Astronauts’ meals have come a long way from the free-dried powders and semi—liquid pastes of decades ago，now US scientists want to grow vegetables in mini—greenhouses on the moon．

   Scientists say they are looking forward to a time when residents of future lunar or even Martian outsteps will be able to dine on fresh vegetables．Paragon Space Development Corporation has unveiled what it called the first step toward growing flowers——and eventually food on the moon．

   This is a sealed greenhouse that looks like a bell jar encased in a 46-cm triangular aluminiumframe．It is designed to safely land a laboratory plant on the lunar surface，and protect it while it grows．

   The miniature greenhouse is to be launched into space by Odyssey Moon Ltd, a participant in the Google Lunar X Prize. This competition offers $21 million to any entrant who can launch, land and operate a rover on the lunar surface.

   Paragon officials say future testing of the “Lunar Oasis” will be driven by Odyssey’s flight Schedule, which will not happen until 2012 at the earliest．

   When it does lift off the greenhouse will contain the seeds of Brassica, a hardy plant related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage. Because Brassica goes from seed to flower in just 14 days, it can complete its life cycle in a single lunar night.

   “Colonizing the Moon or Mars seems so far away，but it is important that we do this research now. ”Paragon president Jane Poynter said．

   “It takes a long time to get a lot of research, and to get integrated, reliable efficient systems before colonists move in. ”she said．

1.The article is written mainly to__________．

    A. predict the astronauts’ meals in the future

    B. introduce an experiment “Lunar Oasis’’

    C. tell us the future development of astronomy

    D. focus on the human’s great progress

2.The article implies that__________．

    A. astronauts can grow flowers in space at present

    B. Paragon and NASA will carry out the test separately

    C. Lunar Oasis is a series of experiments carried out in space

    D. the earliest testing of the Lunar Oasis may be in 2012

3.The underlined word “colonists” in the last paragraph probably has the meaning of______．

    A. plants    B. wild beasts    C. human beings      D. scientists

4.The seeds of Brassica will be contained in the greenhouse mainly because _________.

    A. their life cycle is much shorter

    B. they are more nutritious than other food

    C. they are related to Brussels sprouts and cabbage

    D. they are very delicious

A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity(慈善).

Terence, an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq, will be the guest of honour on aviation(航行) legend Burt Rutan’s Spaceship One when it flies above Earth. The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the cuddly toy will be auctioned off(拍卖) in aid of the North Air Ambulance Appeal(北部空中救护服务中心).

Spaceship One is the world’s first private spacecraft, and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize. Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS), Graham Pickering, said “flying officer” Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since.

He said, “Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft, trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly. When the RAF finally discharge him he will be a very rare bear indeed—we just hope he does not burn up on re-entry to Earth.”

GNAAS, which needs charitable donations of more than ￡2m a year, has three air ambulances(空中救护机).

Peter Bond, spokesman for the Royal Astronomical Society, said Terence’s safety was not guaranteed. He said, “This is a new and experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown. During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved.”

Since May, Terence has spent time with members of 100 Squadron(空军中队) based at RAF Leeming in Basra, Iraq, and at air shows with performing fighter planes.

Spaceship One will fly 100km (62 miles) above the Earth’s surface, just breaking through the planet’s atmosphere.

If it repeats the feat(技艺) inside two weeks, it will claim the $10m Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business.

Terence is ________.

A. a real bear living in England           B. an experienced astronaut

C. an air force officer                         D. a toy bear

We can infer that________.

A. after this space flight, Spaceship One will get the $10m Ansari X-Prize

B. it is dangerous for a spaceship to re-enter the earth atmosphere

C. Terence will be very safe on the flight

D. Spaceship One is just an ordinary plane

Which of the following is true of Spaceship One?

A. Spaceship One is the world’s first spacecraft.

B. The purpose of its flight is to collect money for the charity.

C. The purpose of its flight is to compete for a prestigious space travel prize.

D. Spaceship One has never flown.

Which of the following is the best title?

A. Teddy bear astronaut to lift off        B. Spaceship One to lift off

C. Space flight                                 D. The toy bear will be auctioned off

A teddy bear from Cumbria is launching into space to raise cash for charity(慈善)

Terence,an experienced traveller who has been to Iraq,will be the guest of honour on aviation（飞行）legend Burt Rutan’s Spaceship One when it flies above Earth.The mission takes off from California on September 29, and on his return the loveable toy will be auctioned off（拍卖）in aid of the North AIR Ambulance Appeal(北部空中救护服务中心).

Spaceship One is the world’s first private spacecraft,and is competing for a prestigious space travel prize.Chief executive of the Great North Air Ambulance Service (GNAAS),Graham Pickering,said”flying officer”Terence had been handed over to the RAF six months ago and staff had been receiving postcards from him ever since.

