Dangers from Outer Space
What is the greatest threat to life on our planet? Is it climate change? Shortages of food or water? Or might an altogether bigger danger come from somewhere further away: space?
We’re not talking about an attack by little green men here. Instead, how about being hit by a large falling star, beat by deadly universal rays or fried by the energy of an erupting star?
It wouldn’t be the first time that our Earth has had a rough ride over the last 3.7 billion years, with some disastrous events. The most famous mass extinction（灭绝）was 66 million years ago, when it’s widely believed that a meteorite（陨石）killed off the dinosaurs. A 110-mile-wide crater in Mexico with the same geological age supports this theory.
Believe it or not, this wasn’t the worst catastrophe in our planet’s history. That was when 96% of life was wiped out at the end of the Permian period, 252 million year ago. Scientists don’t know for sure why this happened, but any potential explanations carry with them the possibility that similar events could happen again.
Some experts believe that our Sun has a twin star which is too far away to observe directly. This huge sleeping star could twist the paths of orbiting icy rocks and cast them towards the rest of the Solar System.
Is this what happened 252 million years ago? Or is there instead, perhaps, a distant, ninth plant in our Solar System which pulls in passing comets（彗星）and sends them dashing our way?
The Sun that has given us the warmth is gradually turning into a deadly enemy. Like all stars, it is slowing dying, burning through its energy supplies. As it does so, it expands, and in about 2 billion years it will have grown so much that the heat will make life on planet Earth unbearable.
While all this sounds a little horrible, take comfort from the fact that the chance of being hit by a huge interstellar projectile（星际碰撞物）is unbelievably slim, and that 2 billion years is a very long time.
1.When did dinosaurs die out according to the passage?
A. 3.7 billion years ago. B. 252 million years ago.
C. 66 million years ago. D. 2 billion years ago.
2.Why was 96% of life destroyed at the end of the Permian period?
A. The cause is still unknown.
B. A huge falling star hit the earth.
C. A twin star cast icy rocks towards the Solar System.
D. A ninth planet pulled in passing comets.
3.What can we learn from the passage?
A. All stars will eventually run of energy.
B. Our planet will be attacked by little green men.
C. We will be fried by the energy of an erupting star.
D. A huge sleeping star will hit the earth in millions of years.
4.What is the author’s attitude toward the dangers from outer space?
A. Frightened. B. Relieved.
C. Worried. D. Doubtful.
How do you pay for things in a shop? Perhaps you like the touchable reliability of hard cash? Maybe the financial flexibility of a credit card suits you better? Or perhaps you prefer the simple convenience of a smartphone?
Whatever you use today, experts believe all these methods could soon become outdated. Instead, we will use our bodies: our eyes, our fingerprints, even our mere presence in the store. In fact it's happening already. Amazon are trialing stores which have no checkouts, where technology tracks the items you've taken from the shelves and deducts（扣除） the total from your account when you leave the shop.
French supermarket Monoprix takes a different path: you choose your groceries and leave them with a human cashier. You then leave the shop while the cashier adds up your bill, charges your account, and organizes delivery to your home.
Amir, CEO of Barclaycard predicts that such new developments mean the end of the plastic credit card. Instead, wearable items such as rings, necklaces and key chains will carry chips（芯片） that allow shoppers to shop, going between the web, an app or in store.
And while all the above payment methods are supported by accounts held in traditional currencies, let's not forget the rise of alternatives such as Litecoin. Virtual（虚拟） currencies can rise in value very quickly. One such possibility is explored in the movie In Time. It imagines a futuristic society in which the currency is time itself, where people trade the amount of time they have left to live.
Or perhaps we'd do better to wind back the clock to the simpler financial world of the equal exchange economy. While the term recalls images of bags of grain and herds of sheep being exchanged in ancient times, there are signs that are making a comeback in today's world of modern technology. Maybe the only thing we know for certain is that money will keep updating.
1.Which of the following statements is TRUE?
A. Payment is done by the cashiers at Amazon.
B. All the methods of payment have become outdated.
C. Shopping at Monoprix is convenient for customers.
D. Customers can leave their credit cards at Monoprix.
2.What might replace the credit cards in the future according to Amir?
A. Smartphones. B. Wearable items.
C. Virtual currencies. D. Fingerprints.
3.What is used as a currency in the movie In Time?
A. Litecoin. B. Human life.
C. Time. D. Bags of grain.
4.Which is the best title for the passage?
A. The Rise of Virtual Currencies. B. The History of Money.
C. The Ending if Credit Cards. D. The Changing Nature of Money.
There are plenty of things you can feel positive knowing about Garfield—the cat who loves lasagna, hates Mondays and adores a teddy bear named Pooky. But last week, without warning, there rose a strange and sudden debate around a question about the famous cat that even creator Jim Davis needed to weigh in on: Is Garfield a boy， a girl, or no gender（性别）at all?
The argument appears to have begun when writer Virgil Texas came across a 2014 Mental Floss interview with Davis where he described his tabby creation Garfield as “not really male or female or any particular race or nationality, young or old.”
