1 . No human has set foot on the Moon since 1972. Now, after more than four decades of inactivity, interest in putting humans back on the Moon is finally heating up again. But who will get there first?
CHINA
On 14 December 2013, China successfully landed its Jade Rabbit rover(探测车)on the Moon. It is now working on its next exploration mission. Named Chang’e 4, the mission is scheduled to touch down in the Aitken Basin near the end of 2018. If successful, it will be the first landing on the Moon’s far side.
RUSSIA
Russia plans a manned Moon landing in 2030. It is currently working on a project whose idea is that the landers will explore the south pole of the Moon, exploring for resources such as minerals and water ice to be used to provide for a human outpost(前哨站).
INDIA
Following the success of its Chandrayaan-1 in 2008, India announced a follow-on mission. Chandrayaan-2 was meant to cooperate with Russia. But when the Russians failed to deliver the promised lander in 2013, India decided to go it alone. Chandrayaan-2 is about to be sent up in 2018.
U. S. A.
In December 2018, NASA plans to send up the Exploration Mission 1, an uncrewed test of their Orion astronaut capsule in which the craft will circle around the Moon before returning to Earth. All being well, a crewed capsule will follow in 2023. Should the mission prove a success, the astronauts will be the first humans to see the far side of the Moon with their own eyes since Apollo 17 in 1972.
1. What will China do in its next space mission?| A．Improve its Jade Rabbit rover. |
| B．Work with other countries. |
| C．Land Chang’e 4 on the Moon. |
| D．Explore the south pole of the Moon. |
| A．It couldn’t find a partner. |
| B．It didn’t get the lander as planned. |
| C．The Russians refused to work with India. |
| D．It planned to launch Chandrayaan-2 in advance. |
| A．Russia. | B．China. | C．India. | D．U. S. A. |
2 . Do you like running enough to make it a habit? Tierney Wolfgram does; she has made running a lifelong career and isn't stopping.
In February, the 16-year-old from a high school, US, competed at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. She finished the marathon(42.195 km)with a time of 2:42:47 as the youngest competitor in the race and ranked 76th out of 390 runners. However, the cross-country(越野的)season was postponed to winter because of the COVID-19. So she jumped at the opportunity to train for another race-the Parkway Marathon in California. In November, Wolfgram broke the Women's American Junior marathon record with her time of 2:31:49. The old record was 2:34:32, which had stood since 1984.
“I'm completely stunned, ”said Wolfgram's coach. “I knew she was going to break it, but she really showed out！”
During the run, Wolfgram once hit a wall pretty hard, but she overcame it to finish. “I guess I can say I gave it my all, ”she told Runner's World. “When I finished, all I was thinking was I felt super happy,” Wolfgram said This was only her third marathon. In 2018, when Wolfgram was 15 years old, she ran her first marathon just because she wanted to see if she had the ability to do it. “I believed that I would get faster as the distances got longer. . . I'm still glad that I did it. ”
When preparing for that first marathon, she ran up to 120 miles per week. Although her parents didn't have any background in running, they helped Wolfgram train. At first, her dad would take her out in the morning and run about 13 miles. The distance would gradually increase each day. On top of her runs in the morning, she would do cross-country practice after school.
Now Wolfgram will consider attending the Olympics Games in 2024 after it's scheduled.
1. What can we learn about Wolfgram from Paragraph 2?| A．She was the champion at the 2020 US Olympic Trials. |
| B．She put off the cross-country season for the COVID-19. |
| C．She broke an Olympic marathon record in November. |
| D．She prepared for the Parkway Marathon in California. |
| A．Doubtful | B．Worried. | C．Shocked. | D．Interested |
| A．Her parents' encouragement. | B．Her desire to prove she could do it. |
| C．Her coach's support and help. | D．Her hope to break the national record |
| A．Sports. | B．Lifestyle | C．Culture. | D．Opinion |
3 . Perhaps you have heard a lot about the Internet,but what is it,do you know?The Internet is a network.It uses the telephone to join millions of computers together around the world.
Maybe that doesn’t sound very interesting.But when you’ve joined to the Internet,there are lots of things you can do.You can send e-mails to your friends,and they can get them in a few seconds.You can also do with all kinds of information on the World Wide Web(WWW).
