Who Owns the Moon?
Within the next ten years, the US, China, Israel, and a crowd of private companies plan to set up camp on the moon. So if and when they plant a flag, does that give them property rights?
A NASA working group hosted a discussion this week to ask: Who owns the moon? The answer, of course, is no use. The Outer Space Treaty, the international law signed by more than 100 countries, states that the moon and other celestial bodies(天体) are the province of all mankind. No doubt that would annoy all of the people throughout the ages, like monks from the Middle Ages, who have tried to claim the moon was theirs.
But ownership is different from property rights. People who rent apartments, for example, don’t own where they live, but they still hold rights. So with all of the upcoming missions(派遣团) to visit the moon and beyond, space industry thought leaders are seriously asking themselves how to deal with a potential land rush.
“This is a very relevant discussion right now. We’ve got this wave of new lunar missions from around the world,” said William Marshall, a scientist in the small-spacecraft office at NASA, but who spoke this week at an event hosted by NASA’s Co Lab, a collaborative(协力的) public-private working group. He was peaking from his personal interest and not on behalf of the agency.
To be sure, the United States aims to send astronauts back to the moon by as early as 2015, in a mission that would include a long-term settlement. China and Israel, among others, are also working on lunar projects. And for the first time, several private groups are building spacecraft to land on the moon in an attempt to win millions of dollars in the Google Lunar X Prize. Some participants say that they plan to gain some property rights in the mission.
In the passage the writer seems to be worrying that .
| A．the US will live on the moon forever |
| B．the moon will not be able to hold all mankind |
| C．the potential land rush will become more and more frequent |
| D．no one can answer the question “Who owns the moon?” |
The “Google Lunar X Prize” aims to .
| A．encourage private groups to land on the moon |
| B．help NASA host a discussion about land rush on the moon |
| C．help some developing countries complete their lunar projects |
| D．reward some countries or private groups which haven’t stepped on the moon |
The underlined word “that” in the first paragraph refers to .
| A．the Outer Space Treaty | B．if and when they plant a flag |
| C．the NASA working group | D．monks from the Middle Ages |
What is the main idea of the last paragraph?
| A．The US astronauts will live on the moon for a longer time. |
| B．Many countries and private groups plan to go to the moon. |
| C．Why some private groups wish to land on the moon. |
| D．It is easy to gain some property rights on the moon. |
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Third-generation mobile phones, known as 3G, are the next big step for the telecom(电信) industry. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker than that in present technology. This means users can have high-speed Internet access(上网) and enjoy video and CD-quality music on their phones.
"Mobile data is not a dream; it's not an option(选择) but a requirement" said Len Lauer, head of a US communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.
With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday's news; a 3G phone can receive video news programs, updated(更新) four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.
Don't worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by pressing a few keys on your handset(手持机).
However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live two-way video communication, you can have face-to-face talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.
Many European countries have already launched the service. In May 2000 the US Government issued five licenses(许可证) to run 3G wireless services, while the first 3G phones arrived in Italy in March this year.
International telecom companies can't wait to sell 3G in China, the world's largest mobile telecommunications market. But they will have to be patient. At the moment, China is busy testing its 3G-based technologies, networks and services. This will be followed by a trial period before the phones can finally hit the shops.
“We need to create a pool of 3G customers before the large-scale commercial launch(开始) of the service,” said Fan Yunjun, marketing manager for Beijing Mobile. “We expect that the 3G licenses will be issued(发行) late next year.”
We'll also see 3G services enter our daily lives in all-sorts of new ways, from shopping and banking to playing interactive computer games over the net. It won't be long before we think nothing of sitting on a train using a mobile palmtop(掌上型电脑) to check our bank accounts or pay bills. You might even click on an icon(图标) on the screen to set up an immediate video-conference with your bank clerk.
67. 3G is ______.
A. a kind of mobile phone that can send text message and make calls
B. a kind of technology that makes mobile data and video calling come true
C. a kind of player that can be used to listen to CD or MP3 music
D. a kind of system that makes it easy to surf the Internet
68. What does Len Lauer want to inform the readers?
A. Realizing the dream of mobile data based on the application of 3G is a must.
B. There is no need to send messages since 3G can receive video news programs.
C. 3G is supposed to own all the functions that a computer has.
D. It is a choice to carry mobile data with 3G phones.
69. The 3G services can be launched after the following steps EXCEPT that ________.
A. they have to test its 3G-based technologies, networks and services
B. they need to create a group of 3G customers
C. the 3G licenses are issued and 3G phones are tested
D. international telecom companies decide to sell 3G in China
70. The last paragraph shows us that ________.
A. 3G services bring a lot of convenience to us
B. we cannot live without 3G mobile phones
C. 3G services can change our life completely
D. 3G services will take the place of other technologies
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I’m a pig, and my son is a rabbit. I have snakes for daughters, and my wife, believe it or not, is a dragon! Do I live in a zoo? No, of course not! I am talking about Chinese zodiac signs. Depending on the year of your birth, each person has an animal for a sign. That’s why I am a pig and my wife is a dragon. If you, like me, were born in the year of the pig, then you are brave, thoughtful and loyal. The year of the pig is filled with good fortune.
Now let’s take a closer look at this interesting animal.
Pigs were first raised by man about 9,000 years ago, and are still a very common farm animal in many parts of the world. We don’t just use pigs for their meat — almost every part of the animal is used. The hair is used for artists’ brushes. The fat is used to make floor wax, rubber and plastics.
Pigs have also been important in the world of entertainment. In 1995 the film ‘Babe’ starred a loveable talking pig as its main character. The film won an Oscar and was nominated for 6 more. In England you can even go to watch pig racing. A farmer, Rob Shepherd, has been raising money for charity by holding pig races on his farm. The events have been very successful. People don’t just want to eat pigs, it seems!
