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A Swiss airplane powered only by energy from the sun left from Abu Dhabi early on March 9. Its creators hope the plane will make the first around-the-world journey without any fuel.
The plane is called Solar Impulse 2. It has one seat and is made from carbon fiber. The plane weighs only as much as a car but its wings are wider than a Boeing 747. The plane's wings stretch 72 meters across.
Those wings include 17,000 solar units, or cells, that capture the sun's energy. The energy allows the plane to fly day and night.
Two Swiss scientists built the plane. Bertrand Piccard is also an explorer who made the first non-stop flight around the world in a balloon. Andrew Borschberg is an engineer and trained fighter pilot.
The scientists say they are not trying to change the airplane industry. Instead, they want to show that new energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible.
"We want to show we can fly day and night in an aircraft without a drop of fuel,'' Mr. Piccard said.
Some parts of the trip will require the pilots to be in the tiny plane for five to six days and nights in a row. So it is good that the pilot's seat is also a toilet.
The plane's route begins in the United Arab Emirates. The pilots also plan stops in Oman, India, and China. They will cross the Pacific Ocean, stop in the United States, and continue over southern Europe or North Africa. They plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates in late July or early August.
Internet viewers can go to the Solar Impulse website to see the plane's location and listen to broadcasts from the pilots.What does the passage mainly discuss___________?
| A．A new airplane-Solar Impulse 2 |
| B．A Swiss airplane |
| C．The first around-the-world journey |
| D．The airplane industry |
What’s the main idea of Paragraph 2___________?
| A．the weight of Solar Impulse 2 |
| B．the material of Solar Impulse 2 |
| C．an introduction of Solar Impulse 2 |
| D．the wings of Solar Impulse 2 |
Form the passage, what do we know about Bertrand Piccard__________?
| A．He made the first non-stop flight around the world. |
| B．He is a trained fighter pilot. |
| C．He is from the United Arab Emirates. |
| D．He built the plane alone. |
Which one is NOT true_________?
| A．New energy sources and technologies can achieve what some say is impossible. |
| B．The scientists are trying to change the airplane industry. |
| C．The plane's route begins in the United Arab Emirates. |
| D．The pilots plan to arrive back in the United Arab Emirates |
In which part of newspaper can you most probably find this passage____________?
| A．Health | B．Life | C．Travelling | D．Technology |
The longest solar eclipse (日食) of the century cast a wide shadow for several minutes over Asia and the Pacific Ocean on 22th July, drawing people outside to watch the sight in the sky.
Day turned into night. Temperature turned cooler in cities and villages filled with fans of astronomy. The total eclipse could be seen starting in India on Wednesday morning and moving eastward across China and parts of the Pacific. Millions cast their eyes towards the heavens to catch an unusual view of the sun’s colorful ring. Cloud in some areas prevented people from fully enjoying the sight. Still, many were frightened.
The total eclipse occurs about twice a year as the moon passes between the earth and the sun on the same plane as earth’s circle.
The local astronomy society gave a flash on how an eclipse happens. Wednesday’s event lasted up to more than six minutes in some places. In India, thousands bathed in the Ganges River in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi to clean their souls. It was sunny sky in Hong Kong for the eclipse, where students, parents and the elderly flooded in a primary school to watch.
In Shanghai, children climbed up ladders to look through two large telescopes on the school roof to catch sight of the moon moving across the sun. Others looked through a pair of glasses covered with solar filter (过滤器) paper, where they could take pictures of the moon moving over the sun.
In some cultures, many old stories are about eclipse. In India, a eclipse was considered unfavorable. In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to frighten off the dog and save the sun.What can we learn about the longest solar eclipse of the century?
| A．Not everyone in the world could see the longest eclipse. |
| B．Any of the Asians was excited to watch the eclipse. |
| C．All people saw the longest solar eclipse on Wednesday. |
| D．The Chinese all caught sight of the total eclipse at the same time. |
What does the text imply about the total solar eclipse?
| A．All people watched the solar eclipse for at least six minutes. |
| B．In ancient China, people couldn’t understand this phenomenon. |
| C．Your eyes must be hurt without filter equipment while watching. |
| D．You can watch the total solar eclipse directly only with your eyes. |
Which of the following statements about eclipse is TURE according to the text？
| A．Most Chinese people used to think eclipses would bring about misfortunes. |
| B．Chinese fathers were pleased to watch solar eclipses. |
| C．Indians think bad fortune will come about along with eclipses. |
| D．The Chinese people are too frightened to go outside when eclipses occur. |
Where can we see the eclipse start?
| A．In Shanghai. | B．In India. | C．In Hong Kong. | D．In the Pacific Ocean. |
With the crazy smog going on in China, businessmen are now ready to grope for your wallet. “Smog economy” is stimulating a shopping spree on certain products against the terrible weather. Now let’s see what we have on the list to help us through the crisis.
