The Washington post – NASA’s newest space habitat looks sort of like a kids’ moon bonce, a big, bright, inflatable globe that could be lots of fun to play in. Soon astronauts on the International Space Station could get the chance to try . The expandable habitat made by Bigelow Aerospace recently passed NASA’s strict certification requirements and is scheduled to be flown to the station in September.
Called the BEAM ( Bigelow Expandable Activity Module), the habitat would be attached to the space station, where it would stay for two years. While there, it would be tested to see how it handles the rigors of space – the radiation, the station’s movement and even how it stands up to the debris (碎片) flying around in orbit.
The private Las Vegas company, founded by millionaire real estate mogul(地产大亨) Robert Bigelow, won a $17.8 million contract from NASA to provide the module to the space station.
“Today is the first step, but it’s a big step,” said Bigelow’s George Zamka. Replace the space station or make it larger. It also hopes to build the habitats on the moon. Its B330 module would be even bigger, with 330 cubic meters of internal (内部的 ) space. The modules could be connected. Creating research facilities, the company says, or even space hotels.
In an interview ,NASA’s William Gerstenmaier, said he was eager to see how the module performs , and said he was especially pleased “ to see how the private sector can step up and help us meet our requirements.” The module will be flown to the space station by SpaceX, the first commercial company to resupply the space station.
What would be the best title for this passage?
| A．NASA’s space habitats flown to the station. |
| B．NASA’s space habitat it the station. |
| C．NASA’s new expandable space habitat. |
| D．NASA’s newest inflatable globe. |
Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?
| A．NASA’s newest space habitat is a kids’ moon bounce. |
| B．Astronauts of Bigelow Aerospace could get the chance to try the space habitat. |
| C．NASA was founded by Robert Bigelow. |
| D．The B330 module to be built on the moon would be with an inside space of 330 cubic meters. |
The underlined word “rigors” in Paragraph 2 refers to “_________”.
| A．difficulties | B．environments |
| C．movements | D．changes |
The passage is most probably taken from ________.
| A．a newspaper | B．a booklet |
| C．a magazine | D．a science fiction |
As any homemaker who has tried to keep order at the dinner table knows, there is far more to a family meal than food．Sociologist Michael Lewis has been studying 50 families to find out just how much more． Lewis and his co-workers carried out their study by videotaping（录像） the families while they ate ordinary meals in their own homes．They found that parents with small families talk actively with each other and their children．But as the number of children gets larger, conversation gives way to the parents’ efforts to control the loud noise they make．That can have an important effect on the children．“In general the more question-asking the parents do, the higher the children’s IQ scores,” Lewis says．“And the more children there are, the less question-asking there is．”
The study also provides an explanation for why middle children often seem to have a harder time in life than their siblings（兄弟姐妹）．Lewis found that in families with three or four children, dinner conversation is likely to center on the oldest child, who has the most to talk about, and the youngest, who needs the most attention．“Middle children are invisible,” says Lewis．“When you see someone get up from the table and walk around during dinner, chances are it’s the middle child．” There is, however, one thing that stops all conversation and prevents anyone from having attention: “When the TV is on,” Lewis says, “dinner is a non-event．”The writer’s purpose in writing the text is to ______．
| A．show the relationship between parents and children |
| B．teach parents ways to keep order at the dinner table |
| C．report on the findings of a study |
| D．give information about family problems |
Parents with large families ask fewer questions at dinner because ______．
| A．they are busy serving food to their children |
| B．they are busy keeping order at the dinner table |
| C．they have to pay more attention to younger children |
| D．they are tired out having prepared food for the whole family |
By saying “Middle children are invisible” in paragraph 3, Lewis means that middle children ______．
| A．have to help their parents to serve dinner |
| B．get the least attention from the family |
| C．are often kept away from the dinner table |
| D．find it hard to keep up with other children |
Which of the following statements would the writer agree to?
