1 . A new study suggests that dark markings on the planet Mars represent sand — not water. The research in 2015 suggested that lines on some Martian hills were evidence of water. Yet American scientists now say these lines appear more like dry flows of sand. If water is present, it is likely to be a small amount. Water in liquid form would be necessary for microbial (微生物的) life.
NASA, the American space agency, said more research is needed. Michael Meyer is the lead scientist for NASA’s Mars exploration programme. He noted that the latest study does not reject the presence of water. But he admitted, “It just may not be as exciting as the idea of rivers going down the sides of cliffs (悬崖).”
The new findings come from a team led by Colin Dundas of the United States Geological Survey. His team measured 151 of these lines in 10 areas. Most of the lines end with slopes (倾斜) between 28 degrees and 35 degrees. These measurements are similar to active sand dunes (沙丘) on both Mars and Earth. A small covering of dust that moves and sometimes becomes lighter might help explain the markings. They usually appear in the Martian summertime, and then disappear until the next year. If these lines are dry, this suggests that recent Mars bas not had large amounts of liquid water. Dundas and his research team say that many questions remain.
“I still think that Mars has great potential for having had life early on in its history,” Meyer said. “As long as that’s true, we also have a reasonable possibility of life still being on Mars. It just happens to be cryptic or well hidden.”
NASA currently has no robotic — either on Mars or in development — with the ability to climb steep slopes. The lack of such equipment has engineers coming up with ideas like Martian helicopters or planes without pilots.
1. What do American scientists find on Mars now according to their study?| A．A lot of little life. | B．An amount of water. |
| C．Some Martian hills. | D．Dark markings are sand. |
| A．In Martian spring. | B．In Martian summer. |
| C．In Martian autumn. | D．In Martian winter. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Trustful. | C．Unconcerned | D．Objective. |
| A．Undiscovered. | B．Strange. | C．Magical. | D．Icy. |
2 . Since I was born and brought up in a rural town，I have a great interest in nature.Using the chance of studying abroad in my second year at college，I decided to go to Canada just because I wanted to see the beautiful phenomena there.So after I finished the study program，I went to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.
I clearly remember the sixth night in Yellowknife.Suddenly my host mother came to my room around 8∶00 p. m.and told me to change clothes and go outside quickly carrying her camera.
The northern lights were flickering (闪烁) in the sky！I was shocked and just stood there with my mouth open.I forgot to take pictures of the mysterious lights.
Since that night，whenever it was sunny，I went outside at night and looked at the sky.It was so cold that I lost all feeling in my hands and feet.
As I took pictures of the northern lights，I came to find a characteristic movement of the lights.They first appear in the north part of the sky and then they gradually come down to the south part of the sky.After that，suddenly，they come in the middle of the north and south only for a while，which is the time when the best northern lights can be seen.Since it is only a few seconds for the northern lights to come down to the middle of the sky，it is very hard to get good pictures.
The stronger the sun acts，the better and stronger the northern lights flicker in the sky.That's because they come about from the collisions (碰撞)between atmospheric gases and the solar wind.Much more solar wind comes to the earth when the sun is active，which leads to the best northern lights.And the colors of the northern lights depend on the height of the collisions and the kinds of gases.
1. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?| A．Ways to take good pictures. |
| B．The relationship between the sun and the northern lights. |
| C．The colors of the northern lights. |
| D．The time of the best northern lights. |
| A．She wanted to take a picture of him. |
| B．She wanted to take a walk with him. |
| C．She wanted to tell him something important. |
| D．She wanted him to see the northern lights. |
| A．the host mother didn't remind him to take the camera |
| B．he was shocked by the wonderful sight |
| C．the lights flickering in the sky disappeared too soon |
| D．he lost all feeling in his hands and feet |
| A．When they appear in the north part of the sky. |
| B．When they come down to the south part of the sky. |
| C．When they are between the north and south. |
| D．When they rise in the east part of the sky. |
3 . China just grew the first plant on the moon. That’s one small leaf for the moon, but one giant leap for moon colonies（聚居地）. As you may know, I’m not a huge fan of space travel. Well, I think it’s cool, but I just get annoyed with anyone who thinks humans will save themselves from the earth by building colonies on Mars.
