An international team of scientists has discovered a stellar black hole in Earth’s “cosmic backyard” containing the mass of 70 suns.

It’s a black hole that forms after stars die, collapse, and explode. Researchers had long believed that the size limit was only 20 times the mass of our sun because as these stars die, they lose most of their mass through explosions that force matter and gas swept away by stellar winds.

This theory has now been toppled by LB-1, the newly discovered black hole. Located about 15,000 light years away, it has a mass 70 times greater than our sun, according to a press release from the Chinese Academy of Sciences.

“Black holes of such mass should not even exist in our galaxy (星系), according to most of the present models of stellar evolution,” said Liu Jifeng, head of the team that made the discovery.

“LB-1 is twice as massive as what we thought possible. Now theorists will have to take up the challenge of explaining its formation.”

Scientists are now scratching their heads at how LB-1 got so huge.

The team has proposed some theories. LB-1’s sheer size suggests that it “was not formed from the collapse of only one star,” the study said — instead, it could potentially be two smaller black holes orbiting each other.

Another possibility is that it formed from “fallback supernova (超行星).” This is when a supernova — the last stage of an exploding star — ejects (喷射) material during the explosion, which then falls back into the supernova, creating a black hole. This fallback formation is theoretically possible, but scientists have never been able to prove or observe it.

There are several types of black holes and stellar black holes like LB-1 are on the smaller side, according to NASA. Supermassive black holes are much bigger — they can be billions of times the mass of our sun.

Scientists believe supermassive black holes may have connection with the formation of galaxies, as they often exist at the center of the mass star stems but it is still not clear exactly how, or which form first.

1.According to scientists, what might account for the formation of LB-1?

A.The material ejected in the explosion of a supernova.

B.The smaller black holes moving around each other.

C.The evolution of the solar system.

D.The collapse of a certain star.

2.What does the word “toppled” in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A.Confirmed B.Strengthened. C.Overturned. D.Refused.

3.What is the purpose of writing this article?

A.To inform readers of the basic knowledge about black holes.

B.To share the recent development of the black hole discovery.

C.To show the importance of discovering black holes for science.

D.To report achievements scientists have made in black hole theory.

4.What might be the best title for the passage?

A.The Latest Discovery of Galaxies

B.Proposed Theories of Black Holes

C.The Possible Formation of the Black Holes

D.Biggest Stellar-mass Black Hole Discovered

    Thirty-two cases of illegal hunting or trading wild animals have been uncovered involving 33 suspects since a crackdown against illegal wildlife trade was launched on April 10.

Beijing police seized 74 wild animals grouped in China into the first-grade and second-grade state protected animals, including African grey parrots and cockatoos, as well as nearly 50 wild birds and 21 pangolin scales.

On April 16, police in the capital city’s Chaoyang district caught two suspects, who were respectively identified as Liu and Wang, for buying wild animals, and recovered more than 40 wild birds, including one cockatoo and one African grey parrot, at their homes, the statement said, adding the two suspects have been detained (拘留).

In another case, a 35-year-old man surnamed Hu was also sentenced to imprisonment in Daxing district after he was found selling wild animals through QQ, a popular instant messaging tool in the country. He was caught on April 14.

The bureau highlighted the importance of protecting the wildlife, noting Chinese laws and a new decision adopted by the nation’s top legislature (立法机关) have also shown the country’s determination against illegal trade of wild animals.

The Chinese Criminal Law clarifies that those illegally hunting, buying, selling or transporting wild animals on the state protection list, endangered animals or the wildlife-related products will face an imprisonment of more than 10 years and fines if their behaviors are identified as “extremely serious”.

On Feb 24, the Standing Committee of the National People’s Congress, the country’s top legislative body, also passed the decision that clearly states all wildlife on the protection list of the existing Wild Animal Protect Law or other laws, and all wild animals, including those artificially bred and farmed, are not permitted to be hunted or traded.

With the strict crackdown campaign against illegal trade of wild animals on the go in Beijing, the whole nation is attaching great importance to wild life protection.

1.The author mentions the cases at the very beginning of the passage to ______ .

A.explain the new laws on wildlife protection

B.show the present situation of wildlife extinction

C.highlight the problem of illegal trade of wild animals

D.introduce Beijing’s campaign against illegal wildlife trade

2.What can we learn from the first three paragraphs?

A.The number of wild animals is decreasing sharply.

