Anousheh Ansari is an engineer, a founding member of several tech companies, and if that’s not impressive enough, she’s also an astronaut. She’s the first Iranian to venture (冒险) into space, the first female private space explorer, and the fourth self­funded person to go into space.

Going into space has been a childhood dream for Anousheh. When she was 16 she moved to the U．S  and studied engineering. Later, she started Telecom Technologies Inc., which provided network solutions for telecommunications companies. When she sold the company in 2000, she became involved with the X PRIZE foundation.

Anousheh and her family helped sponsor (赞助) the Ansari X PRIZE of $10 million to encourage private companies to develop reusable spacecraft  that would fly to the edge of space. 26 teams from 11 countries signed up. The winning spacecraft was Spaceship One, which became the model that Virgin Galactic is based on.

Following the success of the Ansari X PRIZE, she began research for the next competition. But this time, it would be an orbital flight X PRIZE. She signed up as a back­up  astronaut with Space Adventures in Russia, an independent space exploration company to learn more about space flight. Three weeks before she was to go back home, one of the primary astronauts had an illness and couldn’t go. She was asked to fill in for him.

At the International Space Station, Anousheh became the first astronaut to blog from space. Her blog received a lot of attention as she documented what it was like to live in space and do simple tasks like brushing her teeth and hair. Anousheh described this experience as one of the most magical moments of her life. As an Iranian woman, she hopes her story will inspire other women of the Middle East to give themselves freedom and not to let society, friends or family hold them back from doing what they want to do. There’s nothing they’re not supposed to do or cannot do.

1.From the first paragraph, we can learn that Anousheh Ansari ________.

A. is the fourth female astronaut to go into space

B. is the first female private Iranian space explorer

C. has opened several tech companies all by herself

D. is an Iranian engineer working on space exploration

2.The underlined word “back­up” in Paragraph 4 probably refers to  “________”．

A. spare    B. excellent

C. skillful    D. inexperienced

3.According to the last paragraph, Anousheh Ansari ________.

A. asks other women of the Middle East to explore space like her

B. advises other women of the Middle East to ignore their society

C. is satisfied with the present status of women in the Middle East

D. encourages women of the Middle East to do whatever they want

4.What’s the main idea of the text?

A. Any woman can realize her dream.

B. First female private space explorer’s childhood dream.

C. First female private space explorer hopes to inspire others.

D. First female private space explorer’s achievements in space exploration.

假设你叫李华，周末在一家历史博物馆做义务讲解员。请你根据右图及汉语提示，写一篇简短的英语短文，以便向外国游客介绍该文物。

名称：五层彩绘陶仓楼。

年代：东汉。

高度：145厘米。

出土：河南省焦作市马作村。

注意：1.词数100左右。

2．参考词汇：五层彩绘陶仓楼Five­story Colored Pottery Storage Building

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假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号(∧)，并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线(\)画掉。

修改：在错的词下画一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词；

2．只允许修改10处，多者(从第11处起)不计分。

In the winter vacation, I paid a visit a mountain village in a suburb of Handan. No sooner had I got off the bus when I was greatly surprising to see all the changes. It was far better than I had been expected. Now every family can drink cleanly running water. The villagers needn’t carry water himself any more. Firewood is no longer used for cooking. Marsh gas, a new cheap clean energy, make it very convenient to cook and light. As all the families have color TV set, they can enjoy plays at home. It impressed me most was that the best building in a village was the school. I hope the mountain village will become better and better.

阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

In the West we are familiar with ballets like Swan Lake. But there's another classical dance form with a long history 1. has only recently burst onto the world scene. It is called classical Chinese dance.

Classical Chinese dance is 2. incredibly demanding, refined, and expressive dance form. Alongside ballet, it is also one of the most comprehensive dance systems 3. (know) to humankind.

4. recently, few people outside China had ever heard of classical Chinese dance. One major reason was that when Chinese companies performed abroad, they often mixed Chinese dance with western dance styles. And so the audience left the theater not sure exactly 5. they had just seen.

In 2006, however, the Shen Yun Performing Arts Company 6. (establish) in New York. Its mission was to promote 7. (tradition) culture, and this included 8. (present) classical Chinese dance in its purest form. Not quite a decade later, classical Chinese dance has become much 9. (well) recognised and is starting to influence western ballet.

