On the Earth, everyone has a home. While in space, there is also a home. It is nearly as big as a soccer field and larger than a six-bedroom house. It is the International Space Station(ISS).
The ISS is home to astronauts. Usually, there are three to six astronauts on board. Astronauts in the space station are very busy. They do many science experiments in biology and physics, and study the effects on the human body after long exposure(暴露) to microgravity(微重力). Sometimes they go on spacewalks to work outside the station.
As a groundbreaking scientific research facility, the ISS benefits(使受益) people on the Earth. Robots on the ISS have inspired medical technology. Now it is possible for patients to receive certain surgery(外科手术) by a robotic arm, which performs better than humans. The ISS also helps to watch the Earth’s ecosystems(生态系统) and warns us of volcano eruptions(火山爆发) and earthquakes.
For children, the ISS plays an important part in education. Children can ask astronauts in the ISS any question with the help of satellites. For example, what do you eat? How do you sleep? This is a good way to improve children’s interest in science and technology.
The ISS is expected to remain in operation until at least 2020, China Daily reported. Russia may build a new space station to replace it at that time.
In the future, space will be home to more stations like the ISS. China is also planning to build its own space station, and the launch of Tiangong-1 in 2011 was the first step. It is expected that China will complete the space station by 2023.
| The International Space Station(ISS) |
|
| Home to astronauts (5-6 astronauts |
1.They do many experiments in different scientific fields. 2.They study 3.They go on spacewalks. |
| Benefit people on the Earth |
1. Robots on the ISS have inspired 2. Help to watch the earth’s ecosystems. 3. Warns us of volcano eruptions and earthquake. |
| Help children in education |
A good way to |
BEING an astronaut sounds cool, doesn't it? In space, they get to do some pretty amazing things, like floating in zero gravity(重力).
However, there are also plenty of things that astronauts can't do because of their weightless environment, and that's very sad. What's worse, they can't even let their sadness show, because it's impossible to cry in zero gravity.
Of course, astronauts can still produce tears. But crying is much more difficult in space, according to The Atlantic(大西洋月刊) in January. Without gravity, tears don't flow(流动) down out of the eyes like they do here on Earth. This means that when you cry in space, your tears have nowhere to go-they just stick(粘) to your eyes.
In May 2011, astronaut Andrew Feustel experienced this during one of his spacewalks. "Tears," he said, "don't fall off of your eyes...They just kind of stay there."
Besides making your vision(视线)unclear, this can also cause physical pain. Back on Earth, tears are supposed to bring comfort to the eyes. But that's not the case in space. The space environment dries out astronauts' eyes, and when tears suddenly wet the eyes, it can cause pain rather than comfort. "My right eye is stinging(刺痛) like crazy," Feustel told his teammate during the walk.
Since gravity doesn't work in space, astronauts need some extra help to get rid of（除去） the tears. Feustel chose to rub his eyes against his helmet to wipe(擦) the tears away. Another choice is to just wait-"When the tears get big enough they simply break free of the eyes and float around," astronaut Ron Parise told The Atlantic.
There are lots of small things-things like crying-that we are so used to on Earth. We usually take them for granted until they become a problem in a totally different environment, like space. There, astronauts can't talk to each other directly. They also can't eat or drink in normal ways. They can't even burp (打嗝), because there is no gravity to hold the food down in their stomach. If they do burp, they just end up throwing up（呕吐）everything in their stomach, according to the UK National Space Center.
Therefore, perhaps it's only space explorers who can honestly say: "Gravity, you're the best."From Paragraphs 2 and 3 , we can know that_______.
| A．astronauts are unable to feel sad in space |
| B．astronauts produce fewer tears in space |
| C．tears produced in space flow down more slowly |
| D．tears produced in space don't flow downward |
What effect do tears have on astronauts?
| A．They cause physical pain. |
| B．They bring comfort to them. |
| C．They make their vision clearer. |
| D．They float around and cause trouble. |
The underlined phrase "take them for granted" in paragraph 7 means _______.
| A．find them important |
| B．consider them useless |
| C．need them during an emergency |
| D．fail to notice their presence(存在) |
The second-to-last paragraph (paragraph 7) is mainly about_______.
| A．suggestions of how astronauts can stay comfortable in space |
| B．other basic things that are difficult to do in space |
| C．why burping is impossible in space |
| D．things human can't do without gravity |
Chinese are very generous when it comes to educating their children. Not caring about the money, parents often send their children to the best schools or even abroad to England, the United States and Australia. They also want their children to take extra-course activities where they will either learn a musical instrument(乐器) or ballet, or other classes which will give them a head in life. The Chinese believe that the more expensive an education is, the better it is. So parents will spend an unreasonable amount of money on education. Even poor couples will buy a computer for their son or daughter. However, what most parents fail to see is that the best early education they can give their children is usually very cheap.
