Seth dropped his schoolbag and headed straight for the fridge. He needed a good snack if he was going to stay up late to watch the super perigee moon. He didn’t care about the moon, but Mr. Andrews assigned (布置作业) a project and expected him to do all that work in one night.
“Hungry?” Mom asked.
“Not really, but I have to eat something. Mr. Andrews is making me watch the moon tonight and write up information on it.”
“Oh, that’s right. Tonight is the super perigee moon.” Mom smiled. “What a fun assignment.”
Fun? Was she crazy? “I don’t think staying up late to stare (凝视) at the moon sounds like fun at all.”
Mom laughed. “You just wait. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it more than you think you will.”
Seth didn’t think so. Mr. Andrews told the class that the super perigee moon appears when the full or new moon is the closest to the Earth. They spent an entire class talking about how big the moon usually looks. Seth didn’t see why this was such a big deal.
When the sun set, Seth walked outside. “That’s strange,” he said to his dad, “It’s so bright out here.”
“The super perigee moon is about 30% brighter than usual,” Dad said. “When I was younger, Grandpa used to study astronomy. He taught me all about space. The super perigee moon was always one of my favorite things to look at.”
Seth stared at the moon. Not only was it bright, it was huge—bigger than any full moon he’d ever seen.
“About 40% larger than usual,” Dad said.
Seth opened the notebook and started to write down the information his dad told him. “Think I should take pictures for the assignment?”
“Why not? It’s a good idea. It would get you good marks.”
“And I’d like to have pictures to remember this. It’s pretty cool.”
“So I guess you’re not too upset that you have to do the homework after all,” Dad said.
Seth continued to stare in awe (无比崇敬地) at the super perigee moon. “I think it’s the best assignment we’ve had all year.”
1. Seth’s assignment was to _______.| A．take some pictures of planets and stars |
| B．surf the Internet for information on space |
| C．invite his parents to help him finish a task |
| D．watch the moon and write up information |
| A．Mr. Andrews. | B．His father. | C．His mother. | D．His classmate. |
| A．he spent the whole night with his father |
| B．he would get good marks after finishing it |
| C．it interested him to learn more about the moon |
| D．it helped him make his grandpa’s dream come true |
相似题推荐
【推荐1】A group of scientists discovered a gas called phosphine on Venus (金星). That means there may be living things on the planet. This made many people start to imagine the talk between aliens and humans. Imagining himself as the life on Venus, a reporter from No. 1 Middle School wrote the following letter to people of Earth on the school newspaper.
| Attention, People of Earth! Fine. The big secret is out. Many of your finest scientists have discovered there is life tens of millions of miles away—here, on the beautiful planet of Venus. Congratulations! However, we are asking you: Please stay away. We’re serious. We are not interested. No spacecraft to Venus, no exploring tasks, no visits. If we wake up one morning and find so many of you people walking around in spacesuits, we’re going to be really sad. We don’t want to be impolite. It’s just that we’re quite surprised and unpleasant by what you’ve been going on down there. Earth is in a mess. There are too many cars running on the roads, which creates lots of traffic jams. Many people suffer from serious illnesses. Some people do great damage to the forests and rivers. What’s worse, there are even fights between countries, etc. No wonder so many of you want to leave Earth for another planet. Leave us alone. Keep right where you are. We know you’d like it here. That’s what frightens us. You’d all move to our planet at once. If we start having you all up here, pretty soon, the other aliens like Martians and Jupiterians are going to come, too. But we can’t imagine what terrible things will happen to us! Venus is not Earth. It’s not your home. We suggest Earth people ▲ . It is a practical way to save you and your future generations. God bless you! |
| A．Interested. |
| B．Unhappy. |
| C．Excited. |
| D．Surprised. |
| A．Earth people found life on Venus by spaceship. |
| B．Earth people created different problems in their own life. |
| C．Earth people fought against aliens from other planets. |
| D．Earth people want to move to Venus with other aliens. |
| A．invite more aliens to live with you |
| B．run away from your own planet quickly |
| C．improve your planet by solving the problems |
| D．come to live with Martians or Jupiterians |
| A．An alien from Mars. |
| B．A scientist from Venus. |
| C．A Venusian from Planet Venus. |
| D．A reporter from a school newspaper. |
【推荐2】However exciting space travel sounds, astronauts must still suffer with bad food. Now, food in space has to be dehydrated（使脱水）or pre-cooked and stored. This means astronauts aren't really eating fresh food.
New technology may change this. Scientific American reports that a specially-designed oven will be sent into space this autumn with NASA's NG-12 cargo（货物）.Far from the common vacuum-packed（真空包装的）meals, astronauts may get to enjoy freshly baked cookies before the end of 2019.
Why aren't they baking cookies in space already?
For one thing, there's the risk of a fire. Engineers also have to overcome the challenge of microgravity, which prevents heat from circling inside ovens the same way it does on Earth.
Astronauts will still have to wait a while before they can have their cookies, though. After baking, the results will be sent back to Earth for safety testing. If successful, this will be the first oven to bake food in space.
“I believe…that will be game-changing for both science and astronauts, ”food technology researcher Maeena Naman Shafiee told Scientific American.
One of the main driving forces behind this project has been NASA's 2018 research into the effects of " confinement（封闭）and isolation（隔离）”. Unlike on the International Space Station（ISS）, astronauts traveling out of Earth's orbit may not be able to speak to their loved ones on future missions, which could lead to negative feelings.
It's hoped that the chance to bake and sense familiar smells can bring joy to crews（宇航人员）.
“Is the ISS going to smell like fresh-baked cookies? We don't know, ”said NanoRacks' communications manager Abby Dickes. “But that's a feeling we all know and love…that will make someone feel at home.”
