While astronauts in space get to do many exciting things, they miss out on ordinary things that we all take for granted—being able to walk on firm ground, hanging out with family and digging into a slice of hot steaming pizza. Though not much can be done about the first two things, there may soon be a solution to the third one, thanks to this cool 3-D pizza printer!
About a year ago, NASA offered $125 ,000 to Anjan Contractor, a 3-D technology expert, to build a device (设备) that would allow astronauts to make pizza on demand. The mechanical engineer promised that his invention would produce pies in large quantities that looked, tasted and even smelled like pizza made in common ovens.
Late last year, the engineer presented a video of his first prototype (原型) that begins by creating a single slice of dough (面团) that is cooked and printed at the same time. Then comes the tomato “sauce” — a mix of tomato powder, oil and water and finally, a protein slice that resembles cheese. While the video doesn’t show the baking process, the inventor says that once the pizza is printed, it can be ready to be consumed in 7 seconds.
While the pie in the video looks delicious enough to attract any pizza lover, Anjan Contractor is far from ready for astronauts. That’s because he still has to find a solution to make the food container in the printer last for 30 years. Though that may sound unrealistic, actually it is not.
Anjan Contractor believes that the only way that is possible is that the water is removed from all the ingredients (配料) and then they are reduced to the powder form. This, as you can imagine, will not be so easy. But, while the printer may not be ready for space, it certainly looks ready enough for people on earth. Hopefully, NASA and Contractor will consider selling it to those not fortunate enough to go to Mars!Why does the author mention the things that astronauts in space cannot do?
| A．To ask us not to take common things for granted. |
| B．To show they live a difficult life there. |
| C．To show their life is boring in space. |
| D．To introduce the topic of the text. |
NASA offered $ 125, 000 to Anjan Contractor mainly to _______.
| A．create some new type of 3-D printer |
| B．attract more companies to work for NASA |
| C．help astronauts in space enjoy fresh pizza one day |
| D．produce pizza in large quantities to earn great profits |
The biggest challenge that Anjan Contractor is faced with now is probably that _______.
| A．he has no money left to go on with his research |
| B．the pizza doesn’t seem appetizing to pizza lovers |
| C．he has no way to make pizza that can last for thirty years |
| D．he cannot make the food container last for decades |
What’s the best title of the passage?
| A．NASA is trying its best to help astronauts eat better |
| B．Astronauts may soon be able to enjoy steaming hot pizza |
| C．NASA is working on making pizza for common people |
| D．A 3-D pizza printer has been used to make pizza |
China is a country on the move- especially around its Lunar New Year holiday. This year, the holiday crush（客流量） promises to be even heavier than before。
Government officials estimate that Chinese people will take to the air, roads and railways 3.62 billion times over a 40-day period around the nation's most important holiday this year as people push their way home for family gatherings or to satisfy their new-found passion for travel.
Getting tickets to all those would-be travelers is a discounting challenge that annually tries patience. And it is the railway system that routinely is most unable to cope. Railways are the transport of choice for low-cost long-distance travel, and that's where the ticketing system routinely falls down
Much of the criticism has, focused on the railway's-online purchasing system. Which has been unable to keep pace with the huge demand and also failed to stop scalpers（票贩子） from ending up with many of the hard-to-find tickets.
While insisting that online sales were the fairest way to get tickets for travelers, railway officials told
reporters that the public need to be patient. Efforts were being made to provide online identity checks that would reduce the ticket scalping problems. While officials had little good news for rail passengers, they did manage to bring a few smiles to those traveling by car as the country's extremely expensive highway tolls （通行费）will be free of charge for the period of the official holiday.Which of the following words can replace the underlined word "discounting" in Paragraph 3?
| A．Promising. |
| B．Discouraging. |
| C．Pleasing. |
| D．Rewarding. |
According to the text, getting tickets_____. around the official holiday.
| A． is just a piece of cake |
| B． is more costly |
| C． takes great effort |
| D． is convenient for travelers |
We can learn from the text that _______. around the New Year holiday.
