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US Space Agency Returns to Mars with InSight Lander

The American space agency's lander InSight is to arrive on Mars at the end of November,2018. Unlike NASA's Curiosity rover, InSight will not move across the planet's surface. Instead it will become the first spacecraft (航天器) used only for exploring underground. It will study the geography of Mars, searching for signs of Martian (火星的) quakes.

InSight is a project of U.S. and Europe. It is 6 meters long and 1.5 meters wide. It weighs 360kilograms. InSight's 1 .8 -meter robotic arm will put two experiments in place. Both are designed toexplore underground of Mars to learn about the inside.

Bruce Banerdt is the lead scientist for InSight. He viewed the spacecraft as a robot that can take care of itself. "It's got its own brain. It's got an arm. It can listen and feel things. It pulls its own power out of the sun," he noted.

Thomas Zurbuchen, one of the heads in NASA, said the results of the InSight project could "change the way we think about the inside of our earth. " But, first, InSight will have to land on Mars undamaged. Since Mars exploration started in the 1960s, only about 40 percent of the explorations have succeeded.

Tom Hoffman is InSight's project manager. He said earlier successes do not lessen the concerns for each new exploration. "That we ve done it before doesn't mean we' re not nervous and excited about doing it again," he said.

InSight will enter the Martian atmosphere (大气层) traveling at 19,800 kilometers an hour. It will slow for landing on a wide flat area on Mars. If all goes well, InSight could carry out its experiments in about 10 weeks. The InSight project is expected to continue for one Martian year, about two years on Earth.

1.What is the difference between InSight and NASA's Curiosity rover ?

A. The size.    B. The design.    C. The speed.    D. The task.

2.What can we learn from the passage?

A. InSight travels at an unchanged speed.

B. InSight is the project of America and Japan.

C. InSight has the functions (功能) of a robot.

D. InSight is mainly powered by the natural gas.

3.What will be one of the contributions (贡献) of the InSight project according to Zurbuchen?

A. It will help us understand the geography of Mars.

B. It will change the way we think about the inside of the earth.

C. It will help carry out more experiments on Mars.

D. It will get more information about the reasons for Mars quakes.

4.What is Hoffman's attitude towards this exploration of the InSight?

A. Confident.    B. Satisfied.    C. Concerned.    D. Frightened.

Never before have Chinese Internet users so openly liked and supported a Japanese athlete as they have loved table tennis star Ai Fukuhara (福原爱), better known by her Japanese nickname “Ai-Chan”.

But they may now feel heartbroken, as the 29-year-old said on Oct.21 that she would retire (退役) from the sport. I’ve found the answers within myself that I have been searching for. From the standpoint ( 立场) of an athlete, I'm drawing the line here," Fukuhara wrote on her blog.

After she started playing table tennis at 3 years old, Fukuhara was seen as a child gifted at the sport. Being trained in China at a very young age, Fukuhara can speak fluent Mandarin, with a northeastern accent.

If her deep-rooted connection with China is one thing that has won the hearts of Chinese fans, her character is another. She always shows her real self to the public without hiding her feelings. She laughs in games when she wins, and cries when she loses. The fact that she often cries when she gets upset has earned her the nickname “Crybaby Ai-Chan” in China.

Although she was beaten by a long line of Chinese players, Fukuhara always tries her best when playing her favorite sport. Yet, she also knows that now is the best time to close the curtain on her successful career. It's hard to say goodbye to a long journey but as Fukuhara once said on a reality TV show, “Life is not all about table tennis. Instead, it is just part of life.”

As for her future plans, Fukuhara wrote that she would like to help more people around the world get to know the beauty of the sport.

1.What makes Fukuhara popular with the Chinese fans?

A. Her lovely nickname.

B. Her beautiful appearance.

C. Her Japanese nationality.

D. Her deep-rooted connection with China.

2.What does the underlined phrase drawing the line mean in paragraph 2?

A. Bringing an end to something.

B. Making a plan.

C. Lending a hand.

D. Making a decision.

3.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. Fukuhara can speak many foreign languages.

B. Fukuhara was trained in China at three years old.

C. Fukuhara has beaten a number of Chinese players.

D. Fukuhara plans to get more people interested in the sport.

4.What is the best title of the passage?

