1 . The future of space exploration may depend on an art form from the past: origami (折纸艺术), the ancient art of paper folding.
Researchers from Washington State University (WSU), US have used origami to possibly solve the problem of storing and moving fuel to rocket engines, a key challenge in space travel, according to Newswise. They’ve developed a foldable plastic fuel “bladder (囊状物) “resistant to super cold temperatures, which could be used to store and pump fuel in spacecrafts of the future. Their findings have recently been published in the journal Cryogenics.
“Folks have been trying to make bags for rocket fuel for a long time,” said Jake Leachman, one of the lead researchers. “We currently don’t do large-scale and long-duration trips because we can’t store fuel long enough in space.”
Meanwhile, NASA is also looking to paper folding to help observe distant planets. The agency is currently developing Starshade, a foldable, sunflower-shaped piece of hardware that would help block starlight and enable telescopes to view distant objects more clearly in space.
“A huge part of my job is looking at something on paper and asking, ‘Can we fly this?’” Manan Arya, a technologist in California, said. “Once I realized this is how you fold spacecraft structures, I became interested in origami. I realized I was good at it and enjoyed it. Now, I fold constantly.”
Using origami for space purposes isn’t new, however. Solar arrays (太阳能阵列), experimental wings for space shuttle programs and an inflatable satellite were also inspired by origami in both past and present space projects.
“With most origami, the magic comes from the folding,” Robert Salazar, who helped design the Starshade and now works on the Transformers project, said in a statement. “There are so many patterns to still be explored.”
1. What is one of the features of the “bladder”?| A．It can help store solar energy. |
| B．It is made of a few kinds of metal. |
| C．It can resist extreme cold temperatures. |
| D．It can adjust temperatures in a spaceship. |
| A．On account of energy problems. |
| B．Owing to lack of oxygen in space. |
| C．Due to great changes of temperatures. |
| D．Because of the driving force of rockets. |
| A．They need to be improved. |
| B．Origami was the inspiration for them, too. |
| C．There is much more to be explored in space. |
| D．They belonged to quite advanced technology then. |
| A．Key challenge in space exploration |
| B．Past and present space projects |
| C．Folding for space exploration |
| D．Ancient art of paper folding |
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4 . Humans have been living and working on the space station for over 20 years. Their meals are packaged, though sometimes astronauts receive fresh treats from resupply missions. The longer that packaged food is stored, the more it loses nutrients like vitamin C and vitamin K.
Astronauts have successfully grown 10 different crops on the space station since 2015 and had the chance to sample (品尝) each one. The International Space Station hosted a party for astronauts on Friday as they celebrated the harvest of the first chili peppers (辣椒) grown in space. The crew finally had a chance to taste the peppers after initially kicking off the plant experiment on the space station in July.
Plant Habitat-04 is one of the most complex plant experiments on the orbiting laboratory to date because peppers take much longer to grow than the previous experiment plants. After growing for four months, the peppers were harvested on Friday.
Peppers provide a great source of vitamin C, as well as other key nutrients. Pepper plants self-pollinate (自花授粉), so they are easy to grow, and they are a pick-and-eat crop that doesn’t have to be cooked. They are also safe to eat raw.
A side effect of life in zero gravity is that astronauts often lose some of their taste and smell, so spicy or well-seasoned foods are a favorite. Adding fresh greens or peppers to the menu allows astronauts to liven up their regular meals. But growing and tending to the plants can also produce other benefits.
Astronauts have described the joy from seeing — as well as smelling and caring for — leafy green plants on the space station that remind them of Earth.
“Growing colorful vegetables in space can have long-term benefits for physical and psychological health,” said Matt Romeyn, principal investigator for the experiment. “We are discovering that growing plants and vegetables with colors and smells helps to improve astronauts’ well-being.”
1. How is the food astronauts eat on the space station?| A．Always fresh. | B．Lack of nutrients. |
| C．Never tasty. | D．Full of vitamins. |
| A．The technology. | B．Growing process. |
| C．The varieties of plants. | D．Growing time required. |
| A．Peppers are delicious. | B．Peppers can improve memory. |
| C．Peppers help prevent diseases. | D．Peppers can restore appetite. |
| A．The Fun of Growing Chili Peppers in Space |
| B．The Agricultural Goal in the Space Mission |
| C．The First Chili Peppers Grown in Space |
| D．The Chili Peppers Used in the Space Mission |
5 . A new test for COVID-19 is coming to store shelves throughout the U.S. This is the first test for the disease that you can do at home. It does not need a prescription, or doctor’s approval, to use.
Currently, the U.S. is testing nearly 2 million people daily, and most health experts agree the country needs to be testing many more people than that. Most tests still require a nasal swab (鼻拭子) performed by a health professional, followed by processing at a laboratory. That typically means you have to wait days for the test results.
