1 . In the universe, there is the earth, the moon, the sun, the stars and all other things too far away
Of
| A．see | B．to be seen | C．seeing | D．seen |
| A．over | B．below | C．down | D．from |
| A．nearer | B．the nearer | C．nearest | D．the nearest |
| A．takes | B．took | C．taken | D．taking |
| A．travel | B．traveled | C．has traveled | D．have traveled |
| A．with | B．without | C．for | D．to |
| A．all | B．some | C．may | D．any |
| A．Thousand of | B．Hundred of | C．Million of | D．Millions of |
| A．when | B．because | C．if | D．for |
| A．must | B．mustn’t | C．can | D．can’t |
| Have you |
| There are |
| So far, scientists have already sent |
| Scientists are still working |
3 . 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 |
| A．five | B．six | C．seven | D．eight |
| A．the moon | B．the sun | C．the stars | D．the earth |
| 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. |
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 |
4 . Andy heard from his friend that a comet (彗星) was coming. He knew that a comet is a space rock. He wanted to watch it at
When the evening came, it was a bit cold. So Andy
“Where is the comet? I only see the moon and some stars, ” he asked his friend on the phone. His friend told him where to look,
Andy went to wake his father up who was just
“I think it would be like the moon or something, ” Andy said. “It's not big enough for that, and it might still be very
“I still wish I can see it better. ”
His father nodded and went inside. When he came back, he had a telescope(望远镜) in his hands. Through
After that night, Andy became interested in space and he thought being a(n)
Why is it called Mars（火星）? Well, Mars is the name of the Roman god of war（罗马战神）. People see the planet（星球）as a symbol of war for thousands of years. It is also known as the Red Planet because of its color. It is red because it’s rich in iron（铁）. Chinese people called it the “fire star” for the same reason.
Scientists was interested in the planet. They first saw Mars in the sky more than 4, 000 years ago. Then, people from all over the world studied the planet. About 200 years ago, scientists started to study pieces of Mars. They broke away and drifted（漂流）through space for millions of years before they got to Earth.
Scientists have learned some things about Mars. For example, Mars is home to a 21-kilometer-tall mountain—the tallest in our solar system（太阳系）. However, Qomolangma, Earth’s highest mountain, is just 9 kilometers tall. Like Earth, Mars has moons. It has two moons named Phobos and Deimos. The Red Planet also has the largest dust storms（沙尘暴）in the solar system. And they can last for months.
Earth is 10 times heavier than Mars. So The Red Planet’s gravity（重力）is only 37 percent as strong as Earth’s, meaning you can jump nearly two times higher on Mars. For the same reason, you are two times heavier on Earth than on Mars.
1. Why does Mars get the name “fire star”?| A．Because it is red. | B．Because it is rich in iron. | C．Because it is the symbol of war. |
| A．Millions of years ago. | B．Over 4, 000 years ago. | C．More than 200 years ago. |
| A．Scientists. | B．Pieces of Mars. | C．Stars. |
| A．the color | B．the weather | C．the size |
| A．Mars has stronger gravity than Earth. |
| B．People are heavier on Mars than on Earth. |
| C．People can jump higher on Mars than on Earth. |
6 . “Hello, everyone! Welcome to Tiangong Class.” With this greeting, a special lecture began
Lasting for about
Compared with the class eight years ago, this year’s space lecture is greatly different. According to Pang Zhihao, a Beijing-based space expert, the “classroom” is much
Eight years ago, Wang
“The spirit of science in the youth is an important driver of the progress of mankind,” Zhou Jianping, designer-in-chief of China’s manned space program; added. “Space activities can help
| A．in | B．on | C．at | D．for |
| A．a | B．the | C．an | D．/ |
| A．how they live and work | B．how do they live and work | C．what do they live and work | D．what they live and work |
| A．been done | B．being done | C．be done | D．done |
| A．given | B．gives | C．to give | D．give |
| A．millions | B．million of | C．million | D．millions of |
| A．small | B．bigger | C．big | D．smaller |
| A．shown | B．showed | C．showing | D．shows |
| A．So | B．But | C．Although | D．Because |
| A．them | B．they | C．themselves | D．their |
7 . There is a new sight in the sky these days —the newly-discovered Comet (彗星) NEOWISE is flying past the sun. This the first time since the 1990s when people have had a chance to see a comet with their bare eyes (裸眼).
A comet is basically a ball of dirty ice that moves around the sun. As a comet comes close to the sum, the sun melts some of the ice, which makes a tail behind the comet as it flies through space. Most comets move around the sun in a circle. Comets spend most of their time moving slowly, far away from the sun. As they pass the sun, they speed up.
The size and shape of a comets moving way can influence how long it takes to finish its one circle. Halley’s Comet is a famous comet coming around once every 75-76 years. But the last time Comet NEOWISE was here near the sun was about 6, 800 years ago. Because of the long time it takes to finish its one circle, NEO WISE was only just discovered some months ago. It was seen in March with a special space telescope run by NASA.
