When Geoff Marcy was 14, his parents bought him a telescope. Every night, he would go onto the roof outside his window to see the wonders of the sky.
“What excited me most was whether there were planets in other solar systems where life might exist,” he says. “I decided to try to find planets orbiting other stars like our Sun.”
And he did. “My fellow researcher, Paul Butler, and I found our first planet in 1995,” Dr. Marcy says. “We worked for ten years without finding anything! But we stuck with it and our patience paid off.”
Since then, the two scientists have discovered 65 of the more than 100 planets found orbiting other stars. Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler also spotted the first “family” of three planets. In June 2002 they announced another discovery: a Jupiter-like planet orbiting star 55Cancri.
At first, the two researchers found only planets that orbit close to stars. Recently, the scientists found planets farther out. The planet orbiting 55Cancri is a major breakthrough: it is the first sighting of a large gas planet about same distance from the star as Jupiter is from the Sun.
Why is this important? Scientists think that life on Earth may exist because of two special features in our solar system. The first is Jupiter. “Because it’s so big, Jupiter pulls comets and asteroids(小行星), or they all come and hit the Earth.” Dr. Marcy explains. “Without Jupiter, life on Earth would likely have been destroyed.”
A second feature is that Earth is a rocky planet where liquid water, which is necessary for life, can exist. Unlike gas planets, rocky planets like Earth have surfaces where water can gather in pools and seas, which may support life. A huge space exists between the Jupiter-like planet and two other planets that lie close to 55Cancri. Is there an Earth-like planet in the space, too small for us to notice? If so, says Dr. Marcy, “We would have two striking similarities to our solar system: a Jupiter-like planet and an Earth-like planet. And there may be life!”What can we learn about Dr. Marcy from the passage?
| A．He is fond of watching Jupiter. |
| B．He is from a scientist family. |
| C．He dislikes working with Paul Butler. |
| D．He is interested in finding life in outer space. |
Which of the following is true of the recent discovery?
| A．The planet is not as protective as Jupiter. |
| B．The planet is close to star 55Cancri. |
| C．The planet proves to be a gas planet. |
| D．The planet is as large as Jupiter. |
Dr. Marcy and Dr. Butler began to find new planets in ____.
| A．1995 | B．1985 | C．2002 | D．1981 |
Dr. Marcy thinks that life may exist in the 55Cancri system because ____.
| A．he has found the system similar to the solar system. |
| B．he has discovered an Earth-like planet there. |
| C．he has discovered a rocky planet there. |
| D．he has found signs of life in the system |
Why do Americans struggle with watching their weight, while the French, who consume rich food, continue to stay thin? Now a research by Cornell University suggests how life style and decisions about eating may affect weight. Researchers concluded that the French tend to stop eating when they feel full. However, Americans tend to stop when their plate is empty or their favorite TV show is over.
According to Dr. Joseph Mercola, a health expert, the French see eating as an important part of their life style. They enjoy food and therefore spend a fairly long time at the table, while Americans see eating as something to be squeezed between the other daily activities. Mercola believes Americans lose the ability to sense when they are actually full. So they keep eating long after the French would have stopped. In addition, he points out that Americans drive to huge supermarkets to buy canned and frozen foods for the week. The French, instead, tend to shop daily, walking to small shops and farmers’ markets where they have a choice of fresh fruits, vegetables, and eggs as well as high-quality meats for each meal.
After a visit to the United States, Mireille Guiliano, author of French Women Don’t Get Fat, decided to write about the importance of knowing when to stop rather than suggesting how to avoid food. Today she continues to stay slim and rarely goes to the gym.
In spite of all these differences, evidence shows that recent life style changes may be affecting French eating habits. Today the rate of obesity — or extreme overweight — among adults is only 6%. However, as American fast food gains acceptance and the young reject older traditions, the obesity rate among French children has reached 17% — and is growing.In what way are the French different from Americans according to Dr. Joseph Mercola?
| A．They go shopping at supermarkets more frequently. |
| B．They squeeze eating between the other daily activities. |
| C．They regard eating as a key part of their lifestyles. |
| D．They usually eat too much canned and frozen food. |
This text is mainly the relationship between _____.
| A．Americans and the French |
| B．life style and obesity |
| C．children and adults |
| D．fast food and overweight |
The text is mainly developed _____.
| A．by contrast | B．by space |
| C．by process | D．by classification |
Where does this text probably come from?
| A．A TV interview | B．A food advertisement |
| C．A health report | D．A book review |
It was a cold winter day. A woman drove up to the Rainbow Bridge tollbooth (收费站). “I’m paying for myself, and for the six cars behind me,” she said with a smile, handing over seven tickets. One after another, the next six drivers arriving at the tollbooth were informed, “Some lady up ahead already paid your fare.”
