【推荐1】Our nearest neighbour is the moon. In the sky, the moon and the sun seem to be of the same size because the moon is much nearer.

The moon makes the tides(潮汐)—the changes in the level of the sea. The moon and the sun together pull the sea. In some parts of the world, the difference between “high tide”(when the sea is very near to the land) and “low tide”(when the sea is far away from the land) is very big. This is very important for ships.

The moon is very different from the earth. Gravity on the moon is six times weaker than that on the earth. There isn’t any air. During the day, it is very, very hot but at night it is very, very cold. Nothing can live on the moon.

If the moon goes between the earth and the sun, we have an eclipse(日食) of the sun. The moon stops the light from the sun and we have night in the day.

If the earth goes between the moon and the sun, we have an eclipse of the moon(月食). The moon goes into the shadow(影子) of the earth and it disappears for a few minutes.

1. When the sea is far away from the land, we call it “________”．

A．high tide

B．low tide

C．shadow

D．gravity

2. Gravity on the earth is ________ times stronger than that on the moon.

A．five

B．six

C．seven

D．eight

3. When the moon goes between the earth and the sun, we have night in the day, and we call it the eclipse of ________．

A．the moon

B．the sun

C．the stars

D．the earth

4. Which of the following happens when we have an eclipse of the moon?

A．The earth goes between the moon and the sun.

B．The moon goes into the shadow of the sun.

C．The moon goes into the shadow of its own.

D．The sun disappears for a few minutes.

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE?
a. The moon and the sun are of the same size.
b. Gravity on the earth is 6 times stronger than that on the moon.
c. The changes in the level of the sea are called tides.
d. The moon itself pulls the sea and makes the tides.
e. When the sea is near to the land, a high tide may happen.
f. It is much hotter in the day but much colder at night on the moon.

A．abcf	B．bcde
C．adef	D．bcef

【推荐2】If you watch the sky for about an hour after the sun goes down, you may see some “moving stars”. But they’re not really stars. They’re man-made satellites. And the biggest of all is the International Space Station（ISS）. From May to July is the best season to watch the ISS flying over the earth. And people can see it with their eyes.

The ISS is the biggest satellite（人造卫星）and scientists want to live on it. They think that the best way to learn more about space is to live there.

When the space station is finished, it will be like a city in space. People will stay and study there with many of the things they have at home. Laboratories, living rooms and power stations are being built. The ISS is the most expensive space program. Billions of dollars are being spent on it every year.

Scientists hope that the ISS will be a stepping stone for future space exploration（探测）. “The ISS will help us understand the human body better, explore space and study the earth. It can help us make life on the earth better,” said Kathryn Clark, an ISS scientist.

Sixteen countries are part of the program: the US, Russia, Canada, Japan, Brazil and 11 European countries. China isn’t an ISS country, but it has helped with some of the experiments. In 2003, China sent some rice up to the ISS to find out what space would do to it.

1. The International Space Station _____________.

A．is really a big city in space	B．is the biggest man-made satellite
C．can only help us explore space	D．is mainly built by the USA and Russia

2. From the passage we know that _________.

A．building the ISS is only for scientists to live there

B．scientists can do anything they like there

C．people can see the Space Station at any time

D．sixteen countries are members of the space program

3. The phrase “a stepping stone” probably means “ _________”.

A．滑梯

B．巅峰

C．垫脚石

D．走廊

4. China sent some rice up to the ISS is probably to _________.

A．be used as astronauts’ food	B．sell it to aliens
C．do some science experiments	D．make it grow better in space

5. Which of the following isn’t mentioned in this passage?

A．China will join the ISS in the future.

B．The scientists are building living rooms for them in the ISS.

C．The ISS will be more useful in the future.

D．The ISS costs the members of 16 countries plenty of money every year.

【推荐3】Are we humans alone in space? Scientists have been working on this question for a long time. And recently, new discoveries offer more hope that some form of life existed on Mars in the past, and perhaps is still there at present.

According to a new report in the book Science, the Mars Explorer Curiosity has found more methane (甲烷) in the Martian air. It might suggest the possibility of life.

During the last 20 months, Curiosity has found methane many times, and four of them, it tested at a level 10 times higher than usual. “It’s a great increase,” said Christopher Webster, the lead scientist.

This new finding has made a big change. In September 2013, Curiosity found almost no sign of methane on Mars. Just weeks later, however, the explorer picked up the gas.

Methane is also found in Earth’s air, and comes from animal and plant life, as well as from the environment itself. If there’s methane in Mars’ air, where is it coming from? Scientists aren’t sure.

“There are many possible sources, such as actions between water and rock,” guessed Sushil, a scientist of the Curiosity team.

But the scientists have left the possibility open that microbes (微生物) could be the methane’s source. Also, for the first time, Curiosity found other organisms (有机物) in the rocks of Mars. Organisms are thought to be the basis to form life. Scientists aren’t sure where these organisms come from. They could either have formed on Mars or landed on Mars by meteorites (陨石).