He said,“Terence was a fundraising idea that really took off. We have received pictures of him in a U2 craft,trying parachuting and even looking drunk and disorderly.When the RAF finally discharege him he will be a very rare bear indeed‑--we just hope he does not bum up on re‑entry to Earth”.

GNAAS,which needs charitable donations of more than ￡2m a year,has three air ambulances(空中救护机).

Peter Bond,spokesman for the Royal Astronimical Society,said Terence’s safety was not guaranteed. He said,“This is a new experimental craft and this will only be the second time it has flown.During its first voyage it developed technical problems but hopefully they have now been resolved.”

Since May,Terence has spent time with members of 100 squadron（空军中队）based at RAF Leeming Basra.Iraq,and at air shows with performing fighter planes.

Spaceship One will fly 100km(62 miles) above the Earth’s surface,just breaking through the planet’s atmosphere.

If it repeats the feat（技艺）inside two weeks,it will claim the $ 10 million Ansari X-Prize set up to encourage the private space flight business.

1.Which of the following is the best title?

A、The Toy Bear Will Be Auctioned Off

B、Space Flight

C、Spaceship One to Lift Off

D、Teddy Bear Astronaut to Lift Off

2.Terence is      .

A、an experienced astronaut

B、a toy bear

C、a real bear living in England

D、an air force officer

3.Which of the following is true of Speaceship One?

A、Spaceship One is the world’s first speacecraft.

B、The purpose of its flight is to collect money for the charity.

C、The purpose of its flight is to comepete for a prestigious space travel prize.

D、Spaceship One has never flown.

4.We can infer that      .

A、after this space flight,Spaceship One will get the $ 10 million Ansari X-prize

B、it is dangerous for a spaceship to re-entre the earth atmosphere

C、Terence will be very safe on the flight

D、Spaceship One is just an ordinary plane

When it comes to eating smart for your heart, stop thinking about short-term solutions and simplify your life with a straightforward approach that will serve you well for years to come.

Smart eating goes beyond analyzing every bite of food you lift  36  your mouth. “In the past we used to believe that  37  amounts of individual nutrients were the 38 to good health,” Linda Van Horn, professor of the American Heart Association's Nutrition Committee. "But now we have a 39 understanding of healthy eating and the kinds of food necessary to  40  not only heart disease but disease  41  general," she adds.

Scientists now  42 on the broader picture of the balance of food eaten  43  several days or a week  44 than on the number of milligrams of this or that  45  at each meal.

Fruits, vegetables and whole grains, for example, provide nutrients and plant-based compounds 46 to good health. “The more we learn, the more  47  we are by the wealth of essential substances they  48 ," Van Horn continues, "and how they  49  with each other to keep us healthy."

You'll automatically be  50  the right heart-healthy track if vegetables, fruits and whole grains make 51  three quarters of the food on your dinner plate. 52  in the remaining one quarter with lean meat or chicken, fish or eggs.

The foods you choose to eat as well as those you choose to  53  clearly contribute to your well-being. Without a  54 , each of the small decisions you make in this can make a big 55  on your health in the years to come.

1. A between         B through           C inside                D to

2.A serious          B splendid          C specific          D separate

3.A key              B point             C lead              D center

4.A strict           B different         C typical               D natural

5.A rescue           B prevent              C forbid                D offend

6.A in               B upon              C for               D by

7.A turn             B put               C focus             D carry

8.A over         B along             C with              D beyond

9.A other            B better                C rather                D sooner

10.A conveyed        B consumed          C entered               D exhausted

11.A vital          B initial               C valid             D efficient

12.A disturbed       B depressed         C amazed               D amused

13.A preserve            B contain              C attain                D maintain

14.A interfere           B interact            C occupy            D rest

15.A at              B of                    C on                   D within

16.A out             B into              C off              D up

17.A Engage          B Fill              C Involve               D Pack

18.A delete          B escape                C avoid             D spoil

19.A notion          B hesitation            C reason                D doubt

20.A outcome     B function          C impact                D commitment

A Plan For Exploring Mars

NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long－armed lander on Mars' icy north pole to search for clues (线索) for water and possible signs of life.

The MYM386 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 (标本，样品) to 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(微生物)existed 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(先前的) missions. 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.

1．The passage mainly tells readers that ________.

 A．clues of water will be found in Phoenix

 B．Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars

 C．August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off

 D．the Mars Scout program will be carried out

2．The underlined word “prematurely” (Paragraph 5) means “________”．

A．on time            B．behind the time

C．out of work          D．ahead of time

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

A．in May 2008        B．in August 2007   

C．in August 2008      D．in September 2008

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

 A．rebirth  B．death  C．energy  D．hope

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

A．find soil samples and send them to the earth

B．look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples

C．take photos and send them to the earth

D．find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander