Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.
The first caves discovered beyond the Earth appear as seven mysterious black dots on the pictures sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.
“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.
Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.
One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air trapped during the day is flowing out.
“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’.” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”
He agreed such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.
“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria. A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”
The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lave flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining have to flow out, forming caves.What does the passage mainly talk about?
A.How the caves were formed on Mars. |
B.How scientists found these caves on Mars. |
C.Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign of life. |
D.Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars. |
What can the “cave” be used for according to the scientists?
A. They can protect life from the planet’s terrible environment.
B. They can provide energy for people’s life.
C. They can be used to prevent space radiation
D. Both A and C.We can learn from the passage that .
A.water has already been found on Mars |
B.the scientists found all the caves at night |
C.it is certain that there is life in these caves |
D.the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry |
According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because .
A.such caves could provide energy for life |
B.they had finally found the caves on Mars |
C.such caves would be perfect places to hunt for life |
D.scientists had long been looking for these caves |
Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include .
A.lave and energy |
B.water and radiation from space |
C.gases and lave |
D.water and protection from radiation |
Ellen Parker was worried about her health. She could not walk very quickly and it was difficult for her to climb stairs. She was soon out of breath.
“I suppose I had better go to the doctor.” she thought.
She went to the doctor and told him her problem.
“I’m not at all surprised.” he said, “I know what your problem is.”
He examined her and then gave her some advice.
“If you don’t do what I say, Mrs Parker,” he said, “You will have a heart attack (心脏病发作). It could kill you.”
Ellen was very worried as she left the doctor’s. She knew that she had to take his advice but that it would not be easy and it would take time.
The next day she went shopping. The first shop she went into was a butcher shop (肉铺).
“I’d like ten pounds of steak (牛排), please.” she said.
“Certainly, madam.” the butcher replied and went into the cold room and found a large piece of steak. He brought the huge piece of meat back into the shop and placed it on the scale (称).
“That’s just ten pounds.” he said.
“That’s big enough.” Mrs Parker said.
The butcher worked out the price.
“At S|4.99 a pound that will be S|49.90, please. Would you like me to cut it up into smaller pieces for you?”
“Oh, I don’t want to buy the meat.” Mrs Parker said.
“If you don’t want to buy it,” the butcher replied angrily, “Why did you ask me to get it for you?”
“My doctor told me that I am too heavy and have to lose ten pounds. I wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like.”Why did Ellen Parker visit the doctor?
A.She had a heart attack. | B.She had a problem with her health. |
C.She was unhappy about her weight. | D.She could not sleep well. |
Why did Ellen Parker ask for ten pounds of steak?
A.She wanted to buy some for dinner. |
B.She wanted to lose weight. |
C.Her doctor had told her to eat steak. |
D.She wanted to see what ten pounds of meat looked like. |
What was Ellen Parker’s real problem?
A.She ate too much steak. | B.She weighed too much. |
C.She was often out of breath. | D.She could not walk very quickly. |
Have you ever been to London? Here is some hotel information for you.
Kingsway Hall Hotel We offer quality service (优质服务) in Kingsway Hall Hotel. This location puts guests in easy reach of many places, such as the British Museum and Piccadilly Circus. Our hotel also has modern Western food, and offers a perfect dining environment. The lounge bar is a comfortable place to enjoy a drink while watching the tourists. There are hundreds of dining choices within walking distance. Non-smoking rooms are ready for guests. Hilton Docklands Riverside Located on the bank of the Thames, our hotel is about two miles east of Tower Bridge and 36 miles from London Heathrow Airport. Our hotel has a beauty salon, a flower shop and a swimming pool. The hotel also offers laundry (洗衣店) services, babysitting, shining shoes, and local area transportation. Windermere Hotel Located in the center of London, our hotel puts guests within easy reach of London’s well-known buildings. Buckingham Palace and the Royal Parks are just a short walk away. Within 1.5 miles you can visit Westminster Abbey and the Houses of Parliament. The theatres, Harrods shopping centre, and the designer shops of Sloane Square and Knightsbridge are all only a short walk away or a taxi ride away. |
What does Kingsway Hall Hotel provide for its guests?
A.Chinese food. | B.A lounge bar. |
C.Smoking rooms. | D.A swimming pool. |
What is special about Hilton Docklands Riverside?
A.It offers different kinds of service. | B.It offers a reasonable price. |
C.It has convenient transport. | D.It has delicious food. |
This passage is most likely to be found in ______.
A.a travel guide | B.a story book |
C.a technical report | D.a geography magazine |
According to some researchers, you should not praise children for everything that they do. It does not help them build self-confidence.
Most parents and teachers agree that praise can help increase children’s self-confidence —the more, the better. However, according to some researchers, only proper praise is good for children. If adults praise everything children do, it makes children look for praise all the time, not trying to do their best. "Teachers should not say things like ’good job’ or ’nice work’ whenever a child does anything. They should encourage them to continue to improve," some researchers advise.
