C
Mars( 火星) appears to be flowing with small streams of salty water, at least in the summer, scientists reported Monday．"It suggests that．it would be possible for there to be life today on Mars," NASA's science mission chief, John Grunsfeld, said at a news conference on September 28, 2015．
The streams are about 12 to 15 feet wide and 300 feet or more long, scientists said．"What we're dealing with is wet soil．thin layers of wet soil, not standing water," said Aifred McEwen of the University of Arizona at Tueson ! the principal scientist for the Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter's high-resolution imaging experiment．
Because liquid water is essential to life, the findings could have major implications for the possibility of Martian life．The researchers said further exploration is needed to determine whether microscopic life exists on the planet．
The presence of liquid water could also make life easier for astronauts visiting or
living on Mars．Water could be used for drinking and for creating oxygen and rocket
fuel．NASA's goal is to send humans there in the 2030s．
The evidence of flowing water consists largely of dark, narrow streaks(条痕) on
the surface that tend to appear and grow during the warmest Martian months and fade
the rest of the year．
Mars is extremely cold even in summer, and the streaks are in places where the
temperature is as low as minus 10 degrees Fahrenheit．But salt can lower the freezing point of water and melt ice．
The source of the water is a mystery．Scientists noted it could be melting
ice．It could be an underground aquifer, which is rock or sand that can hold water．It is possibly water vapor from the thin Martian atmosphere, Or it may be a combination Michael Meyer, lead scientist for NASA's Mars exploration program, said the only definitive way for now to determine whether there's life on Mars is to collect rocks and soil for analysis on Earth - something a U．S．lander set for lift-off in 2020 will do．
1.What would be the best title for the text? '
A．Streams of Water Spotted on Mars
B．Astronauts will Land on Mars
C．NASA's Mars Exploration Program
D．A Breakthrough in the Exploration of Mars
2.According to John Grunsfeld, there seems to be on Mars．
A．salty water
B．standing water
C．rocket fuel
D．human beings
3.Scientists are uncertain about the of the water on Mars．
A．state
B．source
C．temperature
D．taste
4.What matters to the existence of liquid water on Mars?
A．The distance from the sun．
B．The favorable climate．
C．The gravity of the earth
D．The salt in it．
B
We all know what a brain is．A doctor will tell you that the brain is the organ of the body in the head．It controls our body's functions, movements, emotions and thoughts．But a brain can mean so much more．
A brain can also simply be a smart person, If a person is called brainy, she is smart and intelligent．If a family has many children but one of them is super smart, you could say, "She's the brains in the family．" And if you are the brains behind something you are responsible for developing or organizing something．For example, Bill Gates is the
brains behind Microsoft
Brain trust is a group of experts who give advice．Word experts say the phrase
"brain trust" became popular when Franklin D．Roosevelt first ran for president in
1932, Several professors gave him advice on social and political issues facing the U．S．
These professors were called his "brain trust．"
These ways we use the word "brain" all make sense．But other ways we use the
word are not so easy to understand．For example, to understand the next brain
expression, you first need to know the word “drain．" As a verb to drain means to,
remove something by letting it flow away．So a brain drain may sound like a disease
where the brain flows out the ears．But, brain drain is when a country's most educated people leave their countries to live in another．The brains are, sort of, draining out of the country．
However, if people are responsible for a great idea, you could say they brainstormed it．Here, brainstorm is not an act of weather．It is a process of thinking creatively about a complex topic．For example, business leaders may use brainstorming to create new
products, and government leaders may brainstorm to solve problems．
If people are brainwashed, it does not mean their brains are nice and clean．To brainwash means to make someone accept new beliefs by using repeated pressure in a forceful or tricky way．Keep in mind that brainwash is never used in a positive way．
1.According to the text, if you're the CEO of Bai Du you can be called
A．the brains behind Bai Du
B．Bai Du's brain trust
C．the brain drain of Bai Du
D．the organ of Bai Du
2.Why did Roosevelt successfully win the election?
A．Because he was smart at giving advice．
B．Because word experts were popular．
C．Because he got his brain trust．
D．Because he was the brains behind America．
3.Which of the following expression is always used in a negative way?
