On February 6, 2020, American astronaut Christina Koch arrived back on Earth after 328 days in space. Her time in space is just one of the records set by herself. That’s the longest spaceflight ever made by a woman, and just one of the many things Ms. Koch achieved in space.
Ms. Koch took off from Earth for the International Space Station (ISS) on March 12, 2019. While in space, she made 5, 248 trips around the Earth, travelling 2, 237 million kilometers, which is roughly the same as 291 trips to the Moon and back. During her 11 months on the ISS, Ms. Koch took part in six spacewalks, spending over 42 hours in all outside the station. In October of 2019, Ms. Koch led the first ever all-female spacewalk with Jessica Meir.
But for most astronauts, space travel isn’t about setting records. It’s about doing science. Ms. Koch took part in a wide variety of special experiments, including studying how crystals grow in space, how atoms behave in extreme cold and learning more about growing plants in low gravity. Growing plants in space could be an important way to provide food on future trips. She also tested a new way of separating liquids from gases. This experiment could lead to simple methods of cleaning water and air in space, which could be very important for future space travel.
Ms. Koch isn’t just a scientist and an astronaut. She is also being studied. She’s part of a NASA program studying how astronauts are affected by being in space for long periods of time. Her trip was only 12 days shorter than the American record set by Scott Kelly in 2016. As they did with Mr. Kelly, NASA scientists are looking carefully at ways Ms. Koch’s body has been affected by her time in space. That research is important for the longer space trips NASA hopes to make in the future, such as for a base on the moon or a trip to Mars.
1. Which of the following is an achievement Ms. Koch has made?| A．Making the longest spaceflight by herself. | B．Leading the first women-only spacewalk. |
| C．Cleaning water and air successfully in space. | D．Staying outside the ISS continuously for 42 hours. |
| A．Koch made historic breakthroughs in space. | B．Koch went through a life-threatening space trip. |
| C．Koch completed admirable tasks in the space travel. | D．Koch is the most experienced astronaut in NASA. |
| A．Astronauts are competing to set new records. | B．Koch’s team produced their own food in space. |
| C．NASA has founded a scientific base on the moon. | D．Koch’s research is significant for space exploration. |
| A．Record-Setting Astronaut Koch Returns to Earth | B．US Astronauts Carried out Experiments in Space |
| C．Spacewalks Have Successfully Been Done on the ISS | D．NASA is Studying Astronauts for Longer Space Trips |
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【推荐1】There were far fewer cars on the streets and crowds were not seen in the shopping malls in Central China's Wuhan on Jan. 24—the Eve of the Chinese New Year. The scene was quite different from the occasion in the previous years because of the novel coronavirus, which had resulted in 41 deaths in China by the end of New Year's Eve. Mostly in Wuhan, according to the National Health Commission.
Chen Li, a doctor in a Wuhan hospital, spent the Chinese Lunar New Year's Eve at home to quarantine herself for having had contact with infected patients, but luckily she has no signs of symptoms for the time being. Chen's husband is at the forefront of the fight against the epidemic. “We haven't seen each other for over a week," said Chen. On Saturday morning, she put on protective clothing again and returned to work.
Wuhan is following Beijing's SARS treatment model in 2003 to build a makeshift hospital with 1,000 beds for receiving infected patients. It will be completed and put into use prior to Feb. 3, less than 10 days away. "It's going to be another all-nighter. We need to speed up the work said Lyu Jun, a young truck driver at the construction site. This is his first Spring Festival away from home.
For ordinary people, this year's Lunar New Year’s Eve lacks some gatherings. Yin Yeqiong. from Hunan Province, refunded her tickets back home after much debate. “I had it in my mind to still go home, but finally decided to stay in Wuhan," she said. “Our stay will help reduce panic in other places.
Doctors, nurses and experts from across the nation have been selected to join the battle, and manufacturers have restarted their plants to produce medical consumables that have been running short in many places.
“This is going to be an unforgettable Spring Festival," said Chen Ying, a writer. "Because I feel that at this moment, there are so many families that I do not know, in every corner of this city, praying for our home.”
1. What does the underlined word "quarantine" mean in Paragraph 2?| A．Support. | B．Recover. | C．Examine. | D．Separate. |
| A．She couldn't afford the ticket back home. |
| B．She was eager to work as a volunteer. |
| C．She didn't want to cause unnecessary trouble. |
| D．She was not allowed to go back to her home. |
| A．The Spring Festival in China this year is the same as before. |
| B．Chen Li and her husband are fighting against the novel coronavirus in Wuhan. |
| C．Lyu Jun and his coworkers will help complete the hospital in Beijing. |
| D．There is no need to worry because we have plenty of medical consumables. |
| A．The Chinese are fighting against the epidemic together. |
| B．The epidemic is not so serious that we can enjoy our normal life. |
| C．Coronavirus, a highly infectious disease. is spreading around China. |
| D．Not until the makeshift hospital is completed will the doctors find the cure. |
【推荐2】In many restaurants worldwide, there’s a new sight — child-sized robots. These robots can welcome guests, show them to their tables, deliver food and drinks, and even transport dirty dishes back to the kitchen. Some believe these robot waiters could be a solution to today’s worker shortages (短缺，不足) in the restaurant industry, with tens of thousands of them now in use.
