2 . Decades ago, NASA asked experts to develop the "smell of space" in order to help prepare astronauts for the experience of outer space. Now, a perfume, Eau de Space, has attracted eager buyers.

According to the Kickstarter activity, which has been launched to sell Eau de Space, the history of the "smell of space" has been unclear owing to various accounts of its development. Ever since the first spacewalk, astronauts have been shocked by the smell.

NASA astronaut Col. Chris Hadfield said,"The only time you can smell space is when you come back from a spacewalk. As you open the hatch(舱门),there is a distinctive smell."Some astronauts and space tourists describe it as the smell of fruit, or burnt cookies. Astronaut Eugene Cerman talked of another smell he experienced:"The moon smells like spent gunpowder."The smell of space is so distinet that NASA reached out to fragrance makers to recreate the smell, according to NASA documents.

Now, the makers have cooperated with award-winning perfumers(香水制造者),and reported that they've secured commercial contracts to reproduce the smell based on astronauts' accounts.

At $ 29 per bottle, Eau de Space will help support STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) programs for students. "For every bottle of Eau de Space you buy,we're going to donate $ 1 to a STEM program for low-income students. It's a big promise and isn't the best decision for a company trying to make a profit. But, imagine that a child who smells Eau de Space today is whipped up to become an astronaut, scientist or engineer," shows Kickstarter.

Eau de Space will be made in the UK employing low-income labor and environment-friendly practices, including zero manufacturing waste, according to the campaign. So far,about 11,000 people have become supporters.

1. Why was the Kickstarter campaign started?

A．To promote Eau de Space.	B．To attract perfume makers.
C．To explain the "smell of space".	D．To recreate the "smell of space".

2. What do we know about Eau de Space?

A．Its makers will make a profit of $ 28 per bottle.

B．It has been available in the market for a long time.

C．It can get astronauts ready for their space experience.

D．Its smell is designed according to astronauts' descriptions.

3. What does the phrase "whipped up" in Paragraph 5 probably mean?

A．Trained.	B．Inspired.
C．Forced.	D．Persuaded

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Eau de Space, a Perfume Used in Space

B．Eau de Space, a Perfume on the Way

C．The History of Developing the "Smell of Space"

D．Astronauts' Different Accounts About the Space Smell

6 . Video calls are a common occurrence but have you imagined being able to touch the person on the other end of the line? Scientists are making this a reality.

Researchers at the University of New South Wales, Australia, have invented a soft skin stretch device(SSD), haptic(触觉的) device that can recreate the sense of touch. Haptic technology can copy the experience of touch by stimulating(刺激) the skin through force, vibration(震动) or motion.

Vibration is the most common haptic technology today and has been built into many electronic devices, such as one attached to the back of trackpad (触控板) in laptops. However haptic feedback with vibration becomes less sensitive when the trackpad is used continuously. The existing technology also has great difficulty recreating the sense of touch with objects in virtual environments or located remotely.

The new technology overcomes issues with existing haptic devices. The research team introduced a novel method to recreate the sense of touch through soft, artificial “muscles”.

It works like this:imagine you call a friend in Australia. You wear a haptic glove with the SSDs and your friend also wears a glove with 3D force sensors. If your friend picks up an object, it will physically press against your friend's fingers. And the glove with 3D force sensors will measure these interactions. The force signals can be sent to your glove so your device will generate the same 3D forces, making you experience the same sense of touch as your friend.

The haptic devices could be used in various fields, allowing users to feel objects inside a virtual world or at a distance. This could be especially beneficial during such times like the COVID-19 pandemic when people rely on video calls to stay connected with loved ones. Or it could be used in medical practices. Doctors could feel a patient's organ tissues without touching them.

1. According to the text, SSD can          .

A．improve skin health	B．recall earlier experiences
C．recreate the sense of touch	D．be used as the trackpad in laptops

2. Paragraph 5 is mainly about          .

A．how SSD works	B．what advantages SSD has
C．how vibration can be used	D．what problems the current technology has

3. In which situation can we use SSD according to the text?

A．Tasting a dish on the video call.

B．Enjoying classical music at home.

C．Admiring beautiful scenery online

D．Performing a distant medical operation.