| A．It is important to have the right food for children． |
| B．It is a good idea to have the TV on during dinner． |
| C．Parents should talk to each of their children frequently． |
| D．Elder children should help the younger ones at dinner |
Jane Austen, a famous English writer, was born at Steventon, Hampshire, on December 16,1775, and died on July 18, 1817．She began writing early in life, although the prejudices of her times forced her to have her books published anonymously （匿名）But Jane Austen is perhaps the best known and best loved of Bath’s many famous local people and visitors．She paid two long visits here during the last five years of the eighteenth century and from 1801 to 1806, Bath was her home．Her deep knowledge of the city is fully seen in two of her novels, Northanger Abbey and Persuasion, which are largely set in Bath．The city is still very much as Jane Austen knew it, keeping in its streets and public buildings the well-ordered world that she described so well in her novels．Now the pleasure of learning Jane Austen’s Bath can be enhanced （增强）by visiting the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street．Here, in a Georgian town house in the heart of the city, you can find out more about Bath in Jane Austen’s time and the importance of Bath in her life and work．The Centre has been set up with the help and guidance of members of the Jane Austen Society．After your visit to the Centre, you can look round the attractive shop, which offers a huge collection of Jane Austen related books, cards and many specially designed gifts．Jane Austen quizzes are offered to keep the children busy．
You can also have walking tours of Jane Austen’s Bath, which is a great way to find out more about Jane Austen and discover the wonderful Georgian city of Bath．The tour lasts about one and a half hours．The experienced guides will take you to the places where Jane lived, walked and shopped．Jane Austen paid two long visits to Bath________．
| A．in her early twenties | B．in her early teens |
| C．in her late twenties | D．in her late teens |
What can we learn about Bath from the passage?
| A．Bath has greatly changed since Jane Austen’s death． |
| B．The city has changed as much as Jane Austen knew it． |
| C．Bath remains almost the same as in Jane Austen’s time． |
| D．No changes have taken place in Bath since Jane Austen’s time． |
The author writes this passage in order to________．
| A．attract readers to visit the city of Bath |
| B．ask readers to buy Austen’s books |
| C．tell readers about Jane Austen’s experience |
| D．give a brief introduction to the Jane Austen Society |
It takes you about one and a half hours________．
| A．to get to the Jane Austen Centre in Gay Street |
| B．to buy Jane Austen related books, cards and gifts |
| C．to find a guide to take you to the Centre |
| D．to look around the city of Bath on foot |
Do you want to live with a strong sense of peacefulness, happiness, goodness, and self- respect? The collection of happiness actions broadly categorized as "honor" help you create this life of good feelings．Here's an example to show how honorable actions create happiness．
Say a store clerk fails to charge us for an item．If we keep silent, and profit from the clerk's mistake, we would drive home with a sense of sneaky excitement．Later we might tell our family or friends about our good fortune．On the other hand, if we tell the clerk about the uncharged item, the clerk would be grateful and thank us for our honesty．We would leave the store with a quiet sense of honor that we might never share with another soul．
Then, what is it to do with our sense of happiness?
In the first case, where we don't tell the clerk, a couple of things would happen．Deep down inside we would know ourselves as a type of thief．In the process, we would lose some peace of mind and self-respect．We would also demonstrate that we cannot be trusted, since we advertise our dishonor by telling our family and friends．We damage our own reputations by telling others．In contrast, bringing the error to the clerk's attention causes different things to happen．Immediately the clerk knows us to be honorable．Upon leaving the store, we feel honorable and our self-respect is increased． Whenever we take honorable action we gain the deep internal rewards of goodness and a sense of nobility．
There is a beautiful positive cycle that is created by living a life of honorable actions．Honorable thoughts lead to honorable actions．Honorable actions lead us to a happier existence．And it's easy to think and act honorably again when we're happy．While the positive cycle can be difficult to start, once it's started, it's easy to continue．Keeping on doing good deeds brings us peace of mind, which is important for our happiness．According to the passage, the positive action in the example contributes to our_________．
| A．self-respect | B．financial rewards |
| C．advertising ability | D．friendly relationship |
The phrase "bringing the error to the clerk's attention" （in para．5） means___．
| A．telling the truth to the clerk |
| B．offering advice to the clerk |
| C．asking the clerk to be more attentive |
| D．reminding the clerk of the charged item |
How will we feel if we let the clerk know her mistake?
