“We are running out of space and the only places to go to are other worlds... Spreading out may be the only thing that saves us from ourselves. I am convinced that humans need to leave Earth.” These are the words of the famous scientist Stephen Hawking, spoken at a science festival in Norway in 2017, a year before his death.
Hawking was not alone in this view. Many experts feel that the only way for humanity to last far into the future is to colonize other planets. That way, if an asteroid, a terrible disease, nuclear war, or some other disaster strikes Earth, civilization as we know it would still have a chance. Mars is one of the most tempting destinations. NASA, the United Arab Emirates, the private company SpaceX, and the organization Mars One all have plans to send humans there. “Either we spread Earth to other planets, or we risk going extinct, SpaceX founder Elon Musk said at a conference in 2013.
But not everyone agrees that colonizing Mars or any other planet is such a great plan. The most common argument against going is that it’s just too expensive or dangerous. It will take huge amounts of money and other resources just to get people there, let alone set up a place for them to live. It’s not even clear if humans could survive on Mars. One of the biggest dangers there is deadly radiation that bombards the planet.
Maybe all the time and money people would pour into a Mars mission would be better spent on more urgent projects here on Earth, like dealing with poverty or climate change. Some experts argue that handling a problem like an asteroid strike or disease outbreak while staying here on Earth would be much easier and less expensive than surviving on a new planet.
In addition, moving to a new planet could harm or destroy anything that already lives there. Mars seems uninhabited, but it could possibly host microbial life. Human visitors may destroy this life or permanently change or damage the Martian environment. Some feel that’s too much of a risk to take.
What do you think? Should humans colonize outer space or stay home?
1. What can be inferred from the passage?| A．Many experts insist that humans should take the risk. |
| B．Mars is the most attractive destinations for human beings. |
| C．Hawking firmly believes the only way to save humans is moving to Mars. |
| D．All the other experts don’t agree with Hawking’s idea. |
| A．It will cost much more money to settle on Mars than on Earth. |
| B．It is too long a distance from the Earth to the Mars. |
| C．Human visitors will bring diseases to Martian environment. |
| D．The deadly radiation that bombards the planet is the biggest danger. |
| A．To raise people’s awareness of protecting the environment. |
| B．To present different opinions on whether to move to the Mars. |
| C．To arouse readers’ reflection on whether to colonize outer space. |
| D．To inspire people to deal with the environmental problems. |
| A．Fiction. | B．Current affairs. | C．Social Studies. | D．Science. |
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【推荐1】The far side of the moon is a strange and wild region, quite different from the familiar and mostly smooth face we see nightly from our planet. Soon this rough space will have even stranger features: it will be crowded with radio telescopes.
Astronomers are planning to make the moon's distant side our newest and best window on the cosmic(宇宙的) dark ages, a mysterious era hiding early marks of stars and galaxies. Our universe was not always filled with stars. About 380,000 years after the big bang, the universe cooled, and the first atoms of hydrogen formed. Gigantic hydrogen clouds soon filled the universe. But for a few hundred million years, everything remained dark, without stars. Then came the cosmic dawn: the first stars flickered, galaxies came into existence and slowly the universe's largescale structure took shape.
The seeds of this structure must have been present in the darkage hydrogen clouds, but the era has been impossible to probe using optical(光学的) telescopes—there was no light. And although this hydrogen produced longwavelength(or lowfrequency) radio emissions,radio telescopes on Earth have found it nearly impossible to detect them. Our atmosphere either blocks or disturbs these faint signals; those that get through are drowned out by humanity's radio noise.
Scientists have dreamed for decades of studying the cosmic dark ages from the moon's far side. Now multiple space agencies plan lunar missions carrying radiowavedetecting instruments—some within the next three years—and astronomers' dreams are set to become reality.
