Xinhua Sept．25,2008
JIUQUAN, Gansu---China launched successfully its third manned spacecraft on Thursday with three astronauts on board to attempt the country’s first-ever space walk．
The spaceship Shenzhou VII blasted off（发射） on a Long March II-F carrier rocket from the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in the northwestern Gansu Province at 9：10pm．after a breathtaking countdown to another milestone on China’s space journey．
On board pilots Zhai Zhigang, Liu Boming and Jing Haipeng are expected to orbit the earth for three days, when one of them will float out of the cabin about 343 kilometers above the earth．
When they make it, China will become the third country in the world who is able to conduct extravehicular activity （EVA） in space following the former Soviet Union and the United States．
President Hu Jintao watched the historic moment at the launch center, joined by Chinese experts and other work staff．
Hu briefly met the trio astronauts before they entered the spacecraft Thursday afternoon, wishing them “a complete success in this glorious and sacred mission”．
“During the mission, you will carry out China’s EVA with homemade EVA space suit, which is a great leap for China’s space technology．” said Hu．
Other tasks of the Shenzhou VII crew include the release of a small monitoring satellite and a trial of the data relay of the satellite Tianlian-I．
If successful, the mission would be of great significance to the country’s future plans to build a space lab and a space station, said ZhangJianqi, deputy chief commander of the manned space project．In which section would the passage be seen in a newspaper?
| A．Science and Technology． | B．Entertainment． |
| C．Sports report． | D．Advertisement |
Which one is NOT true according to the report?
| A．China launched its third manned spacecraft． |
| B．The pilots on board are expected to orbit the earth for three days |
| C．The spaceship Shenzhou VII blasted off three astronauts on board． |
| D．One of the three astronauts will float out of the cabin above the earth． |
What is the great leap for China’s space technology during the space journey?
| A．The spaceship Shenzhou VII blasted off successfully． |
| B．The astronauts will carry out China’s EVA with homemade EVA space suit． |
| C．Three astronauts are expected to orbit the earth for 3 days． |
| D．The spaceship Shenzhou VII will release a small monitoring satellite． |
The tasks of the Shenzhou VII crew include the following EXCEPT ________．
| A．the release of a small monitoring satellite |
| B．a trial of the data relay of the satellite Tianlian-I |
| C．carrying out China’s EVA with homemade EVA space suit |
| D．building a space lab and a space station |
Memory, they say, is a matter of practice and exercise. If you have the wish and really make a self-effort, then you can quite easily improve your ability to remember things. But even if you are successful, there are times when your memory seems to play tricks on you.
Sometimes you remember things that did not happen. One morning last week, for example, I got up and found that I had left the front door unlocked all night, yet I clearly remembered locking it carefully the night before.
Memory “trick” works the other way as well. Once in a while you remember not doing something, and then find out that you did. One day last month, for example, I was sitting in a barber(理发师) shop waiting for my turn to get a haircut, and suddenly I realized that I had got a haircut two days before at the barber shop across the street from my office.
We always seem to find something funny in incidents（小事） caused by people’s forgetfulness or absent-mindedness(心不在焉). Stories about absent-minded professors have been told for years, and we never got tired of hearing new ones. Unfortunately, however, absent-mindedness is not always funny. There are times when “trick” of our memory can cause us great trouble. （words: 169）If you want to have a good memory, ________.
| A．you should force yourself to remember things |
| B．you should make a self-effort of practice and exercise |
| C．you should never stop learning |
| D．you should try hard to remember things |
Which of the following statements is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．One night the writer forgot to lock the front door. |
| B．One night the writer forgot having locked the front door. |
| C．The writer remembered to lock the door. |
| D．The writer remembered unlocking the front door. |
From the sentence "We never get tired of hearing new ones", we can infer that______.
