The next generation of airplanes has arrived. Their windows are larger. They have more （16）______ for luggage. And they are coming to an airport near you. These（17）______ airplanes, such  as the Boeing 787 Dreamliner or Bombardier C Series, are more comfortable for passengers.  They also（18）______ the environment. By using less fuel, they will create less（19）______ . Airline  companies are excited, but scientists wonder if the airplanes’ designers could do even more.  

The（20）______ to using less fuel is less weight. Therefore, these new planes are made of light  materials. They are mostly made up of carbon fifiber, a very light（21）______  strong plastic. Unlike  older planes, they do not contain much（22）______ metal. As a result they require 20 to 25 percent  less fuel than similarly sized older planes. 

Some people, however, are still not （23）______ . They say that the new airplanes only produce  20 percent less pollution. “We need to go further than that,” says transport expert Geoffff Hoon.  Experts like Hoon hope airplanes will one day use only biofuel. Unlike（24）______ fuel made  from oil, biofuel is made from （25）______ , like corn or sugarcane. Scientists believe that the use  of biofuel will produce less air pollution. Studies show that biofuel produces half the carbon  dioxide of oil-based fuel. 

Some scientists also（26）______ the new airplanes’ design. Although they（27）______ less,  the Dreamliner and C Series still look like regular planes. And for the last fifty years, the（28）______  of airplanes hasn’t changed much. Scientists say that（29）______ planes with a new shape  could save much more weight and fuel. One idea is to make planes that look like a very large  single wing. Another is to create planes in the（30）______ of a flflying saucer. The round shape of a  flflying saucer, scientists say, would use half the fuel of modern planes.

A

Swimmer Michael Phelps has had a lot of success. He was a star of the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He has won awards all over the world. How does he do it? There are two keys to Phelps’s success. One is that he is a great athlete. The other is that he learned always to think positively.

It helps, of course, that Phelps has the perfect body for swimming, and he is tall: 6 foot 4 (1.93 meters). He has long arms. He also has remarkably big feet. What’s more, his feet are very flat. In many ways, they look like flippers certain sea animals, such as seals and dolphins use to move through water.

These big, flat feet are a real benefit to Phelps in the water. Phelps uses a special move called the dolphin kick when he swims. If our feet leave the water when we are swimming, we swim more slowly. With the dolphin kick, a swimmer’s feet never leave the water. Dolphins swim the same way as Phelps, and they are some of the fastest animals in the ocean. Phelps learned to think positively when he was a child. School was not easy for him. Phelps was very tall. In many ways, he felt different from other children. His classmates often bullied him. He had problems with teachers as well. One teacher told him he would never succeedas a swimmer. But Phelps never doubted himself. Each day, he went to the swimming pool to practice.

Phelps also learned that failure is part of sports. No athlete can win 100 percent of the time. Phelps realized this at a young age. After losing a swimming race, Phelps would try to think positively. Instead of wanting to quit, he would try to identify his mistakes. He would also try to find something to feel satisfied about. He learned not to blame others for his problems. With this positive view, he was able to improve each year. As an Olympic athlete, Phelps uses positive thinking to help him focus. From the moment a race begins, Phelps thinks only about winning. He forgets everything else in his life. As a result, he never feels anxious in the pool. “Swimming is normal for me,” he says, “I’m relaxed. I’m comfortable. It’s my home.” Experts say this ability to stay calm in important moments is something most star athletes have in common.

B 

In the Government Work Report delivered on the first day of the annual session of  the National People’s Congress, Premier Li Keqiang said China will strengthen quality  infrastructure construction and carry forward the spirit of craftsmanship to improve the quality  of manufacturing in the country.

Lu Xindi, a deputy to the NPC, China’s top legislature, has suggested introducing a  national level “Model Worker’s Day of Craftsmanship” and Sun Dehong, a member of the  National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference, the top political  advisory body, has proposed observing a “Chinese Craftsmanship Day” to improve the quality  of manufacturing.

Many countries have special days honoring specific professions such as Teachers’ Day,  Nurses’ Day, Doctors’ Day and Journalists’ Day. China, too, observes “Labor Day” and “Chinese  Farmers’ Harvest Day” the latter falling on Sept. 22 or 23 and steeped in Chinese culture.  However, no day has been marked for those roughing it out in the production lines.

