What was living in the ISS like？
Living in space is common to astronauts．But what if it is a task of nearly a year？
US astronaut Scott Kelly was in the International Space Station（ISS） for 340days．It is the longest time a US astronaut has spent in space at a time．Kelly's stay is part of the Twins（双胞胎）Study．When Scott Kelly spent nearly a year in the ISS，his twin brother Mark Kelly lived on Earth．They gave scientists more ways to study human space flight．
Usually living in the ISS for such a long time is boring．Was it the same for Kelly？Let's take a look．
Good morning，everyone!
It's time to enjoy a surprise．But for Kelly，it was one of the 16sunrises he saw each day in the ISS，Isn't that cool？
Work comes first．
During his stay，Kelly and his partners did about 400science experiment．One of them was about planting vegetables．And they did it!Growing vegetables will be helpful for longer space journeys．
Moving with microgravity（微重力）．
As we all know，space is a place with microgravity，which influences bodies．So Kelly did exercise more than 700hours in the ISS．That is about two hours of exercise a day．Microgravity also makes some easy things difficult．Kelly often slept in a sleeping bag，or his arms would float（飘浮）in front of him all the time．
Boring？Why not do something for fun？
Kelly loved taking photos from space and sharing them with the world online．Even President Obama is his fan．Under one of his photos，Obama wrote，"Hey，loving the photos．Do you ever look out of the window and freak out（吓坏了）？""I don't freak out about anything，Mr．President．Except getting question from you．"Kelly replied．
63．How long did Kelly stay in the ISS？
64．Why did scientists start the Twins Study？
65．What did Kelly have to do because of microgravity？
66．Did President Obama enjoy Kelly's photos？
67．What was Kelly's life in the ISS like？Why？（Give one example．）
【贵州省安顺市2015年中考英语试题】阅读理解， 根据短文内容选择正确答案。
Tom and his cousin took a boat trip. When they got on the boat， every passenger(乘客)should answer the keeper a question. If the passenger answered “yes”， he or she got one gift； if the passenger answered “no”， he or she got two gifts. Tom and his cousin saw all about this. Now it was their turn. The keeper came up to them and asked， “Are you a good sailor?” Tom wanted to get two gifts， so he answered “no” loudly， at the same time he said， “I have never been a sailor， how could I be a good sailor?” The keeper gave him two gifts. His cousin gave the same answer， so he got two gifts， too.
The boat started off. The passengers began to open their gifts. Tom and his cousin did the same. They found that one of the two gifts was a small bottle of drinking water， the other was a seasick tablet(晕船药). Tom had a look at a “yes”-passenger’s gift. His was a nice chocolate. Tom shouted at the keeper， “We are never seasick. Why do you give us seasick tablets?” Tom and his cousin ________.
| A．went to eat chocolates |
| B．went on a trip by boat |
| C．worked for the keeper |
| D．needed a bottle of drinking water |
When did the keeper ask the passengers questions?
| A．Before the trip. | B．After the trip. | C．During the trip. | D．Never. |
Why did Tom and his cousin answer “no”?
| A．Because they felt sick on the boat. |
| B．Because they were good sailors. |
| C．Because they both wanted to get two gifts. |
| D．Because they wanted to have chocolates. |
The underlined(下划线)part “a good sailor” means ________.
| A．晕船 | B．不晕船 | C．好销售员 | D．好水手 |
Which of the following statements is true?
| A．The keeper cheated(欺骗)Tom and his cousin. |
| B．Tom and his cousin didn’t want the seasick tablets. |
| C．All the other passengers answered “yes”. |
| D．The keeper didn’t want to give Tom and his cousin chocolates. |
【广州市2015年初中毕业生学业考试英语】阅读下列短文，从每题所级的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。On March 3, 1887, the lives of two amazing women were changed forever when Anne Sullivan, a poor university graduate, arrived at the home of the wealthy Keller family to teach their six-year-old daughter Helen. It was a difficult job as Helen was unable to see, hear or speak because of illness.
Anne had been suggested to the Kellers by her university professor, a close friend of Mr. Keller. Before she arrived, Anne expected her new pupil to be a quiet, weak child. But Helen was nothing like that. When Anne first walked through the Kellers’ door, the energetic Helen nearly knocked her over in her hurry to feel Anne’s face, clothing and bag.
