Not long ago, few little girls imagined they could grow up to become astronauts. For years in the United States, only men had that opportunity. In 1983, that changed. Sally Ride made history by becoming the first American woman to travel to space.
On Monday, Ride died at the age of 61, “Sally was a national hero and a powerful role model,” President Barack Obama said in a statement. “She inspired generations of young girls to reach for the stars.”
Ride became interested in space when she was a kid. “If you asked me when I was 12 whether I wanted to be an astronaut, I’m sure I would have said yes,” she said in a 2010 interview. “But I didn’t even think about that as a possible career.”
After studying physics in college, Ride got her chance. She was accepted into NASA’s astronaut training program in 1978, and then chosen to be the first American female in space. In 1983, she blasted into space aboard the Challenger shuttle.
Ride returned to space on the Challenger a second time in 1984. Between the two missions, she spent a total of 343 hours in orbit. After that, she remained involved with the space program and also worked to share her passion for science with kids. She co-authored six science books for children, and started her own science and education company.
Ride knew that she held a unique place in history. “I realized how important it was for a woman to break that barrier and open the door for other women to be able to do the same exciting things that the men had been doing,” she said.
Since Ride’s historic trip, more than 40 other American women have travelled to space. They all had Ride to thank for opening the door to the final frontier.
1. Obama called Ride a national hero because she______.| A．was the first American to travel to space |
| B．became the first American female in space |
| C．was the first to travel on the Challenger shuttle |
| D．opened a door for women to find suitable jobs |
| A．Taking many pictures of the space program. |
| B．Starting a company to teach more astronauts. |
| C．Teaching kids through sharing her thirst for science. |
| D．Teaching woman how to become a successful astronaut. |
| A．Brave and creative. |
| B．Curious and strict. |
| C．Kind and elegant. |
| D．Generous and easy-going. |
| A．Ride studied astronomy when she was in university. |
| B．Americans think Ride was the greatest woman in history. |
| C．There are many women who have become astronauts after Ride. |
| D．Ride wanted to find a job as an astronaut when she was very young. |
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【推荐1】Before my daughter, Evelyn, was born, I eagerly expected her first year of life. I imagined celebrating every milestone --- bonding with her as a newborn, seeing her smile for the first time, hearing her say her first word. 1 didn't think of feeding tubes, long hospital stays or an organ transplant(移植). For Evelyn, the first year included all and more.
Evelyn came into this world at just 34 weeks, weighing less than 3 pounds. Genetic testing revealed she had Alagille syndrome, a genetic disorder that can damage the liver(肝脏),heart and other organs. Soon, we received the news that baby Evelyn needed a liver transplant.Our family moved nearer to UPMC Children's Hospial of Pittsburgh so that we were closer if a liver was available for Evelyn.
When Evelyn was added to the organ donation wait list, I was under the liver allocation policy in place at that time,which was map-based. This policy lacks any special consideration for transplant candidates.We were told it would likely take three months. Just then, a new policy for liver allocation was tried out.Under the new system, the sickest child patients get first priority(优先).The new policy was only in effect for a little over a week, but in that period, Evelyn received her liver transplant.Had it been just one week earlier or later, we would not have received the call.
As Evelyn recovers from her transplant, we are grateful for the change.I am also sad, because the new policy was short-lived. That means another mom like me might not receive that phone call with good news.
Other children should have the same opportunity as Evelyn to live healthy, happy lives. When it comes to liver transplant policy, we can and must do better for children.
1. What probably happened to Evelyn shorly after she was born?| A．She failed to give a smile. |
| B．She had a serious liver failure. |
| C．She said her first word quickly. |
| D．She suffered from a heart attack. |
| A．To save time. |
| B．To have money. |
| C．To see a doctor. |
| D．To get first priority. |
| A．Evelyn is healthy now. |
| B．They waited too long. |
| C．They were one week earlier. |
| D．Her daughter is fortunate. |
| A．We must guarantee kids have healthy livers. |
| B．Kids should have chances of a liver transplant. |
| C．The sickest kids should get liver transplants first. |
| D．The old policy lacks special consideration for kids. |
【推荐2】It was back in 2014. I learned I needed an operation to remove the tumor (肿瘤). Hearing the word “cancer” was the first shock, but knowing the surgeon would have to cut the front of my neck open was a lot to swallow. I was relieved to learn that thyroid (甲状腺) cancer can be treated if caught early, but 1 wasn’t thrilled it would mean a lifelong scar front and center on my neck.
