Astronomers (天文學(xué)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
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源： 題型：閱讀理解
Once in a blue moon there is one on New Year's Eve. Revelers ringing in 2010 will be treated to a so-called blue moon. According to popular definition, a blue moon is the second full moon in a month. But don't 1 it to be blue - the name has nothing to 2 the color of our closest celestial（天體） neighbor.
A full moon 3 on December 2. It will appear again on Thursday in time for the New Year's countdown.
"If you're in Times Square, you'll see the 4 moon right above you. It's going to be that brilliant," said Jack Horkheimer, director emeritus of the Miami Space Transit Planetarium and host of a weekly astronomy TV show.
The New Year's Eve blue moon will be 5 in the United States, Canada, Europe, South America and Africa. For partygoers in Australia and Asia, the full moon does not show up 6 New Year's Day, making January a blue moon month for them.
However, the Eastern Hemisphere can celebrate with a partial lunar eclipse（月蝕） on New Year's Eve when 7 of the moon enters the Earth's shadow. The 8 will not be visible in the Americas.
A full moon occurs 9 29.5 days, and most years have 12. 10 , an extra full moon in a month - a blue moon - occurs every 2.5 years. The 11 time there was a lunar double take was in May 2007. New Year's Eve blue moons are rarer, occurring every 19 years. The last time was in 1990; the next one won't 12 again until 2028.
Blue moons have no astronomical 13 , said Greg Laughlin, an astronomer at the University of California, Santa Cruz.
"`Blue moon' is just a 14 in the same sense as a `hunter's moon' or a `harvest moon,'" Laughlin said in an e-mail.
The popular definition of blue moon 15 after a writer for Sky & Telescope magazine in 1946 misunderstood the Maine Farmer's Calendar and marked a blue moon as the second full moon in a month. In fact, the calendar 16 a blue moon as the third full moon in a season with four full moons, not the usual three.
Though Sky & Telescope corrected the 17 decades later, the definition caught on. For purists（語(yǔ)言純正癖者）, however, this New Year's Eve full moon doesn't even qualify as a 18 moon. It's just the first full moon of the winter season.
In a tongue-in-cheek essay 19 on the magazine's Web site this week, senior contributing editor Kelly Beatty wrote: "If skies are clear when I'm 20 celebrating, I'll take a peek（瞇著眼睛看） at that brilliant orb（天體） as it rises over the Boston skyline to see if it's an icy shade of blue. Or maybe I'll just howl."
( ) 1. A. wish B. wait C. hope D. expect
( ) 2. A. deal with B. do with C. develop with D. form into
( ) 3. A. occurred B. came C. ran D. went
( ) 4. A. full B. half C. bright D. part
( ) 5. A. out of sight B. visible C. big D. clear
( ) 6. A. until B. when C. before D. since
( ) 7. A. part B. all C. any D. none
( ) 8. A. moon B. eclipse C. sun D. shadow
( ) 9. A. each B. every C. either D. all
( ) 10. A. On the whole B. Generally speaking C. On average D. In addition
( ) 11. A. last B. next C. other D. another
( ) 12. A. go B. see C. come D. look
( ) 13. A. point B. evident C. theory D. significance
( ) 14. A. name B. object C. phenomenon D. tradition
( ) 15. A. created B. came about C. made D. copied
( ) 16. A. named B. called C. introduced D. defined
( ) 17. A. error B. name C. reality D. number
( ) 18. A. blue B. red C. yellow D. grey
( ) 19. A. published B. posted C. printed D. written
( ) 20. A. in B. out C. away D. on
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2012-2013學(xué)年遼寧省沈陽(yáng)同澤女中高二下學(xué)期第一次月考英語(yǔ)試卷（帶解析） 題型：單選題
The newly-discovered star was named ________ a Chinese astronomer ________ honor of his contributions to astronomy.
| A．for；in | B．a(chǎn)fter；for |
| C．a(chǎn)s；in | D．a(chǎn)fter；in |
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2013屆黑龍江齊齊哈爾實(shí)驗(yàn)中學(xué)高三三模英語(yǔ)試卷（帶解析） 題型：閱讀理解
Still waiting for little green men to make contact? Don't hold your breath.
A leading astronomer has concluded there probably aren't any aliens out there – meaning we are absolutely alone in the universe.
Even though there may be tens of thousands of other distant planets similar in size to Earth, the conditions on them are likely to be too hard to support life-forms such as ET.
Dr Howard Smith, a senior astrophysicist at Harvard University, believes there is very little hope of discovering aliens and, even if we did, it would be almost impossible to make contact.
