An American space company says a powerful new rocket should be ready for a
题型：期末题难度：来源：
end of 2012. The company is Space Exploration Technologies, or SpaceX. Its new rocket is called the
Falcon Heavy.
Company officials say it"ll be able to transport satellites or spacecraft weighing up to 53 metric tons
into orbit. Fiftythree metric tons is 117,000 pounds. That load weight is double the capacity of NASA
space shuttles. The space agency is retiring its shuttles after thirty years.
Elon Musk is the chief executive officer of SpaceX. He says the Falcon Heavy will be the second
most powerful rocket ever. He says it was designed to carry satellites and other equipment into space.
He says the rocket was designed to meet NASA"s ratings for human flight safety. So it could someday
be used to carry astronauts and other travelers into space.
Mr. Musk says the Falcon Heavy could also be used for missions(任务) like carrying a robotic lander
to collect samples from Mars. He says, "It has so much more capability than any other vehicle that I think we can start to consider missions like a Mars sample return, which requires a tremendous amount of lift
capability because you"ve got to send a lander to Mars that still has enough propellant(推进物) to return
to Earth."
The first launch is planned from the company’s launch site at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. A launch from Cape Canaveral, Florida, is expected in late 2013 or 2014.
In time, SpaceX hopes to launch ten Falcon Heavy rockets a year. It says the rocket should cut back
on launch costs to about 2,000 dollars a kilogram.
SpaceX already has a billionandahalfdollar deal with NASA to use a smaller rocket to transport
cargo(货物) to the International Space Station. The rocket is the Falcon 9, and the deal is for after the
two last shuttles-Endeavour and Atlantis-are retired this year.
1. What do we know about the feature of the new rocket from the second paragraph?
(No more than 11 words)
________________________________________________________________________
2. Why did SpaceX want to design the new rocket？(No more than 16 words)
________________________________________________________________________
3. Why can the new rocket be used to carry a robotic lander to collect samples from Mars?
(No more 6 words)
________________________________________________________________________
4. What will SpaceX do for the NASA after Endeavour and Atlantis are retired?
(No more than 14 words)
________________________________________________________________________
答案
2. To carry satellites and other equipment into space and meet NASA"s ratings for human flight safety.
3. Because it has much capability.
4. It"ll use the Falcon 9 to transport cargo to the International Space Station.
举一反三
Josie Robinson, who appeared on a so-called wall of shame at her school in south Manchester, was
in tears. Her father has hit out at the "Victorian" methods.
Chorlton High School put up pictures of year 10 pupils who teachers believed had behaved badly.
Children singled out for praise were placed on the wall of fame. Its head teacher said the scheme (策划)
was designed to motivate pupils.
Carlo Robinson, whose daughter Josie was put on the wall after missing lessons, wants to make a
complaint. The teenager had been missing school and turning up late because she was upset that her
mother was ill. She said: " I thought it was embarrassing."
Mr Robinson added: "She was in tears. She couldn"t tell me at first - it took her about an hour-because she wasn"t sure what I would think of it. When she told me I was really shocked. I contacted at least 20
friends and they all agreed it was wrong - it"s like Victorian times."
Head teacher Andy Park said: "We"ve successfully used a similar scheme in the past with Year 11
students to incentivise pupils and it really did make a difference - pupils took it in the right spirit and were motivated by it to improve their performance. Obviously this latest scheme wasn"t intended to cause
offence to pupils. It was actually developed to praise the students moving forwards successfully and to
support pupils who needed to make improvements. No parents have complained directly to the school
and I"d be very happy to meet with any parents to discuss further."
Mr Robinson told the reporter he had contacted the school to schedule a meeting with the head
teacher.
B. The methods are totally out of time.
C. The methods have a long history.
D. The methods worked well in the past.
B. She hated the wall of shame.
C. She wasn"t on the wall of fame.
D. Her mother was not well.
B. To exchange.
C. To hurt. D. To force.
B. Most students didn"t take the scheme in the right spirit.
C. Twenty other parents have similar complaints.
D. The school has apologized to Mr. Robinson.
called a magician, who claims to have supernatural powers.
Magic words. To work most magic, the magician sings or speaks special words in a certain order.
These words are called incantations or spells. Some spells form prayers to demons(魔鬼), spirits, or
other supernatural forces. Many societies believe the magic will not work unless the magician recites
the spells perfectly. Other magic words have no meaning, though they supposedly possess power when
spoken by a magician.
Magic actions accompany the words spoken in performing much magic. Many of these movements
act out the desired effect of the magic. For example, a magician trying to make rain fall may sprinkle(洒)
water on the ground. The magician"s combined words and actions form a ceremony.
Magic objects include certain plants, stones, and other things with supposed supernatural powers.
Any such object may be called a fetish(物神). But this term often refers to an object-for example, a
carving or a dried snake-honored by a tribe for its magic powers. Many tribes believe fetishes have
magic power because spirits live in these objects.
Many people carry magic objects called amulets(护身符)to protect themselves from harm. Many
amulets are stones or rings engraved(雕刻) with magic symbols.
The magician. In some societies, nearly everyone knows how to work some magic. In other societies,
only experts practice magic. Magicians may be called medicine men, medicine women, shamans,
sorcerers, or witch doctors. In many societies, magicians must inherit their powers. In others, any person
may become a magician by studying the magical arts.
Many societies believe magicians must observe certain rules and taboos (forbidden actions) for their
spells to work. For example, they may be required not to eat various foods or to avoid sexual activity for
a certain period before the ceremony.