Helen was used to visitors bringing her sweets, and angrily tried to force open Anne’s case to take her candy. But Anne calmed her down by allowing Helen to play with her watch. So began one of the most successful student-teacher relationships in history.
Anne Sullivan was only twenty years old when she began teaching Helen. She had to not only teach the child all the usual school subjects, but also control Helen’s sometimes wild behaviour. Her well-meaning parents allowed Helen to do as she liked at home. Realizing that such an environment was unsuitable for learning, Anne requested that she and Helen live in a small house nearby.
As soon as Helen began learning, it became clear that she was especially intelligent. She quickly learned to read and write, and by the age of ten she could also speak.
In 1900, Helen started studying at Radcliffe University, and graduated first in her class in 1904. She was the very first blind and deaf person to get a university degree. How did she do it? Anne Sullivan read all of Helen’s books and then signed the information into her hand. Anne remained at Helen’s side until her death in 1936. Helen became a world-famous writer, and fought for disabled people’s rights until her death on Jun 1, 1968.How did Anne come to work at the Kellers’ home?
| A．She replied to a job advertisement. |
| B．She was introduced by her family friend. |
| C．she was recommended by her university professor. |
| D．She met Mr. Keller while studying at university. |
What surprised Anne most about Helen when they first met?
| A．How intelligent Helen was. |
| B．Helen gave Anne a gift. |
| C．The way Helen’s parents treated her. |
| D．How forceful Helen was. |
According to the passage, Helen’s parents______.
| A．allowed her to do as she wished |
| B．gave her too many gifts and sweets. |
| C．did not spend much time with her |
| D．cared little about her education. |
Which of the following is NOT true about Helen’s university studies?
| A．She was greatly helped by Anne. |
| B．She was the best student in her class. |
| C．She was able to graduate in three years. |
| D．She was the first deaf and blind university graduate. |
According to the passage, both Anne and Helen______.
| A．died in their 60s |
| B．were well educated |
| C．came from rich families |
| D．fought for human rights |
【广州市2015年初中毕业生学业考试英语】阅读下列短文，从每题所级的A、B、C和D项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
This is a tale of two friends --- one is blind, the other has no arms. On their own, the two are “disabled”. But together, they are a powerful team that has changed part of their village in North China’s Hebei Province into a rich, green forest. Meet 53-year-old Jia Haixia and Jia Wenqi!
Their story began in 2000, when Haixia, who was already blind in his right eye, lost his left one after an illness. Wenqi lost his arms in an accident when he was just three. Neither
could find a job, so the two decided to team up. They rented some poor land and began to plant trees. In return, the local officials paid them a small fee. Haixia and Wenqi never imagined that they would end up creating an environmental paradise. Their forest now has over 10,000 trees, hundreds of birds and many other wild animals. In addition, it saves the village from river flooding during the rainy season. When the friends work together, they focus on their strengths not their disabilities. Their day begins at 7 a.m. when the sightless Haixia carries Wenqi across the river to get to their worksite. Since they cannot afford to buy young trees to plant, the two use branches from existing trees. Haixia climbs to the tree-top and with Wenqi’s direction, selects the perfect branch. He then digs a hole and carefully plants it. Finally Wenqi waters the area.
Though hard-working, the men don’t make much money. But as Wenqi puts it, “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter.”
Neither Haixia nor Wenqi cares about money. Together, they already have everything they need --- a perfect pair of eyes, two strong hands, and the best friendship in the world!Why did Haixia and Wenqi start working together?
| A．Haixia needed someone to help him. |
| B．They both needed a way to make money. |
| C．They wanted to improve the environment. |
| D．They were required to do so by local offcials. |
Haixia and Wenqi’s forest has helped the village by______ .
| A．stopping floods in the rainy season |
| B．increasing the number of tourists |
| C．making the villagers richer |
| D．providing more farmland |
Why do Haixia and Wenqi plant tree branches?
| A．They are easy to get. |
| B．They do not cost money. |
| C．They can grow very quickly. |
| D．They are preferred by animals. |
In paragraph 5, when Wen
qi says “We stand on our own feet, so the fruits of our work taste sweeter”, he means that “______”.
| A．they hope to make the forest even better |
| B．the fruits from their trees are very sweet |
| C．they are proud not to depend on others |
| D．they are able to do any difficult work |
What can we learn from this story?
| A．Never give up and you will succeed. |
| B．We should help the disabled to work. |
| C．Try your best when facing difficulties. |
| D．We can achieve more with teamwork. |
【2015年安徽省初中毕业学业考试英语试题】阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中选出一个最佳选项。
Be honest. That’s all you have to do on Honesty Day. It would be great if we were all honest every day of the year. It’s good that there is a day to encourage honesty. M. Hirsh Goldberg started Honesty Day. He chose the last day of April because the first day is April Fool’s Day, which celebrate lies. On Honesty Day, anyone may ask you any question and you should give a true and honest answer. That means that you have knowledge of Honesty Day.
