1 . Chinese spacecraft finds lunar soil could make oxygen and fuel on the moon.
Lunar soil could be used to make oxygen and other products from chemical reactions that mimic photosynthesis (模拟光合作用), according to an analysis of samples brought back to Earth by the Chang’e 5 spacecraft. Reliable supplies of such substances are necessary for any future lunar base.
It is expensive to send goods into space, so any material that can be found on the moon and that doesn’t have to be brought from Earth can save a lot of money.
Yingfang Yao at Nanjing University, China, and his team examined a lunar soil sample to see if it could be used as a catalyst (催化剂) for a system that would transform carbon dioxide and water released by astronauts’ bodies into oxygen, hydrogen and other useful by-products that could be used to power a lunar base.
Yao and his team first analysed their sample using techniques to identify catalytically active components of the soil. They found high levels of iron and magnesium-based compounds (复合物) that could be useful in a reaction mimicking the photosynthesis that occurs in green plants.
The researchers then tested the soil as a catalyst in various chemical reactions that would form part of a photosynthesis-like process to produce hydrogen and oxygen from CO2 and water. They found that the soil’s efficiency wasn’t as good as catalysts we have on Earth and isn’t currently good enough to generate products in sufficient quantities to support human life on the moon, but that slight adjustments to the structure and composition of the lunar soil sample might see significant improvements.
1. Why is the finding about lunar soil’s products important?| A．It gives evidence for plants to grow outside Earth. |
| B．It provides efficient support for future lunar base. |
| C．It makes clear how the moon is mostly made up of. |
| D．It tells how photosynthesis happens on the moon. |
| A．To test its chemical nature. | B．To compare it with that from the earth. |
| C．To analyze its elements and by-products. | D．To find useful mines that are rare on the earth. |
| A．A green plant. | B．An iron component. |
| C．A lunar soil sample. | D．Oxygen and hydrogen. |
| A．It needs further research. | B．It can’t mimic photosynthesis at present. |
| C．It can only be used as soil for plant growing. | D．Its efficiency is better than catalysts on Earth. |
2 . Live streaming (直播) is booming, with viewers watching nearly 4 billion hours of live stream, in the gaming sector alone, in 2020.
To stream or not to stream—that is the question with over 50 million American online creators. With over seven-in-ten people in the US using social media such as YouNow, Facebook Live, YouTube Live and Twitch, sharing a moment, routine, or an exciting experience with others has never been easier for US streamers.
For some, the motivation to live stream is for the fun of it, while others are seeking to become the next celebrity (名人).
Back in 2016, researchers studied live streams originating from the US, Japan and Germany on the platforms YouNow, Periscope and UStream. They found a wide variety of motivations driving each streamer, with a large majority using live streaming services for their own entertainment.
The main motive of US streamers was to reach a specific target group, for example, by performing music. Their goal was to improve their personal image and to cultivate their fan base. On the other hand, socializing was the main motivation for Japanese streamers. The need to communicate with their audience was especially strong. Finally, German streamers’ primary motivations were to relieve their boredom. And they’re not alone. Boredom was also a strong motivator found in both American and Japanese streamers back in 2016. Simply put, many people turned to live streaming to help pass the time and to relieve their boredom.
And then there’s a new type of live streaming where streamers don’t perform for, interact or even communicate with their viewers. Instead, the live stream broadcasts uninterrupted everyday activities such as sleeping and studying. Streamers position their cameras on their beds and go to sleep. In February 2020, Chinese streamer YuanSan broadcast his 2-day “sleep-stream” which, to his surprise, attracted 18 million viewers. In an interview, YuanSan claimed that his motivation was to relieve his boredom. “I was so bored that I decided to live stream myself sleeping. What I discovered was that viewers on the internet were even more bored than I was.”
1. What is the probable reason for the rise of live streaming in the US?| A．The fast network connections. | B．Streamers’ desire to share. |
| C．People’s need for entertainment. | D．The huge number of online viewers. |
| A．To enjoy themselves. | B．To make money. |
| C．To make friends. | D．To be famous. |
| A．Various ways of streaming. | B．Positive infuences of streaming. |
| C．Great achievements of streamers. | D．Different motivations of streamers. |
| A．It is boring to stream online. | B．Streaming can improve his sleep. |
| C．Streaming can help relieve boredom. | D．It is important to communicate with viewers. |
3 . Yesterday, after a day of Zoom (视频会议软件) meetings in my living room, I stepped out for a walk leaving my teen son bored on the couch. Bleecker Street, usually packed with people, was sprinkled with only the occasional pedestrians. Bars and restaurants lining the street were dark. Stores with bright neon lights, doors open, beckoned for the rare passers-by to enter. After just a week of the Covid-19 pandemic, an afternoon walk in Greenwich Village neighborhood felt surreal.
