An astronomer is making a case for launching pop singer Justin Bieber into suborbital（亞軌道的）space aboard a private rocket ship. The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.
It would generate a lot of public interest, which would help commercial spaceflight pick up some much-needed momentum, said Seth Shostak, senior astronomer at the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI) Institute in Mountain View, California. “If there’s more interest, there are more customers. If there are more customers, there's more technical development. It's a positive feedback loop, and obviously that's good.”
Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.
None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close. For instance, Virgin Galactic hopes to begin powered test flights of its SpaceShipTwo vehicle later this year, with commercial operations perhaps beginning in 2013 or 2014. It is SpaceShipTwo that reportedly grabbed the attention of Beyonce and Jay-Z.
Virgin Galactic has collected deposits from nearly 500 customers willing to pay $200,000 for a ride aboard SpaceShipTwo, and both Virgin and XCOR have inked deals to fly scientists and their experiments on research flights. So a suborbital market already exists — but Shostak is thinking about ways to make it grow.
A celebrity launch isn't Shostak’s only idea. Suborbital firms should also promote their activities aggressively via social media, Shostak said, and they should make sure their spaceships are bristling（充滿）with cameras both inside and out, to give the public dramatic views of every mission.
Some observers view commercial suborbital spaceflight as a potentially transformative industry, saying it could serve as a stepping stone to the exploration and exploitation of space on an unprecedented scale. While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.
【小題1】Why may Justin Bieber be sent into suborbital space?
| A．To show his bravery and make him a role model for teenagers. |
| B．To arouse the American public’s interest. |
| C．To help reform the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To film an advertisement about space. |
| A．A trip will return to Earth before finishing a lap. |
| B．The whole trip will leave passengers weightless. |
| C．Each trip can take 500 passengers. |
| D．The trip will be too expensive even for celebrities. |
| A．SpaceShipTwo will be the first to fly. |
| B．Famous people will be the main passengers in the future. |
| C．The space trip is still in preparation. |
| D．Every space trip will be made into a film. |
| A．space is too mysterious to explore |
| B．the suborbital market is promising |
| C．the spaceflight industry is more successful than people think |
| D．developing the industry is risky |
| A．To predict a change in the space market. |
| B．To discuss a recent launch. |
| C．To introduce the status of the spaceflight industry. |
| D．To remove public doubt about the spaceflight industry. |
【小題1】B
【小題2】A
【小題3】C
【小題4】B
【小題5】C
解析試題分析：本文主要介紹了亞軌道航天工業(yè)的suborbital spaceflight industry的現(xiàn)狀和前景。
【小題1】B 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第一段The idea is not to rid the world of the Canadian teenager — he would come back down to Earth eventually, after all — but rather to help jump-start the emerging suborbital spaceflight industry.說明這樣做是為了引起人們對(duì)亞軌道航天工業(yè)的興趣。故B正確。
【小題2】A 細(xì)節(jié)題。根據(jù)文章第三段Such missions would return to Earth without completing a full lap around the planet. Instead, the flights would hit the edge of space about 62 miles (100 kilometers) above Earth, experience a few minutes of weightlessness, then re-enter the atmosphere and land back at a spaceport.可知在這樣的飛行中，人們并沒有完全繞地球飛行一圈，然后就返回了地面。故A正確。
【小題3】C 推斷題。根據(jù)文章倒數(shù)第三段None of these firms are ready to fly customers yet, but some are getting close.可知這樣的飛行并沒有真正實(shí)現(xiàn)，只是在慢慢接近。故C項(xiàng)正確。
【小題4】B 推理題。根據(jù)文章最后2行While the industry’s success is far from assured, Shostak offered some reason for optimism: The American public remains keen on space.
課雖然現(xiàn)在這種行業(yè)還沒有取得成功，但是前景很樂觀，因?yàn)槊绹藢?duì)于太空旅游很感興趣。這個(gè)行業(yè)還是有很大的潛力的，故B正確。
【小題5】C 主旨大意題。根據(jù)文章第一段內(nèi)容中所舉Justin Bieber的例子，就是為了向我們介紹
方興未艾的 suborbital spaceflight industry.故C正確。
考點(diǎn)：考查科普類短文閱讀
點(diǎn)評(píng)：本文主要介紹了亞軌道航天工業(yè)的suborbital spaceflight industry的現(xiàn)狀和前景。
考查科普類短文閱讀，此類文章的最大的障礙是詞匯以及考生對(duì)閱讀內(nèi)容的不熟悉，需要考生在閱讀的時(shí)候有足夠的耐心。要養(yǎng)成在上下文串聯(lián)中猜測(cè)詞義的能力，根據(jù)上下文中出現(xiàn)的同義詞，近義詞，反義詞，以及詞義的解釋來理解生詞。同時(shí)要抓住文章的中心，不要受其他信息的影響。要根據(jù)題目及選項(xiàng)以及文章的上下文串聯(lián)合理的判斷推理。
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Later on, I found out that she thought I had cheated on the test. When she saw me lean over to talk to the girl next to me, it looked as if I was copying answers from the girl’s test paper. I tried to explain about the pen, but all she could say was it seemed very very strange to her that I hadn’t talked of anything about the pen the day she talked to me right after the test. Even if I tried to explain that I was just doing the girl a favor by letting her use my pen, I am sure she continued（繼續(xù)） to believe that I had cheated on the test.
