On 15 October 1997, the Cassini spacecraft set out on a mission to explore the planet Saturn. So great was the distance from Earth that it
2 . Scientists for the first time have found water in the atmosphere of an Earth-like planet orbiting a distant star. It is the evidence that a key ingredient for life exists beyond our solar system, according to a study published in 2019.
Water vapor was found in the atmosphere of K2-18b, one of the hundreds of “super-Earths” recorded in a new field of astronomy that explores the so-called exoplanets, which are planets that orbit a star other than the sun. In total, more than 4,000 exoplanets of all types and sizes have been found.
The latest discovery was reported in research by a team of scientists at University College London (UCL) published in the journal Nature Astronomy. “We found water through the Hubble Space Telescope,” UCL astrophysicist Ingo Waldmann said. It marks the first time that scientists have found water in the atmosphere around a super-Earth.
Angelos Tsiaras, an astronomer at UCL, said the team is working on finding exoplanets whose conditions are similar to those on Earth. “But of course its purpose is not to find a place where we could go,” Tsiaras said. “While light from the sun takes several minutes to reach Earth, light from K2-18b’s star takes a century to reach our planet, so it’s impossible for us to travel there.”
“Considering it’s so far away, we don’t really have any other choice but to stay on our own Earth, so it’s important to make Earth great again rather than looking for another planet to take the place of Earth,” Tsiaras said.
Besides the quite long distance separating Earth from K2-18b, there is far more radiation on the exoplanet than on Earth, which diminishes the possibility for life to exist. However, the discovery brings astronomers closer to answering the fundamental question of how special Earth is in the universe, the scientists said.
1. What did the scientists at UCL find out?| A．Life exists on other planets. |
| B．More exoplanets are disappearing. |
| C．Water exists in the atmosphere of an exoplanet. |
| D．Exoplanets are similar to planets in the solar system. |
| A．K2-18b is the biggest exoplanet. | B．Scientists know exoplanets well. |
| C．There are totally 4,000 exoplanets. | D．They don’t belong to the solar system. |
| A．We should protect our earth well. |
| B．We should make full use of solar energy. |
| C．We should study the planets near our earth. |
| D．We should try our best to find earth-like planets. |
| A．Raises. | B．Decreases. | C．Ignores. | D．Admits. |
1. What will happen in 2022?
| A．A new space lab will be built |
| B．The first space hotel will open |
| C．Astronauts will live in the space hotel |
| A．Two | B．Four | C．Six |
| A．Cook food | B．Watch movies | C．Have a video chat |
| A．Expensive | B．Dangerous | C．Relaxing |
4 . Since I was born and brought up in a rural town，I have a great interest in nature.Using the chance of studying abroad in my second year at college，I decided to go to Canada just because I wanted to see the beautiful phenomena there.So after I finished the study program，I went to Yellowknife in the Northwest Territories.
I clearly remember the sixth night in Yellowknife.Suddenly my host mother came to my room around 8∶00 p. m.and told me to change clothes and go outside quickly carrying her camera.
The northern lights were flickering (闪烁) in the sky！I was shocked and just stood there with my mouth open.I forgot to take pictures of the mysterious lights.
Since that night，whenever it was sunny，I went outside at night and looked at the sky.It was so cold that I lost all feeling in my hands and feet.
As I took pictures of the northern lights，I came to find a characteristic movement of the lights.They first appear in the north part of the sky and then they gradually come down to the south part of the sky.After that，suddenly，they come in the middle of the north and south only for a while，which is the time when the best northern lights can be seen.Since it is only a few seconds for the northern lights to come down to the middle of the sky，it is very hard to get good pictures.
The stronger the sun acts，the better and stronger the northern lights flicker in the sky.That's because they come about from the collisions (碰撞)between atmospheric gases and the solar wind.Much more solar wind comes to the earth when the sun is active，which leads to the best northern lights.And the colors of the northern lights depend on the height of the collisions and the kinds of gases.
1. What does the last paragraph mainly tell us?| A．Ways to take good pictures. |
| B．The relationship between the sun and the northern lights. |
| C．The colors of the northern lights. |
| D．The time of the best northern lights. |
| A．She wanted to take a picture of him. |
| B．She wanted to take a walk with him. |
| C．She wanted to tell him something important. |
| D．She wanted him to see the northern lights. |
| A．the host mother didn't remind him to take the camera |
| B．he was shocked by the wonderful sight |
| C．the lights flickering in the sky disappeared too soon |
| D．he lost all feeling in his hands and feet |
| A．When they appear in the north part of the sky. |
| B．When they come down to the south part of the sky. |
| C．When they are between the north and south. |
| D．When they rise in the east part of the sky. |
5 . Here's a list of some interesting facts about stars; some you might already know, and few that are going to be new.
