NASA’s twin Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity, have been exploring the Red Planet since 2004. But a little more than a year ago, NASA lost contact with Spirit. The space agency has tried several ways to make contact with the rover, but Spirit has not sent back any signals.
Spirit landed on Mars on January 4, 2004. Three weeks later, Opportunity arrived. Soon after, the rovers went to the opposite side of Mars. Spirit’s original mission was only designed to last for three months, but Spirit has worked for more than five years doing additional missions. Both rovers have made important discoveries about ancient Mars. They have taken thousands of images and found evidence in the rocks of a water, warmer past in Mars’ history.
Spirit is solar-powered. It got stuck in a sand trap in April 2009, trapped deep into the soil and with its wheels turning around and around but not able to move forwards or backwards. Spirit had to agree that there is nothing that can be done to change the situation—it’s never going to move again. However, even if it is a not moving station, it can still study the planet’s atmosphere and deep interior.
NASA has been concentrating on trying to position its solar panels to get as much energy from the sun as
possible, or to get the rover leaning in a manner that will allow the most amount of sunlight falling on its solar panels, in order to keep it alive during the coming winter months. Engineers have planned to rock the vehicle back and forth to acquire a more favorable position. However, no matter how many efforts have been made, Spirit still could not get out of the soft soil and could not lean itself toward the sun as the Martian winter approached. Without enough
energy reaching its solar panels and with so little energy in its batteries, it went into hibernation, just like a polar bear, and has not communicated with Earth since March 22, 2010.
Whatever the future holds for Spirit, its mission has been an outstanding success. When it landed on the Red Planet in January 2004, no one was really sure how long it would continue working in the cold and dusty environment. As a matter of fact, three months was its original goal.
After so many fruitless efforts, NASA scientists are losing hope of ever reconnecting with Spirit, but they will give it one more try. Ground controllers are contacting Spirit over a range of frequencies and at different times during the day in case its internal clock stopped working and it lost track of time. They also are commanding the rover to turn on its backup radio transmitter in case the main one is dead.
If this final effort to connect isn’t successful, NASA will shift the focus to its twin robot, Opportunity, which is in a different part of Mars. Opportunity is still on the move and continues to travel freely to this day. It has traveled 16.6 miles so far, and is currently rolling towards another crater it has yet to explore.
NASA has spent more than $900 million on the project but shows no sign of giving up on these determined and hard-working robots. The rovers are, though, experiencing gradual wear and tear, the expected damage to something caused by using it repeatedly over a period of time. Even before Spirit got trapped, one of its wheels had failed. And NASA says it’s just a matter of time before both robots break down completely.According to the passage, what can we know about Spirit?
| A．It had explored Mars several times. |
B．Its original mission was to work for five years. |
| C．It landed on Mars three weeks later than Opportunity. |
| D． It discovered that Mars was once a warm and wetter place. |
According to the passage, which of the following is NOT what NASA did?
| A．Try to lean Spirit to make it get as much sunlight as possible. |
| B．Rock Spirit back and forth to make it acquire a more favorable position. |
| C．Make efforts to help Spirit get out of the soft soil where it is stuck. |
| D．Contact and order Spirit to turn on its backup radio transmitter. |
The reason why Spirit failed to communicate with the Earth is that ________.
| A．it didn’t have enough energy | B．it had finished its task |
| C．something was wrong with its wheels | D．it met an unidentified creature |
By saying “NASA will shift the focus” in Paragraph 7, the author means that ______.
| A．NASA will move the center of Spirit out of the sand |
| B．NASA will depend on Opportunity to do the exploration |
| C．NASA will do nothing but wait for some opportunity |
| D．NASA will make opportunity help Spirit |
The last paragraph mainly informs us that _______.
| A．NASA has planned to spend more money on Spirit |
| B．Spirit will be brought back to Earth |
| C．Spirit will stop operating totally in the future |
| D．Spirit will cause damage to Mars |
What’s the text mainly about?
| A．NASA makes the last effort to contact Spirit. |
| B．Spirit has made many important discoveries on Mars. |
| C．How Spirit got stuck and couldn’t move on Mars. |
| D．Why NASA tried many ways to contact Spirit. |
Living in a foreign culture there are many times when I realize that my perspective (观点) on life is drastically different from those Koreans I interact (相互影响) with on a daily basis. This past week I have been greatly challenged to change my perspective and here is why.
My dream in life is to become a doctor, one who changes the world. But last week I opened an email from UBC that contained the words “regrets”, no interview. I didn’t get an interview to medical school, thus will not be entering school for September 2009. My immediate reaction was one of extreme disappointment and anger—mostly directed at myself for not working hard enough, for not seeking out the opportunities necessary to have a good application, for simply not being good enough. My mind was full of hopelessness and despair that left me with no desire to further seek for the dream that I’ve held for quite a time now.