B.Hunting and trading wildlife has become a nationwide concern.

C.Effective actions have been taken to prevent wildlife from illegal trade.

D.The strong action to stop trading illegal wild animals has a long way to go.

3.According to the Chinese Criminal Law, ______ .

A.serious actions of trading wild animals will face fierce punishment

B.people risk heavy fines but no imprisonment for trade of wildlife

C.the trade of wildlife-related products will receive no punishment

D.those who hunt illegally may face 10 years of imprisonment

4.Which best describes the author’s tone in the passage?

A.Determined. B.Hopeful. C.Unconcerned. D.Doubtful.

    Jane Goodall was born in Bournemouth, England, on April 3, 1934. As a child, she had a natural love for the outdoors and animals. When Jane was about eight she read the Tarzan and Dr. Dolittle series and, in love with Africa, dreamed of traveling to work with the animals.

Finally, at age 23, she left for Nairobi, Kenya. There, Jane met famed Dr. Louis Seymour Bazett Leakey, who offered her a job at the local natural history museum. She worked there for a time before Leakey decided to send her to the Gombe Stream Game Reserve in Tanzania to study wild chimpanzees. He felt her strong interest in animals and nature, and her knowledge as well as high energy made her a great candidate to study the chimpanzees.

In December 1958, Jane returned home to England and Leakey began to make arrangements for the expedition (考察), securing the appropriate permissions from the government and raising funds. In May 1960, Jane learned that Leakey had gained funding from the Wilkie Brothers Foundation.

Jane arrived by boat at the Gombe Stream Game Reserve on the eastern shore of Lake Tanganyika with her mother. The early weeks at Gombe were challenging. Jane developed a fever that delayed the start of her work. Finally, an older chimpanzee named David Greybeard, began to allow Jane to watch him. As a high ranking male of the chimpanzee community, his acceptance meant other group members also allowed Jane to observe. It was David Greybeard whom Jane first witnessed using tools. Excited, she telegraphed Dr. Leakey about her observation. He wrote back, “Now we must redefine ‘tool,’ and ‘man,’ or accept chimpanzees as humans.”

Jane continued to work in the field and, with Leakey’s help, began her doctoral program without an undergraduate degree in 1962. At Cambridge University, she found herself at odds with senior scientists over the methods she used — how she had named the chimpanzees rather than using the more common numbering system, and for suggesting that the chimps have emotions and personalities. She further upset those in power at the university when she wrote her first book, My Friends, the Wild Chimpanzees, aimed at the general public rather than an academic audience. The book was wildly popular, and her academic peers were outraged. Dr. Jane Goodall earned her Ph.D. on February 9, 1966, and continued to work at Gombe for the next twenty years.

1.It can be inferred from the passage that ______ .

A.Jane was the first to discover chimpanzees use tools

B.a journey to Kenya rooted Jane’s deep love for animals

C.Dr. Leakey easily raised funds from the Wilkie Brothers Foundation

D.Jane’s work at the Gombe Stream Game Reserve went along smoothly

2.What is the academic peers’ attitude towards Jane’s first book?

A.Extremely puzzled. B.Genuinely pleased.

C.Really angry. D.Truly sensitive.

3.What does the underlined sentence imply in paragraph 5?

A.Jane’s study of chimpanzees received no support from scientists.

B.Jane’s method inspired more scientists to make further discoveries.

C.Jane’s achievements quickly attracted attention from senior scientists.

D.Senior scientists disagreed with Jane’s method in observing chimpanzees.

4.What message is mainly conveyed in the passage?

A.Passion and hard work can make a difference in scientific research.

B.Cooperation is the key to making significant discoveries.

C.Challenging senior scientists is a must in gaining fame.

D.High energy counts in achieving great success.

你校校报英语专栏正在征稿。请你以’I am Very Grateful to My Mom’ 为题，用英语写一篇短文投稿。内容包括以下要点:

1. 简单描述你的母亲；

2. 母亲常为你做的事情(两点)；

3. 你的感概。

注意:

1.词数100左右；

2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。

I am Very Grateful to My Mom

______________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

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。

Last year, on National Day, my parents and I went to Qingdao appreciate the beautiful seaside scenery. It was the first time that they had been to Qingdao, so we had prepared for it a week before. In midnight, we went on a bus and arrived at Qingdao Bus Station six hours late. Near the station we buy a map to refer to it. First, we went to the attractive seaside and took some photo there. We enjoyed ourselves, walking on the beach and swim in the sea. After lunch, we decided to climb Lao Mount. Although we were tiring when we reached the top, we felt happy. What a enjoyable trip!

