A 2 billion year old Martian (火星的rock appeals to have at our time been full of water from the surface of the Red Planet.

“Here we have a piece of Mars that I can hold in my hands. That’s really exciting,” Carl Agee, director of the Institute of Meteoritics at the University of New Mexico, told the Associated Press.

Agee led a team of scientists who published their report on the newly discovered meteorite (陨石),nicknamed Black Beauly, The rock is estimated to have contained 6,000 parts per million water? and scientists believe it likely interacted with water at a time when most of the planet’s surface was believed to have been arid.

The baseball-size rock was discovered in the Sahara, and scientists say it contains more evidence of water than any of the other known Martian rock samples.

“It’s fairly fresh. It hasn’t been subjected to a whole lot of weathering (风化作用),” University of Alberta meteorite expert Chris Herd told the AP.

Billions of years ago an eruption on the surface of Mars, likely caused by a volcano or planet collision, sent the rock into space, where it eventually made the journey to Earth, Agee and his team said the sample is “strikingly similar to the volcanic rocks examined by the NASA rovers Spirit and Opportunity on the Martian surface.”

Over the years, scientists have collected more than 60 Martian rock samples, with most being discovered in the Sahara and Antarctica. The new sample is much older than most of the other specimens, which are about 600 million years old or younger. The oldest known sample is an estimated 4.5 billion years old.

1.The underlined word “it”in Paragraph 3 refers to “ ”.

A. Mara B. the Red Planet

C. Black Beauty D. the report

2.Where was the meteorite found?

A. In the Sahara. B. In Antarctica.

C. In Mars. D. In America.

3.Which of the following is NOT true according to the passage?

A. Black Beauty has the size of a baseball.

B. Blank Beauty contains the most evidence of water among the known Martian rock samples.

C. An eruption on the surface of Mars sent the rock into Earth directly.

D. Black Beauty is not the oldest known sample.

4.Where can we most probably read this text?

A. In a personal diary. B. In a science report.

C. In a travel magazine. D. In a geography textbook.

I first met Paul Newman in 1968, when George Roy Hill, the director of Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, introduced us in New York City. When the studio didn’t want me for the film - it wanted somebody as well known as Paul - he stood up for me. I don’t know how many people would have done that; they would have listened to their agents or the studio powers.

The friendship that grew out of the experience of making that film and The Sting four years later had its root in the fact that although there was an age difference, we both came from a tradition of theater and live TV. We were respectful of craft(技艺)and focused on digging into the characters we were going to play. Both of us had the qualities and virtues that are typical of American actors: humorous, aggressive, and making fun of each other - but always with an underlying affection. Those were also at the core(核心)of our relationship off the screen.

We shared the brief that if you’re fortunate enough to have success, you should put something back - he with his Newman’s Own food and his Hole in the Wall camps for kids who are seriously ill, and me with Sundance and the institute and the festival. Paul and I didn’t see each other all that regularly, but sharing that brought us together. We supported each other financially and by showing up at events.

I last saw him a few months ago. He’d been in and out of the hospital. He and I both knew what the deal was, and we didn’t talk about it. Ours was a relationship that didn’t need a lot of words.

1.Why was the studio unwilling to give the role to author at first?

A.Paul Newman wanted it. B.The studio powers didn’t like his agent.

C.He wasn’t famous enough. D.The director recommended someone else.

2.Why did Paul and the author have a lasting friendship?

A.They were of the same dge. B.They worked in the same theater.

C.They were both good actors. D.They han similar charactertics.

3.What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?

A.Their belief. B.Their care for chileden.

C.Their success. D.Their support for each other.

4.What is the author’s purpose in writing the test?

A.To show his love of films. B.To remember a friend.

C.To introduce a new movie. D.To share his acting experience.

The most exciting storms are the ones with flashes of lightning.Unfortunately,those are scarce,unless you are near the Catatumbo River in Northwestern Venezuela.Here,nature's grandest sound and light show is often seen, because it happens about 160 nights a year.And it lasts for as long as 10 hours at a time.And unlike other lightning storms that cause just one or two flashes,this one is with as many as 280 per hour.It is the highest in the world. Besides,each one of them is so powerful that each can power every light bulb in South America.Not surprisingly,they can be seen for almost 250 miles.Fishermen and sailors often use them to guide them across the waters during dark nights.

