1 . Round and Round They Go
Space is becoming more crowded. On December 3, a Falcon 9 rocket made by Space X thundered into the sky. On board were 64 small satellites, more than any American company had launched before in one go. They have a variety of uses, from space-based- radar to the monitoring of radio-frequency- emissions.
These objects are part of the latest breed of low-Earth-orbit (LEO) satellites. This launch is just taste of what is planned. Space X and One Web, a communications firm, plan to launch satellites in their thousands, not hundreds. The pair are set to double the total number of satellites in orbit by 2027.
That promises to change things dramatically on Earth. LEO satellites can bring internet connectivity to places where it is still unavailable or unaffordable. This will also be a lasting source of new demand for the space economy. Morgan Stanley, a bank, projects that the space industry will grow from $350 billion in 2016 to more than $1. I trillion by 2040. New internet satellites will account for a half this increase.
For that to happen, however, three worries must be overcome. Debris(碎片)is the most familiar concern. As long ago as 1978, Donald Kessler, a scientist at NASA, proposed situation in which, when enough satellites were packed into low-Earth orbits, any collision could cause a chain reaction which would eventually destroy all space craft in its orbital plane(平面). The syndrome which bears Mr. Kessler's name weighs heavily on the minds of executives at the new satellite firms. Debris could cause entire tracts(广阔的一片) of space to be unusable for decades.
Solutions exist. One is to grab malfunction satellites and pull them down into Earth's atmosphere. Another is to monitor space more intensively for debris; a US Air Force program me called Space Fence is due to start in 2019. But technology is only part of the answer. Rules are needed to govern the safe disposal(清除) of old satellites from low-Earth orbit. The United States' Federal Communications Commission is revising its regulations with this in mind. Other countries should follow suit.
Cyber-security is a second, long-standing worry. Hackers could take control of a satellite and seal intellectual property, redirect data flows or cause a collision. The satellite industry has been slow to respond to such concerns. But as more of the world's population comes to rely on the infrastructure of space for access to the internet, the need for action intensifies.
The third issue follows from the first two. If a simple mistake or a cyber-attack can cause a chain reaction which wipes out hundreds of billions of dollars of investment, who is liable? Underwriters(保险商) are studying the plans of firms that wish to operate large numbers of satellites. But there is a long way to go before the risks are well understood, let alone priced.
As space becomes more commercialized mind-bending prospects open up: packages moved across the planet in minutes by rocket rather than by plane, equipment sent to other small planets, passengers launched into orbit and beyond. All that and more may come, one day. But such activities would raise the same questions as LEO satellites do. They must be answered before the space economy can truly develop.
1. What can we learn about LEO satellites from the passage?| A．They are supposed to limit the space economy. |
| B．They are expected to increase in large numbers. |
| C．They are designed to move beyond the Earth as far as possible. |
| D．They are mainly intended to bring internet connectivity to remote areas. |
| A．depending entirely on the modern technology |
| B．monitoring the movement of spaceships carefully |
| C．strengthening rules to remove old satellites safely |
| D．destroying all the satellites with problems instantly |
| A．Measure. | B．Increase. | C．Spread. | D．Repeat. |
| A．Lack of satellite regulations. |
| B．Loss of intellectual property. |
| C．Crisis of confidence in the field. |
| D．Slow response of satellite industry. |
| A．It should be further confirmed for its ownership. |
| B．It should be continued because of its advantages. |
| C．It should be done carefully to avoid potential risks. |
| D．It should be stopped in face of the space economy. |
2 . Have you ever wanted to stop eating something sweet but you just couldn’t? Is it the first thing you do when you get home from school to look in the biscuit tin? Can you eat a huge bar of chocolate all by yourself? Can you say “no” to sweets at parties? If you can’t, then there is a reason … perhaps you are a sugar addict! Does that sound funny? Well, doctors say that people who eat sweets regularly can easily become addicted to sugar. What’s more, most sugar addicts don’t even realize that they are addicted! Sugar addiction is serious because it can really damage your health. Doctors say that we should eat food which is healthy such as fresh fruits and vegetables, and that we shouldn’t eat a lot of sugar, fat or fast food. But sugar addicts can’t follow this advice. They know they must stop eating sweet food, but they can’t.
So what can you do if you think you are addicted to the taste of sugar? Well, here is some advice:
Eat some fresh fruits when you really want something sweet to eat.
Cut down some sweet food slowly.
Don’t try to stop eating it at once.
You have to tell your parents. If they know, they will help you.
1. What does the underlined word “damage” mean?| A．be harmful to | B．be good for | C．be kind to | D．be sorry for |
| A．Fresh fruits are the best food for us. | B．We shouldn’t eat sugar to keep healthy. |
| C．It’s necessary to stop eating sweet food at once. | D．Parents may help you to give up bad eating habits. |
| A．Two. | B．Three. | C．Four. | D．Five. |
3 . A thief who dropped a winning lottery ticket at the scene of his crime has been given a lesson in honesty.His victim,who picked up the ticket and then claimed the $25,000 prize,managed to trace him,and handed over the cash.The robbery happened when maths professor Vinicio Sabbatucci,58,was changing a tire on an Italian motorway.Another motorist,who stopped “to help”,stole a suitcase from his car and drove off.The professor found the dropped ticket and put it in his pocket before driving home to Ascoli in eastern Italy.
