牛津英语2021中考复习阅读含答案

牛津英语2020-2021学年中考阅读理解专练

（1）

Gulangyu,abeautifulislandwassuccessfullylistedintheUNESCOWorld

Heritage（世鼻文化遗产）onJuly8th,2017.Ifsnotonlytheprideofmyhometown,

buttheprideofthewholenation.

GulangyuisseparatedfromXiamenbythe500-metre-wideEgretRiver（鹭江）,

withanareaof1.88squarekilometers.Ifslikeagardenonthewater.Youcango

thereonlybyships,cars,busesandbikesarenotallowedtorunontheisland.Itisso

quietthatwhereveryougo,youcanhearthesoundofplayingthepiano.Asaresultof

this,itiscalled“theislandofmusic”.

ThefirstnameoftheislandwasYuanZhouZi.IntheMingDynastyitwas

changedasGulangyu,meaning“drumwaves".Becausetheholesinthesouthwestern

reefshitbythewavesmakesoundslikethedrumbeating.

Today,Gulangyuislistedasoneofthenation'smajortravellingplaces.The

mainplacesofinteresthereincludetheSunlightRock,ShuzhuangPark,Gangzihou

BathingBeachandMemorialHalltoZhengChenggongwhicharevisitedbymillions

ofpeoplefromallpartsofthecountryandtheworld.What'smore,thebuildingsand

foodarepopularwithvisitors.

Therefore,Ihopeourgovernmentcanprotectthefairylandwell,especiallythe

environment.

1.Wheredoesthewritercomefrom?

A.BeijingB.FujianC.JapanD.Idon'tknow

2.WhichisNOTTRUEaccordingtothepassage?

A.TheareaofGulangyuislessthan2squarekilometers.

B.Gulangyuishonoredas“theislandofmusic^^and“agardenonthewater”.

C.GulangyugotitsnameinTangDynasty.

D.GulangyuisontheUNESCOWorldHeritagelistnow

3.Theunderlinedword"reeWinParagraph3probablymeans______inChinese.

A.暗礁B.沙滩C.建筑D湎骄

4.Whatcanwelearnfromthepassage?

A.Gulangyudoesn'thavealonghistory.

B.Visitordon'tlikethebuildingsontheisland.

C.Gulangyuisfamousallovertheworld.

D.Thewriterisn'tworriedabouttheenvironmentproblem.

5.Wheremaythepassagebefrom?

A.AguidebookB.AposterC.AdiaryD.Ablog

（2）

Researchersfindthatapositiveviewcannotonlymakepeoplehappyinspirits,

butimprovepeople'shealthandhelpthemhavealongerlife.

Studieshaveshownthatpeoplewhoholdapositiveoutlookwillhaveproper

bloodpressure,lessheartdisease,betterweightcontrolandhealthierbloodsugar

levels.

Inastudyofmorethan4,000peopleabout50andtheolder,BeccaLevyand

AvniBavishiattheYaleSchoolofPublicHealthfoundthathavingapositiveviewof

agingcanhaveagoodinfluenceonone'shealthandlongevity（寿命）.

Levysaidtwopossiblemechanisms（机制）canexplainthereasonsofthefindings

Psychologically（心理学上），apositiveviewcanbuildupone'sconfidence,

decreasestressinlifeanddevelopproperbehaviors.

Physiologically（生理学上），peoplewithpositiveviewsofaginghavelower

levelsofc-reactiveprotein（C反应蛋白），whichcanhavetodowithheartdiseaseand

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otherillnesses,evenifconsideringpossibleinfluenceslikeage,healthstatus,sex,race

andeducation.Thiskindofpeoplealsolivelongerinsomeway.

Inconclusion,weshouldholdthepositivepointofviewinourdailylife.

1.Apersonwithpositiveviewwill.

A.bemorepopularB.bemoreinteresting

C.havealongerlifeD.haveathinnerbody

2.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrueaboutpeoplewithapositiveoutlook?

A.Theywillhavelowerbloodpressure.B.Theywillsufferfromlessheartdisease.

C.Theywillkeephealthierbloodsugarlevels.D.Theywillbeheavierthanothers.

