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Venus, the Wildest Adventure in 3016!
A trip to the moon, to Mars? You are out. Venus (金星) is your choice! Our spaceship carries you there at the speed of light!
Amazing Venus Facts
Temperature range: ALWAYS about 450 degrees Celsius. Great for barbecues!
Seasons: No seasons. Always visit during best season!
Gravity strength: 0.91 of Earth’s gravity. Makes you lighter and more alive than ever!
Water: NONE. All boiled away.
Day length: 1 day=243 Earth days. Longest days in solar system» so fun never ends!
Rate of turning: 0.002 km/second. Turns in opposite direction of the earth, so able to see sun rise in the west and set in the east.
Year length: 1 year=224.7 Earth days or 0.62 of an Earth year.
Rate of revolution: 35.03 km/second.
Atmosphere:
△ Very thick.
△ 96% carbon dioxide; 3% nitrogen, and 0.l% water vapor.
△ Can’t support life: Suffocating carbon dioxide, thick clouds of sulfuric acid, and gases create greenhouse effect so very hot and no water.
* Your Accommodations *
◎ You will travel on a high-tech rocket ship that will transport you from Earth to Venus in a mere 2.4 minutes by traveling at the speed of light. This trip will cost only $ 750,000.
◎ Our two hotels are very luxurious and are super strong, allowing you to lie on the ground without being crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere. They are called Venus Heaven and Rocket Palace, and the cost to stay is only $ 200 per night. You’ll get your money’s worth at these two hotels, receiving free meals every day.
To book a trip, call 1 — 800.
* Your Accommodations *
◎ You will travel on a high-tech rocket ship that will transport you from Earth to Venus in a mere 2.4 minutes by traveling at the speed of light. This trip will cost only $ 750,000.
◎ Our two hotels are very luxurious and are super strong, allowing you to lie on the ground without being crushed by the pressure of the atmosphere. They are called Venus Heaven and Rocket Palace, and the cost to stay is only $ 200 per night. You’ll get your money’s worth at these two hotels, receiving free meals every day.
To book a trip, call 1 — 800.
1.What would you see if you faced east on Venus?
A. The rising sun. B. The circling earth.
C. The setting sun. D. The full moon.
2.During the trip to Venus, you would pay nothing for .
A. service. B. food.
C. the spaceship. D. the hotel.
3.Which section of a magazine is the text from?
A. Fashion circle. B. News report.
C. Modern art. D. Future world.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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It is a live celebration of the lasting power of letter writing!
Letters Live, which started in December 2013, was held at the Freemasons’ Hall in London from March 10 to 15. The show invited various great performers who read remarkable letters that had been written around the world over the centuries.
“Bringing letters alive through outstanding performances is one of the most powerful ways in which the joy and pain and humor and tragedy of being human can be shared,” Jamie Byng, managing director of Canongate Books publishing firm, told the Nowness video channel.
British actor Benedict Cumberbatch agreed. “Letters are windows into the love, beauty, pain and humor of their creators and receivers,” he told The Guardian. “Letters Live makes us stop and imagine the lives behind the letters read and where they came from. It’s a privilege to read this most ancient of communications live to an audience.”
This year, the movie Sherlock star treated the audience by playing the part of a 17-year Tom Hanks. He put on the young actor’s voice when he read his letter to the Hollywood director George Roy Hill, a letter that urged Hill to “discover” him. The letter revealed that two-time Oscar winner Hanks’ teenage dream was not to “be a big-time Hollywood superstar” but to one day own a Porsche car and call his favorite US actor Robert Red ford his nickname “Bob”.
Other famous faces at the event included Carey Mulligan, who played a fictional laundry worker, a female activist fighting for women’s rights in the 2015 movie Suffragette. The British actress once again played the role of a suffragette, when she read a very enthusiastic letter demanding the vote for women. The suffragette sent a precious 1913 note to The Daily Telegraph newspaper.
“Everyone seems to agree upon the necessity of putting a stop 10 Suffragist anger, but no one seems certain how to do so,” Mulligan read out. “There are two, and only two, ways in which this can be done. Both will be effectual. One, kill every woman in the UK. Two, give women the vote.”
1.What was Cumberbatch’s attitude’ towards Jamie Byng’s opinion?
A. Doubtful. B. Positive.
C. Optimistic. D. Cautious.
2.Which of the following was a dream of Tom Hanks as a child?
A. To become an actor. B. To call himself “Bob”.
C. To win Oscar Awards. D. To have a famous car.
3.A “suffragette” is a woman who .
A. sends a valuable note to newspaper.
B. reads out a letter to the audience.
C. advocates women’s right to vote.
D. plays a famous role in a movie.
4.What can be a suitable title for the text?
