China launched its first space lab module Tiangong-1 on the evening of September 29, 2011, at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in northwestern China.

President Hu Jintao praised the successful launch of China's first space lab module Tiangong-1, and shook hands with the staff of the Beijing Aerospace Flight Control Center.

Premier Wen Jiabao and He Guoqiang also shook hands with the staff at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center to congratulate on the success.

Tiangong-1, which is scheduled to dock(与……对接) with the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft later this year, will pave the way for building China's first space station.

During its two-year service life, Tiangong-1 will mainly conduct four tasks, such as experiments of autonomous rendezvous(自主交会) and docking procedures(程序) with the Shenzhou-8, -9, and -10 spacecrafts in the coming launches, aiming to establish the country's first space lab, according to Wu Ping, spokesperson for China's national space administration.

According to the plan for China's manned space program, the Shenzhou-10 will be a manned spacecraft, possibly carrying a female Chinese astronaut who will test manual space rendezvous and docking with the Tiangong-1.

Functioning as a target spacecraft, Tiangong-1 is expected to become China's first space laboratory when it connects to the above mentioned spaceships.

1.When Tiangong-1 was launched, _____were at the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center.  

A. Premier Wen Jiabao and He Guoqiang

B. Premier Wen Jiabao and President Hu Jintao

C. He Guoqiang and President Hu Jintao

D. President Hu Jintao and some staff

2.It is reported that Tiangong-1 will conduct _____ tasks during its service life.

A. two                  B. three            C. four         D. five

3.The underlined word “establish” here means _____________.

A. prepare              B. build            C. discover     D. use

4.The _____ spacecraft will be carrying a female Chinese astronaut.

A. Shenzhou-7               B. Shenzhou-8

C. Shenzhou-9               D. Shenzhou-10

5.Which of the following is WRONG according to the passage?

A. Tiangong-1 was launched in the evening.

B. The service life of Tiangong-1 is about two years.

C. China expects Tiangong-1 to be the first space lab.

D. Tiangong-1 will dock with the Shenzhou-8 spacecraft next year.

 

 

China's first moon rover (月球车), Yutu, set off from the lander（登陆车） early on December 15, several hours after the Chang'e-3 probe (探测器) soft-landed on the moon surface.

The 140 kg six-wheeled rover touched the moon surface at 4:35 a.m., leaving deep lines on the loose moon land. This was recorded by the camera on the lander and the images were sent to the earth, according to the Beijing Aerospace Control Center. After that, the rover and lander will take photos of each other and start their own science explorations.

Earlier this morning, engineers made final checks of the environment of the landing area and the situation of the probe（探测仪）. Yutu, reached its solar panel (光板) and started to drive slowly to the moon at 3:10 a.m.. It took Yutu nearly a whole hour to complete the simple task.

Chang'e-3 landed at the Bay of Rainbows on the moon, at 9:11 p.m. on December 14, making China the third country in the world to carry out such a mission (执行此类任务) after the United States and Russia.

In old Chinese tales, Yutu was the white pet rabbit of Chang'e’s. The name for the rover was selected following an online survey that collected several million votes from people around the world.

The rover, 1.5 meters long with its two wings folded (折叠), 1 m in width and 1.1 m in height, is a perfect robot controlled by the command center from the earth. It will face challenges including temperature differences of more than 300℃ on the moon.

Yutu will do some research and look for natural resources (资源) for three months, while the lander will conduct an exploration at the landing place for one year. Then they will have a good rest on the moon and will not be used for a long time until China’s next probe visits the moon again.

1.Which is the best title for the passage above?

A. The American’sfirst rover on the moon  

B. The tale of Chang’e

C. The journey to the moon                    

D. Yutu explores the moon

2.Which is the correct order of the following events?

a. The 140 kg six-wheeled rover touched the moon surface.

b. The rover and lander will take photos of each other.

c. Yutu started to drive slowly to the moon.

d. Chang'e-3 landed at the Bay of Rainbows on the moon.

A. a-b-c-d                      B. c-d-a-b                        C. d-c-a-b                     D. c-a-b-d

3.What does the underlined word “width” mean in Chinese?

A. 智力                        B. 宽度                 C. 重量                        D. 长度

4.Which of the following is true according to the passage?

A. The moon had been visited by only two countries before 2013.

B. Yutu is a perfect robot under the control of its own computer.

C. Yutu and Chang’e will return to the earth after the one-year mission.

D. Chang’e-3 is 140 kg in weight.

5.There will soon be a second moon rover to explore the moon. Which is its proper name?

A. Chang’e-5               B. Yutu-2                     C. Shenzhou-11       D.Tiangong-2

 

Youth, friendship and love are the main themes of this year’s Chinese movies, such as So Young(《致青春》) and American Dreams in China(《中国合伙人》). Tiny Times(《小时代》), one of the most popular movies this summer, also has the same features.

