Neil Armstrong took“one small step for man”when he stepped on the moon’s surface while worldfamous physicist Stephen Hawking took a “giant leap (跳跃)”for Earth’s physically disabled when he experienced eight rounds of weightlessness in what he saw as the first step in a personal goal to travel in space.
“It was amazing，”Hawking told reporters afterwards，using his wellknown computerized voice.“The zeroG part was wonderful，and the highG part was no problem.I could have gone on and on.I have long wanted to go into space，and the zerogravity flight is the first step towards space travel.”
Hawking is one of the bestknown scientists because of his bestselling works on the mysteries of black holes and the origins of the universe，and because of his increasing disability.He is almost completely paralyzed (瘫痪的) and can communicate only via facial gestures and a gesturecontrolled computer system.
Thursady’s flight was a test run to find out if Hawking is capable of a rocketpowered journey to the edge of outer space，perhaps aboard the spaceship now being developed for Virgin Galactic.That craft is due to enter service in 2009 or so，and taking such a flight would check off what Hawking has said is his“next step”．“He would have flown more if we let him，”said Noah McMahon，one of Hawking’s coaches.“He was all smiles all the time.”
Zero Gravity had originally planned to bring Hawking back to NASA’s Shuttle Landing Facility here after six upsanddowns.Hawking’s performance showed well for more tests.Zero Gravity Corp.cofounder Peter Diamandis said Hawking experienced the flight better than his physicians had expected.He noted that the four minutes Hawking spent in weightlessness was about as much time as he would spend in zeroG during a space flight.By saying“Stephen Hawking took a‘giant leap’” in the first paragraph，the writer means __________．
| A．ordinary people can not do what Hawking did |
| B．Stephen Hawking managed to jump by himself |
| C．it is not easy for a disabled person like Hawking |
| D．Hawking has finished almost all that is needed to do |
The underlined word“zeroG”in Paragraph 2 probably refers to __________．
| A．space travel |
| B．zerogravity |
| C．a personal goal |
| D．the first step |
Which of the following would the writer probably agree?
| A．Hawking was one of the workers in Zero Gravity Company. |
| B．McMahon was not satisfied with what Hawking did in this test. |
| C．Peter Diamandis bought a spaceship for Hawking to travel in space. |
| D．Hawking would spend in zeroG during a space flight for 4 minutes. |
The text mainly wants to tell us _________．
| A．Hawking takes a “giant leap”for Earth’s disabled |
| B．a spaceship will be sent into space before long |
| C．what Neil Armstrong had experienced in space |
| D．common people can also experience space flights |
In Wiltshire, England, volunteers are being sought to visit a nature protection area to count the butterflies living there and on surrounding fields. The project is promoted by an environmental protection organisation，which has contributed to improving the living environment for wild animals. Recently, the organisation has issued an appeal to help it observe environmental changes based on the record of butterflies and protect the environment.
In the area, the local people have planted many special flowers with the help of the organisation, aiming to see whether these flowers will interest the rare and beautiful butterflies. The Project officer Sarah Marshall says, “It will be a suitable habitat for butterflies. They are great ‘indicator species’ as they are easily affected by climate changes so they make a brillian early - warning system for the environment.” She also points out that volunteers are needed to recourd the number or species of butterflies，and based on the change happening to the butterflies, the hidden environmental problems in the area can be found out in time.
The organisation is seeking volunteers to help monitor butterflies from April through to September. They will walk a fixed route and record the different butterflies they encounter along the way.Each visit should take no more than two hours, and each volunteer is expected to visit once a month to count the wildlife. “Staff will provide back up, so if the weather is poor on the day you are to visit（butterflies don’t like to fly in the rain, wind or if it’s too cloudy) we can have someone else do your job,” Sarah points out.
