Humans may not have landed on Mars (火星) just yet, but that isn’t stopping a European company from devising a plan to send four people to the Red Planet within the next few years. This project, called Mars One, aims to send a small group of people to Mars in 2022 and eventually establish a permanent colony on the planet.
“Everything we need to go to Mars exists,” said Mars One co-founder Bas Lansdorp in March 2014. “We have the rockets to send people to Mars, the equipment to land on Mars, the robots to prepare the settlement for humans. For a one-way mission, all the technology exists.” Yet the four astronauts chosen for the trip will be stuck on Mars—forever. And despite Mars One’s thorough planning, there are a number of challenges that may prevent the mission from ever taking place. The biggest road block could be the mission's huge cost ($6 billion). However, Lansdorp is confident that Mars One will be able to fund the project by selling the broadcast rights for the mission and subsequent experiences living on the planet.
Those broadcast rights will also play a part in helping to select the people who will be sent to Mars. Lansdorp said the company will hold a selection process similar to a reality show. Lansdorp is expecting at least 1 million applications from people around the world. In addition to the cost, several other potential problems could inhibit (阻止) the mission to Mars.
“It’s even more challenging to send people there with life support, with food, with air, with all the other things like books, entertainment, means of communication and of providing for their own resources for a long stay on Mars,” said Adam Baker, senior lecturer in space engineering at Kingston University in London. “The size of the rockets you’d need to do this would be absolutely colossal.”According to Project Mars One, humans could send four people to Mars within the next ________years.
A.seven | B.eight | C.ten | D.six |
According to Bas Lansdorp, which of the following is NOT TRUE?
A.Robots are prepared for the settlement for humans. |
B.He could not come up with the fund for Mars One. |
C.We humans have the rockets to send people to Mars. |
D.The equipment is ready for humans to land on Mars. |
The word “colossal” in the last paragraph is closest in meaning to ___________.
A.very large | B.very small |
C.medium | D.average |
Which of the following is an appropriate title for this passage?
A.Ready for a Round Trip to Mars |
B.Ready for a Short Visit to Mars |
C.Ready for a One-way Trip to Mars |
D.Ready for a Walk on Mars |
“In our time,” Marx once wrote, “change is upon the world and cannot be stopped as we wish. The thing now is to understand it.” Marx devoted his life to understanding that change.
Born in Trier in 1818, he came from a rich, middle—class family. Many of his relatives believed in Judaism,but his father had changed to believe in Protestantism(新教) in order to become a lawyer. After studying at the universities of Bonn and Berlin, Marx became interested in politics in his early twenties and in 1848 wrote The Communist Manifesto, together with his life-long friend Friedrich Engels.
Revolution broke out throughout Europe in 1848 and Marx was forced to leave Germany when it failed in 1849. He moved to London, where he spent the rest of his life, working in the British Museum.
His stay in the house in Dean Street in Soho was a time of great hardship for Marx and his family. He was surviving almost on the money provided by Engels and on the very little money he earned as the foreign reporter for a newspaper in New York.
Three of his six children died during the time in Soho and, Marx even had to borrow money in order to bury one of them. Only when Marx’s wife Jenny got 120 pounds after her mother died was the family able to move out of Soho and into a slightly better house in Kentish Town.
Marx died on March 14th ,1883, and was buried in Highgate Cemetery in north London.
60.Why did Karl Marx’s father change his belief from Judaism to Protestantism?
A.For his son’s education. B.For his career development.
C.Not to be looked down on. D.To move to another country.
61.Why did Karl Max leave Germany?
A.He was offered a job by the British Museum.B.He couldn’t find work in Germany.
C.The political situation was very dangerous for him. D.He wanted to write a book.
62.Which of the following statements is true?
A.Karl Marx lived a happy life in Soho, London
B.Karl Marx suffered the death of more than half his children
C.Karl Marx was born in a poor family
D.Karl Marx lived a better life after his mother-in-law died
63.Which is the right order of the following facts?
a. Marx’s family moved to Kentish Town.
b. Marx wrote The Communist Manifesto with Engels.
c. He began to work as the foreign reporter for a newspaper.
d. Marx had to leave Germany because of the failure of the revolution.
A. b d a c B. b d c a C. c a b d D. c b d a
第三部分:阅读理解(共两节满分 40分)
第一节(共15小题每小题 2 分,满分 30 分)
阅读下列短文,从每题所给的A、B、C、D 四个选项中选出最佳选项
While many modern forms of communication like phone calls, e-mails, and letters, are extremely convenient, in my opinion, nothing beats speaking to another person face to face.
