1 . Will human beings find intelligent alien (外星的) life anytime soon? Probably not, according to theoretical physicist Stephen Hawking.
Hawking made the prediction during the Breakthrough Starshot announcement in New York City on April 12. At the news conference, Hawking, along with Russian billionaire sponsor Yuri Milner and a group of scientists, detailed a new project that aims to send a large number of tiny, wafer-size (薄饼大小的) spaceships into space to the neighboring star system Alpha Centauri (半人马座阿尔法星).
If these tiny spaceships travel at 20 percent of the speed of light, they'll be able to reach Alpha Centauri in just 20 years, Milner said. Once there, the spacecraft will be able to do a 1-hour flyby of Alpha Centauri and collect data that's impossible to gather from Earth, such as taking close-up photos of the star system, studying space dust molecules (分子) and measuring magnetic fields (磁场), said Avi Loeb, chairman of the Breakthrough Starshot Advisory Committee and a professor of science at Harvard University.
In addition to learning about space technology, the audience wanted to hear about aliens--specifically, when scientists might find them.
Hawking took questions from reporters in advance so that he would have time to prepare his answers.
Hawking has famously predicted that intelligent aliens might threaten humankind. Indeed, when asked about what Earthlings should do if we came across intelligent alien life, he said, “We should hope that they don' t find us.”
Other researchers at the conference offered a more optimistic view of alien life.
1. What are the wafer-size spaceships mainly designed for?| A．Looking for aliens. | B．Doing a 1-hour flyby. |
| C．Landing on Alpha Centauri. | D．Collecting data about Alpha Centauri. |
| A．pretty soon human beings will find alien life |
| B．we may find alien life a danger to human beings |
| C．Alpha Centauri is suitable for human immigration (移民) |
| D．scientists should be sent into space to collect data |
| A．sponsors | B．reporters |
| C．human beings | D．scientists |
| A．analysis of the data collected |
| B．other questions from reporters |
| C．possible ways to defend us against aliens |
| D．other scientist’ opinions on alien life |
2 . How to Improve Your English
Learning English is a continuous process. For tips on how to improve your English, read on.
Read English newspapers, books, and magazines. Reading is an active process that requires your brain to work. When learning a language, much is achieved by speaking, listening and writing.
Read the book version of a movie that you have already seen.
Teach English to children or friends.
Use English every day. Whatever you are doing, from washing the dishes or taking out the garbage to going to work or to the gym, use English. Take out those new words that you learned and use them. Bring out those new idioms you came across and use them.
As you try to improve your English day by day, you will surely see improvements that are going to “make your day”.
| A．Open your mouth. |
| B．Keep a news diary. |
| C．But reading is also a great help. |
| D．Listening to songs can help you improve your English. |
| E．The best way to improve something is by teaching it to others. |
| F．If the new knowledge stays inside your head and in your notebooks, it won’t come to life. |
| G．If you are not a serious book reader, reading a story that you are already familiar with will help you move along page by page. |
3 . Though plastic shopping bags are cheap and useful, they cause widespread pollution. Now, we may have an unlikely helper to help clean up our garbage — a small wax worm.
The worm’s hidden skills were discovered by accident. About two years ago, Federica Bertocchini, a developmental biologist at the Spanish National Research Council and an amateur beekeeper, was cleaning out bees’ nest that had been filled with worms. She removed the worms and put them in a plastic bag while doing the cleaning. After finishing, she went back to the room where she had left the worms, and found they had escaped from the bag. When she checked, she saw that the bag was full of holes.
Realizing she may have made an important discovery, Bertocchini teamed up with other researchers to conduct further research. They began by placing 100 worms on some plastic bags and discovered that over a 24-hour period, the worms managed to chew through 92 milligrams of plastic. The researchers make an appropriate judgment that at this rate, the group of worms could degrade (降解) an average-sized 5.5-gram plastic bag within a month. To rule out the possibility that chewing was causing the degradation, the researchers spread the soft wet substance inside the body of some recently dead worms on a sheet of plastic. Sure enough, even the liquid was able to eat through the material, confirming that the worms have plastic-digesting enzymes (酶).
