An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital（亚轨道的）space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.
It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. “If there’s more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good.”
Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.
None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists — but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow.
A celebrity launch isn't Shostak’s only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling（充满）with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission.
Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially transformative industry, saying it could serve as a stepping stone to the exploration and exploitation of space on an unprecedented scale. While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.Why may Justin Bieber be sent into suborbital space?
| A．To show his bravery and make him a role model for teenagers. |
| B．To arouse the American public’s interest. |
| C．To help reform the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To film an advertisement about space. |
What can we learn about suborbital spaceflight?
| A．A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap. |
| B．The whole trip will leave passengers weightless. |
| C．Each trip can take 500 passengers. |
| D．The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities. |
What can we infer from the text?
| A．SpaceShipTwo will be the first to fly. |
| B．Famous people will be the main passengers in the future. |
| C．The space trip is still in preparation. |
| D．Every space trip will be made into a film. |
The last paragraph suggests that _________.
| A．space is too mysterious to explore |
| B．the suborbital market is promising |
| C．the spaceflight industry is more successful than people think |
| D．developing the industry is risky |
What is the main purpose of the text?
| A．To predict a change in the space market. |
| B．To discuss a recent launch. |
| C．To introduce the status of the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To remove public doubt about the spaceflight industry. |
In the eighteenth—century one of the first modern economists, Adam Smith, thought that the “whole annual produce of the land and labour of every country” provided revenue to “three different orders of people: those who live by rent, those who live by wages, and those who live by profit”. Each successive stage of the industrial revolution, however, made the social structure more complicated.
Many intermediate groups grew up during the nineteenth century between the upper middle class and the working class. There were small—scale industrialists as well as large ones, small shopkeepers and tradesmen, officials and salaried employees, skilled and unskilled workers, and professional men such as doctors and teachers. Farmers and peasants continued in all countries as independent groups.
During the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries the possession of wealth inevitably affected a person’s social position. Intelligent industrialists with initiative made fortunes by their wits which lifted them into an economic group far higher than that of their working—class parents. But they lacked social training of the upper class, who despised them as the “new rich.”
They often sent their sons and daughters to special school to acquire social training. Here their children, mixed with the children of the upper classes, were accepted by them, and very often found marriage partners from among them. In the same way, a thrifty, hardworking labourer, though not clever himself, might save for his son enough to pay for an extended secondary school education in the hope that he would move in a “white collar” occupation, carrying with it a higher salary and a move up in the social scale.
In the twentieth century the increased taxation of higher incomes, the growth of the social services, and the wider development of educational opportunity have considerably altered the social outlook. The upper classes no longer are the sole, or even the main possessors of wealth, power and education, though inherited social position still carries considerable prestige.
60．If you compare the first and second paragraph, what groups of people did Adam Smith leave out in his classification?
A．Officials and employees. B．Peasants and farmers.
C．Doctors and teachers. D．Tradesmen and landlords.
61．Who were the ‘new rich’ during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries?
A．They were still the upper class people.
B．They were owners of large factories.
C．They were intelligent industrialists.
D．They were skilled workers who made their fortune.
62．According to the passage, what did those people do who intended to make their children move up in the social ladder?
A．They saved a lot of money for their children to receive higher education.
B．They tried to find marriage partners from the children of the upper class.
C．They made greater fortunes by their wits.
D．They worked even harder to acquire social training.
63．In the twentieth century class differences have been partly smoothed out by ____.
A．increased income and decreased taxation
B．taxation, social services and educational opportunities
C．education, the increase of income and industrial development
D．the decrease of the upper class population
C 61—65 DBC
AThe three main types of secondary education in the United States have been provided by the Latin grammar school, the academy, and the public high school. The first of these was a colonial institution. It began in New England with the establishment in 1635 of the Boston Free Latin School. The curriculum(课程) consisted mainly of the classical languages, and the purpose of this kind of school was the preparation of boys for college, where most of them would be fitted for the ministry.
The academy began in the early 1750’s with Benjamin Franklin’s school in Philadelphia, which later became the University of Pennsylvania. It extended generally to about the middle nineteenth century, except in the southern states where the public high school was late in developing and where the academy continued to be a principal means of secondary education even after 1900.The academy was open to girls as well as to boys, and it provided a wider curriculum than what the Latin grammar school had furnished. It was designed not only as a preparation for college but also for practical life in commercial and business activities. Although its wide educational values are evident and are recognized as important contributions to secondary education in this country, the academy has never been considered a public institution as the public high school has come to be.
