【推荐1】Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don't know is that rubbish has become a problem in outer space too. Years of space exploration have left tons of “space junk” in orbit around the planet. According to BBC News，there are more than 22,000 pieces of junk in space around the earth. And these are just the items that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes. There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can't see.

Objects，like bits of old space rockets or satellites，move around the planet at very high speeds，so fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become dangerous to people，particularly astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spacecraft，it could damage the vehicle. That's because the faster an object moves，the greater the impact if the object collides(相撞)with something else.

To help reduce additional space junk, countries around the world have agreed to limit the time their space tools stay in orbit to 25 years. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth's atmosphere，or the mass of gases that surround the earth. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up. Many scientists are also putting forward different ways to clean up space junk. In England a metal tool is being tested that can be fired into space rubbish，catch the rubbish，and then pull the rubbish into the earth's atmosphere to burn up. The Germans have been planning a space project with robots that would collect pieces of space rubbish and bring them back to Earth so that they can be safely destroyed.

The problem of space junk is very challenging，and it's quite urgent as well. One reason why it's urgent is that countries are sending more and more objects into space. Many of these objects are tools that help people use their cell phones or computers. The time to act is now. As we go farther in time we will need to remove more and more fragments(碎片).

1. What can we know from the first paragraph?

A．There are 22,000 pieces of space junk around the earth.

B．BBC News found the pieces of space junk by telescopes.

C．There are millions of tiny pieces of space junk around the earth.

D．Space junk in orbit around the planet was left by space exploration.

2. Why do countries in the world agree to limit the time for space tools staying in orbit?

A．To help reduce additional space junk.

B．To help space tools fall safely into the earth.

C．To help burn up space junk in the earth's atmosphere.

D．To help collect space junk and bring them back to Earth.

3. What does the text mainly tell us?

A．Ways to clean up space junk.

B．Ways to avoid the damage of space junk.

C．Rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth.

D．Rubbish has become a problem in outer space.

4. In which section of a newspaper may this text appear?

A．Health.

B．Education.

C．Environment.

D．Entertainment.

【推荐2】Satellites(卫星) are an important part of our ordinary lives．For example, the information for weather forecasts is sent by satellite．Some satellites have cameras which take photographs of the Earth to show how clouds are moving．Satellites are also used to connect our international phone calls．
Computer connections of the World Wide Web and Internet also use satellites. Many of our TV programs come to us through satellites．Airplane pilots also sometimes use a satellite to help them find their exact location．
We use satellites to send television pictures from one part of the world to another．They are usually 35，880 kilometers above the equator（赤道）．Sometimes we can see a satellite in the sky and it seems to stay in the same place．This is because it is moving around the world at 11，000 kilometers an hour—exactly the same speed that the earth rotates．A satellite must orbit the Earth with its antennae(天线)facing the earth．Sometimes, it moves away from its orbit（轨道），So there are little rockets on it which are used to put the satellite back in the right position．This usually happens about every five or six days．
Space is not empty! Every week, more and more satellites are sent into space to orbit the Earth．A satellite usually works for about 10-12 years．Satellites which are broken are sometimes repaired by astronauts or sometimes brought back to Earth to be repaired．Often，very old or broken satellites are left in space to orbit the Earth for a very long time．This is very serious because some satellites use nuclear power and they can crash（撞）into each other．
1. Which of the following is NOT done by satellites according to the passage?

