Zero gravity looks cool. But what about the thing no one likes to talk about? Yes, that is right: going to bathroom. Zero gravity makes this everyday task quite a challenge. Astronauts have to be toilet-trained all over again.

The Apollo astronauts raised themselves off the seat of their chairs and stuck a clear plastic bag to their back sides with sticky strips. A second astronaut watched closely to be sure no waste matter escaped the seal. (You would not want that stuff floating around the cabin!) When the deed was done, the astronaut cleaned up with a piece of plastic attached to the inside of the bag, removed the bag, dropped a disinfectant pill in with the waste matter, and put the whole thing, sealed, into a special container.

Donald W. Rethke, an engineer for Hamilton Standard Space Systems, developed a more private way to answer nature’s call: the space toilet. It is somewhat like the kind of toilet one would find on commercial airplanes --- with unique adaptations for zero gravity, of course. For instance, it has thigh bars that keep the astronaut from floating off the seat.

The astronaut (male or female) defecates (排便) in a bag and urinates (排尿) in a hose. Solid and liquid wastes are kept separated because at least 85% of the urine is recycled and, yes, after careful filtration, used for drinking and other purposes. (Water is always in demand in space.) A vacuum sucks the waste materials into the toilet, where the waste is compacted into hamburger-like patties for easy storage. Although not exactly like an earthbound visit to the toilet, it is at the very least much more private than in the early days of space travel.

1.According to the first paragraph, the lack of the gravity can turn something as simple as _______ into a major challenge.

A. eating B. taking baths

C. sleeping D. answering nature’s call

2.How did astronauts use toilet systems in the Apollo days?

A. None of the waste was separated as it is now.

B. Solid waste was compressed and stored on board.

C. The toilet units used water to remove the waste through the system.

D. The astronauts each used their own private restroom.

3.To ensure the user remains seated, the toilet comes equipped with _______

A. a plastic bag B. a sticky strip

C. a wide hose D. a thigh bar

4.What can be inferred from the fact that most of the astronauts’ urine is recycled?

A. The recycled water tastes better.

B. Water is limited on the space shuttle.

C. It is very convenient to get their urine recycled.

D. Space science includes recycling urine.

The federal school lunch program for 30 million low-income children was created more than half a century ago to combat malnutrition(营养不良). A breakfast program was added during the 1960s, and both attempted to improve the nutritional value of food served at school.

More must be done to fight the childhood obesity(肥胖) epidemic, which has caused a frightening peak in weight-related disorders like diabetes, high-blood pressure and heart disease among young people. The place to start is schools, where junk food sold outside the federal meals program—through snack bars and vending machines—has pretty much canceled out the benefits of all those efforts.

Federal rules that govern the sales of these harmful foods at school are limited and have not been updated for nearly 40 years. Until new regulations are written, children who are served healthy meals in the school cafeteria will continue to buy candy drinks and high sodium(钠) snacks elsewhere in school.

Many states’ school districts have taken positive steps, but others are likely to resist, especially districts that sell junk food to finance athletic program extracurricular activities, and even copier expenses.

Those districts should take note of a study released in 2009 in West Virginia showing that the budgetary costs of switching from sodas to healthy drinks such as fruit juice, milk, and water were very little. Even if the switch costs money, so be it. The school should not be trading their students’ health to buy office supplies.

Over the last five decades, the obesity rates for adolescents have tripled. Unless there is decisive action, weight and inactivity-related disorders will bother a steady larger proportion of the work force and replace smoking as the leading cause of premature death.

1.According to this passage, ______ are to blame for the childhood obesity.

A. weight-related disorders

B. high calorie snacks

C. parents’ bad habits

D. unhealthy lunches and breakfast

2.Which is the main idea of Paragraph 3?

A. Federal governments deserve high praise for their school lunch program.

B. New regulations are badly in need of updating.

C. Children should be forbidden to buy snacks in school.

D. Federal rules encourage snacks outside the school program.

3.The passage is concerned mainly with ______.

A. Malnutrition in low-income children

B. The federal school lunch program

C. obesity at school

D. the nutritional value of food served at school

4.The tone of this passage is ______.

A. negative B. indifferent

C. optimistic D. ironic

根据短文内容，从短文后的选项中选出能填入空白处的最佳选项。选项中有两项为多余选项。

How to Succeed in Science

To succeed in science, you need a lot more than luck. In my view, you have to combine intelligence with a willingness not to follow conventions when they block your path forward. Thus, these have come to be my rules for success.

1.

That might sound proud, but the fact is that you must always turn to people who are brighter than yourself. It’s like playing any game. Even as a child, I never wanted to play games with anyone who was as bad as I was. If you win, it gives you no pleasure. And in the game of science or life, the highest goal isn’t simply to win; it’s to win at something really difficult. 2.

2. Take risks

To make a huge success, a scientist has to be prepared to get into deep trouble. If you are going to make a huge jump in science, you will very likely be unqualified to succeed by definition. 3. This can be more than personally upsetting.

3. Never do anything that bores you.

My experience in science is that someone is always telling you to do things, and then leave you alone. I’m not good enough to do well in something I dislike. 4.

It’s very hard to succeed if you don’t want to be with other scientists — you have to go to key meetings where you spot key facts that would have escaped you. And you have to chat with your competitors, even if you find them objectionable.

So my final rule is: 5.

