题目内容

Astronaut Mark Kelly announced today that he is retiring from NASA in order to focus on the recovery of his wife, Gabrielle Giffords.

Kelly, who is 47, began his NASA career in 1996. He has traveled to the International Space Station four times and served aboard space shuttles (航天飞机) Endeavour and Discovery. Most recently he was commander of Endeavour's final voyage, which ended on June l.

“After 25 years of service to our country, I am retiring from the United States Navy and leaving NASA. My retirement will take effect on October l.” he said.

“This was no easy decision. Words cannot express my deep gratitude for the opportunities I have been given to serve our great nation. And I have always been proud to be a member of the NASA. Public service has been more than a job for me and for my family. My brother continues to serve in NASA and in the Navy. My parents are retired police officers. And my wife Gabrielle proudly serves in the US House of Representatives.” he continued.

“As life takes unexpected turns we frequently come to a crossroads. I am at this point today. Gabrielle is working hard every day on her way to recovery. I want to be by her side. Stepping aside from my work in the Navy and at NASA will allow me to be with her and with my two daughters. I love them all very much and there is no doubt that we will move forward together. After some time off, I will look for new opportunities and I'm hopeful that one day I will again serve our country.” Kelly said.

On Jan 8, Giffords was shot in the head and was severely injured while meeting with her supporters. She returned to her Tucson home last week for the first time since then.

56. Mark Kelly must have been __________ when he announced his decision.

A. cheerful                   B. regretful          C. peaceful           D. meaningful

57. Mark Kelly decides to retire from NASA mainly because __________ .

A. he is tired and hopes for a good rest

B. he has been offered a better position

C. he hopes to spend more time with his family

D. he was commander of Endeavour's final voyage

58. We can learn from the passage that_____________.

A. Mark Kelly has already retired from NASA

B. Mark Kelly is proud of his wife and his family

C. Gabrielle Griffons is now being treated in hospital

D. Gabrielle Griffons will come back to work soon

59. What is the passage mainly about?

A. The true love between Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords.

B. The recovery of Gabrielle Giffords

C. Mark Kelly’s career as an astronaut in NASA.

D. The unusual experience of Mark Kelly and Gabrielle Giffords.

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Brenda Bongos was a happy, artistic girl. She had one big ambition—to play the drums in a band. But one big obstacle lay in her way. To be good enough to play in a band, Brenda had to practice a lot, but she lived next-door to a lot of old people. Many of them are sick. She knew that the sound of beating drums would really get on their nerves. So, she had tried playing in the strangest places: a basement, a kitchen, and even in a shower. But there was always someone it would annoy.
One day, while watching a science documentary on TV, she heard that sound cannot travel in space, because there's no air. At that moment, Brenda Bongos decided to become a sort of musical astronaut.
With the help of a lot of time, books and work, Brenda built a space bubble. This was a big glass ball connected to a machine which sucked out all the air inside. All that would be left inside was a drum kit(成套设备) and a chair. Brenda got into the space suit she had made, entered the bubble, turned on the machine, and played those drums like a wild child.
It wasn't long before Brenda Bongos came very famous. Many people came to see her play in her space bubble. Shortly afterwards she came out of the bubble and started giving concerts. Her fame spread so much that the government suggested that she be part of a unique space journey. Finally, Brenda was a real musical astronaut, and had gone far beyond her first ambition of playing drums in a band.
Years later, when asked how she had achieved all this, she thought for a moment, and said: ''If those old people next – door hadn't mattered so much to me, I wouldn't have found a solution, and none of this would have ever happened.''
【小题1】Why did Brenda try to play in the strangest places?

A.Because she didn't want others to hear her play.
B.Because she didn't mean to disturb others.
C.Because she didn't have her own room.
D.Because she didn’t like her neighbors.
【小题2】Brenda started to give concerts _______.
A.after she practiced in her space bubble
B.when she became part of the unique space journey
C.after she became a real musicalastronaut
D.when people came to see her in the space bubble
【小题3】Brenda became famous because _______.
A.she was good at music and scienceB.she became a real musical astronaut
C.she invented a special way of practiceD.she played well and had a talent
【小题4】Which of the following can be used to describe Brenda?
A.Kind, hardworking and clever.B.Brave, kind and hardworking.
C.Lovely, brave and kind.D.Nervous, kind and clever.
【小题5】It can be inferred from the text that: " _______".
A.He laughs best who laughs lastB.It's never too old to learn
C.Two heads are better than oneD.One good turn deserves another

