Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars(火星), and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves. What does the passage mainly talk about?
| A．How the caves were formed on Mars. | B．How scientists found these caves on Mars. |
| C．Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life. | |
| D．Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
We can learn from the passage that .
| A．water has already been found on Mars | B．the scientists found all the caves at night |
| C．it is certain that there is life in these caves | |
| D．the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
| A．such caves could provide energy for life | B．they had finally found the caves on Mars |
| C．such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life | |
| D．scientists had long been looking for these caves |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
| A．lava and energy | B．water and radiation from space |
| C．gases and lava | D．water and protection from radiation |
To help make the most of your experience at Auckland Zoo we suggest:
Plan Your Day:
Plan your day to learn more about your favorite zoo animals.
Don’t forget your camera – the best way to capture your visit forever.
Keep Safe at the Zoo:
Children aged 12 years and under need to be accompanied (陪同) by a caregiver.
To keep the safety of our animals, any throwing games are not permitted in the zoo grounds.
The zoo animals are not trained. Do not enter any enclosure (围场), or put any part of your body into an enclosure.
There are a number of natural waterways at the zoo, so please take care of your children at all times.
General Information:
Check out the weather before you come. In winter we suggest you bring a jacket and an umbrella, and in summer, be sure to bring sunscreen and a hat.
Every zoo animal enjoys its own specific: well-balanced food. We hope that you enjoy some great food treats on your zoo visit, but please do not feed any of our animals. Our keepers work strictly on this.
Feel free to take personal photos and make videos. However, any commercial photography or filming needs written permissions from zoo management.
Not all animals are permitted in the zoo grounds. We welcome people with guide dogs, but they must contact us ahead of time about their visit. Please phone the Zoo Information Center on +64(0)9-360-3805.
Smoking is not permitted in covered areas.
Auckland Zoo does not allow entry to any unaccompanied children 12 years and under. If the children are found by themselves, the staff do have the right to call the police.When visiting Auckland Zoo, parents should tell their children that _________.
| A．they could play throwing games |
| B．they couldstay close to the animals |
| C．the zoo animals have been well-trained |
| D．it’s dangerous to play near the waterways |
The underlined word “this” in the part of “General Information” refers to the fact that ____.
| A．zoo animals enjoy their well-balanced food |
| B．visitors are not allowed to feed animals |
| C．visitors enjoy their own food treats |
| D．children offer food to the zoo animals |
The main purpose of the passage is to _________.
| A．give people some tips on visiting Auckland Zoo |
| B．introduce Auckland Zoo animals |
| C．ask people to stop polluting Auckland Zoo |
| D．attract people to the zoo |
A winter wonderland on the outskirts of Quebec City has become one of Canada's hottest attractions and most sought out accommodations. Guests stay close for warmth in sleeping bags on beds of ice, hats pulled over their ears to prevent frostbite, while sipping cocktails (鸡尾酒) in glasses also made of ice.
A cool place to host a memorable wedding or for a romantic getaway, the Quebec Ice Hotel has attracted 600,000 curious tourists, including 30,000 who stayed overnight, since opening seasonally 11 years ago. Like Victoria and Jeremy Martin, dozens of couples will exchange vows (誓约) this winter in a temporary church next to the hotel, made entirely from blocks of ice with seats covered in furs.
Average temperatures fall below minus 20 degrees C (minus four F) in winter, but inside the hotel's 36 rooms it is relatively comfortable. Thick walls of packed snow and ice act as an insulator, trapping body heat inside. Each room is uniquely decorated, using designs created by Quebec architecture students. Two hotel bars also sell special cocktails in ice glasses.
First-time guests of the hotel, however, are recommended to stay only one night as sleeping in sub-zero temperatures is not very refreshing. This year for the first time the ice hotel has teamed up with a brick and concrete Quebec City hotel to offer packages(全套服务) for one-night accommodations at each. Prices for one night only at the ice hotel start at 200 US dollars per person.
The 3,000-square-metre (32,300-square-feet) buildings take six weeks starting in December to build, using 15,000 tons of snow and 500 tons of ice, at a cost of some 750,000 US dollars. Eleven weeks after its seasonal grand opening, the hotel will close on March 27 and then melt away with the arrival of spring.What is true with the ice hotel?
| A．630,000 people have visited it. |
| B．Its rooms all look alike. |
| C．It stays open for two months each year. |
| D．Wedding ceremonies are often held there. |
The underlined word “insulator” in Paragraph 3 possibly refers to something that ______.
| A．stops heat passing through it | B．collects and reflects light and heat |
| C．makes things become very cold | D．works like an air-conditioner |
First-time guests are advised to stay there only one night because _______.
| A．they may not be able to stand the cold |
| B．their other night is with an ordinary hotel |
| C．new guests have no advantages over old ones |
| D．they may find the beds made of ice too hard to sleep on. |
Popeye the Sailor first became a popular cartoon in the 1930s.The sailor in that cartoon ate lots of spinach to make him strong. People watched him, and they began to buy and eat a lot more spinach. Popeye helped sell 33 percent more spinach than before! Spinach became a necessary part of many people’s diets. Even some children who hated the taste began to eat the vegetable.
