1 . Many people know that rubbish is a big problem on planet Earth. What many people don't know is that junk has become a problem in outer space too.

According to BBC News, there are more than 22, 000 pieces of space junk floating around the earth. Andtheseare just the things that we can see from the surface of the earth by telescopes. There are also millions of smaller pieces of junk that we can't see.

Objects, like bits of old space rockets or satellites(卫星), move around the planet at very high speeds fast that even a very small piece can break important satellites or become dangerous to astronauts. If the tiniest piece of junk crashed into a spaceship, it could damage the vehicle（轨道）.

To make things worse, when two objects in space crash, they break into many smaller pieces. For example, when a U.S. satellite hit an old Russian rocket in 2009, it broke into more than 2,000 pieces, increasing the amount of space junk.

To reduce additional space junk, countries have agreed that all new space tools can only stay in space for 25 years at most. Each tool must be built to fall safely into the earth's atmosphere after that time. In the upper parts of the atmosphere, it will burn up.

Many scientists also suggest different ways to clean up space junk. In England scientists are testing a metal net that can be fired into space junk. The net catches the junk and then pulls it into the earth's atmosphere to burn up. The Germans are building robots that can collect pieces of space junk and bring them back to Earth to be safely destroyed.

The problem is becoming more challenging because we're sending more objects into space to help people use their mobile phones and computers,” says Marco Castronuovo, an Italian space Researcher.

“The time to act is now. The longer we leave the problem, the bigger it will become,” he says.

1. What does the underlined word “these” in Paragraph 2 refer to?

A．Telescopes.

B．Satellites.

C．Pieces of space junk.

2. Why is space junk considered a problem?

A．It burns up after it re-enters the atmosphere.

B．It could force new space tools to travel at slower speeds.

C．It may crash into other space tools causing damage or death.

3. Countries want future space tools to be able to fall back into the earth's atmosphere so that________.

A．the tools can be reused later

B．the tools don't become space junk

C．the effects of space flight can be studied

4. How do the Germans plan to deal with space junk?

A．Use robots to collect it.

B．Burn it in the earth's atmosphere.

C．Send it further away from the earth.

5. In which section of the newspaper would you probably read this article?

A．Environment.

B．Local News.

C．Education.

2 . In 1969, as US astronaut Neil Armstrong became the first human to set foot on the moon, he famously declared, ‘That’s one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind.’ And as many countries come together to celebrate World Space Week from Oct 4-10, it seems that there are still many leaps to take.

During ancient times, our only steps were back and forth across the surface of our own planet. We climbed to the top of mountains, or sailed in boats across oceans. But we didn’t, and couldn’t, leave the surface of our planet.

It’s not surprising that back then, the so-called heavens fascinated(使着迷) us so much. How could they not? How could people not be obsessed with the great object in the sky that arrived each day with light and then left, taking the light with it? Or the mysterious moon, stars and planets that lit up the night sky? Compared with us, these things seemed so free and exciting. Different cultures created stories about the heavens. The Chinese referred to a ‘King of the Sky’ who created the heavens and decorated them with stars; the ancient Greeks had ‘the Sky Gods’ who controlled the weather.

Few of us believe those stories anymore – science has taught us better. And yet the heavens, or what we now call ‘space’ and ‘outer space’, are still a source of mystery and fascination for us. Yes, there are space stations, satellites and trips to other planets. None of this modern science, however, has made space any less fascinating to us.

As the American scientist Neil deGrasse Tyson said, ‘The universe is under no obligation (义务) to make sense to you.’ The more we know, the more our curiosity grows.

Even today, the most popular novels and movies are set on other planets, solar systems (太阳系) or galaxies (星系). Space is still mysterious, as it was for the ancient Chinese, Greeks and Romans. And perhaps it always will be.

1. The author used Neil Armstrong’s story to ______.

A．describe how the celebration of World Space Week began

B．draw attention to great achievements in space exploration

C．explain why human beings are curious about outer space

D．predict(预报) future space programs that might change history

2. The underline word ‘obsessed’ in Paragraph 3 is closest in meaning to ______.

A．happy

B．interested

C．satisfied

D．bored

3. Compared with modern people, ancient Greeks ______.

A．didn’t leave many records of space objects

B．believed the King of the Sky controlled the weather

C．shared a similar curiosity about the universe

D．showed little respect for the power of nature

4. What’s the article mainly about?

A．Important events in space exploration history.

B．Human’s unchangeable interest in space.

C．Ancient stories inspired(激发，产生) by the heavens.

