根据家谱图，选择正确答案What’sPeter’slastn-优题课

The night sky is our earliest library. There, we stored our knowledge, and passed it down around the fire, before we invented the written word.

I remember going to the local university for an astronomy (天文学) night when I was a child. That night, I saw Saturn, one of the planets, and its rings with my own eyes for the first time. The rings shone bright against the blackness of space and suddenly the universe (宇宙) wasn’t something that you only read about or imagined in your head. It was right there, and you were a part of it. That moment is priceless.

While starlight is good, light pollution here on Earth can be a real problem. For the past 200 years or so, we have used too much electricity (电) to make the night brighter. However, brighter doesn’t usually mean better, especially when a lot of that light shines up into the sky where no one needs it.

Luckily, some cities have taken actions, like setting up new downward-directing lights along the streets. I hope that more cities will join in and continue the practice of controlling unnecessary lighting, so that more of us can watch the night sky in a way humans have for thousands of years.

(1). What is the night sky compared to?

A．

A book.

B．

The earth.

C．

A library.

D．

The universe.

(2). How did the writer find the astronomy night?

A．	It opened his eyes.	B．	It controlled his mind.
C．	It was a real problem.	D．	It took him too much time.

(3). What does the writer hope for?

A．	A brighter night.	B．	Less use of lighting.
C．	More personal space.	D．	A better education.

A team of scientists are carrying out a project at the University of Greenwich in London. They are trying to find ways to make food on Mars (火星) in the future. The project is called Feeding Mars. It tries to use water, fish and fish waste to grow fruit and vegetables on Mars.

It would take at least 21 months to reach Mars, learn about its surface and return to Earth. So it would be a big help if the spacemen could grow fresh food on Mars itself.

Farming on Mars, however, will be very hard. There’s plenty of water that could be taken from ice just below the surface, but the land on Mars is missing the nutrients (养分) that living things need. The team say that they could solve the problem by growing plants and fish together. Fish waste can then be used to provide nutrients for plants.

“It is expected that you can grow lots of food, such as vegetables, salads, teas and medicinal plants on Mars,” said Dr Benz Kotzen, who leads the project. “You can even harvest (捕获) fish for food then.”

(1). What does the underlined word “It” in Paragraph 1 refer to (指的是)?

A. The future.B. The project.C. The land.D. The planet.

(2). What makes it difficult to farm on Mars?

A. Ice below the surface.B. Too much fish waste.

C. The missing of living things.D. The poor land condition.

(3). How does Dr Benz Kotzen feel about Feeding Mars?

A. Hopeful.B. Doubtful.C. Surprised.D. Funny.

The Search-for-Lost-Birds list has come to public attention recently. It lists ten kinds of birds that have not been seen in the wild for at least fifteen years. The list is calling on people to search for the rarest (最珍稀的) birds on Earth.

There could be several reasons for the long disappearances of the birds on the list. Maybe there have been no studies in areas where they live. Maybe people don’t know where or how to find them. Maybe there are changes to their natural homes because of human activities.

This year, four expeditions (考察队) are planning to find eight kinds of birds. If any of these lost birds are found, ways can be found to protect them and help their populations grow. This has happened with birds like the Madagascar pochard. The number of this once-lost kind of bird is now increasing.

(1). How many kinds of birds are on the Search-for-Lost-Birds list?

A．

Four.

B．

Eight.

C．

Ten.

D．

Fifteen.

(2). What is Paragraph 2 mainly about?

A．	Changes of the living areas of the birds.	B．	Suggestions on how to protect the birds.
C．	Reasons for the disappearances of the birds.	D．	Steps of building natural homes for the birds.

(3). What can we learn about the Madagascar pochard?

A．	It has not been found till now.	B．	It has a larger population than before.
C．	It needs to live close to humans.	D．	It provides protection for other birds.

(4). What is the best title (标题) for the text?

A．	Ways to Raise Rare Birds	B．	Bird-lovers Around the World
C．	Searches for the Lost Birds	D．	Stories About Birds in the Wild

Have you ever seen lions dancing in the streets? The lions dance to the beat of a drum (鼓). Of course, they are not real lions. They are dancers in lion costumes (服饰). Lion dancing first started in China centuries ago. It is meant to bring good luck in the coming year.

Usually, a lion is made up of two dancers. One dancer controls the head. The other controls the tail.

“I think of it as a sport,” says Anthony Huang, aged 16. He is a member of the New York Chinese Freemasons Athletic Club. Anthony performs (表演) as the lion’s head. It can weigh 20 pounds. Lion dancing is important to Anthony. “This tradition really lifts me up,” he says.

In the past, lion dancing was performed mostly by men. But it is different today. LionDanceMe is a lion dancing group in San Francisco, California. There are boys and girls on its team. They dance together.

“Anyone can take up lion dancing. You have to believe that you can do it,” says Ananda Tang-Lee, a 17-year-old girl.

Lion dancing will continue to evolve. But a team’s sense of community will never change. “We call it a family,” Ananda says, “It’s really great, because we always have each other’s backs.”

(1). Why do people perform lion dancing?

A．	To sell lion-dancing costumes.	B．	To wish for a lucky new year.
C．	To protect the lions in the wild.	D．	To show skills of playing the drum.

(2). Which role does Anthony play in lion dancing?

A．

The lion’s head.

B．

The lion’s tail.

C．

The drummer.

D．

The dresser.

(3). What does the underlined word “evolve” mean?

A．

延期

B．

模仿

C．

举办

D．

演变

(4). What can we infer (推断) from Ananda’s words “We call it a family”?

A．	They bring happiness to the family.	B．	They call lion dancing a family game.
C．	They live together in a big family.	D．	They support each other like a family.

Antarctica

Weather

Antarctica lies in the most southern part of the world. It is the coldest area on Earth. There isn’t much rain, but there is a lot of snow and wind. The lowest temperature was on 21 July in 1983 at -89.2℃!

Population

Nobody lives in Antarctica all the time! The first people to stay there for a while were fishermen in 1786. Now there are about 5, 000 scientists and researchers there in the summer.

History of exploration (探险)

During 1907-1909, British explorer Earnest Shackleton explored Antarctica on foot. In 1911, two explorers—a British man named Scott and a Norwegian named Amundsen—raced 1, 400 kilometres to the South Pole (南极). Amundsen arrived first.

Animals and birds

There aren’t any large animals in Antarctica. Polar bears live at the North Pole. But there are a lot of penguins and seabirds. Every spring there are over 100 million seabirds in Antarctica.

(1). When did the lowest temperature appear in Antarctica?

A．

In 1786.

B．

In 1907.

C．

In 1911.

D．

In 1983.

(2). Who first stayed in Antarctica for some time?

A．

Fishermen.

B．

Scientists.

C．

Researchers.

D．

Explorers.

(3). Where is Earnest Shackleton from?

A．

Britain.

B．

Norway.

C．

The South Pole.

D．

The North Pole.