China Completes First Manned Space Docking China successfully achieved its first manned space docking, an important step in the country's quest to launch a space station by around 2020.The Shenzhou-9 spacecraft on Monday docked with China's Tiangong-1 space laboratory. The mission's three astronauts included China's first woman in space, an air force pilot named Liu Yang. China's political leadership has heavily promoted this week's mission as proof of the country's growing clout. Additionally, the Shenzhou-9 mission reinforced China's long-term aspirations for a manned space presence just as the U.S. has significantly drawn down its own manned space program and retired its ageing fleet of space shuttles. The Shenzhou-9 mission is the first time China has sent a person into space since 2008. It follows China's first unmanned space docking last November and is the latest step in a 30-year plan to assemble a space station by around 2020, part of an effort known as Project 921. When Chinese leaders approved a plan for a space station in 1992, 'Chinese space professionals believed they would be latecomers to an expanding human presence in low Earth orbit,' said Gregory Kulacki, a senior analyst for the Union of Concerned Scientists, in a recent research note. 'Ironically, by the time they finish their space station in the early 2020s, the Chinese might be the only people left up there.' Washington's decision to end the shuttle program left Russia with a virtual monopoly over manned spaceflight. China's space program, while decades behind the achievements of the U.S. and Russia, has made steady progress in recent years. Its planned space station is expected to come online around 2020, just as the $100 billion International Space Station is expected to cease operation. The U.S., meanwhile, is hoping the private sector can pick up where the shuttle program left off. What may happen in 2020 according to the text? A) America will stop its space research. B) The Chinese might he the only people in space. C) Russia may be the only one over manned spaceflight. D) China may end the Project 921.
B
Baron Pierre de Coubertin was a Frenchman. At his time sports were not taught in French schools. De Coubertin believed that sports should go hand in hand with studies. He had an idea. His idea was to begin the Olympics all over again. Sports teachers of other countries liked de Coubertion's ideas. So in 1896, the modern Olympic Games were held in Athens , Greece. Since then the Olympics have been held once every four years, except three times, when there were wars. Before the start of the Olympic Games, runners carry lighted torch through many nations towards the stadium where the games will be held. These sportsmen are from different countries. Yet they work together to carry the Olympic torch. It is passed from runner to runner. When the last runner enters the stadium, he or she places the torch in a special basin filled with oil. It catches fire. It is then, only then, that the Olympic Games can begin. The Olympic flame burns throughout the games. It is the flame of peace. "Marathon" in this passage is_. A) a foot race B) a jumping contest C) field sports D) a boxing match
A
Q: How would you describe Quincy Jones? Is he an instrumentalist, a composer, an arranger, or a producer? None of these labels can sum up this remarkable man. He has been known for years to people who follow popular music. But his part in the We Are the World VCD and the Hands Across America project made him a national figure. In addition to these successful efforts, Jones has written the music for many cartoon movies, including The Color Purple, which won 11 Oscar nominations . He also wrote the music for Alex Haley's Roots, a greatly successful television mini--series. These achievements show his many-sided genius. Quincy Jones was born on March 14, 1973, in Chicago's South Side. Ten years later, his family moved to the Seattle area. It was there that he met Ray Charles, who was three years older than ones and who in time would be a world-famous singer. The young musicians performed at small clubs and weddings. Through Charles's influence, Jones began composing. When Jones was only 15, his musical talent impressed Lionel Hampton, who invited him to join the Hampton band. Jones was ready to quit school to join, but Hampton's wife, Gladys, stated her disagreement. Believing that he needed an education, she removed him from the band's bus. "Get that child out of here," she yelled, "Let him finish school." These experiences made Quincy Jones more determined than ever to success. He finished high school, attended the Berklee College of Music in Boston on a scholarship, and finally did Lionel Hampton's band. Soon, however, he struck off on his own. The future beckoned brightly. Insisting that Quincy Jones get off the bus, Gladys Hampton was actually very _ . A) professional B) cruel C) kind D) selfish
A: C
Question: On New Year's Eve At midnight on New Year's Eve, people in Rome, Italy, throw out all the things they no longer want. The streets are filled with old chairs, beds, clothes and dishes. In Madrid, Spain, the new year comes in more quietly. People flock to the main square. Each holds a bag of grapes. As the clock strikes twelve, the people eat the grapes-- one for each stroke. In Tokyo people eat noodles on New Year's Eve. This food is said to bring long life. Early the next morning, some Japanese families climb Mount Fuji. There they watch the first sunrise of the new year. This story is about New Year's Eve in _ . A) Italy and Spain B) China and Japan C) Japan D) both A and C
Answer: D
Q: Some people were killed when a huge explosion hit an industrial area of China, injuring hundreds of people. The explosion is believed to have come from a shipment of explosive inside a warehouse at about 11:30 pm local time (5:30pm in Britain) in the north-eastern city of Tianjin. Videos of the accident showed fires lighting up the night sky, raising dust dozens of feet into the air, and people nearby said the explosion had broken windows. Tianjin resident Zhang Siyu, who lives several miles away from the accident site, said, "I thought it was an earthquake, so I rushed downstairs without my shoes on. Only once I was outside did I realize it was an explosion. There was the huge fireball in the sky with thick clouds. Everybody could see it." Post on Chinese social network Weibo showed a fireball shooting into the air and as least two separate explosions, while photos showed people in the street apparently covered in blood. Others image showed children being carried in blankets to safety. It was reported that the two explosions happened within 30 seconds of each other and about 100 fire trucks were sent to the scene, with most of the injuries caused by broken glass and stones. The firm running the warehouse was named by local media as Ruihai Logistics. The company says on its website that it was set up in 2011. It says it handles one million tons of cargos per year. The National Earthquake Bureau reported two major explosion before midnight local time---the first with an amount of 3 tons of TNT , and the second with an amount of 21 tons. Six thousand firefighters brought the terrible fire under control, although it was still buring . It was reported that the firefighters were combing the neighborhood for the possible injured. When did the fire break out by Beijing time? A) At 11:30 am B) At 11:30 pm C) At 5:30 pm D) At 5:30 am
A: B