Back at home, I looked at my reflection in the mirror. I admired my neck, running my finger across a delicate gold chain I wore. Then came a tiny voice, “Mommy!” My then five year -old son. Jack, appeared in the mirror behind me. Our reflection was a big reality check. See, my son didn’t know I had been diagnosed (诊断) with the Big C, or that I was having an operation. I patiently explained my condition to him and told him I would have a scar on my neck after the operation.
I never had any intentions of hiding the scar. I didn’t want my son to think my scar was something to be ashamed of. I was his role model and I needed to set a good example. Bad things can happen, but it’s how you deal with them that matters.
The operation was successful. The recovery process, bearing it all, in the grocery store, out to dinner with family and on the summer camp pickup line, made me realize, if I could get through this phase (阶段),I could bear the scar of survival forever. The scar proves I looked at fear in the face and won.
People will ask about my scar even though it’s a very thin. dull line five years later. That means I have the chance to educate others about thyroid cancer and how they should. self-check their necks and remind their doctors to do the same, at yearly physicals. To me, the scar is like a superhero stamp.
1. What’s the author worried about before the operation?| A．Her neck would look ugly. | B．The tumor couldn’t be removed. |
| C．Jack couldn’t take care of himself. | D．She would have difficulty swallowing. |
| A．She didn’t care how people liked her. |
| B．She realized she didn’t have other choice. |
| C．She wanted to set a good example to her son. |
| D．She felt lucky to have her cancer caught early. |
| A．Regretful. | B．Stressful. |
| C．Surprising. | D．Meaningful. |
| A．She has a better chance of education. |
| B．She feels proud of what she has done. |
| C．She has become an expert in cancer treatment. |
| D．She has suffered [rom poor health for five years. |
【推荐3】Annissa Jobb, with a walking stick, went to the office of Riam Shammaa, a pain specialist in Toronto, in 2017. Jobb’s back pain first appeared about a decade earlier due to an undiagnosed herniated disc, which had pressed a nerve. As the pain worsened, Jobb clenched her teeth and tried to keep going. Now she was desperate for help. “I had a drawer full of pain medication. None of it was working.” said Jobb.
Historically, the treatment of such back pain has been less than ideal, sometimes causing patients to become addicted to painkillers or to undergo major surgery, which is suitable for only about 1 in 20 patients. Hunting for a solution beyond these limited options, Dr. Shammaa turned to stem cells—the building-block cells found in various tissues in adult bodies—which can generate a set of different cells. Specifically, he’d been studying bone marrow(骨髓)stem cells, and he invited Jobb to participate in a study with 23 other patients. He hoped that injecting(注射)the stem cells, known as MSCs, into the patient’s herniated disc would multiply and heal the damaged tissue.
The procedure took three and a half hours. It began with the collection of Jobb’s bone marrow—the most painful step—which was immediately distilled(蒸馏)and concentrated into bone marrow mixture, or BMAC, then injected into the discs. Guided by a special type of X-ray, Dr. Shammaa inserted a needle through Jobb’s spine to place the BMAC into the discs. Jobb remained awake for the entire procedure in order to alert Dr. Shammaa if he touched a nerve. Afterward, Jobb recovered in bed for two weeks and then, slowly, began to walk.
A month later she stepped swiftly into the clinic, a moment Dr. Shammaa recalled with delight. “While Jobb had previously described her pain as ‘beyond ten’, she says that it’s now a two.”
1. What is the main idea of the first paragraph?| A．Annissa Jobb’s back pain experiences |
| B．The desperate situation of Annissa Jobb |
| C．The treatment of Annis Jobb’s illness |
| D．The cause for Annissa Jobb’s visit to a pain specialist |
| A．To introduce the process of the previous treatment |
| B．To explain the necessity of Dr. Shammaa’s research |
| C．To show the development of the treatment of back pain |
| D．To provide the supporting evidence for Dr. Shammaa’s research |
| A．They can function in any part of human bodies |
| B．They are able to help cells reproduce and recover |
| C．They will be injected into the tissues nearby herniated disc |
| D．They will be concentrated before collecting patients’s bone marrow |
| A．Jobb has a poor comment on her treatment. |
| B．Jobb has only two pain spots after the treatment. |
| C．Jobb’s back pain has been dramatically relieved. |
| D．Jobb’s back pain is evaluated more precisely than before. |
【推荐1】The space community is taking the orbital debris (碎片) threat increasingly seriously these days. Multiple satellite “mega-constellations (巨型星座)” are in the works, making space traffic management and space-junk removal more pressing issues than they’ve ever been.
