1 . Scientists have long believed that Mars was wet around three billion years ago and then lost much of its water. But a new study presents evidence of water activity from about 700 million years ago, posing a new puzzle about Mars and its history for scientists to crack in their future studies.
The new study is based on data from China’s Zhurong rover (“祝融号”火星车), part of the Tianwen-1 mission that touched down on the surface of Mars in May 2021. In particular, the scientists used data the rover gathered during its first 92 Martian days, at its landing site in Utopia Planitia. Yang Liu, a researcher from the Chinese Academy of Sciences(CAS), and his colleagues analyzed data from three different instruments on Zhurong. Those instruments studied minerals that suggest the presence of a large quantity of liquid water at the site about 700 million years ago, which scientists previously thought was dry.
“This is a very interesting result. We have very little recorded evidence of young liquid water systems on Mars. And for the ones we have, they were usually in the form of salt minerals,” says Dr. Scheller, a scientist at the California Institute of Technology. He explained Zhurong’s instruments spotted water molecules locked away in the rock, which was different from other young liquid water environments that have been observed.
“One of the major things we’ll have to find out and that I look forward to seeing from the Zhurong rover is how extensive these ‘young’ water-bearing minerals are,” Dr. Scheller said. “Are they common or uncommon in these ‘young’ rocks?” Zhurong has now covered about two kilometers during its more than 350 Martian days and has analyzed a range of features on its travels, meaning more new Martian insights are likely still to come from the rover.
NASA has so far sent its Mars rovers to ancient landing sites, dating back to more than 3.7 billion years ago. Zhurong is not just an extra set of wheels on Mars, but a powerful suite of instruments exploring a new, geologically young site to open new windows of opportunity for research on Mars.
1. What does the underlined word “crack” in paragraph 1 mean?A.Keep. | B.Doubt. | C.Solve. | D.Create. |
A.The inaccuracy of data gathered on Mars. |
B.Functional limitations of instruments on Mars. |
C.Main reasons for the failure of the Tianwen-1 mission. |
D.The misconception of past thinking about Martian water. |
A.The result has been recorded by many scientists. |
B.Zhurong’s wide analyses will bring more surprises. |
C.Salt minerals are younger than water-bear ing minerals. |
D.Young water-bearing minerals are common in young rocks. |
A.Ancient. | B.Common. | C.Alarming. | D.Promising. |
1. What has the highest temperature been in Argentina?
A.About 45 degrees Celsius. |
B.About 42 degrees Celsius. |
C.About 31 degrees Celsius. |
A.By turning on an air conditioning for them. |
B.By asking them to drink much water. |
C.By taking them to do a water sport. |
A.A weather expert. | B.A local leader. | C.A weatherman. |
3 . Few dogs are as energetic as Sedze, a white Shih Tzu whose name means “my heart” in the Dogrib language. Last summer, the little dog went through a life
On August 13, Louise, the owner of Sedze, was
The group
Later that evening, the group finally arrived. Louise called her daughter, Jilaine, who lived in Calgary, and
Sedze was alive and well. And as it turned out, Ryan had also evacuated to High Level. While talking, they discovered that they were standing on opposite sides of a street. “It was the greatest feeling when he brought her over,” she said. Today, Louise still
A.experiment | B.competition | C.trial | D.game |
A.putting away | B.packing up | C.setting aside | D.reaching into |
A.mild | B.massive | C.controllable | D.avoidable |
A.crashed | B.marched | C.jumped | D.looked |
A.exhausted | B.satisfied | C.fascinated | D.annoyed |
A.building | B.hitting | C.crossing | D.blocking |
A.nightmares | B.memories | C.enemies | D.challenges |
A.held | B.walked | C.wrote | D.sped |
A.deliberately | B.accidentally | C.carefully | D.randomly |
A.evidence | B.impression | C.sign | D.point |
A.delighted | B.injured | C.frozen | D.heartbroken |
A.ignored | B.broke | C.covered | D.received |
A.burst | B.idea | C.update | D.improvement |
A.protected | B.confirmed | C.stole | D.hid |
A.looks | B.laughs | C.wonders | D.aims |
4 . In order to meet growing food production and energy needs in low-and middle-income countries, solar-powered groundwater irrigation (灌溉) is rapidly gaining ground. More than 500,000 solar pumps (泵) have been set up in south Asia over the last few years and a major expansion is planned across sub-Saharan Africa.
