For more than twenty years scientists have been searching for signs of life on other planets. Most of these searches have been done over the radio. The hope is that someone in outer space may be trying to get in touch with us. Scientists also have sent radio and television messages on spaceships traveling through space, on the chance that someone may be receptive to such messages.
Scientists are using powerful radio telescopes to listen to signals from about 1,000 stars, all within 100 light years of earth. In addition, they will scan the entire sky to “listen” for radio messages from more distant stars. Using a computer, they will be able to monitor more than eight channels at one time. Scientists are looking for any signal that stands out from the background noise.
Of the 200 billion stars in the Milky Way galaxy (银河星系), scientists find that 5% are like our sun. Perhaps half of them have a planet like earth. Such a planet would be a reasonable distance from the star for temperatures to be right for the evolution (进化) of life. Based on the inhabitable (that can be lived in) planets in our galaxy, most scientists agree that chances are likely that one or more of these planets support some life.
However, many scientists wonder whether intelligent (智能的) life exists on other planets. Some believe that twenty years of searching without any intelligible messages shows that no one is out there. They say that the evolution of intelligence comparable to ours is unlikely.
Other scientists believe that our search hasn’t been long enough to rule out the possibility that intelligent life exists in our galaxy. Although our sun family is only about five billion years old, our galaxy is about 20 billion years old. In that time, some scientists think it is likely that civilization much more advanced than ours have developed. Perhaps these civilizations send us no signals; perhaps we have not recognized the signals they have sent us. If we hope to find intelligent life, these scientists believe that we have to keep looking. According to the passage, how many planets in our galaxy might be inhabitable?
| A．5 billion． | B．10 billion. | C．15 billion. | D．200 billion |
The first paragraph in this passage is mainly about ________ .
| A．how scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| B．why scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| C．where scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
| D．when scientists are looking for signs of life on other planets |
Which of these statements is True based on the information in the passage?
| A．The earth is one of the oldest planets in our galaxy. |
| B．Most scientists believe that there is intelligent life on other planets. |
| C．Scientists don’t believe that there might be life on other planets. |
| D．Scientists are trying different ways to find signs of life on other planets. |
If there’s one memory Anna wanted to keep from her experiences during the Second World War, it was her son, Andrzej. Anna, 89, lost touch with him when she was forced to leave her native Poland and sent to a labor camp in Austria more than 60 years ago. Now, 64, Andrzej hugged his mother at the air port, who had been waiting for him.
Andrzej searched for his mother for more than 50 years, almost giving up. But his mother made the first phone call. Unluckily, he wrote down his mother’s phone number wrong and spent another month trying to reach her again. When he did, the two talked regularly on the phone for two months to break down the language barrier. Anna can hardly speak Polish over the years and Andrzej doesn’t speak English.
After the war, Anna could not find her son and went to Italy, finally ending up in Great Britain, the US, then Canada 45 years ago. She used the Internet to track her son, making phone calls with no luck. Meanwhile Andrzej contacted the Polish Red Cross last year to help in his search.
At last, they locate each other at the same time. Andrzej will spend a month with his mother in Britain. Andrzej was about _______ years old when his mother left him for Austria 60 years ago.
| A．eight |
| B．six |
| C．four |
| D．two |
Where did they meet for the first time after 60 years separation?
| A．In Britain |
| B．In Italy |
| C．In Poland |
| D．In Canada |
Andrzej delayed a month to phone his mother because________.
| A．he had to learn English first |
| B．he put down a wrong number |
| C．he needed some time to prove the news |
| D．he just couldn’t believe the news at first |
The best title for the passage would be ________
| A．The story of Anna and her son Andrzej |
| B．The war separated the families for 60 years |
| C．Anna suffered a great deal from the war |
| D．Mother reunited with son after 60 years. |
Taking children to school on time doesn’t have to be a battle against the clock. Here are some rules for you to follow.
Lay out children’s clean clothes the night before. Who wants to be looking through unsorted clothes for three pairs of matching socks at 8:00am? Just have the clothes you know they will wear and the food they like ready and waiting. It makes life easier when you can’t spare the time in the morning.
Allow time for yourself. Whether it’s a hot shower, a cup of coffee or five minutes’ peace, leave yourself enough time. This doesn’t include “Just five more minutes” in bed, which will often turn into oversleeping followed by mayhem.
Stick to a routine. Make sure your children know what you expect from them every morning and stick to that routine, whether it’s that they should be fully dressed before breakfast or that they should brush their teeth straight afterwards. My personal top tip for the easiest way to a pain-free morning is no TV the night before.
Keep calm. If the bus is late or you have forgotten where you parked the car, or if you are late, don’t get angry and blame the children. Every one has such a bad morning. But if your children are often late for school, it’s up to you to start a more organized morning routine.The passage is mainly intended for __________.
| A．parents |
| B．teachers |
| C．students |
| D．early birds |
The underlined word “mayhem” is closest in meaning to __________
| A．the bad habit |
| B．the sleeping hour |
| C．some preparation |
| D．some trouble |
What’s the author’s first choice to have a pain-free morning?
| A．Have clothes ready in advance. |
| B．Allow enough time for peace. |
| C．Get dressed before breakfast. |
| D．Don’t watch TV the night before |
How many rules are mentioned for your reference in the passage?
| A．Five | B．Four |
| C．Three | D．Two |
A middle-aged couple from California got to the Pacific Ocean after a 4,900- mile-cross-country walk, becoming the first to backpack the American Discovery Trail by walking．
Marcia and Ken started the travel across 13 states, through 14 national parks and 16 national forests from Delaware and finally reached their destination a day nearly eight months later.