The first and most obvious advantage that a face-to-face communication has over a letter and
e-mail is that there is the ability to interactively converse. If the sender of a letter or an email does not write clearly, then much time must be spent in clearing up the misunderstanding. In a face-to-face conversation, misunderstandings are easily dealt with because of the interactive nature of it.
I would still argue that the face-to-face conversation is better because you can see the other person. Not all communication is verbal; the meaning of much of what we say depends on our body language and the tone of voice. Joking and irony are particularly difficult to express and enjoy without seeing the expression on someone’s face, or watching the movements of their body.
Finally, if the goal of communication is to maintain or deepen the relationship with someone, the face-to-face communication offers the choice of communication by touch even if we could communicate by the video. Trust and respect between business partners can be established with a firm handshake. No amount of body language can convey the excitement of a high five between friends, and no number of words can communicate the comforting embrace of a loved one. Touch is the first basic method of our human relationship before spoken language, and it is only available when people communicate face to face.
56. Which of the following is the best title for the passage?
A. How to communicate more effectively.
B. The importance of using body language in communication
C. Face-to-face communication, the best way of communicating
D. Comparison of different communication forms
57.Which of the following is NOT true in the passage?
A. A letter or e-mail is always written unclearly.
B. Business partners can show trust through a firm handshake.
C. During a conversation, body language is also important.
D. The face-to-face conversation is a way of communication.
58.The author’s attitude towards forms of communication is .
A.Modern forms of communication like phone calls and e-mails are extremely convenient.
B. Traditional ways of communication are out of date and should fall into disuse.
C. Face-to-face communication can only be used among strangers.
D.Face-to-face communication has advantages over the other ways of communication.
59. What does the underlined word“maitain”in last paragraph mean?
A .keep B. stand C. destroy D. reduce
Some futurologists have assumed that the vast increase of women in the workforce may portend(预示)a rejection of marriage. Many women, according to this hypothesis, would rather work than marry. The opposite of this concern is that the outlook of becoming a multi-paycheck household could encourage marriage. In the past, only the earnings and financial prospects of the man counted in the marriage decision. Now, however, the earning ability of a woman can make her more attractive as a marriage partner. Data show that economic downturns tend to put off marriage because the parties cannot afford to establish a family or are concerned about rainy days ahead. As the economy comes to life, the number of marriages also rises.
The increase in divorce rates follows to the increase in women working outside the home. Yet, it may be wrong to jump to any simple cause-and-effect conclusions. The effect of a wife’s work on divorce is no less cloudy than its effect on marriage decisions. The realization that she can be a good provider may increase the chances that a working wife will choose divorce over an unsatisfactory marriage. But the reverse is equally plausible(似是而非的). Tensions grounded in financial problems often play a key role in ending a marriage. By raising a family’s standard of living, a working wife may strengthen her family’s financial and emotional stability.
Psychological factors also should be considered. For example, a wife blocked from a career outside the home may feel caged in the house. She may view her only choice as seeking a divorce. On the other hand, if she can find fulfillment through work outside the home, work and marriage can go together to create a stronger and more stable union.
Also, a major part of women’s inequality in marriage has been due to the fact that, in most cases, men have remained the main breadwinners. A working wife may rob a husband of being the master of the house. Depending upon how the couple reacts to these new conditions, it could create a stronger equal partnership or it could create new insecurities.
71. It is said in the passage that when the economy moves to a worse situation, _________.
A. men would choose working women as their marriage partners
B. more women would get married to seek financial security
C. even working women would worry about their marriages
D. more people would prefer to remain single for the time being
72. The underlined word “rejection” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to _________.
A. accepting B. refusing C. producing D. confusing
73. If women find fulfillment through work outside the home, _________.
A. they are more likely to control their marriage partners
B. their husbands are expected to do more housework
C. their marriage ties can be strengthened
D. they tend to put their career before marriage
74. One reason why women with no career may seek a divorce is that ________.
A. they feel that they have been robbed of their freedom
B. they are afraid of being bossed around by their husbands
C. they feel that their partners fail to live up to their expectations
D. they tend to suspect their husbands loyalty to their marriage
75. Which of the following statements can best summarize the authors view in the passage?
A. The stability of marriage and the divorce rate may reflect the economic situation of the country.
B. Even when economically independent, most women have to struggle for real equality in marriage.
C. In order to secure their marriage women should work outside the home and remain independent.
D. The effect of the growing female workforce on marriage varies from case to case.
Are some people born clever, and others born stupid? Or is intelligence developed by our environment and our experiences? Strangely enough,the answer to both these questions is yes. To some extent our intelligence is given to us at birth,and no amount of special education can make a genius out of a child born with low intelligence. On the other hand, a child who lives in a boring environment will develop his intelligence less than one who lives in rich and varied surroundings. Thus the limits of a person’s intelligence are fixed at birth,but whether or not he reaches those limits will depend on his environment。This view, now held by most experts can be supported in a number of ways.