But then I noticed a row of daffodils(水仙)reaching for the sun in the small triangle-shaped park by Minetta Lane. On the windows of a locked restaurant, in bright yellow paint, were the words “We love you, West Village. Take care of each other. ” My phone buzzed—a colleague sent a picture of her newborn baby just home from the hospital. I arrived home to find my son animated on the couch playing a video game virtually with his friends. Life, love, play, and human connection persist, even though our world has been tuned upside down.
In my welcome note to the new students in the Fall, I wrote that this year is about our college’s core values of inclusion, innovation, and impact and emphasized the power of interconnection. Today, these core values persist, with interconnection taking on even greater significance. Our collaborative spirit has always given us an advantage—academically, creatively, culturally, and now, remotely.
A wise person once told me that getting through a crisis is like being given a new hand of cards in the middle of a game. We are halfway through the semester, with new hands to play, but the game hasn’t changed. We will find new ways to continue to work, teach, create and learn. Let’s also continue the informal interactions that make us a community—the study groups, coffee dates, drop-ins just to say hello. In doing so, we will remain connected.
We will come together, from spaces around the world, to meet this new reality. This is who we are. Nothing—not space, nor time—can keep us from moving forward, together.
1. What can be inferred from paragraph 1?| A．The Covid-19 pandemic is unstoppable. |
| B．The effects of the pandemic could be easily felt. |
| C．Nothing is the same except that the business goes slow as usual. |
| D．People have every reason to be worried about the future. |
| A．Daily routines that seemed insignificant. |
| B．Reminders that the world has been changed. |
| C．Events that people can do during the pandemic. |
| D．Things or people that carry symbolic meanings. |
| A．Cooperative. | B．Pioneering. | C．Independent. | D．Adventurous. |
| A．To express wisdom gained from previous experience. |
| B．To give people some tips on how to handle a crisis. |
| C．To deliver an uplifting message over the pandemic. |
| D．To encourage people to enjoy the great outdoors. |
The Shenzhou-13 return capsule, carrying the three Chinese astronauts, Zhai Zhigang, Wang Yaping and Ye Guangfu,
Zhai, the commander of the mission, was the first
“My first flight to space lasted six
During the six-month journey in the space station, the crew confirmed key technologies for the construction of the space station,
5 . BEIJING—Wang Yaping, a taikonaut onboard China’s space station core module (舱), offered people on Earth a zero- gravity musical performance on Tuesday evening to celebrate the Lantern Festival. The space show was shared via a video released at an annual TV gala for the festival celebration. In the video, Wang was seen floating in the space module while playing a guzheng, or Chinese zither. She played a segment of the popular Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower”.
The Lantern Festival falls on the 15th day of the first month of the Chinese lunar calendar. People usually hang colorful lanterns, play riddle games and express their wishes and hopes for the future.
The crew members, who traveled to the space station core module on the Shenzhou-13 mission, kept some festive traditions alive as they continued to rotate around the Earth. Commander Zhai Zhigang wrote riddles on red paper scrolls with a brush pen. He displayed the calligraphy together with taikonaut Ye Guangfu and extended festival greetings to the audience. They also sent blessings to athletes at the ongoing Beijing Winter Olympics: “We hope that you all achieve success, gain friendship and harvest your best Olympic experience.”
The video of the space performance was received with much enthusiasm after it was shared on social media platforms. It drew nearly 2 million clicks in one hour after several national media outlets posted it on the Chinese micro-blogging site Sina Weibo. The Weibo account of Zhurong, China’s first rover on Mars, reposted the video, commenting, “The music was so beautiful, and it made me homesick, too.”
The Lantern Festival also marks the last day of the lunar New Year celebration. Though far from home, the festive sentiments in space are the same. The China Manned Space Agency released a video on social media platforms on Tuesday, showing that the taikonauts had decorated the orbiting core module with red lanterns, Chinese knots and paper-cutting decorations. Wearing new clothes, the trio (三人小组) enjoyed the traditions of eating dumplings and posting spring couplets on walls. During the Chinese New Year holiday, they were also spotted watching the Winter Olympics and doing workouts in orbit.
