Life as an astronaut has various unique attractions. This can include experiencing weightlessness and looking back at Earth as a pale blue dot. Food is not among them. Space travelers over the years have become used to certain foods such as freeze-dried ice cream and liquid salt and pepper. Now, the menu is set to be augmented, with the first space-grown lettuce (生菜) found to be as safe, nutritious and fresh as the Earth-grown variety.
Gioia Massa of NASA Kennedy Space Center is the lead scientist on the lettuce-growing project. She said that growing food in space could be wonderful for astronauts on missions lasting more than one month. “If you store packaged food for a long time, not only will the flavour and nutritional quality decrease, but the vitamins will degrade. After eating such food, astronauts’ intake of nutrition is not ensured,” she said. “Besides, for them, there may also be psychological benefits of growing and looking after plants.
Lettuce has been grown in batches (分批) onboard the International Space Station (ISS). The vegetable production system is known as Veggie. It is composed of plant pillows (sealed units containing ceramic soil), LED lighting and a watering system that allows astronauts to inject water through a tube. The lettuce crops grow undisturbed for 33 to 56 days before being harvested and eaten, or deep-frozen and returned to Earth for chemical and biological analysis.
The space-grown lettuces are similar in make-up to Earth-grown ones but they have higher levels of bacteria (细菌), possibly due to their growth in a warmer, more humid (潮湿的) and closed-air system. But they are not found to carry any harmful bacteria.
NASA is now enlarging the range of produce grown onboard the ISS. It will be quite some time before any vegetables can be transformed into a dish, however. “While we have nowhere to cook up there now, we can look forward to more things that taste fresh,” Massa explained.
1. What does the underlined word “augmented” probably mean in Paragraph 1?| A．Enlarged. |
| B．Engaged. |
| C．Reduced. |
| D．Measured. |
| A．It’s flavor and nutritional quality decline. |
| B．It is terrible for astronauts on missions. |
| C．It can contribute to astronauts’ mental health. |
| D．It will make sure the astronauts’ intake of nutrition. |
| A．Lettuces will be grown in batches onboard. |
| B．The vegetable production system consists of three parts. |
| C．It will take at least 56 days to harvest the space-grown lettuce crop. |
| D．Thanks to growing environment, the space-grown lettuces don’t contain any harmful bacteria. |
| A．The difficulty in growing produce onboard. |
| B．The necessity to enlarge the space onboard. |
| C．The desire to enjoy cooked vegetables onboard. |
| D．The expectation to enrich the variety of produce grown onboard. |
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【推荐1】My favourite book is The Adventure of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain. Tom lives with his aunt Polly in a quiet street of St. Petersburg, Missouri. He’s a lively and clever young boy, and he finds himself in many exciting adventures. He runs away with his two friends, Huck Finn and Joe, to an island in the middle of the Mississippi River for several days. With Huck he goes looking for treasure, with Becky he gets lost in a cave. And finally, they find a box of gold.
My favourite scene in the book is when everyone thinks Tom is dead. He decides to go to his own funeral. He hides and watches for a time and then suddenly he appears. Everyone is astonished to see him but they’re also pleased to see him alive.
Tom is the hero of the story, but there are other important characters. Huck is an outsider and everyone is afraid of him. Becky is pretty with fair hair, Joe is Tom’s best friend. And Injun Joe is the bad man of the story.
The theme of the story is about children growing up. It describes how strangers are seen in small towns of America. Finally, it talks about freedom, social rules and how people are punished for bad behaviour.
Why do I think The Adventure of Tom Sawyer is a great book? Mark Twain wrote the story in 1876, but it’s still read and loved by people all over the world today. And although it’s only a story, Twain wrote it in the everyday English of the southern states of America in the 19th century, so it sounds very real. Today it’s thought to be one of the greatest books in American literature. Go on—read it! I know you’ll enjoy it, too.
