NASA said its Kepler spacecraft has spotted ''Earth's bigger, older cousin'': the first nearly Earth-size planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own.
Though NASA can’t say for sure whether the planet is rocky like ours or has water and air, it's the closest match yet found.
The planet, Kepler-452b, is about 60% bigger than Earth, NASA says, and is located in its star's habitable zone, where life-sustaining liquid water is possible on the surface of a planet.
A visitor there would experience gravity about twice that of Earth's, and scientists say the possibility of it having a rocky surface are ''better than ever''. While it's a bit farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, its star is brighter, so the planet receives about the same amount of energy from its star as Earth does from the sun.
Kepler researcher Jeff Jenkins said, ''The planet almost certainly has an atmosphere, although scientists can't say what it's made of. But if the assumptions are correct, kepler-452b's atmosphere may be thicker than Earth's. ''
It takes 385 days for the planet to orbit its star. ''Because it has spent so long orbiting in this zone—6 billion years—it's had plenty of time to brew life,'' Jenkins said.
''That's an opportunity for life to arise, if all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet, '' he said in a statement.
Kepler-452b is too far away for humans to visit. But the discovery of this new Earth-like planet can tell us a lot about what’s possible for the future of space travel. ''The next step in the process is to do follow-up missions to find planets similar to kepler-452b, but much closer to Earth, '' said Peter Coughlin, a Kepler research scientist. ''We could do a lot more research into those planets, and even start to think about visiting one day. ''
1.The researchers are sure that Kepler-452b ________．
A.is larger than Earth B.has an atmosphere
C.has air and water D.has many rocks
2.What is the similarity between Kepler-452b and the Earth?
A.They are both located in the sun's habitable zone．
B.Their distances from the sun are almost the same．
C.Their atmospheres are made of the same compositions．
D.They get almost the same amount of energy from their stars.．
3.The underlined word ''brew'' in paragraph 6 most probably means ________.
A.improve B.endanger
C.produce D.protect
4.What should be the best title for the text?
A.Kepler-452b Is Compared to the Earth.
B.NASA Discovers a New Earth-Like Planet.
C.A Spacecraft Was Launched to Find Super-Earth.
D.A New Planet With Life Is Discovered.
Jon Steward, a 10-year-old boy with autism(自闭症), came home from Cumberland Head Elementary School in Plattsburgh, New York, on April 7 more excited than ever. To celebrate National Poetry Month, his fifth-grade teacher asked her students to write a poem about themselves, beginning every sentence with ''I am''.
Jon couldn't wait to start writing, so he sat down and didn't look up until it was finished. A few hours later, he showed the poem to his parents, who immediately got chock up.
''I am odd. I am new, '' Jon wrote in the poem. ''I wonder if you are too. I hear voices in the air. I see you don't and that's not fair. ''
''I feel like a boy in outer space. I touch the stars and feel out of place, '' he went on to write.
''At first, we felt sad and hurt that he felt lonely, misunderstood and odd at school, '' Steward said. ''As the poem went on, we realized that he understood that he was odd and that so was everyone else in their own way. This is what Jon wants everyone to know. ''
Jon was supposed to read his poem aloud to the class the following day, but upon waking up that morning, he refused to go to school. Instead, he stayed at home.
He didn't think his poem was any good, so his dad posted it on Facebook in the hope of getting some encouraging comments. Once the National Autism Association saw the photo, they posted it on their page, where thousands of strangers shared how much the poem inspired them. Now the family has heard from hundreds of parents thanking Jon for showing how their own kids may be feeling at school.
1.Why did Jon feel very excited on April 7?
A.He had a task to finish. B.He wrote a good poem.
C.He had good news to share. D.He had been praised at school.
2.How should Jon feel the next day?
A.Pleased. B.Anxious.
C.Puzzled. D.Bored.
3.After the poem was posted online, it ________．
A.was ignored for a short time
B.won much encouragement for Jon
C.started a hot debate immediately
D.made many parents know more about Jon
4.Who will be most interested in the poem?
A.Doctors. B.Students.
C.Parents. D.Educators.
Home to an interesting political history and many archaeological finds, South Africa has lots of options for travelers other than wildlife parks and great beaches.
The Cradle of Humankind
The cradle of Humankind, in Gauteng, is home to 40% of the world’s discovered human ancestor fossils. The Maropeng Visitor Center offers impressive shows of the 3.5 million-year evolution of man, plus the opportunity to gaze at the stars as storytellers recount the daily life of our human ancestors. This UNESCO World Heritage Site is a 40-minute drive from Johannesburg.
