NASA has opened the door to the next generation of space discovery by announcing great plans for a base for humans to live on the surface of the moon forever.
The project to build a base on the moon will begin soon after 2020, with astronauts living there within four years.
The project comes after several excellent scientists and environmentalists asked humans to look beyond Earth to ensure the survival of the species (物种).
Eventually, the moon will be a base for humans to explore the solar system and one day land on Mars.
NASA began planning for the first moon landing since 1972 when George Bush, the US president, announced his new plan for space exploration four years ago.
NASA has already talked about the design of the Orion spacecraft that will replace the old space shuttle fleet in 2010.
The plan for the moon base, however, is the first detailed explanation of how NASA intends to prepare for the first manned exploration of deep space and a possible Mars mission within 30 years.
Scientists also believe that the south pole on the moon contain rich natural gases such as the rare helium-3 that could be used as fuel for the generation of nuclear power. Besides, teams of astronauts living there for six months at a time would mine for hydrogen and oxygen to make water and possibly rocket fuel.
| A．to protect Earth |
| B．to explore deep space |
| C．to finish Mars mission |
| D．to show how powerful the USA is |
| A．hydrogen | B．food | C．oxygen | D．water |
| A．the USA’s new plan for space exploration |
| B．how to build a base on the moon |
| C．why to ensure the survival of the species |
| D．where to get new natural resources |
Have you ever done something foolish that made you feel so embarrassed（尴尬的）?
Well, that’s exactly how I felt. On a Saturday morning last autumn．I had gone to town to do some shopping and as I was on my way home，it suddenly began to rain. I at once ran into a nearby phone box because I didn’t have an umbrella．It was raining so heavily that I have to stay in the phone box until it stopped．
A few moments later，I saw a young man walk up to the phone box，wearing a yellow raincoat and holding a box. I didn’t want to go out into the rain，so I picked up the phone and pretended（假装） I was talking to someone. I thought the man would go away，but he didn’t. He just waited in the rain，watching me. I had to wave my hands about and acted as if I was deep in conversation.
Luckily，it began to stop after about ten minutes．“Okay，Mum，” I said loudly into the phone，“I’ll see you later Bye!” I put the phone down, picked up my shopping bag and walked out of the phone box “I’m sorry I took so long,”I said to the man．
“Oh, I don’t want to use the phone,”he replied, smiling．“I’ve just come to repair it. It’s out of order．you see.” I felt myself go red in the face and I hurried away with my head down，feeling a complete fool. That was certainly one of the most embarrassing moments of my life!Why did the writer go to the phone box and stay there?
| A．Because she wanted to keep warm. |
| B．Because she wanted to wait for her friend there. |
| C．Because she wanted to phone her mother. |
| D．Because it rained heavily and she had no umbrella with her. |
What did the writer think the young man wanted to do?
| A．To repair the phone. | B．To use the phone. |
| C．To shake hands with her. | D．To listen to the phone box. |
How long did the young man wait for?
| A．About five minutes． | B．About fifteen minutes. |
| C．About ten minutes. | D．About thirty minutes. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．The story happened on a cold Saturday morning last summer. |
| B．The writer was telephoning to her mother when the it rained． |
| C．It suddenly rained when the writer was on her way home after shopping. |
| D．The writer thought the rain would last long. |
The World Bank is warning that the West Africa Ebola outbreak could seriously harm the economies(经济) of Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Leone unless action is taken quickly. World Bank President Jim Yong Kim spoke to reporters recently to discuss the effects of the Ebola spread.
"Our findings show that if the virus(病毒) continues to spread, the economic cost to these countries could grow eight times by 2015. This would be a big catastrophe to their already weak economies," said Kim.
Mr. Kim says, "saving lives and preventing new spread" is most important. The bank has given $117-million for an "immediate help." The World Bank President says the SARS outbreak between 2002 and 2004 showed how a disease could damage economies. 800 people died from SARS and the economic losses were up to $40-billion.
