On a clear night, the sky is a wonderful thing. Is there life out there somewhere? Is there another place like Earth where life might exist? If so, where is it? And how far away is it?
Recently, the Kepler spacecraft found “22b”, a planet about six hundred light years away. It is the first planet in a “habitable zone” outside the solar system. That means the planet orbits(环绕) a star like our sun, but it is not too close to it, nor too far away. Because of this position, Kepler-22b might have water, one of the main things needed for life. The newly-discovered planet is about two and a half times larger than the Earth. It is closer to its star than we are to the Sun, but 22b’s sun is smaller than ours, and doesnt produce as much heat. Scientific instruments show the new planet could be made of gases, rocks or some kinds of liquids.
The Kepler spacecraft was named in honor of Johannes Kepler, the seventeenth century German astronomer. It was designed to examine a small part of the Milky Way galaxy(星系)and search for places like the Earth. It was made to inspect over 150,000 stars and measure how bright they are. It looks to see if a star’s brightness gets less over a short time.
If a planet passes between Kepler and the star, it blocks out part of the light. That is what suggested to scientists that there is at least one planet orbiting the star. The instruments on Kepler show the new planet as a small, black dot moving across its sun. An important part of the Kepler experiment is on the Earth. After the spacecraft gathers information, scientists use the telescopes on the ground.
Scientists have found over 2,300 new planets since Kepler was launched. Most are much larger, but it is the new planet’s distance from its star that is important. For life to possibly exist there, the planet’s temperature must not be too hot or too cold. What can we learn about Kepler-22b?
| A．Water must have existed on it. |
| B．It takes humans about 600 years to get there. |
| C．It is made of gases, rocks and plenty of liquids. |
| D．It is the first planet in outer space where life may survive |
The Kepler spacecraft was sent into space to
| A．show honor to Johannes Kepler |
| B．observe the changes of a star’s brightness |
| C．look for Earth-like planets in the Milky Way galaxy |
| D．measure the brightest star among 150.000 stars |
In Paragraph 4 the author mainly tells us
| A．how the Kepler system works |
| B．if the Kepler system sees a new planet |
| C．how the Kepler system shows a new planet |
| D．why an important part of the Kepler system remains on the Earth |
What can we infer from the passage?
| A．Life may exist on the new planet in another form. |
| B．It is colder on the new planet because its sun is smaller. |
| C．Life can’t exist on planets which are much larger than the Earth. |
| D．The new planet’s distance from its star decides on the possibility of life existence. |
Linda Evans was my best friend—like the sister I never had. We did everything together: piano lessons, movies, swimming, horseback riding.
When I was 13, my family moved away. Linda and I kept in touch through letters, and we saw each other on special times—like my wedding and Linda's. Soon we were busy with children and moving to new homes, and we wrote less often. One day a card that I sent came back, stamped "Address Unknown" I had no idea about how to find Linda.
Over the years, I missed Linda very much. I wanted to share(分享) happiness of my children and then grandchildren. And I needed to share my sadness when my brother and then mother died. There was an empty place in my heart that only a friend like Linda could fill.
One day, I was reading a newspaper when I noticed a photo of a young woman who looked very much like Linda and whose last name was Wagman—Linda's married name. "There must be thousands of Wagmans."I thought, but I still wrote to her.
She called as soon as she got my letter. "Mrs. Tobin!" she said excitedly, "Linda Evans Wagman is my mother."
Minutes later I heard a voice that I knew very much, even after 40 years, laughed and cried and caught up on each other's lives. Now the empty place in my heart is filled. And there's one thing that Linda and I know for sure: We won't lose each other again!The writer went to piano lessons with Linda Evans ________.
| A．at the age of 13 |
| B．before the writer’s family moved away |
| C．after they moved to new homes |
| D．before she got married |
They didn't often write to each other because they ________.
| A．got married |
| B．didn't like writing letters |
| C．had little time to do so |
| D．could see each other on special time |
There was an empty place in the writer’s heart because she ________.
| A．was in trouble |
| B．didn't know Linda’s address |
| C．received the card that she sent |
| D．didn't have a friend like Linda to share her happiness and sadness |
The meaning of the word “volunteer ” may be a little different in different countries, but it usually means “one who offers his or her services（服务）.” there are many different ways in which people can volunteer, such as taking care of sick people, working in homes for homeless children, and picking up garbage(垃圾) from beaches and parks. Volunteers may work within their own countries or in other countries. They are often people with a strong wish to help those who are less fortunate than themselves. Volunteers don’t expect any kind of pay.
Tracy, a good friend of mine, recently came back from India with a new idea of what being a volunteer means. She worked for two and a half weeks in one of mother Teresa’s homes in Calcutta. The following is her story.
“I worked for sick people. I helped wash clothes and sheets, and pass out lunch. To be honest, I don’t think I was helping very much. It was then that I realized that I had not really come to help, but to learn about and experience another culture(文化) that helped improve my own understanding of life and the world.” According to the text, a volunteer refers to a person who ______.
| A．is willing to help those in need without pay |
| B．can afford to travel to different places |
| C．has a strong wish to be successful |
| D．has made a lot of money in life |
Tracy started her work as a volunteer ______.
| A．after she met mother Teresa |
| B．after she finished high school |
| C．when she was touring Calcutta |
| D．when she was working in a hospital |
Why did Tracy choose to be a volunteer?
| A．she liked to work with mother Teresa. |
| B．she had already had some experience. |
| C．she was asked by mother Teresa. |
| D．she wanted to follow mother Teresa’s example. |
What is Tracy’s “new idea” (paragraph 2) of being a volunteer?
