NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the Red Planet since 2004. But a little more than a year ago, NASA lost contact with Spirit. The space agency has tried several ways to make contact with the rover, but Spirit has not sent back any signals.
Spirit landed on Mars on January 4, 2004. Three weeks later, Opportunity arrived. Soon after, the rovers went to the opposite side of Mars. Spirit’s original mission was only designed to last for three months, but Spirit has worked for more than five years doing additional missions. Both rovers have made important discoveries about ancient Mars. They have taken thousands of images and found evidence in the rocks of a water, warmer past in Mars’ history.
Spirit is solar-powered. It got stuck in a sand trap in April 2009, trapped deep into the soil and with its wheels turning around and around but not able to move forwards or backwards. Spirit had to agree that there is nothing that can be done to change the situation—it’s never going to move again. However, even if it is a not moving station, it can still study the planet’s atmosphere and deep interior.
NASA has been concentrating on trying to position its solar panels to get as much energy from the sun as
possible, or to get the rover leaning in a manner that will allow the most amount of sunlight falling on its solar panels, in order to keep it alive during the coming winter months. Engineers have planned to rock the vehicle back and forth to acquire a more favorable position. However, no matter how many efforts have been made, Spirit still could not get out of the soft soil and could not lean itself toward the sun as the Martian winter approached. Without enough
energy reaching its solar panels and with so little energy in its batteries, it went into hibernation, just like a polar bear, and has not communicated with Earth since March 22, 2010.
Whatever the future holds for Spirit, its mission has been an outstanding success. When it landed on the Red Planet in January 2004, no one was really sure how long it would continue working in the cold and dusty environment. As a matter of fact, three months was its original goal.
After so many fruitless efforts, NASA scientists are losing hope of ever reconnecting with Spirit, but they will give it one more try. Ground controllers are contacting Spirit over a range of frequencies and at different times during the day in case its internal clock stopped working and it lost track of time. They also are commanding the rover to turn on its backup radio transmitter in case the main one is dead.
If this final effort to connect isn’t successful, NASA will shift the focus to its twin robot, Opportunity, which is in a different part of Mars. Opportunity is still on the move and continues to travel freely to this day. It has traveled 16.6 miles so far, and is currently rolling towards another crater it has yet to explore.
NASA has spent more than $900 million on the project but shows no sign of giving up on these determined and hard-working robots. The rovers are, though, experiencing gradual wear and tear, the expected damage to something caused by using it repeatedly over a period of time. Even before Spirit got trapped, one of its wheels had failed. And NASA says it’s just a matter of time before both robots break down completely.According to the passage, what can we know about Spirit?
| A．It had explored Mars several times. |
B．Its original mission was to work for five years. |
| C．It landed on Mars three weeks later than Opportunity. |
| D． It discovered that Mars was once a warm and wetter place. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT what NASA did?
| A．Try to lean Spirit to make it get as much sunlight as possible. |
| B．Rock Spirit back and forth to make it acquire a more favorable position. |
| C．Make efforts to help Spirit get out of the soft soil where it is stuck. |
| D．Contact and order Spirit to turn on its backup radio transmitter. |
The reason why Spirit failed to communicate with the Earth is that ________.
| A．it didn’t have enough energy | B．it had finished its task |
| C．something was wrong with its wheels | D．it met an unidentified creature |
By saying “NASA will shift the focus” in Paragraph 7, the author means that ______.
| A．NASA will move the center of Spirit out of the sand |
| B．NASA will depend on Opportunity to do the exploration |
| C．NASA will do nothing but wait for some opportunity |
| D．NASA will make opportunity help Spirit |
The last paragraph mainly informs us that _______.
| A．NASA has planned to spend more money on Spirit |
| B．Spirit will be brought back to Earth |
| C．Spirit will stop operating totally in the future |
| D．Spirit will cause damage to Mars |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．NASA makes the last effort to contact Spirit. |
| B．Spirit has made many important discoveries on Mars. |
| C．How Spirit got stuck and couldn’t move on Mars. |
| D．Why NASA tried many ways to contact Spirit. |
Sport is not only physically challenging, but it can also be mentally challenging. Criticism from coachers, parents, and other teammates, as well as pressure to win can create too much anxiety or stress for young athletes. Stress can be physical, emotional, or psychological and research has indicated that it can lead to burnout. Burnout has been described as dropping or quitting of an activity that was at one time enjoyable.
