Why should mankind explore space? Why should money, time and effort be spent exploring and researching something with so few apparent benefits? Why should resources be spent on space rather than on conditions and people on Earth? These are questions that, understandably, are very often asked.
Perhaps the best answer lies in our genetic makeup(基因构成) as human beings. What drove our ancestors to move from the trees into the plains, and on into all possible areas and environments? The wider the spread of a species, the better its chance of survival. Perhaps the best reason for exploring space is this genetic tendency to expand wherever possible.
Nearly every successful civilization has explored, because by doing so, any dangers in surrounding areas can be identified and prepared for. Without knowledge, we may be completely destroyed by the danger. With knowledge, we can lessen its effects.
Exploration also allows minerals and other potential resources to be found. Even if we have no immediate need of them, they will perhaps be useful later. Resources may be more than physical possessions. Knowledge or techniques have been acquired through exploration. The techniques may have medical applications which can improve the length or quality of our lives. We have already benefited from other spin-offs including improvements in earthquake prediction, in satellites for weather forecasting and in communications systems. Even non-stick pans and mirrored sunglasses are by-products (副产品) of technological developments in the space industry!
While many resources are spent on what seems a small return, the exploration of space allows creative, brave and intelligent members of our species to focus on what may serve to save us. While space may hold many wonders and explanations of how the universe was formed or how it works, it also holds dangers. The danger exists, but knowledge can help human beings to survive. Without the ability to reach out across space, the chance to save ourselves might not exist.
While Earth is the only planet known to support life, surely the adaptive ability of humans would allow us to live on other planets. It is true that the lifestyle would be different, but human life and cultures have adapted in the past and surely could in the future.Why does the author mention the questions in Paragraph1?
| A．To express his doubts. | B．To compare different ideas. |
| C．To introduce points for discussion. | D．To describe the conditions on Earth. |
What is the reason for exploring space based on Paragraph2?
| A．Humans are nature-born to do so. | B．Humans have the tendency to fight. |
| C．Humans may find new sources of food. | D．Humans don’t like to stay in the same place. |
The underlined word “spin-offs” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to______.
| A．survival chances | B．potential resources |
| C．unexpected benefits | D．physical possessions |
What makes it possible for humans to live on other planets?
| A．O ur genetic makeup. | B．Resources on the earth.. |
| C．The adaptive ability of humans. | D．By-products in space exploration. |
Which of the statements can best sum up the passage?
| A．Space exploration has created many wonders. |
| B．Space exploration provides the best value for money. |
| C．Space exploration can benefit science and technology |
| D．Space exploration may help us avoid potential problems on Earth. |
The name sounds funny but the idea is no joke: it’s a personal toilet called the pee-pool, Anders Wilhelmson, a Swedish architect, is the inventor of the pee-pool.
He became interested in the idea of sanitation(卫生设施) after taking part in a research project on the social and political development of cities, One of the most common problems he found in developing countries was the lack of toilets, He wanted to do something to help, So working with others, he started the project in 2005, and the next year started a company called Peepoolple.
The toilet is a single—use bag made of environmentally friendly plastics, The inside is treated with urea （尿素）, a chemical commonly used as fertilizer, The hotter the weather, the more quickly the waste turns into what is needed by plants The sanitation process can be as soon as a couple of hours or as long as two to four weeks ,You can just bury it in a pot and grow whatever you like.
The company expects to start selling the bags in August in Kenya and Bangladesh, But it is just beginning production and sales in Nairobi now, Full production could reach about half a million bags a day and people may be able to buy the pee-pool in countries Vietnam, Bangladesh, etc.
The United Nations says more than two and a half billion people around the world do not have good sanitation .Many have no choice but to use the outdoors, which is not only bad for the environment ,but also harmful to people’s health, Each year, poor sanitation leads to three fifths of those people getting an infectious disease which on average causes one out of 1,000 patients to die.
Jack Smith, the founder of the World Toilet Organization, says “This is quite an unacceptable situation given the fact that we are living in the modem world, And strangely, many of them own televisions, phones but have no toilet.”What was the original purpose of Anders Wilhelmson in starting the company?
| A．To protect the local environment |
| B．To earn a lot of money from the project |
| C．To do research on the social development |
| D．To help solve the problem of lack of toilets in developing countries |
What can be learned about the pee-pool from the passage?
| A．It can be used over again |
| B．Its sanitation process doesn’t last long |
| C．It works better in summer than in winter |
| D．It should be buried in a pot after being used |
The underlined word “This” in the last paragraph probably refers to
| A．the outdoors being damaged |
| B．many places being shout of toilets |
| C．many people having TVs and phones |
| D．many people getting an infection disease |
If a business wants to sell its products internationally, it had better do some market research first. This is a lesson that some large American corporations have learned the hard way.