However, I am a fan of plants. And the idea that you could actually create an ecosystem on a rock in space is a pretty cool one. And I’m part of an ecosystem on a rock in space. Apparently, I’m not the only one. The Chinese wanted to find out if they could grow “life” on the moon. So they sent a probe（探测器）into space with cotton seeds. Once the probe landed, the system watered the seeds, and boom-they sprouted（发芽）.
“We have done the first biological experiment on the moon of human history to make the first seed sprout on the moon,” wrote Xie Gengxin, who designed the experiment, on Chongqing University’s website. “And with time moving on, it’ll be the first plant with green leaves on the moon.” The Chinese are also attempting to grow potatoes and more vegetables on the moon. Plus, they’re working on hatching fruit fly eggs. People have gotten seeds to sprout in space before, but never on the moon. Growing food is a big deal if you want humans to travel on long missions or build space colonies.
“Experts are still discussing the chances of following projects, but it’s confirmed that there will be another three missions after Chang’e 5,” Wu Yanhua, from China’s National Space Administration, explained at a press conference. I’m confused：I’m thinking this is pretty cool, but I’m also thinking it’s using resources that could be better directed towards more useful things.
1. What does the underlined part “a rock” refer to?| A．The moon. | B．Mars. | C．The earth. | D．The probe. |
| A．Negative. | B．Admiring . | C．Critical. | D．Doubtful. |
| A．China plans to grow vegetables on more planets. |
| B．China’s plant-growing plans go smoothly for now. |
| C．The seeds planted on the moon are from outer space. |
| D．The plants grown on the moon are used for space travel. |
4 . One of the biggest barriers to a manned mission to Mars is the fuel problem. If future Mars explorers ever want to return to Earth, they’ll not only need enough fuel to get to Mars, but also enough to get back home. And fuel is heavy. If the plan is to pack it from Earth for the whole journey, then that adds a lot of weight to the aircraft. It’s a difficult problem.
Now, in a new plan outlined in an article by a NASA team leader Kurt Leucht, the dream of making fuel right on Mars itself appears to be a real possibility. And the only raw material needed to make the rocket fuel? Martian soil.
The NASA team calls the method “in situ resource utilization”, or ISRU. It involves extracting（提炼）water from Mars’ distinctive red-colored dirt and using a process called electrolysis（电解）to separate water into hydrogen and oxygen. The hydrogen can then be combined with carbon, which is plentiful in Mars’ atmosphere, to make methane, which can be used as rocket fuel.
Of course, all of this requires time and an on-site factory that’s up to the task. For that, NASA is developing a team of robots that can be set up on Mars years in advance of a return trip to Earth, which will tirelessly work to manufacture the rocket fuel.
The whole plan does have one small challenge. Namely, it depends on the water content of Martian soil. If we start digging and there’s no water, or far less of it than expected, that could be a problem. But scientists are becoming increasingly confident that Mars’ soil actually has a fair amount of water locked into it, which is also enough for the survival needs of astronauts who plan to stay a while on the Red Planet.
“This technology will one day allow humans to live and work on Mars,” wrote Leucht, “and return to Earth to tell the story.”
