Following news of the potential for life on the recently-discovered TRAPPIST-1 system, there may be another competitor ready to take its place.

 With the help of the Cassini spacecraft, NASA (National Aeronautics and Space Administration) scientists have picked up the first evidence that chemical reactions are taking place deep below the surface of Enceladus, Saturn’s (土星的) sixth-largest moon. This means that there could be life in Enceladus’ warm underground seas.

 An early study found that liquid oceans exist miles below Enceladus’ surface. But to reveal what is happening down there, scientists must rely on the plumes (股) of water that spray (喷射) through cracks in Enceladus’ icy surface. In October 2015, NASA sent Cassini into a deep dive into one of the plumes.

 Cassini’s findings, published on April 13 in the journal Science, showed that hydrogen (氢) not only exists on Enceladus, but is also responsible for a chemical reaction between hot rocks and water in the ocean beneath its surface.

 This same process on Earth provides energy for entire ecosystems around volcanic vents (火山口). There, tiny creatures are able to survive without sunlight, using hydrogen and carbon dioxide as fuel in a process known as “methanogenesis (甲烷生成)”.

The discovery of this chemical energy source on Enceladus means it could be a very good candidate to host life.

“Confirmation (确认) that the chemical energy for life exists within the ocean of a small moon of Saturn is an important milestone (里程碑) in our search for habitable (可居住的) worlds beyond Earth,” Linda Spilker, Cassini project scientist at NASA, told the Daily Mail.

 Alien life was once only thought possible on habitable planets within the “Goldilocks zone” – far enough from our sun not to be a fireball, but not so far as to be freezing.

 Research on Enceladus is still in its early stages, but the recent findings have important meanings for future exploration.

“At present, we know of only one genesis (诞生) of life, the one that led to us,” David Rothery, professor of planetary geosciences (行星与地球科学) from the Open University in the UK, told The Telegraph.

“If we knew that life had started independently in two places in our solar system, then we could be pretty confident that life also got started on some of the tens of billions of planets and moons around other stars in our galaxy,” he said.

24. What is the article mainly about?

 A. The connection between the TRAPPIST-1 system and Enceladus.

 B. The potential for life on Saturn’s moon, Enceladus.

 C. The chemical energy source on Enceladus.

 D. Scientists’ constant search for life in the solar system.

 25. Scientists assume that there could be life on Enceladus because ______.

 A. there is evidence of a warm ocean under Enceladus’ surface

 B. hot rocks and water have been discovered on Enceladus

 C. hydrogen discovered on Enceladus could be a chemical energy source

 D. the entire ecosystems of Enceladus are somewhat similar to those of Earth

26. According to David Rothery, the recent findings on Enceladus could mean that ______.

 A. there is only one genesis of life in our galaxy

 B. there could be many habitable planets, but all in the “Goldilocks zone”

 C. it won’t be long before scientists find a habitable planet beyond Earth

     D. alien life could exist on some other planets if it existed on Enceladus

 Recently it had begun experimenting with a household robot. It was going to be      by Larry’s wife, Claire.

A. tested for   B. tested with     C. tested out    D. tested up

 — What did she want to know, Tom?

— She wondered ________ we could complete the experiment.

A. when was it that  B. it was when that  C. it was when  D. when it was that

How do you deal with hunger of your stomach? Eat your favorite meal and keep quiet after that?   36   But it never lets you know, because you keep it busy thinking about your friends or favorite stars. So it silently serves your needs and never lets itself a full stop. This might be the reason why we all sometimes think “What happens next?” “Why can’t I think?”

  37   Why reading but not watching TV? It is because reading has been the most educative tool used by us right from childhood. Since it develops other aspects of our life, we have to get help from reading.

Once you read a book, you run your eyes through the lines and your mind tries to explain something to you.   38   Now this seed is unknowingly used by you to develop new ideas. If it is used many times, the same seed can give you great help to relate a lot of things, which you would have never thought of in your wildest dreams!

This is nothing but creativity.   39    Within no time you can start talking with your friends in English or any other language and never ran out of the right words.

So guys, do give food to your thoughts by reading, reading and more reading.   40   Go and grab a book!

