NASA’s Mars detector (探测器), Opportunity, succeeded in finding signs that water once existed on the planet. Opportunity landed on Mars in January. Scientists now believe that the planet could once have supported life.
This discovery was chosen by Science, one of the world’s leading magazines, as the most important scientific achievement of 2004 last Friday.
“This little, wheeled, one-armed box went around another planet and has done something no human has ever managed,” according to Science. “It has discovered another place in the universe where life could once have existed.”
“Although we still can’t say that life could have existed in this environment, it is now certain that there was water on Mars,” said Steve Squyres, one of the scientists working on the Mars mission. The evidence comes from pictures and chemical readings taken by Opportunity. It includes marks on rocks like those caused by flowing water on Earth and salty chemicals like those found in dried-out sea-beds. Scientists said the new evidence proved beyond doubt that water has been existed on Mars. But it is still unknown whether the water on Mars was like an ocean or just ice.
While Opportunity has not found any signs of life, the presence of water means life is possible. “In everything we know about life on Earth, there is no example without liquid water,” Squyres said. “So water is important for the search for life on Mars.”
Researchers agree that a future mission (任务) should bring back physical samples (样品). But some scientists worry about the risk that this could introduce dangerous foreign creatures to Earth. “The problem here is how to get the samples back,” Squyres replied. “I think it is our responsibility to limit any risk.”
1. ________ prove that water existed on Mars.
A. The physical samples with salty chemicals B. The marks on rocks and salty chemicals
C. Scientific achievements of 2004 D. Creatures from Mars
2. Which of the following is true according to the text?
A. It is now certain that there was water on Mars.
B. The water on Mars was like an ocean.
C. Evidence of life on Mars has been found.
D. Search for life on Mars is a great risk to humans.
3. How did scientists draw the conclusion that there was water on Mars?
A. The world’s leading magazine has announced the fact.
B. Scientists have taken many pictures and chemical readings on the Mars.
C. Astronauts have got some rocks from Mars.
D. Scientists have made a study of the pictures and readings sent back by Mars detector.
4. It can be inferred that, if the creatures from Mars came to Earth, ________.
A. they would be kind to humans B. they would be cruel to humans
C. they would be a great danger to Earth
D. it would be hard to say whether it would be a good news or bad news
One day I heard that one of my dear friends had lost his mother. This made me sad, for my friend was very close to his mother. He had been by her side as she traveled through her long and hard journey with cancer. At this time, many memories about my loved ones that had passed away came flooding to me. Finally these memories passed, but it was really sad to think that my friend would have to go through the pain.
Three times I tried to write an email to my friend and three times words failed me. I am a person who is not often lost for words and I decided to have a sleep. Upon waking up I could hardly wait for my computer to work, the words I needed were there. I was still left with a heavy heart although I had sent an email.
Everything in this universe is balanced and indeed it is. Three days later, I received his reply letter. I was happy to hear that he’d been admitted to (录取) Cambridge University. It served as a gentle reminder for me that my friend would be okay and that life would go on.
Everything in life is balanced; the lowest feelings change places with the highest feelings. Without the lows, we would never appreciate the highs. No matter how dark the clouds seem to be, the sunshine is always there and just waiting for the opportunity to shine through. When the author learnt her friend had lost his mother, she ______.
| A．gave him some money |
| B．wrote an email to him |
| C．went to visit him |
| D．went for a journey with him |
What good news did the author’s friend receive?
| A．He received the author’s email. |
| B．He was told that life would go on. |
| C．He would go to Cambridge University. |
| D．His life would go back to normal again |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the text?
| A．The author wrote four emails to her friend. |
| B．The mother of the author’s friend died from cancer. |
| C．The author’s friend is a teacher in Cambridge University. |
| D．The author felt relaxed after sending the email. |
From the text, we can learn that the author is ______.
| A．sincere and warm-hearted |
| B．proud and confident |
| C．serious and friendly |
| D．funny and responsible |
The author aims to tell us that ______.
| A．life is not fair to everybody |
| B．time waits for no man |
| C．everyone has good and bad times in life |
| D．where there is a will, there is a way |
Mary Cassatt is one of the first great women American painters. At first her father did not want her to become an artist. But she followed her dreams and became an artist. She was born on May 22, 1844, and lived in Europe for several years as a child.
