The Washington post – NASA’s newest space habitat looks sort of like a kids’ moon bonce, a big, bright, inflatable globe that could be lots of fun to play in. Soon astronauts on the International Space Station could get the chance to try . The expandable habitat made by Bigelow Aerospace recently passed NASA’s strict certification requirements and is scheduled to be flown to the station in September.
Called the BEAM ( Bigelow Expandable Activity Module), the habitat would be attached to the space station, where it would stay for two years. While there, it would be tested to see how it handles the rigors of space – the radiation, the station’s movement and even how it stands up to the debris (碎片) flying around in orbit.
The private Las Vegas company, founded by millionaire real estate mogul(地产大亨) Robert Bigelow, won a $17.8 million contract from NASA to provide the module to the space station.
“Today is the first step, but it’s a big step,” said Bigelow’s George Zamka. Replace the space station or make it larger. It also hopes to build the habitats on the moon. Its B330 module would be even bigger, with 330 cubic meters of internal (内部的 ) space. The modules could be connected. Creating research facilities, the company says, or even space hotels.
In an interview ,NASA’s William Gerstenmaier, said he was eager to see how the module performs , and said he was especially pleased “ to see how the private sector can step up and help us meet our requirements.” The module will be flown to the space station by SpaceX, the first commercial company to resupply the space station.
What would be the best title for this passage?
A.NASA’s space habitats flown to the station. |
B.NASA’s space habitat it the station. |
C.NASA’s new expandable space habitat. |
D.NASA’s newest inflatable globe. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
A.NASA’s newest space habitat is a kids’ moon bounce. |
B.Astronauts of Bigelow Aerospace could get the chance to try the space habitat. |
C.NASA was founded by Robert Bigelow. |
D.The B330 module to be built on the moon would be with an inside space of 330 cubic meters. |
The underlined word “rigors” in Paragraph 2 refers to “_________”.
A.difficulties | B.environments |
C.movements | D.changes |
The passage is most probably taken from ________.
A.a newspaper | B.a booklet |
C.a magazine | D.a science fiction |
With all the wars, fighting and sadness in the world today, it's not only necessary, but also essential to have a good sense of humor just to help us get through each and every day of our lives. Putting a smile on someone's face when you know they are feeling down in the dumps ( 处于沮丧中), as the saying goes, makes me feel good and warms my heart.
How would you feel if you could not joke around with your wife, husband, child, co-worker, neighbor, close friend, or even just someone that you are standing in line with at your corner store? I am always saying things that make others smile or laugh, even if I don't know the person I'm joking around with. My Grandma always found humor in everything she did, even if it was the hardest job anyone could imagine. This not only relieves stress in any situation, but also is common courtesy (礼貌) to speak to others that are around you.
I know of a few people that don’t have a funny bone in their bodies, as they say. Everyone around them could be rolling on the floor after hearing a great joke and they would sit there without the slightest smile on their face. They don't get the joke that makes others laugh. I am busting a gut while they just sit there, looking at me as if I were from outer space. How can people not get a really funny joke?
Laughing is essential to keep your stress levels under control. Without humor we would find ourselves with a lot of psychological problems, or on a lot of medications to keep us from going crazy. There is too much sadness in this present world. It drives people crazy. We all need to find a way to bypass the sadness and bring a little light into our lives. So, I believe our best medicine is to get together and tell some jokes and have some fun laughing together.
According to the author, humor is useful in the aspect that ____________.
A.it makes people more confident |
B.it can pick up people' s spirits |
C.it can help rid the cruelty in the world |
D.it can help people get on well with others |
The phrase “busting a gut" in the third paragraph can be replaced by __________.
A.explaining carefully | B.speaking loud |
C.keeping silent | D.laughing hard |
In writing the passage, the author mainly intends to __________.
A.talk about his own understanding of humor |
B.encourage people to be humorous in daily life |
C.introduce a practical way to get through daily life |
D.convince people of the power of being optimistic about life |
What is the author' s attitude towards the present world?
A.Positive. | B.Critical. |
C.Satisfied. | D.Indifferent. |
People often ask me how I became successful in that six-year period of time while many of the people I knew did not. The answer is simple: The things I found to be easy to do, they found to be easy not to do.
I found it easy to set the goals that could change my life. They found it easy not to. I found it easy to read the books that could affect my thinking. They found that easy not to. I found it easy to attend the classes. They said it probably really wouldn’t matter. Six years later, I’m a millionaire and they are all still blaming the economy, the government and company policies. They neglected(忽视) to do the basic, easy things.
