1 . An international team of scientists says it has discovered two new “super-Earth” type planets about 100 light-years away, one of which may be suitable for life. Unlike any of the planets in our solar system, the two newly-discovered super-Earths are larger than Earth, but lighter than icy planets like Uranus and Neptune.

Researchers at Belgium’s University of Liège announced that they found another one while using Earth-based telescopes to confirm the existence of a different planet initially discovered by a NASA satellite in the same solar system.

NASA’s satellite found planet LP 890-9b, which is about 30% larger than Earth and orbits its sun, LP 890-9, in just 2.7 days. ULiège researchers used their telescopes in Chile and Spain to take a closer look at the planet with high-precision cameras. That’s when the scientists discovered another planet, LP 890-9c, which is 40% larger than Earth and takes 8.5 days to orbit its sun.

Francisco Pozuelos, a researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics of Andalusia, said that the planet could be suitable to life despite being a mere 3.7 million miles from its sun. Earth, by comparison, is located over 93 million miles away from our sun. “Although this planet orbits very close to its star, the amount of stellar irradiation (恒星辐射量) it receives is still low, and could allow the presence of liquid water on the planet’s surface, so long as it has a sufficient atmosphere,” Pozuelos said. That’s because although LP 890-9 is by far larger than its planets, it is about 6.5 times smaller than our sun and is roughly half as cool temperature-wise as our sun, he added. “This explains why LP 890-9c, despite being much closer to its star than the Earth is to the Sun, could still have conditions that are suitable for life,” said Pozuelos.

1. Which of the following is the smallest?

A．LP 890-9.

B．The Earth.

C．LP 890-9b.

D．LP 890-9c.

2. How was LP 890-9c discovered?

A．By analyzing its mass and orbit.

B．By comparing it with LP 890-9b.

C．By using ground-based telescopes.

D．By taking photos from a NASA satellite.

3. What’s mainly talked about in the last paragraph?

A．Different opinions about the new planet.

B．Scientists’ future plan about the new planet.

C．Reasons for the new planet being suitable to live on.

D．Comparisons between the planet and our Earth.

4. What can be the best title for the text?

A．Two Newly-discovered Super-Earths

B．Looking for Life Existing in Outer Space

C．Great Breakthroughs Made by Scientists

D．LP 890-9c, the Future Substitute of Our Earth

2 . Mars is truly a fascinating planet for those of us here on Earth.     1     It is about half as big as Earth and is often referred to as the Red Planet because of its red surface.

The Red Planet has the largest volcano in the solar system-Olympus Mons.     2     That’s about three times the height of Mount Qomolangma.

Mars also has an atmosphere, but it is very thin and made up mostly of carbon dioxide. Because of its thin atmosphere and greater distance from the Sun, Mars is much colder than Earth.     3     The dust storms of Mars can grow so big that sometimes they blanket the entire planet and last for months. The poles on Mars are a lot like Antarctica, capped by ice, but much of Mars’s ice is made from carbon dioxide, not water.

Scientists believe that studying Mars can help answer some of the key questions about our planet Earth, or even the universe.

    4     Since 1960, more than half of all attempted Mars missions have failed. The USA, Russia, the European Space Agency, and several other countries have lost many spacecraft in their quest to explore the Red Planet. Nevertheless, they will still continue their explorations. Chinese experts are confident about their plan to explore Mars, in spite of the many challenges. The first Mars unmanned spacecraft was launched from Wenchang around 2020. But it is only the beginning of deep voyages into outer space.     5    

A．It is roughly 27 kilometres high.

B．Missions to Mars have never been easy.

C．Mars, however, today has no active volcanoes.

D．The temperature at the planet’s surface varies widely.

E．However, Mars does have weather, with clouds and winds.

F．China will continue to explore the mysteries of the universe.

G．It is one of the few planets that we can see with our own eyes.

3 . 阅读下面短文，在空白处填入1个适当的单词或括号内单词的正确形式。

Have you ever wondered what happens to all of the old objects launched into space, such as rockets and satellites? It's called space junk, and much of it is still out there now. One large piece of space junk,       1     disused rocket, hit the dark side of the moon on March 4. The rocket's origin is not clear, but scientists know that it was massive—     2     （weigh）about 3 tons.

What is     3     （significance）about this space junk crash is that it draws attention to some of the potential     4     （danger）of space junk. First, the accumulation of space junk in Earth's orbit means that satellites and the International Space Station（ISS）are at risk. In 2016, tiny space debris（残骸）,       5     measured smaller than a millimeter, caused a tiny chip in the ISS' window. Imagine the damage that a     6     （large）piece of debris could cause. The European Space Agency website states that objects “up to 1 cm in size could     7     （able）an instrument or a critical flight system on a satellite” while objects over 10cm “could shatter a satellite or spacecraft into pieces”. In addition to potential damage     8     spacecraft and satellites, space junk also poses a threat to the Earth     9     （it）. Crashes can send debris into the atmosphere where it can remain for many decades. Some powerful collisions can even send large debris hurtling（猛冲）toward Earth's surface where it can affect the local environment. Leftover rocket debris can contain toxic materials that     10     （be）harmful to plants and animal life. Some people in Siberia have even reported serious health problems after rocket debris landed in their regions in 2012, a local doctor told the BBC.

4 . Scientists know quite a lot about stars. After centuries of pointing telescopes at the night sky, astronomers and amateurs alike can figure out key traits of any star, such as its mass or its composition.

