Astronomers (天文学家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.
A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.
At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system —pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.
NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking abou
t being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”
“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.
Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”
What is very important in determining if we are alone in the unive
rse?
A. Finding an Earth-like planet. B. Orbiting other stars.
C. Developing new telescopes. D. Finding more exoplanets.
What’s an exoplanet?
A. It’s a planet like Earth. B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.
C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun. D. It’s a planet where life have developed.
The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.
A. understand fully B. make full use of
C. search for D. do more research on
From the passage we can learn that __________.
A. an Earth-like planet has been f
ound
B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe
C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe
D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future
【原创】Amazon is taking a leap into movie production, planning to fund a dozen original feature films each year, and to compress the time it takes to move them from theatres to viewers’ homes.
The first film projects are expected to begin production at Amazon Studios later this year, and to make their first public appearance in U.S. theatres. But Amazon plans to push them to its Prime Instant Video subscription service as little as 30 to 60 days later.
The long-standing timeline for movie releases is already under pressure, and Amazon’s latest move is another step toward collapsing it to satisfy increasingly impatient audiences. But where competitor Netflix Inc. has sought to do away with wait times entirely.
When Netflix promised last October to commission a sequel to Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon, and to release it on its streaming site the same day when it would open in theatres in the fall of 2015, cinema owners refused. “We believe the theatrical window is an important part of the overall movie sales cycle,” a spokesperson for theatre chain said.
Paul, a senior media analyst, expects many of Amazon’s original movies will have the feel of independent films with their more challenging subject matter, often made for $10-million or less. The goal isn’t to go toe to toe with “the big blockbuster machine,” with their $100-million-plus production budgets.“I don’t see this as laying down the gauntlet,” Mr. Dergarabedian said. “It’s a strategy of co-existence.”
Prime Instant Video offers online access to a wide array of films and television shows for $99 (U.S.) a year. But it is not currently available in Canada, unless viewers use a virtual private network to disguise their location.
The new company, Amazon Original Movies, will be led by Ted Hope, an American independent filmmaker.
“Audiences already recognize Amazon has raised the bar with productions in the episodic realm, coping with bold material in unique ways and teaming with top talent, both established and emerging,” Mr. Hope said.Why does Amazon begin to make original feature films?
| A．To attract more Prime Instant Video customers |
| B．To win the Golden Globe Award |
| C．To cooperate with Netflix Inc. |
| D．To contribute to the film industry. |
The original films that Amazon release _______.
| A．may not use new actors |
| B．will first be shown in Canadian theatres |
| C．may be seen at home two months after they are released |
| D．may not be welcome in the US |
From the passage we can infer the theatre _______.
| A．doesn’t want to show Amazon’s new films |
| B．prefers to co-operate with Netflix Inc. |
| C．will make more profits because Amazon’ films cost less. |
| D．doesn’t like the time being shortened from theatres to homes |
What does the underlined word “compress” mean?
| A．Lengthen. | B．Shorten. | C．Increase. | D．Quit. |
What can be the best title?
| A．Amazon comes into world market. |
| B．Amazon has a bright future. |
| C．Amazon jumps into movies |
| D．The competition in film industry becomes serious. |
【改编】However urban life strikes you, cities worldwide have been growing ever more rapidly. Some of this growth has occurred in the developed world, but the most dramatic increase has been in the Third World. Almost all the world’s population growth over the next 30 years will take place in the cities of developing countries
By the year 2030, for the first time in history, 60 percent of the world’s people will be living in cities.
This is actually good news in some ways. “Cities are the fundamental building blocks of prosperity,” says Marc Weiss, chairman of the Prague Institute for Global Urban Development, “ both for the nation and for families.” Industrial and commercial activities in urban areas account for between 50 and 80 percent of the gross domestic product (GDP) in most countries of the world“ there’s the crazy notion that the way to deal with a city’s problems is to keep people out of them, ”Weiss continued. “But the problems of the rural life are even more serious than those of the city.” For better or worse, urban-watchers are clear on one point: The quality of life for most people in the future will be determined by the quality of cities. Those cities will be bigger than ever. And yet, population numbers by themselves don’t determine a city’s prospects; after all, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, and Hamburg, Germany, have the same population. Nor is explosive growth necessarily the determining factor. “City problems,” one authority points out, “mostly have to do with weak, ineffective, and usually unrepresentative city governments.”What is the topic of this passage?