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A. in the teacher’s office B. in an exam room
C. in the school D. in the language lab
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The teacher saw all this, so she asked the boy ____ .
A. to go on writing his paper B. to stop whispering
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A. honesty B. sense of duty C. seriousness D. all of the above
The boy knew everything ____ .
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A. old B. impatient C. adults D. tired
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A. rose from a low social class
B. had an unhappy marriage
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A. looked forward to her wonderful performance
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C. looked down upon her
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A. the judges B. the Internet C. the newspaper D. the advertisement
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A. how Susan Boyle achieved her success
B. the comment made by American actor Ashton Kutcher
C. Susan Boyle’s influence in the USA
D. Oprah Winfrey’s invitation to Susan Boyle
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C. Ten years. D. About twelve years.
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5. Which of the following statements could fully express the author's view towards physicians’ payment in the USA?
A. For their expensive education and their responsibility, they deserve a handsome pay.
B. It is reasonable for physicians to have a large income because their work is very dangerous.
C. Physicians should be better paid because they work long hours under bad conditions.
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NEW YORK - People who keep doing some work in their field after they retire may enjoy better physical and mental health than those who stop work completely or switch to another area of work, according to a U.S. study.
Researchers from the University of Maryland said the findings suggest that prospective retirees should consider moving into so-called "bridge employment" as a transition to full retirement.
"In essence, if someone is in a field where part-time work or self-employment is possible, he or she should consider it as they plan for retirement," researcher Dr. Mo Wang, an assistant professor of psychology, told Reuters Health.
For their study, Wang and his colleagues used data on more than 12,000 workers in a U.S. health study begun in 1992. Participants, who were between the ages of 51 and 61 at the outset, were surveyed every two years over a six-year period.
Overall, Wang's team found, people who went into some form of bridge employment reported lower rates of major diseases like high blood pressure, heart disease, diabetes and arthritis during the study period than their counterparts who went straight into full retirement.
The findings were not explained by older age or worse initial health among people who opted for full retirement, the investigators report in the Journal of Occupational Health Psychology.
On top of their better physical health, "bridge" workers also tended to report fewer mental health problems, such as depression.
The same mental health benefits were not seen, however, when retirees took part-time work in other fields -- possibly, Wang said, because many of these people may have taken those jobs out of financial need rather than choice.
He noted that the lack of benefit could also stem from the fact that these retirees had to adjust to an unfamiliar job position or had to make lifestyle changes.
Bridge work, particularly in one's accustomed field, may benefit physical and mental health for a number of reasons, according to Wang.
In general, he explained, such work may help older adults maintain the active lifestyles they had during their careers and decrease any stress they might feel from the transition into retirement. wwwWang said when it comes to mental health, for instance, bridge work may help by allowing people to keep some of the "role identity" that they have formed over their careers.
Staying active in general, not only through work, can also benefit retirees' physical health, Wang noted. He added, however, that any mental health benefits are likely to depend on the type of activity -- whether it is something that the person truly enjoys, and that helps ease any stress of moving into retirement.
"These findings," Wang said, "suggest that for retirees and prospective retirees, carefully considering whether to engage in bridge employment -- and if so, what types of bridge employment -- is quite important."
What does the underlined phrase “at the outset” mean?__________
A. at least B. at least C. at the beginning D. at last
People who went into some form of bridge employment have less chances to get the following diseases, EXCEPT___________.
A. arthritis B. heart disease C. diabetes D. low blood pressure
Which of the following statement is WRONG?_________
A. As long as retirees move into “bridge employment”, they must be healthier than those who do not.
B. The participants in the study were between 51 and 61 years old.
C. The bridge workers are also less likely to get depression.
D. Staying active is beneficial to the retirees’ physical health.
What can we infer from the passage?________
A. The study was begun in 1992 and lasts for two 6-year periods
B. If a bridge worker is older than 61 years old, it does not mean that he will get a better health than others who enjoy full retirement.
C. Only by moving into “bridge employment” can the retirees enjoy better health both physically and psychologically.
D. Any activity can benefit the retirees’ mental health.
Which is the best title of the passage?
A. A US study
B. Bridge Work
C. Working after retiring can be good for your health
D. Stay active
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