In fact, the primary reason most people are not doing can be summed up in a single word: neglect. It is not the lack of money – banks are full of money. It is not the lack of opportunity – the government continues to offer the most opportunities. It is not the lack of books – libraries are full of books – and they are free! It is not the schools – the classrooms are full of good teachers. We have plenty of good advisors. The major reason that so few take advantage of all that we have is neglect.
Don’t do the things which cause us to feel guilty(感到内疚的) and guilt erodes our self-confidence. As our self-confidence reduces, so does the level of our activity. And as our activity goes down, so do our results. And as our results suffer, our attitude begins to weaken. And as our attitude begins changing from positive to negative, our self-confidence becomes even less … and on and on it goes.
So my suggestion is that when giving choice of “easy to” and “easy not to”, do not neglect to do the simple, basic, “easy” but potentially life-changing activities.
Why did the author become a millionaire in six years?
A.He was a very lucky man. |
B.He didn’t come across difficulties. |
C.He did some basic and easy things. |
D.He set himself long-term life goals. |
The underlined word “erodes” in Paragraph 4 probably means “_____”.
A.changes | B.neglects |
C.weakens | D.exposes |
What is the main reason that some people fail to succeed?
A.They don’t have good opportunities. |
B.They neglect the importance of success. |
C.They lack the government’s support. |
D.They don’t make use of what they have. |
What would be the best title for the passage?
A.Being self-confident works |
B.Nothing can not be neglected |
C.Everything is easy to do |
D.Success is easy, but so is neglect |
We waited and waited.________ we had been looking forward to.
A.Then came the moment | B.Then did the moment come |
C.Then the moment came | D.The moment then came |
This old professor insisted that he _____energetic enough and that he _____.
A.be, shouldn’t retire | B.was, not retire |
C.should be, shouldn’t retire | D.was, should retire |
Do you think the T-shirt is too tight _____the shoulder?
A.at | B.on | C.to | D.across |
七选五,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。
Choosing to Study Overseas
Every year, thousands of students choose to study in another country for a semester(学期), the summer, or a year.Studying overseas can be an exciting experience for many people.
●___
Living in another country can help you to learn a language, and about another culture.
_____Overseas study may also look good on your future resume. Many companies today want employees who speak a second language, or have experienced living or working in another country.
●Making the right choice
Once you decide to study overseas, you have to make some choices.To choose the right country or school, ask yourself: Where do I want to go and why? How much do I want to pay?
____Do I want to live with a host family, with roommates, or alone?
●Getting ready to go
Get your passport and visa early! ____Learn about the money.Bring some of it, and a credit card, with you.
●Once you are there
After the first few weeks overseas,many students will feel a little homesick.They may miss their family, friends, and familiar ways of doing things.____When you feel sad or homesick, try to talk to others, or write about your feelings in a notebook.
A.Why do it? |
B.How long do I want to study overseas? |
C.You should improve your mother tongue before you go. |
D.A large number of students can't afford to study overseas. |
E.You will see the world in a new way and learn more about yourself.
F.Remember that it takes time to get used to a new place, school, and culture.
G.Before you go, learn some of the language, and read about some common customs in your host country.
There are many older people in the world and there will be many more. A limeknown fact is that over 60 percent of the older people live in developing countries. According to the World Health Organization,by 2020 there will be 1 billion,with over 700 million living in developing countries.
It is a surprising fact that the population ageing is particularly rapid in developing countries. For example,it took France 115 years for the proportion of older people to double from 7 percent to 14 percent. It is estimated(估计) to take China a mere 27 years to achieve this same increase.
What are the implications(暗指) of these increased numbers of older folk?One of the biggest worries for governments is that the longer people live,the more likelihood there is for diseases and for disability. Attention is being paid to the need to keep people as healthy as possible,including during old age,to lessen the financial burden on the state.
Another significant problem is the need for the younger generations to understand and value the older people in their society. In some African countries,certainly in Asia,older people are respected and regarded as the ones with special knowledge. Yet traditions are fading away daily,which does not ensure the continued high regard of older people. As society changes, attitudes will change.
Much needs to be done to get rid of age discrimination (歧视) in employment. Lifelong learning programs need to be provided to enable older people to be active members in a country’s development.
Social security policies need to be established to provide adequate income protection for older people. Both public and private schemes are vital in order to build a suitable safety net.
To achieve equality in such matters will take considerable time and effort. One thing is sure:there is no time to be lost.
The proportion(比例)of older people________.
A.is bigger in developed countries than in developing countries |
B.is one seventh of the population in developing countries |
C.will increase much faster in China than in France |
D.will be sixty percent in developing countries by 2020 |
According to the passage,which of the following are governments most worried about?
A.The diseases and disability of older people. |
B.The longer life and good health of people. |
C.The loss of taxes on older people. |
D.The increasing respect for older people. |
Which of the following measures is NOT mentioned to solve the population ageing problem?
