The shuttle Endeavour will be taking the astronauts to the H

Astronauts on shorter shuttle missions (使命) often work very long days. Tasks are scheduled (安排) so tightly that break times are often used to finish the day’s work. This type of schedule is far too demanding for long missions on the International Space Station (ISS). ISS crewmembers usually live in space for at least a quarter of a year. They work five days on and two days off to mimic the normal way they do things on Earth as much as possible. Weekends give the crew valuable time to rest and do a few hours of housework. They can communicate with family and friends by email, internet phone and through private video conferences.
While astronauts cannot go to a baseball game or a movie in orbit, there are many familiar activities that they can still enjoy. Before a mission, the family and friends of each ISS crewmember put together a collection of family photos, messages, videos and reading material for the astronauts to look at when they will be floating 370 kilometers above the Earth. During their mission, the crew also receives care packages with CDs, books, magazines, photos and letters. And as from early 2010, the internet became available on the ISS , giving astronauts the chance to do some “web surfing（冲浪）” in their personal time. Besides relaxing with these more common entertainments, astronauts can simply enjoy the experience of living in space.
Many astronauts say that one of the most relaxing things to do in space is to look out the window and stare at the universe and the Earth’s vast land mass and oceans.
小题1:What does the word “ mimic ” in Paragraph 1 probably mean?

A． Find

B． Copy

C．Change

D．Lose

小题2: Which of the following best describes the families of the astronauts on the ISS ?

A．They are caring and thoughtful.

B．They are patient and annoyed.

C．They are impatient and annoyed.

D．They are excited and curious.

小题3:In the final paragraph, the author shows that astronauts .

A．get more pleasure in space than on the Earth

B．find living in space a bit boring and tiring

C．regard space life as common

D．love to see the Earth from space

小题4:The passage mainly discusses how astronauts .

A．work for longer missions in space

B．connect with people on the Earth

C．observe the Earth from space.

D．spend their free time in space

Some time after the rockets and the space shuttle are _____, the rocket will _____ the space shuttle and ____ the sea.

A．set sail; broadcast; drop in	B．ruled out; orbit; show up
C．stepped up; survive; fall for	D．launched; separate from; fall into

the space shuttle discovery has had a long and busy career. for 27 years, it has worked for nasa, carrying astronauts to space and back on 39 missions. on march 9, 2011, after returning from its final voyage, the world’s most traveled spaceship was retired.
a crowd of shuttle workers, reporters and schoolchildren waited to greet discovery at kennedy space center in cape canaveral, florida. three minutes before noon, they watched as the shuttle appeared in the sky and made one last touchdown. “for the final time: wheels stop,” discovery’s commander steven lindsey said when the shuttle rolled to a stop.
discovery’s final trip was to the international space station (iss), a giant space lab in the sky. discovery’s crew took care of the last u.s. construction project at iss. they delivered 10 tons of supplies for the iss. the six-person crew also dropped off an unusual companion for iss’s researchers: a human-like robot named robonaut 2. astronauts will assemble（组装）r2 at the iss over several months.
now, nasa is winding down its shuttle programme. nasa is to begin work on new spaceships that can travel longer distances. discovery’s retirement is the first of three. endeavor, another shuttle, is scheduled to make its final voyage soon. and atlantis’s last trip is planned for the end of june.
museums across the country have requested the retired shuttles. the smithsonian’s air and space museum, in washington, d.c., was the lucky recipient（接收者）of discovery. the museum’s collection contains hundreds of nasa artifacts.
where will the other shuttles go? you’ll have to wait to find out. nasa will announce its decision on april 12, the 30 ^th anniversary of the first space shuttle launching. stay tuned!
小题1:as part of the final mission, discovery’s crew___________.

a．carried researches to space

b．assembled the robonaut 2 at the iss

c．brought supplies to the iss

d．went on a spacewalk

小题2:the underlined phrase “winding down” in paragraph 4 probably means _________.

a．improving

b．ending

c．changing

d．testing

小题3:what can we infer from the text?

a．discovery completed 39 missions during its two decades of space travel.

b．the iss is a big project and six researchers live on the station.

c．american space exploration will focus on longer missions.

d．the shuttles endeavor and atlantis will make their last missions next month.

小题4:according to the text, we can learn about ___________.

a．people’s opinions of discovery’s retirement

b．the ***’s concern about the shuttles’ future

c．the shuttles’ final homes after retirement

d．museums’ great interest in the retired shuttles

The Space Shuttle Columbia broke into pieces over Texas as it returned to the earth on February 1，2003，__________all seven astronauts aboard.

A．having killed	B．killing
C．being killed	D．killed

Many people watched the lift-off of the space shuttle Columbia on March 21, 1982. But none watched more closely than eighteen-year-old Ted, as Ted’s insects were on board the shuttle.
The Shuttle Student Involvement Program invited students to make a science experiment. The experiment would be done by astronauts on the space shuttle.
Ted had always been interested in space and flight. Insect flight especially interested him. Ted noticed that insects need gravity to take off and land. They need gravity to fly in a straight line. But in space, there is no gravity. Could insects fly in zero gravity? That is what Ted wanted to find out.
Ted made an experiment called “Insect in Flight Motion Study”. He entered his experiment and soon news came that it was a winner .
A large team of scientists and engineers helped Ted get his experiment ready to fly. There were many questions to be answered first. What kind of insects would Ted use in his experiment? The insects would have to be strong enough to live on the shuttle for nine days without much food. What kind of container would hold the insects? Would the insects die during the shuttle flight?
After months of hard work, the “insectronauts” were chosen. A group of moths, flies, and honeybees were put into a special box and put onto the space shuttle. When Columbia flew into space, it was carrying insect passengers.
On March 24, astronauts Gordon Fullerton and Jack Lousma took out the box that held the insects. They began filming the insects with a special video camera.
When the space shuttle landed Ted was able to watch the video film of insects. Just as he thought, most of the insects did have trouble flying in zero gravity. The flies did well. But the moths’ flight seemed “uncontrolled”. They would often just hang in the air. The bees had the most trouble. They couldn’t fly at all! The film showed bees spinning around in all directions. Others were just floating about in the box.
Ted learned the answer to his question about insects’ flight in zero gravity. But he also learned a lot more. He learned about the hard work needed in making a successful experiment.
小题1:What does the underlined sentence “it was a winner” mean?

A．Ted could fly in space.	B．Ted won a prize.
C．Ted’s experiment was accepted.	D．Ted won in a race.

小题2:What did Ted want to find out?

A．Whether the insects could fly in space.

B．Whether the insects could fly in a straight line.

C．Whether the insects could land after flying for a while.

D．Whether the insects could take off after resting for a while.

小题3:Of the three kinds of insects sent into space, which one flew worst in zero gravity?

A．The flies.

B．The honeybees.

C．The insects.

D．The moths.

小题4:Who did the experiment?

A．Ted himself.

B．Ted’s friend.

C．A large team of scientists and engineers.

D．Two astronauts on the space shuttle.

小题5:How did Ted learn the answer to his question about insects’ flight in zero gravity?

A．By asking the scientists and engineers.

B．By studying a book written by the astronauts.

C．By going into space and watching the insects’ flight himself.

D．By watching the video film made by the astronauts.