阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容(不多于3个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。
Have you ever wondered whether where is life on Mars? The bog Red Planet is a mystery to us but ___1.__ (hope) not for much longer.
On November 11, the Mars rover(漫步者) __2.__ (name) Curiosity started its journey into space. After eight months flying in a rocket, Curiosity covered more than 566 million kilometers and finally landed on Mars — according to BBC reports.
The rover is there to find out __3.__ there is, or ever was, life on the cold, desert-like planet.
The place __4.__ Curiosity landed is called Gale Crater, a huge hole on Mars. Scientists believe that there __5._(be) once water and even life there.
In order to do its job, Curiosity is packed with many ___6.__(use) tools, though it is only three meters long, about the size of a small car.
It has a robot arm that can collect soil and drill into rock. It also carries ___7._ own laser gun. The gun can turn a small amount of rock into gas, so that Curiosity can study what the rock ___8.__(make) up of.
___9.__ the help of these tools, Curiosity will act as a robot geologist. For the next two years, it will stay and travel inside Gale Crater, ___10._(collect) and studying rock and soil.
There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. And he was given a slingshot (弹弓) to play with. He ________ in the woods, but he could never hit the target. Getting a little ________, he headed back for dinner.
As he was walking back, he saw Grandma’s pet duck. Just out of impulse(冲动), he let fly, hit the duck in the head, and ________ it. He was shocked and upset. In ________, he hid the duck in the woodpile, only to see his sister ________. Sally had seen it all, but said nothing.
________ lunch that day Grandma said, “Sally, it is your turn to wash the dishes.” But Sally said, “Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted to help in the kitchen today, didn’t you, Johnny? ” And then she spoke ________ to him, “Remember the duck?”
So Johnny ________ the dishes. Later Grandpa asked if ________ wanted to go fishing, but Grandma said, “I’m sorry, but I need Sally to help make supper.” But Sally ________ and said, “Well, that’s all right ________ Johnny told me he wanted to help.” And she spoke softly again, “Remember the duck?” So, Sally went fishing while Johnny stayed at home.
After several days of Johnny’s doing ________ his various small tasks and Sally’s, he finally couldn’t ________ it any longer. He came to Grandma and ________ that he killed the duck. She ________ down, gave him a hug, and said, “Sweetheart, I know. You see, I was standing at the window and I ________ the whole thing. But because I love you, I ________ you. However, I was just ________ how long you would let Sally make a slave of you.”
“Whenever we do something ________, Jesus Christ sees it. He loves us and doesn’t say it. My honey, do take responsibility ________ your errors and don’t keep your mind suffering.” Grandma added.
1.A. walkedB. playedC. practicedD. aimed
2.A. excitedB. disappointedC. exhaustedD. concerned
3.A. killedB. caughtC. freedD. flew
4.A. horrorB. surpriseC. angerD. excitement
5.A. observingB. watchingC. exploitingD. laughing
6.A. AtB. OverC. AfterD. Before
7.A. sadlyB. quicklyC. aloudD. softly
8.A. didB. droppedC. madeD. watched
9.A. GrandmaB. JohnnyC. the childrenD. Sally
10.A. sighedB. smiledC. threatenedD. prevented
11.A. becauseB. whenC. afterD. in case
12.A. neitherB. eitherC. allD. both
13.A. changeB. standC. helpD. prefer
14.A. realizedB. permittedC. admittedD. denied
15.A. satB. wentC. bentD. lay
16.A. sawB. heardC. knewD. understood
17.A. missedB. forgaveC. punishedD. protected
18.A. sayingB. imagingC. wonderingD. considering
19.A. goodB. honestC. fairD. wrong
20.A. forB. ofC. fromD. into
How the Grand Canyon (大峡谷) was created remains one of the geology’s greatest mysteries. Some evidence suggests that the process was a gradual one in which the Colorado River (which runs through the canyon) slowly cut deeper and deeper into the ground over millions of years. But volcanic rock samples taken from the canyon now suggest that the canyon was down-cut instead.
