From tiny seeds, great discoveries grow. A mini—garden carried on China’s Chang’e 4 moon lander recently became home to the first plant to grow on another world.
This is yet another success for Chang’e 4. On January 3, the probe became the first lander to touch down on the far side of the moon. This is the unknown face of the moon that is always looking away from us, so we never see it from down here on the earth. Although it is often regarded as the dark side of the moon, the far side actually gets as much sunshine as the near side. For example, when all we can see is a silver sliver of a new moon, the far side of the moon is in full sunlight.
Part of Chang’e 4’s mission is to see how a moon base could be built for humans, including exploring whether humans could grow food and other plant products there. Chang’e 4 carried a mini—garden with air, water and soil with seeds planted in it. When plants shoot on the earth, their stems grow away from the gravity, and so they always shoot upwards. The moon’s gravity is a sixth as strong as the earth’s, so Chang’e 4’s experiment was a test: would the earth plants know which way was up on the moon? Four days after landing, a tiny cotton shoot showed that they do.
Night has now fallen on the far side of the moon; Sunlight will not return until the start of February. As a result, the cotton shoots died. Besides the darkness, the plants can’t stand the cold (it can drop to —170℃ on the moon at night). However, the experiment is a success, since it has proved that it is possible for plants to grow in space.
1. The text is mainly about ________.| A．another success for Chang’e 4 | B．Chang’e 4 moon lander |
| C．tiny seeds in the soil | D．the steps of an experiment |
| A．It landed on the near side of the moon. | B．It carried a mini—garden. |
| C．It found plants on the moon. | D．It explored the moon base. |
| A．the far side of the moon gets less sunlight |
| B．we can see the far side of the moon from the earth |
| C．the stems fail to grow away from the earth’s gravity |
| D．the earth plants know the way to grow on the moon |
| A．Plants can be grown on the moon soon. | B．It is perfect to do experiments on the moon. |
| C．The cotton shoots can last 4 days on the moon. | D．We can see a new moon at the start of February. |
2 . Have you ever had an experience where you meet someone new, learn their name and think to yourself, “Wow, they really look just like their name!” What does this mean, exactly? Scientists are suggesting that humans tend to associate people’s names with their appearance, and can even guess someone’s name based on how they look.
Researchers at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in Israel collected thousands of photos of people faces. They labeled each photo with four names. Then, they asked volunteers to guess which of the four names was correct.
The volunteers were able to guess the right name 38 percent of the time. It seems that humans are able to recognize certain characteristics of faces that can give them clues about someone’s name, Reader’s Digest reported.
However, this only works when we’re looking at names within our own culture. In addition, the volunteers were not as good at guessing the real names of people who use nicknames more often than their real names. This shows that a person’s appearance is affected by their name only if they use it often.
“This kind of face-name matching happens “because of a process of self-fulfilling prophecy, as we become what other people expect us to become,” Ruth Mayo from the university told science news website EurekAlert.
Previous studies have shown that gender and race stereotypes can affect a person’s appearance. The researchers believe there are also similar stereotypes about names. For example, people tend to think that men named Bob should have rounder faces because the word itself looks round. People may think that women named rose are beautiful. They expect them to be delicate and feminine, just like the flower they are named for.
1. What does the passage mainly tell us?| A．People can guess others’ names base on their appearance. |
| B．A person’s appearance can be affected by three factors. |
| C．There are several ways to guess a stranger’s name. |
| D．It’s not polite to ask strangers about their names. |
| A．racial stereotypes | B．their unique culture |
| C．a self-fulfilling prophecy | D．their living environment |
| A．wear glasses | B．have big eyes | C．look beautiful | D．have round faces |
| A．Nicknames have a bigger influence on people’s appearance. |
| B．Gender and race have no influence on a person’s appearance. |
| C．The volunteers guessed nearly four names correctly out of ten. |
| D．People are good at recognizing the different characteristics of faces. |
Little was understood about earthquakes before the 20th century. However, they have been responsible for millions of deaths and a huge amount of damage to humans over centuries. Earthquakes usually happen on the edges of large sections of the Earth's plates. These plates slowly move over a long period of time. Sometimes the edges, which are called fault lines. can get stuck, but the plates keep moving. Pressure slowly starts to build up where the-edges are stuck and, once the pressure gets strong enough, the-plates will suddenly move causing an earthquake.
Generally before and after a large earthquake there will be smaller earthquakes. The ones that happen before are called foreshocks. The ones that happen after are called aftershocks. Scientists don't really know if an earthquake is a foreshock until the bigger earthquake occurs.
