On August 5 at 10:31 p.m. PST, a rover（探测器）named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was lucky enough to have a front-row seat.
My name is Clara, and when I was in Grade 6, I won the essay contest NASA held to name its next Mars rover. The essay I wrote was not even 250 words long, but somehow it was enough to change my life.
I still remember that cold December day, sitting in a science class. I’d finished a worksheet early and decided to get a Time for Kids magazine off Mrs. Estevez’s bookshelf. It was the 2008 Invention Issue, but that wasn’t the only thing that caught my eye. In the magazine, there was an article about a girl who named the Mars Exploration Rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. The article also talked about the essay contest NASA was holding to name its next Mars rover. Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind: Curiosity.
I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home from the bus stop, sat down at the computer and typed until my fingers ached. It turned out that I was just in time. A few days later, and the contest would have closed.
Five months later, shortly after I had turned 12, I was watching a National Geographic special on mammoths when the phone rang. My mom answered, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face. When she told me that I had won, I was happier than I could ever remember being, I screamed and ran up and down the stairs and all around the house. I completely forgot about the mammoths and did not even remember to turn off the TV until it was really late.
Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandfather and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. He’d tell me stories and point out the stars.
My grandfather lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas. I loved the stars because they kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space. No matter how much we learn, it will always possess some mystery.
In the past, space exploration may have been a competition to see who got somewhere first or the fastest. But now, it is one of the few things that bring people together. Science is a language that needs no translation. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what you look like – you just have to have a thirst for knowledge and a passion for learning in order to succeed.
People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. Why do we explore? My answer to that is simple: because we can; because we’re curious; because we as human beings do not just stay holed up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.
The curiosity rover is more than just a robot. It is more than just a titanium body and aluminum wheels. Curiosity represents the hard work, passion, love and commitment of thousands of people from all over the world who were brought together by science. Science is so awesome. It is breathtaking and mind-blowing; and sometimes, it’s just a little bit crazy. The discoveries we make about our world are incredibly humbling. They move us forward and have the potential to benefit all of mankind.
This December it will be four years of my life that have been tied to Curiosity in some way. I’ve met so many amazing people through this experience, from scientists to engineers to administrators to volunteers. Their devotion and enthusiasm inspire me greatly. My journey with Curiosity and the MSL mission team has shaped the person that I am today, as well as the person I would one day like to become.
I am deeply grateful to everyone who made it possible for me to have this amazing adventure.
And to you, I hope your curiosity takes you far. The method the writer uses to begin the passage is _____.
| A．telling a story | B．giving an example |
| C．offering an explanation | D．describing a scene |
Why did the writer hurry home to finish the essay for the contest NASA held?
| A．She had just gathered enough information from Time for Kids |
| B．She wanted to write down what flashed through her mind in time. |
| C．She knew from Mrs. Estevez the deadline for the contest was approaching. |
| D．She was afraid she might miss the chance to compete with the former winner. |
The writer mentions her grandfather in order to show that ______.
| A．she missed him very much. |
| B．he knew a great deal about space |
| C．he influenced her to love the stars |
| D．she treasured their happy moments |
Which of the following serves as a summary of Paragraph 11?
| A．The writer was inspired to be a volunteer by the people she met. |
| B．The writer owed her success to her team members’ encouragement. |
| C．The writer met many difficulties in her four-year life with Curiosity. |
| D．The writer has benefited a lot from her experience tied to Curiosity. |
Which best describes the writer’s tone in the passage?
| A．Sharp. | B．Proud. | C．Aggressive. | D．Enthusiastic. |
What is conveyed in the passage?
| A．Curiosity is important to human beings. |
| B．A thirst for knowledge helps one grow up. |
| C．Entering a contest is a way to achieve success. |
| D．Curiosity changes people’s attitude towards science. |
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。
Making greener choices and encouraging healthy lifestyles can promote your health and benefit the environment．Here are some guidelines to follow:
Choose foods thoughtfully
Americans have never had such a variety or abundance of food to choose from．Besides so many choices, we now hear about our “food print”, the amount of land needed to supply one person’s nutritional needs for a year．Do we buy cherry tomatoes from Mexico or tomatoes grown locally in a hothouse? Do we get the Granny Smiths from the farmers’ market or the supermarket? Is organic produce healthier for us and the planet?
