The Next 500 Years—Engineering Life to Reach New Worlds

￥203.00

HardbackI256 pagesIPublished 20/04/2021

Availability:In Stock

DESCRIPTION

Certainly,life on Earth will come to an end,whether because of climate disaster,world wars, or the death of the sun in a few billion years.To avoid dying out,we will have to find a new home planet,perhaps even a new solar system,to live.

In this challenging and interesting book,Christopher Mason argues that we have a duty to do just that.We have a responsibility to act—not only for us human beings but for all other creatures on which we depend.

Mason argues that our technology that has enabled us to build rockets and land on other planets can be applied to redesigning biology so that we can live on those planets.And he makes a 500- year plan for carrying out the huge project.

As they are today,our weak human bodies could never survive(幸存)travel to another planet.Mason describes the bad effects that long-term space travel had on astronaut Scott Kelly, who returned from a year on the International Space Station with changes to his blood,bones,and genes(基因) .

Mason suggests a ten-period,500-year program that would engineer our body so that humans can stand the extreme(极端的)environments of outer space— with the final goal of achieving human settlement of new solar systems.He makes a roadmap of which solar systems to visit first, and uses biotechnology and genetics to offer a unique vision of the universe to come.

Weight:620g

Size:203 x 137mm

1. What does Mason suggest doing in his book?

A．Preventing creatures from dying out.	B．Looking for a new home in space.
C．Protecting our home planet.	D．Watching over the activities of the sun.

2. Which of the following is unclear about the book?

A．The publisher.	B．The price.
C．The weight.	D．The author.

3. Who will buy this book probably?

A．People who care about the environment.

B．People who pay more attention to animals.

C．People who are interested in human history.

D．People who want to know more about space.

The United States is a large country, and there are areas where people use different words for the same thing or say the same words differently.

Although school systems across the country teach standard American English, many Americans grow up speaking non-standard American English. These varieties(变体)are also called dialects (方言). People may not even realize they are speaking a non-standard form of the language.

Let us look at some vocabulary differences from different areas of the United States.

One of the main varieties of American English is vocabulary. Different words can be used for the same idea or thing, depending on the area of the U.S., such as the Northeast, the South, and the Midwest or the West.

Take for example a kind of cloth shoe that is worn for informal times or for sports. What would you call this? Many Americans in the South, the Midwest, and the West Coast call sports shoes “tennis shoes”. It does not matter if they play the sport of tennis.The shoes just might be their everyday shoes. They call them “tennis shoes” anyway. In the Northeast, they use the word “sneakers”.

Some sugary drinks have different names depending on where you are from. In the Midwest, the western part of the state of Pennsylvania, and parts of the Appalachian Mountains, especially in the state of West Virginia, people call them “pop”. In parts of the Northeast and the West Coast, they are called “soda”. And people in some southern states use one name for all those kinds of sugary drinks. They call them “Coke”, which is short for Coca Cola.

For our final vocabulary word,we have the insect(昆虫)that flies at night in the summertime and lights up. In parts of the Northeast and West coast, the word “firefly” is commonly used. In parts of Appalachia, the Midwest, and the South, “lightning bug” is probably most common. Sometimes people in the U.S. use both words.

8. Which part of American English does the author mainly talk about?

A．Its words.

B．Its history.

C．Its spelling.

D．Its pronunciation.

9. Where do people call sports shoes“sneakers”?

A．In the South.

B．In the Midwest.

C．In the Northeast.

D．In the West Coast.

10. What does the underlined word “pop ”in paragraph 6 refer to?

A．Sports shoes.

B．Sugary drinks.

C．Popular music.

D．Lighting insects.

11. Which part of a newspaper is the text probably from?

A．Society.

B．Science & Tech.

C．Advertisement.

D．News.

Is there a hero who can help feed people? That’s what two Californian teens are hoping for. Their award-winning hunger-fighting creations came to life in July at the San Diego Comic Convention(Comic-Con)in California.

Nearly 300 students in the San Diego area took part in the Hunger Action Hero Art Contest. Clothing designer Allan Lavigne created the two winning entries(作品): “Hunger Halter” by Aiden Prior, 14, of Encinitas, and “Demeter” by Sirenna Ascencio, 17, of Chula Vista.