Parents can see that their children are very skilled in some areas while poor in others. What most parents fail to realize though, is that today's children are short of self-respect and self-confidence.
The problem is that parents are only educating their children on how to take multiple-choice tests and how to study well, but parents are not teaching them the most important skills that they need to be confident, happy and clever.
Parents can achieve this by teaching practical skills like cooking, sewing and doing other housework. Teaching a child to cook will improve many of the skills that he will need later in life. Cooking requires patience and time. It is an enjoyable but difficult experience. A good cook always tries to improve his cooking, so he will learn to work hard and finish his job successfully step by step. His result, a well-cooked dinner, will give him much satisfaction and lots of self-confidence.
Some old machines, such as a broken radio or TV set that you give your child to play with will make him curious and arouse(激发) his interest. He will spend hours looking at them, trying to fix them; your child might become an engineer when he grows up. These activities are not only teaching a child to read a book, but rather to think, to use his mind. And that is more important.Most Chinese parents don't realize_______.
| A．how much the best education is worth | B．when children should be educated |
| C．what children really need in later life | D．why school tests don't satisfy children |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．Fixing old machines is very important. | B．Interest is necessary for everything. |
| C．Broken things are useful for children. | D．Using hands helps improve thinking ability. |
The writer's attitude（看法） to children's education is that
| A．the cheaper an education is, the better it is |
| B．children today should learn different skills |
| C．practical skills are useful to children's growth |
| D．school education can't meet parents' expectation. |
One day when some government officials were rebuilding a barn(谷仓), they found a mouse hole in a corner and they used smoke to force the mice inside the hole to come out. A while later they indeed saw mice running out, one after another. Then, everyone thought that all the mice had ran away. But just as they began to clean up, they saw two mice squeezing(挤)out at the mouth of the hole. With some efforts, the mice finally got out. However, it was strange that after they came out of the hole, they did not run away immediately. Instead, one ran after the other near the mouth of the hole. It seemed that one was trying to bite the tail of the other.
Everyone was puzzled, so they stepped nearer to take a look. They realized that one of the mice was blind and could not see anything, and the other was trying to allow the blind mouse to bite on his tail so that he could pull the blind one with him to run away.
After seeing what happened, everyone was silent and lost in thought. During the meal time, the group of people sat down in a circle and started to chat about what happened to the two mice.
One serious American official said: "I think the relationship between those two mice was that of king and guard." The others thought for a while and said: "That was why!"
A smart French said: "I think the relationship between those two mice was that of husband and wife." Again the others thought for a while, and all felt it meaningful.
A Japanese said: "I think the relationship between those two mice was that of mother and son." Once again the others thought for a while, and felt this was more reasonable. So they expressed agreement another time.
At that moment, one Chinese asked: "Why did those two mice have to have a certain relationship?"
Suddenly, the group looked back at the Chinese and didn't say any words. The American official, the French and the Japanese who had spoken earlier all lowered their heads in shyness, and did not dare to answer.
In fact, the true love is not built on friendship, loyalty(忠诚) or blood relationship. Instead, it is based on no relationship.Neither of the two mice ran away immediately because_______.
| A．one was trying to help the blind one | B．one was biting the other |
| C．the mouth of the hole was too small | D．they were not afraid of smoke |
Why did they lower their heads in shyness according to the passage?
A. Because they did not dare to answer.
B. Because they regretted(后悔)driving a poor blind mouse away.
C. Because they had mistaken the relationship of the mice.
D, Because they did not express themselves much better.It is clear that_______.
| A．all the mice came out of the hole easily |
| B．each of the people understood the relationship differently |
| C．the people wanted to kill the mice with smoke |
| D．the people knew one of the mice was blind at the first sight |
The best title for the passage is_______.
| A．Two lovely mice | B．Help produces love | C．Love is all | D．Friends in need |
You probably know you should say” please” and “thank you ” at restaurants. You probably know the rules of a library. You know you should respect and be nice to your classmates. But do you have music manners?