1. What is one of the problems faced by Mars explorers?| A．They cannot carry enough fuel to return to Earth. |
| B．They have great difficulty surviving on Mars. |
| C．They need a large aircraft to carry enough fuel. |
| D．They cannot carry enough food to feed themselves. |
| A．By releasing a lot of carbon. | B．By providing water resources. |
| C．By producing methane directly. | D．By absorbing hydrogen in the air. |
| A．By doing experiments on Earth first. | B．By training factory workers on Mars. |
| C．By preparing a return trip in advance. | D．By employing robots as workers on Mars. |
| A．Doubtful. | B．Optimistic. | C．Concerned. | D．Unclear. |
5 . Bend, a small town in Oregon, is called "moon country". Before the astronauts ever
When the news that his old friend would go to the moon came to Watson's
And a few weeks after their
| A．did | B．made | C．took | D．grasped |
| A．adventure | B．research | C．amusement | D．practice |
| A．local | B．aggressive | C．gifted | D．academic |
| A．carried out | B．picked out | C．ruled out | D．checked out |
| A．sense | B．rescue | C．knowledge | D．assistance |
| A．enveloped | B．measured | C．designed | D．transformed |
| A．thanked | B．welcomed | C．congratulated | D．followed |
| A．huge | B．valuable | C．unique | D．tiny |
| A．fly | B．deliver | C．orbit | D．float |
| A．much | B．highly | C．little | D．low |
| A．escaped | B．rushed | C．wandered | D．journeyed |
| A．arrival | B．return | C．application | D．campaign |
| A．postcard | B．drawing | C．photo | D．note |
| A．equipped | B．decorated | C．covered | D．marked |
| A．reliable | B．precious | C．permanent | D．realistic |
6 . At first sight the planet Mars does not appear very welcoming to any kind of life. It has very little oxygen and water. The temperature at night is below 50 degrees and winds of 100 miles(161 kilometers) per hour cause severe dust storms. However, the surface of the planet seems to show that water flowed across it at some time in the past, and it is believed that there would be enough ice at the poles to cover the planet with water if it melted. Although there is no life on the Mars now, some scientists think there may have been some form of life a long time ago. At that time, the planet had active volcanoes(火山), the atmosphere was thicker and warmer, and there was water. In fact, in some ways the Mars may have been similar to the earth, where life exists.
Some people believe that the Mars could support life in the future if the right conditions were produced.The first step would be to warm the planet using certain gases which trap the sun’s heat in the planet’s atmosphere. With warmth, water and carbon dioxide, simple plants could begin to grow.These plants could slowly make the Mars fit to live on. It is judged that the whole process might take between 100, 000 and 200, 000 years. In the meantime, people could begin to live on the planet in a special closed environment.They would provide a lot of useful information about conditions on the Mars and the problems connected with living there.
1. According to the passage, the planet Mars has no ________on it.| A．winds | B．dust |
| C．mountains | D．animals |
| A．there is a large amount of ice at the poles |
| B．there is a thicker and warmer atmosphere |
| C．there are some kinds of simple plants |
| D．there are many active volcanoes |
| A．Certain gases should be used to warm the Mars. |
| B．Plants should be grown to make the Mars fit to live on. |
| C．The Mars could support life on right conditions in the future. |
| D．People could live on the Mars in a special closed environment. |
| A．No Life on the Mars |
| B．Study of the Mars |
| C．The Possibility of Life on the Mars |
| D．Future Conditions on the Mars |
7 . Nine years ago, when the closest and largest full moon fell on March 19, 2011, many people used the term, “supermoon”, which we had never heard before. In 2012, we heard this term again to describe the year’s closest full moon on May 6, 2012. Supermoons also appeared in 2013, 2014, 2015, 2017 and 2019.
What does “supermoon” mean exactly? And how special was the March 19, 2011 supermoon?
The word “supermoon” didn’t come from astronomy. Instead, it came from astrology (占星学). In 1979, astrologer Richard Nolle defined it as a new or full moon which occurs at or near its closest point to the earth in its orbit. In short, the earth, moon and sun are all in a line, with the moon at its nearest point to the earth.
And the full moon of March 19, 2011 was the largest moon of that year. This “supermoon” was at perigee (近地点)—its closest point to the earth in its orbit. It was bigger and brighter than other full moons of 2011. Astronomers call this sort of close full moon a perigee full moon.