A. going abroad to help the sick.
B. working in mother Teresa’s home.
C. doing simple things to help the poor.
improving oneself through helping others.
The Five Rules for Keeping Fit
Hi, there! I'm Grystal Collins, and I'm very happy to share some time with you. So, you want to keep fit, huh? Well, you surely came to the right place. Together we can keep fit and healthy, and succeed in doing that. It's easy. Everybody can do it, you hear? Just remember the five golden rules.
Number one: Always wear comfortable clothes when you are exercising. You need to feel comfortable and relaxed（放松）.
Number two: You should always do some warming-up exercise first to get your body ready for the real thing.
Number three: Never try to do too much exercise too soon. Take it nice and easy now, you hear? There's no rush about this.
Number four: Don't forget to relax for about five minutes when you've finished your exercise. You need to rest a little bit after you've been exercising.
And here is the golden rule Number five. Stop at once if you feel any pain in your neck, head or any part of your body.The students may most probably be the people ___________.
| A．who are ill |
| B．who want to be healthier |
| C．who are Crystal Collins' good friends |
| D．who are not interested in taking exercise |
Crystal Collins may most probably say this .
| A．before the exercise starts |
| B．when the exercise is over |
| C．during the exercise |
| D．as soon as the exercise has started |
Which of the following is NOT true?
| A．You should do some warming-up exercise before the real thing. |
| B．You should wear comfortable clothes. |
| C．You should rest for a while when you are doing warming-up exercise. |
| D．You should stop if you feel any pain in your body. |
In order to learn a foreign language well，four things are necessary． First，we must understand the language when we hear it spoken．Secondly, we must be able to speak it ourselves, with confidence and without hesitation（犹豫）． Thirdly，we must do much reading． Finally， we must be able to write it. We must be able to make sentences that are correct in grammar．
There are no shortcuts to success in language learning． A good memory is a great help，but it is not enough only to memorize the rules from a grammar book．It is not much learning by heart long lists of words and their meanings，studying the dictionary and so on．We must learn by using the language．
If we are pleased with a few rules we have memorized，we are not really learning the language．We must “learn through use．” Practice is important．We must practise speaking and writing the language whenever we can．The most important things to learn a foreign language are ＿＿＿＿＿.
| A．understanding and speaking |
| B．listening，speaking，reading and writing |
| C．writing and understanding |
| D．memorizing and listening |
Someone hears and writes English very well， but he speaks it very badly． This is because ＿＿＿＿＿．
| A．he doesn’t understand the language when he hears it spoken |
| B．he doesn’t have a good memory |
| C．he always remembers lists of words and their meanings |
| D．he often hesitates（犹豫）to practise speaking it |
One can never learn a foreign language well by ＿＿＿＿。
| A．doing much practice | B．studying the dictionary |
| C．learning through use | D．using the language |
Which is the most important in learning a foreign language？
| A．good memory | B．Speaking． | C．Practice． | D．Writing |
Is your family interested in buying a dog? A dog can be a pleasant companion to your family, but if you choose the wrong kind of dog , you will have a lot of troubles.
Families should sit down and discuss the possible problems before buying a dog. Even if the children in your family are the ones who want the dog, the parents are the ones who are really responsible for seeing that the animal is properly cared for. If you don’t know much about dogs, it is a good idea to go to the library for books about different kinds of dogs, and books about how to train a young dog. In reading about the different breeds(种类)you should know that a dog described(描述)as very alert(机敏灵活的)may be too active. When a book describes a dog as an excellent hunting dog, it probably means that the dog won’t be happy living in a small house. Dog breeds vary(变化)in popularity as the years go by. One of the most popular dogs these days is the German shepherd. This is because it provides protection as well as companionship. The family should be warned that these dogs grow up to be very big, and may be too powerful for children to control. If space is limited, a toy dog may be a good choice. These dogs are very small and easy to train. They don’t need to be walked daily, since they can exercise in the home.According to the passage, one can get information about different kinds of dogs .
| A．by going to the library |
| B．by asking someone who has enough experience about different kinds of dogs |
| C．by buying a dog and training it |
| D．by reading books about dogs |
The German shepherd is a popular dog .
| A．because it is easy to train |
| B．because it is big and strong |
| C．because it is powerful and friendly |
| D．because it is alert and active |
Which of the following statements is not true?
| A．Don’t buy a hunting dog if your house is not big enough. |
| B．A dog may not be so good as it is described in books. |
| C．The German shepherd never loses its popularity for it provides not only companionship but also protection. |
| D．You should have a discussion with your family before buying a dog in case it causes you a lot of troubles. |
Which is the best topic of the passage?
| A．The care and proper selection of dogs for families. |
| B．Different breeds of dogs. |
| C．Responsibility for seeing that dogs are properly cared for. |
| D．Different kinds of books about dogs. |
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