题目内容
Move Earth – it’s no science fiction
LONDON – Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets (彗星) in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US National Aeronautics and Space Administration（NASA）engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—effectively doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams ,needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun,” Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated. In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so “seriously compromise” our biosphere（生物圈）— by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation（误算）in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly consequences.
There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position it is “most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth,” it states. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?
A．A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth.
B．Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon.
C．Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive.
D．The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth.
If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of ______years.
A．12 billion B．6 billion C．18 billion D．24 billion
What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?
A．The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the moon.
B．Earth might be moved too far away and man might be frozen to death.
C．The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth.
D．Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened.
What does the underlined word “compromise” mean?
A．provide B．benefit C．share D．endanger
Toucans(巨嘴鸟), a kind of tropical birds known for its colorful beak, are very smart. In Mexico, my dad became friends with a toucan that was in a “walk in and see the birds” cage. The toucan was so smart that it knew how to get out. It just needed some human to help it. It almost flew out while we were leaving!
I also noticed that all toucans have different beaks! They also have very long unique beaks with an extremely long tongue. It struts(大摇大摆地走) around with its chest sticking out and beak pointed forward. The toucan is a beautiful bird! The beak has a red tip (different shades on every one), but sometimes there is a little turquoise on the bottom half. Then, right where the beak separates there is a splotch of yellow. And the rest of the beak is green. The toucan takes very much pride of itself.
The toucan eats fruit and seeds. The ramphastidae(the toucan family) is known for its long beak, and 37 species. Toucans also feed on insects, small lizards, bird nestlings and eggs. They nest in hollow trees where they incubate and care for their young.They are found in the woody areas.
Of the various toucan facts, here is an odd one. Citizens of Central and South America associate the toucans with evil spirits. They think the birds can be the personification of evils. Where couvades(父代母育) is practiced, the father of a new child must not eat toucan flesh as it is believed to bewitch the new-born child. Yet the toucan can also be a tribal totem(图腾). So the medicine men use it as a symbol to fly to the spirit world.
60. Which of the following words is NOT suitable to describe toucans?
A. Intelligent B. Confident C. Dangerous D. Colorful
61. The second paragraph mainly talks about _______.
A. where toucans strut around B. how toucans get food
C. what toucans look like D. when toucans lay eggs
62. What does the underlined word“incubate”probably mean in paragraph 3?
A.Hatch eggs B.Take cover C.Gather strength D.Keep warm
63. We can learn from the last paragraph that _______.
A. all citizens of Central and South America are afraid of toucans
B. the toucans can also be used as medicine to cure diseases
C. a new child must not eat toucan flesh because it is poisonous
D. some people believe toucans can bring them misfortune
For computer users, there is no bigger excitement than tossing out your old PC and upgrading to a newer, faster and cleaner machine. With hardware designers like Intel, pushing newer, faster products every year, and new software requiring even more powerful machines, companies and consumers have little choice but to go along.
But this rapid turnover is having a serious effect on the planet. Producing a personal computer consumes large quantities of natural resources. A recent study by the United Nations estimates the energy required to produce a single new computer is equivalent to nearly two barrels of oil. And that doesn't include the 22 kg of chemicals or the 1,500 kg of water used in the manufacturing process.
In fact, pound for pound（均等地）, the process for making a car is about 500% more efficient than that for making a computer. That doesn't matter so much 20 years ago when personal computers were few and far between, but times have changed. These days, computers are found nearly everywhere and sales continue to grow. The number of PCs in use topped one billion in 2002.
Waste in production is only half the problem. Old computers, especially the monitors, are full of dangerous substances, which need to be carefully recycled. The problem is sure to expand over the coming years as users replace their boxy CRT monitors with LCD flat displays.
Europe now requires that 70% of parts from old computers be recycled, but the study’s authors say that’s also part of the problem. The solution, they insist, is for governments and companies to encourage people to use their computers longer, and upgrade rather than replace. But considering that much of the world’s recent economic growth has come from spending on computers and information technology, that advice may sound like wishful thinking.
What do computer users have to do every few years according to the passage?
A. Push newer, faster products.
B. Produce more powerful machines.
C. Consume large quantities of natural resources.
D. Upgrade to a newer, faster computer.
What does the underlined word “that” in paragraph 3 refer to?
