1 . A Russian spacecraft traveling to the International Space Station Thursday had to make an emergency landing when a rocket engine failed to fire. It was the latest in a recent series of failures for the Russian space program, which is also used by the U.S. to carry its astronauts to the station.
United States astronaut Nick Hague and Russian astronaut Alexei Ovchinin landed safely about 20 kilometers from Dzhezkazgan in Kazakhstan. The city is about 450 kilometers from the Russia’s Baikonur space center, which Russia operates through an agreement with the Republic of Kazakhstan.
Both the U.S. space agency NASA and Russia’s Roscosmos reported that the two were quickly recovered from the landing area by rescue crews. A spokesman for Russian President Vladimir Putin said, “Thank God the crew is alive” after they had landed safely.
About two minutes after launching, the three-stage Soyuz booster rocket suffered an unspecified failure of its second stage. Russia’s TASS news agency said the capsule carrying the two men separated from the troubled rocket safely. This caused the capsule to drop very sharply into the Earth’s atmosphere. Parachutes（降落伞）helped slow the returning capsule. Search and rescue teams were sent to recover the crew.
Russia’s RIA news agency reported that Russia has immediately put off all manned space launches after the failure. Roscosmos head Dmitry Rogozin said he had ordered a state commission to carry out an investigation into what went wrong. He said Russia will share all relevant information with the U.S.
The TASS news agency said that the ISS crew has enough supplies and that the failed launch will not affect operations.
The U.S. and other nations have depended on Russia to carry astronauts to the ISS since the retirement of the Space Shuttle program in 2011. In coming years, American aerospace companies SpaceX, with its Dragon 2, and Boeing, with its Starliner, are expected to return to space.
1. What can be the best title of the text?| A．The Rescue of Two Astronauts |
| B．The Launch of Russian Spacecraft |
| C．Cooperation between Russia and America |
| D．Emergency Landing in Failed Space Launch |
| A．The problem of the engine. | B．The terrible weather. |
| C．The drop of the capsule. | D．The wrong operation. |
| A．SpaceX is sure to go back to space soon. |
| B．America carried astronauts to the ISS by itself before 2011. |
| C．Now only Russia can carry astronauts to space. |
| D．the ISS crew lives a very good life in the space station. |
| A．The capsule landed safely in Dzhezkazgan, Russia. |
| B．Russia had never failed in the space launch before this failure. |
| C．The failed launch will have a serious effect on the operations. |
| D．At first the capsule dropped very rapidly into the Earth’s atmosphere. |
2 . At a daycare center in Texas, children were playing outside. One of the children was Jessica Mc Clure. She was 18 months old. Her mother, who worked at the daycare center, was watching the children. Suddenly Jessica fell and disappeared. Jessica's mother screamed and ran to her.
A well was in the yard of the center. The well was only eight inches across and a rock always covered it. But children had moved the rock. When Jessica fell, she fell right into the well.
Jessica's mother reached inside the well, but she couldn't feel Jessica. She dialed 911 for help. Men from the fire department arrived. They discovered that Jessica was about 20 feet down in the well. For the next hour the men talked and planned Jessica's rescue.
"We can't go down into the well," they said."It's too narrow. So, we're going to drill a hole next to the well. Then we'll drill a tunnel across to Jessica. When we reach her, we'll bring her through the tunnel and up through our hole."
The men began to drill the hole at 11 a.m. on Wednesday, October 14, 1987. The men had a difficult job; they were drilling through solid rock. During her days in the well, Jessica sometimes asked for her mother. Sometimes she slept, sometimes she cried and sometimes she sang.
All over the world, people waited for news of Jessica. Everyone worried about her.
At 8 p.m. on Friday, October 16, men reached Jessica and brought her up from the well. She was soon sent to hospital. Jessica was dirty, hungry, thirsty and tired. Her feet and forehead were badly injured. But Jessica was alive.
After Jessica's rescue, one of the rescuers made a metal cover for the well, saying,"To Jessica, with love from all of us."
