The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars, and stay there. Th
题型：不详难度：来源：
The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars, and stay there. This attractive career is for people who want a huge change of scenery and planet. The project is called the Hundred Years Starship, which aims to colonize (开拓殖民地) other lands such as the red planet Mars.
Settlers would travel to the red planet and live there forever. NASA says it would be too expensive to bring humans back to Earth. The space agency can afford, however, to send supplies to the astronaut pioneers from Earth. Astronauts would be landed on the planet"s surface and would never be able to return home due to the cost.
NASA has started the project with $1.6 million, and hopes to attract investment from space-living billionaires. Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.
The journey to Mars could take 4 months. Setting on the red planet would be extremely dangerous, especially given the freezing temperatures there. The thin atmosphere would be another problem as it is mostly carbon dioxide, so oxygen supplies are a must. A director in NASA said that he believed the trip might start with visiting Mars"s moons first. He claimed that humans could be on Mars"s moons by 2030.
Many scientists think colonizing space is absolutely necessary. Steven Hawking believes we must move to other planets to survive as a species. He said: “Once we spread out into space and establish independent colonies, our future should be safe.” Scientists Dirk" Schulze-Makuch and Paul Davies also call it a “desirable goal”, though there surely are huge risks to explore new lands.
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE about the Hundred Years Starship?| A．It has cost NASA around $10 billion. | | B．It is expected to be conducted on Mars in 2030. | | C．It aims to explore new lands in the universe. | | D．It is a project first raise by Steven Hawking. |
小题2:We can infer from the passage that Google co-founder Larry Page _______.| A．used to be an astronaut | B．is no longer rich now | | C．is a fan of space travel | D．is a generous man |
小题3:What would be the best title for the passage?| A．One-way trip to Mars | | B．Mars"s another moon is found. | | C．Human landing on Mars. | | D．NASA"s first cooperation with Google. |
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答案
小题1:C
小题2:C
小题3:A |
解析
试题分析：文章介绍了美国宇航局寻找去火星旅游的人。介绍了这次活动的目的，和一些细节。
小题1:细节题：从第一段的句子：The project is called the Hundred Years Starship, which aims to colonize (开拓殖民地) other lands such as the red planet Mars.可知这个计划是为了开拓新的陆地。选C
小题2:细节题：从第三段的句子：Google co-founder Larry Page told NASA he would be interested if the cost of a one-way ticket can go down from $10 billion to $2 billion.可知谷歌的 Larry Page 是太空迷。选C
小题3:主旨题：从第一段的句子：The US space agency NASA is looking for people to go to Mars,可知是讲的去火星的旅行。选A
点评：文章介绍了美国宇航局寻找去火星旅游的人。介绍了这次活动的目的，和一些细节。
考查推理题较多，要求考生能根据上下文的语义串联和题目的具体要求，做出适当的延伸和推理。 |
举一反三
Scientists in Colombia have trained a team of rats to help remove land mines from the countryside. Land mines are small bombs hidden in the ground and designed to explode(爆炸) when someone steps on them.
When trained, the rats can smell special metals in the mines and then signal(发信号) to their human team. Then why use rats for such an important job?
In the past, dogs have been used to find bombs. Rats have a good sense of smell and can respond to orders, just like dogs do. But rats are much lighter than dogs. They stand less of a chance of setting off the mines, which explode under a certain amount of weight. What’s more, the best rats are cheaper to keep than dogs. It costs about the same amount of money to take care of one dog as it does 70 rats.
The rats have already been used in Tanzania, an African country with many land mines. Luisa Fernanda Méndez and her team in Colombia are training the even lighter Wistar rats. These are the white rats with red eyes that scientists often use in laboratory experiments. “They even train their babies to perform their jobs, which saves us a lot of time, ” Méndez said.
Colombia has the second-highest rate(比率) of deaths from land mine accidents in the world. Last year, land mines killed 695 people — 56 of whom were children. A criminal group called the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia, or FARC, as well as other organizations, have placed the mines. FARC are strongly against Colombia’s government. The group has placed mines all around its own bases and in many places in the countryside.
In the past, the Colombian government hired peasants and poor farmers to find mines. Many of them died trying to find the well-hidden bombs.
Colombian police official Erick Guzmán hopes the team of rats can come to the rescue(援救). “These rats will be a great help,” he said.
小题1:How do rats help to find land mines?| A．By their special sight. | B．By their light weight. | | C．By their sense of smell. | D．By their excellent hearing. |
小题2:The advantage of rats over dogs in finding bombs is that _____.| A．they are cleverer. | | B．they run faster | | C．they have a better sense of smell | | D．they don’t make mines explode as easily |
小题3:The underlined word “They” may refer to ______.| A．scientists | B．Wistar rats | | C．dogs | D．Méndez and her team |
小题4: What is the passage mainly about?| A．Specially-trained rats help clear land mines. | | B．People in Tanzania are suffering from land mines. | | C．Dogs are no longer used to find land mines. | | D．Land mines have become a great danger to Colombians. |
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A messy desk can actually lead people towards clearer thinking, say researchers from Germany．
The researchers found in a series of linked studies - using a messy desk and a messy shop front - that people actually thought more clearly when all around was chaos, as they sought to simplify the tasks at hand.