Pigs also play an important role in the English language. For example, if someone says that he will travel to the sun one day, you can say “pigs might fly!” to him. Hungry? Well then, you can “pig out” and eat lots of food. And what if someone rescues you? Well, you can say that they “saved your bacon”.
63. The writer wrote the first paragraph in a ______ tone.
A. sad B. confused
C. serious D. humorous
64.We may know from the passage that ______.
A. people in England like pigs more than other animals
B. pigs are more useful than ordinary people imagine
C. pigs are the first animals raised by man
D. more people don’t want to eat pigs now
65. The underlined sentence “pigs might fly!” in the fifth paragraph means “______”.
A. What you have just said is impossible B. Pigs are great animals
C. I don’t understand your words D. I can’t agree with you more
66. Which diagram shows the structure of the passage?
A B C D
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Education is not an end, but a means to an end. In other words, we do not educate children only for the purpose of educating them. Our purpose is to fit them for life.
In some modern countries it has for some time been fashionable to think that by free education for all — one can solve all the problems of society and build a perfect nation. But we can already see that free education for all is not enough; we find in such countries a far larger number of people with university degree; they refuse to do what they think “low” work; and, in fact, work with hands is thought to be dirty and shameful in such countries. But we have only to think a moment to understand that the work of a completely uneducated farmer is far more important than that of a professor; we can live without education, but we die if we have no food. If no one cleaned our streets and took the rubbish away from our houses, we should get terrible diseases in our towns…
In fact, when we say that all of us must be educated to fit us for life, it means that we must be educated in such a way that, firstly, each of us can do whatever work suited to his brains and ability and, secondly, that we can realize that all jobs are necessary to society, and that is very bad to be ashamed of one’s work. Only such a type of education can be considered valuable to society.
59. The writer of the passage thinks that _______.
A. education can settle most of the world’s problems
B. free education for all probably leads to a perfect world
C. free education won’t help to solve problems
D. all the social problems can’t be solved by education
60. The writer wants to prove that _______.
A. our society needs all kinds of jobs
B. our society needs free education for all
C. a farmer is more important than a professor
D. work with hands is the most important
61. The purpose of education is _______.
A. to choose officials for the country
B. to prepare children mainly for their future work
C. to let everyone receive education fit for him
D. to build a perfect world
62. The passage tells us about _______ of the education.
A. the means B. the system C. the value D. the type
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第三部分：阅读理解（共四篇15小题，每小题2分，满分30分）
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项中选出最佳选项。
For more than six million American children, coming home after school means coming home to an empty house. Some deal with the situation by watching TV. Some may hide. But all of them have something in common. They spend part of each day alone. They are called latchkey children. They’re children who look after themselves while their parents work. And their bad condition has become a subject of concern.
Lynette Long was once the headmaster of an elementary school. She said, “We had a school rule against wearing jewelry. A lot of kids had chains around their necks with keys attached. I was constantly telling them to put them inside shirts. There were so many keys, it never came to my mind what they meant.” Slowly, she learned they were house keys.
She and her husband began talking to the children who had them. They learned of the impact(影响) working couples and single parents were having on their children. Fear is the biggest problem faced by children at home alone. One in each three latchkey children the Longs talked to reported being scared. Many had nightmares and were worried about their own safety.
The most common way latchkey children deal with their fears is by hiding. It might be in a shower stall, under a bed in a closet. The second is TV. They’ll often play it at high volume. It’s hard to get statistics on latchkey children, the Longs learned. Most parents are slow to admit they leave their children alone.
56. The main idea about “latchkey children” is that they _______.
A. are growing in numbers
B. are also found in middle-class neighborhoods
C. watch too much television during the day
D. suffer problems from being left alone
57. The main feeling these children have when they are at home by themselves is _______.
A. tiredness B. freedom C. loneliness D. fear
58. We may draw a conclusion that _______.
A. latchkey children enjoy having such a large amount of time alone
B. latchkey children try to hide their feeling
C. latchkey children often watch TV with their parents
D. it’s difficult to find out how many latchkey children there are
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Newspapers are not nearly as popular today as they were in the past．There are not very many people who seriously read a newspaper every day. Most people read only the sports pages，the advice or the gossip columns，the comics, and perhaps the classified advertisements．Most people don’t take the time to read the real news. Newspapers attempt to catch the reader’s interest with pictures and exciting headlines. These techniques are used on the front page because it is the first thing you see when you pick up the paper．The first page attracts attention and encourages the reader to look through the rest of the paper. This is why editors always look for a good first page story and headline to make them stop and look．If the headline is horrible enough or frightening enough or wild enough，perhaps they will go on to read the front page．However，they may just read the headlines，but that is all，then they turn to the sports page，or comics，or advertisements. It seems that people do not want the news from a newspaper anymore. They say they get the news on the television now．
More people watch television news because it is easier and more interesting than reading a newspaper．What about you? Do you read news from a newspaper? Do you think it is easier to get
the news from television? Or do you care about news at all? Would you mind if there were no news?
50．According to the passage，newspaper are________．
A．inure popular today B．less popular today
C．as popular as before D．getting more and more popular
51．We can know from the passage that the newspaper editors think the important part of the newspaper is___________．
A．the front page B． the sports page
C．the headlines D．the classified advertisements
52．According to the author，which of the following newspapers will most probably attract the reader’s attention?
A．The ones with interesting pictures and exciting headlines on the front page．
B．The ones with sports news on the front page．
C．The ones with classified ads on the front page．
D．The ones with gossip columns on the front p