Bacteria are an annoying problem for astronauts. The microorganisms（微生物） from our bodies grow uncontrollably on surfaces of the International Space Station, so astronauts spend hours cleaning them up each week. How is NASA overcoming this very tiny big problem? It's turning to a bunch of high school kids. But not just any kids. It depending on NASA HUNCH high school class, like the one science teachers Gene Gordon and Donna Himmelberg lead at Fairport High School in Fairport, New York.
HUNCH is designed to connect high school classrooms with NASA engineers. For the past two years, Gordon's students have been studying ways to kill bacteria in zero gravity, and they think they're close to a solution（解决方案）. "We don't give the students any breaks. They have to do it just like NASA engineers," says Florence Gold, a project manager.
"There are no tests," Gordon says. "There is no graded homework. There almost are no grades, other than 'Are you working towards your goal?' Basically, it's 'I've got to produce this product and then, at the end of year, present it to NASA.' Engineers come and really do an in-person review, and…it's not a very nice thing at time. It's a hard business review of your product."
Gordon says the HUNCH program has an impact（影响） on college admissions and practical life skills. "These kids are so absorbed in their studies that I just sit back. I don't teach." And that annoying bacteria? Gordon says his students are emailing daily with NASA engineers about the problem, readying a workable solution to test in space.
（1）What do we know about the bacteria in the International Space Station?
| A． | They are hard to get rid of. |
| B． | They lead to air pollution. |
| C． | They appear different forms. |
| D． | They damage the instruments. |
（2）What is the purpose of the HUNCH program?
| A． | To strengthen teacher-student relationships. |
| B． | To sharpen students' communication skills. |
| C． | To allow students to experience zero gravity. |
| D． | To link space technology with school education |
（3）What do the NASA engineers do for the students in the program?
| A． | Check their product. |
| B． | Guide project designs |
| C． | Adjust work schedules. |
| D． | Grade their homework. |
（4）What is the best title for the text?
A. NASA: The Home of Astronauts.
B. Space: The Final Homework Frontier.
C. Nature: An Outdoor Classroom.
D. HUNCH:A College Admission Reform.
B
According to figures released by the Office for National Statistics (ONS), the U.K. has about 7.7 million families with dependent children, of which 3.7 million have just one child, compared to 3 million with two and 1.1 million with three children or more. The number of families today with just one dependent child is now 47 percent and will likely rise to more than 50 percent in a decade. As the ONS confirms, “It appears that families are getting smaller.”
One obvious reason for this could be that women are putting off having children until they have established careers when they are bound to be less fertile. But it could just as well be a matter of choice. Parents must consider the rising cost of living, combined with economic uncertainty and an increasingly difficult job market. And this trend may continue growing as having an only child becomes more normal, which seems to be the mood on the mothers’ online forum Mumsnet, where one member announced that she “just wanted to start a positive thread about how fab it is to have an only child”.
She had received 231 replies, overwhelmingly in the same upbeat spirit. Parents of only children insist there are plenty of benefits. Nicola Kelly, a writer and lecturer who grew up as an only child and is now a married mother of one, says her 15-year-old son seems more grown-up in many ways than his contemporaries.
In a moving recent account journalist Janice Turner wrote about her own keenness to “squeeze out two sons just 22 months apart” as a reaction to her only-child upbringing.
She was placed on a pedestal by her doting parents, whom she punished with a “brattish, wilful” rejection of everything they stood for. Desperate for a close friend she was repeatedly shattered by rejection and refers to her childhood as being “misery”.
Writer and clinician Dr. Dorothy Rowe, a member of the British Psychological Society, says that we all interpret events in our own individual way and there are some children who no matter what their circumstances feel slighted, while other children see the advantages of their situation.
However, the one part of life that is unlikely to get any easier for only children is when they grow up and find themselves looking after their own parents as they become older.The writer wrote the passage to________.
| A．illustrate the strength and weakness of having an only child |
| B．analyze the reasons why having an only child becomes popular |
| C．guide people to look at the same issue from different perspectives |
| D．present us with different opinions about having an only child |
Why are families getting smaller according to the passage?
| A．Women are less fertile. |
| B．Women give priority to career. |
| C．It is positive to have an only child. |
| D．There are not many job positions for children. |
The sentence “Not all products of single-child families are as keen to repeat the experience.”should be placed at the beginning of paragraph______.
| A．2 | B．3 | C．4 | D．5 |
What does the underlined sentence we all interpret events in our own individual way in Paragraph 6 mean ?
| A．Some are unable to make an objective assessment of their conditions |
| B．We should consider the needs of individuals. |
| C．Journalist Janice Turner experienced a miserable childhood. |
| D．It’s necessary for us to look at the event from our own angle. |
Goldie's Secret
She turned up at the doorstep of my house in Cornwall. No way could I have sent her away. No way, not me anyway. Maybe someone had kicked her out of their car the night before. "We're moving house.'; "No space for her any more with the baby coming." "We never really wanted her, but what could we have done? She was a present." People find all sorts of excuses for abandoning an animal. And she was one of the most beautiful dogs I had ever seen.
