When we talk about the universe, we mean not only the earth, the sun and the moon, but also the stars and space between them. There are millions of stars in our sky. The sun is one of them. Around it there are eight big planets moving, including the earth. The moon is our nearest neighbour in space. If you look at the sky on a clear night, it is possible to see about 3,000 stars. They look small, but they are really very big hot balls of burning(燃烧着的) gas. Some of them are huge, but others are much smaller like our planet Earth. The biggest stars are very bright, but they can only live for a short time. Every day new stars are born and old stars die.
All the stars are very far away. The light from the nearest star (except the sun) takes more than four years to reach the earth.
Hundreds of years ago, people used stars, like the North Star, to know which direction(方向) to travel in. Today you can still see that star.
1. The universe means ________.| A．the earth | B．the sun, the moon and the stars |
| C．space between the stars | D．All of the above. |
| A．four years | B．1,000 days | C．100 years | D．four light years |
| A．when they were working | B．to tell them when to do farm work |
| C．while they were travelling | D．just for fun |
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【推荐1】We have always been interested in the moon. 2, 000 years ago, people already knew it moves around the earth and where it would be in the sky at different times of the year. At that time, everything about the moon was learned by watching it carefully in the sky.
When scientists could use telescopes to study the moon more closely, their ideas began to change. They could see the moon was made of rocks. Most scientists thought moon rocks would be different from those on the earth. This was because they believed the moon had once been a planet that had been caught in the earth’s gravity (重力) millions of years earlier.
In 1969, moon rocks were finally brought to the earth and studied. Much to their surprise, scientists found that, except for water, the moon and the earth were made of the same things. Once again new ideas were needed for this new information.
After years of study, most scientists now think that the moon was once part of the earth. They believe very early in its history, maybe 4 billion years ago, something about the size of Mars hit the earth. This sent billions of rocks into space around our planet. These rocks slowly joined together and after many years became the moon.
In the future, though our ideas about the moon may change again, we will still be interested in it.
1. Before 1969, most scientists thought the moon was ________.| A．part of the earth billions of years earlier | B．older than the earth |
| C．caught by the earth’s gravity | D．made of the same things as the earth |
| A．The earth was once part of the moon. | B．The moon used to be part of the earth. |
| C．Mars will hit earth in the near future. | D．Rocks will join together to become another moon. |
| A．new information brings new ideas | B．scientists in the past were not clever |
| C．we now know everything about the moon | D．scientists are so clever that they know everything |
【推荐2】What do black holes look like? Human beings have wanted to know about it for a long time. In 2019, we finally got the answer: They look like dark circles with a bright ring around the outside.
Scientists took the world’s first photo of a black hole. Scientists didn’t use a camera to take the picture. They used eight radio telescopes (射电望远镜) in different places around the world. The telescopes got signals (信号) from the black hole. Scientists used computers to process the signals. It took them two years to get the final picture.
The black hole is very far from Earth—about 55 million light-years away. One light-year is the distance that light travels in one year. One light-year is about 9 trillion (万亿) kilometers.
This is not the only black hole in the universe (字宙). Actually, scientists believe every large galaxy (星系) has a big black hole at its center. The one in our galaxy is called Sagittarius A.
Black holes are some of the most mysterious things in the universe. This photo can help us learn more about them.
1. We can read this passage in a ________.| A．storybook | B．novel | C．travel guidebook | D．science magazine |
| A．many black circles inside each other | B．dark holes with a bright center |
| C．dark circles with a bright ring around the outside | D．black holes with colorful rings in the center |
| A．It’s about 495 million trillion kilometers. | B．It’s about 55 million kilometers. |
| C．It’s about 495 million kilometers. | D．It’s about 9 trillion kilometers. |
| A．The large galaxy in the universe. | B．The black hole in our galaxy. |
| C．The name of the radio telescopes. | D．The center of the black hole. |
From a plane we can see the fields, cities, mountains or seas below.
The sea is very huge. It’s nearly covers three quarters of the Earth. The sea is also very deep in some places.
In most parts of the sea, there are many kinds of fishes and plants.
The sea can be very cold. When people go down, the sea becomes colder and colder.
| A．Some live near the top of the sea. |
| B．If we go into space, we see more and more of the Earth. |
| C．Only some men could go down into the deep sea at first. |
| D．The sea looks very beautiful when the Sun is shining on it. |
| E．There is one place where the sea is about 11 kilometers in depth. |
There are many colors in nature. But do you know if a color has weight? If you don’t believe, you may do a small experiment (实验).
First, put two objects with the same weight into two boxes. Then cover the boxes. Wrap (包裹) one box with a red piece of paper, the other with a white piece of paper. Now hold the boxes with your hand one by one. It is certain that you will think the red one is a little heavier.
Why does it happen? A scientist found that different colors have different weight in a man’s mind. So he did many tests and at last he got the result. That is to say, every color has its own weight in our mind. The heaviest color is red, then blue, green, orange, yellow and white.