Dustin Garrick, professor in the School of Environment, Resources and Sustainability, along with an international team, examined the trend toward solar pumps as a clear opportunity for boosting agricultural yields and reducing poverty, but the opportunity comes with risks.
While replacing electric or gas pumps with solar-powered irrigation holds the promise of reducing carbon emissions (排放), it is not guaranteed. Farmers who have access to these pumps may expand production of crops or diversify into other activities, which are not emissions neutral. Solar pumps will increase groundwater pumping efficiency, which may be desirable in regions that support such increases, but this could worsen groundwater lessening in regions that are already stressed. The cheap clean energy of solar pumps may lead to increased groundwater development, without necessarily decreasing overall emissions.
Despite these challenges, the clean-energy boost can serve as a stimulus for positive change in water and energy management but will require enhanced regulation and planning in both low-and high-income settings. Garrick and his team advocate for improved data collection initiatives, with a shift from separated to integrated approaches. They suggest using technology to measure water pumping and collecting remotely sensed data to monitor land use changes. As well, regulatory improvements are crucial, with mounting limits for carbon emissions and groundwater lessening established at various levels.
With groundwater management already a difficult challenge, we must act fast to understand the implications of the clean energy boost and poverty reduction acts to avoid these gains being won away by wells running dry. The rapid adoption of solar irrigation intensifies the urgency, demanding adaptation from governments and institutions to sail through these complexities.
1. According to paragraph 3, there is a conflict between ________.A.poor farmers and solar-powered irrigation | B.human consumption and clean energy limits |
C.crop diversity and crop production expansion | D.pumping efficiency and groundwater exhaustion |
A.Integrating data collection and regulation. | B.Improving carbon emission monitoring. |
C.Separating data for land use changes. | D.Establishing groundwater levels. |
A.Perform as the authorities suggest. | B.Act based on further understanding. |
C.Quicken the adoption of solar irrigation. | D.Challenge the groundwater management. |
A.The Complexities of Adopting Solar Pumps |
B.Solar-Powered Irrigation: Farmers’ New Future |
C.The Promise and Risks of Solar-Powered Irrigation |
D.Balancing Clean Energy Boost and Poverty Reduction |
1. Which pet may an outgoing person prefer?
A.A bird. | B.A dog. | C.A cat. |
A.Clever. | B.Sociable. | C.Careful. |
A.Pet people’s personalities. |
B.More outgoing dog people. |
C.Less sociable cat people. |
1. Why are some African countries criticized?
A.They ban killing animals. |
B.Lions are allowed to be killed. |
C.Animals there are endangered. |
A.They are underpopulated. | B.They are protected well. | C.They are out of control. |
A.Hunters. | B.Drivers. | C.Road workers. |
A.Humans should live in harmony with animals. |
B.Hunting will continue in the short run. |
C.Animals should not be killed for dinner. |
1. What was Tom doing during the earthquake?
A.Crying. | B.Escaping. | C.Sleeping. |
A.He was ill. | B.He was helpless. | C.He was frightened. |
8 . Finland’s system for returning drink containers started in the 1950s, and today almost every bottle and can is recycled. Convenience is the cornerstone of the system’s success.
Nowadays there are almost 5,000 container-return machines across Finland. Most of them are located in the same shops that sell drinks, making returning them a convenient part of people’s routine. Hotels, restaurants, offices, schools and event organizers return containers through their drink providers.
The return machines are easy to use. You place a bottle or can on a set of mini conveyor belts at the front of the machine. They carry it past a scanner and out of sight. The machine sorts the bottles and crushes the cans. When you’re done, you press a button and the machine gives you a receipt. Plastic bottles are worth 20 to 40 cents, depending on their size, while glass bottles are worth 10 to 40 cents and aluminium (铝) cans are 15 cents. The returned containers are recycled or the materials are reused. Across Finland, on average, every Finn returns 373 items in a year: 251 aluminium cans, 98 plastic bottles and 24 glass bottles.
