Unless we spend money spotting and preventing asteroids(小行星) now, one might crash into Early and destroy life as we know it, say some scientists.

Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.

Buy $50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say, we’ll have a way to change its course.

Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons.  But the cost wouldn’t be cheap. Is is worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: (1)How likely the event is; and (2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500 000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. “If we don’t take care of these asteroids, they’ll take care of us,”says one scientist.  “It’s that simple.”

 The cure, though, might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(世界末日) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against it,” said a New York Times article.

9.What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

A.They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

  B.They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

C.There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

D.Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

10.What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth?

A.It is very unlikely but the danger exists.

B.Such a collision might occur once every 25 years.

C.Coilisions of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected.

  D.lt’s still too early to say whether such a collision might occur.

11.What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids?

A.It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem.

B.It may create more problems than it might slove.

C.It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely.

D.Further research should be done before it is proved applicable.

12.We can conclude from the passage that .      

A.while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

B.asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

C.the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlike to happen in our    lifetime.

D.workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth

Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids now，one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it，say some scientists.
Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星)that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don't threaten us. But there are also thousands whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.
Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now. Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one，the scientists say，we'll have a way to change its course.
Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn't be cheap. Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; and 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500,000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall，it would be the end of the world. “If we don't take care of these big asteroids，they'll take care of us,” says one scientist. “It's that simple.”
The cure，though，might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them，” said a New York Times article.
【小题1】What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids?

A．They are heavenly bodies different in composition.

B．They are heavenly bodies similar in nature.

C．There are more asteroids than meteoroids.

D．Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids.

A Leap（跳跃）to Honor

Leaping on a narrow balance beam（平衡木） is not easy. But Lola Walter, a 13-year-old gymnast, is an expert at it.

To perfect her skills, Lola   36   for four hours a day, five days a week. At the state championships in March, she finished seventh out of 16 girls.

That’s especially impressive,          37    she is legally blind, born with a rare condition that causes her eyes to shift constantly. She often sees double and can’t _38   how far away things are.

When she was little, her mom   39  that even though she couldn’t see         40   , she was fearless. So her mom signed her up for gymnastics when she was three. She loved the    41    right away and gymnastics became her favorite.

Though learning gymnastics has been more    42   for her than for some of her tournaments, she has never quit. She doesn’t let her _43  stop her from doing anything that she wants to.

She likes the determination it takes to do the sport. Her biggest          44_ is the balance beam. Because she has double vision, she often sees two beams. She must use her sense of touch to help her during her routine. Sometimes she even closes her eyes. “You have to          45_ your mind that it’ll take you where you want to go,” says Lola.

To be a top-level gymnast, one must be brave. The beam is probably the most   46  for anyone because it’s four inches wide. At the state competition, Lola didn’t fall      47  the beam. In fact, she got an 8.1 out of 10---- her highest score yet.

Lola doesn’t want to be          48    differently from the other girls on her team. At the competitions, the judges don’t know about her vision _49 _. She doesn’t tell them, because she doesn’t think they need to know. Her mom is amazed by her _50          attitude.

Lola never thinks about   51__. She is presently at level 7 while the highest is level 10 in gymnastics. Her   52         is to reach level 9. She says she wants to be a gymnastics coach to pass down what she’s learned to other kids    53  she grew up.

Lola is   54  of all her hard work and success. She says it’s helped her overcome problems in her life outside gymnastics, too. Her   55        for others is “just believe yourself”.

1.                A．runs           B．teaches         C．trains D．dances

2.                A．since           B．unless          C．after D．though

3.                A．tell            B．guess          C．assume   D．predict

4.                A．suspected       B．remembered    C．imagined D．noticed

5.                A．deeply         B．well            C．ahead    D．closely

6.                A．task           B．sport           C．event    D．show

7.                A．boring         B．enjoyable       C．difficult   D．unsatisfactory

8.                A．talent          B．quality          C．nature   D．condition

9.                A．doubt          B．advantage       C．challenge D．program

10.               A．examine        B．express        C．open D．trust

11.               A．fearful         B．harmful        C．unfair D．inconvenient

12.               A．to             B．on            C．off   D．against

13.               A．greeted        B．treated         C．served    D．paid

14.               A．pains          B．stresses        C．injuries    D．problems

15.               A．positive        B．friendly        C．flexible    D．caution

16.               A．defending      B．quitting         C．winning   D．bargaining

17.               A．standard        B．range          C．view  D．goal

18.               A．until           B．as             C．when D．before

19.               A．proud          B．tired           C．ashamed   D．confident

20.               A．plan           B．advice         C．reward    D．Responsibility

　 Unless we spend money to spot and prevent asteroids(小行星) now, one might crash into Earth and destroy life as we know it , say some scientists.