According to this discovery, scientists say that people accept the color they like, and refuse the color they hate. So your body and mind will be healthy by using the colors you like. Or you’ll be nervous or even get ill. If you stay in a room with red windows, wallpapers and furniture (家具) for two hours, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours. But if the room is blue, you’ll feel you have been there for only one hour. Another example, if a person walks out of a red room and into a blue room, his temperature will fall. That means our body temperature will change when we see different colors.
1. A color has weight in a man’s mind.2. Red is the lightest color in a man’s mind.
3. Using the color you don’t like will keep you healthy.
4. Your temperature will fall when you get into a cool colored room from a warm colored room.
5. According to the passage, you’ll feel you have been there for four hours if you stay in a red room for an hour.
【推荐2】Beauty sleep is a real thing, researches have shown that people who have enough sleep look more attractive (有魅力的) to others. A few bad nights is enough to make a person look “especially” more ugly, their sleep experiments show.
The researchers asked 25 university students to join in their sleep experiment. They were asked to get a good night’s sleep for two nights. A week later, they were asked to sleep for only four hours every night for two nights in a row. The researchers took make-up free (素颜) photos of the volunteers after both the good and the bad sleep.
Next, they asked 122 strangers to have a look at the photos and judge (评价) them on attractiveness, health, and sleepiness, as well as asking them: “How much would you like to make friends with this person in the picture?”
The strangers were good at judging if the person they were looking at was tired, and, if they were sleepy, their attractiveness score was low. The strangers also said they wouldn’t want to socialize with the tired students. The researchers say this is natural for people. An unhealthy-looking face makes people run away. In other words, people don’t want to hang around with people who might be ill.
Dr. Brewer, an expert at the University of Liverpool said “Judgement of attractiveness is often unconscious (无意识的), but we all do it, and we are able to judge on even something small like whether someone looks tired or unhealthy. This study is a good reminder of how important sleep is to us.”
1. When did the researchers take make-up free photos?| A．After two nights’ good sleep. | B．After two nights’ bad sleep. |
| C．Before the experiment. | D．After both two nights good sleep and two nights’ had sleep. |
| A．telling who looked healthier | B．telling who didn’t have many friends |
| C．telling who missed a lot of sleep | D．telling who was attractive |
| A．合伙 | B．玩耍 | C．交往 | D．共事 |
| A．Beauty sleep, More attractive | B．More sleep, More Friends |
| C．Less sleep, Fewer friends | D．No attractiveness, No friends |
【推荐3】Have you ever heard of water bears? They have lived on the earth for more than 500 million years, long before dinosaurs. Though called “bears”, they look completely different from bears! The largest ones are only 1.4 mm long. Each of their eight legs ends with a claw（爪）. They also have sharp mouths.
Some of the places they live may surprise you! They live deep down in the ocean. It’s too dark to see well, and the weight of water from up above is very heavy. But tiny water bears can survive in such difficult environment. In space, there is no air, water or food. But water bears can live there! Astronauts took some water bears outside the space ship. Surprisingly, most of them lived. Some even laid eggs. The eggs even hatched into healthy babies!
There is no rain in dry valleys of Antarctica for two million years. But water bears can survive in such a place! How? First, they curl into a ball. Then they do nothing. They can stay this way for more than 10 years! When they get wet again, they uncurl and start to move around. Sometimes wind or water moves them away when they curl up in a ball.
Besides the places mentioned above, water bears also live around us, but we need some effort to find them! If we are careful and lucky enough, maybe we can find one.
1. What does a water bear look like? ________| A．It has eight claws. | B．It doesn’t have a mouth. | C．It looks like a bear. | D．It is as big as a ping-pong ball. |
| A．fall ill | B．wake up | C．keep healthy | D．stay alive |
| A．They couldn’t breathe, drink or eat normally there. | B．Some water bears could lay eggs there. |
| C．The eggs failed to hatch into healthy babies. | D．Water bears could only live inside a space ship. |
| A．Water bears can only live in the ocean. | B．We can easily see water bears around us. |
| C．Water bears live on the earth earlier than dinosaurs. | D．Water bears always stay at the same place as they uncurl. |
| A．Water Bears in Space | B．Introduction of Water Bears | C．Places Water Bears Live in | D．Things Happened to Water Bears |
【推荐1】First Chinese astronaut with glasses flew into space
Shenzhou XVI spaceship successfully reached space on May 30. There are three people onboard(在飞船上): Jing Haipeng, 57, Zhu Yangzhu, 37, and Gui Haichao, 37.
They are special in many ways. Jing is now the most experienced astronaut in China. This is the fourth time for him to fly into space. Gui is a scientist. He is also the first Chinese civilian(平民) on a spaceflight.
Both Zhu and Gui are China’s third-generation astronauts. They were picked in 2020 from a group of researchers(研究人员) and engineers. One woman and 17 men were picked. And they are in three groups. One group is spacecraft pilots. They “fly” the spaceship. Another group is spaceflight engineers. They “fix” the spaceship. There is also a group of science payload specialists(专家), such as Gui. They do scientific studies in space.
