US researchers have found traces of an ancient lake on Mars recently, increasing hopes of
discovering evidence that billions of years ago the Red planet hosted life.
    The lake, which dates back some 3.4 billion years, appears to have covered as much as 80
square miles and was up to 1,500 feet deep, said the team from the University of Colorado.
    "This is the first clear evidence of shorelines on the surface of Mars,"said Boulder' s research
associate, Gaetano Di Achille, in a study published in the latest edition of Geophysical Research
Letters.
   "The identification of the shorelines and accompanying geological evidence allows us to calculate
the size and volume of the lake, which appears to have formed about 3.4 billion years ago."
   Analysis of the images has shown the water carved out the canyon (溪谷) in which it was found,
which then opened out into a valley depositing (使淤積) sediment (沉積) which formed a delta
(三角洲).
  "Finding shorelines is a great discovery to us," said assistant professor Brian Hynek, adding it
showed the lake existed at a time when Mars was thought to have been cold and dry.
    Scientists believe the oldest surfaces on Mars formed during the wet and warm era known as the
Noachan epoch, about 4.1 billion to 3.7 billion years ago.
The newly discovered lake is believed to date from the Hesperian era and postdates the end of the
warm and wet period on Mars by 300 million years, according to the study.
Scientists believe deltas next to the lake may well hold secrets about past life on Mars as such places
on Earth have become the natural deposits of organic carbon and other markers of life.

1.  The size of the lake found on Mars is ______.

A. 80 square miles
B. 1,500 square miles
C. 3.4 billion square miles  
D. 300 million square miles

2. When the lake existed, the weather on Mars was ____.

A. hot and wet
B. wet and warm
C. cold and dry
D. cold and wet

3.  Why do scientists think deltas near the lake may hold secrets about past life on Mars?

A. Because similar places on Earth have become natural deposits of markers of life.
B. Because someone has put secrets about past life on Mars there.
C. Because past life has been found in other deltas on Mars.
D. Because some people are said to have already seen life marks there.

4. Which of the following statements is NOT true according to the passage?

A. The Noachan epoch was a wet and warm era.
B. The lake might have existed 3.4 billion years.
C. The discovery can' t fully prove that the Mars once hosted life.
D. The lake traces prove that there exists life on Mars now.

     根據(jù)短文內(nèi)容,從短文后的選項中選出能填入空白處的最佳選項.
      Are you truly happy? Do you ever know what it means to be happy and what it takes to achieve
happiness?   1   . The following are a few tips that I follow to create happiness in my life.
      Make a plan for attaining goals that you believe will make you happy. Your moods will very likely
increase if you are going after something you value.
    Surround yourself with happy people. It is easy to begin to think negatively when you are surrounded
by people who think that way.  2  .
     When something goes wrong, try to figure out a solution instead of being absorbed in self pity. Truly
happy people don' t allow setbacks to affect their mood because they know that with a little thought they
can turn the circumstances back to their favor.
       3   . These few minutes will give you the opportunity to focus on the positive things in your life and
will lead you to continuous happiness.
       4    . Whether you treat yourself to lunch, take a long, relaxing bath or simply spend a few extra
minutes on your appearance, you will be subconsciously (下意識地) putting yourself in a better mood.
     Finding the humor in situations can also lead to happiness. Find a way to make light of a situation that
would otherwise make you happy.
     Keeping healthy is another way to achieve happiness.     5    .

A. What makes one person happy may be very different from what makes someone else happy.
B. On the contrary, if you are around people who are happy, their emotional state will be infectious.
C. Being overweight or not eating nutritious foods can have a negative effect on your mood.
D. These are important questions for anyone who is seeking happiness to ask themselves.
E. Spend a few minutes each day thinking about the things that make you happy.
F. There are some tips in life that lead to happiness.
G. It' s also important to take some time each day to do something nice for yourself.

     BRITAIN is a popular tourist place. But tours of the country have pros and cons.
     GOOD NEWS
     Free museums. No charge for outstanding collections of art and antiquities.
     Pop music. Britain is the only country to rival(與…匹敵)the US on this score.
     Black cabs. London taxi drivers know where they are going even if there are never enough of them
at weekends or night.
    Choice of food. Visitors can find everything from Ethiopian to Swedish restaurants.
     Fashion. Not only do fashion junkies love deeply and respect highly brand names such as Vivienne
Westwood, Alexander McQueen; street styles are justly loved, too.
     BAD NEWS
     Poor service. "It's part of the image of the place. People can dine out on the rudeness they have
experienced," says Professor Tony Seaton, of Luton University's International Tourism Research Center.
     Poor public transport. Trains and buses are promised to defeat the keenest tourists, although the
over crowded London tube is inexplicably(難以理解的) popular.
     Lack of languages. Speaking slowly and clearly may not get many foreign visitors very far, even in
the tourist traps(圈套).
     Rain. Still in the number one complaint.
    No air-conditioning. So that even splendidly hot summers become as unbearable as the downpours.
    Overpriced hotels. The only European country with a higher rate of tax on hotel rooms is Denmark.
     Licensing hours. Alcohol(酒) is in short supply after 11 pm even in "24-hour cities".

1. What do tourists complain most?

A. Poor service.
B. Poor public transport.
C. Rain.
D. Overpriced hotels.

2. What do we learn about pop music in Britain and the US through this passage?