1. Masks
Well, I would say you had better stay indoors to save your lives. PM 2.5 just surged up to 750 in Beijing recently. 3M just sold 220,000 masks of a kind. No.1 best-selling products!
2. Air purifiers
This kind of products is rarely seen in Chinese households in the past. They have become a necessity now. I do like these little gadgets, but they are just too expensive.
3. Oxygen inhalers
I didn’t realize oxygen inhalers also get a cut in the smog economy. As a matter of fact, your oxygen uptake has nothing to with relieving (减轻) the impact of smog. It might even lead to oxygen poisoning when you inhale too much oxygen. So don’t get greedy.
4. Salt lamps
Compared to oxygen inhalers, salt lamps are even worse. Some stores are selling the products at several hundred yuan, saying that they can release negative ions(离子), reduce radiation levels and purify the air. The lamps mainly contain sodium chloride. The boiling point of sodium is about 800 degrees centigrade and that of candle is 500. So how on earth can negative ions be released at only 500 degrees?
5. Plants that absorb smog
Yeah, right. Plants Vs Smog. It is scientifically justified (证明) that some plants do absorb pollutants from the air. Money plants and calla lilies are among the best-sellers in the market. Even if they don’t work, it’s good to have some plants in the house anyway.According to the passage, smog _______.
| A．give some economic chances to businessmen |
| B．is very bad to economy |
| C．makes some crisis come out |
| D．have nothing to do with the economy |
What is the meaning of the underlined word?
| A．Giving up shopping. | B．Feeling down in shopping. |
| C．Having a lot to buy. | D．Buying something enthusiastically. |
Salt lamps are useless, because_______.
| A．it may cause poisoning |
| B．it actually can’t release the negative ions |
| C．it reduces radiation level and makes the air dirty |
| D．the prize is very high |
How many ways does the author think are useful?
| A．2. | B．3. | C．4. | D．5. |
Jealousy (嫉妒) is a horrible feeling that weeds its way into your life and relationships before you know it. You might want something someone else has, or feel like they’re happier than you. It might seem like an uncontrollable emotion, but it’s truly not!
Remember your big accomplishments. If your coworker gets the promotion you wanted, it doesn’t mean you haven’t done great work. List out your accomplishments and think about how you got them and what you’ve done since then. You’ll quickly find that you’re just as worthy as the person you’re envying!
Appreciate your own good fortune. Think of where you are in your life and how you got there. Did you just buy your first car? Are you able to save one paycheck each month? Are you surrounded by loving family and amazing friends? You have a lot of good things，and you have a lot of good fortune coming your way. Stop letting jealousy eat you alive and realize that you can better spend that energy on furthering your own success and happiness.
Appreciate that others can do what you can’t. How boring would life be if everyone was the same? What if the entire population of your city was applying for your job, and they all had the same qualifications? Appreciate that everyone is different. Some people are better in powerful management positions, while maybe you’re better working with people. A friend might be an excellent artist—a quality you’re envious of, but don’t forget that you’re a great musician! Acknowledge that people need to be different, need to be better at various things.Jealousy is an emotion that ________.
| A．you feel others do better than you |
| B．can go into your soul without being noticed |
| C．positive enough to make yourself do better |
| D．makes you as worthy as the person you’re envying |
We should appreciate that others can do what you can’t, because _______.
| A．you can further your own success and happiness |
| B．things in the world are various |
| C．the entire population of your city is applying for your job |
| D．you’re worthless compared to anyone else |
When will you probably be Jealous of someone?
| A．When your coworker gets the promotion you wanted. |
| B．When you buy your first car. |
| C．When you are surrounded by loving family and friends. |
| D．When your friend become an artist. |
What is the main idea of the passage?
| A．Jealousy is a bad feeling. |
| B．Jealousy may influence your life and relationship. |
| C．What should we do when Jealousy arises? |
| D．Why we must keep away from Jealousy? |
(Reuters)—A MalaysiaAirlinesflight carrying 227 passengers and 12 crew was presumed to have crashed off the Vietnamese coast on Saturday, and European officials said two people on board were using false identities.
