(Q).
Some spiders hunt on the ground, others build webs to trap their food, but the grass water spider catches its prey by running along the surface of the water. This special water spider lives on the grassy banks of streams where mosquitoes, damsel flies and other insects come to feed and breed. Although it is one of the largest spiders in prefix = st1 /New Zealand, it has an unusual ability. It doesn't disturb the water as it waits for its meal, and there is barely a ripple  when it skims  across the surface at lightning speed to catch its prey. Grass water spiders deal swiftly with larger insects like damsel flies by pulling their heads under the water and holding them there until they drown. After a meal, the grass water spider spends up to half an hour grooming  itself. It wipes its eight eyes, brushes its antennae , and takes special care to clean the hairs on its body. It is the hairs that trap tiny bubbles  of air so that the spider can run down a blade  of grass and stay underwater for up to an hour when it is frightened. The hairs also keep the spider dry, even underwater. It is only when the female spider is caring for the young that she does not hunt on the water. After mating, she produces a large egg sac , which she carries around for five weeks. Once the eggs start to hatch, she attaches the sac to some blades of grass or a thistle. She then tears the sac open and releases the tiny spiders into the nursery web. The writer describes the special spider as "special" because   _  . A) it walks on water B) it has eight eyes C) of its hairy appearance D) of the way it produces its young
(A).
A


(Q).
Have you ever dreamed of visiting a planet in the Milk Way? While the trip sounds exciting, it would take years and years to reach your destination. So in the future, bedtime for astronauts may be more than a few hours of regular shut-eye. They would have to sleep for years. European researchers are now conducting hibernation experiments. The study may help them understand whether humans could ever sleep through the years it would take for a space flight to distant planets. "If there was an effective technology, it could make deep-space travel a reality," said Mark Ayre of the European Space Agency last month.  _ Researchers have been able to use chemicals to put living cells into a sleep-like state where they don't age. They have now moved on to small, non-hibernating mammals like rats. The results will be out by the end of 2004. A major challenge is the fact that cells can be very simple systems, whereas body organs are far more complex. "It's like moving from a simple Apple computer to a supercomputer," said Marco Biggiogera, a hibernation researcher at Italy's University of Pavia. Just like bears and frogs, the hibernation of human beings would cause a person's metabolism   to lower so they would need less energy. Medical research, however, is just half of a space flight hibernation system. There is the challenge of designing a suitable protective shelter. Such a shelter would provide the proper environment for hibernation, such as the proper temperature. It would also have to monitor   life functions and serve the physiological needs of the hibernator. According to Ayre, the six-person Human Outer Planets Exploration Mission to Jupiter's moon   Callisto, could be an opportunity to use human hibernation. The mission aims to send six humans on a five-year flight to Callisto, where they will spend 30 days, in 2045. The passage implies that   _  . A) putting living cells into a sleep-like state is full of failure B) Biggiogera is confident with the experiment C) human's hibernation needs no energy D) medical research is the key to space flight hibernation system
(A).
B


(Q).
The longest solar eclipse   of the century cast a wide shadow for several minutes over Asia and the Pacific Ocean on 22th July, drawing people outside to watch the sight in the sky. Day turned into night. Temperature turned cooler in cities and villages filled with fans of astronomy. The total eclipse could be seen starting in India on Wednesday morning and moving eastward across China and parts of the Pacific. Millions cast their eyes towards the heavens to catch an unusual view of the sun's colorful ring. Cloud in some areas prevented people from fully enjoying the sight. Still, many were frightened. The total eclipse occurs about twice a year as the moon passes between the earth and the sun on the same plane as earth's circle. The local astronomy society gave a flash on how an eclipse happens. Wednesday's event lasted up to more than six minutes in some places. In India, thousands bathed in the Ganges River in the Hindu holy city of Varanasi to clean their souls. It was sunny sky in Hong Kong for the eclipse, where students, parents and the elderly flooded in a primary school to watch. In Shanghai, children climbed up ladders to look through two large telescopes on the school roof to catch sight of the moon moving across the sun. Others looked through a pair of glasses covered with solar filter   paper, where they could take pictures of the moon moving over the sun. In some cultures, many old stories are about eclipse. In India, a eclipse was considered unfavorable. In Chinese tradition, there is a story about a heavenly dog eating the sun. As the story goes, people would make noise to frighten off the dog and save the sun. What does the text imply about the total solar eclipse? A) All people watched the solar eclipse for at least six minutes. B) In ancient China, people couldn't understand this phenomenon. C) Your eyes must be hurt without filter equipment while watching. D) You can watch the total solar eclipse directly only with your eyes.
(A).

B