Despite what so many people would love to believe，NASA hasn t discovered any evidence of past or present intelligent life on Mars. So，when the Curiosity rover (好奇号探测器）found something suspicious on the Red Planet’s surface, they were not only surprised but also a little bit worried.
The thin fragment (碎片）was suspicious enough to guarantee its own name, with NASA’s Curiosity rover team calling it the “Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris，” named for the location where it was discovered. With no idea what it was or where it came from, the rover s handlers began to worry that it might actually be a piece of the rover itself，suggesting some unseen damage or other issue with the robot. Thankfully，those concerns seem to have been unfounded.
In a new update from NASA the object has now been identified as a natural piece of rock rather than a piece of any man-made craft or vehicle. The team analyzed the bizarre object with a tool called the ChemCam RMI. The instrument uses a laser (激光器）t0 sniff out the makeup of anything it，s pointed at, and the results for this particular piece of debris revealed that it’s actually just a very thin piece of rock.
NASA describes the inspection： The planning day began with an interesting result from the previous plan’s ChemCam RMI analysis of a target that was referred to as “Pette Point Foreign Object Debris”（PPFOD)，and speculated to be a piece of spacecraft debris fact was found to be a very thin flake of rock, so we can all rest easy tonight-Curi0sity n0t begun to shed its skin!
How this particularly thin sliver of rock got to where it is—and why it seems tobe a different colour than the surrounding sand and debris-remains unexplained, but at least the rover falling apart.
1.What attitude does NASA hold towards the newly found thin fragment?
A. Positive. B. Surprised.
C. Interested. D. Amazed but worried.
2.What is the “Pettegrove Point Foreign Object Debris” named for?
A. Its finder. B. Its location.
C. Its researcher. D. Its shape.
3.What does the underlined word “bizarre” mean?
A. Strange. B. Changeable.
C. Normal. D. common
4.In which part of newpaper can you read the text?
A. Travelling. B. Sports.
C. Science. D. music
Africa is a very diverse land with many different tribes. One tradition that many of these groups share is painting or marking their bodies and faces in color. They do this for many reasons. Some marks are used to identify people as part of the group. Other marks are used for ceremonies such as wedding and during times of war. Let’s look at some different exam¬ples of body painting.
Red is a common color in body painting because it often represents health and long life. Among the Masai of East Africa, when men are old enough to marry and make decisions for their people, they participate in a special ceremony in which they paint their heads and faces red. This ceremony takes place every seven to fourteen years, so there is not an exact age for participating in it.
The Samburu, also from East Africa, like to paint their faces and hair red because they think it looks pretty.
The Masai men also have a unique way of showing that they are brave. To show that he has killed a lion, a man will paint his body with a natural white material, making special marks to represent this accomplishment. The Masai men also use this white to show that they are no longer boys and are considered adults.
One quite unusual example of face painting is done by the Wodaabe people of West Africa. Once a year, they have a beauty contest for men. The men paint their faces yellow and red. Then they add white and black circles and lines. Black paint is used near the eyes and on the lips to draw attention to the whiteness of their eyes and teeth, which the Wodaabe consider most beautiful. The women then decide which man they like best.
As you travel, enjoy the beautiful and bright colors of Africa.
1.How do some African groups recognize their people?
A. By the color of the skin and hair.
B. By the marks their parents give to them.
C. By the different color in their faces or bodies,
D. By the different styles of their painting.
2.The Samburu paint their faces red in order to show
A. their braveness B. their growth
C. their happiness D. their beauty
3.What color will the Masai men use to show their achievement?
A. White. B. Red.
C. Yellow. D. Black.
4.Who have the tradition of the beauty contest?
A. The Masai people. B. The Wodaabe people.
C. The Samburu people. D. The South African people.
Even before my father left us, my mother had to go back to work to support our family. Once I came out of the kitchen, complaining, “Mum，I can’t peel (去皮)potatoes. I have only one hand. ”
Mum never looked up from sewing. “You get yourself into that kitchen and peel those potatoes，” she told me. “And don’t ever use that as an excuse for anything again!”
In the second grade, our teacher lined up my class on the playground and had each of us race across the monkey bars, swinging from one high steel rod to the next. When it was my turn，I shook my head. Some kids behind me laughed, and I went home crying.