What’s in the name?
Sometimes the problem is the name. When General Motors introduced its Chevy Nova into Latin America, it overlooked the fact that Nova in Spanish means “It doesn’t go”. Sure enough , the Chevy Nova never went anywhere in Latin America.
Translation problems
Sometimes it is the slogan that doesn’t work. No company knows this better than Pepsi-Cola, with its “Come alive with Pepsi!” campaign. The campaign was so successful in the United States , Pepsi translated its slogan literally for its international campaign. As it turned out , the translations weren’t quite right. Pepsi was begging Germans to “Come out of the grave(坟墓)” and telling the Chinese that “Pepsi brings your ancestors(老祖宗) back from the grave.”
A picture’s worth a thousand words
Other times, the problem involves packaging. A picture of a smiling baby has helped sell countless jars of Gerber baby food. When Gerber started selling baby food in Africa, they used the same packaging as in the US, with the smiling baby on the label. Later they learned that in African countries , the picture on the jar shows what the jar has in it, for many people there can’t read.
Twist of fate
Even the culture and religious factors and pure coincidence can be involved . Thorn McAn shoes have a Thorn McAn “signature” inside. To people in Bangladesh, which is a Muslim country , this signature looked like Arabic script for the word Allah. In that country , feet are considered unclean, and Muslims felt the company was offending God’s name by having people walk on it.From the text we learned that _________.
| A．Chevy Nova was brought in Latin America |
| B．General Motors did the best market research of all companies |
| C．Pepsi still sold well in China owing to the translation problems |
| D．the “Come alive with Pepsi” campaign worked well in the US |
What was “Gerber’s problem”?
| A．A translation problem |
| B．Cultural factor |
| C．Religious factor |
| D．The picture on the jar |
For what reason were Thorn McAn shoes turned down in Bangladesh?
| A．They are not designed attractively |
| B．Their advertisements are not persuasive |
| C．A signature looking like the word Allah was in the shoes |
| D．Problem for Thorn McAn was the company’s name |
What does the text mainly tell us?
| A．Lessons from some large corporations. |
| B．How to make use of advertisements |
| C．The importance of market research |
| D．The importance of packaging |
Between 2 and 3 pounds of wonder, it controls everything we say, do or think, who we are and what we care about. The way we walk or laugh or figure out things. What we like and the talents we possess. How we see and talk and run and jump and process our food.
The brain uses 20 percent of our body’s oxygen and 20 percent of its blood. Somewhere within its protein, fat, 100,000 miles of blood vessels and 100 billion nerve cells, it helps us remember where we put our gym shoes. Change our temperature so we don’t die because of the heat or cold. Speed us up or slow us down. Help us choose between orange juice or orangeflavored drinks.
Its complexity are stunning, far beyond anything most of us can imagine. To keep this work of art as polished as possible we need to eat right, exercise and keep mentally stimulated. Good nutrition helps brain cells communicate with each other. Exercise stimulates a hormone in our brain that improves memory. Mental stimulation keeps you sharp even as you age.
“It’s very important that we tell people to be physically active and mentally active,” said neurologist Malcolm Stewart. “People cannot stop aging, but you’re able to reduce the damage; you’re able to keep the function up.”
Following are Dr. Stewart’s advice for improving brain health：
| Nutrition |
Avoid fast food. Follow the old adage(格言): For breakfast, eat like a king; for lunch, like a queen; for supper, like a beggar. |
| Exercise |
Do a combination of stretching aerobic and musclestrengthening every day. |
| Mental games |
Try to have a sense of hope about the future. Do puzzles. Listen to music. Reach out to others to make their lives better. |
The purpose of the author in writing this passage is to ______.
| A．inform us how the brain works |
| B．give us advice on how to keep the brain healthy |
| C．tell us that the brain plays an important role in our lives |
| D．show how special the brain is to us |
The underlined word “stunning” means ______.
| A．interesting | B．strange |
| C．significant | D．amazing |
According to the text, more exercise ______.
| A．keeps our mind sharp |
| B．helps improve our memory |
| C．gives our brain a rest |
| D．is good for brain cells communicating with each other |
In order to keep brain healthy, we should avoid ______.
| A．eating a good lunch | B．doing puzzles |
| C．eating a large supper | D．taking aerobic exercise |
We know the famous ones—the Thomas Edisons and the Alexander Graham Bells—but what about the less famous inventors? What about the people who invented the traffic light and the windshield wiper(雨刮器)? Shouldn’t we know who they are?