Although they have significant differences, both ballet and classical Chinese dance have the ability to vividly tell 10. (story) and move us through beautiful art.

When Mt. Vesuvius (维苏威火山)erupted in 79A.D.，it ______ the cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum.

The first ______were the people of Pompeii, who, returning of their city when the eruption had eased, dug down through the______ of their buried homes and salvaged what they could of their furniture and belongings. The ______ they drove through the solidified ash can still be seen in places. But a time came ______ Pompeii and Herculaneum were forgotten. Throughout the Middle Ages these two buried cities were not disturbed, and it was not until 1709 ______ an Austrian prince sank a shaft at Herculaneum and then, by ______ of underground tunnels, robbed the city of its treasures.

In 1729, systematic excavation began on the ______ site, but King Charles Ⅲ of Naples merely excavated the site to ______ archaeological specimens (考古标本) for his collection. A few years later, an accidental find at Pompeii led to excavations there; at first by tunneling, but afterwards by the actual uncovering of the city.

From the end of the ______ century to the present day, digging has gone on ______ continuously, though slowly, and often with ______ resources. Perhaps this slowness has not been entirely a(n) ______， since it has resulted in large, untouched sections of both cities being left ______  for modern, scientific excavation. ______ techniques have improved so much in the last fifty years that a site can now reveal far more archaeological  ______ than before.

Today most of ______ and a substantial section of Herculaneum have been cleared. They are the best known archaeological sites ______， and the most wonderful. For here, and nowhere else on earth, are ancient cities in which life did not die out but was suddenly ______.

“Behind these walls，” as one writer has said, “lies an ______ Italian town, stilled in a moment of time. To enter the gates of this city is to walk 2, 000 years into the past.”

1.A. destroyed    B. repaired    C. built    D. identified

2.A. explanation    B. excavations    C. pronunciation    D. affection

3.A. beliefs    B. relief    C. roofs    D. bottoms

4.A. tunnel    B. room    C. area    D. top

5.A. when    B. which    C. if    D. who

6.A. it    B. those    C. this    D. that

7.A. meaning    B. to mean    C. means    D. mean

8.A. different    B. same    C. ample    D. alternative

9.A. protect    B. sharpen    C. obtain    D. applaud

10.A. eighteenth    B. eight    C. eighteen    D. eighth

11.A. practically    B. finally    C. successfully    D. specially

12.A. a few    B. few    C. little    D. less

13.A. disadvantage    B. advantage    C. analysis    D. revision

14.A. preserved    B. accelerated    C. assumed    D. faded

15.A. Affectionate    B. Formal    C. Archaeological    D. Dizzy

16.A. information    B. botany    C. category    D. significance

17.A. London    B. Pompeii    C. New York    D. Egypt

18.A. in Europe    B. in Asia    C. in Africa    D. in America

19.A. overlooked    B. sobbed    C. interrupted    D. arrested

20.A. skilful    B. ancient    C. patient    D. effective

Teenagers learn by taking on more and more responsibility gradually. For many parents, this involves giving their children a limited amount of control over financial decisions.

If you give your teen some pocket money regularly, take the time to teach them how to manage their money. 1.Consider providing extra income opportunities to help them learn that money is something you earn, not something you can get for nothing.

2.Discuss with them such issues as what the car can be used for, who is responsible for gas and maintenance, and who can actually drive the car. Show them how auto insurance works.

Get them involved with your day­to­day personal finance decisions, such as grocery shopping. 3. Show them how to comparison shop, pointing out how much money you save through comparing prices and using coupons. Let them sit with you while you pay the bills, so they can see how much all the monthly expenses add up to.

Encourage teens to save their money toward a major purchase. Besides, you can offer to reward them for their savings. 4.

5.You might even consider showing them your bills when you pay them. Too often, young adults who get their first credit card consider it as free money and find themselves in debt very quickly. Make them understand that the D|S50 they charge today costs a lot more if they don’t pay it off quickly.

A．Another effective tool is to get them involved in the car buying process.

B．It’s easier to spend money than to earn it.

C．Finally, it is important to show teens how credit cards work.

D．Establish an agreement on what the pocket money covers.

E．This is a great way to teach them the relationship between building a savings account and the positive rewards that follow.