1. Where does Tom run away with his two friends?| A．To a quiet street. | B．To a small town. |
| C．To an island. | D．To a forest. |
| A．Huck Finn. | B．Injun Joe. |
| C．Becky. | D．Polly. |
| A．They were surprised and happy. |
| B．They were surprised and sad. |
| C．They were worried and excited. |
| D．They were frightened and happy. |
| A．ask us to read the book |
| B．tell us how popular the book is today |
| C．tell us when Mark Twain wrote the story |
| D．tell us why the story sounds very real |
| A．freedom and social rules |
| B．children’s bad behaviour |
| C．the growth of young children |
| D．strangers in American small towns |
Austria
In Austria, some people will leave bread, water and a lighted lamp on the table before retiring on Halloween night. The reason for this is that it was once believed such items would welcome the dead souls back to earth on a night which for the Austrians was considered to be brimming(溢)with strong cosmic energies.
Belgium
The Belgians believe that it is unlucky for a black cat to cross one’s path and also unlucky if it should enter a home or travel on a ship. The custom in Belgium on Halloween night is to light candles in memory of dead relatives.
Canada
Modern Halloween celebrations in Canada began with the arrival of Scottish and Irish immigrants in the 1800s. Jack- O- Lantern is carved and the festivities include parties, trick-or-treating and the decorating of homes with pumpkins and corn stalks.
France
Unlike most nation of the world, Halloween is not celebrated by the French in order to honor the dead and departed ancestors. It is regarded as an “American” holiday in France and was unknown in the country until around 1996.
1. In which countries does Halloween have its highest level of popularity?
| A．France and North America. |
| B．Canada and North America. |
| C．Austria and Canada. |
| D．Belgium and Canada. |
| A．These items would welcome the dead souls back to earth |
| B．These items are used to respect ancestors |
| C．These items are just for fun |
| D．The other items can replace them |
| A．Canada. | B．Belgium. | C．Austria. | D．France. |
【推荐3】A primary school in County Cork, Ireland, has decided to do away with all homework for the entire month of December, replacing it instead with acts of kindness.
For the third year in a row, students at Gaelscoil Mhíchíl Uí Choileáin will not have any homework for the month of December. Instead, they are being asked to undertake acts of kindness for friends, family and the community — and to record these in a special “Kindness Diary” which each student will fill in daily and then get signed by their parents.
“Building on the overwhelming success and positivity of last year’s Gratitude Diaries, when children and their families documented the small things they were grateful for in their lives, this year they are asked to undertake little acts of kindness that could make a big difference in somebody’s life,” Vice Principal Íde Ní Mhuirí said.
The school suggests doing something nice for an elderly neighbor, or performing an act of kindness for a relative or friend who may be feeling lonely, but the act can be anything as long as it brightens someone’s day.
Alongside this Kindness Diary initiative (倡议), there will be a kindness bucket in school, where the children can place kind observations about their peers which will boost the self-respect of those around them. Each Friday morning at the gathering a random selection of these observations will be shared to stress how small acts and kind words can make huge differences in somebody’s life. And finally, each class will put their heads together and come up with a class-wide project which can help the community.
“In this world, consumed by social media, where our young people are constantly experiencing pressure, there is no better way to show them the way forward in the world than by practicing kindness,” Íde Ní Mhuirí said.
1. What does the school require the pupils to do this December?| A．Keep a diary of their daily lives. | B．Show kindness to someone else. |
| C．Express their gratitude to others. | D．Finish their homework on time. |
| A．It needs improving. | B．It ended in failure. |
| C．It is quite satisfactory. | D．It will be continued. |
| A．To monitor their behaviour. |
| B．To evaluate their moral character. |
| C．To share their ways of dealing with stress. |
| D．To give them a sense of pride and importance. |
| A．Homework or Acts of Kindness? |
| B．How to Make a Big Difference in Life? |
| C．Irish School Relieves students of Homework. |
| D．Irish School Replaces Homework with Acts of Kindness. |
【推荐1】What time is it on the moon?
Since the dawn of the space age, the answer has been: It depends. For decades, lunar missions have operated on the time of the country that launched them. But with several lunar explorations heading for the launchpad (发射台), the European Space Agency (ESA) has believed the current system unsustainable and is considering giving the moon its very own time zone.
The main objective of establishing a universal timekeeping system for the moon is to streamline contact among the various countries and entities, public and private, which are coordinating trip s to and around the moon.
The M1 lunar lander built by the Japanese company Ispace is set to arrive on the moon in April. Last year, China completed construction of its own space station and previously suggested that Chinese astronauts would be on the moon by 2030. These missions will not only be on or around the moon at the same time, but they will often be interacting as well. For all those interactions to happen smoothly, the missions will need to operate on a standardized time.