B. They have power if magician recites the right spells.
C. They have no effect at all.
D. They can be used whenever they want.
B. magic objects
C. stones or rings engraved with magic symbols
D. medicine
B. Because it is carved with magic symbols.
C. Because people think spirits live in it.
D. Because it can help them with many things.
B. Only those inheriting their powers.
C. Only men.
D. Almost all the people in some societies.
B. The Power of Magic
C. How to Practice Magic
D. The Choice of Magicians
unhappier or more or less certain of themselves than they were 50 years ago. While any of these
statements might be true, they are practically impossible to prove scientifically. Still, I was struck
by a report which concluded that today"s children are significantly more anxious than children in
the 1950s. In fact, the analysis showed, normal children aged 9 to 17 exhibit a higher level of
anxiety today than children who were treated for mental illness 50 years ago.
Why are America"s kids so stressed? The report cites two main causes: increasing physical
isolation(隔离) brought on by high divorce rates and less involvement in community, among other
things and a growing perception that the world is a more dangerous place.
Considering that we_can"t_turn_the_clock_back,_adults can still do plenty to help the next generation.
At the top of the list is nurturing(培育) a better appreciation of the limits of individualism. No
child is an island. Strengthening social ties helps build communities and protect individuals against
stress.
To help kids build stronger connections with others, you can pull the plug on TVs and computers.
Your family will thank you later. They will have more time for facetoface relationships, and they will
get more sleep.
Limit the amount of virtual(虚拟的) violence your children are exposed to. It"s not just video
games and movies; children see a lot of murder and crime on the local news.
Keep your expectations for your children reasonable. Many highly successful people never attended
Harvard or Yale.
Make exercise part of your daily routine. It will help you cope with your own anxieties and provide
a good model for your kids. Sometimes anxiety is unavoidable. But it doesn"t have to ruin your life.
mentally ill 50 years ago ________.
B. were considered less individualistic
C. were less isolated physically
D. were probably less selfcentered
B. The social reality children are facing cannot be forgotten.
C. It"s impossible to slow down the pace of change.
D. Lessons learned from the past should not be forgotten.
B. confusing
C. surprising
D. questionable
B. TV and computer play an important role in isolating children from the real world.
C. Exercise does not help to lessen children"s anxiety.
D. Sometimes local news about crime and murder also affects children a little.
B. to set a good model for them to follow
C. to get them more involved socially
D. to improve them with a safer environment
Scientific doctors try to observe sickness, look for logical pattern, and then find out how the human
body works. From there they figure out what treatments may work. This kind of medicine is believed
to date from the 4th century BC. Although nowadays it is successful, in the ancient this approach(方
法) probably did not cure many patients.
The second kind of medicine is called "natural cures" or "folk medicine", in which less educated
people try to cure sickness with various herbs(中草药). These folk healers also use observation and
logic, but they are not so aware of it. They try things until they find something that seems to work,
and then they keep doing that. Folk medicine flourished(兴起) long before the development of scientific
medicine and was more successful in ancient times.
The third kind is called "health spas" or "faith healing". Sometimes this may be as simple as touching
the holy man and being immediately healed. Other times, a magician may make you a magic charm,
or say a spell(咒语), to cure you. Some religious groups organize healing shrines(圣坛) for the sick.
In these places people rest, get plenty of sleep, eat healthy food, drink water instead of wine, and
exercise in various ways. They also talk to the priests(牧师) and pray to the gods. If you are feeling
depressed or you have been working too hard, going to these places may be just the right thing to
make you feel better.
B. has been practiced for around 2, 400 years
C. bases its treatments on observation and logic
D. was very successful in curing sicknesses in ancient times
B. Various herbs
C. Religious faith
D. A healthy life style
B. People who practice folk medicine need lots of formal education on herbs.
C.The success of folk medic
ine led to the development of doctor medicine.D.Natural cures worked better than scientific medicine in ancient times.
B. argue for the importance of medicine in health care
C.show the important role religion plays in medical treatments
D.compare the educational background of three different types of patients
the passage.
Write NO MORE THAN THREE WORDS for each answer.
technology. This allowed one person to call and talk to another person, but that was all. By the early
1990s, the second generation, or 2G network, came into use. It allowed talking and sending text
messages. By that time, cell phones were much smaller and cost much less.
Thirdgeneration mobile phones are known as 3G. Data speed in 3G networks is much quicker. This
means users can have highspeed Internet access and enjoy video and CDquality music on their phones.
"Mobile data is not a dream; it"s not an option but a requirement," said Len Lauer, head of a US
communications company, Sprint PCS, at a 3G conference in Bangkok earlier this month.
With 3G, you can forget about text messages telling you yesterday"s news; a 3G phone can receive
video news programs, updated four times a day. Internet access will also be much quicker, making it easier to surf the Web on your phone than on your computer at home.
Don"t worry about getting lost. 3G phones offer map services so you can find a new restaurant just by
pressing a few keys on your handset.
However, the most impressive part of 3G technology is video calling. With live twoway video
communication, you can have facetoface talks with friends and family on your mobile phone.
Within the past two years, the 4G network has come into use. It permits cell phones to work much
faster and have much more information. Modern cell phones can even act as small televisions. They can
show movies and live sporting events.
As the networks have gotten more complex, the telephones have gotten smaller, lighter and less costly. Many electronics stores in the United States even give away the newest cell phones. But customers must agree to pay to use the network that sends their calls from one place to another.
It is interesting to imagine what the 5G and 6G network cell phones of the future will be able to do.
Title: 1.________of mobile telephones