The government has entrusted this function to the private agency. “Palpa is completely nonprofit and receives no government funding,” says Tommi Vihavainen, Palpa’s director of producer services, ICT and communication.
Russia, the UK and other countries have shown interest in the Finnish system. “Most visitors want to see how the return system works in Finland,” says Vihavainen. “We don’t act as consultants, but we’re proud to present our system.”
1. What do we know about Finland’s system for returning drink containers?A.It still has a long way to develop. | B.It gains popularity for its convenience. |
C.It used to be fashionable but now out-dated. | D.It’s supported financially by the government. |
A.To show Finns consume various drinks. | B.To help make the story more interesting. |
C.To make the impact of the system convincing. | D.To guarantee the proper logic of the passage. |
A.Indifferent. | B.Positive. | C.Pessimistic. | D.Dismissive. |
A.Finland’s recycling programme keeps bottles off streets. |
B.The return machines in the world are popular and easy. |
C.Palpa—a complete nonprofit to recycle the bottles. |
D.Finland—a country free of waste such as bottles. |
9 . Plogging is a great way to make your little area of the world a little cleaner, brighter, and safer while boosting your own health, fitness, and mood. This up and coming environmental activity began in Sweden in 2016.
Because plogging typically involves jogging or running, there are many health benefits to this eco-friendly fitness trend. However, the benefits extend beyond just improving heart health.
Before you start, you’ll need to outfit yourself with the right gear to get the job done. If you’re already running or jogging, you should have a good pair of running shoes and running apparel (装备).
Theoretically, you can go plogging almost anywhere you have permission to be. Depending on where you live, you may encounter trash along the side of the roads, parks, school playgrounds, trails, parking lots, town squares and bike paths.
A.How to do plogging |
B.Where to go plogging |
C.It has since spread around the world |
D.Here are some of the top benefits of plogging |
E.It’s important that you have the right footwear |
F.Beyond that, you’ll need a good pair of gloves to protect your hands |
G.Plogging is not, in fact, a compound word of “plodding” and “jogging” |
10 . July was the world’s hottest month on record. Wildfires this summer destroyed a Hawaiian city and caused evacuations (疏散) in Canada, Greece, and Thailand. Floods devastated towns in Vermont in July and killed thousands of Libyans in September.
John Vaillant’s new book Fire Weather aims to shake us out of this with a tale of terror from a climate change frontline: the city of Fort McMurray, in northern Canada’s vast forest, where an uncontrollable wildfire during an exceptionally warm spring in 2016 flooded entire communities within days.
Vaillant tells his story at disaster-movie pace, starting with the glimpse of smoke on the horizon and assurances from the authorities that all will be fine. Mounting misfortune follows as the flames lick golf courses on the city’s edge. By the end, 90,00 people had been evacuated, 2,500 structures destroyed, another 500 damaged. The energy generated by the fire created its own weather system, with hurricane force winds and lightning strikes.
What attracts me most is the book’s central irony. The story takes place in Fort McMurrary, which is the industrial centre of northern Alberta’s tar sands, one of the world’s largest fossil fuel deposits. It is a city whose existence depends on the hydrocarbons whose burning caused climate change; but whose existence almost ended in a climate-caused burning.
Fire Weather isn’t a typical disaster book. Vaillant’s references to Nassim Taleb, Lucretius, Seamus Heaney, The Lord of the Rings, Xerxes, and Moby-Dick can grant. But Vaillant’s theme is also catching my eyes. Our industrial world is releasing carbon at a rate 10 times faster than scientists can find in the geological record for the past 250mn years, he writes. “Thanks to fire and our appetite for boundless energy, we have evolved into a geologic event that will be measurable a million years from now.”
1. What’s the purpose of mentioning the examples in paragraph 1?A.To show the varieties of nature disasters. |
B.To engage the readers in the same topic. |
C.To indicate the difficulties of these areas. |
D.To provide the background of the book. |
A.Plot and viewpoint. | B.Character and conflict. |
C.Setting and theme. | D.Tone and style. |
A.Be presented. | B.Be refused. | C.Be preserved. | D.Be recorded. |
A.An essay on the climate change. |
B.A guidebook to Fort McMurrary. |
C.A review of world disasters. |
D.An introduction to a book. |