Life on Mars could become a reality and it could happen in your lifetime.
A welcoming planet
Scientists say Earth’s neighbor Mars, a bright red planet about half Earth’s size, is the most likely to support human life. Mars even has frozen water on its surface.
Since the late 1990s, NASA has been exploring Mars using remote-controlled vehicles（装置）. Most recently Curiosity, a car-size vehicle, traveled through space on an unpiloted spacecraft(航天器) and landed on Mars in August 2012. Directed by NASA scientists , the vehicles move on the surface, taking pictures , collecting and analyzing soil, and looking for signs of life.
But what about human explorers? Plans are already in the works to send astronauts to Mars as soon as the mid-2030s.
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But before you start packing your bags, let’s consider the challenges. For starters, Mars is far away. Just getting there could take up to 10 months.
Scientists already know that time away from Earth’s gravity harms the human body. Bones and muscles get weaker. The body produces less blood. What damage would months and months of living in space do?
And then there is the matter of water, oxygen, food and fuel. Scientists will have to find solutions to these problems, or the first humans on Mars won’t survive very long in their new home.
Tiny Dangers
There’s another tinier risk. It’s so tiny that you can’t even see it: germs.
Some scientists believe that our germs could pollute the whole planet of Mars. Potentially killing Martian life before we have the chance to discover it. Worse, there is a small but terrifying chance that any microscopic life already there might be harmful to us .
Worse still, if any of those Martian germs(火星细菌) were brought back to Earth, the result could be disastrous. Animals, plants, and people could be wiped out.
Worth the $$$?
A more practical concern is the cost. The price could approach $ 1 trillion(万亿). How can we justify spending that much when so many problems—poverty, disease—could use the cash here on Earth?
1.Which of the following is TRUE according to the “A welcoming planet” part?
A. Mars is a little bigger than Earth.
B. There are flowing rivers on Mars.
C. People haven’t been to Mars so far.
D. Scientists have discovered signs of life on Mars.
2.Which of the following can best fill in the blank in the passage?
A. Living in space. B. Limited resources.
C. Extreme conditions. D. Interesting challenges.
3.By “Tiny dangers” the author means ________________.
A. there is no serious danger
B. people won’t be in any danger
C. it’s difficult for people to realize the danger
D. the danger may be caused by very small things
4.Which may cause the biggest danger?
A. Martian germs may be different from those on Earth.
B. Martian germs may be brought back to Earth.
C. People may carry germs to Mars.
D. There may be germs on Mars.
5.Which section of a newspaper is the passage most probably taken from?
A. People B. History C. Science D. Business
President Barack Obama rode a bicycle at the White House Science Fair on April 22. But it wasn’t an ordinary bike. As he pedaled, the President stayed in place, while the energy from his pedaling powered a water filtration (过滤) system. He was testing an invention created by a team of 14 students from Northeast High School, in Oakland Park, Florida.
Payton Karr, 16, and Kiona Elliot, 18, attended the fair as representatives of the project.“We were hoping President Obama would ride the bike, but we didn’t actually expect him to,” Payton told TFK. “ It really meant a lot.” Kiona agreed. “It was pretty awesome to see the invention, which was invented by a group of 14 high school students and one teacher, along with the help of community members, got the interest of the leader of our nation,” she said.
The project was an idea that came about after one of the Northeast students, Kalie Hoke, visited Haiti after the terrible 2010 earthquake and saw how difficult it was to find clean water. The students invented a portable(便携的), bicycle-powered emergency water filtration system, which can provide 20-30 people with drinking water in a 15-hour period. The teens hope their invention will one day be used by relief organizations like the Red Cross. “ They can take it to places after natural disasters so that water can be clean for the people there,” said Payton.
Payton and Kiona were among the 100 students from more than 40 states invited to the third annual White House Science Fair, in Washington, D.C., which is also attended by leaders in science and education. President Obama started the event in 2010 to stimulate students interested in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Maths).“Well, if you’re a young person and you produce the best experiment or design, you ought to be recognized for that achievement,” Obama said when he first announced the fair.
President Obama praised the projects during a speech to attendees after the fair. “The science fair projects of today could become the products and businesses of tomorrow,” he said. “If you’re inventing things in the third grade, what are you going to do by the time you get to college?”
1.What is special about the bicycle President Obama rode?
