Who Owns the Moon?
Within the next ten years, the US, China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies(天体) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.
But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions(派遣团) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.
“This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(协力的) public-private working group. He was peaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.
To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.
In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that .
| A．the US will live on the moon forever |
| B．the moon will not be able to hold all mankind |
| C．the potential land rush will become more and more frequent |
| D．no one can answer the question “Who owns the moon?” |
The “Google Lunar X Prize” aims to .
| A．encourage private groups to land on the moon |
| B．help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon |
| C．help some developing countries complete their lunar projects |
| D．reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon |
The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．the Outer Space Treaty | B．if and when they plant a flag |
| C．the NASA working group | D．monks from the Middle Ages |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The US astronauts will live on the moon for a longer time. |
| B．Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon. |
| C．Why some private groups wish to land on the moon. |
| D．It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon. |
Most children now chat daily either online or through their mobile phones. They are connecting to a huge number of other children all over the world. Some are shy “in real life” but are confident to communicate with others online; others find support from people of their own age on relationship issues, or problems at home.
Sometimes the online world, just like the real world, can introduce problems, such as bullying or arguments. Going online is great fun, but there are also a few people who use the Internet for offensive (冒犯性的) or illegal aims. Children must be made aware of both the good things and the dangers.
To keep children safe your management must cover the family computer. Just as you decide which TV pro-grams are suitable, you need to do the same for the websites and chat rooms your children visit. Remind your children that online friends are still strangers. Re-minding them of the risks will keep them alert (警惕).
Computer studies are part of schoolwork now, so it’s likely that your children may know more than you do. We get left behind when it comes to the latest gad-gets and the interactive areas of websites, like chat rooms and message boards, which are especially strange. The language of chat is strange to many parents, too. Chatters love to use abbreviations (缩写) such as: atb — all the best, bbfn — bye bye for now, cul8er — see you later, gr8 — great, Idk — I don’t know, imbl — it must be love, kit — keep in touch, paw — parents are watching, lol — laugh out loud, xlnt — excellent!
It seems like another language, and it is! The passage is meant for ______.
| A．parents | B．children. |
| C．teachers | D．net bar owners |
The purpose of writing this passage is to advise ______.
| A．people not to use the net language in real life |
| B．children not to meet online friends freely |
| C．teachers to have students study on computers |
| D．parents to protect their children from online dangers |
In order to keep children safe online, you’d better ______.
| A．forbid them to use the Internet |
| B．teach them to use correct net words |
| C．surf the Internet together with them |
| D．choose suitable websites and chat rooms for them |
If you stand beside him when your son is chatting about something secret online, he may use ______.
| A．bbfn | B．paw | C．lol | D．cul8er |
The National Dark-Sky Week (NDSW) is a week during which people all over the United States turn off their lights to enjoy the beauty of the night sky without light pollution. This even was started by Jennifer Barlow of Midlothian, Virginia in 2003, and it is becoming more popular each year. It has been supported by the International Dark-Sky Association, the American Astronomical Society, and the Astronomical League.
This even always occurs in April, during the week of the new moon so that the sky can be as dark as possible for the best viewing conditions.
“It is my wish that people could see the night sky without other light in the sky as our ancestors (祖先) saw it hundreds of years ago,” explains Barlow.
Since it only lasts a week and not everyone in the country will take part in it, how will the National Dark-Sky Week reduce light pollution? The main goal of NDSW is to increase awareness (意识) of the harmful effects of light pollution. It is not possible for all of the light pollution in this part of the world to disappear. However, it is possible to make a small difference in the quality of the night sky. Another goal of this even is to promote (促进) the use of better lighting systems that direct light toward the ground instead of up into the sky.
Jennifer Barlow states, “The night sky is a gift of such beauty that it should not be polluted by wasted light. In this way, our children will not lose touch with the wonder of our universe.”This passage is mainly about ______________.
| A．better lighting systems | B．the National Dark-Sky Week |
| C．the harm of light pollution | D．the beauty of the night sky |
Which of the following statements about the National Dark-Sky Week is WRONG?
| A．It is becoming more and more popular in America. |
| B．The event was started in 2003 by Jennifer Barlow. |
| C．The event takes place in the first week of every April. |
| D．American people are supposed to turn off their lights during that week. |
What is Jennifer Barlow’s wish?
| A．That people could spend time enjoying the beauty of the sky every night. |
| B．That the sky would always be as dark as possible. |
| C．That people could see the night sky without light pollution as our ancestors did. |
| D．That light would be directed up into the sky. |
We can infer from the underlined（划线的）sentence in Paragraph 4 that ________.
| A．many people in America hate this event |
| B．he event should last a month every year |
| C．it may be hard to reduce light pollution t |
| D．light will no longer pollute the sky soon |
I was with a group of businessmen, and we were dealing with a question—What is a good person?
