Some people asked me how I could suggest the expenses of billions of dollars for a voyage to Mars, at a time when many children on this Earth are starving to death. I know that they do not expect an answer such as “ Oh, I did not know that there are children dying from hunger, but from now on I will stop any kind of space research until mankind has solved that problem! ”In fact, I have known of this long before.
But I firmly believe that by working for the space program we can make some contributions to the relief and eventual solution of such serious problems as poverty and hunger on the Earth. Two basic factors causing the poverty and hunger problems are the production of food and the distribution (分布) of food. In fact, large areas of land could be used far better if efficient methods of farming, fertilizer use, weather forecasting, field selection, planting, crop surveys, harvest planning and so on were applied. The best tool for the improvement of all these methods undoubtedly, is the artificial Earth satellite. Circling the globe at a high altitude, it can screen wide areas of land within a short time; it can observe and measure a large variety of factors indicating the status and condition of crops, soil, droughts, rainfall, snow cover, etc.
Besides, in the modern society, there is a continuing great need for new basic knowledge in the science if we wish to improve the conditions of human life on the Earth. We need more knowledge in physics and chemistry, in biology and physiology, and particularly in medicine to cope with all these problems which threaten man’s life: hunger, disease, overpopulation, pollution of water and the environment. In a way, the space age not only holds out a mirror in which we can see ourselves, it also provides us with the technologies.
1.The passage is mainly discussing about .
A. whether the children’s dying from hunger is the major problem
B. whether it is worth spending much money on the space research
C. whether the author’s suggestion has been taken into serious consideration
D. whether there is an effective way to avoid the global starvation
2.According to the author, what plays an important part in dealing with poverty and hunger?
A. Government support. B. Methods of farming.
C. Food supply. D. Modern technology.
3.The second paragraph is mainly developed by .
A. making comparison B. giving explanation
C. offering advice D. giving examples
4.From the last paragraph, we can infer that .
A. technologies can help to improve our living quality
B. more basic knowledge is required to be learned
C. we can live a more peaceful and happier life
D. there are different views on the space age
Some people think that success is only for those with talent or those who grow up in the right family, and others believe that success mostly comes down to luck. I’m not going to say luck, talent, and circumstances don’t come into play because they do .some people are born into the right family while others are born with great intelligence, and that’s just the reality of how life is.
However, to succeed in life, one first needs to set a goal and then gradually make it more practical. And, in addition tothat, in order to be really good at something, one needs to spend at least 10,000 hours studying and practicing. To become great at certain things, it’ll require even more time, time that most people won’t put in.
This is a big reason why many successful people advise you to do something you love. If you don’t enjoy what you do ,it is going to feel like unbearable pain and will likely make you quit well before you ever become good at it.
When you see people exhibiting some great skills or having achieved great success, you know that they have put in a huge part of their life to get there at a huge cost. It’s sometimes easy to think they got lucky or they were born with some rare talent, but thinking that way does you no good, and there’s a huge chance that you’re wrong anyway.
Whatever you do, if you want to become great at it, you need to work day in and day out, almost to the point of addiction, and over a long period of time. If you’re not willing to put in the time and work, don’t expect to receive any rewards. Consistent, hard work won’t guarantee you the level of success you may want, but it will guarantee that you will become really good at whatever it is you put all that work into.
1.Paragraph 1 mainly talks about ________.
A. the reasons for success
B. the meaning of success
C. the standards of success
D. the importance of success
2.In Paragraph 2,the underlined word that refers to ______.
A. being good at something
B. setting a practical goal
C. putting in more time
D. succeeding in life
3.What can we infer from Paragraph 4?
A. Successful people like to show their great skills.
B. People sometimes succeed without luck or talent.
C. People need to achieve success at the cost of life.
D. It helps to think that luck or talent leads to success.
4.What is the main theme of the passage?
A. Having a goal is vital to success.
B. Being good is different from being great.
C. One cannot succeed without time and practice.
D. Luck, talent and family help to achieve success.
If you know the tale（故事） of the hare（野兔） and the tortoise（乌龟）.you’ll remember that the tortoise won the race against the hare. In this age of speed with immediate Internet communication and fast travel, it’s time to just slow down the pace(步伐）.
Slow food
The slow food movement began in Italy in the mid-1980s because some people thought that fast food culture was causing the traditional Italian way of life to disappear. The movement believes that we should enjoy mealtimes as a pleasure while also understand more about where your food comes from. A key approach（方法） to slow food is taking your time when eating. For example, by waking up ten minutes earlier than usual you have more time to get ready so you don’t have to rush your breakfast.
