C．It is required by universities. D．It is increasingly popular.

9．According to Tony Higgins,students taking a gap year___．

A．are better prepared for college studies

B．know a lot more about their future jobs

C．are more likely to leave university in debt

D．have a better chance to enter top universities

10．How does Owain James feel about the gap-year phenomenon？

A．He's puzzled. B．He's worried.

C．He's surprised. D．He's annoyed.

11．What would most students do on their vacation according to NUS statistics？

A．Earn money for their education.

B．Make plans for the new term.

C．Attend additional courses.

D．Prepare for their graduate studies.

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　D

　From the first use of the rocket to carry satellites into space to the setting up of space stations, human beings have been putting great effort into space research. And so far, we have achieved many successes. But there are still numerous tasks in front of us and we should not stop trying to progress.

　The international space station (ISS) is an important step we should take in space exploration. It is not only helpful but also essential. It provides a proper space environment for many experiments that we have wanted to do for a long time. It is also a base for the observations of the earth and the universe. It could also be an important base for later travel to the moon and Mars. In a word, if we want to explore space more, the first thing we should do is to set up a space station.

　As the space station costs a lot of money, it is hard for one country alone to establish one. The USA seem to be the only country that has the ability to build a space station alone, and it has tried to do so, but not very successful. So it aggregated many other countries to work on it together. Though it is still extremely expensive, it is much cheaper than doing it alone. It is really a job that needs everyone's effort and will benefit everyone.

Led by the U.S. and Russia, the ISS is a joint project between six space agencies involving 16 countries. Called the greatest achievement in human cooperation, the ISS has come to the end of a ten-year's hard work in construction. China has applied for participation in (taking part in) the project many times. Unfortunately all the applications were rejected, which drove China onto the path of independent development. As the Long March Ⅱ-F/T1 carrier rocket blasted off (leave the