Keep It Down! You have to notice the volume of your music. You should not play your music so loud that everyone around you can hear it. Some people might even get angry. Usually, when you play the music loud on an MP3 player, other people can’t hear the words of the song. They just hear a loud sound. Not one wants to listen to this. Very loud music can also be bad for your ears, so even if you are alone when listening to our MP3 player, you shouldn’t have it turned up too high.
Take Them off! You need to know when to turn your MP3 player off and put it away. Libraries and schools don’t allow MP3 players. There are other places, like museums, that don’t have rules, but it would be rude to have your MP3 player on. Sometimes, it just doesn’t make sense to listen to your MP3 player at event. Why would you listen to music at a play, a movie or a sporting event? You would miss what is going on and others would wonder why you even came.
Take One Out! Once in a while it’s okay just to take out one earphone and not other. Imagine you are listening to your MP3 player when someone asks you the way. It would not be rude to take out one earphone, tell him the way, and put back the earphone and continue listening. You can also do this when you order food at a fast-food restaurant or when you answer the telephone and it’s not for you.
It’s Your Choice! There are times when you need to decide what is best. For example, some people can listen to music on their MP3 Players when read books, while others think it is disturbing. In cases like this, you need to do what seems right for you.The underlined word “volume” in Paragraph Two probably means” _____.
| A．the type of music | B．the amount of a sound |
| C．the length of a song | D．the colour of and MP3 player |
No one wants to listen to _____ from others’ MP3 player.
| A．a loud sound | B．sad stories |
| C．a long movie | D．the words of a song |
We can take one earphone out when we _____.
| A．show others the way | B．talk to fiends on the phone |
| C．watch a sporting event | D．have dinner with our parents |
It’s all right to use our MPS player in _____.
| A．schools | B．libraries | C．restaurants | D．museums |
What can be the best title of this passage?
| A．Music Lovers | B．Music Manners | C．MP3 Players | D．MP3 Earphones |
Teahouses in Chengdu
There is a saying, “China has the best teahouses in the world and Chengdu has the best teahouses in China.”Chengdu has not only many teahouses but also the special ways of serving and drinking tea.
As soon as the visitors enter the teahouses, the waiters or waitresses will greet them with teapots and cups in their hands. The cups often have special covers and saucers(茶碟). The covers can keep the water warm.
People who go to the teahouses are not all thirsty. Retired(退休)people pay a little money to the teahouses and then sit there all day long to chat with others. Sometimes, people have parties in the teahouses. They eat fruit and sunflower seeds(瓜子)while they chat and return home when they are tired. Teahouses are also good places for people to talk about businesses. Some of the teahouses even have stages for performances, such as storytelling, cross talk and Sichuan Opera. Sometimes when people have a quarrel, a mediator(调解员)will bring them to the teahouse. After their problem is solved, the person who is wrong will pay for the tea. It is interesting that as soon as the quarrelers enter the teahouse and sit down to drink tea, they have almost calmed down. With the help of the mediator, their problems can be easily solved then. Maybe we can say the teahouses have some special social functions.Chengdu has the best teahouses in China because _____.
| A．the serving of the teahouses in Chengdu is very special |
| B．there are many people in Chengdu teahouses |
| C．there are many old men in Chengdu teahouses |
| D．the cups in Chengdu teahouses are old |
People in Chengdu’s teahouses may _____ while they are drinking according to the passage.
| A．enjoy interesting stories | B．watch movies |
| C．listen to Beijing Opera | D．quarrel in loud voice |
Who will pay for the tea after the mediator solve some problems?
| A．The mediator himself | B．The person who caused the problem |
| C．All the persons in the teahouse | D．The owner of the teahouse |
This passage is taken from some newspaper. Which part do you think it is from?
| A．The sports part. | B．The news part. |
| C．The culture part. | D．The education part. |
This passage mainly talks about _______.
| A．how to make tea | B．how to open a teahouse |
| C．the special functions of the teahouses | D．the special way of enjoying tea |
粤公网安备 44130202000953号