It turned out that the woman, Natalie Smith, had read something on a friend’s refrigerator: “Practice random(随意的) kindness and senseless acts of beauty.” The phrase impressed her so much that she copied it down.
Judy Foreman spotted the same phrase on a warehouse wall far away from home. When it stayed on her mind for days, she gave up and drove all the way back to copy it down. “I thought it was beautiful,” she said, explaining why she’d taken to writing it at the bottom of all her letters, “like a message from above.” Her husband, Frank, liked the phrase so much that he put it up on the classroom wall for his students, one of whom was the daughter of Alice Johnson, a local news reporter. Alice put it in the newspaper, admitting that though she liked it, she didn’t know where it came from or what it really meant.
Two days later, Alice got a call from Anne Herbert, a woman living in Marin. It was in a restaurant that Anne wrote the phrase down on a piece of paper, after turning it around in her mind for days.
“Here’s the idea,” Anne says. “Anything you think there should be more of, do it randomly.” Her fantasies(想象) include painting the classrooms of shabby schools, leaving hot meals on kitchen tables in the poor part of town, and giving money secretly to a proud old lady. Anne says, “Kindness can build on itself as much as violence can.”
The acts of random kindness spread. If you were one of those drivers who found your fare paid, who knows what you might have been inspired to do for someone else later. Like all great events, kindness begins slowly, with every single act. Let it be yours!Why did Natalie Smith pay for the six cars behind her?
| A．She knew the car drivers well. |
| B．She wanted to show kindness. |
| C．She hoped to please others. |
| D．She had seven tickets. |
Judy Foreman copied down the phrase because she .
| A．thought it was beautifully written |
| B．wanted to know what it really meant |
| C．decided to write it on a warehouse wall |
| D．wanted her husband to put it up in the classroom |
Who came up with the phrase according to the passage?
| A．Judy Foreman. | B．Natalie Smith. |
| C．Alice Johnson. | D．Anne Herbert. |
Which of the following statements is closest in the meaning to the underlined sentence above?
| A．Kindness and violence can change the world. |
| B．Kindness and violence can affect one’s behavior. |
| C．Kindness and violence can reproduce themselves. |
| D．Kindness and violence can shape one’s character. |
What can we infer from the last paragraph?
| A．People should practice random kindness to those in need. |
| B．People who receive kindness are likely to offer it to others. |
| C．People should practice random kindness to strangers they meet. |
| D．People who receive kindness are likely to pay it back to the giver. |
Since the beginning of the year, smog(雾霾) has covered parts of North China. In January, Beijing saw only five days without smog. The rising PM2.5 readings terrified many people, and some health experts said that whenever the smog gets serious, hospitals receive more patients suffering acute respiratory (呼吸系统) and heart diseases.
Later, news of polluted underground water in some provinces scared people who wondered whether the water they drink is safe.
So the need to emphasize environmental protection while developing the economy is heard everywhere.
Smog is especially a common concern. As a popular online post said, air may be the only thing that is equal for everyone, despite your income or profession. People with higher incomes are able to drink only bottled spring water and eat only organic food by paying higher prices, but they breathe the same air as everyone else.
At a meeting on Monday, many representatives have expressed their concerns about the air quality, too. One talked about his experience in Beijing. “After taking a taxi from the capital airport to my hotel, which took about an hour, I washed my nose and found the inside of my nose was black. We should ask ourselves this question: Why do we want to develop? It's for living a better life. Dirty air is definitely not a better life，” he said.
China needs to develop its economy and invest (投资) in hightech. Every Chinese has a dream to make China stronger. But without blue sky, clean water and safe food, the achievements in the economy will become meaningless. Space technologies are not to be developed for building a base on Mars so that one day all human beings can move to the red planet because they have destroyed Earth.
What the public wants is a strong and beautiful China. The great efforts must be made to promote ecological progress and build a beautiful China. The words have shown the central government's determination to address the environment issue.The effect of smog doesn't include ________.
| A．the increase of people's income |
| B．more people suffering diseases |
| C．the rising of PM2. 5 readings |
| D．patients increased in hospital |
Why has smog become a common concern? ________
| A．Because people have to pay higher prices. |
| B．Because a popular onlinepost discussed it. |
| C．Because we have to develop industry. |
| D．Because nobody can avoid it. |
To make China stronger we have to develop economy, but ________.
| A．we have to sacrifice air as the price |
| B．the smog is the only by product |
| C．ecological progress can be ignored |
| D．the dirty air is not what we want |
The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 6 refers to ______.
| A．space technologies | B．other planets |
| C．human beings | D．industrial development |
From the last two paragraphs we can infer that ________.
| A．hightech can completely solve the problem of pollution |
| B．we must protect the environment while developing economy |
| C．we can move to Mars after the earth has been destroyed |
| D．space technologies should be developed in a large scale |
Traditional businessmen feel worried that growing ecommerce will reduce their share of the market.