I called her Goldie. If I had known what was going to happen I would have given her a more creative name. She was so unsettled during those first few days. She hardly ate anything and had such an air(样子) of sadness about her. There was nothing I could do to make her happy, it seemed. Heaven knows what had happened to her at her previous(以前的) owner's. But eventually at the end of the first week she calmed down. Always by my side, whether we were out on one of our long walks or sitting by the fire.
That's why it was such a shock when she pulled away from me one day when we were out for a walk. We were a long way from home, when she started barking and getting very restless（焦躁不安的）. Eventually I couldn't hold her any longer and she raced off down the road towards a farmhouse in the distance as fast as she could.
By the time I reached the farm I was very tired and upset with Goldie. But when I saw her licking (舔) the four puppies (幼犬) I started to feel sympathy towards them. "We didn't know what had happened to her," said the woman at the door. "I took her for a walk one day, soon after the puppies were born, and she just disappeared." "She must have tried to come back to them and got lost," added a boy from behind her. '
I must admit I do miss Goldie, but I've got Nugget now, and she looks just like her mother. And I've learnt a good lesson: not to judge people. How did the author feel about Goldie when Goldie came to the house?
| A．Shocked. | B．Sympathetic. |
| C．Annoyed. | D．Upset. |
In her first few days at the author's house, Goldie .
| A．I felt worried | B．was angry |
| C．ate a little | D．sat by the fire |
Goldie rushed off to a farmhouse one day because she .
| A．saw her puppies |
| B．heard familiar barking |
| C．wanted to leave the author |
| D．found her way to her old home |
The passage is organized in order of .
| A．time | B．effectiveness（效果） |
| C．importance | D．complexity（复杂性） |
Who hasn't found themselves reaching for the closest food available when they're tired and stressed? More and more research is proving that this isn't all in our mind. Some foods really do lead to a change in our moods (心情)．
Carbohydrate (碳水化合物) for calm
This is how some people medicate(治疗) themselves with food — by reaching for cookies or pasta(意大利面食) whenever they're upset. Unfortunately, it doesn't always work. You must eat a meal consisting of 100% carbohydrate, on an empty stomach, to obtain the serotonin (血清素) increase so that you have a good mood.
To get the wishedfor effect, you must not eat anything for four hours and then eat at least 30 grams of straight carbohydrate. Dry cereal (谷类食品), a piece of bread with jam, or a potato should do_the_trick.
Protein (蛋白质) for power
Of course, sometimes we don't need to be calm and sleepy.Sometimes we need a great deal of mental concentration, so this is when it's important to mix protein and carbohydrate. The protein will prevent the tryptophan (色氨酸) from flooding your brain，and the rise in serotonin(血清素) won't occur.
Why dessert makes us happy
Fat and sugar cause the brain to let go endorphins (内啡肽), which send pleasure signals throughout the body. This would be fine, except humans are not particularly good at stopping at one cookie or cake.
You can also satisfy your sweet tooth by choosing fruit for dessert.
Timing your meals for energy
Blood sugar drops after four hours of going without food, causing a decrease(减少) in energy. Eating usually fixes this within 20 to 30 minutes, but don't suppose that eating more will cause a faster increase in energy.
When you eat has as much of an effect on your mood as what you eat. If you regularly go for a long period of time between meals, rethink your schedule and plan ahead.The underlined phrase“do_the_trick”in the third paragraph means ________.
| A．be extremely smart |
| B．intend to cheat someone |
| C．bring about the desired result |
| D．do something to amuse people |
The function of protein is ________.
| A．to help you keep calm and sleepy |
| B．to make you feel energetic |
| C．to lead you to slowness |
| D．to increase serotonin in your brain |
We can infer from the last two parts that ________.
| A．fat and sugar can greatly help people feel happy |
| B．we humans tend to eat lots of cookies and cakes |
| C．the more we eat, the faster we will gain energy |
| D．what we eat is more important than when we eat |
The main idea of the passage is ________.
| A．eating for a better mood |
| B．eating to make you calm |
| C．eating for more protein |
| D．eating to make us strong |
American researchers have discovered that human brains and sleep patterns are confused by devices(装置) that give out bright lights. Electronics, such as laptops, mislead our minds into thinking that it is still daytime, preventing sleep and increasing the risk of insomnia.