Many people thought that the iron in spinach made Popeye strong, but this is not true. Spinach does not have any more iron than any other green vegetable.
People only thought spinach had a lot of iron because the people who studied the food made a mistake. In the 1890s, a group of people studied what was inside vegetables. This group said that spinach had ten times more iron than it did. The group wrote the number wrong, and everyone accepted it.
Today, we know that the little iron in spinach cannot make a difference in how strong a person is. However, spinach does have something else which the body needs—folic acid.
It is interesting to point out that folic acid can help make a person strong. Maybe it was really the folic acid that made Popeye strong all along.A good title for this reading passage is______.
| A．Popeye the Sailor | B．The Truth About Spinach |
| C．A Mistake with Numbers | D．Folic Acid Makes You Strong |
Why did many people eat spinach after they saw Popeye the Sailor?
| A．They thought spinach made them strong. |
| B．They thought Popeye was funny. |
| C．Spinach had a lot of iron. |
| D．People liked folic acid. |
A research group told people that spinach______.
| A．made Popeye strong |
| B．was a green vegetable |
| C．had less iron than other green vegetables |
| D．had more iron than other green vegetables |
The reading passage says that perhaps Popeye got his strength from______.
| A．iron | B．folic acid | C．spinach | D．exercise |
Notice
Dear Degree-doing International Students,
According to the University’s regulations governing the Curriculums (课程) of General Education, the curriculum-choosing procedures (程序) are as follows:
Who
All degree-doing international students are required to choose the curriculums related to Chinese Language and Culture. Refer to Item 3 for different arrangements for undergraduate students (本科生) ,master and doctor students.
What curriculum to choose
You are required to choose two curriculums related to Chinese Language and Culture that suit your own level and program. The curriculum consists of Elementary Chinese, Intermediate （中级的）Chinese, and Chinese Culture (Taught in Chinese and English ). Please refer to Attachment 1 for details.
How many credits
You are required to complete 6 credits for each curriculum within a term.
When and How
A. Undergraduate students: you are required to complete the curriculum selection process (The system will be reopened next week) by 5:00 p.m. on June 22, 2013. About how to choose the courses, you can refer to Attachment 2 (It is in Chinese; turn to your Chinese friends or teachers for help if you cannot follow the procedures of the attachment) for the instructions.
B. Master and Doctor Students: you won’t have to complete the curriculum selection until early September; please wait for further notice on the arrangement.
Your cooperation will be highly appreciated.
Attachment 1: Chinese Language & Culture for International Students
Attachment 2: Handbook for Curriculum Selection
School of International Education
Chongqing University
June 13, 2013This notice is mainly about _______.
| A．course selection | B．how to study elective courses |
| C．regulations of learning Chinese | D．Learning arrangements for elective courses |
The courses which can be chosen don’t include _______.
| A．Chinese Culture | B．Advanced Chinese |
| C．Elementary Chinese | D．Intermediate Chinese |
According to the arrangement, who must finish choosing curriculums in June?
| A．Doctor students | B．Master students |
| C．Undergraduate students | D．International students |
You can learn the instructions in the course selection from_______.
| A．your friends | B．your teachers | C．Attachment One | D．Attachment Two |
On the first day of class, Mr. Whiteson gave us a lecture about a creature(生物) called cattytiger, a kind of cat-like animal that completely disappeared during the Ice Age. He passed round a skull (头骨) as he talked, and we all felt interested and took notes while listening. Later, we had a test about that.
When he returned my paper, I was very, very surprised. There was a very large cross through each of my answers. And so it was with everyone else's in our class.
What had happened? Everyone was wondering and couldn't wait to get the answer.
Very simple, Mr. Whiteson explained. He had made up all that story about the cattytiger. There had never been such an animal. So why none of us noticed that and how could we expect good marks for the incorrect answers?
Needless to say, we got very angry. What kind of teacher was this?
We should have guessed it out, Mr. Whiteson said. After all, at the very moment he was passing around the cattytiger skull (in fact, a cat's), hadn't he been telling us that it completely disappeared during the Ice Age? Clearly he was telling a lie. But we just kept busy making notes and none used his head. We should learn something from this. Teachers and textbooks are not always correct. We failed in the test because we didn't ______.
| A．take notes while listening |
| B．show interest in what Mr. Whiteson said |
| C．listen to the teacher carefully |
| D．think carefully |
We got angry because ______.
| A．Mr. Whiteson didn't tell us the truth about cattytiger |
| B．we failed in the test |
| C．we didn't know why he played the joke on us |
| D．there was no cattytiger |
We didn't find out it was a lie for ______.
| A．we simply believed our teacher very much |
| B．we took notes carelessly |
| C．we hadn't watched the skull carefully enough |
| D．Mr. Whiteson spoke too fast |
Mr. Whiteson meant that ______.
| A．teachers couldn't make any mistakes |
| B．textbooks might be wrong sometimes |
| C．we should speak up if we thought our teacher or the textbook was wrong |
| D．we shouldn't believe our teachers because sometimes they might tell lies |