1 . The company SpaceX has already launched hundreds of its Star-link satellites, with plans to put as many as 42,000 of them in Earth orbit. Its goal is to provide high-speed Internet to billions of people. Moving toward that kind of access is important, but it comes at a cost. Glittering with reflected sunlight, these first orbiters, sent up in the past year, are brighter than 99 percent of the 5,000 or so other satellites now circling Earth, and obviously there are going to be a lot more. This sudden increase is bad for astronomy: the probability of a Star-link satellite crossing a telescope’s field of view and ruining an observation will be quite high near sunset. For that reason, my fellow astronomers have signed a petition (请愿书) calling for governments to protect the night sky from this invasion.

In response to protests, SpaceX has promised to address the visibility problem by, for example, applying experimental coatings — essentially painting the satellites black — but the company’s aggressive launch schedule remains unchanged. And the satellites’ illuminated (被照亮) surfaces are mostly their solar panels — exactly the part that cannot be painted over.

Unfortunately, at present no regulations govern how bright a single satellite can be, let alone thousands of them together. Even if there were such regulations, one nation’s laws can not hinder (阻碍) another country’s launches. Space literally has no borders, and the sky will need to be protected at an international level. As a consequence, we hope that the United Nations will find a way to think outside of the box to save the sky for everyone.

When I was growing up in Montana, it was a game to be the first to find a moving satellite among the host of stars in the night sky. Soon it could be a game to recognize the constellations (星座) behind a swarm of moving points of light.

1. What is the writer’s attitude toward Space X’s launching plans?

A．Indifferent.

B．Doubtful.

C．Optimistic.

D．Disapproving.

2. Why have my fellow astronomers signed the petition?

A．SpaceX plans to send too many Star-line satellites into space.

B．The Star-line satellites will possibly ruin an observation near sunset.

C．The first orbiters are brighter than most of other satellites circling Earth.

D．Space X fails to provide high-speed Internet to people around the world.

3. According to the author, who should shoulder the responsibility to save the sky?

A．The United States.	B．The United Nations.
C．The company SpaceX.	D．Just one nation.

4. What can be a suitable title for the text?

A．Preserve the Night Sky	B．Ban Star-line Satellites
C．Observe the Stars Attentively	D．Protest against Space X

2 . Blue Planet II's latest episode (情节) focuses on how plastic is having a destructive effect on the ocean and slowly poisoning our sea creatures. Researchers recently also found that sea creatures living in the deepest place on Earth, the Mariana Trench, have plastic in their stomachs. Indeed, oceans are drowning in plastic.

Though it seems that the world couldn't possibly function without plastics, plastics are a remarkably recent invention. The first plastic bags were introduced in the 1950s, the same decade that plastic packaging began gaining popularity in the United States. This growth has happened so fast that science is still catching up with the change. Plastics pollution research, for instance, is still a very early science.

We put all these plastics into the environment, but we still don't really know what the outcomes are going to be. What we do know, though, is disturbing. Ocean plastic is estimated to kill millions of marine animals every year. Nearly 700 species, including endangered ones, are known to have been affected by it. One in three leatherback turtles, which often mistake plastic bags for jellyfish, have been found with plastic in their bellies. Ninety percent of seabirds are now eating plastics on a regular basis. By 2050, that figure is expected to rise to 100 percent.

And it's not just wildlife that is threatened by the plastics in our seas. Humans are consuming plastics through the seafood we eat. I could understand why some people see ocean plastic as a disaster, worth mentioning in the same breath as climate change. But ocean plastic is not as complicated as climate change. There are no ocean trash deniers (否认者), at least so far. To do something about it, we don't have to remake our planet energy system.

This is not a problem where we don' t know what the solution is. We know how to pick up garbage. Anyone can do it. We know how to deal with it. We know how to recycle. We can all start by thinking twice before we use single-use plastic products. Things that may seem ordinary, like using a reusable bottle or a reusable bag-when taken collectively, these choices really do make a difference.

1. Why is plastics pollution research still a very early science?

A．The plastics pollution research is too difficult.

B．Plastics have produced less pollution than coal.

C．Plastics have gained popularity too fast for science to catch up.

D．The world couldn't possibly function without plastics.

2. How did the author support his opinion in Paragraph 3?

A．By citing quotes from leading experts.	B．By making a comparison and contrast.
C．By listing examples from his own experience.	D．By presenting solid statistics.

3. What does the author intend to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．We reap what we sow.	B．The shortest answer is doing.
C．All things are difficult before they are easy.	D．Actions speak louder than words.

4. What is the main idea of the passage?

A．The oceans become choked with plastic.	B．Ocean plastic is a global issue.
C．Blue Planet II has left viewers heartbroken.	D．Plastics gain in popularity all over the world.