1 . On October 1, 1958, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) was officially established. Since its inception, NASA has been interested in exploring outer space. However, in the face of climate change, NASA’s most important task might be its exploration of the earth.
Although it’s not as historic as a moon landing, NASA has been collecting valuable information about the earth for decades-since at least 1968, when Apollo 8 astronaut William Anders took his “Earthrise” photo of the earth from the moon. Soon after, in 1972, NASA launched (发射) the Earth Resources Technology Satellite (ERTS). Later known as Landsat 1, it was the first earth-observing satellite to be launched in order to observe and study the earth.
Karen St. Germain, director of NASA’s Earth Science Division, said, “For nearly 50 years, Landsat satellites have provided continuous and timely data, which can help us understand the earth and plan for the future in a changing climate.”
50 years later, Landsat 9 was successfully launched from California’s Vandenberg Space Force Base. Landsat 9 features two sensors (传感器) that will measure 11 wavelengths of light appearing on the surface of the earth. The first sensor, a camera known as the Operational Land Imager 2 (OLI-2), will take pictures of the earth. The second, the Thermal Infrared Sensor 2 (TIRS-2), will measure the heat from the earth’s surface.
“Landsat 9 will be our new eyes in the sky when it comes to observing our changing planet,” said Thomas Zurbuchen, associate administrator for science at NASA. “By working with the other Landsat satellites, we’ll have observations of any given place on our planet every two days. This is very important for tracking things like crop growth and helping decision-makers observe the earth and its natural resources.”
“Launches are always exciting, and today was no exception,” said Jeff Masek, NASA Landsat 9 project scientist. “But the best part for me, as a scientist, will be when the satellite starts delivering the data that people are waiting for.”
1. What does “inception” underlined in paragraph 1 probably mean?| A．Establishment. | B．Publishing. | C．Failure. | D．Disappearance. |
| A．Jeff Masek. | B．Karen St. Germain. |
| C．Thomas Zurbuchen. | D．William Anders. |
| A．The launch of Landsat 9. | B．The two sensors in Landsat 9. |
| C．The data collected by NASA. | D．The pictures taken by Landsat 9. |
| A．Landsat 9: New Eyes in the Sky |
| B．NASA: the Home of Astronauts |
| C．Space: the Focus of International Attention |
| D．Landsat 1:The First Earth-Observing Satellite |
2 . A powerful earthquake hit Morocco on Friday night, killing over 2,500 people and causing huge damage over a large area. The quake was one of the most powerful ever recorded in Morocco. It’s also the country’s deadliest earthquake in over 60 years. So far, the earthquake is reported to have killed over 2,680 people. It has injured over 2,500 others. The earthquake was especially dangerous because it happened at night, when people were asleep in their homes.
Marrakesh is a big city that’s popular with tourists. Many of its modern buildings seem to have survived the earthquake, but the old part of the city, Medina, was hit hard. It has buildings that are over 1,000 years old. Many of those buildings were demolished.
Outside of Marrakesh, the earthquake caused even more damage. In the Atlas Mountains, the earthquake’s center, there are many small villages, some of which were nearly destroyed.
Many of the people in the area live in simple houses made of mud bricks, which is a traditional way of building in Morocco. But it’s not strong enough to protect against earthquakes. Although the Moroccan government has laws that require buildings to be built more safely, these rules are often ignored.
Rescue workers have been working hard to save those affected by the quake. In larger cities, rescue efforts seem to be going well. But it has taken a lot longer for help to reach remote areas in the mountains. Many of these villages are difficult to get to. The earthquake caused landslides, blocking roads, and making these places even more difficult to reach. In some areas, phone and electrical service were also knocked out, leaving these places completely cut off. That means that the local people in some remote areas have had to deal with the situation on their own. In some areas, people have been digging through the broken stones or bricks with their hands, trying to find survivors. Many people are sleeping outside, unsure if their houses are safe.
Many outside countries have offered to help Morocco. Some countries have offered teams of experts; others have offered supplies.
1. What do we know about the earthquake in Morocco?| A．It only killed 2,680 people. | B．It occurred during the day. |
| C．It was the deadliest in recent decades. | D．It injured less than 2,500 people. |
| A．Destroyed. | B．Decorated. | C．Protected. | D．Constructed. |
| A．Necessary help from other countries for the quake-hit area. |
| B．The current serious situation faced by people in disaster areas. |
| C．Possible causes of the earthquake happening in Morocco. |
| D．Reasons why the earthquake caused so much damage in Morocco. |
| A．Rescue workers in big cities are in short supply. |
| B．Villagers in the quake-hit area try to save themselves. |
| C．Most of the houses in remote areas are reported safe. |
| D．Rescue workers can easily get in touch with mountain people. |
3 . The 2023 Nobel Prize in Chemistry has been awarded to Moungi G. Bawendi of Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Louis E. Brus of Columbia University, and Alexei I. Ekimov of Nanocrystals Technology Inc. in New York for the discovery and development of quantum dots (量子点).
The three scientists each contributed to a fundamental discovery, according to officials from the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, which awards several of the prizes each year. The work they’ve done has already led to new technology in television screens and bio-imaging.
Reached by phone during a press conference early Wednesday morning, Bawendi offered a stream of reactions: “Shocked. Sleepy. Very unexpected. And very honored.”
In a rare event, the winners’ names were leaked to the Swedish media before the official announcement. But Bawendi said he’d been sound asleep, so he didn’t hear anything about it.
Quantum dots are particles (粒子) that are so incredibly small that their size actually starts to affect their properties. For example, blue quantum dots and red quantum dots can be made from the exact same material, with the only difference being the size of the particle itself. (The blue quantum dots are smaller than red ones.)
In fact, changing the size can alter (改变) many different properties beyond just color, which means that quantum dots could be useful for a variety of applications, including building better solar panels and perhaps even creating fuel by using sunlight.
The three scientists will share the prize money of 11 million Swedish kronor (close to$995,000) in equal parts. This is the third science-focused Nobel Prize to be awarded this week. On Tuesday, the physics prize was awarded to Anne L’ Huillier, Pierre Agostini and Ferenc Krausz. And on Monday, Katalin Kariko and Drew Weissman won the prize in physiology or medicine.
Officials plan to announce the literature prize on Thursday, followed by the peace prize on Friday. The economics prize will be awarded on Monday.
1. How did Bawendi feel when receiving the call early Wednesday morning?| A．Angry. | B．Surprised. | C．Bored. | D．Sorry. |
| A．The size of the particles. | B．The difference in materials. |
| C．The change in shapes. | D．The variety of applications. |
| A．The 2023 Nobel Prize in physics. | B．The 2023 Nobel Prize in medicine. |
| C．The 2023 Nobel Prize in literature. | D．The 2023 Nobel Prize in chemistry. |
| A．A short story. | B．A diary entry. | C．A news report. | D．A research article. |
4 . Ritz has been teaching for nearly 10 years in a high school where the early graduation rate of the students was just 17%. He discovered a way to connect and intrigue these students, especially the ones who seemed the hardest to reach.
Once, he received a package of flower bulbs (球茎) which he mistakenly thought were onions. He was afraid that they might become weapons (武器) in a classroom fight, so he hid them behind a radiator (暖气片) and forgot about them.
Six weeks later, an angry girl ran after a boy who always made troubles. As usual, Ritz rushed towards them to break up what he thought was about to become a disaster. He saw the boy reach towards the radiator and thought he might have hidden a weapon there. To his surprise, the boy suddenly pulled out a bunch of yellow flowers and gave them to the girl as a peace offering. The girl decided to take the flowers home to her mother and peace came back.
The forgotten bulbs were actually daffodils (黄水仙). The steam from the radiator had forced them into flowers. From such an experience, Ritz realized that if there was power in plants to stop a classroom fight, there must be power in plants to change students’ lives. He turned the moment of growing plants into a green course, a movement that would change his life and the lives of his students. He designed vegetable gardens into part of the school ground and on top of a building.
Ritz’s students now have near-perfect attendance and graduation rates. His efforts have led him to be a great teacher who uses the power of a plant to give a voice to children.
