Move Earth—It’s Not Science Fiction
LONDON—Scientists have found an unusual way to prevent our planet from overheating: move it to a cooler spot. All you have to do is send a few comets(彗星)in the direction of Earth, and its orbit will be changed. Our world will then be sent spinning into a safer, colder part of the solar system.
This idea for improving our climate comes from a group of US National Aeronautics and Space Administration(NASA)engineers and American astronomers. They say their plan could add another six billion years to the useful lifetime of our planet—effectively doubling its working life.
The plan put forward by Dr. Laughlin, and his colleagues Don Korycansky and Fred Adams, needs carefully directing a comet or asteroid so that it passes close by our planet and sends some of its gravitational energy to Earth.
“Earth’s orbital speed would increase as a result and we would move to a higher orbit away from the Sun, ”Laughlin said.
Engineers would then direct their comet so that it passed close to Jupiter or Saturn. The comet would pick up energy from one of these giant planets. Later its orbit would bring it back to Earth, and the process would be repeated.
In the short term, the plan provides an ideal way to global warming, although the team was actually concerned with a much greater danger. The Sun is certain to heat up in about a billion years and so“seriously compromise” our biosphere(生物圈)—by cooking us.
That’s why the group decided to try to save Earth.
The plan has one or two worrying aspects, however. For a start, space engineers would have to be very careful about how they directed their asteroid or comet towards Earth. The smallest miscalculation(误算)in orbit could fire it straight at Earth—with deadly consequences.
There is also the question of the Moon. As the current issue of Scientific American magazine points out, if Earth was pushed out of its current position, it is“most likely the Moon would be stripped away from Earth”. This would greatly change our planet’s climate.
小题1:What makes the scientists plan to move Earth?| A．A few comets are moving to the direction of Earth. | | B．Earth’s working life is coming to an end soon. | | C．Earth will become too hot for mankind to keep alive. | | D．The moon is moving farther and farther away from Earth. |
小题2:If the plan is successful, Earth will have a working life of years.| A．12 billion | B．6 billion | | C．18 billion | D．24 billion |
小题3:What serious problems might the plan cause according to the passage?| A．The comet might hit Earth and man might lose the Moon. | | B．Earth might be moved too far away and man might be frozen to death. | | C．The comet might hit Jupiter or Saturn and never return to Earth. | | D．Earth’s working life might be greatly shortened. |
小题4:What does the underlined word“compromise”mean?| A．Provide. | B．Benefit. | | C．Share. | D．Endanger. |
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小题1:C
小题2:A
小题3:A
小题4:D |
科学家们找到了一种非同寻常的阻止地球过热的方法。
小题1:选C。细节理解题。文章首句说科学家们找到了一种非同寻常的办法防止地球过热, 第六段又提供了解决地球变暖问题的理想办法, 但科学家们真正关心的是更大的危险: 大约十亿年以后太阳肯定会更炙热, 以至于将人类化为灰烬。
小题2:选A。细节理解题。根据文章第二段末句可知答案。注意关键词语: another six billion years, doubling its working life。
小题3:选A。细节理解题。最后两段分别指出该计划可能带来的两大恶果: 一是万一轨道计算出错会使被控星体撞向地球, 二是地球脱离原轨道后很可能会失去月球, 从而导致气候巨变。
小题4:选D。词义猜测题。本题可用排除法排除不符合文意的答案。句意: 大约十亿年以后太阳肯定会更加炙热, 从而严重损害地球的生物圈——把人类化为灰烬! |
核心考点
试题【Move Earth—It’s Not Science FictionLONDON—Scientists have found an unusual way t】；主要考察你对
题材分类等知识点的理解。
[详细]举一反三
Recently we told you about a finding that more years of school could help students get higherscores on intelligence tests．That was the finding of a study of teenage males in Norway．Now，other research shows that physical activity may help students do better in their classes .
The research comes as educators in some countries are reducing time for activities like physical education．They are using the time instead for academic subjects like maths and reading．The studies appeared between 2007 and 2013．They included more than 55，000 children，aged 6 to 18．
Amika Singh：“Based on the results of our study，we can conclude that being physically active is beneficial for academic performance. There are，first，Physiological explanations，like more blood flow, and so more oxygen to the brain．Being physically active means there are more hormones(荷尔蒙)produced like endorphins(内啡肽)．And endorphins make your stress level lower and your mood improved, which means you also perform better.”
Also，students involved in organized sports learn rules and how to follow them．This could improve their classroom behavior and help them keep their mind on their work．
The study leaves some questions unanswered，however．Ms．Stash says it is not possible to say whether the amount or kind of activity affected the level of academic improvement．This is because of differences among the studies .
