阅读理解
阅读理解
The Mir Space Station
1 The Russian Mir Space Station, which came down in 2001 at last after 15 years of pioneering the concept of long-term human space flight, is remembered for its accomplishments in the human space flight history. It can be credited with many firsts in space.
2 During Mir’s lifetime, Russia spent about US $4.2 billion to build and maintain the station.
3 The Soviet Union launched Mir, which was designed to last from three to five years, on February 20, 1986, and housed 104 astronauts over 12 years and seven months, most of whom were not Russian. In fact, it became the first international space station by playing host to1 62 people from 11 countries. From 1995 through 1998, seven astronauts from the United Statestook turns living on Mir for up to six months each2. They were among the 37 Americans who visited the station during nine stopovers by space shuttles.
4 The more than 400 million the United States provided Russian for the visits not only kept Mir operating, but also gave the Americans and their partners in the international station project valuable experience in long-term flight and multinational operations.
5 A debate continues over Mir’s contributions to science. During its existence, Mir was the laboratory for 23,000 experiments and carried scientific equipment, estimated to be worth $80 million, from many nations.3 Experiments on Mir are credited with a range of findings, from the first solid measurement of the ration of heavy helium atoms in space to how to grow wheat in space. But for those favouring human space exploration, Mir showed that people could live and work in space long enough for a trip to Mars. The longest single stay in space is the 437.7 days that Russian astronaut Valery Polyakov spent on Mir from 1994 to 1995. And Sergie Avdeyev accumulated 747.6 days in space in three trips to the space station. The longest American stay was that of Shannon Lucid4, who spent 188 days aboard Mir in 1996.
6 Despite the many firsts Mir accomplished, 1997 was a bad year out of 15 for Mir. In 1997, an oxygen generator caught fire. Later, the main computer system broke down, causing the station to drift several times and there were power failures.
7 Most of these problems were repaired, with American help and suppliers, but Mir’s reputation as a space station was ruined.
8 Mir’s setbacks are nothing, though5, when we compare them with its accomplishments. Mir was a tremendous success, which will be remembered as a milestone in space exploration and the space station that showed long-term human habitation in space was possible. But it’s time to move on to the next generation. The International Space Station being built will be better, but it owes a great debt to Mir.
词汇：
pioneer / ,paɪə’nɪə(r)/ v．开拓
accomplishment / ə’kʌmplɪʃmənt, -’kɒm-/ n．成就
credit / ’kredɪt / v．归功于
host / həʊst / n．主人
stopover / ’stɒpəʊvə(r) / n．中途短暂停留
multinational / ,mʌltɪ’næʃənl/ adj．多国的
ration / ’ræʃən / n．含量
helium / ’hi:ljəm/ n．氦
aboard /ə’bɔ:d/ prep．在（船、飞机、车）上
setback / ’setbæk/ n．挫折
milestone / ’maɪlstəʊn/ n．里程碑
habitation / ,hæbɪ’teɪʃən / n．居住
debt / det / n．债
注释：
1．play host to：当东道主
2．... seven astronauts from the United States took turns living on Mir for up to six months each.来自美国的七位宇航员轮流在和平号上住了六个月之久。
take turns：轮流
living on Mir for up to six months each是现在分词短语，用作状语。
3．During its existence, Mir was the laboratory for 23,000 experiments and carried scientific equipment, estimated to be worth $80 million, from many nations：在和平号存在的时间里，它是进行23 000个实验的实验室，并携带了许多国家提供的价值估计为8 000万美元的科学仪器。
estimated to be worth $80 million是过去分词短语，用作定语。
4．The longest American stay was that of Shannon Lucid ...：美国人停留时间最长的一次是Shannon Lucid的那一次……
that替代前半句的stay。
5．Mir’s setbacks are nothing, though ... ：但是，和平号这些挫折算不了什么……
though：但是
A everythingB a great success
C a tremendous failure
D nothing
E many firsts
F quite possibleMir enhanced the confidence in the scientists that humans living in space for a long time was ________.