It is easy to say that intelligence is to some extent something we are born with. The closer the blood relationship between two people, the closer they are likely to be in intelligence. Thus if we take two unrelated people at random from the population, it is likely that their degrees of intelligence will be completely different. If on the other hand we take two identical twins, they will very likely be as intelligent as each other. Relations like brothers and sisters,parents and children,usually have similar intelligence, and this clearly suggests that intelligence depends on birth.
Imagine that now we take two identical twins and put them in different environments. We might send one, for example, to a university and the other to a factory where the work is boring. We would soon find differences in intelligence developing, and this indicates that environment as well as birth plays a part. This conclusion is also suggested by the fact that people who live in close contact with each other, but who are not related at all, are likely to have similar degrees of intelligence.
67. By using the example that two people closer in blood relationship are closer in intelligence that writer wants to prove _ .
A. intelligence is given at birth
B. intelligence can be developed by environment
C. intelligence can be developed by experience
D. education plays an important part in the development of education
68. A child who lives in rich and varied surroundings turns out higher in intelligence because ________.
A. his family is rich and therefore can afford to develop his intelligence
B. he can break the limits of intelligence fixed at birth
C. his family is rich and provides him with various healthy food
D. these surroundings are likely to help him reach the limits of their intelligence
69. Writer of this article believes that _________.
A. the development of one’s intelligence is determined by many factors working together
B. environment plays the most important role in the development of intelligence
C. education plays the most important role in the development of intelligence
D. birth plays the most important role in the development of intelligence
70. The best title for this passage might be.
A. IntelligenceB. Birth and Environment
C. The Answer to a Question D. Intelligence and Education
What to expect in the cinema this winter?
The Golden Compass
Running Time: 1 hour 54 min. Release Date: December7, 2007
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Dakota Blue Richards, Directed by: Chris Weitz
12-year-old Lyra is a girl who lives in a world, where human souls take the form of animal companions. When her best friend disappears, Lyra promises to find him. One thing Lyra packs for the trip is a mysterious compass that many people are violently determined to get. What is awaiting her?
I AM Legend
Running Time: 1 hour 42min. Release Date: December14, 2007
Starring: Will Smith, Alice Braga, Dash Mihok,
Robert Neville, a brilliant scientist, isn’t quite brilliant enough to stop a man-made virus from escaping and killing everyone in sight. Somehow, Robert is Virus-free. As Robert realizes that his time may be up, he’s determined to find a way to save the human race—using his own virus-free blood.
This Christmas
Running Time: 1 hour 57 min. Release Date: November 29, 2007
Starring: Laz Alonso, Chris Brown,
It’s Christmas! Time for joy! Love! Gifts! And, oh family. For the first time in many years, the white fields are all coming home. It should be a happy time for all, but after years away, it’s clear that there are plenty of reasons they’ve grown apart. How can all these people and all their secrets survive under one roof? By the time the presents are opened, they are to find out what they have missed for these years—family.
Into the Wild
Running Time: 2hours 20min Release Date: December 22nd, 2007
Starring: Emile Hirsch, Marcia Harden
Freshly graduated from Harvard with a bright future, 22 year-old Christopher instead walked out of his “good” life and into the wild in search of adventure. What happened to him on the way changed this young wanderer into an enduring symbol for countless people. Was Christopher a heroic adventurer or another American loser?
64. The film with the longest running time is _ .
A. The Golden Compass B. I AM Legend
C. This Christmas D. Into the Wild
65. “This Christmas” probably _ .
A. reveals how to choose Christmas gifts for our relatives
B. reveals the secrets to a successful marriage
C. reveals the importance of money to any family
D. reveals the truth of a family and its real problems
66. In the movie “Into the Wild”, the “good” life is probably ___ .
A. adventurous and dangerous B. steady and promising
C. risky and exciting D. poor and depressing