D．What we have learned about the universe.

3 . 任务型阅读

At the moment, it may be difficult to imagine, but many people believe that, by the year 2100, we will live on the planet Mars. Our own planet, Earth, is becoming more and more crowded and polluted. Luckily, we can start again and build a better world on Mars.

First of all, transport should be much better. At present, our spaceships are too slow to carry large numbers of people to Mars—it takes months. However, by 2100, spaceship can travel at half the speed of light. It might take us two or three days to get to Mars!

Secondly, humans need food, water and air to live. Scientists should be able to develop plants that can be grown on Mars. These plants will produce the food and air that we need. However, can these plants produce water for us? There is no answer now.

There is a problem for us to live on Mars. Mars suck us much less than the Earth does. This will be dangerous because we could easily jump too high and fly slowly away into space. To prevent this, humans on Mars have to wear special shoes to make themselves heavier.

Life on Mars will be better than that on Earth in many ways. People will have more space. Living in a large building with only 10 bedrooms is highly possible. Many people believe that robots will do most of our work, so we have more time for our hobbies.

There will probably be no school on Mars. Every student will have a computer at home which is connected to the Internet. They can study, do their homework and take exams in online schools. Each student will also have his own online teacher called “e-teacher”.

However, in some ways, life on Mars may not be better than that on the Earth today. Food will not be the same—meals will probably be in the form of pills and will not be as delicious as they are today. Also, space travel will make many people feel ill. The spaceship will travel fast, so the journey to Mars will probably be very uncomfortable.

1. 根据短文内容完成句子填空（每空限填一个单词）。
In the first paragraph, we can know, Earth is becoming more and more_____ and___ to make people want to live on the planet of Mars.
2. 根据短文内容完成句子填空（每空限填一个单词）。
In order to live on Mars, people need faster _______________, ______________ that can produce food or air for people, and special shoes.
3. 简要回答问题。
How many examples are given in the passage about the disadvantages living on Mars?   
________________________________________________________________________
4. 把短文中画线的句子译成汉语。
_____________________________________________________________
5. 用完整的句子回答问题。
What’s the passage mainly about?
___________________________________________________________________________

4 . It is reported that space will soon be a popular place to go on a holiday by 2020. One Japanese company is    1    （建造）a space holiday center. It will look like a    2    （自行车）wheel with a hotel and a theme park. It will    3    （旅行）round the earth at a height of 300km. The company president says that flying to the center will be    4    （更快的）than flying from Hong Kong to the Singapore. The company    5    （相信）people will be happy to pay about 100, 000 dollars for trip. Years later, the trip will become much cheaper, of course, the    6    （服务）will be better as well.

    7    （最近）an American hotel group is also working on a hotel called the Lunar Hotel. It'll probably be ready by 2020. This will be on the moon. Most of the hotel will be under the ground so it will be     8    （既不）too hot nor too cold. The guests will eat usual food for    9     （午餐）, The cooks will just push a button to    10    （混合）dried food with water and then people can eat.

5 . Do stars only appear at night? The answer is no. Venus is the one and only star that can be seen in daytime. It shone at its brightest in the night sky on Feb 17 this year. Venus is the second planet from the sun. It is the second brightest natural object, behind Earth’s moon, in the night sky. Why is it so bright?

First of all, Venus is the closest planet to Earth. It is also covered by highly reflective clouds, which can reflect about 70% of the sunlight striking it, almost twice as much as Earth does.

Some are calling 2017 the year of Venus, because the planet is at its brightest twice this year. Venus gets brighter when it goes further away from the sun, and nearer to the Earth. The brightest moment happened once in February, and will happen again, during daylight, on April 30.

If Venus is so bright and close to us, isn’t it a better choice for human exploration(探索) than Mars? It is closer to Earth than Mars and it’s closer to Earth in size. The closer distance to the sun means solar power would be easier to produce as well.

However, with a temperature of about 465℃ on the surface, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system! But scientists never give up. Recently, a team of NASA and Russian scientists created new computer equipment that can stand temperatures of 480℃. It can work under Venus-like conditions for almost 22 days.

1. The next step, according to the scientists, is to send a probe (探测器) to Venus by 2025.
Which of the following about Venus is NOT true？

A．It’s the only star that can be seen in daylight.

B．It’s the second planet from the sun.

C．It’s the brightest natural object in the night sky.

D．It’s the closest planet to Earth.

2. Venus is at its brightest when ___________.

A．it can reflect about 35% of the sunlight.

B．it goes further away from the sun and nearer to the Earth.