While the news is certainly encouraging, not everyone is convinced. The Michigan State University’s Ramani Narayan believes the tiny pieces of microplastics released by the plastic-eating worms would pick up harmful substances and transport them up the food chain, causing, even more, harm to the environment and human health. Susan Selke, director of Michigan State University School of Packaging, is concerned that the worms will not be able to survive in an oxygen-free landfills where large amounts of waste material are buried under the earth.
However, Bertocchini is not planning to transport worm armies to landfills. Instead, the researcher wants to identify the enzyme that helps degrade the plastic. The researcher says, maybe we can find the molecule (分子) and produce it on an industrial level, rather than using a million worms in a plastic bag.
1. What did the experiment of using dead worms find out?| A．Worms’ chewing may cause the degradation. |
| B．A plastic-eating chemical exists in wax worms. |
| C．Dead worms are effective in dealing with plastic. |
| D．It takes a long time for worms to degrade plastic. |
| A．Objective | B．Convinced | C．Questioning. | D．Optimistic. |
| A．The structure of plastic-degrading enzymes. |
| B．The use of other worms in disposing plastic. |
| C．Wax worms’ adaptability to the landfill environment. |
| D．The chance of producing wax worms on a large scale. |
| A．Can wax worms save the environment? |
| B．Wax worms have an appetite for plastic. |
| C．Why do wax worms have plastic-eating skills? |
| D．Hungry worms join the fight against plastic pollution |
4 . One spring morning many years ago, I had been prospecting for gold along Coho Creek in southeastern Alaska. Suddenly, no more than 20 paces away was a huge Alaskan timber wolf-caught in a trap.
From her appearance, I guessed she had been trapped for several days. She needed my help, I thought. But if I tried to release her, she would turn aggressive to me. The wolf was clearly suffering. The trap's steel jaws had imprisoned two toes. They were swollen and lacerated, but she wouldn't lose the paw (爪子) — if freed. Yet each time I moved closer, she would make a frightening growl. If I could only win her confidence, I thought. It was her only hope.
Over the next few days, I divided my time between prospecting and trying to win the wolf's trust. I talked gently with her, throwing her some meat. Gradually, I kept edging closer — though I was careful to remain beyond the length of her trap chain.
At dusk on the fifth day, I delivered her dinner. Suddenly, I saw a slight wagging of her tail. I moved within the length of her chain. She remained sill. As a towering man, my heart was in my mouth, though. Within her reach, I wrapped my blanket around myself and slowly settled onto the cold ground. It was long before I fell asleep.
The next morning, I slowly placed my hand on the wolf's injured leg. Unexpectedly; she made no threatening move. Then I applied pressure, the trap sprang open, and the wolf pulled free.
My experience told me the wolf would vanish into the woods quickly. But cautiously, she crept toward me and sniffed my hands and arms. This went against everything I'd ever heard about timber wolves. Yet, strangely, it all seemed so natural.
1. What happened to the timber wolf?| A．She was stuck in a trap. | B．Her food ran out. |
| C．Her legs were swollen. | D．She was caught in the author's trap. |
| A．Some food. | B．The author's care. |
| C．Her trust in the author. | D．Winning the author's confidence. |
| A．He was too close to the wolf. | B．The ground was too cold. |
| C．The wolf remained still. | D．The wolf wagged her tail. |
| A．It was frightening and surprising. | B．It was unexpected but natural. |
| C．It was humorous and natural. | D．It was terrifying but encouraging. |
5 . School will be back in session by midAugust. The good news, kids and parents？There’s still time to enjoy yourself. From sports to movies, here’s a selection of familyfriendly activities we found, including some deals to make it easier on the wallet.
Free Golfing for Kids
Tired of your kids being in the house all summer？Get them outside, physically active and possibly interested in a new sport. Kids 5 to 15 can leave their electronic devices and onto the golf course with one free bucket of range balls and free golfing with one paid adult. 7:00 am－6:30 pm daily through Aug. 31. Plantation Palms Golf Club, 23253 Plantation Blvd. , Land O’Lakes. (813) 9967122. plantationpalms. net.
Family Movies in Historic Theatres
Families can experience a bit of Tampa Bay history as they watch movies in two renovated(翻新的) area landmarks(地标).