1. What does the underlined word “intrigue” mean in paragraph 1?| A．Interest. | B．Protect. | C．Punish. | D．Challenge. |
| A．The radiator. | B．A tasty dish. |
| C．Some yellow flowers. | D．The teacher’s words. |
| A．They have low attendance. | B．They become the hardest to reach. |
| C．They know how to make weapons. | D．They fall in love with learning. |
| A．What a Classroom Needs for a Fight |
| B．Why a Plant Has an Effect on Students |
| C．How a Teacher Changes His Students |
| D．How a Teacher Becomes Popular |
5 . It happens in every disaster (灾难): For those in need, people often donate (捐赠) things that turn out to be more of a trouble.
Juanita Rilling remembers it happened in 1988 when she was a disaster expert trying to help people suffering from a hurricane (飓风) in Honduras. “One morning I received a call from one of our logistic operators (物流运营商), and he explained to me that there was a plane carrying medical supplies that needed to land,” says Rilling. “But the ground was full, with lots of donations that no one had required. The plane—full of needed supplies—had to find someplace else to go. And it ended up stopping everyone’s plans by about 48 hours, which is important time in a disaster.”
Rilling now runs the Center for International Disaster Information, which is trying to make sure things like that don’t happen again. So when Superstorm Sandy hit, Rilling’s group started a project to encourage money donation. “Even a small donation can make a big difference and can quickly become exactly what people affected by a disaster need most,” Rilling says. But despite this, donators do that over and over. About 60% of the things donated after a disaster couldn’t be used. Often it’s old clothing or food.
Meghan Hara, who deals with kind donations for the American Red Cross, says she knows that some people are careful with giving money. And she doesn’t think that the need to give something concrete (实物) should be completely stopped.
“Part of what people are doing is that they’re helping, and they’re trying to help. What we need to work out is how to effectively deal with that,” Hara says.
1. What caused needed supplies to be put off after the hurricane in 1988?| A．Workers on the plane. | B．A weather report. |
| C．Useless donations on the ground. | D．The call from the operator. |
| A．Clothing. | B．Money. | C．Medicine. | D．Food. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Uncaring. | D．Worried. |
| A．Studies on natural disasters. |
| B．The benefits of helping others. |
| C．Tips on choosing useful donations. |
| D．The ways of managing people’s donations. |
6 . By the time Joy Ryan, a US grandma, turned 85, she had never seen the ocean or mountains. For Joy, trips to the local fishing area with her husband were about the farthest place she had ever gone, even if she loved watching the Travel Channel.
But one day Joy’s grandson, Brad Ryan, discovered that he and his grandma had a common interest in their love for traveling, when they began to visit the American great outdoors together.
Brad said, “When I learned my grandma had never seen the great wildernesses of America—deserts, mountains and oceans, I thought there was something I needed to do.” It was after taking his grandma out of Ohio on a visit to the Great Smoky Mountains National Park that he came up with the idea of visiting all the 63 US national parks with her to create inspiring memories.
Going to all the 63 US National Parks is a huge achievement even for a much younger adventurer (冒险家). Brad said his grandmother’s physical strength (体力) grew with their trips. For example, his grandma went water rafting (漂流) at 91, with class three rapids and when walking at the New River Gorge National Park in West Virginia, she broke the record by almost a decade!
It wasn’t always like this, however. Joy was so wobbly (不稳的) on her first trip, challenged by her balance. A group of college students clapped their hands when she reached the top of a path they were following.
Joy broke her age limitation (限制) and at the age of 93, she made history as the oldest living person to visit every US National Park. Joy believes it’s the mix of hopefulness, willpower, and the good health that gives her strength.
1. With whom did Joy Ryan visit all the 63 US national parks?| A．Her grandson. | B．Her husband. |
| C．Her daughter. | D．Her student. |
| A．She had a love for traveling. |
| B．Water rafting is dangerous for the old. |
| C．There is no age limitation for water rafting. |
| D．She had developed a strong body from traveling. |
| A．Her memory. | B．Her balance. |
| C．Her physical strength. | D．Her sense of direction. |
| A．Brave and hopeful. | B．Humorous and outgoing. |
| C．Hard-working and helpful. | D．Thoughtful and self-confident. |
7 . Antarctica (南极洲) is a great, icy land, surrounded by the huge Southern Ocean. The ice in Antarctica doesn’t just cover the land. There’s also a large area of sea ice, which floats (漂浮) on the ocean’s surface.