So far astronomers have discovered a total of 500 planets in distant solar systems – known as extrasolar systems – although they believe billions of others exist.
But Dr Smith points out that many of these planets are either too close to the sun or too far away, meaning their surface temperatures are so bad that they could not support life. Others have unusual orbits which cause vast temperature variations, making it impossible for water to exist – the most important thing for life.
Dr Smith said, "We have found that most other planets and solar systems are wildly different from our own. It means it is highly unlikely there are any planets with intelligent life close enough for us to make contact." But his suggestions contradict other leading scientists who have claimed aliens almost certainly exist.
Only last month Professor Stephen Hawking said the fact that there are billions of galaxies out there made it reasonable to think there were other life-forms in the universe.
Researchers from the University of London have recently suggested that aliens could be living on as many as 40,000 other planets. But Dr Smith said: "Any hope of contact has to be limited to a relatively tiny space around the Earth, reaching maybe 1,250 light years out from our planet, where aliens might be able to pick up our signals or send us their own. But communicating would still take decades or centuries."
【小題1】By saying ＂don’t hold your breath＂, the author advised the reader not to _____.
| A．keep silent | B．give up | C．expect so | D．be afraid |
| A．a(chǎn)re too far away from the earth |
| B．a(chǎn)re different from the Earth in size |
| C．don’t have rich natural resources |
| D．don’t have a suitable living environment |
| A．they have better explanations about aliens |
| B．a(chǎn)liens certainly exist on many planets |
| C．they disagree with Dr Smith’s suggestion |
| D．a(chǎn)liens can pick up signals from the earth |
| A．There must be other life forms in the universe. |
| B．We can communicate with aliens in decades. |
| C．The chances of finding aliens are slight. |
| D．Many other planets are quite different from the Earth. |
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：河南省濮陽(yáng)市2010屆高三下學(xué)期第一次模擬考試 題型：閱讀理解
(D)
Inventor，physicist，surveyor，astronomer，biologist，artist…Robert Hooke was all these and more．Some say he Was the greatest experimental scientist of the 17th century．In the course of his work，he cooperated with famous men of science like Isaac Newton，and the great architect, Chrish@ler Wren．
Hoocke's early education began at home，under the guidance of his father．He entered Westnfinster School at the age of 13，and from there went to Oxford，where he came in contact with some of the best scientists in England．Hooke impressed them with his skills at designing experiments and inventing instruments．In 1662，at the age of 28, he was named Curator of
Experiments at the newly formed Royal Society of London—meaning that he was responsible for demonstrating new experiments at the society’s weekly meetings．Hooke accepted the job，even though he knew that the society had no money to pay him!
Watching living things through a microscope was one of his favorite pastimes．He invented a compound microscope for this purpose．One day while observing a cork(軟木塞)under a microscope，he saw honeycomb-like structures．They were cells—the smallest units of life．In fact，it was Hooke who invented the term“cell” as the boxlike ceils of the cork reminded him of the cells of a monastery(修道院)．
Another achievement Of Hook’s was his book Micrographi which introduced the．Enormous potential of the microscope．It contains fascinating drawings of the things he saw under the microscope．The book also includes，among other things，ideas on gravity，light and combustion(燃燒)that may have helped scientists like Newton when they were developing their own theories on these phenomena．
Hooke made valuable contributions to astronomy too．A crater(坑)on the moon is named after him in appreciation of his services to this branch of science．
68．Why possibly did Hooke accept the job as Curator of Experiments?
A. Because his parents couldn’t afford his education．
B．Because his family needed his support．
C．Because he wanted to please the famous scientists in England．
D．Because he liked designing experiments．
69．The cell got its name because of ．
A．its use B．its shape C．Hooke’s favorites D．Hooke’s experiences
70．The last paragraph is to prove that ．
A．Hooke was the greatest experimental scientist of the 17th century
B．Hooke was good at making discoveries
C．Hooke’s contributions were not limited to one field
D．Hooke was one of the greatest astronomers
71．The best title for the text may be ．
A．The Greatest Scientist B．A Helper of Newtom
C．A Brief Introduction to Hooke D．Achievements of Hook
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科目：高中英語(yǔ) 來(lái)源：2010-2011學(xué)年四川省高三第一次月考英語(yǔ)卷 題型：單項(xiàng)填空
The newly discovered star was named a Chinese astronomer honour of his contributions to astronomy.
A. for; in B. after; for C. as; in D. after; in
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