For months, health experts have stressed the need for fast, widespread home testing, which allows people to screen themselves and avoid contact with others if they have an infection. With this new home test, people can “swab their nose, run the test and find out their results in as little as 20 minutes,” said FDA commissioner Stephen Hahn.
The test kit includes a small tool to help you to take nasal swab, or sample from inside your nose. Once you swab your nostril (鼻孔) you place the swab onto a small cartridge. This cartridge analyzes the sample and sends the results to an app on your smartphone. The app displays the results and then helps you interpret them. Users can also connect with a health professional through the app.
Ellume’s test works differently than other tests. Most tests look for the genetic material of the virus. This is the material that hakes up its genes, which influence how the virus looks and acts. However, Ellume’s test looks for proteins that the virus sheds (散发). These viral proteins are large molecules that can trigger a response from your immune system, which is the collection of cells and their responses that help the body fight off infections.
Like other COVID-19 tests that look for proteins, Ellume’s test still has a shall chance of errors. FDA officials say that people who get a negative result but still have coronavirus symptoms should follow up with a doctor.
Although the price of the test could prevent some people from using it, Dr. Michael Mina, a professor at Harvard University in Cambridge, Massachusetts, called the new test “a great addition” to existing options.
1. What is the problem with current testing in the U.S.?| A．It is not efficient enough. | B．It leads to poor management. |
| C．It based on nasal swabs. | D．It results in outbreak of virus. |
a. analyze the sample
b. send the result to an app
c. take a nasal swab
d. place the swab on a cartridge
e. interpret the result
| A．cadbe. | B．cdabe. | C．dcbae. | D．dcabe. |
| A．It’s unaffordable for some people. |
| B．It has a great chance of errors. |
| C．It’s an addition to existing options. |
| D．It causes people to get infected. |
| A．Smartphone apps for analysis. |
| B．A tool for taking Nasal swab. |
| C．More options for recovering. |
| D．Home test for COVID-19. |
6 . China’s Yutu 2 Rover, which was crossing a crater (环形山) on the far side of the moon, discovered a mysterious, cube-like structure in November as it scanned the skyline. The unknown structure seemed to be located around 260 feet away from where the Rover crossed.
Our Space, associated with the Chinese National Space Administration which controls Yutu 2, first noted the object in a post on December 3rd; the story gave a nickname to the object “mystery hut”. Yutu 2 has since adjusted course to check out the cube, and will spend the next 2 to 3 lunar days investigating this mysterious moon feature.
The Yutu 2 Rover launched with China’s Chang’e 4 mission in 2018, and reached the moon in January 2019. The mission aimed to discover more about the far side of the moon, or as pop culture calls it, the “dark side” of the moon. Contrary to this nickname, the far side of the moon is not actually always dark, it just faces away from the Earth. The rover, solar powered, goes into a kind of hibernation (休眠) when the sun sets on the far side of the moon, and wakes up to work when the sun rises over the crater.
Yutu 2 has seen plenty of interesting moon features in its travels already, including a strange gel (胶状物) that turned out to be some rocks melted together, and some pieces that were likely to be from the impact of a meteor (流星). The Chang’e 4 mission has also brought forth some fascinating new discoveries like what could be pieces of the moon’s mantle (覆盖层).
Whatever this structure turns out to be, Yutu 2 will continue uncovering other secrets the “dark side” of the moon is holding.
1. What does “mystery hut” in paragraph 2 refer to?| A．Yutu 2 Rover. | B．A cube-like structure. |
| C．A newly discovered crater. | D．Chinese National Space Administration. |
| A．To research into the dark side of the moon. |
| B．To explore the use of solar energy on the moon. |
| C．To take pictures of the sun from the far side of the moon. |
| D．To measure the distance between the earth and the moon. |
| A．Sunshine cannot reach the far side of the moon. |
| B．The temperature on the moon is always changing. |
| C．Many rocky mountains rise on the surface of the moon. |
| D．The moon may have been crashed into by another planet. |
| A．Health. | B．Technology. | C．Politics. | D．Economy. |
Three Chinese astronauts safely returned to Earth on Sept. 17 after
Commander Nie Haisheng, Liu Boming and Tang Hongbo touched down inside the landing zone near Dongfeng in the Gobi Desert, Inner Mongolia,
The main, 1,200-square-meter parachute (降落伞) opened around 10 kilometers above the ground. The landing
The Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center declared the Shenzhou-12 to be
“The universe is so vast, beautiful and fascinating. I was fortunate and happy to have the chance
The mission was the third of eleven missions
8 . Tianwen I is China’s first Mars probe(火星探测器). Where does the name come from? Do you still remember Qu Yuan, a famous poet in ancient China? He loved his motherland very much. His long poem “Heavenly Questions(天问)” expresses the continual hard work and the great spirit of the Chinese nation to science. That is why Tianwen I was officially named, which is quite cultural and beautiful.