Scientists have been measuring the area of the sea ice in Antarctica since 1979. For most of this time, Antarctica has seemed to be almost not influenced by the changing weather conditions experienced in other parts of the planet. In fact, until recent years, Antartica’s sea ice area mainly set records for growing.
That began to change around 2016. Now, for several years, the area of Antartica’s sea ice has been getting smaller. This year, the US National Snow and Ice Data Center (NSIDC) reported that Antartica’s sea ice reached its maximum on September 10 — almost two weeks earlier than normal. And the sea ice was at a new record low — not just by a little bit, but by a lot.
The last time Antartica’s low sea ice set a record at the end of winter was in 1986. And this year, there’s about 1.03 million square kilometers less sea ice than in 1986. It’s hard to picture such a large area, but it’s around 1.6 times the size of France.
Scientists are still trying to understand what is driving the change in Antarctica. Ted Scambos, a research scientist at the University of Colorado, says, “Antarctica’s ice levels have always changed some, but the situation this year is pointing towards warmer ocean conditions around the area.”
The new low record has scientists worried. The sea ice is important, because it helps cool the planet. When it’s frozen, sea ice reflects sunlight back out into space. But when the sea ice melts (融化), the water left behind is darker, and takes in and keeps more heat.
1. What did NSIDC find about the sea ice in Antarctica this year?| A．It protected the wildlife in the ocean. | B．It grew and covered a wider area. |
| C．It turned out to be difficult to observe. | D．It reached a new record low level. |
| A．To present the total area of the country. |
| B．To introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| C．To show the sharp loss of Antarctica’s sea ice. |
| D．To explain the position of the wonderful land. |
| A．Low rainfall. | B．Rising temperatures. |
| C．Cold weather. | D．Short summer months. |
| A．It’s key to the earth’s cooling system. | B．It’s just a short-term problem. |
| C．It reminds us to find water resources. | D．It offers humans a bright future. |
8 . As children returned to school in Sweden last month, many of their teachers were putting a new importance on some traditional skills. These included reading printed books, quiet reading time and handwriting practice. Teachers were spending less time on digital products, online research and typing skills.
The return to traditional ways of learning might be the answer to questions raised by experts. They have questioned the country’s dependence on electronic technology in education. For example, schools in Sweden have introduced tablets (平板电脑) in preschools.
Lotta Edholm, Swedish Minister for Schools, was one of the biggest critics (反对者) of the level of technology in schools. “Sweden’s students need more textbooks,” Edholm said. “Physical books are important for student learning.” Edholm said last month that the government wants to reverse the decision made by the National Agency for Education to make digital products required in preschools. The ministry plans to stop digital learning for children under the age of six.
Sweden’s students score above the European average (平均分) for reading ability. But an international test of fourth grade reading levels showed Sweden’s children had lost ground between 2016 and 2021. “An overuse of electronic products during school lessons may cause kids to fall behind,” education experts said.
Sweden’s Karolinska Institute, a medical school centered on research, said in a statement last month, “It has been proved that digital tools harm rather than benefit student learning.” It added that schools should instead center on teaching using printed textbooks.
Not all experts think Sweden’s move away from digital technology is only about what is best for students. “It ignores the fact that technology improves learning,” said Neil Selwyn, a professor of education.
1. How does digital technology influence schools in Sweden?| A．They act as a role model. | B．They tend to depend on it. |
| C．They center on written tests. | D．They value students’ talents. |
| A．Acquire. | B．Change. | C．Recover. | D．Follow. |
| A．It is an ill-considered step. | B．It achieves great results. |
| C．It is easy to be carried out. | D．It opens children’s mind. |
| A．The Advantage of Traditional Skills |
| B．Recent Advances in Electronic Technology |
| C．Sweden Starts to Control Digital Products in Schools |
| D．Students in Europe Gave an Impressive Performance |
9 . At 104 years old, Dorothy Hoffner fell. Then she kept falling, and falling. When the lifelong Chicagoan finally touched the ground last Sunday, she landed in the history books and became the oldest person to ever sky-dive (跳伞).