3.BeccaLevyandAvnibavishi'sgroup______.

A.studiedover4,000peopleintheirresearch

B.workedattheYorkSchoolofPublicHealth

C.foundhealthhadnothingtodowithone'sspirit

D.thoughtagingisnotimportantatall

4.HowdidLevyexplaintheirtheoryaccordingtothepassage?

A.Hesaidthreepossiblemechanismscouldexplainthereasons.

B.Hetalkedinpsychologicalandphysiologicalways.

C.Hedidn'tdealwithone'sconfidence.

D.HethoughthigherC-reactiveproteinwashelpful.

5.Fromthispassage,wecanlearnthat.

A.wehavetoexerciseeverydayB.we'dbettermakemorefriends

C.wemustloseweightwhenweareoverweightD.weshouldhavepositiveviews

(3)

MyfatherwasGerman,butheWorkedinEngland.Hemarriedmymother,who

wasEnglish.HerfamilynamewasRobinson,sowhenIwasbomin1632,inEngland,

theycalledmeRobinson,afterher.

MyfatherdidwellinhisbusinessandIwenttoagoodschool.Hewantedmeto

getagoodjob,andliveaquiet,pleasantlife.ButIwantedadventureandanexciting

life.

“Iwanttobeasailorandgotosea"，Itoldmymotherandfather.Theywerevery

unhappyaboutthis.

“Pleasedon'tgo.nmyfathersaid,nYouwon'tbehappyyouknow.Sailorshavea

difficultanddangerouslife.HandbecauseIlovehim,andhewasunhappy,Itriedto

forgetaboutthesea.

ButIcouldn'tforget,andaboutayearlater,Isawafriendintown.Hisfather

hadaShipandmyfriendsaidtomeJwearesailingtoLondontomorrow.Whydon't

youcomewithus.^^

OnSeptember1st,1651,1wenttoHullandthenextdaywesailedforLondon.

But,afewdayslater,therewasastrongwind.Theseawasroughanddangerous,

andtheshipwentupanddown.Iwasveryill,andwasveryafraid.

“Oh,Idon*twanttodie!”Icried,“Iwanttolive!IfIlive,Iwillgohomeand

nevergotoseaagain!,9

Thenextdaythewindstopped,andtheseawasquietandbeautifulagain.

Well,Robinson,myfriendlaughed,"Howdoyoufeelnow?Thewindwasn'tso

bad/9

“What!”Icried."Itwasaterriblestorm.”

“Oh,thatwasn'tastorm,nmyfriendanswered,Ujustalittlewind.Forgetit,come

andhaveadrink.^^

Afterafewdrinkswithmyfriend,Ifeltbetter.Iforgotaboutthedanger,and

decidednottogohome.Ididn'twantmyfriendandfamilytolaughatme!

IstayedinLondonfbrsometime,butIstill,wantedtogotothesea.So,when

thecaptain(船长)ofashipaskmetogowithhimtoGuineainAfrica,Iagreed,And

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soIwenttotheseaforthesecondtime.

Itwasagoodship,andeverythingwentwellatfirst,butIwasveryillagain.

ThenwhenwewereneartheCanaryIslands,aTurkishpirate（海盗）shipcameafterus.

Theywerefamousthievesoftheseaatthattime.Therewasalong,hardfight,but

whenitfinished,weandtheshipwereprisoners.TheTurkishcaptainandhismen

tookustoSalleeinMorocco.Theywantedtosellusasslaves（奴隶）inthemarket.

Butintheend,theTurkishcaptaindecidedtokeepmeforhimself,andtookmehome

withhim.Thiswasasuddenandterriblechangeinmylife.ThisTurkishcaptainwas

nowmymaster.

1.WhydidRobinsonforgetabouttheseaatthebeginning?

A.Becausehehadnomoneytoownaship

B.Becausehehastedtoliveadangerouslife

C.Becausehewantedtomakehisparentshappy

D.Becausehelookedforwardtogettingagoodjob

2.Whichistherighttimeorderofwhathappenedinthestory?

a.OneofRobinson'sfriendsinvitedhimtosailtoLondon

b.TheTurkishcaptaintookRobinsonhome

c.AcaptainaskedRobinsontogowithhimtoGuinea

d.Robinsondrankwithhisfriend

e.Alongandhardfighthappened

A.a-d-c-e-bB.d-a-c-e-bC.a-c-b-e-dD.d-c-a-b-e

3.WhatdidRobinsonthinkofhisseajourney?