M. Hirsh Goldberg wrote a book on telling lies. He said in his book that almost all person lie about 200 times a day. In our daily life, a typical（典型的）life for a man is “I did not drink that much” and for a woman is “Nothing is wrong, I’m fine.” It is found that nurses are the most honest people, while sales people and politicians（政客）are the biggest liars.
Every Honesty Day, M. Hirsh Goldberg hands out prizes to honest people. M. Hirsh Goldberg started Honesty Day to ______.
| A．celebrate lies |
| B．encourage honesty |
| C．ask questions |
| D．hand out prizes |
Which of the following is Honesty Day?
| A．April 1st | B．April 10th | C．April 20th | D．April 30th |
According to the passage, ______ are the most honest people.
| A．nurses | B．sales people | C．politicians | D．all men |
The underlined word “liars” probably means “______”.
| A．获利者 | B．说谎者 | C．影响着 | D．领导者 |
【2015年江苏省苏州市中考英语试题】阅读下列短文，从每小题所给的A、B、C、D四个选项中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
It was Christmas Eve. When everyone went to bed, Bunny couldn’t fall asleep. He still couldn’t think of what he wanted as a special Christmas present. He wondered how Santa — Father Christmas would know what to bring him if he didn’t know himself.从第一自然段可知，他还在想着他可以得到什么圣诞礼物。他想知道如果圣诞老人不认识他又怎样知道他要什么礼物。
As he was sitting up in bed, Bunny heard a big noise on the roof(屋顶) and a sound downstairs. It was Santa Claus, he realized. Bunny jumped out of bed and ran down the hall to the stairs. He hoped to take a look at the old man before Santa left for his next stop.
By the time Bunny was at the bottom of the stairs, everything was silent again. Lots of presents were put under the Christmas tree, but Santa was gone. A little disappointed(失望的), Bunny turned to climb back upstairs when he heard a cry.
“Hello,” said Bunny. “Is somebody there?”
He was answered by another cry. Bunny looked around the big pile of presents to see what was making the noise. Right under the tree was a funny looking brown animal with big feet and sad eyes. It also had antlers(鹿角) on its head. Bunny almost mistook it for a dog.
“Are you a reindeer?” asked Bunny.
“Yes,” replied the brown animal with antlers. “My name is Ralph.”
“And you were pulling Santa’s sled(雪橇)?”
“I was until I got air-sick,” replied Ralph. “Santa had to leave me here and go on with the other seven reindeer.”
“Isn’t it a bit unusual for a reindeer to get air-sick? I mean, isn’t flying what reindeer are famous for?”
“Not me, I’m afraid. It makes me scared. I always feel sick when it comes to flying,” replied Ralph. “But everyone wanted me to pull Santa’s sled, so when it was my turn I gave it a try. I’m afraid I just wasn’t cut out for the job. Now I’m stuck here and I don’t know how to get back to the North Pole.”
“Well, if you like, you can stay with us as a friend,” said Bunny. As he made the offer, Bunny suddenly realized the special present he wanted from Santa was a new friend!Why couldn’t Bunny fall asleep on Christmas Eve?
| A．He wanted to take a close look at Santa Claus. |
| B．He was waiting for his special present from his father. |
| C．He was thinking about what present to get from Santa. |
| D．He was woken up by a noise on the roof of his house. |
The underlined phrase “cut out” probably means .
| A．suitable | B．famous | C．ready | D．bad |
What can we learn from the article?
| A．Ralph is a brown dog with antlers. |
| B．Ralph is afraid of flying in the air. |
| C．Bunny got a sled as a Christmas present. |
| D．Bunny sent Ralph back to the North Pole. |
This article seems to tell us that .
| A．Santa lives in the South Pole with his reindeer |
| B．Santa usually puts Christmas presents on the roofs |
| C．Santa uses dogs to bring children presents on Christmas Eve |
| D．Santa knows what presents children want without being told |