A．Sending information for weather forecast．

B．Taking photographs of the Earth．

C．Sending TV pictures．

D．Providing food for airplane pilots．

2. What’s the speed the earth rotates at?

A．35,880 kilometers per hour．

B．335,880 kilometers per hour．

C．11,000 kilometers per hour．

D．110,000 kilometers per hour

3. Why does the satellite move around the world at the same speed as the Earth rotates?

A．In order to take photographs．

B．In order to stay in a certain position in the orbit．

C．In order to move away from its orbit．

D．In order to send television pictures．

4. What does the underlined word “This” in the 3rd paragraph refer to?

A．A satellite．

B．A little rocket．

C．A satellite seems to stay in the same place in the sky．

D．The satellite puts the rockets in the right position．

【推荐3】Space is becoming more crowded. Quite a few low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites have been launched into the sky, which are designed to move around the Earth only a few hundred kilometres above its surface. SpaceX and OneWeb plan to launch LEO satellites in their thousands, not hundreds, to double the total number of satellites in orbit by 2027.

That promises to change things on Earth. LEO satellites can bring Internet connectivity to places where it is still unavailable. This will also be a source of new demand for the space economy. Morgan Stanley, a bank, projects that the space industry will grow from $350 billion in 2016 to more than $1.1 trillion by 2040. New Internet satellites will account for half this increase.

For that to happen, however, three worries must be overcome. Debris (碎片) is the most familiar concern. As long ago as 1978, Donald Kessler, a scientist at NASA, proposed a scenario (设想) in which, when enough satellites were packed into low-Earth orbits, any collision could cause a chain reaction which would eventually destroy all spacecraft in its orbital plane. Solutions exist. One solution is to grab the satellites with problems and pull them down into the Earth’s atmosphere. Another is to monitor space more closely for debris. But technology is only part of the answer. Rules are needed to deal with old satellites safely from low-Earth orbits.

Cyber-security is a second, long-standing worry. Hackers could take control of a satellite and steal intellectual property, redirect data flows or cause a collision. The satellite industry has been slow to respond to such concerns. But as more of the world’s population comes to rely on space for access to the Internet, the need for action intensifies. Measures will surely be taken to protect network security.

The third issue follows from the first two. If a simple mistake or a cyber-attack can cause a chain reaction which wipes out hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, who is responsible for that? Now the plans of firms, wishing to operate large numbers of satellites are being studied. But there is a long way to go before the risks are well understood, let alone priced.

As space becomes more commercialized, mind-bending prospects open up: packages moved across the planet in minutes by rocket rather than by plane, equipment sent to other small planets, passengers launched into orbit and beyond. All that and more may come one day. But such activities would raise the same questions as LEO satellites do. They must be answered before the space economy can truly develop.

1. What can we learn about LEO satellites from the passage?

A．They will limit the space economy

B．They will increase in large numbers.

C．They will move beyond the Earth as far as possible.

D．They will monitor old satellites.

2. What might be one of the purposes of launching LEO satellites?

A．To avoid network attack.

B．To make the Internet accessible to backward areas.

C．To lighten the financial burden of space firms.

D．To accelerate the development of bank industry.

3. According to Kessler, an accidental collision could ________.

A．block low-Earth orbits with packed satellites

B．pull down satellites into Earth’s atmosphere

C．put the disposal of old satellites at high risks

D．bring destruction to spacecraft in the same orbit

4. Which of the following statements might the author agree with?

A．It should be further confirmed for its ownership.

B．It should be continued because of its advantages.

C．It should be done carefully to avoid potential risks.

D．It should be stopped in the face of the space economy.

【推荐2】“Tennis — I’m saying goodbye.” With these words, Russian tennis superstar Maria Sharapova, 34, has announced her retirement.

“How do you leave behind the only life you’ve ever known?” she asked herself. Several reasons played a role in Sharapova leaving the tennis court for good. Over the last couple of years, she’s dealt with an injury in her right shoulder and inflammation (炎症) in her forearms that may have prevented her from returning to top form. In more recent news, the death of her longtime friend, US basketball legend Kobe Bryant, also played a factor in her decision to retire.

“As I think you’ve seen throughout my career, my perseverance has been my greatest tool, my greatest strength,” Sharapova said in an interview. “But I’ve started feeling like it was becoming a weakness, because the stubbornness that was keeping me going was keeping me going for wrong reasons.”