A.EverythingwasfineB.Theseawasquietallthetime

C.ThewindwasweakD.Sealifewasdangerousattimes

4.WhotookRobinsontoSalleeinMorocco?

A.theTurkishCaptainB.hisfriendC.thecaptainofashipD.hisfather

5.Whatcanweinfer（推断）fromthepassage?

A.RobinsonwantedtoservetheTurkish

B.RobinsonlivedhappilywiththeTurkishcaptain

C.RobinsonbecameaslavetotheTurkishcaptain

D.RobinsonmadefriendswiththeTurkishcaptain

（4）

FredAstairewasborninNebraskain1899.Fredandhissister,Adele,leai*nedto

dancewhentheywereveryyoung.TheirmothertookthemtoNewYorktostudy

dance.TheyperformedintheirfirstprofessionalshowwhenFredwastenyearsold

andAdelewastwelve.Later,asteenagers,thetwodancedinmanyshowsthroughout

theUnitedStates.TheirfirstbigsuccesswasonBroadwayin1917.

TheAstaires-astheywereknown-becameBroadwaystars.However,In1932,

AdeleAstairemarriedaBritishman,andstoppedperforming.ButFreddid

notforgothisdream.Hewouldgoonalone,inthemovies.

Fredsaid:"Dancingisasweatyjob.Youcannotjustsitdownanddoit.Youhave

togetuponyourfeet.Ittakestimetogetadanceright,tocreatesomething

memorable.IalwaystrytogettoknowmydancesowellthatIdonothavetothink.^^

In1949,FredAstairewonaspecialawardforhisfilmworkfromAmerica's

MotionPictureAcademy.Healsowonawardsfromthetelevisionindustryfora

numberofhistelevisionprograms.

Fredstoppeddancingin1970.Hewasmorethanseventyyearsoldatthetime.

Hesaidadancercouldnotcontinuedancingforever.Hesaidhedidnotwantto

disappoint（使失望）anyone,evenhimself.Hedancedagaininpubliconlyonceafter

that.Itwaswithanothergreatmaledancer,GeneKelly,inthemovie"That's

Entertainment,PartTwo11.

FredAstaireandhisfirstwife,Phyllis,hadthreechildren.Phyllisdiedin1954.

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Twenty-fiveyearslater,FredmarriedracehorseriderRobynSmith.FredAstairedied

onJune22,1987.Hewaseighty-eightyearsold.Hewascalledthegreatestdancerin

theworld.Hisdancingwascalledperfect.Andmoviegoerseverywherewill

rememberhimasagreatperformerwhoseworkwillliveforeverinhisfilms.

l.Thefirstparagraphismainlyabout.

A.FredAstaire'sfirstsuccessB.FredAstaire'seducation

C.FredAstaire9searlylifeD.FredAstaire9sfamily

2.WhendidtheAstairesbecomeBroadwaystars?

A.In1899.B.In1917.C.In1932.D.In1949.

3.WhatFredAstairesaidinParagraph3showsthat.

A.heknewhisdancewaswonderful

B.hethoughtdancingwasnotdifficult

C.hehadwaystomakepeoplerememberhim

D.hedevotedmuchtimeandefforttodance

4.Whatisthecon,ecttimeorderofthefollowingevents?

a.FredAstaire'sfirstwifedied.

b.Fred'ssisterAdelestoppedperforming.

c.FredAstaireperformedwithGeneKellyinamovie.

d.FredAstairewonanawardfromAmerica'sMotionPictureAcademy.

A.bdacB.abcdC.dcbaD.cbad

（5）

Earlyonemorning,morethanahundredyearsago,anAmericaninventorcalled

EliasHowefinallyfellasleep.Hehadbeenworkingallnightonthedesignofa

sewingmachinebuthehadrunintoaverydifficultproblem:Itseemedreallyhardto

getthethreadtorunsmoothlyaroundtheneedle.

