2 . If you think you’d like to live on Mars, you may have that possibility by 2023. A Dutch company called Mars One will soon advertise for people interested in colonizing (开拓) Mars. If you have all the necessary skills, you could be one of the first colonists. Are you ready for the challenge?

You won’t have to pay for the mission to Mars. Mars One has already received money from some donors and is hoping to get more from TV viewers who will become interested in the show where all applicants have a debate for the rare chances.

The main responsibility of the first colonists is to create an artificial environment on Mars where there is no air to breathe and no land to farm. Scientists know it’s quite possible because something similar has already been done in Antarctica.

Another problem is that space travel to Mars takes nearly a year to get to Mars and the colonists will live the rest of their lives there. When a human lives in an environment without gravity or with low gravity for a long time, the systems in the body weaken. Luckily, spinning (旋转) the spaceship can create artificial gravity, and artificial gravity can ease these problems. It will also be difficult for Mars colonists to be far from home, living in small spaces, and seeing the same people over and over. Colonists with depression could put the mission in danger. Fortunately, a few years ago, a joint Russian and European project called the Mars500 Mission studied people’s reactions in a Mars-like environment. It is viewed as a great success because scientists were able to see how people handle emotional and physical stresses.

Recent studies show that seven percent of people would want to go on such an adventure.

Mars One will soon start accepting its first colonists. Are you interested?

1. What do we know about the applicants to Mars from the first two paragraphs?

A．They will land on Mars in 2023.

B．They can get money from donors.

C．They will compete in a TV show.

D．They do not need special skills.

2. What will the first colonists do to solve the basic living problems on Mars?

A．Create earth-like conditions.

B．Build labs in Antarctica.

C．Spin the spaceship.

D．Start the Mars500 Mission.

3. What can the life of the first colonists be like according to the passage?

A．Difficult and dangerous.

B．Different but adaptable.

C．Challenging and unbearable .

D．Acceptable but depressing.

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

A．Mars: our final destination?

B．Ready to be Mars’ colonists?

C．Space travel: a thrilling adventure?

D．Are you a qualified Mars astronaut?

3 . When I met and married a Japanese man in New York, I thought he would learn a bit more English and we would continue to live our lives there. But in life’s twists and turns, we ended up living in Tokyo! I was the one who needed to learn Japanese and fast ! There is no experience quite as lonely as living in a foreign country without a grasp of the language. Especially to make friends and to break that loneliness, it is the first and foremost goal to attain… always an uphill climb, while totally awkward!

I was a trained English Language teacher, and while I lived abroad I did that work, and when we moved back to America I planned to continue it. The country’s financial difficulties at the time, however, saw deep cuts to the English as a Second Language positions in the schools and to refugee language programs. So I simply took a job in a department store, at its Child Playroom.

But this store was located near a major company that hired some of its workforce from many other countries. Often a preschooler in my playroom could not speak a word of English, and would look so lost and lonely !My heart flew to them! We interacted with each other a lot. We would play English language games and they would teach their language to me.

Years later, when a small girl who had come from South America could speak good English, she said to me, “Teacher, remember when I called you Maestra?” Another child whose language was only Russian originally —we built a robot from blocks and fed it block food and leaned English words that way—would come years afterwards and continue to play that same game! These moments became my life compass—due north is that place where when persons are different, Love Matters !

1. What was the author’s challenge after marriage?

A．She had to give up her job.	B．She lost all her best friends.
C．She needed to learn a new language.	D．She was forced to live overseas.

2. Why did the author change her job after she returned home?

A．She set up her own company.	B．She lost interest in teaching.
C．Better teachers were needed.	D．Teaching jobs were greatly reduced.

3. What would the author and the young children do in the playroom?

A．They learned each other’s languages.	B．They took language tests.
C．They cared for each other.	D．They encouraged each other in learning.

4. Which word can best describe the author’s interactions with children?

A．Tiring.

B．Helpful.

C．Simple.

D．Humorous.

4 . I believe my life was saved because of Beethoven's moonlight sonata (鸣奏曲) being put in a video game. To be clearer, I was a terrible kid, living in the mean streets of Philadelphia, where I frequently got involved with street gangs (一帮年轻人) and did horrible things I regret today. I was failing out of high-school and had no future prospects. The only music type I listened to at the time was rap and R&B, but classical music never crossed my ear.