| A．The development of population. |
| B．The problems in big cities. |
| C．The development of big cities. |
| D．The improvement of people’s life quality. |
What is Marc Weiss’s attitude toward city growth?
| A．Negative. | B．Optimistic. |
| C．Unclear. | D．Doubtful. |
According to the passage ,Addis Ababa may be _______.
| A．a state. | B．a rural country. |
| C．a country. | D．a city. |
Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
| A．A city’s prospects is determined by its population numbers. |
| B．The problems of the rural life are less serious than those of the city. |
| C．The population will mainly grow in developing countries in the following three decades. |
| D．By 2030, three fourths of the population in the world will live in urban areas. |
What is the determining factor of the city problems?
| A．An ineffective city government. |
| B．The population explosion. |
| C．Urban-watchers. |
| D．Fast expansion of the city. |
Audrey Hepburn（奥黛丽·赫本）won an Academy Award as Best Actress for her first major American movie, Roman Holiday, which was released in 1953,But she is remem bered as much for her aid work as for her acting.
Born in Belgium in 1929, Audrey’s father was British and her mother was Dutch, Audrey was sent to live at a British school for part of her childhood , During World war ll , she lived and studied in the Netherlands , Her mother thought it would be safe from German attacks ,Audrey studied dance as a teenager and during college when she returned to London after the war, But she realized she wasn’t going to be a ballerina（芭蕾舞女演员）,So she began taking acting parts in stage shows, Later she began to get small parts in movies.
But it was Audrey Hepburn’s move to America that brought her true fame ,In 1951 she played the character “Gigi”in the Broadway play of the same name to great critical praise, Two years later, Roman Holiday made her a star at the age of 24.
Audrey make more than 25 movies, Among her most popular roles was Hoolly Golinghtly in Breakfast at Tiffany’s in 1961, There years later she played Eliza Doolittle in my Fair Lady.
She was married two times and had one by each husband, In 1989,the UN Children’s Fund named Audrey a goodwill ambassador, She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF(联合国儿童基金会) projects ,The UN agency said she was a tireless worker, She often gave 15 interviews a day to gain money and support for UNICEF projects.
Audrey Hepburn often said her loyalty to UNICEF was the result of her experiences as a child during World War II, She said she knew what it was like to be starving and to be saved by international aid, She was a goodwill ambassador until her death in 1993 from colon cancer.In Paragraph 1, “her aid work” means .
| A．winning an Academy Award as Best Actress |
| B．taking acting parts in stage shows |
| C．making her own movies |
| D．acting as a goodwill ambassador for UNICEF |
The reason why Audrey lived and studied in the Netherlands was that .
| A．she wanted to be a ballerina |
| B．her parents were from Britain |
| C．it was safe there |
| D．the education there was excellent |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．Audrey’s parents lived in Germany during World War II |
| B．Audrey lived in America in the 1950s |
| C．Audrey was made to give up dancing |
| D．the character “Gigi”in the Broadway play was her most popular role |
is NOT mentioned in the passage about Audrey Hepburn
| A．Marriage | B．Identity |
| C．Contribution | D．Religion |
is the right order for Audrey’s life.
①The first time she began to play in movies
②She returned to London from the Netherlands
③She won an Academy Award as Best Actress
④She travelled all over the world in support of UNICEF projects
⑤She played a part in My Fair Lady
| A．②①③⑤④ | B．①②③⑤④ |
| C．②①⑤③④ | D．①②⑤③④ |
【原创】Disney World presents a dilemma for many people. If you’re there, you’re probably there because you love the children in your life. But should that noble desire to do right by the wee ones automatically put you in a disgusting holiday of six-foot animated characters, wailing toddlers and chicken-finger meals?
B Resort & Spa has solved this problem. Stay here and you’ve got easy access to “the happiest place on Earth” without sacrificing your adult sensibilities.
There’s 80-minute B Indulged massages to be had at the Aveda spa, complete with footbaths for your weary feet, and adventure tours to nearby Boggy Creek to observe tigers in their natural habitat. Even the mini-bar is stocked with a nod to grownup tastes (think Boulder Canyon natural, kettle-cooked chips).
location
B is right inside Orlando’s Walt Disney World Resort, just a short, free shuttle from Downtown Disney. This means you don’t have to stay in the kid zone all day long.