Thoughhewastired,Howesleptbadly.Heturnedandturned.Thenhehada

dream.Hedreamedthathehadbeencaughtbyterriblesavageswhosekingwantedto

killhimandeathimunlesshecouldbuildaperfectsewingmachine.Whenhetriedto

doso,Howeranintothesameproblemasbefore.Thethreadkeptgettingcaught

aroundtheneedle.ThekingflewintotheprisonandorderedhissoldierstokillHowe.

Theycameuptowardshimwiththeirspears（矛）raised.Butsuddenlytheinventor

noticedsomething.Therewasaholeinthetipofeachspear.Theinventorwokefrom

thedream,realizingthathehadjustfoundtheanswertotheproblem.Insteadof

tryingtogetthethreadtorunaroundtheneedle,heshouldmakeitrunthrougha

smallholeinthecenteroftheneedle.Thiswasthesimpleideathatfinallymade

Howedesignandbuildthefirstreallypracticalsewingmachine.

EliasHowewasnottheonlyonethatfoundtheanswertohisprobleminthisway.

ThomasEdison,theinventoroftheelectriclight,saidhisbestideascameintohimin

dreams.SodidthegreatphysicistAlbertEinstein.CharlotteBrontealsothoughtin

herdreamsduringwritingJaneEyre.

Toknowthevalueofdreams,youhavetounderstandwhathappenswhenyouare

asleep.Eventhen,apartofyourbrainisstillworking.Thisunconscious（无意识的），

butstillactivepartunderstandsyourexperiencesandgoestoworkontheproblems

youhavehadduringtheday.Itstoresallkindsofinformationthatyoumayhave

forgottenorneverhavereallynoticed.Itisonlywhenyoufallasleepthatthispartof

thebraincansendmessagestothepartyouusewhenyouareawake.However,the

unconsciouspartactsinaspecialway.Itusesstrangeimages（图像）whichthe

consciouspartmaynotunderstandatfirst.Thisiswhydreamsaresometimescalled

“secretmessagestoourselves”.

1.Accordingtothepassage,EliasHowewas.

A.thefirstpersonweknowofwhosolvedproblemsinhissleep

B.muchmorehard-workingthanotherinventors

C.thefirstpersontodesignasewingmachinethatreallyworked

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D.theonlypersonatthetimewhoknewthevalueofdreams

2.TheproblemHowewastryingtosolvewas.

A.whatkindofthreadtouse

B.howtodesignaneedlewhichwouldnotbreak

C.wheretoputtheneedle

D.howtopreventthethreadfromgettingcaughtaroundtheneedle

3.ThomasEdisonismentionedbecause.

A.healsotriedtoinventasewingmachine

B.hegotsomeofhisideasfromdreams

C.hewasoneofHowe'sbestfriends

D.healsohaddifficultyinfallingasleep

4.Whatdoestheunderlinedphrase"secretmessagestoourselves^^mean?

A.Strangeimagesareusedtocommunicateideas

B.Imageswhichhavenomeaningareused

C.Wecanneverunderstandtherealmeaning

D.Somespeciallytrainedpeoplecanunderstandthem

（6）

Doyouknowofanyonewhousesthetruthtodeceive（欺骗）？Whensomeone

tellsyousomethingthatistrue,butleavesoutimportantinformationthatshouldbe

included,hecangiveyouafalsepicture.

Forexample,somemightsay,"Ijustwonahundreddollarsonthelottery（彩票）.

Itwasgreat.Itookthatlotteryticketbacktothestoreandturneditinforonehundred

dollars!"

Thisguy'sawinner,right?Maybe,maybenot.Wethendiscoverthathebought

$200worthoftickets,andonlyonewasawinner.He*sreallyabigloser!

Hedidn'tsayanythingthatwasfalse,butheleftoutimportantinformationon

purpose.That*scalledahalf-truth.Half-truthsarenottechnicallylies,buttheyarejust

asdishonest.