I remember playing a game called Resident Evil one day, and in order to get to the next part of the game, the lead character, "Jill", has to discover a page or two of sheet music for the piano in order to open a secret passage to progress through the game. Once obtained, the game fades out and pops out a new scene where Jill plays the piano. Being in complete awe, I had no idea what these feelings were and admittedly didn't want it to stop. 20 seconds or so later, the short clip of music halted and my face was moist from tears that dripped from my eyes. I didn't know what was going on and was severely confused. All I knew was that I had to replay that scene over and over again, not knowing who Beethoven was or that it was much longer and satisfying piece.

My last year of high school, I wasn't expected to graduate but I had the opportunity to select a music elective. It was then that I realized that classical music chose me and that I had the gift of transferring emotion through classical composition. Everything became so much clearer and for some reason higher learning other subjects, including physics, chemistry, became interesting and easy. It was as if my brain turned on and I began to appreciate everything and everyone around me. Without classical music, I would be like 90% of my friends back in Philadelphia, or a non-productive member of society. Classical music saved my life.

1. Which word can best describe the author's childhood?

A．Awful.

B．Common.

C．Badly-off.

D．Uncomfortable.

2. On what condition will Jill play the piano?

A．Exiting the game secretly.	B．Finding one or two sheet music.
C．Listening to the music for 20 seconds.	D．Setting up a new scene for the next player.

3. What turns the author's life?

A．His strong brain power.	B．His last year in high school.
C．His appreciation to Beethoven.	D．His encounter with classical music.

4. Which can be the best title of the passage?

A．Where There is Love, There is Music

B．Music, the Second Language of Human Being

C．Happy, You Listen to Music; Sad, You Understand It

D．Music, a Medicine Curing the Disease of Thought

5 . The skull(颅骨)of a tiny bird preserved in a 100-million-year-old Myanmar amber has been discovered by an international team of scientists, according to a paper newly published in the scientific journal Nature.

The 14-millimeter-long skull is smaller than that of a bee hummingbird, the smallest living bird, making the new species the smallest bird and dinosaur ever found.

When Xing Lida, a paleontologist(古生物家)at the China University of Geosciences, who led the research, first saw the amber in 2016, he was amazed. "It's like a tiny arrow with a long beak(鸟喙)and big eyes. . . Only birds have such characteristics," he said.

The well-preserved fossil skull has rows of nearly 100 teeth that extend all the way under its big eyes that are supported by eye bones of a unique structure. The unusually high number of teeth and the unique shape of the eye make it difficult to classify the specimen(标本).

Scientists think that about 100 million years ago this bird-like animal lived in the tropical Hukawng Valley in northern Myanmar, where the amber was mined.

Despite its small size, the specimen, named Oculudentavis khaungraae(宽娅眼齿鸟), has more teeth than any other fossilized bird. The large number of teeth indicates that it was a predator(捕食者), the paper said.

"Judging from its size, it might prey mainly on insects," Xing said. "In fact, it has some characteristics that do not belong to birds or even dinosaurs. At present we think of it as a bird or a dinosaur, which is the most likely conclusion based on the characteristics of the skull.”

One of the biggest advantages of amber lies in its high-quality preservation of the fine details in the skull and soft tissue features. "Amber gives us almost the only opportunity, to learn about tiny vertebrates(脊椎动物)from the dinosaur age," Xing said. "Oculudentavis is by far the smallest and most important specimen."

1. What has the international team of scientists found recently?

A．The smallest fossil ever found.	B．The oldest amber ever discovered.
C．The smallest bee hummingbird fossil	D．The skull of the smallest known bird.

2. What do we know about Oculudentavis?

A．Its teeth and eyes were different from any other animal.

B．Its eve structure shows that it might have good eyesight.

C．It was classified in 2016 when first seen by Xing Lida.

D．Its small size suggests that it might feed on plants.

3. What proves Oculudentavis's identity as a predator?

A．Small size.	B．Tropical habitat.
C．High number of teeth.	D．Unique shape of the eye.

4. What does the last paragraph mainly talk about?

A．The way that the fossil was well preserved.

