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来源：《疯狂英语·爱英语》2021年第01期
        Task 1
        题材：灾难防范 文章词数：322 难度：★★★ 建议用时：6分钟
        When Timothy Ingalsbee thinks back to his days fighting wildfires in the Pacific Northwest， he doesn’t like to remember all that smoke. “Some seasons，” he says， “I lost my sense of smell because of smoke.”
        As wildfires have grown more frequent in recent years， communities begin to worry about the health influence of all that smoke. The danger has long been known to those who fight fires in buildings. Studies have shown they have increased risks of cancer and lung diseases， says Rick Swan， director of the International Association of Firefighters. “Everyo
ne used to say， ‘It’s just a barbecue fire. It’s no big deal，’” he says. Now， it’s known that forest fire smoke is full of poisonous chemicals.
        As for respiratory protection， a bandana （a piece of cloth） is the only equipment recommended for firefighters. Many health organizations warn that it doesn’t actually help. But there’s no easy replacement. The respirators that building firefighters use can only supply clean air for a short period of time. Wildfire shifts are generally 12 hours.
        Swan says he’s seen a general reluctance in taking on respiratory protection. He blames， in part， a culture that glorifies the image of a “real” firefighter： able to work long hours. “That culture gets us into trouble，” Swan says. “It doesn’t allow us to get out of our own way.”
        Despite this， things are slowly changing. This year， the national group responsible for developing wildfire training materials has included a unit on the dangers of smoke exposure as part of its annual health and safety refresher course. Ingalsbee says he doesn’t regret his time dealing with the smoke， although his lung still suffers years after le
aving the woods. But he predicts it will take more than a change in training to make sure wildland firefighters are protected， not only on the job but long after their careers have ended.
        1. What do we know about wildfires？
        A. They’re as dangerous as building fires.
        B. They’re often caused by human activities.
        C. Their harm hasn’t aroused public concerns.
        D. Their bad effect on firefighters wasn’t taken seriously.
        2. Why can’t respirators take the place of bandanas in fighting wildfires？
        A. Respirators are too expensive.
        B. Respirators can’t last for long.
firefighter        C. Bandanas are very effective in preventing air.
        D. Bandanas are accepted by health organizations.
        3. What does the underlined word “glorifies” in paragraph 4 mean？
        A. Ignores. B. Changes.
        C. Praises. D. Improves.
        4. What does the author want to stress in the last paragraph？
        A. Ingalsbee devoted his life to the work.
        B. The firefighters need to receive training.
        C. More work is needed to protect firefighters.
        D. Smoke exposure has far-reaching influence.
        Task 2
        題材：宇宙探索 文章词数：332 难度：★★★★ 建议用时：7分钟
        China launched the last satellite of the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System（BDS） from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China’s Sichuan Province at 9：43 am BJT （0143 GMT） on June 23.
        The satellite， carried by a Long March-3B carrier rocket， is the 30th BDS-3 satellite and the 55th of the whole BeiDou satellite family. The launch marked the completion of the country’s domestically developed BeiDou constellation as one of four global navigation networks alongside with the United States’ GPS， Russia’s GLONASS and the European Union’s Galileo. When fully completed， the system will offer its users services including high-precision positioning and short message communication， which will bring new highlights to global navigation satellite systems.
        “Weighing over 10，000 pounds， the final BDS satellite is the largest of its kind in the family， and is filled with propellants for the movement in orbit，” said deputy chief designer Liu Tianxiong. “The reason why we launched this one in the final stage is to round
out the navigation network，” Liu added. Featuring radio-navigation， radio-determination and enhanced timing synchronization（同步） functions， the last satellite， after joining BDS-3 family， will allow the constellation to provide more cost-effective navigation services， which rapidly wins the global market.
        Based on the DFH-3B satellite platform， one of the largest platforms in service in China， the spacecraft is designed to work in orbit for at least 12 years. The latest launch came 26 years after construction of the BeiDou-1 officially started in 1994. The first generation of the BeiDou system made China the third country after the US and Russia to have a satellite navigation system. By 2000， the construction of the BDS-1 was completed， which was mainly used to broadcast positioning and timing signals over China. 12 years later， the construction of BDS-2， designed to provide navigation services over the broader Asia-Pacific region， was completed. Now， the construction of BDS-3， with 24 satellites in medium-Earth orbits， three in inclined geosynchronous satellite orbits and three in geostationary orbits， is scheduled to provide services worldwide.