1 . Starman, the dummy(仿真人) riding a cherry-red Tesla Roadster(特斯拉敞篷车) through space, has made his closest approach ever to Mars. The electric roadster and its passenger were attached to the top of a Falcon Heavy rocket during the SpaceX rocket’s first test launch on 6 February 2018.
Two years later, the Falcon Heavy rocket and the vehicle at its tip are making their second trip around the Sun. Mr. McDowell, a Harvard astrophysicist, found that Starman passed 7.4 million kilometers from Mars at 06:25 GMT 7 October, 2020.
The closest recent approach between the Earth and Mars was 56 million kilometers in 2003, though the planets are often hundreds of millions of miles apart depending on where they are in their orbits. No one can see the Falcon Heavy rocket at its current distance, but orbits over periods of a few years are fairly straightforward to predict, and Mr. McDowell used data about how the rocket was moving when it left the Earth’s gravity behind to locate its recent movements exactly.
Last time Starman circled the Sun, McDowell said, it crossed Mars’ orbit while the Red Planet was quite far away. But this time the crossing lined up with a fairly close approach, though still not close enough to feel a strong tug from Mars.
At this point in time, if you were able to go look at the Roadster, it would probably look pretty different. The strong solar radiation environment between the planets would probably have destroyed all the exposed organic materials.
Without the Earth’s atmospheric and magnetic(磁场的) protection, even the plastics and carbon-fibre materials would start to break up. Over the course of decades or centuries, the car will end up with its aluminium(铝) frame and hard glass parts----that’s assuming that none of them get destroyed in impacts with passing space rocks.
1. What can we infer from the first two paragraphs?| A．Starman is now circling around the Earth in its orbit. |
| B．Starman has set out on its second trip around the Sun. |
| C．Starman has traveled 7.4 million kilometers after launch. |
| D．Starman still has a long way to go before getting to Mars. |
| A．By keeping Starman under visual observation. |
| B．By predicting its future orbit around the earth. |
| C．By seeking professional help from SpaceX. |
| D．By analyzing data about the rocket’s movement. |
| A．pull | B．drive | C．resistance | D．pressure |
| A．It is circling around Mars and will finally crash onto it. |
| B．It will finish its mission and return to SpaceX on earth. |
| C．Starman is likely reduced to at most its frame and glass. |
| D．SpaceX will try to recover it during its next space mission. |
2 . Our fascination with Mars has never stopped. However, in the early days of space exploration, visits were restricted to “fly-bys”, such as those by Mariner Space Probes, by means of which craft would simply pass the planet, taking pictures and collecting data as they went. The Viking “orbiters” were next, and later craft in the Viking series, known as “Landers”, began to study the surface, equipped with instruments which continued to collect data about the environment until they stopped working.
The more recent “Rovers” move around the planet’s surface as they gather information. Current proposals include missions to study geographic features, climate, and soil components, in order to determine, among other things, whether the planet can ever have supported carbon-based life forms. Scientists now believe that at some stage the planet cooled dramatically, resulting in the near-loss of its atmosphere and, thanks to the wearing away of some surface features mineral deposits and other factors, it is also believed that liquid water once flowed here.
One of the most famous craft is “Phoenix”, which landed in November 2008. Its mission was to obtain samples from beneath the surface by digging into the arctic ice while its camera provided geological data and other equipment scanned the atmosphere, measuring temperature and pressure in an attempt to discover whether the chemicals necessary for life might exist beneath the surface. The craft was expected to send back data for three months, but managed to hold out for further two. An especially important part of the project was the need to keep absolute cleanliness of the equipment in order to ensure that any organic material collected was not contaminated by microbes(微生物).
In the future manned landings may probably come true-and though it may seem an extremely difficult undertaking, plans have already been discussed for the “terraforming(行星地球化)”of the planet, giving it an atmosphere, oceans and other elements similar to earth, with, the possibility of human settlement.