At a certain point during the discussion, one of the students—a young man of about thirty—described an event that happened at Christmas. He and his five-year-old son were decorating the Christmas tree, and a little boy came to the front door begging. If you ever visit Mexico, you will see that the people there take begging as nothing to get upset about and nothing to get embarrassed by.
So, this little boy came to the door, a boy about the same age as my student’s son. The father and the son went to the front door, and the father went back with his five-year-old son and said to him, “Give him one of your toys.” At the words, the little boy quickly picked up some toy, and his father said to him, “No, no－give him your favorite toy.”
And the little boy, like a little tiger, said, “No way!” He cried; he refused. But the father, like a big tiger in a way, insisted gently, “No, you must give him one of your favorite toys.”
And finally the boy, with his head down, picked up a toy he had just gotten. The father waited in the living room, and the boy walked to the front door with the toy in his hand. The father waited and waited.
What do you think happened?
After a couple of minutes, his son came running back into the living room, his face radiant (喜气洋洋). “Daddy,” he said, “can I do that again?”
I think I have got the answer to the question.From the passage, we can learn that in Mexico ________.
| A．begging is looked down upon |
| B．begging is considered as a normal part of life |
| C．visitors all over the world treat beggars kindly |
| D．few people are living a poor life |
The sentence “can I do that again?” showed that the boy ________.
| A．got pleasure by helping the little beggar |
| B．wanted to please his father |
| C．began to like the little beggar |
| D．wanted to be the little beggar’s friend |
According to the writer, being a good person means ________.
| A．having the courage to correct his/her mistakes |
| B．being friendly to beggars |
| C．being ready to give |
| D．being able to teach children to tell right from wrong |
根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。
Do you constantly use the computer, whether for learning or entertainment? Computers give off radiation(辐射) that is bad for your health, but here are some ways to protect yourself from computer radiation.
__1___Green tea can be absorbed by the body easily into a form of vitamin A, which helps reduce radiation.__2__
It is advisable to attach a radiation filter plate(辐射过滤板)in front of your computer’s screen. Make sure to avoid putting any mental substances near your computer as these may have reflected some of the electromagnetic waves that are harmful to your health. __3__ The brighter the screen the higher the radiation there will be and vice versa.
You can also put some radiation-absorbing plants such as several cacti near your computer to prevent radiation.
Make sure you do a skincare protection before sitting in front of the computer .
___4__Wash your face soon after using the computer in order to reduce 70% of the radiation.
__ 5___ Old computer in general, has one to two times more radiation released than the new one within the same distance.
| A．And adjust the brightness of your computer screen. |
| B．Apply a layer of facial mask to protect yourself. |
| C．And adjust the sound level on your computer. |
| D．The most efficient way is by drinking some coffee regularly. |
E.The simple way is by drinking 2 or 3 cups of green tea every day.
F.If possible, purchase a new computer instead of using an old model computer.
G.It also helps keep our eyes see things clearly in the dark by improving the visual ability.
The idea of light pollution has developed with the increase of lights in cities. In many areas, this light makes it difficult or impossible to observe stars and planets in the night sky.
There are a number of reasons why light pollution is important. One has become clear at the Mount Wilson Observatory near Los Angeles, California. Today, light from Los Angeles makes the night sky above Mount Wilson very bright. It is no longer an important reasearch center because of light pollution.
Light pollution threatens to reduce the scientific value of research telescoples in other important observatories. They include Lick Observatory near San Jose, California and Yerkes Observatory near Chicago, Illionis.
Light pollution is the result of wasted energy. Bright light that shines into the sky is not being used to provide light where it is needed on Earth. Poorly designed lighting causes a great deal of light pollution. Lights that are brighter than necessary also cause light pollution.
Most people in America are surprised to find out that they are able to see our own galaxy(星系)，the Milky Way, with their own eyes. But about threefourths of Americans cannot see the Miky Way because of manmade light.
Objects in the night sky are resources that provide everyone with wonder. But light pollution threatens to prevent those wonderful sights from being seen.Light pollution usually occurs________.
| A．in cities | B．in the country |
| C．in wild areas | D．in developing countries |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．Mount Wilson Observatory is the most important one in America. |
| B．Light pollution affects observatories only. |
| C．In the dark night people can observe the sky clearly. |
| D．Astronomers can observe the stars clearly by the lights of the cities. |
The victims affected by the light pollution are________.
| A．children | B．grownups | C．students | D．observatories |
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