1 . Two high school students have identified four new planets in distant space about 200-light-years from Earth, making them “the youngest astronomers” to make such a discovery.

Kartik Pingle, 16, and Jasmine Wright. 18, who both attend schools in Massachusetts, participated in the Student Research Mentoring Program (SRMP). With the help of Tansu Daylan, an MIT doctor for Astrophysics and Space Research, the students studied and analyzed data from the Transiting Exoplanct Survey Satellite (TESS). Together they focused on Tess Object of Interest (TOI) 1233, a nearby, bright sun-like star and here they found four planets rotating（旋转）around the star. “We were looking to see changes in light over time,” Pingle explained, “the idea is that if the planet transits the star, or passes in front of it, it would periodically cover up the star and decrease its brightness.”

While studying 1233, Pingle and Wright had at least hoped to find one planet but were overwhelmed with joy when a total of four were spotted. “I was very excited and very shocked.” Wright said. “We knew this was the goal of Daylan’s research, but to actually find a multi-planetary system, and be part of the discovering team, was really cool.” Three of the newly discovered planets are considered as “sub-Neptunes”, which are gaseous, but smaller than the Neptune that lives in our solar system. While observing the planets, the team determined each one completes their orbit around 1233 every six to 19.5 days. However, the fourth planet is called a “super-Earth” for its large size and rockiness this one orbits around the star in just under four days.

“We have long been studying planets beyond our solar system and with multi-planetary systems, the two young students are kind of hitting the jackpot. They are really blessed.” Daylan said. “The planets originated from the same disk of matter around the same star, but they ended up being different planets with different atmospheres and different climates due to their different orbits. So, we would like to understand the basic processes of planet formation and evolution using this planetary system.”

Daylan added that it was a “win-win” to work with Pingle and Wright on the study. “As a researcher, I really enjoy interacting with young brains that are open to experimentation and learning and have slightest bias（偏见）.”he said, “I also think it is very beneficial to high school students, since they get exposure to cutting-edge research, and this prepares them quickly for a research career.”

1. How did the two students identify the four planets？

A．By helping professor Tansu Daylan with the data.

B．By analyzing the change of brightness of star 1233.

C．By studying Neptune that lives in our solar system.

D．By interacting with other young talented brains.

2. What is special about the discovery？

A．It was made by two high school students.

B．It was made with an innovative approach.

C．It was meant to be made by Tansu Daylan.

D．It found the largest number of planets at a time.

3. Which of the following is closest in meaning to “hitting the jackpot” in paragraph 5？

A．Making a discovery difficultly.	B．Achieving the goal easily.
C．Succeeding in something luckily.	D．Performing a task carefully.

4. According to the article, what benefits does the study bring？

A．It allows the scientists to work with young people without prejudice.

B．It equips future astronomers with better researching abilities.

C．It provides more perspectives and thus boosts more discoveries.

D．It arouses students’ interest in exploring the unknown universe.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

New Yorkers were shocked in early December when a creature as big as a school bus     1     (surface) from the Hudson River. Over the next three days,     2    humpback whale (座头鲸) swam by several popular tourist    3    (destination), where a journalist took photos of the animal seemingly waving its tail at Lady Liberty.

Scientists say NYC0089, which hasn’t been spotted in several weeks, has likely returned to deeper waters south of the Hudson. Still, the    4    (frequent) of whale sightings in the broader area has gone up rapidly in recent years.

“With these numbers increasing     5    (sharp), it’s not surprising that you’re seeing them in some unusual places, says Brown—a biologist. ”Including the Hudson River and Staten Island.

Scientists say the    6    (rise) whale sightings are likely related to purer water and a brimming buffet of Atlantic menhaden, a fish favored by humpbacks, resulting    7    . landmark environmental regulations    8    (pass) in the 1970s as well as New York city cleanup efforts.

“Seeing more whales in this areas shows that the waters are cleaner    9    there’s more food here for these whales,” Brown says.“It is a sign that what we’ve been doing     10    (work), so we need to keep doing that — and more — to protect these species.”

5 . 阅读下面短文，根据所给情节进行续写，使之构成一个完整的故事。

How much do you know about bear? Do bears attack people? The answer is certainly positive. So people in a small city in Colorado were concerned. Why? Last week, a large black bear attacked a family's coop and ate the chickens. It was reported by a local TV station. At the end of the news report, a policeman asked local residents to keep waste, pet food and even birdseed inside, and to report any bear sightings until the animal was found. The policeman also told people to always stay away from the bear when they saw it.

Sam is a 12-year-old boy. Earlier this week, he came to that small city to visit his uncle's family with his mother. His uncle's son, David, was very excited about the bear that had appeared in his neighbor's backyard.

“Sam, there is a bear in our city,” soon after Sam arrived, David told him.

Sam was curious about bears and he had always dreamed of watching one.

“Really?” he asked excitedly.