Shock waves from an earthquake that travel through the ground are called seismic wave*. They are most powerful at the center of the earthquake, but they travel through much of the earth and back to the surface. They move quickly at 20 times the speed of sound.
Scientists use seismic waves to measure how big an earthquake is. They use a device* called seismograph to measure the size of the waves. The size of the wave is called magnitude.
To tell the strength of an earthquake, scientists use a scale* called the Moment Magnitude Scale or MMS（it used to be called the Richter scale）. The larger the number on the MMS scale, the larger the earthquake.
You usually won't even notice an earthquake unless it measures at least a 3.5 on the MMS scale. The picture on the right shows some examples of what may happen depending on the scale.
1. In Paragraph 1, the writer explains what the earthquake is by ________.| A．listing examples | B．offering data |
| C．making a comparison | D．giving an explanation |
| A．Scientists can't measure the strength of an earthquake exactly. |
| B．It's still difficult for scientists to tell when an earthquake comes. |
| C．After a bigger earthquake happens, people may notice foreshocks. |
| D．The earthquake won't cause any damage unless it reaches 9.0 MMS. |
| A．Your house might shake badly. | B．People might feel no shaking at all. |
| C．The family photo might fall off the wall. | D．Everything might break down on the street. |
| A．present facts about the earthquake |
| B．give early warnings before an earthquake |
| C．stress the importance of earthquake scale |
| D．provide knowledge of self-protection in earthquakes |
4 . If you have a chance to visit the US, it’s a good idea to pay a visit to Chicago.
Chicago is one of the largest cities in the US. It covers a land area of 588.2 sq km. The Chicago Bulls are world famous.
Chicago is also home to people who have migrated from all over the world. People move to Chicago from different places to live with their families or friends who arrived here first. They come by train, plane and boat to live in this great city.
The centre of Chicago is called the Loop. You can see many tall buildings here, even some of the tallest in the world. As you travel away from the Loop, there are communities of different foreign cultures. But you can’t travel east out of the Loop because of Lake Michigan.
When you travel south of the Loop, you will find Chinatown. There, people from China celebrate many of the same holidays as their home towns do, for example, the Chinese New Year. They also celebrate the holidays of the US.
Chicago is also called the Windy City, so don’t forget to take more clothes with you.
1. Paragraph 3 is mainly about ________ of Chicago.| A．the holiday | B．the weather | C．the centre | D．the people |
| A．east | B．south | C．west | D．north |
| A．home town | B．a place with a lot of Chinese |
| C．Chinese people | D．Chinese holiday |
| A．it’s always cold in Chicago | B．we can find Chinese culture in Chicago |
| C．Chicago is the largest city in the US. | D．you can travel east out of the Loop |
| A．introduce Chicago | B．show you how to travel around Chicago |
| C．ask you to visit Chicago | D．let you migrate to Chicago |
5 . Below are answers to some common questions about the famous circus Cirque du Soleil.
1. What is Cirque du Soleil?
Cirque du Soleil is a modern circus. In some ways, it’s like a traditional circus. Performers dress up colourfully, and there are clowns, jugglers, and acrobats. But unlike a regular circus, Cirque du Soleil does not use animals. Also, each Cirque du Soleil performance tells a story. For example, the show “Quidam” is about a lonely young girl who creates a wonderland to be happy .
Each show also has its own “soundtrack”. The music is a mix of opera, jazz, rock’n’ roll, and traditional music from around the world. Musicians and singers perform all of the music live at a show.
2. Who started Cirque du Soleil?
The 61-year-old man Guy Laliberté started Cirque du Soleil. He’s always been interested in travelling. In 1977, he went to Europe at the age of 18. Then, he made up his mind to be an artist. He performed in the street, and held a street art festival. After that, more and more actors, musicians, and circus performers joined him. Together, they started a company in Montreal, Canada, in 1984.
Guy Laliberté became the world’s seventh space tourist on September 3, 2009. During the time in space, he held a charity show online to call people’s attention to the water resource.
3. Does Cirque du Soleil tour?
Yes. Certain shows visit different cities around the world. Other shows stay in one city. They do not travel.
4. ________________
Anyone! Performers come from different countries and backgrounds. Some are clowns, singers, and actors. Others are jugglers, acrobats, divers, magicians, and fire-eaters! There is no limit of age to join. Sometimes people from ages 5 to 68 are in a show.
To learn more about Cirque du Soleil, visit http://www. asrCirque. com.