The early years of development are critical years for learning about oneself. The sport setting is one where valuable experiences can take place. Young athletes can, for example, learn how to cooperate with others, make friends, and gain other social skill that will be used throughout their lives. Coaches and parents should be aware, at all times, that their feedback to youngsters can greatly affect their children. Youngsters may take their parents’ and coaches’ criticisms to heart and find a fault in themselves.
Coaches and parents should also be cautious that youth sport participation does not become work for children. The outcome of the game should not be more important than the process of learning the sport and other life lessons. In today’s youth sport setting, young athletes may be worrying more about who will win instead of enjoying themselves and the sport. Following a game many parents and coaches focus on the outcome and find fault with youngsters’ performances. positive support should be provided regardless of the outcome. Research indicates that positive reinforcement motivates(激发)and has a greater effect on learning than criticism. Again, criticism can create high levels of stress, which can lead to burnout.
61. An effective way to prevent the burnout of young athletes is _________.
A. to make sports less competitive B. to increase their sense of success
C. to reduce their mental stress D. to make sports more challenging
62. According to the passage, sport is positive for young people in that _________.
A. it can help them learn more about society
B. it enables them to find faults in themselves
C. it can provide them with valuable experiences
D. it teaches them how to set realistic goals for themselves
63. Many coaches and parents are in the habit of criticizing young athletes .
A. believing that criticism is beneficial for their early development
B. without realizing criticism may destroy their self confidence
C. in order to make them remember life’s lessons
D. so as to put more pressure on them
64. According to the passage parents and coaches should _________.
A. pay more attention to letting children enjoy sports
B. help children to win every game
C. train children to cope with stress
D. enable children to understand the positive aspect of sports
65. The author’s purpose in writing the passage is __________.
A. to teach young athletes how to avoid burnout
B. to persuade young children not to worry about criticism
C. to stress the importance of positive support to children
D. to discuss the skill of combining criticism with encouragement
第三部分：阅读理解（共20小题，每题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Authorities did not release（公布）the gunman’s name, but Peters said he had no record of police contact or an arrest record while attending Northern Illionois.
DeKalb county coroner（验尸官）Dennis J. Miller on Friday released the identities of the four victims who died in the county: Daniel Parmenter, 20, of Westchester; Catalina Garcia, 20, of Cicero; RyanneMace, 19, of Carpenters-ville; and Julianna Gehant, 32, of Meridan.
“Two other victims died after being transferred to hospitals in other counties,” Miller said. Witnesses said the gunman, dressed in black and wearing a stocking cap, emerged from behind a screen on the stage of 200-seat Cole Hall and opened fire just as the class was about to end around 3 pm.
Officials said 162 students were registered for the class but it was unkown how many were there on Thursday.
Allyse Jerome, 19, a sophomore（大二学生）from Shunmburg, said the gunman burst through a stage door and pulled out a gun.
“Honestly, at first everyone thought it was a joke,” Jerome said. Everyone hit the floor, she said. Then she got up and ran, but tripped. She said she felt like “an open target.”
“He could’ve decided to get me,” Jerome said on Friday. “I thought for sure he was gonna get me.”
Lauren Carr said she was sitting in the third row when she saw the shooter walk through a door on the right-hand side of the stage, pointing a gun straight ahead.
“I personally Army-crawled halfway up the aisle（通道）,” said Carr, a 20-year-old sophomore. “I said I could get up and run or I could die here.”
She said a student in front of her was bleeding, “but he just kept running.”
More than a hundred students cried and hugged as they gathered outside the Phi Kappa Alpha house early Friday morning to remember Dan Parmenter, who was one of those killed.