Sharapova rose to fame at age 17 when she won Wimbledon in 2004. She won a total of four Grand Slam singles titles: the 2006 US Open, the 2008 Australian Open, and the 2012 and 2014 French Open. She also earned the Fed Cup title in Russia in 2008 and an Olympic silver medal in singles in 2012, among many other accomplishments. For 16 straight years from 2004, Sharapova was the world’s highest-earning female athlete, according to Forbes. Off the court, she made millions of dollars from companies such as Evian and Nike, as well as starting her own candy company.

“Tennis showed me the world — and it showed me what I was made of,” Sharapova wrote on Facebook on Feb 26, alongside a photo of herself as a young girl with a tennis racquet(网球拍). “It’s how I tested myself and how I measured my growth. And so in whatever I might choose for my next chapter, my next mountain, I’ll still be pushing. I’ll still be climbing. I’ll still be growing.”

1. What contributed to Sharapova’s retirement?

A．Her strength.

B．Her friend’s suggestions.

C．Her injuries.

D．Her growing age.

2. What does the underlined word “stubbornness” in paragraph 3 mean?

A．Tool.

B．Strength.

C．Perseverance.

D．Reason.

3. What does Paragraph 4 mainly tell us?

A．Sharapova is a woman of many achievements.

B．Sharapova is the highest-earning female.

C．Sharapova donated a lot to Evian and Nike.

D．Sharapova’s companies run successfully.

4. What can we learn from the last paragraph?

A．Sharapova will continue pushing herself as a tennis player.

B．Climbing mountains is Sharapova’s new interest.

C．A picture posted online showed Sharapova’s growth.

D．Playing tennis taught Sharapova how to advance in life.

【推荐3】Everyone has a quarrel or two with friends，co-workers and family members，but library goers in Nanchang，East China’s Jiangxi Province got a surprise when a person unintentionally started an argument between two robots.

The two robots，named Tutu and Wangbao，are supposed to offer assistance to visitors in the hall of the Jiangxi Provincial Library. When a library goer scanned Tutu’s QR code， Wangbao seemingly became annoyed，which brought a great amusement to the library goer who posted a video of the exchange that occurred on December 30 and has gone viral on social media.

“Tutu，let’s stop fighting，OK?” said Wangbao. “Your mood sure swings a lot!” Tutu said.

Wangbao raved，“Aren’t you a drama queen，I’m giving you an out. Stop being petulant!”

The library goer was even more amused，as the two robots grew noisier and angrier with each other，and finally，abruptly turning away from each other like naughty children.

“It looks like how you quarrel with your girlfriend，ha-ha. ”one netizen posted.

“I see myself from the quarrel，”wrote another on Sina Weibo，which was echoed by many others.

“It’s annoying to hear people arguing，and I didn’t expect I’d have to listen to robots arguing，”another netizen wrote.

The online video was widely circulating on Sina Weibo，with some 500，000 views as of press time on Saturday. Tutu and Wangbao became internet hot figures，even attracting attention from major news outlets in the country.

When the two online celebrities were interviewed by reporters on Friday，the two seems already forgave each other after three days.

“It was a thing last year… Isn’t it normal to have quarrels between friends?” Wangbao said in video posted by the Xinhua News Agency on Saturday.

1. What’s the purpose of paragraph one ?

A．To show how smart the two robots are.

B．To increase our awareness of AI technology.

C．To introduce the following parts.

D．To criticize the quarrel between the two robots.

2. What was the library goer’s attitude towards the argument?

A．Amazed.

B．Entertained.

C．Puzzled.

D．Excited.

3. By presenting some netizens’ comments， the author intends to tell us________.

A．the fight draws the public’s great attention.

B．the fight has an awful effect on people’s life.

C．the fight takes place on a regular basis.

D．the fight feels like a real one.

4. Where is the text most likely from?

A．A textbook.

B．A diary.

C．A magazine.

D．A website.