For centuries people dreamed of going into space. This dream began to seem possible when high-flying rockets were built in the early 1900s.
In 1903 a Russian teacher named Konstantin Tsiolkovsky figured out how to use rockets for space travel. His plan was the first one in rocket science to use correct scientific calculation. About 30 years later, a U.S. scientist named Robert Goddard built the first rockets that could reach high altitudes. During World War II, German scientists built large rockets that could travel very far and carry dangerous explosives. After the war, scientists from Germany went to the United States and the Soviet Union to help those countries build space rockets.
These two countries were soon racing to get to space first. Each of these countries wanted to prove that it was stronger and more advanced than the other one. Both countries also had powerful bombs. People in the United States were worried when the Soviets were first to launch a space satellite, which was called Sputnik. The Soviets were also first to send a person into space. Yury Gagarin orbited the earth in the Vostok I spaceship in 1961.
The US government set a goal for its space program to be the first country to put a person on the Moon. The U.S. space program built a series of Apollo spaceship. These vehicles were powered by huge Saturn 5 rockets. In 1969 Apollo II took three men to the moon successfully. Nell Armstrong became the first person to walk on the Moon.
The Soviets may have lost the race to fly people to the Moon, but they built the first space station in 1971. The United States also built a space station. The space stations allowed people to live and work in space. Then the Soviet Union and the United States cooperated to hook two spaceships together in space. This action ended the "space race". Today a much larger space station, built by several countries together, orbits Earth.
Another new way to go to space is by space shuttle. A space shuttle, first made in the United States in 1981, looks like an airplane. Astronauts who fly spaceships have used shuttles to help put satellites into space.
| The (1)▲ of Space Travel |
||
| Time |
Events |
Information concerned |
| Early 1900s |
High-flying rockets were built. |
It made the ancient dream of going to space possible to come（2) ▲ |
| 1903 |
Konstantin Tsiolkovsky (3)▲ a way to use rockets for space travel. |
He planned to put correct scientific calculation to use in rocket science. |
| Around 1933 |
Robert Goddard built new rockets. |
The rockets could fly very(3)▲ in the sky. |
| During and after World War II |
German scientists built large rockets that could travel very far and carry dangerous explosives. |
Germany was ahead of all the other countries in building space rockets and later it even offered5) ▲ to the Soviet Union and the United States |
| |
The Soviet Union and the United States competed to get to space first. |
The Soviet Union became the6▲ of the race when it launched the first satellite and sent the first astronaut into space. |
| 1969 |
The United States (7▲ in putting a person on the moon. |
In one way, it 8) ▲ the Soviet Union by becoming the first country to fly people to the moon. |
| 1970s |
The Soviets built the first space station and was soon followed by Americans. And they finally ended the "space race" by (9) ▲ |
Astronauts can live and work in space stations. |
| 1980s-- |
Space shuttles are used as new vehicles for space （10) ▲ . |
Shuttles are also used to help put satellites into space. |
Teamwork is just as important in science as it is on the playing field or in the gym. Scientific investigations(调查) are almost always carried out by teams of people working together. Ideas are shared, experiments are designed, data are analyzed, and results are evaluated and shared with other investigators. Group work is necessary, and is usually more productive than working alone.
Several times throughout the year you may be asked to work with one or more of your classmates. Whatever the task your group is assigned, a few rules need to be followed to ensure a productive and successful experience.
What comes first is to keep an open mind, because everyone’s ideas deserve consideration and each group member can make his or her own contribution. Secondly, it makes a job easier to divide the group task among all group members. Choose a role on the team that is best suited to your particular strengths. Thirdly, always work together, take turns, and encourage each other by listening, clarifying, and trusting one another. Mutual support and trust often make a great difference.
Activities like investigations are most effective when done by small groups. Here are some more suggestions for effective team performance during these activities: Make sure each group member understands and agrees to the task given to him or her, and everyone knows exactly when, why and what to do take turns doing various tasks during similar and repeated activities; be aware of where other group members are and what they are doing so as to ensure safety; be responsible for your own learning, though it is by no means unwise to compare your observations with those of other group members.
When there is research to be done, divide the topic into several areas, and this can explore the issue in a very detailed way. You are encouraged to keep records of the sources used by each person, which helps you trace back to the origin of the problems that may happen unexpectedly. A format for exchanging information (e.g., photocopies of notes, oral discussion, etc.) is also important, for a well-chosen method not only strengthens what you present but also makes yourself easily understood. When the time comes to make a decision and take a position on an issue, allow for the contributions of each member of the group. Most important of all, it is always wise to make decisions by compromise and agreement.
After you’ve completed a task with your team, make an evaluation of the team’s effectiveness---the strengths and weaknesses, opportunities and challenges.
