The plan: turn Mars into a blue world with streams and green fields, and then fill it with creatures (生物) from the earth. This idea may sound like something from a science fiction (科幻小说), but it is actually being taken seriously by many researchers.

　　This suggested future for the “red planet” will be the main topic for discussion at an international conference hosted by NASA (美国宇航局) this week. Leading researchers as well as science fiction writers will attend the event. It comes as NASA is preparing a multi?billion?dollar Mars research programme. “Turning Mars into a little earth has long been a topic in science fiction,”said Dr Michael Meyer, NASA’s senior scientist for astrobiology (太空生物学). “Now, with scientists exploring the reality, we can ask what are the real possibilities of changing Mars.”

  Most scientists agree that Mars could be turned into a little earth, although much time and money would be needed to achieve this goal.

　　But many experts are shocked by the idea. “We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed and now we are talking about ruining another planet,” said Paul Murdin, of the Institute of Astronomy, Cambridge, UK. Over the past months, scientists have become increasingly confident they will find Martian life forms. Europe and America’s robot explorers have found proof that water, mixed with soil, exists in large amounts on the planet.

  In addition, two different groups of scientists announced on March 28 that they had found signs of methane (甲烷) in the Martian atmosphere (大气). The gas is a waste product of living creatures and could be produced by microbes (微生物) living in the red planet’s soil.

　　But scientists such as Dr Lisa Pratt, a biologist at Indiana University, say that these microbes will be put in danger by the little earth project. “Before we have even discovered if there is life on Mars, we are talking about carrying out projects that would destroy all these native lifeforms, all the strange microbes that we hope to find buried in the soil,” said Dr Pratt. This view is shared by Monica Grady, a planetary scientist at the Natural History Museum, London. “We cannot risk starting a global experiment that would wipe out the precious information we are looking for.” she said， “This is just wrong.”

5. The passage is about________.

A. a plan turning Mars into a little earth

B. the necessity of changing Mars

C. Mars supporting life

D. finding water in the Mars

6. Which of the following is NOT the reason why some scientists are against the plan?

A. The project would wipe out all the native lifeforms on the Mars.

B. The project will cost too much money and work.

C. We would ruin Mars.

D. We are destroying our own world at an unbelievable speed. 

7. We can infer from the passage that________.

A. water is a crucial factor for life

B. the project will have little effect on the native lifeforms supposed to live on the Mars

C. Monica Grady is in favour of carrying out the little earth project

D. the idea turning Mars into a little earth is nothing but a science fiction

8. Which of the following supports the conclusion of microbes living in the Mars’s soil?

A. Scientists found liquid water in the Mars.

B. Scientists found signs of methane in the Martian atmosphere.

C. Scientists found a lot of good soil on the Mars.

D. Scientists found some creatures living on the Mars.

In this age of Internet chat, videogames and reality television, there is no shortage of mindless activities to keep a child occupied. Yet, despite the competition, my 8-year-old daughter Rebecca wants to spend her leisure time writing short stories. She wants to enter one of her stories into a writing contest, a competition she won last year.

　　As a writer I know about winning contests, and about losing them. I know what it is like to work hard on a story only to receive a rejection slip from the publisher. I also know the pressures of trying to live up to a reputation created by previous victories. What if she doesn’t win the contest again? That’s the strange thing about being a parent. So many of our own past scars and dashed hopes can surface.

　　A revelation (启示) came last week when I asked her, “Don’t you want to win again?” “No,” she replied, “I just want to tell the story of an angel going to first grade.”

　　I had just spent weeks correcting her stories as she spontaneously (自发地) told them. Telling myself that I was merely an experienced writer guiding the young writer across the hall, I offered suggestions for characters, conflicts and endings for her tales. The story about a fearful angel starting first grade was quickly “guided” by me into the tale of a little girl with a wild imagination taking her first music lesson. I had turned her contest into my contest without even realizing it.

　　Staying back and giving kids space to grow is not as easy as it looks. Because I know very little about farm animals who use tools or angels who go to first grade, I had to accept the fact that I was co-opting (借用) my daughter’s experience.

　　While stepping back was difficult for me, it was certainly a good first step that I will quickly follow with more steps, putting myself far enough away to give her room but close enough to help if asked. All the while I will be reminding myself that children need room to experiment, grow and find their own voices.

1.What did the author say about her own writing experience?

A．She was constantly under pressure of writing more.

B．Most of her stories had been rejected by publishers.

C．Her way to success was full of pains and frustrations.

D．She did not quite live up to her reputation as a writer.

2. Why did Rebecca want to enter this year’s writing contest?

A．She wanted to share her stories with readers.

B．She had won a prize in the previous contest.

C．She was sure of winning with her mother’s help.

D．She believed she possessed real talent for writing.

3. The author took great pains to refine her daughter’s stories because ________.

A．she wanted to help Rebecca realize her dream of becoming a writer

B．she believed she had the knowledge and experience to offer guidance

C．she did not want to disappoint Rebecca who needed her help so much

D．she was afraid Rebecca’s imagination might run wild while writing

4. What’s the author’s advice for parents?

A．Children should be given every chance to voice their opinions.

B．Children should be allowed freedom to grow through experience.

C．Parents should keep an eye on the activities their kids engage in.

