American English | CEFR B1+ | 350 Words
Contents 目录
Reading 阅读
Questions 题目
Vocabulary 词汇
Useful Structures 常用结构
Comprehension Questions 阅读理解问题
Reading 阅读
The Last Message from Earth
When sixteen-year-old Maya arrived on Mars, she expected the hardest part of her new life to be living millions of miles from Earth. She never imagined that one day, Earth might stop answering.
Maya lived with her parents and thirty other scientists inside a research station. They were studying ways to grow food on Mars, hoping that humans could eventually build permanent settlements there.
Every evening, Maya sent messages to her best friend, Olivia, back on Earth. Because of the enormous distance between the planets, each message took several minutes to arrive.
One morning, however, the station suddenly lost contact with Earth.
At first, the scientists suspected a technical problem. They checked the communication equipment, but everything appeared to be working normally. Hours passed without a single reply.
By the following evening, everyone was worried. Some scientists believed a powerful solar storm might have damaged Earth’s communication systems. Others feared something far worse.
Maya tried sending another message to Olivia.
“Are you okay? Please answer.”
Nothing came back.
That night, Maya couldn’t sleep. She kept imagining what might be happening on Earth. Had something terrible happened to her friends? Would she ever see her home again?
The next morning, Maya noticed something unusual on the station’s computer. A weak signal had arrived during the night, but the system had failed to recognize it.
She called her father, who immediately began examining the signal. After several hours, they managed to recover a short message.
It wasn’t from Earth.
The message contained a series of numbers followed by three words:
“WE ARE HERE.”
The scientists stared at the screen. The signal appeared to have come from somewhere beyond Mars, in a region of space where no human spacecraft had ever traveled.
For the first time, Maya wondered whether humanity was truly alone in the universe.
Then another message arrived.
“DO NOT RETURN.”
Maya felt her heart racing. Were the mysterious senders warning them about danger on Earth, or threatening them?
Before anyone could respond, the station’s lights suddenly went out.
Outside the window, something enormous was moving silently across the dark Martian sky.
And it was getting closer.
Questions 题目
Reading Comprehension Questions
Answer the following questions in complete sentences.
1. Why were Maya and her family living on Mars?
Answer
They were living on Mars because Maya’s parents were part of a research team studying how to grow food and establish permanent human settlements there.
2. Why did messages between Mars and Earth take several minutes to arrive?
Answer
Messages took several minutes to arrive because Earth and Mars were millions of miles apart.
3. What happened to the research station’s communication with Earth?
Answer
The station suddenly lost contact with Earth, and the scientists received no replies despite their equipment appearing to work normally.
4. What possible explanations did the scientists consider for the loss of contact?
Answer
They considered the possibility of a technical problem, a powerful solar storm, or a more serious disaster.
5. How did Maya feel when Olivia failed to answer her messages?
Answer
She felt frightened and worried about her friend and wondered whether she would ever return home.
6. What unusual discovery did Maya make on the station’s computer?
Answer
She discovered that a weak signal had arrived during the night but had not been recognized by the station’s computer.
7. Why were the scientists surprised by the origin of the mysterious signal?
Answer
They were surprised because the signal seemed to come from a region of space that no human spacecraft had ever reached.
8. What are two possible meanings of the message “DO NOT RETURN”?
Answer
The message might have been a warning that Earth was dangerous, or it might have been a threat intended to prevent the scientists from returning.
9. What happened immediately before Maya noticed something moving across the Martian sky?
Answer
The station’s lights suddenly went out.
10. Based on the ending, what do you predict might happen next? Explain your answer.
Answer
Answers will vary. For example, the mysterious object might be an alien spacecraft approaching the station to communicate with the humans or warn them about a danger.
Vocabulary 词汇
| research | /ˈrisərtʃ/ | 研究 |
| permanent | /ˈpərmənənt/ | 永久的；长期的 |
| settlement | /ˈsɛtəlmənt/ | 定居点；聚居地 |
| enormous | /ɪˈnɔrməs/ | 巨大的；庞大的 |
| distance | /ˈdɪstəns/ | 距离 |
| communication | /kəˌmyunəˈkeɪʃən/ | 通信；交流 |
| equipment | /ɪˈkwɪpmənt/ | 设备；器材 |
| suspect | /səˈspɛkt/ | 怀疑；猜想 |
| recognize | /ˈrɛkəɡnaɪz/ | 识别；认出 |
| recover | /rɪˈkʌvər/ | 恢复；找回 |
| signal | /ˈsɪɡnəl/ | 信号 |
| threaten | /ˈθrɛtən/ | 威胁；恐吓 |
Useful Structures 常用结构
expect something to be something 预料某事会是某种情况
Maya expected the hardest part of her new life to be living millions of miles from Earth.
Maya原以为新生活中最困难的事情会是住在距离地球数百万英里的地方。
hope that… 希望……
The scientists were studying ways to grow food on Mars, hoping that humans could eventually build permanent settlements there.
科学家们正在研究如何在火星上种植食物，希望人类最终能够在那里建立永久定居点。
lose contact with someone/something 与某人或某物失去联系
One morning, the station suddenly lost contact with Earth.
一天早上，研究站突然与地球失去了联系。
appear to be doing something 似乎正在做某事
They checked the communication equipment, but everything appeared to be working normally.
他们检查了通信设备，但一切似乎都在正常运作。
manage to do something 设法成功做成某事
After several hours, they managed to recover a short message.
几个小时后，他们终于成功恢复了一条简短的信息。
fail to do something 未能做某事
A weak signal had arrived during the night, but the system had failed to recognize it.
夜间曾收到一个微弱的信号，但系统未能识别它。
wonder whether… 想知道是否……；怀疑是否……
For the first time, Maya wondered whether humanity was truly alone in the universe.
Maya第一次开始思考，人类是否真的在宇宙中孤独地存在着。
get + comparative adjective 变得越来越……
Outside the window, something enormous was moving silently across the dark Martian sky. And it was getting closer.
窗外，一个庞然大物正悄无声息地划过火星漆黑的天空，而且它正越来越近。