Joan Mclean thinks so．In fact，Mclean，a professor of physics at Mountain University in Range，feels so strongly about this matter that she’s developed a course on the topic．In addition to learning“who”invented“what”，however，Mclean also likes her students to learn the answers to the“why’’and‘‘how”questions．According to Mclean．“When students learn the answers to these questions，they are better prepared to recognize opportunities for inventing and more motivated to give inventing a try．’’
Her students agree．One young man with a patent for an unbreakable umbrella is walking proof of McLean’s statement．“If I had not heard the story of the windshield wiper’s invention，”said Tommy Lee, a senior physics major，“I never would have dreamed of turning my bad experience during a rainstorm into something so constructive．”Lee is currently negotiating to sell his patent to an umbrella producer．
So，just what is the story behind the windshield wiper Well，Mary Anderson came up with the idea in 1902 after a visit to New York City．The day was cold and stormy，but Anderson still wanted to see the sights，so she jumped aboard a streetcar．Noticing that the driver was struggling to see through the snow covering the windshield，she found herself wondering why there couldn’t be a built—in device for cleaning the window．Still wondering about this when she returned home to Birmingham，Alabama, Anderson started drafting out solutions．One of her ideas，a lever(操作杆)on the inside of a vehicle that would control an arm on the outside，became the first windshield wiper．
Today we benefit from countless inventions and innovations．It’s hard to imagine driving without Garrett A．Morgan’s traffic light．It’s equally impossible to picture a world without Katherine J．Blodgett’s innovation that makes glass invisible．Can you picture life without clear windows and eyeglasses?
By mentioning“traffic light”and“windshield wiper”．the author indicates that countless inventions are__________．
| A．beneficial，because their inventors are famous |
| B．beneficial，though their inventors are less famous |
| C．not useful，because their inventors are less famous |
| D．not useful，though their inventors are famous |
Professor Joan McLean’s course aims to__________.
| A．add color and variety to students’campus life |
| B．inform students of the windshield wiper’s invention |
| C．carry out the requirements by Mountain University |
| D．prepare students to try their own inventions |
Tommy Lee’s invention of the unbreakable umbrella was____．
| A．not eventually accepted by the umbrella producer |
| B．inspired by the story behind the windshield wiper |
| C．due to his dream of being caught in a rainstorm |
| D．not related to Professor Joan McLean’s lectures |
Which of the following can best serve as the title of this passage?
| A．How to Help Students to Sell Their Inventions to Producers |
| B．How to Design a Built-in Device for Cleaning the Window |
| C．Shouldn’t We Know Who Invented the Windshield Wiper |
| D．Shouldn’t We Develop Invention Courses in Universities |
In the animal kingdom，weakness can bring about aggression in other animal．This sometimes happens with humans also．But I have found that my weakness brings out the kindness in people．I see it every day when people hold doors for me，pour cream into my coffee，or help me to put on my coat．And I have discovered that it makes them happy．
From my wheelchair experience，I see the best in people，but sometimes I feel sad because those who appear independent miss the kindness I see daily．They don’t get to see this soft side of others often；we try every way possible to avoid，showing our weakness，which includes a lot of pretending．But only when we stop pretending we’re brave or strong do we allow people to show the kindness that’s in them．
Last month，when I was driving home on a busy highway，I began to feel unwell and drove more slowly than usual．People behind me began to get impatient and angry，with some speeding up alongside me，homing(按喇叭)or even shouting at me．At the moment I decided to do something I had never done in twenty four years of driving．I put on the car flashlights and drove on at a really low speed．
No more angry shouts and no more horns!
When I put on my flashlights，I was saying to other drivers，“I have a problem here．I am weak and doing the best I can．”And everyone understood．Several times，I saw drivers who wanted to pass．They couldn’t get around me because of the stream of passing traffic．But instead of getting impatient and angry，they waited，knowing the driver in front of them was in some way weak．
Sometimes situations call for us to act strong and brave even when we don’t feel that way．But those are and far between．More often，it would be better if we don’t pretend we feel strong when we feel weak or pretend that we are brave when we are scared．
The author has discovered that people will feel happy when_______．
| A．the offer their help |
| B．they receive others’ help |
| C．they feel others’ kindness |
| D．they show their weakness |
The author feels sad sometimes because_________．
| A．he has a soft heart |
| B．he relies much on others |
| C．some people pretend to be kind |
| D．some people fail to see the kindness in others |
In this passage，the author advises us to_______．
| A．handle problems by ourselves |
| B．accept help from others |
| C．admit our weakness |
| D．show our bravery |
Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
| A．Wheelchair Experience． | B．Weakness and Kindness． |
| C．Weakness and Strength | D．A Driving Experience |
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