1 . A computer program that could help catch and ever translates from aliens in outer space has been started by a British scientist.
If aliens are discovered one day, scientists fear their language may make it possible to understand them. But John Elliott of needs Metropolitan University in Britain has come up with a program that can figure out the structure(结构)of their language. He thinks that’s the first step in understanding what they are saying.
Dr.Elliott’s program would compare an alien language to a database(数据库)of 60 different languages in the world to look for a similar structure. He believes that even an alien language will have its own structure.Language has to be structured in a certain way, or it will be harder to use,he told New Scientist magazine.
Research had shown that it is possible to know if a signal(信号)carries a language rather than a picture or music. Dr.Elliott has gone a step further by finding a way to pick out what might be words and sentences. Because languages have different word orders, Dr.Elliott has set up a library of the sentence structures of 60 human languages.
If a message is received from outer space, it could be compared against this database. Scientist would then be able to see if it’s similar to any human language, or a mix of the language.
However, Dr.Elliott also said that in order to translate what the aliens are actually saying, it may still be necessary to have a code book.
1. Why did Dr.Elliott come up with the program?| A．To learn more about outer space. |
| B．To develop a new language. |
| C．To help translate the messages for aliens. |
| D．To compare an alien language to human languages. |
| A．Coming up with a program. | B．Knowing a structure. |
| C．Understanding aliens. | D．Discovering aliens. |
| A．Some necessary conditions for making the program work. |
| B．Dr.Elliott’s findings about different kinds of languages. |
| C．Three important functions of the program. |
| D．The number of sentence structures of human languages. |
| A．Mix the message with 60 human languages. |
| B．Translate the message and send it to the database. |
| C．Pick out the sentence structure and translate it. |
| D．Compare the message to the database of 60 human languages. |
| A．Not all languages have their own structure. |
| B．The structure of alien languages is similar to that of human languages. |
| C．To translate alien languages, there is much work to do.. |
| D．Alien languages are signals carrying pictures and music. |
2 . What will the schools of the future look like? With the introduction of 5G technology, we’re starting to find out.
The answer is smart campuses, with high-tech features to help students learn more effectively and safely. They also bring convenience to teachers and administrators (管理者).
The University of British Columbia has what is believed to be Canada’s first 5G-powered smart campus, according to The Star newspaper. The school has partnered with tech company Rogers Communications to install (安装) a massive 5G network on its campus. Researchers at the school can use the network to test real-time 5G applications, as well as access a data storage facility (设施) similar to “cloud” storage, the newspaper noted.
US tech company Amazon is also looking to get into the smart campus arena (舞台). Alexa, the company’s voice-activated (声控) smart assistant, is being aimed at teachers. They may help to run classes more efficiently, says Amazon. For example, if a teacher has to teach different classes in different rooms, Alexa can remember the teacher’s preferences, such as whether or not they need to use a projector (投影仪).
Smart technology can also be used to keep students and teachers safe. At the Global Indian International School in Singapore, CNET reports that facial recognition scanners (扫描器) allow teachers to automatically lock or unlock classroom doors, while students can store their textbooks in smart lockers linked to their student ID cards.
People often describe college campuses as “mini-cities”. After all, they have their own on-campus infrastructure (基础设施), including transport links, roads, shops, restaurants – even police. And just like the smart cities being designed around the world, many college campuses are adopting smart technology. The University of Michigan in the US, for example, has its own self-driving shuttle (班车) system, allowing students to go from classroom to classroom in a safe and efficient manner.
Unlike cities, universities are seen as a particularly good testing ground for smart technology because many of them have sole (单一的) control over their property (财产). “Cities are so big, and there are so many players and stakeholders (利益相关者), it can be difficult. But many universities around the world have control over their estates (房产). They own all their buildings ... so they can become like a living lab,” said Gemmy Ginty, a designer working on a smart campus development strategy for the University of Glasgow, UK, in a news report by the Guardian.
1. How is the text mainly developed?| A．By giving examples. | B．By making comparisons. |
| C．By following the order of time. | D．By explaining causes and effects. |
| A．It offers free “cloud” storage to its users. |
| B．It is used to test real-time 5G applications. |
| C．It can help improve classroom efficiency. |
| D．It can help monitor students’ class performances. |
| A．Smart technology benefits students the most. |
| B．Universities are full of laboratories and researchers. |
| C．Sole control over their properties makes it easier to test new tech. |
| D．There are many players and stakeholders on university campuses. |
The journey to the moon has been the first step toward future exploration(探险) in space. The distance between the moon and the earth is very short indeed when compared with the distances between the earth and the other planets. Mars, one of the nearest planets to the earth, is millions of miles away. Travelling to the planets will be mans next aim. Such travels will be more challenging than the trip to the moon and certainly more adventurous.
Recently, two American spaceships, Vikings 1 and 2 landed on Mars trying to discover whether there is any life on the planet. So far the signs of life on Mars has neither confirmed nor ruled out.(排除)
Russians have discovered that the surface of Venus（金星）is so hot that it is almost certain that there is no life there. Also the atmosphere of Venus is extremely dense and the pressure is nearly a hundred times greater than that of the earth’s atmosphere.
Scientists believe man may find planets which have the same conditions as those we have on the earth, but man should realize the earth will be his only home for a long time and begin to love and care about it.
_____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
4 . Some pessimistic experts feel that the automobile (机动车) is bound to fall into disuse. They see a day in the not-too-distant future when all autos will be abandoned (放弃) and allowed to rust. Other authorities, however, think the auto is here to stay. They hold that the car will remain a leading means of urban travel in the foreseeable future.
The car will undoubtedly change significantly over the next 30 years. It should become smaller, safer, and more economical, and should not be powered by the gasoline engine. The car of the future should be far more pollution-free than present types.
Regardless of its power source, the auto in the future will still be the main problem in urban traffic jams. One proposed solution to this problem is the automated (自动化的) highway system. When the auto enters the highway system, a retractable (可伸缩的) arm will drop from the auto and make contact with a rail, which is similar to those powering subway trains electrically.
Once attached to the rail, the car will become electrically powered from the system, and control of the vehicle will pass to a central computer. The computer will then monitor all of the car’s movements.
The driver will use a telephone to dial instructions about his destination (目的地) into the system. The computer will calculate the best route, and reserve space for the car all the way to the correct exit from the highway. The driver will then be free to relax and wait for the buzzer that will warn him of his coming exit. It is estimated (估计) that an automated highway will be able to handle 10,000 vehicles per hour, compared with the 1,500 to 2,000 vehicles that can be carried by a present-day highway.
1. One significant improvement in the future car will probably be _______.| A．its power source | B．its driving system |
| C．its monitoring system | D．its seating space |
| A．How to make automobiles pollution-free. |
| B．How to make smaller and safer automobiles. |
| C．How to solve the problem of traffic jams. |
| D．How to develop an automated subway system. |
| A．A rail. | B．An engine. |
| C．A retractable arm. | D．A computer controller. |
| A．keep in the right route |
| B．wait to arrive at his destination |
| C．inform the system of his destination by phone |
| D．keep in constant touch with the computer center |
如何克服失重条件下吃饭和喝水的问题：随身携带所有食物；外太空的重力很弱，如果食物是固体，就会到处漂浮，所以要特殊制作，可以放在软管中，这样就更容易吮吸，也可以用吸管。只有这样该问题才能解决。这样我也许能有一次快乐的旅行。
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
6 . Scientists may have found a way to reduce shortage of type O blood. Type O is the kind of blood that hospitals most often need. What the researchers are testing is an easier way to make type O blood out of other kinds of blood.
There are four main kinds of blood. Most people born with one of these four: Type A,Type B, Type AB or Type O. Type O can be safely given to anyone. So it is commonly used when a person is injured or sick and has to have blood.