There are many different kinds of computers now.They all can be joined to the Internet.Most of them are small machines sitting on people’s desks at home,but there are still many others in schools,offices or large companies.These computers are owned by people and companies,but no one really owns the Internet itself.
There are lots of places for you to go into the Internet.For example,your school may have the Internet,and you can use it during lessons or free time.Libraries often have computers joined to the Internet,and you are welcome to use it at any time.
Thanks to the Internet,the world is becoming smaller and smaller.It is possible for you to work at home with a computer in front,getting and sending the information you need.You can buy or sell whatever you want on the Internet.But do you know 98% of the information on the Internet is in English?So what will English be like tomorrow?
1. What is the passage mainly about?| A．The Internet. | B．The information. |
| C．The computers. | D．The emails. |
| A．By post. | B．By email. |
| C．By telephone. | D．By satellite. |
| A．In the office. | B．At school. |
| C．At home. | D．In the company. |
| A．English is important in using the Internet. |
| B．The Internet is more and more popular. |
| C．Most of the information is in English. |
| D．Every computer must have the Internet. |
4 . Foxes have become a part of life in Britain's urban areas.They are striking creatures but they are also dangerous.Three years ago，twin baby girls Isabella and Lola Koupparis were left with arm and face injuries after they were attacked by a fox while they were sleeping at their home.Last week，four-week-old baby boy Denny Dolan was bitten by a fox which entered his home.After gaining access to the home through the front door，the fox pulled the baby down from the sofa and tried to drag him outside，biting him and almost severing(割断) his finger.
Although fox attacks on humans are still very rare，they will become more common if we don't change our behavior towards these increasingly fearless animals.It is humans rather than foxes that are responsible for rising fox attacks on humans.
On the one hand，people who love foxes treat these wild animals like pets，leaving food out for foxes，feeding them from their hands，and even inviting foxes into their home.The result is that the fox is more brazen(厚颜无耻的)and less inclined to avoid us.It is those people who feed foxes that cause foxes to lose their fear of humans.However，as long as they have a healthy fear of humans，they won't bother humans.
On the other hand，foxes have moved into cities for lack of resources in rural areas.We take away their natural habitat to build more houses and factories.Foxes have no choice but to live and search for food in the city.If they live in the forest，no fox attack will happen.
We have to learn to share the earth with animals and let foxes return to their natural habitat.We also have to learn to look upon foxes as wild animals.We have to remember that they are instinctive killers，efficient and silent with only one purpose，kill to eat.We must certainly not intervene them，even when they look starved.They are hungry for a reason.The hunger will force them to hunt for rabbits and other animals instead of waiting for food at your door.
1. We can learn from the passage that ．| A．it is common for people to spot foxes in British cities |
| B．it is very difficult for people to raise foxes as pets |
| C．it is common for foxes to attack a child in Britain's urban areas |
| D．it is very dangerous for foxes to live in Britain's urban areas |
| A．Because urban people love the cute animal. |
| B．Because foxes lack natural resources in the forest. |
| C．Because no houses are built for them in the forest. |
| D．Because their habitats are occupied by other animals. |
| A．is very cruel to foxes |
| B．is a wild animal lover |
| C．is concerned about foxes |
| D．is against feeding foxes |
| A．It is humans rather than foxes that are to blame for the rising fox attacks on humans. |
| B．People in cities must certainly not feed foxes，even when they look starved. |
| C．Human beings have to learn to live in harmony with wild animals in cities. |
| D．Foxes in British cities are striking creatures but they are also dangerous animals. |
5 . Amazon sells 1，161 kinds of toilet brushes. I know this because I recently spent an evening trying to choose one of them for the bathroom in my new apartment. Nearly an hour later， after having read countless contradictory （矛盾的） reviews and considering far too many choices， I felt tired and simply gave up. The next day， I happily bought the only toilet brush the local dollar store offered.
Too many choices exhaust us， make us unhappy and lead us to sometimes flee from making a decision altogether. Researcher Barry Schwartz calls this “choice overload”. And it's not just insignificant details like which brush to wipe the inside of the toilet with - having too many choices in our creative and professional lives can lead us to avoid making important decisions.