A. The pound. B. The process.
C. The car. D. The computer.
We can infer from the last paragraph that ____.
A. governments and companies will surely encourage people to use their computers longer
B. governments and companies will probably encourage people to replace their personal computers
C. the world's economic has been growing without people's spending on computers and information technology
D. all parts from old computers are now recycled in Europe
The purpose of writing this passage is ____
A. to encourage companies to push newer, faster personal computers
B. to encourage people to design more new software
C. to encourage people to save their personal computers
D. to encourage people to spend more money on computers and information technology
A passenger told an air hostess that he needed a cup of water to take his medicine when the plane just took off．She told him that she would bring him the water in ten minutes．
Thirty minutes later, when the passenger's ring for service sounded, the air hostess flew in a flurry．She was kept so busy that she forgot to deliver him the water．As a result, the passenger was held up to take his medicine．She hurried over to him with a cup of water, but he refused it．
In the following hours on the flight, each time the stewardess passed by the passenger she would ask him with a smile whether he needed help or not. But the passenger never paid any attention to her.
When he was going to get off the plane, the passenger asked the air hostess to hand him the passengers’ booklet (意见簿). She was very sad. She knew that he would write down sharp words, which might result in the loss of her job. But with a smile she handed it to him.
Off the plane, she opened the booklet, and cracked a smile, for the passenger put it, “On the flight, you asked me whether I need help or not for twelve times in all. How can I refuse your sincere smiles?”
That’s right! Who can refuse your twelve sincere smiles from a person?
What does the underlined sentence in Paragraph 2 mean?
A．The air hostess forgot the passenger’s need on purpose.
B．The air hostess suddenly realized that trouble was coming.
C．The passenger wasn’t angry at being ignored.
D．The passenger was refused to be served.
According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE?
A．The passenger refused to take his medicine.
B．The passenger set down his anger in the booklet.
C．The words in the booklet would never affect the air hostess.
D．The hostess finally moved the passenger with her smile.
What kind of person do you think the passenger is?
A．Forgiving. B．Curious. C．Sharp. D．Enthusiastic.
As a result, the air hostess would .
A．get fired by her company B．be hired by the passenger
C．keep her job D．get a promotion
B
Our listener question this week comes from Abdullahi Farah, who wants to know about the life and work of Doctor Benjamin Carson.
Doctor Carson is an internationally recognized doctor at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He has been the director of Pediatric Neurosurgery at the hospital for twenty-five years. At the age of thirty-three, he became one of the youngest doctors in the United States to hold that position. And he was the first African-American to have that position at Johns Hopkins Hospital.
Ben Carson is known for his work as a brain surgeon for children. For example, in nineteen eighty-seven, he led a team of seventy doctors and nurses in an operation to separate two babies joined at the head. Earlier attempts by other surgeons on other babies had failed. Doctor Carson successfully performed the operation. Both babies were able to survive independently.
Doctor Carson has written four books. His first book, "Gifted Hands," tells the story of his life. Benjamin Carson was born in nineteen fifty-one in Detroit, Michigan.
As a boy, Ben was not a good student. In fact, he was the worst in his class. When his mother learned of his failing grades she asked her sons to read two library books every week. She limited the amount of time they watched television. And she told them to respect every person.
Ben Carson soon became the top student in his class. He went on to study at Yale University, one of the best universities in the country, and later to medical school at the University of Michigan.
Doctor Carson has received many awards and honors. Last year he received the nation's highest civilian honor. Former President George W. Bush presented Benjamin Carson with the Presidential Medal of Freedom at a ceremony at the White House.
45. The passage is probably taken from _____.
A. a radio B. a magazine C. TV D. a paper
46. What does the word “surgeons” in paragraph 3 mean?
A. nurses B. doctors C. hospitals D. points
47. Benjamin Carson’s change in study was largely because of ______
A. his hard work B. his teacher
C. his mother D. his father
48. What’s the aim to write the passage?
A. To call on us to learn from Benjamin Carson.
B. To praise Benjamin Carson for his achievements.
C. To show us how Benjamin Carson succeeded
D. To introduce Benjamin Carson’s life and work
