NASA’s Curiosity vehicle recently recorded the largest level of methane(甲烷) ever measured during its seven-year Mars mission. The discovery is exciting because the existence of methane gas could support the case for life on Mars.
Methane has no color or smell. A special instrument on Curiosity’s Mars Science Laboratory recorded the increased gas level. The device, called a laser spectrometer, measures levels of chemical elements and gases in the Martian atmosphere. In addition to methane, the instrument can record levels of water and CO2. Nearly all the methane gas found in Earth’s atmosphere is produced by biological activity. It usually comes from animal and plant life. But it can also be formed by geological(地质的) processes, such as interactions between rocks and water. NASA said the increased methane was measured to be about 21 parts per billion by volume (ppbv). One ppbv means that if you take a volume of air on Mars, one billionth of the volume of air is methane.
It was not the first time Curiosity has found methane gas in the Martian atmosphere. About a year ago, NASA announced that Curiosity had discovered sharp seasonal increases in the gas. This time, NASA said the measured methane gas level was clearly larger than any others observed in the past. NASA officials even temporarily stopped Curiosity’s other activities to investigate further.
“It’s exciting because microbial(微生物的) life is an important source of methane on Earth,” NASA said in a statement announcing the discovery. However, Curiosity’s team carried out a follow-up methane experiment that showed a sharp drop in levels of the gas. The second examination found the level was less than one part per billion by volume. That number was close to the background levels Curiosity sees all the time. The rise and fall of the methane gas levels left NASA scientists with more questions than answers. The scientists are continuing to study possible causes for the sudden increase. The methane mystery continues.
Curiosity does not have instruments that can exactly identify whether the source of the methane is biological or geological. One leading theory is that methane is being released from underground areas created by possible life forms that disappeared long ago. Even though Mars has no active volcanoes, scientists believe it is also possible that methane is being produced by reactions involving carbon materials and water.
A clearer understanding of methane levels over time could help scientists determine where they’re located on Mars. Scientists hope this understanding will come as Curiosity continues to collect methane data in its search for possible life.
1.Curiosity discovered.
A.the largest methane gas level ever observed on Mars
B.the existence of life on Mars
C.the reason for the increased methane
D.interactions between rocks and water
2.Why did NASA officials once stop Curiosity’s other activities?
A.To further examine the methane gas level on Mars.
B.To seek possible life existing on Mars.
C.To check the quality of Curiosity’s mission.
D.To find seasonal increases in the methane gas.
3.What can we learn from the last three paragraphs?
A.Causes for the change of methane have been proved by Curiosity.
B.Curiosity has proved the location of methane by instruments.
C.Scientists think reactions involving carbon materials and water may produce methane.
D.Identifying the source of methane has helped scientists search for possible life on Mars.
4.The passage is probably taken from .
A.a geography textbook B.a science newspaper
C.a health magazine D.a travel brochure
I.M. Pei, whose modern designs and high-profile projects made him one of the best-known and most prolific architects of the 20th century, has died. He was 102. A spokesman for Pei’s New York architecture firm confirmed his death to the Associated Press. Pei, whose designs included a controversial renovation of Paris’ Louvre Museum and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland, died overnight, his son Chien Chung Pei told the New York Times.
Ieoh Ming Pei, the son of an outstanding banker in China, left his homeland in 1935, moving to the US and studying architecture at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard. After teaching and working for the US government, he went to work for a New York developer in 1948 and started his own firm in 1955.
The museums, municipal buildings, hotels, schools and other structures that Pei built around the world showed precision geometry（几何结构）and an abstract quality with much respect for light. They were composed of stone, steel and glass and, as with the Louvre, Pei often worked glass pyramids into his projects.
The Louvre, parts of which date to the 12th century, proved to be Pei ’s most controversial work, starting with the fact that he was not French. After being chosen for the job by the then president, François Mitterrand, surrounded by much secrecy, Pei began by making a four-month study of the museum and French history. He created a futuristic(极其现代的) 70ft-tall steel-framed, glass-walled pyramid as a grand entrance for the museum with three smaller pyramids nearby. It was a striking contrast to the existing Louvre structures in classic French style and was violently criticized by many French.
Pei said the Louvre was undoubtedly the most difficult job of his career. He said he had wanted to create a modern space that did not detract（减损）from the traditional part of the museum. “Contemporary architects tend to impose modernity on something,” he said in a New York Times interview in 2008. “There is a certain concern for history but it’s not very deep. I understand that time has changed, we have evolved. But I don’t want to forget the beginning. A lasting architecture has to have roots.”
When Pei won the international Pritzker Architecture Prize in 1983, he used the $100,000 award to start a program for aspiring Chinese architects to study in the US. Even though he formally retired from his firm in 1990, Pei was still taking on projects in his late 80s, such as museums in Luxembourg, Qatar and his ancestral home of Suzhou.
1.What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?
A.Pei is famous for traditional designs in architecture.
B.Pei built the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in Cleveland.
C.Pei set up his own firm with the help of a New York developer.
D.Pei put the elements light and glass pyramids into the Louvre.
2.What is the French attitude towards Pei’s job of the Louvre?
A.Positive. B.Neutral.
C.Critical. D.Objective.
3.What is the purpose of Paragraph 5?
A.To explain Pei’s idea about the Louvre innovation job.
B.To list the modernity of the Louvre innovation.
C.To show Pei’s love for traditional culture.
D.To present Pei’s contributions to architecture in history.
4.Which of the following words can best describe Pei?
A.Productive and stubborn. B.Generous and persistent.