Mr. Kim says SARS and the H1N1 outbreak of 2009 taught that fear and avoidance resulted in about 90-percent of the economic losses. That means the disease is causing two levels of economic damage.
"There are two kinds of contagion(传染). One is connected with the virus itself and the second is connected with the spread of fear about the virus," said Kim.
The World Bank thinks the losses to the economies of Liberia, Sierra Leone and Guinea will be big .Mr. Kim says losses could be about $97-million at the moment.
Mr. Kim says fast action is necessary. He says getting the disease under control is still far away. That is because there are not enough health care workers in the affected areas. The World Bank President says the most important measure is to act quickly in order to limit economic losses.What does the underlined word mean in the second paragraph?
| A．effort | B．disaster |
| C．warning | D．result |
If quick action is not taken to stop the spread of Ebola, the economic losses could reach about_______by 2015.
| A．$800-million | B．$97-million |
| C．$117-million | D．$40-billion. |
What’s the main idea of the whole passage?
| A．Ebola is a serious and infectious(传染的）illness. |
| B．Large numbers of people have died from Ebola. |
| C．People in the West Africa are in great fear of the spread of Ebola virus. |
| D．Ebola will harm economies in the West Africa seriously without quick action. |
J. K. Rowling, author of the Harry Potter book series, began writing at age 6. In her biography（传记）, she well remembers her good friend, Sean, whom she met in secondary school, helped build her confidence in becoming a very good writer. “He was the first person to know my serious dream to be a writer. He was also the only person who thought I was certain to be a success at it, which meant much more to me.”
Rowling met many difficulties in her writing, especially fantasy(幻想) stories. It wasn't until l990 that she first got the idea about Harry Potter. As she recalls, it was on a long train journey from London to Manchester that “the idea of Harry Potter simply fell into my head. I didn't have a pen with me, and I was too shy to ask anybody if I could borrow one. I think, now, that this was probably a good thing, because I simply sat and thought, for four(delayed train) hours, and all the details appear in my brain, and this thin, black-haired, glasses-wearing boy who didn't know he was a wizard (男巫) became more and more real to me.”
That same year, her mother passed away after a ten-year illness, which deeply affected her writing. She went on to marry and had a daughter, but separated from her husband shortly afterwards.
During this time, Rowling suffered from depression(抑郁症). She, out of work,completed her first novel in the cafes, where she could get her daughter to fall asleep. After being refused by l2 publishing houses, the first Harry Potter novel was sold to a small British publishing house.
Now with seven books sold nearly 400 million copies in 64 languages, J. K. Rowling is the highest earning novelist in history. And it all began with the confidence of a friend!
Which of the following could be the best title of the passage?
| A．Confidence of a Friend Helped the Success of Harry Potter |
| B．J.K.Rowing’s Hard Life and the Success of Harry Potter |
| C．J.K.Rowing---author of the Harry Potter book series |
| D．How J.K.Rowing Firstly Got the Idea of Harry Potter |
According to the passage, we know J.K.Rowing_______.
| A．had a happy family |
| B．had a ten-year illness |
| C．earned a lot from her novels |
| D．published 12 books in 64 languages |
Where did J.K.Rowing first have the shape of Harry Potter?
| A．in the cafes | B．on a train |
| C．in a secondary school | D．in a publishing house |
What can we learn from the passage?
| A．Harry Potter’s friends didn’t know he was a wizard until he graduated. |
| B．J.K.Rowing wrote down her idea while she was on the train by borrowing a pen. |
| C．It’s lucky that J.K.Rowing didn’t have a pen while she got the idea of Harry Potter. |
| D．Harry Potter was a thin, yellow-haired handsome boy with a pair of glasses on his nose. |
If you are interested in studying at an American university, you have to take the Test of English as a Foreign Language. The test is widely known as the TOEFL. It is the most widely used language exam for American universities.
