【推荐1】What will astronauts eat when a space trip takes years?

“Lots of fresh vegetables,” says Dr. Janet Williams, whose team have spent the last 10 years learning how to grow plants in a space station. And it’s a good thing that she has already started her work, because space gardening can be really hard.

As usual, astronaut George White looked into the closed plant room. He had planted Dr. Williams’s quick-growing seedlings in it, but none of the stems were showing. He opened the room to check and found the problem. The stems weren’t growing upward and the roots weren’t growing downward. On Earth, gravity helps a plant’s stems and roots to find “up” and “down”. However, in the space station, there was almost no gravity.

Dr. Williams suggested a solution: give the plants more light, as plants also use sunlight to find their way. And it worked. When the plants had more light, the stems turned up and the roots went down.

Now Dr. Williams was free to worry about the next problem: Would her baby plants live to flower? Can we grow food on a space journey?

Many plants died in the space station. Dr. Williams thought she knew why: the space plants were hungry for air. Plants live by taking up CO₂ from the air. Since a plant uses it up in the air around, the plant needs moving air to bring more CO₂ close to its surface. On Earth, the air is always moving—gravity pulls down cold air, and warm air rises. And with these air movements, plants get enough CO₂.

Many earlier experiments with plants in space had used closed rooms. Dr. Williams tried a new greenhouse that had a fan to keep the air move. The plants loved it. They flowered and even produced more seeds. Using Dr. Williams’s method, astronaut George completed the first seed-to-seed experiment in space, and moved one plant closer to a garden in space.

“And this,” says Dr. Williams, “is good news for long-term space travel.”

1. Why have Dr. Williams’s team tried to grow plants in space?

A．To produce fresh air for astronauts.

B．To help astronauts relax themselves.

C．To provide food for long space journeys.

2. How did light help solve the problem mentioned in Paragraph 3?

A．It caused the gravity to change.

B．It encouraged the plants to grow faster.

C．It helped the plants to grow in the right direction.

3. Why did many plants die in the space station?

A．The air condition was not good enough.

B．There was too much CO2.

C．There was not enough room to grow.

4. The underlined word “it” in Paragraph 7 refers to ________.

A．the moving air

B．the closed room

C．the space garden

5. What can we learn about Dr. Williams’s team from the passage?

A．They mainly live on fresh vegetables.

B．They have worked on space gardening for many years.

C．They have successfully built a space garden.

【推荐2】

Do you know that there’s a possibility that you may live forever? You will have computers which are 1,000 times more intelligent than Albert Einstein, one of the smartest scientists ever in the world? Yes! All these may happen in 20 years or more. In the next 20 or 30 years, the world will change much faster than ever before because the change of science and technology will be simply breath-taking.

Computers will take human personalities, as well as the ability to understand words and their meanings when you speak to them. Tomorrow’s computer will be so developed that it can have a face-to-face chat with you like an old friend. In fact, you don’t even have to speak to it. Just like a friend, the computer will also have the ability to understand your thoughts.

However, will computers take over the world? Probably not, for people will also get superhuman abilities. They may never die. “Unless a person is unlucky enough to die early from an accident or a disease, he has a good chance of not dying at all. Genetics (基因学) will make this possible.” says Pearson, a British futurologist as well as a trained physicist.

Recently there have been many reports about discovering the code of the human genome, which decides many facts of heredity (遗传). This finding will make it possible to repair damage (修复损伤) caused by age and disease, keeping people young forever. Besides, if people suddenly die, it would be possible to recreate them with the help of the genetics.

So we have the reason to believe, with the development of genetic engineering and computer science technology, human beings will have superhuman abilities and the possibility of being young and alive forever. While at the same time, computers will be much more intelligent than we can magine. Then who will control (控制) the world?

1. The writer talks of Albert Einstein to make it clear that ________.

A．Albert Einstein was the smartest

B．computers will be very intelligent

C．computers will be intelligent scientists

D．Albert Einstein couldn’t use computers

2. The second paragraph mainly tells us that computers will ________ in the future.

A．take place of your friends in life	B．become the master of the world
C．understand us human better	D．control your thoughts completely

3. What is the passage mainly about?

A．Computers will control the world soon.	B．Tomorrow’s computer will be as smart as Einstein.
C．How people discovered the code of the human genome.	D．Science and technology will change the world in the future.