These are very complex issues that require analysis of many cri
teria, including the energy used in producing and transporting the food, as well as the type of soil and methods of raising the food．
Despite the complexities, there are some general guidelines you can follow．For instance, eat less meat or eat low on the food chain．Your doctor may have recommended you to restrict your consumption of red meat because of its too much fat content．Beyond that, there are environmental reasons, too．Raising food animals contributes substantially to climate change because a meat-based diet requires more land, energy and water than a plant-based one．
Drinking plenty of fluids is significant during hot weather or when exercising．But is bottled water the way to go? You may not think so when seeing the true costs．Based on a survey, manufacturing the 30-plus billion plastic water bottles can produce more than 2．5 million tons of carbon dioxide and use three times the amount of water in the bottle．Adding in transportation, the energy used comes to over 50 million barrels of oil equivalent （等价物）．Consequently, skip the bottled water and drink tap water, both at home and at restaurants．Additionally, bottled water is not necessarily cleaner than tap．
56．In Paragraph 2 the author puts forward three questions mainly ______．
A．to prove Americans have less food to choose from
B．to show us the shopping habits of most Americans
C．to indicate Americans tend to buy food from abroad
D．to remind people to reconsider their food purchase
57．The doctor recommends eating less red meat partly because ______．
A．it contains too much fat
B．it costs a lot in transportation
C．it is too low on the food chain
D．it isn’t related to climate change
58．According to the text, which of the following is true?
A．Americans all prefer to buy cherry tomatoes fr
om Mexico．
B．The plant-based diet is responsible for the climate change．
C．Americans have a variety of food to choose from．
D．Organic produce is the only choice for Americans．
59．Based on the last paragraph, we know that ______．
A．bottled water is cleaner than tap water
B．tap water is economical as well as eco-friendly
C．bottled water is more available than tap water
D．tap water uses one-third the cost of bottled water
60．What is the best subtitle for the last paragraph?
A．Skip bottled water, carry tap B．Drink bottled water
C．Produce plastic water bottles D．Save water resources
Because of the development of agriculture, the area of land affected by sand has gradually increased. During the 1950s and 1960s the land affected by sand expanded on average into 1,600 square kilometers per year. By the 1990s, the area had reached 2,500 square kilometers per year. This kind of situation is particularly serious in many regions upwind(逆风的) from Beijing. Fengning City in Hebei Province and Duolun City in Inner Mongolia lie to the north of Beijing, and in the last 50 years the population of these two cities has grown by 2 to 3 times. In order to obtain more resources, the inhabitants have been busy with heavy farming, tree-cutting and keeping animals. The result is that the soil which has sustained damage, and the sand layer below the earth is now exposed on the ground and the ground is rapidly being controlled by the spread of sand.
China has already noticed this problem, and has take measures to save the land. Nowadays, some land used for farming has returned to forestland and grassland. The Chinese government announced that it would invest more than RMB 600,000,000 to control Beijing’s sandstorms in the coming years. Only by decreasing the damage caused
by man and restoring the natural environment will it be possible to well control the sources of the sand and dust. We hope in the not-distant future, we will solve the problem successfully and effectively.
63. Compared with 50s and 60s, the land affected by sand increased by _____ square kilometers by the 1990s.
A. 1,600 B. 2,500 C. 900
D. 1,100
64. Which of the following is NOT the cause of the damaged land?
A.People use the resources too much.
B.People keep animals which need more grain.
C.People prepare too much land to grow crops.
D.People cut a lot of forests and raise animals.
65. The major measure that Chinese government has taken is _____.
A.controlling the growth of the population
B. making better use of natural resources
C. killing fewer animals and cutting fewer trees
D. returning some land to forestland and grassland
66.According to the passage, it can be inferred that _____ was the major factor of the environmental damage.
A. man B. animal C. nature D. desert
Do you want to live another 100 years or more? Do you want to live never to die? Some experts say, it will be not a dream one day. Modern technology will make it come true. Man will live more years beyond what is now seen as the natural limit of the human life.
“ I think we are knocking at the door of immortality”, said Michael, a professor and author of two books on human life expectancy. “I think by 2075 we will see it and it’s no longer a dream. Human’s life expectancy may have not limit.”
