Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions（使命）often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station（ISS）. ISS crewmembers（船员） usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, Internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During the mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS, giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing” in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.What does the word “mimic” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?
| A．Find | B．Lose | C．Change | D．Copy |
Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS ?
| A．They are impatient and annoyed |
| B．They are caring and thoughtful |
| C．They are impatient and annoyed. |
| D．They are excited and curious. |
In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts .
| A．love to see the Earth from space |
| B．find living in space a bit boring and tiring |
| C．regard space life as common |
| D．get more pleasure in space than on the earth |
The passage mainly discusses how astronauts .
| A．spend their free time in space |
| B．connect with people on the Earth |
| C．observe the Earth from space |
| D．work for longer missions in space |
Proverbs (谚语) are quite common in spoken English. We don’t normally put them in a composition or a letter. Sometimes it is helpful if you know what common proverbs mean. Here are a few examples.
1) “Once bitten, twice shy.” If a dog bites me, I shall be twice as careful in future when I see it. This proverb is also used to apply to many things and not only to dogs. If you have been cheated at a shop, you will not go the same shop again.
2) “A bird in the hand is worth two in the bush.” If I am a hunter, trying to catch birds, it is better to catch one than to see two birds in a bush but not able to catch them. Thus this means that what you have already got is better than the chance of being able to get something bigger in future.
3) “Too many cooks spoil the broth (soup)”. When too many people do something, they get in each other’s way and do a bad job.
4) “To pour oil on troubled waters” is to try to calm things down. Oil is lighter than water. If a ship is in trouble at sea, another ship may come to help it. The second ship can send small boats to rescue people. However, it may first pour oil on the sea to make the sea less rough.
5) “Don’t be a dog in a manger(槽)”means“ Don’t be selfish.” In a stable (马房), the manger is the place where the horse’s food is put. Sometimes a dog will sleep in the manger and bark when a horse comes to get its food. The dog does not want to eat the lay in the manger but it will not let the horse eat it.
6) “He is sitting on the fence” means that somebody will not say whether he is in favor of a plan or against it. He is sitting on a fence between two opposing sides, perhaps waiting to see which side will win.
7) “He who pays the piper calls the tune.” A piper is a musician. The man who employs or pays a musician can say what tunes the man will play. Thus this means that if a man provides the money for a plan, he can say how it will be carried out.
8) “You can’t get blood out of a stone” means that you cannot get something from a person who has not got any of the things you want. e. g. you cannot get a million dollars from a poor man.Mr. and Mrs. Smith had a quarrel. Their friend, Mr. Brown, wanted to talk to them. When he came back, he told his wife that he had been trying to help the Smiths by ______.
| A．getting blood out of a stone |
| B．pouring oil on troubled waters |
| C．sitting on the fence |
| D．being a dog in a manger |
Mr. Wang paid for a new school. Some people didn’t like the design of the school but they didn’t argue with Mr. Wang because ______.
| A．once bitten, twice shy |
| B．he was sitting on the fence |
| C．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| D．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
Mrs. Lin wanted to buy a new dress. Her husband suggested that she buy it from a shop near their home. Mrs. Lin disagreed because she had been cheated by that shop. So she said :“I won’t go there again because ______.”
| A．I am sitting on the fence |
| B．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| C．too many cooks spoil the broth |
| D．once bitten, twice shy |
Mr. Brown had quite a good job in Hong Kong but he thought that if he went to Singapore, he might get a much better job with more money and a larger house. His wife didn’t want him to leave his job in Hong Kong and she reminded him that ______.
| A．too many cooks spoil the broth |
| B．a bird in the hand is worth two in the bush |
| C．he who pays the piper calls the tune |
| D．you can not get blood out of a stone |
UFO stands for "unidentified flying object". Many people reported having seen UFOs in the sky. A lot of countries tried to research them and in 1952 they got the name of UFO.
There were several reports published in the 19th century which were related to UFOs. Denison Daily News in its report of 25th January, 1878 wrote that a farmer, Martin, saw a flying object in the sky and it was just like a plate. This was the first time that the word plate had been related to the UFOs.
The first reports on UFOs came during World War II. In 1947 pilot Kenneth Arnold said while he was flying near the Mount Rainer he saw a very bright object in the sky. He said that it was like a plate too. The information given by Kenneth got lots of attention from the media and people.
Several research organizations gave their reports on the UFOs. They showed direct or indirect physical evidence of the UFOs, and sometimes UFOs’ appearance was found on the radar (雷达) screen. Many people tried to take video tapes or photos of the UFOs as testimony. Most UFOs are in saucer shape while many UFOs are like a cigarette or a half ball.
Many films and TV shows are made about UFOs. There are two famous movies which are created on the theme of UFOs and aliens, War of the World and Star Wars. UFOs have created a new field in science which is known as Ufology (飞碟学).Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．The UFOs Martin and Kenneth Arnold saw were in different shapes. |
| B．People named the flying object UFO in the 19th century. |
| C．Martin was the first person that described the flying object as a plate. |
| D．Kenneth Arnold was given little attention for his discovering UFO. |
What does the underlined word " testimony " in the fourth paragraph mean?
| A．Evidence. | B．Research. | C．Mystery. | D．Appearance. |
From the passage, we can infer ______.
| A．the danger of UFOs attracted the media’s attention |
| B．most UFOs’ shapes are changeable |
| C．Ufology was developed a hundred years ago |
| D．the radar helps people get UFO evidence |
The next paragraph following the passage might talk about ________.
