1 . The sun comes out in the morning and sets at night, and then the moon rises. Right? Then how come we can see the moon during the day sometimes?
The moon and the sun don’t actually take turns in the sky. The earth goes around the sun, and the moon goes around the earth. All three are spinning (旋转) in space all the time.
The moon moves through the sky night and day. Much of the time, the sunlight is so bright that we can’t see the moon during the day.
The sun is a very hot fire ball, which gives off both heat and light. But the moon is made of rock, it has no fire, and it is not hot or bright at all. What we call moonlight is actually sunlight bouncing off the moon, the same way that sunlight bounces off the glass in the window. They look like they’re lighting up, but they’re really just passing the sunlight along.
How bright the moon is depends on where it is in the sky. If the moon is between the earth and the sun, it doesn’t bounce any sunlight to us at all, and it is very hard to see, even at night. This is called a new moon.
When the moon is behind the earth, it shines very brightly. We call this a full moon. Sometimes, when the moon is very bright, we can see it even during the daytime.
1. Much of the time, we can’t see the moon during the day because ______.| A．the sunlight is so bright | B．the moon goes around the earth |
| C．the sun gives off heat and light | D．the moon is self-turning in space |
| A．闪光 | B．反射 | C．移动 | D．照耀 |
| A．in front of the earth | B．behind the sun |
| C．between the earth and the sun | D．behind the earth |
| A．the moon has its own light |
| B．there is no heat on the moon |
| C．the moonlight we see is the sunlight |
| D．the moon and the sun don’t appear at the same time |
| A．How Does the Moon Pass the Sunlight Along? |
| B．When Can We See a New Moon or a Full Moon? |
| C．Why Can We Sometimes See the Moon During the Day? |
| D．Why Don't the Moon and the Sun Take Turns in the Sky? |
A special lecture began on Thursday morning, given by a teacher aboard a space module about 340 km above her students on Earth, the first such attempt by Chinese.
Astronaut Wang Yaping, one of the three crew members of Shenzhou-10 spacecraft, greeted about 330 primary and middle school students at a Beijing high school, through a live video feed system. “Hello, everyone. I am Wang Yaping. 1. 今天我上这堂课。” She said. The students in her class are gathering at the High School Affiliated to Renmin University in Beijing. 2. More than 60 million students and teachers are also watching the live broadcast(直播) on TV.
3. 这堂课的第一部分都是关于重量。 Nie Haisheng, commander of the crew, made a bit show of crossing his legs into a meditation sitting posture in the air, which only a martial art master can do in the movies but is impossible for real people on the Earth. “4. Thanks to the weightless condition, we are all masters,” Wang joked. Then, she introduced the special scale on board of the orbiter. 5. The lesson is aimed(旨意) at making space more popular, as well as inspiring enthusiasm for the universe and science, according to Zhou Jianping, designer-in-chief of China’s manned space program, who added that the lesson will also accumulate experience for similar larger activities.
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3 . Like all the planets in our solar system, Earth and Mars go around the sun. But Earth is closer to the sun, and therefore revolves along its orbit(轨道) quickly. Earth makes two trips around the Sun in about the same amount of time that Mars takes to make one trip. So sometimes the two planets are on the opposite sides of the Sun, very far apart, and other times, Earth catches up with its neighbor and passes relatively close to it.
Since Mars and the Sun appear on opposite sides of the sky, we say that Mars is in “opposition”. Mars oppositions happen about every 26 months. Every 15 or 17 years, opposition occurs within a few weeks of Mars’ perihelion(近日点).
An opposition can occur anywhere along Mars’ orbit. When it happens while the red planet is closest to the sun (called “perihelic opposition”), Mars is particularly close to Earth. If Earth and Mars both had perfectly stable orbits, then each perihelic opposition would bring the two planets as close as they could be. So, with all these added factors, some bring us closer together than others. The 2003 opposition was the closest approach in almost 60,000 years!
Mars’ orbit is more elliptical(椭圆的) than Earth’s, so the difference between perihelion and aphelion(远日点) is greater, Mars’ orbit has been getting more and more elongated, carrying the planet even nearer to the Sun at perihelion and even farther away at aphelion. So future perihelic oppositions will bring Earth and Mars even closer. Our 2003 record will stand until August 28, 2287!