C．it is closest to the sun and furthest from the Earth.

D．the dates are Feb 17 and April 30 every year.

3. What makes Venus a worse place for human exploration than Mars?

A．The closer distance to Earth.	B．the similar size to Earth
C．Too much solar power to use	D．The extremely high temperature.

4. According to the last two paragraphs, the new computer equipment __________.
a. was created by some UK scientists
b. can stand temperatures of 480℃
c. can work for about 22 days on Venus
d. will be sent to Venus by 2025

A．ab

B．bc

C．cd

D．ad

6 . The world got a glimpse（一瞥）of one of the greatest mysteries of our universe（宇宙）on April 10. That's when the first image of a black hole was shown to the public. The picture was created by a network of eight radio telescopes（射电望远镜）.

“We have seen what we thought was unseeable ,"says Shep Doeleman. He led the effort to create the image.

The black hole is at the center of galaxy（星系）named Messier 87,some 55 million light-years from the earth，and is 6.5 billion times the mass of the sun.

The image shows the gas，dust，and stars that move around the black hole before disappearing into it. It does not truly show the black hole，because not even light can escape its gravity. Black holes, like vacuums, suck（吸）in everything that gets too close.

根据短文内容，选择最佳答案。
1. In paragraph 1，the underlined word “image" probably means___________.

A．truth

B．fact

C．picture

D．information

2. In paragraph 2，the underlined sentence means seeing the black hole___________.

A．was expected before	B．was unexpected before
C．is common	D．is impossible

3. The black hole lies___________ the Messier 87 galaxy.

A．in the middle of	B．in the front of
C．at the back of	D．on the top of

4. What will probably happen if a spaceship gets close to the black hole?

A．It will fly around it.

B．It will be covered by the dust.

C．It will be sucked in.

D．It will be discovered.

5. What's the best title（标题）for this passage?

A．The Black Hole and its Gravity	B．First Look at the Black Hole
C．The Mystery of the Universe	D．Faraway Galaxy

7 . For centuries, humans have wondered whether there is life on Mars. Why is Mars losing its air? Last week, the question was answered.
“The answer, is blowing in the wind,” said Michael Meyer. He is the lead scientist for Mars Exploration Program.
It turns out solar winds from the sun are slowly stripping( 除掉) away Mars' air. That is what scientists explained at a press conference.
Bruce Jakosky is the principal investigator on the MAVEN team. It is a spacecraft that collects information from Mars as it circles around the planet.
Today, Mars has a thin atmosphere. It is cold and dry. ______
"When we look at ancient Mars, we see a different type of surface. One that had valleys that looked like they were carved by water, lakes that were standing for a long period of time. We see an environment that was much more able to support liquid water."
Recently scientists found a kind of liquid water that flows with salt down a mountain area of the planet. But, it is not always there. Scientists already knew that ice exists on Mars. So why is it important to find liquid water?
"It means that we have a resource. And when we're looking at sending humans to Mars, water is one of the key things that we need to have. Not only for the astronauts to drink, but also to make oxygen and fuel."
Sending humans to Mars will be in the 2030s. Those chosen might fly any number of space vehicles still in development.
Human beings are developing rockets and spacecraft to get people to Mars. Scientists want to know how the human body reacts to being in space for long period of time.
Whether there is life on Mars remains unanswered. But some scientists think there might be some kind of microbial life on the planet. Finding life on another planet would change the way we view the whole universe.
1. What was the surface of ancient Mars like?

A．It had thin air.	B．It was dry.
C．It had valleys that looked like they were carved by water.	D．It had no water.

2. Which statement is TRUE according to the passage?

A．The surface of the Mars is different from it used to be.

B．Scientists have known whether there is life on Mars.

C．People can not send humans to Mars forever.

D．There is not any atmosphere on Mars.

3. What does the underlined word "Those" in the text refer to?

A．Scientists

B．Rockets

C．Astronauts

D．Vehicles

4. Which of the following is the best for“______”in Paragraph 5?

A．But it used to be much different.	B．It was the same case in the past.
C．It's always like this.	D．It will be different in the future.

8 . 请先阅读下面短文,掌握其大意,然后用方框中所给词的适当形式填空,并将答案填写到答题卡的相应位置。每个词限用一次。

know     life     different     back     and     interesting     sign     real     find     they

The planet Mars is the closest and most similar planet to Earth. It is very    1    to scientists. For example, Mars has seasons with    2    weather, but other planets have the same temperatures all year round. Was there    3    on Mars?