What's even more surprising is that the lightning has been happening above the same spot where the Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo for thousands of years.The best part is that the show is different every night.That's because the color of the lightning changes,depending on the amount of water in the atmosphere.On dry nights,the lightning appears white.When the air is not dry,it helps split up the bright light into red,orange and even purple.

Strangely enough,though this has been going on for centuries,scientists have still not been able to figure out the cause of this phenomenon.Some say that the storms are the result of the interaction of the area's unusual topography(地貌),wind and heat.Others,however,believe that the storms are caused by a kind of gas in the area.The locals simply think that it is the "spirit of Catatumbo" that lights up the night sky.

1.According to Paragraph 1,if we say something is scarce,we probably mean .

A. it is far away B. it is very terrible

C. it can be hardly seen D. it can be very dangerous

2.We know that in Northwestern Venezuela, .

A. people daren't go out at night

B. it rains heavily almost every day

C. lightning is used to power light bulbs

D. storms with flashes of lightning are common

3.What has the greatest influence on the colors of the lightning?

A. The spot of the lightning

B. The air of the lightning spot

C. The color of the environment

D. The level of water in the Catatumbo River

4.From the last paragraph,we learn that .

A. scientists will no longer study the lightning storms there

B. locals know about the lightning storms better than scientists

C. heat in Northwestern Venezuela is different from any other place

D. the reason why such lightning storms happen there is still unknown

Measles(麻疹), which once killed 450 children each year and disabled even more, was nearly wiped out in the United States 14 years ago by the universal use of the MMR vaccine(疫苗). But the disease is making a comeback, caused by a growing anti-vaccine movement and misinformation that is spreading quickly. Already this year, 115 measles cases have been reported in the USA, compared with 189 for all of last year.

The numbers might sound small, but they are the leading edge of a dangerous trend. When vaccination rates are very high, as they still are in the nation as a whole, everyone is protected. This is called “herd immunity”, which protects the people who get hurt easily, including those who can’t be vaccinated for medical reasons, babies too young to get vaccinated and people on whom the vaccine doesn’t work.

But herd immunity works only when nearly the whole herd joins in. When some refuse vaccination and seek a free ride, immunity breaks down and everyone is in even bigger danger.

That’s exactly what is happening in small neighborhoods around the country from Orange County, California, where 22 measles cases were reported this month, to Brooklyn, N.Y., where a 17-year-old caused an outbreak last year.

The resistance to vaccine has continued for decades, and it is driven by a real but very small risk. Those who refuse to take that risk selfishly make others suffer.

Making things worse are state laws that make it too easy to opt out(决定不参加) of what are supposed to be required vaccines for all children entering kindergarten. Seventeen states allow parents to get an exemption(豁免), sometimes just by signing a paper saying they personally object to a vaccine.

Now, several states are moving to tighten laws by adding new regulations for opting out. But no one does enough to limit exemptions.

Parents ought to be able to opt out only for limited medical or religious reasons. But personal opinions? Not good enough. Everyone enjoys the life-saving benefits vaccines provide, but they’ll exist only as long as everyone shares in the risks.

1.The first two paragraphs suggest that ____________.

A.a small number of measles cases can start a dangerous trend

B.the outbreak of measles attracts the public attention

C.anti-vaccine movement has its medical reasons

D.information about measles spreads quickly

2.Herd immunity works well when ____________.

A.exemptions are allowed

B.several vaccines are used together

C.the whole neighborhood is involved in

D.new regulations are added to the state laws

3.What is the main reason for the comeback of measles?

A.The overuse of vaccine.

B.The lack of medical care.

C.The features of measles itself.

D.The vaccine opt-outs of some people.

4.What is the purpose of the passage?

A.To introduce the idea of exemption.

B.To discuss methods to cure measles.

C.To stress the importance of vaccination.

D.To appeal for equal rights in medical treatment.

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