The name of the telescope system that first saw the comet is NEOWISE, so that’s how the comet got its name. NEOWISE is easy to see now because it is close to the sun. At its farthest, NEO WISE will be 630 times farther away from the sun than the earth is.
Even at its closest—which was on July 23 —the comet was still as far away from the earth as Mars was. But it was still bright enough to see, even without a telescope.
1. What does the second paragraph mainly tell us?| A．How the sun melts the things around it. | B．When you can see comets. |
| C．Some facts about comets. | D．Why comets have a tail behind them. |
| A．You can’t see Comet NEO WISE with your eyes easily. |
| B．Comet NEO WSE is more famous than Halley’s Comet. |
| C．It’s easy for Comet NEO WISE to move around the sun in a circle. |
| D．Comet NEOWISE is less common to see than Halley’s Comet. |
| A．The name of the telescope system. | B．The name of the person who first saw it. |
| C．The name of a special day. | D．The name of the country. |
| A．People didn’t see a comet until 2020. |
| B．Comet NEOWISE was farther from the earth than Mars was on July 23. |
| C．Comet NEOWISE is always closer to the sun than the earth is. |
| D．Comet NEOWISE’S moving way can decide how long it needs to finish one circle. |
| A．How to watch comets. | B．A newly-discovered comet. |
| C．Where to meet comets. | D．Why we can see comets |
Venus (金星) is close to the earth. It is the second planet from the sun. The earth is the third planet from the sun. Venus is similar (相似的) to the earth in size and mass (质量). It is often described as the earth’s “sister”.
Scientists have been learning about Venus for a long time. First they looked at Venus through telescopes (望远镜). But Venus is covered with thick clouds. Scientists could not see Venus well through the clouds. So they made guesses about it.
For a long time, scientists thought that Venus had water and plants. They thought Venus might have animals too. But they didn’t know for sure.
Then scientists found a way to learn more about Venus. In the 1960s, they began sending probes (航天探测器) to Venus. The probes flew through the thick clouds. They took pictures of Venus up close. They found out many things too. The probes sent the pictures and things they found out back to the scientists.
The scientists learned a lot from the probes. First they learned that most of their guesses were not right. And they learned that Venus is very hot.
After that, scientists knew they could not send people to Venus. But they still wanted to know more about it. So they sent new probes. These new probes took great pictures of the planet. The pictures showed that Venus has plains (平原) and mountains! And in some ways, Venus looks like the earth.
1. How are Venus and the earth similar?2. Why is it hard to see Venus well through a telescope?
3. When did scientists begin to send probes to Venus?
4. Can the scientists send people to Venus?
5. What does Venus have?
9 . 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. |
| 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 |
| A．rocks | B．meteorites | C．methane | D．organisms |
| 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 |
10 . China’s Eye In the Sky
July 31 was a big day for China. On that day, China’s first global satellite navigation (satnav) system (全球卫星导航系统), Beidou, started its full-scale (全面的) work. More than 120 countries and regions are now using Beidou services.
Beidou means “Big Dipper (北斗七星)” in Chinese. In old times, when people got lost, they looked up at the Big Dipper for direction (方向). Now, China’s own satellite navigation system, BeiDou, is there to keep us safe and bring us convenience.
With as many as 59 satellites (卫星), Beidou has “sharp eyes”. These satellites fly around the Earth. They can “see” rivers, forests and mountains. They can “see” houses and schools. Of course, they can “see” you, too! From space, they can tell where you are on the ground, with a difference of no more than 10 meters.
A satnav system uses groups of satellites. It sends information to a receiver (接收器), such as a smart phone. The more satellite a system has, the more accurate (精确的) it is.
Beidou is the world’s fourth navigation satellite system. The earliest system is the Global Positioning System (GPS) of the United States. The US has put 24 satellites into space to make sure GPS can locate (定位) a person correctly and globally. Likewise, Russia’s GLONASS and European Union’s Galileo can also work globally.
BeiDou can find you wherever you are. It helps you go faster by finding shortcuts (捷径) and using correct directions. It can look for mines (矿产) in deep mountains. It can give orders to driverless cars. This summer, Chinese people fought the flood in the South. Beidou helped measure (测量) the rise and fall of the flood water.
What’s more, when people are in danger and there is no cell phone signal, they can use Beidou to send a 1,200- word message to ask for help.
1. A satnav system works correctly and globally by using ________| A．a satellite | B．a group of satellites |
| C．a receiver like a smart phone | D．a group of receivers |
| A．7. | B．24. | C．59. | D．120. |
| A．The United States. | B．South Korea. | C．Russia. | D．China. |
| A．There are 60 Beidou satellite above our heads. |
| B．Beidou only works in China. |
| C．Beidou can be used for many things. |
| D．Everyone needs to have a smart phone that can use Beidou. |