The movie was based on author and director Guo Jingming’s novel of the same name. It tells a story about four girls who come from different backgrounds and of different personalities. Since it was shown on June 27, Tiny Times has made 483 million yuan at the box office. The sequel(续集) of it was shown on Aug 8 and it has also been a big box office hit.

Cao Yuhan, 13, a high school student at Beijing Jianhua Experimental School, is a big fan of the movie. “I’m deeply touched by their friendship,” Cao said. “When Nan Xiwang is in trouble, the other three girls try their best to help her, even running barefoot （光脚）in the snow. However, not everyone has had good things to say. The people’s Daily said that the film went too far in encouraging youths to become materialistic(物质至上主义的). Film commentator Raymond Zhou wrote on his online blog that “Buying luxury goods (奢侈品)seems as a way to express love or friendship, and the word ‘money’ is repeated over and over again. Song Kexin, 14, a high school student at Zhida Middle School in Taiyuan, Shanxi, shows a typical example of a fan’s attitude(态度). And that’s to look for the positive value. “That movie is a little far from our daily life. My friends and I are not having parties every day,” Song said, “But I admire Tang Wanru’s optimistic attitude（乐观态度）. She’s always looking at the bright side of life. I should learn from her.”

1.Which is NOT one of the main themes of this year’s Chinese movies?

A. Youth            B. Love                             C. War                     D. Friendship

2.According to the article, the movie Tiny Times ________.

A. is more popular than the other two movies           

B. was made from Guo Jingming’s novel

C. tells about four girls with similar personalities

D.opened in Chinese cinemas on August 8

3.What does film commentator Zhou Liming think of the movie?

A. The four girls’ friendship is touching.              

B. It encourages the young to work hard.

C. It has many advertisements for luxury goods.           

D. It shows money expresses love or friendship.

4.Song Kexin admires Tang Wanru because of Tang’s ________.

A. optimistic attitude         B. rich family background

C. good looks               D. excellent grades at school

 

 “Haibao，the mascot(吉祥物)of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo，is very cute，”said Gu Hui，a school kid．“I want a big toy like the mascot．”

    Haibao looks like the Chinese word ren，which means people or a person．The name，a typical lucky one in Chinese tradition comes from the Chinese phrase “Si Hai Zhi Bao” —the treasure of the four seas．It also means the treasure of Shanghai，which lies beside the sea．

    Haibao’s blue curly(卷曲的)hair looks like the waves of the sea．Its smile is a sign of the healthy spirit of China．Those thumbs-up(翘拇指)will welcome millions of people to Shanghai from around the world．Its big feet show China has the ability to host a successful Expo．

    Haibao was created by two artists，one from the mainland(大陆) and the other from Taiwan．The design is about people living together in the city．The designers want it to fit the theme of the Shanghai Expo，that is，a good life should be created by all the people and people should have harmonious relationships(和谐关系) with nature and society，so that life in cities would be better．

    Surely the mascot will become the lucky symbol and cultural remark of Shanghai Expo．

1. Which is the mascot of the 2010 Shanghai World Expo?

 

 

 

2.Which of the following is NOT true?

         A．School children like Haibao．

         B．The name Haibao shows Chinese traditional culture．

         C．Haibao is the wisdom of two artists．

         D．Haibao is an animal living in the sea near Shanghai．

3.What is the theme of the Shanghai World Expo?

         A．One World, One Dream.                  B．One China, One Family.

         C．Better City, Better Life.                   D．Shanghai, An Open City.

 

Harry is from London. But he is in China with his parents now. He is 13 years old. He is a student of Grade 7.

   Harry is a clever student. He works very hard. He is good at all his lessons. He says he likes Chinese best. He can speak some Chinese now. His teachers and classmates are all nice to him.

   Harry gets up at 6.20 on weekdays. He has his breakfast at home. Then he walks to school. His lessons begin at 7.50 every day. In the morning, they have four classes. Harry has lunch at school with his classmates. They have three classes in the afternoon. And school is over at 4.40.

   After school, Harry plays ball games in the playground. He goes home at about 5.30. He has supper with his parents every day. In the evening, he does his homework and watches TV. And then he goes to bed at 9.30.

   “I like living in China very much. The people here are friendly and the food is very nice. I like all the things here,” He says to his parents.

1.Which is Harry’s favourite subject?

A. English.         B. Chinese.       C. Maths.           D. Ball games.

2.When does Harry get up in the morning?

A. At 6.10.      　 B. At 7.15.       C. At 6.00.      　　 D. At 6.20.   

3. What does he like in China?

A. The people.      B. The food.     C. All the things.       D. We don’t know.