1 . “Is there life out there?” is a question which scientists are trying to answer. They look for life in space. In recent years, they have turned their attention to Europa, the sixth closest moon of Jupiter (木星).

Europa is a little smaller than the moon and is covered by ice. Its surface is too cold for anything to live there. Scientists want to know what lies under the ice, for that is where any life on Europa would most likely be.

For years, scientists believed all life on the earth depended on the sun. The discovery of chemosynthetic (化学合成的) life has changed scientists’ idea—planets with oceans (海洋) and hydrothermal vents (热液喷口) might also support life.

Europa does have oceans. In fact, Europa appears to have more oceans than the earth does. The ice on this moon’s surface covers what appears to be moving water. Do these oceans have hydrothermal vents? Scientists do not know yet. If they do, the oceans of Europa might support life. Only a space travel to Europa would tell for certain.

Scientists are studying the closest possible environment they can find on the earth: Lake Vostok. Like Europa’s oceans, Lake Vostok is miles under a frozen surface. It does not receive direct sunlight, either.

So like Europa, the lake cannot support photosynthetic (光合作用的) life. If scientists find life in the lake, it would support the idea that there might also be life on Europa.

根据短文内容选择最佳答案。
1. The underlined word “likely” in the passage probably means ________ in Chinese.

A．喜爱的

B．可能的

C．绝对的

2. Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A．Nothing can live on the surface of Europa.

B．Life may be found on planets with oceans and hydrothermal vents (热液喷口).

C．Scientists want to study Europa because it is the closest moon of Jupiter.

3. What does the underlined word “they” in Paragraph 4 refer to (指代) in the passage?

A．Scientists.

B．Space travels.

C．The oceans of Europa.

4. Why did the writer write the last paragraph?

A．To encourage more scientists to study Europa.

B．To introduce a way of showing there might be life on Europa.

C．To give more reasons why scientists study Jupiter.

5. What is the best title for the passage?

A．What do scientists do on Europa?

B．What is Europa like?

C．Is there life on Europa?

2 . 阅读下面文章，根据短文内容，完成下列各题。

Nowadays, a growing number of countries realize the importance of space and pay more attention to their space programs. Space exploration（探索） around the world has entered a new stage of rapid development that will have great influence on human society. Here is how China plans to take actions on space programs.

1. Why do more and more countries explore space?
Because space exploration has entered ________ and it ________ on society.
2. What’s the purpose of the the space lab?
It will make sure astronauts work safely and keep on ________ on scientific tests.
3. When will the International space station be built?
It will be built ________.
4. How does the writer like the China’s space program in the text?
He believes that China’s space program will ________.
5. What planets will people explore according to the text?
People will explore①________, ②________and the Jupiter.

3 . 根据短文内容，从短文后的A～F选项中选出适当的选项补全短文。

It can be hard to believe that it is just an illusion (错觉) when the moon has a “changing” size, but it is true. You can actually test it yourself and even catch it with a camera.

People mainly notice the moon looking bigger when it is full and near the horizon (地平线).     1     Imagine you are standing outside close to your house. Your house will look big, and if the moon rises next to it, the moon will look normal. If you look at a house from far away, though, the house looks very small.

    2     However, the things—a house, a mountain or anything else—that are compared with the moon have “changing” sizes. They look bigger or smaller depending on how far away from them you are.     3    

There are several explanations that sounds reasonable but wrong for the moon illusion.     4     The moon’s orbit is not perfectly round, so the moon does get nearer and farther away over the course of a month.

It’s easy to test the moon, illusion, and you can do it yourself. Next time you see the moon looking bigger than usual, bold out your hand with a straight arm.     5     Wait a little while until the moon moves higher into the sky and try the experiment again. The moon may look smaller, but your same finger will over it just the same.

A．The moon is always changing its shape.

B．Such as the idea that on some nights the moon really is closer.

C．Then close one eye and see which finger just covers the moon.

D．So when the moon rises next to a far house or a mountain, the moon looks huge.

E．This is because your mind senses the size of an object by comparing it with other things.

F．Actually, the moon is so far away that no matter where you are on the earth, it always looks the same size.

4 . Many people are interested in finding out what will happen to them in the future. For thousands of years, some people have used horoscopes（星象）for this purpose. Today, a great number of people still regard horoscopes as a way to learn what will happen to them. Some believe that their star signs（星座）can also tell a lot about a person’s personality.

Each star sign has good and bad qualities. For example, the star sign of the people who are born in late October and early November is Scorpio（天蝎座）. These people may often argue with others because they usually stick to their own minds. On the other hand, Scorpios are usually very honest and good at keeping secrets, which makes them good friends. In some countries, people even check their lovers’ star signs before they decide to get married. It is said that some star signs match well, while some do not.

However, not everyone believes in horoscopes or star signs. Many people object, because they think that star signs can’t tell them everything about a person. After all, not everyone fits their star sign. We probably all know some Scorpios who are open-minded, no matter what their star sign says. Whether you believe in horoscopes or not is up to you. However, learn about it in your free time and you may discover something new about yourself!

1. What can we learn from Paragraph 1?

A．Horoscopes have been studied for a long time.

B．Horoscopes have been popular among all people.

C．Many people study horoscopes at an early age.

D．Horoscopes can tell a lot about a person’s personality exactly.

2. According to star signs, what will a Scorpio most likely do?

A．Only stay alone.

B．Tell their friends a lie.

C．Be kind and easy-going to everyone.

D．Not change their minds easily.

3. The underlined word “object” probably means ________ in English.

A．support

B．worry

C．disagree

D．promise

4. What’s the best title for the passage?

A．The History of Horoscopes

B．Another Way to Learn about Yourself

C．Interesting Facts about Star Signs

D．A Science That Studies the Past

5 . We want to explore and try to better understand the world in which we live. Space exploration (探索) is one of the ways. Through the exploration of space, we can begin to unravel the mysteries of our universe and to better know our living environment.

Space exploration provides us with knowledge about the beginning of our solar system (太阳系), our own planet and ourselves. It also helps answer the questions that have puzzled us for many years. Solar system exploration is important because it is good for us.

Space technology has become an important part of our daily lives. Some technology uses satellites (卫星) to communicate. Satellites are also used to examine the changes in the Earth’s climate (气候) and seas, for weather report and for military (军事). We also use satellites in food production. Because of the use of space technology in crops, fewer and fewer people will suffer (受苦) hunger.

The space program provides a chance for nations to work together. The cooperation (合作) promotes (促进) peace and understanding between governments and their people. Many governments have taken part in the space technology, including the United States, Russia, Japan, the European nations and India. In the near future, other nations will take part in it. In fact, the United States remains the leader in new space technology.

1. The underlined word “unravel” in the first paragraph means “________” in Chinese.

A．解开

B．描述

C．相信

2. What is the main idea of the second paragraph?

A．Difficulties in space exploration.

B．The advantages of space exploration.

C．The answers to the questions of space exploration.

3. The following are the use of satellites EXCEPT ________.

A．reporting the weather

B．examining the changes of seas

C．changing the climate of a certain place

4. ________ is the best in new space technology.

A．The United States

B．Russia

C．Japan

5. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．Poor countries don’t agree to explore space.

B．People in different countries have different ideas on exploring space.

C．More and more countries will take part in the space program.

6 . One of the most detailed descriptions of a UFO was given by nine-year-old Gaynor Sunderland in July 1976. Gaynor lived in Oakenholt, a village in North Wales. On her way home from school, she saw a silver object shaped like a saucer (茶碟) in a field not far from her home.

The strange craft (飞行物) was about 30 feet long and 9 feet high. It had yellow windows along the side and on the top there was a light flashing in a kind of box. Although Gaynor was very frightened, she did not run away. Instead, she lay quietly in the long grass and watched the door of the strange craft open. She saw two people wearing silver suits come out of the craft. They were carrying some kind of equipment (设备) which they used to examine the ground. They were short and had large pink eyes, Gaynor reported.

After about half an hour, the two people went back into the craft. At once there was a loud noise and the UFO took off.

Although Gaynor told her mother what she had seen, her family decided to keep quiet about it. They did not want people to laugh at their daughter. However, 18 months later, Gaynor told her story to UFO experts. They hypnotized (使人进入睡眠状态) Gaynor so that they could be sure she was telling the truth.

Not only did she repeat her story, but also she was able to draw a picture of what she had seen!

1. Which of these descriptions of Gaynor is true?

A．She’s nine, lives in a village and has never seen a UFO before.

B．She was nine, and lived in Sunderland in England in 1976.

C．She was nineteen in July 1986, and lived in North Wales as a child.

D．She was at school north of Wales and her family name was Oakenholt.

2. Which of these descriptions of the UFO is true?

A．It was round and flat, and had yellow windows along the side.