To calculate a star’s mass, just look at the time it takes to orbit a companion star. Then do a bit of calculation. To determine what it’s made of, look to the spectrum of light the star sends out. But one question scientists haven’t quite cracked yet is how to calculate the exact time of a star.

“The sun is the only star we know the age of,” says astronomer David Soderblom. He works at the Space Telescope Science Institute in Baltimore, Md. We use what we know about it and how it compares to others, he says, to figure out the age of other stars.

Even well-studied stars surprise scientists every now and then. In 2019, the red supergiant Betelgeuse became gradually dark. At the time, astronomers weren’t sure if this star was just going through a phase. The alternative was more exciting: It might be ready to explode as a supernova. (Turns out it was just a phase.) The sun also shook things up when scientists noticed that it wasn’t behaving like other middle-aged stars. It’s not as magnetically active as other stars of its age and mass. That suggests astronomers still might not fully understand the timeline of middle age.

Using physics and indirect measurements, scientists can make a rough estimate of a star’s age. Some methods, it turns out, work better for different types of stars.

Why do we even care? Galaxies are huge collections of stars of different ages. Star ages might help us figure out how such galaxies grow and evolve or how planets within them form. Knowing star ages might even assist in the search for life in other solar systems.

1. What may scientists want to research about stars most now?

A．Their companions.	B．Their types.
C．Their ages.	D．Their characteristics.

2. What does the underlined word “cracked” in Paragraph 2 probably mean?

A．Discussed.

B．Described.

C．Touched.

D．Solved.

3. Why is the example in 2019 mentioned?

A．To show scientists still have puzzles about stars.

B．To prove scientists have studied stars to the full.

C．To provide facts for scientists’ researches on stars.

D．To warn scientists to notice some surprising stars.

4. What does the author want to tell us in the last paragraph?

A．The reasons for caring about the space.	B．The significance of researching star ages.
C．The ways of measuring a star’s age.	D．The benefits of figuring out solar systems.

5 . 阅读下面材料,在空白处填入适当的内容(1个单词)或括号内单词的正确形式。

Humans have always looked up at the stars and wanted to learn more about space.    1    (determine) to find out the secrets of the universe, scientists work hard to make vehicles to carry people into space.

In the mid-20th century, rockets that were     2     (power) enough to overcome Earth’s gravity were developed, making space exploration     3    reality. In 1961, Yuri Gagarin became the first human     4     (travel) into space. Although China's space program started later than those of Russia and the US, it has made great progress in a short time. In 2003, Yang Liwei     5     (success) orbited Earth in the Shenzhou 5 spacecraft,     6     made China the third country in the world that independently sent humans into space. More recently, China     7     (make) history by landing Chang’e 4 on the far side of the moon. However, accidents that resulted     8     the deaths of the astronauts happened before despite scientists’ efforts to make sure nothing went wrong.     9    the desire to explore space never faded away. Europe, the US, and China all have plans to explore     10     (planet) like Mars and Jupiter. So the future of space exploration remains bright.

7 . Mounting a telescope on the balcony at home, Wang Zhipu, a 16-year-old boy from Fujian province, observes the skies, takes photos and begins his voyage into space after class. Recently, his efforts were rewarded when he won the title of "Young Astronomy Photographer of the Year 2021" in the Royal Observatory Grecnwich's annual astrophotography contest. His winning entry, entitled Family Photo of the Solar System, shows seven of the eight planets lined up horizontally, with the sun on the left and moon on the right,both pictured larger in size than normal.

“All families are unconventional, so I adored this fresh, gently playful concept around the solar system,” said the competition judge Sue Prichard while talking about Wang's picture. “A meaningful technically accomplished work from a rising star of astronomical photography.”

It hasn't been easy taking pictures of outer space. For about half a year, Wang had to calculate the best time to shoot planets when they're opposite the sun in Earth's sky to get the brightest images. What's more, be still needed to wait for clear weather to see better. For example, to capture a clear picture of Mercury, the planet closest to the sun, which is often cited as the most difficult of the five brightest planets to see with the naked eve, Wang tried to shoot it three times in the early morning but failed. At sunset, he shot 10.000 frames of video and selected several thousand better frames to overlay, further refine them and form a more satisfactory picture.

Sometimes Wang would be so absorbed in his observations that he wouldn't go downstairs to fetch a coat, even in the middle of winter. Other times, he stood for hours under the burning sun to get the perfect shot. To get an ideal shot, he often gets up at dawn, sleeps early to wake up at midnight, and even takes time off from evening classes when necessary.

1. What kind of feeling does Sue Prichard show for Wang's prizewinning picture?

A．Curiosity.

B．Indifference.

C．Admiration

D．Freshness.

2. What did Wang need to do with the planets in preparation for his photographing?

A．Figure out when they shine best	B．Find out what their weather is like
C．Work out how far they are from the sun	D．Make out when they face the earth most directly.

3. What's the last paragraph mainly about?

A．Wang's habits of observing stars	B．Wang's choices of shooting occasions.
C．Wang's addiction to shooting skills.	D．Wang's passion for outer space.

4. Which of the following can be the best title for the text?

A．Stars Twinkling. Teenager Is the Brightest

B．Medals Ghttering, Teenagers Shoots the Gold

C．Eyes on the Stars, Teenager Wins Top Photo-prize

D．Dreams in Heart, Teenager Succeeds in Top Contest