A. It can move very fast.
B. It is extremely beautiful.
C. It is used to make water clean.
D. It is made of eco-friendly materials.
2.The representatives of the bicycle-powered water filtration system_________.
A. were both community members
B. graduated from a famous university
C. finished the project with the help of their parents
D. were surprised that their invention interested Obama
3.The bicycle-powered water filtration system was designed ________________.
A. at the request of the Red Cross
B. for city families to get pure water
C. during the terrible 2010 earthquake in Haiti
D. to provide people in disaster areas with clean water
4.The underlined word “stimulate” in Paragraph 4 can be replaced by _________.
A. help B. inspire C. change D. entertain
5.We can know from the last sentence in the passage that President Obama _____.
A. wanted the youth to have big dreams
B. encouraged the youth to go to college
C. worried the young inventors would do nothing in college
D. believed the young inventors would have a promising future
The relationship between humans and animals has always been complex. Some cultures have developed entire belief systems around favored animals. Even in cultures with less formal belief systems, connections between people and animals still lead to commonly accepted opinions about animals.
These belief systems usually develop around the animals that interact (互动) with humans most frequently. Therefore, it should not be surprising that so many stories surround the most common of animals: rats. Rats live side by side with humans all over the world and regularly interact with people. Human-rat coexistence may be common all around the world, but different cultures respond to that closeness in different ways.
In the United States and Europe, one typical attitude is that the rat is a pest. This could be due to the common belief that rats spread disease. Actually, they don’t, at least not directly, but many people don’t know that. The Pied Piper of Hamlin, a well-known children’s story, is one example of how rats have been described in Western literature: in that story, rats cause such a problem that a town has to hire a piper to call them all away.
In many Latin American countries, the rat is described in a very different way. The story of the tooth fairy (a fairy believed by children to leave money while they sleep in exchange for a tooth that has come out) is common all over the world, but in Latin America, the “fairy” is a rat! Rats do have very strong teeth, which could explain the association. Clearly, this shows another attitude toward rats that is much more positive.
Yet another attitude toward the rat can be seen in the Chinese Zodiac (生肖). The Rat is one of the animals of the Zodiac. Like the other zodiac animals, the Rat is neither entirely good nor entirely bad. It’s described as clever and friendly, but also tricky and not entirely honest. That may be the most accurate description of the rat so far. Whether you like rats or not, it’s hard to deny their reputation for cleverness.
As many people are discovering these days, rats can even make excellent pets, so long as you remember to close the cage carefully!
1.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A. A trend of keeping rats as pets.
B. How different cultures look at rats.
C. How humans get along with animals.
D. Favored animals in different cultures.
2.The rats in The Pied Piper of Hamlin appear______.
A. unpleasant B. honest C. smart D. unusual
3.The tooth fairy in Latin America mentioned in Paragraph4 is to show______.
A. the tooth fairy is lovely
B. rats look very frightening
C. rats are welcome in Latin American countries
D. the story of the tooth fairy is common all over the world
4.According to the author, rats______.
A. don’t spread disease
B. should be treated as pests
C. are fairly described in the Chinese Zodiac
D. are kept as pets by more and more people
5.The passage is probably taken from a ______.
A. travel guide B. news report C. nature magazine D. history textbook
Imagine someone has crossed the seas joining five continents by swimming. It is a major success for anyone. But it is an even greater success for Philippe Croizon, who has no arms, and no legs! His achievements show that we can all achieve great things—no matter who we are.
Philippe Croizon was 26 years old when he had an accident. The doctors had to remove both of his arms and legs. “When they cut off my last leg I wanted to die. I suffered great depression and my spirit was as low as you can get. But you have to choose—and I chose to live!” said Croizon.
While he was recovering in hospital, Croizon saw a television programme about a woman who had been swimming across the English Channel. After watching the programme Croizon decided to do it. He began to exercise every day to make him strong and it took him two years to prepare.
Finally in 2010, Croizon was ready. He entered the cold, grey sea of the English Channel. He was now 42 years old. It took him from early morning until night to swim the distance. He felt a lot of pain. But he had become the first person without arms and legs to swim between France and England. Croizon had achieved his dream, but he did not stop there. He looked for a new goal.
Early in 2012 he planned to swim across the seas that join five major continents. During the next few months he swam between the four continents of Australia, Asia, Africa and Europe and finally in the cold waters of the Bering Strait between the continents of Asia and the Americas.
