1 . A planet that suffers 475 C beneath a thick acid atmosphere may be the last place you'd expect alien (外星的) life in our solar system. But one NASA scientist claims that extraterrestrials (天外来客) are most likely hiding on Venus amid conditions that are unbearable for humans. The new theory was put forward by the research scientist Dr Michelle Thaller. She says that possible signs of life have already been seen within the carbon-dioxide filled atmosphere, adding that she was absolutely certain that life exists somewhere.

Venus is often described as Earth's twin due to its similar size and structure. But their conditions couldn't be further apart, as astronomers believe it would be impossible for humans to exist on Venus. Positioned 67 million miles from the Sun, Venus is the hottest planet in our solar system, suffering temperatures that can even melt lead. Its atmosphere also adds to the uninhabitable situation.

Despite this, scientists have long debated whether Venus' clouds may host microbial (微生物的) life forms that can survive. Many scientists think that photosynthesis (光合作用) is possible on the planet's surface as Venus receives enough solar energy to pass through its thick clouds.

However, Professor Dominic Papineau, a biologist at the University College of London, believes Dr Thaller's views are “difficult to realistically assume”. He explained, “For life-related chemical reactions to take place, liquid water is necessary. Hence, to find extraterrestrial life, we need to find liquid water, and to find extraterrestrial fossils requires looking for special rocks that were associated with liquid water in the past.”

This makes life on Venus today difficult to realistically assume, because its surface is too hot, although Venus might have had liquid water in its past. Even still, both Professor Papineau and Dr Thaller agree that the icy moons of our solar system could also be sites of potential microbial life. NASA suggests there are 290 “traditional moons” in our solar system-excluding 462 smaller minor planets.

1. What can we know about Venus?

A．Its atmosphere is thin acidic.

B．It is much bigger than Earth.

C．It is 77 million miles from the Sun.

D．Venus and Earth are considered as twins.

2. Which statement would Papineau agree with?

A．Photosynthesis can happen on Venus's surface.

B．Thick clouds make photosynthesis in Venus hard.

C．Liquid water is important for the extraterrestrials.

D．Some rocks can prove life exists on Venus.

3. What can we know from the last paragraph?

A．The surface temperature of Venus is high.

B．It's very easy to confirm life on Venus.

C．Venus might have liquid water now.

D．Many icy moons go around Venus.

4. In which section of a newspaper can you find this text?

A．Education.

B．Science.

C．Culture.

D．Sports.

2 . If you live on this planet, there’s a decent chance you’ve seen the classic Star TrekEpisode, in which captain Kirk and several members find themselves in what appears to be another universe.

These days, it seems the idea of the multiverse—many worlds—is having its Hollywood moment. Its appeal as a storytelling device is obvious—characters explore a multi-world with varying degrees of similarity to our own, as well as different versions of themselves. Hence, it has been fully established in mainstream pop culture.

While Hollywood can’t seem to get enough of the multiverse, it remains deeply controversial (有争议的) among scientists. Advocates on the two sides show no mercy toward each other in their books, on their blogs. But physicists didn’t pull the idea out of thin air—rather, several distinct lines of reasoning seem to point to the multiverse’s existence. However, critics warn that making the multiverse legal could make it harder for the public to distinguish speculative (推测性的) theories from established fact, making it more difficult to keep pseudo-science (伪科学) at bay. Giving credit to such speculation risks “turning fundamental physics into pseudo-science”.

The multiverse controversy is rooted in the idea of test ability. If we can’t interact with these other universes, or detect them in any way, some experts insist that reduces them to mere philosophical speculation. But Carroll, an advocate for “many worlds”, argues that mathematics is the language describing our physical theories. Since Schrdinger’s equation (方程), on which Quanturr (量子) mechanic rests, predicts the existence of many worlds, so be it.

Could a more expansive view of the universe itself be the next breakthrough? As Siegfried puts it: “Every time in the past that we’ve thought, ‘We’ve got it; this is what the whole universe is’—the people who’ve said, ‘Maybe there’s more than one of those’ have always turned out to be right.”

1. Why is Hollywood so occupied with the multiverse?

A．It makes for engaging plots.

B．It is a much-talked-about topic.

C．It is helpful to popularize science.

D．It dominates the mainstream pop culture.

2. What do the underlined words in paragraph 3 probably mean?

A．Out of date.

B．Out of place.

C．Out of nowhere.

D．Out of question.

3. According to the opponents, the basic standard of fundamental physics is that ______.

A．it can be detected somehow

B．it can be reasoned logically

C．it can be interpreted philosophically

D．it can be predicted by mathematics equation

4. What might be the author’s attitude toward the multiverse?

A．Doubtful.

B．Dismissive.

C．Unclear.

D．Approving.