Down-cutting is when a flood of water rushes over a landscape (地形) with enough force to cut deeply into the ground and leaves behind a canyon. Such a flood is usually released when a natural or man-made dam (堤坝) bursts.
Robert Webb, a research geologist, says natural dams seem to have formed and broken across the Colorado River several times during the last million years. The dams were built when lava(熔岩) from the eruptions of nearby volcanoes flowed into the river. The lava hardened into hard rocks and blocked the river, causing it to back up and form a lake. Each time the lake grew so huge that it broke the rock dam, releasing a flash flood that furthered the down-cutting process and deepened the canyon.
Down-cutting is not just an earthly event. Satellite photos sent back from Mars suggest that the process has happened there, too, say many other researchers.
The photos, taken by the Mars Global Surveyor, indicate that an enormous lake existed on Mars 3.5 billion years ago. The lake spilled into a large nearby hole. One edge of the hole broke, releasing a flash flood that quickly carved out a grand canyon.
The existence of down-cutting on Mars is just one more piece of evidence that the cold, dry planet was once warm and wet.
1.In the past, deep canyons were believed to have formed _______.
A. as a result of a sudden break of volcanoes
B. due to river flows over millions of years
C. owing to the burst of artificial dams
D. thanks to our ancestors’ creative work
2.According to the passage, which of the following statements is TURE?
A. Several volcanoes broke out on Mars directly creating grand canyons.
B. Several great lakes existed on the upper parts of the Colorado River.
C. People built high dams on the upper parts of the Colorado River.
D. The Colorado River crossed the Grand Canyon to form down-cutting.
3.From the last three paragraphs we learn that _______.
A. there are great lakes on Mars
B. there are active volcanoes on Mars
C. there might be cities on Mars
D. there might be life on Mars
4.The passage can be titled as _______.
A. Lakes on Earth and Mars
B. The Cause of Lake Formation
C. The Force of Dam Breaking
D. Canyons—Results of Flood Cutting
It does not have to be January 1st to give yourself a chance to make the most out of your day. Every day is a new day and a fresh start to learn, grow, develop your strengths, free yourself from past regrets or hurts, and move forward older and wiser. Every day gives you chance to reinvent yourself. It is never too late to change things that are not working in your life.
Each day is a new beginning and a piece of blank paper. How would you like to create your day? If you wake up in a negative mind, you are more likely to paint a dark picture throughout the day, and your picture will not show hope, happiness and joy.
If you take each day to think actively, and have a positive intention for how you would like to create your day, how would your life different? What can daily positive intentions do for you? Every day you will give yourself the gift of an “attitude of gratitude”.
Each day is a chance to look at things in a different way. You can experience each day in the beauty of the world—and the beauty of you who is in it! You find yourself changing from “I can’t” to “I can”. With a focus on positive intentions, you feel you are full of power and more like a “winner” than a “loser”.
You pay more attention to the present, and will be more likely to live fully in the present each moment of each day. After all, the past is a great place to visit, but you don’t want to live there! So how about starting each day taking a moment to think of a positive intention for the day?
1.The first paragraph mainly tells us ________.
A. we should make every day a new start
B. January 1st is the most important day
C. learning is helpful in reinventing ourselves
D. we needn’t change ourselves at all
2.The underlined word “negative” in Paragraph 2 probably means ________.
A. not clearB. not wiseC. not happyD. not careful
3.If you have daily positive intentions, you will ________.
A. get a positive resultB. have a busy life
C. get gifts from othersD. be a complete loser
4.From the passage we can learn that ________.
A. past regrets or hurts can make you older and wiser
B. think actively and you will be a winner, not a loser
C. the present is not where you should live for ever
D. positive intentions for each day are of great help
How cool can libraries be in an era(时代) of iPods and Kindles? More than you think. Only if you know where to go.