The contest was hosted by Feeding San Diego, a nonprofit organization that is part of Feeding America, and the Comic-Con Museum.

“We set out to encourage the next generation of hunger relief(救济)and food rescue champions, while also attracting the community around those who need food help,”Dana Williams, the nonprofit’s director of marketing and communications, said in a statement.

Aiden’s hand-drawn hunger-fighting hero earned him first prize. “Both the Comic-Con Museum and Feeding San Diego gave me the chance to express myself through creativity,”he said. “Don’t be afraid to show others what you can do.”

Sirenna’s hero, Demeter, was based on the goddess of crops,who she learned about in her storybook. This was how her idea came out. “She can speed up crop growth and deliver food at the speed of light,”said Sirenna,who won the second prize. Sirenna has been drawing since elementary school . She entered the contest to raise awareness(意识)about hunger relief.

At Comic-Con, actors wore Lavigne’s clothes to raise awareness about food safety. Lavigne heads the Bronze Armory Studios, which sells action hero clothes. He has much experience in the design of clothes for Iron Man,Captain America,and other famous films.

Lavigne’s clothes will be on display(展出)at the San Diego Comic-Con Museum through another month. Feeding San Diego will also use the heroes to educate young people about the importance of hunger relief and fighting against food waste.

“We want to use the power of the popular arts and use it to help influence our community,”said Rita Vandergaw, the museum’s director.

12. What can we know about Allan Lavigne?

A．He applied the winning entries to his clothes.

B．He gave away a lot of clothes.

C．He was chosen as the judge of the contest.

D．He won first prize for his designs.

13. What gave Sirenna the idea of creating her artwork?

A．Her interest in drawing.	B．An ancient story.
C．The difficulty in growing crops.	D．The communication with hungry people.

14. What is the purpose of Feeding San Diego in holding this event?

A．To raise money for food.	B．To put its clothes up for sale.
C．To provide food to poor families.	D．To teach the young to value food.

15. Which is the best title for the text?

A．Hunger Is Still a World Problem	B．Healthy Food Matters to Students
C．Kids Create Heroes to Fight Hunger	D．Kids’Art Creativity Is Endless

Imagine you are talking with a friend. Your friend tells you that they have a big test or job interview coming up soon.     16     But how do you do so?

Social situations give us many chances to wish other people well. Such wishes can come in the form of sentence fragments(片段)or complete sentences .A fragment is a kind of incomplete sentence—it is missing part of the sentence.In general,fragments that wish other people well are missing the subject(主语) .

Consider,for example,the phrase“good luck”,which is used to say that you hope someone will succeed. But the phrase suggests something more.     17    

In any case,English speakers often just use the phrase“good luck” .So,a person might say, “Good luck with the job interview!”In terms of complete sentences,English speakers often use words such as“wish”or“hope” .For example,a person might say,“I hope the job interview goes well tomorrow.”Or“     18     ”

English speakers also use complete sentences to express trust in another person. Such expressions are another way to show kindness or warmth to other people.For example,a person might say,“I know you are worried about the test tomorrow.     19     ”Or“The job interview will be easy. You’re going to do great!”

    20     There are,of course,many other ways to do so. The next time you are listening to English speakers,pay careful attention to how they wish each other well.Take careful note of the kinds of words and phrases that they use.

A．Good luck with your language learning.

B．This is a good time to wish them well.

C．But I also know you are prepared for the challenge.

D．It suggests something like this:“I wish you good luck.”

E．Today we’ve explored a few ways to wish others well.

F．I wish you the best of luck with your job interview tomorrow.

G．Ask yourself if they are using fragments or complete sentences.

A Canadian woman on vacation in Mexico was feeling greatly _________ because of a kind act from a _________.

Kirsten Marten was on her way to Mexico for a family vacation when she _________ she had forgotten her youngest son’s medicine. “We _________ Mexico without our youngest son’s important medicine,”she said.

The son might get _________ without the medicine, so Kirsten Marten posted on a local Facebook group at 5 a.m., _________ a man who happens to be flying out that day or the next day and can _________ the medicine and she also wrote down their place where they would stay in Mexico.