According to a survey, 90% of some people's purchases are made on the computer. As they find that by being able to go online and choose the things that they need to choose, and have them delivered right to their doorsteps, they could no longer be bothered with driving, the crowds, the noise of that, and they usually get a better selection.
Cornell University Marketing Professor, MeLaughlin says traditional stores can keep their customers by offering goods like clothing, which customers may want to see and try on before purchasing, as well as items that are difficult to ship. He says some traditional stores are also pleasing customers with services that set up or repair computers and electronics.
Traditional stores also offer a social experience that some shoppers enjoy. There is still a lot of emotion in the buying decision that takes place. Oftentimes, you need that last sense of “this is exactly what I want” before you part with money. And you can't always get that online. It's a rather cold process.
As more and more people have Internet access and smart phones, online commerce is likely to continue its growth here in the United States and in other countries.Traditional businessmen feel upset because ________.
| A．consumers can get a better selection by shopping online |
| B．growing online sales will cut their share of the market |
| C．people like to have their goods delivered to their house |
| D．more and more people purchase things on the computer |
According to McLaughlin, some traditional stores are keeping customers by ________.
| A．delivering goods to each doorstep |
| B．inviting customers to try on clothing |
| C．providing customers with extra services |
| D．repairing computers and electronics only |
From the 4th paragraph, we know that ________.
| A．some shoppers like the social climate in traditional stores |
| B．the process of shopping online is full of emotion |
| C．online shoppers tend to be cold to each other |
| D．making buying decisions in traditional shops is difficult |
“Plants were expected to get larger with increased carbon dioxide in atmosphere, but changes in temperature, humidity(湿度) and nutrient availability（养分有效性） seem to trumped the benefits of increased carbon dioxide，” said researchers from the National University of Singapore.
45 percent of the species studied now reach smaller adult sizes than they did in the past. The researchers pointed out that warmer temperatures and changing habitats, caused by climate change, are possible reasons for shrinking(缩小的) creatures.
“We do not yet know the mechanisms（原理） involved, or why some organism are getting smaller while others are unaffected，” the researchers said. “Until we understand more, we could be risking negative consequences that we can't yet quantify.”
The change was big in coldblooded animals. Only two decades of warmer temperatures were enough to make reptiles（爬行动物） smaller. An increase of 1 degree centigrade caused nearly a 10 percent increase in metabolism (新陈代谢). Greater use of energy resulted in tiny tortoises and little lizards. Fish are smaller now too. Though overfishing has played a part in reducing numbers, experiments show that warmer temperatures also stop fish growth. There is a recent report on warmer temperatures' negative effects on plankton（浮游生物）, the base of the marine（海洋的） ecosystem.
Warmblooded animals weren't immune（免于） from the size change caused by climate change. Many birds are now smaller. Mammals have been miniaturized too. Soay sheep are thinner. Red deer are weaker. And polar bears are smaller, compared with historical records.
This is not the first time this has happened in Earth's history. 55 million years ago, a warming event similar to the current climate change caused bees, spiders and ants to shrink by 50 to 75 percent over several thousand years. That event happened over a long time than the current climate change.
The speed of modern climate change could mean organisms may not respond or adapt quickly enough, especially those with long generation times. So, it is likely that more negative influences of climate change will be shown in future.Which of the following would be the best title for the passage? ________
| A．Why do some species become smaller? |
| B．Species become smaller as climate warms |
| C．Climate change has many negative effects |
| D．How does temperature change in Earth's history? |
The underlined word “trumped” in the first paragraph can be replaced by ________.
| A．been neglected by | B．been less than |
| C．been weakened by | D．had strong influences than |
Researchers from the National University of Singapore believe that ________.
| A．too many studies on animals' size have been done |
| B．all the animals on the earth have become smaller |
| C．how climate change effects animals' size has not been found clearly |
| D．people can avoid the negative effects of climate change |
What can we learn from the passage? ________
| A．Ants, bees and spiders have been shrinking by 50% to 70% in the past decade. |
| B．Birds have suffered more from climate change than fish. |
| C．Climate change has even affected plankton negatively. |
| D．A warming event causing species to become smaller has never happened before. |