2009 is the year of what? Yes, it's the year of the Ox. But do you know that 2009 is also the year of the telescope? This year the world celebrates the 400thanniversary of Galileo's observations of the universe through an astronomical telescope  . In 1609, the Italian scientist first pointed a "Dutch perspective glass" at the night sky and made discoveries that changed mankind's conceptions of the universe.  In honor of Galileo's discoveries, the United Nations and the International Astronomical Union have declared 2009 to be the International Year of Astronomy (IYA 2009). IYA 2009 is a yearlong celebration of astronomy. Its goal is to spread knowledge of astronomy's contributions to society and culture and to inspire more interest in astronomy and science, especially among young people. The theme of the celebration is "The Universe, Yours to Discover." One interesting aim of the IYA is to encourage more diversity   in the field of astronomy and physics. IYA organizers hope that the yearlong celebration of astronomy will inspire more females and underrepresented minorities to pursue   careers in science. An event that will help further that goal is 100 Hours of Astronomy (100 HA) that will fall on April. This event aims to have as many people as possible look through a telescope. From April 2ndto 5th, millions of people worldwide will peer through telescopes to catch their first glimpse   of the universe, just as Galileo's did 400 years ago. Sidewalk astronomy events will give city-dwellers   an excellent opportunity to see the moon, the planet Saturn, and other objects in position for early evening observations.  Organizers hope that the activities of IYA will "promote   a greater appreciation of the astronomy." So join the fun. Look through a telescope this year! What kind of article is it? A) A news report. B) A popular reading. C) A tourist guide. D) A science fiction.
B

SOUTHPORT, ENGLAND--A British teaching union famous for strange ideas has supported proposal to employ dogs as classroom assistants. At the annual conference of the Professional Association of teachers in Southport, northwest of prefix = st1 /England, one person suggested properly trained dogs be able to keep order in primary schools. They can round up lost children and protect those who experience unfortunate "accidents". Wendy Dyble, aSheetlandIslandswoman who teaches children up to age seven, made it clear to her fellow friends that she was not "barking mad". They obviously believed her, supporting her idea by 16 votes to 13, with a total of 63 abstentions . He said big dogs could help round up children, keep them in line, lick up the milk they spill on the floor and provide the extra eyes that a teacher needs to keep order. "A big dog would also be helpful for breaking up fights and look for lost property, like gym shoes or dolls, " Dyble said at the conference. "The dog will also be useful in sniffing out smells that children do not own up to," she added. "It would be nice for the teacher not to have to go round sniffing each child to find the culprit ." The idea was greeted by the Dog Defense League but less so by bigger teaching unions. A spokesman for Education Secretary David Blunkett, who is blind, said his guide dog was always popular with pupils when he visited schools. The Professional Association of Teachers, with around 35,000 members, is the smallest teaching union in Britain. It has an honour for occasional strange ideas. Earlier this week, its annual conference here suggested stopping exams because they lead to stress and introducing selection at the age of 12 based on physical coordination and manual skill in the use of hand. According to the writer's opinion, to employ dogs as classroom assistants     . A) is a wonderful idea B) can improve the relation between children and animals C) is beyond ordinary people's minds D) can make some teachers lose jobs
C

At first, the earth's surface layer   was made up of huge blocks of hard, solid rocks. Then slowly, the rocks broke up into smaller and smaller pieces. Finally stones, pebbles   and grains of sand were formed. Many sorts of plants and animals lived and died on the surface of the earth. Their remains mixed up with the stones, pebbles and formed soil. The outmost layer of the earth is soil. There are many ways in which large pieces of rock break into smaller ones. Wind, water, heat and cold help to break up rocks. When winds blow grains of sand against a large rock for a long time, the softer layers of the rock are slowly worn away. These leave holes and cracks in the rock, which become bigger and finally the rock breaks up into smaller pieces. The moving water of streams and rivers also helps to break up rocks. As the water moves along, it carries with it small pieces of rock. These rub the larger ones. Thus, the larger rocks are worn down to smaller pieces. The heat of the sun is also helpful to breaking up rocks. When the sun shines, the rocks become very hot. If these rocks are suddenly cooled, they may crack. Ice also plays a part in making soil. Water in the cracks can turn into ice in cold weather. As this happens, it becomes bigger and the cracks become wider, and finally break into smaller pieces. According to the passage, soil  _  . A) forms very slowly B) is a mixture of stones, pebbles and sand C) makes up the layers of the earth D) is becoming smaller and smaller
A

My cat Toto is aging,and as she ages,her body is failing her.Mentally,she seems sharp,but after nearly sixteen years,Toto's hips are causing her obvious trouble.In fact,they make it so that she can't use a litter box effectively.She tries to squat ,but mostly she just pisses out the back end of the box. I spent the summer working with my vet to find things to help Toto,but nothing works.Since we can't stand the smell of cat urine in the house,two weeks ago I took drastic measures.I _ Toto outside.(She gets to come in while I work,but I put her out for 80%of the day and night.) Because Toto now lives outside,she eats and drinks outside.I' ve set up a heating pad on the porch.and given her own food and water area nearby.She seems perfectly content with this arrangement except when she's out of food,or she wants to be petted. Strangely enough,she's been out of food a lot lately."I think another cat is eating Toto's food."I told Kris when I first noticed how quickly she was going through her bowl. "Actually,"I said a couple of days later,"maybe it's a dog.Whoever is eating Toto's food keeps knocking the bowl over." But a few days after that,I realized that the food thief probably wasn't even a dog.Whatever the critter was,it was messy.  Every morning,Toto's water dish was filled with mud.The food bowl was tipped over and the porch scattered with mud and debris ."I' ll bet it's a coon ,"I told Kris.Though we live in a residential neighborhood not far from Portland,we' ve seen plenty of raccoons in the six years since we moved in. Today I got to see the cat-food thievery first-hand.Turns out it's not one raccoon-it's a family of four.I was lucky enough to have my camera handy as they performed their daring raid:My favorite part of this video is how Toto simply sits on her heating pad and watches the raccoons eat her food.She isn't bothered at all. What does the writer like most about what he filmed? A) How Toto fought against the raccoons. B) A family of raccoons stole the food together. C) Toto's casual attitude toward the raccoons. D) How the raccoons made the writer's porch dirty.

C