Someofficersoftenusethistrick.Let'sseethatduringGovernorSmith'slastterm,

herstatelostonemillionjobsandgainedthreemillionjobs.Thenshetriesanother

term.Oneofherpersonswhodon'tsupporthersays,"DuringGovernorSmith*sterm,

thestatelostonemillionjobs!'1that'strue.However,anhoneststatementwouldhave

been,"DuringGovernorSmith'sterm,thestatehadanetgainoftwomillionjobs."

Advertiserswillsometimesusehalf-truths.It'sagainstthelawtomakefalse

statementssotheytrytomisleadyouwiththetruth.Anadvertisementmightsay,

"NineoutoftendoctorsadvisedtheirpatientstotakeYuckyPillstocuretoothache."

Itfailstomentionthattheyonlyaskedtendoctorsandnineofthemworkforthe

YuckyCompany.

Thiskindofdeceptionhappenstooofoften.It'sasadfactoflife:Liesarelies,

andsometimesthetruthcanlieaswell.

l.Wemayinferthattheauthorbelievespeopleshould.

A.buylotteryticketsifpossibleB.makeuseofhalf-truths

C.becarefulaboutwhattheyaretoldD.nottrusttheYuckyCompany

2.Howmanyexamplesdoesthewritergivetoshowhowthetruthisusedtodeceive?

A.OneB.TwoC.ThreeD.Four

3.WhichofthefollowingisTrueaccordingtothepassage?

A.Usinghalf-truthsisagainstthelaw.

B.Technically,half-truthsareinfactlies.

C.Yuckypillsisverygoodfortoothache.

D.GovernorSmithdidagoodjobduringherlastterm.

4.Whichofthefollowingbestexpressesthemainideaofthepassage?

A.He'sreallyabigloser!

B.Sometimesthetruthcanlie.

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C.Advertiserswillsometimesusehalf-truths.

D.It'sagainstthelawtomakefalsestatements.

（7）

Anoldmanwalkedslowlyintoarestaurantwithhiscane（拐杖）.Hisoldjacket

andshoesmadehimunusualthatday.

AyoungwaitressnamedMarywatchedhimmovetowardsatablebythe

window.Sheranovertohim,andsaidwithasmile,"Here,sir.Letmegiveyoua

hand.nWithoutsayingaword,hegaveherasmile.Shepulledthechairawayfrom

thetableandhelpedhimsitdown.Thensheputhiscaneagainstthetablesothathe

couldreachit.Inasoft,clearvoice,hesaid,"Thankyou,miss.”

“You'rewelcome,sir,Mshereplied.nIwillbebackinamoment,andifyouneed

anythingjustwaveatme!"

Afterhehadfinishedagoodmeal.Marybroughthimthechange.Shehanded

himhiscane,andwalkedwithhimtothefrontdoor.Holdingthedooropenforhim,

shesaid,“Comebackandseeus,sir!"Theoldmanturnedaroundandsmiled.

WhenMarywenttocleanhistable,shewasshocked.Undertheplate,shefound

abusinesscard,a100-dollarbillandanote.Thenotesaid,"DearMary,Irespectyou

verymuch,andyourespectyourself,too.Itshowsthewayyoutreatothers.Youhave

foundthesecretofhappiness."

Infact,theoldmanwastheowneroftherestaurant.Thatwasthefirsttimethat

she,oranyofhiswaitresses,hadseenhim.

1.Theoldmanlooked.

A.youngB.handsomeCunusualD,commom

2.Assoonastheoldmadtherestaurant,Marygreetedhim.

A.politelyB.slowlyC.sadlyD,angrily

3.Marytoldtheoldmantowhenheneededsomething,

A,ringthebellB.waveatherC,shoutatherD.phoneher

4.Fromthearticle,wecaninfertheoldmanwas.

A.Mary'sfatherB.Mary'sneighbour

C.thebossoftherestaurantD.awaiteroftherestaurant

（8）

You'veprobablyseenitbefore-twoelderlypeoplewalkinghandinhanddown

thestreetandlookingverymuchlikeeachother.Theylooksomuchalikethatthey

couldbebrotherandsister.Doyoubelievethatpeoplewholivetogetherformany

yearswouldlookalike?It'sstrange,butscientistssayit'strue.