56. Which of the following is true according to the passage?
A. Everyone thought it was a joke when the gunman appeared in front of them.
B. Peters had no record of police contact or an arrest record while attending Northern Illionois.
C. 162 students were attending a lecture when the gunman emerged from behind the screen.
D. The gunman opened fire as soon as the class came to an end.
57. How many people were shot to death according to the passage?
A. 4 B. 6 C. 8 D. 162
58. The following are not witnesses except .
A. Peters B. Dennis J. MillerC. Dan Parmenter D. Lauren Carr
59. What was the first thing that Jerome did when she saw the gunman?
A. She got up and ran out of the room.
B. She hit the floor.
C. She burst through a stage door and pulled out a gun.
D. She tripped and became an “open target”.
60. What is the best title of the passage?
A. Witnesses Tell of Horrible Experience B. A Cruel Shooter
C. 162 Killed in an Accident D. An Unkown Gunman
Many do-it-yourself homeowners are interested in
trying out solar power to leam about the technology and
perhaps to provide energy for limited-use applications．
There are a variety of ways to find cheap solar panels
（板）, including buying used and building your own
with factory seconds．Both methods will save money
while forcing you to learn the ins-and-outs of a solar
power array （阵列）．
We've all seen solar-powered street signs or PV
panels being used for various p
urposes at remote locations．
When those units become cracked or chipped and are considered "unsafe", companies are forced to replace them, generally to avoid responsibility issues．Because it's difficult to get rid of PV panels, many companies, if approached, are willing to give them away or to sell them for modest prices．Depending on the degree of damage present, expect to see performance degradation （降级） in the range of 10% to 60%．A multimeter （万用表） can be used to test the panel before buying．If the panel's free, take it anyway．It could still be useful in a home solar project．
A solar panel is really nothing but a box serving as a container for a large group of solar cells．Factory second solar cells are usually sold on eBay at a small part of their regular cost．The cells come in a variety of sizes．You will need to figure out how much power a single cell produces to determine how many will need to be wired together to form an array．
A simple search of the Internet will show numerous sites detailing home solar panel projects．Do-it-yourself lovers are generally quite generous in supply photographs of their work and description of what went wrong and right with the project．
Getting cheap solar panels with slight imperfections, either used or through sales of factory seconds, is a perfect solution for home-built renewable energy projects．The high number of solar lovers online provide a wealth of useful information．Only limited skills are required, plus an understanding of the basic wiring involved．All are well within th
e talents of almost any home handyman．Beyond the satisfaction of having completed the project, you'll come away with a functional solar panel that will be a source of power for use around the house or at remote locations．
Solar energy systems are quickly becoming more popular with homeowners as prices continue to decline．
72．The author writes the passage to introduce ____．
A．ways of finding cheap solar panels B．ways of saving energy
C．a way of making a solar panel D．a home-built energy system
73．What does the phrase "factory seconds" in the passage refer to?
A．Second-hand factory products． B．Cheap but perfect factory products
C．Faulty factory solar cells． D．The second best factory solar cells
74．From Paragraph 5, we can learn about home-built energy projects that ____．
A．none of them are beyond home handymen
B．a lot of useful information is available on the Internet
C．a perfect solution is to get cheap and perfect solar panels
D．understanding electrical wiring is not necessarily needed
75．What is the author's attitude towards the future of solar energy systems?
A．Optimistic． B．Pessimistic. C．Indifferent． D．Doubtful
Bernice Gallego sat down one day this summer, as she does pretty much every day, and began listing items on eBay. She dug into a box and pulled out a baseball card. She stopped for a moment and admired the picture. “Red Stocking B. B. Club of cincinnati,” the card read, under the reddish brown color photo of 10 men with their socks pulled up to their knees.