The differences among blood types are linked to whether or not red blood cells contain certain kinds of sugar molecules(分子). These molecules are found on the surface of the cells.They are known as antigens (抗原). These antigens are found with type A, B and AB blood but not with type O.
More than twenty-five years ago, scientists found that the antigens could be removed to create what they called universal-type cells. They could be removed with chemicals called enzymes(酶). But large amounts of enzymes were required to make the change.
Doctor Henrik Clausen of the University of Copenhagen in Denmark led the study. The next step, he says, is to complete safety tests. The team is working with the American company ZymeQuest to test the new method. If it meets safety requirements(*k)and is not too costly,it could become a widely used life-saving tool to increase the supply of universal blood.
1. How do scientists deal with the problem of lacking type O blood?| A．Hope more people to donate type O blood. |
| B．Make the most of the present type O blood. |
| C．Develop new ways of using type O blood. |
| D．Make type O blood out of other kinds of blood. |
| A．Sugar molecules in red blood cells. |
| B．People's different living conditions. |
| C．Peoples various immune systems. |
| D．The variety of peoples cells and genes. |
| A．Type O blood can be safely given to anyone |
| B．Antigens could easily be removed to create universal blood. |
| C．A Danish company wanted to involve itself in studying blood. |
| D．The new method is not safe enough to be put into use in hospitals now. |
| A．Four different kinds of blood |
| B．A new way to make type O blood |
| C．The latest research on blood type |
| D．Find the proper type of blood |
As the development of science and technology sped up, people had a much
8 . In the Hollywood movie The Martian, actor Matt Damon plays an astronaut who grows food on Mars(火星)to survive alone on the red planet.
After seeing the movie, Washington State University physicist Michael Allen and University of Idaho food scientist Helen Joyner decided to carry out a case study helping students figure out how to farm on Mars. In the case study, students have to imagine they are mining(采矿) on Mars and decide how to feed themselves there before starting on the journey. They get advice from Allen and Joyner on how to select crops and take the challenges of growing crops over long periods on Mars. Students use a scoring system to select three foods to plant on Mars.
Allen found the results impressive: among 30 students, “no two people have ever gotten the same answer”, he said.
Human travelers to Mars will likely have to make use of resources on the planet rather than take everything they need with them on a spaceship. This means farming their own food on another planet, one that has a very different ecosystem (生态系统) from Earth’s.
One challenge for those who would like to live on Mars is the fact that there can be no farming tools. Like real astronauts, students taking part in the study cannot take a lot of farming tools with them. As Joyner put it to his student astronauts, “You are starting with nothing.”
Besides, students also have to deal with a very limited choice of diet. “If I had to eat a single food for the rest of my life, could I do it?” Joyner asked.
But Allen believes the case study is about more than farming and eating on the Red Planet.
“I’m not teaching about growing food on Mars,” Allen said. “I’m teaching about living with choices. I’m teaching about problem solving.”
1. In the case study, students have to __________.| A．watch the movie to know the conditions on Mars |
| B．decide which crop to grow on Mars with the help of the teachers |
| C．design different types of diets on Mars for them to choose |
| D．understand how to farm on Mars with their favorite farming tools |
| A．increases students’ knowledge about farming |
| B．helps student know more about Mars |
| C．develops students’ skills of solving problems |
| D．teaches students how to make proper choices |
| A．to describe a research on how to farm on Mars |
| B．to prepare us to deal with problems on Mars |
| C．to teach us how to survive on Mars alone |
| D．to introduce a Hollywood movie, The Martian |
9 . These days, it seems like everyone wants to go out into space and live on new planets.Rather than depend on another pre-existing planet, could we make a new, proper planet ourselves?
To start with, if we do want to be living on it, we should find a good place in space to put the new planet. We’d want it to be in a habitable zone, meaning the planet should be at the right distance from its star to make sure there would be perfect temperatures and most importantly, liquid(液态的) water.