1. Why is Cirque du Soleil different from traditional circuses?| A．Each performance tells a story | B．Performers dress up colourfully. |
| C．There are more humans than animals. | D．There is music during the performance. |
| A．Who can join Cirque du Soleil? | B．Who is interested in Cirque du Soleil? |
| C．Who can watch Cirque du Soleil? | D．Who is the oldest in Cirque du Soleil? |
| A．Cirque du Soleil plays CD music during the performances |
| B．Guy Laliberté became an astronaut and flew into space in 2009 |
| C．Cirque du Soleil puts on all the performances in different cities |
| D．Guy Laliberté had a clear idea about his future job at the age of 18 |
| A．praise a person | B．introduce a circus | C．explain a theory | D．sell a product |
6 . Look! Here comes a cute bus. It looks like a panda with black ears and big eyes. It can carry 22 people and is about 12 meters long. A Chinese company made it.
The Smart Panda Bus uses Al technology. It can do a lot of things. The bus can drive by itself without a driver. Don’t worry! It’s very safe. When you get on the bus, you can swipe your hand. The bus will read your hand and know who you are. There are also robots on the bus. You can talk to them and ask them for help. If there is a thief on the bus, the bus will call the police.
In the bus, there is a vending machine. You can buy breakfast and dinner on the bus. This can save you a lot of time.
People in some cities, such as Changzhou in Jiangsu, Jinan in Shandong and Deyang in Sichuan, can take the bus. Do you want to ride it?
1. The Smart Panda Bus________.| A．can carry 32 people | B．has big blue eyes |
| C．comes from China | D．is about 22 metres long |
| A．catch a thief without the police | B．drive itself without a driver |
| C．sell you breakfast and dinner | D．play your favourite music |
| A．how the bus drives | B．what the bus can do |
| C．who made the bus | D．what the robots can do |
| A．make people’s lives easy and safe | B．help children learn about the bus |
| C．help police find thieves | D．carry more children to school |
| A．guidebook | B．story book | C．sports newspaper | D．science magazine |
Sumo, a sport which was founded in Japan, has a problem. It may have to give up some past traditions in order to become a major international sport, and one of the biggest changes may be allowing women to compete.
Traditionally, women cannot enter a sumo ring. That caused a problem for the woman governor of Osaka. She could not enter the ring to give prizes to the winners of a big sumo competition in Osaka. In the end, her man assistant had to hand out the prizes.
The governor of Osaka only wanted to stand in the ring to hand out prizes. Other women want to enter the sumo ring to compete! However, they are all kept out of the ring. Many people think this would be bad for sumo because there is a rule in the Olympics. All sports in the Olympics must be open to men and women. So unless sumo opens the ring to women, it will never become an Olympic sport.
However, Sumo has already spread from Japan to other countries. In fact, since the 1990s, women’s sumo has been growing popular in Europe. Women athletes from Europe seem to be quite good at sumo! This has led to another problem. Women athletes from outside Japan are winning more sumo competitions than women athletes from Japan! At an international competition in Warsaw, Poland, only one Japanese athlete won a medal. All the other medals went to women who were not from Japan.
1. Where is women’s sumo growing popular?| A．Asia. | B．Europe. | C．Africa. | D．America. |
| A．She was once a sumo athlete. |
| B．She enjoyed women’s sumo wrestling. |
| C．She made a new rule for the sumo ring. |
| D．She could not hand out prizes after a competition. |
| A．Women’s sumo wrestling has become an Olympic sport. |
| B．One Japanese sumo wrestler won a medal at the Warsaw competition. |
| C．Women sumo wrestlers from other countries are winning more competitions. |
| D．In order to become an Olympic sport, women athletes must be allowed to compete. |
| A．the rules of a traditional Japanese sport |
| B．a traditional Japanese sport for young people |
| C．the problems that a traditional Japanese sport face |
| D．a Japanese woman governor who did a lot for a traditional sport |
8 . The battle against the novel coronavirus is on. What can we do to stay healthy? Here are some tips for you to stay away from the virus.
■ Don’t go to crowded places. If you have to, remember to wear a mask. Stay at least one meter away from other people, especially those who are coughing or sneezing. Wearing masks can stop droplets from hitting your face or mouth.
■ Open windows to let fresh air in during the day. Do it three times a day for 15 minutes to half an hour each time. Keeping the air indoor fresh can stop the virus from building up.
■ Keep healthy habits such as eating a healthy diet, exercising and getting enough sleep. This can improve your immune system.
■ Wash hands correctly before meals, after bathrooms and touching something dirty. Health experts say that hand-washing is necessary to stay away from the virus and suggest soaping up for at least 20 seconds – or the time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.
■ Stay in a good mood. People around the world are coming up with more creative ideas about what to sing. In Vietnam, they sing a pop song, “rub, rub, rub your hands”. Singapore has a song called Wash Yo Hands. It has lyrics like “Wash your hands, do it with soap and then you’ll be alright.” What other 20-second songs do you advise to sing?