根据短文内容完成下列表格，一空一词。
| Title |
Working Together |
| Theme |
Effective performance needs highly cooperated |
| General rules |
·Keep an open mind to everyone’s ·Divide the group task among group members. · |
| ·Understand and agree to the ·Take turns doing various tasks. ·Show concern for others to ensure safety. ·Take ·Compare your own observations with those of others. |
|
| Explore an issue |
·Break the ·Keep records of the sources just in · ·Make all decisions by compromise and agreement. |
effectiveness |
·Analyze the strengths and weaknesses. ·Find out the opportunities and challenges. |
More and more scientific experiments prove that physical exercise can reduce the dangers of some illnesses in middle-aged persons．Exercise strengthens the heart muscle，reduces blood pressure and help to prevent muscles from changing into fat．Physical exercise is just as important for children．
Exercise and food affect growing speed in young lab animals．Baby mice start running as soon as they are big enough to use an exercise wheel in their cage．If they get extra food and run a lot，they will grow as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal．
The same differences in growing speed might be found between active and inactive children．Physical exercise helps active children grow faster than inactive children．One experiment shows that the brains of the mice that had enough exercise weighed about 3％more than those of the mice that did not exercise The mice that exercised are much quicker to learn doing new exercise than the mice that did not exercise．
The results of the experiments suppose the theory that exercise can help babies learn to talk and walk sooner than expected．
The good effects of physical exercise are not limited to children and middle-aged people．Exercise continues to be an important part of our lives after we grow old．For example，people over 50 years old begin to lose calcium(钙) from their bones，which get weaker and can break easily．Physical exercise，however，helps to strengthen the bones and to prevent them from losing calcium．Of course，old people can take medicines to prevent themselves from suffering from losing calcium．But the medicines they take increase the chance of developing some kind of cancer(癌)．So physical exercise is a much safer treatment(治疗)．
根据短文内容完成下列表格，一空一词。
| Title |
Physical exercise |
|
Theme |
Physical exercise does |
|
of experiments |
·Baby mice will be as much as 1.5 times bigger than normal on ·The brains of the mice that had enough exercise were |
|
Children |
·Helping active children grow faster than inactive children. ·Being |
|
The middle-aged |
· ·Reducing blood pressure . ·Preventing muscles from changing into fat. |
|
Old people |
·Helping the old people’s bones get · |
Dear Liz,
My stay in Thailand has certainly been the experience of my life.
Life is busy and exciting. Bangkok is just like any other big city with a population of 10 million and heavy traffic. I’m very lucky because my host family is in a nice quiet area outside the city. There are Mr. and Mrs. Phairat, their son Sanan, who is 18, the daughter Chinda, who is 16, and Grandpa and Grandma.
I go to an international school with Sanan and Chinda. The school teaches about 70 percent in English, and 30 percent in Thai. I've learned some spoken language, but Thai writing is very difficult, The cooking lesson is my favourite. I'm learning all about Thai food and culture People don’t use chopsticks here, but spoons and forks. When I come back, I'm going to cook you a real Thai meal.
Last weekend we visited some temples. We also drove to Pattaya beach near Bangkok. I thought it was great, but Sanan and Chinda say that next month they’re taking me to Phuket Island, where the beaches are even more beautiful. The month after next, we’re going to travel to Mr. Phairat’s hometown in the north of Thailand. The Phairat’s own land there, and they have two elephants. I’m going to ride those elephants — and even wash them. Sanan and Chinda say it’s really fun.
I'm amazed by everything in this country, especially by the elephants. Elephants are an important part of Thai culture and way of life. They have been a traditional symbol of Thailand for many years in times of war and peace. In the seventh century, a Thai king trained 20, 000 elephants for battle.
I’ll tell you all about my Thai boxing lessons next time I write.
Love,
Mandy How many family members are there in Mandy’s host family?
| A．4 |
| B．5 |
| C．6 |
| D．7 |
Next month, Mandy is going to visit__________.
| A．Pattaya beach |
| B．Phuket Island |
| C．Phairat’s hometown |
| D．Bangkok |
From the letter we know that Mandy is__________ when she stays in Thailand.
| A．bored |
| B．quiet |
| C．excited |
| D．proud |
What is the letter mainly about?
| A．Study trip in Thailand |
| B．Food culture in Thailand |
| C．Elephant riding in Thailand |
| D．International schools in Thailand |
请认真阅读下列短文，并根据所读内容在文章后表格中的空格里填入最恰当的单词。
Culture shock isn’t a clinical term or medical condition.It’s simply a common way to describe the confusing and nervous feelings a person have after leaving a familiar culture to live in a new and different culture.
It’s natural to have difficulty adjusting to a new culture.People from other cultures may have grown up with values and beliefs that differ from yours.Because of these differences，the things they talk about，the ways they express themselves and the importance of various ideas may be very different from what you are used to.But the good news is that culture shock is temporary.
What causes culture shock?
To understand culture shock，it helps to understand what culture is.You may know that genes determine a big part of how you look and act.What you might not know is that your environment has a big effect on your appearance and behavior as well.
Your environment isn’t just the air you breathe and the food you eat，though；a big part of your environment is culture.Culture is made up of the common things that members of a community learn from family，friends，media，literature，and even strangers.These are the things that influence how you look，act，and communicate.Often，you don’t even know you are learning these things because they become second-nature to you－for instance，the way you shake hands with someone，the kind of things you find funny，or how you view religions.
The differences between cultures can make it very difficult to adjust to the new surroundings.When you go to a new place，such as a new country or even a new city，you often enter a culture that is different from the one you left.Sometimes your culture and the new culture are similar.Sometimes，they can be very different.What might be perfectly normal in one culture－for example，spending hours eating a meal with your family－might be unusual in a culture that values a more fast-paced lifestyle.
根据短文完成下列表格，一空一词。
| Culture |
|
Definition |
·Culture shock is a kind of ·Culture shock results from the difficulty people have in ·Culture shock is |
| · ·Culture，an important part of ·The |
People often don’ t do what they really want to for fear
of failure. You don't apply for a job case you don't_____
get it. You don't perform at the school concert b others_____
might laugh at you. A lack of confidence can lto a lot_____
of suffering. The key to o this problem is to believe in _____
yourself. This might be(容易)said than done, but there_____
are many w___ to help you do this. Talk about your problem____
with a friend or lookadvice on the Internet. Imagine_____
yourself being (成功）and practice breathing techniques_____
to keep you calm when you get nervous. And theimportant_____
thing is:believe you can do it. When you’ve____ (学会）to do_____
that, you are well on your way.