As a collector and seller, it's her job to spot old items that might have value today．It's what Bernice, 72, and her husband, Al Gallego, 80, have been doing since 1974 at their California antique （古玩） store．
This card, she figured, was worth selling on eBay．She took a picture, wrote a description and put it up for auction （拍卖）．She put a $10 price tag on it, deciding against $15 because it would have cost her an extra 20 cents．Later that night she got a few odd inquiries—someone wanting to know whether the card was real, someone wanting her to end the auction and sell him the card immediately．
The card is actually 139 years old．Sports card collectors call the find "extremely rare" and estimate the card could fetch five, or perhaps, six figures at auction．
Just like that, Bemice is the least likely character ever for a rare-baseball card story．"I didn't even know baseball existed that far back," Gallego says, "I don't think that I've ever been to a baseball game．" The theory is that the card came out of a storage space they bought a few years back．It is not uncommon in their line of work to buy the entire contents of storage units for around $200．
When she met with card trader Rick Mirigian, she found out what the card was—an 1869 advertisement with a picture of the first professional baseball team, the Cincinnati Red Stockings．
"When I came to meet her and she took it out of a sandwich bag and she was smoking a cigarette, I almost fainted," Mirigian says．"They've uncovered a piece of history that few people will ever be able to imagine．That card is history．It's like unearthing a Mona Lisa or a Picasso．"
68．What can we conclude from Paragraph 3?
A．Bernice had to pay some fees for her card on eBay．
B．Bernice wanted to end the auction that night．
C．Bernice decided to sell the card for $15．
D．eBay charged her 20 cents for the card．
69．The underlined word "fetch" in Paragraph 4 most probably means "____"．
A．go and bring B．add up to C．go down to D．be sold for
70．From the passage, we may learn that ____．
A．Bernice is a baseball fan
B．Bernice is the last person to purchase the rare-baseball card
C．Bernice unexpectedly became the owner of the rare-baseball card
D．Ber
nice didn't realize the value of the card until she put it up for auction
71．What would be the best title for the passage?
A．A Surprisingly V
aluable Discovery B．Bemice Gallego—A Lucky Collector
C．Sports Card Collectors D．The History of the Baseball Card
The Andrew Romay Immigrant Support Program （ISP） at the International Center provides a welcoming place for immigrants where they can build the skills they need to fully participate in the professional and social life of their new country．
About the Program
The Andrew Romay Immigrant Support Program （ISP） at the International Center provides an integrated （综合的） set of educational, cultural, and professional activities at ICNY to help immigrants:
●improve their English
●develop the networks they need to achieve their goals and fully participate in American life
●find a welcoming "home away from home"
Participants have access to a wide-range of programming, including:
●more than 40 weekly classes in English language and American culture
●practical and career-skills workshops
●opportunities to explore New York City and the nearby area through trips and tours
ISP is particularly focused on helping newly arrived immigrants at a critical point in their lives．Recent arrivals in financial need receive one-year scholarships and low-cost meals．ISP is funded by Andrew Romay and a sum of money from the Open Society Institute．
If you are interested in applying for ISP, please fill out our online application or contact ISP Program Manager, Elaine Roberts at （212） 255-9555 or at eroberts@intlcenter．org．
Resources for Current ISP Members
RECOMMENDED CLASSES
●Intermediate level: Introduction to Writing & Interviewing Skills on Wednesday, from
11 am-l2:l0pm．
●High Intermediate/Advanced: Tips for Success at Work and Beyond on Tuesday, from 2-3:25pm．
●Advanced: Career Skills Workshop on Wednesday, from 6-8pm．Sign-up required．
●For all levels: Interviewing Skills Workshop on Saturday, from 11 am. - 2 pm. Sign-up required.
UPCOMING EVENTS
To see a list of upcoming events, visit our News & Events page.
OTHER RESOURCES
If you would like helpful resources on topics such as ESOL, healthcare, housing, or finding a job, please visit our Member Resources page．
65．The main purpose of ISP is to ____．
A．help new immigrants set up a home away from home
B．equip new immigrants with the skills needed
C．provide support for new immigrants in financial need
D．help old immigrants at a critical point
66．You can become a member of ISP by ____．
A．visiting News & Events page B．surfing Member Resources page
C．contacting Andrew D．contacting Elaine
67．Which class best suits Tracy, who hopes to improve her interviewing skills but is busy on weekdays?
A．Intermediate level． B．High Intermediate/Advanced．
C．Advanced． D．For all levels．
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