The introduction of a national level “Model Worker’s Day of Craftsmanship” or “Chinese  Craftsmanship Day” can help model workers get due attention and respect. Honoring such  workers amounts to recognizing their craftsmanship and hard work. The spirit with which  they work has patriotism at its core, while reform and innovation serve as a powerful spiritual  driving force for the Party and the people of all ethnic groups. The spirit that drives these model  workers and skilled workers is worth saluting and emulating. Only by adopting and applying  this spirit to every sphere of our work, study and dedication can we achieve extraordinary feats.

In the early days after the founding of the People’s Republic of China, millions of workers  performed one miracle after another through their hard work under arduous conditions.

Whether it is to cherish the past or the present or to look forward to the future, marking  a “Model Workers Day of Craftsmanship” or “Chinese Craftsmanship Day” at the national  level is important. The proposal is worth considering as it reflflects the inherent requirements of  development in our times.

C

Betty, a New Caledonian crow living in a research lab, was hungry. She could see a piece  of meat at the bottom of a glass test tube, but she could not reach it. In the wild, crows use twigs  to dig into trees to get insects. There were no twigs in Betty’s cage, but that didn’t stop the  hungry crow. She found a straight piece of wire that someone had left in the cage. She picked  it up with her beak. Then she stuck the wire under some sticky tape that was also in her cage,  and bent the wire. Finally, she used her new tool to remove the piece of meat from the test tube.  The scientists in the lab watched in amazement as she popped the piece of meat in her mouth.  They knew crows could use tools, but could they make them? That was something new. Clearly  crows were more intelligent than they had thought.

In another show of intelligence, a group of crows in a Tokyo suburb have learned a new  way to get lunch. They flfly over intersections and drop nuts in front of cars. The cars drive over  the nuts, and the crows wait for the light to change. When the light turns red, the cautious crows  flfly down and eat the nuts without fear of being run over. The behavior has become widespread as more and more crows teach it to others. After observing crow behavior in the laboratory and  in the wild, scientists now believe that the birds are not just acting instinctively. They believe  that crows have the intellectual capacity to plan, solve problems, and teach new behaviors to  others.

These stories of crow genius attracted the attention of a writer named Joshua Klein. To  fifind out if crows could be trained, Klein designed an experiment. He built a vending machine  for crows. Inside the machine were nuts. He knew that crows were attracted to shiny things,  so he put coins on the ground around the machine. At fifirst, the crows just picked up the coins.  By chance, a few crows dropped some coins into the machine and were rewarded with a nut.  Soon the crows appeared to understand the relationship among the coins, the machine, and the  nuts. Klein’s experiment, along with other research, shows how well crows can adapt to new  challenges.

将下列画线句子译成中文。 

The significant inscription is found on an old key—“if I rest, I rust” 43. It would be  an excellent motto for those who are afflicted with the slightest taint of idleness. 44. If one  allows his faculties to rest, like the iron in the unused key, they will soon show signs of rust,  and ultimately, cannot do the work required of them. 45. Those who would attain the heights  reached and kept by great men must keep their faculties polished by constant use. 46. Only in  this way, may they unlock the doors of knowledge, the gates that guard the entrances to the  professions, and to science, art, literature, agriculture—every department of human endeavor. 47. In a word, industry can keep bright the key that opens the treasury of achievement.

教学材料：

Hi, this is Liu Yun. I’m going to have a busy weekend! On Saturday, I’m going to the bookstore by subway. I’m going to buy a new CD and some story books. Then, I’m going to go home and read the new books. On Sunday, I’m going to the supermarket with my mother. We are going after lunch. Then, in the evening, I’m going to visit my aunt. We are going to watch TV together. That will be fun! What about you? What are you going to do on the weekend?

教学设计片段：

Pre-reading

Activity 1 Students have a free talk, using “I’m going to....”

Activity 2 Students carry on the following dialogue with Mr. Time on the screen:

Student A: Hello, Mr. Time.

Mr. Time: Hello. Where are you going?

Student A: I’m going to...

Mr. Time: What are you going to do?

Student A: I’m going to...

While-reading

Activity 1 Students read the text quickly and silently to find the answer to the question: What is the text about?

Activity 2 Students underline Liu Yun’ weekend plan and answer the questions:

What is Liu Yun going to do on Saturday/Sunday afternoon/Sunday evening?

What does Liu Yun think of her weekend?

Post-reading

Activity 1 Students retell Liu Yun’s weekend plan according to the timeline on the blackboard.

Activity 2 Students talk about another two weekend plans in groups, choose the better one and give the reasons.

Activity 3 Students write down their own weekend plans, report them in class and evaluate them.