Sleep experts say human's natural body clock begins to rest and relax from the day between 9 and 10 pm but the use of computers confuses it.
A person's brain biologically becomes awake when the sun is out because bright light after dark causes the brain to stop producing the hormone (荷尔蒙) called melatonin that makes us sleepy.
Researchers say blue light from devices such as iPads, which is expected to become a popular reading tool when it comes out later this month, is particularly disruptive (干扰的)during the night when the brain thinks it should be dark.
Experts say a good book is a far better way of resting the brain and ensuring a good night's sleep because the bedside lamp(灯) light doesn't affect the brain as it does not look straight into a person's eyes.
“Potentially, yes, if you're using an iPad or a laptop close to bedtime... that light can be stimulating (刺激) to the brain to make it more awake and delay your ability to sleep，” Phyllis Zee, a professor at Northwestern University and director of the school's Centre for Sleep & Circadian Biology, told CNN.
“And I think more importantly, it could also be enough to affect your circadian (昼夜节律的) rhythm. This is the clock in your brain that determines when you sleep and when you wake up. ”
Alon Avidan, associate director of the Sleep Disorders Center at the University of California Los Angeles, added, “I wish people would just take a boring book — an oldfashioned book — and read by a lamp.”The underlined word “insomnia” in the first paragraph probably means “________”．
| A．being unable to eat properly |
| B．brain injury |
| C．being unable to fall sleep |
| D．lack of energy |
Melatonin is the hormone that ________.
| A．makes us sleepy |
| B．helps us relaxed |
| C．prevents us from waking up |
| D．makes us excited |
The bedside lamp light doesn't affect the brain because ________.
| A．it doesn't give out blue light |
| B．it's not as bright as your laptop |
| C．it doesn't enter your eyes directly |
| D．it is adjustable |
We can conclude from the passage that ________.
| A．one who uses his laptop often before bedtime can have his body clock disturbed |
| B．using a laptop before bedtime is more harmful than using an iPad |
| C．we'd better not do anything before going to bed |
| D．the best time to go to bed is before 9 pm |
Camping wild is a wonderful way to experience the natural world and, at its best, it makes little environmental influence. But with increasing numbers of people wanting to escape into the wilderness, it is becoming more and more important to camp unobtrusively (不引人注目地) and leave no mark.
Wild camping is not permitted in many places, particularly in crowded lowland Britain. Wherever you are, find out about organizations responsible for managing wild spaces, and contact them to find out their policy on camping and shelter building. For example, it is fine to camp wild in remote parts of Scotland, but in England you must ask the landowner’s permission, except in national parks.
Camping is about having relaxation, sleeping outdoors, experiencing bad weather, and making do without modern conveniences. A busy, fully equipped campsite(野营地) seems to go against this, so seek out smaller, more remote places with easy access to open spaces and perhaps beaches. Better still, find a campsite with no road access：walking in makes a real adventure.
Finding the right spot to camp is the first step to guaranteeing a good night’s sleep. Choose a campsite with privacy(隐秘) and minimum（最小的） influence on others and the environment. Try to use an area where people have obviously camped before rather than creating a new spot.
When camping in woodland, avoid standing dead trees, which may fall on a windy night. Avoid animal runs and caves, and possible homes of biting insects. Make sure you have most protection on the windward(迎风的) side. If you make a fire, do so downwind of your shelter. Always consider what influence you might have on the natural world. Avoid damaging plants. A good campsite found, not made—changing it should be unnecessary.You needn’t ask for permission when camping in________.
| A．national parks in England |
| B．most parts of Scotland |
| C．crowded lowland Britain |
| D．most parts of England |
The author thinks that a good campsite is one________.
| A．with easy access | B．used previously（以前） |
| C．with modern conveniences | D．far away from beaches |
The last paragraph mainly deals with________.
| A．protecting animals |
| B．building a campfire |
| C．camping in woodland |
| D．finding a campsite with privacy |
The passage is mainly about________.
| A．the protection of campsites |
| B．the importance of wild camping |
| C．the human influence on campsites |
| D．the dos and don’ts of wild camping |