Another idea is that children with high self-confidence are happier, and do better at school. About this, Marshall Duke, a researcher in children, says, "High self-confidence brought in by too much praise does not make children happier, get more, or become able to do more. Finding a child’s advantages (强项) and developing them can help build confidence more than too much praise can." Praise also loses its effect (影响) if it is given equally to all students.
"It’s important to tell children the truth about what they’ve done. Honest feedback (反馈) is far better than empty praise," Duke adds. "People have got into the habit of not telling children when they’re wrong. That makes it hard for them to deal with difficulties when they grow up. That’s just how the world is."According to some researchers, if parents praise their children too much, their children will ______.
A.always look for praise |
B.increase self-confidence |
C.become strong |
D.do better in their studies |
In order to help children build self-confidence, some researchers advise parents to ______.
A.make them live more happily |
B.let them do more difficult work |
C.help them do better in school |
D.encourage them to improve |
Which of the following is TRUE, according to the passage?
A.Praise makes children become successful. |
B.Children don’t know what they’re really good at. |
C.The same praise for all children has no meaning. |
D.Duke thinks praise is more important than finding children’s strengths. |
What is the last paragraph about?
A.It’s important to have the habit of praising children. |
B.Children should know their mistakes as soon as possible. |
C.We should praise children honestly and tell them their mistakes. |
D.What children with high self-confidence are like. |
I have been a student at Bentley College in Waltham for some time now, so I have a lot of experience and know how things work at Bentley. As a freshman(新生)at Bentley College you will be living in the Tree Dorms, Slade Hall or Miller Hall. I would highly suggest that you choose to live in the Tree Dorms because this is where most fresh-men are going to be living. There will be a lot of activities going on in the building and you will meet lots of people. Slade Hall is next to the parking lot(停车场)and not far from the Tree Dorms, so that would be your second choice. As Miller Hall is small and far away, it would be my last choice for freshmen housing. If Bentley offers you the chance to live with second or third year students you’d better refuse their offer and live with freshmen. Living with your classmates will make the transition (过渡) into college life a lot easier.
As a freshman your classes should be easy. After freshman year your classes will become a lot more difficult, so I advise that you get down to business early in the first year. There are two very easy things you can do to increase your knowledge as a freshman. The first is to just go to class and the second is to always do your homework. I also highly advise that you do it on your own and try to stay disciplined(遵守纪律的). It is too easy to put your homework away and then get really behind and not be able to learn everything before a mid-term or final exam. The author advises freshmen to live in the Tree Dorms because ___________.
A.it is across the parking lot from Slade Hall |
B.it is small and quite far away from the playground |
C.there are many second and third year students there |
D.there are many freshmen and more activities |
Where is Slade Hall?
A.Near Miller Hall. |
B.Far from Tree Dorms. |
C.Beside the car park. |
D.Near the classrooms. |
According to the author, how can freshmen improve knowledge?
A.Remember to do homework by discussing it with others. |
B.Finish homework and go to class every day. |
C.Try to spend more time in the library. |
D.Be able to learn something before a mid-term or final exam. |
The author writes the passage to ___________.
A.tell new students how to get used to college life |
B.tell new students about their teachers and dormitory |
C.show the differences between college and high school |
D.tell readers about some funny things at Bentley College |
One day an old woman was traveling alone in the mountains. Suddenly she saw something shining in the stream. When she came close, she found it was a precious stone. She put the stone into her bag and went on with her trip.
The next day the old woman met a young man, who was also a traveler in the mountains. The young man looked very hungry, so the old woman opened her bag to share her food. The hungry traveler saw the precious stone and asked carefully, “The stone is beautiful. Would you like to give it to me?”
“Sure. Why not?” the woman said, and handed the stone to him.
The young man left happily with the stone. He knew it was worth enough to give him security for a lifetime. But a few days later he came back to return the stone to the woman.
“I’ve been thinking,” he said. “I know how valuable the stone is, but I give it back and hope that you can give me something even more precious. Give me what you have within your bag.”
The woman opened her bag. It was almost empty. She looked at the young man and smiled, “I have nothing special in my bag, but I do have something precious — the joy of giving!”
The young man felt ashamed and left silently.How did the young man find the precious stone?
A.He found it in his food. | B.He dug it out in a valley. |
C.He saw it in the woman’s bag. | D.He noticed it shining in the stream. |
What does the underlined word “security” in Paragraph 4 probably mean?
A.Money. | B.Worry. | C.Health. | D.Trouble. |
The man returned the stone to the woman because ______.
A.he found the stone was not precious |
B.he understood the real meaning of joy |
C.he felt embarrassed at taking away the stone |
D.he wanted to get something even more precious |
Which of the following would be the best title of the passage?
A.A special stone | B.The joy of giving |
C.A woman and a young man | D.An experience in the mountains |