For instance, SpaceX has already launched more than 1,700 satellites for its Starlink broadband constellation. The company ultimately wants to launch around 30,000Starlink satellites into orbit. One Web has launched more than half of the satellites for its planned 648-member constellation, which may also grow beyond that initial number as time goes on.
In addition, satellite construction costs continue to fall, allowing more and more people to get satellites up and operate them—including folks with very little experience in the field. This opening of the final frontier is generally a good thing, but it further highlights the need for responsible action when it comes to satellite operation. In 2019, for example, the Space Safety Coalition (SSC) laid out a set of proposed voluntary guidelines designed to control space junk over the coming years.
One recommendation is that all satellites operating above 250 miles be equipped with propulsion(推进) systems, allowing them to get away from possible collisions (碰撞). The SSC also recommends operators who control satellites in low Earth orbit should include in their launch contracts a requirement that rocket upper stages should be got rid of in the atmosphere shortly after liftoff.
More active debris-fighting strategies could also be part of the solution. Removing just a handful of rocket bodies or dead satellites every year could help us keep our space-junk problem under control, according to some studies. And researchers around the world are developing and testing ways to do just that, using nets, harpoons(鱼叉) and other methods.
The space-junk issue is a global one, so governments around the world should have conversations about how to deal with it. Let’s hope the talks, the decisions and the tech end up outpacing the problem.
1. What do the two examples in Paragraph 2 illustrate?| A．Orbital debris ensure satellite safety. |
| B．Constellations consist of many satellites. |
| C．Space is becoming increasingly crowded. |
| D．SpaceX has higher capacity to explore space. |
| A．Experience in this area is rich. |
| B．Satellites are cheaper to make. |
| C．Satellite operations require little skills. |
| D．Space is accessible to common people. |
| A．Remove dead satellites from orbit. |
| B．Cooperate in monitoring satellites. |
| C．Operate satellites at a fixed height. |
| D．Recycle a rocket shortly after liftoff. |
| A．Space junk cleanup |
| B．The risks of space junk |
| C．Space debris and satellites |
| D．Guidelines for space safety |
【推荐2】Australia, France or…Mars? When considering a place to emigrate to, Mars might not be the best choice in your list, but according to an online survey, more than one in ten of British would accept a one-way ticket there. Yes, you read that correctly — because the Mars One mission is looking to emigrate to Mars, the first voyagers will not be able to return back to Earth. The organizers suggest applicants think over their applications, because the agreement didn’t come with a return ticket. But still thousands of people agreed to it.
The Mars One aims to construct a human settlement on Mars. Thankfully, applications for the program are entirely voluntary and potential astronauts can back out at any time during the strict selection process.
In order to apply, the candidate must be over 18, have A2 English level and be adaptable and curious. The following selection process consists of four rounds.
The first round is an online application including general information and a one-minute video in which the applicant answers some given questions and explains why he or she should be among the first humans to set foot on Mars. At the end of the first round, a team of Mars One experts will decide which applicants will pass to the next round.
The remaining applicants must then provide a medical statement from their doctor stating that they have met all the requirements. Successful candidates will then be briefly interviewed by Mars One’s chief medical officer Norbert Kraft.
One-hundred healthy, smart candidates are then in the third round which will test their team work ability and communication skills through a series of group challenges.
The final part of the testing process is the ability to stay alone. Even the best astronauts in history can hardly enjoy the silent space. Following this challenge, the forty remaining candidates will be reduced to thirty who will then undergo the Mars Settler Suitability Interview. Following on from the first selection series, international crews of up to six groups of four will become full time employees of Mars One.
1. What is the organizers’ attitude towards the online survey result?| A．Understandable. | B．Satisfied. |
| C．Unexpected. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．Stop carrying out the agreement. |
| B．Move out of space backwards. |
| C．Drive aircrafts backwards and leave. |
| D．Fail to pay attention to the advertisement. |
| A．Test the candidates’ English level. |
| B．Check the basic information of participants. |
| C．Interview the candidates and collect the forms. |
| D．Determine whether candidates are eager to learn. |
| A．Their skills to communicate with others. |
| B．Their excellent physical health at present. |
| C．Their abilities to cooperate with the team. |
| D．Their long-time adaptability to being alone. |
| A．100 | B．40 | C．30 | D．24 |
【推荐3】Around 50 Mars missions have been launched globally since 1960. Yet more than half of them have failed to reach the planet. So after China’s Mars probe—Tianwen-1, was launched on July 23, Thursday last year, there was an anxious wait to learn its fate.
