MOSCOW(Reuters) – Russia hopes the United States will extend the deadline to retire its space shuttles beyond 2011 and has heard unofficially it is possible, the head of Russia"s space agency was quoted as saying on Friday.
The U.S. space agency NASA(美国宇航局) plans six more missions by its fleet of aging space shuttles by late next year or early 2011 after the construction of the $100 billion International Space Station (ISS) is completed. The shuttles will then be retired. But the head of Roscosmos, Russia"s space agency, said he would prefer to see further shuttle missions to the Space Station, now in orbit 360 km (225 miles) above Earth. "From some sources we have learned that it is possible to extend the life of the shuttle beyond 2011," Roscosmos chief Anatoly Perminov was quoted by RIA news agency as saying. Reuters was not invited to the briefing(简报会). "Then the situation would change substantially and it would be possible to work jointly with the Americans, unlike now, when the main burden (for the ISS) lies with the Russian side," Perminov was quoted as saying by Interfax. Perminov said he had not been told this through official channels, Interfax news agency reported. He added that NASA"s new chief and former astronaut Charles Bolden would visit Russia"s Baikonur cosmodrome on September 30 in his first foreign trip.
NASA"s future strategy is currently under review with the main focus on possible flights to Mars. It is also encouraging a private space taxi project to the ISS. NASA"s current plan, conceived under former President George Bush after the Columbia accident, is to complete the space station, retire the shuttles and build new spaceships. A new rocket and capsule to transport astronauts to the ISS is also being dev
eloped but will not be operational until about 2015. Until then, NASA will rely on Roscosmos and must pay $50 million per seat for flights to the ISS by Soyuz capsules.
The U.S., Russian and Chinese governments are the only entities currently capable of human orbital space flight, although several U.S. companies are developing vehicles and support services to do so.What does the underlined word “this” in Paragraph 2 refer to?
| A．NASA agrees to extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011. |
| B．Reuters was not invited to the briefing. |
| C．The US would work jointly with Russia. |
| D．NASA’s new chief would visit Russia’s Baikonur cosmodrome. |
NASA’s current plan includes all the following EXCEPT .
| A．completing International Space Station |
| B．flights to Mars |
| C．retiring the current space shuttles |
| D．building new spaceships |
If the US doesn’t extend the life of the shuttles beyond 2011, .
| A．International Space Station will be quit |
| B．Roscosmos will have to build more spaceships |
| C．NASA will have to quicken the development of the new rocket and capsule |
| D．Roscosmos will be burdened with the transportation to ISS |
We can infer from the passage that .
| A．China has already been involved in the project of flights to Mars |
| B．it is certain the NASA will retire the current space shuttles as planned |
| C．NASA is considering Russia’s suggestion |
| D．NASA will be able to provide a private space taxi project to the ISS by 2015. |
The best family vacations are the ones where everyone is entertained and everyone gets along Not sure how to do that，especially if traveling with kids is involved? A travel agent is your answer．
A travel agent can recommend the best destinations，resorts and cruises for family-friendly vacations．For vacations with kids，simply share the interests of your children as well as what the adults going on the vacation enjoy doing, and your travel egent can put together the ideal trip for your family，with activities and kids' clubs for the children and entertainment for the adults. Travel agents can even arrange trustworthy childeare，so you can have a kids-free evening on your vacation．
Travel agents can also help plan memorable pleasure trips during your vacation．They can advise on the best water parks and get you front-of-the line tickets, or they can give tips on what time to visit certain natural wonders for the best views and fewer crowds. They can also recommend which restaurants are the most family-friendly and take care of the reservations for you.
Vacations for kids can be stressful enough (packing，keeping everyone entertained on the plane ride，finding kid—friendly foods, etc)without having the added worry of “what if something goes wrong?’’A travel agent will take over if any accident occurs on your trip and will spend time calling companies and researching options until your problem is solved-whether that means you need to re-book a flight or find a trustworthy doctor for your child who has suddenly come down with an illness．
Finally, a travel agent will make it easier to bond with your family by recommending the perfect vacation for your family’s interests and needs. By taking the planning stress and trip organization off you and giving it to a travel agent, you'll be able to simply enjoy spending time with your family．What might be the best title of the text?
| A．Family Vacations with Travel Agent’s Help |
| B．How to make a family travel plan |
| C．Travel agents：your only choice |
| D．How to arrange a memorable trip |
What can we learn from the text?
