If you grew up watching the kid’s television channel Nickelodeon, you will probably understand that there is nothing greater than enjoying its special bright green slime ( 水晶泥). The week of May 11, astronauts (宇航员) aboard the International Space Station(ISS) joined the slime.
Nickelodeon sent two kilos of its green slime into space in the summer of 2019. The Slime in Space project’s idea was to create an educational trip for teachers to use in class. The green slime was also used to guide astronauts through a series of experiments that were designed to learn more about how slime acts in microgravity.
Researchers from Portland State University(PSU) were excited to design the experiments for the project. Mark Weislogel and his partner designed eight shows for NASA astronauts and European Space Agency astronaut aboard to perform.
If you’re wondering what we could hope to learn from sending slime into space, the answer lies in its very name. Slime is slimy. This is because it is a liquid that is thicker than liquids like water. This makes slime act in unexpected ways in the microgravity of the ISS. Improving our understanding of how thicker liquids act in space may help us improve the design of systems that something were designed with Earth’s gravity in mind.
“Interestingly, we consider liquid on Earth as that takes the shape of its container,” Koch tells CNN. “Water just turns into a ball in microgravity, so we’ve had to have a new understanding of different kinds of matter in space. This experiment shows how microgravity can help us understand things on Earth, especially the things we take for granted.”
1.In paragraph one, Nickelodeon is mentioned .
A.to introduce the topic B.to attract the kids
C.to make advertisements D.to share a TV show
2.Why are the experiments with slime designed in space ?
A.Because they get students interested in space.
B.Because slime takes the shape of its container.
C.Because slime is popular with kids in the TV show.
D.Because they help us understand how slime acts in space.
3.What is Koch’s attitude towards the experiment with slime?
A.Puzzled. B.Worried. C.Uninterested. D.Positive.
4.Which of the following can be the best title of the text?
A.Microgravity makes a difference to matters.
B.Astronauts join the slime in space for science.
C.Kids join the slime so as to become astronauts.
D.Experiments are designed with slimy slime.
Greece restarted regular ferry (轮渡) services to its islands, and cafés and restaurants were also back open for business to rescue its tourism .
Travel to the islands had been generally off-limits since a lockdown was carried out in late March to stop the spread of the coronavirus, with only goods suppliers and locals allowed to enter. But the country’s low infection rate (感染率) in the COVID-19 pandemic encouraged the government to start the holiday season three weeks earlier than the expected June 15 date.
At Bairaktaris restaurant on central Monastiraki Square in Athens, waiters and other workers wearing face masks, prepared various dishes, arranged flowers on tables and waited for customers, who remained cautious. Spiros Bairaktaris, the owner, is carrying on a family business running for 140 years and has hung pictures on the wall of himself sitting next to supermodel Naomi Campbell, singer Cesaria Evora, and other famous customers.
Greece has had nearly 2,900 infections and 171 deaths from the virus. Italy has seen nearly 33,000 coronavirus patients die, Spain has had nearly 29,000 deaths and Turkey 4,340, according to a record by Johns Hopkins University.
Social distancing rules and passenger limits have been introduced on ferries and at restaurants to prevent new infections. State-run health services to fight the coronavirus are being provided to the islands.
Tourism is a vital part of the Greek economy, directly contributing more than 10% of the country’s GDP . More than 34 million visitors traveled to Greece last year, spending 18.2 billion euros ($19.5 billion), according to government data.
1.What does the underlined word “off-limits” in paragraph 2 probably refer to ?
A.Prevented. B.Admired. C.Confirmed. D.Encouraged.
2.Which of the following statements is true according to the text?
A.Tourism has been completely rescued in Greece.
B.Visitors are welcomed to Greece to help develop tourism.
C.Coronavirus pandemic has already disappeared in Greece.
D.Bairaktaris restaurant has attracted many famous customers.
3.What’s the author’s purpose of writing the text?
A.To attract famous customers in Greece.
B.To show the growth of Greek economy.
C.To introduce the efforts made for Greek tourism.
D.To share specific ways to run a restaurant in Greece.
A gymnastics balance beam (平衡木) is just 4 inches wide, but whether it sits an inch off the floor or the standard 4 feet, the challenge it causes for excellent gymnasts is the same.
That’s how gymnast Morgan Hurd explains it. “Beam is one of those things that are more mental than anything,” she said. “If you can do it on the floor, you can do it on the beam.” That’s the way she is taking as she trains for the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games in the living room of her Delaware home.
First State Gymnastics has been her training site since fifth grade but it is closed because of the coronavirus ( 新冠病毒) pandemic. Hurd has only one piece of gymnastics equipment: a balance beam that is quite close the ground and is roughly half the standard length of 16 feet, 5 inches. But she has no uneven bars (高低杠) in her house. “The hardest thing will be bars just because that feeling can not be replaced, no matter what you do or how strong you are,” Hurd said.
These days, Hurd’s self-directed training includes two workouts daily, three hours in the morning and another two hours in the afternoon, six days a week. She regularly talks to Slava Glazounov, who has been her coach since fifth grade. Hurd is in charge of her practising, such as the stretches and exercises that keep up her strength.
Equally important to Hurd is staying in touch with her teammates on the U.S. national team.
Sunisa Lee is a close friend, who, in April, shared a video of herself in her yard.
1.According to Morgan Hurd, balance beam .
A.is a special kind of mental training
B.needs to be trained in the living room
C.is a more mentally challenging sport
D.is more challenging than uneven bars
2.Morgan Hurd prepares for the delayed Tokyo Olympic Games mainly by .
A.keeping sharing videos with friends
B.keeping in touch with her teammates
C.keeping taking regular exercise home
D.keeping communicating with her coach
3.Which of the following best describes Morgan Hurd’s personality ?
A.Self-centered. B.Self-controlled. C.Honest. D.Sensitive.
听下面一段独白，回答以下小题。
1.Why did the speaker and her parents first move to the U.S.?
A.To live with their family. B.To find good jobs. C.To learn English.
2.What did the speaker want to be?
A.A market owner. B.A doctor. C.A teacher.
3.Where did the speaker go to college?
A.In Los Angeles. B.In San Francisco. C.In New York City.
4.How does the speech probably make the students feel?
A.Worried. B.Encouraged. C.Disappointed.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What day is it today?
A.Wednesday. B.Thursday. C.Friday.
2.What does the man hope to do this afternoon?
A.Watch a basketball game. B.Go for a job interview. C.Meet Yao Ming.
3.What will Yao Ming talk about?
A.Why it’s important to go to university.
B.What it’s like to be famous in the U.S..
C.How to start a successful basketball career.
4.How old was the woman when she first heard about Yao Ming?
A.Four years old. B.Seven years old. C.Eight years old.
听下面一段较长对话，回答以下小题。
1.What is the probable relationship between the speakers?
A.Mother and son. B.Brother and sister. C.Husband and wife.
2.What does the man think of the woman’s idea?
A.It’s smart.
B.It’s against their traditions.
C.It’ll make them stressed out.
3.Where do the speakers come from?
A.China. B.Britain. C.America.
