NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues^①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 million Phoenix Mars is planned to touch down in the Martian arctic in 2008. The stationary probe will use its robotic arm to dig into the icy land and pick up soil samples^②to analyze. In 2002, the Mars Odyssey orbiter spotted evidence of ice-rich soil near the arctic surface.
Scientists hope the Phoenix mission will find clues to the geologic history of water on the Red Planet and determine whether microbes^③existed in the ice.
Phoenix will be the first mission of the Mars Scout program, a renewed, low-cost effort to study the Red Planet. “The Phoenix mission explores new territory in the northern plains of Mars analogous to the permafrost regions on Earth,” Peter Smith said.
True to its name, Phoenix rose from the ashes of previous^④missions. The lander for Phoenix was built to fly as part of the 2001 Mars Surveyor program. But the program broke down after the well-known disappearance of the Mars Polar Lander in 1999. The Polar Lander lost contact during a landing attempt near the planet’s south pole after its rocket engine shut off prematurely, causing the spacecraft to fall about 130 feet to almost certain destruction.
The Phoenix probe had been in storage at a Lockheed Martin clean room in Denver before it was reused for its present mission. It will carry science instruments that were designed for the Mars Surveyor program including an improved panoramic camera and a trench-digging robotic arm. Phoenix will lift off from the Kennedy Space Center in August 2007 and land on the planet nine months later.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 线索
②    sample  n. 标本，样品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的

1. 1.

   The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

   1. A.
      clues of water will be found in Phoenix
   2. B.
      Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars
   3. C.
      August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off
   4. D.
      the Mars Scout program will be carried out
2. 2.

   The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

   1. A.
      on time
   2. B.
      behind the time
   3. C.
      out of work
   4. D.
      ahead of time
3. 3.

   According to the passage, we know Phoenix will land on Mars _________.

   1. A.
      in May 2008
   2. B.
      in August 2007
   3. C.
      in August 2008
   4. D.
      in September 2008
4. 4.

   According to the passage, the name “Phoenix” is after the meaning of _________.

   1. A.
      rebirth
   2. B.
      death
   3. C.
      energy
   4. D.
      hope
5. 5.

   After Phoenix lands on Mars, we can infer it will firstly _________.

   1. A.
      find soil samples and send them to the earth
   2. B.
      look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples
   3. C.
      take photos and send them to the earth
   4. D.
      find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

在城市中处理垃圾是非常重要的。垃圾必须被扔掉或适当地再利用，否则她可能会引起许多问题。它可能会污染空气和水。当人们呼吸了被污染的空气或饮用了被污染的水时，很可能会生病。

我们的城市已经开始面对这一问题。一些垃圾被分类送到某一个地方。废气在排放是必须经过净化。废水在排放到河里之前也要被净化。

应该阻止人们到处乱扔垃圾。我们应该尽我们最大的努力来保护环境。

词汇： 垃圾rubbish    再利用reuse   倾倒pour into     环境environment

__________________________________________________________________________

____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Microsoft founder Bill Gates said that he planned to give away almost all of his vast^① fortune, largely to the cause of global health, during the course of his lifetime. With an estimated^②worth of more than $ 40 billion, according to Forbes, the project will be no small feat^③for Gates. Having already provided the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation with $ 24 billion to address global health issues, Gates said that eventually his entire fortune will be put towards the cause except “a few percent left for the kids.”
So what has made the richest man in the world to channel his resources so heavily into one interest? Gates believes that “the equality of opportunity” in which Americans take such pride needs to extend to other nations around the world. Improving the health of the populations, he says, has proven to be an essential method in helping poor countries to be financially^④ successful. “National borders allow inequalities,” said Gates, “We all need to take a more global view, rather than just saying my country is doing well. We have to step up these health issues, knowing how few resources are going into them.”
Gates said that both his parents set good examples to him as a child. His father, William H. Gates, was the head of the local Planned Parenthood, and his mother, Mary, volunteered for the United Way. As he gathered his fortune, Gates knew he would eventually want to give back as well, but he didn’t expect to devote himself whole-heartedly to one project until he was about 60.
However, Gates, 47, began to question his ability to wait that long. “It seemed there was a real time urgency,” Gates said, “I started to think, how many lives could I save before then?”
Notes:
①    vast  adj. 巨额的
②    estimate  v. 估计，估价
③    feat  n. 功绩，壮举
④    financially  adv. 财政上，金融上
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

   Why will Bill Gates give away his vast fortune?

   1. A.
      to improve the health of population in America alone
   2. B.
      to improve the health of population all over the world
   3. C.
      to avoid leaving his children too much money
   4. D.
      to spare the American government the burden of health care
2. 2.

   According to the passage, which of the following is right?

   1. A.
      Americans should care about people in other countries
   2. B.
      Americans should treat fellow citizens well
   3. C.
      Americans should devote themselves to certain projects
   4. D.
      Americans can be world-famous by giving away vast fortune
3. 3.

   Bill Gates gave away his vast fortune earlier than he had expected because of       __.

   1. A.
      his weakening health condition
   2. B.
      his parents’ suggestions
   3. C.
      his great success in business
   4. D.
      his concerns for suffering people
4. 4.

   According to the passage, which word can be used to describe Bill Gates?

   1. A.
      brave
   2. B.
      kind-hearted
   3. C.
      strong-minded
   4. D.
      confident

 Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese．

大洋彼岸有“虎妈”蔡美儿（Amy Chua），中国内地现在则“流行”“鹰爸”。2012年农历新年，来自南京的何列胜逼迫其四岁的儿子“裸跑弟”多多在零下13℃的清晨暴雪中裸跑，事后还声言自己的极端训练卓有成效。请结合此类案例，谈谈你本人对儿童教育的看法。你的文章必须包括：

1．对某一个案例的简要描述；

2．你对这种极端教育的看法；

3．你的儿童教育观以及你为什么持有这种观点；

Write an English composition in 120-150 words according to the instructions given below in Chinese．

大洋彼岸有“虎妈”蔡美儿（Amy Chua），中国内地现在则“流行”“鹰爸”。2012年农历新年，来自南京的何列胜逼迫其四岁的儿子“裸跑弟”多多在零下13℃的清晨暴雪中裸跑，事后还声言自己的极端训练卓有成效。请结合此类案例，谈谈你本人对儿童教育的看法。你的文章必须包括：
1．对某一个案例的简要描述；
2．你对这种极端教育的看法；
3．你的儿童教育观以及你为什么持有这种观点；