Baking cookies in space would mark an important step, offering a small comfort in the difficult and unfamiliar environment of space travel. Astronauts have already grown plants aboard the ISS.
With commercial（商业的）space travel now being planned, who knows what other developments may surprise us in the future
1. What can the new technology help astronauts to do in space?| A．Store more food. | B．Enjoy fresh cookies. |
| C．Quickly prepare food. | D．Cook many different kinds of home-made meals. |
| A．Because it's difficult and costly to send food into space. |
| B．Because microgravity stops food from staying in one place. |
| C．Because baking cookies in space would pollute the spaceships. |
| D．Because it is hard to heat food properly because of microgravity. |
| A．To improve astronauts' health. | B．To make improvements in space travel. |
| C．To encourage more people to travel to space. | D．To make space travel more comfortable for astronauts. |
【推荐3】Do you want to celebrate your birthday in space? It would be very different from what you might do on earth.
Some astronauts feel sick for the first few days in space. Some feel as if they have a cold all the time. That’s because without gravity, the fluids (液体) in their bodies move towards their heads. Their faces look a little fatter.
And because gravity is not pressing on the spine (脊椎). The spine relaxes and stretches (舒展).
Since nothing has weight, astronauts can lift heavy objects easily.
| A．They can even lift each other. |
| B．For example, your birthday cake would be flying. |
| C．Astronauts grow three or four centimeters in space. |
| D．Your friends could still sing Happy Birthday to You. |
| E．For the same reason, their waists get smaller and their chests get bigger. |
【推荐1】In spring the weather gets warmer. Flowers start to bloom (开花). Signs of new life are everywhere.
But US kids get excited for a different reason. It is time for Spring Break. Middle school students get a week or two away from school. It’s time to relax and enjoy spring.
What do students get up to? Many things, but one thing’s for certain―it’s a welcome change from school. Because middle school students don’t have their own cars, they usually take trips with their parents or hang out in their neighborhoods.
I used to bike around my neighborhood with my classmates or have Easter egg hunts (寻蛋) in my backyard. Some students take hikes, while others are happy to sit back and enjoy watching TV.
There is one place in the US that kids dream about going to—Disney World. But only a few kids realize that dream. If you are one of the lucky ones who get to meet Mickey Mouse, you know it’s been a special holiday.
1. Why do US kids get excited in spring?| A．Because the weather is warmer. | B．Because there are beautiful flowers. |
| C．Because they can have a holiday. | D．Because new life is everywhere. |
| A．Drive cars in their neighborhoods. | B．Study at school with friends. |
| C．Get up earlier on schooldays. | D．Travel with their parents. |
| A．Be friends with Mickey Mouse. | B．Visit Disney World. |
| C．Watch Mickey Mouse cartoons. | D．Get a pet mouse. |
【推荐2】It is Erin’s birthday, but she is not happy. Every year, Dad is with her on her birthday. But today, Dad isn’t at home. He is too busy at work.
Mom wants to make Erin happy. She makes a big birthday cake, gets her favorite ice-cream, and she even buys a beautiful green dress for Erin. But it is of no use.
Dad comes home at 7:30 p.m. They have a quick dinner and then see a film. But Erin is still upset. She goes to bed early. She hopes tomorrow will be good.
The next day is Saturday. In the early morning, Erin sees many balloons(气球) in her room. They are red, yellow and blue. There is a small purple box and a card says, “I’m sorry-Dad”. She opens the box and sees a nice necklace(项链). Dad takes her out for lunch and they play in the park. Erin has great fun. She thanks Dad a lot.
It is a bad birthday at first but it ends up(结束) great.
根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. Why is Erin not happy on her birthday?
| A．Because no friends come. | B．Because there isn’t a party. |
| C．Because she has a busy day. | D．Because her dad can't be with her. |
| A．It’s red. | B．It’s blue. | C．It’s green. | D．It’s purple. |
| A．失落的 | B．后悔的 | C．着急的 | D．担心的 |
| A．On Thursday. | B．On Friday. | C．On Saturday. | D．On Sunday. |
| A．Cake. | B．Ice-cream. | C．Dress. | D．Necklace. |
【推荐3】A huge disaster（灾难）has destroyed nearly everything on Earth, and only a few people are still alive. The world has turned completely grey. A father and his son are trying to survive（生存）, traveling south on the road as they deal with a hard winter.
This is the plot（情节）of the novel The Road. Written by US writer Cormac McCarthy, it was awarded the Pulitzer Prize Fiction（普利策小说奖）in 2007. In the book, McCarthy shows man’s true inner nature, which I think is the high point of the book. The main character（主角）, an unnamed man, is no common father—he is trying his best to survive and protect his child.
During their journey, he tries to find food anywhere he can, even though he is very tired. His efforts finally pay off. He finds a cave with lots of food inside, allowing them to hide and eat for days. He is a selfless father, always making sure his child has something to eat. But sometimes, the man becomes emotional（情绪化的）and starts to think deeply about his past.
In a word, this novel is a great read. Although the man is not a perfect hero, all of us can see a little of ourselves in him. Love always wins, no matter whether in fictional stories or daily life. This book reminds us to love others and tell them that they are never alone.
1. What is probably the best title of the passage?| A．How to survive in winter. | B．The Road. | C．Not a perfect hero. | D．A father’s deep love. |
| A．fictional story | B．love story | C．true story | D．happy story |
| A．humans and nature | B．a father and a son | C．a wife and a husband | D．a man and his dog |
| A．humans can beat any difficulties | B．men are like superheroes |
| C．loving others is important | D．no one is perfect |
