Chinese astronauts have successfully grown rice seedlings(幼苗)aboard the Tiangong space station and this experiment may offer key insights into how astronauts can grow food to support long—term space missions, experts said on Monday. This experiment is the first to produce the complete life cycle of the plant, which begins with a seed and ends with a mature plant producing new seeds.
The breakthrough was conducted in the Wentian space laboratory, which was launched into orbit on July 24, 2022. Three astronauts were conducting the experiment smoothly and testing the plants according to the plan.
“The rice seedlings are growing very well,” said Zheng Huiqiong, a researcher of the task, adding that the experiment also contained seedlings of a small flowering plant often used by scientists to study mutations(变异). “The astronauts will keep monitoring the plants, and if it is successful, they will collect the newly produced seeds and bring them back to Earth for further studies,” she noted
The flowering stage is crucial for plant reproductive development. “We want to investigate how microgravity can affect the plant flowering time and whether it is possible to use the microgravity environment to control the related process,” she said.
Since the 1980s, China has been taking seeds of rice and other crops to space to help them mutate and produce higher yields once they were planted on Earth. But growing rice in orbit is a different challenge due to the tough conditions of space such as microgravity and lack of air.
Rice has been a main food for astronauts since the early days of space exploration. Freeze—dried chicken and rice was the menu for the Apollo 11 mission, which carried the first humans to land on the moon in July 1969.
“But if we want to land on and explore Mars, bringing food from Earth is not enough to provide for the astronauts’ long journey and mission in space. We have to find a food source for long term space explorations,” Zheng added.
1. What’s the significance of Chinese recent space rice experiment?| A．It enables human beings to move to another planet. |
| B．It helps people get a better idea of the human life cycle. |
| C．It inspires more other countries to do space explorations |
| D．It makes it possible to carry out long—term space missions |
| A．The mutation. | B．The experiment. | C．The exploration. | D．The space mission. |
| A．To promote genetic changes and increase crop harvest. |
| B．To figure out how to create an earth—like environment. |
| C．To study the impact of microgravity on crop growth. |
| D．To develop new crop species with strong ability to adapt. |
| A．A medical report. | B．A fashion magazine. |
| C．A science newspaper. | D．A history book. |
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【推荐1】Popping food into the microwave for a couple of minutes may seem utterly harmless, and Europe’s stock of these quick-cooking ovens emit as much carbon as nearly 7 million cars, a new study has found, and the problem is growing. With costs falling and kitchen appliances becoming “ status ” users, owners are throwing many microwaves after an average of eight years. This is pushing sales of new microwave which are expected to reach 135 million annually in the EU by the end of the decade.
A study by the University of Manchester worked out the emissions of carbon dioxide — the main greenhouse gas responsible for climate change — at every stage of microwaves, from manufacture to waste disposal. “ It is electricity consumption by microwaves that has the biggest impact on the environment, ” say the authors, who also calculate that the emissions from using 19 microwaves over a year are the same as those from using a car. According to the same study, efforts to reduce consumption should focus on improving consumer awareness and behaviour. For example, consumers should use appliances in a more efficient way by adjusting the time of cooking to the type of food.
However, David Reay, professor of carbon management argues that, although microwaves use a great deal of energy, their emissions are minor compared to those from cars. In the UK alone, there are around 30 million cars. These cars emit more than all the microwaves in the EU. Backing this up, recent data show that passenger cars in the UK emitted 69 million tons of CO2 in 2015. This is 10 times the amount this new microwave oven study estimates for annual emissions for all the microwave ovens in the whole of the EU. Further, the energy used by microwaves is lower than any other form of coking. Among common kitchen appliances used for cooking, microwaves are the most energy efficient, followed by a stove and finally a standard oven. Thus, rising microwave sales could be seen as a positive thing.
1. What is the finding of the new study?| A．Quick-cooking microwave ovens have become more popular. |
| B．CO2 emissions are considered to be a major threat to the environment. |
| C．The frequent use of microwaves may do harm to our health. |
| D．The use of microwaves emits more CO2 than people think. |
| A．They are getting much easier to operate. | B．They have a shorter life cycle than other appliances. |
| C．They are becoming more affordable. | D．They take less time to cook than other appliances. |
| A．Eating less to cut energy consumption. | B．Using microwave ovens less frequently. |
| C．Improving microwave users’ habits. | D．Cooking food of different varieties. |
| A．It rarely plays a negative role in the environmental protection. |
| B．It makes everyday cooking much more convenient. |
| C．It will become less popular in the coming decades. |
| D．It consumes more power than conventional cooking. |
【推荐2】If someone created a flying machine capable of tracking you down by listening for your voice, you might be terrified. But what if you were trapped in ruins after a natural disaster and first responders couldn’t locate you? Maybe then a human-seeking drone wouldn’t be such a terrible idea. That concept is the focus for engineers at Germany’s Fraunhofer FKIE Institute, who’ve built a drone to find people by discovering human screams.