A. there will be 3. 62 billion people going home
B the railway system will be facing more stress
C.. people's complaint .focus on the failure of online purchase
D. not railways but cars are the best choices for travelingWhich of the following can best describe the author's attitude to the railway service?
A. Objective.
B Doubtful.
C. Satisfied
D．Worried.
In modern society there is a great deal of argument about competition. Some value it highly, believing that it is responsible for social-progress and prosperity. Others say that competition is bad; that it sets one person against another; that it leads to unfriendly relationship between people.
I have taught many children who held the belief that their self-worth relied on how well they performed at tennis and other skills. For them, playing well and winning are often life-and-death affairs. In theirsingle-minded pursuit of success, the development of many other human qualities is sadly forgotten.
However, while some seem to be lost in the desire to succeed, others take an opposite attitude. In a culture which values only the winner and pays no attention to the ordinary players, they strongly blame competition. Among the most vocal are youngsters who have suffered under competitive pressures from their parents or society. Teaching these young people, I often observe in them a desire to fail. They seem to seek failure by not trying to win or achieve success.By not trying, they always have an excuse:"I may have lost, but it doesn't matter because I really didn't try." What is not usually admitted by themselves is the belief that if they had really tried and lost, that would mean a lot Such a loss would be a measure of their worth. Clearly, this belief is the same as that of the true competitors who try to prove themselves. Both are based on the mistake belief that-one's self-respect relies on how well one performs in comparison with others. Both are afraid of not being valued. Only as this basic and often troublesome fear begins to dissolve (缓解) can we discover a new meaning in competition.What does this text mainly talk about?
A Competition helps to set up self-respect.
B. People hold different opinions about competition.
C. Competition is harmful to personal quality development.
D. Failures are necessary experience in competition.Some people favor competition because they think it __.
| A． pushes society forward |
| B． builds up a sense of pride |
| C． improves social abilities |
| D． develops people's relationship |
The underlined phrase "the most vocal”in Paragraph 3 refers to those who
| A． try their best to win |
| B． highly value competition |
| C． are strongly against competition |
| D． mostly rely on others for success |
Which viewpoint does the author agree to?
A Self-worth relys on winning.
B. Competition leads to unfriendly relationship.
C. Winning should be a life-and-death matter.
D. Fear of failure should be removed in competition.
The Asuncion zoo is looking for a mate for Coco, an endangered hyacinth macaw （蓝紫金刚鹦鹉），and it is the last known male of his species left in Paraguay.
Coco was sent to the zoo eight years ago. A recent DNA test showed that he is male. Zoo worker Celia said To avoid mixing species, the zoo has had to keep him apart from the other macaws, which has left him lonely and bored. "He is quite sociable, although he has only learned to say 'Hello', but when he hears music, he dances" Celia said
He has a yellow circle around his eyes that set off the rest of his blue feathers. He is more or less a cousin to Blu , he macaw that starts in the movie, Rio.That species, cyanopsitta-spixii（小蓝金刚鹦鹉），is all blue and even more endangered than the hyacinth macaw.
Like the bird in the movie, scientists hope to find Coco a mate to- rebuild the species. Because international laws against animal training are now so strict, nobody is willing to lend the zoo a female. "The best solution is to find a female hyacinth macaw in our country. " Celia said, "there are at least two other known hyacinth-macaws but without DNA test, it is impossible to know if they are female, and the owners are not willing to help,because the mating process can take some time and be a little hard on females.“From the text we know that Coco____
| A． is the last known hyacinth macaw |
| B． lives apart from the other macaws |
| C． has adapted to being left alone |
| D． can say "Hello" when he hears music |
Why is it difficult to find a mate for Coco?
A. Because there is no known female macaw in Paraguay.
B. Because the international laws are against Coco mating.
C, Because the DNA test on female Coco takes time.