“If I were to design an ideal place to do lowfrequency radio astronomy, I would have to build the moon,” says astrophysicist Jack Burns of the University of Colorado Boulder. “We are just now finally getting to the place where we're actually going to be putting these telescopes down on the moon in the next few years.”
1. What's the purpose of building radio telescopes on the moon?| A．To research the big bang. | B．To discover unknown stars. |
| C．To study the cosmic dark ages. | D．To observe the far side of the moon. |
| A．Explore. | B．Evaluate. |
| C．Produce. | D．Predict. |
| A．there was no light in the dark ages |
| B．they cannot possibly get through our atmosphere |
| C．gigantic hydrogen clouds no longer fill the universe |
| D．radio signals on Earth cause too much interference |
| A．Scientists have to rebuild the moon. |
| B．We will finally get to the moon's distant side. |
| C．The moon is a perfect place to set up radio telescopes. |
| D．A favorable research environment will be found on the moon. |
【推荐2】Two high school students have identified four new planets in distant space about 200-light-years from Earth, making them “the youngest astronomers” to make such a discovery.
Kartik Pingle, 16, and Jasmine Wright. 18, who both attend schools in Massachusetts, participated in the Student Research Mentoring Program (SRMP). With the help of Tansu Daylan, an MIT doctor for Astrophysics and Space Research, the students studied and analyzed data from the Transiting Exoplanct Survey Satellite (TESS). Together they focused on Tess Object of Interest (TOI) 1233, a nearby, bright sun-like star and here they found four planets rotating（旋转）around the star. “We were looking to see changes in light over time,” Pingle explained, “the idea is that if the planet transits the star, or passes in front of it, it would periodically cover up the star and decrease its brightness.”
While studying 1233, Pingle and Wright had at least hoped to find one planet but were overwhelmed with joy when a total of four were spotted. “I was very excited and very shocked.” Wright said. “We knew this was the goal of Daylan’s research, but to actually find a multi-planetary system, and be part of the discovering team, was really cool.” Three of the newly discovered planets are considered as “sub-Neptunes”, which are gaseous, but smaller than the Neptune that lives in our solar system. While observing the planets, the team determined each one completes their orbit around 1233 every six to 19.5 days. However, the fourth planet is called a “super-Earth” for its large size and rockiness this one orbits around the star in just under four days.
“We have long been studying planets beyond our solar system and with multi-planetary systems, the two young students are kind of hitting the jackpot. They are really blessed.” Daylan said. “The planets originated from the same disk of matter around the same star, but they ended up being different planets with different atmospheres and different climates due to their different orbits. So, we would like to understand the basic processes of planet formation and evolution using this planetary system.”
Daylan added that it was a “win-win” to work with Pingle and Wright on the study. “As a researcher, I really enjoy interacting with young brains that are open to experimentation and learning and have slightest bias（偏见）.”he said, “I also think it is very beneficial to high school students, since they get exposure to cutting-edge research, and this prepares them quickly for a research career.”
1. How did the two students identify the four planets？| A．By helping professor Tansu Daylan with the data. |
| B．By analyzing the change of brightness of star 1233. |
| C．By studying Neptune that lives in our solar system. |
| D．By interacting with other young talented brains. |
| A．It was made by two high school students. |
| B．It was made with an innovative approach. |
| C．It was meant to be made by Tansu Daylan. |
| D．It found the largest number of planets at a time. |
| A．Making a discovery difficultly. | B．Achieving the goal easily. |
| C．Succeeding in something luckily. | D．Performing a task carefully. |
| A．It allows the scientists to work with young people without prejudice. |
| B．It equips future astronomers with better researching abilities. |
| C．It provides more perspectives and thus boosts more discoveries. |
| D．It arouses students’ interest in exploring the unknown universe. |
【推荐3】NASA said its Kepler spacecraft has spotted ''Earth's bigger, older cousin'': the first nearly Earth-size planet to be found in the habitable zone of a star similar to our own.
Though NASA can’t say for sure whether the planet is rocky like ours or has water and air, it's the closest match yet found.