The public high school had its origin in Massachusetts in 1821 when the English Classical School was established in Boston. In 1827,the state enacted(制定)the first state wide public high school law in the United States. By 1840,there were perhaps a dozen public high schools in Massachusetts and many in other eastern states by 1850,they could also be found in many other states. Just as the curriculum of the academy grew out of that of the Latin grammar school, the curriculum of the public high school developed out of that of the academy. The public high school in the United States is a repudiation(推翻) of the aristocratic(贵族的)and selective principle of the European educational tradition. Since 1890,enrollments( 入学)in secondary schools, mainly public high schools, have practically doubled in this country every ten years.
56．According to the passage, which of the following sequences indicates the order in which the schools developed?
A．Latin grammar school, public high school, academy.
B．Latin grammar school, academy, public high school.
C．Public high school, Latin grammar school, academy.
D．Public high school, academy, Latin grammar school.
57．It is the opinion of the author that the academy, compared with the public high school, was ____.
A．obviously academically better
B．more discriminatory in student selection
C．coeducational
D．not generally considered as a public institution
58．One can probably infer from his article that “Latin grammar school” refers to ____.
A．the Boston Free Latin School
B．all the elementary schools in the United States
C．schools which taught Latin, exclusive of all other subjects
D．a number of schools which developed in New England
59．It is implied but not stated in the passage that ____.
A．European educational systems are not good
B．As high schools developed in the united states, the decision was made to make them responsible to people from all classes of society.
C．There was an aristocratic and selective principle in the European educational tradition
D．public high schools in the United States embraced the European educational tradition
The fighting against youth smoking since I took office I’ve done everything in my power to protect our children from harm. We’ve worked to make their streets and their schools safer, and to give them something positive to do after school before their parents get home. We’ve worked to teach our children that drugs are dangerous, illegal and wrong.
Today, I want to talk to you about the historic opportunity we now have to protect our nation’s children form an even more deadly threat: smoking. Smoking kills more people every day than AIDS, alcohol, car accidents, murders, suicides, drugs and fires combined. Nearly 90 percent of those smokers lit their first cigarette before they turned 18. Consider this: 3,000 children start to smoke every day illegally, and 1,000 of them will die sooner because of it. This is a national tragedy（悲剧）that every American should be honor-bound to help prevent. For more than five years we’ve worked to stop our children from smoking before they start, launching（发动）a nationwide campaign（运动）to educate them about the dangers of smoking, to reduce their access to tobacco products, and to severely restrict（限制）tobacco companies from advertising to young people. If we do these, we’ll cut teen smoking by almost half over the next five years. That means if we act now, we have it in our power to stop 3 million children from smoking and to save a million lives as a result.What has the author done in his power?
| A．To look after our children. |
| B．To clean the street |
| C．To clean our children |
| D．To protect our children from harm. |
Compared with other disasters, what kills more people every day?
| A．Smoking | B．Car accidents |
| C．Drugs | D．Murders |
How many children start to smoke every day illegally?
| A．1，000 | B．3，000 | C．90 | D．18 |
For more than five years what have they done to stop their children from smoking?
| A．To educate them about the dangers of smoking |
| B．To reduce their access to tobacco products |
| C．To restrict tobacco companies from advertising to young people |
| D．All of the above |
How many children will be stopped from smoking if we act now?
| A．1 million | B．1.5 million | C．3 million | D．3,000 |
When Charles Strattion was five, he stopped growing. His mother took him to see the famous showman, P. T. Barnum, and thought a small person would be the perfect addition to his show. He hired Charles’ parents along with him, and they traveled around the world together.
He gave the two-foot-tall Charles a new name, general Tom Thumb. He taught Tom how to sing, dance, act, and tell jokes. When he felt Tom was ready to perform on stage, he made up ads. To stir up great interest, he said that Tom was eleven years old and had come from England.
Tom’s act was very popular and brought in a lot of money. By the time Tom was an adult, he had grown very rich. He had become a billionaire at the age of twenty-five.
Fortunately for Tom, Mr. Barnum added more little people to his show, and Tom became lucky in love as well. One of the little people was Lavinia Warren, a school teacher. Tom was able to win her love, and they married.
