阅读下面短文，并按照题目要求用英语回答问题（请注意问题后的词数要求）。

My name is Clara. I still remember that chilly December day, sitting in science class. I had finished a worksheet early and picked up a TIME for Kids magazine. A piece of news caught my eye: NASA (美国宇航局) was holding an essay contest to name its Mars rover (火星探测器). Before I even knew anything else about it, a single word flooded my 11-year-old mind, Curiosity.

I couldn’t wait for the bell to ring so I could get started on my essay. That afternoon, I raced home, sat down at the computer, and typed until my fingers ached. “Curiosity is an everlasting flame that burns in everyone’s mind…”

Five months later, my mom received a phone call, and immediately, a wide smile spread across her face.

On August 5, 2012, at 10: 31pm, the rover named Curiosity touched down safely on the surface of Mars, and I was honored to have a front-row seat in NASA.

Curiosity is such an important part of who I am. I have always been fascinated by the stars, the planets, the sky and the universe. I remember as a little girl, my grandmother and I would sit together in the backyard for hours. She would tell me stories and point out the stars. Grandma lived in China, thousands of miles away from my home in Kansas, but the stars kept us together even when we were apart. They were always there, yet there was so much I didn’t know about them. That’s what I love so much about space.

People often ask me why we go to faraway places like Mars. My answer is simple because we’re curious. We human beings do not just hole up in one place. We are constantly wondering and trying to find out what’s over the hill and beyond the horizon.

1.How did the author get the news about the essay contest? (within 7 words)

2.In which year was the author born according to the passage? (within 2 words)

3.Why did author have a front-row seat in NASA? (within 10 words)

4.What does the author remember about the time spent with Grandma? (within 15 words)[

5.What does the underlined phrase “hole up” in the last paragraph probably mean? (1 word)

It’s 2035. You have a job, a family and you’re about 40 years old. Welcome to your future life.      Getting ready for work, you pause in front of the mirror, “Turn red,” you say. Your shirt changes from sky blue to deep red. Tiny preprogrammed electronic（智能电子元件） is rearranged in your shirt to change its color. Looking into the mirror, you find it hard to believe that you are 40. You look much younger. With amazing advances in medicine, people in your generation may live to be 150 years old. You’re not even middle-aged.

   As you go into the kitchen and prepare to pour your breakfast cereal into a bowl, you hear: “To lose weight, you shouldn’t eat that,” from your shoes. They read the tiny electronic code（电 子源码）on the cereal box to find out the nutrition details. You decide to listen to your shoes. “Kitchen, what can I have for breakfast?” A list of possible food appears on the counter as kitchen checks its food supplies.

  “Ready for your trip to space?” you ask your son and daughter. In 2005 only specially trained astronauts went into space—and very few of them. Today anyone can go to space for day trip or longer vacation. Your best friend even works in space. Handing your children three strawberries each, you add, “The doctor said you need these for space travel.” Thanks to medical advice, vaccination shots（防疫针） are a thing of the past. Ordinary foods contain specific vaccines. With the berries in their mouths, the kids head for the front door.

   It’s time for you to go to work. Your car checks your fingerprints and unlocks the doors. “My office. Autopilot,” you command. Your car drives itself down the road and moves smoothly into traffic on the highway. You sit back and unroll your e-newspaper. The latest news downloads and fills the viewer. Looking through the pages, you watch the news as video films rather than read it.

 What changes the color of your shirt?

A. The mirror.     B. The shirt itself.      C. The counter.        D. The medicine.

 How do the shoes know that you shouldn’t eat the breakfast cereal?

A. By pouring the breakfast into a bowl.   

B. By listening to the doctor’s advice.

C. By testing the food supplies in the kitchen.  

D. By checking the nutrition details of the food.

 The strawberries the children eat serve as ______.

A. breakfast     B. lunch                C. vaccines          D. nutrition

 How is the text organized?

A. In order of time                   B. In order of frequency.

C. In order of preference（偏爱）.      D. In order of importance

In this modern world, we rush around all day, doing things, talking, sending and reading messages. We are always on, always connected, always thinking, always talking. There is no   36   for stillness.

   And when we are   37   to be still because we’re in line for something, or waiting at a doctor’s appointment, or on a bus or train, we often   38  something to do. Some will play with mobile devices, others will read something. Being still isn’t something we’re   39  .

   This comes at a   40   : we lose that time for   41  , for observing and listening. We lose peace.

   And   42   yet: sometimes too much action is worse than no action at all. You can run around crazily, but get   43   done.

   Take a moment to think about   44   you spend your days. Are you constantly rushing around? Are you constantly reading and answering   45    or checking on the news and the latest stream of information? Are you always   46  through your schedule?

   Is this how you want to spend your   47   ? If so, peace be with you. If not, take a moment to be   48  . Don’t think about what you have to do, or what you’ve done already.   49   be in the moment.

   Then after a minute or two of doing that, consider your life, and how you’d   50   it to be. See your life with less movement, less doing, less rushing. See it with more stillness, more consideration, more   51  .

