Scientists have found what look like caves on Mars, and say they could be protecting life from the planet’s terrible environment.

The first caves appear as seven mysterious black dots (点) on the pictures which were sent back by NASA’s Mars Odyssey orbiter. Each as large as a football field, they may be openings into natural caves below the Martian surface.

“If there is life on Mars, there is a good chance that you’d find it in caves,” said Jut Wynne, one of the researchers who noticed the features (特征) while working on a US Geological Survey Mars Cave Detection Program.

Jonathan Clarke, a geologist with the Mars Society of Australia, yesterday described the discovery as exciting.

One photo taken at night by an infrared imager(红外线成像器) showed one hole to be unusually warm, suggesting hot air may be flowing out.

“I said: ‘Wow, that’s a cave’” Dr. Clarke said excitedly. “People have been looking for these for a long time; now we have found them.”

He agreed such caves could be perfect places to search for life escaping from the bitterly cold, radiation-soaked(充满辐射的), dry surface.

“Tiny drops of water could collect inside,” he said. “If there are gases coming out, they could provide energy for a whole range of bacteria (细菌). A cave is also a protection from radiation; the surface of Mars is exposed to high levels of space radiation.”

The caves probably formed when tube-shaped lava flows(管状岩浆流) spread across the planet long ago. The outside of the tubes cooled, forming solid walls, while something hotter inside allowed the remaining to flow out, forming caves.

What does the passage mainly talk about?

A. How the caves were formed on Mars.

B. How NASA sent the pictures back to earth

C. Caves on Mars may be full of hot air or a sign(迹象)of life.

D. Scientists have completely recognized the surface of Mars.

We can learn from the passage that __________.

A. water has already been found on Mars

B. the scientists found all the caves at night

C. it is certain that there is life in these caves

D. the surface of Mars is bitterly cold, radiation-soaked and dry

According to the passage, Dr. Clarke was so excited because ________.

A. such caves could provide energy for life

B. they had finally found the caves on Mars

C. such caves would be perfect places to search for life

D. There would be life on Mars.

Necessary conditions for life on Mars mentioned in the passage may include_________.

A. lava and energy          B. water and radiation from space

C. gases and lava           D. water and protection from radiation

what does the underlined word “ the planet” in paragraph 1 refer to?

A. the Mars     B. the earth      C. the caves       D. radiation

For many of us, cartoon strips are simply one of our pastimes. The popular Japanese manga(漫画) provides us with an escape from reality into a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.With much less text and pictures running for pages, it fits perfectly into today’s fast, throwing away city lifestyle.
But Tsai Chih-chung,a famous Taiwanese illustrator (漫画家), doesn’t agree.He believes cartoons can be a bridge connecting traditional Chinese culture and wisdom with the modern  world in a much wittier and more acceptable way.
He has interpreted Lao Zi, Confucius, Mencius,Zhuang Zi and Sun Zi and made their works accessible to a global audience. He has also produced two books about Zen (禅宗), introducing oriental philosophy. His cartoons are humorous yet full of wisdom and are admired as an easy way to learn Chinese classics.
After avoiding the public for ten years, Tsai made a comeback in late April with seven new works. But does his age, 61, work as a gap between him and his young readers? Tsai doesn’t think so. The topics he has covered range from philosophy in a time of individuality to the learning and memorizing techniques used at school. “Every child is a genius and has the potential beyond his own imagination, ” he said.
If popular Japanese manga is purely for entertainment, Tsai’s work, to a large extent, is to light the power of thinking in a light-hearted way. Tsai uses differenr forms of water to refer to people. In his eyes some people are like an ocean, some are like vapor, while others may be ice or
rain. But in essence(本质上)they share a similarity-human being’s forever chasing for the true and the good. “The person who thinks over life issues is not necessarily a scholar or a philosopher,” he said. “I’ve dedicated my whole life to thinking and individual freedom, not making a living.”
【小题1】What is the main idea of the first paragraph in the passage?