| A．It’s easy to meet everyone’s needs when traveling． |
| B．Kids don’t like to travel with their parents. |
| C．Travel agents prefer to arrange a vacation with kids. |
| D．Traveling with kids is a little bit stressful for a family. |
Which of the follwing services might not be offered by the travel agent?
| A．Childcare at night． |
| B．Hotel booking． |
| C．Finding trustworthy doctors． |
| D．Taking care of your house． |
What will the travel agent do when some accident occurs in a trip?
| A．Leave you alone and go on the trip with others． |
| B．Call your company to come and handle it． |
| C．Take over and help you out． |
| D．Re-book a flight and send you home． |
What is the text trying to persuade you to do?
| A．To choose the travel destination from the travel agent |
| B．To leave your kids behind when travelling |
| C．To arrange your trip with the help of the travel agent． |
| D．To stay home and spend more time with your family |
Since 2004，Time magazine has six times made a survey to name the l00 most influential people in the world．Only one person has appeared on it for six times, Oprah Winfrey．
Born in l954 in Mississippi，Oprah Winfrey spent her early years living in poverty with her grandmother and later her absent mother, followed by unfair treatment by her unfriendly relatives．Worse still，she was addicted to drugs and at the young age of l4，she gave birth to a baby, who died after a few months．Finally she was sent to live with her strict father in Tennessee. Amazingly though，her father’s rules did make sure she received a good edueation and finally overcame her problems．
Oprah’s media career began at age l7．She became the co-author of local news in Baltimore in her early 20’s．Her first local talk show, People Are Talking,was first performed in l978，when she was 24．
In l986，Oprah moved to Chicago to lost a low-rated half-hour morning talk show, AM Chicago．Oprah talks like a family member in your apd my house．Within months she took over，the show became the highest rated talk show in Chicago．It was renamed The Oprah Winfrey Show．
Only two years after hosting the show, she was able to set up her own production company Harpo, and buy the full rights to The Oprah Winfery Show．She is also involved in magazine publishing，books，education and a lifestyle channel for women with the aim of improving people’s lives, inspiring and praising good honest values，making the world a better place for present and future generations．
As her business grew, so did her wealth and power, and she became the first ever black billionaire in 2003 and the most powerful woman in media broadcasting．The amazing influence she has over a large part of the American public means that anything she promotes on her shows is guaranteed to succeed.What do we know about Oprah’s childhood?
| A．She lived with her mother for 14 years． |
| B．She married young and brought up a baby． |
| C．he was lack of concern and care． |
| D．She couldn’t stand her father's rules． |
Why was The Oprah Winfrey Show so popular?
| A．Oprah was very famous in the world. |
| B．Oprah talked in a familly way in the show． |
| C．Oprah was the co-author of the show． |
| D．Oprah had the full rights to the show． |
According to the text, which field didn't Oprah set foot in?
| A．Magazine publishing． | B．Education |
| C．A TV channel for females． | D．Filming |
Which of the following is true according to the text?
| A．Oprah Winfrey was the most influential woman in America． |
| B．Oprah Winfrey hosted her first local talk show in her 20’s． |
| C．AM Chicago became the highest rated immediately afte Oprah hosted it. |
| D．Oprah Winfrey was the first billionaire in media broadeasting． |
What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?
A．Oprah was a quite successful woman．
B：Oprah aimed to be wealthy and powerful．
C．What Oprah promoted was sure to succeed．
D．Oprah became the most influential woman．
Hi, Daisy,
I am wondering why you haven’t showed up online for such
a long time. I’m sorry to know your mother has fill in hospital
and that your father is struggling for a living. _____ is no doubt thatwhat you are ____
____ (经历) affects your life greatly, making youunable to c
on your study. I understand how you are feeling at the moment and I truly wish that I could be __
____any help. Life can be hard at times and we can never expect what lies
（前方）. Life is a challenge. We had no choice but to meet it. __
____ happens,you need to r
optimistic and try what you can to help your parents. It is by meeting difficulties and overcoming _____
___ that one learns how to survive. I hope your mother will be all right soonand it won’t be long _____
__things turn better.
In eighteen seventy-seven，the American government decided to move the Nez Perce Indians from their land. The government had set up a reservation for them in Idaho. Chief Joseph did not want to leave the land. It was holy ground. It contained the bones of his father and mother.
But，like his father in earlier times，Chief Joseph knew it would be hopeless to stay and defend the land. There were too few Indians to win a war against the white men.