Her family returned to the United States and, at age 16, Mary attended the Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Arts. Four years later she decided she couldn't learn anything fresh and practical in Philadelphia, so she returned to Europe. There she studied the skills of the masters in Rome, Seville, Antwerp, and Paris.
Mary received the chance of a lifetime at the age of 33 when the famous Frenchpainter, Edgar Degas, asked her to join a group of painters that included now-famous artists like Manet and Renoir. Their style of painting is called Impressionism. They used primary colors and short brush strokes in their work. They recognized Mary’s spirit and powerful talent and invited her to exhibit in the Impressionist art shows.
Mary painted what she saw: gardens and paintings of persons, especially of mothers and children involved in everyday living. One of her paintings, "Young Mother and Two Children," was given to the White House in 1954 where it hangs today.
Mary never married and, in 1877, her parents and sister moved to Europe to join her. Mary devoted much of her time to them for the next 18 years to their care. Mary painted until 1914 when her failing eyesight made it impossible to continue. She spent the later years of her life in Paris. She died in 1926 at the age of 82. Unfortunately, all her life, she refused to accept students. Which year was the most vital to her career and life?
| A．1877 | B．1864 | C．1860 | D．1914 |
Mary left Pennsylvania for Europe at age 20 mainly because_____.
A. she didn’t learn anything in Pennsylvania
B she wanted to give up painting
C. her desire for the learning wasn’t satisfied well
D. her father didn’t want her to learn painting again Mary Cassatt stopping painting because of_____.
| A．her poor eyesight | B．her old age |
| C．lack of interest | D．her family |
Which of the statements about Mary Cassatt is supported by the passage?
A. Her painting featured scenes of everyday living
B. Her father had a decisive(决定性的) effect on her painting
C. She used various colors and long lines in her works
D. She studied the paintings of the masters in U.S.A. It can be inferred from the passage that _____.
| A．the paintings of Edgar Degas belong to realism |
| B．during the last ten year of life, she painted nothing. |
| C．her works were controversial though highly recognized |
| D．her students showed great respect for her |
Robert Burns, the son of a hard-working and intelligent farmer, was the oldest of seven children. Although always hard pressed financially, their father encouraged his sons with their education. As a result, Burns not only read the Scottish poetry of Ramsay and the collections by Hailes and Herd, but also the works of Pope, Locke, and Shakespeare.
By 1781, Burns had tried his hand at several agricultural jobs without success. Although he had begun writing, and his poems were spread widely in manuscript (手稿), none were published until 1786, when Burns published Chiefly in the Scottish Dialect (1786), which was an immediate success. Later Burns brought out a second edition of his poems at Edinburgh in 1787, and for two winters he was socially active in the Scottish city. In 1788 he retired to a farm at Ellis land. By 1791 Burns had failed as a farmer, and he moved to Dumfries, where he held a position as a tax collector. He died of illness at 37.
Burns’s art is at its best in songs such as My Heart’s in the Highlands. Some of his songs, such as Auld Lang Syne and Comin’ thro’ the Rye, are among the most familiar and best-loved songs in the English language. But his talent was not limited to songs; two descriptive pieces, Tam o’ Shanter and The Jolly Beggars, are among his masterpieces.
Burns had a fine sense of humor, which was reflected in his satirical (讽刺的), descriptive, and playful poems. His great popularity with the Scots lay in his ability to describe the life of his fellow rural Scots. His use of dialect brought an energetic, much-needed freshness into English poetry. What can we learn from the first paragraph?
| A．Burn had a wealthy childhood. |
| B．Burns was best loved by his parents. |
| C．Burns’s father cared more about his kids’ education. |
| D．Burns wanted to be a poet when he grew up. |
Robert was not officially accepted by readers until______.
| A．1781 | B．1786 | C．1787 | D．1791 |
Robert made his best achievement in art by writing _______.
| A．songs | B．poems | C．stories | D．humors |
What was Robert’s biggest contribution to English poetry?
| A．His satirical style. | B．His descriptiveness. |
| C．His fine sense of humor. | D．His use of Scottish dialect. |
We can conclude from the passage that Robert _______.
| A．majored in agriculture when he was a student |
| B．earned a lot of money by publishing his poems |
| C．was a failure in managing farms but a success in art |
| D．showed much interest in collecting tax before he died |
Kristy, 28, a cook in La Gross, often wondered what she’d do in a life-threatening situation. On August 29, she got her answer. While she was driving on a road, a big truck hit its head on a pickup car. The pickup car burst into flames. Kristy rushed out and ran to the pickup. Two farmers, Dean Berhard, 51, and his brother Donald, 44, were inside.