Understanding how and why we make decisions can perhaps help us make better choices down the line. We make poorer decisions when we are tired. It's caused by decision fatigue （疲劳）. The mind can only sort through so many choices and make so many choices before it starts to rum out of steam. That's why impulse buys like candy bars and magazines at the checkout aisle in the grocery store can be hard to resist. We've exhausted all our good decision -making skills.
The same goes for our workday. Making lots of decisions not only exhausts us；it can put us in a bad mood. That's why it's necessary to make your most important decisions in the morning rather than at the end of an exhausting day when your energy has been used up. The idiom “sleep on it” is indeed effective when it comes to making big decisions.
When we're tired， we lend to conserve our energy by making choices based on a single factor like price， rather than considering all the other determinants that go into making the best decision. When you're doing this， you are acting as what researchers call a cognitive miser （小气鬼）.
To conclude， letting yourself have fewer choices to choose from can help you arrive at a more creative answer.
1. Why did the author go to the local dollar store in the end？| A．She saw no good toilet brushes in Amazon. |
| B．She had got tired of the choices. |
| C．She read good reviews about brushes there. |
| D．She wanted to save some money. |
| A．It can benefit our creative thinking. |
| B．It means learning too much at a time. |
| C．It was first discovered by Barry Schwartz. |
| D．It can stop us from making good decisions at work. |
| A．To make a big decision regardless of sleepiness. |
| B．To make decisions at the end of the day. |
| C．To put off making big decisions until the next day when you are not tired. |
| D．To think carelessly about making a big decision. |
| A．Having fewer choices may benefit us more. |
| B．Reading reviews before shopping online is important. |
| C．Getting enough sleep every day is helpful. |
| D．Considering many factors to make a choice is unnecessary. |
6 . Music is an art that almost everyone enjoys. Everyone can make sounds by singing，banging a stick, plucking(弹) a tight string or blowing through pipe. All over the world, many kinds of music have developed as people find out how to make sounds in different ways. There are so many kinds of music to hear that you can soon find a kind that you like.
People can get all kinds of feelings hearing music. Music can make you march of dance; it can make you feel happy or sad. More than other arts, music can affect your moods and feelings. This is why music is so popular.
Every country has its own kind of music. In France many people like dance music played on the accordion(手风琴), and many Americans enjoy banjo(班卓琴) music. Spain is famous for its guitar music, and India for the twanging sound of the sitar.
Many people like music in their own national style. But there are also people who enjoy classical music and pop music, which have spread throughout the world with the help of the record player and radio.
However, there are still great differences between the music of the west and that of the east. Many of the instruments are very different. The guitar and the sitar are both instruments in which strings are plucked by fingers, but they two not sound alike.
The musical differences between the east and the west are not only in the instruments, but also in ways the notes are put together.
1. Music is an art that is very popular in the world because ______．| A．everybody can make a beautiful music |
| B．people can get different feelings from music |
| C．music can only make people happy |
| D．music is much better than other arts |
| A．America | B．France |
| C．India | D．Spain |
| A．all countries and races have the same kind of music |
| B．the musical differences between the east and the west are only in the instruments |
| C．all the French people enjoy dance music played on the accordion |
| D．different people like different kinds of music |
| A．Music | B．Music—the Best Art |
| C．How to Enjoy Music | D．Different Music |
7 . Is It a Healthy Interest?
The Guinness Book of World Records describes Ranulph Fiennes as the world’s greatest living explorer. His journeys include the first polar circumnavigation (极地环行) and the first unsupported crossing of the Antarctic continent on foot. So when he suffered a heart attack, it came as something of a surprise.
Exercise is highly beneficial as it reduces both the pulse (脉搏) rate and the blood pressure so reducing stress on the heart as it brings blood round the body. It also helps to keep the artery (动脉) walls more elastic (有弹性的).
But can you push yourself too much? On the subject of exercise, it is good to take several parts of “moderate” exercise a week，which is a little more than quick walking. “We need to be careful when we’re doing extreme sports,” says expert Len Almond. “Extreme stress can make almost impossible demands on the body’s ability to recover. The stress of extreme sports forces biochemical changes in the body, and the physical response to that kind of activity will be too extreme.”