Slow exercise
Measured exercises such as yoga(瑜伽) are relaxing and focus on(关注) breathing. Deep breathing is a good way to help you feel calm. Try slowing your breathing down to 10-12 deep breaths every minute. Breathe in slowly and deeply into the bottom of your lungs (肺）. Stop for a moment, and then breathe out slowly. As you breathe out, allow your body to relax.
Slow communication
The wide use of the Internet has meant communication has never been faster. We are able to send an email to someone of the other side of the world as quickly as to the person sitting next to us. While this change is unbelievable, the amount of infor
mation we receive each day through mobiles and the Internet can be distracting (令人分心的). There was a time when people didn’t spend most of their time checking mobiles and emails. Try turning your mobile off sometimes to take some time to relax. Having the time to really listen to a friend or loved one helps improve your relationship (关系).
1.The tale of the hare and the tortoise is mentioned to show .
A. it’s necessary to take things slow in one’s life
B. speed plays the most important role in a race
C. you have to use tricks in order to win
D. we should learn a lesson from the tale
2.Why did the slow food movement start?
A. To protect people from the harm of fast food.
B. To prevent some old traditions from disappearing.
C. To correct some people’s wrong ideas about health.
D. To help people develop a good work and rest habit.
3.In the passage, yoga is suggested as a way of exercise because .
A. it can greatly improve our physical health
B. it’s very relaxing and helps us calm down
C. it takes less time and space
D. it doesn’t need any skills
4.The writer may NOT agree with the idea that .
A. mobiles and emails are wasting much of our time
B. a face-to-face talk is better than one over the phone
C. the Internet also makes communication inconvenient
D. turning the mobile off can also make us feel relaxed
Once when I was a teenager, my father and I were standing in line to buy tickets for the circus (马戏表演）. One family between us and the ticket counter made a big impression(印象) on me. There were eight children, all probably under the age of 12. Their clothes were clean. The children were well-behaved, all of them standing in line, two-by-two behind their parents, holding hands.
The ticket lady asked the father how many tickets he wanted. He proudly said, “Please let me buy eight children’s tickets and two adult tickets so I can take my family to the circus.”The ticket lady told him the price. The wife’s head dropped, and the man’s lip began to quiver (抖动). The father asked, “How much did you say?”
The ticket lady told him the price again.
The man didn’t have enough money.
Seeing what was going on, my dad put his hand into his pocket, pulled out a $20 bill and dropped it on the ground (We were not wealthy either). My father reached down, picked up the bill, tapped the man on the shoulder and said, “Excuse me, sir, this fell out of your pocket.”
The man knew what was going on. He wasn’t begging for money but certainly thanked the help in a difficult, embarrassing situation. He looked straight into my dad’s eyes, took my dad’s hand in both of his, and with a tear streaming down his cheek, he replied, “Thank you, sir. This really means a lot to me and my family.”
My father and I went back to our car and drove home. We didn’t go to the circus that night, but we didn’t go without.
1.Why was the writer impressed by(留下深刻印象) the family?
A. Because the family was very poor.
B. Because the family was very happy.
C. Because the family was very noisy.
D. Because the family was very large.
2.When the ticket lady told them the price, the wife .
A. hardly heard B. hardly understood
C. felt disappointed D. felt confused
3.Which of the following words can be best used to describe the writer’s father?
A. Honest. B. Kind. C. Patient. D. Careful.
假如你是李华，你的英国笔友Mary给你写了一封信求助。她因为最近学习压力大长胖了，时常被同学们嘲笑，并且长胖也影响了她自己的健康，因此她感到非常郁闷。请根据下列要求用英语给她回一封信。要点如下：
1.同情她的处境并安慰她，胖或瘦没有统一标准；
2.强调保持健康的重要性；
3.给出保持健康的建议。
注意：1.词数100字左右（开头和结尾已给出，不计入总词数）
2.可适当增加细节，以使文连贯流畅。
Dear Mary,
I’m so glad to hear from you. but ____________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
____________________________________________________________________________________________
_______________________________________________________________
Yours forever,
Li Hua
假定英语课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。
Encouragement, what is a kind of power, is very important.
Failing my English exam once got me casting down. My teacher encouraged me not to lose hearts. He said it was no big deal to fail a exam and what mattered was to figure out the reasons instead of feeling sorry for me. I looked into my English paper and realized that the reason why I failed was because I had two weeks’ sick leave. So I made up for the lessons I have missed and my efforts was paid off in the following exams.
Encouragement is great benefit to me and I’ll give it to those who are in need of it.