A.Japanese manga is a simple way of killing time.
B.What Japanese manga is mainly about.
C.Japanese manga presents a world of fantasy, adventure and romance.
D.Why Japanese manga is so popular.
【小题2】The underlined word “it” in paragraph l refers to       .
A.much less textB.Japanese manga
C.pictures running for pagesD.an escape from reality
【小题3】In Tsai Chih-chung’s opinion, cartoon       .
A.connects traditional Chinese culture and wisdom
B.helps connect Chinese classics with modern world
C.uses a wiser and acceptable way to draw cartoons
D.builds up a bridge between cartoons and illustration
【小题4】Compared to Japanese manga, Tsai’s works are     .
A.mainly designed for a pure time killer for all
B.more popular with young readers in China now
C.to inspire people to think in a cheerful way
D.much more interesting and instructive
【小题5】 According to the passage, which of the following is TRUE about Tsai Chih-chung?
A.He values more thinking and personal freedom than making a living.
B.He says that one who thinks over life is either a scholar or a philosopher.
C.He thinks some people are like ocean, some like vapor, while others like ice cream.
D.Tsai devoted his life to creating cartoons in order to make money.

When author Nicholas Carr began researching his book on whether the Internet is ruining our mindshe restricted his online access and e?mail.His new book argues the latest technology renders us less capable of deep thinking.Carr found himself so distracted(分心的) that he couldn’t work on the book while staying as connected.After first feeling confused by his sudden lack of online connectionhe was able to stay focused on one task for a long period within several weeks.

Reading on the Internet has changed how we use our brains.Facing a lot of textsvideomusic and links to other web pages and blogsour minds have become used to skimming and scanning information.As a resultwe have developed sharper skills at making fast decisionsparticularly visual onesCarr wrote.

But now most of us seldom read books or long articles that would help us focus.We are becoming more like librarians—able to find information quickly and see clearly the best nuggets(有价值的资料)That lack of focus hinders(阻碍) our long?term memoryleading many of us to feel distractedhe wrote.

“What we are losing is a whole other set of mental skillswhich require not the shifting of our focus but the maintaining of our focus” Carr saidadding that for centuries books protected our brains from distraction and focused our minds on one topic at a time.

But with devices such as Apple’s iPad becoming commonCarr predicts books also will change.“New forms of reading always require new forms of writing” he said.Carr has a suggestion for those who feel web surfing has left them incapable of concentration—slow downturn off the Internet and practice the skills of contemplation(沉思) and reflection.“It is pretty clear from the brain science that if you don’t exercise particular cognitive skillsyou are going to lose them” he said.“If you are constantly distractedyou are not going to think in the same way that you would think if you paid attention.”

1.What topic is Nicholas Carr’s new book mainly concentrating on?

AWhether there is any need for us to surf the Internet.

BHow the Internet changes our way of thinking.

CWhat we should do when we are surfing the Internet.

DWhether our minds are being influenced by the Internet.

2.How did Nicholas Carr feel after he limited his time online several weeks later?

AAnxious.? BRelaxed.

CConcentrated.? DPuzzled.

3.The underlined word renders in Paragraph 1 probably means ________.

Aprevents? Bcauses

Cprotects? Dsharpens

4.What’s Nicholas Carr’s suggestion for people who are often distracted by the Internet?

AThey should read more books besides surfing the Internet.

BThey should often slow down their pace of modern living.

CThey should often get away from the disturbing of the Internet.

DThey should spend more time thinking while surfing the Internet.

 

I had just finished high school when a disaster hit our family. It was October 1962, and    21   was out of the question. So I found a job. In 1971, my employer announced only graduates(大学毕业生) would get   22  . My job seemed at a dead end unless I    23    further. And to graduate, I had to pass the higher secondary examination first.

I    24   an admission form(表格) and rode to the Human Resource(人力资源) Management office. On arriving there, I was    25   ---I couldn’t find the form. It was the last day to    26   the form, and no blank forms were   27   at the office. I was standing there, disappointed,    28   an elderly gentleman asked me why I looked so    29  . I told him what happened,    30  , “Now I’ll have to wait another year.”

“Well,” he said, “if you’re really serious about studying further, come with me. I have a    31   blank form at home.”