【推荐1】Colours often have different meanings in different cultures. In the U.S., people have found the following to be true.
Black
Black is the colour of power. It is also popular in fashion because it makes people appear thinner.
White
White is the symbol of purity. White is thought to be a summer colour. However, white shows dirt and is more difficult to keep clean than other colours.
Red
This is the most exciting colour. Red furniture (家具) should look very good since it will attract a lot of attention. Red cars are the thieves’ favourite. Red is often used in restaurants because it is an appetite (食欲) stimulant. This means it can make people eat more.
Blue
Blue is the colour of the sky and the ocean. Peaceful blue is often used in bedrooms. Studies show that weightlifters are able to lift heavier weights in blue gyms.
Green
Green represents nature. __________________ Hospitals often use green because it relaxes patients.
Yellow
Sunny yellow is a cheerful colour, yet people lose their tempers (发脾气) more often in yellow rooms, and babies cry more.
1. Which colour is a summer colour?

A．Blue.

B．White.

C．Green.

D．Red.

2. The underlined word “stimulant” means “______”.

A．刺激物

B．防腐剂

C．辐射物

D．装饰品

3. Where is colour red often used?

A．In bedrooms.	B．In gyms.
C．In hospitals.	D．In restaurants.

4. What does the underlined sentence mean?

A．It is the easiest colour for people to find.

B．It is the most comfortable colour for eyes.

C．People can remember it more easily.

D．It can improve our eyesight.

5. Which of the following statements is TRUE, according to the passage?

A．White can make people eat more.

B．Blue can make patients feel more relaxed.

C．People can get angry easily in yellow rooms.

D．Black cars are popular among thieves.

【推荐2】Colorful fruit and vegetables are good for our health. Their colors help us keep healthy. Close your eyes and think about the colors of the food: the orange of carrots, the green of cabbages and the red of tomatoes.

You can enjoy eating fruit and vegetables of all colors—green, yellow, red, blue, white and purple. They work together to protect our bodies.

The list below shows how the colors works:

● Green helps prevent cancer (防癌). It is good for our eyes, too. It also gives you strong bones and teeth.

● Blue and purple help us remember things well.

● Red gives us healthy hearts.

● Yellow and orange give us a healthy immune system. They’re also good for our eyes.

● White can keep cholesterol at a low level.

Do you think the colors are interesting? So when we buy or eat fruit and vegetables, please remember: the more colors, the better.

1. ________ can give us healthy hearts.

A．Blue.

B．Green.

C．Red.

D．Yellow.

2. ________ are good for our eyes.

A．Green, blue and purple	B．Red, yellow and orange
C．White, blue and purple	D．Green, yellow and orange

3. The underlined word “they” refers to ________.

A．fruit

B．vegetables

C．all colors

D．food

4. We can read this passage in a ________ magazine (杂志).

A．sports

B．music

C．health

D．art

【推荐1】Returning home is usually happy and exciting. Is it the same for astronauts (宇航员) returning from space?

On June 17th, the Shenzhou Ⅻ manned spacecraft (宇宙飞船) went into space. It took three Chinese astronauts Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo to China’s Tiangong space station. They had two spacewalks. They also did a lot of scientific experiments (实验) and tests. They had video calls with President Xi Jinping and hundreds of engineers, teachers and students in Hong Kong. Three months later, the astronauts came back to Earth on September 17th.

The trip home wasn’t easy. It was a hot journey! When the spacecraft entered Earth’s atmosphere (大气层), its surface temperature rose to more than 2,000 degrees! This is because the spacecraft rubbed (摩擦) against the air. When the spacecraft was about 10 kilometers above the ground, it was ready to land (降落).   It moved at 200 meters each second. That’s twice the speed of high-speed trains! Two parachutes were used to slow down the landing. It slowed the speed down to 7 to 8 meters per second. These special parachutes were made in China.

In October, the manned spacecraft Shenzhou XIII flew into space. Another three astronauts will work on Tiangong for six months.

1. When did the astronauts come back to Earth?

A．On October 17th.

B．On July 17th.

C．On September 17th.

D．On June 17th.

2. How many spacewalks did the astronauts have?

A．Four.

B．Three.

C．Two.

D．One.

3. The spacecraft’s surface temperature rise to over 2,000 degrees because ________.

A．the astronauts were in it	B．the spacecraft was in space for 3 months
C．the astronauts used it	D．the spacecraft rubbed against the air

4. What does the underlined word “parachutes” mean in Chinese?

A．降落伞

B．雨伞

C．太空舱

D．刹车

5. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The astronauts’s trip home was easy and exciting.