    WeChat and Sina Weibo, two of China’s most _______ social media, have been filled with nostalgia (怀旧) in recent days, as millions of citizens have posted _______ of themselves at age 18. The trend (趋势) was inspired by the_______ of 2018, which means even the _______ members of the 90s’ generation - those _______ from 1990 to 1999 - have now turned 18 and become _______.

Many people shared _______ of their hopes and dreams from that time. On Sina Weibo, ‘photos taken at 18’ was one of the hottest _______. Members of the 90s’ generation were born at a time when China was _______ to see meaningful results from its opening, which was launched in 1978. They ________ with rapid development in the information age.

Fang Shilin, an engineer, ________ two pictures on his WeChat Moments after ________ that many of his friends had uploaded photos. ‘It was a ________ time. When I look at these pictures, I miss my friends and the ________ days. Back then, all I wished ________ was that there would be________ more exams in my life. Now the dream has come true,’ he said with a ________.

Kou Ying, 53, was not a fan of the trend at first, but she quickly ________ her attitude after seeing her friends’ old photos. ‘When I was 18, I ________ imagined that I’d be able to study in Germany and become a professional translator. It’s interesting to look ________,’ she said. ‘I haven’t changed so much. Even my husband said I am still as simple as I was at 18 years old.’

1.A.interesting B.expensive C.useful D.popular

2.A.pictures B.letters C.information D.news

3.A.side B.end C.arrival D.chance

4.A.oldest B.youngest C.fewest D.biggest

5.A.born B.tired C.working D.studying

6.A.adults B.children C.students D.women

7.A.interests B.studies C.memories D.books

8.A.films B.jobs C.titles D.topics

9.A.hoping B.learning C.fighting D.beginning

10.A.set out B.showed off C.grew up D.came back

11.A.bought B.took C.posted D.sold

12.A.deciding B.noticing C.thinking D.dreaming

13.A.hard B.funny C.long D.great

14.A.right B.old C.new D.dark

15.A.for B.of C.at D.to

16.A.no B.some C.little D.any

17.A.cry B.laugh C.voice D.pain

18.A.got B.changed C.forgot D.realized

19.A.always B.already C.never D.still

20.A.out B.forward C.down D.back

How to Go Grocery Shopping

Grocery stores can be large. There are lots of people, plenty of aisles (通道), tons of tasty good things to spend money on and many different departments in a grocery store, so they can be difficult to deal with if you don’t know where you’re going. 1.

Make a list.

The best way to be prepared for your trip to the grocery store is to have a list of all the items you need to buy. 2. Also, you won’t leave the store having forgotten something you want. Be prepared well and you can get to the grocery store. 3.

Get fresh produce.

Please be sure you’re getting the maximum vitamins and nutrients from your food. 4. Remember that fresh produce won’t last as long as frozen, so only buy what you and your family will eat over the next week or so.

5.

Knowing well where the checkouts are can save much time. Place your items on the belt and wait for your turn to check out. If the cashier is bagging the groceries, hand over your reusable bags.

When you’re done, place your groceries into your car if you have one and go back home.

A.Be prepared for checking out.

B.Grocery shopping can easily be done.

C.Try to buy fresh fruits and vegetables in all colors.

D.That way, you can know exactly what you need to buy.

E.In fact, you don’t have to prepare everything in advance.

F.Don’t forget to take your reusable shopping bags with you.

G.The keys to grocery shopping include the following points.

    In England and Wales, motorists will face stronger punishments for driving under the influence of drugs as new laws take effect on Monday.

Drivers will be accused if they are caught going over the new legal limits for eight illegal drugs and eight prescription drugs.

Police will use ‘drugalysers’ to screen for cannabis and cocaine at the roadside, and they will be able to test for other drugs including ecstasy, LSD, ketamine and heroin at a police station. The Department of Transport (DoT) hopes to roll out more comprehensive roadside drugalysers at a later date.

People using prescription drugs, including morphine and methadone, will not be punished as long as levels are below those defined by the new law. The levels for illegal drugs are set much lower, with even a small amount leading to accusation.

The new law will complement existing rules, which make it an offence to drive when influenced by any drug.