Next day,he saw the lottery results on TV and,taking out the ticket,realized it was a winner.He claimed the 60 million lire(里拉) prize.Then he began a battle with his conscience.Finally,he decided he could not keep the money despite having been robbed.He advertised in newspapers and on the radio,saying,“I’m trying to find the man who robbed me.I have 60 million lire for him—a lottery win.Please meet me.Anonymity(匿名) guaranteed.”
Professor Sabbatucci received hundreds of calls from people hoping to trick him into handing them the cash.But there was one voice he recognized and he arranged to meet the man in a park.The robber,a 35-year-old unemployed father of two,gave back the suitcase and burst into tears.He could not believe what was happening.“Why didn’t you keep the money?”he asked.The professor replied,“I couldn’t because it’s not mine.”Then he walked off,spurning the thief’s offer of a reward.
1. The underlined sentence “Then he began a battle with his conscience.” in Paragraph 2 implies all of the following except that .| A．he knew what he should do as soon as he saw the lottery results |
| B．he hesitated about keeping the money for sometime |
| C．he thought for a moment of avenging himself on the robber |
| D．he came to realize that honesty is more important than money |
| A．wanted to make fun of him | B．hoped to get the money |
| C．knew who the robber was | D．lost the lottery ticket |
| A．Excited. | B．Frightened. |
| C．Ashamed. | D．Incredible. |
| A．accepting | B．claiming |
| C．rejecting | D．cancelling |
| A．A Thief’s Lucky Day | B．A Popular Maths Professor |
| C．A Magic Lottery | D．A Reward of Honesty |
4 . Creativity is the process of taking an idea and applying it in real life, if we aren’t creative, we can't think outside the box and question what we can do.
Asking questions is a good way of sparking creativity.
First, we can ask learners questions that have more than one possible answer.
In science: “How many ways can you find to empty a glass of water without touching it? ”
In any subject: “What else would you like to know? How do you know that is true? Is there another way of doing this?”
Second, we can encourage learners to invent their own questions, We can do this for a topic that students are familiar with in their study. Firstly, discuss what makes a good question Secondly, create questions by grouping questions into different types--open, closed, or one that challenges the imagination. Finally, put those questions in order according to their importance.
Our teachers encourage us to ask questions and not accept the standard answers without Reasoning（推理）. Our school has some activities annually to inspire creativity in every student. Our teachers encourage us to be creative and think of solutions for real-world problems. On the whole, the freedom of being allowed to be ourselves is what brings out the best in our creativity.
1. What does the underlined word “sparking” mean in the second paragraph?| A．questioning | B．knowing |
| C．causing | D．learning |
| A．telling facts | B．showing evidence |
| C．expressing an opinion | D．giving some examples |
| A．Two | B．Three |
| C．Four | D．Five |
| A．have some activities with their parents |
| B．take more opportunities to think carefully |
| C．think of solutions to problems in the real world |
| D．accept standard answers provided by their teachers |
| A．Definition of Creativity | B．Problems on Students’ Certainty |
| C．The Meaning of Certainty to Students | D．Ways of Developing Students’ Certainty |
5 . If you want to be productive， you must complete work． Almost everything we do has many stages to completion and in many situations， you don't actually create value until you finish the last stage． Farmers can't sell their grain until it is harvested． Automakers can't sell cars that have made it 90% of the way through the assembly line（生产线）． Most employers aren't going to pay you for having a degree unless you finished the last class and graduated．
Now all those things require starting， but if you have work in progress， the most valuable thing you can do is to pick something and finish it． Finishing is where you start benefiting from the value you've created． I've noticed that many successful people aren't the ones who are the smartest or have the best ideas． They are often the ones who do the best job of taking an idea and completing it． A good idea fully carried out is better than a great idea that never gets completed．
Does this mean you need to finish everything you start？ Not necessarily， but if you don't think something is worth finishing， be honest with yourself and terminate the project． Don't leave hundreds of half finished efforts lying around physically or mentally acting like you are going to come back and pick them up． If you need to drop something ， do so strategically and intentionally． If you've put significant effort into a project， you may still benefit from finishing it even if you wouldn't start it again based on changed circumstances． For example， if you are in your last few months before graduating from college and realize you don't want to career in what you are majoring in， you probably should go ahead and graduate because there is significant value in having the degree---even if you don't intend to actually work in that field．
What projects do you have that are currently in progress？ Can you find something and finish it？
1. Why do many people become successful according to the author？ ______| A．They are the smartest | B．They have the best ideas |
| C．They start things smoothly | D．They make ideas fully completed |
| A．Develop | B．End |
| C．Plan | D．Support |
| A．A man decides to finish all he starts to do |
| B．Farmers hurry to sell their crops before they are ripe |
| C．A college student chooses to study until he gets his degree |
| D．A student keeps a half-filled stamp album around for future use |
| A．Finishing vs． Starting | B．Well Begun is Half Done |
| C．Planning vs． Performing | D．It is Easier Said than Done |