B．The astronauts had video calls with President Xi Jinping.

C．These special parachutes were made in USA.

D．The Shenzhou XII flew into space in October.

【推荐2】On April 16th, 2022, Shenzhou-13 and its crew returned to Earth successfully.

As you may expect, life in space is much different from life on earth. So of course people need some time to get used to it. How do they live, work and play up there?

Space food keeps getting more like the food we eat at home on the earth. In the past, astronauts could eat only freeze-dried food. But now the space station has water, microwave(微波炉) ovens and fridges. So astronauts can eat more usual kinds of food, like fruit, vegetables and ice cream!

All people in the ISS(国际空间站) have their own rooms. There’s no gravity(重力), so they have to attach(依附于) themselves to their beds, or they’ll float(漂浮) away! That may seem like a hard way to sleep, but astronauts say that sleeping in space is actually not too bad.

This is more important in space than on Earth. There’s not much gravity in space. Astronauts don’t stand up, sit down or walk in space, so their muscles don’t have to work much. They exercise on bikes and other machines for about two hours every day while they’re in space. In this way, they can still keep strong and healthy when they get back home.

Easy things like brushing your teeth can be hard in space with low gravity. Water doesn’t flow out of a tap. It floats in a bubble(水泡)! Astronauts use a special hose(软管) to take showers. And when they’ve finished, they use a vacuum(真空的) hose to suck the dirty water off of their bodies. How do you go to the toilet in space? They use a special “air toilet”. It uses air, not water, to take everything away.

What do astronauts do when they aren’t working? They read books, play cards, listen to music or send e-mail to their friends and family. Sometimes they just sit and look out of the window. Doesn’t it sound like much fun? But what if you could see planet Earth out of your window, with a sunset or sunrise every 45 minutes?

1. Which of the following can be the title of this passage?

A．Life in Space.

B．Space Food.

C．Showers in Space.

D．A Visit to Space.

2. Astronauts attach themselves to bed in order to________.

A．keep themselves warm	B．prevent themselves from floating away
C．have a good sleep	D．feel better

3. Astronauts have to do exercise for two hours every day because ________.

A．they have nothing to do in space	B．they are told to do so
C．they do so to keep healthy	D．they do so to prevent them from sleeping

【推荐3】Thousands of years ago, Chinese poet Qu Yuan wrote the poem Tianwen, meaning Quest for Heavenly Truth. He came up with a series of questions about the sky, stars, nature and the world around us. The poem showed his spirit of finding the truth.

Inspired (激励) by the great poet, China named its latest series of planetary exploration missions (行星探测任务) after the poem in 2020. The first one in the series—a Mars exploration mission—has been named Tianwen 1, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) said on April 24, 2020, China’s Space Day. This shows China’s wish to explore the universe (宇宙) .

China has made great progress in space exploration. In 1970, China sent its first man-made Earth satellite (卫星), becoming the fifth country in the world to send a man-made satellite independently. Since 2003, China has carried out six Shenzhou manned missions. China’s moon exploration missions—the Chang’e series—started in 2007. In December 2018, China became the first country to send the probe (探测器) Chang’e 4 to the moon’s far side.

The Tianwen series will follow the Shenzhou and Chang’e series and move further into space. The first step is to send a Mars probe, which means the start of China’s exploration of the red planet. The probe is planned to circle around, land on and explore Mars in one mission. It is the first to finish all of these tasks in one mission. The Long March 5 rocket has sent the probe to Mars.

After this mission, China plans to visit Mars again in 2028, aiming to collect soil from the ground of the planet and bring it to Earth. Around 2030, China will explore Jupiter and several small planets.

1. Why is the first Mars exploration mission named Tianwen 1?

A．It explains the spirit of Chinese people.

B．It shows the wish of exploring the universe.

C．It has many questions about the sky, stars and the world.

D．It expresses the great poet Qu Yuan’s feelings.

2. What does Paragraph 3 mainly tell us?

A．How China explored the moon.	B．How China explored the Mars.
C．How many missions China has completed.	D．The development of China’s exploration in space.

3. What does “The red planet” in paragraph 4 refer to?

A．Moon.

B．Mars.

C．Jupiter.

D．Small planets.

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．China Started to Explore Mars.

B．The History of Chinese Planetary Exploration Missions.

C．Tianwen and China’s Exploration Missions in Space.

D．China’s future plans for exploration.