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LONDON—Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is to send a few comets (彗星) in the direction of Earth, and its orbit (轨道) will be changed. Our world will then be sent moving into a safer older part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US NASA (美国航空航天局) engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—hopefully doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid (小行星) so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy (重力势能) to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the sun,” Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter (木星) or Saturn(土星). The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.
In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to worldwide warming, although the team was actually worried about a much greater danger. The sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so “seriously compromise” our biosphere (生物圈)—by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying sides, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation (误算) in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly results.
There is also the question of the moon. As the present issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its present location, it is “most likely the moon would be stripped (剥离) away from Earth,” it states. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?

A．A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth.

B．Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon.

C．Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive.

D．The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth.

If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of ________ years.

A．12 billion

B．6 billion

C．18 billion

D．24 billion

What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?

A．The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the moon.

B．Earth might be moved too far away and man might die because of the coldness.

C．The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth.

D．Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened.

What does the underlined word “compromise” mean?

A．provide

B．benefit (受益)

C．share

D．endanger

It’s in the 2010s.You feel sick, so you go to the doctor. She checks your fever, looks at your throat, and asks what you’ve been thinking about lately. When you leave, she gives you some medicine, but also a list of thinking skills that you are supposed to practice daily. She says that the way you think is causing some of your illness.
Doctors and other scientists who study the human mind and try to explain why people act in the way that they do, called psychologists (心理学家), are starting to believe it. You know that your brain (脑) is connected to every part of your body through your nervous system (神经系统). Now scientists have proved that how you think and feel can have an influence on the health of your body.
Stress is caused whenever there is a problem or a change in your life. Of course, everybody has stress more or less; nobody’s life is perfect. In fact, stress is necessary. Without stress, we would never learn anything or grow or change. We would probably be bored to death. But too much stress can hurt you. It can weaken your body’s protection so that you are more likely to catch diseases. It can even make you more likely to have an accident.
When you feel stressed, your brain sends a message to your body to produce a chemical called adrenaline (肾上腺素). Adrenaline speeds up your breathing and your heartbeat. Today you have a different kind of stress. Problems like endless homework or troubles with your family are the kind of things you can’t fight or run away from, so you don’t use up all that adrenaline. It just stays bottled up inside you, and that’s what can do something bad to you.
What can you do about stress? First, you can try to find ways to change things so you aren’t under so much stress. You can set up a plan to finish homework or go to a doctor or a psychologist to try to work things out with your family or your friends. But sometimes you can’t change a stressful situation. Sometimes you don’t even want to. A big change might be a good change, but it will still be stressful.
The link (关联) between your body and brain works in two ways. Your body can help your mind deal with stress. If you are under stress, you need to take especially good care of your body. It’s important to get enough sleep and eat nutritious (有营养的) meals. Some people take a vitamin-mineral pill every day. Another thing that you can do is daily exercise. If you go walking or do aerobic dancing or work out at the gym (体育馆), you give your body a chance to burn up some of that adrenaline. Of course, a person who isn’t used to much physical activity should start slowly. Anyone with a continuing physical problem should check with a doctor before starting any exercise programs.
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?

A．You shouldn’t go to the gym if you are under stress.

B．One can do his homework to burn up adrenaline.

C．Disease and accidents are caused by stress.

D．Everyone needs stress to improve himself.

From the last sentence of Paragraph 5 we can infer (推断) that _____________.

A．it’s difficult to change a stressful situation

B．it’s not stressful when a good change takes place

C．a big change will cause another stressful situation

D．a stressful situation can’t be changed without any effort

What is probably the best title for this passage?

A．The Body-Brain Link	B．The Causes of Stress
C．The Advice on Health	D．The Nervous System

Once there was a piano player in a bar (酒吧). People came just to hear him play. But one night, a lady asked him to sing a song.
“I don’t sing,” said the man.
But the lady told the waiter, “I’m tired of listening to the piano. I want the player to sing!”
The waiter shouted across the room, “Hey, friend! If you want to get paid, sing a song!”
So he did. He had never sung in public before. Now he was singing for the very first time! Nobody had ever heard the song Mona Lisa sung so beautifully!
He had talent he was sitting on! He may have lived the rest of his life as a no-name piano player in a no-name bar. But once he found, by accident, that he could sing well, he went on working hard and became one of the best-known singers in the US. His name was Nat King Cole.
You, too, have skills and abilities. You may not feel that your talent is great, but it may be better than you think. With hard work, most skills can be improved. Besides, you may have no success at all if you just sit on your talent.
The lady asked the player to sing a song because _____________.