F．Without money, you can’t do anything.

G．Have them help you with the grocery list.

Just in time for National Popcorn Day, a new study shows that people in what’s now Peru were eating the snack about 2,000 years earlier than we thought.

Coastal peoples were preparing corn­based foods up to 6,700 years ago, according to analysis of remains of the ancient corn recently discovered at the Paredones and Huaca Prieta archaeological sites on Peru’s northern coast.

Previously, evidence of corn as a food about 5,000 years ago had mostly come from what are called microfossils — microscopic remains that do not offer information on the size and shape of the corncobs (玉米棒). But the new­found corn remains revealed a lot, via radiocarbon dating and other tests.

The people who lived in Paredones and Huaca Prieta probably cooked corn in several ways：Wrapping a corncob and resting it on coals, roasting a corncob directly over a flame, or cooking a corncob in an earthen oven. In this culture, corn was a delicious food or a minor supplement to the diet — archaeological evidence shows they did not eat it in large amounts.

Corn was first grown in Mexico about 9,000 years ago from a wild grass called teosinte, according to Piperno, whose research has been published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. A few thousand years later, corn was brought to South America, where farmers bred the plant crop into hundreds of varieties.

Indeed, what surprised Piperno most about the new research was the diversity of corn — from  corncob shapes to kernel (玉米粒)colors discovered in the new­found remains. “Farmers like to experiment and grow cool things，” she said.

1.What would be the best title for the passage?

A. Ancient popcorn was made 2,000 years earlier than thought in Peru

B. A new discovery revealed the mystery about corn

C. How was corn cooked in ancient Peru and South America

D. National Popcorn Day and the new­found corn remains in Peru

2.According to the passage, the earliest corn was grown in ________.

A. Peru    B. the US

C. Mexico    D. South America

3.What can we know from the last paragraph?

A. Remains of ancient corn were found in different places of the world.

B. Various kinds of corn were discovered in the new­found corn remains.

C. Ancient corncob shapes and kernel colors are quite different from those of today.

D. Piperno likes to experiment and grow cool things.

One day Kavya and I were playing tennis and the ball went into a man’s house. Then we went to his house and asked if he could give us our ball. He said, “No”. We felt helpless. But suddenly we came up with an idea. There was a water tank (水箱) behind the man’s house. I told Kavya, “We can climb onto the water tank and jump over the gate.” Kavya agreed, but we were both wearing skirts. We couldn’t climb in those. “We can get it back tomorrow，” said Kavya.

The next day we went there with Kavya’s brother Vijay. He said, “Shout loudly if you need me.” Kavya climbed onto the water tank first and then she climbed down into the man’s house. I followed her. We were looking under a bed for the ball when we heard a noise. It was Vijay. “Mother is calling you，” he said in a low voice.

We hurried out taking the lost ball with us. Along with the ball was a surprise! But we had to leave the house quickly. When we reached Kavya’s house, the TV was on. It was news time. I couldn’t believe my ears when it said that 20 gold bars were stolen from a gold shop. They showed a picture of the gold bars, which were exactly like the one we had seen in the man’s house.

We told the story to Kavya’s mother right away, and she called the police. Soon the police caught the man. They found all the gold bars in his house. A few days later a policeman came to us and said, “Thank you for helping us catch the guy. Here is a bag for all of you.” When we opened it, it was full of storybooks and lovely toys. Standing beside us, Kavya’s mother was all smiles.

1.The children decided to climb over the water tank ________.

A. after they were refused by the man

B. because their ball fell onto the tank

C. to see who was brave enough to do that

D. because they wondered who the man was

2.The surprise mentioned in Paragraph 3 refers to ________.

A. a tennis ball    B. storybooks

C. a gold bar    D. toys

3.We can infer from the text that Kavya’s mother ________.

A. hated watching TV

B. enjoyed playing tennis

C. knew the man very well

D. was proud of her daughter

4.What can we learn from the story?

A. Better late than never.

B. The day has eyes, the night has ears.

C. A bad thing never dies.

D. Friendship is love with understanding.

Christmas dinner at Bruce Sweetser and Denali Delmar’s house will come in part from their backyard garden. And this retired couple will add another locally grown delicious food to their menu.

