【推荐1】The painting “Portrait(肖像) of Omai” was finished in 1774 and was sold to John Magnier in 2001. When he wants to take the painting out of the country, the government believes it’s important for Britain and stops him doing so. Yet British buyers can’t raise the money needed to get it from Mr. Magnier before the deadline of a ban one exporting it. A solution may now involve Getty Museum in Los Angeles; it could be a model for her treasured artworks too expensive for the nation to buy.

Most countries have export restrictions on their cultural treasures. Many European counts a low the government to step in and buy any work offered for sale. Britain operates a system called Waverley standards, balancing the aims of keeping important pieces and protecting the rights of their owners. Valuable pieces are evaluated at monthly meetings of a committee of owners, dealers and art historians. The most important works are kept in Britain temporarily while institutions at home try to raise the funds to buy them.

Mr. Magnier paid £10.3 million for “Portrait of Omai”. Now he wants £50 million for it, a fair value. The National Portrait Gallery (NPG) in London has been trying to raise the cash, but only half the money had been raised. The NPG’s answer is to buy the painting together with the Getty Museum, spending half its time in London and the other half in California. In 2015 a similar arrangement was agreed between France and the Netherlands to share ownership of a pair of important portraits by Rembrandt.

The Waverley standards were meant to keep Brit in’s cultural treasures at home. But protecting an artwork for the nation for some time maybe all that can be achieved. Closed for three years for repair, the NPG hopes it will open its doors again with “Portrait of Omai” as its glory.

1. What can we learn about Magnier from Para. 1?

A．He painted a portrait of an Englishman.	B．He wanted to take the painting abroad.
C．He illegally took hold of the paining.	D．He solved the problem with a portrait.

2. What do the Waverley standards do to keep cultural treasures at home?

A．They set aside time for home purchase.

B．They checkout annual export licences.

C．They decide a ban on the rare treasures.

D．They advertise the sales of the treasures.

3. What will be the final solution to “Portrait of Omai”?

A．Britain takes it for permanent ownership.

B．Mr. Magnier takes it abroad after the deadline.

C．Britain works with France to share its ownership.

D．NPG and the Getty Museum share its ownership.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．The Cooperation of World’s Galleries	B．The Protection of Galleries’ Paintings
C．A New Way to Save Art for the Nation	D．A Clever Way to Stop Loss of Paintings

【推荐2】Walk in London’s cobblestoned streets, cross centuries-old bridges and wander through covered markets — before the morning drizzle (毛毛雨) has given way to afternoon sun, history will become alive before you. The city’s old buildings, black taxis and red double-decker buses all have long and complicated stories that are deeply rooted in London’s traditions. So do fish and chips. Apart from being a fast-food favourite, fish and chips are also typically served as a Friday meal, in schools for lunch and at home for dinner. Former British prime minister Winston Churchill famously called fish and chips “the good companions”.

More than 229 million portions of white fish fillets are sold each year in England, each one coated in a light batter (面糊) and deep-fried, and served alongside fat fried slices of potatoes. For many English people, fish and chips are best served wrapped in newspapers and wolfed down with a combination of a wooden fork and greasy fingers, preferably seaside.

Most historians agree that it was in London, not on the coast, that the first fish and chip shop opened its doors. It was here too that the city’s working class pushed the dish into popular cooking culture. And it is in London that one of the oldest surviving chippies still stands today.

This is an understandable source of despair for nutritionists: Fish and chips may contain an abundance of vitamins and minerals, but both main ingredients are also deep-fried in oil that often contains unhealthy saturated fats. For all its traditional popularity, however, according to a 2016 study by the U. K. Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs, fish and chips consumption has lost significant market share in recent years to other takeaway items such as pizza and kebabs.

1. How does the author introduce the topic of the passage?

A．By telling stories behind fish and chips.

B．By describing typical images of London.

C．By quoting the former British prime minister.

D．By stressing its importance as a traditional food.

2. What does paragraph 2 mainly tell us about fish and chips?

A．Its cultural value.	B．Its related customs.
C．Its favorite way of eating.	D．Its cooking process.

3. What’s the influence of London on fish and chips?

A．London promoted the wide spread of the dish.

B．Londoners created secret cooking methods for the dish.

C．Londoners contributed to the unpopularity of the dish.

D．London has the largest number of fish and chip shops.

4. What may contribute to the decrease of the market share of fish and chips in recent years?

A．They are harmful to our body.	B．They are short of vitamins and minerals.
C．They are not recommended by nutritionists.	D．They are being replaced by cheaper fast food.

【推荐1】Chinese spacecraft finds lunar soil could make oxygen and fuel on the moon.

Lunar soil could be used to make oxygen and other products from chemical reactions that mimic photosynthesis (模拟光合作用), according to an analysis of samples brought back to Earth by the Chang’e 5 spacecraft. Reliable supplies of such substances are necessary for any future lunar base.

It is expensive to send goods into space, so any material that can be found on the moon and that doesn’t have to be brought from Earth can save a lot of money.

Yingfang Yao at Nanjing University, China, and his team examined a lunar soil sample to see if it could be used as a catalyst(催化剂)for a system that would transform carbon dioxide and water released by astronauts’ bodies into oxygen, hydrogen and other useful by-products that could be used to power a lunar base.

Yao and his team first analysed their sample using techniques to identify catalytically active components of the soil. They found high levels of iron and magnesium-based compounds (复合物)that could be useful in a reaction mimicking the photosynthesis that occurs in green plants.

The researchers then tested the soil as a catalyst in various chemical reactions that would form part of a photosynthesis—like process to produce hydrogen and oxygen from CO₂ and water. They found that the soil’s efficiency wasn’t as good as catalysts we have on Earth and isn’t currently good enough to generate products in sufficient quantities to support human life on the moon, but that slight adjustments to the structure and composition of the lunar soil sample might see significant improvements.