  Then be that vision.

  It’s pretty simple: all you have to do is sit still for a little bit each day.   52   you’ve gotten used to that, try doing less each day. Breathe when you feel yourself moving too   53  . Slow down. Find happiness now, in this moment, instead of  54  for it.

    55   the stillness. It’s a treasure, and it’s available to us, always.

A. place             B. chance               C. freedom             D. time

A. forced            B. ordered       C. invited                 D. told

A. have              B. find           C. buy                    D. get

A. familiar with       B. curios about   C. used to                 D. interested in

A. cost              B. risk              C. loss                    D. danger

A. play              B. food             C. sleep                   D. consideration

A. further            B. worse           C. farther                 D. deeper

A. everything         B. anything         C. nothing                D. something

A. how              B. where           C. why                   D. whether

A. questions          B. problems        C. phones               D. messages

A. walking           B. rushing         C. stepping              D. going

A. school            B. youth           C. work               D. life

A. silent             B. patient          C. still                D. quiet

A. Nearly            B. Just             C. Ever                   D. Already

A. like               B. decide          C. choose                 D. need

A. activity            B. peace             C. study                  D. research

A. Because           B. Until           C. Once                  D. Unless

A. frequently          B. slowly           C. fast                    D. quickly

A. asking            B. sending          C. calling                 D. waiting

A. Value              B. Miss             C. Owe               D. Hold

When my son was first diagnosed with autism （孤独症）, it was a very hard time for us．In some ways it was a  16_ because we finally knew the name．of the disease after visiting many hospitals, but it also  17__ years bf uncertainty, and we didn't know what  18_was like．
When I  19__the news with my coworkers, I was so surprised but happy to receive so much immediate   20  from them ．They were focused on what we_21___, not how it would affect my ability to work．
One coworker in particular was  22__, She was always kind and considerate; She called me into her  23__ a few days later, and gave me a（n） "  24__stone''．It is a small stone with an indention （凹陷）for your  25__, It gives you something to  26__ when you're worried ． rubbing your thumb around on this stone．It was a lovely 27__．It turned out to be an effective way to reduce anxiety．
She then made a permanent offer to 28_ us to any appointment or testing we needed． Considering the fact that we_ 29__ 90 minutes from where most．treatments took place, this was a（n）  30_offer．She made it very clear to me that this offer  31_last-minute trips or emergencies．Anytime we needed to go anywhere , She was willing to be our transportation．
We never did need to bother her,   32__ knowing it was there and that she was so willing to 33__ made it feel like we were much less _34  ．
I'm very grateful to her and．  35__ around us who came together to be a support system in our time of need．We were really moved by the level of support we received．

【小题9】

A．-fear B．peace C．anger D．worry

The students at Sandy's high school were badly shaken by the news that a classmate had __36  himself．The suicide note read: “It’s hard to  37  when nobody cares.”

Glen, a teacher, realized this was a  38  moment about the importance of making people feel _39 ． He asked his class to imagine they were about to  _40  and to write a note "telling someone how and why you _ 41 him or her."

Sandy, who had a   42_  relationship with her mother, decided to write her  _43  . Her letter read: "We've had some  44_ times and I haven't always been a very good _ 45  , but I know I'm lucky to have you in my life． You're the _ 46_ person I've ever known．And even when I disagree with you, I never _ 47 _you love me and want what's best for me．Thanks for not   48  up me.”

When her mom read the note, she cried and hugged Sandy   49 but said little．

The next morning, Sandy found a  50 on her mirror:  "Dearest Sandy,  I want you to know being your mother is, by far, the most important thing in my life． 51_ I got your note , I thought I had lost your love and  52 .  I felt like such a failure．I intended to  53 it all last night．Your note saved my  54 .”

Be careful not to underestimate(低估) the  55 of expressed appreciation. It won't always save a life, but it will always make someone's life better．

1.                A．sacrificed       B．defeated        C．abandoned    D．killed

2.                A．live            B．imagine         C．struggle  D．think

3.                A．sad            B．final           C．teachable D．great

4.                A．ashamed        B．valued          C．excited   D．scared

5.                A．die            B．fail            C．retire    D．survive

6.                A．miss           B．hate           C．admire   D．appreciate

7.                A．close          B．casual          C．bad  D．personal

8.                A．classmate       B．mom           C．father    D．teacher

9.                A．free           B．delightful       C．pleasant  D．rough

10.               A．daughter       B．student         C．friend D．trainer

11.               A．best           B．wisest          C．luckiest   D．bravest

12.               A．trust           B．doubt          C．consider   D．predict

13.               A．taking          B．going          C．giving D．looking

14.               A．coldly          B．hesitantly       C．shyly D．tightly

15.               A．note           B．gift            C．notice D．reminder

16.               A．Since          B．Until           C．Though    D．When

17.               A．confidence      B．courage        C．respect   D．heart

18.               A．end           B．make          C．get   D．fall

19.               A．life            B．time           C．money    D．honor

20.               A．push           B．price          C．meaning   D．power