The space shuttle Discovery has had a long and busy career. For 27 years, it has worked for NASA, carrying astronauts to space and back on 39 missions. On March 9, 2011, after returning from its final voyage, the world’s most traveled spaceship was retired.
A crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida. Three minutes before noon, they watched as the shuttle appeared in the sky and made one last touchdown. “For the final time: wheels stop,” Discovery’s commander Steven Lindsey said when the shuttle rolled to a stop.
Discovery’s final trip was to the International Space Station (ISS), a giant space lab in the sky. Discovery’s crew took care of the last U.S. construction project at ISS. They delivered 10 tons of supplies for the ISS. The six-person crew also dropped off an unusual companion for ISS’s researchers: a human-like robot named Robonaut 2. Astronauts will assemble（組裝）R2 at the ISS over several months.
Now, NASA is winding down its shuttle programme. NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances. Discovery’s retirement is the first of three. Endeavor, another shuttle, is scheduled to make its final voyage soon. And Atlantis’s last trip is planned for the end of June.
Museums across the country have requested the retired shuttles. The Smithsonian’s Air and Space Museum, in Washington, D.C., was the lucky recipient（接收者）of Discovery. The museum’s collection contains hundreds of NASA artifacts.
Where will the other shuttles go? You’ll have to wait to find out. NASA will announce its decision on April 12, the 30th anniversary of the first space shuttle launching. Stay tuned!
小題1:As part of the final mission, Discovery’s crew___________.
A．carried researches to space
B．a(chǎn)ssembled the Robonaut 2 at the ISS
C．brought supplies to the ISS
D．went on a spacewalk
小題2:The underlined phrase “winding down” in Paragraph 4 probably means _________.
A．improvingB．endingC．changingD．testing
小題3:What can we infer from the text?
A．Discovery completed 39 missions during its two decades of space travel.
B．The ISS is a big project and six researchers live on the station.
C．American space exploration will focus on longer missions.
D．The shuttles Endeavor and Atlantis will make their last missions next month.
小題4:According to the text, we can learn about ___________.
A．people’s opinions of Discovery’s retirement
B．the government’s concern about the shuttles’ future
C．the shuttles’ final homes after retirement
D．museums’ great interest in the retired shuttles

小題1:C
小題2:B
小題3:C
小題4:D    

小題1:C細節(jié)理解題。結(jié)合Discovery’s crew took care of the last U.S. construction project at ISS. They delivered 10 tons of supplies for the ISS可知答案。
小題2:B詞義理解題。結(jié)合下文的NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances可知此處的wind down意思可能是“漸漸結(jié)束；逐步停止”，與B意義一致。
小題3:C推理判斷題。結(jié)合NASA is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances可斷定C正確。
小題4:D推理判斷題。結(jié)合A crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet Discovery at Kennedy Space Center in Cape Canaveral, Florida可知答案。
練習冊系列答案
相關(guān)習題

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Warm water freezes more quickly than cold water. Sir Francis Bacon said that almost four hundred years ago. But few people believed him until 1970. In that year a Canadian scientist George Kill proved the English professor was right. Dr Kill filled an open oil pail(桶) with cold water. He filled another with warm water. He put both in the same low temperature. The warm water froze first. The lack of covers on the pails is the secret. Some of the warm water changed into vapor. This meant that less of the warm water was left to be frozen. And so the warm water froze faster than the cold water even though it had a greater temperature drop to make.
小題1:Hundreds of years ago, Sir Francis Bacon found _______.
A．the temperature of warm water drops faster than that of cold water
B．warm water is heavier than cold water
C．warm water has the same temperature as cold water
D．warm water is not as useful as cold water
小題2:What Sir Francis Bacon said was right, but people didn't believe him until _______.
A．late in the 19th century B．early in the 20th century
C．three years agoD．late in the 20th century
小題3:Leave a pail with warm water and another pail with cold water in the same low temperature, you’ll find that _______.
A．cold water freezes first
B．warm water turns into ice before cold water
C．warm water and cold water freeze at the same time
D．much of cold water is changed into air.
小題4:Why does warm water freeze first in the same freezing weather?
A．Because some of the warm water turns to vapor, the amount(數(shù)量) becomes less than that of cold water.
B．Because warm water is lighter than cold water.
C．Because the temperature of warm water is lower than that of cold water.
D．Because cold water freezes with more difficulty than warm water.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

