TaIL Spin

Two dolphins race around in a big pool in the Ocean Park. The smaller dolphin Grace, shown off a few of her tricks, turning around and waving hello to the crowd. The most amazing thing about her, however, is that she’s even swimming at all. She doesn’t have a tail.

Grace lost her tail as a baby when she got caught up in a fish trap. When the dolphin arrived at the Ocean Park in December 2005, she was fighting for her life. “Is she going to make it?” Her trainer, Abbey Stone, feared the worst. Grace did make it --- but her tail didn’t. She ended up losing her flukes and the lower part of her peduncle.

Over the past six years, she has learned to swim without her tail. Dolphins swim by moving their flukes and peduncle up and down. Grace taught herself to move another way---like a fish! She pushed herself forward through the water by moving her peduncles from side to side.

The movement put harmful pressure on Grace’s backbone. So a company offered to create a man-made tail for her. The tail had to be strong enough to stay on Grace as she swam but soft enough that it wouldn’t hurt her.

The first time Grace wore the artificial tail. She soon shook it off and let it sink in the bottom of the pool. Now, she is still learning to use the tail. Some days she wears it for an hour at a time, others not at all. “The tail isn’t

necessary for her to feel comfortable,” says Stone, “but it helps to keep that range of motion(動(dòng)作) and build muscles(肌肉).”

Now, the dolphin is about to get an even happier ending. This month, Grace will star in Dolphin Tale, a film that focus on her rescue and recovery. Her progress has inspired more than just a new movie. Many people travel from near and far to meet her. Seeing Grace swim with her man-made tail gives people so much courage.

1. When Grace first arrived at the Ocean Park, her trainer worried about her .

A. physical build B. potential ability

C. chance of survival D. adaptation to the surroundings.

2.A man-made tail is created for Grace to _.

A. let her recover faster B. make her comfortable

C. adjust her way of swimmingD. help her perform better tricks

3.The story of Grace inspires people to_ .

A. stick to their dreams B. treat animals friendly

C. treasure what they have D. face difficulties bravely

1.With help from a Mr. H, you can ________.

A. stop using batteries

B. finish your homework on time

C. remember your teacher’s instructions

D. get your room tidied on your way home

2.A PENGO WATCH CONTROL can help you to ________.

A. repair your TV B. organize your homework

C. be a James Bond D. know what the weather is like

3.You can get your Mr. H far ________.

A. $499 B. $299 C. $199 D. $99

4.Where would you be most likely to find the two texts?

A. On a notice board B. In a company brochure

C. On a teenage website D. In a college newspaper

The idea of being able to walk on water has long interested humans greatly. Sadly, biological facts prevent us ever accomplishing such a thing without artificial aid --- we simply weigh too much, and all our mass pushes down through our relatively small feet, resulting in a lot of pressure that makes us sink.

However, several types of animals can walk on water. One of the most interesting is the common basilisk Basilicus basilicus, a lizard（蜥蜴）native to Central and South America. It can run across water for a distance of several meters, avoiding getting wet by rapidly hitting the water’s surface with its feet. The lizard will take as many as 20 steps per second to keep moving forward. For humans to do this, we’ll need huge feet that we could bring up to our ears in order to create adequate “hitting.”

But fortunately there is an alternative: cornflour. By adding enough of this common thickening agent to water (and it does take a lot), you can create a “non-Newtonian” liquid that doesn’t behave like normal water. Now if the surface of the water is hit hard enough, particles（粒子）in the water group together for a moment to make the surface hard. Move quickly enough and put enough force into each step, and you really can walk across the surface of an adequately thick liquid of cornflour.

Fun though all this may sound, it’s still rather messy and better read about in theory than carried out in practice. If you must do it, then keep the water wings handy in case you start to sink --- and take a shower afterward!

1.Walking on water hasn’t become a reality mainly because humans _______.

A. are not interested in it

B. have biological limitations

C. have not invented proper tools

D. are afraid to make an attempt

2.What do we know about Basilicus basilicas from the passage?

A. It is light enough to walk on water.

B. Its huge feet enable it to stay above water.

C. It can run across water at a certain speed

D. Its unique skin keeps it from getting wet in water

3.What is the function of the cornflour according to the passage?

A. To create a thick liquid.

B. To turn the water into solid.

C. To help the liquid behave normally.

D. To enable the water to move rapidly.

4.What is the author’s attitude toward the idea of human’s walking on water?

A. It is risky but beneficial.

B. It is interesting and worth trying

C. It is crazy and cannot become a reality

D. It is impractical; though theoretically possible

Make Up Your Mind to Succeed

Kind-hearted parents have unknowingly left their children defenseless against failure. The generation born between 1980 and 2001 grew up playing sports where scores and performance were played down because “everyone’s winner.” And their report cards sounded more positive (正面的) than ever before. As a result, Stanford University professor Carol Dweck, PhD, calls them “the overpraised generation.”

Dweck has been studying how people deal with failure for 40 years. Her research has led her to find out two clearly different mind-sets that have a great effect on how we react to it. Here’s how they work:

A fixed mind-set is grounded in the belief that talent (才能) is genetic – you’re a born artist, point guard, or numbers person. The fixed mind-set believes it’s sure to succeed without much effort and regards failure as personal shame. When things get difficult, it’s quick to blame, lie, and even stay away from future difficulties.

On the other hand, a growth mind-set believes that no talent is entirely heaven-sent and that effort and learning make everything possible. Because the ego (自尊) isn’t on the line as much, the growth mind-set sees failure as a chance rather than shame. When faced with a difficulty, it’s quick to rethink, change and try again. In fact, it enjoys this experience.

We are all born with growth mind-sets. (Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to live in the world.) But parents, teachers, and instructors often push us into fixed mind-sets by encouraging certain actions and misdirecting praise. Dweck’s book, Mind-set: The New Psychology of Success, and online instructional program explain this in depth. But she says there are many little things you can start doing today to make sure that your children, grandchildren and even you are never defeated by failure.

1.What does the author think about the present generation?

A. They don’t do well at school.

B. They are often misunderstood.

C. They are eager to win in sports.

D. They are given too much praise.

2.A fixed mind-set person is probably one who ___ .

A. doesn’t want to work hard

B. cares a lot about personal safety

C. cannot share his ideas with others

D. can succeed with the help of teachers

3.What does the growth mind-set believe?

A. Admitting failure is shameful.

B. Talent comes with one’s birth.

C. Scores should be highly valued.

D. Getting over difficulties is enjoyable.

4.What should parents do for their children based on Dweck’s study?

A. Encourage them to learn from failures.

B. Prevent them from making mistakes.

C. Guide them in doing little things.

D. Help them grow with praise.