A. Hunger of the mind can be actually solved through wide reading.

B. Also this makes a great contribution to your vocabulary.

C. Reading can help you make more friends as well.

D. Now what are you waiting for?

E. Just like your stomach, your mind is also hungry.

F. Why not do some reading while you are hungry?

G. The interesting part of the book is stored in your mind as a seed.

61. 挑战 ______________________

62. 不愿意(的)_________________

63. 乐观主义的 _______________

64. 渴望的 ____________________

65. 典礼_______________________

66. 反复；多次 ________________________________________

67. 以防万一 _______________________________

68. 加速 ________________________________

69. 把---分成 ____________________________

70. 讲的通；有意义___________________________

During my third year of university，I was searching for a place to live．One Sunday after church，the pastor told me to stay in his daughter's room because his daughter was studying abroad for one year．

To be （16）　   　，I really did not want to stay with"the pastor's family"．He told me how much the （17）　              　 would be﹣a very low figure that （18）　   　 one home﹣cooked meal a day．I thought about the （19）　   　 and decided to move in．

At the end of the term I had planned to find （20）　      living place，since the daughter was to（21）　   　 home．To my delight，they （22）　   　 that I share a room with their son．I seemed to have been adopted into their（23）　   　﹣their people became my people．I （24）　   　 accepted the offer．

As I emptied the daughter's bedroom，I thought it might be （25）　  　 to have a little sister to look after．But when I later met my new sister，I （26）　  　 that she was more independent than I first（27）　   　．

We finally fell in love，（28）　   　 and have looked after each other for many years．There have been times that life turned out more（29）　   　 than either of us could have known．But we have always been able to go（30）　   　 largely because we knew that we are deeply （31）　  ．

It isn't about marriage﹣It's about（32）　   　．It is about mothers and fathers，sisters and brothers and special friends who are as （33）　   　 as family．It's about anybody who can say，"I'll be （34）　    　﹣you count on me．I'll try to look after you and sometimes I'll need you to look after me．"

Is there anybody you can rely on？And are others counting on you？We take a trip on the road of life best when there is（35）　   　 to take care of，and when someone is taking us of us．

 The news spread quickly through the village ________ the war had ended, ________ made villagers wild with joy.

A. which; that                 B. that; what                 C. that; which               D. what; which

假定英语课上老师要求同桌之间交换修改作文，请你修改你同桌写的以下作文。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：在缺词处加一个漏词符号（∧），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。

My fire department captain, Mike, who is always ready to serve for others, has a brain disease. Last week, we raised money for him and his family to help them with medically expenses. Many people also came to us to write message to Mike on a while board. Beside, we downloaded many photos of friends, encouraged words, and beautiful photos of our area onto a digital device. We make a video with all the things. Yesterday, we went to the hospital and gave a board and the video our captain. Our goal is: unless he gets discouraged or feels lonely, he can play the video to remind him of all the people who love and care for us.

  Skating backwards on ice is a bit difficult but once you master the basis, there’s nothing like it. Follow the steps given below and you will be able to skate backwards in no time.

   16  

  The first thing that you need to do is, stand straight. If you feel that you are falling backwards, then just put your chin up and slightly bend your knees. Don’t worry; this happens to all.

   17  

  The most important step while learning how to skate backwards, is having enough confidence in yourself and in what you are doing. How can you achieve this? By practice, Just practice rolling backwards down a gentle slope every single day or just by pushing off from a wall or something of that sort.

   18  

  Confident now? Great! Now the next step is to maintain your speed．While rolling in a straight line with one skate, with the other try sculling(滑浆), that is, keep pushing yourself backwards with an outwards stroke(滑动)．Now bring the skate which you were using to scull, and then again, repeat the same process．Make sure that you put most of your weight on the skate which is moving straight and not the one with which you are sculling．Now, try the same thing using the other foot．Again keep doing this till you are confident enough．

   19  

Once you are confident that you can scull with either foot, the next thing that you have to do is increase your speed．Try some of your own tricks now．Scull with either foot or with both at the same time．

   20  

While you keep one foot straight, keep sculling with the other．You can do that simultaneously with both feet．Concentrate on what you are doing but don't get so involved that you don't see where you are going．If you are not watching your back, you might just bang against something or someone．

A. Find Another to Practise with You

B. Increase Your Speed Now

C. Gain Your Courage

D. Stand Straight

E. Maintain Speed

F. Scull and Be Aware

G. Confidence is What You Need

Author Norman Mailer published an essay in which he declared the graffiti(涂鸦) of the New York subway to be "The Great Art of the 70s". But what happened to the artists and why is there no subway graffiti any more?

