Scientists say there are more than three hundred thousand small objects or pieces of debris (碎片) that are larger than one centimeter in orbit round the earth. Any one of these could cause damage to a spacecraft. This is because orbital debris travels very fast― about thirtytwo thou?sand kilometers an hour or more. Even a very small object can be a major threat.

  Space debris made horrible news on March 20th when a part of an old rocket motor about ten centimeters in size threatened the International Space Station (ISS) . NASA warned the three astronauts inside before the object was to reach the area of the station. The three astronauts quickly moved into the Soyuz emergency escape vehicle as a safety measure. They spent about 11 tense minutes in the capsule. Millions of people were watching the news in front of the televi?sion.

  A more costly incident took place on February 10th. An old Russian military satellite and a United States communications satellite crashed into each other eight hundred kilometers above Siberia in Russia. The collision of the two satellites was the first of its kind in over fifty years of space travel. It spread hundreds of pieces of debris that are larger than one centimeter. Russia launched the Kosmos satellite in1993. But it had not operated for ten years. It was one of hundreds of inactive satellites that remain in orbit. The American Iridium 33 satellite was used for telephone communications. It was owned by Iridium Satellite,a company based in Bethesda,Maryland. The collision was really a loss to the company. But it quickly used another satel?lite as a substitute of Iridium 33 so the collision caused little influence to its service.

  But some even bigger debriscausing events take place sometimes. For example in January,2007,one country tested an antisatellite missile by destroying one of its weather satellites. The test broke the satellites apart into at least two thousand eight hundred identifiable pieces. The debris now circles the earth in orbit from two hundred kilometers to over three thousand eight hundred kilometers.

  Currently,there is no treaty to control the spread of space debris.  Scientists have propounded many ways of cleaning up space,such as using nets,giant collecting arms and powerful laser beams that would move or destroy space junk. But for now,these are just ideas. And,as more nations launch spacecraft,the risk of debris strikes will only grow.

(   ) 5. What makes space debris so destructive?

   A. Its great population. B. Its particular shape.

   C. Its travel speed. D. Its inside structure.

(   ) 6. From the second paragraph we can know that         .

   A. the old rocket motor caused great damage to ISS on March 20th

   B. the news that the old rocker motor made drew great attention from the world

   C. the three astronauts lost their lives in the collision on March 20th

   D. the earth couldn't get in touch with the three astronauts on March 20th

(   ) 7. The last two paragraphs imply that         ,

   A. few rules about protecting the environment of space are being carried out

   B. the development of science will make space a more dangerous place

   C. many countries have agreed on the idea of removing space debris together

   D. using giant collecting arms is the best way of treating space debris

(   ) 8. The underlined word "propounded" in the last paragraph means        .

   A. brought up   B. tried out   C. heard of   D. brought in

 The people of ancient Maya approached the art of ceramics in a manner which actually no other culture did.

  The Vase of the Seven Gods,made in the area of Naranjo,an ancient city of the Maya civ?ilization,shows the fine way the Maya handled clay. There is no evidence of burned marks,but the clay maintains an even width all around. A special box was used to fire this to equally dis?tribute the heat. The mere fact that so much effort was spent on the creation of this vase alone shows the importance of ceramics to the Maya people. Like all art of Maya,this vase exhibits highly religious symbols. Furthermore,the artist's name is marked along the bottom of this piece in the form of a small white rabbit.

  Ceramics also served as reminders of ancestors,God,and spirituality. Color was often used as an indicator,and research shows that artists actually applied the pigments to each work in a far different manner than is typically used today. The Fleur De Lis vase is a fine example. The water lilies are not only symbols of new birth and life giving qualities,but a constant re?minder of purity. On this vase,the water lilies are white,which is undoubtedly a sign of purity.

  Furthermore,ceramics served a great level of ftxnctionality in the Maya culture. Vases,which are quite commonly seen today,were used primarily for the consumption of liquid choco?late and cocoa. Bowls were used to serve various maize (corn) products. This practice holds extreme spiritual importance,because maize is seen as the body of the Maize God. The ancient Maya thought if they ate maize,or the body of God from the bowl,they actually became God. Far less specifically,plates were merely used for any object which should not be consumed from a vase or bowl.

  Finally,Maya used depictions―cravings or paintings―on ceramics to resurrect family members and honor god. Because they believed that they would rise from the dead with their name spoken or their figures drawn or painted,the depictions on these ceramics played a vital role in Maya spirituality.