To find out, scientists need    4    if Mars ever had water. In 2004. two robot explores (探测器), or 'rovers', called Spirit and Opportunity were sent to look for    5    of water. These rovers can drive over rocks    6    all kind of rough ground. They can also use cameras and send photos    7     to Earth. First, the two rovers found chemicals and patterns (图文) in the rocks that were probably made by water. Then, they moved to another area and    8    other rocks which may have been created by water. Now scientists think there was probably water on the planet long ago. Today       9    are still not sure if there was life on Mars. They    10    need more information to decide. The discoveries of the two rovers answered some old questions, but they also brought up many new ones.

9 . Since ancient times, human beings have looked up at the night sky. Comets (彗星) and meteors (流星) flying through the blackness were seen as signs from the gods. They were used to tell the future of human lives.

In 2013, a meteorite shower hit an area in Russia. It injured around 1,200 people. In ancient times, this would have been a strange and terrible experience. Today, thought, science offers simple explanations for the occurrence (事件).

Meteorites are small pieces of debris (碎片) that float around in space. Sometimes, they come near a planet, such as Earth. When they enter our atmosphere, they often heat up and become very bright. This is why they are sometimes called “fireballs”. They are usually made of metals, such as iron (铁), and other minerals (矿物). The Russian meteorites were stony, with iron making up 10 percent of them.

Meteorite showers, such as that in Russia, happen when a large meteor enters the Earth’s atmosphere and, due to heat, breaks up into small parts. Most of these are very small — smaller than a grain of sand — and so don’t even make it to the ground. But others can cause a lot of damage.

The meteor in Russia weighed 10 tons when it entered our atmosphere, and broke up about 20-30 miles (30-50 km) above ground. The sky was filled with bright lights and loud noises. Many windows were broken. The damage cost Russia around 206 million yuan.

1. What did people in ancient times think when they saw a meteorite shower?

A．It was a wonderful sight.	B．It was common in nature.
C．They respected it as a god.	D．They felt puzzled and scared.

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

A．They float around in space.	B．They often heat up when entering Earth.
C．There are fires around them.	D．They are usually made of metals.

3. When a large meteor comes into the Earth’s atmosphere, ___________.

① meteorite showers happen② it breaks up into small pieces

③ it falls to the ground as whole④ it seldom causes serious damage

A．①②

B．①③

C．①④

D．②④

4. Which topic does the story NOT talk about?

A．How meteorite showers happen.	B．How to stop meteorite showers.
C．The meteorites in Russia.	D．The damage meteorites can cause.

10 . Is there intelligent life on other planets? For years，scientists said "no" or "We don't know". But today this is changing.   Seth Shostak and Alexandra Barnett are astronomers. They believe intelligent life exists(存在)somewhere in the universe.   They also think we will soon contact these beings.
       Why do Shostak and Barnett think intelligent life exists on other planets?   The first reason   is time. Scientists believe the universe is about 12 billion years old. "This is long enough for other planets to have intelligent life，" say Shostak and Barnett. The second reason is size-the universe is huge. "Tools like the Hubble telescope(哈勃望远镜)have shown that there are at least 100 billion galaxies，" says Shostak. "And our galaxy，the Milk Way，has at least 100 billion stars. Some planets going around these stars might be similar to Earth."
       In the past，it was hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe.   But now，powerful telescopes(高倍望远镜)allow scientists to discover smaller planets-the size of Mars or Earth in other solar systems.   These planets might have intelligent life.
       Have beings from space already visited Earth? "Probably not，" says Shostak. "It's a long way away. However, intelligent beings may contact us in other ways，such as radio signs. In fact，they may be trying to communicate with us now，but we don't have the right tools to receive their messages. However, this is changing. By 2025，we could make contact with other life forms in our universe and we might help each other. "
1. What is the best title for Paragraph Two?

A．The Age and Size of Earth

B．Our Galaxy: The Milk Way

C．Why Intelligent Life Might Exist

D．Earth: The Only Planet With Intelligent Life

2. Why was it hard to look for signs of intelligent life in the universe in the past?

A．There were not any smaller planets.

B．There were not any powerful telescopes.

C．The astronomers were not interested in them.

D．The Milk Way didn't exist at that time.

3. Why haven't beings from space visited us yet according to Shostak?

A．They are afraid of us.

B．It's a long way away.

C．They don't want to see us.

D．They don't know how to use radio signs.

4. What does the underlined phrase "life forms" in the last paragraph mean?

A．Messages.	B．Tools.
C．Intelligent beings.	D．Radio signs.