"It started with someone just writing their name - someone saw that, and added on to it," recalls New York graffiti artist Nicer, born Hector Nazario."Letters going in front of letters, coming back through a letter, behind a letter, going across a letter... the subways became our playground," adds Riff170.

New York in 1974 was a city in crisis. The Mayor, Abe Beame, slashed the city's budget in a bid to stave off bankruptcy(破产), which meant laying off school teachers, police officers and subway staff.

"They were taking the money from the schools, there was a lot of corruption here, in this community, and so they took the after-school programmes away, and there was no outlets for this. So the outlet became our city," says Bronx-born designer Eric Orr.

"It was like an explosion. The graffiti explosion. All of a sudden it took over the whole city. I don't know what happened, but overnight in the early 70s it was from no graffiti to all graffiti," says another former artist, Flint Gennari.

Eric Felisbret, author and former graffiti artist, says graffiti culture was in a way a product of the civil rights movement. "It was never political," he says, "but many people were brought up with that, and to express yourself by breaking the law became a natural process for them."

The graffiti pioneers came from all races, however. "There were writers that were African American, Latino - Puerto Rico, Dominican, Cuban - Jewish, Asian, and it became one unit - one family," says another graffiti pioneer, Roberto Gualtieri.

Prof Gregory Snyder, sociologist and author of Graffiti Lives, says: "For lots of people, graffiti is ugly, vandalistic, and I'm not denying that. It's vandalism... now, oftentimes it's very clever vandalism. It can be written on a dumpster, like a garbage bin, and if someone's attempting to make a garbage bin look a little prettier maybe that's not the worst thing in the world."Although Mailer was not alone in welcoming the flowering of creativity, the authorities hated it, as did many passengers.

So when Mayor Ed Koch took office, he was determined to clean up the city and set about targeting graffiti.

"I remember in 1982 he brought everyone out to a train yard and there was a single train painted white," says former New York Daily News reporter Salvatore Arena. Trains were taken out of service and cleaned as soon as graffiti was spotted. Carriages were protected at night and the city agreed to ban the sale of spray cans.

If in 1984 80% of subway carriages contained graffiti by May 1989 the network was graffiti-free. “Graffiti has gone through an evolution, and it will continue to evolve. It’s now socially accepted in places where 20-30 years ago that would have been impossible. It’s now showcased(展示)in certain museums –and let’s say in another 30 years from now it may be hanging in the White House,” says Nicer.

Nowadays painted graffiti is largely gone from the New York subway trains themselves and is seen instead on the walls and tunnels of the city. It has been replaced by scratchiti(刮擦艺术) created onto carriage windows using keys, knives. Unlike the vivid images of 40 years ago, these ghostly patterns are somehow easy to ignore. After all, graffiti has faded quietly into the background.

46. What caused the graffiti’s sudden appearance in New York in the 1970s?

A. The worse economy in New York then.

B. It is a product of the civil rights movement.

C. The support and encouragement of the Mayor.

D. Publishment of Norman Mailer’s essay on graffiti.

47. In the 1970s, New York’s graffiti artists         .

A. could only do graffiti on trains

B. organized a political movement

C. often left their own names on their works

D. realized they were actually against the laws

48. What’s Gregory Snyder’s attitude towards graffiti?

A. Negative.

B. Critical.

C. Objective.

D. Approving.

49. The main reason why Mayor Ed Koch took measures to stop graffiti may be that        .

A. all passengers were against graffiti

B. it wasn’t the art that Ed Koch was fond of

C. it became out of date because of scratchiti

D. it didn’t benefit most subway passengers

50. What is the last but one paragraph mainly about?

A. Graffiti evolution makes New York subways graffiti-free.

B. Graffiti has evolved and is widely accepted in some places.

C. It took 5 years to clean 80% of the graffiti in New York city.

D. Graffiti will sure appear on the walls of the White House.

1. Since my father stopped sending me money, I __________a small retail business for all these years.

2. China is the first country in the world to plant rice, which ____________more than 6000 years ago.

3. Mary lost her job last month so she had no alternative but______________ with her old coat this winter.

4.______________several times by door-to-door salesmen, the old woman is very careful to open the door when she was alone at home.

