The ISS project is a partnership of five - the US, Russia, Europe, Japan and Canada.
At the moment, no program for its use nor any money has been put in place to support the platform beyond 2015.
One of the biggest issues stopping an agreement on station-life extension（延长期） is the human spaceflight examination ordered by US President Barack Obama.
The Americans are developing a new vision for space exploration, and the rockets and spacecraft they will need to start it. The future of US joining in the ISS is closely tied to the result of the examination.
Mr Dordain, the European Space Agency's (Esa) Director General, said no one partner in the ISS project could alone call an end to the platform. A meeting would be held in Japan later in the year where he hoped the partners could get something clearly going forward. He said it was also necessary the benefits（成效） were increased and the costs were reduced. Increasing the benefits could include finding new uses for the station.
Esa has called for ideas on how to use the ISS as a platform for Earth observation（观测站）. Mr Dordain said the agency had received about 20 very good proposals.
On the issue of reducing costs, there were many ideas on the table, he explained.
He also questioned whether it was necessary for the station to have six astronauts at all times. If there were periods when little maintenance（维修） was required or the experiment load was light, could the ISS run on a smaller group of people, he suggested.
Construction of the space station should finish this year. Next month, two components built in Europe - a connecting node and a robotic control room - will be flown to the platform by the US shuttle Endeavour.
Tranquility and the Cupola, as they are known, will complete the non-Russian side of the ISS.Why will America joining in the ISS be tied to the result of the examination?
| A．Because America is the greatest power among them |
| B．Because America provides most of the money |
| C．Because they need America’s rockets and spacecraft |
| D．Because Obama ordered the human spaceflight examination |
According to Mr Dordain, how should they do to reduce costs?
| A．To find new uses for the station |
| B．To make little maintenance |
| C．To reduce the experiment load |
| D．To have fewer astronauts sometimes |
Where do you think you can read this passage?
| A．In a story book | B．In a handbook |
| C．In an advertisement | D．In a newspaper |
More Chinese are seeking out the surgeon’s knife to improve their looks.Yet the tragic death of the former Super Girl Wang Bei has made people aware of the risks of cosmetic surgery, which is becoming increasingly popular. Wang Bei，24，is said to have gone under the knife in Wuhan，to jump-start her stage-show career. It seems that the ambitious singer has finally achieved the fame and influence after her death.
For years Miss Lu expected a plastic surgery to make her jaw fashionable narrow and her face smaller. She finally decided against it after hearing of the death of Wang Bei. "Wang Bei’s death rang the warning bell for me，"Miss Lu said in her blog." It was frightening and I gave up the plan. "
A common thread of online discussion is why someone considered beautiful was so dissatisfied with her looks. Some netizens said Wang was a victim of society’s impractical standard of beauty：double eyelids，and the pointed chin typical of Western actresses. Others said her death indicated the limits to which people would go to achieve fame and fortune.
Last year 15 billion yuan was spent on cosmetic surgery and the figure is expected to rise 20％ annually. The International Society of Plastic Surgery ranks China first in Asia in terms of the number of cosmetic surgeries in 2009. Worldwide, China is third, after Brazil, while the United States is first.
Nowadays，people are living longer and better. But the effect of aging off their appearance affects their mood and confidence. Many older women want to look young and beautiful. Young people, on the other hand, see cosmetic surgery as the key to wealth and love. "They want to improve their appearance to find better opportunities at work and in marriage，"says a famous plastic surgeon. "We’re living in a highly competitive society. People regard appearance as a weapon in life battle. Those who are young and naturally good-looking tell me，‘I don’t care how much I spend. Just make me look more beautiful.’ "
Advice from a surgeon and psychologist：
1.Choose regular, qualified hospitals with a good reputation.
2.Try to find an expert surgeon who will not suggest several operations over time.
3.Don’t expect too much from changing your appearance. Safety should be the first.
