Question

Astronomers (天文學家) say they are on the point of finding planets like Earth orbiting other stars, which is a key step in determining if we are alone in the universe.

A top NASA official and other leading scientists say that within four or five years they should discover the first Earth-like planet where life could develop, or may have already. A planet close to the size of Earth could even be found sometime this year.

At the annual American Astronomical Society conference this week, each discovery involving  so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system — pointed to the same conclusion：Quiet planets like Earth where life could develop probably are plentiful.

NASA’s Dew Kepler telescope and a lot of new research from the suddenly hot and competitive exoplanet field caused noticeable buzz at the meeting．Scientists are talking about being at “an incredible special place in history” and closer to answering the question. “Are we alone? For the first time, there’s an optimism that sometime in our lifetimes we’re going to get to the bottom of that,” said Simon Worden，an astronomer who heads NASA’s Ames Research Center. “If I were a betting man, which I am, I would bet we’re not alone.”

“These are big questions that reflect upon the meaning of the human race in the universe,” the director of the Vatican Observatory, the Rev. Jose Funes, said Wednesday in an interview at this week’s conference.

Worden told The Associated Press: “I would certainly expect in the next four or five years we’d have an Earth-sized planet in the habitable (可居住的) zone.”

1.What is very important in determining if we are alone in the universe?

A. Finding an Earth-like planet

B. Orbiting other stars.

C. Developing new telescopes

D. Finding more exoplanets.

2.What’s an exoplanet?

A. It’s a planet like Earth

B. It’s a planet outside our solar system.

C. It’s a planet orbiting the sun

D. It’s a planet where life have developed.

3.The underlined phrase “get to the bottom of” probably means “__________”.

A. understand fully         B. make full use of

C. search for              D. do more research on   

4.From the passage we can learn that __________.

A. an Earth-like planet has been found

B. it’s been proved we are not alone in the universe

C. Jose Funes has found the meaning of the human race in the universe

D. the discovery of an Earth-like planet could happen in the near future

 

Answer 1

【答案】

 

1.A

2.B

3.A

4.D

【解析】

試題分析：本文是有關宇宙探索的一篇科普文章。文章說：天文學家在不久的將來就要找到類似地球的行星，在那兒有可能繁衍生命或者已經有了生命。以梵蒂岡天文臺臺長為代表的天文學家表達了自己的希望：在未來的四五年，人類可以找到類似地球的行星提供人類來居住。

1.A 推理判斷題。根據第一段“天文學家在不久的將要找到類似地球的行星，這是確定人類宇宙中是不是還有同類”推斷A項正確。

2.B推理判斷題。根據“so-called “exoplanets” —those outside our solar system”我們知道：所謂的“exoplanets”是指“那些太陽系以外行星”，根據地理常識就是指“圍繞其它恒星(不是圍繞太陽)轉的”行星。故B項正確。

3.A詞義猜測題。根據上文“closer to answering the question離問題的答案越來越近”就是不久將來科學家們就可以回答“Are we alone?”這個問題，說明就要徹底弄懂這個問題。故A正確。再者根據“get to the bottom of”字面意義也可以推測。該詞組的意思是：弄清……底細。

4.D主旨大意題。根據文章的首段和最后一段，我們可以歸納出“不久的將來有可能發現類似地球的行星”。

考點：科普類閱讀理解