So please do everything to make sure your safety during this special time.
1. If we go to some places with so many people, what do we need to do?| A．We should always wear a mask. | B．We have to open all the windows. |
| C．We only need to wash hands. | D．We’d better take a taxi not a bus. |
| A．Tony was too worried about the virus to fall asleep at night. |
| B．Mike always washed his hands for half a minute before eating. |
| C．Lingling opened windows for 45 minutes once a day to clear the air. |
| D．Daming saw Betty coughing, so he rushed to cover her mouth with his hand. |
| A．Talking about the culture behind music. |
| B．Telling us some famous songs around the world. |
| C．Sharing some songs to make washing hands fun. |
| D．Showing the importance of different kinds of music. |
Airships can fly because they are lighter than air, like balloons. But they also have engines, so they can fly long distances. In the 1920s and 1930s, airships flew with passengers in them. They could fly from Europe to the US in two days. That was much faster than traveling by ship. There were even restaurants and bedrooms in the biggest airships, which could carry up to 100 passengers.
However, the safety of airships during that time was surely a big problem. It was reported that many of airships crashed. In 1937, a famous airship called the Hindenburg crashed near New York and thirty-six people died. After that, passenger airships stopped flying. Planes became the most important kind of air transportation because they were faster and safer.
Now a number of companies around the world are making airships again. They are much safer than the airships of the 1920s and 1930s, but they are not for passengers. Instead, they carry cargo.
Why use airships instead of planes? There are four main reasons:
●They don’t need airports. They can land in places where planes can’t.
●They can carry much more cargo than planes can.
●They use much less fuel than planes, so they are better for the environment.
●They can stay in the air for a long time, so they are good for scientific work.
Today most cargo still travels on planes, ships, trains and trucks. But in the future, much more cargo could travel by airship because it’s cheaper and better for the environment. Maybe there will be airships for passengers again too.
1. During the 1920s and 1930s, airships ___________.| A．couldn’t carry people | B．could have restaurants |
| C．were safer than planes | D．were slower than ships |
| A．fall to pieces | B．fly into sky |
| C．take off safely | D．turn back fast |
| A．They can fly without fuel. |
| B．They can take more passengers. |
| C．They have to land in the airports. |
| D．They are more friendly to the environment. |
| A．Useful airships | B．Airships and planes |
| C．The history of airships | D．The story of a famous airship |
Having video calls is normal in our daily life, but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line?
These days, a soft skin stretch device (SSD) has been invented by the researchers from the University of New South Wales, Australia.
It is a new kind of haptic device which can recreate the sense of touch and make it possible for us to touch people through a video call.
Haptic technology can mimics the experience of touch in ways that are similar in the real world. Today, vibration is the most common haptic technology and it has been built into many electronic device. At present, however, the haptic technology has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or at a distance, according to Mai Thanh Thai, lead author of the study.
Luckily, the research team introduced a new method to deal with the problem. The new technology can recreate the sense of touch through soft, man-made skin. “Our skin stretch device can be built into the finger parts of a haptic glove. It is like wearing a second skin —— it’s soft, stretchable and mimics the sense of touch. And it will make new forms of haptic communication to improve everyday activities.” said Thanh Nho Do, senior author of the study.
It works like this: Imagine you are at home and you call your friend who is in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs and your friend wears a glove with 3D force sensors. Then when your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend fingers. And the glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. After that, the force signals can be sent to your glove, making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.
The new haptic technology could be used in various situations, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. This could be especially helpful when people use video calls to stay connected with loved ones, it could also be used in medical practices. Doctors can feel a patient’s organ* with medical tools without touching them.
1. What problems does today’s haptic technology have?| A．It is unable to mimic the touching experience in real world. |
| B．It is hard to use such technology in the electronic devices. |
| C．It fails to recreate sense of touch with objects at a distance. |
| D．It has trouble in mimicking sense of touch through vibration. |
a. Interactions are measured by 3D force sensors.
b. People in both sides of line wear gloves with special devices.
c. Force signals are sent to the haptic glove with the SSDs.
d. The same sense of touch are being experienced.
| A．a-c-b-d. | B．b-a-c-d. | C．b-c-a-d. | D．c-a-d-b. |
| A．The new technology has been used in medical practices. |
| B．The future of this new technology is still questioning. |
| C．The SSD gloves are too expensive for people to afford. |
| D．The new technology will be used in many fields in future. |
| A．Having video calls in a virtual world. | B．Touching people through video calls. |
| C．Advantages of the haptic technology. | D．Importance of the 3D force sensors. |