During the past week two things happened. At church our pastor mentioned perspective in a section of his sermon (说教). He stated that when we take our eyes off ourselves and realize God’s greatness, our circumstances will be seen through a new perspective.
The second thing that reminded me to look at perspective was reading a book. The Mitford Series is so good if you are looking for books to read. So last night I was reading and one of the main characters (who is a priest) is trying to figure out what to say at church. His sermon ended up saying “In everything we give thanks.” It is easy to give thanks when we feel successful in life. It is easy to give thanks when we receive a blessing. But seriously, who in their right mind says thanks for the financial problems I have?
64. Where does the author probably live now?
A. In the USA. B. In Britain.C. In China. D. In Korea.
65. How did she feel when the author received the email from UBC?
A. Surprised. B. Disappointed. C. Excited. D. Pleased.
66. In the first pastor’s view, when we face disappointment or despair, we should _________.
A. turn to God for help B. say thanks to it
C. see it in another way D. praise others for it
67. What can we infer from the passage?
A. The author can’t really free from the disappointment.
B. The author thinks the second sermon is wiser.
C. The author still wants to be a doctor.
D. The author thanks God for not being admitted by the university.
Send us your joke, anecdote or story, and if we publish it in the magazine, we’ll pay as follows:
My Story $500
Personal stories beyond the call of daily life. They must be unpublished, original and less than 1000 words. Click here to read more stories.
Kindness of Strangers Up to $250
True accounts of good karma, inspiring acts for unexpected kindness and generosity, or just something someone did that made your day—or changed your life. 100-500 words. Click here to read more stories.
Anecdotes and Jokes $50-$250
Funny things can happen at work and at home—especially when kids are around to pass comment. We may run your writing in Life’s Like That, All in a Day’s Work or As Kids See It, or as a short filler. Got a new joke? Send it in for Laughter, the Best Medicine. Click here to read more jokes.
Send Us Your Punchline（妙语）
So you think of yourself as a bit of a jokester? See if you can come up with punchline to this month’s joke…
You Said It
If you’d like to comment on something you saw in Reader’s Digest magazine or on this website, this is the place to do it!
Is It Just Me
Can you be humorous about the trials and mysteries of modern life? Get it off your chest in 500 words. Click here to read more stories.
60. This passage is written to ________.
A. offer some wonderful stories to readers
B. encourage people to write something
C. show that making money is not difficult
D. remind people that life is full of joy
61. The underlined word “karma” is closest in meaning to ________.
A. wish B. explanation C. luckD. imagination
62. Which of the following statements is true according to the passage?
A. The magazine is mainly intended for entertainment.
B. The more words you write, the more money you get.
C. Anecdotes and Jokes isn’t paid much attention to.
D. New jokes can be sent in for Life’s Like That.
63. Where can you most probably see this passage?
A. In a library. B. In a magazine. C. In a story book. D. On a website.
第三部分阅读理解（共20 小题；每小题2分，满分40分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Amanda took whatever pills she could get, largely because she was finding life hard to take. “There were a lot of problems,” she says. She had just found out that her parents were splitting(分开). It took her by surprise—and she was shocked. “I woke up one morning, and they told me.”
“On a few occasions during my two years of going to pharming parties(品药聚会), my heart would race so fast it felt like it was going to explode. I felt weak and confused sometimes and even passed out several times,” she recalls. “But I picked up from the ground because I had a lot of pride in my drinking and drugging. I was really crazy about it and proud of the fact that I could take more than a lot of people.”
Finally, though, things got out of control. “I couldn’t go a day without taking something,” she recalls, “and after a while, the pills upset my stomach; it hurt all the time, and I hardly ate. Finally, I couldn’t take it any more. I went to my parents and told them I needed help.”
Amanda entered a treatment program and has been calm since her release last January. “Detox(戒瘾) was the worst four days of my entire life,” she says. “I was throwing up all the food and had the shakes.”
She doesn’t care about drugs. “I’m so hurt from this,” says Amanda, who has ulcers(溃疡) and damaged kidneys from the drugs and alcohol. “I have to struggle daily to stay calm. But in some ways, I feel lucky I went through it, and I’m out of it now.” Amanda wrote a song called “Goodnight to the Moonlight”. Amanda says, “It’s about how it feels to be taking drugs and alcohol, how it hurts, how it makes you feel like you’re losing yourself.”