B．It was ten feet longer than its breadth, and was silver.

C．It was a saucer-shaped box about thirty feet high.

D．It was a strange silver saucer which was like a craft.

3. What did Gaynor do as soon as she saw the UFO?

A．She told her mother.	B．She ran away.
C．She went home from school.	D．She hid in the long grass and watched it.

4. Who did she see come out of the UFO?

A．UFO experts.	B．Two short, pink-eyed people.
C．Two astronauts.	D．Silver people with equipment.

5. What did Gaynor say when she was hypnotized?

A．She had been lying about the UFO.	B．She didn’t understand the UFO.
C．She told what she saw about the UFO to the experts.	D．She couldn’t speak but she could draw a picture of the UFO.

7 . NASA has been building a new telescope, called James Webb Space Telescope. Scientists think it could help them search for signs of alien life! They can watch exoplanets（外行星）with the help of the new telescope.

So far, all the exoplanets we have found are too distant to send astronauts or spaceships to them. Researchers hope the new telescope will help them find out whether there are aliens on these exoplanets!

The new telescope should be able to find out if the exoplanets have oxygen on them. Oxygen is a gas. On the earth, all animals need to breathe oxygen to live. It’s produced by plants and some bacteria（细菌）. This means if there is oxygen on a planet, there might be living things as well.

These aliens probably won’t be green people. Instead, they might be tiny bacteria. Scientists say that finding oxygen doesn’t mean there must be alien life. “We don’t know if life is the only cause of oxygen in an atmosphere（大气层）, ” NASA scientist Edward Schwieterman said.

The telescope can do more than search for aliens. It can study light from billions of light years away. This will help scientists learn more about what happened at the start of the universe.

1. ________ could help scientists search for signs of alien life.

A．Exoplanets

B．Astronauts

C．Spaceships

D．James Webb Space Telescope

2. The underlined word “distant” in Paragraph 2 means ________.

A．cold	B．difficult
C．far away	D．dangerous

3. ________ produce oxygen.

A．Plants and animals

B．Plants and some bacteria

C．Only plants

D．Only some bacteria

4. Scientists say that finding oxygen doesn’t mean there must be alien life because ________.

A．scientists think that if we find oxygen we must find alien life

B．scientists think all animals need to breathe oxygen to live

C．scientists don’t know if life is the only cause of oxygen in an atmosphere

D．scientists don’t think aliens are green people

5. According to the passage, which is NOT RIGHT? ________

A．Scientists think the new telescope can help them search for exoplanets.

B．The new telescope should be able to find out if there is oxygen on exoplanets.

C．The aliens might be tiny bacteria.

D．The telescope can study light from billions of light years away.

8 . 你将听到一篇短文，请根据短文内容，完成信息卡，每空一词。短文读三遍。

When	When humans     1     to search the skies, they saw a lot of things.
What	In the universe, the     2     was like a small bit of dust.
Where	The sun, together with its eight planets travels in our     3    .
How many	The Milky Way has over     4     hundred billion stars like the sun.
Why	Because the space is so large, it is     5     to work out how far away a star is.

9 . 听对话，回答以下各小题。
1. Who is reading the newspaper at first?

A．The girl’s dad.

B．The girl.

C．The girl’s grandpa.

2. What is the latest news?

A．Some scientists have sent a spaceship with people to Mars.

B．Some scientists have sent a spaceship without people to Mars.

C．Some scientists have sent a spaceship with animals to Mars.

3. Why isn’t there any life on Mars?

A．Because there is no water on Mars.

B．Because there is no sun on Mars.

C．Because there is no air on Mars.

4. Who wants to read the newspaper with the girl?

A．The girl’s dad.

B．The girl’s mum.

C．The girl’s grandpa.

10 . 根据对话内容。从下面选项中选出恰当的句子补全对话，有一个选项是多余的。
A: Dennis!     1    
B: I’m doing nothing. But I have just watched a video on the Internet.
A:     2    
B: It is great. And I have learned a lot from it.
A: What is the video about?
B:     3    
A: Mars? I am very interested in it. Is there any life on Mars?
B: I don’t think so.
A:     4    
B: Yeah. They have.
A:     5    
B: Several months.
A: It is really a long but exciting journey.

A．It is about Mars.

B．What do you think of the video?

C．How long has it taken to get there?

D．What are you up to?

E．How was your weekend?

F．Have the scientists sent a spaceship to Mars?