4.Have a realistic understanding of the risks of the surgery (death，injury and failure)and make a balanced decision.What’s the influence of Wang Bei’s death on the public?
| A．People will feel alarmed at cosmetic surgery. |
| B．Young people will have no interest in beauty. |
| C．Doctors will be afraid to perform operations. |
| D．No one will dream of becoming a Super Girl. |
It is mentioned in the passage that________.
| A．Miss Lu’s face is narrow and small |
| B．Wang Bei is a victim of the Internet |
| C．all Westerners have the pointed chin |
| D．the US ranks first in cosmetic surgery |
What’s the main idea of the 5th paragraph?
| A．People are living 1onger and better nowadays. |
| B．People are living in a highly competitive society. |
| C．Social competition leads females to seek beauty. |
| D．Cosmetic surgery is the key to wealth and love. |
According to a surgeon and psychologist,it is better to________.
| A．change your appearance sooner |
| B．make a reasonable decision |
| C．do several operations over time |
| D．try some different hospitals |
After graduation I returned home to my small town in Indiana. I didn’t have a job yet. Mr. Hobbs, a friend of my father’s, owned a small shirt factory in town. Within the past five years it had grown from twenty to eighty workers. Mr. Hobbs was worried that his plant was getting too big and inefficient, so he asked me to come in on a short-term basis as a consultant.
I went to the plant and spent about a week looking around and making notes. I was really a mazed at what I saw.
Most curious of all, there was no quality control at all. No one inspected the final product of the factory. As a result some of the shirts that were put in boxes for shipment were missing one or two buttons, the collar, and even a sleeve sometimes!
The working conditions were poor. The tables where the workers sat were very high and uncomfortable. Except for a half hour at lunchtime, there were no breaks in the day to relieve the boring work. There was no music. The walls of the workrooms were a dull gray color. I was amazed that the workers hadn’t gone on strike.
Furthermore, the work flow was irregular. There was one especially absent-minded young man in the assembly（组装）line who sewed on buttons. After a while I recognized him as "Big Jim", who used to sit behind me in math class in high school. He was very slow and all the shifts were held up at his position. Workers beyond him in line on his shift had to wait with nothing to do; therefore, a great deal of time and efficiency were lost as Big Jim daydreamed while he worked. All week I wondered why he wasn’t fired.
After I made observations for a week, Mr. Hobbs asked me for an oral report of my findings.The shirts from Mr. Hobbs’ factory can be described as ____.
| A．of low quality | B．of high quality | C．fashionable | D．unfashionable |
Why did Mr. Hobbs ask the writer to the factory?
| A．The factory was too big. |
| B．The factory was not producing fast enough. |
| C．The factory was not big enough. |
| D．The writer was a college graduate. |
Which is not likely to happen in the factory?
| A．The workers will have more rest in the day. |
| B．Someone will examine the final product. |
| C．New machines will be bought. |
| D．The factory will be repainted. |
Big Jim may get fired mainly because ____.
| A．he was slow |
| B．he wasted much time |
| C．he was absent-minded |
| D．the work flow was irregular |
Australian Flag Designs by Readers of the Sun-Herald
We received dozens of responses after inviting readers to send in their designs for a new flag. The designs we received include:
James Anthony, Drummoyne
James reduces the Union Jack down in size and changes its shape to become a reminder of the British tradition rather than canceling it altogether. At the same time he suggests enlarging the stars of the Southern Cross. His design attempts to use the best of both worlds in a newly designed flag.
As he says, “the British part of the Australian Flag is too big and the Australian bits are too small. When you make the stars bigger the Australian flag can look impressive.”
Joe Bollen, Turranmurra
Joe’s flag has the main elements of a risen sun, white horizon(地平线), red earth at the base and the Southern Cross. He intends to make the risen sun a special Australian symbol on the flag. He believes it represents life. The Southern Cross shows that we live in the Southern Hemisphere. (半球)
Maria Ieraci, Sydney
Maria deleted the Union Jack but otherwise kept the flag as is with the Southern Cross and Federation Star. She says, ‘There is only one correct way to change the Australian flag” and that is “to drop the Union Jack ---- when Australia becomes a Republic”, which she hopes will be before 2010.
Ron Bennett, Sydney
Ron recommends using the Aboriginal colors but replacing their image of the sun with the map of Australia. He says, “Australia is unique being an island continent with an instantly recognizable outline at that” and “this will leave no doubt as to which country the flag belongs.”Which of the four designs can remind you of the past of the country?
| A．Joe’s | B．Maria’s | C．Ron’s | D．Jame’s |
The Southern Cross in some of the designs represents _________.
| A．the spirit of the nation |
| B．the position of the country |
| C．the tradition of Britain |
| D．the expectations of the people |
What does the Union Jack refer to?
| A．the British flag |
| B．A former British ruler |
| C．group of stars |
| D．A former symbol of Australia |
Oscars organizers promised a new progress to this month’s Academy Awards to greet this year’s nominees (被提名人)．
After years of falling view that ended in last year’s 80th Oscars recording low view rate，the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences has to make a fresh start for Hollywood’s yearly show.