“The human-seeking drone would be ideal for post-disaster situations, such as earthquakes, hurricanes and wildfires,” said Macarena Varela, one of the lead engineers. “They could hover over an area that rescuers have difficulty getting to and locate exactly where people may be trapped.”
Locating people by sound presents its share of challenges. An auditory（听觉的）system would need to tell human cries from sounds that often happen in nature, such as animal calls and wind. It might also need to recognize patterns associated with kicking, clapping or other ways people try to get the attention of rescue teams.
Engineers took those situations into consideration when building out their concept drone. They recorded themselves screaming, tapping and creating other noises that might be a sign of people in trouble. Then, they analyzed each sound frequency to find common characteristics and used those to train artificial intelligence software. They also worked to remove the noise created by the drone and other environmental sounds.
Once the software part was complete, the team placed tiny digital microphones under the drone and used signal processing techniques that enabled them to track where human noises are coming from. The microphones also enhanced(改善）the volume and clarity of the speech. So far, they have conducted successful open field experiments, finding that the drone can estimate(估计) a victim’s location within a few seconds of picking up sound.
Next, they would like to add a higher frequency microphone to a drone to get more audio sound signals. “The idea is to pick up noises from hundreds of meters away,” Varela said. In the real world, victim’s location data might one day be sent wirelessly to emergency workers carrying a tablet PC.
1. What is the advantage of the human-seeking drone over rescuers?| A．Its easy access to disaster scene. |
| B．Its long working hours. |
| C．Its high speed of flying. |
| D．Its quick estimation of data. |
| A．Send victim’s location data to a tablet PC. |
| B．Pick up sounds from far away. |
| C．Recognize human cries. |
| D．Improve the quality of human screams. |
| A．To remove the noise. |
| B．To find shared features. |
| C．To record the screams. |
| D．To enhance the volume. |
| A．Flying machines can track rescuers. |
| B．Rescuers use drones to locate disaster survivors. |
| C．Human-seeking drones will replace rescuers. |
| D．Engineers ensure drones to give better rescue performance. |
【推荐3】Have you ever wondered why you might be a little taller than your friends or family? Well, scientists believe the mystery of why humans are growing taller and reaching puberty(青春期)earlier is due to something in the brain.
We already know that better nutrition leads to greater height as humans have been growing taller on the whole in recent centuries. Better nutrition also causes people to reach maturity (成 熟)faster. Genes also play a role in how tall we become and we all grow and look according to the codes in our DNA. A lack of nutrition makes it harder for us to reach the full potential of our own genes.
According to the University of Maryland, our body requires a certain amount of energy to make us grow. But a new study suggests that a brain receptor (感受器)could be responsible for our growth. The study showed that the brain receptor MC3R is responsible for signals from food reaching a part of the brain called the hypothalamus(下丘脑).The hypothalamus is responsible for keeping things in check like body temperature and adjusting appetite and weight.
MC3R’s not working properly tends to mean that people are shorter and start puberty much later. Professor Sir Stephen O’ Rahilly, one of the authors of the study, said, “lt tells the body we’re great here and that we’ve got lots of food, so grow quickly and have puberty soon.”
There is a lot about the brain we still don’t know. But this research could lead to further development of drugs for children with delayed growth and puberty starting much later. More understanding of the receptor won’t mean that we can make ourselves taller. That all still depends on genes, but it could help people with chronic (慢性的)illnesses who need to build up muscle.
1. What can we learn from the second paragraph?| A．Genes lead to faster maturity. |
| B．Nutrition determines a person’s height. |
| C．Better nutrition is important to growing taller. |
| D．Bad nutrition will change a person’s genes. |
| A．By taking in a large amount of nutrition itself. |
| B．By having us check body temperatures regularly. |
| C．By sending signals to inspire us to have more nutrition. |
| D．By helping us control our appetite to lose weight. |
| A．find ways to put off kid’s puberty |
| B．treat patients with chronic illness |
| C．find scientific exercise to get our muscle stronger |
| D．develop medicine for kids with delayed growth |
| A．Why Are Some People Shorter? Genes Are to Blame |
| B．Why Are Some People Shorter? Nutrition Is to Blame |
| C．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Appetite |
| D．Why Are Some People Taller? The Key Is in Our Brains |
【推荐1】Two American astronauts were greeted by more than a dozen private boats on Sunday as their SpaceX capsule landed safely in the Gulf of Mexico. A few boats went for a closer look at the capsule, which, aided by parachutes, gently hit the water off the coast of Florida. As the capsule bounced in the water, a recovery team instructed the boaters to stay away.