The news that the craft carrying exploration rover Zhurong landed safely on the surface of the planet on Saturday has therefore been met with both relief and celebration in the country.
That the landing was carried out exactly as planned has made China the latest member, after the United States and Russia, of the club of the world’s pioneering Martin explorers, and shows the reliability of the relevant technologies that China has developed on its own. Though the first Mars mission of the country, it was a brave undertaking: to complete orbiting, landing and roving in one single mission.
It is that can-do spirit of self-reliance（自力更生） that has played a key role in China’s scientific and technological development in recent decades despite some foreign countries’ attempts to prevent its progress. China made its early breakthroughs in rocket and space technologies with its own scientists, engineers and scientific workers starting from the 1960s under very difficult conditions when the country remained largely a backward agricultural country and faced foreign blocks of technology and materials.
However, the country has made the most of what it had over the past more than six decades, making continuous efforts to go ahead in the aerospace（航天）cause. Thanks to the hard work and even sacrifices of generations of scientific workers, China has laid a solid foundation for the fast development of its aerospace industry, and has achieved one milestone after another in its space endeavors.
In the human space odyssey, China, with enthusiasm, diligence and willingness to cooperate, will help promote humankind to travel faster and farther.
1. What’s the purpose of this text?| A．To introduce a kind of astronomical phenomenon. |
| B．To recall the development of China’s aerospace exploration. |
| C．To boost Chinese people’s confidence in aerospace exploration. |
| D．To state the difficulties China faced in aerospace development. |
| A．Confused. | B．Proud. |
| C．Worried. | D．Astonished. |
| A．More than half of Mars missions have succeeded since 1960. |
| B．The exploration rover Zhurong landed on Mars on July, 25 th . |
| C．The mission of Tianwen-1 was to complete orbiting and landing. |
| D．China made a breakthrough in space technologies without efforts. |
| A．A science fiction. | B．A book review. |
| C．A geography textbook. | D．A daily newspaper. |
【推荐1】During the 1930s，the Great War broke out. A 25-year-old American soldier, probably never thought that his life would change forever when he volunteered to go to France.
One night while the American unit was returning to the base after a bloody fight, Suleyman stumbled(绊倒) into the ground and noticed a bit of movement from the bush. Being stuck between two choices either its enemy or an animal, Suleyman found a five- year old girl from the bushes shivering with cold and utmost fear. Due to the atrocity of the war, the girl was abandoned by her family and the whole village was killed.
During the war, it was impossible to find the child’s family so Suleyman took this little French girl under his wings and gave her an American name Flora which means like the flower. Soon, Flora became the apple of the eye of everyone living in the army camp.
For one and a half years, Flora and Suleyman became inseparable; however, every fairy tale comes to an end. When the war ended, Suleyman was sent back to USA, while Flora was put in an orphanage (孤儿院), the Normandy School, which was founded by the American government for orphaned French children to have an education.
For years, Suleyman always thought about Flora. When the French National Olympic Team was playing in the Summer Olympics in Los Angeles in 1984, Suleyman gazed through the audience on TV, hoping to catch a glimpse of Flora, but he never could.
At the age of 85, Suleyman attended the 60th anniversary reception of the Great War where Suleyman shared his story with American and French officials. After hearing his story, a French journalist started to investigate the story, and all government files were read in detail. The moment the journalist helped dial the number, in tears, Flora said Suleyman was her hero, and everything came flooding back to her.
1. What does the underlined word “atrocity“ in Paragraph 2 probably mean?| A．Cruelty. | B．Challenge. |
| C．Range. | D．Stress. |
| A．Because Flora might be in the French team. |
| B．Because Suleyman was greatly interested in sports. |
| C．Because Flora might be watching the event. |
| D．Because Suleyman wanted to travel to Los Angeles. |
| A．Flora and Suleyman became attached to each other. |
| B．Suleyman sent Flora to an orphanage called Normandy School. |
| C．Suleyman found some animals in the bush. |
| D．Suleyman would never see Flora again. |
| A．A Tough Flower in the War |
| B．The Influence of the War |
| C．The Lost and Found Love |
| D．The Apple of the Father’s Eye |
【推荐2】In 2020 Sarah A1 Amiri, now 35, was appointed chairwoman of the United Arab Emirates Space Agency (UAESA). She was shocked at the honor and the responsibilities that came with it, but she could not have been entirely surprised. Amiri has been fascinated with space since she was 12 years old. However, given that space exploration was still in the hands of just a few of the world’s largest nations, it seemed unlikely to a young Amiri that a country like the U.A.E. would reach space any time soon. So rather than anything directly space-related, Amiri studied computer programming in college. But by the time she graduated in 2009, the first green shoots of an Emirati space program had begun to grow so she applied to join UAESA and was hired at 22 as a software engineer.