For the next three years, Curiosity will keep looking for more organisms in rocks and exploring Mars.

1. Where did Curiosity recently find methane?

A．In the Martian air.

B．In the air on Earth.

C．In rocks on Mars.

D．In the water on Mars.

2. Scientists predict that there might be life on Mars because ________.

A．methane is a sign of life	B．astronauts sent to Mars have seen signs of life
C．the Mars Explorer has taken some photos of animals	D．the environment on Mars is similar to that on Earth

3. Scientists think ________ may be the basis to form life.

A．rocks

B．meteorites

C．methane

D．organisms

4. From the last two paragraphs, we learn that ________.

A．scientists are sure to have found life on Mars	B．methane is the basis to form life
C．there is more to learn about Mars	D．there are no rocks and water on Mars

【推荐1】You probably know many of the things that you can do with the hundreds of different muscles in your body. But have you ever thought about how the muscles in an animal's body are different from yours? An animal's muscles are made to do the things that are most important for its life.

Lions are hunters. They depend on their ability to catch other animals. Lions must be fast in order to catch their prey(猎物). The powerful muscles in their back legs allow them to run at the speed of more than 30 miles per hour. They can also jump a distance of more than 35 feet. The strong muscles in their front legs help them catch their prey.

Snakes also use their muscles for hunting prey and for movement, but their muscles work in very different ways than lion's do. Because snakes do not have any legs, they use their muscles to push against the ground or other objects to move themselves forward. Their muscles also allow them to eat things that seem much too large. For example, a snake may eat an egg that is larger than the width of its body. How does this happen? The snake's strong neck muscles work together to push the egg down the mouth.

The elephant's long nose has a lot of muscles. Scientists believe that the nose alone has more than 100000 muscles! This is because the elephant uses its nose much in the same way that people use their hands and fingers. Even though the nose is large, it can perform surprisingly tasks. For example, an elephant can pick up a small leaf from the ground. The nose can also be a powerful tool. An elephant can use its nose to pick up a tree by its roots or even to lift a baby elephant.

The great muscles of these animals seem pretty unbelievable. But the muscles in your body work exactly the way you need them to. After all, it might be fun to be able to jump a distance of 30 feet, but as a human being, there is just not much need of it.

1. The underlined word "hunter" in Paragraph 2 means persons or animals that ________.

A．keep animals for fun	B．raise animals for meat
C．catch animals for food	D．run after animals for exercise

2. All the followings are talked about in the passage EXCEPT ________.

A．An elephant's nose is strong enough to pick up a tree by its roots

B．The strong muscles in the back legs help lions catch their prey

C．Snakes can't move themselves forward without their muscles

D．Muscles in an animal’s body are not the same as a human’s

3. According to the passage, what makes the muscles in your body different from an animal's?

A．The exercise.

B．Your work.

C．The environment.

D．Your needs.

4. Which of the following shows the structure of the passage?

A．

B．

C．

D．

【推荐3】请认真阅读下面短文，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项，选项中有一项为多余选项。

Imagine pioneers traveling west in the 1800s. In those days, it was hard to find running water and shops where to buy things. As time went by, most pioneers had to make their homes near a river so that they could get water easily.

How did rivers help people live in the past?

Back in the pioneer days, people grew their own food, caught their own fish, and collected their own water.     1     People also used rivers as roads, traveling on boats. Traders shipped goods (商品) to people from other areas.

    2    

When building many factories right next to rivers for the water’s power (电力) to make machines work, some people choose to live near a river for working. They use the river to ship large goods, and some of them work at these factories where power factories provide electricity (电) to homes and businesses.     3    

Who wouldn’t want to live near a river?

Some people are nervous about living near rivers because rivers can cause floods. Every once in a while, floodwaters rise higher than a house, ruining (毁坏) many things in the house.

    4     Such waste causes water to smell bad and pollutes the crops we eat. Water and crops in polluted areas can make people very sick.

How do people decide where to live?

    5     Rivers can provide jobs and fun activities in a beautiful place. However, those living by rivers should be willing to accept possible problems as well.

A．Why do people live near rivers now?

B．Some factories put their waste into rivers.

C．Staying close to a river made it easy to get water for living.

D．Some factories keep waste water from running into rivers.

E．People who carry goods onto ships live near the river, too.

F．People should think about the possible dangers before deciding where to live.

【推荐1】

Solar Terms (节气) of 2022 The traditional Chinese lunar calendar divides the year into 24 solar terms. Here are some of them.
Spring Equinox (春分) The 4th term March 20th～April 4th	Grain in Ear (芒种) The 9th term June 6th～June 20th	Beginning of Autumn (立秋) The 13th term August 7th～ August 22nd	Great Cold (大寒) The 24th term January 20th～ February 3rd
Everything begins to grow and flowers come out. Some birds fly back to the north. People always fly kites and go climbing.	It’s a long period of continuous rainy and cloudy weather. Farmers are busy sowing and working in the fields.	The leaves of trees start to fall, as the saying goes “one leaf falls, autumn arrives”, people can feel that the wind is getting cool.	It is snowy and cold. People wear thick clothes to keep warm. Children often make snowmen and do some winter sports like ice skating.