“We started harvesting road­killed deer last year，” Bruce explained. His fridge is filled with meat harvested from deer killed in car accidents. Bruce and his wife think it is a right road toward a greener life. Their idea might best be described as locavorism (本土膳食主义). And they believe that eating local food is healthier and better for the environment.

About two years ago, the couple ran across a car accident. The only victim was a deer. And then they found an interesting list by chance.

In Massachusetts, many deer always rush to the motorway and often cause the accidents. So some Massachusetts police departments keep lists of people interested in harvesting meat if a deer isn’t damaged too much after a run­in with a car. There are eight people on the Westford Police Department’s official list. In addition, animal control officials also call people to harvest the meat.

But Massachusetts law requires that the driver of the car get first right to the deer. If the driver or passengers don’t want to get the deer, then police can give the animal to people living in Massachusetts. In other words, they can go to the list.

Bruce and his wife weren’t on the Westford list, when they came across that first deer in 2009. But now, they are, and they have harvested three deer as a result, putting the extra meat in the fridge for regular dinners and special occasions like Christmas.

1.For Christmas dinner, the couple will cook ________.

A. deer bought from the market

B. deer got from their neighbor

C. deer killed in car accidents

D. deer hunted by themselves

2.Why does the couple have such a diet?

A. To save money.

B. To seek a greener life.

C. To enjoy a special food.

D. To show their kindness.

3.When did the Sweetsers find the interesting list?

A. After they happened upon a car accident 2 years ago.

B. After they were asked to harvest the deer by chance.

C. After they heard about the road­killed deer.

D. After they failed to save the injured deer.

4.“An interesting list” mentioned in Paragraph 3 records ________.

A. the food prepared for the Christmas Day

B. the steps how to cook the delicious food

C. the punishment for the drivers who drive too fast

D. the names of people who can harvest the deer meat

Under the cold clear water of Lake Huron, researchers have found a five­and­a­half­foot­long piece of wood that is 8,900 years old. The wood, which is tapered (使成锥形) on one side in a way that looks deliberate, may provide important clues to a mysterious period in North American prehistory.

“This was the stage when humans gradually shifted from hunting large animals to fishing, gathering and agriculture，” said anthropologist John O’Shea. “But because most of the places in this area that prehistoric people lived in are now under water, we don’t have good evidence of this important shift itself. We just have clues from before and after the change.”

With support from the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), O’Shea and his colleague Guy Meadows began exploring the area several years ago. In 2009 they reported finding a series of stone features that they believe were “drive lanes” used by ancient Indian hunters.

Since that discovery, O’Shea and Meadows have worked on identifying human campsites, which are typically located away from hunting areas. On their 25­foot boat, the researchers first spotted the ancient wood object using a small piece of equipment with a camera. Then a team of divers — including O’Shea — went down about 100 feet to get it.

The wood’s age has now been fixed by means of carbon dating. It is currently undergoing more detailed analyses to determine whether there has been human modification, which visual examination suggests. “The first thing you notice is that it appears to have been shaped with a rounded base and a pointed tip，” O’Shea said. “It must have been created. It looks like it might have been used as a tent pole or a pole to hang meat.”

In addition to the wood, the researchers have collected many other samples from the bottom of the lake. O’Shea and his colleagues will need to wait for calmer weather before they can resume their search for evidence of human life under the great lake.

1.During the mysterious period mentioned in the passage, the Lake Huron area ________.

A. was deserted by ancient Indians

B. witnessed the start of agriculture

C. was taken up by large animals

D. began to be covered by water

2.Which of the following statements is WRONG?

A. The findings of John O’Shea and his colleagues may prove a previous theory.

B. The effort that John O’Shea and Meadows made before 2010 was meaningless.

C. Some equipment was used to support the discovery.

D. John O’Shea and his colleagues didn’t draw the final conclusion from visual examination.

3.What’s the fourth paragraph mainly about?

A. How the wood was found.

B. Why the wood is important.

C. Preparations that were made for the discovery of the wood.

D. Conclusions the experts have made from the discovery of the wood.

4.According to the passage, ________.

A. experts haven’t found out the age of the wood

B. experts first noticed the wood when they were diving

C. the wood was probably a human­made tool

D. the wood is the most important discovery among all the samples found under the lake