D．A writing career, though attractive, is not for every child to pursue.

 

How I Turned to Be Optimistic

   I began to grow up that winter night when my parents and I were returning from my aunt's house, and my mother said that we might soon be leaving for America. We were on the bus then . I was crying, and some people on the bus were turning around to look at me. I remember that I could not bear the thought of never hearing again the radio program for school children to which I listened every morning.

  I do not remember myself crying for this reason again. In fact, I think I cried very little when I was saying goodbye to my friends and relatives. When we were leaving I thought about all the places I was going to see-the strange and magical places I had known only from books and pictures. The country I was leaving never to come back was hardly in my head then.

   The four years that followed taught me the importance of optimism, but the idea did not come to me at once. For the first two years in New York I was really lost-having to study in three schools as a result of family moves. I did not quite know what I was or what I should be. Mother remarried, and things became even more complex for me. Some time passed before my stepfather and I got used to each other. I was often sad, and saw no end to "the hard times".

   My responsibilities in the family increased a lot since I knew English better than everyone else at home. I wrote letters, filled out forms, translated at interviews with Immigration officers, took my grandparents to the doctor and translated there, and even discussed telephone bills with company representatives.

   From my experiences I have learned one important rule: almost all common troubles eventually go away! Something good is certain to happen in the end when you do not give up , and just wait a little! I believe that my life will turn out all right, even though it will not be that easy.

How did the author get to know America?

 A. From her relatives.               B. From her mother.

 C. From books and pictures.          D. From radio programs.

Upon leaving for America the author felt_________________.

 A. confused          B. excited     C. worried      D. amazed

For the first two years in New York, the author___________________ .

 A. often lost her way                B. did not think about her future

 C. studied in three different schools    D. got on well with her stepfather

What can we learn about the author from paragraph 4?

  A. She worked as a translator.            

B. She attended a lot of job interviews.

  C. She paid telephone bills for her family.

  D. She helped her family with her English.

The author believes that _________________ .

  A. her future will be free from troubles 

B. it is difficult to learn to become patient

  C. there are more good things than bad things

  D. good things will happen if one keeps trying

I was in a strange city and I didn't know the city at all and what is more，I could not speak a word of the language. After having spent my first day in the town-centre，I decided to lose my way on my second day, since I believed that this was the simplest way of getting to know the strange city.

I got on the first bus that passed, rode on it for several stops then got it off and walked on. The first two hours passed pleasantly enough. Then I decided to turn back to my hotel for lunch. After walking about for some time, I decided I had better ask the way. The trouble was that the only word I knew of the language was the name of the street in which I lived and even then I pronounced it badly.

I stopped to ask a friendly-looking newspaper-seller. He smiled and handed me a paper. I shook my head and repeated the name of the street and he put the paper into my hands. I had to give him some money and went on my way. The next person I asked was a policeman. The policeman listened to me carefully, smiled and gently took me by the arm. There was a strange look in his eyes as he pointed left and right and left again. I thanked him politely and began walking in the direction he pointed.

About an hour passed and I noticed that the houses were getting fewer and fewer and green fields were appearing on either side of me. I had come all the way into the countryside.

The only thing left for me to do was to find the nearest railway station,

1.The writer believed that if you wanted to get to know a strange city         .

A．you should go everywhere on foot

B．you should have a map

C．you should ask people the way

D．you should get lost

2.The newspaper-seller ________

A．could understand what he said

B．didn't know what he said

C．laughed at him

D．didn't want to take the money

3.The writer's real trouble was that            .

A．he couldn't speak the language

B．he followed the policeman's direction

C．he took the wrong bus

D．he left the town-centre

4.The policeman        .

A．didn't help him

B．pointed at him

C．didn't understand what he really meant

D．didn’t know the way

 

读写任务(共l小题，满分25分)

    阅读下面的短文，然后按照要求写一篇150词左右的英语短文。

    The following story took place long ago in Israel. One day when government officials were using smoke to force the mice inside a hole to come out, they saw two mice, after all the others escaped, squeezing slowly out at the exit of the hole. The strange thing was that after they came out, they did not run away immediately. Instead, one chased after the other near the exit of the hole. It seemed that one was trying to bite the tail of the other.

    Everyone was puzzled, so they stepped closer to take a look. They realized that one of the mice was blind and could not see anything, and the other one was trying to allow the blind mouse to bite on his tail so he could pull the blind one with him to escape.

     After witnessing what happened, everyone was speechless and lost in thought. Then, one serious Rome official said: “I think the relationship between those two mice was that of emperor and minister.”  A smart Israeli said: “I think husband and wife.” A Chinese, who was accustomed to the firm tradition of loyalty to parents, said: “I think mother and son.” And a pure Samaritan said......

【写作内容】

1、以约30个词概括这段短文的内容。

2、然后以约120词就这个主题发表看法，并包括以下要点：

   1）你认为这两只老鼠最有可能是什么关系，为什么？

2） 以你或他人的亲身经历说明你的体会。

【写作要求】

你可以使用实例或其他论述方法支持你的论点，也可以参照阅读材料中的内容，但不得直接引用原文的句子；

【评分标准】                              

    概括准确，语言规范，内容合适，篇章连贯。