But other people think that robots can’t replace (取代) human workers. Robot waiters can’t take orders, and they struggle with steps, limiting their abilities.
Although there are disadvantages, their use is growing. For example, in Madison Heights, Michigan, Li Zhai faced difficulty finding enough workers for his restaurant. To address this, he bought robots from Pudu Robotics. These robots have been a success, with one leading guests to their seats, another delivering food, and a third transporting dirty dishes.
Zhai found that using these robots reduced his need for employees. Three robots now do the work of what used to need five or six people. And a robot costs around $15,000, while a human can cost 5,000 to 6,000 per month. These robots also have a surprising benefit—they free up human servers to spend more time with customers, resulting in increased tips. Additionally, diners (用餐者) often share videos of the robots on social media, attracting more visitors to the restaurant.
However, not all restaurants have had the same success. For example, Chili’s (奇利斯餐厅) introduced robot servers in 2020, but were criticized (批评) for their slow movement and getting in the way of human servers. A survey showed that 58% of guests believed the robots didn’t improve their overall dining experience.
1. What is the purpose of the first paragraph?| A．To discuss the advantages of hiring human workers in restaurants. |
| B．To describe the shortages of child-sized robots in restaurants. |
| C．To show the success of robot waiters in restaurants. |
| D．To introduce a survey about robot waiters. |
| A．narrow | B．solve | C．face | D．explore |
| A．Uncaring. | B．Dissatisfied. | C．Positive. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．The use of robot waiters still has a long way to go. |
| B．All restaurants with robot servers are successful. |
| C．The restaurant industry is not affected by worker shortages. |
| D．Restaurant bosses won’t employ robot waiters. |
【推荐3】Saturn, an alligator, aged 84, died at the Moscow Zoo. That in itself made Saturn unusual. In the wild, the normal life span for an alligator is 30 to 50 years. But longevity was the least unusual aspect of Saturn’s life story.
Saturn was born somewhere in Mississippi in 1936 and was shipped to the Berlin Zoo from which he disappeared on November 23rd, 1943, when the zoo was stricken in an air bombing campaign. Of the 16,000 animals once kept in the Berlin Zoo, fewer than 100 survived the war. Saturn was one of them.
When he got freedom in 1943, Saturn was 7 years old. In June 1946, an almost adult Saturn was discovered and captured by British army. The alligator was then turned over to the allied Soviet troops in Berlin who sent him on to Moscow where he would live in the next 74 years.
It was in Moscow that word got around that Saturn was a pet which belonged to Adolf Hitler. This undocumented episode with Hitler made Saturn a public figure.
“Even if he belonged to someone,” the zoo’s announcement of Saturn’s death says, “animals are not involved in war and politics.” Officials at the Moscow Zoo treated him as an honored guest. “We tried to take care of him with great care and attention. He was picky about food.” Even among his keepers, he knew who he liked. He perfectly remembered the trusted keeper.
If a zoo animal can be a historical figure, officials say this one qualifies.
“Saturn is a whole era for us. There is not the slightest exaggeration,” the announcement of his death said. “He came after the victory in WWII — and witnessed its 75th anniversary. It is a great happiness that each of us could look into his eyes, just quietly being near. He saw many of us as children. We hope that we did not disappoint him.”
Death may not end Saturn’s public career. It has been reported that his body will be maintained and placed on show at Moscow’s Charles Darwin Museum of Biology.
1. What does the underlined “That” in Paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Saturn’s death. | B．Saturn’s longevity. |
| C．Saturn’s life story. | D．Saturn’s living conditions. |
| A．Saturn was born and raised in the Berlin Zoo in 1936. |
| B．Saturn survived an air attack and got freedom in 1943. |
| C．Saturn got caught by the allied Soviet troops in 1946. |
| D．Saturn celebrated its 75th birthday and died in 2020. |
| A．He was kept a pet there. | B．He could remember all the keepers. |
| C．He lived a go-as-you-please life. | D．He got well-known as a picky eater. |
| A．His story with Adolf Hitler. | B．His uncommon 84-year lifespan. |
| C．He will be on show after death. | D．He was identified as a history witness. |
| A．To introduce an unusual alligator. | B．To draw visitors to the Museum in Moscow. |
| C．To present the impact of war on poor animals. | D．To show a close bond between man and animals. |
【推荐1】200,000 miles from Earth, the crew of the third manned mission to the Moon faced an astronaut’s worst nightmare: an explosion on the spacecraft. It’s what happened in the Oscar-winning film Apollo 13, but it’s also a true story.