“We want to show people something. If disabled people have courage and a lot of training they can do the same things as those who are not disabled,” said Croizon.
1.According to the passage, Philippe Croizon _____.
A. was born with disability
B. suffered a lot from the accident
C. chose to live because of a TV programme
D. was fond of swimming since he was young
2.What do we know about Philippe Croizon’s swimming across the English Channel?
A. It took him two years to finish it.
B. He was the first person to achieve it.
C. It was easy for him to finish the swim.
D. He spent a lot of time preparing for it.
3.Philippe Croizon’s crossing the seas joining five continents______.
A. lasted a month
B. ended in the Bering Strait
C. happened when he was 42 years old
D. was inspired by a television programme
4.Which of the following can best describe Philippe Croizon’s story?
A. Hope for the best, prepare for the worst.
B. Where there’s a will, there’s a way.
C. Actions speak louder than words.
D. The finest diamond must be cut.
5.What’s the best title for the passage?
A. Hope in the corner
B. A disabled man’s dream
C. Challenges to Philippe Croizon
D. Philippe Croizon’s amazing swim
阅读下面短文，按照句子结构的语法性和上下文连贯的要求，在空格处填入一个适当的词或使用括号中所给词语的正确形式填空。
American Idol is a TV show and annual American singing competition, which began its first season on June 11, 2002. It is based on the British show Pop Idol, in which thousands of young singers, aged 16-28, audition（试演）for the chance 1. (choose) as the new singing idol. The program seeks to discover the 2. (good) young singer in the country through 3. series of nationwide auditions.
Auditions 4. (hold) in key cities around the country, with judges removing some contestants(选手), 5. there are only 30 left. These 30 compete, on air, and the viewing public votes for 6. three favorites each week, over the course of the next three weeks. Those nine contestants, along 7. one “wild card” chosen by judges, continue on to the next stage of the competition, 8. takes place over several weeks. The outcome of the latter stages of this competition is wholly determined by public voting. There are three judges assessing the contestants’ 9. (perform) in order to facilitate(推动) the voting.
Of these ten, two winners are chosen to appear in a live half-hour telecast（电视广播）the following evening to compete 10. a top-dollar record deal.
Valentine’s Day is a popular festival of love and romance. There are legends associated with the festival along with the belief that birds began to mate from this day. Historians trace (追踪)its to an ancient Roman festival. It is said that in ancient Rome, people a holiday on February 14th to honor Juno—the Queen of Roman Gods and Goddesses. On the following day, February 15th，the festival of Lupercalia was celebrated to honor the Roman God of Agriculture.
An interesting was followed on the festival of Lupercalia to bring together young boys and girls who otherwise were strictly . On the eve of the festival, names of young Roman girls were written on a slip of paper and placed into jars. Each young man a girl's name from the jar and was paired with the girl during the festival. Sometimes the lasted for a year until next year's celebration. Quite often，the couple would fall in love with each other and marry. The custom lasted for a long time until people felt that it was un-Christian and that mates should be chosen by sight, not .
The pairing of young boys and girls set the mood of the Valentine's Day Festival as we know today. But it was due to the efforts and daring of a priest St Valentine that the festival got its and clearer meaning. The story goes that Emperor Claudius II of Rome found it to get soldiers and felt the reason why men did not join the was that they did not wish to leave their wives and families. As a result, Claudius cancelled all marriages and engagements in Rome. St Valentine challenged Claudius's order and secretly married couples. When his disobedience was ，Valentine was put to death on February 14, around 270 AD. After his death Valentine was named a saint.
1.A. acceptable B. familiar C. various D. unrelated
2.A. possibility B. development C. event D. origin
3.A. studied B. observed C. handled D. discussed
4.A. movement B. celebration C. competition D. custom
5.A. respected B. educated C. separated D. organized
6.A. spoke out B. brought out C. pulled out D. drew out
7.A. pairing B. dating C. playing D. celebrating
8.A. fortunately B. occasionally C. finally D. surprisingly
9.A. order B. risk C. name D. luck
10.A. usually B. actually C. really D. factually
11.A. history B. story C. fame D. name
12.A. strange B. slow C. awful D. tough
13.A. war B. party C. army D. game
14.A. unfinished B. unjustified C. unrecognized D. unconcerned
15.A. discovered B. attacked C. memorized D. promised