阅读下列应用文及相关信息,并按照要求匹配信息。请在答题卡上将对应题号的相应选项字母涂黑。(如果【【答案】】是E请同时涂黑AB, 如果【【答案】】是F请同时涂黑CD),
首先,请阅读下列调查问卷:
A
Dear Sir/Madame
I think robots can do such dangerous jobs as skyscraper builders, bridge builders and so on .If injured or broken, they can be fixed easily. They can also work in unfavorable conditions such as in the dark, extreme heat, extreme  cold, etc.
B
Dear Sir/Madame
I suppose small man—controlled robots could be used as sea rescuing workers to look for people in the sea. When defusing (拆除引信) bombs, robots could also be used to reduce the risk of losing a human life.
C
Dear Sir/Madame
I suppose robots could be used as dustmen during night time, as they don’t need to sleep and they are safe in polluted environment.
D
Dear Sir/Madame
I suppose robots could be used as chemical researchers. At least they can help us keep away from harmful materials or help to go into small areas which are hard to reach for us. It can be used to examine the inside of a nuclear reactor (核反应堆).
E
Dear Sir/Madame
I suppose robots could be astronauts and they could travel very far away,like Pluto.If so,we don’t need to train human beings to be astronauts as it costs quite a lot and it also takes many years to make a professional astronaut.
F
Dear Sir/Madame
I suppose robots could be used as car assembly (装配) workers ,in parts of the production line. Robots can make the process move faster, get more work done and cost less.
请阅读下列答卷人的信息,然后匹配答卷人和他们所提供的调查问卷。
46.Jaime is a professor in the field of biochemistry (生物化学).He is worried about his health situation as he keeps so close to harmful elements year in and year out.
47.Bradley works in the International Security Association.He is sad to think of the fact that there were so many people who couldn’t be saved or found at last in disasters such as in lakes,rivers,seas and so on.
48.Carrie is a young man who has a job in construction company in the city.He is afraid of climbing up laders and carrying the iron bars and other things onto higher places.So he wants to give up the job and find a better one.
49.Josh is a general manager of the National Bluebird Bureau,which is short of excellent astronauts.He has spent lots of his time and money on training them.
50.Alan,who is in his thirties,is a worker in an auto factory.He is thinking of changing his job for shooter which is more interesting and creative.
答卷人在调查问卷中的问答:
46.Jaime                             

A.Skyscraper builders
47.Bradley
B.Sea rescuing workers
48.Carrie
C.Dustmen
49.Josh
D.Chemical researchers
50.Alan                             E.Astronauts
F.Car assembly workers

Next Stop: Planet Mars

Fly me to the moon? That’s not far enough. On September 14, 2011, NASA released designs for a superrocket, the Space Launch System (SLS). This time the final destination will be Mars.

The SLS is a huge, liquid-fuelled rocket. If it is fully developed, it will be the most powerful rocket ever built. Its lift capability will be much bigger than that of the space shuttle of Saturn 5, the rocket that sent the Apollo missions to the moon.

NASA is planning to launch its first unmanned test flight in 2017. It is hoped that the first crew will fly in 2021 and astronauts will make it to a nearby asteroid(小行星) in 2025. NASA hopes to send the rocket and astronauts to Mars from the asteroid by the 2030s, according to the Associated Press (AP).

NASA used liquid rockets to send Apollo, Gemini and Mercury into space, but later changed to solid rockets boosters(助推火箭) because they were cheaper. Tragically, however, a booster flaw(缺陷) caused the space shuttle Challenger to crash in 1986. The new project plans to return to liquid fuel.

According to AP, the rockets will at first be able to carry 77 to 110 tons of payload(净载重量). Eventually they will be able to carry 143 tons into space, maybe even as many as 165 tons, NASA officials said. By comparison, the Saturn 5 booster could lift 130 tons and the space shuttle just 27 tons.

However, unlike reusable shuttles, these powerful rockets are mostly one use only. New ones have to be built for every launch. This will be very costly.

NASA estimates that it will cost about $3 billion (19 billion yuan) per year, or $18 billion until the first test flight in 2017. NASA hopes to make money by allowing private companies to send astronauts to the International Space Station like giant taxi services, so that the program can be “sustainable”.

“This is perhaps the biggest thing for space exploration in decades,” said Senator Bill Nelson, a former astronaut. “The goal is to fly humans safely beyond low-Earth orbit(轨道) and deep into outer space where we cannot only survive, but one day also live.”

1.What is the outstanding feature of the SLS?

A.It’s equipped with an advanced control system.

B.It’s the first unmanned space shuttle in the world.

C.It’s the only vehicle that can fly astronauts to the moon.

D.It can send a lot more goods and passengers into space.

2.What is Saturn 5?

A.An aircraft that had a deadly flaw and crashed in 1986.

B.A series of rockets that once sent astronauts to the moon.

C.An unmanned space shuttle that was once famous in the world.

D.A kind of launch vehicle that will be used to carry astronauts to Mars.

3.NASA plans to use liquid fuel in the new project because ______ than solid rockets boosters.

A.it is less costly

B.it is much safer

C.it can last longer

D.it is more environmentally friendly

4.According to NASA’s schedule, it will take ______ years to fully complete the SLS program.

A.about 6                               B.about 10

C.less than 14                            D.more than 19

5.It can be inferred from the passage that ______.

A.the SLS program is planning to make reusable rockets

B.the goal of the SLS program is to enable humans to live on the moon

C.the US government may not have provided enough money for the SLS program

D.NASA will use SLS as a space taxi between the Earth and Mars

 

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