As part of the summer Hollywood Classic Series, Tampa Theatre invites you to 1939’s The Wizard of Oz(Aug. 26). (You can remind the kids that Tampa Theatre is old enough to have showed The Wizard of Oz on its first run.) $10. 711 N Franklin St. , Tampa. (813)2748982. tampatheatre. org.
Together with Ruth Eckerd Hall’s 201819 Broadway Season, the historic Capitol Theatre presents movie versions of the Broadway musicals. Next up is The Lion King(Aug.11). $5. Upgrade to $9 for unlimited fountain drinks and popcorn. 3pm 405 Cleveland St., Clearwater. (727) 7917400. rutheckerdhall. com.
Summer Series
Curtis Hixon Park has turned into a 12, 000squarefoot play wonderland focused on fitness and adventures. Free. Rotating(循环的) daily activities include live animals and animal education by Zoo Tampa at Lowry Park(Aug. 6), kids fitness classes by the YMCA(Aug.11), kidfriendly recipes by Salt Block Catering(Aug. 7) and craft activities by the Hillsborough County Library(Aug. 8). Curtis Hixon Park, 600 N Ashley Drive, Tampa. (262) 9399908. tampasdowntown. com.
1. Which number should you call if you want to go golfing?| A．(262)9399908. | B．(727)7917400. |
| C．(813)2748982. | D．(813)9967122. |
| A．They have been rebuilt many times. |
| B．They were built about eighty years ago. |
| C．They are famous in the Tampa Bay area. |
| D．They have turned into a play wonderland. |
| A．At the YMCA. | B．At Lowry Park. |
| C．At Salt Block Catering. | D．At the Hillsborough County Library. |
6 . United States health officials say an estimated 80,000 people died of influenza (流感) and problems resulting from the flu last winter, making it the worst season since 1977. The director for the U.S.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported the number to The Associated Press. Health experts were expecting the winter of 2017-2018 to be a bad year for flu deaths, but not that.
Doctor William Schaffner is an expert on vaccines, at Vanderbilt University in Tennessee. Schaffner noted that 80,000 deaths are nearly twice as much as what health officials once considered a “bad year”.
CDC officials say that between 12,000 and 56,000 Americans die every year from flu-related causes, but they do not have an exact count of how many people die from the flu each year. Influenza is a relatively common disease and not always listed on death records as the official cause of death. While last winter was a bad flu season in the U.S., it was not the worst. The 1918 flu lasted nearly two years. Historians estimate that the disease was to blame for between 500,000 to 700,000 deaths during that period. The exact number is still not known.
One thing that made the 2017-2018 flu season so bad was that the flu virus was strong. Usually the disease kills the very young, the very old or those who are already sick. However, last winter, the flu killed many healthy Americans. Another thing that made the flu season so deadly was that the flu vaccine was not as effective as experts had predicted. Drug makers have made changes to the vaccine. Even though the vaccine did not work well last year, health experts still strongly suggest getting vaccinated.
1. What can we learn about influenza in the first paragraph?| A．The winter of 2017-2018 saw the deadliest flu in history. |
| B．Effective cures should be found to deal with influenza. |
| C．Health experts had assumed flu would be severer. |
| D．More people died of influenza than expected in the winter of 2017-2018. |
| A．80,000. | B．40,000. |
| C．60,000. | D．20,000. |
| A．Because flu is always considered as a common disease. |
| B．Because people usually don't take flu seriously. |
| C．Because CDC officials are unwilling to count the deaths. |
| D．Because flu is not always listed on death records. |
| A．Change the vaccine. | B．Avoid using vaccine. |
| C．Get vaccinated. | D．Do research on vaccine. |
7 . In our day-to-day lives, we must interact with a wide variety of people. Some of them are easy to get along with, but others can be more challenging. It' s impossible to like everyone.
Don't make promises you can't keep. It can be difficult to say no to people, especially when you want to get along with everyone and may whole-heartedly want to say yes to everything.
Respect differences between people. Accepting the fact that people are different from you, and that doesn't make them wrong, is part of having a positive attitude. The difference may be in terms of behavior, culture, or opinion. These differences are not only okay.