On July 14, 2020. Tianwen I arrived at the Wenchang Space Launch Site(发射站)in Hainan Province. The space probe Tianwen I based off(发射升空)at 12:41 p.m. on July 23, 2020, carrying a Long March 5 carrier rocket(长征5号运载火箭). It took Tianwen I about seven months to travel to Mars.
The China’s Mars rover(火星车), Zhurong moved from is landing platform(平台)onto the surface of the Red Planet at 10:40 a.m. on May 15th, 2021, starting is exploration(探险旅程)around the landing site.
The 240-kilogram robot was sent into the sky to survey Mars’ landforms, geography situation, and something about water, ice, environment and other physical fields.
Before Tianwen I, no country had ever tried to send an orbiter(运行器), a lander and a rover in one single expedition(考察)to Mars.
1. Why was the first Mars probe here given the name, Tianwen I?| A．Because of a book written by Li Bai. | B．Because of a poem written by Qu Yuan. |
| C．Because of a famous scientist. | D．Because of a well-known engineer. |
| A．On June 23, 2020. | B．On June 24, 2020 |
| C．On July 23, 2020. | D．On July 24, 2020. |
| A．About 3 months. | B．About 5 months. |
| C．About 7 months | D．About 9 months. |
| A．Landforms and geography situation. | B．Something about water, ice and environment. |
| C．Other physical fields. | D．All of the above. |
9 . The COVID-19 has led to a great demand for bikes and biking. Bikes stores are struggling hard to keep up with the demand. In the United States, bike sales have seen their jump since the 1970s. Sales of adult bikes in April of 2020 were three times as high as last year. The situation is similar in Asia and Europe. Around 90% of the bikes sold in the US are made in China. But because of the COVID-19, even the normal supply of bicycles wasn’t being created. That demand began to go up in mid-March, as people began looking for ways of getting around that didn’t involve crowded public transportation. Because biking happens in the open air, and the chance of catching the disease while riding is very low.
Biking has also grown more popular because it is one of the few forms of exercise allowed in many lockdowns. With gyms and fitness shut down, biking fills a need for many active people. Families appreciate biking, too. With school closed and kids unable to hang out with their friends, biking is a welcome activity. Bikes are also practical. Many cities are seeing this as an opportunity to make their streets safer and greener. Cities around the world are adding mils and miles of bike lanes to their streets to encourage biking. New York says it will close off up to 160 kilometers of roads so they can be used by bikers and walkers. Paris has set up over 650 kilometers of new bike lanes. The United Kingdom plans to double its number of bike lanes. In Milan, Italy, 35 kilometers of roads have been metamorphosed.
Though many of these bike lane additions are temporary, and some people assume these additions seem to destroy the overall beauty of cities, if changes in biking habits become permanent because of additions, they could seriously cut down car traffic and help make cities a lot greener.
1. What can we conclude about the present bike situation?| A．It is more expensive. | B．It is safer than a car. |
| C．It is in short supply. | D．It is all made in China. |
| A．Repaired. | B．Changed. | C．Protected. | D．Designed. |
| A．Negative. | B．Doubtful. | C．Indifferent. | D．Positive. |
| A．Increasing Interest in Biking | B．Ride Bikes, Clean the Earth |
| C．More Bikes, Fewer Traffic Jam | D．A Great drop for Bike Exercise |
10 . Everything You Need to Know About Coronavirus
The spread of China’s coronavirus may have started with something simple — a person buying food for dinner at an outdoor market.
The potency and movement of the virus has rallied the cooperation of various agencies, including the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and World Health Organization,
What is the Wuhan coronavirus?
The infection numbers are startling: Since Jan. 20, cases worldwide have surged from 282 to 9,925. The death toll stands at 213, according to Chinese officials.
The current coronavirus doesn’t have an official name yet.
Outbreaks like this have happened before, most notably with SARS in 2003 and MERS in 2015.
With current numbers, the fatality rate for 2019-nCoV is 2.4%. The WHO said most coronavirus cases reported to date “have been milder, with about 20% of those infected experiencing severe illness.”
Are people quarantined (隔离)?
Wuhan has been the hardest hit. Airports and railway stations are closed and public transportation halted. Private vehicles are banned. Residents wear face masks to protect against infection. While a new, 1,000-bed hospital is under construction, there are shortages of medicine, protective masks and other supplies.
| A．which closed a city of 11 million, leaped across continents and raised pandemic fears |
| B．which declared the Wuhan coronavirus outbreak a “public health emergency of international concern” on Thursday |
| C．How does coronavirus compare to SARS, MERS and the common flu |
| D．Is the virus just a problem for China |
| E．As infection numbers rise, China has ordered residents in nearly a dozen cities to stay where they are |
| F．SARS, Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome, is commonly used as a reference in coronavirus coverage, since both originated in China and share characteristics |
| G．The current designation is “2019-nCoV”, with “2019” for year of discovery, “n” for novel (meaning new) and “CoV” for coronavirus |