56. The purpose of writing this passage is to tell us that _______.
A. parents have a great influence on their children
B. drugs are a danger to our health and mind
C. once determined, you will face no difficulty
D. once formed, bad habits are hard to get rid of
57. From the second paragraph we can learn that Amanda_______.
A. was bored with her behavior
B. never felt frightened or ashamed of taking pills
C. took pride in taking much more drugs
D. was so strong in body that she never felt tired
58. After taking drugs, Amanda _______.
A. found out that her parents were splitting
B. found her lungs were damaged
C. was forced to enter a treatment program
D. She felt confused and almost broke down
59. It can be inferred from the last paragraph that _______.
A. Amanda had such a strong will that she didn’t lose herself
B. Amanda’s song expressed her thanks and delight
C. Detox was not really a success to Amanda
D. drugs and alcohol ruined Amanda’s health as well as her spirit
Recently some American scientists have given a useful sincere piece of advice to people in industrialized nations that they would be much healthier if they ate more of the same kind of food eaten by humans living more than 10,000 years ago.The scientists say that the human body has changed very little since humans first appeared on the earth, but the way we live has changed greatly. Our body has not been able to deal with these changes in life style and this has led to new kinds of sicknesses. These new sicknesses were not known in ancient times, so they are called “diseases of civilization”. Many cancers and diseases of the
blood system, including heart attacks and strokes ( 中风 ) are examples of such diseases.Scientists noted that people in both the Old Stone Age and the New Stone Age enjoyed very little alcohol or tobacco, probably none. Ancient people also got a great deal of physical exercise, but a change in food is one of the main differences between life in ancient times and that of today.Stone-age people hunted wild animals for their meat, which had much less fat than domestic or tame ones ( 家畜 ). They also ate a lot of fresh wild vegetables and fruits. They didn’t have milk or any other dairy products, and they made very little use of grains. But today, we eat a large amount of these. We eat six times more salt than our remote ancestors. We eat more sugar. We eat twice as much fat but only one third as much protein and much less vitamin C.People today probably do not want to live the way people thousands of years ago did, but scientists say that we would be much healthier if we ate 
much the same way as remote ancestors did, cutting the amount of fatty, salty and sweet food.What is the main cause that people suffer from a lot of new sicknesses?
| A．Ancient people did a great deal of physical exercise. |
B．People today have a lot of alcohol. |
C．People today have more tobacco. |
D．Food today is quite different from that of ancient times. |
Which of the following belongs to the dairy products?
| A．Milk | B．Corn | C．Pork | D．Flour |
New kinds of sicknesses have been found because ________.
| A．the human body has changed compared with humans who first appeared on the earth |
B．the way we live has changed a little |
C．our body can’t deal with the changes in life style |
D．the way we live today is proper for the human body |
According to some scientists, Stone-age people were much healthier than people today because they ate a lot of ________.
| A．milk and other dairy products | B．salt and sugar |
C．wild animals, fresh wild vegetables and fruits | D．grain foods |
1) Full Time Secretary Position Available. Applicants (申请者) should have at least 2 years’ experience and be able to type 60 words a minute. No computer skills required. Apply in person at United Business Ltd, 17 Browning Street, Leeds.2) Part-time Job. We require three part-time shop assistants to work during the evening. No experience required, applicants should be between 18 and 26 years old. Call 0115-765643 for more information.3) Computer Trained Secretaries. Do you have experience working with computers? Would you like a full time position working in an exciting new company? If you want to know more about us, call at 0457-896754.4) Teaching Assistants Needed. Hania's Playschool needs 2 young teaching assistants to help with classes from 9 am to 3 pm. Applicants should have references. For more information please visit www.haniaplayschool.co.uk.5) Weekend Work Available. We are looking for retired adults who would like to work part time on weekends for Rubberlast Group Ltd. Duties include answering the telephone and giving customers' information. For more information call us at 0153-6741326.6) University Positions Open. The University of Bristol is looking for 4 teaching assistants to help with homework correction. Applicants should have a degree in one of the following: Political Science, English, Economics or History. Please call the University of Bristol for more information.7) Home Delivery Representative. We are looking for someone who has excellent customer care, communication skills, a sales background with at least one year's experience and is a good team player with creative ideas. In return we offer a starting salary of 20,000 and 25 days paid holiday per year. For more information please call Direct Delivery Team of Yorkshire Post on 0113-2388325 or 0113-2388318. Which position is most suitable for a retired person?
| A．Part-time Shop Assistant. | B．Teaching Assistant in Hania's Playschool. |
C．Weekend Work in Rubberlast Group Ltd |
D．Teaching Assistant in the University of Bristol. |
If you have good computer skills and recently graduated from university (English degree), which jobs can you apply for?
| A．Job 1, 2 and 7. | B．Job 3, 4 and 6. | C．Job 4, 6 and 7. | D．Job 2, 3 and 5. |
Which is the only position that has a formal educational requirement?
| A．Full Time Secretary at United Business Ltd. |
B．Home Delivery Representative for Yorkshire Post. |
C．Teaching Assistant at Hania's Playschool. |
D．University Positions at the University of Bristol. |
How can you get more information if you are interested in the position of a full-time computer trained secretary?
| A．By telephone. | B．By letter. | C．By Internet. | D．In person. |