The lift-off of Apollo 13 took place on 11th April 1970. Two days into the mission, the three-man crew were in big trouble. They had been carrying out routine checks when there was a loud bang. Warning lights were starting to flash. Looking out into space, they could see a trail of gas — the spacecraft was leaking oxygen. They sent out a short message to the scientists back on Earth: “Houston, we’ve had a problem here.” At first, they thought that a meteor (流星) had hit them, but they later found out that a short circuit had caused an oxygen container to explode. Whatever the cause, they knew there was no time to lose. Their electricity supply in the command module (指令舱) depended on that oxygen and pretty soon they would run out of both.
The only solution was to move into the lunar module — the section of the spacecraft that would have landed on the Moon. Now though, they were using it as a kind of lifeboat. With its own power supply, oxygen and water, the three men could survive in the lunar module and return to Earth. There was another problem though. In an enclosed space like a lunar module, the carbon dioxide the crew was breathing out was dangerous. The equipment to clear the air of carbon dioxide was only built for two people. Now it had to deal with three. Amazingly, the crew managed to build an adapter out of materials onboard to reduce the carbon dioxide to a safe level.
There was one final hindrance. The lunar module wasn’t strong enough to re-enter Earth’s atmosphere so the crew had to go back into the damaged command module. To everyone’s relief, the crew of Apollo 13 arrived safely in the South Pacific Ocean on April 17th. Although the crew didn’t land on the Moon, NASA still considered the mission a success.
1. What was the astronauts’ first reaction to the explosion?| A．They went out to land on the Moon. | B．They informed scientists on Earth. |
| C．They moved into the lunar module. | D．They looked into the cause of the explosion. |
| A．By moving back to the command module. | B．By lowering the carbon dioxide level. |
| C．By creating a new oxygen supply. | D．By limiting the oxygen use. |
| A．Surprise. | B．Mission. | C．Obstacle. | D．Circumstance. |
| A．A Successful Mission | B．An Amazing Adventure |
| C．Deep Space Exploration | D．Life-and-Death Drama in Space |
【推荐2】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. |
【推荐3】NASA has made history today, conducting the very first powered flight on another planet. The Mars Helicopter Ingenuity (机智号) successfully took to the Red Planet skies for a brief journey, which will hopefully be the first of several.
Along with accumulating 30 minutes and 48 seconds of flight time, the helicopter has traveled over the surface a distance of 2.2 miles, flying as high as 12 meters and as fast as 5 meters per second.
Flying a craft for a few seconds might not sound like too big an accomplishment, but it’s quite a remarkable achievement of engineering. Ingenuity is flying in conditions unlike any possible on Earth - the gravity on Mars is only one-third as strong as Earth’s, and the atmosphere is extremely thin, at just one percent the density compared to the Earth. Combined with the extreme cold and a lengthy radio delay, the mission has got a lot that can go wrong.
And it already has. After surviving its first cold night on Mars, Ingenuity was set to take off on April 11, but a software error during a high-speed spin test of its rotors (螺旋桨) on April 9 threw a spanner in the works. After troubleshooting the issue, NASA developed a fix and beamed a software update to the Red Planet. If all goes to plan, NASA will conduct a few more flights over the next few weeks, sending Ingenuity higher and farther each time.
“Now, 117 years after the Wright brothers succeeded in making the first flight on our planet, NASA’s Ingenuity helicopter has left this amazing footprint of success on another world,” says Thomas Zurbuchen, NASA Associate Administrator for Science. “While these two symbolic moments in NASA history may be separated by time and 173 million miles of space, they now will forever be linked. To show respect for the two bicycle makers from Dayton, this first of many airfields on other worlds will now be known as Wright Brothers Field, in recognition of the ingenuity and creativity that continue to encourage exploration.”