In response to the quote（引用），Virgil wrote on Twitter: “FACT：Garfield has no gender. This. Is. Definite.” So sure was he of Garfield‘s true gender status that Virgil even took it upon himself to update the Garfield character Wikipedia page with the information。
But it was quickly clear that not everyone agreed with Virgil‘s edits, and thus began a war over the Wikipedia entry edits. Some mentioned that Garfield is male. Others wrote that it shouldn’t matter at all whether Garfield is male or female. Washington Post reported that the battle took place over 60 hours and eventually ended when Wikipedia shut things down by locking the page.
It was a statement that soon appeared to have been made in hurry as Jim Davis indeed soon joined the debate, shutting everything down in one line to Washington Post: “Garfield is male.” The 71-year-old cartoonist also pointed out that Garfield has a girlfriend, Arlene, and claimed that his 2014 quotes had been “taken out of context”. “I’ve always said that I wanted to work with animals because they’re not regarded as being any particular gender, race, age or ethnicity,” he said. “In that sense, the humor could be enjoyed by a broader group.”
1.What does the passage mainly discuss?
A. An argument about the gender of Garfield.
B. The interview between Jim Davis and Virgil Texas.
C. An update of Wikipedia entry edits about Garfield.
D. The popularity of the famous cartoon character Garfield.
2.What does the underlined phrase “weigh in on” probably mean?
A. Agree with. B. Join in.
C. Put forward. D. Care about.
3.The debate online upon the gender of Garfield was ended up by ______.
A. writer Virgil Texas B. Wikipedia
C. Washington Post D. creator Jim Davis
4.What can be inferred from the last paragraph?
A. Jim Davis’ 2014 quotes had been cut out.
B. Garfield becomes more famous than before.
C. Washington Post shut everything down in one line about Garfield.
D. The creation of Garfield is aimed at entertainment rather than anything else.
Stephanie Plum Novels by Janet Evanovich
Janet Evanovich’s series about brash and beautiful New Jersey bounty hunter（赏金猎人）Stephanie Plum has readers addicted. Start with One for the Money and follow the number titles to follow Stephanie’s adventures.
Jackson Brodie Mysteries by Kate Atkinson
Atkinson’s literary thrillers are will written, intelligent and suspenseful. Jackson Brodie is a detective who solves cases in Scotland and England, and the books also have plenty of personal details about Brodie. No need to read these novels in order, although there are some connections from book to book.
Alex Cross Novels by James Patterson
Patterson's Alex Cross series started with Along Came a Spider in 1993 and has been keeping readers entertained ever since. Patterson writes short chapters from several viewpoints, keeping the pages turning as readers solve homicides with this likable detective.
Kinsey Milhone Mysteries by Sue Grafton
Starting with A is for Alibi, Grafton has written an alphabet of mysteries starring detective Kinsey Milhone. These murder mysteries are fast and fun.
The Southern Vampire Series by Charlaine Harris
Dead Until Dark is the first book in Charlene’s Southern Vampire series, which inspired the HBO TV series True Blood. These novels are fast and sexy, but well written and full of interesting characters. If you like vampires（吸血鬼） or supernatural elements in stories, this is the series for you.
1.If you are interested in books about adventure, you’d like to read _______.
A. Kinsey Milone Mysteries B. Alex Cross Novels
C. Stephanie Plum Novels D. The Southern Vampire Series
2.Which of the following is NOT the name of a book?
A. True Blood. B. Along Came a Spider.
C. One for the Money. D. A is for Alibi.
3.Whose books don’t need to be read in order?
A. Janet Evanovich’s. B. Kate Atkinson’s.
C. Sue Grafton’s. D. James Patterson’s.
临近期末，高一同学即将面临着文理分科的选择。假定你是李华，你同学Lucy给你来信说到了她对文理科选择的困扰和焦虑。请你给她回信，安抚她的情绪并提出你的看法和建议。
注意：
1. 词数100左右; 书信开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数。
2. 内容要点：
① 安抚她的情绪，劝她不必过于纠结；
② 提出参考意见：认清自己兴趣和优势，不盲从他人；向高年级的同学请教 ……
③ 提出看法：无论作何选择都要努力才能实现自己的期望。
3. 可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
可能用到的词汇：焦虑anxiety；理性地 rationally；不辜负 live up to
Dear Lucy,
I’m sorry to learn in your letter that you are upset about the coming choice of arts or science. _________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Yours
Li Hua
1.连日暴雨导致洪水泛滥，彻底中断了村子与外界的联系。
Days of rainstorms _________ ________ great floods, completely ________ ________ the village from the outside world.
2.多亏了老师的不断鼓舞，他的信心逐渐得到增强。
________ ________ the teacher’s constant encouragement, his confidence has been ________ ________ gradually.
3.水果商正在挑出已经坏掉的苹果好让其它没坏的免受污染。
The fruit seller is _________ _________ the rotten apples to _________ the good ones _________ _________ contamination.
4.直到现在，我们也没能赢得消除世界饥饿的斗争。
_________ _________ _________, we have not won the battle to ________ the world ________ hunger.
5.不幸的是他的父亲去世了，使的他的家境更加艰难。
Unfortunately his father died, leaving the family even .________ ________.