No previous experience is necessary as training and support will be provided，but a keen interest is essential. If you are interested, P1ease contact Sarah on (0l380) 725670，ext 278, email sarahm wiltshirewildlife. orgAccording to Paragraph l， what is the purpose of the Project?
| A．To appeal to more visitors. |
| B．To protect the environment. |
| C．To control butterfly population. |
| D．To expand the area for wildlife. |
Many special flowers have been planted in Wiltshire to .
| A．warn people of wildlife extinction |
| B．appeal more tourists to be involved in |
| C．attract many unusual and beautiful butterflies |
| D．improve the economic conditions of local people |
Butterflies are called “indicator species” because .
| A．they can provide support for visitors |
| B．they can give information to other species |
| C．they are not easily found out in their habitats |
| D．they are very sensitive to environmental changes |
What is the text mainly about?
| A．Visitors are being trained to identify butterflies. |
| B．Wildlife areas are being protected by butterflies. |
| C．Volunteers are being needed to count butterflies. |
| D．Organisations are being put up to protect butterflies. |
Gregory Olsen is not an astronaut. He is a 60-year-old businessman from New Jersey where he owned his successful technology company. This week, however, Olsen became the world’s third non-astronaut to pay for a trip into space.
On Monday, the Russian-built Soyuz rocket, carrying Olsen, an American astronaut and a Russian astronaut, docked (对接) at the International Space Station (ISS).
Olsen’s wish has come true. He is the third “space tourist” in four years to travel on a Russian craft to the space station. American Dennis Tito and South African Mark Shuttleworth have both made round trips to the ISS. Going into space is not easy, however. Olsen has worked hard for two years to prepare for it.
The Russian Federal Space Agency offers an ISS trip to anyone who can afford it and pass the necessary training. Olsen reportedly paid $20 million for his trip. The Russian space program has been short of money in recent years and is looking for individuals interested in space travel to _________.
NASA（美国宇航局）has relied on the Russian space program and its Soyuz capsule（太空舱）to transport American astronauts to the ISS since the Columbia space shuttle disaster in 2003. The space shuttle Discovery (发现号宇宙飞船)made a flight earlier this year, but the program stopped halfway because of safety concern. So far, the Russians have not charged the U.S. for trips to the ISS. That may change by the end of the year.
As one of the few space tourists, Olsen focuses his attention on the glory of traveling in space. What is the best title of the passage? (Please answer within 5 words.)
________________________________________________________________________________Which sentence in the passage can be replaced by the following one?
Up till now, Russia has been helping American astronauts go to the International Space Station for free.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Fill in the blank with the proper words or phrases. (Please answer within 10 words.)
_____________________________________________________________________________________________According to the passage, who can travel into space in the Russian shuttle? (Please answer within 30 words.)
______________________________________________________________________________________________________Translate the underlined sentence into Chinese.
______________________________________________________________________________________________________
Taiwan police cannot decide whether to treat it as an extremely act of stealing or an even cheat. Either way, it could be the perfect crime, because the criminals are birds—homing pigeons !
The crime begins with a telephone message to the owner of a stolen car: if you want the car back, pay up. Then, the car owner is directed to a park, told where to find a bird cage and how to attach money to the neck of the pigeon inside. Carrying the money in a tiny bag, the pigeon flies off.
There have been at least four such pigeon pick-ups in Changwa. What at first seemed like the work of a clever stay-at-home car thief, however, may in fact be the work of an even lazier and more inventive criminal mind—one that avoids not only collecting money but also going out to steal the car in the first place. Police officer Chen says that the criminal probably has pulled a double trick: he gets money for things he cannot possibly return. Instead of stealing cars, he lets someone else do it and then waits for the car-owner to place an advertisement in the newspaper asking for help.
The thought is supported by the fact that, so far, none of the stolen cars have been returned. Also, the amount of money demanded-under 3,000 Taiwanese dollars–seems too little for a car worth many times more.
Demands for pigeon-delivered money stopped as soon as the press reported the story. And even if they start again, Chen holds little hope of catching the criminal. “We have more important things to do,” he said. After the car owner received a phone call, he _______.
| A．went to a certain pigeon and put some money in the bag it carried |
| B．gave the money to the thief and had his car back in a park |
| C．sent some money to the thief by mail |
| D．told the press about it |
The “lazier and more inventive” criminal refers to _______.
| A．the car thief who stays at home |
| B．one of those who put the ads in the paper |
| C．one of the policemen in Changwa |
| D．the owner of the pigeons |
The writer mentions the fact that “none of the stolen cars have been returned” to show _______.
| A．how easily people get fooled by criminals |
| B．what Chen thinks might be correct |
| C．the thief is extremely clever |
| D．the money paid is too little |
The underlined word “they” in the last paragraph refers to ____.
| A．criminals | B．pigeons | C．the stolen cars | D．demands for money |
We may infer from the text that the criminal knows how to reach the car owners because _______.