There were no reports of bad weather and no sign of why the Boeing 777-200ER would have vanished from radar screens about an hour after it took off from Kuala Lumpur for Beijing.
“We are not ruling out any possibilities,” MalaysiaAirlinesCEO Ahmad Jauhari Yahya told a news conference.
By the early hours of Sunday, there were no confirmed signs of the plane or any wreckage, well over 24 hours after it went missing. Operations will continue through the night, officials said.
There were no indications of sabotage (蓄意破坏) nor claims of an attack. But the passenger list issued by the airline included the names of two Europeans—Austrian Christian Kozel and Italian Luigi Maraldi—who, according to their foreign ministries, were not in fact on the plane.
A foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna said: “Our embassy got the information that there was an Austrian on board. That was the passenger list from Malaysia Airlines. Our system came back with a note that this is a stolen passport.”
Austrian police had found the man safe at home. The passport was stolen two years ago while he was travelling inThailand, the spokesman said.
The foreign ministry in Rome said no Italian was on the plane either, despite the inclusion of Maraldi’s name on the list. His mother, Renata Lucchi, told Reuters his passport was lost, presumed stolen, inThailandin 2013.
U.S. and European security officials said that there was no proof of any terrorist link and there could be other explanations for the use of stolen passports.What was Ahmad Jauhari Yahya’s attitude?
| A．Uncertain. | B．Negative. | C．Positive. | D．Confident. |
According to the passage, the foreign ministry spokesman in Vienna had made sure ______.
| A．two passports had been stolen by two Europeans |
| B．Christian Kozel was the man who kidnapped the plane |
| C．the Austrian on board was actually at home |
| D．Christian Kozel lied to the police |
Which of the following is true about Maraldi?
| A．He was from Austria. |
| B．He was found safe at home. |
| C．His mother was sad when she saw his name on the list. |
| D．His passport was lost in Thailand. |
Who should be responsible for the missing of the plane according to the passage?
| A．Terrorists. | B．Two people using false identities. |
| C．We are not sure. | D．Christian Kozel and Luigi Maraldi. |
The Albinas married when Mr. Albina was 30, and they spent the early marriage in Argentina. Then they decided to move to Chile, which meant they had to cross the Andes Mountains. They and their 20s sons made the difficult two-week journey on horses. One night there was a terrible snow storm in the mountains, during which Mrs Albina gave birth to triplets (三胞胎), a boy and two girls.
Mrs Albina now has 30 more girls, including the twins who are 15 months old. The oldest Albina children are in their 30s and 40s. They are on their own now, but 18 of the kids still live with their parents in a two-room house. The house has electricity but no toilet or running water. Clearly, the Albinas don’t have enough money and food for the big family. Why, then, do they continue to have children?
The Albinas do not use birth control because it is against their religion. They can let other people take care of their kids, but Mrs Albina doesn’t allow it. “When we were babies,” she said, “our mother left us at an orphanage and never returned. Then a couple adopted my brothers, and I was left behind. I was heartbroken. I promised that when I became a mother I would never give my children away.”
So the Albina family continues to grow. They have so many kids that they run out of names and have to give some children the same name. There are three Susannas, three Miriams, two Estrellas, and two Soledades.
Will the family stop at 53 kids? Mr Albina is 77, and Mrs Albina is 59. “I am getting old,” she said with a smile, “and I would like God to think of me and consider my age. But if God sends more children to me, yes, there will be more.”What is said about the children in the Albinas in the passage?
| A．Some children are raised by others. |
| B．God sent the children to the Albinas. |
| C．The children are all twins or triplets. |
| D．Most of the children are independent now. |
It can be inferred from the passage that______.
| A．Mrs Albina experienced a hard childhood |
| B．the Albinas would like to use birth control |
| C．ten kids in the family share the same name |
| D．the Albina family has lived in three countries |
How old was Mrs Albina when the Albinas got married?
| A．30. | B．25. | C．12. | D．18. |
What is the attitude of Mrs. Albina to continuing to have babies?
| A．He is very positive. |
| B．He doesn’t want to have more. |
| C．He hopes God will give them more. |
| D．He lets nature take its course. |