| A．we enjoy hearing new stories about absent-mindedness of professors |
| B．we don’t want to know anything more about absent-mindedness of professors |
| C．we will never get rid of（摆脱） listening to new stories about absent-mindedness |
| D．absent-mindedness happens not only to professors but to many other people |
Now I’d like to talk to you about your final exam. The exam will be held next Thursday, the last day of the exam week. Remember to bring two or three pens in case you run out of ink. And unlike the mid-term exam, this test will not include multiple-choice questions; it will consist entirely of essays(文章). You’ll have to answer three of the five essay questions. The exam will be comprehensive (全面的), which means you’ll be responsible for all of the subject matters we covered in class this term, I would suggest you review your mid-term exam as well as textbooks and your class notes. The final exam will count as 50 percent of your grade of the course. The research project (项目) will count as 20 percent and the mid-term exam 30 percent. I’ll be in my office almost all day next Tuesday. If you run into any problems, please drop in. Good luck to you and I’ll see you on Tuesday. （words: 176）What will be included in the exam?
| A．There will be only multiple-choice questions. |
| B．The exam will contain both multiple-choice and essay questions. |
| C．The exam will have an oral and a written sections. |
| D．Therewill be only essay questions. |
Why does the teacher call the exam comprehensive?
| A．It will be easy to understand. |
| B．Students will be tested on all the materials discussed in class. |
| C．It will cover topics from a wide variety of subjects. |
| D．Students must complete all parts of it. |
The underlined phrase run into probably means.
| A．go into | B．meet somebody unexpectedly |
| C．come up against something with force | D．come across |
When was this talk most likely given?
| A．During the first week of class | B．During mid-term week |
| C．On the last day of class | D．On the last day of the exam week |
“Drink your milk. It’s good for you!” You’ve probably heard that many times, and it’s true. Milk contains calcium, which is a necessary nutrient for keeping bones and teeth healthy and strong. The U.S. government even requires milk as part of the National School Lunch Program, saying that students should drink one cup of fat-free or low-fat milk at each meal.
Last Thursday, however, a group of doctors asked the government to remove milk from the lunch program. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) says, “Milk is high in sugar, high in fat and high in animal protein, all of which have negative effects on health.” “One of the only reasons people talk about dairy, or promote it, is that it is going to help build strong bones.” says Dr. Neal Barnard, president of the PCRM. There are better and healthier ways to get calcium such as eating beans, broccoli, cereals and tofu. Orange juice and soymilk that have calcium added to them also supply the nutrient.
Of course, calcium is important for healthy bones and teeth, but your genes, how much vitamin D you take in and getting an hour’s worth of exercise every day all play a part.
Some nutritionists disagree with the idea that milk isn’t important. Keri Gans, a dietitian, says, “I think it’s irresponsible to take away this beverage that children enjoy, especially among those who are unable to meet their nutrient needs for the day, and remove it from the lunch line.”
The U.S. government is studying the request of the PCRM, but a decision may be a long way off. Meanwhile, Marion Nestle, a professor at New York University, puts it best: “Milk has nutrients. Other foods have the same nutrients. It’s just a food. Like other foods, too much might be a problem.”What is mainly talked about in the first paragraph?
| A．The concern about students’ health. | B．Traditional attitudes towards milk. |
| C．Ways to keep bones and teeth healthy. | D．The practice of the U.S. government. |
According to Dr. Neal Barnard, milk is preferred mainly because _____.
| A．children like its taste | B．people ignore its disadvantages |
| C．it contains more calcium than other foods | D．the calcium in it can build up bone strength |
We can learn from the text that _____.
| A．bone strength is determined by many factors |
| B．people’s diets shouldn’t contain animal protein |
| C．the opinion of the PCRM will soon be accepted |
| D．people should turn to vegetables for calcium |
A group of 1,309 passengers boarded the MS Balmoral on Sunday, in Southampton, England, on a voyage to retrace (重走) the path of the Titanic. The Titanic was the biggest ship in the world when it sailed on its ill-fated first voyage on April 10, 1912. Of the 2,227 passengers and crew aboard, more than l,500 died. The ship, which was headed for New York City, carried the rich and famous on its first voyage. It also carried immigrants who were seeking a better life in America.