1. Spring Equinox is the best time to   ________.

A．fly kites

B．pick up leaves

C．make snowmen

D．work in the fields

2. How's the weather during Grain in Ear? ________

A．Sunny and hot.

B．Rainy and cloudy.

C．Snowy and cold.

D．Foggy and windy.

3. Which solar term is the last one of all the solar terms? ________

A．Spring Equinox.

B．Grain in Ear.

C．Beginning of Autumn.

D．Great Cold.

【推荐2】FOR people who are interested in space, nothing is more exciting than the idea of living on other planets. That might be why the movie The Martian (《火星救援》) is so popular. It shows an astronaut struggling to live on Mars. But would it actually be possible to live on the Red Planet?
While the idea of living on Mars is great, the reality does not look as good. Mars does not have a friendly atmosphere for humans. There is very little oxygen there. And because of its distance from the sun, it is also very cold. The temperature on Mars can be -62 degrees on average. This is much too cold for humans.
However, scientists say it might be possible to live there even without a good atmosphere. Daytime on Mars is almost the same as Earth’s. It means there’s enough sunlight to grow plants inside safe buildings. However, they would have to grow in soil from Earth. Mars does not have a strong enough atmosphere to stop the radiation coming from space, which makes it dangerous to grow things in the soil.
The radiation is also bad for our health. If we want to live there healthily, we need to build our homes under the ground or within the rocks on the planet. This would protect humans from the radiation and also some heat.
When could we actually live on Mars? NASA is hoping to make some progress within the next 20 years.
1. The film The Martian is mentioned in Paragraph 1 to _____.

A．introduce the topic of living on Mars

B．tell readers something about the film

C．explain the development of the film-making business

D．show people’s knowledge of Mars

2. Which of the following about Mars is NOT true?

A．Its atmosphere is not good for humans.

B．It has very little oxygen.

C．It’s colder than Earth.

D．It’s closer to the sun than Earth is.

3. It’s possible to grow plants on Mars because _____.

A．there is enough sunlight

B．the soil is good on Mars

C．it has a good underground atmosphere

D．its temperature changes very little

4. What does Para. 4 mainly talk about?

A．What problems the radiation causes.

B．How to avoid bad conditions on Mars.

C．How to build homes on Mars.

D．How to protect Mars.

【推荐3】Many Chinese people will wonder what presents to get for their mums on Mother’s Day, but not many know Mother’s Day is actually a festival from overseas. Mother’s Day originated (起源) in America during the early 20th century. The festival spread to China as early as in the 1980s and was widely accepted.

Why did a foreign festival become popular in China? In fact, Chinese traditional culture has always encouraged filial (孝顺的) devotion to parents. There are many stories which show filial respect in ancient China. For example, the story of Taste Liquid Medicine for Mother (《亲尝汤药》) tells us the filial virtue (美德) of Emperor Wen of the Western Han Dynasty. His mother had been sick for three years. He often stayed up by her bedside and cared for her day and night. He tasted the liquid medicine first before she drank it. Also, mother’s love is an eternal (永恒的) subject in Chinese ancient poems, like Song of the Parting Son by Meng Jiao, a poet of the Tang Dynasty. Now this poem is still a must-read in school textbooks. Children in China are brought up with the education of filial devotion. On special days, people often use the rose or the forget-me-not (勿忘我) to express love. The carnation (康乃馨) is considered as the perfect flower for mothers around the world, but few know that China has its own flower for mothers — the tiger lily.

Love for mothers can have different ways of expression. What matters most is love, not the festival itself. What mothers truly want is perhaps just a simple expression of love from their children.

1. When did Mother’s Day spread to China?

A．In the 1920s.	B．In the 1980s.
C．In the Western Han Dynasty.	D．In the Tang Dynasty.

2. What is the poem of Song of the Parting Son mainly about?

A．The filial virtue of Emperor Wen.	B．Caring for the old.
C．Traditional Chinese Medicine.	D．A mother’s love for her son.

3. What is regarded as the Chinese own flower for mothers?

A．The rose.	B．The forget-me-not.
C．The carnation.	D．The tiger lily.

4. What do mothers truly want on Mother’s Day?

A．A big dinner.	B．A celebration party.
C．Greetings of the festival.	D．Expensive presents.

5. Why is Mother’s Day popular in China?

A．Because it’s widely spread in many countries.

B．Because it’s about a Chinese ancient stories of respecting parents.

C．Because it’s in accord with (符合) Chinese traditional cultural values.

D．Because it’s a simple way of expressing love.