The planet, Kepler-452b, is about 60% bigger than Earth, NASA says, and is located in its star's habitable zone, where life-sustaining liquid water is possible on the surface of a planet.
A visitor there would experience gravity about twice that of Earth's, and scientists say the possibility of it having a rocky surface are ''better than ever''. While it's a bit farther from its star than Earth is from the sun, its star is brighter, so the planet receives about the same amount of energy from its star as Earth does from the sun.
Kepler researcher Jeff Jenkins said, ''The planet almost certainly has an atmosphere, although scientists can't say what it's made of. But if the assumptions are correct, kepler-452b's atmosphere may be thicker than Earth's. ''
It takes 385 days for the planet to orbit its star. ''Because it has spent so long orbiting in this zone—6 billion years—it's had plenty of time to brew life,'' Jenkins said.
''That's an opportunity for life to arise, if all the necessary ingredients and conditions for life exist on this planet, '' he said in a statement.
Kepler-452b is too far away for humans to visit. But the discovery of this new Earth-like planet can tell us a lot about what’s possible for the future of space travel. ''The next step in the process is to do follow-up missions to find planets similar to kepler-452b, but much closer to Earth, '' said Peter Coughlin, a Kepler research scientist. ''We could do a lot more research into those planets, and even start to think about visiting one day. ''
1. The researchers are sure that Kepler-452b ________．| A．is larger than Earth | B．has an atmosphere |
| C．has air and water | D．has many rocks |
| A．They are both located in the sun's habitable zone． |
| B．Their distances from the sun are almost the same． |
| C．Their atmospheres are made of the same compositions． |
| D．They get almost the same amount of energy from their stars.． |
| A．improve | B．endanger |
| C．produce | D．protect |
| A．Kepler-452b Is Compared to the Earth. |
| B．NASA Discovers a New Earth-Like Planet. |
| C．A Spacecraft Was Launched to Find Super-Earth. |
| D．A New Planet With Life Is Discovered. |
Is achieving ZPG good or bad? What happens when a country’s population begins to drop? Many people，after all，believe that population decline is a good thing．But is it good for everyone? Does everyone agree?
An aging population can create many problems．Senior citizens require more health care and medical attention．Rather than paying into retirement programs，they begin to draw from their pensions．In the US，the Social Security program，according to many experts，will be used up by 2018．It will pay out more money than it takes in．Additionally, a great number of jobs go begging in search of people willing or entry。level positions that pay low wages．With an able to do them．Many of these jobs are aging population，who will fill them? At the other extreme，some positions require a large number of training and highly specialized skills．Who will fill these positions as retirees leave the workforce?
The answer to the problem of declining and aging population is simple：increased migration．Today many people，particularly those from less developed countries，are migrating in search of employment．Many are willing to take jobs that cannot(or will not) be filled by the domestic population．Others are well educated and highly skilled．Both groups contribute to a country’s economy progress in many ways．Further, they add to the richness of a country’s culture．Of greatest importance，perhaps，is the fact that they have become absolutely necessary to the economy of many lands．As you can see，for many countries and for most immigrants，migration is a win—win situation．
1. In the writer’s view，which of the following statements is TRUE?
| A．Not everyone agrees that achieving ZPG is absolutely good． |
| B．Achieving ZPG is every country’s aim in spite of its side effects． |
| C．Achieving ZPG is bad for senior citizens． |
| D．Achieving ZPG is good for employment． |
| A．to improve the health care system | B．to increase RNI |
| C．to increase employment | D．to increase migration |
| A．people within the country | B．people from developing countries |
| C．people without a college education | D．people living abroad |
| A．the advantages of increased migration |
| B．the problem of declining and aging population |
| C．how to increase migration |
| D．some ways to enrich a country’s culture |
【推荐2】Two of the saddest words in the English language are “if only”. I live my life with the goal of never having to say those words, because they express regret, lost chances, mistakes, and disappointment.