That night I told Mum about it. She hugged me, and I saw her determined look. The next afternoon, she took me back to school. At the deserted playground, Mum looked care¬fully at the bars.
“Now，pull up with your right arm，” she advised. She stood by as I struggled to lift my¬self with my right hand until I could get the bar with my other elbow (月寸）.Day after day we practiced, and she praised me for every rung (梯级）I reached.
I’ll never forget the next time, crossing the rungs； I looked down at the kids who were standing with their mouths open.
One night, after a dance at my new junior high, I lay in bed crying. I could hear Mum came into my room. “Mum，” I said, weeping, “None of the boys would dance with me. ”
For a long time, I didn’t hear anything. Then she said, “Oh, honey, someday you’ll be beating those boys off with a bat. ” Her voice was slight and cracking. I looked out from my covers to see tears running down her cheeks.
Then I knew how much she suffered on my behalf. She had never let me see her tears.
1.What was the author’s mother like?
A. Optimistic but mean.
B. Energetic and polite.
C. Determined and strict.
D. Outgoing but bad-tempered.
2.How did the mother do when the author met difficulties?
A. The mother encouraged her to deal with them.
B. The mother forced her to do more housework.
C. The mother solved them instead of her.
D. The mother turned to the teacher for help.
3.How did the kids behave when they saw the author cross rungs?
A. They laughed at her. B. They felt astonished.
C. They made friends with her. D. They asked her for advice.
4.What’s the best title for the text?
A. Such a Great Mother B. My Poor Childhood
C. The Days with Mother D. My Mother’s Life Road
The Dickens Exhibition
Date： 9 June, 2018—10 December, 2018
Location: Museum of London
It celebrates the 205th anniversary of the birth of Charles Dickens. By recreating the atmosphere of Victorian London through sound and projections (投影画），you’ll be taken on an unforgettable journey to discover the city that inspired his writings.
Paintings, photographs，costumes and objects will explain different themes that Dickens wrote into his works，while rarely seen manuscripts (手稿）including Bleak House and David Copper field will offer introduction to his creative genius.
During your visit you’ll discover how Dickens’ childhood experiences of London were introduced into the stories he wrote. The great social questions of the 19th century will also be examined, all of which set the scene for Dickens’ greatest works.
Highlights of the exhibition will include an exciting audio-visual experience, and a special film shot by one of the UK’s leading documentary filmmakers.
Packages include afternoon entry (1:00 pm—4:00 pm) to the exhibition plus overnight accommodation at a nearby hotel. If you wish to visit the exhibition the day after your hotel stay, please call our reservation department. Call： 08712212717.
Book a trip online with us, with tickets to Dickens London Exhibitionafternoon entry and hotel accommodation included in the price. All taxes included. No credit cnrd fees No booking fees. No discount.
Price Information： a package costs an adult £120 and a child (age 4 — ^5)尤⑻ afternoon entry costs an adult £28 and a child (age 4 — 15) £14.
1.What can visitors do during the visit?
A. Buy two Dickens’ manuscripts.
B. Stay at the room Dickens once lived in.
C. Enjoy a projection about Victorian London.
D. Find the present social problems in London.
2.What do we know about Dickens from the text?
A. He used to be a filmmaker.
B. He wrote social questions in his books.
C. He wrote many wars into his works.
D. He lived a happy life in his childhood.
3.What can visitors get if they book a trip online?
A. A discount. B. Staying in any hotel.
C. Credit card fees. D. An afternoon entry.
假定你是李华，上周应留学生朋友Leslie的邀请，你去听了一场钢琴音乐会，你打算教他认识中国汉字以示感谢。就此请你用英语给他写一封信件，内容包括：
1.对受邀表示感谢；
2.简要回忆音乐会及感受；
3.提出教他汉字作为回报。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
Dear Leslie,
How is everything getting along with you recently?
____________________________________________________________________________________________
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Yours sincerely,
Li Hua
假定英语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：在错的词下画一横线，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。
Our school conducts a survey on reading last week. According to the results, most students believe reading is important. Over 50% say they enjoy reading a lot of. 79% find it interesting while 21% think reading is bored. The results show that girls read much books than boys. Over 66% like to read fiction book. 64% of the students would like read stories about famous people. 50% are interested in reading our own culture and tradition. The survey also shows that libraries are how students get most of his books. Therefore, many students complain our school library don't have enough up-to-date books.