That doesn’t sound very special, does it? In fact, the March 2011 full moon lined up much closer to perigee than Nolle’s original definition. But were you able to notice with your eyes alone that this full moon was bigger or brighter than usual? Astronomers said no. But it was fun to stand outside under this full moon and know that the moon was closer than ever.
In 2019, there were three supermoons. The first supermoon of 2019 was the Super Blood Wolf Moon on January 21, which occurred with a total lunar eclipse (月全食) at the same time, also known as a “blood moon”. The second supermoon of 2019 was on February 19, also called the Snow Moon, which was the closest full moon of the year. The third and final supermoon of 2019, known by Native Americans as the Worm Moon, occurred on March 21. It fell on the day of the vernal equinox (春分), which signals the end of winter and the beginning of spring.
1. What type of moon is a “supermoon”?| A．A full moon. | B．A new moon. |
| C．A full moon at perigee. | D．Any full moon in 2011. |
| A．It was the first full moon in 2011. |
| B．It was in the closest orbit to the sun. |
| C．It was brighter than any other full moon in 2011. |
| D．It was at its furthest point to the earth. |
| A．They can appear in the sky at the same time. |
| B．Only astronomers can see them. |
| C．The supermoon is as large as an ordinary full moon. |
| D．People can’t tell the difference between them with the naked eye. |
| A．was called the Super Blood Wolf Moon |
| B．was the closest full moon of the year |
| C．was found by Native Americans first |
| D．occurred on the day of the vernal equinox |
1.优点：展现一个国家的科技能力，给人类提供新能源，提高人们的生活水平；
2.缺点：耗费大量的金钱和精力；
3.你的观点。
注意：1.词数100左右；
2.可以适当增加细节，以使行文连贯。
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9 . Three days before the Christmas in 1968, Frank Borman, Jim Lovell and Bill Anders had adventured out to the moon, becoming the first human beings to reach and orbit our closest neighbor in the space. On the Christmas Eve, they pointed a TV camera out of the window of Apollo 8 and showed a global audience (观众) of 1 billion the ancient moon moving slowly below their spaceship. As that movie played, Anders began reading, “In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth...”
“I didn’t choose it,” he said last October, when all three astronauts met to mark the 50th anniversary (周年) of their moon flight, at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry, where their spaceship is displayed.
When the three men returned to earth on December 27, they were surrounded by a sea of joy. That kind of collective (集体的) joy—born of collective effort—can seem beyond us now. From the factory floor to the three men in the spaceship, an estimated (估计) 400,000 people had a hand in making the moon flight possible. Behind the joy there was also a dark danger Apollo 8 might face. If the astronauts made it into the moon orbit but their engine failed to fire when it was time to return, rescue would be impossible. They would circle the moon forever. But the astronauts did come home, and in the process they gave the world another gift: the celebrated photograph that came to be known as Earthrise.
Even fifty years later, Borman and Lovell continued to play jokes on Anders, 85 then.
“I’m still trying to figure out who did it,” said Borman, with a wink (眨眼睛).
“You did it, I think,” Lovell answered.
“Bill did it,” Borman admits.
He didn’t want me to take it at first,” Anders said.
“I have never said it before publicly,” said Borman, “but I’m just proud that I was able to fly with these two talented guys. You did a really good job.”
1. The men pointed a camera out of the window of Apollo 8 ________.| A．to show the moon to the world |
| B．to read some sentences to the audience |
| C．to do some research into the ancient moon |
| D．to record what they were doing in the spacecraft |
| A．Their engine might explode in the orbit. |
| B．They wouldn’t land on the moon successfully. |
| C．They might have no chance to return to the earth. |
| D．Their spaceship might catch fire in the returning journey. |
| A．27. | B．30. |
| C．35. | D．50. |
| A．The flight. | B．The earth. |
| C．The reading. | D．The picture. |