A．Brain trust
B．Brain drain
C．Brainstorm
D．Brainwash
A I was very disappointed not to be able to go to the jazz concert last Friday．The advertisement in the paper said that you could buy tickets at the theatre box in Richland Hills any day between 10:00 and 4:00．Since I work from 9:00 to 5:30, the only time I could go to the theatre was during my 45-minute lunch break．
Unfortunately, the theatre is on the other side of the town, and the bus service between my office and Richland Hills is not very good．But if you are lucky, you can make the round trip in 45 minutes．Last Monday．I stood at the bus stop for 15 minutes waiting for the bus, By the time I saw one come around the corner, there was not enough time left to make the trip．
So I gave up and went back to the office．The same thing happened on Tuesday, and again next day．On Thursday, my luck changed．I got on a bus right away and arrived at the theatre in exactly 20 minutes．When I got there, however, I found a long line of people at the box office, I heard one man say he had been waiting in line for over an hour．Realizing I would not have enough time to wait in line．I caught the next bus and headed back across the town．
By Friday I realized my only hope was to make the trip by taxi, it was expensive, but I felt it would be worth it to hear the concert．The trip by taxi only took 10 minutes, but felt like an hour to me．When I got to the theatre, I was relieved to see that nobody was waiting in line．The reason, however, I quickly discovered, was that they had already sold all the tickets．
1.The man learned that there would be a concert last Friday．
A．from the newspaper
B．from his friends
C．from one of his work-mates
D．over the radio
2.He tried to go to the theatre every day but managed to get there only _______．
A．once
B．three times
C．twice
D．four times
3.One day the man took _______ to get to the theatre by bus．
A．forty-five minutes
B．fifteen minutes
C．over an hour
D．just twenty minutes
4.The underlined word “relieved” may best be replaced by ___________．
A．surprised
B．puzzled
C．pleased
D．sorry
【2016模拟题】阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
With his unique black mane (鬃毛)and impressive stature(身材), 13-year-old Cecil was a popular tourist attraction at the 3.6 million-square-acre Hwange National Park(万基国家公园) in Zimbabwe (津巴布韦).
Cecil was head of a pride of lions that includes 12 cubs(幼崽), but the well-known lion was shot and killed in early July by American dentist Walter J. Palmer.
Cecil’s death has already sparked an international outcry (强烈抗议) with many calling for an end to hunting endangered animals and for Palmer to be extradited(引渡) to Zimbabwe to stand trial.
Professor David Macdonald, the head of the Oxford University research program that monitored the daily movements of Cecil and dozens of other lions, is deeply saddened by Cecil’s death. Macdonald hopes the death can inspire the public to take an interest in lion conservation.
Macdonald says many of the lions tracked by the program have been shot and killed. “The background to this story is that there is a crisis for lions throughout much of Africa.” He says.
African lion populations have fallen almost 60 percent over the past thirty decades, and as few as 32,000 of them remain in the wild, according to the International Fund for Animal Welfare(国际爱护动物基金会).
“And as troubling as it is, the rarer these hunted animals become, the more hunter s are willing to pay to kill them,” said Jeff Flockedn, the fund’s North American regional director.
In addition to excessive hunting, lions throughout Africa also continue to face threats that include conflicts with local farmers, loss of habitat and risk of traffic and railway collisions(碰撞).
1. Internationally, people’s attitude towards Walter J. Palmer’s behavior is ________.
A. Understandable B. Unpardonable
C. Unpredictable D. Uncontrollable
2.According to the text, how many African lions lived in the wild thirty years ago?
A. 80,000 B. 48,000 C. 53,000 D. 60,000
3.African lions are facing the following threats except ________.
A. their conflicts with local farmers.
B. the loss of their habitats
C. people’s excessive hunting
D. the increase in the number of their natural enemies
4.The best title of the text might be ________.