1. Mars ________.| A．isn’t one of the planets in our solar system |
| B．is farther from the sun than the earth |
| C．never meets Earth close |
| D．and Earth have the same orbit around the sun |
| A．as long as | B．not so long as |
| C．as about two times long as | D．as about three times long as |
| A．When Mars is in “opposition”, Mars and the sun are opposite in the sky. |
| B．Mars oppositions happen about every 15 or 17 years. |
| C．An opposition can occur everywhere along Mars’ orbit. |
| D．Mars oppositions happen about every 26 months. |
| A．伸长的 | B．拉长 | C．延长 | D．被拉得.细长的 |
| A．is the closest approach in almost 60,000 years |
| B．is in 2003 |
| C．will bring Earth and Mars even farther |
| D．will happen on August 28, 2287 |
4 .
 | Good evening! Today is May 15, 2021. This is CCTV news! China’s Tianwen 1 rover successfully landed on Mars early this morning Beijing Time. The rover will work on Mars for at least three months and do a lot of surveys of the planet. The Tianwen 1 probe was launched (发射) in Hainan on July 23, 2020 and entered its parking orbit (轨道) above Mars in February, 2021. “The landing left a Chinese mark on Mars for the first time. It is another landmark progress in China’s space industry development,” said President Xi. |
| A．Three months. | B．Half a year. | C．About ten months. | D．Over a year. |
| A．Another new beginning of China’s space industry. |
| B．The successful launch of China’s Tianwen 1 probe. |
| C．The Chinese people’s deep love of the planet Mars. |
| D．Another progress in China’s space industry development. |
5 . “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star” is a popular song for children. But have you ever wondered why the stars twinkle? I’m afraid many adults don’t understand this question, let’s unlock the mystery of the stars!
When we look up to the sky on a clear, dark night, our eyes can see about 6,000 stars in the sky. Some stars look like they are always twinkling and winkling. They are very beautiful. In fact, most of the stars are shining with a steady(稳定的) light. Not all stars twinkle. The stars that twinkle are generally stars. In addition to the Sun, the nearest star to the Earth, the neighboring star(比邻星), is also more than 4 light years away from Earth. Because the distance is too far, the stars we see are only a small point. Also, from the distant star travels a long way through the atmosphere(大气) down to us on Earth. At the same time, the air is moving in the atmosphere of Earth. The movement of air causes the starlight to get slightly bent. To our eyes, this makes the star twinkle. You will notice that stars closer to the horizon appear to twinkle more than other stars. This is because there is more atmosphere between you and a star near the horizon. However, there is no atmosphere in space to make the stars seem to twinkle. That’s why the Hubble telescope(哈勃望远镜), which is in space, can take such clear pictures of other galaxies(星系).
Go out tonight and take a look at the stars twinkling in the sky!
1. On a clear, dark night, our eves can see ________ stars in the sky.
| A．less than 6,000 | B．more than 6,000 |
| C．around 6,000 | D．not mentioned in the article |
| A．fixed | B．colourful | C．bright | D．flashing |
| A．Air on Earth. |
| B．The movement of air in the atmosphere of Earth. |
| C．The long distance between stars and Earth. |
| D．The movement of stars. |
| A．Because stars twinkle in space. | B．Because air is not moving in space. |
| C．Because the telescope is close to stars. | D．Because there is no atmosphere in space. |
| A．What do stars look like? | B．Which song do children like best? |
| C．How to observe the stars from Earth? | D．Why are many stars so dim at night? |
Seth dropped his schoolbag and headed straight for the fridge. He needed a good snack if he was going to stay up late to watch the super perigee moon. He didn’t care about the moon, but Mr. Andrews assigned (布置作业) a project and expected him to do all that work in one night.
“Hungry?” Mom asked.
“Not really, but I have to eat something. Mr. Andrews is making me watch the moon tonight and write up information on it.”
“Oh, that’s right. Tonight is the super perigee moon.” Mom smiled. “What a fun assignment.”
Fun? Was she crazy? “I don’t think staying up late to stare (凝视) at the moon sounds like fun at all.”
Mom laughed. “You just wait. I’m sure you’ll enjoy it more than you think you will.”
Seth didn’t think so. Mr. Andrews told the class that the super perigee moon appears when the full or new moon is the closest to the Earth. They spent an entire class talking about how big the moon usually looks. Seth didn’t see why this was such a big deal.
When the sun set, Seth walked outside. “That’s strange,” he said to his dad, “It’s so bright out here.”