We all know how the Olympics began. The man who ran 26 miles from the town of Marathon to Athens with news of a victory died as soon as he arrived，and the cause of his sudden death might be the heart attack. Further research was done by scientists. They studied cyclists (自行车运动员) on a race that covers 230km with a height change of 5,500m. They were interested in one particular enzyme (酶), high concentrations of which are found in those who have suffered a heart attack. The scientists found that levels of this chemical increased in most of the cyclists who completed the race. The largest increases were seen in the fastest cyclists who had trained the hardest.
Most of us will never put our bodies to such extreme sports. But if, when you hear about someone like Fiennes，you ask whether exercise is worth it. I advise you to consider your own condition. Personally, I agree with the saying: “Run not to add years to your life but to add life to your years.”
1. According to the passage, taking exercise can_______ .| A．speed up the heart rate | B．increase stress on the heart |
| C．reduce the blood pressure | D．keep the artery walls straight |
| A．Our bodies can easily deal with physical stress. |
| B．Playing extreme sports is harmful to the human body. |
| C．We need a long period of recovery after extreme sports. |
| D．There is more to learn about the effect of physical stress. |
| A．To suggest a different area of research. |
| B．To support the activity of taking part in sports. |
| C．To explain the effect of a height change on cyclists. |
| D．To prove that extreme sports may cause heart attacks. |
| A．helps you have a regular life | B．adds years to your life |
| C．should be done in moderation | D．will be worth the effort |
8 . My mother always told me, “You should explore your own country before stepping out into the world. ”However, it seems like a tough mission to travel all across its expansive surfaces. But luckily for me, Via Rail Canada offered youths between the ages of 18 and 25 the chance to ride the train across Canada for the month of July. The ticket was a bargain $150. My best friends Trevor, Joel and Jeremy and I immediately jumped at the opportunity and secured four tickets on the great Canadian railroad.
For a group of 20-year-olds, this was like the first flight of young birds from the nest. When we approached the train station in the morning, our 22-day adventure from Sudbury to Vancouver was to begin. Eyes baggy from lack of sleep, we jumped on board as if it was the train to Hogwarts in Harry Potter. Although the thought of three full days on those tracks covering close to 3, 000 kilometres crushed our spirits a little, what happened next caught us by surprise.
The three days on board turned into a summer camp on rails. At night, we would climb up the glass-domed train car, which gave us a scenic view of the starry night sky, untouched by the harmful light pollution. Before we knew it, the warm sun rays beating down on our faces woke us up for another day on the rails. To my surprise, a sea of golden grain fields dominated the landscape we were in the Canadian Prairies.
Another day slipped away and we set up for another night in the dome. And this time we were greeted by night sky painted by a fantastic thunderstorm. Lightning was striking at an incredible rate. The spectacular and memorable light show left everyone in the glass bubble in complete disbelief.
Arriving in the Rocky Mountains was one of the most surreal experiences of my life. Before the train adventure, if I could have skipped the travel and arrived at the destination, I would have. That is no longer true. I’ve learned that the journey can be more enjoyable than the destination.
1. What has made the author’s train adventure across Canada a reality?| A．The encouragement given by his mother. | B．The appeal of the scenic views in the country. |
| C．The discount ticket offered by Via Rail Canada. | D．His great courage to challenge a tough mission. |
| A．They were excited about the coming train journey. |
| B．They left their parents for the first time in their life. |
| C．They never thought of having a train adventure. |
| D．They were hooked by the magic story of Harry Potter. |
| A．A brain in lack of imagination. | B．The glass-domed train car. |
| C．A summer camp on the train. | D．The sightseeing bus. |
| A．Opportunities are hard to get. | B．Enjoying a journey counts a lot. |
| C．Splendid scenery attracts young people. | D．The traveling experience is not real to him. |
9 . When my old dog developed major health problems, I knew that watching him fail would be painful, but I wasn’t prepared for the powerful lessons he’d offer in the last year of his life.
Chance was 14 when the problems started. First, he developed a cancer that left him whistling for breath. Then came cataracts（白内障）in both eyes, arthritis（关节炎）in his legs, and a series of mini-strokes（小中风）that threw off his balance. Any one of these misfortunes would have left me begging for relief, but Chance became calmer as the disabilities piled up.