Vredefort Dome
Vredefort Dome is the world’s oldest meteorite impact scar, or astrobleme(陨星坑). With a radius of 190km, it is also the largest and the most deeply eroded. Situated 120km southwest of Johannesburg, the astrobleme is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
Nelson Mandela’s Legacy
Officially, there are places of interest throughout South Africa for tourists wishing to follow the respected statesman’s life journey. Now a World Heritage Site, Robben Island, lies off Cape Town, and is where he spent 18 of his 27 years in prison. Tourists also make the trip to the Eastern Cape village of Qunu, which was both his home during his young years and his burial place.
Vilakazi Street
Vilakazi Street, Orlando West, Soweto, is the only street in the world that has been home to two Nobel winners, Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu. Mandela’s house is now a museum. Also in Orlando West is the Hector Pieterson Memorial, in honor of youth resistance against apartheid(种族隔离制度).
1.Which of the following would you visit if you are interested in the history of mankind?
A.The Cradle of Humankind. B.Nelson Mandela’s Legacy.
C.Vredefort Dome. D.Vilakazi Street.
2.Why is Vilakazi Street famous?
A.It saw the birth of two famous persons.
B.Nelson Mandela is buried here after his death.
C.It is the only street in the world with a museum.
D.Coincidently, two Nobel Prize winners once lived here.
3.What’s the author’s purpose in writing the text?
A.To memorize the respected statesman Nelson Mandela.
B.To show the abundance of culture in South Africa.
C.To attract the readers to take a trip to South Africa.
D.To introduce some cultural relics in South Africa.
阅读下面材料, 根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。续写词数应为150左右。
A tradesman was leading a caravan (商队) to another country to sell his goods. Along the way they came to the edge of a hot-sand desert. They learnt that during the daytime the sun heated up the fine sand until it was as hot as charcoal (木炭), so no one could walk on it — not even camels! Then the caravan leader hired a desert guide, one who could follow the stars, so they could travel only at night when the sand cooled down. The guide sat on the first cart. And they began the dangerous night-time journey across the desert. A couple of nights later, after eating their evening meal and waiting for the sand to cool, they started out again.
Later that night, the desert guide, who was driving the first cart, saw from the stars that they were getting close to the other side of the desert. He had been very tired, so when he relaxed, he fell asleep. Then the camels who, of course, couldn’t tell directions by reading the stars, gradually turned to the side and went in a big wide circle until they ended up at the same place that they started from! By then it was morning, and the people woke up and realized they were back at the same spot where they started. They lost heart and began to cry about their condition. Since the desert crossing was supposed to be over by now, they had no more water, and they were worried about there was nothing to drink, and were extremely afraid they would die of thirst. They even began to blame the caravan leader and the desert guide. However, the leader himself didn’t lose courage. He talked with the desert guide and then they began wandering, trying to work out a plan.
Paragraph 1
Suddenly, the leader noticed a small clump (团) of grass.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2
A spring (泉源) was found at last.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
假定你是李华，是一名不久前经历了地震的中学生。请你就一下内容向报社写一封信，反映灾后情况，并对提供各方面帮助的爱心人士表达谢意。要点如下：
1. 目睹了人们奋不顾身救人，及时运送救援物资；
2. 在众多陌生人的帮助下，找回自己的父母，正在重建家园；
3. 更加珍惜来之不易的学习机会，将来会努力学习，回报他人。
注意：1. 词数100左右；
2. 开头和结尾已经给出，不计入总词数。
Dear editor,
I’m a senior student that has experienced a great earthquake. I’m writing to you to express my thanks to those who helped us when we suffered the disaster.
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours,
Li Hua
根据句意及首字母或中文提示写出单词的完全形式。
1.His workmates demanded that he never c_________ with the boss on the issue of salary.
2.Paul is making s________ progress in English, making his parents relieved.
3.Union leaders and company bosses will meet tomorrow in an attempt to reach a s_________.
4.Take the road running ________(平行) to the main road just after the village, and you will reach your destination soon.
5.From the point of the manager, c_______ what effect all these changes will have on the company is really a hard job.
6.Upon hearing the news that her mother was badly injured, the girl g_______ her bag and ran out of the classroom.
7.U________ due to unforeseen circumstances, this year's show has been cancelled.
8.The new law will ensure that habitual ________ (罪犯) receive tougher punishments than first-time offenders.
9.To have dinner in that restaurant, you are advised to make seat _______ (预订) well in advance.
10.In this way we can train our students to speak English fluently and ________ (准确).