C.Hard-working and humorous. D.Tolerant and considerate.
Each spring brings a new blossom of wildflowers in the ditches(沟渠)along the highway I travel daily to work.
There is one particular blue flower that has always caught my eye. I've noticed that it blooms only in the morning hours; the afternoon sun is too warm for it. Every day for approximately two weeks, I see those beautiful flowers.
This spring, I started a wildflower garden in our yard. I can look out of the kitchen window while doing the dishes and see the flowers. I've often thought that those lovely blue flowers from the ditch would look great in that bed alongside other wildflowers. Every day I drove past the flowers thinking, "I'II stop on my way home and dig them." "Gee, I don't want to get my good clothes dirty.,." Whatever the reason, I never stopped to dig them. My husband even gave me a folding tool one year for my trunk to be used for that expressed purpose.
One day on my way home from work, I was upset to see that the highway department had removed the ditches
and the pretty blue flowers were gone. I thought to myself, "Way to go, you waited too long. You should have done
it when you first saw them blooming this spring."
A week ago we were shocked and sad to learn that my oldest sister-in-law has a serious brain disease. She is20 years older than my husband and unfortunately, because of age and distance, we haven't been as close as we all would have liked. I couldn't help but see the connection between the pretty blue flowers and the relationship between my husband's sister and us. I do believe that God has given us some time left to plant some wonderful
memories that will bloom every year for us.
And yes, if I see the blue flowers again, you can bet I'll stop and transplant them to my wildflower garden.
1.Why does the writer want to start a wildflower garden in her yard?
A.Because the flowers bloom only in the morning hours.
B.Because she can see the flowers every day for two weeks.
C.Because the flowers can remind her of her oldest sister-in-law.
D.Because she enjoys the way of life in company with the flowers.
2.Which statement is NOT true according to the passage?
A.The blue flowers in the ditches always draw my attention.
B.We don't get on well with the sister-in-law in practice.
C.I never stopped to dig the flowers for some reason.
D.The sister-in-law lives far from us.
3.According to the passage, the writer will .
A.stop to find the flowers whenever she drives along the highway
B.plant a variety of flowers in the garden in her yard in future
C.get as wonderful memories with the sister-in-law as before
D.get more close to the sister-in-law in the following days
4.What is the theme of the story?
A.Actions speak louder than words.
B.No sweets without sweat.
C.Time and tide wait for no man.
D.Opportunity belongs to whoever is prepared.
If you’ll be taking vacation time in the coming year and plan on flying, here are some shopping tips for you. Those who fly first class and don’t care what airline tickets cost are excused from this lesson.
When to buy
If you are shopping for domestic (国内的) flights, check prices on Tuesday afternoons. This is an old tip but still useful because most US carriers continue to release sales on Tuesday morning, and competitors quickly drop their fares to match the better deals.
When to fly
Weekdays continue to be generally cheaper times to fly than weekends for most flights. In the US, the cheapest days are typically Tuesday, Wednesday and Saturday. A good itinerary (Ðг̱í) for the expensive US spring break travel period is Tuesday to Saturday; it will save you money over weekend-to-weekend travel.
Where to fly
We continue to see good deals to Boston and Denver and more and more nice prices to Chicago, Seattle and Washington, D.C. As for Europe, there have been surprising deals throughout the fall and those will continue into the winter.
Direct vs. connecting flights
Compare the price of direct with connecting flights. Sometimes adding a stop to your route will save you money. An example: an Francisco to Raleigh/Durham: $553 direct, $362 one-stop.
You’d better think twice about the direct flight for San Francisco to Raleigh.
Compare, compare, compare
Stifle the impulse to go to your favorite airline site to purchase tickets without doing any comparison. Example: Let’s say you want to fly from New York to London and figure your favorite US legacy carrier will get you there for the best price. Airline price: $554 round-trip.
However, the comparison site also showed a cheaper flight from the same legacy carrier ($521). See what you’re missing when you fail to compare?
1.When can you possibly find the best price for flights within the US?
A.On Monday morning. B.On Tuesday morning.
C.On Tuesday afternoon. D.On Sunday morning.
2.What does the underlined phrase “stifle the impulse” in the last but one paragraph mean?
A.Feel free to do something. B.Hold off on doing something.
C.Get well prepared for something. D.Make quick decision on something.
3.Who is the text intended for?
A.Those who usually choose first class for their flights.
B.Those who want to find suggestions on where to fly.
C.Those who are traveling during the spring break.
D.Those who are looking for the best airline ticket prices.
假设你是红星中学高二学生李华，得知2020年第18届世界中学生运动会( the 18th World Middle School Games) 将在中国福建举行，组委会正面向全国招募(recruit)志愿者。请写一封申请信，内容包括:
1. 申请理由；
2. 自身优势；
3. 表达期待。
注意:词数100左右。
Dear Sir/Madam,
I am Li Hua, a Senior 2 student in Hongxing Middle School.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。
增加:在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。
删除:把多余的词用斜线(\)划掉。
修改:在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。
注意:1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；
2.只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。
As the saying goes, chances favored the prepared mind. I learned this from one of my experience.
I was not chosen as member of the volleyball team of our school. Because of this, I decided to give up play volleyball. Lucky, my best friend stopped me and pointed out that it was my laziness and poor preparation which led to my failure. After that, I practiced playing volleyball on every day. When another tryout arrived, I was fully preparing and tried my best. As a result, I was selected but became an important player on our school team.
From this, I am firmly convinced that we are able to seize a chance as long as I get well prepared