5. The couple is satisfied with the pretty and comfortable room ____________ a flower-filled garden.

6. I had got myself well prepared for the interview and then it ________________at the last minute, which disappointed me very much.

7. It is ________________a famous key university that will bring the fresh graduates a little bit closer to getting a job.

8. With her perseverance _____________, she became a doctor and joined the medical team in Africa.

 The thought of going back home was all _____________ kept him happy while he was working abroad.

A. that                 B. which           C. who              D. whom

No one really knows exactly when the first people arrived in   61   we now call as California. However, it is likely that Native Americans were living in California at least fifteen thousand years ago. Scientists believe that these settlers   62   (cross) the Bering Strait in the Arctic to America   63   means of a land bridge which existed in prehistoric times. In the 16th century, after the   64   (arrive) of the Europeans, the native people suffered   65   (great). Thousands were killed   66   forced into slavery. In addition, many died from the diseases   67   (bring) by the Europeans. However, some survived these terrible times, and today there are more Native Americans   68   (live) in California than in any other state.

California is the third   69   (big) state in the USA but has the largest population. It also has the distinction of being the most multicultural state in the USA, having attracted people from all over the world. The customs and languages of the immigrants live on in their new home. This diversity of culture is not   70   (surprise) when you know the history of California.

 ________ to smoking for a considerably long time made him diagnosed with lung cancer, which depressed him a lot.

 A. Addicted       B. Being addicted      C. Having addicted     D .Addicting

About five years ago, an American electrical engineer named Scott Brusaw and his wife Julie came up with the idea of putting solar panels on the ground

rather than the roof. Then they began to develop the Solar Roadway specially for a new type of cars—eco-cars. The Solar Roadway is an intelligent road that provides clean renewable energy using power from the sun while providing safer driving conditions, along with power and data delivery. They predict that the Solar Roadway will pay for itself through the generation of electricity along with other forms of income and that the same amount of money that is being used to build and resurface current roads can be used to build the Solar Roadways.

Each Solar Road Panel measures roughly 4 meters by 4 meters and contains a microprocessor (微处理器) that monitors and controls the panel, while communicating with neighboring panels and the vehicles traveling overhead. The inventors suggest that this provides a communication device every 4 meters on every road which could be used for example to warn drivers of cars which are moving across a centre line and various other speed control problems. The top of the Solar Road panels is made of super-strong glass that would offer vehicles the tractions (抓地力) t he y need.

According to the inventors, the Solar Roadway creates and carries clean renewable electricity and therefore electric vehicles can be recharged at any conveniently located rest stop, or at any business that has paved Solar Road Panels in their parking lots.

The inventors say their Solar Roadway has many functions and advantages from main roads to driveways, parking lots, bike paths, sidewalks and runways. The Federal Highway Administration has given Brusaw $100,000 to develop the invention and Brusaw hopes to build a smart-road parking lot in the coming spring.

51.    In the inventors’ opinion, the Solar Roadway                      .

A.   is too expensive to build at present

B.  costs no more money than current roads

C.   can provide as many data as present computers

D.  will bring them a large sum of money

52.    The underlined word “they” in Paragraph 2 refers to                     .

A. the panels                  B. the inventors              C. the researchers           D. the vehicles

53.    The Solar Roadway includes all the following advantages EXCEPT                         .

A.   providing safer driving conditions

B.  helping drivers communicate with each other while driving

C.   creating and carrying clean renewable electricity

D.  warning drivers of various speed control problems

54.    It can be inferred from the text that                  .

A.   the Solar Roadway has already been put into use

B.  ＄100,000 is not enough to build a smart-road parking lot

C.   the Solar Roadway is not available for gas-powered cars

D.  future electric vehicles can be charged anytime and anywhere

55.    What can be the best title for the text?

A.   Solar-powered smart road of the future

B.  The great changes on the roadway

C.   The influence the Solar Roadway has on people

D.  The Solar Road—a much faster road

committed     swipe      upload     download          implanted    verdict   sentenced            patent

rape               arson      scroll      acquitted    accused      click      jailbreak         log on

