The exploration of Mars entered a new phase as Spirit，the first of US twin rovers, landed on the Red Planet later Saturday.
The rover can work as a robotic field geologist and can see sharper images，explore farther and examine rocks better than anything that's ever landed on Mars, scientists at the US space agency NASA said.
Spirit, as big as a mini-car, is equipped with a suite of scientific instruments that will be used to read the geologic record at the landing site, to investigate what role water played there, and to determine how suitable the conditions would have been for life.
It has a panoramic (全景的)camera at human-eye height, and a miniature thermal emission spectrometer with infrared (红外线的)vision that can help scientists identify the most interesting rocks.
The six-wheeled rover can watch for hazards and maneuvers around them and has a deck of solar panels，about the size of a kitchen table, for power. It can drive to the selected rock and extend an arm with tools on the end.
A microscopic imager, like a geologist's hand lens, can give a close-up view of the rock's texture. Two spectrometers can identify the composition of the rock and the fourth tool, which substitutes (代替)for a geologist's hammer, can expose the fresh interior of a rock by scraping away the weathered surface layer.
Spirit will stop at Gusev Crater(坑)，a bowl bigger than the US state of Connecticut that appears to have held a lake long ago. Scientists will use the robot's instruments to seek and analyze geological evidence about past environmental conditions in the crater.
If sedimentary (沉积的)rocks lie on the surface，they may yield telltale (泄密的)clues to whether the crater ever did hold a wet environment that might have been suitable for sustaining life, scientists said. Which would be the best title of this passage?
| A．Spirit opens new phase on exploration of Mars. |
| B．Spirit, the first rover on Mars. |
| C．The successful landing of Spirit on Mars. |
| D．Spirit, a new invention for exploration of Mars. |
The chief purpose of Spirit from the passage is to ______.
| A．take clearer pictures of Mars |
| B．examine more rocks on Mars |
| C．search for water at Gusev Crater |
| D．look for past signs of water on Mars |
The author mainly tells us in this passage ______.
| A．what Spirit is like |
| B．how Spirit will deal with difficulties on Mars |
| C．what Spirit will do on Mars |
| D．what Spirit is equipped with |
This passage probably comes from ______ .
| A．a research paper |
| B．a news report |
| C．a new invention introduction |
| D．a science fiction |
Deserts are found where there is little rainfall or where rain for a whole year falls in only a few weeks' time. Ten inches of rain may be enough for many plants to survive (存活)if the rain is spread throughout the year, If it falls within one or two months and the rest of the year is dry, those plants may die and a desert may form.
Sand begins as tiny pieces of rock that get smaller and smaller as wind and weather wear them down. Sand dunes (沙丘) are formed as winds move the sand across the desert. Bit by bit, the dunes grow over the years, always moving with the winds and changing the shape. Most of them are only a few feet tall, but they can grow to be several hundred feet high.
There is, however, much more to a desert than sand. In the deserts of the southwestern United States, cliffs (悬崖) and deep valleys were formed from thick mud that once lay beneath a sea more than millions of years ago. Over the centuries, the water dried up. Wind, sand, rain, heat and cold all wore away at the remaining rocks. The faces of the desert mountains are always changing –-very, very slowly ---as these forces of nature continue to work on the rock.
Most deserts have a surprising variety of life. There are plants, animals and insects that have adapted to life in the desert. During the heat of the day a visitor may see very few signs of living things, but as the air begins to cool in the evening, the desert comes to life. As the sun begins to rise again in the sky, the desert once again becomes quiet and lonely.Many plants may survive in deserts when__________________.
| A．it is dry all the year round |
| B．the rain falls only in a few weeks |
| C．there is little rain in a year |
| D．the rain is spread out in a year |
Sand dunes are formed when___________________.
| A．sand piles up gradually |
| B．there is plenty of rain in a year |
| C．the sea has dried up over the years |
| D．pieces of rock get smaller |
The underlined sentence in the third paragraph probably means that in a desert there is____________.
| A．too much sand |
| B．more sand than before |
| C．nothing except sand |
| D．something else besides sand |
It can be learned from the text that in a desert____________.
| A．there is no rainfall throughout the year |
| B．life exists in rough conditions |
| C．all sand dunes are a few feet high |
| D．rocks are worn away only by wind and heat |
Eating too much fatty food, exercising too little and smoking can raise your future risk of heart disease. But there is another factor that can cause your heart problems more immediately: the air you breathe.
Previous studies have linked high exposure (暴露）to environmental pollution to an increased risk of heart problem, but two analyses now show that poor air quality can lead to heart attack or stroke (中风）within as little as a few hours after exposure. In one review of the research, scientists found that people exposed to high levels of pollutants (污染物）were up to 5% more likely to suffer a heart attack within days of exposure than those with lower exposure. A separate study of stroke patients showed that even air that the U. S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) considers to be of “moderate” (良好）quality and relatively safe for our health can raise the risk of stroke as much as 34% within 12 to 14 hours of exposure.
