After spending years searching for a planet with life, scientists may have found one. In September 2010, a team of US scientists discovered an Earth-sized planet called Gliese 581g. It has a surface temperature neither too hot nor too cold for liquid（液態(tài)）water. Scientists think there is a chance that the planet could have life.

The planet Gliese 581g goes around a star called Gliese 581, which is about 20 light-years from Earth. That is about 194 trillion（萬億）kilometres －500 million times farther away from us than the moon.

A spacecraft traveling at a one-tenth of the speed of light would reach Gliese 581g within about 220 years. A human can’t live that long, but robotic explorers could make the job easier. However, our fastest spacecraft don’t come anywhere near that one-tenth light-speed mark.

At present, scientists don’t know what the surface might be like on Gliese 581g. What they know is that the planet is at the sight distance from its star to have liquid water. It’s also at the right distance to have an atmosphere that could protect the water if it is on the surface.

Although spacecraft won’t be getting there anytime soon, one way to look for life on Gliese 581g is to turn our radio telescopes（望遠(yuǎn)鏡）towards the planet and search for radiation（放射）. By studying the radiation, scientists would find out about the chemicals（化學(xué)物質(zhì)）around the planet and discover it Gliese 581g has an atmosphere. If it has one, studying the atmosphere would give us a good idea if the planet has life or not. But it’ll probably be many years before we can do this properly.

People have been arguing about whether there is alien life on Gliese 581g. Any discussion about alien life is just guessing at this point, according to its discoverers.

42. What did scientists find in September 2010?

       A. A planet with water.                                   B. A planet similar to the earth.

       C. A planet without life.                             D. A planet near the earth.

43. According to the article, Gliese 581g ________.

       A. is at the right distance from its star    B. moves around the earth

       C. is as far away from us as the moon         D. can be reached in about 220 years

44. Paragraph 5 is mainly about ______.

       A. the possibility of living on Gliese 581g

       B. the kinds of chemicals around Gliese 581g

       C. the way of looking for life on Gliese 581g

       D. the aim of studying the radiation on Gliese 581g

45. Which of the following is the best title for the passage above?

       A. Gliese 581g, a Likely Living Planet     B. Gliese 581, a Likely Living Planet

       C. Gliese 581g and Its Star                         D. Gliese 581g and Radiation

We surveyed 300 young people on what they like to do at weekends. One hundred people are from the ages of 11-18, one hundred 19-26 and one hundred 27-35. The following shows their answers:

（　 ）41.How many people enjoy playing computer games in the 11-18 group?

　 　　　 A. 20.　　　　 　　 B. 50.　　　　　　　 C. 60.　　　　　　　　　　　　 D. 75.

（　 ）42.The people of 19-26 enjoy ______ most.

　　　　 A. watching TV B. going to the movies

C. playing computer games　　　 D. taking a walk

（　 ）43.According to the survey, which two activities do most people enjoy doing?

A. Playing computer games and watching TV.

B. Playing computer games and taking a walk.

C. Watching TV and going to the movies.

D. Going to the movies and taking a walk.

（　 ）44.From the chart above, we can see the older people are, the more they like ______.

　　　　 A. watching TV B. taking a walk

C. going to the movies 　　　　 D. playing computer games

（　 ）45. Which of the following is TRUE according to the chart?

　　　　 A. Fewest people like taking a walk.　

B. The people of 11-18 like taking a walk most.

　　　　 C. 90 people like going to the movies in the 19-26 group.

D. The people of 27-35 like playing computer games most.

As a music teacher for twenty-seven years I have always known that music touches the soul. It can break through all kinds of barriers to reach students in a very special way. It can be the means for each child to find their light.

A few years ago I was blessed with the opportunity to teach pre-school students one afternoon a week. One of my most memorable students was Vanessa. She was five years old, had difficulty walking and could not speak. We mostly sat on the floor for our music lessons and Vanessa liked to sit on my lap. One of her favorite songs was John the Rabbit. It was a call and response song where I sang the call and the students clapped two times while singing the repeating phrase “Oh yes!” Vanessa liked to put her hands together with mine and clap with me. We performed that song during every class Vanessa and I clapped together. She never said or sang a word.

One day late in the school year when the song was finished Vanessa turned around, looked at me in the eye, clapped her tiny hands two times and said the words “Oh yes!” I opened my mouth and could not speak. Through music we had made a connection.

Several years later I came across Vanessa on the street in town. I stopped my car and waved to say hello. She waved back with a big smile on her face and then clapped her hands two times mimicking the song we had performed in our music class. This precious little girl through her connection with music left an impression on me that will last forever.

Every child has the ability to learn and grow. It is up to us educators to discover the way to reach each and every one of our students. We all must find each child’s light.

