Which is sillier: denying we ever went to the moon or trying to convince the true nonbelievers?

Once upon a time – July 20, 1969, to be specific – two men got out of their little spaceship and wandered around on the moon for a while. Ten more men walked on the moon over the next three and a half years. The end.

Unfortunately, not quite. A fair number of Americans think that this whole business of moon landings really is a fairy tale. They believe that the landings were a big hoax (骗局) staged in the Mojave Desert, to convince everyone that U.S. technology was the “bestest” in the whole wide world.

Which is the harder thing to do: Send men to the moon or make believe we did? The fact is the physics behind sending people to the moon is simple. You can do it with computers whose entire memory capacities can now fit on chips the size of postage stamps and that cost about as much as, well, a postage stamp. I know you can because we did.

However, last fall NASA considered spending $15,000 on a public-relations campaign to convince the unimpressed that Americans had in fact gone to the moon. That idea was mostly a reaction to a Fox television program, first aired in February 2001, that claimed to expose the hoax. The show’s creator is a publicity hound (猎狗) who has lived up to the name in more ways than one by hounding Buzz Aldrin, the second man on the moon. Mr. X (as I will call him, thereby denying him the joyous sight of his name in print) recently followed Buzz Aldrin around and called him “a thief, liar and coward” until the 72-year-old astronaut finally lost it and hit the 37-year-old Mr. X in the face.

Anyway, NASA’s publicity campaign began to slow down. The nonbelievers took the campaign as NASA’s effort to hide something while the believers said that $15,000 to convince people that the world was round — I mean, that we had gone to the moon — was simply a waste of money. (Actually, the $15,000 was supposed to pay for an article by James E. Oberg, an astronomy writer who, with Aldrin, has contributed to Scientific American.)

If NASA’s not paying Oberg, perhaps it could put the money to good use by hiring two big guys to drag Neil Armstrong out of the house. Armstrong is an extremely private man, but he is also the first man on the moon, so maybe he has a duty to be a bit more outspoken about the experience. Or NASA could just buy Aldrin a commemorate plaque (纪念匾) for his recent touch on the face of Mr. X.

1.We can learn from Paragraphs 2 and 3 that some Americans believe _______.

A．moon landings were invented

B．U.S. technology was the best

C．moon landing ended successfully

D．the Mojave Desert was the launching base

2.According to the writer, which of the following is to blame for the story about the hoax?

A．NASA’s publicity campaign.               B．The Fox television program.

C．Buzz Aldrin.                            D．James E. Oberg.

3.According to the writer, Mr. X _______.

A．told a faithful story                      B．was not treated properly

C．was a talented creator                    D．had a bad reputation

4.The believers think that NASA’s publicity campaign is ________.

A．proof to hide the truth

B．stupid and unnecessary

C．needed to convince the non-believers

D．important to develop space technology

5.The tone of the article is _______.

A．angry             B．conversational      C．humorous         D．matter-of-fact

Dear Father Christmas,

My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy（脑性麻痹症）.

I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

                                                               Yours,

                                                               Amy

  At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. When Amy`s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, in the whole country , newspapers and radio and TV reported the story of Amy, who asked for such a simple Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.

 Then, the postman was a regular at Amy`s house. A great number of letters addressed to Amy arrived every day from children and adults all across the country. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities(残疾). Some had been teased during childhood.

Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who were truly concerned about each other.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and carry her head high

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at her school. No one laughed at her. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing could make others feel.

That year, in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, December 21 was set as Amy Day. The official explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught us that everyone should be treated with respect, love and warmth.

61. Amy`s letter showed that__________.

A. she was often ignored in and out of class by teachers.

B. her school was not a good place for students like her.

C. she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest.

D. her schoolmates could not understand her disability and always teased her.

62.   The sentence “Then, the postman was a regular at Amy`s house” means_____________.

A. he had to send letters to Amy every day.

B. he was quite curious about Amy.

C. he went to encourage Amy frequently.

D. he was moved by Amy`s story.

63. We may infer from Amy`s story that____________.

A.Amy will still be laughed at by others.

B. the news reports played an important part in helping Amy.

C. there are few people with disabilities in Amy`s country.

D.Amy disliked receiving the letters from people

64.   What is the purpose to set Amy Day?

A. to encourage people to carry their heads high.

B. to call on people to treat everyone properly.

C. to give money to the people with disabilities.

D. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish.