A. Famous People Gathering.
B. Letters of Great Performers.
C. Letters Brought to Life.
D. Rights Given to Women.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析
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We talk about people being “colour-blind” but very few of us are. Even those who describe themselves as colour-blind are normally just colour lack. A strongly, colour-blind person will still be able to tell 20 different colours, compared to the 100 or so that normal-sighted people see.
Pingelap, a tiny island in the Pacific, is a beautiful spot but one that has a’ genetic trouble. It is known as Colour-blind Island because so many people who live on this remote island can only sec in black and white.
Not being able to see in colour is bad enough. But one is lander, Herrol, who’s a fisherman, also struggles in full sunlight because all he sees is a painful burnt-out image. “I find it difficult to go outside in the sun,” he says, “because when it’s sunny I cannot see to do my work.”
But if being truly colour-blind is rare, why is it that around 10% of the population of Pingelap live in a totally black and white world?
Well，we know that in 1780 the population of Pingelap was all but wiped out by a tsunami (海啸). As few as 20 people survived, one of whom was the king. It’s believed he had a genetic fault that causes colour-blindness and he passed this fault on to his many generations.
There is one advantage. Herrol can see well, really well, in the dark. So when it gets dark, Herrol and his friends get in their boats and hunt flying fish. They hang up flaming torches and the fish are attracted to the flames. “This type of fishing is fun,” Herrol says, “especially if we catch plenty. So even though it’s hard work we enjoy it.”
1.What is Pingelap famous as?
A. A tiny island.
B. A beautiful island.
C. A mentally troubled island.
D. A colour-blind island.
2.What .can we infer about Herrol?
A. He may stay at home when it’s sunny.
B. He is interested in burnt-out images.
C. He likes taking photos very much.
D. He doesn’t live in Pingelap any more.
3.Why are about one-tenth of people in Pingelap seriously colour-blind?
A. Because Pingelap often suffers from tsunamis.
B. Because the king had an unlucky marriage.
C. Because the king’s genetic fault played a role.
D. Because the king made a serious mistake.
4.What would be the best title for the text?
A. The island of colour-blindness.
B. The disadvantage of Herrol.
C. The history of Pingelap.
D. The advantage of colour-blindness.
难度: 简单查看答案及解析
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In 1885, the Republic of France, important friend during the American Revolution, donated the largest statue in the world, Liberty Enlightening the World, to the United States of America. The statue would celebrate its century of independence. To ship it, the statue was broken down into 350 pieces. And now, spread across Bedloe’s Island in New York Harbour, it sat in 214 wooden packing boxes. The problem was that New York had no money to re-assemble it. Six other cities, less affected by the recent economic decline, had the money and bid to build it.
But a Hungarian immigrant, Joseph Pulitzer, the owner of America’s biggest newspaper called the World, wouldn’t let “Liberty” go. When he heard that the Statue of Liberty was about to die from lack of funds, he saw his chance.
Pulitzer set the fund-raising goal of the World at $ 100,000. In its pages he laughed at the rich, thus increasing the paper’s appeal among working-class people, and firmly planted the idea that the statue was a monument not just for New York City but, indeed, for all of America.
Perhaps Pulitzer’s cleverest trick was the promise 10 publish the name of every single contributor in the pages of the World, no matter how small the contribution. The editorial that opened the fund-raising campaign set its tone. He wrote: “The World is the people’s paper and it now appeals to the people to come forward and raise the money for the statue’s base.” The statue, he said was paid for by “the masses of the French people. Let us respond in like manner.” The circulation of the World increased by almost 50,000 copies.
African American newspapers joined in the effort, encouraging their readers to contribute to a monument that would, in part, celebrate the end of slavery. So the money poured in, as single-dollar donations from grandmothers and pennies from the piggybanks of schoolchildren.
On August 11, 1885, the front page of the World announced, “ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND DOLLARS!” The goal had been reached, even slightly beyond, thanks to more than 120,000 contributions.
1.What does the underlined word “re-assemble” (Para. 1) probably mean?
A. Put together. B. Take apart.
C. Transport. D. Repair.
2.Which of the following was the greatest move in Joseph Pulitzer’s success?
A. Attacking the rich people.
B. Celebrating the end of slavery.
C. Printing every contributor’s name in the World.
D. Persuading children to donate their pocket money.
3.What did Joseph Pulitzer try to convey to his readers about the Statue of Liberty?
A. It was a symbol of independence.
B. It was a monument for the whole USA.
C. It was a wonder in the building history.
D. It was a favor from the rich French people.
4.What was the main purpose of Joseph Pulitzer’s efforts?
A. To protect the Statue of Liberty.
B. To win working-class readers over.
C. To expand the circulation of his paper.
D. To raise money for the Statue of Liberty.
难度: 中等查看答案及解析