I’ve wanted to be an astronaut for as long as I can remember. My parents have always been very supportive and I have very specific memories of my mom telling me that I could become whatever I wanted,if I worked hard enough. I guess I took that to heart!I was also influenced by science fiction — by movies like Star Wars and by books!

   As I grew older,I came to realize how difficult it would be to achieve this dream,but my passion for human spaceflight,the desire to explore,and the challenge of it all kept the dream alive.

   I truly feel like books and reading have been fundamental to my success. First of all,books are fiin to read. Space history and science fiction captured my imagination and challenged me to pursue my goals. More importantly,books are a conduit(导管) for knowledge. While I consistently read for enjoyment,I also had to read to learn.

   I like to compare reading to rocket fuel. You can't launch(发射) a rocket without fuel and it is difficult to be successful without strong reading skills.

   My love of science fiction played a huge role in my desire to be an astronaut. Some authors,like Kim Stanley Robinson,describe the fundamental difficulties with living and working in space. I think I am drawn to science fiction because it paints a picture of what the future may hold. Authors can thrill us with their speculation(猜想) of how we might live,work and travel in the future,and what challenges might lie ahead.

   Reading has been a huge part of my life,for both enjoyment and work. I want to share that joy and the success it can bring!

   My kids love to read. My daughter loves animals,so she likes some nonfiction,but she is a big fan of science fiction,too. My boys like to read about superheroes. Their love of reading is no accident — we love to read together as a family and we make regular trips to our local library.

1. What does the underlined word “that” in Paragraph 1 refer to?

   A. The author's love for his parents.

   B. The author's mom's encouragement.

   C. The author's interest in science fiction.

   D. The author's dream of becoming an astronaut.

2. As the author grew up,he.

   A. gave up on his dream

   B. kept his dream a secret

   C. became realistic about his dream

   D. realized the importance of dreams

3. Rocket fuel is mentioned to .

   A. explain how to realize a dream

   B. stress the importance of reading

   C. show how difficult it is to succeed

   D. describe an astronaut's amazing life

4. What is the author's attitude towards science fiction?

   A. Critical. B. Worried.

   C. Doubtful. D. Interested.

5. The author's kids enjoy reading .

   A. thanks to their school teachers

   B. since they live near a local library

   C. because of their home environment

   D. because they are very good at reading

   Here's a good deed you can do without parting with a single thing.Synthetic(合成的) voices for people who have lost the ability to speak only come in generic( —般的) types — think of Stephen Hawking's voice — but one amazing project wants to build custom voices for each person. To do that they need your help: specifically,a recording of your voice.

   VocallD is the brainchild of two speech scientists,who are turning their research into a much larger project. Voice is very personal and,like a prosthetic(假体) leg or arm,it makes sense it should be customized to each person.

   Here's how it works — and don't worry,this does not mean someone will be walking around with the same voice as you out there:

   After recording a couple of hours of audio in,say,a quiet room with an iPhone,you send it to Vocall   D. where a program called ModelTalker cuts it up into the basic units of speech that can be recombined as new words and sentences. In that same step,characteristics of the patient's voice — based on what limited sounds they can make 一 are mixed with the donor's to create a whole new one.

   VocallD is still in its beginning stages,and they're looking for help from everyone including voice donors,financial support,and programmers. A priority(优先的事物) is making voice donation even easier,cutting down recording time,especially for kids. But as it stands already,your voice is just about the easiest thing to donate.

6. Stephen Hawking's voice.

   A. has no personal characteristics

   B. was donated by a volunteer

   C. was created by VocallD

   D. sounded amazing

7. We can infer that VocallD aims to .

   A. do research on voices

   B. teach some people to speak

   C. produce prosthetic legs or arms

   D. help some people have their “own” voice

8. To create a new voice,which of the following is / are needed?

   A. Sounds made by the patient.

   B. A few days of audio recording.

   C. The voice of at least two donors.

   D. ModelTalker that can combine words.

9. What is the main purpose of the text?

   A. To introduce some jobs in Vocall   D.

   B. To encourage readers to donate their voice.

   C. To advertise a program called ModelTalker.

   D. To collect money for people who cannot speak.

            Reasons why people who learn music are more likely to be successful

   I myself became a drummer at around the age of 11 ,and have played ever since. 1 Nowadays,there is a mountain of evidence suggesting that music education is not only good for you,but very important if you want to be successful in life. So why are people who learn music more likely to be successful? Read on.

   They are more creative. Recent research has shown that many successful politicians,businessmen,and people in other fields were trained at a young age to be a musician of some kind. 2 What does matter is that these people credit their music education with making them more creative.

   They connect with others better. 3 Even when you are unfamiliar with a location,you can always use your ability to play music to get to know those around you,and establish connections that may have been impossible to create otherwise.

   They are better at math. I am not sure if this one applies to me,but it has long been known that there is some kind of connection between math and music. 4 If you can get a sense of music and musical language,mathematical concepts should begin to make more sense.

   5 As a drummer,I know how to keep time in a song and play to the beat. In life,I use those same skills to maintain some order in my schedule. Thus,learning how to maintain a steady pace not only makes for a good musician,but a more productive and effective worker as well.

   A. They have more self-control.

   B. They have a better sense of rhythm.

   C. Becoming successful requires that you be a good listener.

   D. Whether they were trained to play the piano or the violin,it doesn't matter.

   E. Music is often thought of as a useful way to connect different cultures and ideas.

   F. Both deal with analyzing puzzles and finding patterns in order to work out solutions.

   G. From my own experiences,I have believed learning how to play an instrument is beneficial.

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