My father is famous in our family for saying, “Take another minute to do it right.” I always try to live by the “another minute” rule. When my children were young and likely to cause accidents, I always thought about what I could do to avoid an “if only” moment, whether it was something small like moving a cup full of hot coffee away from the edge of a table, or something that required a little more work such as taping padding (粘贴衬垫) onto the sharp corners of a glass coffee table.
I don’t only avoid those “if only” moments when it comes to safety. It’s equally important to avoid “if only” in our personal relationships. We all know people who lost a loved one and regretted that they had foregone a chance to say “I love you” or “I forgive (原谅) you.” When my father announced he was going to the eye doctor across from my office on Good Friday, I told him that it was a holiday for my company and I wouldn’t be here. But then I thought about the fact that he’s 84 years old and I realized that I shouldn’t give up a chance to see him. I called him and told him I had decided to go to work on my day off after all.
I know there will still be times when I have to say “if only” about something, but my life is certainly better because of my rule of doing everything possible to avoid that possibility. And even though it takes another minute to do something right, or it sometimes takes an hour or two in my busy timetable to make a personal connection, I know that I’m doing the right thing. I’m buying myself peace of mind and that’s the best kind of insurance for avoiding saying “if only”.
1. Why does the writer regard “if only” as two of the saddest words in the English language?| A．Because people use them when they feel sad. |
| B．Because they mean sadness in the English language. |
| C．Because they mean regrets and disappointment in life. |
| D．Because they make the writer think of some sad experiences. |
| A．given up. | B．looked for. |
| C．waited for. | D．made use of. |
| A．see a doctor | B．finish her work |
| C．join a celebration | D．create a chance to see her father |
| A．Advice from My Father | B．The “Another Minute” Rule |
| C．Avoidance of saying “If Only” | D．The Saddest Words in English |
It’s all about personal peace, which means not only an imaginary space around the body, but also the space around all the senses. People feel that their space is being violated (侵犯) when they meet with an unwelcome sound, smell or look. This is probably why a man on a crowded bus shouting into his mobile phone or a woman next to you putting on strong perfume (香水) makes you feel angry.
Whether people have had a stronger wish to protect their personal space in recent times is hard to say. Yet studies of airlines show that people have a strong desire (渴望) to have space to themselves. In a survey (调查) by TripAdvisor, a travel website, people said that if they had to pay more for some extra service, they would rather have larger seats than extra food.
Although people may need their personal space, some hardly realize it. For example, people on a bus who hold newspapers in front of their faces to read in fact keep a distance from strangers.
Go and watch a library table. You will notice that one of the corner seats will usually be taken first, because they are the farthest way. What if someone sits opposite to you? Maybe you will pile up books as if to make a wall.
Preference (偏好) for personal space are different from culture to culture. Scientists have found that Americans generally prefer more personal space than people from other cultures. In Latin (拉丁人的) cultures, however, people are more comfortable standing close to each other.
1. The writer mainly _________ in this article.
| A．tells us how to achieve personal space |
| B．explains what personal space people need is |
| C．introduces some knowledge about personal space |
| D．argues for the importance of keeping personal space |
| A．A person who has to sit next to a lady putting on strong perfume. |
| B．A person who has been watched by a stranger for a long time. |
| C．A person who hears strange noises when reading at home. |
| D．A Latin boy who is chatting with a friend sitting close to him. |
| A．People need a smaller personal space in recent times than before. |
| B．People have a strong desire for personal space in recent times. |
| C．There are not enough seats on the plane to meet people’s needs. |
| D．Food service is better provided than seats on the plane. |
| A．The space around the body is more needed than that around all the senses. |
| B．If you hold newspapers on the bus, your personal space won’t be violated. |
| C．People usually choose the corner seats first in a library for personal space. |
| D．Different cultures share the same preferences for personal space. |