Central Library: Seattle, Washington, United States
The Central Library in Seattle is modern and fashionable and has tourists from around the world paying visits and taking tours. It was designed by Dutch architect Rem Koolhaas and American designer Joshua Prince-Ramus. Tours began in 2006, two years after its opening. The library holds various art exhibitions, book signings and other events, while visitors can stop by the Chocolati cat for a coffee and scan through the gift shop anytime.
Trinity College Library: Dublin, Ireland
The Trinity College Library in Dublin is the oldest library in Ireland, founded in 1592 by Queen Elizabeth I. It is the largest single library in the world, also known as the Long Room, which contains more than 200,000 of the library’s oldest books. The Long Room houses one of the oldest harps(竖琴) in Ireland. Dating to the 15th century, the old harp is the model for the symbol of Ireland.
Geisel Library, University of California: San Diego, United States
At first glance, it looks like a spaceship. Architect William Pereira, who helped design actual space launch facilities at Cape Canaveral in Houston, Texas, designed the library in 1970. It has been featured in sci-fi films, short stories and novels. The library hosts “Dinner in the Library” which invites readers for cocktails, and also a special speech from distinguished authors.
TU Delft Library: The Netherlands
The library at the Delft University of Technology was constructed in 1997 and has more than 862,000 books, 16,000 magazine subscriptions and its own museum. The building itself exists beneath the ground, so you can’t really see the actual library. What makes it interesting is the roof, which is a grassy hill. The roof covers 5,500 square meters. And it has become one of the most striking and greenest structures in the area.
1.Which of the four libraries has the longest history?
A. Central Library B. Trinity College Library
C. Geisel Library D. TU Delft Library
2.What makes Geisel Library different from the others is that ________.
A. famous writers often deliver speeches there
B. it has a roof of a grassy hill
C. Queen Elizabeth I founded the library
D. it is the largest single library in the world
3.In Central Library, you can ________.
A. buy souvenirsB. drink cocktails
C. enjoy sci-fi filmsD. see the old harp
A heartbroken dog whose owner died two months ago is missing her so much that he attends services every day at the Italian church where her funeral was held, patiently waiting for her to return.
Tommy, a seven-year-old dog, belonged to Maria Lochi, 57, and had been her faithful partner after she adopted him when she found him in fields close to her home. Mrs. Lochi adopted several dogs she found but friends said she developed a close friendship with Tommy and would walk to church with him every day, where he would be allowed to sit patiently by her feet.
Father Panna said, “He’s there every time I celebrate Mass and is very well behaved. He doesn’t make a sound, and I’ve not heard one bark from him in all the time he has been in. He used to come with Maria and he was obviously devoted to her. I let him stay inside as he was always so well behaved and none of the other people ever complained to me. He’s still coming to Mass even after Maria’s funeral, he just sat there quietly. I didn’t have the heart to throw him out. I’ve just recently lost my own dog so I leave him there until Mass finishes and then I let him out.”
Tommy’s been adopted by everyone in the village now and he is everybody’s friend. Everyone looks out for him and leaves food for him, although it would be nice to find a proper home for him.
The story of Tommy is similar to the 2009 Hollywood film Hachi which told of how a faithful Akita dog waits patiently for his master after he also dies. It was based on the true story of a Japanese Akita called Hachi, whose owner died in 1925 but for the next nine years he waited patiently at the railway station for his owner from where they regularly caught a train.
1.The dog Tommy still goes to the church every day to ________.
A. attend his owner’s funeral
B. wait for Lochi to come back
C. stay together with Lochi
D. celebrate Mass with Father Panna
2.According to the passage, Maris Lochi ________.
A. is an old woman who likes dogs
B. is Father Panna’s wife
C. is the owner of the Italian church
D. is devoted to the Father Panna
3.What does the writer want to tell us by quoting what Father Panna said?
A. Why the dog can stay in the church every day.
B. How the dog came to Mass with Maria.
C. What Father Panna usually does in the church.
D. Where Father Panna allows the dog to stay.
4.What is the best title for the passage?
A. A dog fond of MassB. A faithful dog like Hachi
C. A Hollywood film HachiD. Maria Lochi’s story