If you have a car at your disposal, it’s also well worth a trip out to the East End Market, where you’ll find the best of Orlando’s local food scene, along with a superb Basque eatery, Txokos, whose famous cook Henry Salgado has been nominated twice for a James Beard Award.
Eat in or eat out?
Room service is exceptional for breakfast: quick and delicious, with perfectly poached eggs and house-made sausage so tasty you’ll find yourself craving it for weeks to come. For dinner, American Q has tasty house-made barbecue sauces and all-you-can-eat, Brazilian-style carved meat dishes from across the U.S. The foods here will keep everyone in the family happy, and good pineapple wine should mellow out the grownups after a long, crazy day at Disney.
Who may be interested in the passage?
| A．Parents | B．Teachers . |
| C．Children . | D．Adolescents. |
Living in B Resort & Spa, you can _____.
| A．visit Disney World for free |
| B．have breakfast without leaving your room |
| C．enjoy meals cooked by Henry Salgado |
| D．watch tigers closely |
Why does the writer think Disney World is a dilemma?
| A．Because Disney World is like a trap for adults. |
| B．Because adults are forbidden to enter Disney World. |
| C．Because adults can get little joy from Disney World. |
| D．Because Disney World is full of animated characters. |
Which is not mention in the passage?
| A．Transportation. | B．Location. | C．Food. | D．History. |
Where can you find this passage ?
| A．In a science book. | B．In a travel magazine. |
| C．In a government work report | D．In a news report |
【改编】Our body clock，or natural body rhythm，influences our energy and alertness．Paying attention to it can help us choose the suitable time of day when we best perform specific tasks．
The reality，however，is that most of us organize their time around work demands，school deadlines，commuting or social events．Doing whatever your body feels like doing is a luxury in today's fast-paced modem society．
But that doesn't mean it isn't worth trying．Obeying our body clock has significant health benefits．Disrupting our natural body rhythm，on the other hand，has been linked to problems such as depression，obesity，or headache，says Steve Key，a biology professor．
When the body clock can synchronize（使……同步）the rhythms of its natural processes，it “gives us an advantage in daily life”，says Key．
According to him，when it comes to cognitive（认知的）work，most adults perform best in the late morning．As our body temperature starts to rise just before awakening in the morning and continues to increase until midday，our memory，alertness and concentration gradually improve．
However，he adds，our ability to concentrate typically starts to decrease soon thereafter．Most of us are more easily distracted between noon and 4 pm．
Alertness also tends to fall after eating a meal and sleepiness tends to peak around 2 pm，making that a good time for a nap．
Surprisingly, tiredness may increase our creative powers．For most adults，problems that require open ended thinking are often best dealt with in the evening when they are tired， according to a study in the journal Thinking & Reasoning．
When choosing a time of day to exercise，paying attention to your body clock can improve results．Physical performance is usually best from about 3 to 6 pm，says Michael Smolensky，a professor of biomedical engineering．
Of course, not everyone's body clock is the same，making it even harder to synchronize natural rhythms with daily plans．What does the writer mainly tell us in the passage?
| A．The benefit of natural body rhythm. |
| B．A new research about our body clock. |
| C．Something about natural body rhythm. |
| D．The definition of natural body rhythm. |
What is the meaning of the underlined word “disrupting”?
| A．Following. | B．Destroying. |
| C．Noticing. | D．Finding. |
According to the passage, we can know _____.
| A．people don’t know tiredness can increase creative powers. |
| B．people are most focused at 3 o’clock.. |
| C．natural body rhythm can’ t influences people’s energy. |
| D．most grown-ups perform best in the early morning |
Which of the following is true ?
| A．Our memory and concentration improve with the fall of body temperature. |
| B．A good time for a nap is usually at 1pm. |
| C．Physical performance is usually best in the morning. |
| D．Not all people have the same body clock. |
The benefit of knowing our natural body rhythm is that_____.
| A．we can keep healthy all our life. |
| B．we can improve our IQ. |
| C．we can do specific tasks in suitable time. |
| D．we can do whatever our body wants to. |
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