When she got close, Kristy could see the unconscious driver. The other man was under the passenger seat. Kristy says, “The smells were sickening. I was afraid the truck would blow up and kill us all.”
The driver of the big truck was struggling to open the passenger door, so Kristy rushed to the driver’s side. Finally they opened the door. She reached in, seized the driver and , to her horror, felt her hands sink into his chest. She quickly dragged the man to safety on the roadside, then hurried back. As Kristy stared down the ditch (水沟) with the passenger, the pickup blew up. She jumped on top of him and they both rolled to safety.
When the police arrived a while later, Kristy started crying, “I want my mum.” In fact she cried for the next three months.
Today the two farmers, each the father of two children, are good friends with Kristy. To show their deep appreciation, they bought her a ring with nine diamonds —one for each member of their immediate families, and ninth for her.In which order did Kristy do the following things?
a. Carried Dean and Donald to safety
b. Rushed to the pickup
c. Surprised herself
d. Saw the truck hit on the pickup
e. Got out of her car
f. Wondered what she’d do in danger
| A．e, d, b, a, c, f | B．d, e, b, a, f, c |
| C．f, d, e, b, a, c | D．f, c, e, d, b, a |
When coming to save Donald and Dean Bernard, Kristy never thought that she ________.
| A．could have any help from others |
| B．would fail to save both of them |
| C．might be killed |
| D．would be tested in a dangerous situation |
Which of the following best shows Kristy’s true heroism(英雄行为)?
| A．She remained calm during and after the accident. |
| B．She protected herself as well as the two brothers from harm. |
| C．She put her life “on the line” to save others. |
| D．She was regarded as a member of Dean’s and Donald’s families. |
This sentence “The pickup burst into flames.” in the first paragraph means “_____.”
| A．The pickup was on fire |
| B．The pickup started smoking badly |
| C．A terrifying cry came out of the pickup |
| D．The pickup was broken into pieces |
Kristy cried because she _________.
| A．was badly wounded |
| B．had never experienced such a situation |
| C．was too excited at the result |
| D．regretted not putting out the fire |
Speak, speak, speak!
Practise speaking as often as you can. Speaking to yourself is good practice.
Try recording yourself whenever you can.
Compare your pronunciation with the master version（原版）to see how you can do better and have another go. If you do this several times, you will find that each time is better than last.
Why not learn with someone else?
It helps if you can learn with someone else. If you can persuade a friend or family member to study with you, it will make you keep working.
Don't get stuck by a word you don't know.
Practise improving ways of getting your meaning across when speaking spontaneously（本能地），even if you don't know the exact words or phrases. Think of things you might want to say whenever you have spare time. Use facial expressions, hand movements, anything to make yourself understood.
Language learning is also about intuition（直觉）．
Guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. When listening to recorded material, you aren't expected to understand everything first time round. If you play the same piece several times, you will most probably understand something new each time.
Build up your vocabulary.
A wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning but don’t try to learn too much at once. It’s best to study frequently, for short periods of time. Take at most six or seven items of vocabulary and learn them. Put them into sentences to fix them in your mind, and then come back to them later.
And above all, have fun! What’s the purpose of this passage?
| A．To tell us the importance of practicing speaking as often as we can. |
| B．To tell us a few tips to help us learn a new language well. |
| C．To tell us that guesswork is an important way to learn a new language. |
| D．To tell us that a wide vocabulary is the key to successful language learning. |
What’s the meaning of the underlined phrase in the first part?
| A．Have another try or attempt. |
| B．Move away from a place to another. |
| C．Enter a certain state or condition. |
| D．Follow or take a certain course. |
To learn English well, we shouldn’t _______ according to the passage.
| A．practice speaking as often as possible |
| B．study frequently, for short periods of time to build up our vocabulary |
| C．try to understand everything and stop when we meet a new word |
| D．try to persuade a friend or family member to study with us |
According to the passage, to learn a new language well, the most important thing is ______.
| A．speaking as much as possible | B．having fun |
| C．a wide vocabulary | D．guesswork |
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