1. What is the mother's reaction when the accident happened?| A．She was so worried that she didn't know what to do. |
| B．She shouted and rushed to help her child quickly. |
| C．She called the police for help immediately. |
| D．She asked her colleagues for help. |
| A．Jessica was too frightened to say a word when she was in the well. |
| B．Men from the fire department saved Jessica. |
| C．Children had moved the rock before Jessica fell into the well. |
| D．Jessica was alive although she was injured. |
| A．47 hours | B．48 hours |
| C．57 hours | D．58 hours |
| A．911's Work | B．Everybody's Baby--Jessica |
| C．American Child | D．Mother's Mistake |
3 . On the way to my company, I was driving behind a small truck. I was a few minutes late and watching the two men ahead of me talking in that slow truck made me angry.
The light turned green, but the truck was still moving very slowly. I became impatient, so I turned right to go past it. Suddenly, a new blue Chevy Silverado was rushing by. I tried to stop, but my car hit the side of the Chevy.
“Pow！” I heard a big noise and then I realized that an accident happened. For a moment, just a moment... I asked if I was OK, and honestly, I was waiting for people to come over and help me. Those thoughts didn't last long, as the answer came into my mind that the air bag had saved me. Luckily, I was still alive.
Slowly I opened the door. The warm, bright morning sunlight hit my face and I felt better. I saw the Chevy Silverado and I ran over to check if the driver in it was injured. “Are you OK？”I shouted loudly through the window. His head was down, eyes closed, and he didn't answer me.
At that moment, I thought I was looking at a dead man. Full of fear, I shouted again, and knocked at the window heavily once more. His eyes started to open, and he slowly shook his head, “Yes.”
Once again，I said to myself, “How lucky I am！”
1. The writer was in such a hurry because ______.| A．he must wait for the green lights | B．his car was behind a slow truck |
| C．he wanted to go past the small truck | D．he was a little bit late for his work |
| A．in the afternoon | B．at noon |
| C．in the morning | D．in the evening |
| A．Someone else helped the writer when the accident happened. |
| B．The writer's car hit the side of the Chevy Silverado. |
| C．The driver of the Chevy Silverado didn't answer the driver at first. |
| D．There were at least two men in the slow truck. |
4 . One Sunday evening,it was quite dark when old Stanley went for his walk.He was walking along the sidewalk.Suddenly,he saw a white car coming around the corner at high speed.It was going too fast and crashed into a red car in the street where he was walking.He rushed up to the cars to see if anyone was hurt and needed help.
The two drivers were arguing.
“You came around the corner too fast,” one man said.
“No!” said the driver of the white car,“That’s not true!Your car was parked in a wrong place.”
Stanley listened to their argument and then said the white car driver was wrong and he drove too fast.The driver of red car asked Stanley to prove he was right in court.Stanley gave the driver his name and telephone number.
Next Thursday morning,Stanley was asked to go to the court.The lawyer of the driver of the white car asked him a lot of questions about what he had seen.Then he asked Stanley how old he was.
“I’m eighty-two,” answered Stanley.
“Do you usually wear glasses?” asked the lawyer.
“Yes,I do,” answered Stanley.
“Were you wearing them on the night of the accident?” the lawyer asked.
“No,” replied Stanley.
Then the lawyer said,“Why should the court believe you?You are eighty-two years old,you were not wearing your glasses,and it was dark.How far can you see in the dark?”
Stanley thought about it for a minute.“Well,” he said,“when it’s dark,I can see the moon.How far is that?”
1. The cause of the accident is that .| A．the red car was going too slowly |
| B．the white car was going too fast |
| C．the drivers were sleepy |
| D．Stanley was in their way |
| A．writing a letter to him |
| B．sending an email to him |
| C．paying a visit to him |
| D．making a phone call to him |
| A．Stanley was a clever and humorous man |
| B．Stanley wore glasses when the accident happened |
| C．the lawyer thought that Stanley could see clearly |
| D．Stanley was not able to see the moon |
5 . Family of a Sydney father sticking to life following a New year’s Eve fireworks explosion (燃放鞭炮) say the incident was an “unexpected accident”. Adrian Alafaci, 28, from Sans Souci, was in a dangerous condition on Thursday afternoon after a firework exploded in his face when he tried to light it just after midnight.
Adrian was ringing in the new year with a small group of friends on a beach near river-side Drive at Sans Souci. The explosion left him with serious face and head injuries and he was taken to St George Hospital without any delay. His daughter was not with him at the time. No one else was injured during the incident, police said.
People around San Souci and Brighton Le Sands said fireworks were going off in the streets for hours with some even thrown from passing cars.