1. How did the mass enjoy the musical performance according to the text?| A．By watching a video coming from a TV gala. |
| B．By logging on the Internet through computers. |
| C．By watching the Lantern Festival gala at the scene. |
| D．By watching a video posted online by Wang Yaping herself. |
| A．Access. | B．Circle. | C．Replace. | D．Launch. |
| A．Wang Yaping shared puzzles on red paper scrolls. |
| B．Zhai Zhigang showed the calligraphy on his own. |
| C．The video of the space performance became a great hit. |
| D．The Beijing Winter Olympics had come to an end when the astronauts sent their regards. |
| A．Chinese folk song “Jasmine Flower” is played on space station. |
| B．China makes major breakthroughs in the outer space exploration. |
| C．Taikonauts send blessings to the Beijing Winter Olympics athletes |
| D．Taikonauts keep Lantern Festival traditions alive on space station. |
1. What impact has the coronavirus had on public transport?
| A．It has been shut. |
| B．It is being used less. |
| C．It is struggling with the number of passengers. |
| A．25%. | B．39%. | C．300%. |
| A．We should keep positive changes. |
| B．The world can adapt to any change. |
| C．It’s better to look to the past for answers. |
7 . Orbital structures (轨道结构) are becoming increasingly important for worldwide communications and a new generation of technologies. But scientists are warning that the danger of space debris (碎片) is rapidly increasing. Space debris can include pieces of old rockets, non-operational satellites, lost tools and other items. They present a risk to spaceships, satellites and space stations.
In an effort to reduce the amount of debris orbiting the Earth, a group of economists at the University of Colorado at Boulder proposed a yearly fee, or tax, on satellite operators for their use of an orbital path. The group’s study on the subject appeared recently in the publication Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences.
Matthew Burgess helped write the study. He said in a statement: “Space is a common resource, but companies aren’t accounting for the cost their satellites impose (迫使) on other operators when they decide whether or not to launch. So we need a policy that lets satellite operators directly factor in the costs their launches impose on other operators.
Akhil Rao was the lead writer of the study. He said most of the proposed answers to the problem have been based on using technology to clear away the debris. But, Burgess said, removing debris only means that operators will launch more satellites, and an international treaty (条约) calling for a yearly fee or tax would push companies to be more mindful about launching further objects into space.
Christopher Newman is a professor of space law at Northumbria University in Britain. He said that imposing a space tax could be tricky. Newman noted that such a cost could be seen as a restriction on the free use of space, and the effort to place a fee on the use of space could easily be slowed by the many details involved.
1. What worries the scientists according to the passage?| A．The high cost of cleaning up space. |
| B．The increasing risk of space debris. |
| C．The safety of communication systems. |
| D．The practical effects of new technologies. |
| A．Strengthening control over space stations. |
| B．Allowing companies to use space for free. |
| C．Charging satellite operators orbital-use fees. |
| D．Using advanced devices to catch space debris. |
| A．Supportive. | B．Neutral. | C．Indifferent. | D．Negative. |
| A．It would lead to an argument. |
| B．It was well worth considering. |
| C．It was hard to put into practice. |
| D．It would eventually be rejected. |
8 . In 1969, watching the landing of Apollo 11 on the Moon on TV from his parents’ farm in Canada, Chris Hadfield was amazed and excited. On that day, at only nine years old, Chris made the most important decision of his life: He was going to be an astronaut.
There wasn’t even a training program in Canada to become an astronaut, but Chris was determined. He spent a great deal of time studying and fixing engines. After school he joined the Canadian army where he learned to fly many different types of planes. Chris did a lot of research for the National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)in the United States and had special training. Finally, in 1995, he rode his first rocket into space.
Chris became the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space, and went on a number of space missions throughout his career. The most memorable was his five-month stay on the International Space Station(ISS)as commander, between December 2012 and May 2013. He posted on social media thousands of photos of Earth and videos of himself explaining how things work in zero gravity. His followers could watch him sleeping, brushing his teeth, washing his hands, or preparing “space” snacks in zero gravity, which turned him into a social media phenomenon.
Today, Chris travels the world giving talks about his work. He once said, “Decide in your heart of hearts what really excites and challenges you, and start moving your life in that direction. Every decision you make, from what you eat to what you do with your time tonight, turns you into who you are tomorrow. Look at who you want to be, and start sculpting yourself into that person. You may not get exactly where you thought you’d be, but you will be doing things that suit you in a profession you believe in. Don’t let life randomly kick you into the adult you don’t want to become. ”
1. What led Chris to make up his mind to be an astronaut?| A．The life on his parents’farm. | B．Apollo 11’s landing on the Moon. |
| C．His ability to fly various planes. | D．His passion for studying engines. |
| A．Serving in the Canadian army. | B．Receiving a lot of training from the NASA. |
| C．Working as commander on the ISS. | D．Being the first Canadian astronaut to walk in space. |
| A．The space tasks he conducted in his life. | B．His great contributions to Canada’s space industry. |
| C．His strong determination to pursue his dream. | D．The pictures and videos he posted online. |
| A．Courage is what it takes to overcome difficulties. | B．The secret of success lies in the firm aim. |
| C．From small beginnings come great endings. | D．Opportunities go hand in hand with challenges. |
9 . Beethoven is undoubtedly one of the greatest musicians. He completed 722 musical works. Unfortunately, the master died while still working on his 10th Symphony (交响曲). Now, a team of musicians and scientists have used artificial intelligence (AI) to complete the artist’s final composition.