As Hoffner prepared to board, she pushed her red walker out and walked slowly to the plane, where two expert instructors helped her up the steps into the hold. “Let’s go!” she said, finally seated. The plane quickly rose, Hoffner looking calm and confident all the while.
When the aft (机尾) door opened to show the crop fields far below, she and the instructor were ready to stand up. When Hoffner first sky-dived at 100 years old, she was pushed out, she said. This time, she wanted to lead the jump.
Seven minutes after her jump, she moved slowly in the air for her historic landing. The wind pushed back her white hair. A look of excitement and wonder spread across her face. She picked up her legs as the ground approached. And finally, she managed to land on the ground.
The crowd gathered along the landing area. Friends rushed to share the moment. Someone brought over Hoffner’s red walker. She rose fast, and a reporter asked how it felt to be back on the ground. “The whole thing was wonderful, and couldn’t have been better,” she said.
The Guinness World Record for oldest skydiver was set in May 2022 by 103-year-oldLinnéa Ingegard Larsson from Sweden. When asked how it felt like to break the record, Hoffner replied quickly, “Like I’m old.” But the record didn’t seem to interest Hoffner before the jump. Instead, she focused on the peaceful falling through the sky. Hoffner strongly encouraged others to sky-dive like her. “It’s surprisingly affordable and so amazing,” she said.
1. What did Hoffner do last Sunday?| A．She reported a sports event. | B．She managed to sky-dive. |
| C．She celebrated her birthday. | D．She wrote a history book. |
| A．Surprised. | B．Anxious. | C．Excited. | D．Hopeless. |
| A．The falling in the air. | B．Her family’s help. |
| C．The low cost of the jump. | D．Her friends’ support. |
| A．To see is to believe. | B．Time tells everything. |
| C．Hard work pays off. | D．Age is just a number. |
10 . In recent years, Britain has seen a rise in interest in learning and teaching Chinese as a second language. In 2015, Britain’s Department for Education devoted 10 million pounds to Chinese teaching in state schools across the country. Hundreds of pupils are taking part in the program, which aims to make at least 5, 000 young people fluent in Chinese by 2022.
A Chinese-English nursery named Hatching Dragons was established in London in 2015, accepting babies from as young as 6 months to 5 years old. Two years later, the first bilingual (双语的) English and Chinese primary school was opened at Kensington, London.
Petts Wood Mandarin-English Preschool, which opened Friday at Bromley in southeastern suburb of London, is the first Chinese immersion (沉浸式) preschool founded in Britain. After three years of planning and preparation, the school has drawn expert opinions on Chinese immersion learning from Europe, the US and China. It offers Chinese and English bilingual immersive education for children aged 2 to 5.
Bromley Councillor Kim Botting, who has visited China three times, is very interested in Britain-China education exchanges. He called the school a wonderful and fantastic thing for the community while attending the opening ceremony on Friday.
The local community showed huge interest and support to the newly established preschool. Xu Zhi, head teacher of Petts Wood, said the preschool offered up to 25 places and six children registered (before the opening, with many families signed up for trial lessons in the next few weeks.
“I had the idea of establishing a bilingual preschool three years ago when I realized that more and more British families wanted an earlier start for their children’s Chinese learning,” Xu said. “Many high school students in Britain also learn Chinese at school for two or three hours each week, but that is not enough and also a bit late for language learning.”
1. What do we know about Petts Wood Mandarin-English Preschool?| A．It opens to all children aged 2 to 6 in the community. |
| B．It requires all students to register before the opening. |
| C．It is the first Chinese immersion preschool in Britain. |
| D．It employs teachers from Europe, the US and Japan. |
| A．Positive. | B．Doubtful. | C．Unconcerned. | D．Unclear. |
| A．To show the difficulty of learning Chinese. | B．To stress the importance of bilingual learning. |
| C．To praise high school students for their efforts. | D．To explain the necessity of a bilingual preschool. |
| A．A short story. | B．A book review. | C．A news report. | D．A research article. |