A．she had paid him for this

B．she knew him very well

C．she wanted to have a change

D．she enjoyed his singing

Nat King Cole succeeded because ____________.

A．the lady helped him a lot

B．he caught the chance

C．he continued to play in the bar

D．he stopped playing the piano

The underlined words “sitting on” in the passage probably mean ___________.

A．fail to realize	B．forget to use
C．try to develop	D．manage to show

The Snowdonia Center
The Snowdonia Center for young mountain climbers has a climbing lesson. The beginners’ costs are $57 for a week, including food and rooms. Equipment (设备) is included except walking shoes, which can be hired (租用) at a low cost.
You must be in good health and prepared to go through body exercise. This could be the beginning of a lifetime of mountain climbing adventure (冒险).

Holiday News
Vacations now and in the school holidays at a country hotel in Devon. This comfortable, friendly home-from-home hotel is near the beautiful quiet countryside, but just a drive away from the sea. The food is simple but good. Children and pets are welcome. Reduced prices are offered for low season.

The World Sea Trip of a Lifetime
Our World Sea Trip of 2014 will be unlike any holiday that you have ever had before. You just go to bed in one country and wake up in another on the ship. But if you stay at one hotel after another as you traveled before, you’ll have to pack and unpack all your things, wait and travel during the tour.
On the ship, you will be well taken care of. Every meal will be first-class and every cabin (房舱) will be like your home.
During the trip, you can rest on deck (甲板), enjoy yourself in the game rooms and in the evening dance to our musical team and watch our wonderful play
You will visit all the places most people only dream about---from Acapulco and Hawaii to Tokyo and Hong Kong.
For a few thousand dollars, all the things can be yours.

What can you do if you like to go on holidays with pets?

A．Choose the holiday in Devon.

B．Go to the Snowdonia Center.

C．Join the World Sea Trip of 2014.

D．Visit Acapulco and Hawaii.

In what way is the Snowdonia Center different from the other two holidays?

A．It provides chances for families to get together.

B．It provides customers with good food.

C．It offers a climbing lesson.

D．It offers comfortable rooms.

What is the most special about the World Sea Trip of 2014?

A．You can have free meals on deck every day.

B．You can sleep on a ship and travel to many places.

C．You can dance to your own favourite music.

D．You have to pack and unpack your things.

International travelers, whether traveling for business or pleasure, will find themselves solo from time to time. Here are a few ways to meet new people and perhaps even get new travel chances.
Make yourself friendly
Be relaxed and polite. Remember to put yourself in social activities. Restaurants, shops and parks are all great places to meet people. If you want to make local friends in a country, stay near the place the locals often visit.
Show your photo album（影集）
Keep a small photo album in your bag when you travel. Photos of family, friends and pets will help your new friends learn more about you and give you things to talk about. They will share their own stories with you, and it will help you learn more about your new friends.
Share something special
Can you help your new friends improve their Chinese? Can you cook a traditional Chinese meal? By sharing your skills, you can have a close friendship with your new friends that they won’t soon forget.
Give some gifts
Many foreigners love Chinese goods but have to pay a lot when buying them in their homeland, so you’d better prepare some gifts such as silks, tea and works of art. They are always popular.
Exchange flats
If you and your new friends get along well, you can give them your information and plan to exchange flats for your next trip. Then you can visit their countries and stay in their houses while they stay in yours. In this way you will improve your friendship and live like a local abroad, but pay less for traveling.
The underlined word “solo” in the passage means “__________”.

A．free

B．alone

C．worried

D．close

In which way can’t a photo album help you?

A．Giving you a topic to talk about.

B．Clearing your worries about your pets.

C．Helping your new friends to learn more about you.

D．Encouraging (鼓励) your new friends to talk about themselves.

From the passage we can learn that __________.

A．exchanging flats is popular in China

B．goods in foreign countries are cheaper

C．sharing your special skills can help you develop friendship

D．international travelers always get into trouble

This passage is mainly about how to ___________.

A．travel more often both at home and abroad

B．improve friendship with foreigners

C．make friends when traveling in foreign countries

D．prepare for a business trip

A．go to live in the other countries	B．answer TV many questions
C．get a lot of information	D．ask TV some questions