And so in June of eighteen seventy-seven，the Nez Perce left their home in the Wallowa Valley. They left quickly. They were able to take only a small part of what they owned，and just a few cattle and Appaloosa horses.
When the Indians reached the Snake River，the water was very deep and ran very fast with melted snow from the mountains. Chief Joseph and his people made boats from sticks and dried animal skins to cross the river. While the Indians were busy，a group of white men came and stole some of the cattle waiting at the edge of the river.
The other chiefs demanded that Joseph call a meeting. Two of the chiefs，White Bird and Toohoolhoolzote，spoke for War，but Joseph held different opinion.
Some of the young men in White Bird’s group were very angry. That night，they rode into the countryside and killed eleven white persons.
During all his years as chief，Joseph had tried to keep the peace. Now he saw there was no hope. Although he and his young men had taken no part in the killings，he knew that the white men would blame all of the Indians. Chief Joseph said，“I would have given my own life if I could have undone the killing of the white men.”
Many Nez Perce fled. Chief Joseph remained，because his wife was about to have a baby. After she gave birth，he and his family joined the others in White Bird Canyon to the south.
Joseph wanted to lead the people to safety in the flat lands of Montana. But the United States army quickly sent horse soldiers to follow them.
They were extremely tired when they reached White Bird Canyon. An Indian—carrying a white flag—walked forward to meet them. A soldier shot him.
With that shot，war between the Nez Perce and the United States began.Why didn’t Chief Joseph want to leave the land?
| A．He didn’t want to live with the white men. |
| B．He had special feeling for the land where he was living. |
| C．He didn’t want to be separated from his parents. |
| D．He thought the reservation in Idaho wasn’t satisfying. |
Which of the following is TRUE?
| A．While the Indians were waiting by the river，a group of white men stole some of the cattle. |
| B．When the Indians reached the Snake River，it was very hard for them to cross it. |
| C．Chief Joseph and his people were unwilling to cross the deep river. |
| D．Before they left their home，the Nez Perce had only a few cattle and Appaloosa horses. |
From the passage we can infer that ________.
| A．conflicts often happened between the Indians and the white |
| B．Chief Joseph was afraid of white men |
| C．white men often killed some Indians |
| D．Chief Joseph knew it would be hopeless to defend the land |
After some of the young men in White Bird’s group killed eleven white persons，________.
| A．the United States army wanted to revenge (报仇) |
| B．all the Nez Perce fled |
| C．Chief Joseph tried his best to keep peace |
| D．Chief Joseph blamed White Bird |
What might be the title of the passage?
| A．The story of Chief Joseph |
| B．The American Civil War |
| C．Chief Joseph and his children |
| D．The Nez Perce Indians |
EVERYBODY in this world is different from one another. But do you know that understanding differences can help you better manage your money?
As we grow up, we gradually develop a set of our own values or beliefs. These are influenced by society, our family, the education we receive and so on. Once this value system is set up, it’s not easy to change later in life.
Financial experts say that everyone also has their own belief of how to manage their finances. This is part of our value system and it has a great impact on the way we look after our money.
According to our different values, experts put us in three categories. They are: the ant, the cricket and the snail.
The ant—works first
Just like ants who work heart and soul in summer in order to store food for winter, these people don’t care about enjoying the moment. They work very hard and save money they earn so that they can enjoy life when they get old and retire. The ant loves to save but they could make more out of their money if they were willing to invest in some funds and stocks with low risk.
The cricket—fun first
The cricket wants to enjoy everything now and doesn’t think too much about the future. They even borrow money when they really want something. Many young people now belong to this group. These people have little savings. When they get old, they might have problems. They should learn to save and buy insurance.
The snail—lives under pressure
The snail refers to people who make life difficult for themselves. They take big long-term loans from the bank in order to buy things such as luxury houses. They are happy to take big loans even though they are not sure they can afford it. This can cause problems in the future. They should plan more carefully.We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．spending money is a wiser way |
| B．your way of managing money is a reflection of your value or belief |
| C．saving money is a good way to manage money |
| D．we spend money because we have earned it |
Of the three types of people, the one that has no weakness is _____.
| A． the cricket | B．none of them |
| C．the snail | D．the ant |
If you had three dollars, you would spend all of it. Which type do you belong to?
| A．None of them | B．The snail |
| C．The ant | D．The cricket |
The text tells us mainly about _____.
| A．spending nature |
| B．living behaviors of small animal |
| C．our own values and beliefs |
| D．understanding differences |