Also．they were mostly observational studies．An observational study is where researchers do not do controlled comparisons．They only describe what they observe．So they might observe a link that students who are more active often have better grades．But that does not necessarily mean being active was the cause of those higher grades．
The researchers said they found only two high - quality studies．They called for more high-
quality studies to confirm their findings．They also pointed out that “outcomes for other parts of the world may be quite different. ”
Still，the general finding was that physically active kids are more likely to do better in school．Ms．Singh says schools should consider that finding before they cut physical education programs．Her paper on “Physical Activity and Performance at School”is published in the Archives of Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine．
小题1:The passage mainly tells us that ＿＿＿＿| A．a research on physical education has been done by the researchers | | B．there exists a possibility that physical activity leads to higher grades | | C．the amount or kind of activity directly affects academic level | | D．the research shows that the children aged 6 to 1 8 don"t do sports |
小题2:Which of the following is TRUE?| A．Being mentally active is good for academic subjects． | | B．The more hormones you have，the more stressed you will get． | | C．They have found many high-quality studies to prove the research． | | D．The educators in the research think studies，not exercise，mean much to students． |
小题3:The underlined sentence in Paragraph 7 probably means ＿＿＿＿.| A．good marks result from high-quality study | | B．findings probably vary in different areas | | C．physical activity will spread all over the world | | D．academic performance depends on the surroundings |
小题4:What"s the purpose of writing the passage?| A．To call our attention to the sports at school． | | B．To introduce all types of physical activities． | | C．To represent the academic performance． | | D．To improve students" health ． |
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Around the world coral reefs(珊瑚礁) are facing threats(威胁) brought by climate change and great changes in sea temperatures. While ocean warming has been the primary focus for scientists and ocean policy managers, cold events can also whiten corals. A new study by scientists compared damaged to corals exposed to heat as well as cold stress. The results show that cool temperatures can cause more damage in the short term, but heat is more destructive(破坏性的) in the long run.
Climate change is widely known to produce warming conditions in the oceans, but extreme cold-water events have become more frequent and serious as well. In 2010, for example, coral reefs around the world faced on of the coldest winters and one of the hottest summers on record.
During a unique experiment, corals under cold temperatures suffered greater damage in just days compared with heat treated corals. Yet the researchers found that corals were eventually able to adjust to the cold conditions, make their health stable and continue to grow. However, over the long term corals subjected to heat suffered more greatly than those in cold, with evidence of severe whitening and growth stoppage, which leads to death.
The coral’s ability to adjust to cool temperatures surprised the researchers, who say the study’s results show the complexities(复杂性) of monitoring coral health in response to different environmental factors(因素).
“Global warming is associated with increases but also decreases of temperatures,” said Deheyn, one of the researchers. “Not much has been known about the comparative effects of temperature decrease on corals. These results are important because they show that corals react differently to temperature differences, which is important for future management of coral reefs in the field of climate change.”
小题1:Which of the following is TRUE according to the passage?| A．Corals are unable to adjust to temperature changes. | | B．Cold temperature causes greater damage to corals. | | C．Hot temperature helps coral reefs to grow quickly. | | D．Heat and cold damage corals in their own ways. |
小题2:We can learn from the passage that .| A．scientists used to pay no attention to the effect of cold events on corals | | B．2010 witnessed one of the greatest temperature differences on record | | C．corals prefer warmer conditions to cold temperatures in the long run | | D．global warming has nothing to do with the decrease of temperature |
小题3:According to the research, .| A．corals may continue to grow in cold events after a few days | | B．cold events help corals grow more quickly in a short time | | C．corals show no response to hot temperatures in the first days | | D．corals are whitened mainly because of warm temperatures |
小题4:Scientists reached the conclusion through .| A．news report | B．scientific study | C．great imagination | D．natural conditions |
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Scientists at the California Institute of Technology (Caltech) have reported evidence that Mars was warmer and wetter long ago than it is today. The Caltech scientists say they have directly established the temperature of Mars four billion years ago. At least, they established the surface temperature on part of the planet at that time. The researchers say it is the first such evidence to be discovered and presented.
The Caltech scientists say carbonate（碳酸盐）minerals formed on Mars at about eighteen degrees Celsius. They reached the finding after studying a meteorite（陨石）that had its beginnings near the Martian surface.
Today, the average temperature on Mars is sixty-three degrees below zero Celsius.
The finding was reported on the website of the National Academy of Sciences. Caltech Assistant Professor Woody Fischer helped to prepare the report. He says eighteen degrees Celsius is not especially cold or hot. He says this makes the finding extremely interesting. Knowing the temperature can give scientists an idea of the climate on Mars long ago. It can also help them decide whether the planet had liquid water. Spacecraft orbiting Mars have shown what appear to be rivers, lakebeds and mineral deposits. These pictures suggest that, at one time, water did flow there. Mars Rover vehicles and other spacecraft have proved the information.