  Clearly,ceramics served a key function in ancient Maya society.

(   ) 1. The art of ceramics of the ancient Maya         .

   A. was instructed by gods

   B. was distinct from that of other cultures

   C. was not paid attention to by other cultures

   D. marked the best aspect of the Maya civilization

(   ) 2. The water lilies on the Fleur De Lis vase         .

   A. give people a sense of purity

   B. are floating in a white ancient sea

   C. merely indicate new birth and life giving qualities

   D. remind people of ancestors,God,and spirituality

(   ) 3. What does the underlined word "resurrect" most probably mean?

   A. Show respect for sb. B. Tell stories about sb.

   C. Bring sb. back to life. D. Memorize sb. who are dead.

(   ) 4. We can conclude that in ancient Maya society         .

   A. ceramics served a functional and spiritual purpose

   B. the ceramics were initially made to meet religious needs

   C. owing fine ceramics was a symbol of richness and nobility

   D. ceramics were used totally differently from what we do now

  Harriet Tubman was born a slave. She didn't get a 1       to go to school. As a child,Har?riet had to work hard in the 2        all day. And her owner could make a lot of money when he sold his 3      . Harriet didn't think that she was being treated 4       .

  After Harriet grew up,she ran away from the plantation to the northern United States. 5      ,in Canada,black people could be free.

  Harriet liked to be free. She felt 6        for all of the black people who were 7        slaves.

  Harriet 8       the South to help other slaves to run away. She made 9              that they got to the North and became free.

 Harriet was in great 10        because of a law that had just been 11        The law said it was not permitted to help 12        slaves. She also found out the slave owners said they would 13      $40,000 to anyone who could 14        Harriet Tubman.

  There were many stories about Harriet helping slaves run away.15      ,she made nineteen journeys back to the South and guided about300 slaves to 16       . When the Civil War 17       ,the northern states fought against the southern states. Harriet 18       the northern states because they believed that slaves should be free. She disguised (假扮) as a nurse and 19        be?hind enemy lines until the northern states won the war. She was 20        in the civil rights and women's rights movements after the war and opened a home for old and poor black people in 1908.

(   ) 1. A. chance   B. permission   C. help   D. possibility

(   ) 2. A. factory   B. fields   C. school   D. city

(   ) 3. A. plants   B. crops   C. slaves   D. land

(   ) 4. A. badly   B. normally   C. fairly   D. coldly

(   ) 5. A. Here   B. There   C. Then   D. Soon

(   ) 6. A. happy   B. hurt   C. wrong   D. sorry

(   ) 7. A. still   B. yet   C. only   D. already

(   ) 8. A. escaped from   B. returned to   

       C. took part in   D. broke away from

(   ) 9. A. sure   B. necessary   C. possible   D. ready

(   ) 10. A. need   B. pity   C. hurry   D. danger

(   ) 11. A. allowed   B. passed   C. discussed   D. declared

(   ) 12. A. lost   B. missing   C. runaway   D. brave

(   ) 13. A. pay   B. spend   C. collect   D. devote

(   ) 14. A. beat   B. hurt   C. catch   D. control

(   ) 15. A. After all   B. Above all   C. In all   D. At all

(   ) 16. A. south   B. equality   C. army   D. freedom

(   ) 17. A. ended   B. broke out   C. continued   D. broke in

(   ) 18. A. stood by   B. looked for   C. went to   D. turned to

(   ) 19. A. stayed   B. hid   C. spied   D. fought

(   ) 20. A. surprised   B. active   C. lively   D. interested

10.        gradually get used to retirement after having worked for decades.(try)

工作了儿十年后，我已经慢慢学会适应退休生活。

9.        you are quite satisfied with the quality of our sample.(pleasure)

我们很高兴地获知你们对于我公司样品的质量深感满意。

8.        me to be his partner at the ball.(only)

要是有个英俊的小伙子邀请我在舞会上做他的搭档就好了。

7. The friendly exchanges between the Chinese and American peoples         .

(date)

中美两闰人民的友好往来巳有二百多年历史。

6. It is said that"young people often        while the elderly look back on the past".(look)

据说"青年人向往将来，老年人常思过去"。

5. He has eaten so many eggs since his childhood that        now.(feed)

他自小时候吃了很多鸡蛋，以至于现在厌倦吃鸡蛋了。

4. The woman        and shared it out among the four children.(cut)

那妇人把西瓜切开，分给那四个小孩