From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress.
The international space station (ISS) is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.
As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seems to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone，and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone’s effort and will benefit everyone.
Led by the U.S. and Russia, the ISS is a joint project between six space agencies involving 16 countries. Called the greatest achievement in human cooperation, the ISS has come to the end of a ten-year’s hard work in construction. China has applied for participation in (taking part in) the project many times. Unfortunately all the applications were rejected, which drove China onto the path of independent development. As the Long March Ⅱ-F/T1 carrier rocket blasted off (leave the ground) and successfully carried the Tiangong-1 into space on September 29, 2011, China takes a big step toward its Space Station Era.
Some West media suggested that the successful launch of Tiangong-1 would disturb the balance of global space power, raising concerns (关注) about “China threat”. China’s space project is not designed for military (军事的) purpose but for developing space technology to explore space resources and make use of them for mankind’s well-being.From Paragraph 2 we learn that ________.
| A．the necessity of building the international space station is not realized now |
| B．many experiments have been done in the international space station |
| C．the international space station is necessary for people to explore space more |
| D．people have traveled to Mars from the international space station |
Which of the following is NOT a reason for countries’ cooperation in building the international space station?
| A．That it requires a lot of money. |
| B．That it needs everyone’s effort. |
| C．That it will benefit every participating country. |
| D．That it is too far away from the earth. |
The underlined word “aggregated” in Paragraph 3 can be replaced by “________”．
| A．united | B．scolded | C．allowed | D．forbade |
China wants to build its space station in order to __________.
| A．break the balance of global space power |
| B．show that China can build space station alone |
| C．raise international concerns about “China threat” |
| D．make use of space peacefully for mankind’s well-being |
An oral drug, named ERDRP-0519, was invented. It is specifically designed to protect people who got infected measles(麻疹) from spreading the virus to others. Like the flu, measles spreads through the air by breathing, coughing or sneezing. There is typically a time, about two weeks, between becoming infected with the virus and the beginning of symptoms like skin rash(皮疹), runny nose, heavy cough and high fever.
“This therapy application determines the desired characteristics of the drug, which are orally available, cost-effective manufacture and high stability,” Richard Klemperer, professor of Georgia State University, told reporters last Wednesday.
“With these criteria in mind, we have developed a small drug that blocks the measles virus over the past years, which is essential for copy of the virus.”
The researchers tested the drug in rats infected with canine distemper virus(犬瘟病) , which is a close relative of measles virus. They found that all of the infected rats treated with the drug survived the deadly infection, showed no clinical signs of disease and developed a strong protective immune response.
The drug could be used to treat friends, family and other social contacts of a person infected with measles virus, which have not developed symptoms yet but are at risk of having caught the disease, Klemperer said truthfully.
“The emergence of strong antiviral immunity(抗病毒免疫力) in treated animals is particularly encouraging, since it suggests that the drug may not only save an infected individual from disease but contribute to closing measles immunity gaps in a population,” Klemperer said.
The researchers emphasized the drug is not intended as a substitute for vaccination, but as an additional weapon to get rid of the measles. They planned to test the drug’s safety in larger animals, before moving into clinical trials in humans.
“If our next series of studies confirms that the human situation mirrors what we have seen in rats, then this drug may make a major contribution to getting rid of measles by preventing local outbreaks” Klemperer said.
Despite the existence of an effective vaccine, annual measles deaths worldwide have remained constant at around 150,000 since 2007. The reasons for this are the highly infectious nature of the virus, in the developing world largely due to issues of resources, and in many developed countries in particular in the European region due to parental concerns regarding vaccination safety. If a boy got infected by measles virus, he might NOT show the symptom like ________.
| A．runny nose | B．bad cough |
| C．high fever | D．sick stomach |
From what Klemperer said, we know that the drug _________.
| A．is only intended as a substitute for vaccination |
| B．can only save those infected individuals from disease |
| C．is cost-effective and high stability for curing measles |
| D．has the same effect on human as on larger animals |
The best title of the passage is_________.
| A．the Introduction of a New Oral Drug |
| B．the Desired Characteristics of Drugs |
| C．the Common Symptoms of Getting Measles |
| D．the Application of Post-exposure Therapy |
The Best Time to Visit Sydney
If you prefer the cold to heat, especially if seeking to escape the northern summer, the best time to visit Sydney could be in the Australian winter from June 1 to August 31.