At the same time, the international team looking at establishing a lunar time zone is debating whether a single organization should set and keep time on the moon. Clocks run faster on the moon than on Earth, gaining about 56 microseconds each day. The exact difference depends on the position of the clock and whether it is in orbit or on the lunar surface.
Anyhow, efforts are being made to develop a base and support human habitation on the moon. The goal of setting a universal timekeeping system is to improve cooperation across all space agencies. The effort is part of a larger project to create a complete communication and navigation system for the moon. The international space agencies will need to be prepared to settle on a time zone before the proper time zone can be identified, and a thorough research study is required for this.
1. Why is the ESA considering giving the moon its own time zone?| A．The present time system is regarded as ineffective. |
| B．The time on the moon is changing with the space age. |
| C．The M1 lunar lander is set to arrive on the moon in April. |
| D．Lunar missions have operated on the moon’s own time zone. |
| A．By quoting experts. | B．By giving examples. |
| C．By listing statistics. | D．By making comparisons. |
| A．The plan. | B．The cause. | C．The future. | D．The challenges. |
| A．Indifferent. | B．Doubtful. | C．Objective. | D．Critical. |
【推荐2】Human beings have been trying to explore the world in which we live and to better understand it. Space exploration is one of the ways. Through the exploration of space, we can begin to unravel the mysteries of our universe, and to better know our living environment.
Space exploration provides us with knowledge about the beginning of our solar system, our own planet and ourselves. It also helps answer the questions that have puzzled us for many years. Solar system exploration is important because it is good for us.
Space technology has become an important part of our daily lives. Some technology uses satellites to communicate. Satellites are also used to examine the changes in the Earth's climate and seas, for weather report and for military. We also use satellites in food production. Because of the use of space technology in crops, fewer and fewer people will suffer hunger.
The space program provides a chance for nations to work together. The cooperation promotes peace and understanding between governments and their people. Many governments have taken part in the space technology, including the United States, Russia, Japan, the European nations and India. In the near future, other nations will take part in it. In fact, the United States remains the leader in new space technology.
1. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?| A．Difficulties in space exploration. | B．The advantages of space exploration. |
| C．The answers to the questions of space exploration. | D．What we can get from space and solar system. |
| A．reporting the weather | B．examining the changes of seas |
| C．increasing the food production | D．changing the climate of a certain place |
| A．The United States. | B．Russia. | C．Japan. | D．India. |
| A．Poor countries don't agree to explore space. |
| B．People in different countries have different ideas on exploring space. |
| C．More and more countries will take part in the space program. |
| D．Many countries don't want to work together with other countries. |
【推荐3】In 1969, watching the landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon on TV from his parents’ farm in Canada, Chris Hadfield was amazed and excited. On that day, at only nine years old, Chris made the most important decision of his life: He was going to be an astronaut.
There wasn’t even a training program in Canada to become an astronaut, but Chris was determined. He spent a great deal of time studying and fixing engines. After school he joined the Canadian army where he learned to fly many different types of planes. Chris did a lot of research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)in the United States and had special training. Finally, in 1995, he rode his first rocket into space.
Chris became the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space, and went on a number of space missions throughout his career. The most memorable was his five-month stay on the International Space Station(ISS)as commander, between December 2012 and May 2013. He posted on social media thousands of photos of Earth and videos of himself explaining how things work in zero gravity. His followers could watch him sleeping, brushing his teeth, washing his hands, or preparing “space” snacks in zero gravity, which turned him into a social media phenomenon.
Today, Chris travels the world giving talks about his work. He once said, “Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you’d be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become. ”
1. What led Chris to make up his mind to be an astronaut?| A．The life on his parents’farm. | B．Apollo 11’s landing on the Moon. |
| C．His ability to fly various planes. | D．His passion for studying engines. |
| A．Serving in the Canadian army. | B．Receiving a lot of training from the NASA. |
| C．Working as commander on the ISS. | D．Being the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space. |
| A．The space tasks he conducted in his life. | B．His great contributions to Canada’s space industry. |
| C．His strong determination to pursue his dream. | D．The pictures and videos he posted online. |
| A．Courage is what it takes to overcome difficulties. | B．The secret of success lies in the firm aim. |
| C．From small beginnings come great endings. | D．Opportunities go hand in hand with challenges. |