Relatives of people who sailed on the Titanic, historians, authors and people fascinated by the story of the unsinkable ship were on the Balmoral. They wanted to remember the Titanic and those who died on her first and last voyage.
The Balmoral was following Titanic’s original route from Southampton. First, the modern-day cruise liner docked (进港) in the port of Cherbourg, France, where the Titanic had picked up more passengers. On Monday afternoon, the Balmoral stopped in Cobh, Ireland, the Titanic’s last port of call before sailing to New York.
The Balmoral then sailed the North Atlantic Ocean to the location where the Titanic hit an iceberg. On Sunday, April 15, at 2:20 a.m. — the time the Titanic went down － passengers and crew held a memorial service. The next two days were spent in Halifax, Canada, where many victims of the Titanic are buried. Then, the Balmoral reached its final destination in New York City, where the Titanic was supposed to dock — but never did.
So far, several teams of divers have explored the site. They have recovered items such as dishes and silverware and put them on public display. And the Titanic and its passengers and crew have been remembered in books, movies and TV programs. But there’s a much more important contribution that the Titanic has given us. After she sank, lawmakers and ship builders made ships safer. It took a terrible tragedy to make ship travel safer for all.We learn from the first paragraph that _____.
| A．the Titanic sank on its second voyage |
| B．about 700 passengers of the Titanic survived |
| C．less than 2,000 passengers boarded the Titanic |
| D．all the passengers’ hopes of the Titanic lay in America |
Which of the following shows the correct route of the Balmoral?
a. Halifax b. New York City c. Cobh d. Southampton e. Cherbourg
| A．d-e-c-a-b | B．e-d-a-b-c | C．e-c-a-b-d | D．d-c-e-a-b |
What might be the most important contribution of the Titanic?
| A．Its site attracts many exploration teams. | B．It has made later ships more secure. |
| C．Some of its items are on public display. | D．More trips are planned to its site. |
What would be the best title for the text?
| A．The unsinkable ship | B．The Titanic today |
| C．The Titanic’s route | D．Sailing through history |
Maybe you’ve just invented something better than the iPhone or a solar-powered car. You don’t want anyone to steal your design. What should you do? Patent (申请专利) it! Patents are the best way to get credit for your work and help others continue advancing in that field. Here’s what you need to know.
A patent gives you the right to an invention. The patent protects its owner, which means the invention can’t be copied or sold without their agreement. In exchange, the owner must reveal information about the invention. This contributes knowledge that helps other inventors improve on their own research. A patent usually lasts about 20 years.
The first step to getting a patent is the application. The person applying must name the invention, explain its use and describe it clearly. The invention must be practical and contain some new characteristic — something that hasn’t been seen or used before. But not everything “new” can be patented. Many countries don’t allow patents on things like new concepts, scientific theories, medical procedures or substances already found in nature.
You may not be able to see patents, but they’re connected to nearly everything. There are patents on things you use every day, like plastic, medicine and your computer. There are patents on things that are unavailable on the market, too. Apple is well-known for its patents on potential products, such as the “iBike” or the “iKey”.
Of course there are also patents on inventions like this. Take the anti-eating face mask for example. This device locks around your head with a metal cage covering your mouth. You can breathe and speak, but you can’t eat!
Although many patented inventions can be failures, there’s plenty of room for success. So if you have a cool invention, try to patent it.Which of the following is NOT true according to the text?
| A．A patent can last for around 20 years. |
| B．Everything new can be patented. |
| C．Your invention is protected after you have applied for a patent. |
| D．Some patents are on the things that we use every day. |
We can infer that Apple’s iBike is _____.
| A．a popular product | B．a mere new concept |
| C．a famous brand in the world | D．a practical bike on the market |
The underlined word “device” in Paragraph 5 can best be replaced by “_____”.
| A．weapon | B．medicine | C．equipment | D．strength |
The purpose of writing this passage is to _____.
| A．advertise | B．persuade | C．warn | D．inform |