A:A B:B C:C D:D E:E F:F
Plants and Mankind
Botany（植物学）, the study of plants, occupies a peculiar position in the history of human knowledge. We don’t know what our Stone Age 1 ancestors knew about plants, but from what we can observe of preindustrial societies that still exist, a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient 2. They have always been enormously important to the welfare of people, not only for food, but also for clothing, weapons, tools, dyes 3, Medicines, shelter, and many other purposes. Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon 4 recognize hundreds of plants and know many properties of each. To them botany has no name and is probably not even recognized as a special branch of “knowledge 5” at all.
Unfortunately, the more industrialized we become the farther away we move from direct contact with plants. And the less distinct our knowledge of botany grows. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge, and few people will fail to recognize a rose, an apple, or an orchid 6. When our Neolithic 7 ancestors, living in the Middle Eastabout 10,000years ago, discovered that certain grasses could be harvested and their seeds planted for richer yields the next season, the first great step in a new association of plants and humans was taken. Grains were discovered and from them flowed the marvel of agriculture: cultivated crops. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and intimacy with plants in the wild would begin to fade away 8.
词汇：
botany /"bəutəni/ n．植物学
detailed /"di:teild/ adj．详细的，详尽的
property /"prɔpəti/ n．特征；财产，资产
logical /"lɔdʒikəl/ adj．逻辑的，合乎逻辑的
pyramid /"pirəmid/ n．金字塔
welfare /"welfeə/ n．福利，幸福，康乐
yield /ji: ld/ n．产量，收益
marvel /"ma:vəl/ n．令人惊奇的事（人），奇迹
variety /və"raiəti/ n．品种，变种；变化，多样化
accumulate / ə"kju: mjuleit/ vt．积累，积聚
intimacy / "intiməsi/ n．亲近，亲密
注释：
1. Stone Age：石器时代
2. …a detailed learning of plants and their properties must be extremely ancient.……对植物及其特点的详细了解一定非常久远。
3. dye：染料
4. the Amazon：亚马孙河
5. Yet everyone comes unconsciously on an amazing amount of botanical knowledge,…然而每个人都会在无意识中获得大量的植物知识，……come on:（偶然）遇见；（偶然）发现。又如：I came on this idea by pure chance．我有这个想法纯属偶然。
6. orchid：兰花
7. Neolithic：新石器时代的
8. From then on, humans would increasingly take their living from the controlled production of a few plants, rather than getting a little here and a little there from many varieties that grew wild and the accumulated knowledge of tens of thousands of years of experience and intimacy with plants in the wild would begin to fade away.：从那时起，人类就越来越多地从可控制的IL种植物的种植中获取生计，而不是从野生的众多种类中东采一点，西摘一点。在数万年的经验中积累起来的知识以及与大自然中各种植物的紧密联系也就开始消失。take their living from…：靠……过活
Tribes living today in the jungle of the Amazon teach botany to their children at school.
A:Right B:Wrong C:Not mentioned
Modern Sun Worshippers
People travel for a lot of reasons. Some tourists go to see battlefields or religious shrines 1. Others are looking for culture, or simply want to have their pictures taken 2 in front of famous places. But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on 3.
Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it 4. Residents of cities like London,Copenhagen, andAmsterdamspend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain 5. This is the reason theMediterranean 6 has always attracted them. Every summer, more than 25 million people travel to Mediterranean resorts 7 and beaches for their vacation. They all come for the same reason: sun!
The huge crowds mean lots of money for the economies of Mediterranean countries.Italy"s 30,000 hotels are booked solid 8 every summer. And 13 million people camp out on French beaches, parks, and roadsides.Spain"s long sandy coastline attracts more people than anywhere else. 37 million tourists visit yearly, or one tourist for every person living inSpain 9.
But there are signs that the area is getting more tourism than it can handle. TheMediterraneanis already one of the most polluted seas on earth. And with increased tourism ,it"s getting worse. The French can"t figure out 10 what to do with all the garbage left by campers around St. Tropez. And in many places, swimming is dangerous because of pollution.
