why should mankind explore space？ Why should money， time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits？ Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth？ These are questions that， understandably， are very often asked.

Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup （基因构成） as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains， and into all possible areas and environments？ The wider the spread of a species， the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.

Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them， they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction， in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products （副产品） of technological developments in the space.

While many resources are spent on what seems a small return， the exploration of space allows creative， brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. The danger exists， but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space， the chance to save ourselves might not exist.

While Earth is the only planet known to support life， surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different， but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.

1. Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph 1？

A. To express his doubts.

B. To compare different ideas.

C. To introduce points for discussion.

D. To describe the conditions on Earth.

2. What is the reason for humans to explore space based on Paragraph 2？

A. They are nature-born to do so.

B. They have the tendency to fight.

C. They may find new sources of food.

D. They like to stay in different places.

3. The underlined word “spin-offs” in Paragraph 3 probably refers to ___ .

A. survival chances B. potential resources

C. unexpected benefits D. physical possessions

4. What does the author mainly want to tell readers about space exploration？

A. It has created many wonders.

B. It provided the best value for money.

C. It can benefit science and technology.

D. It may help us avoid potential problems on Earth.

B

Since the 1970s， scientists have been searching for ways to link the brain with computers. Brain-computer interface （BCI） technology could help people with disabilities send commands to machines.

Recently， two researchers， Jose Milan and Michele Tavella from the Federal Polytechnic School in Lausanne， Switzerland， demonstrated （展示） a small robotic wheelchair directed by a persons thoughts.

In the laboratory， Tavella operated the wheelchair just by thinking about moving his left or right hand. He could even talk as he watched the vehicle and guided it with his thoughts.

“Our brain has billions of nerve cells. These send signals through the spinal cord （脊髓） to the muscles to give us the ability to move. But spinal cord injuries or other conditions can prevent these weak electrical signals from reaching the muscles，” Tavella says. “Our system allows disabled people to communicate with the outside world and also to control devices.”

The researchers designed a special cap for the user. This head cover picks up the signals from the scalp （頭皮） and sends them to a computer. The computer interprets the signals and commands the motorized wheelchair. The wheelchair also has two cameras that identify objects in its path. They help the computer react to commands from the brain.

Professor Milan， the team leader， says scientists keep improving the computer software that interprets brain signals and turns them into simple commands. “The practical possibilities that BCI technology offers to disabled people can be grouped in two categories： communication， and controlling devices. One example is this wheelchair.”

He says his team has set two goals. One is testing with real patients， so as to prove that this is a technology they can benefit from. And the other is to guarantee that they can use the technology over long periods of time.

5. What can BCI technology do？

A. Help to cure the disabled.

B. Deepen a persons thoughts.

C. Help to rebuild computer systems.

D. Link the human brain with computers.

6. How did Tavella operate the wheelchair in the laboratory？

A. By using his mind.

B. By moving his hand.

C. By talking to the machine.

D. By controlling his muscles.

7. Which of the following shows the path of the signals described in Paragraph 5？

A. scalp→computer→wheelchair→cap

B. computer→cap→wheelchair→scalp

C. scalp→cap→computer→wheelchair

D. cap→wheelchair→scalp→computer

8. Which could be the best title for the text？

A. Switzerland， the BCI Research Centre

B. BCI Could Mean More Freedom for the Disabled

C. New Findings about How the Human Brain Works

D. Robotic Vehicles Could Help to Cure Brain Injuries

阅读七选五

Different Cultures

The cultures of the East and the West really distinguish each other a lot. 1

The origin of the eastern cultures is mainly from two countries： China and India. Both of the two cultures are developed by rivers—the Yellow River in China and the Hindu River in India. 2

When the two mother rivers gave birth to the Eastern culture， another famous culture was brought up on the Mesopotamian Plain—the Mesopotamian Civilization. This civilization later on developed into the cultures of Ancient Greece and Ancient Rome. 3

At the same time， some other differences add to the cultural differences. Take the language system for example. In the East， most languages belong to the pictographic language while the Western languages are mostly based on the Latin system. 4 But whats more， due to the far distance and the steep areas between the East and West， the two cultures seldom communicate until recent centuries. So they grew up totally in their own ways with almost no interference from the other.

