The 2012 London Olympics had enough problems to worry about. But one more has just been added - a communications blackout caused by solar storms.
After a period of calm within the Sun, scientists have detected the signs of a flesh cycle of sunspots that could peak in 2012, just in time for the arrival of the Olympic torch in London.
Now scientists believe that this peak could result in vast solar explosions that could throw billions of tons of charged matter towards the Earth, causing strong solar storms that could jam the telecommunications satellites and interact links sending five Olympic broadcast from London.
"The Sun's activity has a strong influence on the Earth. The Olympics could be in the middle of the next solar maximum which could affect the functions of communications satellites," said Professor Richard Harrison, head of space physics at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in Oxfordshire. 
At the peak of the cycle, violent outbursts called coronal mass ejections (日冕物质抛射) occur in the Sun's atmosphere, throwing out great quantities of electrically-charged matter. " A coronal mass ejection can carry a billion tons of solar material into space at over a million    kilometres per hour. Such events can expose astronauts to a deadly amount, can disable satellites, cause power failures on Earth and disturb communications," Professor Harrison added. The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
Next week in America, NASA is scheduled to launch a satellite for monitoring solar activity called the Solar Dynamics Observatory (SDO), which will take images of the Sun that are 10 times clearer than the most advanced televisions available.
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory helped to make the high-tech cameras that will capture images of the solar flares (太阳耀斑) and explosions as they occur.
Professor Richard Hold away, the lab's director, said that the SDO should be able to provide early warning of a solar flare or explosion big enough to affect satellite communications on Earth "If we have advance warning, we'll be able to reduce the damage. What you don't want is things switching off for a week with no idea of what's caused the problem," he said.
【小题1】The phrase "communications blackout" in paragraph 1 most probably refers to          during the 2012 Olympics.

A.the extinguishing of the Olympic torch
B.the collapse of broadcasting systems
C.the transportation breakdown in London
D.the destruction of weather satellites
【小题2】What can be inferred about the solar activity described in the passage?
A.The most fatal matter from the corona falls onto Earth.
B.The solar storm peak occurs in the middle of each cycle.
C.It takes several seconds for the charged matter to reach Earth.
D.The number of sunspots declines(减少) after coronal mass ejections.
【小题3】What does the last sentence mean?
A.So far scientists still don’t know what caused the Solar Storms.
B.When Solar Storm happens, you’d better turn off the electrical appliances.
C.The risk is greatest during a solar maximum when there is the greatest number of sunspots.
D.Early warming can help minimize the harm of the Solar Storms.
【小题4】According to the passage, NASA will launch a satellite to _  _ 
A.take images of the solar system
B.provide early warning of thunderstorms
C.keep track of solar activities
D.improve the communications on Earth
【小题5】Which of the following might be the best title of the passage?
A.Solar Storms: An Invisible Killer
B.Solar Storms: Earth Environment in Danger
C.Solar Storms: Threatening the Human Race
D.Solar Storms: Human Activities to Be Troubled

We had known for along time that flowers of different plants open and close at different time of day. Yet no one really understands why flowers open and close like this at special time. The question is not as simple as we might think, as recent experiments have shown. In one experiment, flowers were kept in constant (持续的)darkness. We might expect that the flowers ,without any information about the time of the day, did not open as they usually do. In fact, they continue to open at their usual time. This shows that they have some special ways of knowing the time. Their sense(感觉) time does not depend on information from the outside world. It is inside them: a kind of "inner (内部的)clock". This discovery may not seem to be very important. However, it is later found that not just plants but animals have this "inner clock" which control(控制)the working of their bodies and influences their activities. Human beings, then, are also influenced by it. Whether we wish or not, itaffectssuch things in our life as our need for sleep or need for food.

  1. 1.

    Before the experiment arrived at a conclusion, people had thought that the flowers would____.

    1. A.
      never open in constant darkness
    2. B.
      change their usual time to open
    3. C.
      open ahead of the time as they usually did
    4. D.
      continue to open at usual time
  2. 2.

    The sense of time that flowers have is connected with_____________.

    1. A.
      its age and size
    2. B.
      light and temperature
    3. C.
      a kind of strange power(力量)inside them
    4. D.
      some unknown information from the outside world
  3. 3.

    What will happen if we make good use of the "inner clock"

    1. A.
      We'll need less sleep or food.
    2. B.
      We'll be able to sleep as long as we wish to.
    3. C.
      We'll be able to change our work time when necessary.
    4. D.
      We'll have more energy to do our work better.
  4. 4.

    What's the Chinese meaning of the underlined word" affects"

    1. A.
      产生
    2. B.
      影响
    3. C.
      给予
    4. D.
      依赖

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