Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi—liquid pastes of decades ago，now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini—greenhouses on the moon．

   Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables．Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers——and eventually food on the moon．

   This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminiumframe．It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface，and protect it while it grows．

   The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $21 million to any entrant who can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.

   Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight Schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest．

   When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.

   “Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away，but it is important that we do this research now. ”Paragon president Jane Poynter said．

   “It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in. ”she said．

1.The article is written mainly to__________．

    A. predict the astronauts’ meals in the future

    B. introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis’’

    C. tell us the future development of astronomy

    D. focus on the human’s great progress

2.The article implies that__________．

    A. astronauts can grow flowers in space at present

    B. Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately

    C. Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space

    D. the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012

3.The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of______．

    A. plants    B. wild beasts    C. human beings      D. scientists

4.The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because _________.

    A. their life cycle is much shorter

    B. they are more nutritious than other food

    C. they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage

    D. they are very delicious

Teen Climbing Camp 2010

This 5－day climbing camp is suitable for youth between the ages of 13 and 18 who have an interest and love for rock climbing. The climbing days are designed for beginners and those who have some basic experience in a gym or outdoors. Even within a range of abilities, participants will find themselves challenged physically and mentally.

Rock Dimensions, camps are designed to be a positive and memorable experience by providing healthy interaction between participants, individual goal setting, and challenges that lead to personal growth.

DATES FOR 2010

June 29－July 3

July 27－July 31

LOCATION

Climbing Tower at Footsloggers (downtown Boone, NC)

Linville Gorge and Table Rock area (Pisgah National Forest)

Local climbing areas near Boone (National Park Service)

PARENT RESPONSIBILITIES

Participants will meet Rock Dimensions guides at our location at Footsloggers in Boone each morning at 8：00 am, and at the end of the day between 4：30 and 5：00 pm each day. Transportation to and from activity sites is provided. Rock Dimensions will provide all climbing items, including a safety rope, a helmet and climbing shoes for each participant. Participants are responsible for bringing their own lunch, water, small backpack, appropriate clothing, and personal items like sun cream, etc.

PRE－CAMP PLANNING

Participants will receive the following information in their registration(注册) packet：

Medical Form

Liability Agreement

Clothing / Equipment List

Directions

COST

$575/person

$325/person for half a week (first 3 days)

It includes a Rock Dimensions T－shirt.

Anyone interested in participating in just the last two days of camp should call to discuss pricing and necessary skills/experience.

1. What can we infer from the text?

A. Some experience is required of the participants.

B. It'll be hard for teens to experience the climbing.

C. Parents are required to stay with their children.

D. Guides will talk about the prices with parents.

2. According to the text, Rock Dimensions camps will________.

A. impress participants deeply

B. provide a few competitions

C. help participants set life goals

D. check the records of personal growth

3. You cannot join Rock Dimensions camps on________.

A. June 29               B. July 2  C. July 26               D. July 30

4. What do participants need to bring with them?

A. A safety rope.   B. A helmet. 

C. Climbing shoes.  D. Appropriate clothing.

5. If Paul wants to participate from July 27 to July 29 and his brother from July 27 to July 31, it will cost them ________.

A. 575 dollars            B. 650 dollars

C. 900 dollars            D. 1,150 dollars

We’re all connected. You can send an e-mail message to a friend, and your friend can pass it on to one of his or her friends, and that friend can do the same, continuing the chain. Eventually, your message could reach just about anyone in the world, and it might take only five to seven e-mails for the message to get there.
Scientists recently tested that idea in a study involving 24,000 people. Participants had to try to get a message forwarded to one of 18 randomly(随意地，随机地) chosen people. Each participant started by sending one e-mail to someone they knew. Those who received it could then forward the e-mail once to someone they knew, and so on.
Subjects, who were randomly assigned by researchers from Columbia University in New York, lived in 13 countries. They included an Australian police officer, a Norwegian veterinarian, and a college professor.
Out of 24,000 chains, only 384 reached their goal. The rest petered out, usually because one of the recipients was either too busy to forward the message or thought it was junk mail.
The links that reached their goal made it in an average of 4.05 e-mails. Based on the lengths of the failed chains, the researchers figured out that two strangers could generally make contact in five to seven e-mails.
The most successful chains relied on casual acquaintances rather than close friends. That’s because your close friends know each other while your acquaintances tend to know people you don’t know. The phenomenon, known as the strength of weak ties, explains why people tend to get jobs through people they know casually but aren’t that close to.
So, start networking and instant messaging now. As they say in show business: It’s all about who you know.
【小题1】If you want to get into touch with a stranger in the world, how many e-mails might it take for the message to reach him/her?