A. End of a journey. .

B. Rise in sports.

C. Friendship with China.

D. Secret to success.

Oct.15th was International White Cane Safety Day. You may have never heard of it, but it was a day to remember for Peng Baier, 17, of Nanjing Foreign Language School. After school that day, he visited his local Disabled Persons’ Federation (残疾人联合会). He wanted to know about the sales and feedback (反馈) of his newly published book, How to Help a Disabled Person.

Since he lives with his disabled grandparents, he understands that life can be hard for this group of people. Peng decided to write the book because he wanted to create a better life for disabled people in China.

“Crossing the street is a big problem for them,” Peng said. “Speeding cars, people walking in a hurry, bikes on the sidewalk for the blind - accidents can happen everywhere. That's why we hardly ever see disabled people on the street, even though there are millions of disabled people in China.”

Peng's book with pictures is easy to understand. It is a guide to the right and wrong ways to treat disabled people. The left-hand pages show the reader the right way; the right-hand pages point out mistakes that are commonly made.

The teenager had 2,000 copies of his book printed. With the help of the Disabled Persons’ Federation, he gave them to the disabled community.

“The book is bilingual, so foreigners can also use it,” said Peng.

Peng put great effort into the book. For example, he interviewed many disabled people to get first hand materials. He also studied textbooks from different schools for the disabled. Peng finally completed his handbook, but he still had the problem of getting it printed.

How does a high school student raise money needed for that?

With a smile, Peng said how he went about it. “I visited three local companies, dressed up in a suit and tie. I was lucky. The companies were warm-hearted and willing to give me a hand.”

1.Why is Peng able to understand the hard life of the disabled people?

A. He was born disabled.

B. He has a disabled friend.

C. He lives with his disabled grandparents.

D. He once read a book about the disabled.

2.Which of the following is NOT mentioned about Peng effort for the book?

A. Raising the money needed.

B. Giving away his pocket money.

C. Interviewing many disabled people.

D. Studying textbooks for the disabled.

3.What does the underlined word bilingual mean in paragraph 6?

A. Written in two languages.

B. Using different pictures.

C. Very easy to understand.

D. Very popular around the world.

4.What words can best describe Peng?

A. Devoted and honest.

B. Brave and confident.

C. Kind and helpful.

D. Friendly and lovely.

Winter holiday is coming, time to read something just for fun. You might soon find yourself holding your breath as you turn the pages of a frightening story, or browsing (浏览) the latest novel on your new e-reader. For those of you who want to try some reading in English, but have no idea of what to choose from thousands of choices, we'd like to offer the following books to help you out.

The Selected Works of T.S. Spivet By Reif Larsen

T.S. Spivet is a smart 12-year-old boy who maps everything, including faces, the dinner table and the geography of his home state of Montana (US). After seeing his work, a famous scientific organization invites Spivet to be a speaker at an important event, without knowing the boy's age.

The Housekeeper and the Professor By Yoko Ogawa

Because of an accident, the math professor's short-term memory lasts only 80 minutes, so his house keeper must reintroduce herself each morning when she arrives. With the help of numbers, finally the two are able to develop a relationship across the 80-minute time.

Escape to America By Tetsuo Fukuyama

Fukuyama decided to leave his homeland and experiment with a completely different lifestyle: living in New York City. This story of how the writer's courage and determination helped him survive in difficult conditions will encourage readers to find their own happiness.

Talk to the Hand By Lynne Tru

When did the world get to be so rude? When did society become so inconsiderate (不为他人着想的)? Being rude has become a point of pride for some. Talk to the Hand is a call for politeness.

1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A. T.S. Spivet is a teenager who loves singing.

B. The math professor has a very bad memory.

C. Fukuyama missed his hometown very much.

D. The four books are all written in French.

2.What do we know about Escape to America?

A. It is about life in New Jersey.

B. It is about love and friendship.

C. It is meant for outgoing children.

D. It is based on the writer 's real-life events.

3.Who called on politeness in his or her book?

A. Lynne Tru.    B. Reif Larsen.    C. Yoko Ogawa.    D. Tetsuo Fukuyama.

听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。

1.What does the speaker ask the audience (听众) to do?

A. Sit down quickly.    B. Show their tickets.    C. Hand in their phones.

2.What is allowed inside the theater?

A. Taking photos.

B. Bringing outside food.

C. Buying things from its cafe.

3.How long is the break?

A. Five minutes.    B. Ten minutes.    C. Fifteen minutes.

4.How will the audience know when the break is over?

A. A bell will ring.

B. It will end at three o'clock.

C. People in red jackets will tell them.