An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital（亚轨道的）space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.

It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. “If there’s more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good.”

Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.

None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z.

Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists — but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow.

A celebrity launch isn't Shostak’s only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling（充满）with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission.

Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially transformative industry, saying it could serve as a stepping stone to the exploration and exploitation of space on an unprecedented scale. While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.

1.Why may Justin Bieber be sent into suborbital space?

A．To show his bravery and make him a role model for teenagers.

B．To arouse the American public’s interest.

C．To help reform the spaceflight industry.

D．To film an advertisement about space.

2.What can we learn about suborbital spaceflight?

A．A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap.

B．The whole trip will leave passengers weightless.

C．Each trip can take 500 passengers.

D．The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities.

3.What can we infer from the text?

A．SpaceShipTwo will be the first to fly.

B．Famous people will be the main passengers in the future.

C．The space trip is still in preparation.

D．Every space trip will be made into a film.

4.The last paragraph suggests that _________.

A．space is too mysterious to explore

B．the suborbital market is promising

C．the spaceflight industry is more successful than people think

D．developing the industry is risky

5.What is the main purpose of the text?

A．To predict a change in the space market.

B．To discuss a recent launch.

C．To introduce the status of the spaceflight industry.

D．To remove public doubt about the spaceflight industry.

First lady Michelle Obama turns 50 on Friday, Jan. 17, 2014.

Michelle Obama has spent the first half-century of her life breaking barriers and checking off a series of firsts. Now, as she reaches her milestone birthday Friday, the nation will be watching to see in what other areas she will leave her mark.

Five years after moving into the White House, and without a re-election campaign to worry about, she has more room to relax in her role and, political watchers say, possibly become more vocal (声音的) on political issues in the three years left in office.

So far, critics have complained about Michelle’s silence on issues where they expected to hear her voice: Last year, at the start of her husband's second term, she disappointed advocates for tighter gun-control measures after she failed to push harder on the issue in response to the massacre (残杀) at Sandy Hook Elementary School in Newtown, Conn. She also disappointed some feminists (女权主义者) who wanted her to defend their causes instead of falling back on her self-described role as the nation’s “mom-in-chief.” Nor did she handle racial issues during her second term, as some had expected.

“The most important thing to remember is, whether you are black, white or Hispanic, you’re the first lady and the president of all the people in the United States. That’s a huge melting pot, so to reinforce (强化)that she's African American over anything else would not be wise,” said Anita McBride, who directs programming and national conferences on the legacies (遗产) of America’s first ladies and their historical influence at American University.

Valerie Jarrett, a top White House adviser and a close friend of the Obamas, said the first lady doesn't want to “spread herself too thin.”

“She really wants to have a maximum impact and to do that in fewer areas,” Jarrett told the Associated Press. “That, she said, “is better than trying to take on every single possible cause.”

But Robert Watson, a Lynn University professor, said he expects Obama to “go a little harder at issues” over the next several years. “Second-term first ladies usually feel more at ease to speak more forcefully about issues close to their heart,” he said.

Myra Gutin, a Ryder University communications professor and frequent lecturer on first ladies, said she expects Obama to continue making both of them a priority in her remaining years in the White House, given their success. Michelle launched the “Let’s Move” campaign in 2010. It in particular has gained widespread support, ranging from the National Football League to the Sesame Street franchise (特许), which even gave permission to the produce industry to use its licensed characters for free on fruits and vegetables.

“There’s no such thing as a traditional first lady, not anymore in this technology-filled world. Is Mrs. Obama cutting edge? Is she an activist? No. As first ladies go, I think she’s been politically careful because she does not want there to be a major flare-up that would require her husband to use his political capital to clean up,” she said. “But she’s not exactly just sitting in the White House pouring tea and having receptions, either.”

1.Critics were disappointed with Michelle because _______.

A. she didn’t put gun-control measures into effect

B. she failed some feminists to stand out to be a career woman

C. she didn’t solve some racial problems

D. she failed to voice her opinion on some issues

2.According to the professors or advisers, which of the following statements is NOT true?

A. It’s not wise to reinforce Michelle is African American over anything else.

B. It’s better for Michelle to have a maximum impact than to take on every possible cause.

C. It's expected for Michelle to go a little harder at issues.

D. It’s a tradition for first ladies to stay out of political issues.

3.What does the underlined phrase “spread herself too thin” in Paragraph 6 mean?