| A．famous movies on the UFOs |
| B．different UFOs’shapes |
| C．the effect of UFOs on humans |
| D．the new science —Ufology |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项(A、B、C和D)中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Welcome to our school. You can do a lot of things here. Come and join us.
| Timetable |
|
| Sunday 8:30---11:30 Personal Inventions You can see many inventions by the students; you may also bring your own inventions. |
Monday 19:00---21:00 Space and Man Dr. Thomas West If you want to know more about the universe. |
| Wednesday 19:30---21:00 Modern Medicine Mrs. Lucy Green Would you like to know medical science? |
Friday 18:30---21:00 Computer Science Mr. Harry Morison from Harvard University Learn to use Windows XP. |
You may have a chance to introduce your inventions on _________.
| A．Monday | B．Sunday |
| C．Friday | D．Wednesday |
The person who teaches Computer Science is from___________.
| A．Australia | B．Canada |
| C．America | D．New Zealand |
You may learn something about a disease called TB from __________.
| A．Mr. Morison | B．Dr. West |
| C．Mr. Thomas | D．Mrs. Green |
If you want to learn something about satellites, you can go to the class from______.
| A．19:00 to 21:00 on Monday |
| B．8:30 to 11:30 on Sunday |
| C．18:30 to 21:00 on Friday |
| D．19:30 to 21:00 on Wednesday |
Living with other students can be a wonderful experience. Here are a few tips for student accommodations that can help ensure a great experience and build lifelong friendships: Screen your roommates carefully if you are given a choice. Combining the living spaces of several students into one location can be exciting and rewarding experience for the outgoing students. If you are on the shy side, or prefer a quiet group to study with, pick quieter roommates.
Divide the bills evenly. Some students are far less responsible than their roommates and tend to let their part of the finance slide. Dissatisfaction is quick to build when everyone has to pay the bill for a fellow student who can’t seem to pay his/her share of the money.
Carry your part of the load. Everyone has to clean the bathroom and the kitchen sometime. Don’t avoid your part of responsibility. Student accommodations can get messy and it involves everyone to keep them tidy and healthy.
Think about someone else before you think about yourself. Put your roommates interests above your own. Life will be far enjoyable when everyone is concerned about the feelings property and studies of each other.
Be open and honest. Hostilities (敌意) and frustrations may cause problems that can’t be fixed. Everyone brings different standards and expectations to group living and it’s in everyone’s best interest to put them into the open. Disagreements can be managed more warmly when your are willing to be both open and listen to others. When it comes to the bills, every member is advised to________ .
| A．foot the bill for a fellow student |
| B．let his/her part of the finances slide |
| C．pay his/her own share of money |
| D．take more responsibility than others |
The role “carry your part of the load” means every room member should ________.
| A．avoid making too much noise |
| B．take turns to keep the room tidy |
| C．take care of others when they are ill |
| D．avoid staying up and oversleeping |
To be a good member, one should learn to ________ according to the passage.
| A．choose his/her roommates at random |
| B．balance his/her interests with others |
| C．express his/her disagreement openly and honestly |
| D．tolerate different standards and expectations |
More than 2.25 billion cups of coffee are consumed across the globe each day, and it’s likely that many taste bitter.
Now, a new study suggests that coffee fans can make their drink taste sweeter by simply changing the color of their cups.
Scientists claim that blue and glass mugs, which are popular in some coffee shops, can reduce coffee’s bitterness, without any need for sugar, and that coffee drunk from white cups tastes the bitterest.
To prove their claims, the researchers invited 36 volunteers and used three different colored cups— blue, white and transparent glass—to do an experiment.
In the experiment, coffee consumed from the white cup was found to taste less sweet when compared to the other two colored cups, while the blue cup made the coffee taste the sweetest.
The scientists believe that the color brown may be associated with coffee’s bitterness because coffee in a white cup appears the brownest and tastes the bitterest.
“Our study clearly shows that the color of a coffee cup does influence the perceived (感受到的) taste and flavor of coffee,” said Dr George Doorn of Federation University Australia, “but the potential effects may be different between a one-time purchase and a return customer.”
“Anyhow, the effect of the color of the cup on the flavor of the coffee suggests that café owners, baristas (服务员), as well as coffee cup manufacturers should carefully consider the color of their cups, ” he added.
However, the idea that color can alter the taste of food and drink is not new.
A study published last year revealed that red, strawberry-flavored mousse (慕斯蛋糕) served on a white plate was rated as 10 percent sweeter and 15 percent more flavorous than the same food presented on a black plate. What color of the cup can best reduce coffee’s bitterness without adding sugar?
| A．Blue. | B．Brown. | C．White. | D．Transparent. |
The scientists used ________ to do the experiment to prove their claims.
① different brands of coffee
② different colored coffee cups
③ several volunteers
④ several manufactures
| A．①② | B．②③ | C．②④ | D．③④ |
Why does coffee in white cups taste the least sweet?
| A．Because white cups are not as beautiful as other cups. |
| B．Because white cups make coffee appear the brownest. |
| C．Because white cups reduce the sugar in them. |
| D．Because white cups are better used to serve cakes. |
According to the article, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Black plates increase the sweetness of food and drink. |
| B．Strawberry-flavored mousse is 10 percent sweeter than coffee. |
| C．People consume more than 2.5 billion cups of coffee across the globe every year. |
| D．People can make coffee taste sweeter by changing the color of their coffee cups. |