A. Meet challenges with great courage.

B. If you can’t stand to be with your real peers, get out of science.

C. Put another way, it’s to go somewhere beyond your ability and come out on top.

D. Be sure you always have someone to save you from a deep mess.

E. Avoid foolish people.

F. In fact, I find it hard to do well in something I like.

G. Besides, you even have to be prepared to disbelieve your scientific heroes.

完形填空

阅读下面短文，从短文后各题所给的四个选项（A、B、C 和 D）中，选出可以填入空白处的最佳选项。

Rudolph, a violin player, was not valued too much. One day, he traveled in a boat and was in a storm. An old lighthouse(灯塔) man rescued him and led him into the lighthouse. After he had a long with him, Rudolph learned more about the old man. Then in the storm and the lighthouse and the old man lifted Rudolph from his usual everyday . He was filled with understanding and love. He was lifted to a he had never known or . He wanted to play music that showed the power of and stars just for the old man. And the storm and winds to join him, he stood and played the Kreutzer Sonata(奏鸣曲) of Beethoven.

The moments . Moments that were days in the birth of fire and stars, moments of the of all men, and finally moments that showed the of all human spirit. Never had Rudolph played with such power. , waves and winds beat the lighthouse with giant hands. Above, the strong light its life-saving beams across the dark and angry seas. Rudolph dropped his head to his chest, breathing . The ocean threw its water over the land with the sound of many voices.

The old man sat without moving, his wide old hand on his knees. He thought about the storm outside--- music made by God. He thought of Rudolph and his music --- were part of the works of nature --- both were works of . He nodded his head up and down, then turned to Rudolph.

“Yes,” he said… “That is !”

1.A. arrested B. seen C. met D. caught

2.A. quarrel B. speech C. talk D. argument

3.A. nothing B. everything C. something D. anything

4.A. off B. away C. up D. down

5.A. feelings B. savings C. activities D. routines

6.A. country B. earth C. globe D. world

7.A. felt B. rose C. returned D. turned

8.A. water B. fire C. hire D. planet

9.A. as B. with C. for D. without

10.A. passed B. lasted C. froze D. increased

11.A. hope B. wish C. peace D. struggle

12.A. greatness B. smallness C. gentleness D. witness

13.A. before B. after C. below D. again

14.A. Into B. Inside C. Outside D. Outward

15.A. came B. went C. threw D. fixed

16.A. softly B. hard C. hardly D. easily

17.A. grasping B. shaking C. resting D. laying

18.A. none B. both C. all D. neither

19.A. wonder B. doubt C. artist D. author

20.A. wrong B. right C. false D. true

阅读下面材料，在空白处填入适当的内容（每空一词）或括号内单词的正确形式。

My name is Wil Wheaton --- and I am a nerd(怪人). It’s awesome to be 1. nerd. When I was a little boy, people really teased me about that and 2. (make) me feel like there was something wrong with me for loving strange things. Now that I’m an adult, I’m a3. (profession) nerd, and the world has changed. I think we 4. (realize) that being a nerd is not about what you love 5. about how you love.

So there’s going to be a thing in your life that you love. I don’t know what it’s going to be. It might be sports or science or reading or 6. (tell) stories --- it doesn’t matter what it is. Some of us love Game of Thrones, while others love Star Wars. But we all love those things so much that we travel 7. (thousand) of miles --- which is 8. (probable) easy for you, but we’re still using fossil fuels, so it’s difficult--- to be around people who love the things that we love the way that we love them. That’s 9. being a nerd is awesome.

I want you to work hard because everything worth 10. (do) is hard. I want you to be awesome, and I will do my very best to leave you a planet that you can still live on.

短文改错

文中共有10处语言错误，每句中最多有两处。每处错误仅涉及一个单词的增加、删除或修改。

增加：在缺词处加一个漏字符号（∧），并在其下面写出该加的词。

删除：把多余的词用斜线（╲）划掉。

修改：在错的词下划一横线，并在该词下面写出修改后的词。

注意：1.每处错误及其修改均仅限一词。

2.只允许修改10处，多者（从第11处起）不计分。

We are in an age when people take picture everywhere. They enjoy it even when in a museum or invited for a meal. A report shows that teens in many countries, especially in China, is always seen taking pictures update their websites with them. Besides, they are serious about getting 100 likes because of getting anything less is considered embarrassed. Some parents worry that this type of thinking is far too competitively for teens. And some teens don’t think so. “If I got wrap up in my likes or views, I’d go crazy. Never let your values be determined by how someone else thinks.”

书面表达

假设你是李华，请你以自己网上购书所遇到的不愉快经历，向中国某家英文报纸生活栏目写一封抱怨信。要点如下：

1. 所购书中有破损、缺页现象；

2. 一些书籍价格比实体书店还要贵；

注意：

1. 词数100左右；

2. 可适当增加细节，以使行文连贯；

3. 开头语和结尾已给出（不计入总词数）。

Dear Sir or Madame,

I am a middle school student. I am writing to express my dissatisfaction and disappointment about the unpleasant experience _____________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

_______________________________________________________________________________

I would be grateful if you could take my opinion into consideration.

Yours sincerely,

Li Hua

A teacher’s job is not to tell the students what to believe or value, but to ___________ them to develop a worldview for themselves.

A. urge B. equip C. persuade D. rank

Our mothers sat us down to read and paint, ____ all we really wanted to do was to make a mess.

A. since B. as C. unless D. when

I needn’t have been in such a hurry. The flight to Hong Kong _____ due to the typhoon.

A. has cancelled B. was cancelled

C. will be canceling D. had cancelled