When leg pain left him frozen on the floor, unable to rise for a quick pat as I came home, he didn’t complain. He just lay there patiently, signaling me with his hammering tail, each movement spelling out the value of waiting for the things you want. When his cataracts made steering impossible after dark, he’d stand calmly until I could guide him inside, proving how easy it is to find happiness if you let go of your pride and insecurities and learn to lean on those who love you. When mini-strokes had him walk unsteadily like a drunk, he taught the value of persistence. For days after each attack, he’d fall as he moved about. Yet again and again he’d try to walk, each day moving a few more steps until finally he was able to get outside and back by himself.
There were lessons in so much of what he did, but the key one surely was the importance of obtaining all the joy possible from each experience whether it’s a day lazing under a warm sun or a few minutes appreciating a favorite meal.
For most of our life together, Chance was always rushing ahead, searching out new adventures, then circling back to let me know what lay around the next turn. As an old dog, he did the same thing, using his attitude, instead of his once - fast legs, to show the way.
1. Chance suffered very much from all the diseases he had except for _______.| A．having problem with breath | B．walking around awkwardly |
| C．having trouble drinking | D．losing his eyesight in darkness |
| A．Living in the present and enjoying what we have |
| B．Learning to depend on those who we love and trust |
| C．That we should expect good things to happen patiently |
| D．That we should persevere in what we believe is worth trying |
| A．people might suffer from different diseases when they grow old |
| B．people could face aging with courage and dignity |
| C．pets would become calmer for lack of energy in their last days |
| D．pets and masters should stick together helping each other in difficulty |
| A．Bitter. | B．Appreciative. |
| C．Proud. | D．Sympathetic. |
10 . Scientists, psychologists and English academics at Liverpool University have found that reading the works of the classical writers like Shakespeare and Wordsworth has a great effect on the mind, catches the reader’s attention and triggers moments of self-examination.
Using a special machine, they monitored the brain activity of 30 volunteers as they read works by William Shakespeare, William Wordsworth, T.S. Eliot and others.
In the first part of the research, the brain activity of 30 volunteers was monitored as they read passages from Shakespeare’s plays, including King Lear, Othello, Coriolanus and Macbeth, and again as they read the text rewritten in a simpler form or modern language.
While reading the common texts, normal levels of electrical activity were shown in their brains. When they read the works of Shakespeare, however, the levels of activity jumped because of his use of words which were unfamiliar to them. The result of the test showed that the more challenging passages cause a greater degree of electrical activity in the brain than the common ones.
Scientists went on to study the brain activity as it responded to each word and recorded how it lit up as the readers came across unusual words, surprising phrases or difficult sentences in the classical works. As a result, this lightening up process of the mind lasted longer than that when volunteers read common texts, encouraging further reading.
The research also found that reading poetry especially increases activity in the right hemisphere(半球) of the brain, an area connected with “autobiographical memory”, driving the readers to think carefully about their own experiences based on what they have read. The academics said this meant the classical works of literature are more useful than self-help books.
Philip Davis, an English professor who has worked on the study in the university’s magnetic resonance center, announced this week: “Classical literature acts like a rocket-booster（火箭加速器） to the brain, which provides extra power for the brain. You may never imagine how powerful it is. The research shows such kind of literature can create new thoughts and connections in the young and the old.”
1. The underlined word “trigger” in Paragraph 1 is closest in meaning to “______”.| A．depends on | B．picks up |
| C．sets off | D．changes into |
| A．It makes readers’ brain more active than reading common texts. |
| B．It makes readers’ electrical activity of brain return to normal. |
| C．It’s helpful for readers to come up with new ideas. |
| D．It’s an activity that is suitable for people of all ages. |
| A．the readers prefer Shakespeare’s works to the other writers’ works |
| B．the words of classical works make it hard for volunteers to read further |
| C．reading classical works produces a good and long-lasting effect on the mind |
| D．poetry increases left-brain activity more than other literary forms |
| A．Shakespeare’s plays deserve to be read. |
| B．Common books are unpopular anymore. |
| C．Poetry is best for developing people’s brain. |
| D．Classical works help the brain develop better. |