“We are sad that a great adventure is over. Now we just go home and do housework” said the couple, who went through cities, desert, mountains and farmland before reaching the Pacific alone.
They overcame deep snow in the East, a quicksand in Utah, close lightning strikes in the Mid- west and strong desert sandstorms in the West while averaging 22 miles a day and taking only four days off．But they enjoyed the French history of St.Louis and the beauty of the Colorado Rockies. They particularly remember kindness of strangers they met along the way.
“Americans are truly warm-hearted and wonderful. We got to meet people that we would never meet in our daily living at home. It' s an amazing country.” Marcia said．Which of the following is the most suitable title?
| A．The first couple to backpack the Pacific Ocean alone |
| B．The first couple to cover a 4,900 mile cross-country walk |
| C．A husband-and-wife team suffered a lot during an adventure |
| D．A husband-and-wife team got much help during an adventure |
Which of the statements is TRUE?
| A．The couple travelled across 16 states. |
| B．Their walk lasted nearly half a year. |
| C．They prefer housework to adventure |
| D．They took four days off during the travel |
We know that during the walk, the couple_________.
| A．were worried about their housework |
| B．once covered 22 miles within four days |
| C．were treated warm-heartedly by strangers |
| D．met strong desert sandstorms in the East |
Which place do you suppose can replace the underlined word “destination”?
| A．Delaware |
| B．Colorado Rockies |
| C．California |
| D．Pacific Ocean |
Living in a modern society with more and more out-of-date but still useful computers, many people have to face such a troubling problem: How to deal with those old computers? Some old ones are put away in homes. Many more are just thrown out with the rubbish.
Don’t worry! Some companies are coming up with new ways to cut the number of old computers. Sony, Dell, Hewlett-Packard and other companies now agree to take back some old computers.
In some countries, there are laws about what to do with old computers. By law, computer companies will have to pay for collecting and recycling their used products. And 70% of computer waste must be recycled. The idea behind the laws is that computer companies themselves should pay the cost. That will encourage them to make computers that are easier and cheaper to repair and upgrade（升级）.
While many people are throwing away good computers, others cannot afford them at all. Hundreds of organizations（组织）are working to solve this problem. They collect and repair old computers before sending them to schools, charities（慈善团体）and people who need them. In this way, we can turn one person's rubbish into someone else's useful things-and cut down on waste.What do many people do with old computers?
| A．They sell them to others. |
| B．They try to repair them. |
| C．They give them to others. |
| D．They stop using them |
According to laws in some countries mentioned in the passage, computer companies must_____.
| A．recycle most of their products |
| B．make their computers cheaper |
| C．repair and upgrade old computers |
| D．collect all their used products |
The last paragraph mainly tells us that hundreds of organizations are working to _________.
| A．help the computer companies to collect old ones |
| B．repair old ones and send them to whoever needs them. |
| C．advise people not to throw away good computers. |
| D．encourage people to turn rubbish into useful things. |
What is the main idea of this passage?
| A．How to repair old computers. |
| B．Avoid producing too many computers. |
| C．Encourage to recycle old computers. |
| D．How to turn rubbish into useful things |
Garden of small inventions
Visitors of all ages are invited to Port Discovery to see the new exhibit—a garden of small inventions, which features interactive activities and gadgets(小器械，小物件，小玩意) for the environmental protection. The exhibit runs through Sept.4. Fee is $10.75; free for ages younger than two. Contact 410-727-8120 or portdiscovery.org.
Rain-barrel workshop
The Parks and People Foundation presents a workshop on building water-efficient rain barrels for the home between 6pm-8pm on Wednesday at the foundation’s Stieff Silver Building. Cost is $50 and includes the barrel and all materials. Contact 410-448-5663, ext.109.
Pruning(修剪)plants
Visitors can attend a workshop on pruning plants between 9:30am-10am on Tuesday at Ladew Topiary Gardens. Visitors should meet in the Visitors Center at Ladew, Jarrettsville Pike, Monkton. $10; free for Ladew members, and includes admission to the gardens and the nature walk. Contact 410-557-9570 or www.ladewgardens.com.
Landscape exhibit
Photographs, paintings and drawings will be shown at Landscape and Nature—a view from Maryland, through Sept.9 at the University of Maryland. Opening reception is between 5pm-7:30pm on Tuesday. Contact 301-985-7937 or um.edu/art.It will cost a couple with their newly-born baby________ to visit Port Discovery.
| A．$ 30 | B．$100 | C．$21.5 | D．nothing |
To learn how to make your flowers grow better, you will probably go to __________.
| A．Port Discovery |
| B．Stieff Silver Building |
| C．Ladew Topiary Gardens |
| D．the University of Maryland |
You will call _______ to get information about learning something about art.
| A．410-727-8120 | B．410-448-5663 |
| C．410-557-9570 | D．301-985-7937 |
Which activity is offered only on Wednesday according to the ads?
| A．Garden of small inventions | B．Rain-barrel workshop |
| C．Pruning(修剪)plants | D．Landscape exhibit |
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