2 . I read with interest a recent article on Galactocorp’s planned Shuttlejet flight later this year. I cannot imagine more stupid thing than this, so-called space tourism, and can’t help wondering what on earth humanity is coming to if this can be successful business.

Many may think that space travel is the highest human achievement, which may be the condition when scientific endeavor (努力) is the aim. However, when it comes to space tourism, think we may have found the top of human stupidity. Consider the high cost of getting into space, the billions of dollars wasted on building the Shuttlejet, and the many thousands spent by the passengers—and for what? So that forty fat cats can have a first-class meal along with six minutes of weightlessness, before returning to earth? Never before has so much money been spent for so little benefit (利益). I invite all space tourists to come around to my house. I can treat them to a big dinner and they can have jump on the trampoline (蹦床), and they’ll only need to pay me half the price of Galactocorp.

Further, the money can be used in a smarter way. Think of the many worthy causes that would benefit from the money that has been thrown away on this project already. There are many medical programs in those poor countries. A few hundred thousand dollars could make a big difference to the lives of thousands of people. The benefits would last far longer than six minutes.

Not only is the Shuttlejet a terrible waste of money, it’s also a terrible waste of resources (资源). Think about the materials required to build and the things required to drive the Shuttlejet. Do we really want to pollute the environment for such a pointless exercise and waste so much money for such a pointless exercise?

In a word, we all need to come back down to earth and forget this stupid dream of space tourism.

1. What’s the author’s purpose in writing this text?

A．To ask for advice.	B．To stop project.
C．To share his idea.	D．To express his interest.

2. What offer does the author make in Paragraph 2?

A．Helping the fat cats lose weight.

B．Asking people to have fun in his house.

C．Providing a trampoline for space tourists.

D．Preparing first-class-meal for the forty cats.

3. What is the author’s main idea against space tourism?

A．It costs space tourists a lot of money.

B．It is just a scientific aim.

C．It is bad for the environment.

D．It causes a lot of waste in money and resources.

4. What does the author mean by saying“come back down to earth”in the last paragraph?

A．The project is unrealistic.	B．The project is unscientific.
C．The money should be spent on earth.	D．Space is nothing compared with earth.

3 . The moon's permanently shadowed areas, nearly 384,000 kilometers away from home, are the closest water source outside the earth. The craters have been dark since billions of years ago. But now with student-developed technologies, more about them can be discovered.

Through the competitive Breakthrough, Innovative and Came-changing(BIG) Idea Challenge and the Space Grant project, NASA has awarded nearly $1 million to eight university teams. They will build sample lunar payloads and demonstrate innovative ways to study the moon's darkest areas.

“It's an exciting time for NASA and students across the country,” said Drew J. Hope, Program Manager of Game Changing Development program. “Thanks to our partnership with the Office of STEM Engagement, this is the most money NASA has awarded in a student challenge directly connected to Artemis.”

The chosen teams will work out ways to gather data in and around the craters, generate wireless power for future infrastructure, and enable autonomous mobility even in the most extreme environments, The research results could benefit NASA's Artemis program and be used to study the moon ahead of a human landing in 2024 or help establish a sustained presence by 2028. Each team will receive different amounts of grants, based on the concept and budget they propose. They will develop and test the technologies in simulated environments with the awards during the following 10 months, showing they are prepared for a possible lunar mission as early as 2023. Then in November 2020, a panel of NASA and industry experts will examine the team's research and development results at a face-to-face design review.

“One of the most exciting things about this challenge is that several of the concepts, if proven to be viable as a result of these awards, could eventually be integrated and operated together on the surface of the moon, “according to Chad Rowe, Acting Manager of Space Grant Project. “These students are part of the Artemis generation and they are helping fulfill NASA's mission needs today, while developing relevant hands-on experience that will prepare them for aerospace careers after graduation.”

1. What can we know from Paragraph 1?

A．The moon can't serve as a water source for us.

B．Some students are working in NASA.

C．The moon is the only water source outside the earth.