| A．We'll be very excited． | B．We'll feel unfortunate． |
| C．We'll have a sense of honor． | D．We'll feel sorry for the clerk． |
Which of the following can be the best title of this passage．*
| A．How to Live Truthfully |
| B．Importance of Peacefulness |
| C．Ways of Gaining Self-respect |
| D．Happiness through Honorable Actions |
Will it matter if you don't have your breakfast? A short time ago, a test was given in the United States. People of different ages, from 12 to 83, were asked to have a test. During the test, these people were given all kinds of breakfasts, and sometimes they got no breakfast at all. Scientists wanted to see how well their bodies worked when they had different kinds of breakfasts.
The rules show that if a person eats a right breakfast, he or she will work better than if he or she has no breakfast. If a student has fruit , eggs, bread and milk before going to school ,he or she will learn more quickly and listen more carefully in class.
The result is opposite to what some people think. Having no breakfast will not help them lose weight. This is because they are so hungry at noon that eat too much for lunch. They will gain weight instead of losing it. You will lose weight if you reduce your other meals.During the test, the people were given _________.
| A．no breakfast at all | B．different breakfast or sometimes none |
| C．very rich breakfast | D．little food for breakfast |
Scientists wanted to know whether __________
| A．breakfast had any effect on work and studies. | B．people were interested in breakfast |
| C．breakfast did harm to people’s health | D．people would work better without breakfast |
According to the passage, some people think without breakfast they will ____
| A．lose weight | B．get a good result in their work |
| C．gain weight | D．not be hungry at all. |
Which of the following sciences is not right?
| A．It is bad for your health to have no breakfast. |
| B．No breakfast and more lunch may make you fatter. |
| C．The more breakfast you have, the more quickly you will learn in class. |
| D．If you don't eat much for lunch and supper, you may lose weight. |
When you put down your pens at the end of the college entrance exam, 12 hard years of study will have come to an end. Forget your studies for a while. It's time to enjoy yourselves!
There are many ways to celebrate this special month of graduation. You can have photos taken with your classmates and teachers, or dine out together and exchange gifts.
High school students in Western countries such as the United States and Canada usually have a prom to mark their graduation. It's to mark the time kids turn into young men and women. After the prom, teenagers either go to college or find a job. It means they are no longer as dependent on their parents as they were before.
At the prom, boys usually dress in dinner jackets and bow ties, though many different types of formal clothes are worn. Traditionally, girls give boys matching boutonnieres (a small collection of flowers they pin to their jackets). Girls traditionally wear formal dresses, or dress to shock or be noticed, in shiny or brightly colored materials.
Common prom activities include dining, dancing, the crowning (加冠) of a prom king and queen, and just talking to friends. In some cases, high school students collect funds for their class prom through the four years of their high school.
High schools in or near large cities may rent ballrooms at expensive hotels or, to be unusual, on a pleasure cruise boat.
But often costs are cut by simply using the school gym. Students make a lot of effort to decorate the gym to make the event special. The music played at the prom will be the most popular kinds, like rock and hip-hop.
The students elect the Prom Queen. She is partnered with a Prom King who is elected similarly. These are great honors that the pair takes very seriously. The two dance with each other to celebrate their election.
Sometimes teachers and parents also go to the prom. But others like to go with friends, to whom they are soon going to be saying goodbye.
If you like the idea of a prom, why don't you and your classmates organize one for your graduation?What does the word “prom” probably mean in the passage?
| A．a dancing competition. | B．a party held to celebrate graduation. |
| C．a fashion show. | D．an election. |
Which of the following is an economical way to hold the prom?
| A．renting a ballroom | B．taking a cruise boat |
| C．holding it in the school gym | D．wearing formal dresses |
Which of the following clearly indicates that prom is very important to students?
| A．They take pictures at the prom. | B．They wear formal clothes or special clothes. |
| C．Music is played at the prom. | D．Teachers and parents attend it. |
Why do some students attend the prom with their friends?
| A．They want to be elected by their friends us the Prom King or Queen. |
| B．They don’t like to be accompanied by their parents. |
C．They don’t want to depe nd on their parents. |
| D．They will part with their friends in a short time. |