The coproducers of the February 22 show，Bill Condon and Laurence Mark，have so far kept full details of their planned changes to the Oscars’ triedandtested method secret.
Oscars organizers have already made sure of one change by announcing Australian actor Hugh Jackman as the host of the show.
Among the changes reported to be considered are the decision to leave out the ceremony’s opening monologue(独白)．
The names of the invited on the awards night have also been kept secret while in earlier years the Academy made presenters to the ceremony public before weeks.
The NewYorkTimes reported on Monday that the producers are trying to improve the show by asking studios to provide scenes from films.
At the same time Ganis also advised nominees to give some thought to make their acceptance speeches memorable－and short.
“As for the acceptance speeches－you know what’s required，” Ganis said.“Be brief，be personal and be heartfelt.You_have_an_impressive_speech_total_of_45_seconds.”
This year’s Oscars are expected to be a great event. Many films will touch you，“Slumdog Millionaire”has 10 nominations，and “The Curious Case of Benjamin Button” with 13.In the past the film with the most Oscar nominations is the one that has succeeded in box office.Oscars organizers want to improve the ceremony of Academy Awards because ________.
| A．the view rate of it is falling |
| B．the nominees don’t like to attend |
| C．people in Hollywood are against it |
| D．the 80th Oscars was best organized |
The Oscars’ triedandtested method ________.
| A．has been known by most of the actors |
| B．is kept a secret by now |
| C．is known only by hosts |
| D．hasn’t been decided at all |
From the underlined sentence we can learn ________.
| A．the winners must speak for 45 minutes |
| B．the speech of winners must be moving |
| C．the speech must be brief，impressive and moving |
| D．the speech of winners must be easily understood |
The main idea of the passage should be ________.
| A．Oscars leaders announce new film |
| B．films with most nominations |
| C．Oscars organizers are waiting for actors |
| D．Oscars leaders promise “brave，fresh”show |
For the people living in the Nile Basin，the river is their life. This 6,825 km waterway，whose watershed (流域) covers three million square kilometers，flows through mountains，woodlands，lakes and deserts. Its potential for fishing，tourism and shipping is great－but so are its challenges.
Water shortage，already serious in Egypt and Sudan，will soon influence several other countries in the watershed as well. Today，about 160 million people depend on the Nile River for their living. Within the next 25 years，the district’s population is expected to double，adding to the demand brought about by growth in industry and agriculture. The frequent drought adds to the urgency.
Water quality is also a problem. Precious soil is washed out to sea. Wastes from industry and agriculture create pollution. Higher concentrations of salt influence irrigated soils. Water-borne diseases remain unchecked. In areas where it’s hot and damp，hyacinths grow so fast that they choke off lakes，dams and other sections of the river，making it difficult for fishing and other businesses to move forward.
Native people along the narrow area of farmland have watched the sand move closer day by day. They’ve seen the river change course，and their only source of water thickened with mud. They’re very poor and have few choices.
But a new program，the Nile Basin Initiative(NBI)，is offering very practical assistance. The program is more than just a water-management project. It’s a plan for the social and economic development of a vast district: it concentrates on the needs of the poorest of the poor and the environment that supports them.
These are whole ecosystem problems，calling for united solutions (解决办法)．Half the Nile Basin’s countries are among the world’s poorest nations; yet，somehow，they must find the resources，skills and political will to overcome these challenges.What are the great challenges the Nile Basin faces?
| A．The development of shipping industry and over-fishing of native people. |
| B．Overfishing of native people and increasing population. |
| C．Water shortage and water quality. |
| D．Increasing population and tourism. |
The underlined word “hyacinths” in Paragraph 3 most probably refers to ________.
| A．plants | B．fish |
| C．rocks | D．salts |
The program NBI is mainly aimed at ________.
| A．preventing water pollution |
| B．changing the river course |
| C．improving living conditions of the poor |
| D．preventing land from becoming desert |
What would be the best title of this passage?
| A．People’s life in Egypt and Sudan |
| B．Frequent drought in Egypt and Sudan |
| C．The poorest countries in the Nile Basin |
| D．The ecosystem problems in the Nile Basin |