| A．he reads the ads in the newspaper |
| B．he lives in the same neighborhood |
| C．he has seen the car owners in the park |
| D．he has trained the pigeons to follow them |
In one way of thinking, failure is a part of life. In another way, failure may be a way towards success. The “spider story” is often told. Robert Bruce, leader of the Scots in the 13th century, was hiding in a cave from the English. He watched a spider spinning a web（蜘蛛织网）. The spider tried to reach across a rough place in the rock. He tried six times without success. On the seventh time he made it and went on to spin his web. Bruce is said to have taken heart and to have gone on to defeat the English… Edison, the inventor of the light bulb, made hundreds of models that failed before he found the right way to make one.
So what? First, always think about your failure. What caused it? Were conditions right? Were you in top from yourself? What can you change so things will go right next time?
Second, is the goal you’re trying to reach the right one? Try to do some thinking about what your real goals may be. Think about his question, “If I do succeed in this, where will it get me?” This may help you prevent failure in things you shouldn’t be doing anyway.
The third thing to bear in mind about failure is that it’s a part of life. Learn to “live with yourself” even though you may have failed. Remember, “You can’t win them all.”This passage deals with two sides of failure. In paragraph 1, the author talks mainly about________.
| A．the value of failure | B．how people would fail |
| C．famous failures | D．the cause of failure |
The underlined phrase “made it” means________.
| A．succeeded | B．failed | C．gave | D．got |
The lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce seems________.
| A．productive | B．straight forward | C．sorrowful | D．deep |
The author tells you to do all things except________.
| A．to think about the cause of your failure |
| B．to check out whether your goals are right for you |
| C．to consider failure as a part or life |
| D．to bear in mind that you will never fail in your life |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．Bruce and Edison were successful examples. |
| B．Failure may be regarded as a way toward success. |
| C．Edison learned a lot from the lesson the spider taught Robert Bruce. |
| D．One may often raise a question whether his goals are worth attempting. |
认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入一个最恰当的单词。
注意：每个空格只填1个单词。请将答案写在答题卡相应题号的横线上。
The standard of living of any country means the average person's share of the goods and services which the country produces. A country’s standard of living, therefore, depends first and foremost on its ability to produce wealth. "Wealth" in this sense is not money, for we do not live on money but on things that money can buy, “goods” such as food and clothing, and "services" such as transport and entertainment.
A country's ability to produce wealth depends upon many factors, most of which have an effect on one another. Wealth depends to a very large degree upon a country's natural resources, such as coal, gold, and other minerals, water supply and so on. Some regions of the world are well supplied with coal and minerals, and have a fertile (肥沃的)soil and a favorable climate; other regions possess perhaps only one of these things, and some regions possess none of them. The USA is one of the wealthiest regions of the world because she has vast natural resources within her borders(边疆), her soil is fertile, and her climate is of great variety. The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the least wealthy.
Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn them to use. Sound and stable (稳定的)political conditions, and freedom from foreign invasion(侵略), enable a country to develop its natural resources peacefully and steadily, and to produce more wealth than another country equally well served by nature but less well ordered.
Another important factor is the technical efficiency(效能) of a country's people. Old countries that have, through many centuries, trained up numerous(无数的) skilled craftsmen and technicians are better placed to produce wealth than countries whose workers are largely unskilled.
Wealth also produces wealth. As a country becomes wealthier, its people have a large margin(富余)for saving, and can put their savings(储蓄) into factories and machines which will help workers to turn out more goods in their working day.
| Title |
People's (1)_____ standard |
| Meaning |
The average share of the goods and services for people (2) _____ by the country. |
| Some factors that (3) _____ the standard of living of any country |
▲ Wealth depends (4) _____ upon a country's natural resources such as coal, gold, other minerals, water supply and a fertile soil and a favorable climate ▲ Next to natural resources comes the ability to turn (5) _____ resources to use. ▲ The (6) _____ efficiency of a country's people is another important factor |
| The comparison between the USA and the Sahara Desert |
▲ The USA has vast natural resources, her soil is fertile, and it has (7) _____ climate ▲ The Sahara Desert, on the other hand, is one of the (8) _____ |
| The (9) _____ of wealth |
▲ Wealth also produces wealth. ▲ Wealthy people can put their savings into factories and machines which will help workers to (10) _____ out more goods in their working day. |
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