Visual and mental clutter（阻塞） forces human beings to focus and think more clearly.
Famous thinkers and writers such as Albert Einstein and Roald Dahl have been notorious（声名狼藉的） for their untidy desks.
“Messy desks may not be as detrimental（有害的） as they appear to be, as the problem-solving approaches they seem to cause can improve work efficiency or increase employees" creativity in problem solving,” say the authors.
“Business and government managers often promote "clean desk" policies to avoid disorganized offices and messy desks, for the purpose of boosting work efficiency and productivity,” writes lead researcher Jia Liu of the University of Groningen in a paper published in the Journal of Consumer Research.
“This practice is based on the conventional wisdom that a disorganized and messy environment can clutter one"s mind and complicate one"s judgments.”
“However, not all evidence supports this conventional link between a messy environment and a messy mind.”
The scientists tested people"s response in various "messy" environments - including a messy shop front, a disorganized desk, and even a work environment where a language task "reminded" people of messiness.
The authors found in the series of six studies people tended towards simplicity in their thinking.
“They categorized （分类） products in a simpler manner, were willing to pay more for a T-shirt that shows a simple-looking picture, and sought less variety in their choices.” said the researchers.
小题1: The purpose of the first two paragraphs is to show that _____．| A．A messy desk cannot contribute to clearer thinking | | B．People thought more clearly about a messy desk and a shop front | | C．People will feel confused when all around are chaos | | D．People manage to simplify the tasks in messy environments |
小题2: Why does the author take Albert Einstein as an example?| A．to support the idea that clearer thinking comes from messy environment． | | B．to tell the fact that Einstein was known for his untidy desks． | | C．to stop us from learning from Albert Einstein． | | D．to call on us to develop a good habit． |
小题3:How do people look at messy environment according to the conventional wisdom?| A．Messy environment will create clearer thinking． | | B．Messy environment will simplify one" s judgment． | | C．Messy environment can promote work efficiency． | | D．Messy environment can block one" s mind． |
小题4: What does the last paragraph imply? | A．People believe messy environment creates clearer thinking． | | B．People sought more simplicity in the choices． | | C．People were not willing to choose those complicated products． | | D．Not all the people accept messy environment and complicated things |
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She took up skating at age 85, made her first movie appearance at age 114, and held a concert in the neighborhood on her 121st birthday.
When it comes to long life, Jeanne Calment is the world’s recordholder. She lived to the ripe old age of 122. So is 122 the upper limit to the human life span（寿命）? If scientists come up with some sort of pill or diet that would slow aging, could we possibly make it to 150－or beyond?
Researchers don’t entirely agree on the answers. “Calment lived to 122, so it wouldn’t surprise me if someone alive today reaches 130 or 135, ”says Jerry Shay at the University of Texas.
Steve Austad at the University of Texas agrees. “People can live much longer than we think, ”he says. “Experts used to say that humans couldn’t live past 110. When Calment blew past that age, they raised the number to 120. So why can’t we go higher? ”
The trouble with guessing how old people can live to be is that it’s all just guessing. “Anyone can make up a number, ”says Rich Miller at the University of Michigan. “Usually the scientist who picks the highest number gets his name in Time magazine. ”
Won’t new anti-aging techniques keep us alive for centuries? Any cure, says Miller, for aging would probably keep most of us kicking until about 120. Researchers are working on treatments that lengthen the life span of mice by 50 percent at most. So, if the average human life span is about 80 years, says Miller, “adding another 50 percent would get you to 120. ”
So what can we conclude from this little disagreement among the researchers? That life span is flexible（有弹性的）, but there is a limit, says George Martin of the University of Washington. “We can get flies to live 50 percent longer, ”he says. “But a fly’s never going to live 150 years. ”Of course, if you became a new species （物种）, one that ages at a slower speed, that would be a different story, he adds.
Does Martin really believe that humans could evolve （进化）their way to longer life? “It’s pretty cool to think about, ”he says with a smile.
小题1: What does the story of Jeanne Calment prove to us?| A．People can live to 122. | | B．Old people are creative. | | C．Women are sporty at 85. | | D．Women live longer than men. |
小题2: According to Steve Austad at the University of Texas, ______.| A．the average human life span could be 110 | | B．scientists cannot find ways to slow aging | | C．few people can expect to live to over 150 | | D．researchers are not sure how long people can live |
小题3: Who would agree that a scientist will become famous if he makes the wildest guess at longevity?| A．Jerry Shay. | B．Steve Austad | | C．Rich Miller | D．George Martin |
小题4: What can we infer from the last three paragraphs?| A．Most of us could be good at sports even at 120. | | B．The average human life span cannot be doubled | | C．Scientists believe mice are aging at a slower speed than before. | | D．New techniques could be used to change flies into a new species |
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There is no doubt that to study abroad gives you an excellent opportunity to learn things which are very helpful in your career building. Today Canada has earned a good name in providing quality education and safe healthy environment for its students. That is why more than 130,000 international students enroll（登记入学） every year in famous Canadian universities. It is an ideal education destination and gives students a unique experience of education and its versatile（多样的） arts and culture. Canada spends a lot on education and is ranked the highest in G-8 countries.