Whitney Pitman posted online that someone threw a cracker at her car from a unit block as she was driving. Luckily, it was only knocked off her car. “Imagine if my window was down,” she said. “Seriously, how stupid are people these days.”
Another woman said one was let off under her son’s window in Ramsgate. “We were up all night, too,” she said.
Colleen Euston, who lives in Sans Souci, posted online that fireworks were going off in her street from 9 p.m to 2 a.m and some were thrown from a passing car.
In New South Wales it is never legal to use fireworks without a license. Only “toy fire works” such as sparklers, party poppers and toy pistol caps, can be used without a license.
1. From the first paragraph we can learn that_________.| A．a fireworks explosion means a disaster |
| B．a Sydney father got injured by a firework |
| C．a Sydney family were injured in an accident |
| D．accidents cannot be avoided at New Year’s Eve |
| A．was on a street | B．was with his family |
| C．was celebrating Christmas | D．lit a firework himself |
| A．Throwing fireworks at passing cars. | B．Throwing fireworks from passing cars. |
| C．Letting off fireworks under the window. | D．Fireworks going off from 9 p.m to 2 a.m. |
| A．always against the law | B．limited to toy fireworks |
| C．not permitted without a license | D．the main cause of human injuries |
6 . At a school in North Carolina, Monica Mitchell-Giraudo, a French teacher, instructs 19 sixth-graders to gather into a circle.
“Okay, everyone, let's take a few mindful breaths, and think about our gratitude (感激) for Amy, who brought us apples for snack today,” says Monica. “What do you notice?”
“I notice my stomach is already growling (做隆隆声),” laughs Ben.
“My mouth is watering,” says David.
Next, the students hold and examine the apples. They pick up the fruit and feel it. Then they bring the apples to their noses, using their sense of smell to enjoy the flowery smell of their snack before taking the first juicy bites.
“Excellent, class,” says Monica. “Before you eat the apple, ask yourself whether or not you're hungry. Remember, you don't have to eat if your body isn't giving you a hunger signal.”
These students are learning a practice called “Mindful Eating”, which builds the children's awareness (意识) of important physical signals like hunger and fullness.
The positive feedback from the children shows how much these newly learned life skills are helping them.
“Mindful eating helps me think about the food that goes into my body,” says Jamie, a student in Monica's class. “I can make better and healthier food choices.”
Unfortunately, these kinds of courses are in short supply because many educators believe that social and emotional programs are too expensive or time-consuming (耗时的). To save costs and reduce staffing problems, prevention programs like The Body Positive are brought into the schools. The program teaches a series of self-exploration exercises that help educators examine their feelings and attitudes about food so that they can pass on these messages to their students, too.
Kathy Laughlin, director of counseling at San Domenico High School, is a fan of the training. “Since we began the program, I have not seen as many girls with problems related to body hatred,” she says. “Mindful eating practice is one of the best ways to help students develop a healthy mind and body connection — one which will help them for years to come.”
1. What did Monica ask her students to do as soon as they were gathered?| A．Express thanks to Amy. |
| B．Feel a need for the food. |
| C．Share their eating experiences. |
| D．Think about the state of hunger. |
| A．To stop eating disorders. |
| B．To train educators in mindful eating. |
| C．To change students' attitudes towards eating. |
| D．To create present moment awareness when eating. |
| A．It is a waste of time. |
| B．It is hardly practical. |
| C．It costs a lot of money. |
| D．It has long-term significance. |
7 . Oil is essential for modern life. About 64 percent of the world’s oil is located in the Middle East, but the heaviest consumers of oil are Europe, America, and Japan. The problem lies in getting the oil from the countries that produce it to the countries that consume it. This is mainly done using oil tankers. Usually the oil is shipped safely and with no problems, but occasionally there is a disaster.
Every year millions of tons of oil are spilled into the ocean. Although this is only a small percentage of the total amount shipped around the world each year, this spilled oil can have terrible effects on ocean life, including the coastlines where the oil washes up onto shore.