1. According to the text, what is “fly-by”?| A．A type of UFO. | B．A photograph of a planet. |
| C．A planet of the solar system. | D．A way of collecting information. |
| A．There is ice on it. |
| B．It once had some mineral deposits. |
| C．It once had carbon-based life forms. |
| D．There are some damaged areas on its surface. |
| A．Polluted. | B．Protected. | C．Controlled. | D．Reduced. |
| A．It will happen very soon. |
| B．It may be hard, but it’s possible. |
| C．It will be full of uncertainties, but it’s worth the efforts. |
| D．It relies on different countries working together. |
3 . The tools scientists use to study hurricanes change constantly. So though research has suggested the warming world would produce stronger hurricanes, it has been difficult to say that with certainty. A new paper, published online on May 18, proves its certainty-studying a period of 39 years, between 1979 and 2017. Normalizing their data in a certain way, the researchers found a clear trend: Storms are getting stronger in general, and major tropical cyclones（热带气旋） are coming more often
“The main difficulty we have in finding trends is that the data are collected using the latest technology at the time,” said James Kossin, a University of Wisconsin-Madison professor. “Every year the data are a bit different than last year, and each new satellite has new tools and captures data in different ways, so in the end we have pieces of all the satellite data that have been woven together.”
To create a consistent record to work with, the researchers tried something new. They sanded the edges off their newer, sharper tropical cyclone images to fit an older standard: Images where each pixel（ represents an area 5 miles by 5 miles. They also removed images from newer satellites that provide views of storms from angles unavailable in 1998. That left them with an extensive dataset of about 225, 000 similar-quality images of about 4,000 global tropical cyclones.
The researchers found that the chances of any given tropical cyclone becoming a hurricane have gone up, and that the likelihoods of major hurricanes have gone up by about 15%-with most of that increase happening in the last 19 years of the 39-year study period.
This paper on its own doesn't rule out the idea that the uptick in hurricanes isn't the result of some perfect coincidence of other trends, the researchers wrote. But it shows the increase is happening, precisely during the period of great warming.
1. What does James Kossin consider as a problem with data collection?| A．The lack of high technology. | B．The inaccuracy of old satellites. |
| C．The constant change of climate. | D．The use of tools of different times. |
| A．How to get consistent record. | B．How to compare different data. |
| C．How to improve image quality. | D．How to make the pixel change. |
| A．Change. | B．Power. |
| C．Rise. | D．Danger. |
| A．A New Way to Fight Global Warming |
| B．Warming Surely Makes Hurricanes Stronger |
| C．Hurricanes Change Over the Past Years |
| D．A Special Tool of Monitoring Hurricanes |
4 . Everyone can be angry. But if you take the time to actually examine your anger instead of just “feeling angry” you’ll have a better understanding of yourself. Knowing why you feel so angry can provide you with some surprising answers. These answers can enable you to grow spiritually and mentally.
I can give you a personal example. I went to a meeting once and I was verbally attacked(言语攻击) over an application I supported at my workplace. Various people went on and on about how terrible this system was and that it never worked. That didn’t bother me that much. But I was absolutely furious at the comment, “Your job is pointless.”
I was upset that they would treat me that way. But once I took the time to think about what was really making me so mad, I learned a lot. I realized that the comment was more true than I wanted to admit. In the big scheme of things, my job was pointless. It wasn’t what I really wanted to be doing with my life and this is what frustrated me the most. Here I was pouring part of my heart and soul into a job I didn't even want to do. I was using it as crutch(依靠) because I didn’t have the confidence in myself to take the scary(令人害怕的) road toward what I really wanted to do. As soon as I realized that, a lot of my anger just melted away. I also realized that I needed to start focusing on what I really wanted to do.
I now consider this incident as a great gift. It got me back on track to move in the direction I want to go with my life. I probably wouldn't be where I am today if I hadn’t taken the time to figure out why I was really so angry.
1. What does the underlined word “furious” probably mean?| A．Surprised. | B．Relaxed. |
| C．Amazed. | D．Angry. |
| A．Because he didn’t do his job wholeheartedly. |
| B．Because he didn’t make enough money. |
| C．Because he couldn’t get on well with his colleagues. |
| D．Because he didn’t have the chance to realize his potential. |
| A．The author isn’t easy to become angry any longer. |
| B．The author has achieved success in his present career. |
| C．The author received a lot of gifts after the incident. |
| D．The author was forced to quit his job. |
| A．A diary. | B．A guidebook. | C．A magazine. | D．A novel. |
5 . Doctors in hospital emergency rooms often see accidental poisonings. A frightened parent arrives with a child who swallowed a cleaning liquid. Or perhaps the harmful substance is a medicine. Or it might be a chemical product meant to kill insects. These are common causes of accidental poisoning.