The Supreme Court today reserved its ___58___ on the appeals filed by four death row convicts in the December 16, 2012 gang-___59___ and murder case. During the arguments, the prosecutor, Sidharth Luthra, , told the jury that these convicts had "brutalised" the young woman and they deserved to be ____60____ to death. "The offence ____61____ by them (convicts) attracts death penalty. “

Adding photos to your profile is easy. Open the website and enter your username and password to  ____62____ to your account. ____63____ down the Media menu and ____64____ on Photos. You can ____65____ any photo to your profile as long as it is saved on your computer.

I was always complaining about wind or rain and I didn’t thought I sounded   41  . Although it was nothing unusual for the arrival of wind or rain, it caused inconvenience for me to go out, and sometimes it   42   created an awful atmosphere, so I   43   it strongly.

On a rainy day a meteorologist (气象学家) I met was very   44   at my great anger caused by   45   that made a little inconvenience for me.

He asked, “Have you ever experienced typhoon?” I shook my head. “Everybody blames it   46   the destruction it brings to mankind, but do you know what would happen to the world if there were no typhoon?”

The meteorologist told me, “Without it the   47   of fresh water will be more serious, for it is a great source of water supply on earth. Without it, there would be a greater imbalance in the distribution of   48  . The equatorial (赤道的) area that receives the most sunshine completely   49   typhoon to spread heat. Without typhoon the tropics would be even hotter   50   the cold zones much colder.   51  , the temperate (温带) zones would disappear from the world…”

Ignorance made me   52  . I disliked wind only because it messed my hair. I hated rain merely because I had to carry a(n)   53  . But I had no idea at all that typhoon - something   54   more violent, something a thousand times more disturbing than wind or rain - was a   55   to the existence of mankind.

It is advised that a man   56   to think for a moment   57   he complains. “What would the world become if typhoon 58 all together?” The   59   will keep him calm and he will be better   60   of the world he lives in.

41. A. selfish                      B. absurd                                  C. reasonable                           D. honest

42. A. also                          B. still                                 C. even                              D. yet

43. A. punished                  B. challenged                            C. blamed                          D. fought

44. A. disappointed                   B. puzzled                          C. satisfied                         D. delighted

45. A. rain                          B. snowstorm                            C. typhoon                         D. wind

46. A. with                          B. on                                  C. as                                  D. for

47. A. pollution                   B. waste                             C. shortage                        D. protection

48. A warmth                      B cold                                C water                              D air

49. A. lies in                       B. results from                          C. depends on                          D. relate to

50. A. when                        B. because                        C. so                                  D. while

51. A. After all                           B. As a result                            C. In fact                                   D. In all

52. A. far - sighted                    B. out of sight                           C. in sight                          D. short - sighted

53. A. suitcase                          B. overcoat                        C. umbrella                        D. hat

54. A. much                        B. many                             C. less                               D. little

55. A. trouble                            B. dream                                   C. must                              D. danger

56. A. stop                         B. to stop                                  C. stopped                         D. stops

57. A. until                          B. after                               C. since                             D. before

58. A moved                       B. disappeared                         C. escaped                        D. hid

59. A theory                       B. answer                                  C. request                          D. complaint

60. A careful                       B. kind                               C. tired                               D. aware

It’s cold and dark outside, and your bed is so warm and comfortable. Going for a run seems like such a bad idea. But before you hide your running shoes, it might be worth giving that crazy idea a go.

According to The Huffington Post, an outdoor run in winter, as opposed to one on a treadmill(跑步机), burns more calories because the body is working hard to adjust its core temperature. Furthermore, research shows that race times are faster in cold weather than in warmer temperatures and quicker runs burn more calories. Similarly, cold weather also makes the heart work harder to distribute blood through the body, making that vital muscle even stronger.

Outdoor exercise also turns up your energy and rids you of the stress and depression that build up every day. The heat and humidity in the summer can drag you down and tire you faster, but cold weather is refreshing. It adjusts you to your surroundings, making you feel alive.