The differences are everywhere. 5 But different cultures make the world of 21st century more colorful. The cultural gap should not be the obstacle （障礙） to the civilization of human beings. It ought to be the motivation of our going farther.

A. Let us work together to keep a variety of culture.

B. One important thing is to learn about other cultures.

C. Other causes like human race difference count as well.

D. They affect peoples ways of thinking and their views of the world.

E. And these two are well-known as the base of the European culture.

F. This is because the culture systems are two separate systems on the whole.

G. They helped the two cultures develop for centuries and form their own styles.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

完形填空

It is interesting how NASA selected their astronauts for landing them on the moon. They men at the age of twenty to thirty-five. Many were air pilots. Others were with two or three degrees. NASA telephoned each man they were going to choose， told him the plans and the they might get in. They then asked him if he was willing to be trained as an astronaut. “How could any man such an exciting job？” One of them said， “Dangerous？ Of course. Its dangerous most exciting.” The health and physical condition of was， of course， very necessary. Only those in very good health and condition were chosen.

While being trained to be astronauts， they went through many . They studied the star and the moon， and they also studied geology， the science of rocks. This was necessary because astronauts would have to look for on the moon. They would try to find rocks which might help to tell the of the moon. They were all to fly in helicopters. These helicopters landed down to give them some experience of the way the spaceship would land on the moon. They were also taught the facts about the conditions in space. They learnt all the technical details of the spaceships and rockets. They visited the scientists and engineers who them. They visited the factories where the spaceships and rocks were . They learnt how every of a spaceship and its instruments work. They also learnt every detail of ground control .

In a word， to be chosen as an astronaut， one must be in good health， in science and good at piloting.

1. A. chose B. took C. visited D. examined

2. A. experienced B. old C. trained D. young

3. A. teachers B. doctors C. scientists D. soldiers

4. A. dangers B. sadness C. hardship D. troubles

5. A. accept B. receive C. offer D. refuse

6. A. but B. so C. and D. however

7. A. scientists B. men C. pilots D. people

8. A. normal B. physical C. working D. living

9. A. jobs B. places C. courses D. ways

10. A. lives B. rocks C. water D. wealth

11. A. story B. background C. age D. name

12. A. shown B. trained C. told D. let

13. A. slowly B. straightly C. clearly D. directly

14. A. possibly B. likely C. actually D. really

15. A. undefined B. undecided C. unknown D. uncertain

16. A. drew B. produced C. designed D. made

17. A. repaired B. built C. developed D. fixed

18. A. part B. movement C. machine D. body

19. A. house B. stop C. system D. station

20. A. well-done B. well-fed C. well-kept D. well-informed

語法填空

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

To most Chinese students， studying abroad could be a burden. There are lots of difficulties 1 （face） them every day—language barrier， culture shock， gaps 2 Eastern and Western lifestyles， expensive education fees and endless research projects.

To Song Yinan， however， studying abroad was a（n） 3 （forget） experience. In her book， Kikis London Diary， she tells her stories in optimistic way.

The language barrier is the （big） difficulty Chinese students will meet abroad. In a story 6 （write） at the beginning of her first term in London， Song suffered some embarrassment during a welcoming party， 7 she was introduced to some drink and wine.

However， she found that she couldnt read most of the English names of the drinks and therefore 8 （drink） only cola and fruit juice. She described how red her face was. Song says it is normal for most Chinese 9 （lose） face when they study abroad. And she is happy to share the story with others.

Throughout the book， readers can feel the optimism and persistence （坚持） of this girl. Her study and life （experience） are sure to delight any Chinese studying abroad or whoever plans to do so.

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

6. 7. 8. 9. 10.

短文改错

I feel quite sure the chemistry test what were going to have tomorrow. The teacher has already told us exact what to study and I think my grades on my homework has been good. In fact， I think it chemistry has always been one of the subjects that I enjoyed most. Susan and I have already spent two hours review pages 115-140 tonight. They are going to devote another hour to practicing with some of the sample problem. Then I will be ready to the test.