D. Because nobody is willing to hunt for a female.It can be inferred from the text that______.
| A． Coco stars Rio in a movie |
| B． Coco has only blue feathers on his body |
| C． Coco is the most endangered macaw |
| D． rebuilding the Coco's species will take time |
Which of the following would be the best title?
| A． Coco, a Rare Macaw-in Asuncion Zoo |
| B． Asuncion Zoo Is Seeking a Mate for Coco |
| C． Hyacinth Macaws Are Endangered in Paraguay |
| D． Coco, the Only Known Male Macaw in Paraguay |
Welcome to the 2015 Winter Camp
The 2015 Winter Camp opens between 9: 30 a m and 11:30 a. m .from Feb.5th to Feb. 15th. A11 children aged 8-14 are welcome. Each child can take part in only one of the following activities and needs to pay,￥150 for it
1. Sports (basketball, football, table tennis, etc )
2. Internet Groups (painting online, piano-learning, computer study, etc. )
3. English World (English songs/games/plays, English speaking contest etc.)
Some American children are coming to the camp. If you really want to spend an interesting winter holiday, please join us for learning with fun. Act now! Book your seat as soon as possible either by phone or by e-mail Pay before Jan. 25th, then you can have a Mickey T-shirt as a member of the camp,
Beijing Children's Palace
No. 23, Fu Xing Road, Beijing City
Tel: 010-888093445
E-mail: Children's Palace@163. comThis Winter Camp is intended for
| A．parents |
| B．teachers |
| C．students |
| D．English learners |
The participants can do the following things except _____;
| A． making friends with American children |
| B． playing computer games |
| C． learning English songs |
| D． having basketball matches |
What should you do if you want to get a T-shirt?
| A． Book the seats as soon as possible. |
| B． Phone the Palace in advance. |
| C． Pay money before Jan. 25th |
| D． Ask some others to join in, |
A third of 15 to 18-year-olds in the UK have met someone in person they originally met through social media.
The figure comes from an exclusive online Newsbeat poll（投票） of 1,015 British teenagers, put together by Comres. The survey also indicates that a quarter feel happier online than they do in real life.
But overall, real-life relationships are still considered far more important than online ones, according to the findings. Sixty-six per cent polled last month said the number of friends they knew in person was more important to them, compared to 28% who said the same of the number of friends and followers they had online.
The survey also suggests what lots of people know already, that social media is now an integral part of teenagers’ lives. Only one per cent of respondents said they never checked in online for social reasons. Facebook is the most popular social network (89% have an account), followed by Twitter (62%) and Snapchat (58%).
Dr Emma Short, a psychologist at the University of Bedfordshire, said, “The number of teenagers meeting up with people they first befriended online is worrying. Even very sophisticated security experts find it very hard to verify the identity of accounts. When you’re 15 and you’re very effective at identifying friends and risk, it’s easy to assume you can do that online. It’s not safe in that they may not be who they say they are and you know nothing about them apart from the conversation you’ve had online – which is a very small part of their lives and the person they may be.”
The survey also indicated:
• 25% of teenagers admitted they were addicted to social media.
• 25% wished they could give up social media.
“I can’t do without my phone.” says 17-year-old Aisha from Clapton, north London. “I can’t do without checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat.”
When we ask Aisha about the prospect of taking her social networks away, the consequences, genuinely, are too hard to bear.
Jealousy, loneliness, happiness and stress are all emotions felt by teenagers.From the first two paragraphs we get to know that __________.
| A．the majority of the teenagers polled met their net friends |
| B．more and more British adolescents feel happier online |
| C．a third of 15 to 18-year-olds in the UK make net friends online |
| D．a little more than 300 adolescents surveyed met net friends |
According to the survey, which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Sixty-six per cent polled think it important to meet net friends in person. |
| B．More British adolescents consider friends in real life are more important. |
| C．28% polled said they had the same number of online friends as other 66%. |
| D．28% polled have the same number of real life friends and net friends. |
What does the underlined word “respondents” in Paragraph 4 refer to?
| A．researchers | B．people |
| C．reporters | D．teenagers |
Which of the following best conveys Dr Emma Short’s view ?
| A．The online friends teenagers meet in person are worrying. |
| B．It’s easy for 15-year-olds to make online friends. |
| C．It’s difficult for adolescents to identify online friends and risk. |
| D．The conversation with your virtual friends is helpful. |
What is the writer’s attitude towards teenagers meeting up with online friends?
| A．Negative. | B．Positive. | C．Neutral. | D．Tolerant. |