Everything in the spaceship is a payload, such as machines, people, and animals. Science payload specialists are scientists onboard.
Gui’s glasses also draw people’s attention because astronauts aren’t usually nearsighted(近视的). But picking specialists is different from picking other astronauts. It’s safe to wear glasses in the space station. However, during the launch(发射) and return, Gui needs to take off the glasses.
Or there might be problems as the glasses may vibrate(振动) with the spacecraft.
1. If a man is experienced in something, it means he ________.| A．is the first one to do that thing |
| B．has done that thing many times |
| C．did that thing four times |
| D．is the best one at doing that thing |
| A．They are all men. |
| B．The group is made up of 18 people. |
| C．Jing Haipeng is one of them. |
| D．They are all spaceflight specialists. |
| A．He flies the spaceship. | B．He fixes the spaceship. |
| C．He does scientific studies. | D．He builds the space station. |
| A．They are scientists in the spaceship. |
| B．They are everything in the spaceship. |
| C．They are machines, people and animals. |
| D．They are astronauts in the spaceship |
| A．What is it like to be in a spaceship? |
| B．Why can't nearsighted people go into space? |
| C．How did Gui Haichao become an astronaut? |
| D．Can nearsighted people be astronauts? |
It is often said that dogs are “man’s best friends”. But for some children in China, this idea has taken on a deeper meaning.
Wu Qi, a dog trainer in Shanghai, started the Paw for Heal (PFH) program in China about eight years ago. The program trains dogs for animal-assisted therapy (动物辅助治疗). These animals help old people feel quiet and less stressed. They also help people with mental (精神上的) illnesses.
In Shanghai, the dogs have been trained to help kids with autism (自闭症) who are easily scared by their environments. When the PFH dogs are around, they feel much better.
Pet owners can train their pets to become therapy dogs through PFH. Although this training is difficult (only 20 percent of dogs can pass the program), it also helps a lot of people.
“She (my dog) makes me happy every day, and I think she can bring happiness to other people in need as well,” one of the pet owners Wang Lei said in a report by Sixth Tone.
Animal-assisted therapy is new to China. But Wu has high hopes for the future, as he is now working together with a British university to improve his program.
“Through learning from the European team, China may shorten the time to catch up with Western countries in this field by several years.” Wu said in the Sixth Tone report.
1. What does the underlined part in Paragraph 1 actually refer to?| A．Dogs are man’s best friends. | B．Dogs can play with kids. |
| C．Dogs can help sick kids feel better. | D．Dogs are smarter than other animals. |
| A．It trains dog trainers. | B．It trains dogs for therapy. |
| C．It takes care of elderly people. | D．It helps with mental illnesses. |
| A．He is the first Chinese person to write for Sixth Tone. |
| B．He is now working for a British university. |
| C．He does not agree that animals should be used for therapy. |
| D．He thinks China needs to improve its animal-assisted therapy. |
| A．worrying | B．doubtful | C．hopeful | D．disappointing |
【推荐3】In Canada and the United States, people enjoy entertaining (招待) at home. They often invite friends over for a meal, a party, or just for a coffee and conversation. Here are the kinds of things people say when they invite someone to their home:
“Would you like to come over for dinner Saturday night?”
“Hey, we’re having a party on Friday. Can you come?”
To reply to an invitation, either say thank you and accept, or say you’re sorry, and give an excuse: “Thanks, I’d love to. What time would you like me to come?” or “Oh, sorry, I’ve tickets for a movie.”
Sometimes, however, people use expressions (表达) that sound like invitations but which are not real invitations. For example: “Please come over for a drink sometime.” “Why not get together for a party sometime?” “Why don’t you come over and see us sometime soon?”
They are really just polite ways of ending a conversation. They are not real invitations because they don’t mention a specific (确定的) time or date. They just show that the person is trying to be friendly. To reply to expressions like these, people just say “Sure, that would be great!” or “Ok, yes, thanks.”
So next time when you hear what sounds like an invitation, listen carefully: Is it a real invitation or is the person just being friendly?
1. Why do Canadians and Americans often invite friends for meals at home?| A．Because they can save time. |
| B．Because they can spend less money. |
| C．Because they enjoy entertaining at home. |
| D．Because they have modern and beautiful house. |
| A．“I’ve two tickets here. Can you go to the movie with me?” |
| B．“Please go to the cinema with me someday.” |
| C．“Would you like to have a cup of tea with us sometime?” |
| D．“If you are free, let’s go for a dinner sometime.” |
| A．How about this weekend? | B．That would be nice. |
| C．Oh, sorry. I’m very busy. | D．That’s great. I’ll be there on time. |
| A．they haven’t got ready for a party yet |
| B．they’re trying to be helpful |
| C．they’re trying to make friends with others |
| D．they’re trying to be friendly |
| A．entertainment at home | B．real invitations or not |
| C．expressions of starting a conversation | D．ways of ending a conversation |