42. The author thinks music__________.

   A. can make children calm down               B. can connect heart to heart

   C. is difficult for pre-school students            D. is a good means to find a job

43. According to the second paragraph Vanessa_________.

   A. got used to singing songs                  B. was too shy to speak

   C. was the youngest in the class                D. enjoyed the author’s class

44. When Vanessa spoke the words “Oh yes!” the author felt________.

   A. surprised           B. happy          C. frightened         D. satisfied

45. What can we infer from the last two paragraphs?

   A. The author has been in touch with Vanessa for several years.

   B. Vanessa became as healthy as other children.

   C. The song made a deep impression on Vanessa.

   D. Being a good educator became Vanessa’s dream.

 

As the sun rose, a dewdrop (露珠) woke up. There it sat on a leaf, catching the sunlight. Proud of its simple beauty, it was very happy. Around it were other dewdrops, some on the same leaf and some on other leaves. The dewdrop was sure that it was the best, the most special dewdrop of them all.
   Ah, it was good to be a dewdrop.
   The wind blew and the plant began to shake, tipping (使傾斜) the leaf. The dewdrop became frightened as it started to move towards the edge of the leaf. Why was this happening? Things were comfortable. Things were safe. Why did they have to change? Why? Why?
   The dewdrop reached the edge of the leaf. It was sure that this was the end. The day had only just begun and the end had come so quickly. It seemed so unfair. It seemed so meaningless. It tried hard to do whatever it could to stay on the leaf, but it was no use.
   Finally, it fell. Below there was a mirror. A reflection(反射)of the dewdrop seemed to be coming up to meet it. Closer and closer they came together until finally... the little dewdrop became a part of the great pond (池塘). Now the dewdrop was no more, but it was not destroyed.
    It had become one with the whole.

43. According to Paragraph 1, we know that the dewdrop _____.
A. didn’t get on well with other dewdrops          B. thought its beauty was too simple
C. regarded itself as the best dewdrop                  D. couldn’t get any sunlight           

44. The dewdrop became _____ as it started to move towards the edge of the leaf.
A. afraid                         B. happy                     C. proud        D. comfortable

45. Which of the following is TRUE according to the story?
A. There was only one dewdrop on the leaf.
B. The dewdrop did nothing before falling.
C. The mirror in the story refers to(指) the pond.
D. The dewdrop was actually destroyed.

46. The story mainly tells us that _____.
A. we should work together against difficulties
B. people should not be too proud of themselves
C. one should work hard for his/her goals
D. it’s good to become one with the whole

A fish that lives in America can live out of water for months at a time, similar to how animals got used to land millions of years ago, a new study shows.

The Mangrove Rivulets, a kind of little fish, lives in small pools of water. When their living place dries up, they live on the land, said Scott Taylor, a researcher in Florida.　　　　　　　　　　　　

The fish can grow as large as three inches. They group together and breathe air through their skin before they can find water again.

The new scientific discovery came during a trip.

　 “We were travelling for fun. and one day I kicked over a log (圓木) and the fish came out.” Taylor told reporters by telephone. He said he would make his study on the fish known to the public in an American magazine early next year.

In lab tests, Taylor said he found the fish can live up to 66 days out of water without eating.

Some other fish can live out of water for a short period of time. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time, while lungfish (肺魚) found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water, but only in a not active (活波的) way. But no other known fish can be out of water as long as the Mangrove Rivulets and keep active, according to Patricia Wright, a biologist at a Canadian University.

More studies of the fish may tell how animals changed over time.

“These animals live in conditions similar to those millions of years ago, when animals began to move from water onto land.” Wright said.

41. The Mangrove Rivulets is a type of fish that_________.

　 A. lives on land in Africa　　 　　　　　　

B. can stay alive for months out of water

　 C. prefers living in dry places　　 　　　

D. is the longest living fish on earth

42. Who will write a report on Mangrove Rivulets?

A. Scott Taylor.　　　　　 　　　　　　 B. Some reporters.

　 C. Patricia Wright.　　　　　 　　　　　 D. Scientists from Europe.

43. According to the passage, lungfish can___________.

　 A. breathe through its skin　　　　 　　 B. be found in Asia

　 C. keep alive out of water　　　　 　 D. keep alive and walk on land

44. Which one of the sentences below is not true?

A. The Mangrove Rivulets fish can live out of water as long as other animals if it has something to eat.

B. Millions of years ago, animals began to live onto land from water.

C. Lungfish found in Australia, Africa and South America can live out of water in a not active way.

D. The walking catfish found in Southeast Asia can stay on land for hours at a time.

45. What can we say about the discovery of Mangrove Rivulets?

A. ft was made by Scott Taylor, a researcher in New York.

　 B. It was helped by an American magazine.

　 C. It was helped by Patricia Wright.

　 D. It was made by a researcher while travelling.