4 . History could repeat itself. Solar storms have happened before and they could happen again.
About 2,700 years ago, a strong solar storm swept past the Earth. Scientists announced this in a new study.
Scientists studied ancient ice in Greenland, a part of Denmark although it is in North America. They searched to uncover clues (线索) about previous solar storms. They looked at an ice core that dated as far back as 100,000 years. In it, scientists found radiation that showed a very strong solar storm 2,700 years ago. “If that solar storm occurred today, it could have serious effects on our high-tech society,” said Muscheler, a scientist at Lund University in Sweden.
Solar storms are made up of high-energy particles (粒子) released from the sun. The releases are explosions on the star’s surface. Solar storms include different kinds of eruptions (喷发) from the sun’s surface, says NASA. Flares, sunspots and other bursts are common signs of solar activity. They all involve sudden releases of stored energy, NASA says.
The long-ago storm had little effect on people in the world. It happened before businesses and technology were everywhere. However, a solar storm of that strength would be a threat to modern society, the study said. It would cause widespread power failure. Communications, space technologies, and airline operations would also be in danger.
Scientists said this is the third known discovery of a huge solar storm in historic times. This suggests that while the storms are rare, they are a natural effect of solar activity. In other words, they could happen again. “That’s why we must increase society’s protection against solar storms,” Muscheler said. “Our research suggests that the risks are currently underestimated. We need to be better prepared.”
1. What does the author intend to do in Paragraph 3?| A．Add some background information. | B．Summarize the previous paragraphs. |
| C．Provide some advice for the readers. | D．Introduce a new topic for discussion. |
| A．We pay little attention to the risks of solar storms. |
| B．A solar storm would destroy everything on the Earth. |
| C．It would cause widespread snowstorms on the Earth. |
| D．Modern society depends on science and technology. |
| A．Solar storms will hit areas worldwide. |
| B．Solar storms could have serious effects on the Earth today. |
| C．Three known solar storms happened in historic times. |
| D．Solar storms are high-energy particles released from the sun. |
10 . Fifteen years ago, I took a summer vacation in Lecce in southern Italy. After climbing up a hill for a panoramic (全景的) view of the blue sea, white buildings and green olive trees, I paused to catch my breath and then positioned myself well to take the best photo of this panorama.
Unfortunately, just as I took out my camera, a woman approached from behind, and planted herself right in front of my view. Like me, this woman was here to stop, breathe a sigh of relief and appreciate the view.
Patient as I was, after about 15 minutes, my camera scanning the sun and reviewing the shot I would eventually take, I grew frustrated. Was it too much to ask her to move so I could take just one picture of the landscape? Sure, I could have asked her, but something prevented me from doing so. She seemed so content with her observation. I didn’t want to mess with that.
Another 15 minutes passed and I grew bored. The woman was still there. I made a resolution to take the photo anyway. And now when I look at it, I think her presence in the photo is what makes the image interesting. The landscape, beautiful on its own, somehow comes to life and breathes because this woman is engaging with it.
This photo, with the unique beauty that unfolded before me and that woman who “ruined” it, now hangs on a wall in my bedroom. What would she think if she knew that her figure is captured and frozen on some stranger’s bedroom wall? A bedroom, after all, is very private space, in which some woman I don’t even know has been immortalized (使……不朽). In some ways, she lives in my house.
Perhaps we all live in each other’s space. Perhaps this is what photos are for: to remind us that we all appreciate beauty, and that we all share a common desire for pleasure, for connection, and for something that is greater than us.
That photo is a reminder, a captured moment, an unspoken conversation between two women, separated only by a thin square of glass.
1. What happened when the author was about to take a photo?| A．Her camera stopped working. |
| B．A woman blocked her view. |
| C．Someone asked her to leave. |
| D．A friend approached from behind. |
| A．Enjoying herself. |
| B．Losing her patience. |
| C．Waiting for the sunset. |
| D．Thinking about her past. |
| A．The rich color of the landscape. |
| B．The perfect position of the camera. |
| C．The woman’s existence in the photo. |
| D．The soft sunlight that summer day. |
| A．the need to be close to nature |
| B．the importance of private space |
| C．the joy of the vacation in Italy |
| D．the shared passion for beauty |