B．The reason why Oculudentavis was stuck in amber t

C．The contribution of the fossil to scientific research.

D．The importance of amber research in scientific research.

7 . In recent years, Ethiopia has become a regional leader in solid waste management. Last year, the country transformed the landfill (垃圾填埋场) in Addis Ababa into a new waste-to-energy plant, the first such project on the continent. The plant incinerates up to 1, 400 tonnes of waste every day, about 80 percent of the city's rubbish, supplying the capital with 25 percent of its household electricity needs.

However, despite these important steps, challenges remain in Ethiopia. Although the country has permitted the Basel, Stockholm and Rotterdam conventions, laws and policies for environmentally sound management of hazardous (有害的) wastes are still not effective in pre- venting littering waste illegally.

To help Ethiopia meet these challenges, the Chemicals and Waste Management Program is supporting the country with a three-year project to enhance its capacity for sound management of hazardous wastes.

In the initial stages, a project management unit will be formed, made up of many representatives from government departments and private organizations. This unit will be responsible for reviewing and assessing Ethiopia's current legal system, which, despite numerous advances in recent years, does not specifically target the recycling of hazardous waste. Once legal gaps are identified, the project will seek to update existing policies and strategies.

Many people in Ethiopia are not aware of the possible effect of environmental damage and the need to report such crimes to the police. To resolve this pressing issue, Ethiopia will be conducting a series of capacity-building activities, including creating awareness-raising programs, training trainers and providing equipment.

Ethiopia will also work to establish a national mechanism for chemicals and waste management by engaging government departments and civil society groups. Authorities will also make budgetary provisions (预算拨款) in national, regional and institutional planning to ensure funding for these activities is sustainable even after the project's completion.

1. Which can replace the underlined word “incinerates” in paragraph 1?

A．Produces.

B．Burns.

C．Gathers.

D．Absorbs.

2. What's the main problem of Ethiopia in waste management?

A．The relevant laws are not sound.	B．The shortage of workers is severe.
C．The pollution level is too high.	D．The funds are not sufficient.

3. What will Ethiopia do to help the natives protect the environment?

A．Restrict their environmental movement.	B．Call on them to start some programs.
C．Reward them with budgetary provisions.	D．Raise their environmental awareness.

4. What does the text mainly talk about?

A．Ethiopia is facing serious environmental problems.

B．Ethiopia has achieved success in waste management.

C．Ethiopia is putting efforts into waste management.

D．Ethiopia has reduced environmental pollution levels.

8 . Each week Visit Indy publishes some events for the upcoming weekend. Here are some of them.

Fan Powered World Tour

Harlem Globetrotters, the world-famous basketball stars celebrate their fans on this tour with more interactive experiences than ever before. You have two opportunities to catch the show as the Globetrotters face the Washington Generals on both Friday and Monday at Bankers Life Fieldhouse. Tickets are $26 and up.

Basketball Day of Indiana

Indiana's love of basketball is famous, and Saturday's celebration will please fans from high school to college. Bankers Life Fieldhouse hosts high school girls and boys playing during the afternoon. You will watch the game between Pacers and the Dallas Mavericks there that evening. Tickets start at $ 22.

MLK Day Celebration

Honor the memory of Dr. King as local artists present poetry, music, and dance that show the theme of love. Dr. King felt it was important to communicate with each other in order to break down barriers. Visitors to the Sunday's free program in Newfields are advised to do that via social activities and by participating in a donation drive.

Jingle Rails

Get your pleasure on Route 66 for one final weekend this season. See Mt. Rushmore, Old Faithful and the Grand Canyon, as well as local treasures like Monument Circle, Hilbert Circle Theatre, and the Indiana State Fair. Tickets start at $33.

1. Where can you watch basketball games?

A．On Mt. Rushmore.	B．In Newfields.
C．At Bankers Life Fieldhouse.	D．In the Grand Canyon.

2. Which event is free of charge?

A．MLK Day Celebration.	B．Fan Powered World Tour.
C．Basketball Day of Indiana.	D．Jingle Rails.

3. What can you do after participating in Jingle Rails?

A．Volunteer for a charity.	B．Visit places of interest.
C．Have a talk with stars.	D．Live with local people.