Marina Miller, who lives in Victoria’s West Shore in Mexico,happened to see the post and _________ jumped into action. She found and bought the _________ medicine, and had it waiting in the __________ before Marten’s family arrived.

“Marina Miller, someone I had never met,let alone spoken to, __________ us at once and managed to send the medicine to our hotel and __________ the medicine all herself! We didn’t have the __________ to thank her in person because she left quickly.”Marten wrote in a Facebook post.

“Her act of kindness moved me to tears and filled my heart with love. It set our trip off to a(n) __________ start. We’ll always __________ her and I have to say I’m a bit crazy about her now and can’t wait to meet her in person.”

Marten plans to repay the kindness she was shown by Miller to another mom.

21.

A．shocked

B．pleased

C．puzzled

D．troubled

22.

A．mother

B．friend

C．stranger

D．volunteer

23.

A．warned

B．explained

C．agreed

D．realized

24.

A．left for

B．focused on

C．moved around

D．went through

25.

A．weak

B．shy

C．patient

D．calm

26.

A．examining

B．expecting

C．suggesting

D．guiding

27.

A．bring

B．try

C．recognize

D．hide

28.

A．bravely

B．proudly

C．necessarily

D．immediately

29.

A．used

B．common

C．required

D．expensive

30.

A．car

B．hotel

C．company

D．office

31.

A．contacted

B．considered

C．encouraged

D．accepted

32.

A．handed out

B．looked into

C．paid for

D．put away

33.

A．excuse

B．chance

C．duty

D．ability

34.

A．similar

B．sweet

C．secret

D．early

35.

A．protect

B．believe

C．support

D．remember

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

With Moon Man, China’s most popular movie in this summer, still being shown in cinemas, Chinese fans are eagerly waiting to see the movie’s actress Ma Li appear in a new comedy, Give Me Five.

The film, which also starred comedians Chang Yuan and Wei Xiang,     36     (direct)by crosstalk performer Zhang Luan in 2021.

In the time-travel movie, a young man,     37     always argues with his single father,     38     (unexpected) returns to a period in the early 1980s, when his father and mother are going to fall in love with each other.

In order to make up for the mistake that he has made     39     accident, the young man tries his best     40     (create)chances between them to ensure they become his     41    (parent).

Ma, one of     42     most famous comedy actresses in our country, said she was invited to act in the movie when she was around five months pregnant(怀孕的), and started to prepare for the movie after     43     (give)birth to the baby three months later.

“With this special experience, I have been able to know my role better and understand how great and     44     (power) a mother can be. I hope the movie will remind the audience to value their beloved ones     45     spend more time with their families,” said Ma during the premiere(首映礼) in Beijing earlier this week.

47. 阅读下面材料，根据其内容和所给段落开头语续写两段，使之构成一篇完整的短文。

My wife and I went to the Animal Emergency Hospital on a Good Friday last year. We ended up there with Jack, a beautiful dog.Any pet that is there on a Good Friday is in bad trouble as most vets(兽医诊所) are closed .

Jack was seriously ill and they helped him. Before we left we said we were not rich but we wanted to do an act of kindness and gave $1,500 for someone they thought really needed the help.

Within 18 hours the money ended up helping a single mother whose dog had been bitten(咬) by a snake. She had at least one child with serious illness, so the decision had to be made to help the child with the treatment the mother had booked,or to help the dog. We were able to help the dog so she could support her family. The hospital gave her my phone number and I received a heartfelt message from a stranger saying thank you. The vets also said it restored their faith in humanity and good people,which was nice.

Sadly I lost my best friend Jack almost 2 months ago. He was such a beautiful dog that I feel honored to share my life with him.

A few days later,I went again in the morning to the Animal Emergency Hospital and gave $1,500—something intended for my beautiful dog Jack.And we are still not rich,but acts of kindness are important.The fact is that emergency vets are not cheap for ordinary pet owners.I hope the money can help someone who finds themselves in a terrible situation tomorrow and it helps their family stay together.I talked with some pet owners there and they said that sometimes they really couldn’t afford treatment for their pets.I realized that I should do more then.

注意：1.续写词数应为150左右;
2.请按如下格式在答题卡的相应位置作答。

I invited some of my close friends to my house for a party about pet treatment.

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I decided to start a rescue(救援)group for sick pets.

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