The sun is the closest star to the earth. The sun is about 150 million kilometers away. Our sun, like most other stars, gives off power and light by nuclear fusion, which happens exactly where it's the hottest. The sun is about 4.5 billion years old and it will still last six billion years or so. When it runs out of its fuel, it would develop into a red star when increasing in size.
Since stars are billions of light years away, it may be hard to recognize that stars are in continuous battles with themselves. All the stars have their own gravitational pull that pulls them. The surprising part is that the nuclear fusion occurring inside the star truly produces an outward push to resist the gravitational force, which keeps its present shape.
Stars have different colors. The hottest stars are surprisingly the smallest ones and are blue in color. Their temperatures go to about 12,000 Kelvin. Although the yellow-colored stars are the middle-sized ones just like the sun, their temperatures fall to about 6,000 Kelvin. And lastly, the coolest and greatest ones are colored red and the temperatures of them are about 3,000 Kelvin.
When looking at the night sky, we may think that stars are up there alone. But don't be surprised that these heavenly bodies in fact come in pairs. And stars can even come in groups of 3 or even 4!
1. What will happen when the sun runs out of its fuel?| A．It will disappear slowly. | B．It will last six billion years. |
| C．It will become a white star. | D．It will become larger in size. |
| A．All stars are in a state of balance. | B．It's hard for the stars to keep their shapes. |
| C．The stars have the same gravitational pull. | D．The stars always stay in peace with one another. |
| A．It is blue when it is very cold. | B．It looks red when it is far away. |
| C．It seems yellow when it is over 3,000 Kelvin. | D．It has something to do with its size and temperature. |
| A．They appear only in pairs. | B．They appear without rules. |
| C．They stay alone here and there. | D．They appear in small groups or in pairs. |
The Future Life on Mars
Compared with the life we
Firstly, without pollution on Mars, people will be able to drink cleaner water
7 . Some new comets have been discovered accidentally by amateur (业余的) astronomers. Surprisingly a few bright comets have been discovered with the naked eye (肉眼) by members of the general public. However, a great number of comets are found by comet hunters carrying out telescope searches of chosen areas of the night sky.
As the movement of all comets is directed around the Sun and because these bodies brighten as they move towards the Sun, there is a greater possibility for the discovery of a new comet in the skies towards the Sun rather than away from the Sun's direction. This means that searches should be put on the western sky after evening light and on the eastern sky before morning light.
From the astronomical point there is no time during the year which is the best for the discovery of new comets. A search can be done at any time providing there is no bright Moon.
Studies done on the discovery conditions of comets discovered before show that more comets have been discovered in the morning sky than in the evening sky. Thus the smart comet hunter should make sure that morning activity receives as much if not more attention than any evening effort.
In recent times, the use of advanced CCD technology to discover objects close to the Earth will in the future greatly reduce the chances of new comets being found with small telescopes. An example of the new technology is the very successful LINEAR program operating in New Mexico, However, until a similar system is based in the southern half of the Earth there will continue to be chances for the discovery of new comets which come from the south.
1. What are comet hunters advised to do?| A．Look away from the Sun. |
| B．Stay where there's bright light. |
| C．Face the western sky in the daytime. |
| D．Turn to the east in the early morning. |
| A．Days when they're close to the Earth are great chances. |
| B．Certain fixed days are best for watching comets. |
| C．Every day is the same if there's no bright Moon. |
| D．Days with the Moon should never be missed. |
| A．Paying more attention in the morning than in the afternoon. |
| B．Being equally serious both in the morning and afternoon. |
| C．Being more relaxed in the morning than in the afternoon. |
| D．Forming a habit of working only in the morning. |
| A．It's similar to a telescope. | B．It'll disappoint comet hunters. |
| C．It's spreading all over the world. | D．It'll make comet hunters feel lucky. |
8 . It is in human nature to explore new things. To that end, many countries have been exploring space for many decades, particularly the US, Russia, and countries in Europe.
President Xi Jinping praised the success of the Chang’e 5 mission (使命) in bringing back the country’s first samples (样本) collected from the moon. The whole country is proud of this breakthrough. The Chang’e 5 mission has achieved many significant breakthroughs, including China’s first lunar (月球的) surface sampling, first liftoff from the moon and the first spacecraft with the ability to gather and meet in lunar orbit with samples to re-enter the Earth s atmosphere.
The success of the Chang’e 5 mission marks a conclusion of China’s current lunar exploration project. The successful re-entry and landing of the Chang’e 5 capsule (太空舱) have enabled China to obtain its first lunar samples, marking a new start for lunar and planetary research. With this achievement, China sets a new milestone in space exploration.
No matter how far China goes into space, it always stays true to its original mission-uncovering the secrets of the universe and contributing to human’s peaceful use of space. China is a peace-loving country and will use its achievements for promoting peace around the globe.