The authors of both studies stress that these risks are relatively small for healthy people and certainly modest compared with other risk factors such as smoking and high blood pressure. However, it is important to be aware of these dangers because everyone is exposed to air pollution regardless of lifestyle choices. So stricter regulation by the EPA of pollutants may not only improve environmental air quality but could also become necessary to protect public health.The text mainly discusses the relationship between ______ .
| A．heart problems and air quality |
| B．heart problems and exercising |
| C．heart problems and smoking |
| D．heart problems and fatty food |
The underlined word “modest” in Paragraph 3 most probably means ______ .
| A．relatively high | B．extremely low |
| C．relatively low | D．extremely high |
The author’s purpose of writing the text is most likely to _______.
| A．describe | B．persuade | C．inform | D．entertain |
There are many wetlands in China and some of them have become the world’s important wetlands. The Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands are among them. They are in Yancheng, Jiangsu Province. They are home for many different kinds of birds and animals. The world’s largest Milu Deer Nature Reserve(麋鹿自然保护区) is in them. More than 700 Milu deer live freely there. There are not many red-crowned cranes（丹顶鹤）in the world, but every winter you can see some in the Red-crown Cranes Nature Reserve in the Yellow Sea Wetlands.
The temperature in the wetlands is usually neither too high nor too low. There is a lot of rain and sunshine, too. They are really good places for wildlife. Offering food and home for some special kinds of animals and birds is not the only reason why we need to protect wetlands. Wetlands are important because they also prevent flood. But some people want to change the wetlands to make more space for farms and buildings. This means there will be less and less space for the wildlife.
Luckily, more and more people are beginning to realize the importance of wetlands and wildlife. Every year, on February 2nd, many activities are held to tell people more about wetlands.The Yellow Sea Wetlands are in the ________ part of China.
| A．Northeast | B．northwest |
| C．southeast | D．southwest |
What is the weather usually like in the wetlands?
| A．Hot | B．Dry | C．Cold | D．Mild |
When is the World Wetlands Day?
| A．On June 25th. | B．On April 22nd. |
| C．On March 23rd | D．On February 2nd. |
What is the best title for the text?
| A．Wetlands ---- Valuable Land on the Earth |
| B．China’s Wetlands Are in the World’s List |
| C．Wetlands ---- Home for Wildlife and Human Beings |
| D．Special Animals in the Chinese Yellow Sea Wetlands |
There are some differences between American English and British English. Some differences are quite interesting.
When my friend Lily from London used the word “larder”, I didn’t know what it meant. Realizing I didn’t follow her, she used another word. I finally knew she wanted to find something to keep some food. The next word came up when we were planning a lunch date. She jotted down the date and time in her diary, while I marked my calendar. If she called me on the phone, she would ring me up. But if the line was busy, she would say the line was engaged.
Most times, I can know what Lily means. Last week, she regretted sending her boys to watch an early morning tennis game without their fleeces. I thought that she meant without their jackets or something like that. Other times, we have to ask each other. She recently told me a funny tale about a pissed woman. I wondered what had made the lady angry. It turns out that pissed means drunk.
Here is one more example. My British friend Jane was filling out a ticket at the grocery store recently. She asked the young man to help her if he had a rubber. When she noticed he didn’t follow her, she quickly asked for an eraser, which, in England, is often called a rubber.
In order to communicate well with British people, we Americans should learn some words that the British use differently. And I think people who learn English as a second language should also realize that there are differences between American English and British English. When Lily used the word “larder”, she was probably looking for a ______.
| A．cup | B．ladder |
| C．cupboard | D．cooker |
According to the passage, in British English ______.
| A．the word “pissed” means angry |
| B．the word “jacket” is often used |
| C．the word “engaged” means tired |
| D．the word “rubber” means eraser |
What does the underlined phrase “jotted down” in Pragraph2 mean?
| A．Wrote down | B．Cared about |
| C．Looked for | D．Settled down |
What is the passage mainly about?
| A．The British way of using words. |
| B．Some new words the writer’s British friends taught her. |
| C．The reasons why Americans can’t followed the British at times. |
| D．Some words used differently in British English and American English. |
Lisa: My best teacher is my geography teacher in 10th grade. Why? Because we did school projects! Back then I wrote about India and never forgot what I had learned. He brought the culture to life by letting me become part of it. He also listened to us and was always ready with a kind word.
David: My best teacher is my high school social studies and history teacher, Thomas Ladenburg. He respected us, though we were just teenagers. His class was never boring because he often asked us to discuss in class. He used his own materials which made the class very interesting.
Henry: My best ever teacher is my biology teacher in high school. I really liked her class. She explained everything very clearly. She also checked our notebooks to make sure we had written down what she said. Now, many years later, I can still remember a large part of the things she taught!
Susan: The best teacher I have ever had is my 10th grade social studies teacher. She was always in a good mood and kept us laughing. She was really young, so she acted like us teenagers, which made learning fun. If we needed to talk to an adult about a problem, we would always come to her because we knew she could help us.
Tom: My favourite teacher is Mr. Yelle. He taught us math, science and music. He spoke to us “at eye level”, and was very patient and kind. We did great projects for the science fairs. Forty years later, I still remember his lessons very well. By the way, though he was called Mr Yelle, he didn’t yell(喊叫).We learn that when she was in 10th grade, Lisa ________.
| A．was always ready with a kind word |
| B．often forgot what she had learned very easily |
| C．liked doing school projects in the geography class |
| D．was interested in India the most in the geography class |
How did David most probably find Thomas Ladenburg’s class?
| A．Difficult. | B．Lively. | C．Useless. | D．Long. |
We can learn that Susan’s 10th grade social studies teacher _______.
| A．was good at listening to her students’ problems |
| B．liked laughing at her students’ problems |
| C．was not happy when she had a problem |
| D．didn’t like taking her students as friends |