Loud cheers and applause broke out at NASA’s Jet Propulsion Lab on Monday, November 25, 2018, as the unmanned lander, called Insight, touched down on Mars, after nearly seven
years from design to launch to landing.
The great arrival of the spacecraft—designed to listen for quakes and shakes as a way to discover the Red Planet’s inner secrets, how it formed billions of years ago and, how other planets like Earth took shape—marked the eighth successful landing on Mars in Nasa’s history.
Minutes after InSight landed on the surface of Mars, the first image was sent back, showing a wide flat area as seen through a dirty camera.
The touchdown came after a nearly seven-month, 300 million-mile travel from Earth to Mars, during which the InSight spacecraft had to slow down from a speed of more than 12,000 mph. The spacecraft’s heat shelter helped the lander survive temperatures as high as 2,700℉.
Each step along the way was watched nervously at JPL, with updates delayed by the eight-minute light travel time between Earth and Mars. Mission controllers hugged each other with joy when the signals were received. “We are proud of everything that has gone on today,” they told us reporters.
The first picture of the surface of Mars was sent back to Earth by one of the MarCO nanosatellites (马可纳米卫星) that accompanied InSight during its travel to Mars. The dust from the landing made the view unclear. Pictures from it were expected to be clearer once the dust settled and the lens cover (镜头盖) was removed.
Hours later, InSight’s batteries were charging as expected. The InSight team also passed on another picture, taken by a different camera that’s fixed on the lander’s robotic arm. The view is clearer, showing the robotic arm and the seismometer, which is used to discover the actual movement of the ground.
1.What do we know about InSight lander from the passage?
A.It has landed successfully on Mars eight times.
B.It travelled all the way at the speed of 12,000 mph.
C.Mission controllers helped it survive high temperature.
D.The task of it is to find out the inner mysteries of Mars.
2.We know what Mars looks like by _______.
A.studying pictures InSight lander sends back
B.reading reports sent back by the person on Mars
C.collecting images sent back by MarCO nanosatellites
D.analyzing information the robot on InSight lander sends back
3.How did the mission controllers feel when they received signals from Insight?
A.Unconcerned. B.Worried.
C.Amazed. D.Excited.
4.The passage is most probably taken from _______.
A.a fiction novel B.a news report
C.a travel magazine D.an official statement
When young, I loved going on trail（小路） runs. It was my favorite way to escape stress. So, when I was back in my hometown after a tough first year of my Ph. D. program, I thought a trail run was just what I needed. But instead of helping me relax, the run did just the opposite.
After I moved to the city for college, where my runs were on flat concrete paths instead of winding dirt trails, I used a GPS watch. When I went on trail runs again in the country, it constantly reminded me of the fact that I wasn’t keeping up with my usual pace. I turned my watch off, thinking that would allow me to enjoy my surroundings and find the peace I expected, but I worried I was underperforming. “Why can’ t I let go and just enjoy myself?” I wondered. But after some introspection（反省）, I realized why I was struggling—both on trail runs and in graduate school.
Going into my Ph. D. , I had thought that my solid undergraduate track record would set me up for instant success. To my surprise, I was wrong. I lacked confidence in my research abilities which I thought stopped me performing well and I constantly felt my progress was too slow. Other students’ self-confidence and their excellent results made me feel insecure. Finally, one day I broke down in tears in my adviser’ s office.
Then came my visit home: I was having trouble because I hadn’ t properly adjusted my expectations to the differences between an urban run and a trail run.
A Ph. D. is like a trail run: Sometimes you can run fast. Sometimes you might find yourself climbing up a steep, winding trail at a snail’ s pace. And that’ s OK. Barriers are unavoidable, and success looks and feels different on a challenging trail than it does on a smooth, flat path. Sometimes it’ s best to take a deep breath and do your best to meet the challenge.
1.How did the author feel when he was on trail runs again?
A.Relaxed. B.Tired.
C.Anxious. D.Happy.
2.What resulted in the author’ s poor performance in Ph. D
A.His lack of confidence. B.His lack of hard work.
C.His poor research abilities. D.His poor track record.
3.What does the author want to show in the last paragraph?
A.His desire for success. B.His confidence of trail runs.
C.His expectations in his study. D.His realization after the trail run.
4.What does the author want to tell us?
A.Failure is the mother of success.
B.Working out regularly is beneficial.
C.It’ s important to make necessary adjustments.
D.It’ s vital to turn to others for help.