STRANGERS parties go wild these days. The main idea of them is to never let the people know who their matches are until the last minute. These are some popular practices that are storming the world’s youth on this V-day.

Speed dating

It’s exactly what the name implies. Complete with a timer, a whistle and 50 willing singles, speed dating is not the traditional dinner and a movie type of first date. Singles pay US $35 for three minutes with more than two dozen future dates. They ask questions and try to get to know each other. At the sound of a whistle, they do the same thing all over again―25 times in all.

Lock and key party

Women are given a lock and men are given a key, upon arriving at the party. Each key and lock has several matches. One can hunt for his/her later-to-be sweetheart in various groups, and try out the key or lock. Each time a lock and key match the pair are entered into a ballot (票数） for top prizes!

Dinner in the dark

Waiters wearing night vision glasses guide the guests through the pitch-black dining room. They are seated at the table and familiarized with the wine glass and plate. Food is handled with the fingers. People will not see the food they are eating or the guests at their table until the dessert course. At that moment, dining partners will appear.

Message party

Have A Cocktail, Leave A Message! When you arrive, you get a tag with a number and a pad of post-it notes. If you see someone you like, write a message on the message board. But wait… You’ve got a message… Go and collect it! You can make new friends and win lots of gifts. The more messages you leave on the bulletin board, the more chances you have of winning prizes.

1.What do you think the similarities of these parties are?

   A. All the parties have very strict rules for their members.

   B. If you want to go to any of the parties, you have to buy a ticket.

   C. All the parties are aimed at strangers who want to be lovers.

   D. All the parties are suitable not only for the young but for the old.

2.In which party does a participant have to be careful with the time?

A. Speed dating.                          B. Lock and key party.    

C. Dinner in the dark.                    D. Message party.

3.If you go to the Dinner in the dark, ________.

   A. you have to eat with your hands

   B. you have to wear night vision glasses

   C. guests eat all the courses in the darkness

   D. your dining partners will help you choose the food

4.How many of the parties offer gifts or prizes?

   A. 4.                  B. 3.              C. 2.              D. 1.

Around the world there are some festivals that for some of us may sound bizarre.
In England they celebrate the rolling cheese race, which occurs every year during the last Monday in May. This festival’s characteristic is a contest where an official rolls cheese down a steep hill and festival- goers go chasing after it. The winner is the first one to reach and catch the cheese.
Another festival celebrated in England is the world championship of grimaces (鬼脸). It is a celebration that dates back to 1297 and is celebrated during the month of September. The task is to perform the best grimace using anything you can to win.
The worldwide championship of wife lifting is celebrated in Finland. The game is based on Viking traditions where a man should carry away his neighbor’s wife. According to the rules, any woman above 17 is considered as a wife, so if you are within this age, take care while visiting this country during the month of July.
Many of you have watched Pirates of the Caribbean and have known something about pirates. The 19^th of September has been declared worldwide as the day to talk like a pirate. Plenty of people have celebrated it thanks to the publicity (宣传) on the Internet.
First staged in 1998, the Boryeong Mud Festival is an attraction that pulls more than a million visitors to the South Korean City. As you all know, the town is said to be rich in minerals, so there is no shortage of mud. Mud is trucked onto Daecheon Beach for tourists and locals to enjoy the festival to their best.
The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in Thailand to develop tourism. It’s an unusual feast held for about 600 monkeys. The Monkey Buffet Festival is held in honor of the Hindu gods Ram and Hanuman and involves 3,000 kilograms of vegetables and fruits being laid out for monkeys to stuff themselves.
【小题1】What does the underlined word “bizarre” in Paragraph1 probably mean?