The U.A.E. launched its first Earth observation satellite, Dubai SAT, in 2009, followed by Dubai SAT 2 in 2013. Then, in 2014, it set its goal to send a probe to Martian orbit by 2021. Amiri was named deputy project manager and science lead on the mission, which had the ambitious goal of mapping Mars’ entire atmosphere over a whole Martian year. The spacecraft Amiri’s team designed and built for the mission was named Hope that took seven months to reach the Red Planet. Waiting for news of the spacecraft’s arrival on February 9, 2021, was, says Amiri, “the toughest point.” At that time, she was standing outside the Burj Khalifa and celebrating with the crowds who had gathered to mark the moment.
The Hope mission was not just ambitious in terms of its scope (范围), but also in terms of gender (性别) representation. Amiri’s science team included 80% women, an unusual number in the field of space exploration. She has always been determined that gender would not in any way hold her back in her chosen field. “I grew up to be—and continue to be—deaf to the challenges related to gender,’’ she says.
1. How did Amiri feel when learning about her appointment?| A．Amazed. | B．Worried. | C．Confused. | D．Delighted. |
| A．Her passion for challenges. |
| B．Her major in computer program. |
| C．The mission of sending spacecraft to space. |
| D．The development of Emirati space program. |
| A．The U.A.E. launched Dubai SAT. |
| B．Mars’ entire atmosphere was mapped. |
| C．The U.A.E. spacecraft landed on Mars. |
| D．Amiri was named deputy project manager. |
| A．A Hard Road to Success |
| B．A Journey of Space Exploration |
| C．The Woman Achieving Great Goals |
| D．The Woman Taking the U.A.E. to Mars |
【推荐3】Mama Cax, a model and motivational speaker, died in 2019 at the age of 30.
The Haitian-born model’s family took to her Instagram account on Friday to announce the tragic news, revealing that she passed away on Monday, Dec. 16th. The news also reads, “To say that Cax was a fighter would be an understatement. As a cancer survivor, she had grown accustomed to taking on life’s challenges directly and successfully. It is with that same grit that she fought her last days on Earth.”
When she was 14, Cax was found to have bone and lung cancers and later had to have her right leg cut off. From then on, she wore an artificial leg for the last 16 years of her life. Mama Cax never lost heart. “I recognize how lucky I am and that many can’t afford medical treatments,” said Cax. “I feel like I’m in a position to make a difference and one day I will be an advocate(提倡者，拥护者) for people with disabilities.”
In addition to walking the runway in New York’s Fashion Week, Cax was a strong advocate for disabled models. She broke down barriers in the fashion world as a disabled model with a history of fighting difficult health battles.
And she was also a successful blogger with a huge following. She wrote blogs about travel, food and fashion and was an inspiration to many people. “Scars, we can hate them but they remain part of us. They tell the stories of our struggle and survival. They represent the battles we’ve won” said Cax. “As women we were used to letting others judge our worth. My advice to any young woman out there is, to know your worth, figure out what you want, set up a plan and go for it.“
Cax loved sports, especially rock climbing. “I like to challenge myself physically. It is difficult but certainly not impossible,” said Cax. In November, 2019, Cax reached another life goal of hers — to finish the New York City Marathon. She appreciated every moment of life, and lived it with delight.
1. Which best supports the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2?| A．Cax challenged the fashion world. |
| B．Cax made a difference in various fields. |
| C．Cax advocated free treatment for the disabled. |
| D．Cax was devoted to the equal rights for the disabled. |
| A．Know your own value and pursue your dreams. |
| B．Regard scars as victories over challenges in life. |
| C．Inspire your life by traveling and enjoying food. |
| D．Promote your self-improvement from others’ judgment. |
| A．Failure is the mother of success. |
| B．I have no secret of success but hard work. |
| C．Misfortunes cannot stop one’s excellence. |
| D．The starting point of achievement is desire. |