1. What makes the flight of Ingenuity on Mars challenging?| A．The bad air quality on Mars. |
| B．The doubled gravity on Mars. |
| C．Both severe cold and not punctual radio. |
| D．The changing weather conditions of Mars. |
| A．Caused problems. | B．Found faults. |
| C．Repaired damage. | D．Solved crisis. |
| A．To encourage more airplane designs. |
| B．To promote the spirit of ingenuity and creativity. |
| C．To recognize the great contributions of the Wright brothers. |
| D．To highlight the meaningfulness of the Ingenuity’s journey to Mars. |
| A．A Successful Exploration on Mars |
| B．A Promising Future of Ingenuity Helicopter |
| C．NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Faces Great Challenges |
| D．NASA’s Ingenuity Helicopter Makes Historic First Flight |
【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】Jennifer Keelan was a young girl who had dreams of one day attending college and living a satisfactory life. At age 2, Jennifer was diagnosed with cerebral palsy (脑瘫), leaving her using a wheelchair. Jennifer was a bright and courageous girl, but when she attempted to attend school with her friends, she was sent to separate classes for students with disabilities, regardless of talent. She found herself unable to attend some school functions, use transit systems and access government buildings. Jennifer accepted the limitations of her physical life, but not the limitations of the physical world around her.
Jennifer became active in campaigning for the Americans with Disabilities Act. She engaged in peaceful protests and, at age 7, was arrested in Montreal, a moment in history that shocked North America.
At age 8, Jennifer traveled to Washington, D.C. The shy, yet determined little girl caught the attention of the country when she climbed up the Capitol steps. It worked. Jennifer met with Congress, and President George H. W. Bush signed the Americans with Disabilities Act into law.
Jennifer remains an activist today, making sure all people with disabilities are treated fairly and have equal access to public places, schools and businesses. The only barriers that remain are those of view.
Jennifer wants all of us to know that physical disabilities are not a barrier to friendship, career opportunities or love. She graduated from Arizona State University with a degree in family and human development. She is now 39 years old and still sharing the message of inclusivity (包容性) . For her, like all of us, making a difference begins one step at a time, no matter how hard it is. She remains a lifelong activist for the disability rights movement.
1. What prevented Jennifer studying with her friends?| A．Her serious illness. | B．Her low intelligence. |
| C．Her born language barrier. | D．Her poor learning ability. |
| A．Her helping the disabled. | B．Her being sent to prison. |
| C．Her entering the Capitol alone. | D．Her being elected as president. |
| A．The law of the United State changed a lot. | B．Bush met the representatives of the disabled. |
| C．Arizona State University accepted the disabled. | D．The Americans with Disabilities Act was signed. |
| A．A Girl Managed to Enter the Congress | B．A Girl Makes a Difference to the Country |
| C．A Girl Succeeded in Attending the College | D．A Girl Struggles for the Rights of the Disabled |
【推荐3】Travis Gienger set a record for growing the world’s heaviest pumpkin, which weighed about 1,247 kilograms, in 2023. The middle-aged man was named the winner on Monday of the 50th Safeway World Championship Pumpkin Weigh-Off in Half Moon Bay, California. He won the same con test in 2022, whose pumpkin weighed 1,161 kilograms. The past world record for the heaviest pumpkin was set by a grower in Italy who produced a 1,226-kilogram pumpkin in 2021. “I was not expecting that,” Gienger said. He added that it felt good to win the world record.
Gienger is a teacher at Anoka Technical College in Anoka, Minnesota. He teaches agriculture and growing methods. And he has been producing pumpkins for nearly 30 years like his elders, especially his father, who used to raise pumpkins in the home property, which got him interested in planting. Gienger later devoted himself to working the land to plant.
Gienger first competed in Half Moon Bay’s yearly con test in 2020. He won three of the city’s last four pumpkin contests. “I put in the work so that I can put a smile on people’s faces, and it’s just so nice coming out here to see everyone in this town,” Gienger said.
Gienger, who grew the pumpkins on the farm, had given his plants more care. This included watering them up to 12 times a day and feeding or fertilizing them, a little more than usual. Those contributed to his greater success in 2023.
The pumpkin champion won a $30,000 prize for growing the biggest pumpkin and setting a world record. Gienger’s pumpkin would be shown along with the second-place winners at the city’s upcoming Pumpkin Festival. At the event, visitors would be able to look at the pumpkin prize and take pictures with the growers.
In the United States, pumpkins are popular throughout the autumn. During the US holiday Halloween, on October 31, many people turn them into “jack-o’-lanterns”. A jack-o’-lantern is a pumpkin that has been carved, usually to show a frightening or funny face.
1. How did Gienger feel about his winning the world record?| A．Surprised. | B．Suspicious. | C．Expected. | D．Embarrassed. |
| A．His family tradition. | B．His love for his farm. |
| C．His promise to his father. | D．His desire for winning a prize. |
| A．How many awards Gienger got in 2023. |
| B．How long Gienger worked a day in 2023. |
| C．Why Gienger grew pumpkins on the farm. |
| D．Why Gienger’s pumpkin was heavier than before. |
| A．It would be given to a visitor. |
| B．It would be made into a lantern. |
| C．It would be on show at a festival. |
| D．It would be used to decorate pictures. |