4. In which section of a newspaper can we find this text?

A．Science.	B．Entertainment.
C．Education.	D．Health

7 . I was on vacation with my husband, my brother, his wife and daughter. We were not familiar with the area and jumped onto a bus, thinking it would be a nice way to see the downtown’s old town area. Well, until visiting with the bus driver, we found out we were on the neighborhood route which picks up school children and delivers to various neighborhood places, with a route of well over about 2 hours. That was a surprise and a concern because we had parked our vehicle in a timed parking area and it was going to end.

We shared this with the bus driver only to let her know we were not from the area and apologized for getting on her bus in error. Then she surprised us further saying, “I get off shift after a few more blocks, and if you don't mind a tight squeeze in my company car, I'd be happy to take you back to your vehicle before the time is over.” The bus driver received permission from her manager, so we gratefully said yes to her offer.

She went out of her way to take us back to our vehicle after her shift was over and it wasn't on her route to home either. We were touched and grateful for her kindness and thoughtfulness. In return because she had shared some of her concerns about the school-age children she sometimes had on the bus route, I shared with her a little tip on how to quiet the children with an energetic technique that would make the ride safer for them as well as for her. She was so grateful. It was a wonderful exchange of kindness!

1. What was wrong with the author and her family ?

A．They got on a wrong bus.	B．They would lose their car.
C．They couldn't drive their own car.	D．They had to tour neighborhood places.

2. What does the underlined word “it” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

A．The timed parking area.	B．The family's concern.
C．The vehicle parked there.	D．The time limit for parking

3. What was the driver going to do after she knew the family’s trouble?

A．Invite them to her home.	B．Ask her manager for help.
C．Drive them to where they parked.	D．Get off shift earlier than usual.

4. What did the author do to repay the driver’s kindness?

A．She taught her how to send children to school.

B．She taught her how to calm down children.

C．She gave her a tip for her good service.

D．She helped make her ride comfortable and safe.

8 . Parents around the world often urge children over and over-wash your hands! It can be difficult, however, to get children to remember to wash. But what if washing hands was connected to a fun creative activity? What if instead of simply reaching for the soap, a machine could drop it right into your hands?

Well, such a machine was recently built by a boy and his sister in the U.S. state of Maryland as part of a creative competition.The not-for-profit Rube Goldberg Organization is holding the competition.

Every year, the Rube Goldberg competition assigns a specific task, considering inventions that use complex systems to carry out a simple everyday task. At first, the task for 2020 was supposed to be “turn on a light.” But when the COVID-19 happened, the task was changed to “drop a bar of soap into someone’s hand.”

Those taking part in the competition are schoolchildren. But with schools closed to slow the spread of the virus, organizers changed the rules. This year, the team can include any family members and people were asked to send in recordings of the machines to compete. One thing has not changed: The machine must complete the task in less than 10 steps.

In Maryland, the Diel family wanted to enter. So, Caitlin and her brother Ben designed and built their own Rube Goldberg machine. Next, they had to demonstrate that it could complete the task-throwing the soap just right to be caught in someone’s hand. After 106 failed attempts, they finally had success. With their video demonstration, they can now enter the competition.

Dr. Anne Glowinski teaches child psychiatry (精神病学) at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. She said that “creativity and play” connects with children. It is better than the message. “We have to wash our hands because of this horrible virus”. Glowinski added.

1. What might be a task of inventions assigned by the Rube Goldberg competition?

A．Sweeping the floor.	B．Exploring nature.
C．Writing a novel.	D．Painting the house.

2. What change has been made to the rules of the competition this year?

A．All kinds of inventions are admitted.	B．A video of the entry is qualified to enter.
C．Teachers are encouraged to get involved.	D．The task must be finished within 10 steps.

3. What does Glowinski think of the invention?

A．Practical.

B．Unnecessary.

C．Economical.

D．Complicated.

4. What’s the main idea of the text?

A．The habit of washing hands is very important.

B．It calls on schoolchildren to compete in a contest.

C．More inventions are encouraged from everyday items.

D．It introduces a contest making handwashing fun for kids.

9 . The Japanese government, citizens and groups are debating what to do with radioactive water from the disabled nuclear power plant near Fukushinma. An earthquake on March 11, 2011 caused severe damage to three of the six nuclear reactors at the Fukushinma Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant. Since then, Japanese officials have been trying to contain and clear up the damage.