A crime for drug-driving will lead to a minimum one-year driving ban, a fine of up to £5,000 ($7,700, 6,860 euros), up to six months in prison and a criminal record, the DoT said.

The offender’s driving licence will also highlight the drug-driving crime for 11 years.

1.What’s the function of drugalysers ?

A.To examine the cannabis and cocaine . B.To help the police to arrest the criminals.

C.To show how dangerous drug-driving is. D.To help the drivers drive within the limits.

2.What can we know from paragraph 4?

A.Which drivers should be fined. B.Prescription drugs are used legally.

C.How long a driver may be stopped driving. D.In which situation drivers can not be punished.

3.What kind of punishment will be given to the drivers for drug driving?

A.They need record the criminal. B.They can get as much as £5,000.

C.They must stop driving for at least one year . D.They must work in the prison up to six months.

4.What does the passage mainly tell us?

A.The laws in England and wales. B.The drugalysers along the roadside.

C.New drug-driving laws have taken effect. D.The reasons why the drivers will be punished.

Fresh pomegranates at a market.

The seeds of this round, red fruit are known for their antioxidants (抗氧化剂). On the outside, they may look a bit like red delicious apples —but once you cut them open, you can tell pomegranates are quite different. Unlike apples, the tastiest part of pomegranates is actually their seeds. Just cut off the crown, cut the pomegranate into pieces like an apple, and pop out the seeds for a sweet snack.

Tiny as these kernels (果粒) are, pomegranate seeds, which are full of antioxidants, have been found to have a number of health benefits.

Let’s take a closer look at the health benefits of pomegranates:

Pomegranates improve your immune system. Moore recommends drinking pomegranate juice. ‘The antioxidant activity of pomegranate juice can be as much as three times higher than that of green tea and red wine,’ she explained. Antioxidants are important to keep the cells in our bodies healthy and able to fight off viruses, keeping down inflammation (炎症) and preventing organ damage. Besides, pomegranates lower blood pressure, lower cholesterol(胆固醇)and may prevent cancer.

With dozens of studies proving the positive health effects of pomegranates, it’s easily seen that this fruit is more than just a snack. Next time you see one at the market, give it a try – add the fruit to your breakfast.

1.Which is the suitable description of pomegranates?

A.They are a kind of red apples.

B.They can offer juice and salad.

C.They has tastiest seeds like apples.

D.They have seeds good for people’s health.

2.What does the underlined phrase in paragraph 1 mean?

A.Take something out quickly.

B.Make a strange sound.

C.Send out something.

D.Appear suddenly.

3.How do pomegranates benefit people’s health?

A.They can cure cancer.

B.They can protect cholesterol.

C.They can cause inflammation.

D.They can reduce blood pressure.

    Going to a British high school for one year was a very enjoyable and exciting experience for me. I was very happy with the school hours in Britain because school starts around 9 a.m.and ends about 3.30 p.m. This means I could get up an hour later than usual as schools in China begin before 8 a.m.

On the first day, the headmaster told us about the rules of the school. He also told us that the best way to earn respect from the school was to work hard and achieve high grades.This sounded like my school in China.

I had many teachers, among whom my favourite teacher was English literature teacher, Miss Burke. In our class there were 29 students. This is about the average size for British schools. We had to move to different classrooms for different classes. We also had different students in some classes, so it was difficult to remember all the faces and names.

My English improved a lot as I used English every day and spent an hour each day reading English books in the library. I also had an extra French class on Tuesday evenings. Cooking was really fun as I learned how to buy, prepare and cook food. British food is very different. British people eat lots of desserts after their main meal. They don’t seem to like fruit as much as Chinese students.

I was very lucky to experience this different way of life, and I hope that someday I can go back and study in Manchester again.

1.Why was the writer happy with the School hours?

A.Because he can get up as late as possible.

B.Because he can go to school before 8 a.m.

C.Because the school begins later than he had in China.

D.Because the school life begins early and ends late.

2.What made the writer feel difficult to remember the classmates?

A.Having lessons in different classes with different classmates.

B.Too many new students coming into the school.

C.The average size class having 29 classmates.

D.His new arriving and bad memory.

3.What does the writer think of his experience?

A.He thought it was satisfying. B.He thought it was difficult.

C.He believed it was fun. D.He believed it was full of luck.

4.Which can be the title of the passage?

A.How to Achieve High Grades. B.My School Life in UK.

C.Britain Schools and Teachers. D.My First at Britain School.