One is not born able to speak a language. One is born able to make a noise. I have heard babies cry in America and in China. I can’t tell any difference. But when I hear someone from America speak English and hear someone speak Chinese, I can tell you there are a lot of differences.
I believe a common(普遍的) problem with Chinese students’ learning English is that they were not taught to think in English. They have an idea spoken in English and want to translate the idea into Chinese, then they think in Chinese of the proper reply and translate it into English. After a long period of speaking the language, one begins to think in the foreign language naturally. You will learn faster if you begin to think in English at the very beginning of your study. Many students ask me: What can I do to improve my spoken English?
My reply is: The more English you speak, the better English you will speak. There are many things you can do to improve your spoken English. Of course, the best way is to live where English is spoken as a language of the country.
小題1:The cries of American and Chinese babies are _______.
A．differentB．the same
C．not like each otherD．like each other
小題2:The underlined sentence (in Paragraph 2) means that______.
A．some teachers didn’t teach students to think in English
B．teachers never gave the students the way of learning English
C．students didn’t remember the way teachers taught them
D．teachers didn’t want their students to think in English
小題3:The underlined word “they” (in Paragraph 2) refers to “_____”.
A．Chinese studentsB．English students
C．Chinese teachersD．English teachers
小題4:According to the article, which of the following is TRUE?
A．You must think in English all the time.
B．You should always translate English into Chinese.
C．After speaking English for a long time, you may probably think in English naturally(自然地).
D．The best way of learning English is to live in America.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

When you see homework covering the kitchen table and toys are piling up around the sofa, you probably wish there was a bit more space. You are not alone. Nearly a third of parents say they feel squeezed into their homes but cannot afford to move to a bigger property, a report reveals today.

Twenty-nine percent say "their property is too small to fit the size of their family—rising to 40 percent for those 34 and under". One in four children is 'forced to share' a bedroom, according to the Finda-Property. Com website. Property analyst Samantha Baden said: "Afford-ability remains a key issue for families, with the average cost of a three-bedroom home around ￡193,000."Very few can afford to buy or to rent a property of the size they want and in the area they desire to live in, according to Miss Baden.
A recent report, from investment firm LV, also found that many 'space-starved parents’are pushed into a two-bedroom home which was perfect when they were a young couple, but has no space for three or so children. Grown-up children who cannot afford to leave homo are also adding to the problem facing families in Britain's 'big squeeze'.
For a home to be the correct size, which means it is not overcrowded, parents must have their own bedroom. Children under ten can share, as well as same-sex children between ten and 20.Anyone over 21 also needs their own room.
The report comes as official figures, published yesterday by the Land Registry, revealing house prices are falling sharply in every region except London. The worst – hit area is the North East where average house prices have fallen to below ￡100, 000 for the first time in seven years. However, they remain unaffordable for millions.
小題1:According to Paragraph 1, the report reveals        .
A．children like to do homework in the kitchen
B．some families can't afford a bigger property
C．only a few families have housing problem
D．people are satisfied with their living condition
小題2:What Miss Baden said in Paragraph 2 means        .
A．most families don't have enough money yet
B．no family could afford a three - bedroom home
C．it is common to live in a three - bedroom home
D．the price of a bigger property is still acceptable
小題3:The report from the investment firm LV shows        .
A．young couples should live in a two - bedroom home
B．families with three or so children couldn't afford a home
C．parents should buy houses for their grown - up children
D．some grown - up children couldn't afford a separate home
小題4:What can we learn from the last paragraph?
A．House prices are falling down everywhere.
B．People are able to buy a home of correct size.
C．The house prices in London has not fallen down.
D．The North East is now an area suitable to live in.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

Should e­cigarettes (electronic cigarettes) be a new choice for the smokers trying to get rid of the habit? Reactions from Americans are mixed．More than half of the people questioned in a survey think e­cigarettes should be controlled by the US Food and Drug Administration，but 47 percent believe the e­cigarettes should be available to the smokers who want to quit．
“In the hunt for a safer cigarette，e­cigarettes are becoming a popular choice among those either trying to quit or looking to replace standard tobacco smoke with an alternative that manufacturers claim to be safer，” Zogby International，which conducted the survey，said in a statement．
About half of the 4,611 adults who took part in the survey had heard about e­cigarettes，which are battery­powered，or rechargeable cigarettes that vaporize a liquid nicotine solution．They do not produce smoke but a water vapor without smell．Sold mostly on the Internet，e­cigarettes were first made in China．
Last year the World Health Organization (WHO) warned against using e­cigarettes，saying there was no evidence to prove they were safe or helped smokers break the habit．The WHO said people who smoke e­cigarettes breathe in a fine fog of nicotine into the lungs．
Nearly a third of people questioned in the survey think that e­cigarettes should be allowed in places where smoking is forbidden，because they don’t produce smoke，but 46 percent disagree．Men who were aware of the availability of e­cigarettes were more likely than women to say they should be a choice available to smokers who want to quit．Young people，aged 18－29，and singles were the groups most open to trying e­cigarettes．Smoking is the single largest cause of preventable death worldwide，according to the WHO．
小題1:What can we learn from Paragraph 1?
A．American smokers ought to try e­cigarettes．
B．Americans have different opinions about e­cigarettes．
C．Every kind of cigarettes should be forbidden in America．
D．Most of the Americans don’t like e­cigarettes．
小題2:According to Zogby International，e­cigarettes ______．
A．a(chǎn)re much safer than common cigarettes
B．a(chǎn)re popular among people who want to quit smoking
C．will take the place of traditional cigarettes
D．a(chǎn)re produced in a safer way by manufacturers
小題3:What do we know about e­cigarettes from the passage?
A．Most Americans are familiar with them．
B．They are a good choice as there is no nicotine．
C．They produce a water vapor that can’t be seen．
D．Most people buy them on the Internet．
小題4:What’s the attitude of the WHO towards e­cigarettes?
A．NegativeB．SupportiveC．DoubtfulD．Indifferent

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The laptop is a machine which can be a mobile office；it can be used to entertain us and people can play computer games on them. One machine can perform many tasks at the same time. As technology grows，the size of the new laptop machines is decreasing. Now laptops are lighter，have smaller screen sizes，and perform better. Smaller screen laptops，which are more convenient to take along with，have been specially designed for professionals. Huge display screen laptops are still used by graphic(繪畫的)designers and those who like playing computer games.
Laptops are advanced machines，and they can be very expensive. When we spend much money on something，we should take good care of it. I know some people who buy a new laptop every year. The reason they do this is that the old one either is broken or has some problems which cannot be fixed. Common problems are the breaking of the screen，the breaking of joints of the laptop，display problems，and keyboard problems.
Different problems will always come up with machines，and they cannot be avoided(避免)．Old machines will always have to be replaced by new ones. However，if we are more careful and handle our laptops with care，they will last for a longer period of time，and they will perform better. This is not a hard thing to do，but it will greatly increase the life and performance of laptops.
小題1:According to the first paragraph，the laptop is a machine which________.
A．is being used by more and more people in the office
B．will take the place of desktops sooner or later
C．is specially designed for people who like playing computer games
D．can be used for both work and entertainment purposes
小題2:The underlined word in the first paragraph means “________”．
A．becoming smaller
B．becoming more important
C．becoming more popular
D．becoming better
小題3:We infer that graphic designers still use huge display screen laptops most probably because________.
A．huge display screen laptops are very cheap
B．small display screen laptops are not on sale yet
C．they can see their drawings more clearly
D．they also want to play computer games
小題4:What can we learn from the second paragraph?
A．That laptops can only be used for one year.
B．That laptops are not as good as desktops.
C．That the prices for laptops are too high.
D．That laptops may have problems which cannot be fixed.

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The need to feed a growing population is putting much pressure on the world's supply of water. With 97% of the world's water too salty to be drunk or used in agriculture, the worldwide supply of water needs careful management, especially in agriculture. Although the idea of a water shortage(短缺)seems strange to someone fortunate enough to live in a high rainfall country, many of the world's agricultural industries experience constant water shortages.
Although dams can be built to store water for agricultural use in dry areas and dry seasons, the costs of water redistribution(重新分配)are very high. Not only is there the cost of the engineering itself, but there is also an environmental cost to be considered. Where valleys(山谷)are flooded to create dams, houses are lost and wildlife homes destroyed. Besides, water may flow easily through pipes to fields, but it cannot be transported from one side of the world to the other. Each country must therefore rely on the management of its own water to supply its farming requirements.
This is particularly troubling for countries with agricultural industries in areas dependent on irrigation (灌溉). In Texas, farmers' overuse of irrigation water has resulted in a 25% reduction of the water stores. In the Central Valley area of southwestern USA, a huge water engineering project provided water for farming in dry valleys, but much of the water use has been poorly managed.
Saudi Arabia's attempts to grow wheat in desert areas have seen the pumping of huge quantities of irrigation water from underground reserves. Because there is no rainfall in these areas, such reserves can only decrease, and it is believed that fifty years of pumping will see them run dry.
小題1:What is most likely to be discussed in the paragraph that follows?
A．Ways to reduce the costs of building dams.
B．Steps to improving water use management.
C．Measures to deal with worldwide water shortages.
D．Approaches to handling the pressure on water supply.
小題2:From the first two paragraphs we learn that________.
A．much of the world's water is available for use
B．people in high rainfall countries feel lucky
C．the costs of water redistribution should be considered
D．water can be easily carried through pipes across the world
小題3:The text is mainly about________.
A．water supply and increasing population
B．water shortages and environmental protection
C．water redistribution and wildlife protection
D．water use management and agriculture