This raised concerns among NASA and SpaceX officials about security and safety procedures. The NASA administrator, Jim, acknowledged that the unprotected reception should not have happened. "If there is an emergency, the boats might have made recovery efforts, but there were poisonous smokes from the capsule. We need to do better next time," he said.
The Coast Guard waned boaters to stay clear of the area in a radio broadcast two hours before the splashdown, but many boaters ignored the requests and decided to enter the area, putting themselves in potential danger.
Robert L. Behnken and Douglas G. Hurley, the NASA astronauts, returned to Earth after nearly 64 days in orbit, most of them spent aboard the International Space Station. Their trip home was aboard the Crew Dragon, built by the private company SpaceX to transport NASA astronauts. The agency has relied on Russia for trips to space since the space shuttles were retired in 2011.
While the shuttles, like airplanes, landed on runways, SpaceX chose water landings, which NASA has not done since 1975, when the last of the Apollo modules went to space.
1. What were the boaters asked to do at the landing of the capsule?| A．Come to rescue the capsule. |
| B．Keep away from the capsule. |
| C．Take a photo with the capsule. |
| D．Warn others out of the landing area. |
| A．They were exposed to risks. |
| B．They were well organized. |
| C．They were scared of the capsule. |
| D．They dreamed of going to space. |
| A．The last of the Apollo modules went back to earth. |
| B．Water landings were introduced for space capsule. |
| C．The International Space Station was put to work. |
| D．NASA stopped using water landings for capsules. |
| A．NASA Begins to Send Spaceships on its Own after 45 Years |
| B．SpareX Capsule Made a Breakthrough by landing on Water |
| C．NASA Astronauts Returned to Earth after Working at ISS |
| D．Boats Entering Capsule Landing Area Raised Safety Concerns |
【推荐2】The proposal for a new Indonesian capital city has been on the cards ever since the country gained independence from the Dutch in 1945. The political and economic crises which followed have long delayed the plan, but current president, Joko Widodo, now appears determined to make the move a reality. The government officially confirmed that the capital will be moved from Jakarta to a new location within Kalimantan, part of the island of Borneo in Indonesia.
A number of factors are likely to have influenced the decision to forge ahead with the move, but it seems likely that Jakarta’s environmental problems are chief among them. Built on swampy(沼泽的)ground, Jakarta is sinking, in some parts at a rate of 20cm a year. Experts predict that most of northern Jakarta could sink beneath the sea by 2050. What’s more, Jakarta is rarely mentioned without reference to its extreme levels of traffic jams and air pollution. There could be other reasons too. John McCarthy, an expert on land use in Kalimantan at the Australian National University Crawford School points to a potential desire to spread wealth throughout Indonesia. “Jakarta is the most highly developed core of Indonesia which sucks all the money and opportunities from other areas,” he says. “I think there’s logic in splitting the economic and political capital.”
But the location of this new political center is proving controversial. Some environmental groups are concerned that the chosen location in East Kalimantan will increase logging and destruction of nearby forests, home to orangutans and other endangered species. Indonesia’s planning minister previously told reporters that the new capital will be a sustainable “forest city” that won’t result in the destruction of protected forests, but how exactly this would work has not yet been explained.
Despite these challenges, the government is now putting its plan in motion. But even if this new capital is built, Jakarta will still need protection. Home to ten million people, the city simply can’t be neglected.
1. What is the Indonesian government’s new plan?| A．Building a forest city. | B．Developing resources of Borneo. | C．Electing a new president. | D．Relocating the capital city. |
| A．To reduce land pollution. |
| B．To seek better living environment. |
| C．To make full use of swampy ground. |
| D．To balance the economic growth between cities. |
| A．It may cost a lot of money. | B．It may destroy the local ecosystem. |
| C．It may disrupt many residents’ normal life. | D．It may cause the decline of the old capital city. |
| A．Ignored. | B．Ranked. | C．Repaired. | D．Damaged. |
【推荐3】From the most talked about politicians to the most popular TV shows, the social media platform—Twitter has unveiled what its users have been most fixated (最关注的) with over the past year.