Howscientistsprovedit?Inastudy,scientistsfoundyoungcouplesonlyshowed

similaritybychance.However,eldercoupleswereverylikelytolooklikeeachother.

Thesimilaritycouldbeverysubtle（微妙）andcouldbefoundinwrinkles（皱纹）or

furrows,etc.Besides,somecoupleslookfarmorealikethanothercouples

Thescientiststhoughtofseveralpossiblereasons:

Diet."Wearewhatweeat."Ascouplesusuallysharethesamediet,willthey

probablylookalike?Forexample,ifbothpartnerseatahighfatdiet,theirfaceswill

tendtolookfat.However,thescientistsruledthisout（排除）usinganothersmall

study.

Environment.Willelderlycouplesshowsimilaritybecausetheylivetogetherin

thesameareaforalongtime?Theenvironmentalfactors（因素）suchassunshine

andwindaffecttheskininsimilarways.Thescientistsruledthispossibilityoutas

well.

Empathy（移情作用）.Thisisthetheory（理论）thescientistsbelieve

in.Couplesgrowtolooksimilarbecausetheyareempathizingwitheachother.They

copyeachother'sfacialexpressions.Forexample,ifonepartneroftensmilesina

certainway,theotherislikelytocopyit.Inthisway,theirfacessharesimilar

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wrinklesandfurrows.

1.Theoldcoupleslookthantheyoungcouples.

A,muchmorealikeB.moredifferentC.lessalikeD,lessdifferent

2.Scientiststhinkthattheoldcoupleslookalikeintheir.

A.agesB.educationC.appearanceD.abilities

3.WhichofthefollowingisNOTtrue?

A.Yourdietcanaffectyourappearance.

B.Youwilllookslimifyoueatahighfatdiet

C.Oldcoupleslooksimilarbecausetheyareempathizingwitheachother.

D.Oldcouplesusuallysharesimilarwrinklesandfurrows

4.Whichisthetheorythescientistsbelievein?

A.Empathy.B.DietC.EnvironmentD,Wrinkles

（9）

Houseworkisanendlessargumentbetweenlazyhusbandsandtheir

hard-workingwives,butwomenarewarnednottoexpectmentosharehousework

anytimesoon

AstudyfromOxfordUniversityhasfounditseemsimpossibleformentobe

doinganequalshareofhouseworkbefore2050.Motherswillcontinuetoshoulderthe

burden（负担）ofchildcareandhouseworkforthenextfortyyears,largelybecause

houseworksuchascleaningandcookingisstillthoughtoftobenwomenswork”

Thegap（鸿沟）hasnarrowedslowlyoverthepast40years.Womenexpecttrue

equality（平等）.Butwhatmakesthemdownisthatitwilltakeanotherfortyyears

beforeitisachieved

TheresearchfoundthatinthenorthernEurope,theburdenofhouseworkis

sharedmoreequallybetweenmenandwomen.IntheUK,awomanspendsaround

fourhoursandfortyminuteseachdayonhousework,comparedwithtwohoursand

twenty-eightminutesformen.Thisisanimprovementfromthe1960s,whenBritish

womentypically（典型的）spentsixhoursadayonhousework,whilemenspentjust

90minuteseveryday.

Butprogresstowardshouseworkequalityappearstobeslowinginsome

countries.DrOrielSullivan,aresearchreader,said,"we'velookedatwhatis

influencingtheequalityinthehome,andwehavefoundthatcertaintasksseemtobe

givenaccordingtowhethertheyareviewedashmen'swork'or'women'swork'.”

DrSullivansaidculturalattitudes（态度）taughtatschoolmaydecidetheviews

ofhousework."Atschoolitismucheasierforagirltobeatomboy,butitismuch

moredifticultforaboytoenjoycookinganddancing,"shesaid.

1.Theunderlinednit"inParagraph3refersto（代指）.

A.theresearchB.truehouseworkCtrueequalityD.thegap

2,FromParagraph4weknowthatintheUk.

A.mennowspendjust90minutesadayonhouseworkonaverage

B.womennowaretoobusywiththeirworktodohousework

C.womennowspendlesstimeonhouseworkthanbefore

D.houseworkissharedequallybetweenmenandwomen

3.ismentionedinthelasttwoparagraphsofthearticle.

