1 . China has named the nation’s first Mars rover (火星车) Zhu Rong. For all of us, Zhu Rong is a well-suited name.
In an ancient Chinese story, Zhu Rong had the face of a man and the body of an animal. H rode on two dragons.
When he had a big fight with Gong Gong, the god of water, Zhu Rong won. But after the fight, the human world came into complete darkness. Then he brought fire from heaven to the world.
“Zhu Rong is regarded as the earliest god of fire in traditional Chinese culture,” a space official said. “The first Mars rover was named Zhu Rong. The name symbolizes light and hope for space exploration in our country, and means to guide humans to continue exploration.”
After leaving the earth last summer, Zhu Rong circled Mars for several months and landed on it in May. In recent years, our country has sent up the world’s first quantum satellite (量子卫星), and Chang’e-4 has made a soft landing on the moon. We have made great progress in space technology and will soon start building our own space station.
1. What Zhu Rong brought from heaven to the world was ________.| A．fire | B．wars | C．water | D．animals |
| A．a big fight | B．complete darkness | C．light and hope | D．Chinese culture |
| A．the earth | B．Mars | C．the moon | D．the sun |
| A．Zhu Rong is a bad person in an ancient Chinese story |
| B．China has made great progress in space technology |
| C．the writer is proud of China’s space technology |
| D．the official doesn’t like the name Zhu Rong |
2 . Long, long ago, rain stopped falling in China. The people prayed(祈祷)for rain to the Jade Emperor, who controlled everything in heaven(天庭), on the land and in the sea, but no matter how much they prayed, rain did not fall.
Four dragons in the East China Sea saw what was happening, and saw people eating grass from the ground, for the people had nothing else left to eat.
They thought of a way to help. They started swimming this way and that, scooping up water with their bodies. Then all four flew into the sky. Black Dragon flew to the north, Long Dragon to the west, Pearl Dragon to the south of China, and Yellow Dragon to the center of the country. All at once, they let the water fall from their mouths, arms, legs, and even their tails.The people could not see the dragons, _ .“Rain!” they cried happily, and all the people and animals ran out into the rain and started to dance.
When the Jade Emperor saw the rain, he was very angry. Then he saw the four dragons flying around in the sky. He ordered Mountain God to kill the dragons.
When the four mountains landed on top of them and tried to crush(压扁) the four dragons, a strange thing happened. Suddenly four rivers formed, spreading across the whole country.
This is how the four great rivers (the Yangtze, the Yellow, the Pearl and the Heilongjiang) of China were created.
1. Why did the people pray Jade Emperor for rain?| A．Because he controlled the rain. | B．Because he had lots of rain. |
| C．Because he didn’t allow rain to fall. | D．Because there was much rain on earth. |
| A．The people. | B．The rivers. |
| C．The mountains. | D．The dragons. |
| A．but they could see the clouds from the sky |
| B．but they could see the rain falling from the sky |
| C．but they know the Jade Emperor helped them |
| D．but they think the Jade Emperor helped them |
| A．Birth of four Chinese rivers | B．Punishment from Jade Emperor |
| C．Four Dragons and the Rain | D．Jade Emperor and Four Dragons |
3 . The Lunar Calendar (农历) Modern Chinese use the solar calendar (阳历) as English people do. But at the same time, they use their own lunar calendar. Each lunar year is given the name of one of these animals: the rat, the ox, the tiger, the hare, the dragon, the snake, the horse, the goat, the monkey, the chicken, the dog and the pig. This list lasts for 12 years and then starts again.
Each Chinese month starts on the day of the new moon. And the full moon comes on the 15th day of the month. The New Year always starts between January 21 and February 20. On the last day of the lunar year, there is a big family dinner. All members of the family except married daughters try to be present at this meal, even they have to travel many miles to reach the home of their parents. Old quarrels are forgotten, and everybody is happy. After the dinner, the children keep awake to welcome the New Year.
The New Year celebrations last for 15 days, from the new moon to the full moon. On the first day , children and unmarried people go to visit their elders.