Most tweeted-about TV shows 2019
HBO’s “Game of Thrones” claimed the title of the most tweeted-about TV show of the year, despite many criticizing the series for an anti-climatic finale.
It was followed by streaming giant Netflix‟s “Stranger Things” and long-standing animated sitcom
“The Simpsons”.
Most tweeted-about films 2019
2019 American superhero film “Avengers: Endgame” became the highest-grossing film of all time when it was released earlier this year, grossing nearly $2.8 billion worldwide and its success was reflected on Twitter, making it the platform‟s most-talked about movie of the year. It was followed by “Toy Story 4” and American psychological thriller “Joker”.
Most tweeted-about hashtags 2019
The top news-related hashtags worldwide included NotreDame after France‟s landmark cathedral caught fire, causing irreversible damage to the building which dates back to 856 and is considered to be one of the finest examples of French Gothic architecture.
Other popular news hashtags included Brexit, Christ Church and Climate Strike, in line with the biggest stories that have been dominating the global news agenda.
Most tweeted-about politicians 2019
US politicians topped the list for the most tweeted-about politicians worldwide, with President Donald Trump weighing in first. Former US President Obama was next on the list, followed by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Also in the top 10 is US Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, popularly known as AOC, who made waves on the US political stage this year and is a strong supporter of the Green New Deal. Brazilian President Jair Bolsonaro and French President Emmanuel Macron were also in the top 10.
Most tweeted-about emoji 2019
The social media platform kept track emoji usage as well, finding that the laughing face with tears of joy was the most used, followed by the crying face and heart eyes emoji.
1. Which of the following can be WRONG from Most tweeted-about TV shows 2019 and Most tweeted-about films 2019?| A．No film has earned more money than “Avengers: Endgame” so far. |
| B．When you see “Joker”, there is possibility that you will feel thrilled. |
| C．“Toy Story 4” is second only to “Avengers: Endgame” in popularity. |
| D．“Game of Thrones” enjoys a great success without any criticism. |
| A．topics that people show little interest in |
| B．particular subjects that arouse people‟s attention worldwide |
| C．events that have controversial endings |
| D．subjects that are prohibited from being talked about |
| A．there is no Asian politician on the list of Most tweeted-about politicians 2019 |
| B．crying face is used more frequently than the laughing face with tears |
| C．US politicians are relatively more influential than politicians from other countries in 2019 |
| D．US Democrat Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez is strongly against the Green New Deal |
【推荐1】BEIJING, Oct.18 －World and regional leaders also congratulated China yesterday on the landing of Shenzhou VI, its second manned spaceship.
French President Jacques Chirac sent a message of congratulations on the successful return of Shenzhou VI, becoming the first foreign head of state to praise the spaceship’s mission (使命). Foreign media also widely covered the successful landing.
“China affirmed (确认) its place in one of the world’s most advanced clubs with the expected conclusion of a second manned space night,” The Christian Science Monitor, a newspaper based in Boston, reported yesterday.
“More than forty years after the US and Soviet Union had a similar achievement, China can still declare to put humans into orbit (轨道) on its own.
‘‘It was, as far as we know, what I’m sure they’d like to refer to as a picture-perfect mission,’’ Joan Johnson-Freese, an expert on China’s space program at the US Naval War College, said yesterday.
“Successful flights like Shenzhou VI build unity in the whole country. The nation will unite more closely.’’ said Anthony Curtis, a professor at the University of North Carolina, who followed China’s space program yesterday.
Beijing’s next manned mission, including a space-walk, will take off in 2007, followed by the building of an orbiting space station, which Curtis said would be practical within five years.
Leroy Chiao, a US astronaut with Chinese blood, told China Daily yesterday that there is a possibility for the United States and China to co-operate. After all, exploring space is not a piece of cake. It needs many top scientists to complete the high-tech mission.
He said in a telephone interview yesterday: ‘‘I would like to see opportunities for the two countries to set about co-operation personally.’’
1. Which of the following can be the best title for the passage?| A．Shenzhou VI Returned Safe |
| B．China and America Will Cooperate |
| C．World Cheers Shenzhou VI Adventure |
| D．World Cheers China’s First Manned Spaceship |
| A．In sending up Shenzhou VII. | B．In exploring space. |
| C．In telephone interview. | D．In building an orbiting space station. |
| A．an easy job | B．a hard job |
| C．something good to eat | D．something bad to eat |
| A．China is the third country to put humans into orbit on its own |
| B．the French President was the first foreign head of state to congratulate China on Shenzhou VI’s successful flight |
| C．the Christian Science Monitor is a kind of medium in America |
| D．the successful flight of Shenzhou VI will make the world unite more closely |
【推荐2】July 20th, 2009 was the 40th anniversary of Apollo 11’s historic flight to the moon, where astronauts Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin became the first human beings to walk on the moon. 40 years ago, space flight inspired such awe(敬畏) that astronauts were honoured as heroes and celebrities. 40 years later none of us, besides space fanatic(狂热者), would likely to be able to name one astronaut in service today.