In cases like this, seek medical help as soon as possible. Save the container of whatever caused the poisoning. And look on the container for information about anything that stops the effects of the poison. Save anything expelled from the mouth of the victim. That way, doctors can examine it.
Millions of people know a way to save a person who is choking on something trapped in the throat. The method is commonly known as the Heimlich Maneuver or abdominal thrusts(腹部按压), which you can do by getting directly behind a sitting or standing person. Put your arms around the victim’s waist. Close one hand to form a ball. Place it over the upper part of the stomach, below the ribs. Place the other hand on top. Then push forcefully inward and upward. Repeat the abdominal thrusts until the object is expelled from the mouth. For someone who is pregnant or very fat, place your hands a little higher than with normal abdominal thrusts.
Red Cross experts say taking these steps can save many lives. But they also warn that abdominal thrusts are not for people who have almost drowned. They say use of the method could delay other ways to re-start breathing in the victim. Abdominal thrusts should be used only in cases where a near-drowning victim is choking on an object.
To learn more about first aid, ask a hospital or organization like a Red Cross or Red Crescent Society for information. There may be training classes offered in your area.
1. According to the first paragraph, which of the following is NOT the common cause of accidental poisonings?| A．A harmful medicine |
| B．A cleaning liquid |
| C．Poisonous insects |
| D．Dangerous pesticide(杀虫剂) |
| A．coming out | B．taking up |
| C．going away | D．getting down |
| A．Because people are unwilling to attempt rescue efforts |
| B．Because it is hard to perform |
| C．Because it is no need to do so |
| D．Because it could hold up other ways to re-start breathing in the victim |
| A．To promote medical research |
| B．To share some knowledge about first aid |
| C．To show how to perform abdominal thrusts |
| D．To help people deal with accidental poisoning |
6 . It is believed that around half the US adult population will be obese (肥胖的) by 2030, while one in four will fall into the severely obese category. This is according to a new study led by the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, which found that levels of obesity are increasing in every state. Indeed the predictions show that levels of severe obesity could be higher than 25 percent in half of states.
“Especially striking was our finding that among adults with very low income (less than $20,000 per year), severe obesity is predicted to be the most common in 44 states—almost everywhere in the US,” a researcher said.
The research was carried out to inform state policymakers—and perhaps help change the tendency. The study authors say the best form of attack is prevention. Limiting intake of sugar is stressed as one of the most effective and cost-effective methods for reducing obesity levels, and a tax likely to save more money than it costs.
Sugar (and the sugar industry) has come under fire for its role in promoting obesity. Indeed, one recent study published in September 2019 puts responsibility for today’s obesity epidemic (流行病) firmly on the shoulders of sugar, concluding high-sugar diets during childhood in the seventies and eighties could be behind the rise.
“We knew from previous work that obesity is increasing in the US, and that some states and demographic groups (人群) are at higher risk, but we were surprised that even the states with the lowest obesity will be above 35 percent in 2030—a level currently considered high, a researcher told Newsweek. What is clear is that we will not be able to treat our way out of this epidemic—achieving and keeping weight loss is difficult—so prevention efforts will be key to making progress in this area.”
1. What’s the most surprising finding in the study?| A．Over 25% of people will be seriously obese. |
| B．Levels of obesity are increasing in every state. |
| C．poor adults are more likely to be severely obese. |
| D．Half of the US adults will be overweight by 2030. |
| A．To reduce the tax. | B．To limit intake of sugar. |
| C．To reduce obesity level. | D．To inform policymakers. |
| A．Blame from researchers. | B．Rapid chemical change. |
| C．Current obesity epidemic. | D．High-sugar diets. |
| A．Obesity is increasing everywhere in the US. |
| B．All states in America are at the same level of obesity. |
| C．Maintaining weight loss is a good way to deal with obesity. |
| D．Diets with less sugar are vital to preventing the problem of obesity. |
7 . It’s normal for teens to want to stay connected with friends and social circle, but what about that happening in the middle of the night? The Journal of Youth Studies recently published new research showing that one in five teens from 12 to 15 regularly wake to spend all night on social media (社会媒体). Not surprisingly, the research also showed that these social night owls were three times more likely than others to feel tired at school and that girls were more likely than boys to be called to office.