One of the worst oil spills in history occurred along the Alaskan coastline in 1989, when the Exxon Valdez tanker got stuck off the coast of Alaska, spilling 42 million liters of oil. Although it wasn’t the largest oil spill, the disaster was terrible because it occurred in such a sensitive natural area. In this spill, the tanker’s captain, who was tired from overwork and drinking alcohol, had gone to take a rest. He gave control of the ship to another sailor, who was unfamiliar with the route. The ship ran onto Bligh Reef. Damaged by the reef, the ship leaked oil out into the ocean. More than 1,600 kilometers of coastline were affected by the oil spill. Many birds and otters died as a result of the oil covering their skin, and many other sea creatures and the animals that fed on them were also severely affected.
1. Which country is NOT among the largest consumers of oil?| A．Japan | B．Iraq |
| C．America | D．Germany |
| A．The birds. | B．The otters. |
| C．The sea creatures. | D．The birds and the otters. |
| A．The oil leak of Alaska is because the captain was unfamiliar with the route. |
| B．Many birds and otters died from eating the spilled oil. |
| C．Alaska spill was the most serious spill of all time. |
| D．Although some oil leak is not serious, it will affect ocean life. |
8 . Joanne was stuck in a traffic jam in central Birmingham at 5:30, and at 6:30 she was expected to be chairing a meeting of the tennis club. At last, the traffic was moving. She swung quickly racing to her house. As she opened the door, she nearly tripped over Sheba.
“Hey, Sheba,” she said, “I’ve got no time for you now, but I’ll take you out as soon as I get back from tennis club.” Then she noticed Sheba seemed to be coughing or choking. Obviously, she could hardly breathe. Immediately, Joanne realized she would have to take her to the vet (兽医). When she got there, the vet was just about to close for the day. Seeing the state of Sheba, Dr. Sterne brought her quickly into his office.
“Listen, doctor, I’m really in a rush to get to a meeting-can I leave her with you, and go and get changed? I’ll be back in ten minutes to pick her up, and then I’ll take her on to the meeting with me. Is that OK?”
“Sure,” said the doctor.
Joanne made the quick trip back to her house in a couple of minutes. As she was once more entering the hallway, the phone by the door began to ring.
“This is Dr. Sterne,” said an anxious voice. “I want you to get out of that house immediately,” said the doctor’s voice. “I’m coming round fight away, and the police will be there any time now. Wait outside!”
At that moment, a police car screeched to a stop outside the house. Two policemen got out and ran into the house. Joanne was by now completely confused and very frightened. Then the doctor arrived.
“Where’s Sheba? Is she OK?” shouted Joanne.
“She’s free, Joanne. I took out the thing which was choking her, and she’s OK now.”
Just then, the two policemen reappeared from the house, half-carrying a white-faced man, who could hardly walk. There was blood all over him.
“My God,” said Joanne, “how did he get in there? And how did you know he was there?”
“I think he must be a burglar,” said the doctor. “I knew he was there because when I finally removed what was stuck in Sheba’s throat; it turned out to be three human fingers.”
1. What was Joanne supposed to do at 6: 30?| A．To walk her dog. | B．To see her doctor. |
| C．To attend a club meeting. | D．To play tennis with her friends. |
| A．to dress up for the meeting |
| B．to phone the police station |
| C．to catch the badly hurt burglar |
| D．to wait for her dog to be cured |
| A．Sheba fought against the burglar |
| B．the police found the burglar had broken in |
| C．Joanne had planned to take her dog to the meeting |
| D．the doctor performed a difficult operation on the dog |
| A．clever | B．friendly |
| C．frightening | D．devoted |
9 . The French submarine is called Le Triomphant, meaning “the winner”. The name of the British submarine is Vanguard, meaning “the leading position in an army”. It’s clear from the submarines’ names that they were made for victory.
However, it was an accident, rather than a victory, that led these two submarines to recently make news headlines across the world.
On February 16, Britain and France admitted that two of their nuclear — armed submarines, HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant, collided while deep in the Atlantic in early February. Both submarines were on secret patrols (巡逻) and carrying nuclear arms when they collided.
Le Triomphant had no idea that it had run into HMS Vanguard until several days later. The French navy at first believed that Le Triomphant had hit an “object, probably a container (集装箱)”.
Investigations have begun to work out how such a collision could have happened. Both submarines are equipped with state-of-the-art (最先进的) technology that is supposed to find other submarines. Yet, neither submarine saw the other until it was too late.