The meteorite the scientists examined is one of the oldest known rocks in the world. It is called the Allan Hills meteorite. Its name came from the place in Antarctica where it was found in 1984. The meteorite is believed to have blown loose from the Mars" surface when another space rock struck its "home."
小题1:The underlined word “establish” in Paragraph 1 probably means “___________”.| A．to set up | | B．to make people accept a belief | | C．to discover or prove | | D．to start having a relationship with others |
小题2:How did the scientists reach the finding?| A．By studying Allan Hills meteorite. | | B．By using spacecraft orbiting Mars. | | C．By studying minerals gathered on Mars. | | D．By studying a meteorite on the Martian surface. |
小题3:According to the fourth paragraph, what have spacecraft orbiting Mars done?| A．Measuring the temperature of Mars. | | B．Taking photos of the surface of Mars. | | C．Finding that there is water flowing on Mars. | | D．Proving where human beings will probably land on Mars. |
小题4:Where can we most probably read this passage?| A．In a biography of scientists. | B．In a geography magazine. | | C．In an environment report. | D．In a science report. |
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Henry was not at math. Even when the teacher explained something a second time, he still couldn’t it.
“Never mind. I’ll sit the boy who’s the best at ,” Henry thought, “and his answers.”
The day of the exam , and Henry sat next to Allan, was at the top of the class in math. Henry copied Allan’s answers his own exam paper. At the end of the exam, the teacher said, “Well, boys and girls, I’ve decided to give a red to the student who got the grade. It’s for me to decide who I’ll give the star to, however, two students, Henry and Allan, got the grade.” After a moment she went on, “ I’ve decided to give the star to this time.”
Henry was _ __ when he heard this. He stood and said, “But I got the same grade as Allan, madam.”
“That’s .” The teacher said. “However, Allan’s answer to Question 6 was ‘I don’t know.’, but was ‘Nor do I.’ .”
| 小题1: | | A．well | B．best | C．better | D．good |
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| 小题2: | | A．retell | B．understand | C．remember | D．answer |
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| 小题3: | | A．in front of | B．besides | C．behind | D．next to |
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| 小题4: | | A．English | B．Chinese | C．science | D．math |
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| 小题5: | | A．check | B．choose | C．keep | D．copy |
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| 小题6: | | A．ended | B．came | C．over | D．start |
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| 小题8: | | A．never | B．almost | C．sometimes | D．always |
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| 小题11: | | A．least | B．best | C．lowest | D．highest |
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| 小题12: | | A．unusual | B．easy | C．hard | D．important |
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| 小题13: | | A．because | B．though | C．until | D． if |
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| 小题14: | | A．low | B．high | C．different | D．same |
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| 小题16: | | A．nobody | B．Henry | C．Allan | D．anybody |
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| 小题17: | | A．afraid | B．worried | C．pleased | D．angry |
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| 小题19: | | A．wrong | B．true | C．OK | D．all right |
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| 小题20: | | A．yours | B．mine | C．his | D．others’ |
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It"s a fact that we all dream. Some dreams seem to last for hours, others only for seconds. Some of us have strange dreams, some have interesting dreams, and some of us have unpleasant dreams. Tests in the 1980s showed that these dreams occur within 90-minute cycles, each cycle made up of six stages. In the last stage people experience rapid eye movement, known as REM, and it is in this stage that dreaming takes place. Eighty percent of people who were woken during this sixth stage could easily remember their dreams. On the other hand, when during the first five stages (NREM), only seven percent could describe a dream.
However, of these same people woken during the first five stages, 74% were able to remember thinking activity, although they would not call it a dream. NerysDee, who has written about dreams in a book called "Your Dreams and What They Mean" says: "Perhaps during NREM sleep we are sorting out our outer mundane problems, but in REM sleep we are dealing with inside matters." She also makes the following statement about 90-minute cycle: It may also prove the reason why insomniacs who wake in the middle of the night find it impossible to get to sleep again for at least an hour and a half. In other words, until they have missed out one complete 90-minute sleep period.
小题1:Which of the following statements about dreams is TRUE?| A．Everyone dreams but very few can recall what they dream. | | B．Some people have long dreams and others have very short ones. | | C．People can only remember unpleasant dreams. | | D．More than eighty percent of people can remember their dreams. |
小题2:According to the tests in the 1980s, dreaming takes place______.| A．between each 90-minute cycle | | B．at any time during 90-minute cycles | | C．during the first five stages of 90-minute cycles | | D．in the last stage of 90-minute cycles |
小题3:People woken during REM sleep can______.| A．hardly remember their dreams | | B．easily remember their dreams | | C．only remember their dreams | | D．partly remember their thinking activity |
小题4:"Insomniacs" are persons who______.| A．can always remember their dreams | | B．have trouble getting into sleep at night | | C．experience rapid eye movement | | D．usually wake after each 90-minute sleep period |
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