“The super perigee moon is about 30% brighter than usual,” Dad said. “When I was younger, Grandpa used to study astronomy. He taught me all about space. The super perigee moon was always one of my favorite things to look at.”
Seth stared at the moon. Not only was it bright, it was huge—bigger than any full moon he’d ever seen.
“About 40% larger than usual,” Dad said.
Seth opened the notebook and started to write down the information his dad told him. “Think I should take pictures for the assignment?”
“Why not? It’s a good idea. It would get you good marks.”
“And I’d like to have pictures to remember this. It’s pretty cool.”
“So I guess you’re not too upset that you have to do the homework after all,” Dad said.
Seth continued to stare in awe (无比崇敬地) at the super perigee moon. “I think it’s the best assignment we’ve had all year.”
1. Seth’s assignment was to _______.| A．take some pictures of planets and stars |
| B．surf the Internet for information on space |
| C．invite his parents to help him finish a task |
| D．watch the moon and write up information |
| A．Mr. Andrews. | B．His father. | C．His mother. | D．His classmate. |
| A．he spent the whole night with his father |
| B．he would get good marks after finishing it |
| C．it interested him to learn more about the moon |
| D．it helped him make his grandpa’s dream come true |
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 |
It was 12 o’clock at night. Jack
Have you ever seen Mars? Have you
Mars is the fourth planet from the sun and the seventh largest in the solar system. The
On April 7, 2001, America sent Odyssey to Mars. The journey took Odyssey
| A．just | B．yet | C．even | D．never |
| A．proud | B．alone | C．already | D．afraid |
| A．star | B．air | C．light | D．sun |
| A．hear about | B．heard from | C．heard about | D．hear from |
| A．interest | B．interested | C．interesting | D．interests |
| A．planet | B．plant | C．star | D．satellite |
| A．look | B．with | C．like | D．looks like |
| A．much | B．few | C．several | D．a lot |
| A．discovered | B．find | C．worked | D．find out |
| A．to find | B．finds | C．to finding | D．find |
Mars（火星）is a planet and is the 4th closest planet to the Sun. The distances from the Sun to Mars is more than 141 million miles. Mars is the largest planet in the solar system（太阳系）, which makes Mars the 2nd smallest planet in the solar system. Mars is one of the four planets in the solar system that is a rocky planet. These rocky planets are called “Terrestrial（类地的） Planets”.
It’s not known when Mars was found and by whom as Mars has been known for a very long time, and one of the planets that can be seen from the Earth without a telescope（望远镜）. Mars’s orbit（轨道）around the Sun is the 4th fastest orbit of all the solar system planets. Mars is red in colour and is very cold. Not the coldest of planets in the solar system but very cold all the same. The temperature on Mars is on average 80 degrees, and can get a lot colder at times.
At times in the summer near the Mars the temperature can reach 70 degrees. You may think it’s warm enough to live; however, the atmosphere（大气层）is over 95%. Mars orbits the Sun in 687 days, which means 1 Earth year on Mars is 687 days.
1. The distance from the Sun to Mars is fewer than 141 million miles.2. Mars is one of the planets that can be seen from the Earth with a telescope.
3. Mars is not the coldest planet in the solar system.
4. The average temperature on Mars is 70 degrees.
5. It takes 687 days for Mars to orbit the Sun.
10 . Earth is our home. It has air that we can breathe(呼吸). It has water for us to drink. It has plants and animals that we can eat. Earth is not too hot or too cold for us. It has everything we need to live.
We are on earth, but we can see things that are not on earth. Early in the morning, we can see the sun comes up. All day, the sun seems to move across the sky. Later in the day, we can see the sun goes down.
But the sun is not really moving around us. We are the ones who are moving. Every morning, we turn towards the sun. Every night, we turn away from it. Every year, we go around it. Earth is our spaceship. All of us in the spaceship are riding around the sun.
At night, we can often see the moon and stars. From earth, stars look like little points of light because they are so far away. But stars are really big. A star is a great mass(一团) of burning gas. It gives off light and heat. Our sun is a star.
There are eight planets moving around our sun. Earth is the third planet around the sun. Some of the planets have moons. A moon goes around a planet just as a planet goes around a star. Earth has only one moon. Some planets have more.
Answer the questions according to the passage.
1. Why is earth our home?
2. Is the sun really moving around us?
3. Why do stars look small?
4. How many planets move around our sun?
5. Some planets have more moons, don’t they?
