After the Second World War, there were many reports of mysterious "flying saucers (飞碟)". They1throughout the world. For quite a long time strange shapes had been reported in2parts of the world, but it was not until recent times that these were seriously studied. Pictures and films3of flying saucers, or UFOs seen in the sky. Some pilots of4reported that round flying machines had followed5, and moved at great speed. Some unofficial (非官方的) experts and6suggested that some creatures from other planets were watching us. Some reports said a UFO had7the Earth. A space creature8the UFO, moved around, and then flew off again. But none of the landings was ever proved (被证实) to be true.
What lies ahead of us? We do not know.9we can be sure that whatever happens, we are living in an age which will grow steadily10.
In the mid 1990s, people started doing business on the Internet. At that time, there were two kinds of companies. First, there were traditional companies which sold things in shops. Then, there were Internet companies which didn't have shops; they sold things only over the net.
Traditional companies didn't want to lose any business. Quickly, they created their own website and began selling things over the net. These are the so-called "brick and click" companies. Many shops are made of brick, and you click on your mouse to buy things with your computer. That's where the name "brick and click" comes from.
By the late 1990s, e-businesses like Amazon.com and Buy.com were in trouble. Their profits were not very high, and there was a lot of competition. Many of these businesses lost a lot of money, and in 2000, many e-businesses went out of business.
Why are "brick and click" companies, like Barnes & Noble, Toys "R" Us, and Walmart so successful? First, many customers know and trust their names. Their websites, like walmart.com, are easy to remember. These companies also have a lot of experience. They know how to run a successful business.
In the world of e-commerce, companies are fighting for every dollar and every customer. Will "brick and click" companies win the war? Only time will tell.
Do you like watching old movies? Maybe you will see one with Carole Lombard. She was a famous actress in the 1930s. She died when she was only.
Lombard's real name was Jane Alice Peters. In 1921, she was playing baseball in the street near the home. She was only 13 at the time. The movie was one of the last movies without sound. At 16, she left school to act.
The studio gave her a new name, and she acted in several films. Then at the age of 18, she was in a bad car accident. The accident left scars on her face. The studio broke the agreement, but she did not give up. She continued to act.
It was Paramount Studio that make Lombard a star. She made many movies for the studio. Lombard was married to actor William Powell for only 23 months. But seven years later, she married the great love of her life, actor Clark Gable. It was a great Hollywood love story.
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A. She acted so well that she won the hearts of some people. B. She also married two of their stars. C. In her short life she made 70 movies. D. In 1925, she had an agreement with a film studio, 20th Century Fox. E. She wanted to live a simple life. F. A movie director(导演) saw her and decided to put her in a movie. |
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⑴Aaron becomes interested in animals and he wants to learn something about tigers. ⑵Sam likes to research something about the seven continents （大洲）. This week he wants to make a study of Antarctica. ⑶Lisa is from America. She is studying Chinese geography. She'd like to learn more about the Mother River of China. ⑷Alan loves cute animals like dogs and giraffes. He wants to know how giraffes sleep and drink with long necks. ⑸Susan is a Chinese girl living in London. She is interested in Big Ben and hopes to take a class on the traditional building. |
A. Giraffes usually sleep standing up and they sleep for half an hour every day. They get most of their water from the plants that they eat and only need to drink water every few days. B. Venus （金星）is the second closest planet to the Sun. Ifs also the second brightest in the night sky after the Moon. C. Antarctica （南极洲）is the only continent on Earth with no rivers. The coldest temperature there is -89. 2℃. It is the world's coldest land. D. Big Ben is a famous clock tower in London. Standing over 97 metres tall, the tower is the traditional landmark of London. It has helped keep London on time for 160 years! E. The Siberian tiger mainly comes from China and Russia. It is one of the "World's Top Ten Endangered Animals, , because of its small number. F. The Yellow River is the Mother River of China. It's the second longest river in China after the Yangtze River. It starts from the Bayan Har Mountains and runs into the Bohai Sea. |
How cool would it be if people could（travel）in tubes（管道）? They may travel to another city in just（minute）. In the near future, this might not only happen in films,also in real life. The first open air test of the tube train took placeMay 11, 2016. It happened in the Nevada desert, the USA. Elon Musk（have）the idea of developing the tube train. He isfounder（创始人）of the American space company SpaceX. He calls the tube train the Hyperloop. The Hyperloop will be even（fast）than planes. It will go about 1, 200 kilometres per hour. Planes usually（flight）800 to 1,100 kilometres per hour. The company Hyperloop One is still（work）on the tube train. They want people to travel（use）the Hyperloop by 2021.