We’d also need the right materials to make the planet. Our Earth is made up of many different elements(元素). If we made our own new planet we’d probably want it to have similar elements and a similar structure(结构) We’ d also want enough water to form some oceans.
But even if we get all of the materials creating a new planet like Earth could have many troubles. It might be something more like a huge space station. It would be pretty expensive if we wanted it to be super big.
We would probably also need a lot of food since there s going to be many scientists and astronauts out in space working on this project!
According to NASA, each astronaut uses about 0. 83 kilograms of food per meal, including 0.12 kilograms of packaging(包装) material. Without the weight of the packaging material, we’d need about 780 kilograms of food just to feed one astronaut for a year.
Putting all these together could make it possible to make our own planet one day! In reality, creating a new planet would probably require a very modern technology and there would be tons of other things to think about. And if this is even possible, it likely won’t happen for a very long time.
1. What's the first thing we should do if we want to create a new planet?| A．To prepare enough food. |
| B．To design its inner structure. |
| C．To find a proper place to set the planet. |
| D．To collect materials similar to our Earth. |
| A．Our Earth. | B．Outer space. |
| C．The new planet. | D．The ocean water. |
| A．About 0. 12 kilograms. | B．About 0. 71 kilograms. |
| C．About 0. 83 kilograms. | D．About 0.95 kilograms. |
| A．It is a waste of money and time. | B．It should be one of NASA’S next plans. |
| C．It is not a good idea for humans. | D．It won’t come true in the near future |
10 . Imagine being face-to-face with a woolly mammoth (猛犸象) . It would be quite a sight. Scientists believe it would tower above 11 feet tall and have a sloping back, a long, powerful trunk, and sharp, curved tusks that stretch up to 10 feet. Its thick hair would be up to three feet long. It would weigh six tons—about as heavy as a bus.
You’ve probably never seen a giant furry elephant before. Actually, you definitely haven’t. The species has been extinct for thousands of years.
But a few years from now, you might be able to see a woolly mammoth in person. Scientists believe they have the technology to recreate it.
A team of South Korean and Russian scientists plan to clone a woolly mammoth. How will they do it?
Several woolly mammoth bodies have already been discovered in Siberia, an icy region in Russia. The scientists plan to take cells from these frozen mammoths. In a laboratory, they’ll use them to create a new cluster (群) of cells called an embryo. The embryo will be placed into the womb of a living female elephant. That elephant will then give birth to a baby woolly mammoth.
The scientists believe the whole process will take five years. Many scientists and animal lovers can’t wait. It will be so exciting to be able to bring a creature that has been extinct for thousands of years back to life. People would travel from around the world for the chance to see a living woolly mammoth. By observing the way the creature looks and acts, scientists might make brand-new discoveries about the history of animal life.
Other experts aren’t so sure about the woolly mammoth project. One big question is what to do with a mammoth. The Earth has changed in the thousands of years since these animals roamed the planet. Where would the creature live, and would it be able to survive in today’s climate ? Some believe that the money being spent on the experiment could be better spent on other important scientific projects, such as fighting diseases.
But the South Korean and Russian scientists are sticking to their plan. They admit they have a big challenge ahead. There is no guarantee that they will succeed, but they’ re hopeful.
1. The first paragraph describes the mammoth’s ________.| A．habitat | B．food |
| C．appearance | D．lifespan |
| A．Whether they have enough money for the project. |
| B．Whether the mammoth can adapt to the new environment. |
| C．Whether the mammoth can survive the modern diseases. |
| D．Whether their plan wins support from the public. |
| A．negative | B．disapproving |
| C．optimistic | D．doubtful |
| A．Scientists are finding ways to deal with mammoths. |
| B．Scientists try to find out the history of animal life. |
| C．Scientists plan to bring the mammoth back to life. |
| D．Scientists pay little attention to the return of the mammoth. |
