NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues^①for water and possible signs of life.
The $386 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^②to 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^③existed 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^④missions. 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.
Notes:
①    clue  n. 线索
②    sample  n. 标本，样品
③    microbe  n. 微生物
④    previous  adj. 先前的

1. 1.

   The passage mainly tells readers that _________.

   1. A.
      clues of water will be found in Phoenix
   2. B.
      Phoenix will be sent to find clues of water on Mars
   3. C.
      August 2007 will see Phoenix lift off
   4. D.
      the Mars Scout program will be carried out
2. 2.

   The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

   1. A.
      on time
   2. B.
      behind the time
   3. C.
      out of work
   4. D.
      ahead of time
3. 3.

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

   1. A.
      in May 2008
   2. B.
      in August 2007
   3. C.
      in August 2008
   4. D.
      in September 2008
4. 4.

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

   1. A.
      rebirth
   2. B.
      death
   3. C.
      energy
   4. D.
      hope
5. 5.

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

   1. A.
      find soil samples and send them to the earth
   2. B.
      look for the icy land to dig for the soil samples
   3. C.
      take photos and send them to the earth
   4. D.
      find the remains of the Mars Polar Lander

NASA is moving ahead with plans to put a long-armed lander on Mars’ icy north pole to search for clues^① for water and possible signs of life.

The $386 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^② 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^③ 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^④ 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.

Notes:

clue  n. 线索

sample  n. 标本，样品

microbe  n. 微生物

previous  adj. 先前的

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

The underlined word “prematurely” (paragraph 5) means _________.

        A. on time     B. behind the time      C. out of work       D. ahead of time

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

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

        A. rebirth         B. death        C. energy        D. hope

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

BEIJING, Nov. 25, 2005（Reuters）— China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine① is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved by the government, head of the research drug company said on Friday.

       Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed, said Yin Wei-dong, managing director of Sinovac Biotech.

       “It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human，so we are very optimistic②,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.

       The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people. The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia, killing 68 of them.

       “It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin. We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.

Oregon, Nov. 26, 2005（AP）— The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry③ industry or consumers, according to Oregon State University researchers.

       There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans. But one strain, called H5N1, has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.

       International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu, raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.

       But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.

       “Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes, OSU Extension Service poultry specialist. But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry — including washing hands while preparing food, and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.

       He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.

Notes:

vaccine  n. 疫苗

optimistic  adj. 乐观的

poultry  n. 家禽

Choose the best answers according to the above:

 Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?

A. Human trials have already started but not yet successful.

B. Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak.

C. The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human.

D. The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans.

What does the first news report mainly talk about?

A. The new outbreak of the bird flu.

B. How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on.

C. How many people died of bird flu.

D. What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu.

What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?

A. signs.         B. symbols.          C. kinds.               D. diseases.

What can we know from the second news report?

A. Because of the safety guards, Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in the 2003 outbreak of bird flu.

B. People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu.

C. People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products.

D. H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide.

众所周知，塑料袋虽然为消费者提供了极大的便利，却因其难降解性造成了严重的能源浪费和环境污染。假设你是一名中学生，名叫李华，根据下面所给的三个提示给社会大众写一封关于“限塑令”的呼吁信。?

① 列举塑料袋给环境带来的危害；（难以分解，污染环境等）   ② 呼吁全社会关注“限塑令”；（关注地球，关注环境）?  ③提出你的建议。? 

注意：1.信中需包括以上内容，也可以自由发挥；?   2.词数：120左右；?

3.信的开头和结尾已给出。

参考词汇：不可降解的nondegradable  adj. 可循环的recyclable  adj.方便 convenience,  n.,

禁止 ban  n.&v.

Say “No” to Plastic Bags

To everyone on our planet,

As is known to all,                                                               

Sincerely yours,

Li Hua

BEIJING, Nov. 25, 2005（Reuters）— China’s home-grown human bird flu vaccine① is at least a year away from hitting the market but tests on humans have been approved by the government, head of the research drug company said on Friday.
Development of the vaccine started last year after bird flu outbreaks in Thailand and Vietnam and animal trials have already been completed, said Yin Wei-dong, managing director of Sinovac Biotech.
“It is not a virus that is spreading from human to human，so we are very optimistic②,” Yin told Reuters in an interview.
The deadly H5N1 made its first known jump to humans in Hong Kong in 1997, killing six people. The virus appeared again in late 2003 and is known to have infected 130 people in several parts of Asia, killing 68 of them.
“It is not decided yet when the human trials will begin. We just got approval on November 22 by the State Food and Drug Administration,” Yin said.
Oregon, Nov. 26, 2005（AP）— The deadly strain of bird flu that appeared in Asia and has already spread to other parts of the world has not affected the Oregon poultry③ industry or consumers, according to Oregon State University researchers.
There are many strains of bird flu that do not usually infect humans. But one strain, called H5N1, has jumped from chickens to humans and is blamed for more than 60 deaths in Asia.
International disease control experts are worried about a worldwide outbreak of bird flu, raising concerns such as whether it is safe to eat poultry.
But Oregon State University researchers say there is no proof that the virus can jump to humans by eating cooked poultry products.
“Consumers needn’t be overly concerned about bird flu,” said Jim Hermes, OSU Extension Service poultry specialist. But he urged consumers to follow standard food safety practices in preparing poultry —including washing hands while preparing food, and proper cooking of poultry meat and eggs.
He noted that a 2003 outbreak of bird virus caused much damage to commercial poultry operations in California but did not get into Oregon because of industry safeguards.
Notes:
vaccine  n. 疫苗
optimistic  adj. 乐观的
poultry  n. 家禽
Choose the best answers according to the above:

1. 1.

    Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the first news report?

   1. A.
      Human trials have already started but not yet successful.
   2. B.
      Bird flu killed 68 Asian people in its second outbreak.
   3. C.
      The bird flu virus is not one that spreads from human to human.
   4. D.
      The government has agreed to have the vaccine tried on humans.
2. 2.

   What does the first news report mainly talk about?

   1. A.
      The new outbreak of the bird flu.
   2. B.
      How the development of the bird flu vaccine is going on.
   3. C.
      How many people died of bird flu.
   4. D.
      What measures the government has taken to stop the spreading of bird flu.
3. 3.

   What does the underlined word “strains” probably mean?

   1. A.
      signs.
   2. B.
      symbols.
   3. C.
      kinds.
   4. D.
      diseases.
4. 4.

   What can we know from the second news report?

   1. A.
      Because of the safety guards, Oregon poultry industry didn’t suffer any loss in the 2003 outbreak of bird flu.
   2. B.
      People in Oregon are not concerned about bird flu.
   3. C.
      People will develop bird flu even if they eat well-cooked poultry products.
   4. D.
      H5N1 has caused more than 60 deaths worldwide.