At the meeting in San Francisco, Donald Louria, a professor at New Jersey Medical School said advances in using genes as well as other technology make it likely that humans will live in the future beyond what has been possible in the past. “There is a great push so that people can live from 120 to 180 years,” he said. “Some have suggested that there is no limit and that people could live to 300 or 500 years.”
However, many scientists are doubtful about it and say the human body is just not designed to last more than about 120 years. Even with healthier lifestyles and less disease, they say failu
re of the brain and other parts of the body will finally lead all humans to death.
Scientists also hold different opinions on what kind of life man might live. “If you pass 120, you know; could you be healthy enough to have good quality of life? It’s a big question.” said Leonard Poon, director of the university center. “At present people who could get to that point are not in good health at all.”
59. The underlined word in the second paragraph probably means _____.
A. dying slowly B. living longer C. living forever D. dying quickly
60. Donald’s attitude is that______.
A. human beings may never die in the future
B. it is not certain how long humans can live
C. the human body can last about 120 years
D. it is possible for man to live longer in the future
61. What would be the best title for this text?
A. Living longer or notB. Science and long living
C. No limit for human lifeD. Healthy lifestyle and living
62. In the last sentence “get to that point” means ____.
A. get that ideaB. get to 120 years old
C. know how to live foreverD. have good quality of life
As late as 1800, women’s only place was in the home. The idea of woman in the business world was unthinkable. Men were certain that no woman could do a good job outside her home. This was such a widely accepted idea that when the well-known Bronte sisters began writing books in 1864, they had to sign their books with men’s names instead.
Teaching was the first profession open to women soon after 1800. But even that was not an easy profession for women to enter because most schools and colleges were open only to men. Oberlin College in Ohio was the first college in America to accept women.
Hospital nursing became respectable work for women only after Nightingale became famous. Seeing that she was not only a nurse but also a rich and well-educated woman, people began to believe it was possible for women to nurse the sick and still be “ladies”. Miss Nightingale opened England’s first training school for nurse in 1860.
The invention of the typewriter in 1867 helped to bring women out of the home and into the business world. By 1900,
thousands of women were working at real jobs
in schools, hospitals and offices in both England and America. Some women even managed to become doctors or lawyers. The idea that women could work in the business world had been accepted.
55. Why couldn’t women become teachers easily? Because___________
A.the first profession open to them was writing.
B.most schools and colleges were open only to men.
C.they wanted to be nurses instead.
D.they had to work in the business world.
56. The article is mainly about __________.
A.women are in the business world B. the famous Bronte sisters
C.schools and colleges in America D. rights for American women
57. Which fact does the article lead you to believe?
A.The Bronte sisters thought that they were men.
B.England’s first training school for nurses was in Ohio.
C.There are more men than women in professional jobs.
D.Women find it necessary to work harder than before.
58. Which of the following is TRUE?
A.The typewriter was made in the 1970’s.
B.Most women in England are doctors or lawyers.
C.People’s ideas about women’s work have changed.
D. The 18th century saw a changing world for women.
阅读理解（2*21=42分）
Some people were eating and drinking in a coffee house. A young woman was sitting alone at a table. She was wearing a beautiful diamond necklace. There was an ugly man 
at a table not far from her. He was looking at her necklace all the time.
Suddenly the lights went out. The coffee house was in darkness. The woman started to shout. She was very frightened. A few minutes later the lights came on again. The woman was crying. 
Her necklace was missing.
The manager quickly closed all the doors. He telephoned the police. No one could get out of the coffee house. The policemen soon came. The police inspector told his men to search everyone. The necklace was not on anyone. They then searched the whole coffee house. The necklace couldn’t be found.
The police inspector then looked at the faces of all the people in the coffee house. He saw the ugly man and looked at the man carefully. He went up to the man and picked up the bowl of soup that was on his table. He then poured the soup into a glass. The necklace fell out. The policemen caught hold of the man and took him away. The young woman was happy to get back her necklace.
51. A young woman lost her necklace in _____ .
A. a hospital B. a shop C. a coffee house D. a restaurant
52. The manager closed all the doors and _____ .
A. searched everyone in the coffee house B. searched the whole coffee house
C. telephoned the police D. looked at all the people in the coffee house
53. The police inspector found the necklace in _____ .
A. a cup of coffee B. a bowl of rice C. a glass of milk D. a bowl of soup
54. The necklace was stolen by _____ .
A. a beautiful girl B. an old woman C. a young student D. an ugly man