One idea being considered was that their anti-sonar (抗声呐) equipment, which hides submarines, was just too effective in hiding one from the other.
Submarines use sonar to sense what is in the sea near them. Sonar is a submarine’s ear. Many sea animals use sonar as well. Dolphins produce high-pitched (声调高的) clicks. When these clicks hit an object, some of the sound will echo (发出回声) back to the “sender”. By listening to the echo and working out the time it took before the echo came back, the dolphin can work out how far away the object is.
There are two kinds of sonar: active sonar, which sends out signals, and passive sonar, which listens for signals with extremely sensitive microphones.
The two submarines were designed to be very quiet and as hidden as possible because a submarine’s job description (工作职责) is not to be found. Many modern submarines do not use active sonar, only passive sonar. This makes it very difficult for a submarine to “hear” if another submarine is near.
Britain’s Ministry of Defense (国防部) has said the collision did not lead to any radioactive leaks (放射物泄漏). The chance of a full nuclear explosion was almost impossible. However, experts say that if the walls of the submarines had broken, or a fire had been started, there could have been a major disaster.
A senior British Navy source told The Sun newspaper that the possible consequences of such a collision were “unthinkable”.
“It’s very unlikely there would have been a nuclear explosion. But a radioactive leak was a possibility. That would have been a national disaster.” he said.
1. What has made HMS Vanguard and Le Triomphant well known recently?| A．Their names carried very positive meanings. |
| B．They collided in the Atlantic this February. |
| C．They are both equipped with advanced technology. |
| D．They are both nuclear-armed submarines. |
| A．The two submarines were moving at a high speed. |
| B．Their anti-sonar equipment was too effective. |
| C．They were not equipped with active sonar. |
| D．The submarines were designed to be too quiet. |
a. The sound hitting the object.
b. Producing high-pitched sound.
c. The sound echoing back.
d. Working out the time to come back.
e. Receiving the sound.
| A．b—a—c—d—e | B．d—a—e—c—b |
| C．b—c—d—a—e | D．b—a—c—e—d |
| A．Both of the submarines carried nuclear arms when they collided. |
| B．Many modern submarines do not use passive sonar so as to be as hidden as possible. |
| C．The collision may have caused a disaster if a fire had been started. |
| D．There would have been a nuclear explosion if the two submarines had collided harder. |
阅读下列短文，从每题所给的四个选项（A、B、C和D）中，选出最佳选项，并在答题卡上将该项涂黑。
Eight – year – old Jesse Abrogate was playing in the sea late one evening in July 2001 when a 7 – foot bull shark attacked him and tore off his arm. Jesse’s uncle jumped into the sea and dragged the boy to shore. The boy was not breathing. His aunt gave him mouth – to – mouth resuscitation (人工呼吸) while his uncle rang the emergency services. Pretty soon, a helicopter arrived and flew the boy to hospital. It was a much quicker journey than the journey by road.
Jesse’s uncle, Vance Folsenzier, ran back into to the sea and found the shark that had attacked his nephew. He picked the shark up and threw it onto the beach. A coastguard shot the fish four times and although this did not kill it, the shark’s jaws relaxed so that they could open them, and reach down into its stomach, and pull out the boy’s arm.
At the Baptist Hospital in Pensacola, Dr Ian Rogers spent eleven hours reattaching Jesse’s arm. “It was a complicated operation,” he said, “but we were lucky. If the arm hadn’t been recovered in time, we wouldn’t have been able to do the operation at all. What I mean is that if they hadn’t found the shark, well then we wouldn’t have had a chance.’
According to local park ranger Jack Tomosvic, shark attacks are not that common. “Jesse was just unlucky,” he says, “evening is the shark’s feeding time. And Jesse was in area without lifeguards. This would never have happened if he had been in area where swimming is allowed.’
When reporters asked Jesse’s uncle how he had had the courage to fight a shark, he replied, “I was mad and you do some strange things when you’re mad.”
1. What was the boy doing when the accident happened?
| A．Feeding a hungry shark. | B．Jumping into the rough sea. |
| C．Dragging a boy to the shore. | D．Swimming in a dangerous area. |
| A．By finding his lost arm. | B．By shooting the fish. |
| C．By flying him to hospital. | D．By blowing into his mouth. |
| A．Careful. | B．Brave. | C．Optimistic. | D．Patient. |