I got to thinking about the importance of continuing space exploration. I hear many people criticize the importance of NASA and space flight, most saying that it is a waste of time, and more importantly money. I disagree with such assessments. Space exploration is important not only to humanity’s curiosity of the great beyond, but it is also important for the future of the earth and all of us living on it.
The Apollo missions inspired a whole generation of kids who wanted to grow up to be astronauts, rocket scientists, and engineers. We all know that science education has been slightly lacking in the United States as of late. Don’t you think that NASA’q return, to the moon, or more importantly the much anticipated manned mission to Mars will again inspire a whole new generation to reach for the stars so to speak? I do.
You would think that the guys who burn a million pounds of rocket fuel wouldn’t be the most environmentally minded people in the world. However, most people don't know that NASA does a lot of good environmental research while they are up there looking down at all of us. NASA has done a lot of work in studying air quality, climate change alternative(可供替代的) energy, and near earth objects, which as we all know from the movies can destroy the earth any day now without warning, unless we have a group of oil drillers, a nuke, and Bruce Willis.
We cannot ignore the importance of space exploration, nor be complacent(自满的) in its meaning to all of us. I hope space exploration can continue to inspire, educate, and provide for us in the next 40 years as it has the last 40 years.
1. What can we learn from the text?| A．Armstrong was the first man to fly in space in the world. |
| B．Science education for American students is highly developed. |
| C．The author considers space flight as a waste of money and time. |
| D．People today won’t admire astronauts as much as they did 40 years ago. |
| A．Space exploration. | B．NASA. | C．Money. | D．Humanity. |
| A．By burning less rocket fuel. | B．By finding greener energy. |
| C．By changing climate. | D．By making space movies. |
| A．How to Be an Astronaut. | B．Where to Study Flight |
| C．Why to Explore Space. | D．How to Do Space Research. |
【推荐3】For centuries, human beings have dreamed of travelling into space, orbiting our little blue planet. It seems that our dream will finally come true, as US startup Orion Span announced on April 5 that it planned to launch the first hotel in space in 2021. It will be ready to welcome guests the following year.
The space hotel, Aurora Station, will orbit 230 miles above Earth, circling it every 90 minutes. It can house two crew members and four guests. The crew members will likely be former NASA astronauts who worked on the International Space Station. However, there’s a catch: Each guest must pay at least $9.5 million for a 12-day stay at the hotel.
Guests can do many exciting things aboard Aurora Station. According to Orion Span, guests can enjoy the excitement of zero gravity as they fly throughout the space hotel. They can watch 16 sunrises and sunsets every day and view the northern and southern auroras(极光) through the windows. They can take part in research experiments like growing food, and even take it home as a souvenir.
But most importantly, the trip will offer a real sense of what it’s like to live in space. “The premise(前提) of Aurora Station is for guests to live, feel, and breathe what it’s like to be an astronaut,” Frank Bunger, CEO of Orion Span, told the Robb Report. “The food and drinks are freeze-dried products. It’s not going to be five-star dining...... Fire and gas don’t work the same way in space as they do on Earth.”
To better prepare guests for space travel, the company will require a health screening and provide a three-month training program that helps guests understand basic spaceflight, orbital mechanics and life in the pressurized environment of space.
“Future Aurora owners can live in, visit, or sublease(转租) their space apartment,” Bunger said in a news release. “This is an exciting breakthrough and Orion Span is proud to pave the way.”
1. What can we learn about Aurora Station?| A．It will be open to guests in 2021. |
| B．It can serve four people at a time. |
| C．It will invite NASA to train the guests. |
| D．It doesn’t provide service free of charge. |
| A．They can enjoy five-star meals. |
| B．They can buy various souvenirs. |
| C．They can enjoy beautiful views. |
| D．They can fly outside the space hotel. |
| A．To provide real experiences of living in space. |
| B．To help people know the bravery of astronauts. |
| C．To tell the difference between Earth and space. |
| D．To prepare people for future space exploration. |
| A．A Satellite Orbiting the Earth. |
| B．A Space Hotel -- Aurora Station. |
| C．Aurora Station: A New Living Place for Man. |
| D．New Hotel That Brings People Great Benefits. |