The Associated Press recently observed the decontamination (净化) process taking place there. Officials are trying to decide what to do with 1.2 million tons of radioactive water being stored at Fukushinma. The nuclear center is operated by the Tokyo Electric Power Co. _, or TEPCO. The company says it needs to free up space as work on the damaged reactors reaches an important point. Many people expect TEPCO to slowly release the water into the ocean near the nuclear center. The government has already approved the plan.

However, it is not clear when the company will carry out the plan. Local people oppose it because that could hurt the fishing industry. Sales of fish caught off the coast near Fukushinma are half what they were before the nuclear disaster. Fish caught in the area have been approved for sale after radioactivity testing by health officials.

TEPCO Chief Decommissioning Officer Akira Ono said the water must be removed. He says crews need the space currently occupied by the water tanks. In their place, workers will set up structures to hold melted reactor wreckage(反应堆残骸).

People wear protective clothing and head coverings to work in the most radioactive areas around the nuclear center. But underground conditions remain dangerous and radioactive water is leaking from the melted reactors and mixing with groundwater. This water is being pumped into containers to keep it from flowing into the sea. The polluted water from underground is processed and filtered to remove dangerous radioactive elements. Tritium(氚) is the only radioactive material that remains. Japan's industry ministry and nuclear officials say tritium is not harmful in small amounts. However, although officials try to ease public fear, there are worries that fish might be affected if the water is released into the sea.

1. What do we know from the text?

A．The Fukushinma disaster was caused by humans.

B．Tons of radioactive water has been leaked into the ocean.

C．Melted reactor wreckage will take up most of the region.

D．Japan is struggling with the clean-up of radioactive pollution.

2. What does the underlined word "it” in Paragraph 3 refer to?

A．Making room for the damaged reactors.

B．Releasing the water into the nearby ocean.

C．Filtering the water near the nuclear center.

D．Storing the radioactive water in the nuclear center.

3. What does the text say about the material tritium from the fifth paragraph?

A．It can be found in the polluted water.

B．It has aroused great panic among residents.

C．It does no harm to fish.

D．It exists in a solid form.

4. What does the text imply?

A．The groundwater has been severely polluted in Fukushinma.

B．People in Fukushinma used to earn their living by fishing.

C．It is hard for the authorities to earn the public's trust.

D．It is unclear when TEPCO will remove the radioactive water.

10 . We often hear that 60 is the new 50. Just check out images of your grandparents or great-grandparents and notice their stooped (驼背的) bodies, their wrinkled faces when they were barely pushing 60. What a contrast with energetic, gym-going sexagenarians (60几岁的人) of today!

A research, overseen by gerontologist Taina Rantanen, compared adults born in 1910 and 1914 with those born roughly 30 years later. Both birth groups were examined in person at age 60 and again at 70 with the same set of six physical tests and five measures of cognition.

According to the research, the later-born group could walk faster, had a stronger hand grasp and could use more force with their lower legs. On cognitive tests, the later-born group had better verbal fluency, and scored higher on a test matching numbers to symbols. But not everything changed across the generations: measures of lung function were surprisingly not changing, and there was no improvement in the short-term-memory task of recalling a series of digits.

There are many reasons why people are aging better, including improved medical care and a drop in smoking, but the key factor shown in the study of physical function was that the later-born adults were more physically active and had bigger bodies, which suggests better nutrition. For brain function, the key seems to be more years of education.

Education is a powerful influence on aging and health, says Luigi Ferrucci, scientific director of the U.S. National Institute on Aging: “With more education, you are probably going to have a larger income, which means you are more likely to go to the doctor, and have good nutrition.” He also points out that the average life span is seven years shorter in a poor state such as Mississippi than in a wealthier one such as California. “Here we still have lots of people who cannot take the drugs they need because they cannot pay for them,” he says. In short, 60 may be the new 50 for many of us but not for all.

1. How does the writer begin the passage?

A．By imagining a scene.	B．By making a comparison.
C．By raising a question.	D．By presenting an image.

2. Which of the following is true about the research?

A．Everything didn’t change across the generations.

B．The later-born group could hardly grasp things more tightly.

C．The later-born group did worse in matching numbers to symbols.

D．There was a little improvement in short-term memory in both groups.

3. According to the research, what contributes most to physically aging better?

A．Improved medical care.	B．Education.
C．Better nutrition.	D．Energetic images.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．Many reasons contribute to people’s better physical function.

B．Today’s energetic sexagenarians have much better images.

C．Education is the key to people’s aging better.

D．People today are aging better in many ways.