The ceremony and reception were the talk of the town. They were attended by many rich and famous people and by about two thousand guests. Crowds filled the street of New York to have a look at their tiny wedding carriage. The couple even met with President Abraham Lincoln on their honeymoon, just before going to live in Tom’s house in Connecticut.
Their wedding, which took place during the Civil War, provided a welcome escape from the sad problems of war. Not willing to let this bit of sunshine fade, communities throughout the country held Tom Thumb’s weddings. In these weddings, small boys and girls, all dressed up, went through marriage ceremony for fun.
61．“the talk of the town” means .
A．they were in the newspaper
B．people spread mean rumors about them
C．they were the most popular things happening
D．they were discussed in a city meeting
62．What does the author think about Tom Thumb’s wedding?
A．People gave it too much of their attention.
B．It helped people cheer up in a dark time
C．It was funny and ridiculous
D．Tom and Lavinia were stupid.
63．Which of the following is the best clue to the fact that Tom was smart?
A．He became a billionaire at twenty-five
B．He learned how to sing, dance, and act at a very young age.
C．He met with President Lincoln during his honeymoon
D．He married a school teacher.
64．It was very funny when Tom danced on a wooden plate held by a person who was eight feet tall because .
A．the wooden plate would make it sound as of Tom were tap dancing
B．it made Tom feel taller
C．the eight-foot-tall man was the only tall person Tom trusted
D．the difference between them would make Tom look even smaller
65．What does the author imply in the last paragraph?
A．Weddings always make people feel full of sunshine
B．People are always disappointed during wartime
C．Entertainment can serve an important purpose
D．People should be married even if they are small
INDLANAPOLIS—Doctors and health advocates （提倡者）have warned for years that American children are getting fatter. Now even some kids’ teddy bears are packing on the pounds.
But these heavy toys aim to combat（对抗）obesity, not add to it.
Researchers at Indiana State University in Terre Haute tried a small experiment to test the effects of having kids play with heavier toys. They found that 10 children aged 6 to 8 burned more calories and had higher heart and breathing rate when they moved 3-pound toy blocks instead of unweighted blocks.
So could adding a small weight to stuffed animals and other toys help kids get fit?
“This is not going to solve the obesity problem,” said John Ozmun, a professor who did the study with graduate student Lee Robbins. “But it has been possible to make a positive contribution.”
Some experts cautioned that children could hurt themselves by trying to lift too much too soon and said more activity is preferable to heavier toys. But all agreed that childhood obesity is a big problem.
Obesity rate has become three times over the past 40 years for children and adolescents, raising the risk of diabetes（糖尿病）and other health problems. Federal health officials say more than a third of American children are overweight, and about 17 percent are considered obese（肥胖的）.
“Squeezing activity into daily routines can be a good way for children to get more exercise and shed unhealthy pounds,” said Aicia Moag-Stahlberg, who heads Action for Healthy Kids.
“By adding weights, you’re adding some intensity to the action,” she said.
Kara Tucker, youth development coordinator for the National institute for Fitness and Sport in Indianapolis, said active playing helps youngsters work out without realising it.
“Giant soccer is one of my favorites,” Tucker said. “If we told the kids, ‘Hey, you’re going to run up and down the court 20 times,’ they would completely be uninterested. Yet when we put a big soccer ball out there, they will just run forever. They’re having a great time.”
56．What does the passage mainly tell us?
A．American children are getting fatter.
B．New toys are needed for overweight children.
C．Heavier toys help children to combat the obesity problem.
D．Doubts about heavier toys for obese children.
57．What does John Ozmun think of the measure of using heavier toys?
A．It can solve the obesity problem.
B．It is of little use to the obesity problem.
C．It may be of some help to the obesity problem
D．It may hurt children.
58．Some experts think it would be better for obese kids to .
A．play with light toys
B．play with less heavy toys
C．be on diet
D．have more activity
59．Which of the following is true about obese children in the US?
A．Obesity rate has risen by 30% over the past 40 years.
B．There are now three times as many obese children as 40 years ago.
C．One are fewer overweight children than obese children.
D．There are fewer overweight children than obese children.
60．What Tucker said in the last paragraph suggests that .
A．he himself likes playing giant soccer balls best
B．he prefers kids to have active playing
C．kids have no interest in running
D．an activity will not work if kids know the purpose of it
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