China views these efforts as part of the world’s lunar exploration. It chose a different landing site and is promising to share its samples to enrich the planet’s knowledge. Some foreign scientists have shown particular interest. The exploration is not for commercial purposes, but international scientific research. Human beings shall explore the moon together, as it will finally need large projects requiring international cooperation. China will play a leadership role in the international scientific community.
1. What made Chinese people feel proud according to the passage?| A．Landing on the moon successfully. | B．Gaining admission to exploring the moon. |
| C．Strengthening the ability to promote the peace. | D．Bringing back first samples collected from the moon. |
| A．Horrible but romantic. | B．Fearful but successful. |
| C．Challenging but rewarding. | D．Dangerous but peaceful. |
| A．The original mission remains unchanged. | B．Countries join together to explore the moon. |
| C．China takes pride in the achievements in space. | D．China sets a new milestone in space exploration. |
| A．A poster. | B．A leaflet. | C．A newspaper. | D．A guidebook. |
9 . The United States space agency, NASA. says its Mars exploration vehicle recently recorded a high level of methane (甲烷) gas on the planet. The discovery is exciting because the presence of methane gas could support the case for life on Mars.
NASA's Curiosity vehicle recently recoded the largest level of methane ever measured during its seven-year Mars mission.
Methane has no color or smell. A special instrument on Curiosity's Man Science Laboratory recorded the increased gas level. The device measures levels of chemical elements and gases in the Marian atmosphere. In addition to methane, the instrument can record levels of water and carbon dioxide.
Nearly all the methane gas found in Earth's atmosphere is produced by living thing. It usually comes from animal and plant life. But it can also be formed by geological(地质的) processes, such as interactions. between rocks and water.
It was not the first time Curiosity had found methane gas in the Martian atmosphere. About a year ago, NASA announced that Curiosity had discovered sharp seasonal increases in the gas. This time, NASA said the measured methane gas level was clearly larger than any others observed in the past. "It's exciting because microbial (微生物的) life is an important source of methane on Earth," NASA said in a statement announcing the discovery.
However, Curiosity's team carried out a follow-up methane experiment that showed a sharp drop in levels of the gas. That number was "close to the background levels Curiosity sees all the time." NASA said. The rise and fall of the methane gas levels left NASA scientists with more questions than answers.
"The methane mystery continues," said Ashwin Vasavada. Curiosity's project scientist, "We're more motivated than ever to keep measuring and put our brains together to figure out how methane behaves in the Marian atmosphere."
1. What do we know about methane go?| A．It is a must to living things. | B．It can be found everywhere. |
| C．It smells like carbon dioxide. | D．It's mainly from biological activity. |
| A．Humans have known much about Mars. |
| B．There will be more methane gas on Mars. |
| C．There is no progress in the 7 year's research. |
| D．The level of methane gas on Mars is not stable. |
| A．There may exist life on Mars. |
| B．Methane gas on Mars has a sudden increase. |
| C．The mystery about Mars will be solved soon. |
| D．They're known how methane as is formed on Mans. |
| A．Aimless. | B．Confident. |
| C．Stressed. | D．Serious. |
10 . Many of us have read stories or seen films about space creatures(生物). They come to the Earth in spaceships that look like flying saucers. These spacecreatures do not look like human beings at all, but they are usually very intelligent(聪明). In one film, they were tiny little men with large heads. When they landed on the Earth, they knew exactly what to do. They went straight to the President's palace and made him their prisoner!
The stories about space creatures are, of course, not true. Spacecreatures exist only in story books and films, just like giants and fairies. But many scientists are asking this question--“Is there life on other planets?” There are millions of planets in the universe, and the Earth is just one of them. Could there be living things on other planets? Many people believe that the other planets in the universe are most suitable for living things.
Are scientists sure that there is no life on other planets?
At this stage we still cannot be sure. All the planets, except the moon and Mars, are so far away that it will take hundreds of years for our spaceships to reach them.
1. The BEST title for the passage is“________”.| A．Scientific Wonders- Spacecreatures | B．Is There Life on Other Planets? |
| C．Are Scientists Sure? | D．Stories about Spacecreatures |
| A．all the planets, except the moon, are so far away that it will take hundreds of years for our spaceships to reach them |
| B．all the planets are too far to reach |
| C．all the planets,except the moon and Mars, are so far away that it will take hundreds of years for our spaceships to reach them |
| D．all the planets are only too far to reach |
| A．The stories about spacecreatures are true. | B．Spacecreatures are in stories. |
| C．Spacecreatures are in films. | D．Many scientists are asking if there is life on other planets. |
| A．upright (直立的) | B．level |
| C．directly | D．honest |