“Yes. It went into Mrs Brown's backyard last week. It ate all her chickens. But it had run away and I didn't even see it,” said David.

Sam listened with his eyes wide open. “Would it return?” he asked.

“Very probably,” said David, “it would return for food.” At last, he asked Sam.

“Do you want to see the bear?”

Sam immediately nodded. Then he asked, “But how?”

“We can put some food in the backyard. When the bear sees it, he will come in and eat it. But we should be careful. The bear may attack us if he sees us. So we should never make any noise.”

Sam nodded again, still in excitement.

Later that day, the adults all went out, leaving the two boys alone at home. Soon they started to take action.

They put some leftovers from lunch in the backyard. Then they waited behind the window of the kitchen and waited curiously. But an hour passed and they didn’t see a bear. Finally, they got bored.

注意：
1．所续写短文的词数应为 150 左右；
2．续写部分分为两段，每段的开头语已为你写好。
Paragraph 1：

Just then, they saw something big at the gate of the backyard.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Paragraph 2：

When the bear looked up, he saw Sam.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

7 . A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below16℃. Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere, warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.

In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources: land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example, a lot of carbon dioxide（二氧化碳）in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.

There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’s wood supply.

Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.

1. Why can rainforests help to adjust the climate?

A．They reflect more heat into the atmosphere.

B．They bring about high rainfall throughout the world.

C．They rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃.

D．They reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth.

2. What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?

A．We will lose much more than we can gain.

B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.

C．People have a strong desire for resources.

D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.

3. What can be inferred from the text?

A．We can get enough resources without rainforests.

B．There is great medicine potential in rainforests.

C．We will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land.

D．The level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns.

4. What is the main idea of the text?

A．How can we save rainforests.	B．How can we protect Nature.
C．It is about rainforests and the environment.	D．It is about rainforests and medical development.

8 . I used to think my life was perfect. My mom had her dream job and a beautiful office and I had my own room with a computer and a garden to _________. But one Sunday, everything changed. A hurricane _________ our neighborhood while we were visiting my grandparents in Raleigh. Our kitchen was destroyed, and our clean and comfortable home was in ruins.

But something _________ happened. Our neighbors, the Flores family, came to our aid. They helped clear _________ pieces and offered us a place to stay. Their _________ was most impressive. We had never_________ spoken to them before, but they _________ their home to us and made us feel like family.

We started a new_________ of having weekend dinner together. We invited other families from the neighborhood to join us, and our _________ were filled with laughter and delicious food. It was a beautiful thing to see our __________ come together in the wake of a disaster.

I __________ knew Rosica, their daughter, before the hurricane. But she quickly became my __________. She had a gift for storytelling and our evenings together were filled with adventure and laughter.

Looking back, I realize that the hurricane__________ unexpected benefit. It brought us closer to our neighbors and __________ our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Sometimes, it takes a(n) __________ to bring out the best in people.

1.

A．tend to

B．worry about

C．dream of

D．deal with

2.

A．visited

B．skipped

C．approached

D．swept

3.

A．invisible

B．unexpected

C．impossible

D．unlucky

4.

A．invisible

B．hidden

C．broken

D．useful

5.

A．belief

B．request

C．wealth

D．kindness

6.

A．really

B．carefully

C．naturally

D．clearly

7.

A．sold

B．rented

C．showed

D．opened

8.

A．business

B．project

C．tradition

D．life

9.

A．reunions

B．gatherings

C．journeys

D．memories

10.

A．family

B．volunteers

C．community

D．supporters

11.

A．soon

B．never

C．already

D．also

12.

A．sister

B．friend

C．student

D．classmate

13.

A．brought about

B．resulted from

C．made up for

D．got away with

14.

A．saved

B．controlled

C．enriched

D．recorded

15.

A．instant

B．effort

C．party

D．disaster

9 . 语法填空

The Great Barrier Reef (大堡礁) is one of the seven     1     (wonder) of the natural world. Pulling away from it and viewing it from a greater distance, you can understand why. The reef, between 15 kilometers     2    150 kilometers off shore and around 65 km wide in some parts, is a collection of colorful coral     3     (provide) divers with the most excellent underwater experience imaginable.

A closer encounter with the Great Barrier Reef’s impressive coral gardens presents a number of     4    (extreme) amazing underwater attractions, which include the     5     (large) gathering of corals (珊瑚), coral sponges, rays (鳐鱼), dolphins, over 1,500 species of tropical fish, more than 200    6     (variety) of birds, etc.

The reef is    7     area for humpback whales to breed (繁殖), and is also a habitat of a few endangered species including the Dugong (Sea Cow) and large Green Sea Turtle. In recognition of its significance, UNESCO     8     (list) the Great Barrier Reef as a World Heritage Site in 1981.

Because of     9     (it) natural beauty, both below and above the water’s surface, the reef     10     (become) one of the world’s most popular tourist destinations to date.