Dear Father Christmas,

My name is Amy. I am 17 years old. I have a problem at school. Can you help me? Kids laugh at me because of the way I walk and run and talk. I have cerebral palsy（脑性麻痹症）.

I just want one day when no one laughs at me or makes fun of me.

                                                               Yours,

                                                               Amy

 At radio station WJLT in Fort Wayne, Indiana, letters poured in for the Christmas Wish Contest. When Amy`s letter arrived at the radio station, Manager Lee Tobin read it carefully. He thought it would be good for the people in Fort Wayne to hear about this special girl and her unusual wish. Mr. Tobin called up the local newspaper.

The next day, in the whole country , newspapers and radio and TV reported the story of Amy, who asked for such a simple Christmas gift—just one day without teasing.

 Then, the postman was a regular at Amy`s house. A great number of letters addressed to Amy arrived every day from children and adults all across the country. They came filled with holiday greetings and words of encouragement. Some of the writers had disabilities(残疾). Some had been teased during childhood.

Through the cards and letters from strangers, Amy saw a world full of people who were truly concerned about each other.

Many people thanked Amy for being brave enough to speak up. Others encouraged her to ignore teasing and carry her head high

Amy did get her wish of a special day without teasing at her school. No one laughed at her. Teachers and students talked together about how bad teasing could make others feel.

That year, in the city of Fort Wayne, Indiana, December 21 was set as Amy Day. The official explained that by daring to make such a simple wish, Amy taught us that everyone should be treated with respect, love and warmth.

61. Amy`s letter showed that__________.

A. she was often ignored in and out of class by teachers.

B. her school was not a good place for students like her.

C. she wanted to win Christmas Wish Contest.

D. her schoolmates could not understand her disability and always teased her.

62.   The sentence “Then, the postman was a regular at Amy`s house” means_____________.

A. he had to send letters to Amy every day.

B. he was quite curious about Amy.

C. he went to encourage Amy frequently.

D. he was moved by Amy`s story.

63. We may infer from Amy`s story that____________.

A.Amy will still be laughed at by others.

B. the news reports played an important part in helping Amy.

C. there are few people with disabilities in Amy`s country.

D.Amy disliked receiving the letters from people

64.   What is the purpose to set Amy Day?

A. to encourage people to carry their heads high.

B. to call on people to treat everyone properly.

C. to give money to the people with disabilities.

D. to explain how brave Amy was by making her wish.

Sleep is a basic necessity of life and it is as important to our health as air, food and water. When we sleep well, we wake up feeling energetic, alert and ready to face daily challenges. When we don’t every part of our lives can suffer.

A survey made by the 2002 National Sleep Foundation (NSF) in America found that 74 percent of American adults are experiencing a sleep problem a few nights a week or more and 39 percent get less than 7 hours of sleep each night and want to have a sleep during the day.

Getting enough continuous quality sleep influences how we feel and perform next day. Getting enough sleep refers to the amount of sleep you need not to feel tired next day. Although sleep experts generally recommend an average of 7-9 hours each night, some people can get along with less while others need as many as ten hours to feel energetic next day. Sleep requirements vary(变化)over the life cycle. Newborns and babies need a lot of sleep and have several periods of sleep throughout a 24-hour time period. Teenagers’ sleep patterns turn to a later sleep-wake cycle, but they still need around 9 hours of sleep. Throughout adulthood, even as we get older, we need 7-9 hours of sleep. Sleep patterns may change, but the need for sleep remains the same.

According to the 2002 poll. Over 80 percent of American adults believe that not getting enough sleep leads to poor performance at work, risk of injury, poor health and difficulty getting along with others. Often, people become easily annoyed due to lack of sleep. Recent research suggests that lack of sleep also leads to approximately 100,00 sleep-related traffic accidents each year and results in 1,500 deaths.

If you are having sleep problems, turn to a sleep diary published by the National Sleep Foundation. A sleep diary helps you examine some of your health and sleep habits so that you and your doctor can find some reasons for poor sleep. Establishing a regular bed and wake-up schedule may also help you sleep well. Besides, talking to your doctor or a sleep specialist is of great help. Most sleep disorders can be successfully treated once properly diagnosed(诊断).