The blue light produced by cell phones and computers makes the brain to stay awake, so it's easy to see why a teen might be up all night. A study in Psychological Science showed the same brain reaction: when teens saw large numbers of “likes” on their posts, they stayed awake with excitement as if they had eaten chocolates or won money. Besides not catching up on sleep and interrupting their sleep cycle, teens may never fully enter deep sleep that may be responsible for brain development and learning.
Considering about 72 percent of children from 6 to 17 sleep with some electronic media in their bedrooms, parents need to set rules sooner rather than later.
“Providing access (使用机会) to social media is a favor that children can earn and also lose,” Janie Feldman, an expert who treats sleep disorders (紊乱), reminds parents, “The bad effect is clear. So teens and parents should discuss and agree on its use, timing and access. When teenagers agree to the rules, it’s easier for parents to control how much time they use the phones or computers.”
1. What does the underlined part “night owls” in paragraph 1 refer to?| A．Girls often called to office. |
| B．Teens who stay up late on social media. |
| C．Teens who are busy with their homework at night. |
| D．Boys regularly waking in the middle of the night. |
| A．They are too excited to go to sleep. |
| B．They fall asleep easily and happily. |
| C．They are too excited to go to school. |
| D．They decide to make more good friends. |
| A．Making rules about media access together with their children. |
| B．Getting their children to do homework through computers. |
| C．Encouraging their children to stay connected with online friends. |
| D．Stopping their children from using cell phones. |
| A．Deep sleep makes a big difference to brain development. |
| B．Kids are trying to win back the trust of their parents. |
| C．Social media may have a bad effect on all kinds of people. |
| D．Social media may cause teens’ sleep disorders. |
8 . Elephants on the coast of Thailand are acting strangely. They stamp their feet and signal toward the hills. The sea draws back from the beaches. Fish fall heavily in the mud. Suddenly, a huge wave appears. This is no ordinary wave. It is a tsunami (海啸)!
Tsunami waves are larger and faster than normal surface waves. A tsunami wave can travel as fast as a jet plane and can be as tall as a ten-story building. Imagine dropping a stone into a pond. The water on the surface ripples (起涟漪). A tsunami is like a very powerful ripple. Tsunamis begin when the ocean rises or falls very suddenly. Large amounts of seawater are displaced. This movement causes huge waves.
If a tsunami happens, there must be some kind of force that causes the ocean water to become displaced. Most tsunamis are caused by underwater earthquakes. However, volcanoes, landslides (塌方), large icebergs, and even meteorites (陨石) are able to cause one of these giant waves.
Tsunamis are extremely powerful. Ordinary waves lose power when they break. Tsunami waves can remain powerful for several days. Because tsunami waves are so strong, they can kill people, damage property, and completely ruin an ecosystem in just one hour.
Scientists have no way of predicting when a tsunami will hit. However, if a powerful enough earthquake happens, scientists can send out a warning or a watch. A warning means that a tsunami will very likely hit soon. A watch means that conditions are favorable for a tsunami. When people are informed of a watch or a warning, they have more time to prepare. It is best not to get caught unaware when a tsunami is on the way!
1. Why are elephants acting strangely before the Tsunamis?| A．They dislike the huge wave. |
| B．They are afraid of the big fish. |
| C．They can sense something out of the ordinary. |
| D．They see the ocean drawing back from the beaches. |
| A．Moved out of normal place. | B．Pushed by human force. |
| C．Pulled to great heights. | D．Hung down quickly. |
| A．They are not familiar to most people. |
| B．They are very powerful and long-lasting. |
| C．They break on the coast, unlike normal waves. |
| D．They are caused by underwater earthquakes. |
| A．How to guard against tsunamis. | B．Differences between wave types. |
| C．What to do with tsunami waves. | D．Causes and effects of tsunamis. |
9 . In 1947 a group of famous people from the art world headed by an Austrian conductor decided to hold an international festival of music, dance and theatre in Edinburgh. The idea was to reunite Europe after the Second World War.