1. What’s the significance of the finding about lunar soil’s products from chemical reactions?

A．It provides efficient support for future lunar base.

B．It gives evidence for plants to grow outside Earth.

C．It makes clear how the moon is mostly made up of.

D．It tells how photosynthesis happens on the moon.

2. What’s the aim of Chinese scientists’ study about lunar soil?

A．To find some useful mines that are rare on the earth.

B．To find its difference and similarity from the earth.

C．To know if it contains oxygen, and other by-products.

D．To know if it transforms some elements into useful thing.

3. What can be inferred about the lunar soil from the last paragraph?

A．We need to do further research about it.

B．It can’t mimic photosynthesis at present.

C．It can only be used as soil for plant growing.

D．Its efficiency is better than catalysts on Earth.

4. Which of the following can best describe the finding of the lunar soil?

A．Complicated.	B．Common.
C．Significant.	D．Normal.

【推荐2】Planned missions to the moon need to hurry up to avoid hitting one of the busiest periods for extreme space weather, according to scientists conducting the most in-depth ever research on solar storm timing.

Scientists at the University of Reading studied 150 years of space weather data to look into patterns in the timing of the most extreme events, which can be extremely dangerous to astronauts and satellites. This new research on space weather timing allows predictions to be made for extreme space weather. Therefore, it could be used to plan the timing of activities, which could be affected by extreme space weather, for example, major space missions.

The researchers found for the first time that extreme space weather events are more likely to occur early in or late solar cycles-such as the one just starting. The findings may have influences on the NASA-led Artemis mission. It plans to make humans return to the moon in 2024, but can be put off to the late 2020s.

Professor Mathew Owens, a space physicist at the University of Reading, said, “Until now, the most extreme space weather events were thought to be random in their timing. Though there is no set pattern of the events, this research suggests they are more predictable.”

In the new study, the scientists used a new method applying statistical modelling to storm timing for the first time. Previous research generally focused on how big extreme space weather events can be, based on observations of previous events. Predicting their timing is far more difficult because extreme events are rare, so there is relatively little historic data to identify patterns. The findings suggest that any major planned space missions , which is beyond the next five years, will have to consider the higher probability of extreme space weather late in the present solar cycle between 2026 and 2030.

1. What can we learn about the study from the first two paragraphs?

A．It has lasted just 150 years.

B．It doesn't refer to space weather data.

C．It shows space weather has no effect on astronauts.

D．It makes it possible to predict extreme space weather.

2. Why might the NASA-led Artemis mission be put off?

A．To research solar cycles.	B．To avoid effects of space weather.
C．To meet the needs of the astronauts.	D．To make humans return to Earth in 2024.

3. What does the underlined word “random“ in paragraph 4 probably mean?

A．Irregular.

B．Easy.

C．Limited.

D．Changeless.

4. What can we infer from the last paragraph?

A．The study is useful for future space missions.

B．The planned space missions should be put off.

C．Extreme space weather will happen before 2026.

D．Previous observations make no difference to the study.

【推荐3】On Dec 4, 2022, Chinese astronauts Chen Dong, Liu Yang and Cai Xuzhe touched down at the Dongfeng landing site in the Inner Mongolia autonomous region, according to the China Manned Space Agency.

The astronauts were in orbit for 183 days, during which they oversaw the completion of China’s Tiangong space station and several life sciences experiments. They returned with the world’s first rice seeds produced in orbit, a feat that allows scientists to examine the effects of microgravity on rice growth so as to find a sustainable food source for long-term space explorations.

One such experiment involved reproducing the entire life cycle of rice for the first time in space. It began with selecting rice seeds carefully, which were then nurtured and monitored as they hatched into seedlings. The astronauts diligently tended to these delicate young plants, which grew into mature plants producing new seeds. It began on July 29, and after 120 days in orbit they successfully produced new space grains.

The new seeds, along with other bio-samples, have been delivered to the Technology and Engineering Center for Space Utilization of the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Beijing. They will also be transferred to labs in Shanghai for further research. The institute said researchers would conduct microbiology and cellular analysis to better understand how microgravity affects these plants on a molecular (分子的) level. This would provide key insights on creating new crops that are more adaptive to the space environment.

Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher at the Center for Excellence in Molecular Plant Sciences of the Chinese Academy of Sciences, said seeds are crucial for growing new crops and supporting humanity’s long-term survival in space.

While more research is in the pipeline, Zheng said scientists have already noticed several interesting differences between rice grown on Earth and that grown in space. For instance, the flowering period for the space rice begins slightly earlier than rice planted on Earth. Flowering is a crucial stage for plant reproductive development. “The stems for the space rice are also looser, with the dwarf rice variety becoming shorter while the tall shoot rice variety experiencing no change in height,” she added.

1. Why were the rice experiments conducted in space?

A．To gain a thorough insight into space environment.

B．To find long-lasting food supply for space exploration.

C．To collect diverse space rice seeds for space research.

D．To explore the impact of microgravity on plants in space.

2. What is mainly discussed in Paragraph 3?

A．The experiment process.	B．The research procedures.
C．The current new findings.	D．The exploration duration.

3. How did the researchers handle the newly acquired seeds?

A．By preserving them in a secure facility.

B．By shipping them to labs for further analysis.

C．By studying their adaptability to microgravity.

D．By assessing their growth under controlled conditions.

4. What conclusion can be drawn from Zheng’s words?

A．More advanced research methods are in great demand.

B．Potential application of the research results is promising.

C．Space rice varieties commonly suffer decreases in height.

D．Distinctions between Earth rice and space rice are evident.