The Sydney winter isn’t really harsh and the weather’s generally pleasant. It’s great for touring the city on foot and for bushwalking. And the ski slopes are not too far away.
Holiday time
You get the Queen’s Birthday holiday weekend in June and the school holidays in July. Aside from within those periods, accommodation costs in the city will generally be lower.
Winter weather
Expect generally cool conditions. The average temperature should range from around 8°C (46°F) at night to 16°C (61°F) in the daytime in mid-winter. Expect from 80mm to 131mm of rainin a month, with the most rain in June tapering into August.
Winter accommodation
Outside of the holiday periods, Sydney accommodation will usually be available and should be relatively cheaper.
Winter activities
The weather’s fine for a walking tour of Sydney. Visit The Rocks, the Sydney Opera House, the Royal Botanic Gardens, Art Gallery of New South Wales, Australian Museum, Hyde Park, Chinatown, Darling Harbour.
Go on a harbor cruise. At the very least, take a Sydney ferry and cross the harbor to Manly.
Take a daytrip north, south and west of Sydney.
Spot the whales as they travel north in the whale migration season.
Go bushwalking at the Royal National Park. Considering weather and accommodation, the best time to visit Sydney is in ________.
| A．June | B．July | C．August | D．December |
Which of the following activities is NOT recommended in the passage?
| A．Going skiing near Sydney. |
| B．Hunting whales in the Royal Botanic Gardens. |
| C．Touring Sydney on foot. |
| D．Bushwalking at the Royal National Park. |
Chinese e-commerce websites fail to pay more attention to older consumers, says a news report.
There’s been a thought that younger consumers have been the driving force of online buying. That may not be the case. According to a statement from Alipay, the average expenditure (支出) of Alipay users born before the 1960s was 31,000 yuan in 2012, much higher than 14,000 yuan of those born after the 1980s. It shows that online shopping has become a key part of people’s daily consumption, for both young and old.
Besides shopping, people pay bills such as water bill, electricity bill, and credit card repayment online. The middle-aged and senior consumers are also participating in that consumption revolution.
Liu Chen, 56, said that his online expenditure in 2014 was over 50,000 yuan, about half of the total annual expenditure. He always pays his telephone bill online. Clothes, electrical appliances and kids’ snacks are the main items he purchases online.
Liu’s shopping strategy is to find something good online first, then go to shops to check it out, and finally buy it online because it is cheaper. As quality concerns him, Liu only buys items that come with a guarantee.
Stories such as those from Liu are representative of millions of middle-aged and older Chinese, which show the great potential of the aged in the Chinese consumption market. Yet, the market seems not to be valued as it should be.
Some Chinese e-commerce websites such as jd. com, dangdang. com and amazon. cn don’t have a category for goods for the elderly on their main pages. Alibaba’s platform does have one, but the goods in it are not as abundant as other categories. Moreover, Taobao’s category is not really designed for elders, but their children.
Despite the seeming lack of commitment to older consumers, the Chinese market for the elderly is clearly huge, and e-commerce websites should take great efforts to develop it.The data in Paragraph 2 is used to prove that ________.
| A．young people have learned to save money |
| B．older people are crazy about online shopping |
| C．young people are the driving force of online shopping |
| D．both the young and the old have contributed to online shopping |
According to the passage, Liu Chen mainly spends money online on _______.
a. buying clothes
b. paying the telephone bill
c. paying the electricity bill
d. buying electrical appliances
| A．a, b, c | B．a, b, d | C．b, c, d | D．a, c, d |
Liu Chen chooses online shopping mainly because of its ________.
| A．low price | B．convenience |
| C．great potential | D．quality guarantee |
Which is the best title of the passage?
| A．Online shopping |
| B．Older consumers in e-commerce |
| C．Chinese e-commerce |
| D．Huge e-commerce market for the elderly |
Pakistani youth activist Malala Yousafzai was awarded the 2014 Nobel Peace Prize on Friday, October 10. She is the youngest Nobel winner in history. Malala shares the prize with Kailash Satyarthi, a 60-year-old man from India who has helped lead a movement to end child slavery around the world.