A. Try to do a lot of work at the same time.

B. Get very tired.

C. Try to improve physical fitness.

D. Move herself away from others.

4.In Paragraph 9, the campaign “Let’s Move” might be aiming to help people _______..

a. gain widespread support

b. become more physically active

c. have access to healthier foods

d. raise awareness about gun control

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

Before astronauts can go into space, they have to have the right suit. That’s why NASA（美国国家航天和航空局）scientists are developing a new kind of space suit——lighter and more flexible than before. These new space suits will have lots of mobility(灵活性) for the astronauts, but will not need much maintenance. NASA wants the suits to include new technology that can help astronauts be safe in outer space.
Right now, the American space suit weighs about 275 pounds and is big and massive. But the suit is also easy to work in for long periods of time. The Russian space suit is less complicated, but is used only a few times and then gets thrown away.
“Finding the right balance is always going to be a challenge,” said a long-time astronaut Jeff Williams. Williams has worn both types of suits. Space suits protect astronauts from both extreme heat and freezing temperatures. They carry life-packs with oxygen for the astronauts. They also shield astronauts from radiation, or particles that send out harmful rays.
Scientists are using computers to design the new suits. This allows them to change the design again and again, and to even test the design out before actually making anything. “There’s a lot more capable tools and technology to get the job done——a lot more knowledge, as well,” said Joe Kosmo. Kosmo helped design, develop, and test suits during the Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Skylab, and shuttle periods.
These new space suits will be much lighter and use a new kind of complex material. They also will have a smaller life support backpack, thanks to tiny electronics. NASA hopes to have the first prototypes(原型) in development by 2010 and certify(证明) the suit by 2012. This will be in time for the launch of the Orion spaceship in 2014.
【小题1】 What characteristic does the new space suit have?

"My dream has come true．I have always wanted to be a Grand Slam （大满贯） champion．"These are the words of the Chinese tennis player Li Na after she became the first Asian woman to win the Australian Open final on Jan．25th．2014．

???? "People were saying I'm getting old．So this is a great success for such an old woman．" the 32-year-old girl joked．

???? Miss Li has a tattoo （文身）．She has dyed her hair many different colors．And, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she told her fans to "shut up" when they got too noisy in their support．

????????????? Li Na was born in Wuhan．She started to play tennis at the age of 6．She once recalled: "As a child．I suffered a lot because every day I had to wake up early to practice．After school I had to practice more．I didn't have time to play．"

???? Luckily, the strong girl didn't give up．thus making history for Chinese tennis time after time．Now the new champion is already thinking about winning another Grand Slam title．"When you have one title, surely you will think about another," she says．not hiding her ambition．

???? "Chinese people are so lacking in confidence on the tennis court．If there is a person like me who can prove we Chinese can do it, the other young players in China will feel the same," she said．

1.Li Na began to learn playing tennis in the year of _____．

A．1988????? ????????????? B．1982 ????????????? C．1986 ????????????? D．1990

2.We can learn from the passage that _____．

A．Li Na is always impatient with her fans

B．Li Na is an old girl

C．Li Na is a fashionable girl

D．Li Na is a girl without ambition

3.When she began to play tennis, Li Na was _____．

A．happy ????????????? B．sad??? ????????????? C．excited?? ????????????? D．bored

4.Which of the following is WRONG about Li Na?

A．Li Na took part in the 2008 Beijing Olympics．

B．Li Na has already won a Grand Slam champion．

C．Li Na had to wake up early to practice playing tennis．

D．Li Na said she lacked confidence on the tennis court．

5.The passage mainly tells us _____．

A．something about the tennis

B．something about how to play tennis

C．the Chinese people and the tennis

D．the Grand Slam champion—Li Na

The largest campaign of killing rats in history is set to poison millions of rats on the sub-Antarctic island of South Georgia. Scientists say the campaign planned for 2013 and 2014 will restore beautiful South Georgia to the position it once held as the world’s most important nesting sites for seabirds.

It was sailors in the late 18th century who unintentionally introduced rats to what had been a fresh environment. “If we can destroy the rats, at least 100 million birds will return to their home on South Georgia,” says Tony Martin, a biology professor at the University of Dundee who was invited to lead the project.