Is there intelligent (有智力的) life on other planets? For years, scientists said “no.” or “we don’t know.” But today this is changing. Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers(天文学家). They believe intelligent life exists (存在) somewhere in the universe. They also think we sill soon contact these beings(人；生物).
Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets? The first reason is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. “This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life,” say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size—the universe is huge. “Tools like the Hubble Telescope(哈勃望远镜) have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies,” says Shostak. “And our galaxy, the Milky Way, has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth.”
In the past, it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe. But now, powerful telescopes(高倍望远镜) allow scientists to discover smaller planets—the size of Mars or Earth—in other solar systems. These planets might have intelligent life.
Have beings from space already visited Earth? “Probably not,” says Shostak. “It’s a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other way, such as radio signals(信号). In fact, they may be trying to communicate with us now, but we don’t have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025, we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other.”
1.Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are _____.
A. astronomers B. farmers C. singers D. drivers
2.What is the best title for Paragraph 2?
A. The Age and Size of Earth
B. Our Galaxy: The Milky Way
C. Why Intelligent Life Might Exist
D. Earth: The Only Planet with Intelligent Life
3.Why was it hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe in the past?
A. There were not any smaller planets.
B. There were not any powerful telescopes.
C. The astronomers were not interested in them.
D. The Milky Way didn’t exist at that time,
4.Why haven’t beings from space visited us yet according to Shostak?
A. They’re afraid of us.
B. It’s a long way away.
C. They don’t want to see us.
D. They don’t know how to use radio signals.
5.What does the underlined phrase “life forms” in the last paragraph mean?
A. Messages B. Tools C. Intelligent beings D. Radio signals
How green are you? Do you know how to be green?
We all need a healthy environment, but we produce waste every day and it does harm to our environment. Though we are young, we can still do something to help. In fact, even the simplest everyday activities can make a real difference to the environment. Here are some ideas for you.
Reduce
Reduce means “use less”. Don’t waste things. This saves money and reduces pollution and waste going into the environment. Before we buy something new, think whether it is really necessary—or maybe the old one will be just as good! When we do buy things, choose local products if possible, and try not to buy too many things from abroad.
Reuse
Reuse means “use again”. Use things for as long as possible. When we buy things, make sure that they last a long time. We should look after them so that they will last, and we should repair them if we can instead of throwing them away and buying new ones. Don’t use a paper cup of a paper bag. It’s better to use a china cup and a lunch box because you can use them again.
Recycle
Recycle means “change things into something else”. Though it takes energy to change something into something else, it’s better than throwing things away or burning them. Find out what can be recycled in your neighbourhood and take part in recycling programmes. We should also buy products made from recycled materials, such as recycled paper, to help save trees.
So please remember these three words: reduce, reuse and recycle.
1.What is the passage about?
A. How to produce things. B. How to burn things.
C. How to help others. D. How to be green.
2. Which of the following is right?
A. Don’t waste things. B. Always throw away old things.
C. Always buy new things. D. Buy too many things from abroad.
3.Why is it better to use a china cup and a lunch box?
A. You can burn them.
B. You can use them again.
C. You can throw them away.
D. You can change them into something else.
4.To protect the environment, we should remember these three words: _______.
A. waste, reuse and recycle B. repair, burn and recycle
C. reduce, reuse and recycle D. reduce, waste and recycle.
5. The passage may come from ______.
A. a menu B. a dictionary C. a storybook D. a magazine
A man lived in a village. He had an old cat at home. The cat couldn’t run fast, and she couldn’t bite, because she was so old. One day, when she saw a mouse, she jumped and caught it. But she could not bite it. The mouse got out of her mouth and ran away.
Then the man became very angry and began to beat the cat. The cat said, “Don’t beat your old servant. I know I’m old and can’t kill a mouse. But I have worked for you for many years, and I still want to work for you. Be kind to the old, and remember what good work they did when they were young.”
When the man heard that, he realized that he was wrong.
1.Where did the man live?
A. In a village. B. In a city. C. In a factory. D. In a hotel.
2.What could the old cat do?
A. Run fast. B. Bite. C. Catch a mouse. D. Kill a mouse.
3. How did the man feel when the mouse ran away?
A. Angry. B. Happy. C. Afraid. D. Sad.
4.How long did the cat work for the man?
A. Several days. B. A few months. C. About a year. D. Many years.
5. What happened at the end of the story?
A. The cat left home. B. The man realized his mistake.
C. The man killed the cat. D. The man didn’t believe the cat.
Many years ago, when I was a student, the radio studio manager at WXBN interviewed me and it changed my life.
“How old are you?”he looked down at _______.
“Fifteen,” I said.
“And you want a job in radio?” Shouldn’t you be _______?”he asked.
How could I explain? I’ve always _______ the radio. When I was four or five years old, I remember sitting close to the radio in the living room, listening to my favourite programmes, and the voices of my favourite presenters. It seemed that they were speaking to me in person. _______ the age of nine, I asked for jobs in small radio stations.
As I grew older, my _______ in radio grew. One day I learned about Internet radio. Once a week, I played my favoutite music from my father’s computer to the listeners, talked about life at school, and then closed down and did my homework.
Soon my friends at junior high school started to listen, and then they wanted to _______. We prepared the weekly programmes, articles about music, sports news, jokes and the weather report.
“OK, _______ with me,” the WXBN manager said, I followed him into the studio. Then I sat down in front of a microphone. He was in another room, behind the glass wall.
“OK, let’s do a second check. Just tell me _______ you had for breakfast.”
All radio presenters begin work with the same _______.
“I had eggs, fruit and some milk.”
“OK, that’s great,” the man behind the glass said.
And this was how my first real job in radio began.
1.A.me B.her C.you D. him
2.A.on the news B.on business C.at school D.at work
3.A.repaired B.loved C.sold D.cleaned
4.A.At B.In C.With D.For
5.A.trouble B.habit C.collection D.interest
6.A.fight B.refuse C.help D.laugh
7.A.speak B.sing C.read D.come
8.A.what B.how C.that D.why
9.A.station B.advertisement C.question D.time
10.A.game B.job C.joke D.report
--- Can I have a look at your photos, please?
---______.
A. Sure, here you are B.Don’t mention it
C. I can’t agree with you D. I’m sorry to hear that
_____ he was very tired, he continued working in his office.
A. Since B.Although C. As soon as D. Because