Malala Yousafzai was born on July 12, 1997 in Mingora, the Swat District of northwest Pakistan to a Sunni Muslim family. When she was just 11 years old, she started blogging about the Taliban takeover of her hometown. Taliban members believe young girls should not go to school. Classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed for several months. Malala spoke publicly about her desire to go back to school. “All I want is an education,” she told one television broadcaster.
When the Pakistani government regained control, Malala was able to return to class. She continued to blog and speak out about girls’ right to education. But on October 9, 2012, the Taliban tried to silence her. A gunman boarded her school bus and shot her on the left side of her forehead. Malala survived, and showed great courage and optimism during her long recovery. Then she became a symbol of the struggle for girls’ rights all over the world.
Malala’s mission for peace is unstoppable. Nine months after she was shot, she gave a now-famous speech at the United Nations. “They thought that the bullets would silence us. But they failed,” she said. “And then, out of that silence came thousands of voice. Weakness, fear and hopelessness died. Strength, power and courage were born.”
How old was Malala when she won the Nobel Peace Prize?
| A．11 years old. | B．14 years old. |
| C．17 years old. | D．60 years old. |
After classrooms throughout the Swat district were closed, Malala ________.
| A．started blogging about the event |
| B．expressed her desire for education publicly |
| C．made a now-famous speech at the UN |
| D．turned to famous television broadcasters for help |
What does the underlined part silence her in the third paragraph probably mean?
| A．Kill her. |
| B．Make peace with her. |
| C．Offer suggestions to her. |
| D．Communicate with her in silent ways. |
What does the passage mainly tell us?
| A．Malala’s peace mission. |
| B．Malala’s courage and optimism. |
| C．Malala’s fight with the Taliban. |
| D．Malala’s winning the Nobel Peace Prize. |
My transportation was unexpectedly smooth and I arrived at the meeting half an hour earlier. I kept my eyes on the restaurant door. Several customers entered, but not my friend. At 6:00 pm, she sent me a text message: “Urgent work to finish. Will be 20 minutes late.”
I had left my book in the office, so I spent the time thinking of my experiences of being late in China. On my first visit in 1985, punctuality was deeply rooted in the Chinese hearts. There were no traffic jams then.
As a teacher in Canada, I always insisted on punctuality. I would open the classroom door to a late student for the first time and the second, but not the third. During the six years I worked for CCTV, I had a Chinese friend whom I often saw at lunch time, or after work. We used to meet at the subway station nearby. He was always late by 10-20 minutes. To my question, “You were busy?” he would surprisingly answer, “ No.” Once I asked him to check the clock in his office, he smiled.
In March 2015, I got permanent residence (居住权) in China. The ceremony was scheduled for 9:00 am at the Public Security Bureau on the Second Ring Road. I told my driver I had to get there by 8:40 am. “No problem,” he replied. But he thought he had time to drop someone off at the airport before picking me up. I desperately waited for him. Then, to rub salt into my wound, he had to stop at the exit of a gas station. Finally, I entered the room at 9:07 am ── the last guest to arrive!What can we learn from the passage?
| A．The author is always late for work or any activities. |
| B．The author dislikes making friends with unpunctual persons. |
| C．The author hates being late from the bottom of heart. |
| D．The author can do something to deal with unpunctuality. |
If the author’s student comes late for the third time, _______.
| A．he will let him/her remain outside |
| B．he will open the door for him/her again |
| C．he will shout at him/her loudly |
| D．he will tell him/her to take care next time |
How did the Chinese friend feel when the author asked him to check the clock?
| A．Excited. | B．Embarrassed. |
| C．Satisfied. | D．Shocked. |
Why didn’t the author arrive at the ceremony on time?
| A．Because the gas was running out. |
| B．Because his driver met a guest at the airport. |
| C．Because there was a big traffic jam on the road. |
| D．Because the driver estimated the time wrongly. |