Of course, the threat of smog in some built-up areas is a further hurdle to winter exercise. Heart attacks, stroke, lung cancer and asthma are all dangers of running in smog. The combination of air pollution and exercise increases the potential problems. If you do choose to run outside on smoggy days, take a path in a park or residential area to avoid car exhaust(尾气), and go early in the morning before rush hour. But staying inside on smoggy days and waiting for the next clear day to run is best.

9. How does cold weather benefit runners, compared with warm weather?

A. They can run more slowly.

B. They can take in more calories.

C. Their hearts can function harder.

D. Their body temperature can get lower.

10. How does summer affect runners?

A. It builds up their energy quickly.

B. It makes runners tired easily.

C. It lessens runners’ stress.

D. It causes heart attack.

11. What are the runners supposed to do on smoggy days?

A. Stop driving cars.

B. Do more exercise.

C. Avoid outdoor exercise.

D. Run late in the morning.

The art of Palmistry (手相术)

   Palm reading, or palmistry, is the ancient art of studying the lines on the palm of the hand to describe a person’s character and foretell future events in a person’s life.

   To study a person’s character and future, a palm reader looks carefully at the three main lines on the active hand (the one a person writes with). The reader usually looks first at a person’s Life Line. This begins under the index finger, and goes down towards the wrist. This line describes the way a person lives his or her life. A person with a deep Life Line is energetic and competitive. If a person has a faint line, he or she is more of a thinker than a doer.

   The Heart Line runs across the hand, just below the fingers. This line describes one’s emotions or feelings. A person with a deep Heart Line is a peace maker. Family is important to this person. Those with a faint line do not like to be alone. They are often controlled by their emotions.

   The Head Line is below the Heart Line. It describes how a person thinks. A person with a long Head Line thinks about things very carefully. Those with a short Head Line are very decisive. A person with a deep Head Line is clever and talkative. Those with a faint Head Line are often messy, but very creative.

   Palm readers believe that these lines and marks on the hand can tell us something about our personalities. Try the test on yourself. Do you agree?

Conversation begins almost the moment we come into contact with another and continues throughout the day with the aid of cell phones and computers. However, we are so often absorbed in conversation that we lose sight of its true purpose and value.

One important aspect of a good conversation is the words used to express thoughts and feelings. We are full of deep thoughts and strong emotions, yet our vocabularies are not enough for this expression, and many make little effort to expand that. Perhaps you see a movie that touches you deeply, yet you have the following conversation: “So, what did you think of the film?” “Oh, my God, it was so sad. I swear, I went through using up a box of tissues. I was in tears.”This dialogue is hardly an effective way of expressing feelings. It gives no sign of how or why the movie truly affected you. Such commonly-used phrases are certainly not enough to describe a deeply moving experience. However, not only must you try to avoid overused words, you must also be careful in your selection. The purpose of expanding vocabulary is not to use the largest or most impressive words, but to find those best suited.

What is lacking in many conversations is the ability to talk to another rather than just talking with that person. A thoughtful person will find that even in the most ordinary of conversations, there are a thousand questions waiting to be asked if you have courage and a desire for change, in order to seek out the person behind the mask. Good conversations should not be made up of nonsense, but of a meeting of two sharing the human condition. It should bring a purer understanding of others and offer a release of emotions more than drive away unpleasant thoughts or kill time. If we want,we can reach beyond the superficiality（肤浅）of talking into the vast kingdom of wisdom.

28. The author used a movie as an example to show that ____________.

A. overused words can’t fully express feelings of a speaker

B. how and why a moving movie can deeply affect a speaker

C. only expanding vocabulary can describe moving experiences

D. the largest or most impressive words should he used by speakers

29. “Seek out the person behind the mask” in the last paragraph means___________.

A. remove the mask of others                B. distrust the others’ appearance

C. feel doubtful about the others              D. get the hidden truth beyond words

30. According to the author, a good conversation is ___________             .

A. a way to free the unpleasant or pass time        B. a desire to raise more questions

C. an exchange of emotions and experiences    D. a route to the kingdom of wisdom

31. The best title of the passage could be ___________.

A. Vocabulary in Conversations    B. Art of Conversations

C. Ability in Conversations       D. Importance of Conversations