None of this, however, is spoiling 11 anyone"s fun. TheMediterraneangets more popular every year with tourists. Obviously, they don"t go there for clean water and solitude 12. They tolerate traffic jams 13 and seem to like crowded beaches. They don"t even mind the pollution. No matter how dirty the water is, the coastline still looks beautiful. And as long as 14 the sun shines, it"s still better thanin the cold rain inBerlin,London, orOslo.
词汇：
battlefield / "bætlfi:ld/n．战场，疆场
inconvenience /inkən"vi:njəns/n．带来麻烦的事情，不便
resident /"rezidənt/n．居住者，居民
Copenhagen /,kəupən"heigən/n．哥本哈根（丹麦首都）
Amsterdam /,æmstə"dæm/n．阿姆斯特丹（荷兰首都）
vacation /və"keiʃən/n．假期，休假
coastline /"kəustlain/n．海岸线
tourism / "tuərizm/n．旅游，观光
pollute /pə"lu:t/vt．弄脏，污染
garbage /"ga:bidʒ/n．废物，垃圾
camper /"kæmpə/n．宿营者
Berlin /bə:"lin/n．柏林（德国首都）
Oslo /"ɔzləu/n．奥斯陆（挪威首都）
economy /i"kɔnəmi/n．经济状况，经济；节省，节约
注释：
1.religious shrine：zōng jiāo 圣殿
2.have their pictures taken：请别人为他们照相
3.But most European tourists are looking for a sunny beach to lie on．但大多数欧洲游客愿意寻找阳光充足的海滩晒日光浴。注意look for和fmd的区别。look for是“找”的过程，常解释为“寻找”,find是“找”的结果，所以常解释为“找到”。不妨体会一下它们的差别：I"ve been looking for my lost watch and haven"t found it yet.
4.Northern Europeans are willing to pay a lot of money and put up with a lot of inconveniences for the sun because they have so little of it．北欧人心甘情愿花大笔金钱，容忍诸多不便去获得阳光，因为阳光对他们来说太难得了。
5.Residents of cities like London, Copenhagen, and Amsterdam spend a lot of their winter in the dark because the days are so short, and much of the rest of the year in the rain．由于白天很短，像伦敦、哥本哈根和阿姆斯特丹的居民在冬季的大部分时间里，都是在昏暗中度过的，而其余的季节又都是阴雨连绵。这句点出了北欧阴冷潮湿，日短夜长的气候特征，也就解释了欧洲游客执著追求温暖明媚阳光的原因。
6.the Mediterranean：地中海地区
7.resorts：指常去的地方，胜地
8.be booked solid：全部客满
9.37 million tourists visit yearly ,or one tourist for every person living in Spain．每年有3 700多万游客，换句话说，旅游者与西班牙居民人数相当，即为1:1。
10.figure out：此处指“想出”，它还有“算出；明白；断定”等意。
11.spoil：原意为“损坏；宠坏”，此处指“破坏兴致”。
12.solitude：意为“独居，独处”，文中指清静自在。
13.traffic jams：交通堵塞
14.as long as：意为“只要；在……情况下”，引导条件状语从句。又如：I"m happy as long as you are happy.
The latter half of the last sentence in paragraph 3, i. e.,"or one tourist for every person living in Spain" means________.
A:all the 37 million people living in Spainare tourists B:every year almost as many tourists visit Spainas there are people living in that country C:every person living in Spainhas to take care of a tourist D:every Spanish is visited by a tourist every year
(It won' t be long) (before) Mary (will get used to) (living) a new life on campus.
A:It won' t be long B:before C:will get used to D:living
(It won' t be long) (before) Mary (will get used to) (living) a new life on campus.
A:It won' t be long B:before C:will get used to D:living
(It won' t be long) (before) Mary (will get used to) (living) a new life on campus.
A:It won' t be long B:before C:will get used to D:living
I didn’t think I could ever ______ in a big city after living in the country for years.
A:get used to living B:used to live C:be used to live D:used to living