Dr. Matthias first came up with the idea to complete the composition in 2019. He thought it was an appropriate way to celebrate Beethoven’s 250th birthday in December 2020. He began by enlisting an international team of music experts to help him with the giant task. They included music composer Walter and Dr. Ahmed, the creator of an innovative AI technology for the art market.
Ahmed and his colleagues started the process by familiarizing the AI software initially with a broad range of classical music, and then, narrowed it to just Beethoven’s work. Meanwhile, Walter and his group tried to interpret the rough drafts and the handful of notes that detailed Beethoven’s plans for the 10th Symphony.
The team then began the slow and careful task of feeding the AI software musical notes from the unfinished composition. To stay true to Beethoven’s original composition, Ahmed’s team sent Walter hundreds of AI-generated musical note variations every evening. Walter would listen to them and then select the one that he thought was closest to what the artist would have written. The AI team would add the music and rerun the software to generate the next suggestions. And piece by piece, the team was able to complete Beethoven’s 10th Symphony!
The composition was firstly released on October 9, 2021. Not surprisingly, it caused some controversy (争议). Critics believe technology should not be used to replicate the human creative process. Ahmed and his team agree with their opinions and say their AI software is not out to replace humans — it is just a tool to help artists to express themselves in new ways.
1. What is the purpose of the writer in writing paragraph 1?| A．To voice his greatest respect for Beethoven. |
| B．To compare traditional music and AI music. |
| C．To present the team of music experts’ hard work. |
| D．To introduce an innovative method to create music. |
| A．Horrible. | B．Steady. | C．Challenging. | D．Boring. |
| A．Question. | B．Copy. | C．Direct. | D．Speed. |
| A．Beethoven’s 10 Symphonies Is Eventually Staged |
| B．AI Helps Complete Beethoven’s Unfinished Symphony |
| C．A Team of Experts Conduct a Mission Impossible |
| D．A Controversial Way Successfully Interprets Beethoven’s Music |
10 . Due to the COVID-19 pandemic (流行病), the social distancing commands separated family members from each other in 2020. However, it also resulted in some lifelong friendships between people who would have otherwise never met.
The unlikely friendship between 99-year-old Mary and her two-year-old neighbor, Benjamin began in May 2020. The lockdown was particularly hard for Mary, who has been living alone since her husband passed away 37 years ago. Her other family members are in other states. The 99-year-old spent her days watching television game shows. Benjamin, a then one-year-old who lived next door, was also stuck at home and unable to play with kids of his age.
The unusual friendship developed gradually. At first, Mary would wave at Benjamin from her window whenever she saw the young boy in the yard. Then, she began adventuring outside to greet him in person. The routine eventually expanded to daily gatherings by the fence that separated the two homes. The unlikely pair even invented a socially distanced game that Mary calls cane (手杖) ball. “I came out of the house one morning, and he threw his ball toward the fence,” she said. “I got my cane, and I reached over the fence and hit the ball toward him, and he’d throw it back. That’s how it started.”
When the weather turned cold, the two were unable to meet in the yard as regularly. But Benjamin’s mother, Sarah, kept the friendship alive by often stopping by Mary’s house with the kid. The friendship between the two has developed even further since Mary got vaccinated (接种疫苗) earlier this year. The two give each other hi-fives across the fence and often sit outside Mary’s house. This spring, Mary and Benjamin gifted each other with their favorite.
Benjamin now goes to daycare three times a week. But he still regularly makes time to visit his best friend who he refers to as “Mimi”. “Friendship really knows no boundaries,” Sarah said. “Certainly, you wouldn’t guess that a 99-year-old and a 2-year-old would be friends, but they can be. And they both get a lot out of it.”
1. What can we learn about Mary and Benjamin from paragraph 2?| A．They became neighbors. | B．They were stuck at home. |
| C．They had to live alone. | D．They wandered around freely. |
| A．Waving each other. | B．Chatting in the yard. |
| C．Watching game shows. | D．Playing cane ball. |
| A．To bring her warm clothes. | B．To sit outside Mary’s house. |
| C．To maintain the friendship. | D．To exchange their gifts. |
| A．The pandemic brings people heartwarming friendship. |
| B．The lockdown establishes some lifelong friendship. |
| C．A big age gap isn’t a barrier to developing a friendship. |
| D．The shutdown has resulted in great inconvenience. |