A.Whatmenthinkofhousework

BHowmuchhouseworkwomenspendonhousework

C.Whatinfluencespeople'sviewofhousework

D.Whymenshouldsharehousework

4.Whatisthemainideaofthispassage?

A.Argumentabouthouseworkbetweenhusbandsandwiveswillend.

B.Womenwillbedoingmorehouseworkthanmenuntil2050.

C.Menareunabletohelptheirwiveswithhousework.

D.Womenspendlesstimeonhouseworkwhilemenspendmorethanbefore.

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(10)

NASAhasanewjoblisting,andifsnojoke.TheUSspaceagencyislookingfor

a“joker”tojointheirplannedtasktoMars.AtasktoMarsisnolaughingmatter.On

average,theredplanetis140millionmiles(225millionkilometers)awayfromEarth.

Atriptherewouldtakearoundeightmonthsinasmallspacecraft.AndMarshasa

communicationsdelay(延迟)of20minutes.Thismeansthatastronautswillhaveto

wait20minutesforareply,whenanemergencyhappens.

“Whenyou'relivingwithothersinacrowdedspaceforalongperiodoftime,

suchasonatasktoMars,problemsarelikelytooccur,"JeffreyJohnson,ascientistat

theUniversityofFlorida,toldTheGuardian.

ThisisprobablywhyNASAwantsanastronautwithasenseofhumor."Theseare

peoplethathavetheabilitytopulleveryonetogether,^Johnsonsaid.

Instressfulsituations,perhapshumorisawaytoknowwearen'talone.By

laughingtogether,weshareourstress.Thenwecanfocusonourjobsinsteadofjust

worrying.

Thereareotherexamplesofteam“clowns”.Oneexampleisthejourneytothe

SouthPoleledbyNorwegianexplorerRoaldAmundsen.Itwasadifficultjourney,

fullofdanger.AdolfLindstrom,acookatAmundsen'steam,wasa“clown”.He

madepeoplelaughthroughthewholejourney.AmundsenlaterwrotethatLindstrom

wasthemostvaluablememberoftheteam.

Butifyou'rehopingthatyourfavoriteTVcomedianwillflytoMars,34.

“Beingfunnywon'tbeenoughtolandsomebodythejob,“Johnsonsaid."They

alsoneedtobeanexcellentscientistandengineer.”

Besides,theymustbeintopphysicalcondition.

1.WhatkindofastronautdoesNASAwanttofind?.

A.Ahealthyengineerwithasenseofhumor

B.Anexcellentscientistwithgreatatalent

C.Agoodpersonwholikeslaughing

D.Anstrongastronautwithstress

2.Scientiststhinkthat.

A.astronautswillhavetowait20minutesinasmallspacecraft

B.thejourneytoMarsisverysafe

C.Ahumorouspersonhastheabilitytopulleveryonetogether

D.laughcanhelppeopleforgeteverything

3.Thewriterwantstobygivingtheexampleofthecook.

A.telluseatingontheirjourneyisveryimportant.

B.makethejourneymoredifficult

C.cheerpeopleup

D.showthegreatvalueofmakingpeoplelaugh

4.Whichofthefollowingcanbethemostsuitablefortheendofthe

sentence?.

A.thatprobablywon'thappenB.thatisagoodidea

C.thathaseverhappenedD.thatistrue

(11)

Sundayisthefinaldayoffreedom.Anditisthelastchancetocatchyourbreath

(歇口气)beforeanotherbusyweekbegins.GrowingupinSingaporeandspendinga

numberofyearsinBritain,I'vehadthepleasureofexperiencingSundaysinboth

countries.Howdifferenttheyare!

''Sim''-day:Friendorenemy

OnecaneasilytellSundaysinSingaporefromthoseinBritainbylookingatthe

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relationshipseachcountryhaswiththesun.

Singaporeisatropical（热带的）islandwithrainyanddryseasons.Whenitrains,

ifshot.Whenitshines,itbums.ThisiswhySingaporeansprefertospendtheirtime

indoors.Thesedays,in