NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues^①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples^②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes^③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous^④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 线索
②    sample  n. 标本，样品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的

1. 1.

   The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

   1. A.
      clues of water will be found in Phoenix
   2. B.
      Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars
   3. C.
      August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off
   4. D.
      the Mars Scout program will be carried out
2. 2.

   The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

   1. A.
      on time
   2. B.
      behind the time
   3. C.
      out of work
   4. D.
      ahead of time
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.

   1. A.
      in May 2008
   2. B.
      in August 2007
   3. C.
      in August 2008
   4. D.
      in September 2008
4. 4.

   According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.

   1. A.
      rebirth
   2. B.
      death
   3. C.
      energy
   4. D.
      hope
5. 5.

   After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.

   1. A.
      find soil samples and send them to the earth
   2. B.
      look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples
   3. C.
      take photos and send them to the earth
   4. D.
      find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city"

The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life．For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities．But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention．At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight．Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China's first "slow city" by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago．

At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor．To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember．Here, growing old gracefully is natural．

Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words "slow city" before this．

"The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited Yaxi village," says Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today．

"Vassallo was deeply impressed by this village's natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city," says Zuo．"That was how Yaxi became connected with Cittaslow．

The Slow City must also be committed to protect and maintain the natural environment as well as promote a sustainable way of development ?all of which are the current strategies adopted in Gaochun．"We've been doing this for years," adds Zuo．

Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy in 1999．It was a spin-off from the Slow Food movement which started, also in Italy, in 1986 as a protest against the first McDonald ' s opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome．The movement championed a return to healthy, nutritious home-grown, home -cooked food．

Slow Food has since expanded globally to more than 130 countries．Its mission has also broadened to include the promotion of sustainable foods and local small businesses, and the localization as opposed to globalization of food production．

Cittaslow is an expansion of the Slow Food movement, and it actively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary （烹饪的）heritage．

According the passage, Cittaslow is a（n） ____．

       A．organization         B．person          C．lifestyle       D．honor

What' s the reaction of the residents at Yaxi to the award according the passage? They feel

       A．very excited．      B．very shocked            

       C．indifferent               D．very happy

Why is the village Yaxi awarded the title of “slow city”? Because           .

       A．it is full of excitement and activities of nightlife

       B．the residents at Yaxi enjoy a leisure life

       C．it is very rich and has a lot of attractions

       D．foreign people like small towns than big cities.

It can be inferred from the passage that          .

       A．young people at Yaxi enjoy their life very much

       B．China is more and more popular with foreign people

       C．the first McDonald’s in Europe was opened in Spain

       D．the lifestyle of “slow city” will be good to environment and people

I got a cancer when I was 18. This was a big deal for someone to 31. I chose to fight. After treatments, I 32 from my illness. Life couldn’t have been any 33. When I became fit years later, I met a wonderful man and got married. 34, I still felt something missing and eager to find my 35.

As my 20-year anniversary (周年纪念) of being a cancer 36 approached, I wanted to do something special and 37. I organized a fundraiser, calling it “A Mission (使命) of Love” and thanks to my 38 family and friends, raised﹩4,000 for St. Jude’s, planning to 39 it myself. Three quarters of the money would be given as a (n) 40 to the hospital, and what was left would go toward buying 41 for the children. I also organized a T-shirt 42 activity for any child who felt well enough.

Thanksgiving Day seemed the most 43 day of the year for the mission, and so it was all arranged. We went to a store and 44 three shopping carts with toys. It was 45 we were celebrities (名人) when the employees and other shoppers knew what we were doing.

On Thanksgiving Day, as we got to St. Jude’s, I became 46 emotional, as my eyes were filled with tears of 47. After dropping the toys off, we arrived where six children were waiting anxiously to begin painting. To me, it was as though they weren’t sick, and to see them smile was the greatest gift I could have ever 48.

Leaving there that day, I knew I had finally found my purpose. All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t 49 why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you 50 in life. It’s what you do for others.

I got a cancer when I was 18. This was a big deal for someone to 31. I chose to fight. After treatments, I 32 from my illness. Life couldn’t have been any 33. When I became fit years later, I met a wonderful man and got married. 34, I still felt something missing and eager to find my 35.
As my 20-year anniversary (周年纪念) of being a cancer 36 approached, I wanted to do something special and 37. I organized a fundraiser, calling it “A Mission (使命) of Love” and thanks to my 38 family and friends, raised﹩4,000 for St. Jude’s, planning to 39 it myself. Three quarters of the money would be given as a (n) 40 to the hospital, and what was left would go toward buying 41 for the children. I also organized a T-shirt 42 activity for any child who felt well enough.
Thanksgiving Day seemed the most 43 day of the year for the mission, and so it was all arranged. We went to a store and 44 three shopping carts with toys. It was 45 we were celebrities (名人) when the employees and other shoppers knew what we were doing.
On Thanksgiving Day, as we got to St. Jude’s, I became 46 emotional, as my eyes were filled with tears of 47. After dropping the toys off, we arrived where six children were waiting anxiously to begin painting. To me, it was as though they weren’t sick, and to see them smile was the greatest gift I could have ever 48.
Leaving there that day, I knew I had finally found my purpose. All of us are born for a reason, but all of us don’t 49 why. Success in life has nothing to do with what you 50 in life. It’s what you do for others.

Cittaslow has discovered China, and it is awarding a little village in Jiangsu the title of "slow city"
The bored teenagers of Gaochun are impatient with the leisurely pace of hometown life．For them there is no nightlife to speak of, no bright lights, no excitement and they cannot wait to grow up and leave for the urban attractions of the big cities．But it is this laid-back lifestyle that has attracted international attention．At least, a quiet village within Gaochun county has come under the spotlight．Yaxi village, population 20,000, is about to be designated China's first "slow city" by Cittaslow, the sustainable lifestyle movement that first surfaced in Italy 11 years ago．
At home, the residents at Yaxi are unfazed and pretty much unimpressed by the honor．To them, life has been like this for as long as they can remember．Here, growing old gracefully is natural．
Nobody living in this little county had heard of Cittaslow or the words "slow city" before this．
"The first time I heard the term was last July, when the vice-president of Cittaslow, Angelo Vassallo, visited Yaxi village," says Zuo Niansheng, the chief editor of local newspaper Gaochun Today．
"Vassallo was deeply impressed by this village's natural and cultural resources and said it perfectly fitted the requirements for a slow city," says Zuo．"That was how Yaxi became connected with Cittaslow．
The Slow City must also be committed to protect and maintain the natural environment as well as promote a sustainable way of development ?all of which are the current strategies adopted in Gaochun．"We've been doing this for years," adds Zuo．
Cittaslow was founded in Tuscany, Italy in 1999．It was a spin-off from the Slow Food movement which started, also in Italy, in 1986 as a protest against the first McDonald ' s opening near the Spanish Steps in Rome．The movement championed a return to healthy, nutritious home-grown, home -cooked food．
Slow Food has since expanded globally to more than 130 countries．Its mission has also broadened to include the promotion of sustainable foods and local small businesses, and the localization as opposed to globalization of food production．
Cittaslow is an expansion of the Slow Food movement, and it actively advocates a lifestyle that is sustainable, that will improve quality of life, and will preserve cultural and culinary （烹饪的）heritage．
【小题1】According the passage, Cittaslow is a（n） ____．