A. The Death of Cecil-an African Lion
B. The Current state of All African Lions
C. The Threats Facing African Lions
D. The Appeal for an End to Hunting Endangered Animals
L1PITOR
ABOUT LIPITOR Lipitor is a prescription medicine．Along with diet and exercise，it lowers “bad” cholesterol(胆固醇)in your blood．It can also raise “good'’ cholesterol. Lipitor can lower the risk of heart attack in patients with several common risk factors， including family history of early heart disease，high blood pressure，age and smoking. |
WHO IS LIPITOR FOR? Who can take LIPITOR： ．People who cannot lower their cholesterol enough with diet and exercise · Adults and children over l0 Who should NOT take LIPITOR： ．Women who are pregnant，may be pregnant，or may become pregnant. Lipitor may harm your unborn baby. ．women who are breast-feeding．Lipitor can pass into your breast milk and may harm your baby. · People with liver(肝脏)problems |
POSSIBLE SIDE EFFECTS OF LIPITOR Serious side effects in a small number of people： ．Muscle(肌肉)problems that can lead to kidney(肾脏)problems，including kidney failure ．Liver problems．Your doctor may do blood tests to check your liver before you start Lipitor and while you are taking it． Call your doctor right away if you have： ．Unexplained muscle pain or weakness，especially if you have a fever or feel very fired ．Swelling of the face，lips，tongue，and／or throat that may cause difficulty in breathing or swallowing · Stomach pain Some common side effects of LIPITOR are： · Muscle pain · Upset stomach · Changes in some blood tests |
HOW TO TAKE LIPITOR DO： ．Take Lipitor as prescribed by your doctor. ．Try to eat heart-healthy foods while you take Lipitor. ．Take Lipitor at any time of day, with or without food. ．If you miss a dose(一剂)，take it as soon as you remember.[But if it has been more than 12 hours since your missed dose，wait．Take the next dose at your regular time. Don’t： ．Do not change or stop your dose before talking to your doctor. ．Do not start new medicines before talking to your doctor. |
1.What is a major function of Lipitor?
A. To help quit smoking.
B. To control blood pressure.
C. To improve unhealthy diet.
D. To lower "bad" cholesterol.
2.Taking Lipitor is helpful for .
A. breast-feeding women
B. women who are pregnant
C. adults having heart disease
D. teenagers with liver problems
3.If it has been over 12 hours since you missed a dose, you should
A. change the amount of your next dose
B. eat more when taking your next dose
C. have a dose as soon as you remember
D. take the next dose at your regular time
4.Which of the following is a common side effect of taking Lipitor?
A. Face swelling. B. Upset stomach.
C. Kidney failure. D. Muscle weakness.
5. What is the main purpose of the passage?
A. To teach patients ways for quick recovery.
B. To present a report on a scientific research.
C. To show the importance of a good lifestyle.
D. To give information about a kind of medicine.
阅读理解。阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项。
F. Scott Fitzgerald, born on September 24, 1896, an American novelist, was once a student of St. Paul Academy, the Newman School and attended Princeton. University for a short while. In 1917 he joined the army and was posted in Alabama, where he met his future wife Zelda Sayre. Then he had to make some money to impress her.
His life with her was full of great happiness, as he wrote in his diary: “My own happiness in the past often approached such joy that I could share it even with the person dearest to me but had to walk it away in quiet streets and take down parts of it in my diary.”
This side of paradise, his first novel, was published in 1920. Encouraged by its success, Fitzgerald began to devote more time to his writing. Then he continued with the novel the Beautiful and Damned (1922), a collection of short stories Thales of the Jazz Age (1922), and a play The Vegetable (1923). But his greatest success was The Great Gatsby, published in 1925, which quick brought him praise from the literary world. Yet it failed to give him the needed financial security. Then, in 1926, he published another collection of short stories All the Sad Young Men.
However, Fitzgerald’s problems with his wife Zelda affected his writing. During the 1920s he tried to reorder his life, but failed. By 1930, his wife had her first breakdown and went to a Swiss clinic. During this period he completed novels Tender Is the Night in 1934 and The Love of the Last Tycoon in 1940. While his wife was in hospital in the United States, he got totally addicted to alcohol. Sheila Graham, his dear friend, helped him fight his alcoholism.
1.How many novels written by Fitzgerald are mentioned in the passage?
A. 5 B. 6 C. 7 D. 8
2.Which of the following is the correct order to describe Fitzgerald’s life according to the passage?
a. He became addicted to drinking.
b. He studied at St. Paul Academy.
c. He published his first novel This Side of Paradise.
d. The Great Gatsby won high praise.
e. He failed to reorder his life.
f. He joined the army and met Zelda.
A. f-c-e-a-b-d B. b-e-a-f-c-d
C. f-d-e-c-b-a D. b-f-c-d-e-a
3.We can infer from the passage that Fitzgerald .
A. had made some money when he met Zelda in Alabama.
B. was well educated and well off before he served in the army
C. would have completed more works if his wife hadn’t broken down
D. helped his friend get rid of drinking while his wife was in hospital
4.The passage is probably followed by a concluding paragraph about .
A. Zelda’s personal life
B. Zelda’s illness and treatment
C. Fitzgerald’s friendship with Graham
D. Fitzgerald’s contributions to the literary world