1. If next year is the year of the goat, what was the name of last year?| A．It was the year of tiger. | B．It was the year of the hare. |
| C．It was the year of snake. | D．It was the year of the ox. |
| A．On February 15. | B．On February 16. | C．On February 14. | D．On February 17. |
| A．the married son | B．the married daughter | C．the unmarried son | D．the parents |
| A．old Chinese use the solar calendar (阳历) as English people do |
| B．each Chinese month starts on the day of the new sun |
| C．on the first day, children and married people go to visit their elders |
| D．each lunar year is given the name of animals |
Applause (掌声) rang across Zhaxizom town last month. The air was filled
“I planned
Migmar Lhamo, a college student
According to the county government, more activities such as live music shows, firework displays and food fairs
5 . With only about 1, 000 pandas left in the world, China is desperately trying to clone(克隆) the animal and save the endangered species(物种).That's similar to what Texas A&M University researchers have been undertaking(负责) for the past five years in a project called “Noah's Ark”.
Noah's Ark is aimed at collecting eggs, embryos(胚胎), semen and DNA of endangered animals and storing them in liquid nitrogen(氮).If certain species should become extinct, Dr. Duane Kraemer, a professor in Texas A&M'S College of Veterinary Medicine, says there would be enough of the basic building blocks to reintroduce the species in the future.
It is estimated that as many as 2, 000 species of mammals, birds and reptiles will become extinct in over 100 years. The panda, native only to China, is in danger of becoming extinct in the next 25 years.
Chinese scientists said they grew an embryo introducing cells from a dead female panda into the egg cells of a Japanese white rabbit. They are now trying to implant the embryo into a host animal.
The entire procedure(过程) could take from three to five years to complete.
“The nuclear transfer(核子移植) of one species to another is not easy, and the lack of available(capable of being used) panda eggs could be a major problem,” Kraemer believes. “They will probably have to do several hundred transfers to result in one pregnancy (having a baby).It takes a long time and it's difficult, but this could be groundbreaking science if it works. They are certainly not putting any live pandas at risk, so it is worth the effort,” adds Kraemer, who is one of the leaders of the Project at Texas A&M, the firstever attempt at cloning a dog.
“They are trying to do something that's never been done, and this is very similar to our work in Noah's Ark. We're both trying to save animals that face extinction. I certainly appreciate their effort and there's a lot we can learn from what they are attempting to do. It's a research that is very much needed. ”
1. According to Professor Kraemer, the major problem in cloning pandas would be the lack of ________.| A．available panda eggs |
| B．host animals |
| C．qualified researchers |
| D．enough money |
| A．China's Success in Pandas Cloning |
| B．The First Cloned Panda in the World |
| C．Exploring the Possibility to Clone Pandas |
| D．China — the Native Place of Pandas Forever |
| A．Kraemer and his team have succeeded in cloning a cat |
| B．scientists try to implant a panda's egg into a tiger |
| C．Kraemer will work with Chinese scientists in clone researches |
| D．about two thousand of species will probably die out in about a century |
| A．make effort to clone the endangered pandas |
| B．save endangered animals from dying out |
| C．collect DNA of endangered animals to study |
| D．transfer the nuclear of one animal to another |
6 . When other teenagers hang out with friends in the summer vacations. Erica doesn’t join. Instead, the 16-year-old senior high student is
Erica started baking out of
Always considered a
| A．applied | B．occupied | C．accommodated | D．adapted |
| A．assists | B．shelters | C．charges | D．runs |
| A．sympathy | B．gratitude | C．passion | D．politeness |
| A．failure | B．success | C．pressure | D．astonishment |
| A．employed | B．perfected | C．shared | D．presented |
| A．reminded | B．permitted | C．instructed | D．inspired |
| A．confirmation | B．debate | C．consideration | D．contrast |
| A．annoyed | B．elegant | C．cautious | D．serious |
| A．distinguished | B．approved | C．neglected | D．hesitated |
| A．regular | B．potential | C．favoured | D．demanding |
| A．Unobviously | B．Unconsciously | C．Unfortunately | D．Unavoidably |
| A．down | B．off | C．through | D．up |
| A．model | B．sculptor | C．psychologist | D．captain |
| A．keep to | B．go beyond | C．jump at | D．work on |
| A．mean | B．modest | C．assured | D．sensitive |
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