It quickly attracted famous names such as Alec Guinness, Richard Burton, Dame Margot Fonteyn and Marlene Dietrich as well as the big symphony orchestras(交响乐团). It became a fixed event every August and now attracts 400,000 people yearly.
At the same time, the “Fringe” appeared as a challenge(挑战) to the official festival. Eight theatre groups turned up uninvited in 1947, in the belief that everyone should have the right to perform, and they did so in a public house disused for years.
Soon, groups of students firstly from Edinburgh University, and later from the universities of Oxford and Cambridge, Durham and Birmingham were making the journey to the Scottish capital each summer to perform theatre by little -- known writers of plays in small church halls to the people of Edinburgh.
Today the “Fringe”, once less recognized, has far outgrown the festival with around 1,500 performances of theatre, music and dance on every one of the 21 days it lasts. And yet as early as 1959,with only 19 theatre groups performing, some said it was getting too big.
A paid administrator(行政人员) was first employed only in 1971, and today there are eight administrators working all year round and the number rises to 150 during August itself. In 2004 there were 200 places housing 1,695 shows by over 600 different groups from 50 different countries. More than 1.25 million tickets were sold.
1. What was the purpose of Edinburgh Festival at the beginning?| A．To bring Europe together again. | B．To honor heroes of World War II. |
| C．To introduce young theatre groups. | D．To attract great artists from Europe. |
| A．They owned a public house there. | B．They came to take up a challenge. |
| C．They thought they were also famous. | D．They wanted to take part in the festival. |
| A．unpopular groups | B．non-official groups |
| C．foreign groups | D．local groups |
| A．has become a non-official event | B．has gone beyond an art festival |
| C．gives shows all year round | D．keeps growing rapidly |
10 . When you live in total messiness—cookies in your pants draws, and some old New Yorkers or apple seeds in your bed—it's hard to know where to look for when you lose your keys. The other day, after two weeks of searching, I found my keys in the refrigerator. I can't say I was surprised. But I was surprised when I was diagnosed with ADHD（多动症）,when I was a junior at Yale.
According to a new study, 11% of school-age children have received an ADHD diagnosis, a 16% increase since 2007. And rising diagnoses mean rising treatments—drugs like Adderall are more accessible than ever. However, the consequences of misuse and abuse of these drugs are dangerous.
Yet also harmful are the consequences of ADHD undiagnosed, an all-too-common story for women like me,who have symptoms, like disorganization and forgetfulness, which look different from those typically expressed in males.
Dr.Ellen, author of Understanding Girls with ADHD, has found around 4 million females with ADHD are not diagnosed. "The main reason is that the diagnostic criteria were developed based on those hyperactive（过度活跃）young boys taken to clinics, making it difficult for girls to be diagnosed unless they behave like hyperactive boys." Ellen says.
Besides, the idea that young women actually have ADHD often causes skepticism. As a top student,I didn't believe my diagnosis at first. My friends were also confused,and rather certain my doctor was misguided.
"Often, if girls are smart or in supportive homes, symptoms are masked," Dr.Ellen says."Girls will hide their inability to meet social expectations. They see their trouble organizing,and concentrating as character flaws（缺陷）."
These years, I am both embarrassed and exhausted by my struggles to keep track of objects, but drug has helped it and made it more bearable.
1. The writer presents the first paragraph to .| A．air her view with an example | B．bring up the topic of the passage |
| C．show young people's messiness | D．prove Yale also has ADHD students |
| A．the diagnostic criteria are made according to male ADHD |
| B．they are smart enough to mask their ADHD symptoms |
| C．they don't view their trouble as symptoms of ADHD |
| D．women ADHD are more hyperactive than young boys |
| A．panic. | B．stubbornness. |
| C．debate. | D．doubt. |
| A．Why female ADHD patients develop the disease. |
| B．Why many female ADHD patients are undiagnosed. |
| C．How young ADHD patients are cured of the disease. |
| D．How much help ADHD patients can get from medication. |