To study in Canada is very cost effective. These universities are affordable compared to other universities in the world such as in the US, New Zealand and UK where cost of education and living is very high. According to a survey in 2006, “Canada offered the lowest tuition fees（学费） for foreign students compared to UK and Australia.”
The low rate of crimes and the peaceful safe environment of the country also attracts a lot of international students to Canadian universities. Canada has 92 universities and 175 community colleges and university degrees have three levels—Bachelor’s(学士), Master’s（硕士） and Doctoral（博士）.
A Bachelor’s degree in Canada is for three or four years’ full-time study depending on the nature of the program you are doing. On the other hand, a Master’s degree consists of two years of study. For a Doctoral program in Canadian universities, you require a minimum （最低/小的） of three to four or sometimes five years of research and study.
You can also find many diploma and certification （认证） program in Canadian universities where the time is generally one year. Some of the Canadian universities are well-regarded worldwide and the degree and diploma obtained from these Canadian universities are recognized globally and promise bright future. After the completion of studies, a person could also find great job offers in Canada itself. International students require a work permit to work on campus.
小题1: How long will you spend at least in total if you want to finish your Bachelor’s, Master’s and Doctoral degrees in Canada?| A．11 years | B．9 years | C．8 years | D．7 years |
小题2: What advantages does Canada have to attract foreign students according to the passage?
①Quality education ② Safe environment
③ Versatile culture ④ Bright job future
⑤ High scholarships ⑥ Low tuition fees| A．①②④⑤⑥ | B．①②③⑤⑥ | C．①③④⑤⑥ | D．①②③④⑥ |
小题3:What’s the author’s attitude towards studying in Canada?| A．Favorable | B．Critical | | C．Doubtful | D．Not mentioned |
小题4:What’s the best title for the passage？| A．Canadian culture | | B．The life in Canada | | C．Benefits of studying abroad | | D．Study in Canada — a unique experience |
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These days, young children can enjoy directly what it is like to be a marine biologist (海洋生物学家) at a marine association. What they discover can lead them to appreciate and protect the ocean and also the animals living in it.
At the present time, learning isn’t only limited to the classroom. It’s quite common for kids to learn from outdoor experiences. Teachers commonly take their pupils on field trips to museums as well as other interesting areas. If you wish to help pupils to take care of the ocean, one of the best areas to take them to is a marine association, the place where the ocean biome (生物圈) is shown.
Taking your pupils to a marine association is a prefect way to help them learn. Education professionals agree that there are topics that children can learn more successfully whenever they experience them directly.
Several organizations that focused on protecting the ocean now operate on the coast of different areas in America and all around the world. It’s quite common for marine associations nowadays to open their doors several times a week to kids, parents, and ocean lovers to learn more about the ocean biome.
A marine association has different programs for children of different ages. You’ll find programs that are developed specially for pupils. Pupils are involved in interactive (互动的) learning. This learning experience allows young children to recognize the value of the role each species performs in their environment. They not only get to research creatures from the ocean, but they also get to see, touch, and smell most of these animals and plants. This type of exposure offers students an idea about the life of a marine scientist. It could help them choose a career afterwards.
These programs are generally held on Saturdays and Sundays in order that kids and parents can have more hours in which to have fun. Teachers who want to arrange these activities for their students can call a local marine association near them.
小题1:According to the text, pupils can have a better understanding of the ocean biome by _______.| A．learning about it from books | | B．going to a marine association | | C．attending marine biologists’ meetings | | D．taking part-time jobs at marine associations |
小题2:In Paragraph 5, the author mainly wants to tell us _______.| A．the advantage of learning at a marine association | | B．different activities offered by a marine association | | C．a marine association’s working conditions | | D．the way to develop children’s interest in ocean |
小题3:The underlined word “exposure” in Paragraph 5 probably means _______.| A．the way of explaining something | | B．the way of choosing a career | | C．a marine association’s working condition | | D．the way to develop children’s interest in the ocean |
小题4:Which of the following is TURE?| A．Young children can enjoy indirectly what it is like to be a marine biologist at a marine association. | | B．To help your pupils to take care of the ocean, the best area to take them to is a marine association. | | C．Children can learn the topics more successfully when they experience them directly. | | D．A marine association has the same program for children of different ages. |
小题5:The text is most probably taken from _______.| A．a teacher’s presentation | | B．a marine biologist’s report | | C．a student’s field trip journal | | D．an introduction to a marine association |
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