　 Asteroids are bigger versions of the meteoroids(流星) that race across the night sky. Most orbit the sun far from Earth and don’t threaten us. But there are also thousands of asteroids whose orbits put them on a collision course with Earth.

　 Buy $ 50 million worth of new telescopes right now, Then spend $ 10 million a year for the next 25 years to locate most of the space rocks. By the time we spot a fatal one, the scientists say , we’ll have a way to change its course.

　 Some scientists favor pushing asteroids off course with nuclear weapons. But the cost wouldn’t be cheap.

　 Is it worth it? Two things experts consider when judging any risk are: 1) How likely the event is; 2) How bad the consequences if the event occurs. Experts think an asteroid big enough to destroy lots of life might strike Earth once every 500 000 years. Sounds pretty rare-but if one did fall, it would be the end of the world. “ If we don’t take care of these big asteroids, they’ll take care of us,” says one scientist. “ It’s that simple.”

　 The cure, though , might be worse than the disease. Do we really want fleets of nuclear weapons sitting around on Earth? “The world has less to fear from doomsday(毁灭性的) rocks than from a great nuclear fleet set against them,” said a New York Times article.

1. What does the passage say about asteroids and meteoroids? _________.

A. They are heavenly bodies different in composition

B. They are heavenly bodies similar in nature

C. These are more asteroids than meteoroids

D. Asteroids are more mysterious than meteoroids

2. What do scientists say about the collision of an asteroid with Earth? _______.

A It is unlikely but the danger exists

B. Such a collision might occur once every 25 years

C. Collision of smaller asteroids with Earth occur more often than expected

D. It’s still too early to say whether such a collision might occur

3. What do people think of the suggestion of using nuclear weapons to alter the course of asteroids? _______.

　 A. It sounds practical but it may not solve the problem

　 B. It may create more problems than it might solve

　 C. It is a waste of money because a collision of asteroids with Earth is very unlikely

　 D. Further research should be done before it is proved applicable

4. We can conclude from the passage that________.

　 A. while pushing asteroids off course nuclear weapons would destroy the world

　 B. asteroids racing across the night sky are likely to hit Earth in the near future

　 C. the worry about asteroids can be left to future generations since it is unlikely to happen in our lifetime

　 D. workable solutions still have to be found to prevent a collision of asteroids with Earth

While attending a conference, I returned to my hotel room late one rainy evening．The overhead light outside my door was   36  and I had difficulty finding the keyhole．When I finally  37   to open the door, I  38    around the wall for a light switch．I found a  39   where a switch was once installed… but no switch．

No discouraged easily, I remembered seeing a   40   by the bed when I put away my luggage   41   in the day．I found the bed in the dark and felt around until I found the lamp, but when I switched it on,   42   happened! Now what?

Though I knew that it was dark outside my window   43   the outdoor light was burned out, I thought that   44    if I opened the curtains I might be able to use the light from the   45   to find another lamp．So I   46    my way slowly across the room to the curtains and… no draw-string!

I finally stumbled（跌跌撞撞） around until I found a desk lamp that actually   47  ! That evening I discovered in a whole new way just how dark the world can be and how necessary   48   is．

But even more necessary than   49   light is the light that shines from people — the light of love, sympathy and   50  ．Because, for many people, the world is a dark and   51   place．

It is the shining that is important, for someone today just may be stumbling in discouragement or fear and in   52  of some light．

So let your light shine．Whatever light you  53  may be a beacon（灯塔）of hope and encouragement in someone’s darkness．And if you feel that your light is   54   a candle in a forest, remember this — there isn’t enough darkness in the world to   55   the light of one small candle．

A．burning      B．broken         C．shining    D．smooth

A．managed      B．attempted        C．succeeded D．meant

A．touched       B．turned          C．felt        D．looked

A．light          B．plate            C．lamp        D．signal

A．lamp          B．switch          C．desk        D．window

A．later          B．earlier          C．sooner      D．first

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

A．when          B．unless           C．since        D．although

A．certainly     B．surely           C．absolutely D．perhaps

A．star           B．street         C．room     D．shop

A．forced         B．struggled       C．made     D．pushed

A．worked        B．failed           C．did        D．closed

A．love          B．thinking         C．dream       D．light

A．spiritual       B．physical         C．mental      D．inner

A．faith          B．soul            C．help        D．attention

A．mixed         B．fancy         C．lonely       D．complicated

A．lack           B．need            C．favor       D．face

A．devote         B．receive          C．offer        D．throw

A．only          B．even            C．ever      D．much

A．give out       B．leave out        C．take out    D．put out