Amsterdam's Best Flea MarketsIjhallen Flea Market
First or second weekend of every month
Perhaps the most impressive of them all is Ijhallen， located in the north of Amsterdam． With more than 1，500 stands and 3，000 free parking spaces， the monthly market attracts visitors from not only the Netherlands， but Europe-wide．
There is a five euro admission fee， but you can be pretty sure that you can browse second-hand treasures for most of the day． Anything and everything can be found here； old guitars and antique chairs， art prints and military gear．
Noordermarkt Flea Market
Saturday， 9am-4pm
Monday， 9am-2pm
In the centre of the Jordaan， the Noordermarkt Flea Market on Saturdays includes vintage（老式的） goods and organic food produce from local farmers．
On Mondays， the market transforms into an antique-hunter's goldmine． There are piles of vintage clothes， antique books， coins and furniture．
Waterloopein Market
Monday-Saturday， 9am-6pm
The most centrally located of all flea markets in Amsterdam， Waterlooplein Market offers visitors a range of snacks， second-hand clothes and vintage treasures．
There's a maze of second-hand goods， from old globes and hanging lamps， to African drums， antique rugs and used bikes．
Spui Book Market
Friday 10am-6pm
Ideally situated among bookstores， you'll find a collection of tents sheltering second-hand and antique books at the book market on Spui．
You can find a variety of literature from biographies and poetry to fantasy-fiction， history， psychology and geography． While most books are from the Netherlands， some English and international titles are for sale． As well as antique maps， prints and record．
1.Which flea market do you need to pay some extra money？ ______
A.Ijhallen Flea Market． B.Noordermarkt Flea Market．
C.Waterlooplein Market． D.Spui Book Market．
2.What can you pick up at Noordermarkt Flea Market？ ______
A.You can get enough parking space． B.You can choose a range of snacks．
C.You can buy some fresh vegetables． D.You can dig some gold mines here．
3.When is a good time to visit a favorite market for a crazy book fan？ ______
A.First weekend of every month． B.Friday， 10am-6pm．
C.Monday， 9am-6pm． D.Saturday， 9am-4pm．
During my second year in high school, I got sick and missed a few days. When I ______, I was greeted with two essays，three days of math and history homework, plus several tests. ________ I went home from school that day exhausted, I had to stay up really late to finish them all.
The next day at school, I got a shock: I’d totally forgotten to prepare for the ________ on Romeo and Juliet, which I’d take ________ my lunch hour! Worse still, I had ________ the in-class discussion and all the notes. When lunch came, I went to the English room to face my certain doom(厄运). All I could do was try to ________ on the questions I didn’t know.
As it turned out, I didn’t know the majority of the questions. I was just about to give ______ when my pencil accidentally fell and broke. Standing by the blackboard sharpening my pencil, I ________ down and there in full view lay the answer sheet for the test! What good fortune! I can kiss good-bye to all my ________ of failing the test! My heart started beating, and my brain _________, Yes! Read over the answers — quickly! This was quickly followed by another voice, No! You’ll get caught! My mind turning back and forth, Yes! No! Yes! No! …This went on for ten of the ________ seconds in my entire life.
Finally, I decided to finish the test on my own, without ________! I was satisfied with my decision but pretty ________ I had failed the test.
The next day when I walked into the English room, my great joy of having been an ______ soul changed into a wave of doom as I saw my test paper lying face down on my desk. I knew what awaited me. I stared at it a few seconds before I took the _________ to turn it over.
You can only imagine my ________ when I learned that I had passed the test! I have never in my whole life been so happy to see my ________, a C-.
My mom says the victories that ________ the most courage are won within. Now I know ________ what she means. Now not only can my conscience (良心) rest easy, but I don’t have to worry about getting caught and meeting a sad ________ like Romeo and Juliet.
1.A.arrived B.appeared C.returned D.finished
2.A.Although B.Because C.Until D.If
3.A.lecture B.essay C.test D.play
4.A.by B.over C.upon D.toward
5.A.carried B.lost C.dropped D.missed
6.A.depend B.guess C.agree D.improve
7.A.in B.off C.out D.away
8.A.wrote B.settled C.looked D.calmed
9.A.boredom B.loneliness C.tiredness D.worries
10.A.warned B.persuaded C.chanted(唱歌) D.whispered
11.A.coldest B.saddest C.longest D.fastest
12.A.suffering B.cheating C.checking D.thinking
13.A.regretful B.glad C.certain D.relieved
14.A.honest B.open C.optimistic D.energetic
15.A.wisdom B.encouragement C.intention D.courage
16.A.anxiety B.shock C.fear D.appreciation
17.A.paper B.credit C.rate D.grade
18.A.take B.put C.find D.gain
19.A.gradually B.exactly C.willingly D.seemingly
20.A.ending B.film C.fact D.love
语法填空
From ancient myth(神话) to modern research, left-handed people have been labeled1.society-for good and bad. Nowadays, “lefties” are 2.(general) believed to be more talented.
According to Live Science, about 10 percent of the world’s population is left-handed. However, nobody has been quite sure 3.determines a person’s dominant hand. In a new study published on Sep 5 in the journal Britain, scientists have pinpointed for the first time the part of our DNA that 4.(relate) to left-handed.
语法填空
The 89-year-old Shen Jilan is one of the eight people who1. (award)the Medal of the Republic. As a lifelong farmer, she is the only deputy in China to serve at all 13 National People’s Congress(人民代表大会)since 1954. She2. (witness) the development of the People’s Congress system. She has been engaged in enacting(制定) and amending(修改)national laws most of her life. It was she who proposed the clause on “equal pay for equal work” between men and women, 3.was written into the first Constitution of PRC in 1954.
