Scientists will ________ astronauts to the Moon soon.

1. A.
   take
2. B.
   get
3. C.
   carry
4. D.
   send

Michael Jackson is one of the world’s best singers. Michael Jackson was born in the middle west of Gary, Indiana, in 1958. He began singing with his four brothers. They called the group “Jackson Five”. The group became very popular after appearing on a television progam. They started singing in 1965, became popular soon. In 1970 the group made their first record the name of “I Want You Back”. It was very popular. One of their hit records was “Never Say Goodbye”.
Michael was good at dancing as well as singing, for example, his dance moves and moon walking. He was asked to act in a film in 1978 for the first time, in the same year he made a record on his own, which sold eight million copies all over the world.
Michael nearly didn’t go out because he was too famous. Once his fans went off in a faint（晕倒） when they saw him at the concert. No one can do it by now. He lived in a large house and kept lots of animals. He never ate meat. He often raises money for charity. This made him win the Guinness World Records（吉尼斯世界纪录）in 2006. He died on June 25th, 2009, but he would live in our heart forever.
【小题1】What’s the name of their first record?

Three men traveling on a train began a conversition about the world's greatest wonders.
“ In my opinion,” the first man said, “ the Egyptian pyramids are the world’s greatest wonder. Although they were built thousands of years ago, they are still standing. And remember: the people who built them had only simple tools. They didn’t have the kind of machinery that builders and engineers have today.
“ I agree that the Egyptian pyramids are wonderful,” the second man said, “ But I don’t think they’re the greatest wonder. I believe computers are more wonderful than the pyramids. They have taken people to the moon and brought them back safely. They carry out mathematical calculations in seconds that would take a person a hundred years to do.”
He turned to the third man and asked, “ What do you think is the greatest wonder in the world?”
The third man thought for a long time, then he said, “ Well, I agree that the pyramids are wonderful, and I agree that computers are wonderful, too. However, in my opinion, the most wonderful thing in the world is the thermos(保温瓶).”
And he took a thermos out of his bag and held it up.
The other two men were very surprised. “ A thermos?” they exclaimed(大声说), “ But that’s a simple thing.”
“ Oh, no, it’s not,” the third man said, “ in the winter you put in a hot drink and it stays hot, in the summer you put in a cold drink and it stays cold. How does the thermos know whether it is winter or summer?”
【小题1】The travelers passed the time on the train by talking about _______.

APRIL 5 marks the 100^th anniversary(周年纪念日)of the sinking(下沉)of the Titanic. In 1997, the movie Titanic was a huge hit all around the world. Now, the 3-D version of the movie will come to Chinese theaters on April 10.

As anyone who has seen the movie knows, the Titanic struck an iceberg(冰山) and sank on its first voyage in 1912, killing 1,517 people. A century after the accident, scientists have found something new to blame(负责任) for the sinking: the moon. Donald Olson, a Texas State University physicist, led a team of astronomers(天文学家) to examine the moon’s role, according to Reuters.

Normally, icebergs stay in place and cannot move until they melt enough or a high tide(潮汐) frees them. A single iceberg can become stuck many times on its journey southward. The process can take several years.

According to Olson, a hundred years ago the moon made its closest approach to the Earth in more than 1,400 years. This caused the moon to have a much stronger pull on the Earth’s oceans than usual, which created a super-high tide. The tide pushed icebergs from shallow waters off the coasts of Canada’s provinces, Newfoundland and Labrador, into the Titanic’s way.

“Of course, the final cause of the accident was that the ship struck an iceberg,” Olson told Reuters. “It went full speed into a region with icebergs, but the lunar connection(月亮的联系) may explain how an unusually large number of icebergs got into the path of the Titanic.”

The research team will publish their research in the April issue of Sky & Telescope magazine.

根据短文内容，选最佳择答案,并在答题卡上按要求作答。

1. How many people lost their lives in this accident?

A . Over 2,000 people.            B. About 100 people.  

C. More than 1,500 people.        D. We don’t know.

2. The underlined word “voyage” in the second paragraph really means ______.

A. 航行         B. 飞行       C. 划船      D.游泳

3. Which of the following about icebergs is TRUE?

A. Icebergs move only when the tide frees them.

B. An iceberg can stop for some time during its travel.

C. An iceberg will move as soon as its melts.

D. It takes an iceberg several months to leave its place.

4. Which of the following played a role in the sinking of the Titanic?

      a. the moon                 b. the tides             c. too many passengers 

d. the high speed of the ship    e. going the wrong way   f. the iceberg 

      A. a,b,c,f    B. a,c,d,e    C. a,b,d,f     D.a,c,e,f

5.. What is the article mainly about?

A. The main cause of the Titanic’s sinking.

B. The 100^th anniversary of the Titanic.

C. The moon’s great influence on the Earth’s tides.

D. The moon’s role in the sinking of the Titanic.