There are two major kinds of the TOEFL test. The first is the IBT, or Internet-based Test. It is offered in most of the world and accepted by nearly every university and scholarship program in the United States.The other kind of the test is called the Paper-based Test or PBT. The PBT is less costly to take and does not require use of the Internet.
But how to get started with TOEFL? Here are some tips.
1. Plan ahead ---It takes a long time to improve your TOEFL score. Do not expect a big lift in your test results after two weeks. You will have to spend a lot of time and energy.
2. Master the basics first ---You should have to be good at basic English before you take the test. If you score below 500 on the PBT or 70 on the IBT, study for a few months and come back to the TOEFL later.
3. Get a study guide --- It is easy to find study guides for the IBT. Pearson, Barron's, ETS, and Kaplan all produce quality materials. Take a practice test once or twice a month. The best study guides will have explanations in the answer key.
4. Use outside resources --- Remember, you are learning a language, not a test. You can improve your TOEFL score by making English part of your daily life. Some simple ways are listening to English speakers, watching movies and reading newspapers. Some others are reading English textbooks, sending and reading text messages in English, and writing online in English.
The best way to do well on the TOEFL is to know English well.The real goal of the test is to measure how well a student can communicate in English-speaking classroom.
If you want to know more, please click here.
If you want to study in an America university, you have to_________.
| A．be very rich and work hard |
| B．be well prepared to take the TOEFL test |
| C．ask an English teacher to help you |
| D．prepare for a month before taking the TOEFL test |
From the passage we can learn that___________.
| A．the IBT is more expensive to take and requires use of the Internet. |
| B．Pearson is a person who teaches quality materials. |
| C．If you score 500 on the PBT,you can pass the TOEFL test. |
| D．If you are good at reading ,you can pass the TOEFL test. |
The real purpose of the TOEFL is to , according to the passage.
| A．get more foreign students to study in American universities |
| B．let foreign students know more about American universities |
| C．measure one’s communicating ability in English. |
| D．improve foreign students’ skills of taking tests |
Where does the passage most probably come from?
| A．A website | B．A lesson |
| C．A science book | D．A novel |
Suppose you have everything: a good job, good health, good relationships and a lot of money to spend. But still there is something missing from your life. Guess what? The love. It is not something that you should ignore. Life without love is just like body without soul.
Love gives meaning to life as without love life is meaningless. Lucky is the person who gets love and keeps the flames of love burning for ever. It is not a matter of days or months. Love is for life and life is for love.
It is easy to fall in love but difficult to keep the flames of love burning. Before having serious long term love relationships, be sure that the person you love is also sincere with you. A selfish person can make your life terrible. If this is the case with you then try to get rid of that person as soon as possible.
Most people do not give importance to their love life as they give importance to their professional life. This is a bad choice which ruins the whole life. A balance between the two is necessary in order to enjoy life in its entirety. Do not lose the love you need.
In order to make your life more exciting and enjoyable, you need a loving and caring person with whom you can share your values, dreams, joys and jokes. In difficult times of failure, pain, or loss of dear ones, this person should stand firm beside you and comfort you in every possible manner.
Love your life and love the person who is in your life. Keep the flames of love burning to live a great, great life.What’s the meaning of the underlined sentence in the second paragraph?
| A．Love is only for life. |
| B．Life is designed only for love. |
| C．Life is not separated from love. |
| D．When you have a good life, you can own a real love. |
Which of the following do you think is the most difficult?
| A．To fall in love with a person. |
| B．To find a real person loving you. |
| C．To make the flames of love burning forever. |
| D．To keep good relations with friends. |
If you want to keep the flames of love burning, you should .
| A．try to get rid of your bad manners as soon as possible. |
| B．make certain that the person you love is also sincere |
| C．try to find out whether the person you love really loves you |
| D．make sure that you treat the person sincerely |
According to the passage, the writer wants to tell us .
| A．to value everything one has |
| B．to be sincere with the people around |
| C．to live a life full of love all one’s life |
| D．to avoid being a selfish person |
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