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

A rainforest is an area covered by tall trees with the total high rainfall spreading quite equally through the year and the temperature rarely dipping below 16℃.Rainforests have a great effect on the world environment because they can take in heat from the sun and adjust the climate. Without the forest cover, these areas would reflect more heat into the atmosphere，warming the rest of the world. Losing the rainforests may also influence wind and rainfall patterns, potentially causing certain natural disasters all over the world.
In the past hundred years, humans have begun destroying rainforests in search of three major resources (資源): land for crops, wood for paper and other products, land for raising farm animals. This action affects the environment as a whole. For example，a lot of carbon dioxide(二氧化碳)in the air comes from burning the rainforests. People obviously have a need for the resources we gain from cutting trees but we will suffer much more than we will benefit.
There are two main reasons for this. Firstly, when people cut down trees, generally they can only use the land for a year or two. Secondly, cutting large sections of rainforests may provide a good supply of wood right now, but in the long run it actually reduces the world’ s wood supply.
Rainforests are often called the world’s drug store. More than 25% of the medicines we use today come from plants in rainforests. However, fewer than 1% of rainforest plants have been examined for their medical value. It is extremely likely that our best chance to cure diseases lies somewhere in the world’s shrinking rainforests.
小題1:Why did humans destroy rainforests in the past hundred years?
A．They tried to get crops and paper
B．They needed other products
C．They wanted to raise farm animals
D．They aimed to get three major resources.
小題2:Rainforests can help to adjust the climate because they________.
A．reflect more heat into the atmosphere
B．bring about high rainfall throughout the world
C．rarely cause the temperature to drop lower than 16℃
D．reduce the effect of heat from the sun on the earth
小題3:What does the word “this” underlined in the third paragraph refer to?
A．We will lose much more than we can gain.
B．Humans have begun destroying rainforests.
C．People have a strong desire for resources.
D．Much carbon dioxide comes from burning rainforests.
小題4:It can be inferred from the text that________.
A．we can get enough resources without rainforests
B．there is great medicine potential in rainforests
C．we will grow fewer kinds of crops in the gained land
D．the level of annual rainfall affects wind patterns
小題5:What might be the best title for the text?
A．How to Save Rainforests
B．How to Protect Nature
C．Rainforests and the Environment
D．Rainforests and Medical Development

查看答案和解析>>

科目：高中英語 來源：不詳 題型：閱讀理解

The Olympic Games
The ancient Olympic Games was in the year 776BC. They were held at Olympia in Greece every four years, for almost 12 centuries, until AD394.
The contemporary Olympics were first held in 1896, in Athens. It was a Frenchman, Pierre de Coubertin, who brought the Olympics back to life. He dreamt that the Olympics would make it possible for 56. 各國人民和平相處. Now people all over the world are helping to realize this dream. Among them are many well-known athletes.
57. 中國運動員為奧運會做出了重要貢獻。At the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, the People’s Republic of China returned to the Olympics after 32 years’ absence. I am sure the whole of China must have felt proud when Xu Haifeng won the first gold medal for his country. 58. Deng Yaping is perhaps the greatest female table tennis player in the world. At the 2004 Athens Olympic Games, Liu Xiang excited people all over Asia when he became the first Asian to win the gold medal in the men’s 110-metre hurdles.
59. The Chinese led the way at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, winning 51 gold medals. For the first time in history, the Chinese women’s gymnastics team won the gold medal.
These are some of the Olympic athletes who have brought joy to people across the world with their attempts to push the boundaries of human achievement. We are looking forward to seeing more of them in future Olympic Games. 60. Join us in wishing the Olympic Movement a successful future.

查看答案和解析>>

同步練習冊答案