D．We can explore more about the moon.

2. Why did NASA award those eight university teams?

A．Because they stood out in a challenge and a project.

B．Because they demonstrated technologies to study the moon.

C．Because they explored the mystery of space.

D．Because they challenged NASA's Artemis program.

3. What will the chosen teams work out according to Paragraph 4?

A．The way to create WIFI on the moon for future use.

B．The way to ensure autonomous mobility can be used in space.

C．The way to examine the research and results face-to-face.

D．The way to collect information and statistics of the moon.

4. According to Chad Rowe, what benefit can the students get from the project?

A．They can land on the moon.

B．They can get money while doing the job.

C．They can gain experience for their future careers.

D．They can work in NASA after graduation.

4 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Scientists say they     1    (find) the most detailed evidence of long-flowing, ancient rivers on Mars so far. The discovery supports     2    (exist) evidence that Mars—which today is dry and cold——was once a water-rich planet. The     3     (research) say their findings suggest rivers may have flowed     4     the surface of Mars for hundreds of thousands of years.

The evidence came from new satellite pictures of the Martian surface. A camera on NASA's Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter photographed these pictures. The camera is able     5     (take) detailed pictures of the surface while orbiting the planet.

A team of scientists studied the images,     6     showed a rocky area within the planet's Hellas Impact Crater (海勒斯陨石坑). An impact crater is formed when a space object crashes into Mars     7     other planets. The Hellas Impact Crater is one of the     8     (large) formations of its kind in the solar system. The team     9     (lead) by Francesco Salese, a geologist at Utrecht University. Their research results were     10     (recent) published in a study in Nature Communications.

6 . How many things can you see in the night sky? A lot! On a clear night you might see the Moon, some planets, and thousands of sparkling stars.

You can see even more with a telescope. And with bigger and bigger telescopes you can see more and more objects in the sky. And you can see those objects in more and more detail.

But scientists believe there are some things in the sky that we will never see. We won't see them with the biggest telescope in the world, on the clearest night of the year.

That's because they're invisible. They're the mysterious dead stars called black holes.

You might find it hard to imagine that stars die. After all, our Sun is a star. Year after year we see it up in the sky, burning brightly, giving us heat and light. The Sun certainly doesn't seem to be getting old or weak. But stars do burn out and die after billions of years.

As a star's gases burn, they give off light and heat. But when the gas runs out, the star stops burning and begins to die.

As the star cools, the outer layers of the star pull in toward the center. The star squashes into a smaller and smaller ball. If the star was very small, the star ends up as a cold, dark ball called a black dwarf. If the star was very big, it keeps squashing inward until it's packed together tighter than anything in the universe.

Imagine if the Earth were crushed until it was the size of a tiny marble. That's how tightly this dead star, a black hole, is packed. What pulls the star in toward its center with such power? It's the same force that pulls you down when you jump—the force called gravity. A black hole is so tightly packed that its gravity sucks in everything—even light. The light from a black hole can never come back to your eyes. That's why you see nothing but blackness.

So next time you stare up at the night sky, remember: there's more in the Sky than we can see! Scattered in the silent darkness are black holes—the great mystery of space.

1. According to the article, what causes a star to die?

A．As its gases run out, it cools down.	B．It has a collision with other stars.
C．It can only live for about a million years.	D．As it gets hotter and hotter, it explodes.

2. Which of the following statements is NOT true?

A．Black holes are dead stars.	B．Black holes have gravity.
C．Black holes are invisible.	D．There is nothing as mysterious as a black hole.

3. What happens AFTER a star dies?

A．It becomes invisible.	B．It fails to Earth.
C．It burns up all of its gases.	D．It becomes brighter and easier to see.

4. Why can't you see light when you look at a black hole?

A．Because most black holes are so far away.

B．Because the gravity of a black hole is so strong that it sucks the light inward.

C．Because as the star's gases burn, it stops giving off heat and light.

D．Because as a star cools, its outer layers pull in toward its center.