It was 12:30 pm. The counter(柜台) would    32   at 2 pm. His home was 10 km away and I had a slight   33 of going somewhere with a stranger. Anyway, this was my last chance. We reached his house on my bike. He advised me to remain    34  , and gave me a pen and the form. When it was    35  , he told me to rush back and     36   carefully. I reached the office at 1:58 pm. There were two people in line, waiting for their   37   . Just then, the counter official announced that no more forms would be    38   after mine. I breathed a sigh of    39   .

I passed the exam and later got a bachelor’s degree. I also got the promotions. I     40   it all to the timely help from a true gentleman whose name I forgot to ask.

1.

A.education

B.competition

C.college

D.employment

 

2.

A.attention

B.promotions

C.prizes

D.approval

 

3.

A.attempted

B.explained

C.studied

D.worked

 

4.

A.filled in

B.stepped onto

C.put down

D.looked at

 

5.

A.ashamed

B.frightened

C.embarrassed

D.shocked

 

6.

A.review

B.submit

C.find

D.revise

 

7.

A.appropriate

B.available

C.practical

D.helpful

 

8.

A.when

B.before

C.unless

D.until

 

9.

A.serious

B.angry

C.troubled

D.tired

 

10.

A.agreeing

B.suggesting

C.responding

D.adding

 

11.

A.special

B.similar

C.private

D.spare

 

12.

A.close

B.move

C.change

D.reset

 

13.

A.regret

B.fear

C.sadness

D.puzzle

 

14.

A.quiet

B.slow

C.calm

D.polite

 

15.

A.rewritten

B.done

C.corrected

D.read

 

16.

A.follow

B.walk

C.drive

D.answer

 

17.

A.form

B.role

C.luck

D.turn

 

18.

A.accepted

B.chosen

C.recommended

D.recognized

 

19.

A.relief

B.confidence

C.tension

D.anxiety

 

20.

A.devote

B.apply

C.owe

D.connect

 

Even facts “forgotten” by people during a busy day may be retrieved if this is followed by a good night’s sleep.

Researchers from the University of Chicago asked volunteers to remember simple words.Many found their memories letting them down towards the end of the day, but the following morning, those who had slept well could recall much more.

Researchers, writing in the journal Nature, said the brain could “rescue” lost memories during the night.

When the brain is first asked to remember something that memory is laid down in an “unstable” state, meaning that it is possible that it could be lost.At some point, the brain consolidates those it deems important into a “stable”, more permanent state.However, the Chicago researchers suggested that it was possible for a “stable” memory to be made “unstable” again.This would mean that memories could be modified then filed away again in the face of new experiences.

The 12 volunteers tested in the experiment were played words created through a speech synthesizer which were purposely difficult to understand.Initially, the written version of the word  from the audio version only.Tests revealed that the ability to recall the right word tended to tail off as the day ended.

However, when the volunteers were retested after a good night’s sleep, they were able to recall some words that they had “ forgotten” the previous evening.

Dr Daniel, one of the study authors, said: “Sleep consolidates memories, protecting them against subsequent interference or decay.Sleep also appears to “recover” or restore memories.” He said: “If performance is reduced by decay, sleep might actively recover what has been lost.”

Dr Karim Nader, from the Department of Psychology in McGill University in Montreal, said: “Memory research is undergoing a transformation---no longer is memory thought to be a hard-writing of the brain, instead it seems to be a process of storage and restorage.”

Sleep helps some memories “mature” and also prunes out unimportant memories.

1.What does the first paragraph implies?

A.A busy day makes people forget things easily.

B.People need a good night’s sleep after a busy day.

C.A good night’s sleep helps memories.

D.A good night’s sleep helps people forget a busy day.

2.The words the 12 volunteers played in the experiment were not ____

A.created through a speech synthesizer

B.hard to understand

C.available at the beginning

D.designed to test people’s ability of understanding

3.According to the passage, memory_____

A.is a hard-writing of the brain

B.is not a process of storage

C.is not a process of restorage

D.will be mature with the help of sleep

4.Which of the following is NOT true?

A.When people first remember something, the memory is in an “unstable state”.

B.The brain will change those important unstable memories into stable.

C.Once the memory become stable, it will never become unstable again.

D.Sleep can protect memories from being harmed.

 

违法和不良信息举报电话:027-86699610 举报邮箱:58377363@163.com

精英家教网