A.Getting rid of age discrimination in employment. |
B.Ensuring adequate income protection for older people. |
C.Providing free health care for sick older people. |
D.Supplying lifelong learning programs to older people. |
The author concludes in the last paragraph that________.
A.governments have spent lots of time in solving the ageing problem |
B.population ageing is a hard problem,but it needs to be solved urgently |
C.people are too busy to solve the population ageing problem |
D.much time and effort will be lost in solving the ageing problem |
When we see well, we do not think about our eyes very often. It is only when we cannot see perfectly that we realize how important our eyes are.
People who are near-sighted can only see things that are very close to their eyes. Everything else seems blurry. Many people who do a lot of work, such as writing, reading and sewing become near-sighted. People who are far-sighted suffer from just the opposite problem. They can see things that are far away, but they have difficulty in reading a book unless they hold it at arm’s length. If they want to do much reading, they must get glasses, too.
Other people do not see clearly because their eyes are not exactly the right shape. They have what is called astigmatism (散光). This, too, can be corrected by glasses. Some people’s eyes become cloudy because of cataracts (白内障). Long ago these people often became blind. Now, however, it is possible to operate on the cataracts and remove them.
Having two good eyes is important for judging distances. Each eye sees things from a slightly different angle. To prove this to yourself, look at an object out of one eye; then look at the same object out of your other eye. You will find the object’s relation to the background and other things around it has changed. The difference between these two different eye views helps us to judge how far away an object is. People who have only one eye cannot judge distances as people with two eyes.
We should take good care of our eyes .
A.only when we can see well |
B.only when we cannot see perfectly |
C.even if we can see well |
D.only when we realize how important our eyes are |
The underlined word blurry in the second paragraph probably means .
A.obvious | B.possible | C.clear | D.unclear |
Having two eyes instead of one is particularly useful for .
A.seeing at night |
B.seeing objects far away |
C.looking over a wide area |
D.judging distances |
People who suffer from astigmatism have .
A.one eye bigger than the other |
B.eyes that are not exactly the right shape |
C.a difficulty that can be corrected by an operation |
D.an eye difficulty that cannot be corrected by glasses |
That tree, __________ are almost bare, is a very old one.
A.whose branches |
B.the branches of which |
C.of which the branches |
D.All of the above |
Since the Internet came into homes, the daily life has never been the same again. But the thing that worries most of us is that we can get viruses from the Internet. But can we catch viruses on our cell phones? A new study in the journal Science says yes, but the spread of such mobile software that can bring harm to our cell phones won’t reach dangerous levels until more cell phones are on the same operating system.
Computers are easily attacked by viruses because they share data, especially over the Internet. Of course, nowadays, more people are using their cell phones more and more frequently. They use them for emailing, text messaging and downloading troublesome ring tones, etc.,so it is obvious that cell phone viruses are a threat as well.
Scientists used nameless call data from more than six million cell phone users to help model a possible outbreak. And they concluded that viruses that spread from phone to phone by Bluetooth are not much concerned, because users have to be in close physical relation for their phones to “see” one another. However, viruses that spread through multimedia messaging services can move much faster, because they can come in disguise(伪装), such as a cool tune sent by a friend. The good news is that to be effective, these viruses need their victims(受害人) to all use the same operating system, which not enough of us do. Because there is no Microsoft operating system for mobile phones, yet. Thank goodness.
What is the passage mainly about?
A.The operating system of cell phones. |
B.The threat of cell phone viruses. |
C.The wide use of cell phones. |
D.Computer viruses. |
When ______, cell phone viruses can be dangerous.
A.all the cell phones work on the same operating system |
B.Microsoft operating system for cell phones is created |
C.users can see each other on the phones |
D.Bluetooth is widely used |
What can we infer about Bluetooth according to the scientists?
A.It can increase the chances of cell phone viruses greatly. |
B.It can help us to stop the spreading of cell phone viruses. |
C.It won’t possibly cause the outbreak of cell phone viruses. |
D.It can make users have close physical relation with one another. |
We can learn from the passage that ______.
A.it is impossible to catch viruses on our cell phones |
B.cell phones are not well connected with the Internet |
C.it is dangerous for people to download ring tones to cell phones |
D.more than one operating system is used for cell phones now |
The machine might break down someday in the future, ____, you can dial this number for help.
A.in that case | B.in what case |
C.in which case | D.in whose case |
Finally he reached a lonely island_ _ was completely cut off from the outside world.
A.when | B.where | C.whom | D.which |
The hero said he didn’t think twice ____ diving into the freezing river to rescue that child.
A.before | B.after | C.until | D.when |