Keep it short.
| A．Develop a positive outlook. |
| B．They make life more interesting. |
| C．Find out before you judge them for yourself. |
| D．But there are ways to say no without being mean. |
| E．Some people are a lot harder to get along with than others. |
| F．Yet sometimes we have to get along with people whether we like them or not |
| G．When you have to interact with difficult people, do your best to keep it fact-based |
8 . Michele Gentile, an Italian bookseller, is offering free books to children in exchange for plastic bottles to recycle.
Michele owns Ex Libris Cafe in Polla，a small town in southern Italy. He said he thought of the recycling program, because he wanted to inspire children in the small town to read and pay attention to the environment.
''My goal is to spread the passion and love for books among those people in Italy who do not usually read while at the time helping the environment," Gentile explained.
The idea for the initiative (倡议) came after Gentile collaborated with a nearby middle school on an aluminum recycling project. Working together, the schoolchildren and Gentile collected enough cans to purchase books for an entire classroom. His new program too off from there and has already spread into northern Italy: Gentile's hopes his work will continue to make headlines and become a worldwide initiative.
The free books come from customers in Gentile's shop who have donated money to purchase a ''suspended" book. The idea comes from a World War II practice in which customers would buy two Coffees: one for themselves and another for the next person in line. Gentile has been using the extra books as part of his recycling initiative,
While Gentile's program is a great way to recycle and get kids to read, it also brings awareness to the growing problem of plastic waste. Single-use plastics make up around 26 percent of all the plastics in the world, only 14 percent of which are recycled. Plastics that end up in landfills take around 500 years to decompose (分解),is a major concern for environmentalists.
Cutting down on plastic waste is important if we want to better the environment for future generations, and recycling programs like Gentile's book giveaway are a great way to meet that goal.
1. What is the purpose of Gentile's book giveaway?| A．To sell more coffee and books. | B．To attract more customers. |
| C．To collect money for a new project. | D．To inspire reading and recycling. |
| A．Working with a school to recycle cans. | B．Seeing school kids don't like reading. |
| C．Donating books for a local school. | D．Buying a “suspended” book for a child. |
| A．The local government. | B．Gentile himself. |
| C．Some publishers. | D．His customers. |
| A．An Italian's Reading Initiative | B．Recycling Can Get Kids Free Books |
| C．Michele's Way of Doing Business | D．A New Way to Deal with Plastic Waste |
9 . It is believed that raisins (葡萄干) were discovered in the Middle East, where they were treasured. Any food that wouldn't spoil in the hot sun was very valuable. Prehistoric drawings in France show that raisins have been enjoyed in southern Europe for thousands of years.
In North America, the original mistake of leaving grapes to wither (枯萎) on the vine was not the only time raisins accidentally became popular. In the 1870s many people were growing grapes in California.
| A．They have been used for necklaces and as religious symbols. |
| B．Raisins are children's favorite snacks. |
| C．The grapes were either eaten as fresh fruit or were made into wine. |
| D．The grocer was unwilling to buy the dried grapes. |
| E．Raisins are high in iron, which is important to children's growing bodies. |
| F．Roman doctors believed raisins could cure anything from mushroom poisoning to old age. |
| G．The grocer's customers discovered that raisins made a delicious treat. |
10 . How to Improve Your English
Define your learning objectives early: what do you want to learn and why? Make learning a habit.
Choose your materials well. You will need reading, grammar, writing, speaking and listening materials—beginners can use a basiclevel English guide, and then move on to an advancedlevel English guide.
Vary your learning routine. It is best to do different things each day to help keep the various relationships between each area active.
Relate grammar to practical usage. Grammar by itself does not help you use the language. You should practice what you are learning by employing it actively.
Move your mouth! Understanding something doesn't mean that the muscles of your mouth can produce the sounds.
Be patient with yourself. Remember that learning is a process—speaking a language well takes time. It is not a computer that is either on or off!
| A．The Internet is the most exciting, unlimited English resource. |
| B．Try to learn something every day. |
| C．Practice speaking what you are learning aloud. |
| D．In other words, don't just study grammar. |
| E．Find your own interests. |
| F．Choose articles that relate to what you are fond of. |
| G．Find friends to study and speak with. |
